Just because it's Christmas

and on Christmas you tell the truth (Love Actually, 2003), I would just like to say how excited and a bit worried I am for 2011. Here I am uncertain with my new/next job, my current job and what to do if I lose both due to reasons beyond my control. Going back home for good would be nice, but as what I've told April, I am not yet ready to leave Singapore. There are some things I needed to do (in terms of financial support to my family) and wanted to do (concerning budget airlines and travel) so I have to stay and work here. Some of my closest friends know how tough these few weeks have been for me, and I am just hoping for an awesome 2011.

On Hiatus

I'll just cry it all out.

I hope tomorrow or next week or next month, everything will be okay.
When all the tears are gone.


***

Update:
I did cry it all out. Though some things are not yet final, others undecided and hanging wide open for either rejection or confirmation, I would like to believe that the worst is over for 2010. I will be okay, things will be how I expect them to be and I will tell you all about it when I'm ready.

From Em and Dex, because I don't want to quote Rory Gilmore anymore

The past three weeks had been crazy and this coming week could rival those three.

I can only speak in vague terms now. I will tell you all about it when all worries have already transformed into stories. See, that's still vague, right? All I can say is that everything's happening so fast, which, in a way, sounds like an allusion to how my life started here in Singapore anyway.

For now, I can just keep my fingers crossed, hope for the best and be strong enough to deal with whatever comes. That's so frumpy, saying it this way. So I'll leave it to Em and Dex, Dex and Em (yes, that's how Dex says it), characters from One Day by David Nicholls, to complete this entry for me. Their words are what I would have probably said (or needed) at this point in my life, so the comforting quotes start here:

Dexter:

I know...that you feel a little bit lost right now about what to do with your life, a bit rudderless and oarless and aimless but that's okay, that's alright because we're all meant to be like that at twenty-four*. In fact, our whole generation is like that. I read an article about it, it's because we never fought in a war or watched too much television or something.

Emma:
Just the whole of our lives, stretching ahead of us...Independent adult life.

She didn't feel like an adult. She was in no way prepared. It was as if a fire alarm had gone off in the middle of the night and she was standing on the street with her clothes bundled up in her arms, if she wasn't learning, what was she doing? How would she fill the days? She had no idea.

The trick of it is to be courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, just the bit around you. Go out there with your double-first, your passion and your new Smith Corona electric typewriter** and work hard at...something. Change lives through art maybe. Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved if at all possible. Eat sensibly. Stuff like that.


___
*it still applies to me, even though I'm just 23, right?
**insert the equivalent of a new Smith Corona typewriter for you. Mac or PC, whichever you fancy

you know what they say about honesty

Best policy, indeed. Even in web copywriting:



1. Our server is taking a nap - Vi.sualize.Us
Appreciate the heads-up! I understand that your server needs to doze off and you are so considerate for letting me know.

2. Twitter is Overcapacity.
It seems Facebook is the next Multiply and Twitter is the next king of the social networking world. I would love to know what's the stats on overcapacity, how many people have to be accessing the site before it declares it's over the usual capacity?

Btw, I love seeing the Fail Whale (before the SMRT rip-off!) but it's a bit cruel to those birds lifting the whale, don't you think? It seems like the whale is enjoying itself. Fail.

3. Well, this is embarrassing. - Firefox, after failing to recover your tabs
It is my dream to start a corporate message like this, particularly that of a firm suffering from net losses. Well, this is embarrassing. Our dismal performance in 2010 - nah. Never going to happen.

4. Brace yourself from an ingenious dispatch /
The muse has struck /
Prepare to be enlightened/
(chatmate name) is hammering out a wicked comeback
-Yahoo Messenger

We could do more justice to Yahoo Messenger's poetic attempts if we say more than Hahaha! or LOL. Your muse came and the best you can say is Hahaha!? No enlightenment there. Thank you YM for these witty copy, please add more!

5. You have arrived at a location not expected by the program.

This is not really a problem; we just didn't expect to see you here. If you were directed to this page by another, or if this error persists, please contact the airline and inform them of the problem and what you did to arrive here. You may use the form on the left to start a new booking.
- Tiger Airways

We just didn't expect to see you here. I didn't expect to hear that from you, Tiger!
Well, this sounds so Hollywood: a protagonist having a blast from the past, this-is-a-small-world moment: Oh Hi! What are you doing here? I did not expect to see you here.
But kudos to Tiger Airways for being straightforward. I do not know what I have done to come across that webpage, but I'm glad I did.


6. The server understood the request, but is refusing to fulfill it. -Twitter
Okay, bratty server.


***

I hope I would encounter new straightforward copy in the net again. If ever I do, I'll make sure I update this. :D

Code-Switching

Chinglish/Singlish

N: Where is V?
L: She's not joining us for lunch. She's just going to buy food and eat in the office.
N: Oh okay, how about C?
L: She's so busy she can't join us.
N: Ta pao, too?
(after a moment of confusion, L laughed and imitated me)
L: Ta pao, too? Haha!
N: Sorry. Is it okay to combine English and Chinese?
L laughed and told me it's okay, for now, because I don't know how to converse in fluent Mandarin.

* Ta pao means take-away/take out


Singlish and Taglish

E: I watched Tayong Dalawa last night.
N: Really? How was it?
E: It's okay. The two boys have the same name right? Jay-Ar (rolling r) and wait, what's the name of the other one?
N: David.
E: Ah yes, Dave! That Audrey, Kim Chiu. She's pretty. I think we should call C Audrey and P as Jay-Ar. And we can call A Dave, even though he's not here anymore.
N: I've met Jay-Ar (without the rolling r) before. We had a shoot for a magazine. He's a bit shy.
E: Oh, he's like Kampong Chicken!
N and W: What?
E: Kampong chickens are shy. They just roam around and afraid of people, as opposed to those chickens in farms.
N and W: Ooookay.
(P, A and C are the other Filipinos in the office, A already left the company)

(after a week)
E: Hey Nelly, I wasn't able to watch Tayong Dalawa last night. I wasn't able to see Ser Ramon and Alessandra, what's her surname?
N: De Rossi.
E: Ah yes, Alessandra de Rossi.
N: So you're a fan of the show now? Haha. I think it's scheduled on Tuesdays so you can watch it later. Switch the language to Tagalog so it's better.
E: Yes, the English dubbers sound weird.
W to E: You're watching a Tagalog show now?
N: Yes, he is. He's a fan now!
W: He understands Tagalog?
N: Only a few words, I guess.
W: (turning to E) What's the first Tagalog word you've learned?
E: Bakla.
W: What does Bakla means?
N to W: Bakla is gay in English.
N to E: Did your Philipi-nese (he calls his Filipino-Chinese friends Philipi-nese) friend teach you that?
E: No, I learned it from Maritess.
N: Maritess vs the Superfriends?
E: Yes!
N: Batman, I think he is bakla.
E: And Robin, he's always riding the Batmobile.
W: What are you talking about?
And we asked A to watch Maritess vs the Superfriends.

All I Want for Christmas

a new job, a happy Christmas celebration for my family, friends who are willing to celebrate Christmas with me in Singapore (and in Skype, if you're free!), and From Pinas With Love passport holder from Team Manila.

Simple joys. I'm easy to please.

Underscore, Underscore

When we are not talking about leet stuff like Nerf Wars, we're seriously discussing taglines:

N: I'm working on this brief, last year's tagline was Shaping the Future. Logically, what do you do after shaping the future?
W: You live the dream.

Went to ask another leet colleague:

N: What's after Shaping the Future?
K: You maintain the future.
N: Maintain? But you're not yet there.
K: Yeah, but you can stabilize the future.
N: Why?
K: Why not?
N:What if you don't like the future? Can you reshape it?
K: What? No. Why? You don't have to shape it again.


I don't know if we are talking about the taglines, really. Or channeling our thoughts on life in general through creative briefs.

What Did You Say?

LJ, my landlady's five-year old kid, was bugging me to study Mandarin with her. She has a Singaporean tutor who comes to the flat three times a week and during the nights when she does not have a lesson, she wants us to role-play, that I should pretend that I'm her student. One day, I allowed her to fulfill her Mandarin teacher fantasy, so we sang the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Happy Birthday in Mandarin, wrote some characters like da and xiao and practice correct pronunciation.

After that first lesson, she wants us to practice Mandarin more. Every time she sees me in the kitchen or outside my room or in the sala watching TV, she always bugs me about our next lesson. She always stands in front of me in her taray pose - hands over hips - and asks me "So, when will I teach you Chinese again?" My normal excuses (when I do not want to be bothered) are the following:

• I can't study now, I still have to cook dinner.
• I'm still watching this TV show, look! (then divert her attention to what's on screen)
  
• I am already tired (in Mandarin).
• I'm looking for my book (then pretend that I'm looking for something on my bedside table)
• I'm searching for something in the Internet.
• I'm surfing the net.
• I'm looking for a job.
• I'm sending emails.
• I haven't transcribed my Chinese stuff yet.

She noticed that most of my excuses involves the Internet. Earlier today, she entered my room and asked me again, and I said, without thinking, without even looking at her, with my eyes glued to the paragraph I'm typing, Not today, I'm looking for something, see I'm surfing the net.

You're always looking for something, she innocently replied. She just said it in her matter-of-fact five-year old tone, but it had an impact on me.

You're always looking for something.
Maybe I am. Maybe I do. I would not give a second thought about this statement if Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love is not my bedtime reading lately. LJ's statement (for me) resonates well with Richard and Elizabeth's conversation in the book:

Liz: So how long will it be before all this grieving passes?
Richard: You want an exact date?
Liz: Yes.
Richard: Something you can circle in your calendar?
Liz: Yes.
Richard: Let me tell you something, Groceries - you've got some serious control issues.


Control issues. Control freak. OCness. Feeling of always demanding to be in control. Always looking for something. Always trying to make things be how I want them to be.


Gah, I should stop this job hunting for now, my Mandarin lessons are waiting for me.

