Flashback! Zobel 2000's 10th year high school reunion

Many of us consider our high school years the best years in our lives. High school was when we met some of the most important people in our lives, our batchmates, which include our best friends then, and if we are lucky enough, still our best friends now. I will never forget high school.

It has been 10 years since I've graduated high school (If you didn't know, I studied high school in De La Salle Zobel here in Alabang, Philippines) and this is the year of our 10th year high school reunion. Knowing my batch, how competitive we are, how we think we're the BEST in everything (we really are! hehe), and how we wanted everyone to know that (ang yabang namin no!), I knew this would be a big event. I heard my batchmates Ben, Joei, and Russ were organizing the event, and I wanted to help so I volunteered my "talent" (HUWAW) as my contribution. I thought that considering the nature of my job, there's probably something I can do to help generate buzz about the reunion and make it a little more fun / interesting. I told them I'd help with creatives: teasers, invites, collaterals, the AVP, basically anything that needed a creative touch.

Needless to say, this project was very close to my heart.

I would like to share some of the creatives we've done. I also just want to share that I even got a little emotional when I was conceptualizing some of these materials. Complete with teary eyes (especially the AVP, nevermind that I was finishing it until 4am the day of the reunion). Hahaha it's funny 'cos it's true.

Teasers (our concept was 90s):

And then, there was the reunion countdown, 10 Days to go before the reunion: 10 Reasons to go to your high school reunion (with the help of Russ, who did the wonderful layout). Here are some of the reasons.

 

Official invite:

 

So, after all the preparations... and everyone's excitement, the day finally came. October 23rd 2010 at the Alabang Country Club, 7:30 pm.

I did one last material which was shown at the reunion: our AVP... Okay, actually there was no time to finish an actual AVP. So what I did was a powerpoint slideshow of old and recent pictures of everyone in our batch, plus a simple edit of our old cheering video. I couldn't really upload the slideshow (how?) so I'll embed the old video instead:

Too bad I can't show you the entire slide show. Doon talaga ako naging emotional eh. Sa totoo lang, napaka-senti nung slide show na ginawa ko! Hehehe. But yes, it was very simple (it's the thought that counts!). At least I got what I wanted when I showed it to my batchmates, which was a whole lot of reminiscing and goose bumps galore!  Grabe it's surreal to see yourself that young on video. I don't think anyone ever thought that many years later we'd be gathered as a batch just to watch our high school selves (and our batch kicked ASS in cheering competitions, if I do say so myself). I didn't really know what feelings I should expect with planning, executing, and attending my high school reunion so all the emotions were new to me. New but very nice. Definitely a once in a lifetime feeling.

So that's it!  Really, my blog entry does not give justice to all the fun we had during the event. Our reunion will go down in history, as the best Zobel 2000 gathering TO DATE! As some of our batchmates said, the reunion just beat our PROM. Imagine that.
 
Hehehe, ang OA, enough with the cockiness. Okay, but seriously, we had a flashbackin' and a spankin' good time! Are you convinced? No? Look how many people attended the reunion... and it was still early when this picture was taken!

Zobel 2000: 10 years later

Yun lang po. Batchmates, see you all on our 15th year! =)


Many thanks to the organizers (Ben, Joei, Russ), to all the batchmates who pitched in the planning and funding, and all those who attended the reunion. My love for batch 2000 is forever! Animo Zobel 2000! Animo La Salle!

BER... It's Cold In Here! (must be something in the atmosphere)

Oo na, oo na, oo na... simula na ang "Ber months". It was the 1st of September last Wednesday, and everyone was tweeting "BER Month na!!!" as if it's a new scientific discovery. Nainis tuloy si internet sensation, Ramon Bautista kaya napa-tweet siya ng (in all caps), "OO NA - BER MONTHS NA!".

I, for one, am ecstatic that August is over, that it's September, and that we have but a few months left until December. I realize some may not be as excited as I am. I guess the coming "end of the year" is what gets to them, but c'mon letting that get to you is really stupid. Here's what I think... DUH, THE  YEAR IS GOING TO END WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT. Right? So, why fight it? Wise men say... "If you can't beat 'em, join em... and party while you're at it."

Come this period of the year, I always find myself doing a lot of thinking, reviewing the past few months, reflecting on my past decisions, as some others probably also do. I guess it's the "deadline" feeling that makes us act this way during this period of the year. Now, as I said, I love the "ber months", meaning I actually enjoy the muni-muni period it entails. I didn't use to be this way - I used to dread how quick time flies and getting older. But now, for some reason, it's easier for me to embrace it - time passing quickly, growing older, getting closer to the "deadline". As to my achievements or who I've become, nothing has really changed a lot. I'm still pretty much the same person I was a few years ago, just a little older, with a few additional lines on my face. I guess something has changed, but it's something inside of me. I guess that's why I can't pinpoint exactly what it is.

In the meantime, happy ber months everybody! This has been a great year so far and I can't wait to see how it all pans out for all of us! Cheers!

I Dreamed A Dream

I'm sure you've heard about Inception, the Avatar/Toy Story/500 Days of Summer of this month. Nah, this post is not about that movie... I'm sure some of you (like me) may be sick of talking about it. In fact, I don't want to be a wet blanket, but I'm one of the very few who didn't really love Inception. I guess I'm just a simple girl, I get lost with anything way too complex, but I digress... I should go back to what this post is really all about.

Although I wasn't really a fan of the movie, it definitely got me interested in one thing: dreams. It inspired so many conversations between me and my friends that I felt I had to blog about it.

