dinner at Dusit

did i mention that i was sick the whole time while we were in Hong Kong? and that mom was so scared that I would get quarantined or something? hahaha what a thought!? Of all thoughts that could pop up right now....

anyways, had dinner with Aunt Debbie and Hubert at Dusit Hotel tonight...DInner was great...love the food at Benkay. It's expensive but compared to Kimpura, it's already okay.

Having dinner at Grandma's tomorrow...No Buddha Jump Soup this year, coz it costs Php5,800 for just one order. Ever wonder why the soup is called such even when its not vegan?

holiday in Hong Kong

Am home! Got back last night.
Was welcomed by the rainy season here in Manila...then something so ludicrous happened. The plane ran out of the disembarkation card that was required for immigration purposes so I had to get one once I got off the plane…and guess what?? The airport was out of it too. Is the Philippines that poor as to not have the capacity to provide disembarkation cards for travelers? Anyways, someone came out with some after a while. Oh yeah…we waited in line for about 35 minutes and then 30 minutes more to get our baggage. While waiting, I saw a lot of the balikbayans from the US giving folded US$ to the customs and immigration officials and to the porters as well.

Imagine this, Filipinos(as in the native ones), obviously they look Filipino, and no doubt they carry Filipino blood, and me, the obviously foreign looking one with my Chinese looks. Each carrying a passport. The Filipino-looking one is carrying an American passport while I was carrying a passport bearing the word Pilipinas in front. Kind of weird, Filipinos being a foreigner in their own land…much like me when I go to China. Hahaha

Our flight was delayed by the way, because the plane from LA was delayed. It was delayed for 2 hours, so Candee and I walked and walked in the Hong Kong Airport, which by the way is by far, the best airport I've been too. It was voted the world's best airport actually. I saw a sign that said just that.

I've been to Hong Kong for about X number of times. I've lost track of it actually. But this city never fails to amaze me every time. Don't ask why...I won't be able to answer since the answer is something ineffable. The streets were full of people since it was the holidays, but the malls, shops and restaurants were open. A lot of clothes were on sale but didn't get to buy anything aside from jeans, coz everything was either too thick or long-sleeved.

We went to Disney on the first day. It was fun. The place was pretty nice, albeit small compared to the Disney in LA. Loads of people though due to the holidays. Would you believe tickets were sold out at 2:30 in the afternoon? Loved Philharmagic. I won't describe it. I might spoil it for people who haven't seen it. =) Loved Buzz Lightyears Astro blasters too. Scored 425000. Oh yeah!!! Didn't get to ride Space Mountain though...no one would go on the ride with me. Most rides and attractions had really long lines. Had to wait about 2 hours to get to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The ride was for kids...that's about all I can say. It was boring after a few minutes on the ride. Liked the Jungle River Cruise. It was exciting, but it was way too short. I wished they made it longer. The food being sold at the restaurants inside the park were not that overpriced. Rice toppings with soup and tea were sold at HKD40 each, but it was really satisfying. The servings were not too small either.

I have a feeling this post is going to be as long as my reaction papers in school if I go on. hahaha

is it Christmas???

There are only 3 days before Christmas, yet it doesn't feel like Christmas. Unlike years before where the malls were packed with people doing last minute Christmas shopping and restaurants full of reservations, this year, it's been pretty quiet. Malls are pretty much empty, the cashiers bored from just sitting around. The only place that is packed is 168 and Tutuban. What's with the holiday season this year? Well...yeah, considering the economic situation these days. Everybody is pretty much saving their money. One of our workers at the factory is not even going home to their province this Christmas, they'd rather spend it here just to save up on the transportation fare. It's so awkward for the holiday season to be this quiet. I wonder if there will be a lot of fireworks for the new year...

I'm starting to feel guilty about spending my Christmas in Hong Kong...sigh!

We're leaving tomorrow morning and I'm still nursing a cold. I hope I get better tonight.

comparison

I found my high school grad pic while i was organizing my stuff...I couldn't believe how different I looked 4 years ago.

