Perceiving

I'm usually low key about my birthday but this year I feel like I've reached a milestone that I want to express my gratitude for the life that I've been given. I was born winning the lottery to wonderful parents, two amazing siblings, an incredible extended family. From living in a small town in the Philippines, to Manila, then Toronto, and now to California, life has opened up so many opportunities. I have met so many good people along the way that I'm blessed to call friends. As I celebrate my 40th, I remember friends who were gone too soon, people who are grieving the loss of a child or a loved one, friends that are going through challenges and tough times. I pray that through God's grace that you'll see through the other side of this. This year started out incredibly with meeting President Jimmy Carter (who shares my birthday - he turns 95 today!) and sitting in his Sunday school class in Plains, Georgia. Shortly after that trip, we found out that w

This was the first time I've ever cried in an interview. The question was, "Why did you decide to interview with us now?" In fact, I've been trying to find a new job since two years ago while pregnant with my first child. I had completed four interviews by the time I was in the second trimester but ended up with just one offer for a job in San Francisco. It wasn't worth the long commute while pregnant so I turned it down. The year after, I was just trying to survive with interrupted sleep and functioning at work. I started thinking about interviewing again after my son turned a year old. I started talking to a few companies at this time. But then came the second pregnancy, the unexpected diagnosis, the tests and procedures to follow, the grief of loss. This brought a stop to all my interviewing plans. It was thinking about my journey that brought tears to my eyes. Fast forward to February of this year when the hiring manager for Android at Netflix who I t

Ever since I saw in an article that President Jimmy Carter still teaches sunday school at his home church in Plains, Georgia, the thought entered my mind, wouldn't it be so cool to attend his class? I've been a long time fan. The man is an inspiration, a wonderful example of living out your faith. Fast forward years later, the opportunity came up to go to Atlanta as a family. With excitement, I checked the schedule for when he would be teaching. Yes! Feb 3, 2019 - the weekend that we were going to be in Atlanta. Trip advisor has plenty of reviews of how to plan for this trip.  Get there early and sleep in your car if you want to be guaranteed a good seat in the sanctuary. Our son would not have the patience for this, so the best plan was to go alone. I evaluated the risks of driving in the dark, where there's a possibility of not having good cellular signal, hoping and praying that the car doesn't break down or get a flat tire, sleeping in the parking lot alone,