DECADE-ence 9:51 AM

And so my decade goes like this...

2000: As a non-tibak student of UP Diliman, I spend my days being a GC
girl (grade conscious girl) that were remnants of my high school life.
I aced Math 100 after just passing Math 17 the previous semester. This
is also where I discovered the power of PREROG and experienced
pestering a professor and following him ( oh but he was gay!) in the
restroom just to ask him if he could fit me in his popular class. This
is also the year where I officially discovered my Circle of
Entrepreneurs family.

2001: I'm officially called "Aji". Don't ask. It just happened without
me knowing. And I accepted my new name. Became a Chairwoman for the
Operations Department of my org (UPCE). Popoy Lagman was killed and
that evening I went out on a date. Lol. Academic-wise, never reached
University Scholar as I discovered that Accounting was not
for me. I semi settled for College Scholar. I officially changed my
mind about moving from BA to BAA. Went to my first (and last) rally
against Erap during Edsa Dos. Met and got together with my first beau
who was seriously WAY older than me (15 years! Beat that!) but I was
blind, I was in love, you know the drill.

2002: The year I Majored in School Organizations. Discovered the magic
that is Registration Volunteer Corps. Yay! No more lining up for this
girl to register! And then there was the UP College of Business
Administration-School of Economics Career Assistance Program.
Discovered the joy in pestering various companies to sponsor the
wonderful program of UP CBA-SE CAP and broaden my future corporate
network. Organized my first IT Exposition. Organized my first young
entrepreneurs convention. Became an Opinion Leader with International
Flavors and Fragrances. Managed to snag the Business Manager post for
our College Magazine (my group, lead by my "brother" Joey Castillo,
turned the Guilder Newsletter into an actual magazine in color!) as
well a director for the editorial board. Became the Assistant VP for
Operations for my family org, UP CE. Finally, I was able to lead
projects for the college student council. Had my internship at UCPB
where I was in the Legal Services Department and I assist in evicting
people. There were days when I would sob like hell in my appointed
cubicle because just reading the appeal letters just breaks my heart.
But I guess I earned a sorta-of "techie" label because I have been
known to help out some of the legal services staff with their computer
problems (mostly spreadsheet issues they can't figure out).

Ran and lost for the VP for Operations post. But it turned out to be a
blessing because I decided to cut back on org stuff since I wanted to
graduate with honors. Had to give up Registration Volunteer Corps (I
was a senior by this time and I figured I still have some subject
privileges left based on "seniority"). I maintained Career Assistance
Program because it would really help with my career and with
networking, student council stuff, Guilder Magazine (but did not
attempt to join Guilder Yearbook Annual) but I decided to move
departments and stick with the Publicity Committee where I became Web
Head (How the heck I ended up getting that post is still beyond me.
People actually think I'm techie but hard core web designer I'm not).
Organized my second I.T. Expo and got a few minutes of TV airtime on
Studio 23's defunct IT show Digital Tour (where they showed me hosting
the IT expo program and I was still waif-thin). This was the year
where I found my PG Society Family. We had our share of ups and downs,
bickering, door slamming, cursing, and loving. Our group rocked and
still rocks until to this day, seriously.

2003: This is the year I graduated Cum Laude, regretted that I missed
getting Magna Cum Laude because I spread myself too thin on org stuff
the previous years and didn't concentrate on my accounting subjects.
This was also the year our group, Module Creatives Inc., won first
place at a contest sponsored by the Phil Chamber of Commerce and the
PJ Lhuillier Foundation. The sweet taste of winning was in our tongue
and the delight of building my first corporation made my eyes gleam
with hope.

But being one of the most financially-challenged in our group, I opted
to juggle real work with building a company. This was the year that I
got my first real taste of money. This was also the year where I was
working and budgetted only spending money of a thousand bucks for a
whole month. I saved the rest. I was on top of my bank training class.
This was also the year I discovered I hated my job, absolutely
detested it. My work consisted of knocking on people's doors, asking
their finance departments if they're interested in availing of the
bank's services. If you ever saw a girl in canary yellow blouse (part
of our uniform) with a golf umbrella walking along West Avenue and
certain sections of EDSA near SM North, that would be moi. And If you
saw the same uniformed girl riding a motorcycle while holding huge
bags of money, that was also me picking up money from my clients for
deposit.

This was also the year I got an award from my high school. Alumni
Award for Excellence in Achievement. Too bad they omitted my April and
only put the Lou. In short, my father got an unexpected award instead
of me.

