Saturday, February 28

Message in a mac bottle

Greetings from Hawaii!!! :)

Jeanie and I are super enjoying our vacation here.  Too bad it's our last day :( Will definitely post a lot about our adventure and misadventures during our 8 day stay here.

See you guys very soon!


P.S. i am loving the Mac store hehe... enables me to surf now while I am shopping hehe

Friday, February 20

Confessions of a not such a huge fan

Went to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic last night. I can’t say I was ever a fan so I wasn’t really excited. But since the fiancĂ© and I are mad movie buffs we went ahead with the fluffy comedy. Movie nights are a tradition, (pirated dvds are for absolute B-movies or those that we’ve missed out due to some (they better be) very important reasons (hee)).

Admittedly, I was pleasantly surprised with the movie. I thought it would really suck big time but hey cute British guy (Hugh Darcy) in the lead, not bad. Not bad at all.

The story of course is brain fluff. Plenty of Gucci-Prada-YSL label dropping going on. And while the flow of the movie was expected, they did manage to pull it off. It came out as very warm and unpretentious. They probably know that they were going to be talking about shopping hence no need to treat it like they were curing brain cancer or anything. A lot of cheezy lines that made the gays beside us very kilig but overall the dialogues were something taken out of the series, I would imagine. Since the movie is about Shopaholics you should expect some crazy fab outfits here. True enough, there were a lot of stylish finds but just the same it's not as fashion forward as say the Sex and the City movie.

P.S. Isla Fisher has a voice that strange enough reminds me of Anna Farris. She sometimes looks like Mandy Moore but what preoccupied my mind the entire time looking at her on screen was the thought: "She’s married to Sasha Baron Cohen!?!? But she looks like she can be in her teens, or early twenties at the least! That lucky Borat!"

Couch Potato Series: American Idol Picks 3

As predicted they picked out the “dirty” girl Alexis to move on. She is one lucky contestant, had she been grouped in the next batch of 12s she would be in serious trouble. There are some massive female talents on that 2nd batch.

Danny Gokey, predictably, got in. Argh I really can’t stand him. And I hated the fact that newbie judge Kara was all pumped up that she actually called him her “hero” after his performance. Blah!

Michael Sarver, one of two blue collar worker in the competition, was the fan favorite. Or was it Danny Gokey and Michael was the top male contestant for this batch?? Whatever. I love Michael. I think he has a sweetheart for a face. Tough yet very adorable. BUT … I wanted Anoop Desai to get into the Top 12!


Sigh! I hope he gets picked on the Wild Card performance.

Wednesday, February 18

Looking Back: One Surreal Week

I'm feeling a bit sentimental. Hence posting some of the behind the scenes pick from our Kick-off. Unfortunately, I can only post a few and censored ones at that. Don't want my batchmates to go up and arms and haunt me down, which I am 100% sure they would do if I start uploading our umm oh-so-embarrassing-but-memorable-pics.


Right after the kick off. Suite 1427. Keeping the party going.

"Comfort" room. Die hards trying puff some air
After the day after. Everyone was pretty tired already...

But everyone was still suffering from some separation anxiety.

I will forever miss you guys!!!



Romantic Encounters

Today was the 2nd anniversary of me and the fiance so...

HAPPY 2ND YEAR BABY! :)


Dear fiance surprised me with a steak dinner, that get this, he prepared and cooked himself. Hmm I helped out a bit I think. He brought over some cooking wares at their condo and even had the foresight to bring in hand towels and all. Few short months of getting married and here we are starting to play house. I'm loooove-ing it!

Tuesday, February 17

Wedding 101: The Gown Designer

Hmmm nothing seems to excite brides more nowadays than the thought of wearing those perfectly laced/beaded/poofed/trained bridal gown. I, however, am finding it hard to choose from all the designers available. I only have one rule, I want it to look like it was made for a rockstar!!

1. Puey Quinonez - The first on the list of designers I wanted to meet. Chalked it up to admiring Cheska Garcia's gown but I couldn't help but be all gaga about this one. This was one meeting I was truly excited about. Hmm I think I even put on my power-me-up lip gloss eventhough I knew he's gay. The good thing about him is that he will draw for you. Not his best effort of course, he saves that until you booked him. But at least you get a sense of what kind of designer he is and if he is the one man for you. (hee) Another plus point is that he seems to listen to your suggestions, early signs that he is easy to work with.

$$$: Not as expensive as I thought, Php 100,000 for the bride, Php 250,000 for the entire entourage including the moms.

