Of devotions, government hassles, and getting employed...

The other night, I posted on my Twitter account about how I would embark on an adventure the following day. I sure did, but I couldn't figure out if it did end up with some productivity. I had the exact plan of what I was going to do for that day.

My day started at seven o'clock in the morning when I attended a mass and novena at the National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus. In case you didn't know, St. Jude Thaddeus is the patron saint of hopeless cases. I just actually started my devotion to St. Jude during the first week of reviewing for the board exams. I made a promise to myself that whatever the results were, I would still come and continue praying to him. Since I passed the boards just a few weeks back (time flies too fast!), going there every Thursday was more special for me. After the mass, I met up with a family friend, Tita Pebbles, for a while and took some pictures of the shrine and the people before going to my next destination.

Here's a view of the shrine from the outside

Here's a shot of the inside. What made me like this place is its simplicity.

Thank you, St. Jude!

Churchgoers outside lighting candles after the mass

I then went to the Manila branch of SSS, supposedly to get my SS ID since I already had my number. A few days back I had already inquired at another branch and they said that I had to pay my contribution to get my ID. So for this day, I prepared myself for long lines and long waits, and wait I did. I was in line for about an hour, and when I finally reached the information desk, they told me I was DISQUALIFIED to get an ID. I told them I would pay in voluntary contribution, but they still insisted that I wasn't allowed to. I was sure I could pay for myself but the person at the desk told me I should talk to my employer/s about it. I was so pissed off I wasn't able to take pictures of the area. A piece of advice, though, if you are going to the main branches of SSS, you have to be there as early as you can. In my case, I arrived only past eight, but the end of the line was already at the back of the building. Another suggestion: there are SSS kiosks available at different major malls in the Metro, so check if your transactions can be made at those places to avoid further hassles. Lastly, BE PREPARED, and make sure you won't go out of the place empty-handed. Here's a nice site I found last night about basic information regarding SSS: Social Security Basics: 10 Answers to Your SSS Concerns

Still deciding to try my luck, I went to Pag-Ibig Fund to pick up my ID and hopefully to make my first contribution. As I approached the office, I heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of a clear entrance and knew I wasn't going to be toasted under the heat of the sun. Located at Lawton in Manila, the building was actually nice and organized. Even the security guards were coordinated and knew the basics of the transactions.

Fast-moving lines in the main office

Also, what made it easier for the people to finish their business there was that there were at least five lines for each transaction. I got my ID in less than 10 minutes, but when I asked if I could already pay my first voluntary contribution, they said I had to submit an affidavit of income, so yeah, dead end again for me. But at least I already had my ID.

It was already nearing lunch time when I got out of the office, so I decided to grab some lunch before heading for school. Since I was already on Day 4 of my diet (mwahahaha), I just had a salad and a bottle of water (you can never go wrong with H2O!). I then walked to school to talk to the Dean to finalize my documents for, wait for it, employment! Since I was just doing part-time, I had to discuss some more things before going down to the Human Resource Department. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but since I decided to just hang out thereafter, I got out at five o'clock in the afternoon already.

And this is what welcomed me:

What's new, Taft?

Poor pants and shoes (and clothes and bag...) of mine :(

I called my mom and told her I couldn't cross Taft Avenue, and guess what, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO PICK ME UP BECAUSE SHE HAD OTHER PLANS! I literally begged her until she finally did, and we just agreed to drop me off at a terminal where I could peacefully go home. It really wasn't peaceful where I got off, but I don't want to divulge on it anymore. I got home at around six-thirty in the evening, took a warm bath because the flood really got me itching all over, had my little (yes, little) dinner, then succumbed to my nightly series marathon. I'm on American Horror Story now by the way!

This is already becoming too long of a blog post, and I'm sorry about that. Well, I just wanted to point out that life now is too different from before. What happened to me on this day was something really new, and it did test my patience and my capacity to continue. I started to miss my friends more, because I realized that we're really on different paths now, and we weren't going to do most stuff together again. I've also got to rely less on my mom or my older relatives, and do things on my own now. It's nice I still got out alive, but this is only the beginning. I'm still wondering what lies ahead of all these :)