Feeling Grouchy?

If I missed being online at Blogville for the past week, it is because I was grounded and I also attended a very important seminar on Performance Management System. As a government employee and maybe just an ordinary employee, I learned a lot from the said seminar. And I want to share with you what have touched me so much. It is about a closing presentation by the trainers after said two-days seminar. Brace yourselves, and hope you would feel the same way I did and still do. 

Feeling Grouchy? 

If you think you are unhappy, picture yourself in their place...

                                                  

If you think your job is tough, how about him?

If you think your salary is low....what if this were you?

If you think you don't have many friends... think of him.

You think study is a burden, how about her?

                                                

When you feel like giving up... think of these men.

If you think you struggle in life... do you struggle as much as he does?

If your society is unfair to you... what about her?

What good did it do to be grouchy today?

Did your surliness drive any trouble away?

Did you cover more ground than you usually do, 

Because of the grouch you carried with you?

If not, what's the use of a grouch or a frown,

If it won't smooth a path, or a grim trouble down?

If it doesn't assist you, it isn't worthwhile.

Your work may be hard, but just do it...

AND SMILE

When you've thank God for every blessing,

what time is there left for murmurs and laments?

If you can't be thankful

for what you receive, 

be thankful

for what you escape.

(P.S. Thanks to our very knowledgeable trainors, Ma'am Jovy and Ma'am Lota of the Civil Service Commission, Regional Office 02.)

Image Courtesy

Curse or Not?

My husband and I are fond of helping other people like sending them to college. It's just that we want these people to have a better future. But in so doing, still there are other people who are envious of what we're doing. Like, they would rather prefer that they're the ones who would be helped out. But in fairness, why should we help others who are already married and have their own family? We are only after these young people who are poor but deserving to make them realize their dreams.

But lately, we have been tested, again. This is the second time that when our student is about to enter their 4^th year in college, things turned up the wrong way. Of late, my niece suffered depression and anxiety disorder. We could hardly talk to her. We have exhausted all means to dig into what's bothering her but all our efforts were futile. After almost a month of battling with her disorder, I finally gave up on her, accepted the fact that she's dropping from her classes this first semester and that she's gonna be delayed in her course, if she will still continue it next semester.

We were all so hopeful, believing that come March 2010, we will already have our first college graduate. But then, our faith has been tested, our patience waned. We got tired of prodding her to go to school. I spent sleepless nights attending to her. I can't believe it myself that she, being an intelligent girl, would succumb to depression. I have fairly treated all of them, and equally with my own kids. But why on earth did she suffer such disorder? She told me once it was about her family, then after learning that, I tried to comfort her and told her that everything will be fine anyway I am always with her and we love her. But those endearing words never worked on her anymore. The degree of her disorder might be such that she needs a psychiatrist.

That's why this morning, while we were having breakfast with my other college scholar, now in 3rd year college, I told her to please break the curse, if it is a curse for me and my husband. I was relieved when she promised me that such curse, if it is so, will never happen again because she's really dedicated and would do all means to finish her course. I was so happy to hear her say that.

If this is a curse for our family or not, then let it be broken.

My April DTR

As a government worker, one is obliged to fill in one's daily time records (DTR) in coming to and leaving the office in the morning and afternoon. My April DTR looks clean at a glance. I have had so many leaves of absences aside from the declared holidays for the month. I took so many vacations. One week at home and another week in Baguio City where my daughter is now having her summer classes.

When it was time for me to report to work for this last week, I feel a little bit lazy of getting up in the morning since I may have been used to getting up late for the past couple of weeks.

Government workers are entitled to simple perks. In a year, one can have 3 days privilege leaves, 5 days forced leaves and one can have sick leaves, unlimited, provided you have enough leave balances. One earns a total of 15 days vacation leave credits and 15 days sick leave credits a year. In my case, for the past 3 years, I started consuming my accrued leave credits by taking leaves every now and then. Not knowing that I am already exhausting my vacation leave credits, I am afraid I can't enjoy another perk this year, of monetizing my VL credits, converting it into money value.

Living in the province and being employed in a government agency is enough for simple people like me. But when you are in a position where it's considered as a dead-end career, that's your the end. Ha ha ha.

Finishing a master's degree is even not enough guarantee that you may be promoted to a much coveted higher position. Maybe, changing or taking another career path may satisfy your thirst for a career growth and development.

Last month, I am contemplating of taking a new career path, but it seems, my age would hamper me. I am already old enough to be accommodated in another kind of work; hence, after consulting with my husband, we both decided that I stay where I am now. Maximize my potentials when I can be needed. In fact, I feel bored and unchallenged this time. There's no room for career growth and development, and even the possibility of attending seminars for our work improvement could not be done, may be due to limited funds.

I envy those states where government workers are salaried much higher than in our country. They have more perks than we have. I have an aunt who was a federal government worker in the US. She related to me how convenient and how well they are given benefits while they work and after retirement. There's no thought or room for them to resort to graft and corruption because they are paid well enough.

I can now see why in our country, even the lowest rank of government employees are tempted to corrupt. It is because their salary for a month is not really enough to support a family of three, is not even enough to send a child to school until college, is not even enough to save for hospitalization and medicines, is not even enough to put up a decent abode for his family, is not even enough to buy a decent three square meals a day, is not even enough to buy decent clothes for the whole family and is not even enough to afford a decent kind of living in general.

My April DTR only shows one simple perk a government worker can have like me. Aside from that, there are no other greater benefits one can have, save for the very low salary one earns in a month.

Election is a few months away. May the Filipino people be wise enough this time to elect a president who is 100% willing to save the poor plight of government workers.