For the last part of this blog series, click here.
惊喜. Jingxi (can be read as “ching hsi”). Chinese for surprise.
I tried to look for other terminologies for “surprise.” Google gave me “shock” and “thunderbolt”, but both of them are usually attributed to unpleasant events.
2019 is neither a shocker nor a thunderbolt for me.
So instead of just giving a cliché title “2019: A Surprise Year,” I just resorted to give you the Chinese word. I am Chinese teacher by the way.
Most entries in the internet as of this posting are leaning towards looking back at the entire decade. If I were to do that, might as well I write a Wattpad series.
To be fair with the bandwagon going on, I feel the urge to do a decadal recall: I graduated from high school on my birthday in 2010, went to China for four year tertiary studies, made many friends from around the world, attempted to have relationships but to no success, started working at my alma mater Tiong Se Academy in 2014, willingly went back to China for a hundred-day training, working contract expired in 2019, extended service afterwards… That’s pretty much of my 2010s. Anyway, you can read some bits of my decade in this blog.
Before I enter 2019, I told myself, well Joe, what now? Now’s the chance, it will be 2019, you may leave your teaching career and go find a greener pasture. January came. I was REALLY contemplating about it. I thought it is a no brainer (sorry for the confidence), but as January days came down, it has really become a worry.
The contemplation intensified when misunderstandings with the higher ups were brought up, I opened Google Chrome and looked for some potential careers that same afternoon.
Not knowing the next day, I am up for the first major jingxi of the year.
I tried to look for other terminologies for “surprise.” Google gave me “shock” and “thunderbolt”, but both of them are usually attributed to unpleasant events.
2019 is neither a shocker nor a thunderbolt for me.
So instead of just giving a cliché title “2019: A Surprise Year,” I just resorted to give you the Chinese word. I am Chinese teacher by the way.
Most entries in the internet as of this posting are leaning towards looking back at the entire decade. If I were to do that, might as well I write a Wattpad series.
To be fair with the bandwagon going on, I feel the urge to do a decadal recall: I graduated from high school on my birthday in 2010, went to China for four year tertiary studies, made many friends from around the world, attempted to have relationships but to no success, started working at my alma mater Tiong Se Academy in 2014, willingly went back to China for a hundred-day training, working contract expired in 2019, extended service afterwards… That’s pretty much of my 2010s. Anyway, you can read some bits of my decade in this blog.
Before I enter 2019, I told myself, well Joe, what now? Now’s the chance, it will be 2019, you may leave your teaching career and go find a greener pasture. January came. I was REALLY contemplating about it. I thought it is a no brainer (sorry for the confidence), but as January days came down, it has really become a worry.
The contemplation intensified when misunderstandings with the higher ups were brought up, I opened Google Chrome and looked for some potential careers that same afternoon.
Not knowing the next day, I am up for the first major jingxi of the year.
ME ON NATIONAL TV. I was notified January 21 evening of an incoming interview. I don’t know the particulars at first, only expecting a simple interview. By the time I came to school the following day, that’s when the enormity of the business mattered, it was to be aired over ABS-CBN in their now-defunct afternoon public affairs show Pareng Partners, hosted by Anthony Taberna and Jorge Cariño. Just to clarify, I and my siblings were not the original subject of their interview. According to stories, the production team first approached the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) in Binondo to gather information about the scholarships Chinoys are generously blessing the Filipino learners. The FFCCCII instead directed the team to Tiong Se Academy, which they believe, a school with many beneficiaries of scholarships. So the prod team looked for the Principal, and the rest, you know, is history.
I thought they were going to just interview me and another alumnus, the outstanding Joseph Rico Wong, shoot some classroom shots and finito. I did not expect they are to step inside our humble home. Two days later, I brought the team into our place. (Oh, the nosy neighbours had zero idea hahaha). The prod team shot and asked questions for almost two hours. For the next days, I was totally discreet on social media about the whole thing. I did not notify any of my friends of my upcoming TV appearance. My closest bunch of friends and of course the wider network of people knew about it when the trailer was aired February 1. I just want everybody to have the jingxi feels also.
February 2 was the air date. I had my hair cut noontime before the actual airing. 5:30PM, the barangay was all eyes to the TV screen, and our segment was shown last. During that five-minute airtime, several people were adding us as friends on Facebook, while some are sending me PMs to give some inquiries. Congratulatory messages came from friends and relatives all over. Woah, that was some instant celebrity status.
Up to now, I encounter people telling me that I was familiar to them because they saw me on TV. Of course, I am very glad because the very purpose of the show, to spread inspiration to people, has materialized.
I hate to make this admission, and this is public: that TV appearance, though brief, has pushed me to stay with Tiong Se Academy for the meantime. Because of palabra de honor.