Compare my high school grad pic to my college grad pic...I look so different. The eyes are still the same, the hairs gotten longer...but still, I don't know, for me, I look different. I don't think its the make-up either.

I look older in my high school grad pic than in my college grad pic. hahaha

sigh...4 years has gone by since my high school graduation...and now I'm nearing my college graduation.

confused

confused...thats the perfect word that will be able to explain what i feel right now. i'm confused with the many files in my final output folder. I cleaned it up and yet I still can't seem to remember which is which.

sigh!

grrrrr....

We're doing our revisions right now for our thesis. There are like a million things to do and my brain is so confused as to what still needs to be done. My brain is so tired from running for the past few weeks without stopping. (and someone is still being a brat about all this thesis stuff)

I'm in a terribly bad mood because one of my groupmates is not cooperating well. I am very much tempted to call up our thesis mentor to tell him about the scenario we are in now. But then she's in luck. I'm not going to do that.

We're almost done. I have to hang in there.

jolted back to thesis life

I was suddenly called back to the thesis life...We still have to do our revisions and edit/compile parts of the paper we are supposed to edit. I was reminded that it's not yet over.

A bit confusing? Here's the story...here I was searching for a place to stay when I suddenly opened the MechanicsAdticum file. So I was just browsing through it when I noticed that we had to meet the faculty-panelists before we have our paper hard-bound. So once I saw that, it all came rushing back to me which lead to me slaving over my laptop once again.

And yes..she has appeared once again...only more confused than ever about the current state of affairs.

Do I have separation anxiety?

ok...so here I am...about to graduate. I have a clear sense of what I want to do or where to go. I just have no idea how I'm going to do it. haha No...I am not going through the stage of quarter life crisis.

I was hanging out at the department the other day. I found that one of the things I'm going to miss the most about my college life is the department. This place is the coolest place on campus. =D I don't know...I just love the feel of the place. The entire aura there is just different from all the other academic departments/faculty lounges in school. In short, I'm going to miss it...I won't babble too much. hehe

Of course, when I leave Manila, I'll miss my house, my room, my bed, etc. Will I miss my sister? ermmm...maybe. Joke! Of course I'll miss my family. But I promise myself...I won't come back to Manila, no matter how homesick I get, until I reach my goals.

What are my goals exactly? I'm not too sure..but first on the list would definitely be buying a Mercedes Benz for Dad. I promised him that.

xmas shopping

Went Christmas shopping yesterday morning at 168. It was almost impossible to move properly, as in you can't walk and people kept on pushing each other. I was really scared that something would go flat. hahaha

My brain is still pretty tired from thesisizing and the sudden Christmas rush coming in...

post-redefense delight

Finally! The defense is over and done with! Although I am a wee bit disappointed that we didn't get the grade we expected…anyways, the grade given was already okay. Just not close to what we expected.

Well, true it's better if you don't have a lot of expectations since you won't get hurt too much when you don't reach that goal, but I find it kinda challenging with the pressure that goes on. I don't know. I always seem to fail(not necessarily fail, but stay mediocre) at everything..I already anticipate the defeat (whatever) coming. Am I making sense?

Oh yeah…my laptop had an accident yesterday. I was walking to the conservatory to meet my thesis mates when I suddenly dropped my bag (where the laptop was also in). I was trying to fish my phone out of the bag when it fell. I was shocked. It's still okay..apart from the wifi turning itself off and that it wouldn’t turn on again, and the loosening of the battery. Hehe tip:buy a bag that has thicker padding.

OMG! Christmas is coming! I can now feel the Xmas spirit floating in the air.

I changed my layout again...this time with butterflies to show that I'm free...hehe

ack! redefense tomorrow!

We are going to have our redefense tomorrow. I'm nervous. We still haven't finished editing our creative materials for tomorrow...forget about asking if we printed it out or not. The answer is obvious.

Guess where I'm going to spend my Christmas!!! hehehe It's a place that is synonymous to shopping, and it now has a world-class theme park. haha

aaaah!

