My 40-Day Lenten Challenge by Caticat Gabronino on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 10:49pm - CaTiCaT's CuBbYhOLe c",)- JournalHome.com

Day 1: March 9, Wednesday - Today marks the beginning of 40 days of whole-hearted repentance, abstinence, fasting, contrite prayer and generosity in giving alms to the needy... so that each and every day of our lives we practice this the Christ-like way. Blessed Lenten season to all!

Day 2: March 10, Thursday - Second day of the 40-day Lenten Season... a lot of things have happened that made me forever grateful to HIM. Tomorrow, I can send help to my family in Cebu, I can pay my room rent, I can save up for the rainy days, I can even save some more for this summer's rendezvous. New friends & faces to meet, an added to my long list. Oh, what a blessing! Another super challenge to take on at work - but with my swell TQ-NQ Team, nothing is impossible! :) Thanks to them, my work becomes easier but happier and more fulfilling. My prayer today goes out to everyone whose lives I have touched, those who have touched my life, and those who have not been touched by anyone at all. May HE touch us all in differently beautiful ways! Amen.

Day 3: March 11, Friday - So you think it's the last day of my work week? You're wrong. Got until Saturday for work, but as usual, today's a hectic one, too. :) Since it's a Friday, time for off-pork meals. Started off with 2 boiled eggs in humba sauce, half rice and chopsuey for breakfast, topped with the biggest fish fillet and garden salad I've ever had in Bigby's which I got to eat in two separate sitting - lunch and mid-snacks! :)

love the greens... the more colorful your plate, the healthier it is! that's my mantra!:)

Yes, if it has to be like that then so be it! :) Love the greens, gets my system to detox faster than I expected, just as much as I needed! :)

GA (guardian angel) 1 - Levic Catherine

Friday, too, was a day of confessions. I got three guardian angels flapping their pretty little excited wings around (one was quiet enough though) over lunch. Lol!

GA (guardian angel) 2 - Christian

GA (guardian angel) 3 - Yoradyl

The GA's are in a unanimous decision. The verdict - my mouth is locked, sealed tight. ;-)

But Friday, too, was a nerve-wracking day late in the afternoon when I overheard my seatmate in the traysikad over some quake somewhere. I only found out about it online - Japan hit by earthquake and tsunami all at the same time. It was unbelievable, like we've only seen it in the movies but this time it was happening just a few degrees latitude/longitude from us.

tsunami effects due to quake

It was a tragedy not just for Japan but the whole world. Watching them helplessly struggling for survival atop buildings and elevated edifices and roads seemed unfair. What if we were on their shoes? I replayed the videos over and over because I still couldn't get over the fact that it was so real and so near our own country. God bless their souls and Japan nation.

cars seemed like matchboxes swept by the waves

I was starked with the truth, that to my nervousness my hangers and a pouch fell carelessly out of my window!

ang kawawang bag na hinatag ni kara... nasangit jud sa atop :(ill get you back one day!

Had to stick my head and half of my torso to try and reach them using an umbrella and improvised hook of hangers. :S Silly, yeah, but real. I seriusly don't ever want that to happen again okay? :(

Kidding aside, yes, these things make us step back for a while and re-think, re-organize our thoughts, think about what really matters most to us. Life is so fleeting, so fast, so temporary. What have we done to make it worth God's giving? Time to pause and reflect.

Thank you, Almighty, for the strength You give us each day. What will we be without our shepherd?

Day 4: March 12, Saturday - My first work day on a weekend. Never thought it would be busy but yes, it was. MOD was already polling for post shift overtimes, as early as 5am. Whew! Meanwhile, I was boggling over CSAT scores of my teams. Had a quick breakfast with the GAs before heading on to a triad session with some of my agents. Figured that yes, we all need to be reminded of our worth and value, so we keep our esteem and confidence, then it ripples to every little act we make, even on the calls we take over the phone. Good job guys! The session was fun and insightful. :) Off to another food-work huddle with my TCs, another brainstorming over gameplans and updates. It's always refreshing to hear from such competent and hardworking people.

Had to complete some KPIs when my phone rang, and it was the invites from Christop. Had to quickly do the shoot for the teams, plans are already steaming inside my head and Levic's for the board! LOL!

TQ Spartanburg with TC Maezy Castrence

Then it was past 5PM when I got out and I was headed downtown to Loreto's. What a surprisingly cozy and aromatic (good food that tastes and smells fab!) place it was!

love the ambiance of Loreto's

yes, FLIPsters can dance!

I need to go back to take better quality photos of Tita Donna Ocampo's family resto! :) The party was welcoming and energizingly fun! Imagine all the feats the Flip guys performed for everyone, you'll laught your guts out!

So life leads you to some things you don't expect to experience but when you do, you'll find out its after all worthwhile. Thank you for the opportunities each day, Lord, to find new friends, new acquaintances, new tries, new adventures.