Same Kind of Different As Me

by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (with Lynn Vincent)

The copy in the book's back flap says that it is gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality but it also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love. I should've taken this description seriously.

The story revolves around the life of of Denver, a former slave; Ron, a wealthy art dealer; and Deborah, a kind-hearted soul brimming with her love for the homeless. It contained Ron and Denver's different childhood stories, Deborah and Ron's married life, and the life-changing encounter at the Mission. The latter part was about Deborah's battle against cancer and Denver's transformation.

I have to admit: I had a hard time finishing the book. No, it's not bad. In fact it's really beautifully written it's painful in some parts. The story is good, but the introduction is a bit long. Later in the story, I found that it is necessary to know Ron's and Denver's life stories to better understand their characters.

I love the book but the parts where Ron and Denver described Deborah's cancer and how it slowly killed her was too painful for me to read. Knowing that it is a true story doubled the pain. There were times I have to put down the book to prevent myself from crying. My grandfather died a year ago and somehow, the descriptions in the book related to Deborah reminded me of my grandfather: the stomach pains, Deborah's interest in antique perfume bottles (my grandfather loved perfume bottles, too), the unbearable sinking feeling of knowing someone close to you is dying.

Overall, it's a nice book and I would recommend it to others, but make sure you have some Kleenex handy.


Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through BookSneeze.com, a book review bloggers program.

Flying Orange Sotong

There, there, lower right. Yes, that's me in my bubble, pulling a Sotong-shaped kite, oblivious of the searing heat of 5.3opm sun.

In case you're wondering why the buildings look kind of dwarfed, well, I'm outside the city (for a change). There are no skyscrapers, just some quiet HDB neighborhood overlooking the greenfield across Buangkok MRT. Yes, when kite flying, go East! Central kids like me felt at ease and at peace there. :D

High School, The Zuckerberg Connection

Cristel, my two-time seatmate in high school, was nostalgic about our St. Thomas Academy days. And lately, I bet everyone is. I don't know why, but a lot of high school classmates are active in Facebook these days. I had the chance to talk to some fellow Thomasians (wow, I haven't used this term to refer to schoolmates since 2004!) through FB chat in the past week.

Inginu, our musical genius ever since grade school, formed a band and launched an album online. Edwin, my junior prom partner, told me that he's organizing a movie marathon aka a small reunion for his senior class so he could make the most out of his week-long break from work. Camille, my classmate in IV-St. Claire, told me she's now happily married with two kids.

I miss high school, of course, with all its Catholic School experiences: The values affirmation in the morning ceremonies. Retreats in Tagaytay. Student Council meetings with a Guidance Counselor as adviser. Our ECHO staff days. Leadership trainings in Calaca, Batangas. And all the Religion-related activities.

But I miss senior year the most: How I was soooo good in English, Social Studies and Drafting classes and how I was sooo mediocre in any Math class. How bad we were in the Choir Competition. How good our Men's Basketball team was. The 'Sister, nagugutom po kami' excuse during the retreat. Our really good Values Education presentations/dramas and how lucky I was to be grouped with amazing actors who happen to be the craziest guys in class (hello Mark Paul, Reggie, Erwin, Ledzepp, Louvhern,Sandro, etc.). Daily kwentuhan with lunch buddies Cristel, Adri, Micah and Eden. The best Social Studies class with Mrs. Torres (who is now teaching at St. Thomas Academy Kindergarten and my niece Marga's teacher). Seatmate Gil Edward and our crazy tactics to save each other when we forgot about assignments and requirements (One time, we were required to bring coloring materials and we broke my Crayola pieces in half so we could share. He helped me borrow books from other sections when we both forgot to bring ours).

I could say more things about senior year but my HS photos, notes, and scrapbook materials are in Batangas. Wah, Cristel, your nostalgia is infectious even though I'm 2400 km away.

Here We Are

Dear Present Self,

It's okay to feel bored, to feel unchallenged. It's not a sign of not growing. It's a signal that you can take things slowly and as cliche as it may sound, have the time to smell the flowers. Don't look for a new job yet, enjoy the current one. Embrace the whole experience. Boredom is part of existence and it's okay to feel like you are too small to change the world. And maybe still young to do something great.

You say you want a job in advertising. Start now. Organise your portfolio. Who cares if that's going to contain some mediocre works, some time, someday, you'll get that dream copywriting job and you'll know that it's not about having a Pencil or a Lion. It's about being satisfied and proud about your work.

You say you want to travel the world, start now. Go to the embassy at the soonest possible time to renew your passport, book those air tickets. You have lots of friends who would like to be travel buddies with you. Muster enough courage to ride a bus or train alone, you'll be fine. It's not about the destination, it's about what you have achieved while going there. Someday you'll find the perfect travel partner who will be there for you all the time. Someone you can drag no matter how frivolous the trip is or how long it would take to travel. But until you find that perfect travel partner, explore the world alone. It's not as scary as it sounds. You have the guts to transfer to Singapore alone, why not travel alone? You can do it, just do it.

Please take the OCness a notch down. January is five months away, don't fret. The perfect job will come, the perfect working environment will come. I know you want to transfer to another city in the world for your next job, but what if Singapore offers something great, too? Or even greater? What if there's something in store for you here if you stay just a bit longer? Consider the 'what ifs', then decide.

Should you decide to go back home and look for a job in Manila, I'm sure your parents will respect your decision. If, deep in your heart, that's what you really want to do, then do so. Stop thinking of how much money you can earn abroad or that some people might say that you are wasting the opportunity that might come your way here. If you want to be in Batangas and experience Makati life once more, then go back. But you know the heavy traffic and the economic situation waiting for you there. Just be ready for everything.

Present Self, I love you for who you are. For how immature and childish you could be sometimes. For being young and idealistic. For surviving in a foreign country and how grown-up that sounds. For thinking about your family first before yourself. For being true to what you want, what you need and what you really want to pursue in life. For knowing that there are unexpected things that will come your way and the best thing to do is accept them. Don't be afraid to experiment on things you haven't done before. Risk. Eat something beyond the usual. Get out of your comfort zones. Run and be free. Do not be afraid to love. You are blessed with parents and siblings who support you all the way. You are blessed with friends who are there for you no matter what. You're a blessed girl and be thankful for that.

Live in the here and now. Plan about the future, but don't be such a worrywart. Yes, it's okay to write some emo stuff like this once in a while. Just don't overdo it and you might sound like a Maalaala Mo Kaya letter and I bet you don't like that.

Just be true to yourself and you'll be okay.



Love,
Nelly

iPod, I Missed You

My first generation iPod shuffle was left tucked away in a lonely corner of my drawer in Batangas for over a year. I thought it was infected by a virus then, which is contrary to my belief that Apple products have a special shield against viruses. When it stopped playing music two years ago, I tried reformatting it, tried putting songs again, nothing happened. Then there came a time when it couldn't even be recognised as a USB drive, so I could not reset it. I tried several times, to no avail. That's when it assumed its position in that lonely corner of my drawer.

When I went back home last month, I saw my dear iPod again. I put it in my luggage, tucked it away in another lonely corner in my cabinet when I got here. Forgot about it (again) until yesterday. My colleague was complaining about his dead 2nd generation iPod shuffle and I told him mine was dead, too. I told him maybe all iPod shuffles have a kind of a self-destruction mechanism, so they would stop functioning after three years or so. But we still downloaded the Restore Utility, read some discussions online and kept our hopes high.

Yes, my iPod Shuffle has risen from the dead! It was resurrected through the intercession of Apple's Restore Utility. My colleague's shuffle, sadly, is still dead as of this writing.

It's not about you

It's not about me, either. It's all about the clients' needs.

Stop using the I'm uncomfortable with the idea drama. I need concrete reasons why you've crushed my concept. Constructive criticisms, dear. I am very open to revisions. I don't want guessing games here.


(update: ten hours after writing this post, I found this blog entry. Coincidence much?)

My Desktop Screams '2005'

I'm still using my Satellite laptop given by my sister on my 18th birthday. Yes, that's four and a half years ago! It's still functioning properly. I only reformatted it (for the first time) last Wednesday.

I dropped the adapter last Tuesday, which I thought was no big deal. Then when I turned it on, the computer automatically shut down after five seconds. Turned it on again , a blue screen popped out with notes saying there's something wrong with the latest software/hardware installed. I turned it on again after five minutes, it started up normally. I hurriedly saved some files that night, bought a new flash drive with higher memory the next day. I was afraid of losing all my files in case there's a problem with start up again, so I reformatted it just to be safe. Good thing I brought my recovery disk here.

I had a good laugh when I saw the desktop: it has a shortcut to 30-day trial of *drumroll* Napster! The Adobe installed is Version 5, the IE has no tab features. My Windows Media Player 10 and iTunes are gone. The anti-virus software is Norton 2004. Haha. Talk about going back in time.

I have no idea how long this laptop will last, but it's as fast as a new one now. Yes, I need to update all the software installed and save all my files again. I'm still saving up for a new one, so I will still use my Satellite for the time being. I just need to update everything, rename the folders, put my photos back, change the wallpaper and screensaver, and my desktop would make me feel it's already 2010 again.

I didn't go to KL

As an update to the previous post, no, I did not go to KL. Couldn't find a bus schedule that would fit my own sched. Two of my Malaysian officemates also discouraged me to go alone. Too dangerous.

Next time, I'll definitely go. If I'm already brave enough to travel on my own.

Wanderlust, this time with a purpose

If it weren't for my fear of riding a cross-country bus and/or train alone, I would have probably visited lots of cities in Malaysia by now. I don't know why, but I feel safer in a plane. One time, I even read a book containing Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes during a flight, much to the annoyance of my seatmate who gave me an are-you-insane look.

I haven't mustered enough courage to take a bus ride to Melaka yet, even though I have been dying to go there since last year. Come to think of it, I came all the way to Singapore to work. Rode the plane alone. Looked for a flat alone. Went to a totally foreign land alone. And I could not take a bus ride to Malaysia alone! It's ridiculous, really. Maybe it's the fear of sitting beside a stranger in a bus for six hours, or sitting beside a sleeping stranger in a train for nine hours. Or it was a fear induced by watching Liam Neeson's Taken.

