END TIMES (Continuation: Beginning - Two)
This is the continuation of my previously uploaded novelette. I hope you're enjoying reading this. It might be my source of motivation to create more stories. Looking forward to your comments on how I can improve my writing. Feel free to comment your thoughts!
BEGINNING - TWO
When I arrived at school, everyone was buzzing about it. The whole day passed by in a blur and I still can't get the news out of my head. I'm wondering how a developing country like the Philippines would survive in a war, the war between countries that have trained soldiers and advanced weapons. I wonder how we can survive.
I stopped by the library to finish one of my final requirements in class. On the farthest corner were my friends, the twins' Azalea and Cayden. No one bothers them on their spot because there's like an unwritten rule that it's only them who can occupy that little space. They're part of the elite class in school and it's still a wonder why they befriended someone like me when they can be friends with anyone else. It took them too long to gain my trust but when we get to know each other I softened up to them.
School is supposed to be a place where each of us will be united but it only widened the gap and divided the students. The elite class was the famous ones while the poor experience oppression from other students.
But the twins are different. They grew up well and pay no attention to the social class of one person. They're kind and they treat everyone equally. We have the same beliefs and that's what I like about them.
They seem immersed in a deep conversation when I arrived at their table.
"Hey, Az. Hey, Cay," I told them as I sat in front of them.
"Hi, E," They said in chorus, only offering me a single glance.
"So what are you guys talking about? Looks like some pretty serious stuff."
"Oh. Have you heard the news? 'Coz it's what we're talking about before you rudely interrupted us," Az said with a hint of irritation in her voice. She's always the hot-tempered one. That's why I didn't bother with her snide remark.
"Don't mind her, E. She's just PMSing," Cay said before I can respond while laughing a little too loud that the librarian shushed us.
"I'm not PMSing. Gosh, where did you even get that word? Are you gay?" They always trade insulting remarks on each other that I get used to it so I just laugh it out.
"Before we get so far from the topic, why don't you just tell me about the news you've been talking about."
"Right. Well, the news this morning is very alarming and we've been talking about the possibilities of what will happen in the future," Cay explained. I'm interested in what they were talking about.
"To be honest, I can't get the news out of my head since I heard it this morning. I'm just bothered and scared of what is happening in our world. It seems that the 'apocalypse' news is coming."
"That's exactly what we mean. If the apocalypse happens there will be total chaos," She said, her voice a little tense.
We continued talking about the topic that the three of us didn't notice how much time passed. We agreed that there really are signs of the apocalypse since before but what's in the news seems like a big leap concerning the issue. It's like we're running towards our graves because of our decisions. Maybe our sins have been too much that the world needs to be destroyed in order to make a new world that's not corrupted like ours.
It's scary and at the same time, I kind of understand that we deserve this. But I'm still afraid of what's about to come – or maybe has it started already?
To be continued...
END TIMES (A Novelette)
I wrote this story for our subject Contemporary World. It was my subject in Grade 12 Senior High School. I still remember how exciting to write stories back then. I enjoy as it was one of my hobbies. Although I'm not writing stories anymore, I still look forward to finding my passion in writing back. I'm focused on my studies and my crafts right now but maybe I'll write some stories again soon. Anyway, I'll be posting this story here. It's just a few chapters and I hope you will enjoy it. The writing isn't perfect but I hope you'll still understand it. Btw, this story is inspired to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence).
I'll be posting the Prologue and Chapter 1 in this article while I'll upload the next one maybe tomorrow. I hope you'll look forward to it. Thank you and Enjoy Reading!
PROLOGUE
The end times are near. The signs are emerging in every corner of the world. The angels show us as warnings for upcoming catastrophes. But we chose to ignore it, thinking that it was nothing, thinking that it is far from happening.
We chose to be ignorant and unprepared. But when it came knocking on our doors we don't know what to do.
We chose this. The consequences of generations of decisions are catching up to us. We did this to ourselves. There's no one to blame except us. What's happening in this world is our fault and it is up to us to save it.
