September 13, 2020

PROFILES: Kathleen L

Checking on old posts here on my blog, I stumbled on my old segment "PROFILES" which enabled me to interview two close people, one was my younger cousin Caren, and the other was my college professor and friend Maam Sheryl. It brought me back to memories that made me feel like a journalist, one of the thing I wanted when I was growing up. Then I thought, why not do it again and this time, since I also have a blog, I can also make my ambition to becoming a talk show host (I know I want a lot of things, but hey, as long as I can do them, why not right?). Luckily, I was blessed to have a friend who's always ready to support me in anything I want to do, I am blessed to have Kathleen.

Kathleen and I were classmates since freshman year in college up until we finished our Bachelor's Degree. After that, we also joined the academe as instructors, together with another classmate Jayson, and the three of us shared our teaching experiences for another five years!

PS It was Kathleen's Birthday last Saturday, so this post is like a birthday present for her (which she helped build right? HAHA)

***

We both just finished our respective shifts at work in the comfort of our homes when we did this interview. She was feeling a bit nervous but I told her it's just both of us on the interview, and the whole world to watch and listen and read haha. Here are a few excerpts of our interview that was supposed to run for 8-10 minutes but finished at 26 minutes.
Kathleen, Me, and Jayson in a Jeepney in Northern Philippines

Stevenson Que: ...Right now, at your current job, maybe you can give us a background of what you are doing right now and why do you tend to stay. Because after teaching, you have been at your current job for five years now so in a way, you do love what you are doing. So maybe you can share with us what you are doing now.

Kathleen L: So I've been in my current job right for five years now, Yes to me, 'coz it's a very good milestone for me being in a company for five years. So for a little background I am doing technical stuff, doing script programming, attending to technical issues of the people. I have to handle some of the projects that are given to me, especially with the emergency policies that we have in the company. And yes, I do love what I'm doing because at first, joining the company, I have been into the re-engineering process, wherein I used to come up with training materials, and eventually handling some of the training myself which I love.

"So what makes me stay with my company?
I always say it's the people. I have colleagues
who turned to be like family to me,
trustworthy people who you can lean from and
also learn something from them. 
I value those people." 

Stevenson Que: Oh it's like you were also like a teacher for the company.

Kathleen L: Yes, and what makes it fun is that you are learning more things that you didn't know, and when you are learning new things, you tend to love what you are doing, because you handle it very well. And after a few months of handling re-engineering, I was moved to tech support, which is slightly a bit of development, project management, and also giving training sessions to people. So what makes me stay with my company? I always say it's the people. I have colleagues who turned to be like family to me, trustworthy people who you can lean from and also learn something from them. I value those people. 

Kathleen L: It is also worth mentioning that don't be scared on trying something that is not familiar with you because in the process, you are gonna learn all those things with the people behind you that will let you learn all those things. And now, you know what? I just wanna go back to teaching and share all that I have learned to the students. When you are just full of knowledge, you just wanna share it to others so I will not lose it.

Millenials


Stevenson Que: Kathleen, we belong to the millennial age, we belong to that generation that people have been telling that we are indecisive and immature, but in the same time creative and brave. I believe in that, creative and brave! that we are not afraid of what we want and we are not afraid of what we want to do. What can you say about those traits that are being linked to becoming a millennial? Do you agree one them or do you somehow disagree?

Bali, Indonesia - 2019

Kathleen L: I disagree on those things like for the indecisive and unstable. because if you are learning new things, you are not indecisive, you are not unstable because you wanna learn. You wanna learn the process, you wanna go into different skills, so if you are already stable for a long time, it only means you are stagnant. 

Stevenson Que: Ugh! Perfect!

Kathleen L: Your knowledge is not improving anymore.

"...if you are already stable for a long time,
it only means you are stagnant."

