And the winner is...

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is names Time's Person of the Year.

Hats off to the guy who revolutionized social networking.

2 words: awesome and inspiring!

Zoning out...almost

My mind is (almost) already in Manila. 'Got tons of friends to see and lots of things to do.

Yes - I have finally decided. I'm giving up my South Sikap apartment.
It's time to move on.

More on that later.

I just want to rest right now --- 3 days na kong feeling pagod and not in my element.
It may just be because I worked the entire weekend. Or I'm already counting the days before I go home to Manila for the holidays.

Moral lesson of the story: there really must be some time spent to zone out after mental gymnastics at work. My productivity is suffering.

Must. recover. soon.

Pampataba ng puso

Sandamakmak ang trabaho ko ngayon.

In fact, sandamakmak is an understatement. Tatatlo ang tao ko pero naka-launch ako ng isang malaking portal. Na pumapalo na ng 2.5 million unique users in total. Kileg ka!

Sa wakas --- dadagdagan na rin ako ng tao. Inexpand na din ang scope ko.
Empire-building daw, kantyaw ng bagong boss. Not exactly. I need the empire for me to deliver.

Kapag reliable ka, dumadami din ang trabaho mo. Carry lang. Mas gusto ko 'yon.

Pero hilahod ako sa pagod. Dahil marami rin akong issues, mas gusto ko na sumubsob na lang sa trabaho ngayon. Hindi lang train of thought ang nasa utak ko ngayon. Trains and trains of thought. Makakabuo na nga ako ng isang railway system.

Anyway, I'm digressing. Kahit na sandamukal at ga-Mt. Everest ang trabaho, masayang makakuha ng positive feedback. Hindi lang sa mga bossings pero galing sa tao.

"Iba ka, Ma'am. Bilib ako sa 'yo." Translate na lang natin sa Tagalog. Focused sa trabaho pero makatao pa din.

Salamat. At least nararamdaman ng tao ko na mahal ko sila --- their interest is at the forefront. Madami ring gustong lumipat sa team ko. Flattering.

Minsan, naiinis ako sa dami ng gagawin. Dahil pare-pareho ang mga tao na madaming ginagawa - at naturalmenteng kasama ko 'don. But at the same time, masayang makarinig ng magandang feedback. Masayang malaman na mahal ka ng team mo. Nawala ang pagod ko sa pag-karir ng strategy namin buong weekend. Nakurta utak, pero mataba ang puso ko.

At oo --- Tagalog dahil meron ng international audience. At kahit na i-Google translate nila, kailangan pa nilang mag-effort.

Maganda ang Lunes ko.

Happy. =)

At oo, subsob na lang ako sa trabaho.

Whew! Monday, I'm loving you!

My entire Sunday was spent doing NOTHING BUT my strategy presentation for today.

Okay - I'm exaggerating. I managed to squeeze in some time to go to the salon for my weekly hair treatment. But dang, it's a Sunday!!!

The silver lining: I got my 2011 strat approved by my new VP and managed to get more headcount for the team.

The future is looking bright for Portals.

Moral lesson: When life gives you lemons, make fantabulous vodka tonic with lemon as garnishing!!!

Life will always throw curve balls. What makes the diff is optimism.

So whilst my personal life still needs a'fixin' and I need to spend some time healing wounds and making things better, nothing's stopping me from giving it a go at work.

Ayusin muna ang career, bago karir, so to speak.

Another great week is ahead...crossing fingers.

Happy pill

Monday, rainy Monday.

Tomorrow is a holiday here in Jakarta. They're celebrating Moslem New Year.
I have no driver - compassionate naman ako at may puso, New Year nila so sana naman pagpahingahin ko, da bah?

I wanted to do my Christmas gift shopping already but no --- I have to work on 2 strategy presentations. This week is THE works. READ: sobrang daming trabaho.

I have a speaking engagement for the Huawei Knowledge Sharing on Wednesday, I'm presenting to BOD on Thursday and I need to close my release 2 scope for Ze project.