BEGINNING - ONE
I know that the end is near but I never thought that when I woke up that morning everything will change. It started 5 years ago. It comes in waves. First is the antichrist, then war, famine, and plague. I'm one of those who survived the first three waves but I don't know if I will consider myself lucky. Surviving means a lot and it destroys me. To survive means not playing by the rules that does not exist. There is chaos, lots of chaos. Everyone is in survival mode. You never know who to trust.
News of the apocalypse is in trend nowadays. Social media is full of memes and fake news about it. People don't really know how to take things seriously. I know it's really coming. The signs already surround us. But what can a scared and insignificant girl do? Nothing really. If it comes, at least I know some basics in surviving. But I don't know where those skills will lead me.
I got a few friends but they have their priorities when that time came. I don't have a family. I have no one to protect and no one to protect me. But in this kind of journey, I knew I need someone to watch my back. I need someone whom I can trust my life with. I managed to live almost half of my life alone but I don't know if I can handle this on my own. Apocalypse is really coming and I'm really scared with only the thought of it, what more if it's really happening.
Living alone taught me to not depend on other people. I only got a handful of friends who spent a lot of time to gain my trust.
Reading is my comfort zone. Whenever I'm lost, afraid, sad, or experiencing extreme emotions I always come to my books for comfort. I've read things about the rising war, terrorists who kill innocents, countries on the brink of famine, and an uprising in the government on different countries.
I've read an article that says, 'The world is facing a humanitarian crisis bigger than any in living memory,' the UN has said, as four countries teeter on the brink of famine.
"Twenty million people are at risk of starvation and facing water shortages in Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen, while parts of South Sudan are already officially suffering from famine." (The Independent)
Thinking about it, the future ahead of us, though unsure, is really scary. The things we do now will affect what's ahead.
Being a graduating senior is exhausting. There are lots of requirements and clearances to fulfill. This day is one of the days when all you can think about is getting home, lying in bed, and sleeping. So I did. When I went home, I went straight to bed and fell asleep, oblivious of what might happen tomorrow.
I woke up irritated by the sound of my alarm. Even though I feel lazy, I stood up and welcome a new day of work and productivity. I walked out of the apartment but there was this gloomy feeling I can't figure out. I rode the public bus to school. The conductor turned the radio to an AM station where I heard a piece of very alarming news.
"Due to an uprising in the United Nations, allying countries turn on each other and declared war. Other countries were caught up in the middle with no other choice but to choose sides."
The conductor switched to a different channel and another one was reported.
"Many countries are on the brink and four countries are already suffering from famine. They are facing starvation because of a huge leap in global warming that destroyed most of the crops. Also, many countries are facing water shortages and contamination on other beverages."
The news is alarming that the conductor decided to stop the radio. He's trying to delay the inevitable. In a short span of time, everyone will know about the news and everyone will start panicking.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Hey guys! Sorry for being inactive. I've been busy with school and my small business. I'll try to be more active here but I can't promise 'coz midterms is coming. Anyway, good job to all those people who juggle life, school, business, and other side hustles. Kudos to all goal-digger! Manifesting for all our dreams to come true ✨
Management - An Organizational Chart and its Span of Control Between Levels
This is our activity last semester in Engineering Management. We are tasked with finding an organization and what are the organizational levels in the said organization. We also need to explain how the span of their control differs from higher to lower levels. Also, we need to expound it and add more into our research. I just want to share with you my findings and maybe you can learn how different levels of organization differs from one another.
**The Question:**
**Chart an organization with which you are familiar that has at least three organizational levels, and identify the number of people reporting to each manager at each level. How do the spans of control at the lowest level compare with those at higher level(s)?**
**My Answer:**
Jollibee Foods Corp. is engaged in developing, operating, and franchising fast food stores under the trade name Jollibee. The company operates through the following segments: Food Service, Franchising, and Leasing. The Food Service segment operates quick-service restaurants and the manufacture of food products to be sold to Jollibee Group-owned and franchised QSR outlets. The Franchising segment franchises the Jollibee Group's QSR store concepts. The Leasing segment leases store sites mainly to the Jollibee Group's independent franchisees. Jollibee Foods was founded by Tony Tan Caktiong in 1975 and is headquartered in Pasig City, Philippines.
