Semana Santa

Semana Santa is the Spanish term for Holy Week, the week preceding Easter in the Catholic calendar. Semana Santa commemorates the last week of Jesus' life, beginning with His arrival in Jerusalem, celebrated on Palm Sunday, and culminating in His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Spain and many other Catholic Spanish-speaking countries are known for their elaborate processions and celebrations during Semana Santa.

Throughout Spain, penitents in Semana Santa processions typically wear a nazareno, or a cloak and hood with a pointed cap or capirote. The uniform has been in use since the Middle Ages, designed to let people practice penance publicly without revealing their identity. The penitents may walk the streets barefoot wearing chains or carrying crosses in imitation of Christ's Passion. Ironically, the anti-Catholic terrorist group Ku Klux Klan later used the nazareno as inspiration for their own uniforms.

Team Building. . .in a call center

Based in wikipedia.. .

Team Building refers to a wide range of activities, presented to businesses, schools, sports teams, religious or nonprofit organizations designed for improving team performance. Team building is pursued via a variety of practices, and can range from simple bonding exercises to complex simulations and multi-day team building retreats designed to develop a team (including group assessment and group-dynamic games), usually falling somewhere in between. It generally sits within the theory and practice of organizational development, but can also be applied to sports teams, school groups, and other contexts. Team building is not to be confused with "team recreation" that consists of activities for teams that are strictly recreational. Team building is an important factor in any environment, its focus is to specialize in bringing out the best in a team to ensure self development, positive communication, leadership skills and the ability to work closely together as a team to problem solve.

Too good to be true, one reality that i noticed in call centers is that when we say team building it's more of a night out. Drinking session and karaoke; two things that call center employee won't miss in their team building.This defies the purpose of having a team building, how can one resolve a problem or a situation if all the team members are under the influence of alcohol?How can one voice out his/her feelings if everyone else is busy singing their lungs out?

As a leader i think this trend should not be followed, instead we should come up with activities that will make the team and all its member be on the same page. Set a particular goal. Resolve conflicts. Make the team as ONE!

Agenda for a team building should include

• Improving communication
• Making the workplace more enjoyable
• Motivating a team
• Getting to know each other
• Getting everyone "onto the same page", including goal setting
• Teaching the team self-regulation strategies
• Helping participants to learn more about themselves (strengths and weaknesses)
• Identifying and utilizing the strengths of team members
• Improving team productivity
• Practicing effective collaboration with team members

With all these things said, i think everything should be set for the team building. . .NOT pure fun, it's the best time to help and know each other as member of the group. üü

under construction

after a couple of years. . .here I am again trying to create my own blog site. .
i started blogging back in 2005, i was still in college then. . .i always have new things to share, about stuffs i like, about things i do and anything about me. . .

i was talking to a friend last night and we actually talked about different websites that are interesting. He introduced me to blogger.com, which i find odd because i always see blogs and stuff but I didn't even bother creating one. H e told me that i can personalize it more, i prefer multiply before, but now i think he's right. I'm starting to have sleepless nights again just to finish the layout and put some contents. I don't even know where to start because i have a lot of thing in mind that i want to share. . .

hope that this will be the start of another journey here in my online life. . .

looking forward in seeing comments and suggestion on how i can make my page interesting. . .

TODAY

I woke up early today; excited over all the things I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today.

I am important.

My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel that I don’t have more money or be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the universe has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.

And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

Youth Congress 2004

Youth Leaders: Your Time is NOW!!

Isn’t it funny how everyday we complain on small stuffs and ignoring the great things they can offer? We may have lots and lots of problems but didn’t you ever realize that problems are part of our lives, that these things help us become stronger and better persons. I admit that every time I wake up in the morning one thing is for sure, ill complain, complain and complain it never came to my mind that I am the only person who can be responsible for my day. Nobody can make me feel anything if I have a rotten day. I am the one who allowed it to be that way. If I have a great day, I am the one who deserves credit for being positive. It is not the responsibility of other people to change so that I can feel better. I am the one who is in charge of my life. Be optimistic, be brave on all the things that the day has in store for you. Start your day right, start your day bright and start you day with a prayer and everything will come smoothly.