Walang paghinga at pahinga itu!

I'm willing to take the hit because I'm coming home on the 22nd. So foyn --- work and slave it off.

There is a silver lining!!! I so deserve a damn good Christmas holiday!!!

Shyet --- I need both a happy pill and a chill pill today.

Can't wait to get wine and steak from Cork and Screw tonight!!!

Gadgets galore

This just in this morning...

2 laptops.

1 Ipad.

4 mobile phones: 1 Blackberry, 1 Android, 2 Nokia candy bars.

The gadget girl is definitely back!

Lola by Marc Jacobs

I'm soooooo loving this scent right now.

I discovered it when I was in Hong Kong.

I can't stop thinking about and smelling the scent!!!

Hahaha.

It smells creamy, powdery and sexy at the same time.

My type of scent.

Makes me happy every morning. =)

A blessed Friday

TGIF!

I've been so wanting to take a break this weekend.

Lo and behold, the Power-that-be called me in again and asked me to make his preso over the weekend. Thing is, we're both presenting at a mobile event next week. So that actually doubles up what I have to do.

2 presos for a mobile event and 1 strategy preso for my team.

There goes my weekend.

I'm a presentation factory all over again.

I'm willing to take the hit since I'm going back to Manila on the 22nd.

And I'm sooooo looking forward to it.

So bring all the presos on! Samantalahin na dahil magbabakasyon talaga ako!

*all smiles*

December 2010

Woah. Time just flew. Yep, just like that.

December na!!!

Unlike Manila, Christmas carols in Jakarta only start to play in malls by first of December. I heard the first Christmas carols last night when I was shopping for some cosmetics and Christmas gifts for friends.

I miss the Christmas spirit in Manila that starts as the 'ber months come in. Being in a Muslim country made me miss it all the more --- considering I'm really not a Christmas person.

My Christmas loot came in very early, though. Finally, I got my most favorite gadget-toy. 6 months ko ng pinag-iinitan. My much-coveted precious is finally mine!!!

Thank you, Mr. R. Claus. =)

I'm loving it. I haven't jailbroken it, though, and I'm not sure if I wanna do that. I don't mind paying the premium for the apps that I like. Besides, there are a lot of free cool apps, too. I've got 2 pages of apps already and most of them are free.

Already finished Plants versus Zombies in my computer last year but the game is so addicting --- I actually purchased it for my iPad. At 5 dollars a pop. Hahaha. Okay lang. Masaya naman.

Random thought: I can't wait to go home for the holidays. I miss Manila. I miss my friends. I miss December in my hometown.

Universe, align with me. Let this December rock. Totally!

Pagod + Fulfilled = Rockin' TGIF

I launched my baby already.

Have not eaten lunch to prepare for ze preso and the trip for the Mobile Asia Congress next week.

For that, I shall bawi tonight!

Go Decanter!!!

Work hard, play harder!

Go!!!

And today, I finally launch my portal service.

Sleepless, tired. But very, very fulfilled.

Thanks to the entire team who worked passionately and relentlessly to launch this at midnight.

My billboards and print ads will all come out on Monday. Crossing fingers.

WAP gateway: thou shall not fail me!!!

Words from the wise

"That's why you guys are the managers. You make the hard decisions. You do the difficult things. You resolve the issues.

That's why you're there."

- from the Boss

Amen.

Saturday fun machine

Redundant, redundant, redundant.

I know --- I sound like a broken record already.

This whole week has been TIRING!!! But I happily ended the weekday with a Go! for my portal launch. And it's HUUUUUUGE! I'm loving it.

Last night, I met VinceDiy for dinner at Lara Djonggrang. He's here in Jakarta for conference. It's nice to touch base with friends outside Manila.

Tonight, Evelyn is hosting a birthday dinner party for Moi and Jen. The Bitches are baaaaack!!!