The first level of the organizational structure of JFC is the board of directors. It includes the CEO, Chairman of the board, and other Directors. They help hand-in-hand for the success of the company. Under the CEO is the next level of the organizational structure – the corporate officers – which includes the Chief Financial Officer, Human Resource Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Corporate Secretary, and Restaurant Operations Officer. They look over other employees in their department. In restaurant operations, they mainly focus on the operation of restaurant branches. In these branches, there are managers who will monitor the staff and employees.
The span of control that is used in this organization is narrow but how narrow it is, depends on the level of organizational structure. Under the CEO – the first level – is five chief officers of the different department. Then, they will look over their employees which we can assume is more than five. On the restaurant operation, there are managers under the chief that will also look over the employees on their branch. Therefore, we can say that the narrow span of control is becoming wide as the level is lower, but it’s not too wide that the managers cannot supervise their employees well. The higher the level, the narrower the span of control, and the lower the level, the wider it is.
**References:**
JFC.PH | Jollibee Foods Corp. Company Profile & Executives - WSJ. (2021). https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/PH/JFC/company-people
Org Chart Jollibee Foods. (2021). https://www.theofficialboard.com/org-chart/jollibee-foods
I hope you learn a little something from this. Thank you for reading!
What is Construction Management?
Our professor asked us to watch a YouTube video and interpret what construction management is based on what we watched and how we understand it.
The posted activity has these following guidelines.
Activity No. 1: What is Construction Management?
Please watch and understand the Youtube video attached here.
Based on this video, make a 1 page Handwritten summary in engineering lettering of not more than 300 words for your composition. Kindly follow these guidelines in your output.
- 1 page clean sheet of Letter Size Bond paper
- 1 inch measurement on all sides to serve as border, no marked outline
- Single space
- Introduction, Body, Conclusion Format
- Name format on upper left: Surname, First Name, Middle Initial
- Provide your Student Number below your name
- Put your section code and subject code in the upper right of paper (CE-320x / CE412)
- Name of your lecturer below the section and subject code
- in PDF file
- File Name: Surname_Activity No. 1
Thank you!
Here's the link of the video if ever you're interested to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc40yA0eyZo
Planning is an important aspect in engineering and in life. To make sure of the success, we don’t just need a successful and well-thought plan but we need to make sure that it will be followed all throughout. Thus, we need leaders who will oversee every aspect of the project.
Construction management is simply the management of construction projects throughout its phases - from designing, scheduling, pre-construction, construction, and until the turn-over. It provides effective management of the project's schedule, cost, quality, safety, scope, and its function. In order to effectively achieve the success and provide effective management of the construction project, a team of leaders is a must. This team includes: project manager, design manager, quantity surveyor, construction scheduler, contract manager and other workers who’s all vital to the success of the project. They are leaders who will not only work with the people under their team but will also work with each other. Each of them is equally important because their input is vital in the project. They handle the people, schedule, design, safety of the workers, and the safety and quality of the building.
Thus, construction management is of great importance in every construction project. It provides the owner with assurance that the project will finish on time and will stick to the budget while not affecting the quality and safety of the building.
Thank you for reading and I hope you learn something today!
The Great Pyramid of Giza
I wrote this paper as an activity to our subject Geotechnical Engineering - Soil Mechanics. I enjoy writing this because it's interesting and I gain a lot of new information about The Great Pyramid. I hope that this will also give you new knowledge. Thank you for reading!
