Ning

aldrich

Last weekend was seriously such a blur! My Romanian friend, Oana had a friend visiting Singapore for the week, and she invited me to go clubbing. Now, Aldrich and clubbing aren't usually used in the same sentence. Heck, I haven't even gone clubbing in the Philippines. Ever. That's how much of a loser I am, or better yet, was. haha! So anyway, in my attempt to "live" a life outside the office, my desire to have a work-life balance, I agreed. :) And so I invited Faith to come along - and Oana brought her fiance as well as her Aussie friend, Jasmin who happens to be ABM for Olay. We went to this place called Zouk at around 11 - and it was definitely a promising night.

It turns out that my Citibank credit card gives me the benefit of having 1 for 1 drinks! Snaps for Citibank Premiermiles Privileges! :) So Faith and I wanted to try something different, something exotic and I didn't know what got into us, but at that time, it seemed like Tom Yam Martini fit the bill. haha And instead of cherries, it had chillis. (dun pa lang, bad sign na.) haha In hindsight, that was certainly a waste of money. Even if it was one for one.  And then we had a couple more drinks - one with hershey's chocolate and I can't really recall the other one. Soon enough, they arrived and then we finally got inside Zouk. Funnily enough, my memory suddenly becomes hazy after that part. I just remember drinking, laughing my ass off, dancing, and drinking some more. ha ha It just seems that I can't really recall Friday evening until Sunday morning that clearly. It was just a blur of drinks, bars, new friends and bad mornings. ha ha

But on a good note, I think I learned a few things this weekend: (1) given the right level of alcohol (with a corresponding level of tipsiness), Aldrich can actually dance in public (oh yes, you've read that right, Aldrich in a dance floor - oh yes, walang holding back haha.) (2) I'm not sure if I dance well, but in a crowded club, who the hell cares? haha and (3) I think that I finally know that I have a target audience in the general population. haha! Maybe I'm not so niche as I previously thought. Oo nga no, in Singapore, maybe I blend in better. Everything's just so international! haha

Work hard, party harder? At least for last weekend, that was true. Oh god, it was so much fun. I just hope my finances can keep up.

aldrich

I was reading the previous update, and its so sloppily-made. haha! Gone are the days that I have the time to actually type, retype and edit my tabulas entries. Now, I'm just happy that I can update this lil' corner of the internet that is mine. So this entry is my attempt to be gone of all the emo-ness that is the fact that I still can't get over that I'm here, and that time passes by so quickly, growing up, blah blah blah - I'm sure if you've read my past few entries, you've had enough of that. Just some few random things in my life:

1. I've been going around Singapore with several friends. God, there's just so much stuff to see - and its so much easier to go around! Imagine this, you get out of one MRT station (for example, Harbourfront), choose the right exit, walk a few meters, and viola, you're in a Nature Preserve (which in this case, is Mt. Fabre). I just can't get over the fact that Singapore has managed to merge infrastructure/industry with nature. Garden City talaga!

2. I met up with Michael (FMS) during his visit here last month. (I know, I should update more.) The last time we saw each other was during Rudy Fernandez' wake where almost all the F boys went. And here we are, meeting up in Singapore. haha International na talaga ang FMS! =) So, we met up a couple of times - the first time, he went to eat pasta in our apartment - and he was the first one to actually see my room! haha Second time, we went out to Clarke Quay, ate at Cafe Iguana (love the quesadillas!) with my flatmate, Dee who happens to be Michael's co-intern last year for L'Oreal. Small world, isn't it?

3. I've been unable to post stuff here, but I've always been up-to-date with my Blog-roll. And, the blogs I always read - can't seem to fail to amuse me. Well, except for one. I know its none of my business, but there's just something different in the tone - it all just sounds so pretentious, so social-climber-ish, so trying hard. I swear, it just doesn't sound real anymore. I just wonder where all that is coming from. *sigh* Its just sad because I used to find his entries interesting, a little bit egocentric, but interesting and engaging nevertheless.

4. I'm halfway there in my attempt to get a free Singapore Airlines roundtrip ticket to either Bangkok/Hong Kong/Manila. I've been accumulating points using my Citibank credit card, and I just need 10,000 more miles and I'm good to go! haha And its only been four months - at this rate, I'm bound to get a free SQ trip by summer. God, I'm such a sucker for free stuff.

5. I've been trying out different drinks the past few weeks. I'm done with Margarita, Pinacolada, Blue Lagoon, Tequila Sunrise, Martini, Mimosa and Screaming Orgasm. I only drink socially, thus the fact that this makes me sound like a newbie (which, essentially is true.) . haha Next drink: Screwdriver.

6. Mama and my sister will be coming over to Singapore this December for Christmas! To be honest, I would have never thought that I'd earn enough to actually bring them somewhere outside the Philippines, but I guess, that's just another thing that I have to be thankful to God for. I'm planning our itinerary as early as now, so we can maximize the time that we have in Singapore. We'll be spending Christmas and New Years in Malaysia together with my parents and cousins. This is definitely a change in scenery as we always spent the holidays at our house in Quezon City. Oh well, times change. Better just make the most of it.