Well, dreams mean many things, but I want to talk about the dreams we have when we're asleep. The product of our subconscious thinking, when something affects us but does so under the surface, in a not so obvious way. Could be an experience, a desire, a fear of ours, but whatever it is, one thing's for sure -- it sneaks up on us when we are asleep. The most common dream that I have is the "naked dream", one where I go about ordinary events, interact with the same people in my waking life, COMPLETELY NAKED. Don't get me wrong, the dream is not really sexual, more so it makes me feel very self-conscious. The weird thing about these naked dreams of mine is that never in my dreams did I pick up clothes to cover my body. Can anybody else relate to what I'm saying? No one? Geez. I shared this with some of my friends, confident in my thinking that since it's common to me, it must be common to everybody. Well, I was wrong. It was actually kind of embarrassing when I found out no one of my friends shared the naked dream. Asked them what they think it meant, and we had a lively conversation of it meaning I'm KSP. If you don't know what that means, sorry I won't tell you. =P

Another recurring dream of mine is of me being kidnapped or being held hostage by a group of people, strangers most of the time. These are more like recurring nightmares, actually, and I never understood why I had these dreams. I shared this with my friends too... and of course no one else had them. Asked them what they think it means, and they say it means I'm KSP. Pfft. Are these guys trying to tell me something? Weirdos.

Those two are my most common dreams, but I haven't had those dreams in a long time. If by any chance, you reading this now had ever had these dreams I've had, I googled a dream dictionary and here's what it says:

1. Naked - "Becoming mortified at the realization that you are naked in public reflects your vulnerability or feelings of shamefulness. You may be hiding something and are afraid that others can see right through you. Metaphorically, clothes are a means of concealment... (sic)".

Huh. To read more, click here 

2. Hostage - "To dream that you are a hostage, indicates that you are feeling victimized or powerless. You feel limited in your choices or physically immobilized (sic)... Alternatively, to dream that you are a hostage suggests that a part of yourself is not fully expressed."

Huh. Seems that there's a pattern here. It's been a long time since I've had these dreams and I remember I used to have them a lot when I was still a student, trying to discover myself, who I wanted to be, and what I'm good at. Interesting.

Now, there are the ambiguous dreams, like the ones I just shared, the ones where your subconscious seems to be playing a guessing game with you, not being too obvious... and then there are the not-so-ambiguous, the obvious, in-your-face dreams that just means what it means. I have those dreams too. Actually, my dreams now are really very obvious, I don't really need a dream dictionary to decipher what it means. Here are a few:

1. Just recently, I had a dream that I was online and browsing facebook. (Yes, I am a facebook junkie. Shoot me.) Then I discovered something about a friend of mine, something shocking that actually hurt my feelings. I don't really remember the details anymore, but I think it just means what it means... I'm terrified of learning something that could possibly hurt me on facebook. The "facebook friend" I dreamt about is someone who has a significant impact in my life, and I constantly communicate with this friend through facebook. So, yeah, this dream was really just about my fear of discovering something shocking about this person, through facebook. Corny huh?

2. I also had this dream about me putting on some ugly makeup on my face. It was more like blue face paint really but I treated it like some sort of foundation and smeared my face with the blue powder. Each time I did it, I looked in the mirror and saw how ugly it looked, but I kept on doing it. This one is a bit ambiguous too, but the meaning is quite a no-brainer. Just means I have to be myself and stop covering up the "real me". See? Very simple.

3. Also just recently, I found a crack on my work laptop (in waking life). That very night i dreamt of this crack getting bigger, and like paper, my laptop tore apart. What does this mean? It means I'm terrified of breaking this computer. It's old and it's not really mine, it belongs to the office. Ding ding ding! Mystery solved.

These are just some of the dreams I remember but I've had a variety of weird and not-so-weird dreams. How about you? What is your most common dream? Naked dream anyone?

Mid-year Crazies

Oh, what a crazy month it has been. Crazy, crazy, crazy. As proof, I present to you my blog post. Soooo many things to blog about. Soooo many historical events have transpired just this past month. Allow me to elaborate.  Brace yourself, it's about to get messy. And celebratory. And confusing. About as confusing as the first paragraph of this blog post. The one you just read. Yes, this one. 


Crazy no. 1 

"Every four years, for thirty-one days, the world comes together to stand apart."
- Morgan Freeman voiceover in a VISA TVC

If you are not familiar with Mr. Freeman's statement above, or if you do not have a clue what he is referring to, then let me to ask you this: How's life as a caveman?

I kid, I kid. I know not all of us follow the World Cup, only the most popular sporting event in the world (yes, even more popular than the Olympics and the Superbowl). About half of World Cup fans are not even World Cup fans, but hormonal fangirls obsessed with hunky male football players (it's true though, a lot of football players are really goodlooking... have you seen the Spanish National Football Team? Or, if not... just take a gander at their goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. Great keeper and a great looking fellow. Damn some people are just really blessed). 

The 2010 World Cup kicked off last June 11th at South Africa, the first African nation to host a World Cup. At first I was watching with no pressure, scouting for a team to root for. But on the early morning (2:30am) of June the 14th, my jaw dropped as I watched an amazing young German team, with unknown players (except for a few), beat the crap out of the Australian Socceroos, 4-nil. I was even rooting for the Socceroos at first (I always root for the underdogs) but man, by the end of the 1st half we had a clear winner. The excitement and surprise that this young team was able to bring to a "boring" game called football made me really miss the sport for the first time in years (I used to play as keeper in our high school's football team, but it was just for a short time). Honestly, I never really missed football, not until I watched the Germans massacre the Socceroos. That's when I became a Die National Mannschaft fan. I was hooked.

The Germans went on to dominate the 2010 World Cup, and were quickly gaining fans as they beat favorites England (4-1) and Argentina (4-0). Although they lost one game to Serbia (and I honestly think that was a fluke), they sent many star players home. Australia's Cahill, England's Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, with their coach Capello, plus Argentina's Messi, Tevez, Higuain, with their coach Maradona all have a lot of reflecting to do until Brazil 2014.

