Last weekend, I borrowed a book entitled Who Move My Cheese from a colleague. I guess some of you already read it. It has  always been my plan to buy it every time I go to a bookstore. I am looking forward to read it during one of those plane trips to Gen San or in Davao during the busy season. Unfortunately,  sa di inaasahang pagkakataon, I am running out of cash or in a tight budget every time  I drop by the bookstore. That’s why I am lucky I have borrowed a copy of it para me mabasa ako over the weekend.

The book is not tedious to read. Actually, I finished reading the book within an hour, right before the UFC 100 started last Sunday. The story is all about the Cheese-  sobrang babawa (as in)  if you will just analyze it. The lesson it partakes is already obvious. We are just either too ignorant or too dumb to ignore it. Mapapakamot na lang tayo sa ating ulo (up) and say “Oo nga noh? Ang galing nung lesson.”

To those who haven’t read this book, I am very much willing to promote this (without pay ob kors). You can read this when you are bored in your monotonous life or during your break time from your stressful work. It targets all points of our life- career, business, relationship etc. It gives us a guide just like a map when we go to a long travel having no idea where we are heading. Para kang babyahe on your own sa Baguio, wherein it’s your first time go there and don’t even have a clue so stopped by a nearby gasoline station and luckily bought a map.

The “cheese” is actually a metaphor of the thing which gives s feeling of a certain degree of  happiness to our life. There are four characters in the story and I am sure all of us can relate to them. After reading the story, I advise to read the “Discussion Part” of the book. It’s very vital to complete that part to have a great impact sa atin (as in parang lesson talagang sagad to the bones).

I am glad I read this book because you know why? Kasi ganito yun. Actually when things around me  suddenly change, in their normal course, I fell a little bit agitated and worst sometimes irritated. I am not fan of changes in life (before yun) until I read this book. I can describe myself astoo stiff and stationery when I found my comfort zone. After reading this book, napaisip ako and began to analyze the changes that happened in my life.

Just to share a bit of my life (naks sharing etoh), during my final year in college, I could say I had a wonderful life. I couldn’t ask for more. I felt blessed and lucky at some point. I had a loving and supportive family, whom I considered as ,my solid and loyal fans (feeling lang lol!). I felt secured and contented and even so happy with my relationship with my girlfriend back then (Aaawness!); and I was also active in an organization in our dormitory and college (palusot kasi di talaga nag-aaral lol!). It seemed back then I was a well-rounded person  at a certain point, the way I look at my life then. Academic-wise, I was assured of graduating on time except for one Accounting subject which I ended up passing (thanks Sir sa pagpasa sa akin!). I couldn’t ask for more. I felt I am ready for my next battle and that is to pass the CPA Board Exam!

Then my Cheeses were moved.

After graduating, my dream of a smooth journey to pass the CPA Board Exam and to land a descent job was shattered when I flunk my initial try in the Board Exam. I delayed my second shot in the exam due to financial reasons which lead me to work as a bank teller far from my dream of working in the corporate world agad.

I was not comfortable with my situation being a teller. Though I believed that time that I already had “security” in terms of having a permanent and descent job, I knew I still lack something. I lack one of my Cheese which is to have my license. So I decided to leave my work as an underpaid but overworked teller (paawa effect lol!).

I enrolled again for another season of review class. Things are all well but I guess it was not yet my time to pass the exam- again. I failed again on my second try. As I continue my quest to find my first Cheese, another Cheese of my life was moved. My relationship with my girlfriend was jeopardized. We ended up moving apart. It is a bitter pill I needed to swallow (para akong ampalaya plus).

I went back home to secure my only Cheese left, my family.

Living for five months with my family gave me a sign of life. I began to see the Green Light of my quest to pass the exam. Luckily, after all the sorrow and desperation, I passed the exam and finally got my license (to audit hahaha!).

Two years have passed and I am here writing this one up.

I finally found my Cheese, and it teaches me something… to accept changes and go with the flow to all the sudden changes in life.

May you find your cheese,

Dorm Boy