Madame Landlady

I just became an official homeowner. =)

My condo unit at Sofia Bellevue, Capitol Hills has just been turned over to Moi.

Yes - that is my real door.

I'm thinking of renting it out while I'm here in Jakarta. At least, the investment is paying for itself.

Happy. Achieve na achieve!

On a Sunday morning

Slept really late but woke up really early today. I guess, my body's not used to sleeping a lot. And I mean A LOT.

It's a good, sunshiny Sunday here in Jakarta. I've been wanting to go down to the gym and pound the pavement, but I'm still recovering from the flu, soooo... nah.

It's an awesome Sunday. Looking forward to a great week. It's gonna be very hectic - it's a week before my launch, but I'm gonna wing it!

Restful weekend

Now that I've gotten enough sleep, my body hurts - not because of the flu but because I slept too much!

Another reinforcement and validation of what I already know: I really am a workaholic.

Despite being sick, I can't help but check my email and reply to the really important ones.
Yesterday, I woke up at 7:30am to make sure that I've sent all necessary approvals before people in the office arrived at 8:00am.

Today, I woke up early to do my personal admin. I know I wouldn't be able to help it and I'll end up checking my email and revising some files.

I'm enjoying my restful weekend, though. It's nice to be able to get some rest and sleep.

I'm feeling fantabulous already!

The Power of Sleep

There's a flu bug circulating on the 6th floor of our office.

Unlucky me, I got hit yesterday. I thought I was gonna stand strong since a lot of the leads got hit last week, except me. The long hours in the office with only a few hours of Zzzzs finally did me in.

Today, I decided to stay in and rest. Get loads of sleep.

My fever already subsided.

Thank God he created sleep. It's a luxury these days... a luxury that I'm definitely taking!

Sick

I caught the big bad flu.

The long hours finally took its toll on me.

This morning was spent working, though. I had to finalize some approvals so my team in the office can proceed with our product's launch readiness.

Rest. I need to rest.

But my brain is too active, I can't even nap.

Hope the flu goes away very soon!

Pagod.com

Super tired.

Just got done after a 14-hour workday today.

Whew.

Time to raise my feet up.

Happy Birthday to Moi

The thirty-something era.

It's wonderful.

I'm feeling the love.

Thank you, friends.

Fridaaaaaay!!!

Random thoughts on a Friday afternoon:

Finally! TGIF!!!

Super stressed. I'm sooooo looking forward to a quiet weekend to just unwind and relax.
Catch up on much-deserved sleep.

I just realized, I haven't even read some of my fave blogs. It's been a looooooong time.

2 days before my birthday.

For the first time in 4 years, I'm spending it quietly. I will resurrect ze party madness when I come home to Manila in December.

Party or no party though, I'm very happy. I've been very blessed.

My wishes came true and I'm doing great here in Jakarta.

I'm just really very grateful.

But if I must indulge on a birthday gift, I'd love to have a 64G WiFi + 3G iPad and this Louis Vuitton Brea GM vernis bag:

I know, I know.

I'm pushing my luck.

Libre namang mangarap.

At birthday ko pa! Hahaha.

Rescue in the form of a Thai angel

It always helps to see the glass as half full.

Wise words from a colleague: Celebrate the milestones everyday, no matter how small.

My rescue today (and for the past 2 months, actually) came in the form of a consultant who is ever-reliable. She's an honor student.

Definitely, she's a rockstar.

Thanks, GF Prae.

I would have been pulling my hair out because of this project if you're not working with me now.

You're just really awesome.

*All smiles*

Rant, rant, rant...

I've got gazillions of things to do today. 'Need to close out KPIs and revenue projections for the product that I'm launching.

My team member who's supposed to help me with some of the legwork is on leave today.
I don't want to be inconsiderate so I will have to take the hit.

Pero sa panahon ng myGlobe, kapag weeks before launch, bawal na at wala ng karapatang umabsent at magkasakit.