There are three pyramids – Khufu, Khafre, and Mekaure. The northernmost and oldest pyramid of the group was built for Khufu, the second king of the 4th dynasty. It is called the Great Pyramid; it is the largest of the three, the length of each side at the base averaging 230 m and its original height being 147 m or 45 stories. Its estimated 2.3 million stone blocks each weigh an average of 2.5 to 15 tons.
It is said to be constructed 450 years ago or circa 2551 – 2528 BCE. It is built to endureI wrote all of this and I put all my references for this concept paper. Do not plagiarize! an eternity and have done just that. Although, since these pyramids are made since the ancient and medieval times, some of the grave goods originally deposited are missing. Thus, Khufu is now only 138 m high.
What’s fascinating and makes it my favorite structure is that Khufu’s pyramid is probably one of the most colossal structures here on Earth. Imagine that without a concrete concept of engineering and architecture, without proper equipment and tools, they made something so massive and standing up until now. That is why the ancient engineering feats at Giza were so impressive that even today scientists can't be sure how the pyramids were built.
**Here are some facts!**
The Great Pyramid is thought to be constructed of over two million stone blocks that range from two to over fifty tons, though it remains a mystery as to how they were transported. Historians estimate that over 100,000 people were involved in the construction of the Pyramids of Giza, and that they may not have been slaves as once thought but rather paid workers.
Despite the scorching heat that can often be felt in Egypt, the temperature inside the pyramids remains a constant 20 C – the average temperature on earth
A perfect example of how the Egyptians were ahead of their time is in the construction of the cornerstones of the pyramid’s foundations. These were discovered to have been built in a ball and socket construction in case of earthquakes or heat expansion.
**References:**
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Pyramids of Giza. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pyramids-of-Giza.
Handwerk, B. (2021, May 4). Pyramids of Giza: National Geographic. History. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/giza-pyramids.
Team, O. T. G. (2021, April 15). 10 interesting facts about the pyramids of Giza. On The Go Tours Blog. https://www.onthegotours.com/blog/2015/08/10-interesting-facts-about-the-pyramids-of-giza/.
This is an original article that I wrote and I put all my references. Do not plagiarize.
Valentine's Day: An Opportunity to Small Business Owners
Valentine's Day is the day of gift giving. May it be a tangible or non-tangible object. People mainly give love, time, attention, hugs, and kisses for non-tangible gifts. On the other hand, they give photographs, scrapbooks, foods, personalized items, and of course the thing that represent Valentine's - chocolates and flowers.
This is an opportunity to small business owners to sell their items because it is in demand. It's impossible not to have a customer. You just need to make samples for your Valentine's Collection, take aesthetic and cute photos, and upload it on every social media platform that you know. Tell your friends and your family what you are selling. Message your old friends and introduce your products. Remember that Facebook friend who always flex their girlfriend or boyfriend? It's time to message them even though you are not close. You need to introduce your products to a lot of people and I know that most of them will be your customers.
That's the life of a small business owners. You are a one-man team. You made the products, you take the photos, you market your products, you pack the products, and you ship it. It's tiring, I know. But the most satisfying part is when your customers love it.
I started my small business last July 2022 and this is the most sales that I had. Valentine's Day is indeed an opportunity for me to sell my products.
**Flowers**
That's how I had the opportunity to sell this Valentine's Day. I sell handmade crochet flower bouquets which is really in demand right now.
It started with a few samples and I posted it on my Instagram and Facebook story. I also take good photos and post it in Facebook Marketplace and selling groups. At first there are little to no inquiries and some even stop messaging when they know the price of my products. It's a little discouraging to encounter those but I still continue to promote and post my products. Until there are more and more buyers who bought my products and I'm so happy for it. I even got all my February slots full.
Since my products are handmade, it takes time, effort, skills, and talent to do. It's a bit pricey but I still think that it can be priced higher than how much I sell it. I know that my products are beautiful and crafted with love. Those who value your work and your products will never question your price. Also, they will give it to their loved ones that's why the prices doesn't matter. They just want to put a smile on their special someone's face.
