Marc Aldrich Gopal. 22. Novena, Singapore. Filipino. Proctoid. Wanderlust-y. Leo. Atenean. O-C. Sleepyhead. Anti-mediocrity.
Potterite. Pet Fanatic. Acquired Taste. Lives life. Loves life.
You think you know but you have no idea.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma- living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Everything else is secondary.
Today started out like any other Wednesday would - I had to wake up 15 minutes earlier to shave, boil some water, prepare a sad excuse of a breakfast (oh yes, its the most important meal of the day), and then walk over to that corner accross the street to ride a bus 5 minutes away from work. Then, there's of course work-proper. I had to share a desk with Oana today, because that's what happens to the 19th floor when you arrive after 9:30. haha And then we had a Filipino lunch in Kabayan - which I may say so has the best Sinigang and Cassave Cake that I've ever had. Ever. I swear. Came back to the office, work once again. Went to a couple of meetings and one-on-ones. And then of course, it was time to go home once again. Had dinner with a friend in Subway (oh yes, our sorry excuse for a diet). Went back to the office, packed up my stuff, put on my earphones and walked back to my place. Yep, a very run-of-the-mill office day. Quite regular. Except for the fact that:
So this is how it feels. Parang ang tagal na nung last kong nafeel ito. haha!
Kaso lang, parang this time, I'm soooo way out of my league. haha Ika nga ni Edie sa DH, I'm-soo-way-out-of-my-league-i'm-playing-a-different-kind-of-ballgame-na. And to that I say, bring it on!
Oh well, at least Valentine's came earlier for me this year.
That's one less bitter person in the world. haha
And I shall shut up now - baka ma-pre-empt.
Hearing: Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway Feelin' dreamy.
Infairness sa work kanina. I swear, sulit ang bayad sa akin today. Hanggang ngayon, di pa rin talaga kaya ng powers ko na isiksik lahat ng gusto kong sabihin sa isang concise one pager - (sa kadami-dami ba namang taong training sa Ateneo, na the longer the better...) Of course may mga meetings din - Actually, medjo madami ngayon compared to regular days. And can I just say, at least these days di na ako mashadong nanonosebleed. haha! Weekly Filipino lunch ngayon sa Kabayan, so at least lunch was really good. Pero pagbalik, round three na ng editing. May mga ad hoc data analysis din, meeting with the ad agency and kung ano ano pang meeting. At finally, natapos na din yung draft. Buti na lang, hanggang round three lang ang editing. At hanggang ngayon, dinadala ko pa din sa bonggang format at aesthetics. haha Old habits die hard, ika nga. haha
Pero sa totoo lang, mas stressful ang araw na ito kaysa sa normal na araw ko sa opisina. Mas maraming meetings. May actual deliverables. Mas madaming follow-ups. Mas maraming ad hoc requests.
Having said all these, naka-smile pa din ako buong araw. Smile pa din ako kahit nakalimutan ifollow up ng agency yung request ko na copy. Smile pa din ako kahit mukhang di mamimeet yung timings ng trade samples. Smile pa din ako kahit nasestress na ako sa one pager na yan. Para akong baliw na lumulutang sa ere kanina. haha Buti na lang walang nakapansin. haha
Parang nababaliw na ako. Pero, sa totoo lang, parang ang saya mabaliw.
I'm not sure what got into me this morning, but I was in the mood to cook something for breakfast. Nope, I wasn't in the mood for Breadtalk this morning. I wanted something homecooked (just to manage expectations, this literally means food that's cooked at home by me, not the usual, mouth-watering image of food in its savoury goodness. haha) So anyway, I arrived at work at around 9:35, and as usual, there aren't any seats left. haha So I had to share a desk with my Romanian friend, Oana.
At around 11:30, Oana suddenly stopped processing all those numbers, turned to me and asked if I was in the mood for Pilates. Honestly, I've heard of Pilates, but I haven't really tried it yet. So, I was interested. And of course, there's my new mantra of "Trying everything at least once", so I was convinced - oh yes, to not only try Pilates, but to do so during lunch time. So we crossed the street, went up the IRA building, changed to our sporty clothes and went on with the show. Fifty minutes later, my muscles were stretched further than they've ever been, and I was amazed as to how energized I was despite the fact that this could hardly be called cardio.