This was also the year I got three marriage proposals but not from my
beau. 2 were from some scrawny kid under 10 years old who loiters near
my branch, and the other one from a guy in a market stall near one of
my client's office. Proposal# 4 never happened because the moldy
architect who would've attempted didn't have the chance because before
the year ended I discovered that I got accepted to United Laboratories
Inc and I decided that come 2004 I will leave my post.

2004: My acceptance to Unilab met some obstacles. The Chairman who
will sign my contract approval has yet to sign. But I still decided to
leave my bank post and decided to spend a month training in graphics
design in a school where I obtained a scholarship. Didn't learn much
though except changing the color of my skin and removing pimples and
red eyes on my photos. But I still managed to finish the course on top
of the class. God knows how I managed that.

Unilab hemmed and hawed to a point where I was a bum from March to
June. Talk about nerve wracking! I opted to attend interviews with
companies like Johnson & Johnson as a fall back in case Unilab backs
out on my acceptance. Fortunately, I officially joined Unilab come
July (thanks Mr. Chairman for signing my papers!). Unfortunately, I
was assigned in Mindanao. First it was supposed to be Cagayan De Oro,
then it changed to Davao, then Butuan, then finally Davao.

Beau# 1 cheated on me for the third time in our four-year
relationship. I have had about enough. I planned on ending it soon but
didn't have the guts and was being hindered by the years we already
spent together. But I knew it was going nowhere. It had no future. But
I lingered.

It was my first time to be away from my family. The first couple of
weeks I was a cry-baby. Thank God for people like Chuchu and the rest
of the Inguillo family for taking me under their wing while I was in
Davao. I had a great adventure there.

This was also the year when a guy named F.F. attempted to have his way
with me while a bunch of us Unilab peeps were out on a night of fun. I
accepted his offer for a ride during the gimmick because my car was in
the shop and we both live in the same district. It was the scariest
moment of my life back then. I thought I was toast for sure. I had the
courage to threaten him never to come near me again or else.

This was the year I chanced upon an "old" friend via email. Things
started to get really fun and eventually I realized I could no longer
be with the first beau. Broke it off with huge amounts of drama. I
wanted to be with someone else. I jumped with my eyes closed and
decided I wanted to be with Beau #2. I felt like I was in heaven.
Christmas was different for me that year because 1. I was in heaven
with Beau #2 and 2. Ex # 1 showed his true crazy self and attempted to
cross dress just to win me back.


2005: Had my first public dramatic show with Beau #2. He was
accompanying me to the company shuttle where I would be taken to
Pampanga for a conference and eventually fly back to Mindanao after. I
found it romantic actually. It was also the first time I was described
as someone's kryptonite. Wonder Woman was Superman's Kryptonite. It's
the stuff made for cheesy romantic movies. Girl will go to a far away
place, guy accompanies girl to the bus. Guy and girl exchange mushy
stares and exchange equally mushy words and see-you-soons. Guy gives
girl his ball cap, girl covers her eyes so guy couldn't see her tears.
Girl rides the bus, looks at the window while guy walks away head
bowed down. Girl cries the entire trip and hoping guy will not cry
over her but had a feeling he already did. Found out indeed that the
guy was distraught from the guy's blog. Girl loved Guy all the more
that she decided to skip going back to Mindanao for a day and decide
to be with him for even just one more day.

Word got out that FF harassed me. My boss, apologized profusely
because he didn't believe me when I told him about it. And got some
more apologies from other people who were friends with FF who didn't
believe me as there were no witnesses according to them. Still, my
company had the nerve to transfer me to General Santos where FF was
based. Decided to leave Unilab finally after the harassment incident,
and few close calls with bombs in my area. Plus, I wanted to be with
Beau #2. Being far away didn't exactly help in building and exploring
the wonders of our blooming relationship. I decided to risk it.

Luckily, the moment I stepped off the plane back to Manila, officially
unemployed once more, offers poured in. Two stood out. One from
Universal Robina Corporation to work in Trade Marketing. The other
with Southeast Asia Food Inc-UFC (now known as NutriAsia Inc).
SAFI-UFC being owned by the enigmatic Jose Campos Jr (former Mr.
Chairman of Unilab). It was an easy decision to make really. I was to
be assigned in Angeles.

