Clean and green in my side of the world

how relaxing, refreshing and energizing it is to see the openness,

the cleanness of the air and the blueness of the sky,

the clear unpolluted water,

the greenness of the surrounding,

the sight of a contented carabao grazing, curious and innocent  while being photographed,

the calming image of a running water on a creek…

the details of an orchid-like tamarind flower that is often left unnoticed and unappreciated…

what a beautiful world out there. i wish it would remain that way. simple things and simple life!

no big buildings to cover the view of sunrise at the break of dawn and the sunset before it gets dark. no smog to cover the twinkling stars at night. no floating garbage and dead fish on rivers and creeks.

can we really progress without harming our environment? can’t we really live simply if we don’t have ’simple’ minds?

JMT Elevator Experience

Its late in the evening and i am sleepy but I just felt i need to write this entry.

I thought this will never happen to me and that i will only get to see this in movies and hear about it being experienced by others.

How could i have assumed that? I work with numbers and yet i thought i am invincible when it comes to experiencing this.
Anyone who works in or frequents high-rise buildings has a likely chance to get stuck in an elevator somehow. The probability is greater than zero.

This was what happened…

After having my lunch at Lutong Macau in Jupiter, Makati with my boss and a few of my colleagues, I was allowed to go ahead of them because i was called for an emergency meeting. My team is currently doing UAT for a front-end system module and we are encountering some errors that needs immediate resolution. The meeting was in Ortigas at 2pm. My team was a bit late but the people we were
supposed to meet were much later. Anyway, after the meeting so we decided to leave the building at once and go back to Makati. While we were going down, one of my team members remembered something we should have asked. We decided to go back. When the
elevator reached ground floor we didn’t go out. The lift went down to the basement and some messengers entered. We didn’t know we have taken a service elevator. Several people entered again when it reached the ground, one with two boxes of Krispy Creme most likely for delivery and two more messengers with a push card full of bond papers.

Okidoks. The lift went up and as it reached the 5th floor, the number didn’t change anymore and one could feel that it is not rising anymore. The man near the door pressed the alarm but it didn’t sound at first. Its good there is a signal inside so i was able to call our contact in the building to tell that we are stuck and that they call for the building maintenance office so we can be freed.

Anyway, we were finally out after more than 20 minutes. Its good that no one is claustrophobic and that everyone stayed calm. While inside we manage to make jokes about the situation and talk about movies (e.g. Final Destination, hehehe) that have shown similar situations.

It was a relief being out in the open. Deep inside us, there is a silence brought about by the experience. That’s just for a while. After that, what transpired was just an incident. Something we would talk about in our workplace. Something we wish wouldn’t happen again. But from now on, the likelihood of experiencing it again is not to be thought of as null.

Eight Gifts that Do Not Cost A Cent

I got this from a colleague today and thought its nice to share it here…

1. THE GIFT OF LISTENING . . .
But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.

2. THE GIFT OF AFFECTION . . .
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

3. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER . . .
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, “I love to laugh with you.”

4. THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE . . .
It can be a simple “Thanks for the help” note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

5. THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT . . .
A simple and sincere, “You look great in red,” “You did a super job” or “That was a wonderful meal” can make someone’s day.

6. THE GIFT OF A FAVOR . . .
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

7. THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE . . .
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

8. THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION . . .
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it’s not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.