Collection de Coeurs

And this entry is more of an announcement to myself that being busy is merely a convenient excuse for not painting. This is something I keep telling myself (and other people who insist they don’t have time to go through the books they stacked up to read, start the sideline they want to explore, cook the new recipe they want to eat, etcetera etcetera): if you have time to Facebook, you have time to pursue your (side) passion. It doesn’t always have to be one-time-big-time, just put a little time and effort to keep it going. Better small steps than none at all  So here’s to more little watercolor bookmarks to come!

Ti Amo’s prices are more considerate of jobhunting-freelancers like myself, with single scoops at 48, double at 88 and triple at 128. That’s cheaper than Gelatissimo and Red Mango and most other ice cream/frozen yogurt. The Rice and Milk Cheese flavors sound weird, but are actually damn heavenly together. I wasn’t kidding when I admitted eating a day’s worth of calories in gelato form. In one sitting. Don’t judge me. Other must-try’s are Stracciatella (chocolate chip upcycled) and Blueberry Cheesecake (pictured below, behind milk cheese). Apparently, gelato on cappuccino–on, not with– is orgasmic, so I’m still saving that order for a date.

My dad says Ti Amo will easily slip down to “kabaduyan” because of its price bracket, but I think the well-designed interiors are too gorgeous to be brought down by low prices.

It’s hard not to love Ti Amo. You’ll be spoiled with generous couches decked with pretty pillows, convenient electric plugs close to every table, the friendly staff accomodating your little requests, speedy wifi for Vimeo HD viewing. If only food service was as fast–but it’s only their soft opening, so I think that’s forgiveable for now. It’s really cold though (maybe so your gelato won’t melt too fast?) so it was a good thing I had my scarf that I could wrap over my sleeveless top.

To think the Jollibee group initially planned on putting up a Delifrance for this spot. I was looking forward to their roast beef sandwiches, but now I think Ti Amo’s honeybread+vanilla combo is a worthy replacement.

Everything my sister and I order, always wipes out in seconds. I am not kidding. If they start offering sandwiches, pasta and salad like Coffee Bean, then I am theirs. E voilà! My new favorite spot. Don’t be surprised if I invite you there to catch up (anyway, you will love me for it).

So today, while walking around the grocery not helping mom, I concluded that all this time, I’ve just been too scared/lazy to try, and that I will prove myself wrong today. It’s part of my Nike life–the one where I just do it. Because (1) All our Logical Reasons are in fact just  Lame Excuses for not doing what we want to do and (2) If I have time to Facebook, I have time to learn watercolor painting and (3) Pag ayaw may dahilan, pag gusto ay laging mayroong paraan.

I walked into National Bookstore and picked out the cheapest stuff (because I didn’t want the price to pressure me into coming up with brilliance this early on). Also, if I do end up being a disgrace to the watercolor world, I didn’t want the endeavor to cost a heartbreak PLUS a bank-break. When I showed dad my loot though, he scoffed at my Lil’ Kids and Best Buy watercolor, saying they would only leave the wannabe artist in me frustrated, and my painting future un-pursued. He picked these out for me:

Look mom, watercolor shopping!

He chose Prang watercolor, the same brand he used back in college, a couple of pencils whose purposes he will show me tomorrow, cheap brushes and paper to play with.

Now that I was beyond my initial P150 budget anyway, I threw in a sale item I spotted from the counter:

Watercolor Shopping Trip Bonus: P22 Classic

An Oscar Wilde quote descriptive of my initial attempts below:

“Art, like Nature, has her monsters, things of bestial shape and with hideous voices.”

First watercolor works: work on it.

Wish me luck that I don’t fuck up and give up!

Now we’ve heard enough talk about building the Philippines’ image to the world again, I say this is one way to do it! Let’s show the teenage girls of Southeast Asia that Filipinas are the role models to be! Vote here to support Filipina power aaaaand…

2. Get a chance to win one of these sexy babies! Keep voting until September 16 and you might get a FREE ZARA ACCESORY! Clicking vote is so much easier (and cheaper) than fighting with Zarawhores during the sale.

Click here to see all the pretty items!

