A day in the life…

Yesterday morning as I was leaving home for work, my sister called me and asked me (pleaded, actually) if I could become a speaker for the career orientation of the 3rd year students of my high school alma mater.

Okay. I actually have a career?!

No, kidding. Anyway, I was really hesitant at first because number 1, I didn’t think my schedule would allow such activity since I was going to catch up with all the trivialities of work since I left for Cebu and, number 2, I have never given such talk in my whole life! What the heck was I supposed to say?!

So anyway, I took pity because my sister was already asking me for how many times now (she kept on texting and calling). So I excused myself from work (mga 1 hour lang) and went to SPCPasig, which was just a short ride from our office.

Fast forward to the career talk. There were almost 60 students inside the Demo Room. I dunno if all were really interested in pursuing advertising or creative endeavors, though I saw a handful who seem to have formed into their minds that this is the career they want to get into. So I started by asking them what advertising is to them and explaining what its importance to a product or service.

But really, I’m not really good in giving lectures ever since I was in grade school. So what I did is to let them ask me stuff they wanted to know about advertising and the industry, sort of like a forum. In that way, I’d know what they were thinking and we’d address the question right then and there (’coz we only had less that an hour to talk about it). There were queries like "how is photography connected to advertising?" or "if I go to fine arts, can I be in advertising?" or "what is the basic process in coming up with an ad?" or "what are the privileges you get when you’re into advertising?" and I’d tell them what I know, based on my almost four years experience in the industry.

I also showed them some ads and collaterals we’ve done in the past to give them a glimpse of what we do in advertising. After the forum, one girl asked me if her friend can have the Imation CD, the red Superhero series with me and Gio on it (of course I didn’t tell them the guys there were us). Well, what can I do? I was pretty proud of that one, so I let her have it. Besides, I can have another one just like that anyway.

I dunno if I had shed light on those girls’ minds, but I hope I do inspire them to pursue their dreams and their respective careers. I hope they keep in mind that more than skill, it’s the passion that will drive them to success.

Now that’s cheesy…

Thanks to the few who made Saturday really my day:

Ate, Papa, Mama, TJ and Barry;

My baby Gio, Zeth, Angela, Spagg, Mike, Ewe and Tina;

Fluxx, Rina, Ten, Pol and Mama Talits;

Feli and Marlon;

My Lola Pepang.

Plus belated greetings from Sir Jasper and all my other officemates, and cousin Jaime Joyce.

Ah! 26 and going…

Wow, it’s been a week since I had last connected on the Net. So where was I all along? I was in Cebu for the Ad Congress.

Yep, first time in Cebu. First time to ride a ship too. It was fun on Superferry 1 going to Cebu. We got to enjoy the view on the deck, the expensive food, and we even got invited to the bridge. Funny, a lot of the engineers and the crew knew that it was our first time (or maybe they saw how giddy we were). Naks, may special privileges pa kami ‘coz we got invited by the captain and the engineers to check out those radars and maps. It’s like being in Strange Brew…

So there, we arrived in Cebu morning of the 16th. Checked in at the hotel a day earlier (we found out we were booked from 17th to 19th pala), then proceeded to Waterfront. Well, actually I’m not really an official delegate, but I get to meet lots of people from the industry, thanks to our media manager, and got freebies as well. Cool! We then ate lunch at Ayala, at a stall called
Sugbahan where we encountered a slight problem: our food accidentally
spilled on the floor, and the crew refused to give us another for free.
Exchange of words ensued, but both parties were pretty calm (nagtitimpi
na lang siguro) until the manager had no choice but to replace the
dish.

In the afternoon, we went to a bar called Table 7 where the cake sucks. But we were entertained by the rehearsals of Jacqui Magno and Chad Borja. Yes folks, he is still alive.

Later that night, we met Jan aka Puti, Sir Carlo’s cousin. He bought us burgers from Gotham (his business) then ate at Irie (also his). He taught us the "proper" way of drinking red wine and he gave us a taste of his cocktail. I forgot its name ‘coz it’s in French, but in English it translates to "holy shit."