After beating World Cup favorites England and Argentina, Germany faced Spain in the semi-finals. It was a highly anticipated match, because as the days went by, these two teams were being considered the best teams in the tournament. Spain won that match 1-nil. Seemed that the German counter attack was not mature enough to dominate Spain's ball possession play. I have to say, the Spaniards had a great strategy, and this match was more of a mind game than anything else. It was obvious that the Germans were holding something back, maybe it was fear or maybe the "counter attack" strategy was just not good enough to win against the Spaniards, who knows? One thing was obvious though, they got played. It was a different German team, not the one who dominated their previous matches.

Oh, the pain. I had become attached to Die National Mannschaft. After celebrating their brilliant play in their previous matches, I was heartbroken. When Carles Puyol of Spain, scored that bullet header goal, it literally felt like a bullet. Right through the heart! 


The Spaniards were sent to the finals against Netherlands, and the Germans went on to play for the 3rd place match against Uruguay, their final game. It was clear what the German and Uruguayan teams had to do - play to their heart's extent; third is still third. Both teams picked up the pieces of their broken hearts, and played what I think was the best game in the tournament. The score itself tells you, Ger 3 - 2 Uru. It was a rollercoaster of emotions as the Germans took the lead in the 1st half, the Uruguayans fought back and took the lead at the beginning of the 2nd half, and the Germans finished the game with two more goals towards the final whistle (one goal at the 83rd minute!). Even the last minute of the game almost gave me a heart attack, as a free kick was awarded to Diego Forlan (The man who single-handedly brought Uruguay to the semi-finals, and this year's Golden Ball awardee), giving Uruguay the chance to extend the game into extra time with a possible equalizer. But alas, and luck for the Germans drove the Jabulani ball to hit the top goal post, and the game was over. Germany took 3rd place, which was not bad. Not bad a at all.


I've been analyzing why I was so attracted to the German team. No, it wasn't because I had a crush on one of the players (my crush is the COACH! Joachim Lowe... sigh!). Honestly, the Germans could not hold a candle against the Spaniards in the crush-worthy department (Casillas, Ramos, Villa, Xavi, Torres, damn those sexy Spaniards). The simplest reason why I like them so much is because they exceeded expectations, with their young, unknown players, who turned out to be very talented and always gave us an exciting game to watch (my favorites are Oezil, Mueller, Schweinsteiger and Klose: although he's not that young anymore). I kind of drew a connection between this team and myself, being young literally, and in the industry, always trying to impress my superiors (who are considerably older than I am), sometimes being put down by older and more seasoned industry players, blah blah blah. It's corny, but it's true.

They say this was the Spaniards' world cup, and I have to say, well played. Along with the sudden shot to fame of the German psychic octopus, Paul, this would have to be the most dramatic world cup I have ever followed. So, congratulations and Viva Espana! As for Gernany, they will be back stronger and better than ever... and I will still be cheering for them for sure.


Crazy no. 2


July 1st was my 28th birthday. I had a joint birthday party with my friends Martha (June 29th) and Jam (July 2nd). It was our birthday weekend, and it was the Germany vs. Argentina game. So we had a World Cup themed Birthday Party.

Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Exhibit A

 

Exhibit B

  

Exhibit C

 

Oh, how I love birthdays. I especially loved this one because I got to spend it with friends I have not seen in a long time. Can't wait for next year!

Crazy no. 3

This month I have four projects. Two photoshoots (one done last weekend, one to be held this weekend), and two TVC shoots (both done). Work has been work, but fulfilling, and I have got some fine additions (if I do say so myself) to my portfolio. That's crazy enough for me.

Crazy no. 4

  

Parting note: I know I said I'm going to blog about season enders for this and the next few blog posts, but I will get to that later on. I just felt this was a more interesting entry to post. 'Til next time, my lovelies! Peace!

More Fascinating Than Fiction...

Yes, I know how that idiom really goes... "Truth is STRANGER than fiction". I just didn't want to use the word "strange" because the word "fascinating" is much  more appropriate for this blog post and you'll see why.

I've literally just finished watching a documentary entitled "Anvil! The Story of Anvil". I've been so moved by this story, that I immediately went to my blog so that I could tell you about it while everything is still fresh in my mind.

 

"I started out with Robb when I was 14, 15 years old, and we said, 'We're going to do it until we're old men.' We really meant that! We had that 15 minutes of fame, and then it's gone so that's the way I kind of look at it. I was lucky enough to have that moment, and basically that was enough of a moment that prolonged and gave me a career that's 30 years long. It was a great achievement. Fantastic achievement. Nothing to ever look down at or not to be proud of, and that's the way I really look at it."

- Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Vocalist / Lead Guitarist for Anvil

Let me admit first that I am not actually a big fan of rock music, especially heavy metal. It's just not my preference. Nevertheless, this film goes beyond the music as it explores the admirable character of two men who never gave up their dream despite the harsh realities of life.

"Anvil! The Story Of Anvil" is a documentary about the journey of two Canadian boys who met when they were 14 years old, started a rock band, made it relatively good in the 1980s, then because of bad marketing and talent management did not make it big in the music business. However, what's truly fascinating about these two people, Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocalist/lead guitarist) and Robb Reiner (drummer), is that they stuck with each other and never gave up their dream, that 30 years later they still consider themselves as the band "Anvil" and still make music together. They have their day jobs, of course... Lips works as a truck driver for a catering service, and Robb works in construction. Both get paid minimum wage.

This is the story of their continuous struggle as they take big risks in the music business, being in their 50s and still rocking like a couple of 20 year olds, booking a European tour and getting nothing out of it, funding their 13th album and getting them directly to their small fan base in hopes of reaching an actual record company bigwig.