3. I took those photos up there, and my friend Nikka is the one handling Clean & Clear here in the Philippines. Since I worked on their Campus Tour magazine, I can see now what the brand really stands for. Confidence Personally, I’m tired of seeing emo girls hide their fezzes behind those ridiculous bangs, anti-socializing with the help of their iPods, posting nothing but  Reblog-If drama, crying over stupid boys, not participating in school. Clean & Clear is like that cool ate who can tell them to be active, use their talents in class, be active in sports (or writing or music or baking), dress according to their body type, make friends that are also confident and positive, and be pimple-free while doing it. Where was Clean & Clear when I was in 7th grade?

If you think teenage girls could use wholesome and amazing role models, vote vote vote!

I happened to be hanging out with Charz in the 12th floor veranda when legendary awesome gay genius Chief Creative Officer, after his yosi break, spotted us and pulled us into an impromptu brainstorming for a pitch of apparently epic proportions. In the meeting were veterans, top art and creative directors–I think we were thrown in for variety’s sake. He gave us the brief and told us to come back in 30 minutes with tons of tissue ideas. Sounded simple enough.

So I spent the next 30 minutes jotting down ideas on my pretty gradient-colored pad (from Dijon, nonetheless) and ended up with 2-3 cool (or so I thought) taglines. CCO passes by shouting for us to regroup in his room. Everyone settles down, I’m seated on the couch right across the big boss.

CCO: (looking down at me) Okay, go.
Kim: Oh okay! So my idea is (brandishing pretty pad) blah blah blah blah…
CCO: Stop stop stop. Darling, do you know what tissue ideas are?
Kim: Mmmmnot yet.
CCO: Akin na yan (gets my pretty pad, looks at my scribbles and re-writes each tagline on separate, 1/4 letter-size scratch pieces paper). That is a tissue idea. Next.

Needless to say I was mortified, but I guess everyone else was too preoccupied with their own “tissue papers” to care about other people’s ideas. Or bloopers. One by one the non-newbies laid down tissue papers with tag lines or key visuals, each person having five to seven ideas each. I only had one. And in the wrong format. Ah well. At least I got a taste of high-pressure brainstorming early on.

Learned my lesson, life moves on! At least I didn’t almost cost the company thousands (ahem ahem accounts girl). Now I’m wondering how many mistakes I’ll have to make before I get my first advertising award.

Blueberry Pcakes: Best with Bacon!

The purpley syrup added to the prettiness (and sumptuousness) of the whole meal, but it really was the bacon that put it on the top of my breakfast list.
Grabe sarap. Thanks for the tip, sincere waiter!

Let’s start with…

Charz: The In-house Japanese-looking Model

Even in my first week, I already noticed Charz. Not for his long, luscious hair. Not for his bright blue eyes. Not for his cool shirts and shoes. Neigh. Charz looked very familiar in that I’ve-met-you-before way (which I feel with almost every other person in the office, weirdly enough). The day I finally do chat him up, turns out he’s also from CSA! And Ateneo! And he was THE Charles of the Chad and Charles Mendoza heartthrob twins of high school. Life, you ha, so funny talaga sometimes. Today I greeted Charz a “Happy Friendship Day!” because it is friendship day in Colegio San Agustin Makati every 20-something in August. That pretty much caps off what I loved about CSA–friendships and twin heartthrobs. One last thing about Charz: I finally found someone who talks way more than I do. Wait, that was still about me… eh. NVM.

Next!

Tipay: My Sista from Anotha Motha

Miss Tipay Caintic! So someone already thought I was Tipay. Tips, I’m sorry if anyone thought you were me. But oui. Wild hair, the cutest nose(s), shamelesss energy–trademark Amanderz and Tipperz. We have been called BFFs by a sort-of boss, probably because we don’t just look like twins, we also play the part perfectly. Lunch together, projects together, brainstorm together, (any verb or noun) together. Thank God we don’t have crushes together, otherwise, WAR NA ITO wala, we’d still be cool! Coz we cool and confident like that. Wink wink!