Later we went to Vudu, a popular gimmick place in Cebu. That place is so
similar to those bars that play trance and house, like Ipanema in
Libis. It’s something Noddy will surely like. Funny, the people there
were dressed as if they attended a prom or something. Lots of girls and
gays as well.

So after that (wala talagang kapaguran!) we went to another bar called Veranda (now this ain’t his), with an interior which is like 70’s Bistro but a lot smaller and with house music, no bands. There he taught us the "proper" way to drink scotch — actually it was one-part scotch, one-part water on the rocks. Having hated scotch for a while, I was surprised (and so were my officemates) to have enjoyed this drink.

Thursday. Again we rubbed elbows with other people at the Waterfront in Cebu, got some more freebies. By lunch, Sir Carlo dragged Rina and me to Ayala where we ate at Oh Georg. Goodness! The appetizer was amazing, and the pasta servings were so big! It’s like the plate was forever full! And yeah, we saw Angel Aquino there.

Evening, we went to the QTV party where I unfortunately didn’t win anything. After that, Talits, Ten, Rina and I had a meeting with the Business World people. Then after that, Jan aka Puti treated us again at Vudu. And yeah, before that we went to the KTV nearby ‘coz we were just itching to sing. Naks.

Friday. Woke up really late. Sir Carlo, Ten, Rina and I met with someone from Mega who treated us lunch at Café Georg. Wow, it was 2pm… and that was brunch! In the afternoon Pol, Fluxx and us three girls (Mama Talits was at Waterfront) decided to shop for pasalubong. We ate at the famous AA Barbeque for dinner where we had Lechon Baka, Manok Tagalog, oysters, clams and a lot of side dishes. Wow! After that Pol and I decided to rest at the hotel, while Fluxx, Rina and Ten went back to Waterfront for the GMA party. By 12am I called my grandmother to greet her "Happy Birthday." Not long after that, Pol, Fluxx, Rina and Ten surprised me with three packs of spaghetti and a paper flower (kinupit sa Waterfront). Wehehe! That was the one of the coolest gifts I got. And they really did catch me by surprise.

Saturday. After mustering a lot of courage since I said yes yesterday, I went snorkeling. As in oh my gosh! I don’t know how to swim and I’m going snorkeling?! Pol was going for a dive in Mactan. Ten didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so she and Rina decided to go snorkeling and prodded me to go with them. I was really hesitant at first, but since it was my birthday, I would have wanted to do something different. And that was it. Despite encountering lots of jellyfishes, the experience was real cool! Cute fishies, lots of corals and starfishes. Went snorkeling for about an hour all in all (we had to get back to the boat ‘coz we were itching, no thanks to the little dikyas). After that we went to Mactan Shrine and bought some gifts and took pictures, too. And I got to see Elgin, a high school friend who was also attending the Congress.

That night we attended the INQ cocktails and party, and the Araw Awards. It was a frustrating and entertaining experience. Gave me a bit of a challenge too, to think of ads like that. After Araw, we went to the Solar party. A few drinks while waiting for our name to be called in the raffle (to no avail), then we went back at the hotel.

And then comes Sunday. The most stressful day of all. To make the long story short, Ten, Rina and I almost didn’t make it to Superferry 17 because of ticket problems. But it was resolved, and we boarded to Manila the last minute.

By Monday morning we were back in Manila, with pain all around our bodies and really amazing experiences in our minds. I never thought that it would be this fun… and my birthday would be the most fulfilling experience I’d have.

And now, we’re back to the real world. Sucks, but hey, I’m glad to be back, too.

Saw at wwe.com that Eddie Guerrero died in his hotel prior to an appearance at a show (Smackdown? I’m losing track…). No news of the cause yet. Death at just 38 — goes to show that you won’t know when Death will hit you.

