Mcdo Packaging

Colleagues were lunching on Mcdonalds during a Saturday office-wide meeting last week. My eyes wandered to the packaging bunched up on the table and was instantly amused with what I saw.

Perhaps it's been a while since I've ordered a Mcdonalds item that came in cardboard packaging or perhaps this is a relatively new gimik?

I'm thinking this is the fastfood giant's way of trying to trick reassure their customers that their food is made with the ehm.. most natural of ingredients?

Regardless, I found the icons rather darling. lol.

Life Tools from Secret Santa

I knew who my secret santa was at work, so when he asked me what I wanted for the allotted budget, I told him I would love a pencil case filled with essential supplies.

Not only did I receive essential tools for work.. I also received essential tools for life, lol.

As per my secret santa...

A ruler to measure my success...
An eraser to erase away my worries...
White out to wipe out my anxiety...
Colored ballpens to color my life..
and lastly..
Post-its to help me remember the important things in life.

O diba?!

A Work Update

My boss unexpectedly asked me to lunch last week, so we trekked over to a nearby deli for pumpkin soup, caesar salad a few tapas.

Over the next house, she asked me a number of things: how I've been enjoying work and the design industry, how my relationship is with everyone else, plus my opinion about a slew of work / attitude/ organizational/ etc/ etc -related topics.

Outside of chitchat, the lunch was also an unexpected performance evaluation in where I remember a number of things:

• She likened me and her two top honchos as a great triumvirate 
• She's impressed with my organization & time management skills, my ability to motivate people and my attitude towards work & life
• She adjusted my salary
• Instead of hiring a co-manager, she asked what I felt about taking on a new-ish role in where I would manage all the accounts (which is what I'm doing now, not by choice.. lol), but have an assistant design manager that I could mentor

I felt  number of things during that meeting. 

First of all, I was thrilled, flattered and grateful for the acknowledgement. The new setup being proposed is a throw back to the time of a previous legend design manager, so I was a little floored that my boss sees me to have the same potential. I also know I'm a lot tougher on myself than I should be so hearing praise is always a little surreal and jarring - but nonetheless, I am very appreciative of being recognized for the hard work I've been doing, most especially since I'm enjoying what I do. Goodness knows I've been in situations where hard work, enjoyment and acknowledgement are definitely NOT on the same page.

It's nice to finally see the fruits of your hard labor, where seedlings planted over the course of the last few months are finally starting to grow and flourish with the hard work and joy I've put into my career.

On the other hand, it felt bitter sweet and those who know of my plans this year, will surely know why.  Could also explain the overall tone of my post.. where instead of spazzing and freaking out about a wonderful surprise at the start of the year, I feel I'm being very.. conservative with my feelings. Lol.

Despite plans for the year very much looming from the back of my mind though, I had to remind myself that I'm living in the present, which is what prompted me to tell my boss that I would very much appreciate the opportunity to stretch role at work.

On that note, I'm excited to see what's in store for me at work. Start of the year, and all of us at the firm feel like its been eons since the holidays. Two shoots in the last week, a number of presentations and a variety of other approaching deadlines has everyone in a tizzy at work. This is going to sound a little geeky of me.. but I'm actually really glad I have no big plans for the next few weeks. There's really nothing like getting back into a familiar routine..

in the zone!

Thanks to the first "free" evening (no rehearsals due to arrival of choirs for TATLO) of the year, I got home by 7 pm, had dinner with the family, napped then got up to turn into a work robot. lol.  I wiped out replies to 90% of my unanswered email, 50% of the paperwork I had to accomplish this week and cleaned up the crazy files cluttering my desktop.

Due to out of office meetings, presentations and oculars all day, and rehearsals in the far away land of Katipunan every evening - I haven't had time to do any of my paperwork.

The past couple of evenings, I've been getting a few hours of sleep daily. So i'm AMAZED that I got up from my nap, very much refreshed and in the correct mind frame. Incredibly grateful for that.

I AM IN THE ZONE!!! Sounds really geeky, but it feels GREAT to finally have waded through my tasks. Hee.

Happy New Year indeed!!

So with that, I bid the morning good night! Or at least nighty night for the next 50 min before I need to be up! Though I'm on leave, I have an early morning meeting that I'm going to sneak into my schedule before putting on my choir cap and focusing on TATLO for the rest of the day.

Night night!