Favors

It just dawned on me last night

So last night I was in a launch for a product I’m handling in the ad agency I work for. The product was designed specifically for college kids, so we invited over 50 of them to introduce the product. When the program was all done and everyone is starting to drink (I don’t drink btw), I just chatted with everyone while waiting for my ride.

They all knew I studied Political Science in college, so they all wanted to know why I’m in this industry now.

I had to stop and think for a few moments, which is weird by itself. I realized that I never seriously thought about it. So I thought about it last night, in a dark bar, surrounded by noisy young people enjoying their first few beers.

How did I get here? 

Answer: Because I got into blogging. Blogging opened up so, so many doors for me. I met so many people, and this blog - my personal blog - started it all. Things started picking up after my beauty blog enjoyed some success. I was able to build a bigger network because of it, a network that happened to contain people who are in PR and advertising. I did freelance work, and now I’m a regular consultant for a fashion brand and a youth brand. 

So yeah, that’s how it happened. Now we know.

Comfort in routine

I normally wake up at 6am. Sometimes I like it, sometimes it drives me crazy. Between 6-9am, I usually blog and read my favorite websites while either having coffee, tea, or juice (depending on the weather). Then I make breakfast and start my real work for the day.

This is the quietest point of my day.

Beautiful dead actresses

I like watching old films. Old films about romance mostly, because I like reliving fiery passions which may or may not make sense with our modern perception of love. I do prefer those that make sense though. I feel Rhett and Scarlett, Holly and Paul, but not Anthony and Cleopatra, never Maria and Tony.

After I watch the movie for the first time, I usually check the Wikipedia profiles of the actors and actresses in the film. I always hope that they’re still alive, but I know that they probably won’t be if the film is made in the 40’s-60’s. Still, even with that certain knowledge, I feel sad every time I find out how they die. They look so real on screen, so beautiful and young and healthy, that they can’t possibly be dead. Not yet, so soon after I just discovered them.

Vivien Leigh 

Ingrid Bergman died of breast cancer. Grace Kelly of a terrible car accident. Audrey Hepburn of abdominal cancer. Marilyn Monroe of a supposed suicide. Vivien Leigh of tuberculosis. Elizabeth Taylor, just three months ago, died of heart failure.

Well, at least Olivia de Havilland is still alive.

Things I learned this year

I haven’t been here for half a year now. I left this blog because I was busy with my beauty blog, Projectvanity.com, and life in general. I rather regret that I didn’t keep my personal blog updated though. It would have helped me remember more things when the time comes that I would need to.

And so I want to end this year with a list of what I learned. So I’ll remember, of course.

1. Things are ALWAYS easier said than done.

2. Thus said, never overestimate or underestimate your capabilities.

3. Always be open to learning new skills.

4. Wallow for a bit, then do something about it ASAP.

5.  People say things they don’t mean. The trick is to just let them say it, but never believe it until it comes to pass that they’re proven honest (or dishonest).

6. You don’t have to like everyone 100%. You can like them only 70% or 20% of the way. What this means is that not everyone is completely likable or unlikable, good or bad.

7. Patience and hard-work are indispensable. Never take shortcuts.

8. Grow up and own up as soon as possible.

9. Live with someone before deciding to marry him/her.

10. Love what you do for a living. 

Fixed: Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper by Liz and Marco

Gatekeeper

Here’s a song I’m currently working on with Marco. It’s just a first draft since I wanted to test-drive the mic he lent me. Cover of Gatekeeper, by Feist.

Gatekeeper by Liz and Marco

Come true

It was a lazy, humid afternoon. The asphalt was as good as melted and our sweat clung to our clothes, refusing to evaporate. It was a month or so before our last day at the university. We were sitting in an empty classroom, talking about our plans.

“My top one career choice is to write for a magazine! It’s such a glamorous job! My top two is in advertising or PR. Top three is…I don’t know. Marketing probably, since I’ve already done it,” I said. A couple of months later I was in marketing. Eight months after that (February) I was editor of an online news magazine. A month after that, I was doing freelance work for PR companies. 

Funny how things turn out. Or maybe not. It’s really all up to us to make everything we want come true. That’s never easy.

The thrifting competition

Okay, I’m going to rant a little here. I hate ranting online but it’s therapeutic.

Anyway. I visited a business competitor’s store today. I checked out the clothes they have on sale - mind you, in person, not online. Guess what I see? The clothes are in bad condition - the color is not right anymore, I saw broken threads and tattered linings. In other words, the clothes look ratty.

To be fair, not all the clothes were like this. It’s just that there’s enough of them on the racks to irritate me.

This isn’t even about how the business is our direct competitor. This also isn’t about the fact that I don’t dig their style. I’m taken aback by the quality of the clothes, which, for the price (P500-1000+) should be a lot, lot better. I know these are just secondhand clothes but guess what? I sell secondhand clothes that are in mint condition for half the price, P500 being the highest we price.