You alone make things happen the way they beautifully do in our lives. We put our faith and trust in You.

Day 5: March 13, Sunday - One of the many Sundays I will be spending in the city, something I didn't think would be as productive as it ended. Started the day with FB like usual, and some shots early morn - from portraits to skylines.

Did the laundry and general cleaning while I could in the morning and hung my items outside to catch some sun.

Then I hurriedly left for SM for lunch. Took some more shots there before I headed to the city to send money to Cebu.

my fave 99er meal: cream of mushroom soup (with rice meal and iced tea)

Never occurred it would be my first photowalk in Divisoria. The sights on a sunny blue-skied morning on Divisoria streets would leave you breathless and looking for traces of a bustling night cafe during weekend nights.

obelisk in Divisoria street

A little exasperated and exhausted after almost an hour of walk but still urged to go back to SM to do some groceries (thank God for Savemore GCs!) before I get ready for for Chatty and Chris' shoots.

Again, another unexpected - a gathering of top-of-their-game RC collector and photographers who did some pre-nups for the couple. It was twilight when we wrapped, never knowing how much time was consumed. My greatest consolation was knowing and meeting new friends in the same field of interest, plus getting to test their gadgets. Oh, how I envy them in a good way! :) Thank you, Lord, for the many freebies in life - the extra pay, plus new and old friends, great experiences, the beautiful sunsets, eye for aesthetics, and the people that surround me who nurture my passion and love for life itself! Thank you!

Day 6: March 14, Monday - With only one rest day on a weekend, my first weekday seemed a little too fast for comfort. On a Monday when a lot of things were expected, I had more and more in my hands, they’re always full. I had a list of activities lined up but where set aside for a more intensive time with the boss and my other bosses – my agents. Had a triad confidence-building session with some of my agents needing a boost, followed by a series of interviews for a promotion and the last ones for hiring and recruitment. It’s a busy Monday indeed but the day culminated to a surprise party for Racky, which took my stresses away! :P LOL! Blessed happy birthday Raquel and thanks HR team for inviting me over! :) Who would say no to videoke and food, ayt? :)

surprise birthday gurl!

Day 7: March 15, Tuesday – Expect the worst and hope for the best. True enough, as it began with a series of issues early, morning, the day seemed to have ended just quite right. Morning meetings are never zeroed out, discussing mainly on interventions for customer service improvements. The day ended with our impromptu mini-auditions for the next CX Sing Idol representatives for the OM group. Great talent we have from the team! :) So glad to have supportive people as well. Time for another round of HR interview before doing the groceries for the soiree tomorrow! Blessed day all!

Day 8: March 16, Wednesday - Today we welcomed the latest addition to TQ Team - Aberdeen! After a couple of hours orientation, the team was treated to a short welcome program with the L1 TCs, OMs, QAs, SMEs and other officers on the floor. The look on their faces while they were served with goodies was truly amazing! Let's just hope they sustain the vigor. :)

After a while, there's Columbia deliberation followed by some AI and other deliverables. Whew! What a blessed busy day it was today! Thanks be to God! :)

Day 9: March 17, Thursday – My anticipation for the day-end activities was somewhat thwarted considering the load I had taken today. The whole morning was directed towards managing the queue as MOD2. Thanks to Sir Toto for breezing it through. My only consolation was having lunch with my team and getting to hear their thoughts. Series of interviews for HR in the afternoon drained my energy away that I didn’t have the urge to go out further during the night and just head home early to rest. I’ll see you ABS-CBN Cebu team tomorrow then! :)

Day 10: March 18, Friday – It all boils down to timing and time management. The day had been hectic from the start. From meetings to hearings to emails, everything just seems to need some more squeezing in for room.

Thank God, I was able to manage and breeze through it all alive! For sure, today was a day full of surprises and little charms as we fast track to late afternoon when GMA almost interviewed me while I was scurring for a laptop for the Little CX Star candidates. Seeing those kids present themselves makes me want to go back to my childhood. Hmmm... so much for wishful thinking. :P

Little CX Star kids :)

After a long day's work, my only refuge was my photohobby, as I almost walked through the stretch of the new bridge to take photos of the night run.

Unfortunately the rain halted me halfway so I could take the longer route - through the park and the cathedral for another photo op.

I ended up walking towards the rotunda to witness my CX friends join in the fun.

Of course, I play my role and I've seen the ABS staff, too, as added icing on my cake. :) Thanks guys for the fun, for the experience! Thank you Lord for all life's blessings!

Day 11: March 19, Saturday – A visitor client from Singapore invites a day at the nearby (I meant an hour drive) beach resort in Initao - White Beach. So we were up early, and I particularly waited long enough to take some street shots while some of the OMs were shopping for food stuff.

do not undermine old age

The drive wasn't as long as I thought it would be, as we breezed through Panagatan and stopped over for a little sight-seeing.