Please don’t get me wrong, teaching is my dream. Becoming a teacher has become my avenue to share knowledge to people. Coming from poverty myself, I genuinely love talking to my students and telling them the ways of life. But I just felt that if I am to leave teaching career just months after the airing, after telling those words on national television, it will surely be very unpleasant and might dissuade the audience from believing in their dreams. Of course, they are gonna know if I change tracks, social media age people?
So I carried on with teaching. Moreover, this year is my school’s 120th foundation anniversary. I am still here to say Happy Birthday Tiong Se!
I assumed I was only gonna teach and celebrate in 2019.
No door has been closed, but a new home has opened.
I thought they were going to just interview me and another alumnus, the outstanding Joseph Rico Wong, shoot some classroom shots and finito. I did not expect they are to step inside our humble home. Two days later, I brought the team into our place. (Oh, the nosy neighbours had zero idea hahaha). The prod team shot and asked questions for almost two hours. For the next days, I was totally discreet on social media about the whole thing. I did not notify any of my friends of my upcoming TV appearance. My closest bunch of friends and of course the wider network of people knew about it when the trailer was aired February 1. I just want everybody to have the jingxi feels also.
February 2 was the air date. I had my hair cut noontime before the actual airing. 5:30PM, the barangay was all eyes to the TV screen, and our segment was shown last. During that five-minute airtime, several people were adding us as friends on Facebook, while some are sending me PMs to give some inquiries. Congratulatory messages came from friends and relatives all over. Woah, that was some instant celebrity status.
Up to now, I encounter people telling me that I was familiar to them because they saw me on TV. Of course, I am very glad because the very purpose of the show, to spread inspiration to people, has materialized.
I hate to make this admission, and this is public: that TV appearance, though brief, has pushed me to stay with Tiong Se Academy for the meantime. Because of palabra de honor.
Please don’t get me wrong, teaching is my dream. Becoming a teacher has become my avenue to share knowledge to people. Coming from poverty myself, I genuinely love talking to my students and telling them the ways of life. But I just felt that if I am to leave teaching career just months after the airing, after telling those words on national television, it will surely be very unpleasant and might dissuade the audience from believing in their dreams. Of course, they are gonna know if I change tracks, social media age people?
So I carried on with teaching. Moreover, this year is my school’s 120th foundation anniversary. I am still here to say Happy Birthday Tiong Se!
I assumed I was only gonna teach and celebrate in 2019.
No door has been closed, but a new home has opened.
BECOMING AGENT GREEN. May of 2019 when my Facebook friends were up to another jingxi, a shocker if you will. Even I myself did not expect this to take place.
May 2 when I attended the Career Orientation of Manulife Philippines. Oh just another seminar, or so I thought. In the end, I found myself signing the contracting papers right then and there. I came out of the house with a “teacher only” status, I came back having “dual citizenship.” Nobody thought I was doing this, not even my parents. This affirms my ISTP personality. Being unpredictable.
With respect to Tiong Se, my five-year mandatory working contract with them has ended at the time. And it felt good for me to do it because I am not violating anything (legally or morally). My younger siblings are going to college real soon, so I think it is valid for me to look for some other noble sources of income.
Within three weeks, I was able to accomplish Manulife’s preliminary product seminar and two licensing exams. That was real fast. I became a full fledge Agent Green (that’s what they call a Manulife Insurance Agent) by mid-June. Just in time before the school opens for the new academic year.
I only posted about my Agent Green status on Facebook when I graduated from the product seminar. I can imagine how shookt my friends are. Many thought that I’m leaving Tiong Se for Manulife, but it became clear to them that I am working with two career paths starting this year.
This was a jingxi to all of you, right?
You surely want to ask, where do you stand right now? How do you see yourself in the next decade?
I am in the middle of Balintawak Cloverleaf. God help me.
(To be continued…)
May 2 when I attended the Career Orientation of Manulife Philippines. Oh just another seminar, or so I thought. In the end, I found myself signing the contracting papers right then and there. I came out of the house with a “teacher only” status, I came back having “dual citizenship.” Nobody thought I was doing this, not even my parents. This affirms my ISTP personality. Being unpredictable.
With respect to Tiong Se, my five-year mandatory working contract with them has ended at the time. And it felt good for me to do it because I am not violating anything (legally or morally). My younger siblings are going to college real soon, so I think it is valid for me to look for some other noble sources of income.
Within three weeks, I was able to accomplish Manulife’s preliminary product seminar and two licensing exams. That was real fast. I became a full fledge Agent Green (that’s what they call a Manulife Insurance Agent) by mid-June. Just in time before the school opens for the new academic year.
I only posted about my Agent Green status on Facebook when I graduated from the product seminar. I can imagine how shookt my friends are. Many thought that I’m leaving Tiong Se for Manulife, but it became clear to them that I am working with two career paths starting this year.
This was a jingxi to all of you, right?
You surely want to ask, where do you stand right now? How do you see yourself in the next decade?
I am in the middle of Balintawak Cloverleaf. God help me.
(To be continued…)
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