Too bad a few days when I started with my new work Beau # 2 decided to
drop a huge bomb on me. He said he couldn't be anyone's boyfriend at
that point in time. Had my second public dramatic show with Beau # 2.
Me in crying fits of heartbreak in the middle of Shaw Boulevard
Crossing's food court. No clear reason for dumping me. It was a
devastating sight. It was the first time ever that my family really
didn't know what to do with me. I was that broken.

I decided then to immerse myself in work. Gained a really true friend
in Sir Wesley during that time. I found myself in a painstakingly slow
recovery process. But worked healed me and I got my mojo back.

2006: I got award for my exemplary work performance. Distributor
Manager of the Year. It was the sweetest win ever. I felt vindicated.
This was also the year I got transferred back to Manila and got into a
major vehicular accident that changed my life. It was then I met my
future hubby, M.

At first I found M to be a jerk. Eventually, things changed and magic
happened. And I officially became a regular church-goer after being
astray for several years.

2007: This was the year when I lost 32 lbs because of my gym
addiction. Career-wise it was steady but gradually becoming rote and
monotonous. My relationship with M went into the next phase, getting
introduced to the parents who came back from the US.

2008: The year I felt bored out of my wits in my work. I felt like I
was being undermined by my own company despite stellar recommendations
from my accounts (they even personally endorsed me to bigger
multinational companies like Colgate and Unilever). This was also the
year when getting passed over for promotions became frequent. I
decided to entertain other companies by then. The biggest blow of my
career also happened in 2008. I was supposed to be promoted to a long
overdue and well deserved post but 10 minutes prior to announcement, I
was told my promotion will not push thru without further explanation
as to why it happened. Instead, I got a consolation prize of a salary
increase. Other people may find that an additional salary to be good
already, but I find it an insult to my character and competency. I
decided to jump ship and move somewhere else where I would be greatly
appreciated for my work ethic, my performance, and my competency
instead of being evaluated for career progress based on how willing I
was to drink every night, endure crass and sexist comments from
supposed leaders of my company, and following blindly and being
controlled like a puppet and not think intelligently for myself.

2009: It was a sweet but challenging year for me. New company and
people to prove myself. I experienced setbacks but in the end I was
able to deliver. It was also the year M popped the question and of
course you know we're getting hitched soon. It was also the year I
started to travel again for work, and I love every exhausting minute
of it. I also finished reading 90 books this year! And yeah, I won a
certain contest but I'm keeping it a secret which contest it is (and
no, it's not the lotto darn it!). And this is the year my sister and I
started paying for a house.

For 2010, I am keeping my sight on the prize and try to keep things
positive.Looking back at this short version of the last 10 years of my
life, I should never forget that I am an achiever and I should not
keep my eyes off my goals. I have gained and lost a lot (both weight
and non-weight related) but in the end I still manage to come through
unscathed and triumphant.

In 10 years I had 2 ex bfs and now I am engaged, got to travel major
destinations in the Philippines, lived on my own in 3 different
provinces without any financial assistance from my family, achieved
awards I never thought I would get (but of course I still want more!),
worked through 4 companies (including the one where I had my
internship) and now I am hoping I'll stay put with the current one,
gained new real friends and got to keep old ones that were genuine,
went through 4 different cars before now settling on Genesis, and
paying for a house that we would eventually own and no longer live
under someone else's property. What a decade! I know things will
become better and better with God's grace.

Shameless Whining 11:12 PM

Sucks being stuck here while The Sister is gallivanting in Oz.

I'm missing all the action!

Oh look! A 'roo scrotum!

Tour Pilipinas Part 2: Ilocos Norte 8:53 PM

The following week was equally busy. I had to fly to Laoag for another opening. Being in my lonesome, I quicky made friends with fellow salesmen who were billeted in the same hotel as I was. They were from TCL, makers of LCD TVs and other electronic appliances. Our hotel was called Isabel Suites and is located right smack in the middle of Laoag’s business district (aka Bayan). It was near the provincial capitol and the Sinking Bell Tower.

We decided to go to the famous Java Hotel where Eagle’s Nest is located. The food was divine! We ordered Pinakbet with Bagnet, Crispy Dinuguan, and Salt and Pepper Ribs. We didn’t order though the hilariously named local dish called Puqui-Puqui which was an Ilocano version of an eggplant omelet. But I bet it was good since everything we ate was good. I cannot believe how naughty some of the Ilocano food names are! Puqui-puqui, Cabatiti (patola), Utong (string beans), and Rakatiti (Dried fish). Glad my officemates are not with me or else we would have been joking about it all night long.

