Merge

It’s official. Manila Control Tower and Manila Navaids facilities are now merged. We are not sure if this is temporary, to address the lack of personnel problem or a definite one.

Anyway, it’s kakaloka. Imagine the confirmation from the ANS Office just came last March 30. The other day, we had an emergency meeting to talk about the schedule, training, protocols, sharing of resources and other matters concerning the merge. It was just a rundown meeting, setting aside most of the details. The main objective of the meet was to devise a schedule for April. The FIC said we will take one stride at a time – gradual integration. Imagine, March 31 na saka pa lang gagawa ng schedule! Pero as usual, the ever adaptable ANSS, nagawa naman at napasa sa ANS Office before the end of the day. Kudos to Sir Alex Bayaras who made it with the help of Sir Vito and others. Take note, he accommodated all the special requests regarding the schedule. Like me, I have requested a day off on Sundays so I could attend my Cisco classes.

NavAids is short for navigational aids. They are the ANSS maintaining the equipments that guide airplanes in taking off and landing as well as finding the airport itself. In Manila Tower, our equipments are those used in the communications between air traffic controllers and pilots. You could just imagine, what a shock it is to us to maintain equipment that is not used for communications. But we all have to adapt. In the provinces, ANSS maintain comms and navaids simultaneously. And I think that’s where they (our bosses at the ANS Office) pattern this merge.

We have no choice but to educate each other on our equipment. Yesterday, we taught the NavAids personnel how to replace the Dictaphone tape recorder. Sir Vito also oriented them to the equipment room. Tito (Navaids) in return oriented Sir Vito and me about their RCMS – Remote Computer Monitoring System (tama ba?). He also plotted the positions of all navigational equipment in the runway.

This morning when I joined them in the daily status checking of navigational aids, I could already pinpoint which are the shelters for the localizers LLZ 06 & LLZ 24, glide slope/paths GP 06 & GP 24 and VOR/DME.

Naming them is easy; checking on their status is easy; but recognizing what modules are inside and what they are for - that’s what baffles me. In truth, I have no idea how ILS, DME, or VOR works. I still have to review the theories. And I need CATC training. Normally, each of these equipments would take 1.5 – 2 months of training in order for one to be familiar with it. And it takes years of experience maintaining it to become an expert. Hay... as of this time, we (comms personnel) cannot help them (navs personnel) when any navs equipment problem occur, and vice versa. Last night, I was the only comms on duty. And unluckily, the tower-approach hotline became faulty. I panicked for a second. It’s quite difficult to troubleshoot without someone to brainstorm with. When I checked our microwave equipment, the channel/carrier of the hotline, no alarms were observed. But luckily, and I thought I have run out of luck, upon my monitor at the recorder, approach controllers have contacted tower controllers. So there, I survived being alone.

It would take some time before we could really rely on each other. But I think both parties are really willing to learn.

Considering the whole picture, it is not really so bad being merged with navs. I’m kind of excited for the new things I have to learn and do. First, I have to learn how to drive; it is a necessity of being a navs personnel to be able to drive to and from the runway, where all of the equipments are located. Navs are willing to give driving lessons. I am thrilled by this. Also, marami na naman kami. We are now one of the biggest facilities in Manila. The more, the merrier dib a? But I am also not letting myself be enjoying this merge too much because I might forget that I am to leave this place. My plans haven’t changed. But for the mean time that I am stuck here, I am welcoming this change and this excitement in my life.

Crazy Summer

Ang init na ngayon, sobra! Summer is here. Though I hate the heat, I always look forward to this time of the year because it would mean beaches and outing! But this summer, my focus is far from getting a tan, strolling, snorkelling and swimming. With the exception of our (me and my housemates) going to Bora before the Holy Week and my desire to go to Coron (kaso wala pa akong mahilang kasama), my mind is not thinking summer. I just got loads, as in LOADS of work to do. I just finished sending the OPANS election paraphernalia to all facilities in the provinces. I spent most of the days the past two weeks preparing all the materials. This week, I have to finish sorting and labelling the materials for Manila area so I could distribute it next week. OPANS (Organization of Philippine Air Navigation System Specialists) is the professional organization of ANSS. I was tasked by the president to head the election committee for the next set of national council officers for the 2009-2011 term. A task I gladly accepted because it would give me a chance to serve OPANS for the last time. (Why for last time? It’s another story)

Second, I have to review for the FSO Exams. Yes, I am taking it. I just passed my application together with the requirements last Tuesday. Still, I am not really certain if Foreign Service is for me. I do not have patriotism towards my country. I do not care a bit about our foreign policies. And most of all, I am a peace-loving person but not a peace advocate. I think there’s a difference. I may have use the wrong term so allow me to explain further.

