Half-Painted Room, Moved Stuff, Irritating Night...

Bought paint over the weekend to have my room painted this coming weekend. Was surprised when my Mom informed me that she already had the room painted today. Was even more surprised (irritated, actually) when she told me she moved stuff out of my room without my permission. Came home to a room half-painted in baby blue color. Apparently, the paint we bought wasn't enough to cover the entire room.

Check Out My New Toy...

So I've been bitten by the Nokia E61i bug. Hehehe!

Yesterday, I went to a Nokia store and got one. Whooopppeee!!!

I just hope it won't suffer the same fate as my Moto V3i. Eeep!

Debut Performance... Hehehe!

So last Friday was my debut performance in public (as a trembling host).

We had the ribbon-cutting and official opening of the exhibit at Gateway Mall, and I was assigned to be the host. Hehehe! Though I've done hosting assignments in my previous jobs, I think this is the first time that I did a hosting thing in a public venue. Hehehe!

It was okay, I guess. I was trembling and nervous as hell, but I do hope that I was to pull it off. Hehehe!

I'm also proud of the exhibit because this is also my first mall exhibit, even though I've helped organize exhibits before.

The whole thing was just fun.

To cap my Friday evening, I met up with Bernice who just came back from her trip to Europe for work (I'm SO envious!!!). We had dinner at the Butter Diner at Shopwise and just had a good couple of hours chat.

This Week's Friday Five...

I'm going to start doing this again. I used to do this in my own blog, and I decided why not do it again.

1. What item would you be embarrassed for people to know you own?
Uhm, none really. That book maybe. Hehe!

2. What is something you splurged on just for you?
Now, I usually splurge on books and bags.

3. What is something that you own with no real world value that is priceless to you?
A box of written promises that weren't kept.

4. Do you collect anything?
I collect various stuff every now and then. I used to collect alcohol bottles from parties with friends. And then I collected the Winnie the Pooh and Hello Kitty stuff toys from a McDonald's promo. I collect Vogue and VMAN magazines. (I'm looking for VMAN 1 and 2 though.) My most recent collections would be artworks.

5. What item belonging to a friend/family member do you covet?
My Dad's paintings.

I'm done. Your turn.

Via Friday Five.

Check Them Out...

The fisherfolk/farmers-turned-sculptors of Barangay Banglos in Quezon are having an exhibit of their recent works at the Upper Ground Activity Area of Gateway Mall from July 25 through 31.

If you're around the area, please drop by and check out the exhibit. The pieces are for sale, and if you do purchase any of the works, rest assured that the proceeds will go a long way.

Let me know what you think of the exhibit too.

Last Saturday was my first out of town trip assignment for my new work.

Destination - Subic.

We're having a major event next week, and I had to go with some colleagues to do an ocular of the venue. The last time I was at Subic was about three years ago, and now that I visited it again, I can say that not much has really changed. I would love to live there though. I just think it's a good place to live in.

The newest and I guess the best new addition in the former naval base are the "The O.C.-inspired" houses near the beach shore, but are really hotels. The best one has to be "The Lighthouse," which got the best location among all the new resort hotels.

Just take a look at the photos above. Do they look like I'm in tropical Philippines?

How's this for a Monday...

Woke up at 5AM. Office at 7AM. For some reason, almost all of my colleagues were also at the office already. Layout of posters, tarps and flyer. Had candy for lunch because by the time I finished my morning task, I had to head out for an afternoon meeting. When I got back, had to do revisions and corrections. Had lunch at 6PM. Might go home late.

And it's only the first day of the week...

Gone to Subic...

Was supposed to meet Berlin and Weng this morning. I really need to get into shape, and since these two friends lost weight doing boxing, I thought I might try it out. I have a feeling boxing would also be good to let out whatever frustrations I have. Hehehe! But of course, I'll remain to be the peace loving, people hugging, mushy person that I am. Hehe!

But I had to postpone my first boxing session, because I need to go to Subic in half an hour for work. And then, I'll be back in the evening.

Oh well, this should be just as enjoyable.

My New Officemates...

Have you met my new officemates??? Hehehe!

