The first year of the second decade of the new millennium is 20 days from now. And at 36, I finally have the grasped on what makes 10 years short and what makes it long :)
Ten years ago, I was in the middle of my graduate studies. I own a Nokia 3210. I was thriving in my little piece of the Philippine Information Technology. I just finished selling the idea of the Y2K bug. I drank the Kool Aide entitled "I.T. is the greatest revolution ever". Ellis, my youngest brother, was still alive. I was, apparently, about to have a Jerry Maguire-ian adventure. I was being slightly pulled away from the rat race for that year, June, I will teach my first class - IE Computer Laboratory, every Saturday morning. I still have to meet Him. And I still have to meet, Beb, my beautiful and wonderful wife.
Ten years.
It was long when we lost Ellis to dengue. For 52 consecutive Sundays, we went to see his grave. I know people die but to experience death, that loss, in the family for the first time was painful. I am thankful that He saw me, us, through.
It was also in this decade that I was hospitalized, thrice. One trip, for dengue. I can only imagine the horror and the fear of that to my loving parents. Another trip was because I ate an ill-prepared salmon sashimi at a Christmas Party. And the third, was because I wasn't catching enough sleep that when I was relieving myself at the comfort room, I passed out. The doctor termed it vasovagal syncope. These three trips made me realize the limitations of our bodies and its strength to recuperate. Made me exercise more. And be conscious about what I eat. We are after all, what we eat :)
It was also in this passing decade when most of my friends got married. I was the last one, actually :) From, Sabado nights and night out with the boys, we are now in the realm of child births, baptisms and children parties. But two or three are still single. Five years removed from college, in 2000, my friends and I, started to see our niches. Our spot under the sun.
Teaching definitely made the 10 years short. I can not believe that 2011 is my 11th year of being a professor. Before that, I stayed at a company, the shortest - eight weeks, the longest three and a half years. And on two occasions, my feet slightly started getting heavier going into the 2nd year of the job. And now, I am on my 11th year. Crazy :)
I am thankful and humbled that I was part of the journey of, I think, close to 4,000 students, if we combine graduate and undergraduate, by now. I hope I did more good than harm :)
If Malcolm Gladwell is spot on and if we are to believe him through his book Outliers, I am now an expert in assessing needs, designing interventions, developing content, facilitating learning and ensuring the outcome :)
It also in this decade that I was given the chance to steward a company, Imaj, a talent agency. Funny, life do prepare you for the challenges and gifts of the future. My high school friends, Kaka, and I were into theater way back in the late 80s. We were way ahead of the High School Musical and Glee curves :)
The theater prepares one to respect the craft. That we are simply stewards of this gift called talent. We have to take care of the talent in us, hone it before it can take care of us. A truth I am forever trying to contextualize for the aspiring models who come to Imaj's door. And now, this stewardship brings me to embark to put out there Imaj's second acting workshop, a safe learning situation and a first good step for those who want to know what to do with the actor and actress within :)
It is was also in the "slipping away" decade that my professional life expanded. I found out, first hand, that a person can survive and thrive away from the usual "8-5" job. It is in this decade that I started to wear many hats at the same time. During the early years of this hat-wearing "trick", I was a graduate student, an account manager and a professor all at the same time. Towards the middle, a professor, an entrepreneur/manager and a business consultant.
This unusual decade started with curious uncertainty. When I was trying to figure things out, I asked the usual limited question of "what kind of life is this?". And now, 10 years remove, I am seeing the beauty of the journey. The tapestry :) For one, professionally, I can look at a situation, see it from various perspective and offer a course of action that will surprise even seasoned Industrial Engineer or manager. All because I was given the chance to put on so many hats but that was a long journey and I am journeying still :)
To some, this is crazy. But I soon found out, that if we listen to "some and others", we will never be unique. Never ourselves. We will only dishonor the very life we were given by becoming a second rate version of being somebody else when the very thing He wanted from us is to be an excellent first rate version of ourselves. To be the first rate version of His original design. The world needs us to be us. If it didn't then we should have not existed. He should have not created us :)
Ten years.
It was long. It was short.
Thank you, Lord!
I do not deserve the love and mercy You have shown... given... and I have received.
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