I failed my first duty as a godmother to my 6-month old niece today, that is, show up at church for her baptism. Blame my sleepless holy week activities, I woke up late. And what’s even worse, I didn’t even hurry. Instead, I took my time, brushed my teeth longer than usual, read a book while doing the number two, and showered like we own the Maynilad Water Company.
However, I am like most people, guilty of skipping the ceremonies (weddings, baptisms…) sometimes but eager to go to the reception. Don’t get me wrong here but with a lot of goings-on in life these days and the convenience of 3-minute pancit canton noodles, instant messages, and e-mails, who wouldn’t dare try the shortcuts? Which brings me to another topic of shortcuts. Around two or three years ago, I came across this book called the “The 10-Day MBA” by Steven Silbiger at National Bookstore in Glorietta while waiting for my then significant other after work. He was based in Ortigas at that time and had to take the MRT so we had to meet somewhere neutral and that would be this bookstore. Most of the time, I go there earlier so I could browse on books and read a few pages then come back the next day to continue reading again. I was actually trying to preview some books before buying them. Anyway, there was this MBA book that I mentioned, it caught my eye even before I entered the store since the cover was bright red in color. I don’t usually judge books by the cover, as the cliché goes but I began to get curious right away. I rushed over the store and picked it up and boy it was heavy, literally speaking. The price was heavy too, I guess it was a couple of hundred less than a thousand pesos, it was expensive for me. I scanned some pages and it was interesting really. It gives you the basics on how to read financial statements, how to do marketing, the works. It was pretty much like one of those Dummies books.
And so the pondering began. My mind was weighing it if it was worth buying the book or just enroll at a graduate school and go through it like most people do. A part of me wanted to buy it because I just want to refresh what I’ve learned in college, it was sort of like a review on my part now that I’m sort of like enjoying my career, a refresher wouldn’t hurt. I am only after the knowledge. But then again, there is no diploma involved here so the thought of enrolling at a graduate school seemed like a better idea. You cannot put this MBA book as a reference on your curriculum vitae, right? However, if I happen to be an Indian national, I would most probably indicate it there anyway. Kidding.
So what was my conclusion to my confusion at that time? I didn’t do anything. I neither bought the book nor I enrolled at a graduate school. I procrastinated instead. Two or three years later, which means now, it’s haunting me again because I suddenly have the drive to enroll some graduate courses. I know there are no shortcuts when it comes to these things because it’s a lifelong factor, a commitment of what you will do, who you are someday. But arguing this thought again, what you do doesn’t define who you are. Or something like that. This reminds me of the dialogue from one of my favorite movies, “Across the Universe”:
Max's Father: Goddammit, Max! Get serious, for once! What are you going to DO with your life?
Max: Why is it always what will I do? "What will he do", "What will he do," "Oh, my god what will he do", Do, do, do, do, do. Why isn't the issue here who I am?
Uncle Teddy: Because, Maxwell, what you do defines who you are.
Max: No, Uncle Teddy. Who you are defines what you do. Right Jude?
Jude: [awkward] ... Well, surely it's not what you do, but the, uh... the way that you do it.
With that aside, I am trying to prepare for this first before making a decision again, does this mean I’m procrastinating one more time? Not really. I am just cautious about this because time (and resources of course) is a problem for me these days. I have so many things going on with my life, most of the time, hobby-related. I thought of reviewing GMAT first but not really take the exam but I hope to use it as a background or reference should I decide to finally take up a graduate course. I can use it even on the graduate school entrance exam. It’s a good training, I think. Or more of like a diagnosis if I’m fit for the business. If I’m fit for the business, let me repeat that.
Ok, I’d like to come clean here. I am a true Gemini. I like to do several things at once and I admit am more on the creative side than on the business side. Deep down, I want to enroll some Spanish or French language class, just for me to balance my life. My day job is corporate and from time to time (well, most of the time for me), what I need is a breather from the usual formalities and business / tech stuff. That’s why I immerse myself with things that really interest me, photography, drawing, writing. A new language would be a thing for me now since I love playing with words. I write a lot, most are immortalized in my stacks of notebooks/journals since grade school. Writing fiction plus poetry has been a big part of my life and I’m missing it terribly because creative writing has been overshadowed with my day job, that is writing business. Which brings me to enroll at a creative writing course instead of the grad school I was pondering on earlier. Change of priorities, huh. Oh, that is the usual me.
Now back to my topic of shortcuts, is it possible for me to shortcut my life? To fast track everything so I could get there, wherever that is, sooner? I am getting older each day and I don’t think a shortcut to anything is a good idea for me now. I cannot rush my life. Speeding it up may mean I’m rushing to my future. And the only thing certain in the future is death. I cannot die yet so I’m slowing it down, taking one day at a time, enjoying things as it comes, changing my mind, sorting my priorities, living my life, doing the things I want. One of those things is to fulfill the rest of my duties for my new goddaughter.