When I went to Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands in August '09, I took an Air Asia flight, and being a cheapo traveler, I grabbed a seat sale offer months in advance. Now, KL beckons once more and I have only until Friday - yes tomorrow - to decide.

I saw an ad about a Copywriting seminar in Kuala Lumpur and it's happening this Sunday. I sent an email to the organizer and she told me to RSVP on or before Friday. My mind is in Battle of Pros and Cons mode since M0nday.

The Pros:

• It's my first two-day weekend off (after a month and a half) and it's nice to spend it somewhere outside Spottiswoode Park
  
• I will attend a copywriting seminar,will learn something new :)
  
• Nando's peri peri chicken!
• Hello Petronas Towers and Petaling St.!
• Oh, the most important of all: the thrill of traveling alone.
  

The Cons:

• $ Alert: the trip would cost 100 sing or so, including the seminar fee
• Riding the bus from SG to KL. Alone. Will arrive at around 4.30am. Scary.
• I could not drag Melai, my roommate, to accompany me because she just arrived from her HK/Macau trip and she does not fancy KL that much.
  

I have until tomorrow to decide. Help me.

Ola Twitter

After months of being deviant to Twitter, I finally gave in.

I'm seriously following the 140-character limit, it's really a good exercise on brevity. What I hate about it is the bit.ly version of websites, they sucked the soul out of an URL. In the Twitter cyberworld, we can't help but use it for brevity's sake. My blog is called strawberryicecreamandmallows, conjuring thoughts of freezing pink ice cream topped with rainbow mallows, and then bit.ly reduced it to http://bit.ly/cY2ybf, some alphanumeric combination that follows the KISS mantra. Yes, perhaps, I just need to get used to it.

I did not have any intention of making a Twitter account until Modern Copywriter blog mentioned leeclowsbeard's account. I got curious, so I finally registered after months of ignoring that follow me on Twitter sign flashed in all the blogs I religiously read everyday. Well, given the cringe-worthy fluff I had churned out in the last 13 months, I need access to the advice of industry experts (my fave right now is Junior: Celebrating Life at the Bottom), 140-character updates on what's happening in the ad world and some bit.lys redirecting me to advertising resources online. I need the right inspiration from the right people to salvage me from this cliche quicksand, and it feels good to be connected, albeit virtually, to those great names in the advertising world I would just normally come across in magazines, books and ad sites.

I got lots of good advice so far, but for some strange reason, this line from Sally Hogshead, advertising demigod responsible for all those awesome BMW ads, got permanently engraved in my brain cells:

' being in a crap job isn't your fault, staying in a crap job is'.

Ouch.

because I love ads with long copy

by Saatchi & Saatchi Manila, The Philippines
from http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/vespa_behind

Epic Fail.

Last night, I had an epiphany.

Here's the backstory first: Ten days ago, I saw a job ad at Jobsdb that Y! is looking for a Producer. Without much thinking, I sent an email with my resume and sample works. Just testing the waters. I cannot leave my current job yet (well I can, but there's a bond, so you know). I sent it during lunch time, forgot about it days later. No, this was not the one I was talking about in my previous post.

Then last night it hit me. I know why they haven't responded yet. How could I be so stupid.
Major OMG.

I'm applying for a job at Y! And you know what I did? I sent my resume, sample works with the cover letter using my ---drumroll naman oh ---Gmail account!

Fail.

It's like applying for a job at GMA 7 and when asked what program you would like to work for, you'd say Matanglawin, Kim Atienza's show at ABS-CBN (this is a true story, by the way. A fellow applicant told me that this was her answer to the HR officer who interviewed us last year).


Or applying for a job at Microsoft and telling them how cool Apple is.

Or applying for a magazine job and when asked how would you describe the cover of a certain youth magazine, you critised it by saying 'It looks okay, but I don't think it works. You put two cover personalities, I understand both of them are famous, but when you put two people on the cover, with the same treatment, you would confuse the readers, two people vying for their attention, one has to be more prominent on the cover...'only to realise that the person interviewing you is the editor of that youth magazine (this a true story, too. My story. But that editor hired me anyway because according to him I have an 'interesting' perspective).


So yes, I'm resending my application tomorrow, using a Y! account.

this sums up how I feel about living abroad

But in the end, the only steps that matter
Are the ones you take all by yourself

I Want a Lion and a Pencil*

But for now I have to put up with one colleague who told me that there's no difference between using 'past' and 'passed'. I have to put up with unproductive meetings about something as basic as doing a summary of a news report. I have to put up with people who impose writing styles on me when in fact, three minutes ago, he told me that there's no hard and fast rules in writing. I have to put up with the mantra that 'you're here not to produce your portfolio, you're here to work for the client'.

Because it's like that in the real world.

I just shrug it off and channel my inner Madonna: I'm ambitious, I know what I want, if that makes me a bitch, okay. Well, no scrap that 'bitch' part.

But at the end of the day, I do believe that one of our clients would allow us to work for them while doing portfolio-worthy annual reports. I just have to do my best work possible at this company, tell people what I want, voice out my concerns even if I would not change the system by doing so, at least I have spoken up.

***

After all the bitterness of this day, there's something to smile about. Ate Joy, my landlady, told me that she saw something addressed to me at the mailbox. At first I thought it was just one of the normal bank statements and debit card flyers that come every month. She got it and dropped it on my bed, magazine ata, she said. But it was a bit bigger. I do not subscribe to any mags so I thought it was just one of those fashion catalogues.

But no.

The package was a sticker book from the Miami Ad School. Exactly the type of inspiration I needed at the moment! Someday, I know, I'll study there, too. For now, a sticker book from the School of Pop Culture Engineering will do.



*Cannes Lion and One Show Pencil

Looking for Brownie and Mr Soccer Player

I want to come up with a decent blog entry these days, but all I have are thoughts on random things sitting in the drafts section of the dashboard. I told myself this one shouldn't add up to that pile of unpublished posts so I made sure I hit the Publish button after ending the last sentence.

I initially wanted to write about why last Monday wasn't a panic-stricken one because Bossy Boss was not around. Then I thought of finishing my review of Options, that laugh-out-loud book by Daniel Lyons about the life of Fake Steve Jobs. After these two, I wanted to blog about why I hate the word corporate but I do not want to talk about the semi-crappy state of copywriting I am doing lately, so I scrapped that.

I hate to write about dream sequences, but maybe Steve Almond* was right: we should be writing about things we could not get rid of by any means. I want to get this out of my mind, so here it goes.

I woke up this morning puzzled at seeing that guy in my dream. Eww, this is just soooooo cheesy! I dreamed that I was in this classroom with football players. I do not know what I was doing there because I do not know anyone in the room and I could not recognise the place. Then there's this guy standing beside me: a bespectacled football player, taller than me by two inches. Then someone asked that guy if I'm his girlfriend, he said yes and my alarm clock signaled 7.40am. Ewww, this merits a 5 in Creative Writing class! Fail!

I would like to believe that this dream with football players was partly induced by the World Cup hype here in Singapura. I don't know who that guy was/is or if there exists such a guy who looks like him. Since in my dream, I was seated beside that guy, I could only remember his face's side profile. And no, he does not look like Murakami Guy.

Enough of my dreams. Let's just jump to the latter part of the day.

I walked from the MRT station, passed by the hawker centre and the area at Spottiswoode Park where the big trees are. Yes, those gigantic trees (with squirrels!)surrounding my so-called 'picnic areas' that could be a perfect setting for a horror movie when night falls on a rainy day. I saw an old couple at the foot of one of those gigantic trees calling for Brownie. Must be their dog. Auntie** was holding two Fairprice grocery bags while Uncle** pointed the flashlight at the direction of the picnic areas. Brownie? Auntie called three times. After two minutes or so, they left Spottiswoode Park Rd and headed to Everton Park.

Brownie did not show up. Just like that bespectacled football player, in my real world.



*author of This Won't Take But A Minute Honey. Thanks to a friend for buying this book for me :D
**in Singapore, people older than you are called Auntie or Uncle as a sign of respect

Just like that, it's been a year

Armed with the in-principle approval letter from the Ministry of Manpower, employment contract, wanderlust dreams and heaps of courage to fight off homesickness, I stepped off the plane and began my life here in Singapura on June 18, 2009. A year has passed since.

This should be a nostalgic post. But because I still haven't recovered from the euphoria that is NBA Finals Game 7, I decided not to ruin the happy vibes. Here's to more days at the Lion City! *clangs of imaginary mugs of Tiger Beer*

As I celebrate my one year (and counting) stay in Singapore, it's also my dear UP's birthday. Cheers to your 102 years of excellence! *sings UP Ang Galing Mo!*

Hit the Send Button

The cursor wouldn't hover around it anymore. The mails in the Drafts folder decreased by two. Now, I will do what I did one year and two months back: wait, keep my fingers crossed and hope that my messages would not get lost in cyberspace.

Because today, I did not sit here, simply stare at my screen and ask myself what's still lacking in my resume. Today, I finally combined those PDFs, dig my sample articles and hit the Send Button. I did. I already did. After two weeks, I finally did.

Enough of my excuses. As JM and I would always say, Keep the Ahensya Dream Alive
(ahensya = big time ad agencies). Well, keep the dream alive for me, because JM is already Living the Ahensya Life.

Sun-Kissed Soccer Field and the GCs*

Dear Singapore,


I'm back. Yeah, I have to admit, I missed you a bit. To borrow Sidda Walker's line in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood (though she was referring to Manhattan, not you), I missed your "screeching urban comfort"(Wells, 1996). Okay, sorry. I'm starting to sound like I hate you and do not want to be with you, but the truth is, I appreciated the fact that you welcomed me here almost a year ago (354 days ago to be exact) and gave me a job that my dear Manila could not give me this time last year.

