Much is to be included in our company Christmas greeting, but eager as I was to include tiny tidbits of what really goes on inside our office (I mean the bloopers of course), the shorter more hastened version of the message had been passed on to the higher echelons of Robinsons Land.
So I dedicate this longer and more personal tribute to the company that has oh-so-miraculously hired me, hoping that even in this silent corner in cyberspace the moment of thanksgiving is spread.
The season of gifts and cheers has finally arrived and as the world makes way for this joyous occasion, the upbeat combination of HLDD and RBD Cebu is already one step ahead in the festivities. We bring good tidings to our colleagues from the equally proactive divisions of RLC and to our affiliates who have supported us all the way. With many thanks we offer nothing but praises for a year’s worth of exceeding expectations and surpassing the standards.
Team
We’ve come and seen and conquered surprising tasks and spur-of-the-moment dilemmas with unfailing initiative and serious multitasking (with a little belly dancing on the job). Whether grinning or gritting and smiling or sulking, at the end of each work day we know we are celebrating life by what our projects stand for:
“Every day is a holiday (AmiSa) in marketing a nature-endowed residential resort community (Blue Coast Residences) and living where the best of both worlds meet (
To our fellow RLCians, we wish you a memorable Christmas and a blessed New Year! And as we toast to the memories of old, we look forward to another round of exciting challenges in the Queen City
Musings from the Decrepit Balcony
I've learned what it's like to live in the big city and experienced playing tag with a too overwhelming confection of stress and excitement. I have come to understand that all good things, while they've made me happy once, are simply and effortlessly forgotten in time for another bout with misery. I've witnessed a fair amount of life stories - of overjoyed young people and their suffering folks back home. I couldn't help wonder why for someone supposedly young and bubbly, I choose to remain dreaming, hoping one too many times for a life far away from where I am and will be for the next few years.
Missing Places
I can't say I didn't enjoy living in Cebu's fast lane, where jeepney roars echo all the way till dawn and life forms emerge simultaneously, creating a complex mixture of personalities. Everything moves so fast that each detail has to be documented to avoid missing out on the simple memories sketched at unlikely hours. I've grown accustomed to this and save for my constant search for a breathable place to call my own, I'm actually all set.
But then again I miss simplicity. I missed being happy just to see the clouds frolic amidst the waves in the horizon. I missed spontaneous side trips and beach bumming. I missed grabbing a bite in the middle of the night without fearing for my life. I missed being carefree despite my compulsive disposition towards chaos. I missed finding sunsets so effortlessly and watching the day colors fade into night. I missed walking along the beautifully lit promenade at night whose pretty lights are not judged for their price. I missed watching movies every week just for the heck of it and being able to walk home when I felt I needed the exercise. I missed telling stories over mock group studies and sharing books over iced tea.
I am missing more that I ought to be missing and thinking way too much of the past. I am feasting in yesterday's memories and laughing at last year's jokes. I missed waking up in a room bathed in sunlight. I missed hurrying to school in the morning and walking back home with footsteps free of the world's problems. I missed the spicy flavors dominating the streets and the iced cold beer washing everything down my throat. I missed the company of old fogeys and the banters of the young colts and fillies.
I missed looking up into the sky and seeing a canopy of stars. I missed finding treasures at unlikely sites, from unbelievable sources. I missed the solace of my church where I was only to walk a couple of paces to find comfort. I missed the pillars and the portals of my education where I was only to wear shorts and slippers in order to belong. In the midst of jumbled priorities and confusing road trips, I missed everything there is to miss about Dumaguete City, the city of gentle people that weren't so gentle at all. In fact, I even miss the crazy one-way traffic and the irritating pedicab drivers who used to burst my bubble!
Hay Dumaguete and your charm, we shall definitely meet again...
