Seriously, I should be penalized for always promising to update this blog yet failing at every inch to do so. Pardon my schedule and my penchant for overbooking. It's one of the perks of being single - I get to say yes to every opportunity that comes knocking on my door. I have to be anywhere and everywhere all the time and the last thing I want is to be stuck without nothing to do, even though my life is a huge pile of work as it is.
I've gone a whole month without any substantial updates. My last post was about splurging (wait for the part that uncovers if that's still an issue or not) and I have not posted a single word on my exaggeratedly busy weeks. (For blow by blows, refer to my FB and twitter) So here goes nothing.
(Grabs planner to check dates)
July swooped in with a lot of gifts and surprises. (It is to the extent that I can't help but cuss under my breath when I look back and dissect everything that's happened) It can even probably win the most eventful month of the year award. But then again, who's to say that the coming months can't get any spicier and more exciting than all of my 22 years combined?
1. Major major work paradigm shift
Can I just say that working in the major and global accounts has been every bit of demanding, challenging, grueling, tiring, etc.? Negotiations are on opposite sides of the poles. I have been pressuring myself to increase my coverage so that I can already give a comprehensive report on my list come the end of Q3. However, I have to face the fact that I have a whole other list of commitments that need focus and attention. Plus, some clients tend to be demanding (and I mean a whole new level to that word) so I have to take the extra mile to actually create, revise and overhaul presentations, schedule repeated meetings and do consistent follow-ups.
What weekends look like for me :)
2. Demo Challenge 2011
I could still remember my first day at work over a year ago. I sat in the mock presentation of the DC2010 delegates to our president and CEO, head of division and managers. I mused over the fact that I can still get to do what I love doing in HS and college - being the seasoned presenter on marketing competitions, theses, defenses and speeches alike. So, I vowed from that day on, that I was going to be the next representative of the Philippines to the hosting country of the Asian regional finals.
Nearly a year, cried over drafts, crammed spiels, recycled slides, nagged teammates and supportive other friends later, I was standing on the 15F in front of a panel of judges hoping to become the next DC2011 champion to Singapore.
Lo, and behold! After crashing down to make up for all late nights' loss of sleep, I got the text saying that not only was I going to SG, I also topped the contest for the division. For a moment right there I was feeling a bit jubilant. It was a milestone in my career and a goal that I set for myself. Once again, I was on the road to making my dreams come true. No one can ever come in the way of that. :)
Demo Challenge 2011
Needless to say, it's eating a huge chunk of my time right now. The whole stretch of preparations is up until the first week of September. That's already an unwarranted pass to run over my (once in a blue moon) long weekend but hey, I'd be having a mini-vacation when I get there anyway. I promised myself not to entertain side booking for the rest of the coming two weeks so that I could focus on work and Demo Challenge. I'm excited as hell to go to SG and be exposed to other cultures and practices of Canon in the whole region. It's time to actually savor the good memories that I will get from that place when I come back. :) Please wish me luck!
3. Business as usual
Well my partners and I have had quite a successful test run on our first batch. Although a big struggle for us is finding the right fit for our calendars, we've taken a few baby steps to advance the progress of our business and making it materialize. And I have to say that part of the bottleneck is charged to my account since it's me and my ambitious multitasking that gets in the way of beating deadlines aptly. I swore to help expedite the process once Demo Challenge is over so that we can move on to the next phases of our implementation.
Please watch out for us in the coming months as we launch our next batch of designed accessories made especially for the requests of our buyers! We're also going to launch our first line of clothes and hopefully bags and shoes! :) Will keep you updated on that.