Last night, when I landed at Changi, I hailed a cab and while I was comfortably seated at the back of the driver staring at the midnight lights outside, Jimmy Harnen's Where Are You Now? started playing on the radio. It's as if I were in a movie and it is the part where the flashback happens and the musical scorer has done his/her job well. But I would rather have Billy Joel's Vienna in the background. Slow down, you crazy child. You're so ambitious for a juvenile.If you're so smart tell me why are you still so afraid...

I had a wonderful week in the Philippines, thank you for asking. I stayed home in Batangas, ate nilagang baboy, halayang ube, tapsilog and all other well-loved home-cooked meals. We watched the NBA Finals, Glee final episode, reruns of The Dark Knight at HBO and Up at Disney Channel. Played Crazy Taxi and Feeding Frenzy with Marga, my five-year-old niece, and watched HSM 3 and Lilo and Stitch. Played with EJ, my two-year-old niece, with her fave stuffed toys Minnie Mouse, Pongo and Perdita (from 101 Dalmatians). Had my much-needed chats with my mom, my dad, my sisters, my brother, my grandma, my first sister's kids. I missed home!

Last Tuesday, I made some pretty big statements while talking to my friends: I won't apply for PR status unless I would really want to be with you, Singapore, in the long-term. I still have plans of working in ad agencies in any big city in Europe or in the US, in Shanghai and Makati City and I cannot assure that I would be here for good. I like it here with you, but as any OFW would say, alam kong balang araw uuwi ako at doon ako tatanda sa Pilipinas. Unless! Unless I meet Prince Charming / Knight in Shining Armour (excuse me for the Disney Princess illusions) / True Murakami Guy here in the Lion City. That might change everything.

I'm back and I would stay here 'til my work contract ends in January 2011. Let's see what happens then.

Oh yes, regarding this letter's header, I was with Flau, Doreen, Reuben and Thedd last week at the soccer field behind the Bahay ng Alumni Building, we watched the sun set while talking about our supreme bibo kid moments in Geography class during our last semester in the university. I missed Geography lessons. And yes, I missed you Flau and the once *Grade Conscious (GC) gang. I hope I could have those sunset-watching-while-eating-chicharon-then-dinner-discussing-travel-plans-moments here with you.




Cheers,

Nelly
writing at the 5th floor of an HDB flat
hearing and feeling your 'screeching urban comfort'

Let's pretend it's a note atop a center table

Dear Singapore,

I'll be leaving for Manila tomorrow, but of course I'm coming back. I'll miss your chicken rice, but truth be told, I would forever love tinola. You made my life easier through all the bus trips and MRT rides but long bus rides at traffic-laden EDSA and SLEX have their own charm, and I miss them. Oh and I miss the jeep rides, too! You see lah, after months of corporate humdrum, I need my dose of Filipino life. Of using Philippine peso instead of your ubershiny-versatile-inside-the-washing-machine Singdollar. Yes, I left one 2-dollar bill inside the washing machine once, and did not get crumpled. Cool.

And speaking of cool, that Jabulani World Cup ball's design is cool, right? Yeah, I know you are so excited about the World Cup, but Manila is gearing up for the NBA Finals, yes, I'm just reinforcing that we have different views. Yes, different views, for instance, you complain about lots of foreigners invading your land, but please be reminded that foreigners, talents and workers alike, would not be with you if they are given the chance to have better jobs in their own land. Yes, I'm one of those foreign talents. Thanks for the opportunities. There's no sarcasm here. I can only hope that you'll become more appreciative of those foreign workers, too. I'll just be away for a week, Singapore, I'm still not sure if I'm going to miss you.

I'll see you next week then.

Bagong Bayan(i), A Repost

(OFW Series part 9)

I was chatting with Ate Cham (former housemate at UP Village) last night through YM and after the customary hello-how-are-you exchanges, I mentioned that I'm going home for vacation this week. I mentioned that I'm a tunay na OFW na and she said wow, so Bagong Bayani ka pala! Hence, I remembered this blog entry originally posted at my Multiply account 10 months ago:

***

Letting go. Yan ang unang-una mong matutunan pag naging OFW ka.

Pipilitin mong pagkasyahin sa 20kg na check-in baggage at 7kg na hand-carry ang mga bagay sa buhay na nakasanayan mo. At mga materyal na bagay lang un. Hindi kasya at hindi kaya na madala mo lahat ng bagay na gusto mong dalhin, na gusto mong isama sa pagsisimula mo ng bagong buhay sa ibang bansa. Maiiwan ang mga photo albums, CD collection, magazine collection, pati mga libro mo, masyadong mabigat. Mas uunahing mong dalhin ang mga toiletries at damit at mga essentials para mabuhay ka.

Higit pa sa mga materyal na bagay, maiiba na ang takbo ng buhay mo. You have to let go of what you used to do. Hindi naman pwedeng magkita kayo ng mga kaibigan mo parati. Mahal ang airfare. Hindi mo rin pwedeng isama ang mga tao sa bahay nyo, wala ng magluluto ng almusal mo. Mamimiss mo ang lutong bahay, at cge, pati na rin ang karinderya, restaurant sa Pinas at aminin na natin, pati ang Lucky Me pancit canton at si Jollibee. Mamimiss mo ang mga nagtetext sayo, maliban na lang dun sa mga nagtetext sayo ng emo text na minsan hindi mo naman kelangan. Mamimiss mo ang mga ingay sa bahay, ang kama mo, ang mga taong nakakahalubilo mo araw-araw. May mga taong namatay at tanging alaala na lang ng huli nyong pag-uusap ang maiiwan sayo. May mga taong aalis rin papunta sa ibang bansa katulad mo, magsisimula ng bagong buhay at wala na ring kasiguruhan kung kailan kayo magkikita ulit.

Sa pagsisimula ng bagong buhay mo sa ibang bansa, malaking parte ng buhay mo sa Pilipinas ang iiwanan mo. You have the chance to earn bigger bucks, have a rewarding career and travel the world. Is it worth it? Hindi ko alam.

At hindi ko rin alam kung tama bang tawaging Bagong Bayani ang mga OFWs.

Kasi kung tutuusin, parang selfish maging OFW, in a way. Para ba sa kapakanan ng sambayanang Pilipino kung bakit kami umalis?Hindi naman di ba? Pero dahil kumikita ang gobyerno sa porsyento ng mga remittances o dahil sa OWWA membership fee o kung ano pa mang dahilan, tinatawag na bagong bayani ang mga Pilipino abroad. Isang euphemistic na tawag lamang ang salitang Bagong Bayani para matakpan ang kakulangan ng gobyerno na mabigyan ng maayos na trabaho ang mga Pilipino.

(Hit the comment box if you disagree with me on this)

Araw-araw iba-ibang klaseng OFW ang nakakasalubong ko dito. Habang naglalakad ako papunta sa trabaho kada umaga, may mga domestic helper akong nakikita, at alam kong Pilipino sila. Yung isa naghahatid ng isang Chinese na bata sa may bus stop. Ung isa may dalang trolley papunta sa supermarket malapit sa office ko. Yung isa naman may inaakay na matandang lalaki. Kapag lunchbreak, kasama ko ang mga Pinoy officemates ko, at may makikita kami o makakasabay na mga Pinoy na nakacorporate attire, may necktie pa at katulad din naming mga professionals na nagttrabaho sa may CBD. Kapag hapon naman, habang naglalakad ako pauwi, may mga nakakasalubong akong mga grupo ng Filipina na papunta sa mga bar. Sabi ng landlady ko, mga prostitute daw un. Alam kong hindi naman nila cguro ginusto na ganun ang trabaho nila. Na maaaring dala lamang ng pangangailangan kung bakit nila pinasok yun.

Hindi naman para sa Sambayanang Pilipino kung bakit kami nasa ibang bansa. Hindi ko ata kayang tawaging Bagong Bayani ang mga prostitute na nakikita ko dito.

Humming a Daughtry Song

I haven't packed my bags yet. Well, I have nothing to pack anyway. I still haven't bought any pasalubong, except my two nieces' High School Musical sticker book and screaming pink Crocs. That's it. I have nothing (yet) for my other nieces, my nephews, my sisters, my brother, my parents, my grandparents, my brothers-in-law and friends. Whew. Okay, I still have three and a half days to search for and buy pasalubongs.

The truth is, the three-day weekend is too precious for me to spend at the malls. This is not laziness at work here, I'm just avoiding crowds. It's the first Great Singapore Sale weekend and I'm not kiasu enough to raid the malls at this time.

I spent Vesak day at home, cleaning the room and "cleaning" my laptop's MyDocs folder. Wah, there are a lot of files I have already forgotten about. Those crazy Maginhawa House videos and epic one-liners, college photos copied from someone else's Multiply account, my attempts at making TV and print ads, unfinished AVPs, pictures of Singapore outings, etc. Oh, memories contained in my computer's memory.

I spent Saturday as a couch potato, catching up on Idol Top 2 Performance Night (yes, up to now, I still haven't watched The Finale) and Glee "Home" episode. And the usual Maalaala Mo Kaya night with Lola Bechay and Melai.

Sunday is for pseudo-kite flying at the park. Went to Pasir Ris Park this morning with Alan, Joann and YT, the rest of the gang (who sort of promised last week that they're coming) pang seh -ed us at the last minute. The moment we reached the park, it was drizzling, good thing it stopped after 15 minutes or so. Some of the kites were broken. It was not windy enough. Ironically, the moment we decided to give up kite flying is the same time we noticed the signboard near the street stating KITE FLYING NOT ALLOWED. Seriously? It was the very same spot we flew kites last week! I hope no Citizen Journalist is OC enough to be at the park searching for law violators on a Sunday morning. Otherwise, we would be on Stomp this week. Hahaha.

Okay, enough of blogging. I should think of what pasalubongs to buy. Well, I'm not really that excited to buy pasalubong. I'm just excited to go home and step on Philippine soil again.

[Insert Daughtry's song here]

Philippines, I Miss You

See you next week.