I know that thrifting, while fun, can be really tiring and time-consuming. I just wish that stores will not do the clients a disservice by selling ratty clothes. I can live with an open seam or a missing button, but not fabric that has gone bad because of time. And IF you really MUST sell ratty clothes because the design is good anyway, have the decency to price it fairly.

Today Is Going To Be A Good Day

Rebirth

Singing again. With Marco Dela Torre. 

 Rebirth marco and liz

My Ideal Cab

The cab should be clean and nice-smelling. Not trying to suffocate me with heat, but not too cold as to make me wish that I just rode a jeep instead. Cab doesn’t have to be new, but it should be at least well-maintained.

Cab driver should be quiet, because I like to think or listen to my iPod inside cabs. If he really must talk he should be polite and concise. He should know where to go, especially if we need to take major routes anyway. I’ve been in a lot of cabs where drivers don’t know major roads or streets.

Hello Hello

Hello hello, how are you today? I am in a good mood, for a Monday. I’m wearing a great pair of Levi’s, a polo from Uniqlo, and some 3.5 inch heels. I also have some new makeup on. Speaking of makeup, I haven’t been wearing foundation lately. I finally have nice skin, I guess.

This day would have been perfect if only I wasn’t so hungry right now. I just had green tea this morning. This routine (among other things) has helped me lose a lot of weight but, sigh, it’s hard to have self-control, you know? I’ll be having a sandwich from Earle’s later. I’ve been binging on chocolates, candies, and rice last weekend. The more people tell me how much weight I lost, the more inclined I am to gain it back. How annoying.

Anyway. I hope that this would be my last regular day at work. I just quit my day job recently, you see. I like the place where I work but I don’t like what I’m doing - marketing. If you know me, then you know that’s not me. So I figured, I should just focus on my writing and my business. These are things that I enjoy, things I want to make a career out of. I’m happy - no, ecstatic - that I now have time to pursue them.

In any case, I appreciate that my bosses offered me a part-time position. I basically just need to go to work once a week, doing ads and blog posts. I don’t mind because I love advertisements! I love looking at them, deconstructing them, twisting my head in loops making them. You can call it a hobby for me. It’s one of the little things I enjoy doing.

Aside from this, I’ll be taking on an editorial position for an online magazine, to be launched this March (it’s up now but the content hasn’t been completed). I don’t want to jinx this as I haven’t signed the contract yet, but I’m really super duper excited! I’ll be writing about fashion and beauty, my favorite topics.

There are a couple more projects down the pipeline which I am also excited about.

So yeah, I’m in a good mood today.

Disclaimer: I am usually in a good mood, actually. I’m the sort of person who doesn’t like sweating the small stuff. Even the major stuff, come to think of it.

The year that was and will be

Last year was nice. Not awesome, or terrible, or even remotely surprising - just nice. It was a walk in the park. As walks in the park go though, my 2009 has been straightforward and uneventful. The decisions I had to make and the things I had to do were neatly littered in a meticulously paved path in a park where hardly anything goes wrong. 

So what happened this year? I got my Political Science degree. I got a marketing job. I moved out of my parents’ house. I have my own online store which earns pretty decently. I write freelance, which earns decently as well. I’ve developed my other blog into something that people value, something I can be proud of.

All in all, it was a year of small triumphs, a year of stepping out of my comfort zone and trying - completely on my own - to make something of myself. I don’t honestly think that I’ve succeeded; I’m not delusional. It’s too early for things like that. I do think, however, that I’ve moved an inch closer to where I want to be and what I want to do. For that I’m glad.

With that said, I feel that the new year will not be a walk in the park. I know that I will have to make tough, unpredictable decisions regarding my career and personal life. This year will make or brake me, and you know what?

I’m looking forward to being made.

10 Journalists To Follow On Twitter

Following your favorite journalists on a regular basis has never been easier.  With the help of Twitter, you can always be updated on the current thoughts and circumstances of almost any journalist you can think of.  If you don’t know who to choose then take a look at this list of 10 journalists to follow on Twitter.

Amy Simons

Amy Simons (amysimons) is the online producer of ChicagoTribune.com.  She is a journalist to follow given her serious involvement in current events.  Her Tweets, however, are infused with a welcome dose of intelligent humor.

Andrew Cohen

Andrew Cohen (cbsandrewcohen) is the CBS News Chief Legal Analyst and Legal Editor.  His no-holds-barred legal perspective gives you the inside legal scoop on pressing issues that are garnering media attention.

Alex SheBar

Alex SheBar (Alexshebar) is a breaking news and trend reporter.  Turn to Alex Shebar’s Twitter updates for comedic interpretations as well as real commentary on popular topics and trends.

Brian Caulfield

Brian Caulfield (bcaulfield) is a technology reporter for Forbes.  Follow Brian Caulfield for mentions of technological news and, oddly enough, a plethora of nods to various animals.

James Rainey

James Rainey (LATimesrainey) is an L.A. Times media columnist who turns the focus onto journalism itself and the topics being covered.  This commentary on commentary makes for interesting Tweets.  Of course, other media outlets are included as well.

