Trial and Tribulation

In a few short days, the brunt of the Christmas season will soon be upon us once again. Of course, I'm looking forward to the cold weather, the food, the wine, and seeing my old buddies. It's been a somewhat informal tradition between some of my close friends that we share a few bottles of wine sitting around on the curb in front of my house. But recently, with everyone coming and going for the holidays, I'm not sure if this will push through this year.

Well, speaking of the year, this year in particular has been one helluva ride. The first semester was really just working and being steady, but the second half ushered in a lot of changes. First, I got a place in Makati where I've been living for the last 5 months now. I'm rooming with a friend from highschool who also works in Makati. The place isn't very big nor gaudy, but I guess it suits us just fine. I also called it quits with my girlfriend with whom I've been with for more than 4 and a half years. The reasons were quite complicated, but simply put, there are just some things that just die a natural death, and this one did too. The most recent change I guess is my impending career move to Citibank from Thomson Financial.

My stay in Thomson was generally fun, but I never really had that feeling of success while working for the company. The atmosphere was very casual and easy going, and the people there were great. I can say that I met a lot of good people over there, especially in my team. I wish that a few of them could come with me to Citibank as well, but I think my manager would gut me like a fish. Anyway, I really wanted to move to Citibank because I wanted to work in a very demanding and rewarding company. As weird as it sounds, I want a job that works me to the bone, like the type where I have to work overtime, or even have the bad fortune of working 6 day weeks. When you put in so much time and effort on something, you get this feeling of achievement when the task is accomplished. You also enjoy that feeling of ownership for the job, that your responsible for the success or failure of your little piece of the company. I guess there's a definite ratio with the time and effort you put in and the reward and sense of achievement that you receive afterward. I really felt like a slacker while I was working in Thomson, so of course I could expect very little in terms of rewards and accomplishment. I also felt that my skills and ideas were not put to good use. I know I had a lot to contribute, I'm sure the people around me were aware of that, but the opportunities to do so was very few and far between. I don't have any regrets working there, in fact, I believe that I'm lucky to have started my career there. It was a very good transition from studying and working.

At this point, it's all really a matter of priorities. I wasn't making very much in Thomson. There were times I had trouble making ends meet, especially since I'm out on my own now. I was living a hand-to-mouth existence. Better compensation, and job with a lot of opportunities was what I was looking for. This new job with Citibank presented itself quite unexpectedly. Although I could have wished for better timing, I shouldn't let this opportunity pass. I signed the contract just last Thursday. My last day in Thomson would be on Dec 7, and I start in Citi on the 12th. Jeez, I wish I had a longer break, I would have loved to enjoy the holidays without being answerable to anyone, but hey, if it's there, it's there.

Am I excited? Yes of course! A friend of mine predicted through her tarot cards and palm-reading that I was going to be very successful in my new company. In fact, her reading of my cards emphasized on my immediate future of new beginnings, where a lot of opportunities will present itself. To be honest, even before she had read my fortune, I already had that feeling that the near future would be very accommodating. 2006 is the Chinese year of the Dog and it's my year! I seriously feel it in my bones. A lot of good things will come to me during the new year. With all the changes that have happened to me this year, I can say that I have broken ties with the things that have held me down, or have been holding me back. I am now primed for a solid leap forward. I know it's going to happen soon, and I can't wait to see things through. I think my life begins anew next year, and I am so ready to get on it and drive it all the way to the finish.

2005 has been a tough year, no doubt. I've been through a few major trials to get to this point, and I won't say that I got through them all unscathed. There have been things that have had to be sacrificed, people that have had to be left behind. With so much to look forward to, I just hope it's not all for naught.