I wouldn't want to see Puss-in-Boots cry

(the copy chronicles 6)

We've all experienced the Newbie phase in our jobs. Yes, the awkward days of getting-to-know everyone, grasping the culture, trying to pronounce your colleague's name correctly, learning what things not to say in front of the boss, you know the drill. This Newbie phase normally tags along heaps of attitude too, I can do this and that stuff, too or I think I can do better. I was over that Newbie phase months ago and I believe I've been a good Newbie to the point that a colleague mentioned that my "efficiency had become a curse" (overflowing workload!).

What comes next is the looong Shoulder-Shrugger phase: you do what is needed, enough of pleasing the boss because you've already succeeded, do your best work possible, don't question the system. Go with the flow. Yeah, do what the client says.

After this is the Iconoclast period. Well, wait, not really. Not all people overcome the Shoulder-Shrugger phase, because at the end of the day, we are all doing things for the clients. What creative freedom? *Shoulders-shrug* Iconoclast period happens even within the Shoulder-Shrugger phase, when we get too tired of the things we normally do we want to break out of the system.

***

As my posts these days reflect, I'm undergoing the Iconoclast period. I have drowned in all that cliches and it's time to save myself and whatever is left of my writing ability. Okay, don't get me wrong. I'm not resigning, I just want to try new things. Keeping my fingers crossed is part of it as well. Not because I'm willing to try to do things differently doesn't mean other people feel the same way.

I know, it's not going to be easy. Jessica Zafra mentioned in one of her blog entries that in order to write well, one must "write 1,000 words a day, read a book a week". It's all about training and hard work; and these virtues apply to copywriting, too. These past few days, I've been digging cyberspace and utilising my Googling skills to check out the best works of copywriters across the globe, reading a lot of advertising materials online and re-reading my 100 Great Copywriting Ideas book (and I disagree with one of Maslen's points, but that's another story). ll those books and reading materials point out to this: the importance of being able to risk and accept failure when it happens.

Luke Sullivan, one of my copywriting idols, wrote: a sense of play is important, and part of play is failure; the skinned knee, the black eye. Everyone, to a person, said to push past the pain and “fail forward, fail harder, fail gloriously.” Whatever flavor of fail you get, our group said, walk it off and go for it again (Sullivan, 2010).

In one of his blog entries Sullivan also mentioned: SLOPPY WRITING MAKES KITTENS CRY. Yes, I imagined a crying Puss-in-Boots because I have watched Shrek's trailer before reading that entry. And seeing my previous works for several companies, I imagined how many kittens have cried because of them. Hahaha. Pardon my being so literal here.

I admire companies who are willing to risk and I could only wish that all our clients are like them. We cannot change our clients' mindset if we keep doing the same things. We have to prove we can do something else, give them something that will surprise them, forget the safe bets. Don't make those kittens cry.

Be the iconoclast but be ready for some bruises.

Bittersweet Residue: Kites and Copy

the copy chronicles 5)

it's amazing how a kite could give you satisfaction when it's up in the sky, flowing with the wind, with you gripping its string as if you really were the one in control. it's amazing how it could give you disappointment the moment it hits the ground, with you recovering the string, realising you were not the one in charge - it was the wind.

You're just making yourself believe you could let it fly.


***

it's amazing how a copy you've done could give you (just a little bit of) satisfaction when it's published, with you reading it as if it was really your idea.

it's amazing how it could give you disappointment the moment you realise you don't want to be associated with that project. You compromised your artistic capabilities and creative philosophies just to get that project done, the client is king after all.

You're just making youself believe you've done a good job. Wake up my dear.

Tell me what for you is creative and I'll tell you who you are (The Copy Chronicles 4)

Jonathan Sanchez blogged about Creative Conflict at Media Asia website and cited the contents of Harvard Business Review December 2009 issue. He wrote:

Contentment breeds complacency, harmony delivers humdrum. What drives change and growth and smashes old lazy habits is having the confidence to challenge some authority, fight for what you believe and energize your people.(Sanchez, 2010)

Fight for what you believe. We all know it's easier said than done. Yesterday, I did just that. I tried to convince two Account Executives in the company to use a tagline I suggested (I did three, they liked two of them and they hated the other one). They don't like one of the taglines because, for them, (a) it's not impactful enough, (b) it's not corporate enough, (c) it does not reflect the story, (d) it somehow conjures not-so-business-like images. So, I suggested a compromise: I would do a new tagline, but they have to keep that one and present it to the client as well. Both of them disagreed. I am left disheartened.

I know, you might think I'm this stubborn copywriter who does not listen to Account Executives. Truth be told, seldom do I argue with AEs regarding taglines and concepts, and when I do, I do it for a good reason. I do not fight for something I do not believe in, I will convince you to try a concept because I think it has potential. I do not want to give our clients the same old cliched taglines that have permeated the industry for soooooo long. I know this is so idealistic of me, but what will happen to the creative industry if we keep doing the same thing over and over and over again?

***

Here's what happened next: I went out of the office for lunch break, let out my bitterness over cheeseburger and fries and I thought I would come up with a new tagline. I wasn't able to. My bitterness consumed me that time, and when I tried to come up with a new copy, what went inside my mind was how to defend my tagline even more.

So I went back to the office wracking my brains for a new copy. It just didn't come.

You know the sad part after all these? The tagline one of the AEs came up with was:
(a) not impactful enough
(b) not corporate enough
(c) reflect the story just a bit
(d) somehow conjures not-so-business-like images

And what did I do? Nothing. It's crunch time, the designer needed to finish the mock-up so the AEs could attend the meeting on time. We used his tagline. Mine faded into the realm of 'taglines that tried to defy convention but was not even given the chance to do so'.


***

I am not disappointed with myself, I did my best to defend my tagline. They did not listen to me. I have no control over what people think is creative or appropriate or not.

After that incident, I found solace in Sanchez's ending words in his entry:

Clearly you have to be prepared to lose, god knows I have a few times - but the big things, the things that matter to shaping the future of a business shouldn’t be hidden in the ‘one-day’ or ‘too-much-hassle’ or ‘we don’t do it that way’ closet, they should be out in the open air and vigorously, yet fairly, debated. (Sanchez, 2010)

Jake Gyllenhaal, The Prince of Persia!

The first ever film starring Jake Gyllenhaal I have watched --- wait, seriously it's not Brokeback Mountain --- was October Sky, a true-to-life story of a NASA scientist, the origins of his interest in rocket science and how he got inspired by Sputnik 1. I really loved Jake Gyllenhaal since then, the charming look, the shy smile, the ability to connect to the audience (sorry this sounds sooo Kara Dioguardi comment from American Idol). If you haven't watched it, go dig your big brother's or sister's movie collection to see the young Gyllenhaal's inspiring portrayal of a high school science geek. The lovable kind of geek, by the way.

Well, yes, I have watched Brokeback Mountain as well. And this is, undoubtedly, Jake Gyllenhaal's Hollywood 'breakthrough' moment. The cowboy with the soft heart, the hidden love affair, Heath Ledger, I wish I knew how to quit you epic line. Enough said.

Years later, he now takes on another role, the Prince of Persia. I am excited to see the movie because of:

1. Jake Gyllenhaal, no less.
2. I grew up with Disney films and I want to watch this Disney movie
3. As the press release said, it's from the same team that brought Pirates of Carribean Trilogy. Hello Jerry Bruckheimer! So it probably is good.
4. Same director as HP Goblet of Fire. Though I like Prisoner of Azkaban better than the Goblet of Fire, I would still like to see another Mike Newell-directed film.



The storyline is: A rogue prince reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

Apparently, the dagger functions like Hermione Granger's Time Turner. Allow me to put myself in the Prince's shoes:

If I have a dagger that turns back time, what event would I change?
The Asian Tsunami, December 26, 2004. I would froze the oceans after the earthquake so no lives were destroyed in Thailand, Indonesia, etc. and no tourism industries were damaged, like those of Krabi's and the rest of Southern Thailand. If the parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans were frozen, no tsunami would ever occur that time. And since I'm that powerful, I could just actually calm down the ocean, instead of freezing it.

But this is just wishful thinking of course. But yeah, that power would be just awesome. Let's just leave it to the Prince to decide what to do with the dagger, don't forget to catch Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Movie starting from 27th May 2010 and join the official Facebook and Twitter page!

Kitchen Confidentials

(OFW series part 7)

When you become an OFW, you will learn the fundamentals of being independent, the most important of which: HOW TO COOK.

I have to admit, I don't know how to cook anything more complicated than adobo. I can fry anything into perfection and cook Lucky Me pancit canton, but that's about it. My sinigang is either too bland or too sour. Ask me to boil an egg and I would not know when to turn off the stove; chances are it's too hard boiled or too soft.

I know, this isn't the type of things my future mother-in-law should hear, but hey, I'm too young to think of a mother-in-law to please. Okay, maybe not. But still, I hope that by the time my future mother-in-law reads this, I have gone beyond my adobo skills. (I don't know where did these thoughts come from, but for the sake of spontaneity, I am not going to delete this part.)

Please don't get the impression that I'm the bratty kid who doesn't help in kitchen chores. I used to help my mom crush garlic and slice bell peppers at home, but I avoided onions if I can help it. I could make the perfect lumpiang shanghai, the part where you put the filling, then roll and seal the wrapper, I mean.

By the time I studied in Diliman, I stayed in a boarding house where we were not allowed to cook. We relied on the powers of the microwave oven, anything instant, UP food stalls, nearby restos and deliveries. Hence, my cooking skills were never tested. Or tried, to begin with.

During my magazine days, my life was pretty much the same. Leaving the house at 8am and coming home at 9pm (if I was lucky), I was too tired to cook.

Then here I am, living the so-called independent life. I have improved a bit. Just a bit. I learned how to do buttered prawns. Yehey. Well, that's it. I am still working on my timing on turning off the stove when boiling an egg. I still try to remember to put salt when frying an egg. And I am still working on my sinigang. Oh, and I can make the perfect salad, too! But that's just tossing, still not more complicated than adobo.

