Happy 18th Birthday...belated

Before the 8th month of the year ends, let me have this post for everyone including me. :-)

Well, I just would like to include this significant thing in here although it's quite late to put an update about this certain event. And I think it would be bad if I'll post it later than this month, right? Lol. So here it is.

***

The 16th day of August 2008 is a day to call for a celebration. Indeed! Oh, c'mon, let's make simple and straightforward. August 16, 2008 is my 18th birthday. Haha. Big deal, huh? :-)

As I recall, I made no BIG preparations for my so-called DEBUT? Except that my mom just bought the ingredients for the food about a week before. (^_^) I have second thoughts of having a BIG party due to some unexplainable reasons. But of course, since it's a one-in-a-lifetime event, my parents and I wanted it to be really special. My idea of the moment was to keep it simple yet special.

I never expected that I will be serenaded with birthday songs and be offered by roses by our friend-neighbors during the dawn. I felt so special. :-) Thanks!

My idea of my 18th birthday celeb was that it would be simple yet memorable. What is most important to me was to thank the Lord for giving me another year to my lifetime on earth, and spending it with loving parents and supportive family and friends.

I had spent hours in the morning until afternoon helping in the kitchen. Whew! I felt like a chef during my birthday. But I caught up to go to the church and attend the Holy Mass in the evening. I pursued to go myself even without my parents and even though my classmates and relatives were already on their way to our house. (--,)

When I got home I was kinda surprised with the large tent being assembled in our lawn, with a number of visitors - family friends and relatives. Although I think it lacked much preparations, I was still thankful for the better weather that evening (since I already know that every birthday of mine, God will shower His blessings in the form of little raindrops :-)) and my classmates were able to get the program started. Well, actually it was not a proper program. They just said some few memorable lines and presented their gifts and dedications, along with my cousins, aunts, and uncles with my parents of course! I'm very much thankful for all the things that happened, no matter how good or bad it is. Still it's a wonderful birthday! So, happy birthday to me...!

My birthday wouldn't be complete without moments being captured, of course. So for anybody to have a glimpse of what had happened during that special evening, here are some of the pics I have managed to get. Uhm, I still had not made the camera file developed so I'll just post the other pics sometime...(for those who wanted to see their faces in here) Lol.

Web Forum[HRM]: SONA 2008

[Note: This is a reply to the post in Mr. G.'s Web Forum (HRM subject). Assignment 7: On the assumption that you heard/read the SONA of the President yesterday, July 28, 2008, identify at least 3 areas related to Human Resource Mangement and explain how these areas can improve our quality of life.]

State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the 2nd Regular Session of the 14th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines

28 July 2008

Okay. I have actually heard a portion of the President's State of the Nation Address in the news. But I was not able to catch up some points related to our subject in Human Resource Management. So, assuming I have taken into my notes what she said (assuming I have my source), I have to identify 3 areas related to HRM and..elaborate it. :-)

So here are my 3 picks:

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"In training, 7.74 million took technical and vocational courses over the last seven years, double the number in the previous 14 years. In 2007 alone, 1.7 million graduated. "

This is a good point to note. It only shows that our young Filipinos are acquiring skills through training and vocational courses offered by some government projects. This is a way of developing the abilities of students in their preparation to the real world of work. Even though they can't afford to enroll in degree programs, at least they are being trained and oriented technically for their employment opportunity in the future.

***

"Employers have funded the two increases in SSS benefits since 2005. Thank you, employers for paying the premiums.

GSIS pensions have been indexed to inflation and have increased every year since 2001. Its salary loan availments have increased from two months equivalent to 10 months, the highest of any system public or private—while repayments have been stretched out."

Benefits and other added compensation are essential for the workforce of a company. It is one way to keep the employees motivated to be productive in line with the company's goal. So granting we have this SSS and GSIS benefits, etc provided by the employers, the company's human resources and the future workers of it are lucky enough to gain such rights and privileges.

***

"Bukod sa libreng edukasyon sa elementarya at high school, nadoble ang pondo para sa mga college scholarships, while private high school scholarship funds from the government have quadrupled.

I have started reforming and clustering the programs of the DepEd, CHED and TESDA. "

This is a very beneficial help especially to the aspiring students and their poor families. As with the crisis affecting every aspect of life in the world, more families can't afford to let their children go to school. In result, we are acquiring higher literacy rate and weaker workforce in the country. But through these scholarship programs by the government, the four corners of learning are now being accessible to students and even out-of-school youth who wanted to grab education in their hands. As we conceive, education is very important to a person because it is in formal learning where he can get skills training, personal and intellectual development,etc to be one of the best and competitive employees and employers in the future for they shall make the human resources of our country's workforce.

I have noted that there are so many points stressed by the President during her SONA 2008 but most of them focused more on the rice production, land reforms, and VAT. Nevertheless, in spite of the global crisis affecting the people from all walks of life especially our fellow countrymen below the poverty line, her words express optimism for the country's economic development. Such a strong-willed leader.

Source: SONA 2008 Speech Text (courtesy of a SONA link in Ymreb's blog)

080808

Let me greet you on this significant moment in historic epoch. Today is a memorable time in the history of the human world. (-_-) Lol. I just want to post something on this very day that happens only every century...

[ 080808 ]

August 08, 2008

Ask me why I'm affected? Huh! It's not the day when I or somebody close to me was born on this same date years ago. (I actually don't know.) But what does the number combination means to me? Hmmm...

Well, I want to mark this time as a significant one, maybe because of the following (maybe you'll think some are pointless) reasons:

[#] I consider 08 as my lucky and favorite number [along with 16, but I can't recall anything that can prove to you why);

[#] It's my birth month - August [Yes, I guess that's a reasonable point.] August is the 8th month of the year;

[#] 08=16/2. Now here's quite incidental. I was born on the 16th day of the 8th month of the year 1990. The connection? 8 is half my birth date. [so you see..(-_-)]

[#] 8...considered as a lucky number by some. Because of the characteristics of its figure. Take a look at its shape. They say it means 'continuous' flow of luck and/or blessings. (or something like that.) To prove, many people around the world made schedules for special occasions to an auspicious date like 080808. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics,to mention, was arranged on this date, at 08:08pm - August 18, 2008 - the 8th day of the lunar calendar and a Chinese almanac-approved-day, with loads of positive energy fireworks (trendsniff.com/2008/08/03/significance-of-080808-and-chinese-astrology/ - 34k -). In addition, 080808 has a nice ring which, also looks like that of the olympic symbol. :-)
I've also noted that many couples arranged their weddings on this special date, as news stated.

[#] ∞ infinity insignia. I've always been thinking about the unexplained connection of this infinity insignia to me. But I couldn't think of a valid reason to you why I should treat this special except that I guess it's extraordinary. My fave number and the infinity symbol. That is where I got the mindboggling penflameinfinity insignia. see..


How about you? What does this date mean to you? Or perhaps, does this mean something to you? Is it just one of those dates that repeats, looks like when typed, etc? [comment on this post]

Well, as others would think, it reminds me to perhaps buy a lottery ticket and cross my fingers hoping that the luck 080808 brings will be showered upon me. Lol.

HAPPY 080808 EVERYONE!