During the course of the conversation over dinner I found out that our hotel (Isabel Suites) was a former hospital. That got to me since I can still clearly recall when I was assigned in Pampanga how the ghost in our compound decided to whisper in my ear while I was pee-ing. God that was scary. So I downed a bottle of Vodka Ice just to make sure I was ready to sleep. Upon arriving back, I quickly did my nightly ritual then jumped on to bed with all the lights open, the TV blaring, and me under the covers surfing the internet on my trusty phone (wifi in the room for free!). I felt the TCL dudes were playing with me and decided to ignore the scratching at my door.

Opening day was a success! My new branch is HUGE! And people were flocking at the doors even before it opened. Very similar, if not bigger, to the crowds waiting at the door of stores during Black Friday.

While waiting for the doors to open (even us suppliers are not allowed to enter ahead of the others), I chanced upon a local empanada purveyor and watched her make the empanada in action.

I didn’t buy any because I was still full from breakfast.

The opening ceremony was graced by the Marcoses.

And of course there were celebrities like Dawn Zulueta-Lagdameo, Jay-R (boy, was I wrong to compare someone to Jay-R back in the day. Hands down I was wrong!), and Carla Abellana (our local Rosalinda). Didn’t wait for Karylle though.

I was not able to secure a flight back to Manila since everything was fully booked already. The plan was to take a night trip bound for Manila. Since we had a lot of time to kill, I joined my friends from Monde Nissin to see the sights that Ilocos has to offer.

We went to the Marcoses’ ancestral home in Batac and visited the former President’s mausoleum. Too bad picture taking was not allowed. Anyway, I’d rather not describe the out of this world feeling I had when I entered the mausoleum.

Finally, I had the chance to enjoy the local empanada!

It was good especially if you add a dash of the local vinegar.

Off we went to Paoay Church after our snack. My gulay! If only we had a lot of money we would have our wedding here! I can totally picture it as a Filipiniana inspired wedding. I would ride a calesa (horse-drawn carriage) instead of a bridal car.

Too bad the ceiling of the church is no longer in its original state.

After that, we went to the Malacanang Palace of the North.

I can imagine how opulent and filled with life the place was during the Marcos regime.

And then finally, a quick stop at Fort Ilocandia

We decided to buy pasalubong (take home gifts) of Nana Rosa Chichacorn and local longganisa (sausage).

We returned to Laoag and visited a few stores and were surprised to see how the people were disciplined especially in terms of following the pedestrian rules.

After a quick dinner, we took a deluxe bus bound for Manila.

I will never take a 10-hour bus ride unprepared ever again!

Faye, Sir Ed, and I didn’t have any blankets or thick jacket to protect us from the severe cold inside the bus. I even resorted to stuff my freezing feet inside my backpack! During one of the stops I almost went into an argument with a couple of new passengers because they took the curtain that I tied up to divert the cold blowing air from the vent away from our heads. I gave them a long cold hard GLARE before they understood their mistake and promptly returned the curtain. I was almost falling asleep but those people ruined it when they took the curtain.

The cold was so bad I was tempted to buy Balut in the next stop and stuff it in my backpack to warm my feet. Good thing there was a vendor in the ladies restroom selling shawls and blankets. The blankets were pricey at Php 480 each. Faye and I decided to buy a wool shawl each at Php 170 bucks just to keep us warm. From then on I was able to snooze comfortably.


It was a lovely, but dead tiring, two weeks. I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to travel. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own pocket (because I’m a cheapskate like that, harharhar). During one of our walks in Laoag, Faye and I were imagining, hoping, and wishing that the 2010 openings would include places like Bohol, Dipolog, Boracay, and Palawan. Oh well, we can only dream and hope.

Tour Pilipinas Part 1: Dumaguete, Bacolod, and Cebu 11:28 PM

Whew. That sums up my last two weeks. It was a lovely but tiring two weeks of adventure!

First off, I flew to Dumaguete for another opening with my boss in tow. It was a rainy morning when we arrived but the sun shined immediately a few minutes later.

View from our Van Pick Up

The opening was a success. My boss and our other companions decided to partake of the local seafood offerings like oysters and scallops. YUM! They were so fresh. The oysters have a natural sweetness in them and the scallops, tender and rich.

The night was lovely and we thought nothing about what would happen the following day.

It was declared signal # 1 due to typhoon Urduja. Unfortunately, our fastcraft trip from Dumaguete going to Cebu got cancelled as well as other sea trips. We attempted to take the bus who will ride a barge, hoping that the bigger sea craft would be allowed. No such luck. All flights were fully booked as well. No luck getting to Cebu.