It's tough. But it is the nature of the industry we chose.

I'm feeling under the weather myself - pero nandito ako sa office. Nag-o-overtime. Matapos lang ang lahat.

Dear God, help. Please send rescue.

Team Globe

It's Yoj's birthday today. 'Called her after lunch to greet her.

This evening, the myGlobe contingent called my still existing 588 number to say hello and update me that they're celebrating at the Podium Deck with the team and Fluxion.

That's what I've been missing lately --- picking Nabeth up in the morning so we can go to the office together, looking for a place to go to after work to just chill, have a couple of margaritas and then go home.

Thanks, Malee, for calling and remembering.

I really miss you, guys. My life is not the same without you.

You know you're busy (and overloaded)...

• When reading and checking work e-mails become a luxury.
• When you register 14 hours of work every weekday...
• And another 10 hours of work over the weekend.
• When your utilization rate is at 157%.
• When you are the one and ONLY one person requesting for overtime lights and LAN every single day.
• When you cannot even respond to YM and FB messages from best friends.
• When you dream at night of all the things you need to tell your team to follow up on and execute.

My Jakarta life is fantabulous.

However, with greater power (and a bigger paycheck) comes with greater responsibility.

I'm just trying to launch my project right now so I need to tide this over. Very soon, I need to cry for help already - I am severely undermanned.

Besties - sorry if I have zilch time to reply to emails and messages.
Just let me launch this thing so we can partey.

'Miss you, guys.

10-10-10

It's monumental...today, that is.

10-10-10.

I thought about the past 10 months that have gone by. It has been a whirlwind.
My life has been a roller coaster ride from day 1, but it seems like I will never get used to it.

I can't complain.

The Universe has been treating me well. It's like she's making it up.

Thank you. I'm really grateful.

My Jakarta Life

Back in Manila, I will never be caught dead wearing this, much less do a fashion show!


But here in Jakarta, I actually did. I had so much fun. Genuine fun.

At Immigrant Club a couple of weeks back, someone told me that the expat life is sad and lonely. It can get to you. I beg to differ. It IS lonely if you don't have friends and you choose to keep it to yourself. I didn't. I won't.

I'm lucky to have started things out well. I sure am blessed that Marc (now back in Manila) picked me up in the airport when I didn't know anybody from here and that Evelyn invited me to dinner on my first day at work.

Life is good. Hell yeah!

It's fantabulous.

Drama

Yes - my Monday was oh-so full of it.

Emergency meetings here and there. And the not-so-usual office drama.
Yes, expats are not excluded. Fortunately or unfortunately for us.

It's all in a day's work.

And yes, tomorrow's another day with A LOT of meetings.

Thinking about it just makes me want me to call for another massage.

But there is always a silver lining. So go silver lining! Do your magic.

Being human

I'm at the edge of my seat. I'm watching this British series - a dramady about 3 friends - a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf sharing one house. Surprisingly, it's addicting.

I'm not sure if the copies are available in Manila - but in my book, the series rocks!

September bar exams

If there is one thing that I'm missing out on, it's the bar exams happening now in Manila.

I actually miss playing nanny and gofer to my barrister friends - taga-dala ng Starbucks brewed coffee and Saturday evening dinner.

Today is the 3rd Sunday. I just hope my barrister friends are still alive.

Good luck, Thad and Minnie!!!

I hope you guys make it.

Too bad I'm not in Manila but I'm wishing both of you well.

On holiday mode

Five days of being on holiday mode.

Aylavet!!!

Nothing but spacing out, pigging out, catching up on much-needed Zzzzzzs, champagne brunch and good conversations with friends.

I so needed it. The past 2 weeks have been very, very stressful.

I'm so glad I had some down time.

And drunken moments with Evelyn at the Four Seasons. Hahaha.

Wonderful.

I want that

Yes --- that feeling when I have butterflies in my stomach.

I need that...

That ecstatic feeling of being madly, deeply in love.