I got a lot of orders where they will give it to their girlfriend/boyfriend, crush, parents, grandparents, teachers, and of course themselves. I just love how I can bring smiles on their faces when they saw the products. I also love that I can be part of their special day by gift giving.
I love giving gifts and being a small business owner makes it possible to be able to wrap a gift for someone.
I feel so blessed right now because I really didn't expect that my small business will have this much sales and love. Even though it's still small compare to others, I'm still thankful and happy. I appreciate every good things that I have right now.
Here are my shop links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/twiddlycrochet
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/twiddly.crochet/
Shopee https://shp.ee/mvs7jh5
TikTok https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSeMaCcVm/
Thank you for reading!
Valentine's: Is love supposed to be celebrated in just a day?
We all know that Valentine's Day is celebrated every 14th of February. This day, we feel extra loved and we give love. As they say, love is in the air. Everywhere you look, there are hearts, couples, and love. There are a lot of gift giving and confessions. Flowers and chocolate are sold out on stores. Love letters are in! Love is celebrated. May it be for yourself, your family, your friends, or your special someone.
I remember, before the pandemic era, celebration of Valentine's is very lively. There are couples going out on a date. Parks and malls is packed with family, friends, and couples that are celebrating. There are people holding flowers, chocolates, and boxed gifts. You can see the smile on everyone. Although there are still people dating outside, we can't really see their smiles and happy faces because of the masks that they're wearing. The pandemic really did affect us all – our daily lives and our celebrations. Still, it doesn't hinder us to celebrate important events like this.
Now, onto my question. Every Feb 14, we celebrate love but is it the only day that we should celebrate it?
I think, we should celebrate it everyday. Love comes in different forms and we should always celebrate it no matter what. We should consider love as a positive emotion that we will innately celebrate everyday.
Celebrate your love for your **family**. Celebrate your love for **yourself**. Celebrate your love for your **friends**. Celebrate your love for your **special someone**. Celebrate your love for your **country**. Celebrate your love for the **environment**. Celebrate your love for **anything and everything**.
Because love comes in **different forms**. No one can tell you what you need or want to celebrate this Valentine's.
Also, I hope that we fell in love with life itself that we didn't need a reason to celebrate love and life.
Always remember that you are loved. You are special. You are celebrated. Do not be anxious, for there is someone out there who always love you. You deserve all the love that the world can give. If no one told you yet, **Happy Valentine's and I love you!**
Thank you for Reading!
My Crochet Journey
**Crochet started as a pandemic hobby.**
I'm stuck in the house, bored, and mindlessly scrolling thru Instagram when one of my friends stories pop up. It's a very cute top made from yarns and I got curious. I remember it clearly to be a boho top. I even found the tutorial of it on YouTube.
*(Boho Top Tutorial)* https://youtu.be/lg5i1hxiDvM
One Instagram story plus my curiosity sparked my love for crochet. I started my research about crochet. Then it took me weeks before I decided to search the materials on shopee. I ordered from two shops wherein I bought Monaco Mercerized yarn, my very first Imia hook size 6, some fiber fill, and stitch markers on the first shop. On the second shop, I bought 5 ply milk cotton yarns and a set of aluminum hooks. It took too long for it to he shipped out and be delivered. Unfortunately, the yarns and hooks that I bought on the second shop got lost in transit. Remembering this makes me so sad because I'm so excited for these to arrive. Good thing is that a few days later, my other orders arrived.
What I didn't expect is, my yarn is not very beginner friendly. It's so thin because this yarn is a thread. I had a hard time learning crochet and practicing because of it. There are a lot of times where I want to just give up learning this craft but the good thing is that I continue on.
I tried again, bought new supplies, practice more, and watch YouTube tutorials, until I get the hang of it. Now, I already tried different kind of yarns that is available here in the Philippines. I will write more about the different yarns in the Philippines in a different article. I also tried making different crochet items ranging from amigurumi, clothing, and accessories. I just love how crochet is very versatile that you can do almost everything. You just have to let you creativity shine!