I’m about to go crazy…

There are only 2 days left before our redefense and we still do not have our creative materials. We just found our Big Idea today..Thanks to someone who wants to remain anonymous..hehe(Thanks anyhow)

We can do this...I know we can...our thesis mentor has complete faith in us.

goth xmas tree

so here i was walking around Rustan's in Makati...I was taking in and trying to feel the Christmas spirit by admiring the display of Christmas trees that were bedecked with oranaments of different shapes, colors and sizes. It was literally a rainbow of colors.

So walk walk walk, and guess what I saw! No,it was not mommy kissing santa claus (haha)...but this tree that had black leaves that was decorated with black ornaments that had little color. They had a tinge of color, but not the sparkly, eye-catching type.

Whats the connection between goth and Xmas? What's with people that are goth anyway? I'm not saying black is bad and all, but i kinda get freaked out by people who wear black clothes, shoes and even put on black make-up and accesories.

Just something that suddenly popped into my head...

A day after yesterday

I was practically forced to go shopping together with my family today... I didn't really want to go out. After yesterday, I just wasn't in a mood to go out or do anything. I just want to curl up on the sofa and think. When I tried doing the sofa thing, I couldn't think of anything...I was practically replaying yesterday's events which was so pathetic and futile.

Thanks to my high school friends, who managed to give me their words of encouragement and wisdom..I really need all the support I need. Thanks guys! You are the best.

Tomorrow, I shall start my day fresh. I will stop thinking about what happened last Saturday and concentrate on doing my best on Friday.

Judgement day

Had my thesis defense today...the presentation went on smoothly. everything was great..except for the fact that we didn't have support for our Big Idea, which is like the foundation of our creative ad materials...but at least the panel is giving my group a chance to redefend our paper next Friday.

All the professor panelists said that our presentation was by far the best they had seen today...and considering that we were the last group to present. Not like I'm bragging or anything...

Sigh! If only we hadn't overlooked that part. or if only we had thought of the consumer insight+product truth=Big Idea thing. ENOUGH with the "What ifs"!

Judgement day is officially moved to December 9.

We can do this! It doesn't matter if we don't get best thesis...Let's just prove that we are able to learn something from this.

Thanks to Sir JL and Sir G for the little pep talk earlier. I feel much better. =-)

post-paper glee and pre-defense jitters

We finally submitted our full thesis paper to the marketing department at around 2 this afternoon. Finally, it's over and final. What has been done is done. We cannot go back now. We just need to read and reread the whole thesis text to make sure that everything is flawless during the day of the defense.

*stupid boo-boo: I failed to realize a spelling error in the paper. Just goes to show what neglecting sleep and avoiding caffeine does.

Thes-is the life part 3

It's anbout 4 AM right now...and guess where I am...still in my room printing more in one night than I have had in the past 7 or 8 years since I've had my HP Deskjet 670C. My poor printer! So here I am, waiting for the printing to finish and overseeing everything so that every page comes out okay,while my groupmates are wandering off somewhere in dreamland. sigh! After I get home tomorrow, I'm going to sleep. I'll edit the TV and radio ad on Wednesday(if ever I will be able to wake up before dinner that day haha joke) or maybe it could be my groupmates turn to lose a night of sleep hehe (joke!)

anyways, I'm in a pretty grouchy mood. I'm tired, sleepy and somewhat bored from sitting in front of the computer everyday for the past few weeks.

Also, I still haven't seen the latest Harry Potter movie...and I don't want to watch it on DVD. I want to see it on the big screen!!!! Life is so frustrating.

The only perk I got for last week was that I got a new pair of pumps coz my old one broke when I was still having my OJT. It's a good thing mom remembered that I needed new shoes. I was planning on just window -shopping and buying some stuff for when I leave in February.

We also had dinner together with Sa-I-Ma's family. Food was good...loved the tuna sashimi.

Brain drain

I have come to a point where i can only stare at the computer screen in front of me...somethings flashing "brain capacity full"... and almost drained is more like it...the term brain drain is suddenly making sense to me. haha

Have to get back to work.

Sometimes you just want to look reality in the eye and deny it...sigh!