If it is indeed true that the only way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then I would be an epic failure. But wait. Adobo and siningang could be my redemption.

Apparently I should spend more time in the kitchen. Just don't ask me to cook anything with bagoong and I think I'll be fine. And yes, gaining a pound would serve me well, too.

Sparks at Ion

The previous entry was oozing with bitterness and it contradicts the very reason why I reactivated this blog. So I told myself I would write a happy post to restore the good vibes.

And a happy post comes in the form of Murakami guy at Ion Orchard.

I was headed to Tangs last night but for some strange reason, I exited at the wrong side of Orchard MRT station and found myself at Ion. I then remembered that I need to go to Kiehl's so I continued walking but the thing is, I didn't know which side of the mall I am in!

I continued walking while staring at shop signs, hoping that the cursive Kiehl's logo would appear in my view. I walked and walked while searching for the store when I almost bumped into this guy.

Almost.

Then there seemed like a second of why do you look familiar? look and then nothing.

Quoting Murakami, here's what happened:

But the glow of their memories was far too weak...Without a word, they passed each other, disappearing into the crowd. (Murakami, 1993)

***

Singapore is a small world, after all. But what is the probability that at that point in time, out of four million people living in this little red dot in the map, why was he the one who I bumped into in the busy basement of one of the countless shopping malls at Orchard Road?

If I turned 10 seconds later, or he did turn 10 seconds later as well, we would have bumped into each other, exchange our sorries, and ask each other 'You look familiar!?' I would then remind him that he's the guy across the street and I'm the girl at the other side always waiting for the green man to light up every morning at one of the intersections of this lonely planet.


***

Yeah, I should've said that this is a 'hopeful' post, not a happy one. In my giddy state of mind, however, 'hopeful' could translate to 'happy', too.

Cliche Quicksand (The Copy Chronicles 3)

Unloading. Don't read if you don't want to hear today's "heartbroken"tales.
If you happen to be my officemate or my colleague or my client and you read this blog, please be forewarned that I don't want to talk about this in person.


***


I am a copywriter and I would like to believe that I'm good at what I do (good, not very good, not exceptional. just okay). But this belief got totally totally shattered this morning. I was browsing through a site called Modern Copywriter and I saw those sample projects of big time copywriters from all over the world.

Then something hit me.

Have I done something at par with these?

Here I am, a copywriter for almost a year now, and I could not think of any projects that I have done that was really really exceptional. I could think of three projects that stood out, but they weren't exceptional enough.

Then, a conversation at the office even compounded this feeling of inadequacy.

We had those "can we change this tagline?" type of conversation again. One colleague suggested that we use *insert cliche tagline here*. I quickly replied, "no don't use that!" And then he replied, "why not? that's what the companies have been using blah blah blah

Okay, two things. It doesn't mean that since other companies have been using that tagline we should use it as well. And second, the mere fact that thousands of other companies have used it means that it was a tagline that any shareholder would not want to see again, if they have a choice.

I would not feel this way if not for the incident the previous week. The very same person who told me to "be more creative, don't use these kind of cliche taglines" last week was this same person who said it was okay to use *insert cliche tagline here* today. Talk about double standards.


***

You see, cliche are double-edged swords. It could very well be a cure for any company's conservative point of view. Give them cliches, those are tried-and-tested, everybody knows them. They have seen them everywhere. Yeah. Conservative companies would accept that. But what does this speak of us as professionals in the creative business? We are paid to think creatively for those companies who ask for our professional advice. Isn't it a disservice to them if we would just insert some cliche in their projects?

And of course, not all companies are conservative. One day, some companies who champion creativity would see our cliche-laden projects and would look down on us. We call ourselves Creatives but we do not live up to that label.

I know this because I have churned out cliches, too. We produced cliche-laden projects in the past. The clients were satisfied. I wasn't. 'You're bound for heartbreak', a friend told me. Indeed I was, and still am.



***

I still believe that someday, I would be able to break the mould.
Deviate from the status quo.
Risk.
Do something way way out of the box. Or eliminate the box altogether.
I just hope that some people are brave enough to do it with me.

I still believe that creativity can be learned.
I believe that we can pull ourselves out of this cliche quicksand if we choose to.
I know that there will come a time that clients would get out of their own boxes and be brave enough to risk, design-wise.



I believe that one day I would be proud of my work and I would see my name in a website that lists the best copywriters of our generation.
Then I would open this blog and laugh about my so-called hearbroken tales here.

Boto at Konsepto (The Copy Chronicles 2)

Ang paggawa ng konsepto* ay parang pagboto.

Kelangan mong pag-aralan. Pag-isipan.
Isang pakikipagsapalaran,
isang pagtaya.
Iba ang opinyon mo sa ibang tao.
Iba ang pagtingin mo sa mga isyu.

At hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon mananalo ang ibinoto mo
parang
hindi lahat ng tao magugustuhan ang konsepto mo.
Natatalo ka. Hindi mo nakukuha ang proyekto.
Pero hindi ito nangangahulugan na mas magaling ang konsepto nila sa 'yo.
Natatalo ang kandidatong ibinoto mo.
Pero hindi ito nangangahulugan na mas magaling ang nanalo
kesa sa ibinoto mo.

Ganun talaga.


*konsepto i.e. sa advertising/PR

Dear Bogs, Paano na Kaya si John?

Sinisimulan ko pa lang ang entry na to, natatawa na 'ko sa sarili ko.

Hindi talaga ako nagpunta sa sinehan ngayong linggo para panoorin ang Ironman 2 dahil baka pangit, kaya next week ko na lang papanoorin. Nanghihinayang ako sa ten dollars na gagastusin ko para manood ng isang hindi kagandahang pelikula. Pero ang ironic lang. Nasa bahay nga ako, nakatipid nga ako ng ten dollars na GV ticket at seven dollars or so para sa popcorn at drinks, pero mga hindi kagandahang pelikula din naman ang pinanood ko.

Kagabi, tinapos kong panoorin ang Dear John. Pinutol ko kasi ang panonood noong Martes kasi nabagot na ko sa walang katapusang pagpapalitan ng sulat. Hindi ako natuwa sa pelikulang ito. Sayang, na-hook pa naman ako sa trailer. Bakit naman kasi kelangang si Tim pa ang makatuluyan ni Savannah?

At kanina, pinanood ko ang Paano na Kaya sa pirated DVD. At cge na, eto na ang review ko.

Pasensya na, nahohomesick kasi ako ng onti this week kaya I need my dose of anything Pinoy.



***

Legend: Kim = Mae, Gerald = Bogs, Melissa Ricks = Anna


Pinanood ko ang pelikula na hindi nageexpect. Hindi katulad ng Miss You Like Crazy na nagexpect pa ko ng onti, na mejo magiging maganda dahil maayos naman ang huling pelikula nina John Lloyd at Bea.

Hindi ako nagexpect na maganda (please don't get the impression na maganda nga ang pelikula, dahil so-so lang ito). Ayos pala pag ganun. Mas tataas ang appreciation mo ng pelikula kapag umpisa pa lang binabaan mo na ang expectations.

Alam ko na naman kasi ang takbo ng istorya: 'best friends who fell in love with each other and they live happily ever after, but wait meron munang problems bago ang happy ending' type. Halatang halatang scripted un part na magkausap si Mae at Bogs sa may shore sa umpisa ng pelikula, parang ang plastic kasi ng dating eh. Parang pilit na pilit ang pagbigkas ni Bogs ng mga linya.

Maayos naman ang cast - Ricky Davao bilang strict at business-minded dad ni Mae, Zsa Zsa as the cougar mom ni Bogs, at winner ang group of friends ni Mae sa pelikula. At least sa gitna ng ilusyon ni Mae na maging girlfriend ni Bogs, nababalanse. Andun ang group of friends nya na nagsasabi at nagreremind sa kanya na wag magpakatanga, wag maging parang yaya ng bestfriend at nakapag-point out na baka isang rebound relationship nga lang yun.

Okay na sana ang mga linya sa movie:

Mahalaga lang siguro Bogs, pero hindi mahal.

Mahal mo ba talaga ko o sinubukan mo lang akong mahalin para hindi kita iwan?

Sinyota mo ang best friend mo!

Dyan tau sumasablay bogs eh, may 'kaya lang'. Laging may 'kaya lang'


At least, hindi nagpapakaprofound at di gumagamit ng malalalim na salitang Tagalog. Pero naman! Bakit kelangan pang sabihin ang linyang it's not you, it's me . At bakit kelangan pang mag-insert ng ilang Chinese phrases ni Ricky Davao everytime magsasalita siya sa pelikula? Unnecessary na kasi un, kasi naestablish na naman na he is of Chinese descent.

Naipakita naman ang transformation, mula sa pagiging best friend to boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Naestablish naman ang conflict nang muling nagbalik si Anna, ang paghihintay ni Mae nang masiraan cya ng kotse at ang pagkukulang ng food sa catering services bilang mitsa ng galit ng dad ni Mae sa kanya.

Maayos rin naman ang mga supporting elements. Ang vintage car na nagevolve mula sa simula hanggang sa maging super shiny red car na ito sa ending. Naipakita ang pagbabago ng relationship ni Bogs mula sa pagpipinta sa pader ng I Love You Anna hanggang sa painting nila ni Mae sa kanyang sariling talyer. Ang paggamit ng apelyido (Chua at Marasigan) para maipakita ang lebel ng relasyon nilang dalawa.

At dahil ito ay isang Star Cinema movie, oo, naresolve naman ang mga issues. Nagkasundo si Mae at ang kanyang dad, nagbukas siya ng sariling business, nagkausap si Bogs at Mommy nya.

Paborito ko ang eksena ng hiwalayan sa taas ng fire truck. Okay ang analohiya ng nasusunog na kagamitan sa relasyong Mae-Bogs. Astig. Hindi awkward na eskena sa restaurant o sa kotse o sa traffic sa gitna ng kalsada.