7. I'm going to meet up with my parents next week in Kuala Lumpur. Another border crossing - too bad I don't get passport stamps anymore on account of my employment pass. Crap. haha, I hear people in the office complaining about running out of pages in their passports. I wan't that problem too! haha I just have this feeling that I'm under-travelled. But, I'm working on that. Plans are being made. Budgets being prepared. Leave's will be applied for. Soon enough, visas will be arranged and I'm going to be good to go. Only, everything has to be strategic. Scarce ang resources no! haha

8. I got sick the week after I got back from the Philippines. I hardly ever get sick, but when I got do, OMFG, it was a hell of an experience. Siyempre, pag may business trip, dumadami ang trabaho - to prepare for everything we have to do in the market. Pero, siyempre ang trabaho sa Singapore, hindi pa din tumitigil. And I spent most of my nights catching up with my sleep, shopping and going out with friends who *ahem* were available. Net, gabundok ang trabaho pagbalik ko sa Singapore. And can I just say, impiyerno ang combination ng trabaho at trankaso. At, dun ko lang narealize, ang hirap mag-English pag may sakit (mahirap magfocus. haha). sh*t yan. haha!

9. Can I just say, sumabog ang finances ko this month. P*ta yan. haha Parang hindi pumasok ang October sweldo. haha! Basta, ang daming combinations ng extra expenses and of course, my unscheduled (but, definitely well deserved) Manila shopping spree. Christmas bonus na lang talaga ang salvation. haha

10. Nakuha ko na din pala yung yearbook namin nung high school - AHS batch 2004. I wasn't able to bring the actual book - well, kasi (1) mabigat at (2) 10 kgs na akong excess baggage. So, its a good thing that they also gave a CD version! Looking at the profiles and the pictures, God, ang daming pinagbago! haha All in all, it was just sooo high-school - the pictures, the profiles, the senior's page, the videos. *sigh* haha At least I have something to look at when I'm in the mood to reminisce di ba?

BONUS! When I was home in the Philippines, I was able to actually see the commercial that we've been working on - the new Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Commercial. To be honest, its gone through several revisions, and actually, memorized ko na yung script, pero sa totoo lang, ibang iba ang feeling of actually seeing it air in National TV. Its something that I helped worked on and its seen by millions of Filipinos accross the islands. It was a 30 seconder, but I was still at awe several minutes later. Talk about concrete impact. Parang kelan lang, classroom presentations at oral defense lang ang extent ng powers ko. haha Ngayon, National TV na. haha Who would have thought di ba!?

Anyway, that at least shares some of the stuff that's been going on. There's a lot more, but I guess that's just for me to know, and for others to find out. haha 'Til next time!

aldrich

It has certainly been a while since my last entry - and isn't it ironic that I started this blog with the intention of typing down the things that happen in my life, and just as things get hectic and full of events, that's when I hardly have any time to write them down. *sigh* the irony of it all.

To be honest, time flies. I've been working for over three months already. God, three months! Time flies indeed! It just makes me feel giddy inside knowing that at this same time last year, I was cramming for presentations in LS 170 (International Business) and scheduling meetings for the L'Oreal Estrat thing, and yes, doing my Christmas Shopping one month in advance. And essentially, the basics are still there. I still "cram" for presentations, I still schedule meetings, and I still do my shopping, but everything's just so different, next level kung next level talaga.

So nung isang lingo, nagkaroon ako ng aking first ever business trip! haha At since I'm handling the Philippine market, of course, sa Philippines ang aking punta. Sa totoo lang, masayang isipin na halos wala mashadong pinagbago ang Pilipinas. Ganon pa din ang itsura ng kwarto ko. Mataba pa din si Gobby, malandi pa din si Cielo. Masarap pa din ang luto ni Mama. Masaya pa din ang feeling ng nagdadrive. Ganon pa rin kasaya pumunta ng Quiapo, SM North, Trinoma at Divisoria. Parehas pa din ang itsura ng Ateneo Campus.

Pero kung iisipin ko, marami ding pinagbago - kung hindi man sa lugar, pero sa akin. Iba ang feeling na may mga responsibilidad akong kailangang gampanan - na may rason kung bakit nagbayad ang kumpanya para makauwi ako sa Pilipinas, tumira sa hotel kahit may bahay naman ako, at bayaran lahat ng aking expenses habang nandun. Iba din ang feeling na kahit papaano, kaya ko nang bilhin ang mga bagay na gusto ko para sa akin, kay mama at sa kapatid ko. Nakakahiya man aminin, ngayon ko lang talaga naramdaman ang powers ng sweldo ko. haha!

Habang nagaantay ako sa NAIA para sa aking Singapore Airline flight, naisip ko, tumatanda na ba ako? Am I finally growing up? Am I growing up too quickly? Sa totoo lang, hindi ko siya nafefeel. Wala din namang pinagbago, parang college pa din - may homework, may projects, may "quizzes" ang pinagkakaiba nga lang, ako ang binabayaran ngayon at next level na talaga ang aking mga classmates.

Hindi lang naman siguro ako ang nakakaramdam nito. Lahat naman ng kaibigan at kakilala ko ay may sariling kwento - mga pagbabago sa kani-kanilang buhay. Sabay sabay lang naman kaming pumasok sa "real world" nung gumraduate kami. Haaay. Ang bilis ng panahon. Parang kelan lang...