But then again I miss simplicity. I missed being happy just to see the clouds frolic amidst the waves in the horizon. I missed spontaneous side trips and beach bumming. I missed grabbing a bite in the middle of the night without fearing for my life. I missed being carefree despite my compulsive disposition towards chaos. I missed finding sunsets so effortlessly and watching the day colors fade into night. I missed walking along the beautifully lit promenade at night whose pretty lights are not judged for their price. I missed watching movies every week just for the heck of it and being able to walk home when I felt I needed the exercise. I missed telling stories over mock group studies and sharing books over iced tea.
I am missing more that I ought to be missing and thinking way too much of the past. I am feasting in yesterday's memories and laughing at last year's jokes. I missed waking up in a room bathed in sunlight. I missed hurrying to school in the morning and walking back home with footsteps free of the world's problems. I missed the spicy flavors dominating the streets and the iced cold beer washing everything down my throat. I missed the company of old fogeys and the banters of the young colts and fillies.
I missed looking up into the sky and seeing a canopy of stars. I missed finding treasures at unlikely sites, from unbelievable sources. I missed the solace of my church where I was only to walk a couple of paces to find comfort. I missed the pillars and the portals of my education where I was only to wear shorts and slippers in order to belong. In the midst of jumbled priorities and confusing road trips, I missed everything there is to miss about Dumaguete City, the city of gentle people that weren't so gentle at all. In fact, I even miss the crazy one-way traffic and the irritating pedicab drivers who used to burst my bubble!
Hay Dumaguete and your charm, we shall definitely meet again...
My friends would probably never forgive me for disappearing without notice. Again. I thought I'd be comfortable with the thought of exchanging comments and viewing each other's blogs but then ever since everybody started noticing heartshape I somehow felt uncomfortable at the thought of my blog being part of the daily reading cycle.
I enjoy reading multiple accounts of happy accidents and comedic dramas. No entry on romantic escapades could surpass Angel's stories and nothing can be more soothing a life saga than Jello's. It's just that I'm not ready for the world, specifically people who I hang out with, to know this part of my life.
This blog is for strangers who thrive in anonymity, for those who clearly have no idea who I am.
I enjoy reading multiple accounts of happy accidents and comedic dramas. No entry on romantic escapades could surpass Angel's stories and nothing can be more soothing a life saga than Jello's. It's just that I'm not ready for the world, specifically people who I hang out with, to know this part of my life.
This blog is for strangers who thrive in anonymity, for those who clearly have no idea who I am.
If I could be anywhere without hesitation and doing anything except think about the world's dilemma, I'd be resting under one of the makeshift cottages in Pebbles Beach, Santander basking in the colors of sunset and watching the royal blue waves turn from light aquamarine to a darker stronger hue. With nothing but the sun's tiny pecks on my skin or the wind's teasing on my hair, I'd be where I had been the first time I set foot on the small jewel of a paradise subtly tucked in the southern tip of Cebu.
My affair with the town of Santander began as an alternative. It was never planned and was never more than a spontaneous trip arranged by a group of college friends from Silliman University celebrating the end of a grueling midterm week. It was the perfect day for a swim, an ultimate excuse for a picnic, and just the right reason for an out of town escapade. At that time the beaches of Dumaguete seemed a bit trite so my friends and I hopped aboard the next pump boat bound for neighboring Cebu - to Pebbles Beach, a hidden beach resort we've never even heard of.
My affair with the town of Santander began as an alternative. It was never planned and was never more than a spontaneous trip arranged by a group of college friends from Silliman University celebrating the end of a grueling midterm week. It was the perfect day for a swim, an ultimate excuse for a picnic, and just the right reason for an out of town escapade. At that time the beaches of Dumaguete seemed a bit trite so my friends and I hopped aboard the next pump boat bound for neighboring Cebu - to Pebbles Beach, a hidden beach resort we've never even heard of.
Fast forward to Santander's port - probably the only one that collects terminal fees to new arrivals: we were awed and captivated by the pristine beaches and makeshift coconut sheds, by the restless currents and the beckoning waves lapping against the shoreline.
