From the monthly archives: July 2008
Ah, Saturday!
It’s no news that the past days/weeks has been a bit of hectic for me, because of all the things I’ve signed myself up to do. The past weeks has been difficult — physically, mentally and emotionally. But I think I’m finally done with everything…okay, almost everything. I think I still have some leftover stuff I need to do, but most of the pending stuff are done. :)
Admittedly the past week has been better than the last few ones, probably because I’m not worrying about Australia anymore. I guess it really is a blessing in disguise that I didn’t push through because if I was, I probably be wouldn’t blogging right now, plus I’d probably be going crazy right now with preparing. Not to mention bankrupt with all the things I need to buy for my trip. No regrets. :)
Last night was our company’s townhall ((A company-wide meeting where the bosses give updates about the company and its initiatives)), and I was a part of the townhall committee. It was a month-long preparation, and I’m really glad I survived it. :D I got to head the creatives team, which I chose to be a part of mostly because of what I do for the club I am a part of at work — make email announcements. Turns out there’s so much more stuff to do for the team — from the program concept to the script to the sounds! ACK! Thank God I was with a great team! It was stressful, yes, but it was all a great learning experience. In the span of two weeks, I learned how to animate in Flash ((Yes, I know Flash, but I’m more of an Action Script person than animation)) and edit sounds in Garageband (overnight!). I also made a simple Flash presentation in the span of an hour. That’s a personal record. :D
The townhall was a success, at least in my point of view. It may not be as grand as the kick-off early this year, but I know we gave all our best here. There’s still one more townhall on Monday which I have to sit out on since I really need to rest. But that’s one thing off my Big Rocks list for the next week. :) Yay.
Oh, but there was a surprising moment yesterday! On the second part of the awarding ceremony at the townhall, they were showing some videos about employees who have embodied one of the company’s values. On the fourth video, there was a news report of sorts by none other than our club president and other friends, and then all of a sudden, I saw my face (and four other friends’ faces) onscreen. Haha, turns out, we were being honored for being dedicated to the club! Surprise galore? So that’s why MM said something about everything being worth it in the end. Haha. So again, even if I said this in the email last Friday, let me say it once again: THANK YOU! :)
After last night’s second run, I met up with my successor in the project team I’ve been heading for the past two quarters, and I’m really glad that my term for being lead is over. :) I like what I do, but it’s kind of tiring being the lead. Plus, it’s time for someone else to take over. :)
I went home and slept like a log until almost noon. I watched Horton Hears a Who on DVD and then some TV and finally went to Galleria to go online. Obviously I’m still here, and I’m still deciding if I should geta pedicure later to treat myself. But maybe after I finish accounting my funds.
So it’s a relatively slow Saturday. I’ve got some little stuff I need to do, but like I said, it’s little. I want to spend some time alone for a while because I’ve been surrounded by people lately. Me time, me time.
I just realized how…novel-ish this situation is. I’m sitting at a coffee shop with my laptop, iPod plugged into my ear, cellphone beside me and a book waiting to be read. Plus I’ll be going home to the condo later, and for a few hours I’d be sitting there alone because my brother’s going home late. How…grown-up. Ha, I feel like I’m Rain.:P
Here’s to a relatively quiet weekend. :) Starting next week I’ll be going back home to our house because condo living is expensive. Sure, it feels more posh to live in a condo (even if we don’t have home theater carpet there) but it’s definitely cheaper to just go home. I guess…here’s to a relatively quiet week ahead. :D
Happy weekend everyone!
I guess I better spit it out now because I totally (and purposefully) forget about this.
I’m not going to Australia for World Youth Day 2008.
I know. Surprising, after having this (not so active) blog, and the posts about me registering as a pilgrim and me saying I’d push through even if I know I’d be totally wiped out from all the expenses because I know the experience will be worth it. It still pains me to really accept that my more than a year-long dream of going to Australia for this event is not going to push through. But I’ve got to face and stick to my decision, no matter how painful and regretful I feel, because I believe it’s the right thing to do now.