2. Veluz Reyes - I have been stalking her blog for ages. Love the intricacies in her designs. A bit too girlish for me though, so thought it best to meet up with her first. And whatdoyouknow she whips out this absolutely adorable, i cant-believe-it's-so-me design. I went with my best friend and fiance (who of course will just feign interest, he doesnt need to know the difference between tulle from lace) and the best friend agrees that the detailing on the skirt is just so rockstar-wannabe-ish. In other words, perfect for ksp's like me :) (wink) Too bad though that she is fully booked for the entire month of December hence she can't accept anymore entourage orders. Wonder if I can still squeeze in a mom or two there.

$$$: I don't know her average rate but because of the detailing in the gown she designed cost would be around Php 93,000.

3. Paul Cabral - The motherload of designers. I swear his place was just too swanky, me and the fiance were whispering when we got there (afraid to break anything!) I have been bringing my laptop in all my meetings, you know to show the designer the look and feel I was going for... normally they are very receptive of the idea with Paul, hmm, how did he break it to me gently??

Paul: You know, for that design kelangan matangkad ka (ouch! short of saying I was bansot!) or you should at least wear a four inch heels (double ouch, the fiance was there in all his 5'5 glory)
---- . ----
Paul: Can I see your shape?
Jake stands up
Paul: I-curve mo yung dress para I can see the silhouette. (Jake does so) Ay, kelangan mo nga ng courset. (Ouch ouch, not only am I short, I apparently am too fat that I would need an 18th century restricting woman's fashion as part of my gown.)

Jake: I want really long train ah, mga from this to that.
Paul: Ay, hindi kaya sa budget. Shmpre pag may train kelangan may mga details. Ang panget, parang kumot pag plain lang. (Ok, ok, im short, fat and now I am poor... sigh! wink)

But i sort of appreciate all these. At least he tells you as is. If you do book him there won't be any confusion as to what the agreement is/was and you're assured that you're wedding gown really is suited for your body type. After all not everyone can have Heidi Klum's body.

$$$: Php150,000 starting cost for the bridal gown. His entourage package which runs up to Php 250,000 only includes the MOH, 2 bridesmaids and 3 flowergirls. (You can nego for the secondary sponsors or the mothers but he cannot accomodate both for that price)

One more designer to meet and it's decision time. Tick tock tick tock.

New Beginnings

So I finally did it. I filed my resignation last Friday. I didn’t think it was going to be as tough or as emotional. I guess 2 years do mean a lot. 2 years worth of friendship, memories and a whole lot of laughter and tears.

I had to go to the head of Sales Training once again yesterday to reiterate that my decision is final. But still, she has yet to sign my resignation. Hmm to awol or not? Nah..

But it does spell the end of a chapter. I woke up really late today, and yet I was compelled to take a shower and just be active. It's the beginning of new things and while my premature departure from Nestle wasn't as well planned as say the impending wedding, I have always believed that things happen for a reason.

Friday, February 6

Looking Back: 2009 National Sales Kick Off

Just got back from an overnight trip at Pampanga with some friends. So far I am loving February - nothing but adventures and vacations. Serious work will soon haunt us down but for now, we’re enjoying our last few days of surrealism.

On Sunday, the batch would be flying to Dumaguete for our much needed R&R. The yearly tradition of CMT graduates after every kick-off.

I mentioned the last time around that we were the organizing committee for this year’s Sales Convention, here are some snippets of the behind the scene preparation.

What: MAVP Shoot
Where: Abandoned Alabang Factory
Wear: Our Kick-Ass Adidas jackets





What: Teambuilding Simulation
Where: Le Pavillion, Café Adriatico
Wear: Athletic “gear”




What: Teambuilding Proper
Where: Le Pavillion


This is the event I co-championed with Kaka and of course our main man Carlo. Dear friend Jezer took care of all the production requirements. A lot of blood, sweat and thankfully no tears were shed during the preparation for this day. Definitely a fun fun time for the three of us. Something we all would be looking back at when we are assigned our permanent post.

Sigh I really need to sleep early tonight. I unwittingly agreed to go on this trekking trip. 4:45am call time?!?! Wishing I can back out now!

Tuesday, February 3

End of an Era



Definitely an exaggeration from major drama queen, but it does feel like the end. Anxiety creeps in all of a sudden. And you feel like it’s the last few days of high school all over again. There’s this exhilaration from finally completing an excruciatingly challenging program, yet at the same time it’s coupled with this gnawing pain from knowing that in just a few days it will all be over.



21 months. 21 months that have turned 15 (then 25) strangers from mere colleagues to something worthy of more than just a Multiply shout out (hmm hence the R&R to follow!!!). And in less than 12 days you guys will all go your separate ways. Fortunately or unfortunately, uncertainty keeps you from thinking about that in the meantime. For now, the high from last week’s adrenaline-pumping-zero-sleeping back to back events is still lingering in the air. And yes a whole day is STILL not enough to earn those lost shut eyes back!