Stevenson Que: I really agree and I would like to emphasize on what you said about learning, because millennial really learn not just from books and from trainings. I think one thing that millennials have to be proud of is that we can learn by ourselves. And it's not a hard task for us to be given a different task and then we learn it for ourselves and people would say "Oh that's just because you are talented", No! Because we are not afraid of clicking buttons, we are not afraid of trying something new, we just always know that there's a cancel button just in case it's not gonna work out. At the same time, we know when to stop. We just know when to stop if it's not for us. We don't just make ourselves stuck on a situation or on a level that would become very stagnant. We want improvement, not just for our lives but also for the companies that we work in. We want improvement for them

Kathleen L: Yes, because actually, we are promoting continuous improvement, like we have files that we need to improve for the long term.

A decade after graduation - Mark, Me, Kathleen, Florence, and Zarah - February 2020

To those that feel lost


Stevenson Que: Before we wrap this interview Kathleen, this is for all the millennials out there like us, who are wondering what life is. Just like what we have discussed earlier, one thing that best describes a millennial is is continuous growth, and trying a lot of things, and doing what you love. 

Kathleen L: Exactly.

Stevenson Que: But at times, for some of the millenials that look for those, for things that they love, they tend to just try and try everything until they just don't know anymore what they love, what would be your advise for those millennials who feel lost? Like, they just don't know what to do anymore, they just become burned-out, like, those that are stuck are continuously stuck, and then we have those that are quickly jumping from work to another work, to another position, to another company. What would you advise them?

Bali, Indonesia - 2019

Kathleen L: Actually at today's [theme?], I can simply say that we are all wondering about what's ahead of us, what will be our life?

Stevenson Que: This new normal

Kathleen L: Yes, but then, my message would be, hold on everyone. Because there will be things, like, maybe a change? maybe a vaccine? or instances that will make our life change, so hold on. And actually, I would like to give an advise to my co-millennials out there, that as long as you're making progress with yourself, you are in a right place. 

"...you measure success when
you are in the phase of helping people"

Kathleen Lumandas: And aside from those, do not measure your success by [new] things, by the latest ones, the latest gadgets. But then you measure success when you are in the phase of helping people, because it means you are rich with time, you can spare your time, and spare your resources. So for me, you are successful when you are helping people, because you have more than enough to share- your resources and your time. So don't be discouraged and hold on, seek help, if you need a specialist, or your friends. Don't close doors. Because if you wanna seek help, you wanna get better.

***
For those who would like to watch the full interview, I have shared my VLOG episode below on a segment I called "QUEUE-stions". Hope you enjoy all 26 minutes of  our interview. I asked Kathleen that our interview be in full English for this first episode so that I can shre it specifically with you, my blog friends from around the world, our thoughts and insights. Enjoy!



***

PROFILES is a segment on my blog which will be a one-on-one interview with an interesting personality, as I ask them to share a page of their life as they know it. I've always wanted to be a journalist so this is my way of feeding my hunger for that little taste of being a host. Through this blog, this world that I can call my own, this is my talk-show.

Would you be willing to be my next guest? Just let me know :)

43 comments:

  1. ...I will never have your way with words, I'll just let my camera do my taking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thank you Tom. I guess I'm just really talkative and got used to it with a camera haha but in person, with strangers, it would take a lot of bravery for me to begin a conversation.

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  2. A wonderful profile and interview.
    Enjoy the day and new week.

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    1. Thank you so much my friend Bill! Happy new Week!

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  3. You did a very good job interviewing you friend, Kathleen, and thanks for sharing. Both the questions and the replies were very well stated. Lucky you to have such great friends!

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    1. That is very nice of you to say and I am very glad you enjoyed it Beatrice :) You said it, very blessed to have supportive friends :)

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  4. Sometimes it is good to move on, and sometimes it is good to stay for awhile. It really depends on all the circumstances, doesn't it? I enjoyed reading this and meeting one of your good friends. Happy new week my friend.