Take for instance my opinion on the situation in my home island, in Mindanao. I do not believe that a peaceful process is the way to peace in Mindanao. I believe the use of force is necessary. We shouldn’t be lenient with the Abu Sayaff and MILF. These groups have wrecked havoc in Mindanao. They have resorted to kidnappings, extortion, terrorism, theft, murder and many more horrible acts. I know that social injustice may have led them to commit these crimes but it doesn’t justify the terror and the suffering they inflict upon their own people. What kind of idealism is that? Para sa akin, wala ng usap usap, just neutralize them dahil panggulo lang sila. Without them, Christians and Muslims can live harmoniously in Mindanao.

That is what I meant by my not being a peace advocate. I think that way. I don’t know if I should be a diplomat. But the challenge this exam brings is so irresistible. According to blogs, the qualifying exam alone is the most competitive civil service exam. Many cum laudes and law graduates fail in this daw. After the qualifying exam and preliminary interview, another killer is the written exam. It’s essay type that covers Philippine political, economic, social and cultural conditions, international relations, foreign policies; international affairs- trade, politics, laws and treaties; and world history. Pamatay di ba? Very toxic, specially to an engineer like me. So I decided that, if I pass the qualifying test, only then will I truly examine myself if I would want to enter this alien world of foreign service. Should I decide to enter it, only then will I take the written exam. For now, qualifying test first.

But before that, I have to finish CCNA 3 and get 90+ in the final exam. Hopefully, the final exam would be before the FSO exam in may 10. Gosh.

And as preparation for the qualifying test, I am planning to take CSC Prof Exam. Oh, I already have CSC eligibility (ECE license) by virtue of RA1080. This is solely for the purpose of preparing for the FSO qualifying test.

Also this summer, I will be on job-hunting mode. I will pass/post my resume to companies I will be in interested in. (Why? It’s part of the other story…hehehe)

And if I have time left (hopefully I’ll still have), I will be packing my extra things and send them home. (Again, it’s part of the other story )

What a busy, crazy summer for me indeed.

Split

I am not so fond of showbiz. I’m not the type who regularly watches showbiz talk shows and news. I also do not read showbiz magazines. I consider it a waste of time and energy to follow on the stars’ life stories. Most are not real. Some are made up for promotion. Others are just to stir and create a buzz. Most arue just simply to entertain. So, why be bothered by it, right?

But sometimes, we can’t help it, showbiz news just find its way into our lives. So, let’s talk showbiz. Recently, I got affected by the Pops-Jomari split up. :-D I have been following “Tayong Dalawa” and sometimes, I linger by the boob tube up to SNN (Showbiz News Ngayon). Watching TV at the sala after dinner serves as a bonding time with my board mates before I sleep at night. And since the interview with Pops has been aired in segments every night at SNN this week, I got dragged into he story.

What's really obvious on her face was that she was still so astonished over the whole thing. Asked by Boy Abunda what was the reason of the rift, she couldn’t give any. Deep inside I know she knows the reason but she can’t seem to justify how such a small reason could break them apart. Or maybe there are many small reasons, each inconsequential but put together, has snowballed and caused an avalanche on their relationship.

When asked by Boy if she had any regrets, Pops cried and said she knew she didn’t do anything wrong but she also wondered if there are things she should have done differently. I almost cried too watching her.

She should know that whatever she could have done, if Jomari had given up, the relationship was doomed. Even if their differences could be settled, even if the reasons are so petty, if Jomari has decided to quit, there’s nothing else she can do but let go.

And yeah, it was Jomari who broke up with her. Maybe somehow what really hurts is her ego.

One of my board mates got affected too because when she saw Jomari on 24 Oras the next night, she got irritated and said inis daw sya kay Jomari. I just laughed. Girl, it’s just showbiz, Pops is not even our friend. I wonder how irritated she’ll be with my circumstances. Mine is more real.

What I liked about the whole brouhaha are the comments of Gretchen and Rustom...este, Bebe Gandanghari:

“When it ends, it ends”
“Change is good.”
“When a relationship ends, you can look forward to the next one.”
“The next one is always better”

Hmmmm...okay! I’m excited

Hardcore Masochist

The term was from my CCNA 3 instructor referring to us who opt to use the command line interface (CLI) of the router/switch rather than the easier graphical user interface (GIU). It’s like using DOS rather than Windows :-) He was actually just trying to humor us. Using CLI is not really that hard, for as long as you know what commands to use and there are help tools available.