Organized an exhibit for the birthday of "the MVP", and above were some of the guests. Hehehe! Never mind if I look like a fan. I guess I am. And in some sort of way, aren't we all (a fan of something I mean...)

First photo is with actor Sam Milby. Next one is with another actor - Albert Martinez. And then, the third one is with media icon Mon Isberto and style icon Tessa Prieto. Last photo is with Tessa's husband, Dennis,

City Hopping...

Attended the 9AM Mass at Lourdes. Had beef pares for brunch at favorite Jonas Pares Mami House. Went to CCP to choose pieces to be displayed on Tuesday's exhibit. Afterwards, did some window shopping at Shangri-la and Gateway. My entire day was city hopping - from Quezon City to Manila to Makati to Mandaluyong to Quezon City again. Hahaha!

Guilty...

It started by lunch time. Crime scene was Greenbelt 3. After trying one, I couldn't stop myself anymore. Yaiks! Ended up buying 2 long sleeves, 3 pairs of pants, a pair of shoes. I reasoned that I did need the clothes, since the last time I went shopping like this was ages ago. Hahaha!

Verdict: Guilty (of impulse shopping).

My Friends and Harry...

Met with a couple of friends from previous workplace. We had dinner at Max's Robinson's. Afterwards, we watched Harry Potter. It was a good movie. Enjoyed it. Enjoyed the company of my friends more.

Impressed by Banglos...

Went to the Banglos exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

If you haven't heard about the Banglos Sculptors, the members of the groups used to be fishermen and farmers. When typhoons left Barangay Banglos of Gen. Nakar in Quezon completely devastated, the people had to look for an alternative livelihood.

A local corporation partnered with a prominent sculptor and taught woodcarving to the residents of Banglos.

In no time, the people became masters of the chisel and hammer. They learned a skill that was far from what they were used to - fishing and farming.

The group of sculptors is now known as the Banglos Sculptors. The group continues to be successful and is a great example for community-based art groups.

Simply amazing.

Meeting... Eating...

Attended a meeting at Krispy Kreme at the Fort this morning. Had two sinful donuts! Auuuggghhh!!!

From the Fort, went to another meeting at this food place called Salt & Pepper along Herrera in Makati.

The whole day was just about meetings and eating. Yaiks!

I'm happy that things are starting to pick up, but I'm not that thrilled about the eating part.

On My Wishlist...

I'm thinking of getting a new phone. No, I need to get a new phone. I really need to get a new one.

Even if we're not required to have a really advanced one, there is a feeling that you're already expected to have a hi-tech phone when you work for a major telecoms compnay. Hehehe! (Can you imagine me bringing out my Nokia 1600 in a meeting, and all the other phones in the room are all 3G capable? Either that or they're Blackberries.)

Originally, I wanted the Samsung i600, but after hearing not so good reviews about its battery life, I had to search for another one again. So far, I've got my eyes set on the Nokia E61i.

I think all the features of this phone would be useful. The only downside is that it doesn't have a camera for video calls. Otherwise, it would have been really a perfect 10 for me already.

Enchong Sings My Song...

I don't really watch television - whether it's local or cable channel.

I don't know. I just would rather do something else besides sitting in front of the television, like read or play with my iBook or arrange my things. The few times that I do watch television, I either watch cooking shows or, believe it or not, National Geographic. (Yeah, laugh all you want but I just love the "learning" part. Hehehe!)

Anyway, yesterday, I did something that I haven't done for years - I stayed home, waited for the clock to strike 2:30, sat in front of the television, and watched a local TV show.

My friend Noreen writes for "Your Song." In case you don't know what it is, it's a local TV show that's really cheesy because it's about love, romance, crushes, heartbreaks, and everything else in between. Hehe!

Yesterday's episode was written by Noreen, and the lead character was played by athlete-turned-model-turned-actor Enchong Dee. The guy has been winning the hearts of so many women and queens, I swear. Hahaha!

It was a good episode. Congrats Noreen. I'm just sad there's no Enchong-Dino angle. Hahaha!

Make Way For Them...

Michael Kors. Marc Jacobs.

Stores in Manila. Soon opening.

Whooopppeeee!

The Training Begins...