Things I learned during my 3 year and 2 term stay in college:

1. When you see something you don’t like, just smile, don’t comment and get on with life
   
2. When you meet someone you don’t like, just keep away from them and get on with your life. There’s a great probability that you won’t meet the person again anyway.
   
3. Never ever start a fight with anyone. (wait..didn’t I learn that in kindergarten?)
   
4. When things don’t go your way, just do whatever you are supposed to do and get over it.
   
5. When somebody has done something wrong to you, don’t expect that person to apologize.
   
6. If you get any unexpected “words of wisdom” from someone you think is pretty much far worse than you are, just listen or pretend to listen and dump everything in the trash afterwards.
   
7. Never let anybody get you down, only you know who you are. If people think you’re like this, then be like that.(this and that are not the same, gets?)

musings

Yesterday, I learned a very valuable lesson from someone, a friend, who just experienced something like this first hand. I learned that you can't trust people all the time, no matter how close you think you are. Some people will turn into cowards and desert you for something else that will benefit them. They probably will think that you are just over reacting to something trivial,even if they know that this is something that really means a lot to you. They may choose something else over conscience.

These people who go out on gimicks with you all the time, spending what possible free time together.These people who you talk or text on the phone with for hours. These people whom you thought could be trusted to stick it out with you when you are having a hard time. And just when you needed them the most, they turned their backs on you and still were able to stab you. They never even bothered giving you a warning of what they did. They just splashed 4 pails or buckets (or whatever) of cold water on your face. In the end, they let somebody who was purely unethical to get away, leaving you with a heart, all torn and shredded.

I'm glad I have friends who I know will always stick by my side...thorugh thick and thin.

Thanks guys...you know who you are ^_^

uhm...

It's been three days since I've finished with my ojt. I miss the office...but I surely won't miss the days I had to wake up early to get to the office on time..haha

I was surfing arounf earlier and I found a quote that goes "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted, counts."I like it. It sort of encapsulates life nowadays. People nowadays tend to do something just to know what they can get out of it, not because they love what they're doing.

One thing I believe that is most important in a person's life is being able to do something that one loves.

Btw, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is showing!!!

hay

Tomorow is officially our last day of Adformatix. Tonight I am having mixed emotions. A part is telling me that we have to start on or thesis...but a part of me wants to stay in the agency some more.

O well! Maybe I can apply there after I graduate....hmmmm.

Just taking a break from my thesis....

thes-is the life part 2

this is the life of a person doing thesis...late nights with head-wrecking moments just thinking of what exactly would be the right words to use in describing the product.or just plain how to write it.

my head is so full of thoughts. thoughts about how i can present the infant milk formula in a new and unique way to make our product stand out from the clutter of the other milk ads. I seem to be thinking 24 hours a day. tonight, i might even dream of me doing thesis.

let's hope that that does not happen. i need a break...after the thesis.

Practicum memories

It's almost time for us to say goodbye to the office.
Here's a list of the top 5 things I will never forget about Adformatix:(in no particular order)
1)the garbage bag incident
(Here's the story:It was the anniv of the office and we had lunch with the other employees of the company. After we finished weating, Gem, Nestle and I went to the pantry to dispose of our paper plates and soda cans. So the girl there took out one of those black garbage bags out from the closet. When we threw our rubbish into the bag, everything just fell through to the bottom, and there was a big mess on the floor formt eh leftover dinuguan sauce in the bowl. Whent that happened, all three of us suddenly burst out laughing. Even after we were back in our office, we were still laughing.)
2)Sir Krix's message ring tone-> It goes "uuuy, may text ka nanaman, basahin naman." When you here that, you'll know the guy's there. hehe
3)"Is your driver there na?"-> Kinda embarassing to explain
4)the table in our office
(It flips when you put too much pressure on one side of the table. pretty shocking when you're talking about something serious, or eating and then the table just flips up)
5)the banging of the wall when someone opens the door too hard.

There are more actually.

This practicum experience is basically composed of a lot of firsts for me.I learned a lot during my 5 week stint at Adformatix.