© 2008 Cat Ramos
However, I am like most people, guilty of skipping the ceremonies (weddings, baptisms…) sometimes but eager to go to the reception. Don’t get me wrong here but with a lot of goings-on in life these days and the convenience of 3-minute pancit canton noodles, instant messages, and e-mails, who wouldn’t dare try the shortcuts? Which brings me to another topic of shortcuts. Around two or three years ago, I came across this book called the “The 10-Day MBA” by Steven Silbiger at National Bookstore in Glorietta while waiting for my then significant other after work. He was based in Ortigas at that time and had to take the MRT so we had to meet somewhere neutral and that would be this bookstore. Most of the time, I go there earlier so I could browse on books and read a few pages then come back the next day to continue reading again. I was actually trying to preview some books before buying them. Anyway, there was this MBA book that I mentioned, it caught my eye even before I entered the store since the cover was bright red in color. I don’t usually judge books by the cover, as the cliché goes but I began to get curious right away. I rushed over the store and picked it up and boy it was heavy, literally speaking. The price was heavy too, I guess it was a couple of hundred less than a thousand pesos, it was expensive for me. I scanned some pages and it was interesting really. It gives you the basics on how to read financial statements, how to do marketing, the works. It was pretty much like one of those Dummies books.
And so the pondering began. My mind was weighing it if it was worth buying the book or just enroll at a graduate school and go through it like most people do. A part of me wanted to buy it because I just want to refresh what I’ve learned in college, it was sort of like a review on my part now that I’m sort of like enjoying my career, a refresher wouldn’t hurt. I am only after the knowledge. But then again, there is no diploma involved here so the thought of enrolling at a graduate school seemed like a better idea. You cannot put this MBA book as a reference on your curriculum vitae, right? However, if I happen to be an Indian national, I would most probably indicate it there anyway. Kidding.
So what was my conclusion to my confusion at that time? I didn’t do anything. I neither bought the book nor I enrolled at a graduate school. I procrastinated instead. Two or three years later, which means now, it’s haunting me again because I suddenly have the drive to enroll some graduate courses. I know there are no shortcuts when it comes to these things because it’s a lifelong factor, a commitment of what you will do, who you are someday. But arguing this thought again, what you do doesn’t define who you are. Or something like that. This reminds me of the dialogue from one of my favorite movies, “Across the Universe”:
Max's Father: Goddammit, Max! Get serious, for once! What are you going to DO with your life?
Max: Why is it always what will I do? "What will he do", "What will he do," "Oh, my god what will he do", Do, do, do, do, do. Why isn't the issue here who I am?
Uncle Teddy: Because, Maxwell, what you do defines who you are.
Max: No, Uncle Teddy. Who you are defines what you do. Right Jude?
Jude: [awkward] ... Well, surely it's not what you do, but the, uh... the way that you do it.
With that aside, I am trying to prepare for this first before making a decision again, does this mean I’m procrastinating one more time? Not really. I am just cautious about this because time (and resources of course) is a problem for me these days. I have so many things going on with my life, most of the time, hobby-related. I thought of reviewing GMAT first but not really take the exam but I hope to use it as a background or reference should I decide to finally take up a graduate course. I can use it even on the graduate school entrance exam. It’s a good training, I think. Or more of like a diagnosis if I’m fit for the business. If I’m fit for the business, let me repeat that.
Ok, I’d like to come clean here. I am a true Gemini. I like to do several things at once and I admit am more on the creative side than on the business side. Deep down, I want to enroll some Spanish or French language class, just for me to balance my life. My day job is corporate and from time to time (well, most of the time for me), what I need is a breather from the usual formalities and business / tech stuff. That’s why I immerse myself with things that really interest me, photography, drawing, writing. A new language would be a thing for me now since I love playing with words. I write a lot, most are immortalized in my stacks of notebooks/journals since grade school. Writing fiction plus poetry has been a big part of my life and I’m missing it terribly because creative writing has been overshadowed with my day job, that is writing business. Which brings me to enroll at a creative writing course instead of the grad school I was pondering on earlier. Change of priorities, huh. Oh, that is the usual me.
Now back to my topic of shortcuts, is it possible for me to shortcut my life? To fast track everything so I could get there, wherever that is, sooner? I am getting older each day and I don’t think a shortcut to anything is a good idea for me now. I cannot rush my life. Speeding it up may mean I’m rushing to my future. And the only thing certain in the future is death. I cannot die yet so I’m slowing it down, taking one day at a time, enjoying things as it comes, changing my mind, sorting my priorities, living my life, doing the things I want. One of those things is to fulfill the rest of my duties for my new goddaughter.
© 2008 Cat Ramos
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