Artists are one of the most idealistic groups of people ever. I don't think there is anything wrong with idealism, in fact, if I may say so, it is probably one of my most obvious character traits. Well I think that the idealism of an artist is based on that burning desire to do what you love and nothing else. No one can ever tell for sure if an artist will make it big and build a long-term career doing what he loves, but he does it anyway. Art, unlike other fields, is very subjective and financial success in that realm sadly depends very much on your appeal to the public. I applaud the people who can look beyond that reality and still push forward and stick to their ideals, whether they make it big or not. It would be hard to live in a world where you do not love what you are doing, but the reality is that in some cases, you may have to risk starving yourself doing this.

Personally, there is nothing that I admire more than determination. Determination is a step forward from hope. It is that attitude of taking action, instead of just wishing for a dream to come true. These guys from Anvil have it.

Anyway, it seems that the topic has shifted from the film to my own sentiments in life. So, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.

About this film, I'm not going to tell you the whole story because I don't want to spoil it. I just want to say that I recommend this film as another cheap long weekend thrill. Instead of spoilers, you can watch the trailer below.

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Sorry if this is a little off-topic but I just wanted to put this out there. I am not a registered voter, which sucks I know. (Long story)

But if given the chance to vote, there is only one candidate that I truly believe in.

I believe in his platform.
I believe in his credentials to be the leader of our country.
I believe in his positive character.
I believe that when he becomes President, he will try very hard to unite the rich and the poor. Unlike other candidates whose only strategy it seems is to pit the rich and the poor against each other.


I believe in Gibo Teodoro.

"If there is one word that is to be generated by government, it is confidence."

- Gibo Teodoro

Cheap Long Weekend Thrills

Well, hello everybody! Hi Mom! Yes, Mom, I know you're reading this. Are you here now, are you here now? Blink twice if you are.

Okay, I don't know what that^ was about. I obviously do not have that much to blog about, but I just thought that it's been a long time and I miss my blog so here I am rambling about random stuff again. Huh? I know, right? Huh?

(But mom, if you really are reading this... WHAAAAT'S UP???)

Tonight is the simple end to a well-spent long weekend. But somehow, like all long weekends, it just feels as if I didn't get enough rest. It's weird 'cos I actually had more days off than everyone else, as I got a little sick last Thursday and Friday (I was down with a weird fluctuating fever, a burning throat, and an epic headache). I was bedridden for two whole days and only recovered on Saturday. 


I'm fine though. The only plan I had for this weekend was to stay home and watch a bunch of videos I downloaded while I was sick and asleep (yes, it's possible!)... and everything went according to plan. Mwahahaha! I'm actually not done watching them all, I got a little trigger happy downloading everything that seemed interesting and ended up with too many. What you say? Next weekend is another long weekend? Mwahahaha!

So, I decided I'll give you a few thoughts about one movie I managed to finish watching. Here it is...

I am definitely a fan of Walt Disney films. Magical, simple storylines, but still with a bit of comic wit (side note: I once heard that in his day, Walt Disney was known as a famous prankster, using his films as outlets for his "pranks". Remember the "Hidden Mickey" in every Disney cartoon, as revealed by the disney channel?). I applaud the Disney Corporation for being able to keep the same formula for many years, even with the beloved Mr. Walt Disney passing away. Of course it works now because, not only do they keep the tradition, but they add a little "spice" with  new ideas and "upgrades" that follow modern times.


I especially liked "The Princess and The Frog" as it is a slightly altered realist version of that old fairy tale, "The Frog Prince". I think Disney films has moved towards that direction, since "Enchanted" and "Bedtime Stories" (or even earlier, If I'm mistaken), having that kid fantasy formula but with a realistic flavor. It's the right balance of realism and idealism mixed with kid-friendly characters and pretty colors. I think this avoids the next generation feeling duped by their parents when they grow up and realize that "life is not really a fairytale", but still being able to get the message across in a positive way. I mean, look at the teenagers now, there are so many EMOS! I think it's because they've been pampered with so many sugar-coated fairy tales, and now that they are faced with real world problems, everyone's gotten so depressed and negative! As adults (naks!), I think it is now our responsibility to encourage hope and positive attitude, but still reminding the kids to keep their feet on the ground.


Anyway, what I love about the film is that the lead character, "Tiana", is a charming African American girl living in New Orleans. Now that's 21st century!

Actually, come to think of it... Disney has had a variety of lead characters of different races. There were the Caucasians (Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc.), Asian (Mulan), Middle Eastern (Jasmine), American Indian (Pocahontas), Gypsy? (Esmeralda), Hawaiian? (Lilo). Hmmm... I don't think there ever has been a Latina lead character. someone like "Juana" or "Corazon". Definitely no Filipina yet. What say you for a Filipina disney character? That sounds nice, right? "Chona the kusinera", or because everyone's been talking about them lately, "Rh0sE the jejemon princess". Pinay na pinay!



So that's this long weekend. Get ready for next week when I probably will blog about struggling rock bands and gay men. 

Talk to you soon, Mom.

10 years??? 10 FREAKING YEARS???

The year 2000 was, and still is an unforgettable year for many of us.

It was the turn of a new century.

It was the beginning of "the future".

It was the rise of the pop stars: Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake (who I just saw perform with Timbaland and will marry sometime soon, in my dreams), Nick Carter, and the Hanson kids.

It was the popularity of rave parties: loud techno music, glow sticks with strings, weird outfits, and even weirder dance moves.

It was the year I graduated high school.

It was 10 years ago.


Yes, the year 2000 was definitely unforgettable, especially for Britney Spears, JT, Nick Carter, the Hanson kids, and of course, me and my high school batchmates. 

It was the year I felt I was officially entering "adulthood", and I felt thankful that everyone will stop treating me like a kid. I got into college feeling pretty cool about myself, having that "oh yeah, I'm an 'adult' now!" attitude. I specifically chose a college that does not require uniforms because I strongly felt that school uniforms are for kids, not for this grown-up woman. The new found independence felt thrilling, and I couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for me.


Now, I look back to the girl I was, version 2000... and I can't believe it's only been 10 years. I wish I could say that I feel that those 10 years just zipped by, but honestly, I couldn't. Instead of feeling "wow, that was 10 years ago, where did the time go?!", I kind of feel like, "That was ONLY 10 years ago? Why do I feel like I'm 40?"


Here are some historical events from the past 10 years of my life. Like I said, I find it quite hard to believe that all these (and other things I don't want to mention) happened but it did:

1. Graduated high school.
2. Got into college. 
3. Started smoking.
4. Transferred schools.
5. Quit college.
6. Said goodbye to mother who migrated to SF, California.
7. Took charge of family business.
8. Closed down family business.
9. Got my first office job.
10. Quit my first office job.
11. Got my second office job.
12. Became top 2 agent in my second office job.
13. Got sick of my second office job.
14. Wanted to quit my second office job, but couldn't.
15. Got myself fired from my second office job.
16. Was unemployed.
17. Applied in several offices, unsuccessfully.
18. Got my 3rd office job, but 1st job in account management in the advertising industry.
19. Realized that being an account manager isn't really for me.
20. Tried to quit smoking (presently still trying).
21. Tried my hand in copywriting.
22. Quit being an account manager.
23. Transferred to creatives as a copywriter.
24. Wrote this blog post.


Now that I've typed all that, and as I scan this list of my "main events", I wonder... could I have done more? Become more? Saved more? Or, done differently?

Of course, I could have. There are a lot of things that I could have done to add to my list above... and I have also committed a lot of mistakes that directly contributed to who I am now.

My life motto always has been "Never regret anything". I'm not sure if that's the right virtuous attitude, but it has worked for me. Many of the shit we go through are painful and life-altering, and we'd probably have a better life if we had not gone through that shit. The thing is, though... I've always believed in two things: 1) That to live life with regrets is to live a sad, unsatisfying life; and 2) Everything happens for a reason. 

Now I've been thinking of the movie, "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion". Remember that? It was their 10-year high school reunion too. We'll be having our reunion this December, I think. Do I have to invent something comparable to post-its now? I have 8 months to do that. 

I guess this post really has no point, but thank you for reading.

Love... love... love. / Tweeting consequences

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done... Nothing you can sing that can't be sung..."

Forgive me, for tonight I feel enveloped in an awesome luurrrve mood all of a sudden. This doesn't happen too often so, you know... just let me be. One night only.


First, I want to share this Puma TVC I found on the interwebs. Such a simple yet sweet balance of soft and tough.



Maybe some of you are now wondering (if anyone actually reads the nonsense in my blog), so let me set the record straight... I'm not in love. I can almost hear you screaming "yihee!", whoever you are ms./mr. lurker (again, I'm just assuming people find my stuff remotely interesting). There is no new boy. Not even a crush. If there was anyone, even just someone with potential, I won't deny it. So, stop it already. (Am I talking to myself again? Yes, unfortunately. See what I did there?)

I don't know, I just feel love-inspired. The general kind of love. You know, love of others? Loving thy neighbor? Forgiveness? People on the street, giving and receiving. People doing good deeds. Friends who'd drop everything for another friend. That kind. That's love... and that's inspiring.


It's weird that I had to classify the kind of love I'm talking about. I'm not really sure there are different kinds of love. I mean, isn't it the same thing? I'm not talking about the feeling, alright, 'cos that's different. Oh God, here I go again with the nonsense.

Moving on...
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Tweeting consequences

I just had a revelation. Twitter can be as evil as facebook.

Yeah, a strong statement I know. About facebook, I'm sure many of you have been victimized by the horrible yet juicy and addictive gossip central time-sucker that is facebook. Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty as charged, 'cos no matter how much I BELIEVE that facebook is an evil corporation ran by the devil himself, I just can't rid myself of the damned thing. I'm being screwed and still hooked... and the devil is happy. And with the entire facebook population getting hooked? Facebook population is not just the size of a country, it's a continent, for Christ's sake. The devil cries tears of joy for the continent of souls he owns now, and I'm one of them.



Twitter, on the other hand... I always thought twitter was my quiet sanctuary. Things I would never EVER post on facebook, I post on twitter. Whenever I need an escape from all the evil facebook noise, I go to the bird and I tweet my heart out. This is fine if you have a private twitter profile (like mine), but not if you don't remember everyone who's been following your every tweet. 

See, I'm a little more liberated on twitter. Blame the bird... that thing makes me feel different about myself. I've been spilling my guts without even thinking who sees my tweets. Let's just leave it at that 'cos blogspot is the only friendly territory I have now and I don't want to ruin it by saying too much again. 

Twitter is facebook's less-evil-but-evil-nonetheless twin sister. If facebook is the self-confessed gossip monger, then twitter is the one who swears will keep her mouth shut, then reveals all your secrets to the next person. Painful I know, but the truth is, twitter looks sweeter (I meant to rhyme), but it does have a hidden dark side.

Valentine Bullets

I'm feeling a bit disoriented nowadays. Blame it on lover's season, I guess. Anyhoo, let me sum up all recent events concerning me these past few weeks: 

• Do not watch "Wolfman" starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. It was like watching a 90's B-Movie with A-list actors who suddenly lost their integrity and did the film for the money and nothing else. Half the time, I was laughing to myself (hint: it's not a comedy), the remaining half was torture. Awful predictable story and really really awful production value.
• Been staying up too late for the past few weeks, which is very unusual for me. I do not like staying up late. I'm a girl who NEEDS her 8 hours of sleep.
• Got a giant pimple a few days before Valentine's. Nice. (I think I really need to stop staying up too late)
• Got to sing my videoke frustration song, "Alone" by Heart. Did that in front of our clients. 
• The things you have to do for work... singing a song with extremely high notes, definitely not one of them. Especially when you're known for singing male songs because of your low "husky" man-voice.
• Trying to plan a beach trip to Zambales for next weekend. I'm desperate for some quiet time away from the city. So desperate, in fact, that I'm willing to take a bus going there, and this will be my first long bus trip. Good luck with that.
• In the middle of an extremely busy February - March: 4 campaigns, plus an event, for 3 different accounts all targeting a mid-March launch.
• Since it is Valentine's and I don't want to seem bitter... then okay, I'll go with the flow. So let me leave you with this final thought:

          "Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without, and know we cannot live within."
         

The Thing About Spontaneity

"People respond to something that happened in the moment, much more than they will respond to the most brilliant thing that was thought of ahead of time and prepared. There's something in us, and they're going to find it someday. It's like a tiny piece of zinc in our cerebral cortex. They're going to find out what it is. But when we see something that unfolds naturally and is real, people love it... something going off the rail, something going wrong, something happening that wasn't supposed to happen. Do not fear those moments. That's where the gold is."

- Conan O'Brien (again)

When faced with a task, especially a writing task, I know I've had instances when I swear I've racked my brains, painfully over-thinking and trying to come up with good ideas, then ending up with garbage. Like every other normal human being, I do get some criticism with the work that I do; sometimes a lot of criticism. I also did realize that the ideas that seem to get criticized the most are those that I've agonized over, those I made sure had no loopholes. In other words, I get mediocre results when I analyze things way too much. 

Although I think I'm fairly open minded and can take criticisms constructively, I have to admit there are times I wish my skin was a lot thicker. See, I find sometimes that it's hard to psych yourself up to "try again" and not be discouraged when you get a "eureka!" moment that turns out to be a dud.

But there are also times that I do manage to get back up and spin the wheel again, this time a little more carefree. And after some lively, oftentimes off-track discussion with my colleagues or my brilliant (I'm not sucking up here, he really is something else) boss, we always come up with something goosebump-worthy and ingenious, something that is just simply and universally true. Surprisingly, these epiphanies always happen after that point when we've thrown in the towel and decide to take a break by goofing off for the rest of the conversation. The mood flow goes: serious, serious, serious, TIRED! break, break, break, laugh, laugh, laugh... DING! EUREKA! 

It's just magical, is what it is. I've heard/read somewhere that the best ideas are often accidental.

I think this is also the answer as to why planned gimmicks almost never push through and spur of the moment things always do.

Moral of the story - planning is overrated.

Work Hard, Be Kind

"All I ask is one thing... Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." 

- Conan O'Brien, 01/22/10

Tinamaan ako... right through the heart. This line got me so bad that I made it my shoutout on FB and Twitter, and now I'm blogging about it. Add that it was Conan O'Brien who said this in his final Tonight Show on NBC (anyone who knows me well knows that I am one huge Coco fan). Did you guys know he was Class Valedictorian in his high school and Magna Cum Laude when he graduated college at Harvard? Brilliant, right? I wouldn't have guessed it, knowing how he is with his silly antics and his almost senseless humor. Sure he does have a lot of wit and is really smart if you think about it, maybe he really is a natural host. But, seriously a "Harvard geek" like him? Becoming one of the greatest and arguably, the coolest late night show hosts of his time? That is an AMAZING THING. Now I believe, Conan... I believe!

When he passes, this quote will have to be written on his gravestone. I'm serious. It really is such a beautiful thing to say especially now that everyone seems to be so cynical of every thing that is happening in this world. Riches, prestige, and fame may give you the things that you desire in this lifetime... but passion, positivity, kindness, and sincerity will give you the THINGS YOU NEED.



I end this post with a video of Conan's very heartfelt speech. If you haven't seen this, I hope you watch... and I hope his words mean something to you as it had meant something to me.

So... I Guess I'm It

I've been tagged on a blog post by my good friend, Russ... so now, I guess I'm It. 

The rule is to confess 7 random things about yourself, then pass on to 7 blogger friends. Since currently I've been in somewhat of a mind block, I thought I'd play along. The thing is, just recently I've posted a "confession" entry where I confessed 2 of my deepest darkest secrets (don't worry, nothing shocking there... in fact, they're both very lame)... which means that doing this 7 confessions thing would be a "repeat performance" entry. (What the heck's with all this explaining I'm doing?! Sometimes, I really do think too much... )

Well, my Saturday night plans didn't happen, so I'm bored at home when everyone's out and about. So, I'm doing this! But since I've already confessed two things in the past, I thought I'd add just 5 more confessions to make it 7. (People, I'm not really cheating. I'm just really lazy, okay?)

Here are my 5 additional random (and not very controversial) confessions:


1.I LOVE SINGING ALOUD


I love it so much that sometimes I forget common decency and sing aloud aboard the BF to Makati to BF Public Shuttle. I love it so much that apart from being able to sing the lyrics to an entire song (one that I really like), I can sing the back up vocals PERFECTLY, and make sounds resembling instrument sounds (bom-bom-bom and tooooroooroootooo, among others). I'm the sh*t, I tell you. My nickname should be Iza "The One-Woman-Band" Singson.


2. I OWN TOO MANY BLACK CLOTHING


It was the last Christmas season when I realized this. There I was, after a shopping trip, going through my recent purchases... when it dawned on me: my closet is already filled with black clothes, and I just bought several more to add to my collection. No, I'm not a witch, nor am I a gothic person/anyone overtly depressed/suicidal. The simplest explanation to this "Black Phenomenon" is that I am actually just a little "thicker" (read: FATTER... ouch!) than I used to be, and I need the slimming benefits of dressing in black.


BTW, sorry for that "Black Phenomenon" coining thing I just did. I just wanted to make this sound more interesting.


3. I'M A WEEPER


Do not be mistaken by this tough exterior, my friend... As if. I cry all the time. It's freaking annoying. I try to bottle my emotions in, and I succeed sometimes in doing that, although my face can look a little constipated when I'm holding back the tears.


You want to know what's worse than drunk-calling? Or drunk-texting? DRUNK CRYING. Enough said.



4. I HAVE A SPLIT PERSONALITY


Okay, don't take #4 literally. I'm not a nutter. What I meant by #4 is that I really do have so many different and opposing character traits. Sometimes, I think my personality depends on who I'm dealing with (or how comfortable I am with this other person)... and boy, do I take it to the extremes.

I can be the quietest, shyest, most serious, and snobbiest, (I swear I've been called a snob many, many times and I never really understood why) person you'll ever know... or I can be the complete opposite: the loudest, rowdiest, funniest, and friendliest (I've been called a snob and then been called super friendly, even I'm confused) girly in the planet. 


5. I AM IN LOVE WITH THE BEACH LIFE... THE PALM TREES, WHITE SANDS, CRYSTAL CLEAR WATERS... BUT I NEVER SWIM.


I just have this little fear of being eaten alive by a shark. Blame that great white thing that was so popular in the 80's they made a movie about it, add the theme from the movie soundtrack, and you get a lifetime PHOBIA.


Well, that's all folks. Til next time, and after I've recovered from this slump... Be seeing ya!

Beginner's Luck My B---!

When I was younger, I remember that I've always asked myself, "What's the big deal with gambling? Why are people so addicted to it?" I have always had this discomfort with spending money on odds, and then at the end getting nothing out of it. In other words, ayoko mag-tapon ng pera! I get nervous from even those small betting debacles with friends, example: 

FRIEND: Patay na si Alanis Morisette! 
ME: Ulol! No way!
FRIEND: Oo nga! Wanna bet?!
ME: Ahhhh... ayoko.

If you know me very well, then you'd be aware that I am the Ms. Kuripotest of them all. I mean, I can have a pa-kunatan showdown with all you kuripots out there. I swear. For instance, for me, shopping can only be done on SALE season. My favorite shop is a thrift-store here in BF, where they sell very good quality dresses at P100 a piece, jeans at P120, and tops at P50. Good deal, eh? I'll tell you where it is when you ask me, basta kailangan ma-tiyaga ka. Walk about 5 laps around the shop and I'm sure you'll find some good buys.


Anyhooo... the thing that triggered this post is my latest favorite activity. Christmas eve, (actually Christmas dawn at 12am) my bestfriend (Jen) texted me to tell me we're going to the Resort World Hotel Casino. I was like "Casino? Sige sama ako but I will not spend ANY MONEY. Manonood lang ako."


Lo and behold... when we got there I couldn't resist. The gambling energy was so damn infectious. Soooo... I bought P500 worth of chips, and we played this game called "Big and Small". It's basically a dice game and you bet on the numbers. Hirap explain dito, but the game's pretty easy to play even for beginners like me.



After about 30 minutes, naubos ang chips ko. Damn! I told myself... no more spending. P500 is enough. I wanted to drink instead but a bottle of beer costs about P190... RIP-OFF! Jen was on a roll (well, she spent P1000 on chips). I was inggit with all the energy so I told myself, okay... I'll buy another chip (lowest bet is P100. See? not that scary after all). So I had one chip worth P100 and I waited and waited for that magical moment when my heart would skip a beat and tell me, "Bet that chip, Kuripot!"


I put the chip down and bet, and cheered all the way until I won another chip. Then I bet again and won another chip. Long story short, out of spending P600, I got P2500 back! I felt like a teary-eyed contestant on Wowowee! By the end, I had to control myself and Jen had to pull me out of the casino.

Needless to say, I will be coming back. As they say, "Beginner's luck!". I say, "Luck exists in the leftovers!" (Uy, sumegue sa blog title ehehe)


Here is a picture of us after claiming our winnings. (Don't worry, hindi ako ma-adik dito. I am still a kuripot at heart)

The New Year's Irresolution

Is it bad that I have had the same new year's resolution for three consecutive years now? My resolution: I resolve to quit smoking cigarettes... and for the past three years I have broken my promise and have fallen back into this nasty nicotine habit. What a shame.

So, the year is ending, and here I go again. The only difference now is that I am starting a little earlier this year. I've started cutting back on smoking around mid-december, so that hopefully I can quit by the 1st day of the year 2010. I've been resisting the urge to chain smoke, and at times that I really, really have to... I allow myself only one cig a day. Actually, the usual number of cigarettes I have in a day is around 7-10 sticks... and that is hardly what anyone would call chain smoking. Regardless, though... quitting smoking altogether is H-A-R-D. I know non-smokers don't get it and are probably thinking, "Dude, if you can cut back, then just quit already. How hard can it be?" Well, it's H-A-R-D. You should be in my head. All I keep thinking is "Iza, you need a cigarette. You haven't smoked today. You haven't smoked. YOU HAVEN'T SMOKED!" It can get a little crazy. Just take my word for it, and I am speaking on behalf of all fellow smokers out there.


Yesterday, unfortunately, my willpower failed me. I smoked about five cigarettes. Today, I've had two.


Still, I'm hopeful. Cutting back to five sticks in one day is not bad. So, maybe, quitting smoking altogether is actually... doable (GASP!). 2010, be good to me. You just might be THE year.

The Downside of Aging

Okay, okay, okay... I'm exaggerating. This is hardly what you'd call aging. I only turned 27 this year. (Yes, I'm only 27... Shut up!)

Seriously, though... I'm getting older. One downside of aging, among many things, is the slowing down of one's metabolism, and therefore gaining weight that is just so freakin' hard to get rid of. I, for one, have been trying to deny that I am now a participant in the metabolism game... yesterday morning, however, I had a rude awakening. Let me break it down to you...