I'll write more about the experience when I'm free.

6:16

It's 6:16 and I'm still at the office. Am waiting for my dad to pick me up from work hehe

We're making progress with our thesis, starting with our survey na. We got our first answered questionnaire from ahia Jerome. Thanks Ahia!

Good luck to Me, Nestle and Gem for the thesis and defense!

(just playing around with the colours)

It's 6:19 now....

Thes-is the life

so, we're starting on our thesis. it started last week actually. while sir krix was absent today (and yesterday), we were working on our thesis. but today, the computer didn't want to wake up. It kept making sounds but just wouldn't turn on. then finally, we called the IT kuya to ask if he can help us. And then the computer was fixed.

Why am I talking like this? Sorry..My brain is pretty tired from reading a lot of stuff lately.

anyways, just wanted to share our little adventure today.

gosh! we have to finish 50 pages of our thesis by friday!!!! ahhhhh!

PS. Will be done with my OJT by the end of the week=) then its thesis all the way.

new layout

I've got a new layout hehe...I don't really like black all that much. Maybe I was taught to stay away from black clothes, accesories, etc. Anyways, I like this skin coz of the pic. It's really natural...for lack of a better word to describe it.

Figaro

Just tasted the Caramel Frost Light at Figaro today during our meeting with Sir JL.. hehe
It’s so good! The taste is super light and its sweet…not too sweet, but not bitter either…just right.
Sort of like when you mix hot chocolate with a bit of caramel and just a slight hint of coffee. The drink has this sort of “I’m not a coffee, not hot chocolate either” taste to it.
This is going to be one of my favorites for a while.

The drink was the highlight of my day...other than that it was pretty humdrum.

Oh wait! my shoe broke haha...didn't get to buy a new one either. Nothing on the racks seemed to interest me. Their price tags caught my attention though. =)

insomnia

I can't sleep. I was feeling sleepy before dinner, but I can't sleep now, so I decided to come back to my computer. It's so weird. I'll just type type type til I get sleepy.

Anyways, I'm checking out the Hong Kong Disneyland site right now. Nice place...duh! The sounds are choppy coz of the poor(slow, rather) net connection. Anyways, I'm checking if they still have rooms at the hotel for December. Dad wants to go.hehe

I was just thinking about the stuff I learned at the spiritual growth seminar I attended last week. and I realized that most, if not all, of the topics that were discussed are just really true in this society. First was the "If you hang out with chickens, you'll become a chicken even if you were meant to be an eagle." They didn't phrase it that way. I just forget how they put it. I find it really helpful. And that just goes to show that I don't need to be wait for people to give me a go signal before I start doing something. I just have to do whatever I want and like, provided that its legal. haha I just need to be myself..that's all. and if others don't like me..well, thats not my problem. I think I'm getting away from the topic. Hihi Basta! If I stay forever with one group of people, nothing will ever change in my life.

I'll have to talk about the other lessons some other time...when I get enoough sleep...I'd probably just ramble on and on right now.

no work today

I watched “Meeting with Vajrasattva” again last night. Yey! The show last night was much better than the first time I watched it. The lights were already adjusted to complement the performance perfectly. My only compaint about the show is that it's too short. I want to be able to wathc longer productions by U-theater someday.

No work today, but I am busy doing my thesis. And then I also have to do this essay that Sir gave us as assignment. Have to write what I thought of casting before I started work in the casting department and what I think of it now. My mind is still blank as to what I am going to write.

ehem....

today has reason for celebration. not only have we reached the 120 hour mark for our practicum, we have also started on our thesis(since last week).

then, i saw the performance of"Meeting with Vajrasattva" performed by U-theatre last night at CCP. it was spectacular. the performers were moving as if they were just one person. if they weren't wearing different clothes,i'd have thought that everything was just some sort of mirror image. the beat of the drums were so solid, played with balanced precision and speed. The bass coming from the drums had this effect that kinda just drummed into your heart...(the pun is not intentional hehe)

Aside from all the above mentioned, I have a new blog. Yey!