Magkakapamangkin na ako!

It was Jeunessa, my sister-in-law-to-be, and Omar, my brother, who broke the news.

Jeunessa: Omar, what can you say about this blouse?
Omar: Tanunigin mo si Jay.
Me: (Lifting an eyebrow) Well, mukha syang pang-80's. At bakit may garter? And you bought 2 blouses with the same style!
Omar: Pambuntis yan.
Me: ... ha?
Jeunessa: I'm pregnant!
Me: Huh?
Jeunessa: Ay, ayaw maniwala... (bringing out the ultrasound result and two pregnancy test kits showing positive results) ayan... I'm pregnant!
Me: What are you doing??? (Still startled)
Omar: We're telling you, she's pregnant!
Jeunessa: We're going to have a baby!
Me: Whaaat!?

A few minutes after, Miah, my close friend in high school, called and I started spilling that my brother is going to have a baby.

Miah: Uy exciting yan! Syeeet Oscar, kelan ang kasal?
Me: Hindi ko nga alam eh...
Miah: Kelangan paghandaan yan, engrandeng kasal dapat! Naku Oscar I'm so happy for you! (Parang ako yung magkakaanak!) Kelangan tumugtog ka sa kasal nila! Dalhin mo yung buong orchestra!

Even our online game friends, or SD (Supreme Destiny) friends, were surprised by the news.

Me: Magkakapamangkin na ako!
Mafy: yung totoong Jeunessa? (my brother's character was named after his girlfriend)
Me: Oo!
Mafy: Uy nice!
Me: Kung papayagan ng nanay niya, gagawin ko syang prodigy ng violin or piano hehehe.

I even told my officemates about it.

Ana: Naku, Charvie, mauubos ang sweldo mo nyan sa kakabili ng pasalubong sa pamangkin mo!
Me: Oo nga eh.
Elayne: Uy, si Charvie, magkakababy na, AYIII! (Again, parang ako yung magkakaanak)
Me: Gaga.
Mama Haze: Naku, may manggugulo na dito sa office, ang lapit pa naman ng bahay nyo.
Ana: Oo nga, tapos tuturuan mo ng Epi Info (the stat program used in the office)

After all the news spreading and happy greetings, The idea that I'm indeed going to have a nephew/niece after eight months slowly sank into me. And for once, I eventually became just as excited as Miah when his brother had his first child. Exciting nga pala! I have been carrying babies in my arms every now and then, but this will be different. It will be close to having my own child. Definitely, it would mean drastic changes in the house, provided that the couple will stay here. And most significantly, it will change my life forever.

I have been fantasizing about the future with my pamangkin. When I buy groceries, about one third will probably be for the baby. When I get home every night, I will embrace and play with the baby like a doll. When he/she gets older, I will accompany him/her to Sta. Isabel on Saturdays where he/she will have his/her violin lessons with my teacher or piano lessons with the Music Department Chair, a beloved sister of goodwill. When he gets a bit older, I might tutor him/her on his/her school assignments, or not, assuming that he/she'll be smart. In other words, in the future, whatever I do, a big part of it will be with and for my pamangkin.

I remember my close friend in BS Public Health that her plans for her future is to be in a compund where her relatives, especially her nieces and nephews, reside. She has no plans whatsoever to leave the country and excel in her field abroad. Now, I get her point.

It seems that I will stay here for a longer time --- not for myself, but for my pamangkin.

Office Rash

I, together with three of my officemates, were called by our big boss. She scolded us for storing gigabytes of movie files, personal files, in our hard drives, assuming that we were watching them all the time and being negligent in our work. The HR provided printed screenshots showing the folders where we kept our files.

"I am very dissapointed in you, lalo ka na Charvie, mataas pa naman ang expectations ko sa yo!"

I crippled.

I have been called by my big boss twice. The first time was because I saved a folder of wallpaper pictures in the shared network folder. And the second time, this time, because I stored movie files in my hard drive. And for that, I've been so disappointing to my boss. I, of all people in my office who, most of them, listen to music, view personal pictures, watch movies and even play computer games, was pointed at by the HR twice for being unprofessional by storing files in my computer.

At first, I was silent, but when I felt that it was enough, that it was too unfair, I spoke.

"This [accusation] is very heavy for me... This is unfair... We were not aware of the policy... the policy was not clear. " I said in between my arguments.

It's a petty problem too shallow exaggerated by the HR that it has to be raised to our big boss. And it's just too irritating.

I wanted to have a mass inspection of all computers in PhilCAT, in which I take charge of, not any outsourced IT "specialist" who is not effective in reporting staff who criminally store personal files in his/her computer. I wanted to put a hidden camera in the HR's post to prove that we were not the only ones who use our computers for personal interests. But what I can only do now is to make them feel that I am very furious with what happened and challenge any irrational memoranda posted by the HR. And it will start with wearing T-shirt and rubber shoes everyday.

At least now I know how to answer to my big boss.

Never again will I be silent in front of any superior when it comes to questioning my credibility as a worker.