Siyempre, sila pa rin naman ang nagkatuluyan sa huli. And speaking of ending, bakit kelangan pareho sila naka-shades at naka-white (well, cge na nga offwhite ang suot ni Gerald Anderson)? Fail ang parteng ito.

It's all about the money (The Copy Chronicles 1)

Sometimes, our concepts are not judged whether
it speaks of the message the client wants to deliver.
Neither are they seen as something novel or revolutionary.
Or if the execution is exceptional to the point that maybe,
just maybe,
we would be able to win design awards.
It all boils down to money matters.
What special treatment?
No, no.
No budget.
How many pages?
Okay, workable.
Oh great, we wouldn't need to buy photos?
What will you do with the cover?
Oh okay, yes, will have no problem with the printers.
It all boils down to money matters.
And everything is equated to a dollar sign.
Sigh.

Tuesday Blues, Buddhism and Booze

Tuesday and its tales:
Owee and and the blue-eyed wonder
High-pitched voice and *duma-the life* expression
Micah and the complicated disc/love stories
Spectacles and makeover plans
Nelly and the schoolgirl crush no more
poolside chikahan and poolside curfew
Heineken and that addicting Loacker
Buddhist teachings and suffering
Sadness and happiness
Spectrum and cycles
Pain and Manny Pacquiao quote
October Eighty Publications and the bad things we hate about it
The Devil Wears *whatever brand here* and magazine life kwento
2am-ish cab ride home and Keppel Road
Taxi driver and his Casino suggestion
Marina Bay Sands and good feng shui
3am-ish sleep time and alarms
8:57 log in time and early morning coffee
Beethoven Symphony #9 and cover tagline
not-so-creative concept and tracing papers
projects and more projects
fried chicken and teh ping
afternoon boredom and Oreo cookies
SS and his Subspecie-ness
the breaking news and NAIA Terminal 3
6.30pm and Channel 511
The Amazing Race and Shanghai
Organic rice and white rice
Facebook and this blog
chicken nuggets and dinner time.
early to rise and early to bed.
signing off and dozing off.

Why American Idol Will Never Be The Same Again

American Idol is part of our TV viewing habits at home(Batangas, Philippines) during these summer months. But the experience of watching it will never be the same again for me.

The first time I watched American Idol here in our flat in Singapore felt a bit surreal. Sitting alone at the couch while eating Hokkien noodles using chopsticks, I watched the show at Mediacorp Channel 5 and it felt, well, different. No, it's not the lackluster performances this season, or Ellen Degeneres sitting there as one of the judges, but the viewing experience itself is not the same as it used to be.

The intro tune accompanying the twirling AI logo at the beginning of the show brings back memories of me comfortably watching AI at home in Batangas. Hearing that tune every single time never fails to bring a little bit of homesickness in me. Back at home, I usually watch AI either at Star World or QTV. Now, I had to wait for the replays at Mediacorp 5 because I couldn't watch it on the same day due to conflicts in TV viewing schedules (the owner of the house watches TV Patrol by the time AI is shown). I also had a favorite spot at the sala while watching the show: left side of the living room at the corner of the wooden chair nearest to the TV set. Yvette, my niece, always watches with me and she usually roots for someone who happens to be not my favourite. When it was David-David season, she loved David Archuleta while I cheered for David Cook. Last season, she loved Glambert while I was rooting for Kris Allen while my dad favoured Danny Gokey. Yvette always tries to annoy me, always saying that her favourite contestant is better than mine and I would prove her wrong and a playful banter would ensue. Here in SG, I watch AI with no one to talk to and it's damn sad.

Now, I just take comfort in the fact that by the time of the NBA Conference Finals, I will be in Batangas, sitting in my favourite spot at the wooden chair nearest to the TV while cheering for my dad or my brother's favourite team like what we usually do every year.

Rundown

1. Yes, I promised that this blog will contain myOVERSEAS FILIPINO WRITE-UPS (OFW)SERIES. I think I have posted five OFWs by now, and I will continue to do so. As I've said, I will document, make fun of, be sentimental about, overanalyse, criticise and basically, share, the littlest, the corniest, the craziest things about being a Filipino outside the Philippines.

2. I think you have noticed the change in the subheading from the fine details of living in the Fine City to on being a Filipino copywriter in the Fine City (well, if not, I bet you have by now). Yes, I would like this blog to be a little bit personal. Include parts of me as a copywriter. What I do everyday, how do I churn out concepts, how I deal with demanding clients and boring briefs and mind-boggling financial statements. This series about my day job shall be called THE COPY CHRONICLES. But of course, in the name of something called confidentiality agreement, I cannot disclose company names and the nitty-gritty of the concepts I have produced.

3. Oh yes, I still haven't watched Paano na Kaya, which I sort of promised to do. Not that any of you readers would care, but since I had promised to do it, I will. If you know of any Kim-Gerald fans, please tell them to read my future review.
Or better yet, if you know of anyone who loved Miss You Like Crazy, ask him/her to read my previous entry. Bring on the flak.

The Promise of 'Next Time'

We know there will always be second chances. We do something today and hope that a 'next time' will come to do the thing we initially wanted to do. We don't address our cravings, we postpone trips, we procrastinate, we are trapped and lured by the promise of the 'next time'.

We've all been guilty of these. We all are.

Hi, I was XXXX

It's funny how memories are woven in our brains. And how memory recollection happens.

Yesterday, after being guilty of eating yang chow fried rice with fried egg for lunch (imagine all the oil I consumed), I decided to eat salad for dinner. I got all the greens and the dressing from the refrigerator. I couldn't remember when I bought that dressing, and what type of dressing was it in the first place.

It was labeled 'Coleslaw' though all this time I thought it was Caesar salad dressing or something like that. It was too pale to be Thousand Island, I'm sure.

Then I suddenly tried to recall who told me that this particular hotel has good Caesar salad. I remember it was Richard and Ian, former colleagues in Manila. Then I recalled if ever I have tasted that salad in that particular hotel and I had remembered that I did.

But when?

Oh yeah, that particular day when I was the subject of a photographer's hate blog entry.

Whew. Yeah, that's how our brain works, right? Tracing a thread of memories which was induced by simple salad dressing. Amazing.

***

I don't want to go through all the details of that hate blog. But I remember that the photographer did not put my name. He just said that XXXX from blah blah magazine sent him an SMS asking if he would be willing to "shoot for us for free" (Hernandez, 2009).

Someone even commented something like this:

I think it is better to put their names here para mahiya naman sila at hindi na umulit.

That person who put that comment was not brave enough to stand by that statement as he remains 'Anonymous'.

To Anonymous, I am Nelly and I was XXXX. Fortunately, I am no longer affiliated with that magazine. Of course, I would not be sending pathetic SMS like that anymore.





***

I think this is becoming a trend. I started off with one topic then the whole entry becomes a mishmash of what my memory recalls. Funny how my brain works.

Next time, I will commit to just one topic and I'm planning to do a review of Kimerald's Paano Na Kaya? next week (I am so LOL right now).I am following Donj's sugestion of reviewing Pinoy mainstream films. For now, Star Cinema's new releases muna.

Bakit ayaw nyo maniwala?! Seryoso, abangan nyo yan.

Random Thoughts' Ripple Effect: From Mitch Albom to The Devil Wears Prada

Yes, you have read it right. Mitch Albom as in Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom. Last February, I had this rare chance of meeting Mr. Tuesdays with Morrie in one of those meet-and-greet events at Kinokuniya. Of course, I asked for his autograph on my copy of For One More Day . I also asked him what's his advice to writers like me (though now,I'm technically a copywriter, not a writer). He told me that I should read a lot and everytime I find interesting quotes/phrases in materials that I have read, I should highlight them so when I need inspiration, I can just open the book again and re-read those lines.

Speaking of interesting quotes, earlier today, I opened my copy of Males, Nails and Sample Sales: Everything a Woman Must Know to be Smarter, Savvier, Saner Sooner , one of those books I bought from a warehouse sale. I did not want to buy the book at first, but when I saw that the author, Stephanie Pierson, is a creative director at an advertising agency in NY, I bought it. Yeah, I could be superficial like that, buying a book because the cover is nice or because the author is formerly in advertising (friends, you know I've been dying to work in a hotshot ad agency, right?). Sometimes, I don't care about the contents.

But I digress.

So yeah, I opened that book and since I marked some of those interesting lines (following Mr. Albom's advice), I would just like to share them to you. Especially you, fresh grads out there looking for your first jobs and clueless about the real world. There's a chapter in the book devoted to Careers, and in this section, Pierson mentioned this:

"Don't work for someone who is abusive. Life is too short. And no matter how junior you are, you don't have to take it"

Fresh grads, listen up. If the company which hired you don't have benefits like SSS/Philhealth/Medicare/Pag-ibig or if they don't pay taxes, beware. Take my advice: flee as soon as you can.

And here's another advice from Pierson:

"Don't get too rattled or too anxious. Don't give the people who run your company the power to decide your worth. You know when you are doing a good job. You know when it's the assignment that is the problem or when your bosses are idiots. You are not as good as your last assignment. Don't let anyone let you believe that"

I totally agree.

And another thing fresh grads. Let me tell you this: you would encounter insufferable know-it-alls in the workplace, but the worst kind are those who think they are Meryl Streep's character in that movie with Anne Hathaway. If you encounter a boss like that, better look for another job. It's not worth it. Trust me.

Uniquely Singapore, Uniquely Singlish and the absence of Grammar Police (OFW Series Part 5)

I love Singapore, I do. I could cite a lot of reasons why (primarily its low crime rates, cleanliness and super efficient transportation system)but I have a "more personal" reason.

I love Singapore because people here don't judge you because you couldn't speak proper English. People don't judge you because you have a wrong subject-verb agreement. People don't judge you if you have misspelled a word, or use a wrong verb tense in sentences or because you don't know the correct pronunciation of a certain word.

I know, it's a good thing and a bad thing. But admit it, Filipinos could be very annoying "grammar police" sometimes. I would know. I am guilty of being a grammar police, too, but I know I'm not as annoying as other people.