So off we went and took a land rip via Sir Vic’s car going to Bacolod hoping that we could get a Bacolod-Cebu trip. Again, nada.

So while travelling, we entertained ourselves with the wonderful sights of Negros Occidental.

Being in Bacolod, I cannot miss partaking of the famous Calea cakes which was just across the street from our hotel. It got two thumbs up from my boss for being dense but not cloyingly sweet. It was a sweet ending to a tiring and long day.

We flew back to Manila the following day, in the afternoon, since we had no other options left but to go to Cebu via Manila because all flights were full in Bacolod as well.

The following morning I took an early flight going to Cebu for another opening (my third branch in Cebu). It was a fly in fly out thing because I have a lot of catching up to do with work. Of course, since I was already in Cebu, what else to do but go to Tabo-an to buy danggit!!!

Choy, my Cebu counterpart, and I decided to buy CnT Lechon. Too bad we arrived late and lucked out on the lechon. Choy, who owes me a HUGE favor, took me to Merto’s for lunch. He bought me not one, not two, but THREE huge containers of Dentelles Au Chocolat Belgian Chocolate Lace cookies in three flavors: Mint, Semi-Sweet, and Dark. I was shocked at the price but what the heck… Choy owes me. Hahaha. He happily bought me a thousand bucks worth of cookies! Oh they were super yummy. I love those cookies and always ask Choy to bring me some whenever he goes to Manila for meetings. I hope he owes me more favors soon. Harharhar.

Anyway, off to fly back to Manila come 3pm. I kept wondering why this Indian guy kept sitting beside me and staring at me. He never attempted to make conversation though. I was surprised we were seated beside each other on the plane. He still kept staring. And then it hit me. I freakin’ smelled like danggit! Gah! It clung to my silk blouse! He must be attracted to the scent. Gawd.

When I arrived at Centennial 2, I almost had a heart attack. I saw that the passenger side window behind the driver’s side of my car, Genesis, was covered and taped up with carton boxes! I went white. I thought somebody smashed my windows taking advantage of the few hours I was at Cebu.

I called security to get an explanation or incident report. Turns out I was super sleepy when I flew to Cebu that I left my window open. The guards were kind enough to cover up my window just in case it rained. My God! I cannot believe how lucky I am that NAIA Centennial 2 Security Guards are so wonderful! Too bad I can’t remember their names now since this happened two weeks ago. But thank you! I now feel safer leaving my car at the airport overnight knowing how outstanding the guards in Centennial 2 are at their jobs.

Review: I-Lash Extension Salon 9:30 AM

A few months back, I tried to promote my friend's new eye lash extension salon.

Last November 7, I was attending a wedding of a good friend. It was a good opportunity for me to try out the services of I-Lash. I gladly paid for this service if you must know.

BEFORE

Initially I wanted those extra lush lashes. But apparently they won't work well with my eyes since I have minimal hair and it would look really unnatural. So I picked the mascara type in medium. A bit of ommmph but not too much that I would look like a drag queen. Besides, I was attending a party.

So they prepared my eyes for the application.

They insert the fiber (thus relatively weightless) lashes piece by piece. The process took almost 2 hours since they needed to use up more because I have minimal hair but it varies from person to person.

One tip though, ask your attendant to ensure that the fan is continuously blowing air while they insert the lashes. The glue can make your eyes water until it has dried and set.

AFTER

Yep. Thicker lashes. I attended the wedding later in the day sans any mascara since the lashes itself did all the work.

I think it's nice. Just don't mind my cam-whore pose. By the way, the lashes last for 3-4 weeks depending on how you take care of it. You can have it touched up if you want.

You're not supposed to wash your face/ wet the eye lashes for at least 12 hours, avoiding steam/sauna baths for at least 48 hours (the moist heat will loosen the glue that holds the lashes in your eyelids).

Had a difficult time the first time I washed my face with water the next day (had to use make up cleaner, and lot of swabs to avoid the eye lashes after I got home from the wedding).

But all in all, it was worth it since I have gotten a lot of compliments how my eyes pop-out and seems to look fresh despite lacking sleep.

**********

I-Lash Extensions Salon
3rd Floor, Unit 312 One Amazing Place
403 NS. Amoranto (Retiro) cor. Speaker Perez St.
La Loma Quezon City
(Above Starbucks)
02-3991272
ilashqc@yahoo.com