Thank You 2012

With the year coming to a close, it's time to look back again to a wonderful year through this annual year-end gratitude post. I think 2012 has been really good to me in many ways. Yes, there were days in the year when we were being tested and challenged to the limits but still I survived with the help of family, friends and even strangers. Here's a quick run-through of the year that was...

My girls turned a year older in January...how time flies!

Traveled to Bohol for a running event

To Manila (twice) for a training...

PAS National Convention at Sofitel Manila

Ariva Seminar on 5S at A. Venue Makati

To Boracay for our 10th Wedding Anniversary...

Ran and finished my first 10k at the Citigym Marathon...

Discovered and embraced Zumba with friends...

Organized a half-marathon albeit the stress and Sisa moments...

Celebrated our youngest sister's graduation...also celebrated freedom from baon and tuition fees hehe

My other sister, Magee finally settled in Italy with her new husband...

Blessed with a lot of gifts (hotel accommodation gift certificates, watches, jewelry and a lot more)

Above anything else, I will be thankful for the gift of family, friends, good health and a career to keep me going forward. Thank you 2012 for being the BEST year for me. You've made me realize that I am capable  of doing things I never imagined. I shall look ahead to the coming year with so much hope and faith in God that things will be a lot better and brighter. Oh! And we survived that end of the world scare!

Cheers to 2013...please be kind to me!

2012 Christmas Diaries (Part 2)

This is a continuation to my 2012 Christmas Chronicle...read on!

Cirque de la Nuit - Masquerade Party

December 15; Marco Polo Hotel

the brains behind Cirq de la Nuit

She won 2nd place...well-deserved!

This is one of the biggest and grandest parties I have attended to. Big in the sense that this is the company's annual party. We're holding it once again at Marco Polo Hotel's grand balcony. As always, the committee would always end up with the wackiest and out-of-this world theme. This year, we had Cirque de la Nuit, a masquerade and circus inspired party. Everyone always made an effort to really dress up according to the theme. The highlight of this event was the costume contest where 20 employees signed up and really prepared hard. Well, who wouldn't when at stake is fifteen thousand pesos in GC for the grand winner. The second and third placers also received ten thousand pesos and five thousand pesos in GCs respectively. I am just amazed at how the contestants conceptualize their costumes - some wouldn't even fit in the door LOL. I have been part in the committee and as always I also take part in the success of the event.

Pantry Girls Christmas Party

December 19; Office Pantry

look at those smiles...priceless!

This is a no frills yet fun-filled party with the pantry girls. As a background, the pantry girls are a few ladies from HR, Finance, Admin and IT who gather every lunch breaks and share whatever "baon" they have. I seldom join these ladies in their lunch binge with my shift starting after lunch. But when I do, it's always the best lunch ever. Just like the usual lunchbreaks, everyone brought in their food which will be shared by all. We also had our cheap version of kris kringle and raffles to add in the fun. The theme for the party is rainbow and we dress up to the colors of the rainbow.

GGM Christmas Party and JPL's Treat

December 22; Mahogany Grove

before the bahakhak

I think this gathering will now become a tradition. We started this gathering of my favorite PAS ladies last year with my former boss JPL accommodating us in her Mahogany Grove mansion. This year, there's just a few of us and I thought it will never push through with people already getting busy with Christmas. But despite the few attendees, we still had the never-ending "bahakhak" and of course the overflowing food courtesy of our host. The white elephant exchange gift was the highlight of our simple gathering. It was really fun stealing one gift from each other to the point of getting none. I'm sure those not in attendance missed in the fun. It wasn't even enough...we still continued with the chika2, bahakhak and exchange gifts over a cup of coffee and frappe at Figaro in Ayala.

Villamala Annual Christmas Gathering

December 24; Villamala Residence, Mambaling

2nd generation

my girls in their identical outfits

Perhaps, the final Christmas gathering that I attended to. It's the annual gathering of my husband's family. The attendees have come in trickles with the absence of several personalities. But the kids are still excited to receive their gifts from granny (husband's grandfather). What I really love about this gathering is having the kids play and mingle with their cousins. The older cousins like us also did some catching up on each other's lives and a little drinking session until 3am. I am just a bit sad about some misunderstanding early leading to some relatives not showing up this year. I hope those involved will be able to patch things up soon.

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There goes my 2012 Christmas. Quite hectic come to think of it but that didn't stop me from really celebrating the season to the fullest. I feel blessed to have attended to these gatherings. It goes to show that I am surrounded with friends and family who love me to bits. Beyond the gifts and material things, what matters most is the presence, the warmth and the time spent with your love ones.

I hope you all (my reader of two or three) gets to also enjoy Christmas the way I did...Cheers!!!

2012 Christmas Diaries (Part 1)

December... it's one of the busiest yet the happiest seasons of the year. Despite the heavy traffic and the long ques at the counters, Christmas will always be my favorite time of the year. There are the parties and gatherings to look forward to. It's also a time when people really make an effort to dress up and doll up. 

As a write this, it's already the 26th of December and the merry-making just concluded thus the title. But of course, there's the New Year Celebration to look forward to but that deserves another post.

So, I'm coming up with a blow by blow chronicle of my Christmas celebrations to constantly remind me of the joy that the season brings...

The MOM Award

Last December 1, I got the biggest surprise when PAS President Rhiza Espinoza declared me as this year's Most Outstanding Member. It was something that's really unexpected. I joined PAS 7 years ago and at that time I never really imagined myself  to be active and participative in the activities and projects of the association. I just wanted to stay in the sidelines as an ordinary member attending to meetings and merely a spectator. But things didn't turn out as initially planned. Some members of the association trusted me and tapped me to do some little roles like sell raffle tickets during GMMs or be the emcee in the Executive's Night. Saying "no" would mean you're not up for the challenge. Then the roles became bigger and bolder like being a committee head or being one of the officers. