Post-Its

Mom has this habit of writing small notes and sticking them in places where she knows we'll see it, which are basically stuff that she wants household members to get done within the day. Some of them are for business purposes. This one for example was taped in the computer monitor in the living room:

LJ
Surf for Macau and Shenzhen SPED schools or
rehabilitation centers. Look for a contact person
and email them RE: Conference. 2DAY!

I used to find her notes all over the house. Some of them are really funny and is such a trip when you get to read it. There was this time that my mom was complaining about the master's bedroom's bathroom's sink. She taped a note right on top of the sink:

Luz
Puro libag! LINISIN!

What's even funnier is that our maid replied with a note too.

Mam,
Nilinis ko po ito. Maniwala kayo sa kin.
Ugaleng mga bata dumihin. Totoo po
and sinabi ko.
Luz

Bwahahaha! This note system is getting funnier by the day. Take my mom's note for me today. It was taped in the dining table near my plate this morning.

L.J. -- Very Important
1) Keep all the blankets & beddings in
the cab. find a room for all of them
2) I like the salad, prepare the same
for dinner.
3) Conceptualize in the design for the
tarpaulin banners -- kami na lang ang
mag-insert ng visual.
6) Tom. Sat. -- conduct pictorial @
REACH.
7) Evening - Orientation

Did she just ask me to find a room for the blankets and beddings? Do blankets and beddings sleep??? Very important, mom said. And the top two important things in this list are actually household hores. Mom's probably tensed today. She missed numbers 4 and 5. Hihihi! My mom cracks me up.

The tarpaulin design's done, and the pictorial and orientation is tomorrow. So... I GOT FREE TIME TODAY! WHEEEEEEE!

The IMC Strategy

I have been delegated to create this ad campaign for 'D Family Biz by mother-oh-so-dearest. Oh-dearie-my... how I wish that I wasn't such a delinquent back in college so that this would be easier.

I got my college degree at the University of Asia and the Pacific. My diploma says I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Arts, Major in Humanities with a Professional Certificate in Communication.

At least that's what my diploma says.

Back in college, my course was known as Integrated Marketing Communications. It was the course that everyone in class were talking about, and undecided me got influenced by my peers. So I applied. Just because everybody else I knew applied during my sophomore year.

You read that right. We had to apply for a course during our sophomore year.

Lemme explain further... Unlike other universities, you have to apply twice in UA&P. The first application is for you to get in the university; the second application, is for the degree of your choice which should be submitted sometime during the second semester of your sophomore year. In reality, you can be in your third year and still not have a major.

I digress.

IMC was a popular choice. But! What I really wanted to take was Developmental Education (who knew that I'd be going towards that path anyway... for those who don't know yet, I'm studying SPED), but then I guess I loved the prestige of being accepted in the only quota course in UA&P (at least at that time, I'm not sure now). My classmates wanted it more than I did but they didn't make it, which made me feel good about myself that I actually got accepted. For both courses even.

So I chose prestige.

Despite IMC's popularity, others hated it. They said that the course is "all form, no substance." They were... kinda... right. But hey, that's why its called Integrated MAR-KE-TING Communications. It's all about selling. We were trained to create all kinds of marketing strategies for pretty much anything. From tangible goods to corrupt politicians. 'Nuff said.

It WAS hard.

Gruesome.

You have chefs for professors.

They not only grill...

They boil...

And fry...

Like Mario Batalli.

Occasionally they prefer to eat you alive.

I have seen tears fall, blood drip and friendships break. Everybody was highly competitive and extremely aggressive. Not to mention volatile when then don't get what they want. I know, we were such spoiled brats whose hobbies include whining.

And boy, did we love to whine.

But it was fun, especially when we are assigned to do campaigns for current and upcoming products, have actual clients of these brands evaluate our strategies, later on see the products be released, and have a perpetual argument on whose idea was used (Oh look at the packaging! That's our idea! No way that was ours! I don't now whose packaging idea this was, but this is our creative strategy. Ugh! Di kaya! Look at our presentation. It's ours!).

Memories. *NOSTALGIA*

This will possibly be the first time I will be applying ALL the subjects I took in one project all on my own. I am currently formulating my first-ever, out-of-school IMC Plan. Oh boy, I just remembered Dr. K... Yes... Yes...

Yes...

I got this from Knox's blog. Some of you may get it. But only a true IMC student can completely comprehend.

HOW DO YOU NOW THAT YOU'RE AN IMC STUDENT?

1. I don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend; I have a laptop.
2. I do not eat lunch; I digest case studies.
3. I do not say "goodbye"; I say "bye for now."
4. I do not watch TV for the shows; I watch TV for the commercials.
5. I do not say "effectiveness"; I say "effectivity." (note: look it up... there is no such word as "effectivity")
6. I do not say "eureeka"; I say "eureka."
7. I do not conduct interviews; I conduct executive probes.
8. I never make eye contact; I manage all contact points.
9. I do not have a black book; I have a red book.
10. To me, sleep is a luxury, not an option.
11. I do not sleep over at my friends' houses... because I do not sleep.
12. I never plan; I always strategize.
13. I call it the sweet spot, not the g-spot.
14. I never hit below the belt, only below the line.
15. I do not say big dipper nor dig deeper; I say dig dipper.
16. When I hear the word puno, I do not think of a tree.
17. I do not have friends, connections, nor goals. I am audience-focused, channel-centered, and results-driven.

YEBAH!

That's my Bro!

I love your sarcasm, Karl. Your blog entry made me laugh today.

Event story. That cracks me up. ("Ever After" currently stuck on my head)

Warning: After reading his blog, you may think Karl is an ass... or a genius... either or... but I love him like that.

At 23

I have a hard time figuring out myself at this age. And I'm having an even harder time writing about it.

There's one thing that always happens to me when my birthday comes up. I don't really get excited with the fact that I am a year older. Why? Because I'm older! It started when I was like... 8? 9 maybe... I remember crying when I became I teenager. So I'm a female Peter Pan at heart... sue me. But I find it a good excuse to eat at an expensive restaurant, ask for expensive gifts from mom and dad, or throw parties (which I did last Saturday).

Nevertheless, I'm alright. I know I could be happier though. I guess this is what you feel when you think you are currently living a "wala lang" life. Now that I'm 23, I realized I should start to appreciate things more and stop taking things for granted. On top of that, I realized that no one holds the key to make me happy but myself. I deserve to be happy. I want to be. And I choose to be.

Epi burfdee toomih... =D

Climbing the Corporate Ladder 101 (according to Mom)

Mom:
"Minsan, ang tao, kailangan mo lang silang bigyan ng isang supot ng mani para makuha ang puso nila."

English translation:
"Sometimes you just need to give people a bag of peanuts to win their hearts."

LJ-ish translation:
"Honey, in order to succeed, you gotta kiss, lick and wipe ass."

Ugh.

The Oscars

Okay. So I'm not really a film buff. Sad to say that I have missed out on a lot of movies that I wanted to watch in my lifetime and have been trying to catch up through movie marathons. But still, there are a lot of mainstream movies that I haven't watched.

Heck. I haven't even watched Armaggedon (please don't hit me!).

Anyhoo... Despite my apathy to mainstream movies, I found myself anticipating The 78th Academy Awards yesterday.

My observation:

It was quite interesting to note that the Oscars this year featured non-mainstream movies and actors. It is not surprising that they pulled in a lot of mainstream actors such as Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Dustin Hoffman, Jennifer Garner and others to present the awards.

I think it is also interesting to note Joan Rivers' comment: There were no misses this year, everybody was a hit. Hmmm... Maybe. Different strokes for different folks. I guess its also the fact that these people are celebrities and are blessed to look good even of they are wearing something drag.

Well... except maybe this one.

WTF?!?!?





I am no fashionista, but hey, I did work for a fashion catalog for 11 months. So these are my top 5 favorite looks in this year's Academy Awards.


#5: QUEEN LATIFAH

Long live the QUEEN! She's the epitome of a REAL WOMAN. I like her not really because of what she's wearing, its just because she's always cool and confident everywhere she goes. Here she sports a black strapless Carmen Marc Valvo accented by jewelry by Chopard.



#4: SALMA HAYEK

Curves, curves, curves! This is how women should look like. Exotic looks, flowing hair, and a voloptuous body to boot. I wonder if she has any insecurities... Dazzling in the red carpet, she chose this blue halter-strapped satin dress by Versace.




#3: ZIYI ZHANG (or the other way around)

Awww... She looks so cute (note: LJ is totally hetero with no lesbo tendencies whatsoever)! She's so simple yet so purty!!! She picked a winner... a strapless Swarovski cyrstal-studded dress by Giorgio Armani. I just didn't like the way the dress looked while whe was walking. But I don't care, I still like it.




#2: JESSICA ALBA

The object of guys' fantasies... I could've sworn Ryan Seacrest drooled at the sight of her. With perfectly tanned skin and a well-toned body, she couldn't go wrong with this gold halter gown by Versace. Nice jewelry too! Her chunky rings are from H. Stern.





and at #1:
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

She didn't win best actress but she's a winner in my list. The moment I saw this one-shouldered eggplant Vera Wang dress, I knew everybody was looking at her. I like the fact that she didn't even look like she did her hair. She looked stun-ning!





Special mention to...

CHRIS "LUDACRIS" BRIDGES



Okay... so maybe I have developed a thing for black guys in suits after seeing the Oscars. Hehehe...

Nice specs too.

Thank you Giorgio Armani.






Technorati Tag: Oscars

The Workaholic Bum's Dormant Stage

I have been technically unemployed for 3 months now. I have had previous job offers which I turned down. Sometimes when you have reached a certain level in the corporate world, you tend to be really selective with your next career move. Potentially, the two companies that I have set my eyes on have both given me a positive feedback regarding my application. I just wish it didn't take forever.

Bleh.

I should consider myself lucky that I can afford to be finicky. I have been itching to work for so long that this stagnant stage is becoming the start of premature quarter-life crisis (I'm only 22...it usually starts when you turn 25). Friends have told me that there comes a point wherein you question your status in life and ask yourself: Am I doing what I really want to do? Am I truly happy?

Happiness is relative. At least to me.

Friends, cigarettes and booze have pretty much been the necessities of this phase in my life. I'm a bum, remember? It's what I do best.

*snicker*

When I'm not preoccuupied with these 3 essentials, I am usually doing one of the following:

- being the driver of a family member (hey, free gas!)
- being the driver of pretty much everybody who needs a ride (as long as I still have gas)
- being an emotional pillow of someone who's down in the dumps
- watching TV (what will I do without you? *sniff*)
- running errands for the family business (ok, I should count my blessings more and be thankful for this... but pursuing this career becomes a hindrance to my individuality)
- lying in bed forcing myself to sleep (I am immune to melatonin... it stopped working since college)

And... if I feel like it... I blog. 'Nuff said.