Highlight of the entire day is a training on the content management system of the various websites. The training wasn't really that new to me, since I did web in my previous job. But still, you learn something new everyday, right?

The other highlight was dinner with Thea, Ella and Gino. Right after office, Thea and I headed to nearby Rockwell where we met Ella and Gino. Dinner was at Pazzo, followed by a short stroll around the mall. It was good seeing Ella and Gino. Thea, on the other hand, is someone I now see everyday since we're colleagues now. Plus, I owe her big time because I wouldn't find out about the job vacancy in public affairs, if not for her.

It was a good evening.

More Reading...

Still not much to do, only because I still don't have my network access. The most exciting that happened is a casual meeting with the head of the department, who I happen to admire very much. I've known the guy since I was in high school because I used to watch his morning show on the Kapuso channel.

Anyway, the important advice I remembered from the casual meeting was "Your job is what you make of it." And it is true. I could have chosen to just sit down the entire day and doodle or daydream, but I knew I could do something even without the network/PC access yet.

But really. I can't wait to get my hands dirty.

First Day of Work...

Alright, so I'm now one of the two newest members of the public affairs group of a simply amazing organization.

This morning, we had a department meeting where I met the rest of the people. I also found out what my assignment would be - web. Somehow, I'm not surprised. It should be exciting since there'll be about three to four websites, plus involvement in other non-web activities.

Since I don't have a network access yet, I spent the entire day just reading tons of news clippings about the company - from the good to the bad, the nice to the ugly, I had to read everything. Since it's a really diverse organization, there is a need to do some studying.

Hmm, looking forward to more action.

NEO Guy...

Alright, NEO stands for New Employee Orientation.

This is what I had the entire day today. I was a bit early for work, so I dropped by Mel's and Noreen's office, which was right across, and had breakfast and chitchat with them.

Then at quarter to nine, I started my walk to my new office. I felt like it was my first day of school. I was a bit nervous, but also, I was excited.

The whole day was spent getting to know the company, its history, the business, and the values. Met about twenty or thirty other people, who I'm sure I wouldn't see soon because there are about 5,000 of us distributed across the country.

The training/orientation ended at 6, and when I dropped by the unit I would be joining, my manager showed me where I would be staying. And there was a small welcome poster by the entrance.

I was just touched. Hmm, this should be exciting.

Artsy Friday Night...

Friday evening was spent with Bernice.

Bernice was the one I replaced (and now, I'm being replaced. Hehe!). When I started with this office, I only got to meet her once because she brought me around and introduced me to people. But for some reason, we really hit it off that even when she already found a new job, we kept in touch and got together once in a while, and became friends.

She now works at a developmental organization, and she gets to travel abroad a lot. We tease each other that we actually just traded workplaces. I used to work for a developmental organization too, remember?

Anyway, our Friday night turned out to be an evening of art.

Our first stop was a book launching in UP Diliman. Bernice participated in several writers' workshops, and she needed to meet a friend at the book launch. The launch itself was okay. What I really enjoyed was being back in my old campus. Aaaahhh! There is really something about being in UP. To see the Sunken Garden once again, to take the IKOT jeepney, to feel like a freshman once more because of all the "Mabuhay ang mga bagong Iskolar ng Bayan!" banners. It was really sentimental.

From the world of literary arts, we moved on to the world of visual arts. Since I was going to be in Diliman, I thought I 'd drop by favorite gallery Green Papaya. It's been awhile since I was there and when I texted the curator Peewee if they'd be open, it turns out that they were having an event that night.

When Bernice and I got to the gallery, I was surprised because all the paintings weren't on the walls. Instead, there was some sort of party. Turns out that it was film viewing night. It was cool because Bernice also knew people who were at the party. Uhm, we watched indie short films - Beast of Me by Soni Kum and Riles by Martha Atienza. Afterwards, there was a short discussion.

The last itinerary for the evening was Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at the spanking new mall TriNoMa, which was adjacent to two huge malls - SM North and The Block. I was thinking, "Like we need another mall?!"

Anyway, Bernice and I spent a few good hours at CBTL and just enjoyed talking to each other over guava juice and mocha iced blend.

Parted ways at 1AM, but it was really fun.