The main reason why I am not going anymore is that my visa arrived just three days ago. Interesting, right? Especially since my scheduled departure is on the 13th. And because my visa did not arrive on time, I wasn’t able to book any flights. Sure, I had some reserved, but since the visa isn’t here yet, I couldn’t pay for them. And time was running out.
Why didn’t the visa arrive on time? I passed my application papers to our group last May and was expecting to get them back the following week. But the next week they’re still not with me, and the following week and the following…until I finally heard that they were on hold because of some missing papers that I’m not supposed to pass because someone is supposed to take care of it. And then, I heard it was passed again and I got another message that the application form I used was the old one, so I had to sign again. And so I did. I thought I wouldn’t be approved anymore because I know the validity of my certificate of employment is only for a month. The week went on without any news, and I told myself that if July comes in and there’s no news yet, I would not be going regardless of what the results of my visa application is.
Well hello. Visa approved. I learned this the day after I finally made my decision not to go. :|
Hah, weekend. And I’m actually at home, instead of sitting in the condo, using Smart 3G at an attempt to be online. Yes, home sweet home.
Last week…was another difficult week. Interestingly, I’ve had three straight difficult and stressful weeks and it feels like it’s been going on forever. Hay. I can’t elaborate on things (yet), but suffice to say, I’m just glad it’s over. It was challenging, tear-inducing and very disappointing, and somehow I think all that happened has made me jaded. :|
Although, I just received some good news today, and fortunately I am seeing brighter skies (and lighter load, praise God) ahead. Next week’s going to be insanely busy with the company townhall and all that I am a part of, but I’m glad to say that after that, I will be more or less free. :) Thank You Lord. :D
But, if there’s one thing I learned the past weeks, it’s that all is temporary. Meaning, it’s all part of life. Things outside our circle of influence happen, and all we can do is try to make the right choices and never regret the decisions we make, and adjust to how things happen. Yes, that makes life complicated, but, as my friend says, “An uncomplicated life is not a life at all; it’s a routine.” I agree. :)
It hit me just now that I haven’t been paying attention to any of my 2008 Goals. :| Eeep. And we’re already at the second half of the year! Must pick them up again! I’ve got places to go (unfortunately one has been temporarily removed from the list, erm), things to do, recipes to try and bake (I haven’t baked in the longest time!), and goals to accomplish! Yeahbah. Bring it on. :)
So…it’s been another year. :) Today, I celebrate my first year in my current company. That’s us, around September, during our photo shoot for the newsletter of our account. And no, that’s not what was shown in the newsletter, but it’s one of our wacky poses, which just goes to show how wacky we really are in real life.
Our team has gone through a lot for the past year. From the orientation, to trainings, to successful transition, to having difficult and hard to understand clients. There’s also when we were tapped for projects outside of our process that we can work on — video editing, posters, full color printing, etc. There were the awards that the team got that shocked everyone, that put us in a new status within the company, sort of. There was our almost monthly dinner every after payday, the videoke nights, the free dinners care of our team lead. There were also the sad times, where we shared in the loss of a teammate’s family, where we prayed for a teammate’s health when she was hospitalized. And there was also the struggles within the team — the misunderstandings, the unmet expectations and lack of professionalism. And then there’s the goodbyes of two teammates, and changes happening inside and outside the team that we all try to adjust to as much as we can.
That’s our team. We’re not perfect, and there were times I really want to strangle all of them because of me being the only girl left…but it’s also like family. We are friends as well as teammates, and it’s always a pleasure to be working with these guys (and hopefully another girl whoever the new hire is).
So…here’s to a year with these crazy guys. :D Happy anniversary! Best team na ‘to!
And as for me? How was my past year in the company been so far? :) It’s been one heck of a ride, and it’s far from over. :) Even if things aren’t as good as it seems to be with all the changes happening, I think I’m going to be in here for the long run. :D Great adventure!
Thank You Lord. :)