For someone who graduated with a Journalism degree, I noticed that people expect me to have perfect grammar all the time. While I was working in a magazine, people expect me to be articulate and have perfect grammar all the time (grammar police out there, the repetition of the last phrase is intentional, thank you very much for noticing). It's a good thing. But when people have high expectations of you, and you don't meet them, the resulting disappointment (on their part) is never easily forgotten.

I know of someone who could speak about other people's English mistakes but fails to notice his. He always criticises people for their wrong grammar but he himself couldn't distinguish when to use "they're" and "their". That's irritating!

Singaporeans are not so kan cheong about their grammar. It may not be the best way to perfect English, but for someone who has been exposed to irritating grammar police in the Philippines, it's refreshing to be in an environment where people wouldn't bat an eyelash when you commit some really minor grammatical errors.

To my kan cheong friends or professors who think I'm losing my command of the English language, don't worry, I'm still using and practising proper English here (though British instead of American English). I may use 'lah' and 'can' 'cannot' but I know I still have a good grasp of the language. I don't know if I could say the same for my Tagalog though (particularly the "writing" part).

Kung ang 'Miss You Like Crazy' ay isang romantic comedy film (OFW series part 4)

WARNING: Taglish ito, paumanhin sa code-switching.

Kung OFW ka, chances are, TFC subscriber ka. At dahil TFC subscriber ka at namimiss mo ang Pilipinas, manonood ka na ng teleserye na hindi mo naman ginagawa noon. Alam ko ang iniisip mo, 'ang jologs, no?' Oo na, don't rub it in. Jologs na kung jologs. Pero ganon talaga. Kahit papano namimiss mo rin naman ang ABS-CBN TV programming na nakasanayan mo na simula pa noong panahon ni Princess Sarah at kaibigang Tom Sawyer.

Hindi naman ako super duper teleserye fanatic (salamat sa AI, Glee, TAR at Survivor for keeping me sane), pero nanonood din naman ako paminsan minsan. At oo na, nanonood na rin ako ng Pinoy movies ngaun. Kung dati, naiinis ako sa pamangkin ko na super fan ng CinemaOne, ngaun nanonood na rin ako ng Pinoy movies sa pirated DVD (of course, galing sa Pinas).

***
WARNING #2: Hindi ako fan ng Bea-John Lloyd love team ha.
Naisipan ko lang ireview ang pelikula.


Oo, napanood ko na ang Miss You Like Crazy ni John Lloyd at Bea. If you haven't watched it, okay lang kahit hindi mo panoorin. Well, sige na nga. Typical Star Cinema movie. Title na title pa lang, nagkulang na ng creative juices.

Kung hindi ito movie at isang episode lamang sa Dear Ate Charo (linawin na natin para sa mga Kapuso), Maalaala Mo Kaya, malamang ang title nito ay Bato or pwede ring Bato at Pentel Pen or kahit anong bagay na andun sa movie, dahil parating isang noun ang title ng isang MMK episode.

Ay oo, pwede ring Petronas Towers. Kawawa kasi ang Petronas Towers sa movie na ito. Though it served its purpose, being a Malaysian icon, hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit sa conversation ni John Lloyd at Bea sa coffeshop, sinabi ni John Lloyd na hindi nya alam kung ano ang Petronas Towers. Dito pa lang, mejo fail na ang script. If you are a yuppie, Account Manager sa isang CBD, with a well-off girlfriend, don't tell me you have never heard of Petronas Towers?! Or sige na nga, pwedeng playing bimbo-ish role lang si John Lloyd sa parteng iyon ng pelikula. At sige na nga, hindi lahat ng tao ay geog buff.

Isa pa, ilan kayang bato ang dala ng character ni Bea sa bag nya araw-araw? Seriously.

At masyadong magulo ang time difference, ilang buwan o taon ba talaga ang difference mula nang iniwan ni John Lloyd si Bea sa Pilipinas? 3 months? 1 taon? 2 taon? Kasi sa iba't ibang parte ng pelikula, iba-iba ang sinabi.

At ano ba ang nangyari kung bakit hindi sinipot ni John Lloyd si Bea sa ferry station? Ano ba ang ginawa ni Bembol Roco kaya galit sa kanya si Bea?

Wah. Tama na. This is making me crazy again. At cge na nga aaminin ko, hindi kasi namin masyado inintindi ang movie dahil mas exciting pa ang Ben-Melai love team sa bahay kesa sa August-Mia.

***
Kung iibahin natin ang linya ng pelikula, at gagawin itong romantic comedy, eto dapat:


Bea: Alam mo ba yung Petronas Towers?
John Lloyd: Hindi.
Bea: Weh?

or kaya (still talking about Petronas Towers)


Bea: Minsan kasi iniimagine ko nag-uusap sila.
John Lloyd: Anong sinasabi nila?
Bea: Masaya ako pag kasama kita.
John Lloyd: 'As if you have a choice' sabi naman nung isa.
Then Bea would give John Lloyd this 'are-you-crazy-look' then they would both burst into laughter.

Murakami and The Guy Across the Street

On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning - title of one of Haruki Murakami's short stories in The Elephant Vanishes.

If I were able to blog last Tuesday, I would make my entry titled "On Seeing the 100% perfect guy one beautiful April morning". Okay, Emphasis on "seeing". Forget the rest of the story. No conversation happened, just a split-second glance and a smile. Enough said.

Summer Worker (no, this isn't part of the OFW series)

As mid-April approaches, I need to say this:

2010 is the first year/summer of my life (yes, of my entire life) that I am employed. Employed and working and no summer vacation!

Yeah, I graduated from the university two years ago, so that summer, I was still unemployed. I started working June 2008, then resigned from my first job March last year.

April - May 2009 was still a summer vacation, as I was looking for what then was my would-be second job.

Ten months later, here I am, working on a summer day for the first time in my entire life. There has to be a "first", indeed.

Skype Hype (OFW series part 2)

just an FYI,in case you read this entry before the previous one, OFW = Overseas Filipino Write-ups.

MUST-HAVE FOR EVERY OFW: A Skype Account.


***

I don't know when was the last time we had our Skype how-are-you night. I don't have an idea either when would the next one be.

As Geog Kids, we are kinda living up to this "label", as our virtual get-togethers (read:skype) are now bound by geographical limitations; being in different parts of the world.

Thedd is in QC, and he's in his I'm-soo-busy mode.Juggling two programs and a "non-living entity" plus all the spinning world hoo-ha, I don't know when he would have the free time.

Weisa's in her busy mode, too, in Laguna. And it doesn't help that she deactivated her FB account. Last time we talked was almost a month ago.

Reuben's globetrotting again (this time in the US). And with the timezone now added to the reasons-we-can't-skype-in-this-particular-day list, maybe we'll just skype when he's back in the Philippines.

Jeck's living his expat life, of course, in Brussels, and though he's almost-always-online, he's busy with work, so he's just there, active in Gtalk and FB but still could not be disturbed.

And I'm here in Singapura, waiting for the next skype session. I miss you Geog Kids, let's skype again. I want those Revenge: Marimar Style type of conversations soon.

The Stranger (OFW series Part 1)

in my attempt to make something meaningful out of this blog, i will start my OFW (Overseas Filipino Write-ups) Series. I will tell you about the mundane things about living in a highly globalised world. After all, Marshall McLuhan's adage applies to my every day existence.

I will document, make fun of, be sentimental about, overanalyse, criticise and basically, share, the littlest, the corniest, the craziest things about being a Filipino outside the Philippines. You know what I mean: what it feels like living with strangers, how to say yes and no in different languages, where to eat the best peri peri chicken, why you can proudly wear mini skirts abroad when in Manila you prolly won't; when is the best time to call home, what website to go to for the best Pinoy news; etc etc etc.


I will start by telling you the story of the "historical stranger".

One time I was running late for work and a Malaysian couple asked me where the MRT is. I can't say no to strangers asking for directions, so instead of giving them a vague you-turn-left-then-cross-the-street-kind-of-stuff,I asked them to walk with me as my office is located near the station.

The guy could speak fluent English. The girl could only speak Bahasa.So basically the guy was the only one I could converse with.He told me that he immediately guessed that I'm from the Philippines because of my accent (that's the very very first thing strangers will tell you!)Then he asked where I study here (that's the second thing strangers ask me).

He said he had stayed in the Philippines for two years. He said he lived in Legaspi Towers in Manila - the one in Makati not the one in Roxas Blvd. Yes, he clarified that there are two Legaspi Towers in Manila (wow, I didn't know that).

He asked how's the Philippines, is Arroyo still the President. When we were like 3 meters away from the MRT, he asked me if Noynoy is really running for President.

I told him yes, Noynoy is indeed running and told him that I was impressed that he's updated with what's happening in the Philippine political scene. Then I asked him if he knows Noynoy, then he said:

He was just a little boy then.

So of course, I asked if he knows Ninoy.

Then he replied:

Yes, I was at the airport when he was shot.


Then a bitter smile appeared on his face. He looked up at the street sign, we're already outside the MRT station.

Wait. He was at the airport when Ninoy was shot? What was he doing there? Was he a friend, a classmate? Or merely a stranger who happened to be at the airport during one of those historic moments? I wanted to ask him the 5Ws and 1H of that particular moment. But he remembered Noynoy as a little boy back then so he's probably a close friend, a family friend, a fellow Anti-Marcos?

I was supposed to ask all these questions. But he said his thanks, both he and his wife smiled at me, and he went to the escalator and was swallowed by the rush hour crowd. I did not had the chance to ask for his name.




He was a fragment of history, he was probably one of those men who ran towards Ninoy when he was lying dead at the airport. Wah. I did not even ask for his name. I do not question the authenticity of his story, because he seemed really really sincere when he mentioned that he was at the airport when Ninoy was killed.

And since this is part of the OFW series, he's one of those thousand fleeting strangers I encountered, but definitely the most memorable one.