I miss that natural high. Admittedly, that kept me going for a long, long time.

True that - I am in love with love, with the concept of being in love.
I am better when there is a better half. It makes me a better person.
It makes me want to be one.

And right now, if that is elusive, I guess I just need to keep on believing.

There is hope for the flowers.

On a roll

It's a Monday. And I'm on a roll!

I've got gazillions of things to do in the office. And I want to do them all.

I feel like I'm in the right place at the right time.

Fantastic!

Shopping and window-shopping...

The temporary relief from stress and frustration.

As I walked through the local shops at Grand Indo, my anger dissipated.

It's temporary relief, but sure works for me.

Angry

...is what I am.

I'm angry at you.

For making me feel I have no options.

Because you took them away from me.

Fame!

Remember my name
Fame

I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High

I feel it coming together
People will see me and cry
Fame

I'm gonna make it to heaven
Light up the sky like a flame
Fame

I'm gonna live forever
Baby remember my name

You better.

Of Pinoys, striving for excellence and pwede na mentality

With last week's hostage drama that shook the Philippines, I am re-posting Erwin Oliva's article on Yahoo's FTP.

Among everything that was written about the hostage drama and the recent Miss Universe pageant, I'm quite affected by this article.

As a Pinoy who graduated from UP, it was instilled in our minds to always strive for the best. In my entire stint at the state university during my undergrad and graduate studies, it was drilled in our heads that coming from the bastion of freedom and academic excellence, it was natural for us to be the best that we can, to loathe mediocrity, to never settle.

Even before my university days, I was raised by my Mom to over-achieve. A little bit of slant in my penmanship and my notebooks flew out of our house's window. Second best was never an option.

I feel strongly about being pwede na. I was never pwede na. I've always pushed myself to the limits and I've seen many of my batchmates, my colleagues and my friends do the same thing.

Yes - we are all Pinoys. My core friends are Pinoys. No matter how many expat friends I have, no matter how many countries I go to and live in, I am Pinoy. To the core. No matter what.

And no --- I don't subscribe to pwede na mentality. Never did, never will.


Why there's hope and the 'pwede na' mentality

by Erwin Oliva

I’m writing this opinion piece as a direct reaction to a Huffington Post article on the recent hostage crisis and Venus Raj’s supposed blunder in the concluded Miss Universe pageant. One question was posed, as this article ended: How much are Filipinos demanding of themselves?

Mr. Wagner wrote: “I came to the conclusion that in spite of all the things the Philippines has going for it, its people didn’t demand enough of themselves, or of their government. Political apathy and a willingness to accept a low common denominator of performance have taken their toll on the psyche of the Philippine people.”

I’m teaching now at the University of the Philippines. Apart from imparting lesson on how to write for a popular audience, I’m sharing values and life’s lessons. Every writing exercise also aims to build confidence. From these exercises, I’m hoping to drill the point that they should strive for excellence.

Once I was asked why I decided to teach. My reply: I see hope in these kids. That may sound corny, but it’s true. There’s nothing more satisfying than knowing that after weeks of sharing lessons in writing, they will also realize I’m future-proofing them. I learned this lesson the hard way.

I made mistakes—but there was none that I would have regretted. So this would explain Venus’ “major, major” answer that has been turned into a running joke. At such a young age, Venus sees hope. So when asked what was the biggest mistake she has done in her life, and what could have she done to correct it, she didn’t pick a specific incident. We all make mistakes in life and we learn from it. No regrets. In my book, that’s an honest answer to a very difficult question.

Reacting to a post I made on Facebook about the HuffPost article, Filipino journalist Luz Rimban thinks that “even when success should be within reach, we often don’t ensure it, or don’t set ourselves up to succeed. It’s not just the ‘pwede na’ [That’s good enough] mentality. It’s the lack of competitiveness, the absence of the fight-to-the-finish, all-or-nothing mentality that drives others to be the best they can be. Filipinos just make do. But the situation is different when Filipinos go abroad, however. Nag-iiba na mindset nila [Their mindset changes].”

