work updates

So, you all know about my American Express project ending in February. For a while I was in limbo, not knowing what was going to happen to me. The options were one of the following: 1. I would be laid off and get severance pay, 2. maintain my position but move to a different account, or 3. be given a different but same level position within the company. Options 2 or 3 would mean I would retain the same basic salary but would no longer get the regular incentives that equal about a third of my monthly salary. I was hoping that I would be laid off instead, get a few thousand dollars in severance and then find another job.

Well, as you all know, the company retained me and moved me to USPS (US Postal Service). I went through 2 weeks of training in the PM and also shadowed other PM managers, especially the email manager named Joyce, so I could learn the ropes. During those two weeks I didn't really know what particular area of USPS I would be handling and who would be on my team. I kind of had some idea that it might be half of the Email team, just because of my schedule which happens to coincide with theirs. There are also too many of them under only one manager (Joyce) so we could easily divide them up. Again, I didn't know for sure but both Joyce and I thought that it would be the case.

Thursday, Friday, and Monday I was Out of Office because of our Vegas vacation.
Oh boy!! Did I miss a lot of excitement at work while I was gone!

I came back to work today wondering why people were acting weird towards me. It only took about 5 minutes to find out. One of the email employees approached me and said she would be on my team. I said good to know. I asked her who else would be on my team. She said all of the email team. I asked her what team Joyce would be handling. She was shocked that I didn't know. I said I was away on vacation. I prodded her to tell me. Apparently the big bosses pulled them all into a meeting on Friday while I was gone and told them all that Joyce was gonna be laid off and that I would now be their manager. They were apparently misinformed as well that I knew what was going on. Understandably, the employees were devastated and couldn't understand why it couldn't have been I(who knew nothing about their project) who was laid off. They have grown attached to Joyce as she had been their manager for about 2 yrs. It will be interesting and challenging to earn their loyalty and respect. I am so glad to hear from my bosses' accounts, though, that amidst all the grumblings during this meeting, one of my former agents from American Express who is a new email team member himself stood up for me and let the others know that I am a top notch leader and that they would like me too if they would give me a chance. I was touched that he would do that.

I felt so bad about Joyce. I feel awful that in order for me to keep my job, someone had to lose theirs. There are actually a few more managers from other projects who are getting laid off. They did a stack ranking of all the managers and would let go of the bottom performers. While I am glad to know that I stacked well against everyone, I feel awful about taking their job when I would be happy to be laid off myself.

Joyce seems to be taking it well. She said she was relieved to not be under such pressure that she had been. She will continue to get me up to speed the next 2 weeks to transition me into taking her role.

So much drama...so many challenges. I will survive, though. And I will prevail :)

Here I am...

...married 15 years today! I have definitely been blessed with a wonderful and loving man to be my eternal companion, my very best friend!

Would anyone believe that in all these years, Jon and I have not had any "marital dispute"? In fact, we haven't had any altercation ever since we met 17 years ago. I think that's a record. I attribute this "phenomenon" mostly to my gentle husband. I think I may have tried to pick a fight or two, but this guy just wouldn't "bite". :) In all these years, I have never heard him utter a single criticism to me. I know I am not perfect. I know there is a lot of fault that could be found in me. But how marvelous is it to know that Jon loves me and accepts me just the way I am. He has never made me feel that I need to change anything. He always makes me feel smarter, prettier, funnier, and more special than I really am. Because of his example, I too have learned to bite my tongue. I too have learned to not make him feel inferior or tell him that he needs to change and be better. This may be our "secret ingredient", come to think of it. To ensure that you let your better half feel that he or she is just that...the better half!

Long live love! Here's to the past 15 years, and the many more years to come, until eternity :)

Je t'aime, mon amour!

Funny kids!

When my son, JT, was about five, I asked him, “Would you still kiss me when you are 10? “Yes, of course”. “What about when you are 15, coz teenagers don’t like to kiss their moms then?” “I will still kiss you!” “What about when you turn 25?” “Of course”. “What about when you are 50?” He looked at me like he thought I was silly and with a laugh exclaimed, “Mama, you’ll be dead!” - he’s now 14 and does not give me a hug anymore unless he is forced to.

Same son, same age - My husband, son, and I were in the car and we were just talking about how smart and funny JT was. We asked him why he was funny and smart. He said he didn’t know. I said, “It’s because you have your Dada’s genes”. And he said…”No way, they’re too big!”

When Sammy was 2 yr old, he loved chocolate milk and whenever he asks for some, his dad (Jon) would ask him, “What do you say?”. “Thank you”. Jon would say, “no, the other one.” “Pleeeasee?” …then he gets his drink. One morning Sam once again asked for chocolate milk. Jon asked him again, “what do you say?” Sam replied, “The other one!”. :)

Counting My Blessings...here's number 3!

My Sweet and Funny Sammy -

We thought we were not going to have another child as we have been trying and waiting for 8 years after we had JT. Sammy came along as we were starting to lose hope. He has been a blessing worth waiting for.