What was scary was that there were a lot of positions (haha!), and then I realized that sometimes, my right feet would twitch, literally twitch. And I was scared. haha And so I asked the personal trainer as to why this was so. Apparently, its just my muscles adjusting to this. He said that if you regularly run, you exercise a certain set of muscle groups, but if you do pilates, you exercise some muscle groups that are beyond merely just running. Or its just how I understood it. haha
And that's when I realized, that I'm not yet that flexible. But of course there's still time. Nagulat nga yung trainer when I said it was my first time. Si Oana, madaya kasi she used to do this in Romania ata, so it was easier for her. But me? My muscles were totally not ready for this. haha
Oh well. I guess its not really for weight loss. Oh yes, not everything is about weight loss. This is more of muscle strength and flexibility. And I might just make it a habit. O di ba, the next time people ask me what I'm up to, I can tell them that I'm starting to do Pilates. O di ba, sushal pakinggan. haha! And the best thing is, its free! Got to love P&G SG benefits!
Hearing: Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway Feelin' energized.
Yes, its Valentine's. That day filled with magnificently arranged flowers, boxes and boxes of chocolates, huggable teddy bears, cute couples that make you say "aww, they look so good together" and those ugly couples that make you say "ewwww, so that's where ugly babies come from" - and of course, seedy motels filled to the brim with couples who want to express their *ahem* love, in more creative ways. haha But there's got to be more to Valentine's than this, right?
Because sometimes, holding hands show so much more than just giving a bouquet of roses. Because sometimes, that long, lingering hug can say so much more than a cliche greeting card. Because sometimes, that passionate kiss means so much more that a big ol' box of Belgian chocolates. And because sometimes, with that look and with those eyes, you need not say anything at all.
This was the first time I spent Valentine's day with someone, ever. And though I'm not sure where we are, or where we're going, or if this is even going to last, all I know is that, at the end of the day, I'm just so glad that I got to spend that day with you.
Here's to having work-life balance (I actually haven't thought about work this weekend, snaps for Aldrich). Here's to living in the now. With you.
Yes, there's one less bitter person in the world.
P.S. But honestly, can ugly couples please just stop publicly displaying their affection. Its just plain painful to the eyes.
Hearing: Mariah Carey - Through the Rain Feelin' dreamy.
Repost: The Amazing Transformation - Judy Anne Santos Posted at 10:31 AM in Life as I Know It
This entry was posted on June 23, 2008 (you can even take a look at my archive page to confirm kung ayaw mo maniwala. haha). And the reason why I'm reposting this is that, this was a post about not only Judy Anne, but a post about Pantene.Take note that this was a few weeks before I actually knew that I was going to be working on the Pantene business! haha It's really amazing how things change - how at one point in time, I was a mere consumer of the product, exposed to their marketing campaigns, and now I work on marketing Pantene. *sigh* Time really does fly quickly.
Being a Filipino who grew up in the 90's, I was more than familiar with the titles given to the classic stars of Philippine cinema. There was (1) Nora Aunor, the Superstar (2) Sharon Cuneta, the Megastar (3) Vilma Santos, the Star for All Seasons and my personal favorite, (4) Maricel Soriano, the Diamond Star. Yes, they are artists that stand the test of time - the true sign of a star and what differentiates a star from a starlet.
However, if you have been paying attention to Philippine cinema for the past few years, new stars have been born. And this post is about one particular star. For one thing, she really did not have a natural advantage when it came to her looks. One one hand, she was and is a great actress particularly when she was the one that was maltreated - you know, the babangon-ako-at-dudurugin-kita type of roles. But yet, it terms of beauty, she really didn't have much of an advantage. Simply, she was round. Here's a picture to remind you. When they say that pictures say a thousand words, here's a picture that says sio pao, sio pao, sio pao,sio pao, sio pao, sio pao,sio pao, sio pao, sio pao,sio pao, sio pao, sio pao,sio pao, sio pao, sio pao,sio pao, sio pao, sio pao . . . you get the point.
Now you know who I'm talking about. Yes, that is (or better yet, was) Judy Anne Santos, before her amazing transformation. How amazing? Well, quite simply, her level of transformation would be the kind that you would want your ex to see after a very bad breakup.You know that image where you'd be sending off the i-look-and-feel-so-much-better-without-you signal. haha
But that doesn't end there. Recently, Pantene launched their Most Beautiful Campaign, and they used four celebrities - Ruffa Gutierrez (no suprise), the sisters Gretchen and Claudine Barretto (again, no surprise there) AND Ms. Judy Anne Santos. Yes, if ever there is a sign that you're finally there (wherever there is)and you've finally arrived - rubbing elbows with Manila's most beautiful, is definitely one of them. I know that its just another marketing campaign (and, this time its all about hair getting wet) but its just that recognizing Judy Anne Santos as one of their Most Beatiful Women is something extraordinarily surreal.
*sigh* I'm just soo proud of her and what she has already accomplished. Now, who would have thought such feats could be accomplished by a siopao? Honestly, I didn't. And that just makes it all so much more amazing.