On August 23, 2010, the world watched a desperate former policeman take hostage of innocent tourists in Manila. As I watched events unfold, I felt sadness and anger. For a country wanting hope, this is another black-eye. The day-long hostage drama ended in a bloodbath. The next day, Venus who was touted as one of the top Ms. Universe candidates supposedly choked when asked a difficult question. Somehow, some local and foreign observers connected this event to the August 23 hostage fiasco.

Is this a reflection of the Philippine society? Do Filipinos love shooting themselves on the foot? Mistakes are repeated, giving out the impression that we don’t learn from history? Sad, but it’s true.

Jojo Ayson, another Filipino who reacted to my question on Facebook, offered this opinion: “As a general rule of thumb, we should all demand more from ourselves and strive to be better. I agree that we have to demand more from ourselves in the situation and not continue with a ‘pwede na’ attitude. Even if things did go better there is always room for improvement. That said, regardless of where you stand on the level of competency displayed I think we can all agree that we could have done better. The key is in striving to be better. If we had that attitude then we will no longer fall victim of ‘pwede na.’”

Indeed, Filipinos do demand from themselves a lot. Our pursuit of excellence is reflected in our sheer determination to survive the onslaught of negative forces shaping society. I saw this during Ondoy where unsung heroes thrived. The country witnessed this when the people toppled a dictatorship in 1986. I was there when Filipinos decided to boot out Estrada from government.

And who can deny that Manny Pacquiao is one shining example of the Filipinos’ pursuit of excellence. He epitomizes the Filipinos’ struggle to become the greatest in what they do.

In a recent lunch conversation with a friend who read a draft of this piece, she offered this insight: our pursuit of excellence is relative to our situation. For most Filipinos living in poverty, finding a decent job to pay for a decent meal drives them to demand more from themselves.

Overseas Filipino workers decide to leave their families to work abroad –sometimes in harsh conditions – to provide them a better future.

One would argue that the abovementioned examples are natural reactions to situations where government has failed to provide jobs for its booming population.

The Filipinos’ psyche is indeed intriguing, as Mr. Wagner pointed out in his article.

“If the Philippines wants to get its act together and live up to its potential, it needs to demand more of itself. It can achieve this by stopping making excuses for its failures and ending its acceptance of the lowest common denominator,” Mr Wagner posed.

If you look at Philippine history, we Filipinos have risen to the occasion many times over to topple a dictatorship, to boot out corrupt government officials, and correct a misdirected government. In short, we’re still hoping to change for the better, and if it takes a lifetime to achieve that, then so be it.

I don’t expect changes to happen overnight, as world histories have taught me. But it is clear from our vantage as Filipinos that hope is not so far off. Not everyone accepts the lowest common denominator, and we’re not going to make any excuses for our law enforcers’ or even media’s failures.

LV me, baby

Number 1 sign that I'm super stressed:

I'm looking at Louis Vuittion and Chanel bags online.

Here I am --- staring at a Chanel lambskin backpack and an LV Damier Duomo.

Sigh.

This is what stress can do.

Happy birthday, Arlene!

Beb, Happy Birthday!!!

Just like you, my celebration this year will be quiet, too.

I hope you're happy. I know you will be happy.

I wish things will get better and that you will find peace and your True North.

Thank you for being with me through and through.

For the next birthdays to come, I know we will be there for each other.

Cheers, Beb!

Official

I now feel like I'm an official employee. And that I have really settled here well.

Yesterday was our payday and for the first time ever in my 3 months here, they deposited my salary to my local banks.

And I got my rupiah allowance on time. :)

Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!

Goodbye, Big

I’m so done with the Carrie stint.

After more than four years, I’m done.

It’s one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever done in this lifetime.

It’s also one of the bravest.