4. Toastmasters
Back in college, I had this sort of inexplicable inkling to join this org and help myself enhance my public speaking skills. I never had the chance to, especially with my then-obligations to the bf and other seemingly more important things (of course I was wrong). Even my partners and I at some point tried to venture into joining one chapter to pilot a team that will teach high school students (this offer is still up but later on in the business CSR). Imagine my reaction when the chance to be a guest came, thanks to my Demo Challenge partner Mommy Shie, who I love so dearly just because we have tons of things in common. Toastmasters for one :)
The experience was everything I pictured it to be, and more. I sat in a room full of yuppies, entrepreneurs and executives - basically a hodgepodge of people that I don't get to ascribe to as my audience on a daily basis (well long before, but since I'm in the corporate world now, pretty much). What really got to me was the passion and warmth of the people. Never mind that they have to critique the way you organize your speech, the number of times you said aahh, uuhms, or any other verbal crutch, the errors that you made in grammar or how much you went above the given time limit. It was like practicing in a band with long time friends or sitting in a room full of colleagues that don't judge your output but cheer you on to give the best that you have, give constructive criticisms the nicest way they could and still give you a pat on the back for a job well done.
That, over and above the fact that it's the nearest chapter that allows us an hour travel time to beat after work rush hour, is the winning reason to actually join that particular chapter (Achievers Toastmasters Club in Makati Stock Exchange). After my first session as a guest with the theme "Style or Fashion", Mommy Shie and I are finally doing our ice breaker speeches a week before we leave for SG. I AM STOKED :)
5. Fitness First!
Some good news to top off everything, Fitness First finally gave us our corporate rates for our monthly workouts! I'm really looking forward to this when I come back to SG since I've been gaining a lot of weight (hello frequent drinking and binge eating) and I haven't really spared some time to get my butt out for a short workout. I'd rather spend time refining my solution design in front of a laptop than attend a free session of Barre3 or jog around McKinley.
This time, no excuses - I'm saying hello to my yoga , hiphop and combat classes again. Not to mention my prolonged hours in the sauna and steamroom and my pretentious cardio minutes in CineFit. Hahahahaha :p
6. Financial Disability
With regard to being financially challenged (please refer to last post), I still am in the works of solving this dilemma. My bills just skyrocketed in the last few weeks and I just turned negative with all my pending expenses. I had to get myself a new pair of prescription glasses and book myself a flight to BCD for the Masskara festival on top of a supposed trip to Samar. That and my membership with Fitness plus Toastmasters - all this coming September. Please shoot me now.
To somehow remedy the situation, my bestfriend Teptep and I are going to hold a small fundraising so that we can pay for our bills and cover up our debts (first to our parents, next to other benefactors). All unnecessary clothes, bags and fairly profitable items will be open for a mini-online garage sale to the public in the coming weeks or so. I pray to have the time for this soon.
Aside from this, I still need to get a credit card of course and pay my utang to Globe. (BREATHE) I know that funds will easily run out because of all pending travels, bills, night outs and whatever demands of being single are. I promised myself to start learning how to play the stocks soon since that will also give me extra income. BUT JEEZ DO I HAVE ALL THE TIME FOR THIS??? Hahaha. I'm mentally laughing and panicking as I type.
7. Fling-a-majig
Given this long list of life-defining pre-occupations, do I still have the time to entertain MEN? Well, here's a pretty straightforward answer: I TRIED TO. But you know where that got me. I never expected to actually like anyone in the course of my career-first disposition, well at least not seriously. I'd have eye candies, crushes and occasional admired guys but not to the lengths of... going out.
Until this one person actually came along. And that will be spared for a separate and rather lengthy blog entry on questioning what it means to make a move and not follow through, of false hopes and pretenses, of leaving someone hanging, of falling in like and chickening out and of being an asshole. And of course me, being the hopeless romantic who always always foolishly believe too much of the good in people with a side of stupid, overthinking, overreacting and easily FALLING. :)
But hey no sweat. If I were smart at everything then it'll be the end of the world. So no big. HAHAHA :D
So there folks. That's all I can throw for my month-long cavorting with life. It's highly ambitious of me to hit the bull's eye and perfect everything but hey, that's MAGIS for me. I just hope I don't drive my crazy along the process. PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE to use this blog as a break and fasten myself to updates! :) My life's been a whole cosmic product of interesting whatnots lately, it's real good not to share.
Off to work now! :) Toodles!