I am enjoying tremendously my CCNA classes. It is actually training in preparation for the CCNA certification. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is one of the vendor certifications that would assure employers that the holders are capable of handling the vendor’s products. In this case, Cisco is the vendor and their products are routers and switches used in computer networking. There are other vendors offering certifications like Microsoft.

Well, aside from the new concepts in computer networking that I encounter each Sunday, I just like the feeling of going to class and learning. I really regret that I haven’t done this sooner. For five years, my mind just became stagnant. But I didn’t know then that a career in networking was suitable for a girl like me. I thought it was very unladylike. I couldn’t imagine myself laying out cables. I didn’t know that there are plenty of sub fields in networking that I could fit into like network administration or network design. Laying out cables is just one responsibility of one subfield called Structured Cabling. I was really so clueless.

Nowadays, it is a common practice for ECE students to take Cisco classes simultaneously with their Bachelor’s degree. By the time they graduate, they can take certification exams and at the same time, take the board exams. Some are even taking MS units in conjunction with their BS study. Nakakalula ang mga estudyante ngayon. But maybe this is because of the strong competition of the employment sector. Paramihan nalang ng qualifications kumbaga.

Anyway, I have always been interested in data communications. I just didn’t realize before how to specialize in this field. Why am I so interested in data communications? It’s because it is in the frontier of technology. And I have always been fascinated with the latest in technology. That’s the reason why I took up ECE – to be a part of whatever is in the latest of technology.

But no matter how much interest I have in the subject, for the past three weeks, I found myself cramming every Saturday to prepare for the chapter exam the following day. I got so many things to do at work that I couldn’t find the time to study during weekdays and nights. Actually, I can insert it every week nights if I want, but I am just so lazy. Up to this time, I still couldn’t practice and perfect the good study habit. Even in school, I didn’t have it. If I had just that study habit, I could have fared better in school.

Anyway, I have to force myself to get that habit. The 82% I got from yesterday’s exam made me realize I have to fix my schedule and focus on things really important. Panira sa grade book ang line of eight na grade. Aside from it beng an eyesore, I wanted to get a discount voucher for the certification exam. (Opo, may bayad ang exam. Ano pa ba ang libre ngayon?) To get that, I have to maintain grades above 90.

O, sya, aral na muna akow. :-)

Toxic

Toxic ang buhay ANSS sa Tower sa panahong ito. Grabe! Maliban sa sakit ng ulo at damdamin na aming nadarama sa pakikibalita ng mga pangyayari sa CAAP, marami din kaming trabahong dapat asikasuhin bilang preparasyon sa audit ng ICAO/FAA. Siyempre gusto naming paghandaan at ayusin ang lahat.

Noong nakaraang linggo ay sinimulan kong halungkatin ang aming mga log pra makita at maitala ang mga “trouble” ng bawat equipment o makina sa kani-kaniyang equipment record card (ERC). Ang ERC ay isa sa mga kailangan sa audit. Isipin ninyo, labin-limang taon na mahigit ang Tower pati na rin ang mga equipment na nandirito. Mahaba-haba pa ang trabahong aking bubunuin.

Sabagay, sabi ng aming mga supervisors, magandang preparasyon ito para maalala namin ang mga trouble noong nakaraan at maiukit din ito sa aming isip at puso. Hindi daw magtatagal at kaming mga subordinates ay magiging shift supervisor na rin. Ano? Ako? Hmmm...

Naapektuhan din kami dito sa Tower ng pagbabalasa o reorganization na nangyayari ngayon sa ANS at sa buong CAAP.

Noong nakaraang taon lang ay si Sir Willy ang aming hepe. Naisipan na niyang magretiro noong Disyembre. Marahil ay ayaw niyang makibahagi sa kaguluhang nangyayari ngayon.

Ngayong Enero 2009 ay pinalitan siya ni Sir Gigi. Masayahing tao si Sir Gigi at medyo maluwag sa pamumuno. Kami naman ay nakiayon sa kanyang bagong pamamahala. Ngunit, wala pang dalawang buwan ay nag facility meet ing na naman kami na iba na ang “Presider” dahil si Sir Gigi ay nalipat na sa opisina ng aming dibisyon (ANS Office). Kasabay niyang lumipat si Sir Alex, na pangalawang hepe (assistant FIC). Sir Sir Alex naman ay napunta sa ibang dibisyon, sa ANSO (Aerodrome & Navigation Safety Oversight) Hindi ako sigurado kung tama ang pangalan na ito. Bago kasi ang grupo na ito; ang pangunahin nilang responsibilidad ay gumawa ng mga safety procedures at makiusyoso kung nasunod ang procedures na kanilang ginawa.