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    1. Absolutely Erika, you said it perfectly! There's always a ton of factors to consider before simply moving on further and farther no matter how easy it sounds. Thank you so much dear Erika and I am happy you enjoyed the interview :)

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  5. Dearest Stevenson,
    Happy belated Birthday to your friend Kathleen!
    Well, there is a lot of text here above and a lot of words spoken on your vlog...
    But still I have NO idea what job you are discussing. What kind of Bachelors Degree you talk about. There are many, many different options here.
    What kind of work is she doing and in what kind of setup?
    A large team or a smaller one.
    Are they producing things or not?
    So many questions that are not being asked and answered in an orderly sequence.
    You talked about feelings and such...
    Whatever you do, you ought to follow a strategy, limit your questions in order to get to your point etc.
    Guess, I have been too much in analysis at big companies, trying to uncover the culprit of certain problems. But meetings etc., including interviews are not about managing to talk and talk.
    What did we learn here? What is the outcome, the BIG message... Sorry I don't see it.
    Good luck for your next attempt.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    Replies
    1. Hi Dear Mariette, thank you so much for your advises and critics, I will take note of them to improve my future interviews. One more thing I have to improve is to choose the correct excerpt to share in writing because based on the texts above, it may have implied that that topic is all about my friend and her job but the whole interview is focused on Working Millennials in general.

      Again thank you so much :)

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    2. Sorry, but indeed I did not get much out of it... Hope Kathleen still liked her belated Birthday wish!

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    3. No worries :) She sure did :) Thank you Mariette :)

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    4. Happy to hear and we all grow due to constructive criticism!😉

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    5. You're quite welcome Stevenson; you're a mature millennial! 💯

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  6. It was such a pleasure to meet Kathleen. You're a very good interviewer -- I hope you realize that. I really like your profiles feature and I hope we see more of them.

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    1. Dearest Jeanie, that is so touching for you to say. It feels good that you appreciate what we did and what we shared :) More to it, I am very happy you like this segment and I hope I can make more people agree with me to have an interview so I can feature more episodes on this segment :)

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  7. They should not worry about what they say about the millennials, in any case they are free young people who seek their direction.

    From what he wrote I liked what he said that what is worth is helping people. That's the important thing, I congratulate her.

    I like interviews, I hope for more. Beautiful photos and your partner is very beautiful too. Greetings to both from Argentina.

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    Replies
    1. I am very happy you like the interview, my friend JLO. I very much agree with you that her statement about helping people denotes success is both very true and touching.

      Thank you so much for your kind wishes and I really hope I can have more people agree with an interview with me whether there is video or just audio interview :)

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  8. A beauty you have there, dear Stevenson!!!!
    Yes, why not become... argh, you bring me into a difficult situation saying that!
    My T said, do something different than IT, if you like! But I can´t brave up.

    Oh - happy belated Birthday to your friend Kathleen!!!

    Funny. Could be my job description a bit, also.
    I once - and my customer nearly fell off her seat laughing, said to one guy: "Now, this is important, you should make a note."
    I was a bit of a teacher, huh?

    I do believe "The Millenials" do not exist.
    My Brother does hardly speak English. My big Niece learns a bit at school and hates it, the teacher is not able to tell of the potential.
    My Brother says I´m "Old fashioned" for buying DVDs cause I love watching movies in the original (if English!!). You cannot choose the language on TV here, not even if you go via Netflix or such. German. No option.
    Nieces get TV "on demand" in German and fail the good stuff. It´s sad. They know "nothing". And it´s not their fault! They are the dumb-generation, it seems (I do my best to help).
    Immaturity is a total different thing, in my opinion. In her being, ... my 10-year old Niece is an old woman (she has diabetis 1 and has to be so mature it is sad).

    Can I get a cancel-button, just for in case?
    I made a list. What is wrong with the new program. Same function, button one time here, one time there. Usability? "Huh? You can make a list, if you want". I deleted it when they fired me. And no one cared.
    Was I happy to hear the program is no real success (I still have my T working there).

    Are there millennials? Did I work with dinosaurs? Am I the "inbetween"? Nonono... count that as interview. I am way too shy and I do know that only you will read this! 😉

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    1. Dearest Iris! I looove your comments and I very much enjoyed reading it, it was both very informative and very personal that is why I feel thankful for your sharing.