I know not everyone can walk away from a relationship that is no longer working but has become a comfort zone. The thing is, he is not just a comfort zone to me.

He is the love of my life.

When people used to ask me who the love of my life is, I fumble in the attempt to give a name. After a string of relationships, how can I not have one?

Yesterday, I walked away from the love of my life.

I’m grateful that I was given the chance to have met The One, to have experienced to fall in love with The One.

But whoever said that you will end up with The One is a fool. No such rule is written.

Because The One also broke my heart into a million pieces. I’m not even sure if I can ever pick them all up and glue or sew the pieces together one by one. I’m not sure if I can ever fall that madly, deeply in love again.

But I’m walking away.

I don’t want to be kept at an arm’s length anymore.

Goodbye, Big.

It was a mélange of pure bliss, happiness, tears and pain.

You were worth it.

But I’m done fighting.

It’s my turn to be fought for.

The Bitch weekend

Evelyn - a Pinay colleague and friend - formed this BBM group she fondly named The Jakarta Bitches. It's just 5 Pinays here (yes, including Madison) who gets together regularly for the Saturday salon day, Wednesday movie night and the usual dinner and drinks.

Yesterday, I went to Kleo-Fazio salon with Madison for my usual hair creme bath treat and her mani-pedi. The hair spa here is fantabulous - the scalp and back massage lasts for a good one hour. It's one of my not-so-cheap thrills to tide me over very stressful weeks.

After the salon session, we got together with Evelyn and Leah to watch Salt at the Premier EX. I'm not over the Inception hype so although Salt was good, it was a so-so movie for me. No cognitive processing needed so it's all good. Liv Schreiber's role was a dead giveaway of the ending, though. Whoever thought of the casting, hello???

Today, the Jakarta Bitches will all trek to the Four Seasons for our champagne brunch. The Jakarta Bitches Convention - as Jen puts it. Hahaha. Thus, the need for me to wake up early today (on a Sunday at that) to do a bit of work since I'm foreseeing I'm gonna be too wasted this afternoon to even think about usability standards.

It's been a great weekend, so far. I'm loving it.

So looking forward to the champagne and foie' gras in a couple of hours.

This. is. life.

Overloaded.com


Mid-week.

I slept with my slides last night.

10 meetings today.

Board presentation at 8am. I did the pitch and we got approved.

All the channels need standards. All of them needed them yesterday.

I’m undermanned and dear HR has not made the offer to my selected candidate.

I am pagod.com personified.

But I’m happy. I’m content.

Aylavet!

It’s tiring but it’s all worth it. At least, I’m breaking my back doing what I really love.

Dua bulan

Two months...

Time flies by really fast. I can't believe I've been here for two months already.

It's the first of August --- one of my best friends' birthday is coming up. Bar exams is on the horizon in September. When October comes, I'm turning another leaf.

Time flies, it really does.

This year, for the past seven months, I feel though that my time was well-spent.
It's been tiring, it's been hectic.

But everything is all worth it.

I do miss Manila. I wish I can come home. But I wanna rake in lots of moolah so I can party-hardy in December and go on that Cambodia trip that I've been dreaming of for the past 2 years.

So Jakarta is where I will be for now.

It's been surprisingly amazing, though.

Not bad, Jakarta. Not bad.

You've been treating this lady very nicely.

Blast from the past

This is really weird.

Right smack in the middle of a hectic Tuesday, I got a YM message from the Bad Boy high school ex-boyfriend of more than a decade ago.

Bad Boy Ex is asking me for help.

Yes. Me. For help.

Of all people.

He needs me to bail him out of a financial mess.

We became friends several years after I forgave him when he cheated on me and got our high school bus mate preggers. Yes, this was in high school. When I was still in Manila, I was usually his 911.

He got me to open the door for him during drunken nights. He got me to be the oh-so cliche' shoulder to cry on. I even brought him home at 5 in the morning when he didn't want to go home to his family. Yes - I was his voice of reason and conscience. At least I tried to be. I guess, I was being messianic, despite what he did to me.