Walking along the small road that served as access road for buses plying the Cebu-Oslob route gave us a sense of what life in this sleepy yet tourist-friendly town was like. Strategically located in an island blessed with world-class beaches, Santander was never one to back down on showing off its God-given gifts and using them to attract quite a number of guests, all coming for a dive, a wade, or a dip in one of the bigger resorts' pools. On the way to our destination, we passed by several dive shops and resorts, bought our picnic staples from the small eateries and videoke stalls, and checked out the small cottages situated right across Pebbles Beach where nature's beauty was manifested in its long stretch of white sand beach adorned by shells and pebbles ours for the taking.
We were sun-baking in bliss, swimming against the strong currents that only got stronger as the sun set, and exploring the nearby boulders that could've passed for small caves. I thought I'd never enjoy watching boats pass along the horizon, but I did especially when I had the breathtaking view of the Tañon Strait, backdropped by the looming mountains of Negros, all to myself. That afternoon at Pebbles Beach, we experienced freedom and nothing was more important than perfecting the sand sculptures that were eventually laid unfinished by the shore or filling our empty Gatorade bottles with the rarest shells.
Truly beautiful without the fancy embellishments of luxury resort hotels, Pebbles Beach is Nature stripped down to its core, sharing its unspoiled richness to those who are only too willing to experience it. To those who want to spend an enchanting afternoon in a world-class wonder without stressing over budget and expenses, a casual trip down the seaside town of around 13,000 residents should do the trick. For city slickers kicking off their escapade at Cebu City's South Bus Terminal, travel time takes 3 hours, whereas a shorter 30-minute ferry ride is all it takes a water baby jumping off from the Dumaguete-Sibulan port.
I've experienced paradise.
And I got to enjoy all it had to offer for a mere P20-entrance fee. No kidding.
As much as I don't want to write about work too much I could not resist describing these new faces who have contributed so much to my useful one month on the job. I wasn't going to dare mention my boss for fear of getting kicked out before I had the chance to utter "regularization" but then I realized how incomplete an office profile would be without a few praises *coughs* for the one who heads us all.
Kidding.
The praises are actually intended for my office mates: marketing powerhouses Sue and Ellaine who, these past few weeks, have been nothing but supportive and CRAZY (yep, that's why we get along superbly).
Sue's the hardworking office girl who, when she gets focused on the task at hand, is simply absorbed in a little jobworld of her own. But then her jokes are classic and so laugh-worthy her seemingly shy personality becomes just the prelude to a funnier, more interesting Sue. Her Maria Clara allure takes on a new light the moment you've shared a meal, a cup of coffee, or a simple coke-and-pandesal moment with her. So far, I've never succeeded at NOT laughing at her subtle yet uber funny punchlines.
Then there's Ellaine, the bouncy HyperEllaine, whose boisterous laugh reverberates in our small toasty office like church bells on rainy days. Except on really depressing days (caused by none other than the one who heads us all), I've never seen her sulk in the corner or stay quite. Period. Her many adoring fans - brokers and agents included -speak for her amiable personality and jovial disposition. Funny how I thought otherwise the first day we met.
In a job with top management problems and disorganized professional environment, who do I call? Who do I cling to and bare my soul but to my new found friends with whom I share the same sentiments? I have yet to receive my first verbal punch and I'm looking forward to it, if only to prove I'm not losing anything.
UPDATE: February 26, 2009
Six months on the job...
* I've shed tears out of sheer frustration. She-wh0-must-not-be-mentioned is just as evil as her stinkin' reputation.
* Sue is resigning.
* And Ellaine is sure to follow suit.
* We have a new office mate named Joel, and seeing him retort is enough to make us happy.
* I'm happy with my job except that there are factors involved (one of which is the Queen Mother) that are way too important to ignore.
* I'm resigning too, only not in a few months. Too bad...
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