JT sure loves his baby brother and, according to Sammy, JT is the person he loves the most...even more than he loves me. I'm glad they adore each other and are each others' best friends despite their 9 year age difference.

While JT is a mellow, quiet, and low maintenance child, pretty much like his Dad, Sammy is quite the opposite. I see a lot of myself in him. He is indeed a handful. He can't sit still...he is like the Energizer bunny who keeps going and going...and going. He loves to talk...and boy, he can TALK! When there is no one around him, he even talks to himself or to his toys. He is not afraid to talk to other people. He can strike up a conversation with anyone. He likes socializing and having friends. He has a very competitive and assertive nature. Yes, he will fight to get his way. He will definitely wear you down until you submit to his will. He would make a great lawyer because he can talk his way out of any situation and he can justify whatever he says or does. He drives me insane sometimes. Again, this is because he is so much like me. :)

Yet, he has a tender side to him too. He always gives me hugs and kisses because he says he didn't want my heart to shrink. He always declares his love for me and for JT...and also his Dad as an afterthought (hahahaha). He loves to laugh and making other people laugh. He is sooo funny. Yes, he brought laughter in our home and our lives became complete when he joined our family. He is indeed a blessing and we love him so.

Counting My Blessings...here's number 2!

My first-born son, JT -

I am so glad I had him first. He was a very easy baby. I swear he raised himself!
Such a beautiful child, inside and out. He is very mature for his age, and very intelligent.
He is such a great blessing to me. I enjoy conversing with him because I feel that we can talk like friends instead of just parent and child.

He takes great care of his little brother and when I ask for his help, he does so willingly. He very rarely complains (if at all) when I ask him to help me with household tasks. He is very undemanding and understands our every life's circumstances.

He is indeed a blessing and I thank our Heavenly Father for deeming me worthy to have him for a son.

Counting My Blessings...(name them one by one)

In these days of economic stress, it is very common to hear grumblings and complaints, some of them from my very own lips. Understandable, I'm sure. In an attempt to show that "behind the clouds is the sun still shining", I would like to enumerate and most of the time, elucidate, the things, people, or events, for which I am grateful.



1. Jon - My better half, my best friend.

When I seriously contemplate my gratitude for having Jon in my life, I always think of Maria's song to Captain Von Trapp (Sound of Music); "Perhaps I had a wicked childhood, perhaps I had a miserable youth. But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past, there must have been a moment of truth. For here you are, standing there, loving me. Whether or not you should. So somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good. Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could. So somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good." That's the only explanation I could think of as to why I was blessed to have Jon in my life.

I am grateful that he loves me unconditionally and has given me no reason whatsoever to doubt that. He is the quiet, unassuming type of guy. Sometimes I wish he would talk more and express himself more. However, I realize that his quiet strength speaks volumes and expresses his feelings more audibly than spoken words. I hear it, I feel it, and therefore I know and appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

Sammy-isms - my funny child :)

Updated April 23, 2009

• Sammy is finally completely potty trained!!! I was complimenting him the other day for another successful bathroom episode, telling him what a big boy he was and that I was so proud of him. He beamed, "I know, I just want to be a good boy. I'm tired of being punished!"


• Last month while driving to Las Vegas, Sammy dozed off for at least an hour. When he woke up, JT asked him, "Sammy, did u fall asleep?". "No, I wasn't sleeping. It was just a really long blink!" --- See how quick he is?

Added on Mar 18, 09:

• Jon was fixing dinner for Sammy one evening. Sammy must have been really hungry because he kept asking if his dinner was ready yet. When Jon said not yet, Sammy asked, "What am I paying you for?"


• Last week, while we were having lunch, I told Sammy to only take one sip of his chocolate shake and then take 3 bites of his food. He tried to negotiate, back and forth...he wanted just 1 bite. I insisted on 3 bites. He finally finished the 3 bites, after which he asked, "There, are you happy now?"

Added on Feb 1st, 09:

• A few weeks ago on our way to Grandma's house, we had discussions about families; dads, moms, brothers, etc. We asked Sammy who Daddy's dad and mom were. He said nobody, dad's are big so they don't have dads and moms. We told him Daddy's dad and mom were grandpa and grandma. He said no way. So I asked him, "so why did grandma become your grandma then?". "Because she's old!". Later we told grandma the story. While we were laughing, Sammy came in. I told him, "You need to say sorry to grandma." 'Why?" "Because you called her old." Sammy looked at grandma with incredulity and said, "But she is!" (you can almost hear the "Duh" in his tone...Sorry Grandma!) :)

• Potty training Sammy is still a struggle. We have tried many things short of tying him into the toilet. I tried incentives, a new toy that he loves, if he goes a whole day without an accident. After about the 4th accident and I told him that at the rate he was going he wouldn't get his present, this was what he had to say," That's ok, i have plenty of toys, if I get any more, we won't have a place to put it, then our house will get so full, then we'll have to move, but i like this house, i don't want to move, so I just won't use the toilet."Jon's technique is the punishment...no TV or game the rest of the day. One morning Sammy came to Jon and said, "I went stinky bum, but it's okay, you can punish me now, I'm already done watching my show and playing my game!"