(more…)

Current Favorite Songs

There are two songs that I really really like right now. One is “Maddening Shroud” by Frou Frou. It goes something like:

Frou Frou - Details - 09 - Maddening Shroud (Frou Frou)

Sometimes I like to get away from this maddening shroud

Sometimes I laugh, you know, it’s all insane

Maybe it’s time for me to pack it in

Maybe it’s time for me to track it in

Maybe it’s time for me to throw…

I’ve got a good mind to throw it all away, throw it all away, throw it all away

After all, what is it worth?

 

I like it because it’s light and carefree. Here is a woman thinking of turning her back against everything she knows and built but she is singing about it as if she were happy. The song makes me want to stowaway to China or Switzerland without telling anyone.

The second song I like is “Don’t Be Afraid, You Have Just Got Your Eyes Closed” by Mum. If I were a fantasy RPG character exploring the world this is the song that should be playing in the background. It sounds optimistic about finding the next town or treasure chest and eventually, beating the Big Bad Evil of the land.

04 Don’t Be Afraid, You Have Just Got Your Eyes Closed

I’m all about happiness and optimism so I love happy, optimistic songs. This attitude - it keeps me sane.

I am not fully here and I don’t know where the rest of me is

These days, it feels like half of myself is not with me. I talk to someone and I understand what he is saying but only at a bare minimum. I write down stuff but the grammar and spelling are haywire and words are near to the intended ones, but that’s it - just near. I am writing this blog post and my mind is already wandering somewhere else. 

I wonder what’s wrong? It’s like I don’t care anymore. I don’t think I’m unhappy, really. This is something nearer to apathy.

I really have to get back in shape. I have this idea that the new year will make everything right.

Cows

Filipinos walk like cows. This epiphany dawned on me one morning as I observed a man walking. His shoulders were straight, the swing of his arms was precise and his pace was brisk. He was wearing a hat and I only saw his back, but I knew that he was not a local. He knew where he was going and he obviously wanted to get there in the shortest amount of time as humanly possible. He walked with purpose.

I looked around to see how everyone was walking. It was around 9am and I was in one of the country’s major business disricts so I lazily expected everyone to be rushing to work. They weren’t. Most of the people looked slack, in their droopy jeans and loose shirts. They were dragging their feet to wherever they needed to go, stubbornly, even though they have nothing better to do.

Look, I can’t tell you how to change the world. I can’t tell you how to make this country a better place to live in. You know what though, it wouldn’t hurt if you started walking faster, started shaking yourself out of the lethargy centuries of culture have instilled in you. It should do you good.

Gibo?

I understand that Gilbert Teodoro is a good, capable man fit to run our country. He is a well-educated person who looks honest and honorable.

I won’t vote for him. Let me spell out why.

Gloria is going to run and win as congresswoman of her hometown. There is no question about that. Consequently, she and her henchmen has expressed several times that one of her main objectives is Charter Change and that she will continue gunning for it when she gets her seat in the legislative. If an administration candidate wins - Gibo - little is left to the imagination as to what will happen next. He will not stand in the way of Gloria resuming her seat of power because he values utang na loob so much.

I’m sure that as a Filipino who had to live through Gloria’s illegal and inefficient administration this scenario is the last thing you ever want to happen. I don’t care if Gibo is sincere in his intention to serve us. I don’t trust his backer so I don’t trust him. Call it a fallacy - this is just me trying to make sure that my family’s future is as prosperous and secure as possible. Call this instinct.

I know that our the presidential roster leaves much to be desired (as usual) but if you were to vote for anyone, try not to vote for someone who has close ties to the administration. I will not ask you this if Gloria is not running for Congress, but since she is, try to use a little brain power when you shade that name in the ballot next May.

Such Injustice

I read Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights by Galland (edited by E.Dixon, 1893) in my spare time.

I would like to express my anger and distaste.

The women in the stories are usually depicted as headstrong and powerful. They are  beautiful, intelligent, strong, and endowed with fantastic powers. The decisions they make are important enough to determine the fate of a kingdom or a human being. However, they almost always die a horrible, bloody death while trying to save a prince’s life.

Let me illustrate. A prince who is down on his luck finds a hidden subterranean castle in which a beautiful, kidnapped princess lives. He is given a rich bath, luxurious robes, feasts, and I assume, sex by the infatuated princess. The prince gets drunk and destroys a talisman which summons the genie who kidnapped the princess, saying that he is ready to kill all genies so that he and the princess can live happily every after.

The genie comes, asking why the princess called, and the prince runs away. As he is leaving, he hears the screams of the princess as the genie beats her up senseless and bloody. The genie knows that someone has been there but the princess will not say who even under torture. The prince still leaves, cowardly.

The genie finds the prince and brings him to the underground castle. He interrogates the princess and the prince, but they both deny his allegations. The genies cuts the princess’s hands off. The prince denies some more. The genie eventually kills the princess. Guess what the dumb dick did to the prince?

He turned him into an ape. Oh, such injustice.

Anyway, take a no fax payday loan to take your mind off things.