Far from day, far from night

Out of time, out of sight

Follow me....

Dry the rain, warm the snow

Where the winds never go

Follow me....

In a cave by a sapphire shore

We shall walk through an em'rald door

And for thousands of evermores to come,

My life yours shall be.

Only you, only I

World farewell, world goodbye

To our home 'neath the sea

We shall fly

Follow me....

(image courtesy of Rein, by way of online Valentine card)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, everyone!!!

I really don't have much to say about today's special occasion, except that Rein and I avoided it like the plague, haha! Just kidding. I do not wish to be a party pooper, especially since some of us (and you know who you are) waited a lifetime to spend this day with a significant other. It's just that we've decided to make an effort to turn every single day into a reason to celebrate our being together, instead of celebrating it full-blast on just this one day. Plus, it's also just being practical. Just think of the traffic! Especially in all the hotels, first class restaurants, concert venues.....ugh.

In fairness to us, though, I did still make him a cut-out valentine card "book", tied together with a silver ribbon (pleeeez, no Hallmark cards this time or any time).... and he chose to stick around to watch my 5-hour long First Name rehearsal for Makati Hope school, under the wearying heat of the sun.... and then we spent a full hour making the round of booths at the Megatrade Bridal Fair....and he did send me the heart image above...

Haha. Bring out the mush police!

I remember one special evening a couple of years ago that a certain group of formerly constant friends (and Y'ALL know who YOU are, haha) spent at a lovely suite at the Vivere hotel, after doing a succesful Valentine show at Rockwell. We had massages and bonding food and, to cap the night, exchanged Valentine's gifts with each other!!! (SFX: awwwwww.....) The concept was to draw lots and the person you picked would take on the role of a "girlfriend", to whom we would give an appropriate girlfriend gift. Well, naturally, having received gifts from our "boyfriend" for the night, we ended up with roses, bracelets, heart-shaped door decorations and even a red tube top! It was all really very sweet.

It was a brilliant idea at the time, I have to say, and contributed immensely to the steady rise of everyone's level of Valentine's day self-esteem. Never mind, of course, that 3 members out of 4 of the party were all girls, and that the 4th one happened to be an honorary "girl" as well. Sigh. Haha. But it was a lot of fun. The company was great, the view awesome, and the massages divine.

And so, good Believers-- how are you planning to spend V-Day?

EPILOGUE.....Rein is a closet Believer, after all! He surprised me by dropping by unannounced on my doorstep, bearing a rose and chocolate-covered cookies, and an invitation to dinner. Would've been perfect....had I been home! Awwww, poor one. Anyway, we eventually met up for dinner and a (sort of) movie. Perfect date. The movie was "Maritess & the Superfriends". Haha. Just had to show it to Rein. It still is the most hilarious thing ever created, in my book.

PS. A bomb exploded in a bus under the Ayala MRT station this evening. Terrorism on the day of love. Hmmm... someone's obviously trying to send a message. Dark forces in our midst are at work again, folks. Please continue to pray hard for our country....

Had a pretty good day today. Full, but good. It seems I'm back in the job market, because I was called to two interviews today.

Job Interview Number One was for a Senior Copy Editor position for an international trade journal. Sounds boring, I know, but....well, YA. It is pretty boring. BUT it pays well, and will require me to do a bit of travelling. Especially to China and other surrounding Asian regions that have a lot of global trade activity going on. Not a bad deal for something I can probably do with my eyes closed, right?

Uh...well.

So can you see me writing about things like how the recent quota cancellation ruling of the WTO is affecting China's competitive textile export industry in 2005? Or industry analysis reports on OEM/ODM connector supplier capability for major buyers such as Acer, 3M, HP and Motorola?

I thought so.

Onto Job Interview Number Two then. I'm apparently shortlisted for the position of PR Manager at a fast-rising and dynamic marketing communications company. Not to count unhatched chickens, but I think I have a really good chance to get this job. At the very top of the work experience section of my resume is the title "Marketing Communications Manager" for several companies I used to work for. I guess that counted for something. I even brought samples of my work, which, thanks to My Left Hand, Stages (thanks Oliver!), Buensalido, etc., made for a pretty impressive portfolio. And duly impressed they were. Instead of passing me on to the next level--which was another interview with a member of top management--the PR Director fast-tracked the process and endorsed me immediately to the panel of directors for the final assessment. He even said he was rooting for me, would you believe? I had to ask that the panel interview be moved to another day, however, because I had two rehearsals to attend this afternoon, and I was running terribly late for the first one.

Judging from how much longer the paragraph on interview number two is from interview number one, you can safely assume that the second job is what I'm considering as a real possibility for me. It's compatible with my skills and interests, and the best part-- they didn't even flinch when they looked at my desired salary. Haha. Great possibilities indeed. Now I just need to wait for that final interview to be scheduled.