You know your ass is getting bigger, when your favorite pair of jeans (actually, the only pair that fits you nowadays) rips at the butt area when you sit down hurriedly because you are running late for work. 

Well, that's what happened to me. Note that it wasn't just a small rip that could easily be hidden under my long shirt (the kind of shirt that disguises a protruding beer gut). The rip starts from the right butt cheek right down to the "kuyukot"  (only a word as nasty as this can make me blush) - that area below the bum. The clincher? I didn't notice it at first, so I did my errands (passed by the bank and the drugstore), and walked the busy BF Paranaque street, clueless that everyone behind me would be enjoying a free peep show featuring my ass. The only time I noticed that my ass and my underwear was exposed to the world was when I finally felt the "air-cool" feeling. Needless to say, I had no choice but to go back home and change my pants.



You know that feeling when you come home and notice that your fly was open the whole time you were outside the house? Multiply that feeling by 50... and that's exactly how I felt.

On the upside, I finally have a legitimate reason to shop for new clothes. =)

These Are My Confessions...

Obviously, thanks to the title of this blog post, I have a few confessions to make. No, these are not the explosive and controversial types, so please lower your expectations my friend. If those are what you're looking for, then please, for your own benefit and mine, STOP READING.

Oh, you're still here? Well I guess I better start yapping. Here goes...


CONFESSION #1

This realization came about after seeing this website... and after reading this reply to that website.

I'm not very good with grammar. I mean I'm good, if what we mean by good is just knowing and having internalized the basic rules, e.g. tenses, subject-verb agreement, proper use of pronouns, etc. But... and this is kind of embarrassing, especially since I just recently spilled my guts about an impending career shift this January... I just think it's impossible (for me, at least) to be familiar with, let alone absorb all 10,000 of them grammar rules. Am I right or am I right?

However, to write something like that ad and upload it for everyone to see is just downright pretentious. I am totally with Zafra on this one, it's okay if you want to show the world how snooty you are... just make sure you are also perfect.

So, and it goes without saying, I am not perfect. I must admit though that there are some common grammatical, pronunciation, and diction errors that still manage to irk me quite a bit, such as... (ahem... bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan... mabubukulan)


"With regards to" - Ditch the s in regards and just say, "With regard to".


The common misuse or lack of apostrophes, like interchanging the words "you're" and "your", "they're" and "their", etc.:
1. "Your a douche!"
2. "Their coming!"

The mispronunciation of the words:
1. Due - Djoo ("Your past djoo bill" or the double whammy, "You're past djoo bill", please make your life easier by just saying "doo")
2. Menu - Me-nu (people, repeat after me: me-nyoo)
3. Verbatim - Verbahtim (read: ver-bay-tim)


There are many, many more, but of course I am unable to remember them all.


What was I saying about snootiness and perfection? Never mind. Let's just move on to...



CONFESSSION #2

"I like 'art films'."

Oh, god... I cringe every time I hear anyone say "art film".


As they say, every human being is innately creative, and art is a product of human creativity.  What's more, art is relative to the person creating it and the person appreciating it.  Yes, totally. What's art to me may be a piece of crap to you. On the contrary, what's art to you may be (insert politically correct remark with a somewhat negative connotation here) to me.


In the same argument, then what defines an "art film"? 

I say just stop calling them "art films", and call them simply, "films". Isn't film another form of art anyway? So, saying "art films" is exactly like saying "art paintings", or "art music", or "art literature". It's so redundundundant.


Anyway, hearing this just makes me assume that the person talking has never seen an "art film" (CRINGE!) in his lifetime. Next thing I know, the next twilight movie will be called an ART FILM. 

Know what, go ahead say it... Twilight is art... as I said, art is relative anyway. Just don't say ART FILMS. Goddammet.

***Just my two cents. Peace. Happy Holidays!

Iza is 87% addicted to facebook

Oh Gaaaad... This is not a good sign. Actually, i'm a little suspicious. See, I don't play those super addictive games that require you to log-in and check your account once every hour. You know what I mean: that farmville thingy, that mafia nonsense, that restaurant city madness, not even that bejewelled hoo-ha (which BTW is becoming a cause of serious competition at work. I'm not kidding! everyone in our office plays this game but me and everyone is dead serious about being the "highest scorer"). The only game I ever was addicted to in facebook is that typing maniac thing, and the last time I played that was about a month ago (when I levelled up to "cyborg" status). Hey, no offense to those farmville maniacs, but think about it... If i'm 87% addicted now, then how addicted will I be when I start farming and taking care of those barn animals?

You know those facebook quizzes everyone takes and posts on their walls? I seldom do that too (except for this how addicted to FB are you thing, anyway, it's not even a quiz... it's an app. I clicked the button and it mis calculated how "addicted" I am). I may have done one or two of those quizzes once or maybe twice in a month. Does that make me an addict? I don't think so... (Denial, stage 1)

If you are my facebook friend (which you probably are, since most of you who read my blog are people I know personally anyway) and you happen to chance upon my wall, then you'd see what I really love doing when I'm logged in. I update my status once in a while, comment on my or my friends' wall posts, and post links or interesting photos. Such as these...

  

I once read this article about how facebook promotes narcissism in Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers. Says it's a channel where narcissists can shamelessly self-promote themselves with their glamorous pictures, engaging personal profiles, and interesting wall posts. Now, like I said, what I love about facebook is how it allows me to interact with current, new, and old friends anytime (via the comments). Apparently, that makes me a facebook addict. Fine. (Acceptance - stage 2) BUT... Does being a facebook addict make me a narcissist? Nah, don't think so (back to stage 1).

Don't we just love sharing interesting stuff we "stumble upon" in the www? Don't we just love interacting with people, making friends laugh, making "chismis" (in a good way if there is such a thing). If that makes us addicted to facebook, then I'm with Amy Winehouse on this one - "They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said NO, NO, NO..."

At least these guys get it...