After almost a year of crocheting, I finally made this hobby into a small business. It's hard to start. I spent days and more days thinking if I should start a business and sell my creations. I don't feel ready. I have a lot of doubts in myself and in my talent. I'm not sure if there will be people who will appreciate or buy my products. Fortunately, I got a lot of support from the people who are special to me. They gave me that courage to finally start and make this dream a reality. On July 2021, I finally made my business pages and posted my first products.
My best friends supported me and they are the only one who bought my products. It's a few months with no orders after that. Then maybe one order after a while. It's sad but I decided to just continue. I continue to make crochet products and post pictures on my page. Eventually, there are some people who inquire and some ordered. Since the Valentine's is near, crochet sunflowers, tulips, and roses became a trend. This is the biggest sales that I got. I'm so happy! I cut off early because I don't have much supplies and I need to make sure not to overwork my hands. Still, I'm so happy with all the orders that I got. I'm also happy to be part of their gift giving to their loved ones.
And that's my crochet journey. It's not yet the end of my journey as I still continue to learn and improve my craft. I will continue to share it with you and I hope that you will look forward in seeing some of my works.
With that note, I want to share some of my links if ever you're interested to check out my business pages!
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/twiddlycrochet
Shopee https://shp.ee/mvs7jh5
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/twiddly.crochet/
TikTok https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSeMaCcVm/
~~~
I'll attach some photos of some of my sample orders below 👇
Thank you for reading!
What to expect in my future blogs.
Words flows naturally when it comes to the things we love. Thus, my blogs and articles will be about the things that I love. I'm so excited to share what I'm most passionate about. I want to share my story and show you who I am. I will share about the beauty of my hobbies and my craft. You will encounter a variety of things here because I love a lot of things. I hope that you will enjoy my articles. Also, I will strive to continue improving my writing skills and show you my progress.
Crochet
My recent obsession is crochet. I love this craft because it's broad and you always have something new to learn. I have a small crochet business so I will share some of my commissions, some tips, some recommendations, and a lot of my crochet creations.
Arts & Crafts
I've always been in love with arts and crafts. Although I'm not really good at the arts side, I'm really interested in it. I want to learn more about different kinds of arts so I will include you in that journey of learning. In crafts, I will also study and learn more about it. I love diys, origami, punch needle art, and a lot of crafts.
Life
Well, I don't know if you're interested with my life but I will share it too. Not too much but just the right amount of info about me. I also want to include you in this life journey of finding my self, my path, and my future. I hope that we will all learn about the beauty of life and be stronger to face head on the rocky path that is in from of us.
Engineering
Well, I'm a civil engineering student so I will share with you some knowledge that I know. I will share with you my journey as Civil Engineering student and a future Civil Engineer. I hope I can share my struggles and my wins with you.
Short Stories and Novelettes
I love writing short stories and poems before. So, I'll find those and share it with you. I will also try to write more stories ranging from different genres so that I can improve my writing skills. i'm hoping that you will support it when I posted it. I'm so excited to share my creativity in writing with you.
Books and Novels
My first love. I love reading books and novels may it be in Wattpad or International books. I will share some of my recommendations with you with an explanation of why I love it. I hope that there will be someone that has the same taste in books as me. Although I really love every genre.
Webtoon
My recent fave! I love reading webtoon because it's an integration of both my love in reading and my love in art. Oh my gosh. I'm so excited to share with you my recommendations because there's a lot of webtoons that I love. There's a ton of gold in webtoon. I'm in love with the stories with magnificent art style. So excited to share it with you!
Movies, TV Series, K-drama, Anime
Of course, who doesn't love watching movies and series? I'm obsessed with watching right now because I can multitask it while I'm crocheting. I have a lot of recommendation and I will share my review of them. I hope that you will also share some of your recommendations too.
Hello! This is my first post here in readcash. So excited to write articles and read yours. I hope we get along well! Stay tuned for my upcoming articles.
@twiddly.crochet