Anyway, as soon as I got out of there, I went straight to my First Name rehearsal along Pasong Tamo Extension. In my rush to also get to the Avon rehearsal in Stages on time, I decided to just drop off the scripts and cds at the gate (for Junevee to pick up) and proceed to the Stages office right away.

Of course I get to Stages an hour and a half early. Don't tell Tito Freddie or Junevee! Sshhh...

In attendance at the Avon rehearsal: Rony, musical director; Cathy (Azanza), director; Tita Marivic (Mercado), project manager; Ramil and Bea, stage managers; and of course, Mayen, Sisa, Sam and myself as the cast.

Hilarious rehearsal. Why? Mayen plays Teodora Alonso. Sisa plays Gabriela Silang. I play Melchora Aquino. Nuf said.

All in all, it was a fun day, full of encouragement and validation (from the very positive interview results), as well as music and laughter (from the Avon rehearsal). Looking forward to another interesting day tomorrow.

PS. In between interview number one and interview number two, I had a nice lunch "break" with my good ole buddy Me-an, Citibank banker extraordinaire... There you go, Me-an. Couldn't sign off without mentioning you. Thanks for letting me hang-out in your office!

PPS. Reinier: Thanks honey, for your prayers....and for reminding me to eat lunch and take my vitamins today! Peachy: Thanks so much for your prayers, too!

PPPS. Can I really give up Melchora Aquino for a real career? Stay tuned…

Had a My Left Hand meeting last Tuesday with our dear client, Rockwell Land. Mika finally has a new staff to help her. Which is probably why she looks happier now. Haha. Was with Peachy and Allan, of course. And during our next meeting for a new client at the Starbucks next door, Peachy lent me her precious (and probably expensive!) copy of an old issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. Lots of great pictures and ideas in it. Looks like I'll be taking some of them quite seriously. Thanks a ton, Peach!!! (ayan ha, I mentioned you na! Even if this happened the other day pa. Ganyan kita ka-lab!) See ya soon...

An old My Left Hand award....isn't it cute? You'll find it in our website. Which will soon be refurbished! Watch out for our new look soon...

What's with me and Tagaytay lately? Exactly one week after the GlowFIVE gang's hilarious trip last week, I find myself taking another road trip to the same exact hotel. This was a Tito Freddie thing, however, which makes it a completely different experience altogether. Haha. First of all, right after our costume fitting (for our Camelot show in Kuala Lumpur) yesterday at his condo, I asked him what we were supposed to do for the Tagaytay seminar/workshop he was giving the next day. All I knew was, so far, was that I was going to assist him and that it might be similar to the corporate workshops we've given in the past. Basta he'll email me daw the instructions that night.

...of course, no email came. Next morning, I'm lying in bed wondering how and when I was getting to Tagaytay. I text Tito Freddie and he texts back-- call Jingay, you're riding with her. Oookeeiiii....gee, thanks for the info, one hour before we're scheduled to leave Manila! Haha. So typical Tito F.

Another thing was what to wear for the event, and what--if necessary-- to sing. Since I didn't receive instructions for either, I decided to bring a huge bag containing different blazers, shirts and accessories. Just in case. And I also brought along my walang kamatayang minus-one of Something's Coming, which I tried belting out this morning as preparation, because that's what I sang last time but hadn't sung in a while. Of course, when we got to Josephine's and had our briefing, I learned that I was only going to need one outfit althroughout, and that the new program didn't include the singing portion. Furthermore, Alvin and Mitch were going to join us! Of course, all this new info was wonderful news. It would have been nicer, though, to have been informed beforehand. That bag was really heavy, you know.

And so the event began. Tito Freddie launched into his stand-up act.....er, I meant motivational talk. Hehe. I must say, watching him work a crowd in his highly entertaining, inimitable manner is always a treat for me. Really, FEW people can do what he does. When he's in his element, he's amazing. The crowd lapped everything he said up.

Mitch and Alvin eventually arrived. We were called on stage to help him physically demonstrate his talk points. Later, we moved to another room where we conducted an "imagination" workshop. That part was both tiring and fun for all of us. The session ended with the entire Pioneer family forming a human airport terminal, complete with airplane and passengers. The workshop ended on a high note, and people later approached us to say how refreshing the activities were. Very different from anything they had ever experienced in past conventions and sales rallies. Well, that's Tito Freddie for you.

Ate two or three slices of apple strudel before going home. Rode with Jingay, whose car kept acting up althroughout the trip home. Finally had to make a pit stop at a Caltex station before Susana Heights to have the car looked at. After maybe an hour, they gave up. Good thing motoring back the rest of the way to Manila, although jerky and palya-palya, was largely uneventful and I got home safe and sound.