Yesterday was a feel good day. I mean, I woke up late, and I finally was able to download something off torrent (provided that I finally have my own broadband connection at home - snaps to work-from-home privileges). But the highlight of my day was - watching He's Just Not that Into You! (^_^). I watched it with Aela, Faith and Wen who after walking back and forth along Orchard Road, finally was able to find a cinema in Isetann because all the other cinemas were full. (Note to self, next time, book tickets online.)
Basically, this film was supposedly based on a self help book, which in turn was based on a line of dialogue from Sex and the City (oh di ba, twice inspired.) Here's some more info lifted from Wikipedia: The plot chronicles the romantic misadventures of nine individuals in their twenties and thirties. Set in Baltimore, the common thread of the story is that one person in each relationship is more enamored with the other person and vice versa.
And to be honest, I was laughing and (kahit nahihiya man akong aminin, pero sige na nga), teary-eyed the whole time. It was just so entertaining, so authentically not-trying-too-hard-to-be-funny entertaining that it's so refreshing. Yes, its an all star cast, but honestly, I loved the movie in spite of that. And there were so many situations, so many mishaps, so many twists and turns that everyone, and I mean everyone, is bound to be able to relate to a character, a couple of characters, or even all of them at one point or another. And I just couldn't help but relate to some characters of the film, both the bad moments, and more importantly, the kilig moments. haha
Yes, sometimes, we love other people more than we they love us. Sometimes, we like them, and they don't even notice that we exist. Sometimes, we thought we loved each other, but then they go along and find someone else. And sometimes, we're that someone else, right in the middle of a supposedly happy relationship. Its just that, when it comes to relationships, people are bound play different parts, to sometimes play the role of the one that gets hurt, or the one that hurts other people. Its the love adaptation of the we're-all-in-this-together-slash-we're-all-connected mantra. Oh yes, its the Golden Rule film for lovers.
(you might not get this if you haven't watched the movie, but honestly, do watch it, and then you'll understand the next parts). Oh yes, oftentimes, we expect that we're the rule, but sometimes, when the timing is right, and you find that special someone, you might just be the exception. Which is why when you finally do find your "exception", hold on tight, and don't let go.
*sigh* its so realisitically looovy-dovey that I actually went out of the cinema smiling, and very much contented with what I got for my $10. haha
Hearing: Ronan Keating - Words Feelin' lovey-dovey. :)
Last Sunday, I didn’t have anything special planned, so I browsed through the internet to check out areas that I can visit. I didn’t really find anything interesting, but I remember Oana talking about this huge Fairprice down at the Ang Mo Kio Hub (AMK Hub). Just to give a bit of a background, Fairprice is the cheapest supermarket here in Singapore, managed by the NTUC – National Trade Union Congress. Actually, prices in Fairprice are the lowest they can go, not really that cheap (since everything in SG is so damn expensive), I guess the correct description would be that those sold in Fairprice are not as expensive. And they’re usually small stores, around a quarter of your regular SM supermarket. But they’re more or less complete.
So fifteen minutes after this realization, I was already a couple of MRT stations away from AMK, all ready to see the biggest Fairprice in Singapore. And my oh my, was it huge! Haha It was only one floor, but it was as big as the SM Hypermarket in The Block! Yes, its not that big, but for Singapore standards, its friggin’ huge! (thus the name Fairprice Xtra). And so, shop, I did. And In fairness, it was the first time I actually used a shopping cart instead of a basket.
And if there’s one thing you should know about Singapore, they import almost everything – from talent (thus, the reason why I’m here in the first place), to water, to food, from fruits to rice – basically everything that’s consumed here has come from countries as far away as Norway or South Africa. Just to give you an idea, here are a few things that were in my shopping basket:
Black Seedless Grapes from South Africa – see, hindi ako racist.
Baguette baked daily and flown in from France – o dib a, mas nakatravel pa sa akin yung bread. Haha
Nectar Fruit from Australia – its this weird fruit that looks like a peach, but is really sweet
Thai Fragrant Rice from of course, Thailand
Strawberries from Korea – I swear, they look different, but taste the same.
I'm not saying that these things aren't available in the Philippines. But the ironic thing is that sometimes, the prices of some goods here in SG are cheaper than those in PH! Amazing di ba? I mean, I’m a cheapo consumer, so the products up there in that list are actually the cheapest ones here. And even if I convert, they are at par (or even cheaper) than options that we have in Manila. In addition to that, the funny thing is that its only in Singapore that they actually have price reductions aka sales on consumer products – you have your buy one, get one frees, outright price reductions, etc. Its just all so, well, new to me – coming from the Philippines.
Anyway, that’s about it. J Gotta get back to work.
‘Til the next loop!
Reading: Blog Roll. Hearing: Beyonce - Halo Feelin' tired.