I was the "in case of emergency" at some point in his life.

But he never asked me for financial help.

I know I am THE last person he will run to. So if he is running to me now, it means he's really desperate.

Pop quiz: Do you extend a bit of financial help to an ex-Bad Boy flame who claims he wants to change for the better?

Grain of salt, grain of salt.

After all these years, though, I'm keeping the faith that some day, one day, he will come around. For his own sake. And his 3 daughters'.

Jakarta files: Random Sunday musings

Ever since I landed in Jakarta, Sundays became the default day of respite. I never really rested on Sundays when I was in Manila.

Well, for one, my driver needs a day-off. Blame it on the expat lifestyle that you can get quickly accustomed to here, but I feel lazy going out if Pak Karman is not with me. I know. Katamaran, isdatchu? Spoiled brat, isdisme?

More importantly, though, work is really tiring. Tiring – is the understatement of the month. Despite the reality here that offices close their lights and turn off their LAN connections at 6:00 pm, our work doesn’t end there. Either we continue meetings until dinner time at Loewy or we bring work home.

It helps a lot that I love what I’m doing. I’m back doing usability and portal management. I wanna kick ass doing both. It does entail long hours - lunch and dinner meetings to boot.
With this, I officially declared Sunday as my quiet time in the apartment when I can catch up with favorite TV series (Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!) or talk to my friends and family in Manila.

This morning, while waiting for Ana to arrive for my house clean-up, I decided to re-skin my blog. New updates deserve a new look.

Plus, my comment enabler Haloscan was bought out by a greedy company who wanted to charge USD $10 to continue the service. Hell no! ‘Won’t spend a dime for social networking that’s supposed to be FREE. Hello, Echo? What the hell were you thinking???

Anyways…

Aside from being uber hectic to ensure my smooth transition to Jakarta, Facebook was one of the culprits why I updated less frequently (another understatement). It’s easier to just drop a line or two there for updates.

I know. That excuse is a total cop out.

And so my blog quest continues…

For now, I shall enjoy my quiet Sunday.

Jakarta Online: Of moving on and going back

What difference 3 months can make…

A new job. A new apartment. A new country.

It’s literally a new life for me.

4 more days and I have been in hiatus for exactly 3 months already. I needed the time to adjust –find my own place and move in, learn the ropes of my new role and become more familiar with the culture and people.

Plus, as excited as I was to share the news, I didn’t want to do a preemptive strike until I knew that the plan was no longer a mere blueprint. I had to make sure it’s already real.

Yes, friends. I am back.

I guess it’s more apt to say that I’m back. And moving on.

I have been in Jakarta for almost 2 months now. I accepted an expat post in a growing and progressive telco here. The new job actually requires me to go back to my professional roots and first love: portal user experience design and usability.

Jakarta welcomed me with open arms.

Contrary to the horror stories of some friends and colleagues who have been assigned here, Jakarta has been a delightful experience for me.

Love the food, the people, the office culture. I love the lifestyle!

What can I say?

Thank you, Universe, for the new beginning. You definitely have a way of making it up.

Brace yourself, Jakarta.

I am sooooooo back in my element!

Thank you

Dear Universe,

Thank you for conspiring in my favor.

Thank you for the stars.

Let me make it and see this through.

A.

The debut of ze Cocoon

I flew in to Singapore several days before ze Big. After we checked in at the Mandarin Meritus Orchard, he made me open the closet to show me what the previous occupant allegedly left.

And there she was:

A big, lovely Chanel box...

for me.

Lily Allen is the face of the collection when it came out in late 2009, as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.



My Cocoon is a black-red reversible. And it debuted in Singapore with me last week.





Thanks, R.. for my advance A. gift. I truly appreciate the effort of braving the reserve list just to get it for me. Like I said --- I'm good - bags or no bags --- just as long as things get better. I won't ask for more.