      Oh I very much understand what you mean about the new generation and it's sad that it happens that way that everything is in German. though it is a good indication of Nationalism and pride for your Language but I agree with you that exploring other languages, in your case, through movies and DVDs, is very much needed in our global society nowadays. Here in the Philippines, it's the opposite, a lot of things are in English that is why all of us are raised bilingual and can have good conversation os the very least, understand English. Gone were the times when Filipinos are trilingual wherein Spanish is also an official language and our grandparents are the last ones who can understand Spanish aside from speaking Tagalog and English.

      I am so sad that your niece has diabetes in a very early age but I agree that she will be more stronger and mature with her case.

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  9. My friend. You are blessed by having a very lovely, sensible, intelligent colleague and pal in Kathleen. I do not see either of you straying down the wrong paths in life. That is due in no small part to your background and your parenting from non-millenniums. As long as you are not "snowflakes" you have nothing to fear. Take good care of each other. See you soon. I'm off to Greece.

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    Replies
    1. Phil your words are just so touching and warming, from my heart, I am truly grateful! And Kat sure will be when she gets to read this. And yes I agree, our family and teachers who were non millenials, and even friends like you, has been good influences to us :) And yes sir, had to be stronger not to be snowflakes :)

      See you very soon my dear friend Phil and I pray you have an amazing vacation in Greece! One of my dream destinations! Please take care!

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  10. And on top of everything else, she is a beautiful young lady too. We are fortunate if we have such friends in life.

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    1. She sure would be happy to read that David :) Thank you so much my friend!

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  11. Wonderful interview with your friend Kathleen.

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  12. Happy belated birthday to your beautiful friend Kathleen. You are lucky to have such long time friends.
    You are the journalist and host show of your own blog Stevenson :)

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    1. Dearest Sami, I feel so much joy with what you said about my blog. Thank you so much dear Sami, it means a lot!

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  13. Una buena entrevista, acompañada de unas buenas fotos, hacen un reportaje perfecto.

    Deseo que tengas una buena semana.

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  14. Boa noite meu querido amigo especial. Parabéns pela matéria.

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  15. That's great interview session, Stevenson.
    I think you have a great talent for being a journalist because your cleverness in gathering someone's information makes for fun reading.

    Don't you have the desire to interview blogger friends?.
    That will definitely be fun to read by many blogger friends from various countries.

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    1. That is so nice of you to say Himawan, my friend, those are nice words, thank you very much!

      Oh I absolutely would love to interview blogger friends, not sure if you all would accept my invite. We can also do it without camera, Audio will be good enough if you guys are shy haha. Would you like to be my first blog friend to be interviewed? :)

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    2. You are welcome, my friend Stevenson.
      Your ability and desire to become a journalist is very good, the questions that are asked to the sources are right on target.
      You are talented as a journalist.

      Oh, ... i'm just a beginner and I don't have much experience yet, Stevenson.
      I am willing to be interviewed by you and write a paper, but i feel that there is nothing compared to your senior blogger friends.

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  16. Beautiful photos!!
    Greetings.


    NEW POST IN MY FASHION BLOG!!: http://www.adrianosle.com/2020/09/ontheroad-potes.html

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  17. That was an excellent interview Stevenson, you are now officially a talk show host 💜 Your friend Kathleen is a very motivated young woman I predict she will go all the to the top in her chosen profession. You are both lucky to have such a long and wonderful friendship. Happy happy belated birthday to Kathleen 🎉🎈🎂🎊🎁

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    1. Oh dearest Grace, thank you very much for your kind comment and words! Oh she really is, she is the kind of person who gives 200% all the time, which worries me a bit because it burns her out without her knowing it Ha! Thanks dear Grace!

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  18. I love all the photos of her travels. You are very lucky to have a friend like her. I had to do a double take on the one photo of you two (on a bus?) where it says "Tabuk." Tabuk is the name of a city in Saudi Arabia!

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