Other peoples in the office I like (so far harhar):

Greg | Celson | Darwin

Greg is another sort-of boss that Tipay and I worked with for Coca-Cola. He’s eccentric and that (at least for me) makes him much easier and more interesting to talk to. Celson the litol boy looking over his shoulder is the best art kid in his batch in UP, or so I’ve heard. I’ll bully him into making me a portrait and we shall see. Darwin is the best seat mate I could ask for! He shares tips on being a newbie, some office gossip and also the office cold. My flu from last week is care of Dar, but I like him anyway.

Let’s throw in another girl for good measure.

Denise: My Model for A Sartorialistish Attempt

I have yet to have a good long conversation with Denise, but for starters, her last name is Flojo (don’t think you’re clever), and I do love her outfits to work

I don’t have photos of my own Jollibee team yet only because I’m too shy. Nor do I have photos of office crushes, because that would be encouraging myself, and that would be wrong! HARHARHAR. And because I have to be in here somewhere, a last photo before we part ways:

Breaktime: My Brainstorming Is Too Boring for Charz

*Sep 8 Update: Contract at McCann is over :’( On to the next agency! Waiting for a call from the competitor this week, crossing my fingers while getting busy with freelance gigs

When I was picking up this blog again, dusting it off and slowly polishing it, I figured it would be wise to see how other friends with blogs have been loyal with theirs. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to start with blogger friends from The Guidon, or Heights because then it became a little too intimidating for someone who hasn’t written anything longer than 5-word catchphrases for ads in months.

I looked at my past entries here and I knew none of my past editors would approve. Even I wouldn’t read this shit! It’s really a shame I’ve forgotten to put more thought and importance to the stringing together of words. Worse, in my day job where the purpose is quick impression on customers, I am forced to cut off 80% of words, ignore proper grammar and stick to 5 syllables per sentence. How am I supposed to get back to proper writing when 8 hours a day, I have to do the opposite? (That is not me making up excuses!)

My temporary solution: take photos instead. Leave the writing to a minimum, at least until I can muster enough courage (or effort lol) to write something decent. It’s part avoidance, part baby-steps strategy. In the meantime, I’m sorry. To friends who used to laugh at my Multiply blog, to friends I used to be with in Features, to strangers who can’t believe another prick wasted more internet space on crap. I will make up for it. Zat ees a promees.

It’s the top-earning multi-national ad agency in the country, the office is in premiere address GT Tower along Ayala Avenue, and the pay isn’t bad at all! Plus, the name just sounds so good to the ear. Like Drew said, it’s “matunog.” But stop. Rewind.

I’m not celebrating yet because I’m still a temp. Yeap, they needed a senior copywriter for the job, and being a fresh graduate with no internship/work experience, and from a Management course at that, they wanted to make sure I could fill up the position without much guidance or training. (Sabi na kasi Comm na lang dapat ako back in college eh. All those degrading D’s from Accounting 101 and for what? I was going to end up in a Communication job din pala. Hay parents. They never listen.) Now I don’t mind this arrangement at all (I was even thinking of suggesting they try me out for free, just to get myself in) and it’s also a great test drive to see if I’ll enjoy driving around Don Draper’s world (errr, the 21st century version of it, of course).

One week down and it’s been good so far My creative director is still extremely busy that her schedule won’t even allow much delegation just yet. I’ve been spending more hours going through articles online on basic copywriting than actually copywriting, so it’s quite understandable that I’m genuinely looking forward to my first official overtime tomorrow! There’s going to be a client presentation on Tuesday (I won’t talk about the account here, not just because it’s probably against company rules, but I personally feel I don’t have the right to anyway, at least not yet), so we’ll be keeping the lights on in the office probably til past midnight.

The office. Ohhhman. I wish I could take a photo of my desk and post it, but that would be being possessive of it too much too soon, and if things don’t turn out as I hope, I’m sure to go through some heart-breaking separation anxiety with the workspace. That’s also why I’m restraining myself from adjusting settings on my desktop browser to my convenience, or making my own little folders for my work documents. What I can’t help is the surge of appreciation for the awesomedawesome view from the 35th floor. You can see Manila Bay from my seat, and pretty much everyone in the office has a view of Makati’s bustling streets and the prettiful sunsets.

So wish me all the luck I’ll need (and more), because I really do like the view.