Simula noong akinse ng Pebrero, si Sir Jun Ibay na ang bago naming “facility-in-charge” o FIC. Pero sinabi din nya sa meeting na siya ay naka-line up din na umakyat sa opisina kaya maghanda-handa nalang daw kami na magbago ng administrasyon muli. Tatlo pa silang balak kunin ng opisina: si Sir Jun Beleno III at si Mam Vivian.

Kaya ang matitira nalang ditto sa Tower ANS ay 1.) si Sir Ed, na magreretire na rin sa mga susunod na buwan, nagaantay lang ng guidelines; 2.) si Sir Vito, na sana ay makakuha na ng eligibility para pwede na siyang mag assume na FIC; 3.) si Sir Lope; 4.) si Bernadette; 5.) Ako, na nagpapalipat ng Davao o kung hindi man, ay nagbabalak pa ring umalis.

Bibigyan naman daw kami ng mga bagong ANSS dito. Pero sa bagal ng usad ng proseso ng pag fill up ng mga posisyon, goodluck na lang kung kailan pa yon.

Merong ililipat mula sa Subic na si Sir Charles na ayaw naman sa Tower, gusto sa opisina o sa ANSO. Ewan ko lang kung matatanggihan niya ang kanyang authority order na dumating na kahapon.

Dahil nga kakaunti na lang kami, ang aming schedule ay nagbago na rin. Panay overtime na kami ngayon. Overtime na baka hindi mabayaran. Isa na nga lang na maituturing kong day off. Kasi ang isang day off ko ginugugol ko sa pagaaral ng Cisco sa UP. Dati ako ang pinakamaluwang ang schedule sa boarding house, ngayon, halos hindi na nila ako nakikita. Ang sabi pa nga ng boardmate ko “super straight” daw ang aking duty. Hehehe. Ganon talaga ang buhay.

Maayos din naman mamahala si FIC, mas istrikto at very perfectionist. Nagladlad kami ng kable (telephone cable)kagabi, binantayn nya talaga na walang mintis ang pagkakaayos sa cable tray. Sinimulan na din naming isaayos ang equipment room. Inayos lahat ang mga mesa, upuan, mga manuals, test equipments, forms, at iba pa. Inilagay sa bodega o itinapon ang mga hindi na kailangan. Less clutter. Grabe naman, 15 years worth of clutter ang inayos namin. Mabuti nalang at masipag at mabilis din magtrabaho ang aking kasama kagabi, si assistant FIC, sir Jun Beleno.

Hanggang kaninang umaga ay hindi ako nkauwi kaagad dahil marami pa silang ginawa. Tumulong na rin ako. Ayos lang, nilibre naman kami ni FIC ng lunch. Bukas kaya ano pa ipapagawa?

Ok lang naman. Masaya ako sa mga improvements. Para din naman iyan sa lahat ng ANSS sa Tower.

Bukas kasama ko si Mam Vivian, mago-OT siya. Siya ang aking shift supervisor. Sa Biyernes, si Bernadette naman na kabatch ko ang kasama ko. Wala akong choice, ako ang magiging supervisor. Makakaya ko kaya? Kinakabahan ako sa arrangement na ito. Kaya ba ng aming girl powers patakbuhin ang buong Tower? Abangan!

Hay....

Cry Baby

WARNING: KADRAMAHAN PA RIN PO ITO. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I have always been a cry baby. I cry because of trivial matters.

I cry over movies whenever I am touched by a line or a scene.

I cried when my lola and I got pushed by the mob on our way up the ship to Bohol from Nasipit pier. I remembered the man in front of me shouted at me for pushing his daughter and I got angry because he blamed it on me when the people behind my back were the one pushing. But instead of shouting back at him, I just cried. I just graduated from elementary then.

I cried in front of my colleagues when I was SBO President way back in high school because I got too upset about something I couldn’t recall now.

I cried too in college when I lead some classmates in a play for our English class. I remember being frustrated because we couldn’t get it right.

