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!

Wedding Maddnes

What a crazy last few days it has been! More about it in detail later... just needed to get this out of my system so I can focus on work, or at least attempt to. 

This is what the last few days has looked like:

Friday: 

7:00 am - 5:30 pm  
Work

5:30 pm - 5:30 am 
Tessa's bachelorette party

Saturday:

7:00 am - 3:00 pm 
Work

3:00 pm - 9:00 pm 
Tessa's bridal shower

Sunday:

9:30 pm - 1:30 pm 
SLEEP (yes my friends.. i was dead asleep for 14 hours)

2:00 pm - 6:00 pm 
Errands for the upcoming weddings; check in at the Sofitel

6:00 pm - 10:00 pm    
Tessa's Despidida de Soltera & Rehearsal dinner; 

Monday:

7:00 am - 8:00 am 
Work

8:00 am - 9:30 am 
Sofitel breakfast buffet (had to make room for this. hehehe)

9:30 am - 3:00 pm  
Getting ready for Tessa's wedding

3:00 pm - 2:00 am 
Tessa & Phil wedding ceremony and reception

Tuesday:

4:00 am - 7:00 am      
Flight to Davao

7:30 am - 12:00 pm 
Check in and SLEEP

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm      
Catch boat to Pearl Farm

3:00 pm - 11:00 pm 
Joe & May Ann's wedding ceremony and reception

Wednesday:

12:00 am - 2:00 am    
SLEEP!

6:00 am - 9:30 am 
Catch flight back to Manila

10:00 am                      
Back at work

So here I am, back at work.. still a little drunk but happy from the love and excitement I witnessed over the last few days. Outside of the fuzzy warm feelings, I gotta say.. I'm exhausted! Trying to focus on the number of tasks that need to be accomplished for work really takes a gargantuan effort when your tired. 

The minute I arrived, I met with my boss to touch base on the things that needed to be done and surprised myself by still making sense - who knew I could switch from thinking about wedding gifts to the price of astroturf at the drop of a hat?!

I think the most stressful part of the last few days were the moments where I was physically in one place (at the bridal shower), but thinking/doing something else at the same time (coordinating for work). The most peaceful time was when I was by traveling to the wedding in Davao, particularly on the 45-min boat ride to and from Pearl Farm. It felt like the first time in a long time I had the opportunity to just sit and be with myself.. without thinking about everything else. 

Few more days and Christmas will be upon us. Almost there.. crawling to the finish line.. but almost there!

(photos c/o Rica Facundo)

(Diet) Blessings 121610

I've fought a long war with my weight. I've been at it again recently and so far, have a number of mini successes:

1. 11 pounds lost! 5 more pounds and i'll be at the weight I was before Tor's wedding. Speaking of Tor's wedding...

2. Fitting into an old dress! My maid of honor dress from Tor's wedding to be exact. Still breathing, no impersonations of a stuffed green suman and able to zip it up myself! 

3. Fitting into a new dress! A bridesmaid dress for a wedding next week to be exact. I took a big risk by giving measurements slightly smaller than I currently was at the time. Was worried I wouldn't be able to fit into it, so was quite anxious about the fitting. Thankfully, I did :) 

4. Fitting better into my clothes! Those who have been on a diet, understand this feeling. When your clothes hang on you better, when your muffin top is slightly smaller. Great feeling.

5. Real hunger vs. emotional hunger! I often still feel the urge to stuff my face with cake or cookies, but I've now experienced the difference between needing to nourish my body and fueling procrastination. Hoping to keep level headed enough to control control control.

6. Avoided (avoiding!) holiday temptation! Whether at holiday parties, at home (our house has become a 24/7 bakeshop) or at meetings wherein I'm placed inbetween two boxes of freshly baked donuts or chocnut cheesecake... opportunities to gorge on the yummiest of goodies has been plentiful. Definitely thought about cheating (SO.FREAKING.HARD)... but happy that I haven't given in.

7. Better moods! It's irritating when clothes don't fit you right, or when you diet and you don't see results. I'm extremely grateful that this hasn't been the case recently.

Hopefully this marks a great start to what I hope will be a continuous and final journey down this road. Go go go 2011!

Glorious Sunday

Today was the kind of Sunday I wish I could always have.

I woke up willingly at 9:30 am, very much well rested. It wasn't so early that I felt I was dragging myself out of bed, nor was it so late that I had felt I had no more time left in the day.

Outside of catchup paperwork and a couple of work related things I had to attend to, there were no meeting I had to run off to, rehearsals to attend or errands to get done.

I spent the day leisurely reading, napping, & working.

I had dinner with my entire family and attended mass with my mom & sister.

Nothing really out of the ordinary happened today, but because they are so rare, this glorious Sunday was extraordinary.

I don't even remember the last time I had a day like this. When I realized I didn't have rehearsals today I almost cried with joy. Sounds a little OA, but seriously true.

As I anticipate a busy week ahead, I am grateful for the opportunity to recharge and to just be still.

Here's to more frequent glorious Sundays in the near future!