Added on Dec 12, 08.

• Sammy wants to grow up so badly that he had been saying he was 4 and then 5 long before he turned 4 years old. 2 weeks ago, before his 4th bday we were having dinner. After just a few bites he stopped eating and said that he was too full and he's sick of it. I asked him how old he was and he said he was 5. I said, "then just take 5 more bites and you are done". Without missing a beat he said, "Actually, I'm 3."

• Sammy got in trouble with the family when he forced 2 games into the wii console, resulting in it's breakage. He cried and cried, wanting to continue playing Smash Bros game and we kept telling him he couldn't because he broke it. He cried, "You guys never let me do anything. That means I am not your son!", then turning to JT, "And I am not your brother anymore!"

• These days when Sammy wants to play with JT he says, "can we have a date?"
  He also likes sleeping with JT these days. He asks his brother, "can I have a sleepover in your room?"

• A few days before thanksgiving, Sammy came up to me and said, "I wish I had a pig." Why? "Because I need a pet." Ok, couldn't you have a different animal as a pet instead of a pig? "Maybe a kitty or a dog". But remember, Daddy is allergic to cats and dog, why don't we just get a fish, we can get a tank and you can feed it.. "Nah, I think I'll just have a pet chair!" On Thanksgiving I was telling this story to jon's family and they were laughing. Holli, my sister-in-law, asked Sammy where his pet chair was. Sammy said, "it's at the pet store."

• Our ward had a primary presentation in November and Sammy was given a couple of lines to say. He went up to say his part and there was a teacher to help him out. He stood there but didn't say anything. The teacher started to help him by saying the first couple of words. The next thing we heard over the microphone was Sammy saying, "I know, that's my part," but he still didn't say the part. The teacher started to help again, and Sammy just kept saying ,"yes, i know, that's my part." Finally the teacher just said his part for him. He did make many people laugh with the funny faces and hand gestures that he was making all throughout the singing, esp during "Called to Serve" when he was very much in sync.

• Sammy was coughing quite a bit the other day. He told us he wanted to go to the doctor because he was sick. Jon convinced Sammy to take some cough medicine instead. He said, "yeah, I love medicine!" One sip of the concoction later, "I don't like medicine, I'm all better now". "But you are still coughing...finish it so that you won't cough anymore." It's okay, I like coughing!"

• We were going out shopping or something. I asked JT on our way out if he brushed his teeth. He said yes. Then Sammy looked alarmed and cried out, "On no, I didn't brush my teeth! My teeth are not clean!" - Ok, let's go brush your teeth first. He smiled and said, "No, I like dirty teeth!"

• Sammy wanted to play ball with JT. JT threw the ball far and said, "Fetch". Sammy ran and got the ball and when he came back he angrily yelled at JT, "I AM NOT A DOG!"

• We sometimes would go to a fast food play-place when Sammy wants to play with a new friend. On one such occasion, he was playing with a new-found friend, Nathan, while I was chatting with Nathan's mom. After a few minutes, Sammy came to me crying and telling Nathan, "I don't want to be your friend anymore!" He then turned to me and said, "Mommy, you kill him!"

• It's a challenge when your kids are 9 years apart. While JT has been exemplary as an older brother, there would be times when he wouldn't play with Sammy because he wants to do his own thing. One such time was when the four of us went to the park and there were no other kids around. JT got tired of playing with Sammy and decided to just lay on the blanket with us, despite Sammy's pleading for more. Finally Sammy said, "I really need some friends."

• One day my friend Bing asked Sammy if he wants to have a baby sister. He said, "No, I have to wait". "Why, where is your baby sister?" (She's probably thinking he would answer something like she's in heaven, or with heavenly father, or what not)---- "It's in JT's tummy."



• Sammy, at 3. He was being potty trained but it wasn't sinking in yet. We would always get frustrated when he would make a mess on his diaper. One day he did a particularly messy number 2 (poop). He removed his soiled diaper, dropped that on the floor, then he tried to do a cover-up by dumping clean diapers over all the doodoos. (yes, can you believe that? politician na at age 3...) as if the stink would also be effectively hidden as a result, noh? Then he sat on the toilet coz "that's what big boys do". Since he was all done on the diaper, the only result of him sitting on the toilet was that the stinky stuff got all over the toilet seat (GROSS, YUCK, UHHH) ...needless to say I was angry . I told him..."remember to go to the bathroom BEFORE you go poopy, not when it's too late!" JT seconded me saying "yeah..BEFORE!!", and Jon just stood there shaking his head. All this time, Sammy was just staring at us expressionless. A couple of minutes later, while I was doing the cleanup, we heard him sobbing. JT found him first, huddled in a corner. JT hugged him and asked, "What's the matter?". He cried, "I just want my family to be nice to me!"