It seems my tears are the only outlet of any emotion that is too much for my heart to hold. And every time I am done crying, I feel ashamed for being too shallow and weak. That’s the reason why if I can control it, I avoid crying in public. But I find it very hard to control.

Privately, I allow myself to cry all my heart out. My problem with this is my eye bags expose me. Ilang minutes lang ng iyak, lobo na agad eye bags ko.

Over time, I have developed ways and tricks to conceal my crying. Here’s my tips:

1. 1. If you cry at night, wag matulog kaagad pagkatapos umiyak kasi mas lalong mamamaga ang eye bags. Ipahinga muna ang mata.

2. Blink your eyes many times after crying to get the red out in seconds

3. Pagkatapos umiyak at kelangan nang humarap sa tao, put baby powder over your face and eye lids. Dapat mawala ang watery effect ng inyong eye lids.

4. Maligo pagkatapos umiyak para marelax. After the shower, cgurado wala na ang red eyes mo.

5. Piliting mag smile kahit hindi mo feel . Kahit papaano, it will lift your facial muscles and light up your face.

Ginawa ko na lahat ito this morning but it didn’t save me from being revealed. Unlike last time when I could call in sick, I was already in Tower dahil panggabi ako. For some reason, I do not want my colleagues here to know. These people have come to treat me like their own daughter or niece, and knowing I am in pain would somehow hurt them too. And because I am always in their company, I would witness their feelings; it would be like having your feelings reflected. And like light, it would grow in intensity. Yon ang iniiwasan ko na ma magnify ang aking misery. My pain now is too much to take and having it magnified would be excruciating. Baka maging Sisa na nga ako wehehehehe

One of my friends was right in saying that broken hearts don’t mend overnight and that my feelings could still fluctuate. Oh, crap!

Ramblings Part 2

WARNING: KADRAMAHAN LANG ITO SA BUHAY, WALANG

KATUTURAN. READ IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The news last week had made me so stressed that I have to call in sick the day after. I became hysterical that morning, I can’t control my tears. I can’t fathom the reason but I was suddenly drowned in the pain of my heart. It became so unbearably heavy, there’s no way to keep on breathing but to cry.

I have controlled my feelings after I took my bath that morning but I didn’t want to show my colleagues my swollen eye bags and I was afraid more sad news would come that I wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore.

So I spent my day doing errands such as paying my bills, cleaning my room, betting on lotto and bathing my brat cat.

The next day, I went to work in high spirits. They did guess I was not really sick, they knew I was stressed and I just admitted it knowing its easier. I rolled my eyes thinking I can never hide anything from these guys. And thus, their different advice and suggestions emerged. It was unsolicited but I listened anyway because I know these people just wanted my best interests.

One supervisor suggested that I talked to Choi to convince him that we exchange places of assignment. I told him he would never allow it. He said I’ll say it this way “Love, palit muna tayo. Ngayon dalawa kayong iniisip ko - ang mga magulang ko at ikaw. Kung magpapalit tayo, ikaw nalang ang iisipin ko. Gusto mo bang magkaroon ng syotang Sisa? Baka ikaw ang tawagin kong Basilyo.” Very funny. I just told him, Choi would never agree. Besides we’ve broken up and even if we still are together, he would never agree. Self-sacrifice is never to his liking. This last two statements I just kept to myself.

Another suggested “ Magpakasal na kayo. Huwag kayong paapekto sa nangyayari sa career nyo. Kung gusto nyo ang isa’t-isa, magpakasal kayo at saka nyo puntahan ang opisina at sabihing hindi na kayo pwedeng magkahiwalay pa.” I argued that if that happens, the office would have another excuse not to transfer me because it is a policy that married couples should not be in the same office. And besides, that decision is not one way to make. He hasn’t agreed before, much more now. One supervisor agreed with me and said it’s difficult to commit that way.

Hay, if they only knew the true situation. They thought I’m doing this for love.

This transfer is not for love. Although it may be brought about by it, - with me being depressed and wanting to be in my comfort zone- it is more than that. My dreams, my future goals involve being in Davao and not anywhere else. I want to settle in Davao forever.

Another suggested that what if I just swap my position with ANSS 1. Is this possible? I don’t know. My father also told me the same thing. It’s alright for me but would Civil Service approve of it?

But God is so good at times like this. He gave me my father who suggested that I could resign next year if I can’t really transfer. He is planning on a new business and was thinking of me to manage it. He will still be saving for capital though so it would require some time. For me, that is really a relief.

I love my father. His is the only proposal that made sense.