I just wish the Death I’ll be meeting would be like that character of Neil Gaiman…

——–

Just got my Superferry tickets this afternoon after coming from a photoshoot. Suddenly, I’m not too excited to go to Cebu.

Or maybe it’s just too much excitement disguised in apprehension and anxiety.

Well, wish me and my companions a good and safe voyage.

I promise to come home. And I’ll keep that promise…

Besides, I gotta give my folks a treat.

WTF?! It’s just 7:04 AM by my watch and I’m here in the office? Pagbabalik-loob ba ito?

Ah well, not really. Just be joining a photo shoot later. Have to leave before 9 AM so we could wrap it up early. In the process I forgot my blazer… but not the prop. Buti na lang.

Anyway, Potter-mania is here. It’s making me frustrated, knowing I won’t be able to catch the first day showing. Dang.

But hey, tomorrow I’ll be sailing to Cebu. It’s a good consolation, I guess. Be back on Monday, if I’m not mistaken.

Wow, I just realized I’m taking too much time off from the office lately. This is my reward for almost four years of loyalty?

Don’t I get a car of something? Araw ko naman sa Sabado e…

Yep, and then I’m off to Cebu, where I’ll be staying for almost a week. Wala lang, vacation kuno. But not really… it’s half business, half hapi-hapi. Or is that a quarter business and the rest hapi-hapi…?

That means I will be missing two things here in Manila. I won’t get a chance to be in the first-day screening of the latest Harry Potter movie. And I would be celebrating my birthday away from my family (and my baby, of course). That’s a first.

Ah well, there’s always a first time for everything.

That includes a ship ride and Cebu for me.

4 days and counting.

Now all I’m missing are the tickets…

My computer mouse is getting weirder by the minute. It’s a small cute mouse, blue-green in color, with a very convenient toggle in between the left and right click buttons (my bastard officemate Fluxx finds it orgasmic, duh). It was working perfectly fine.

I don’t know what happened. First, there was a time when the mouse pointer disappears from the screen. Then there was a time it wouldn’t move sideways, only vertically. I had it fixed (by my supposedly tech-knowledgeable boss - buti na lang di pumutok, di katulad nung motherboard ng isang computer dito dati), and it kinda worked fine again. Now my mouse overreacts, meaning it does the function of a double-click even if i just press the left button once.

That sucks, ‘coz a while ago, I accidentally closed a navigator window. I’m having a hard time clicking on folders without having to actually open them. Yesterday I kept losing at Rocket Mania ‘coz I can’t flip the pipes right.

I think it’s the after-effect of playing too much CS. 3-1 kasi ang gamit. Baril lang ng baril.

Dang mouse. You’re too cute to be replaced. Besides, we haven’t got new stocks yet here in the office. Guess I’ll have to live with your nutty idiosyncrasy for now.

…when I start downloading Yuletide songs. Still looking for Ray Conniff Singers. How I love listening to them when I’m in the lobby or in the restroom… it’s the building’s ambient sounds for the meantime.

I’ve also downloaded Sinatra’s version of Mistletoe and Holly (where the first line is ‘oh by gosh, by golly…’). My officemate’s current favorite.

Anyway, I’m just killing time ‘coz we’re here on OT. No one to play CS with, tsk. So I’m blabbing here. Nothing to say, really. So don’t bother reading.

Too late the warning, eh? Hehehe.

Just updating myself…

Had a really long sort-of vacation. Filed for vacation leave on the 26th of last month and came back just now.

Look what eight days of absence can cost you: 40++ unread emails in the inbox, including 140++ bulk messages; a dust-covered table; an open drawer, no thanks to Fluxx (at hindi pa nagpaalam na maglalaro pala sa PC ko); and lack of office updates due to the lack of connections… well, my fault, actually.

Dang! After two weeks, I’d have to disappear again… leaving for Cebu… gonna spend my birthday there, too.

That means I won’t be able to catch the first-day screening of Harry Potter! Ack!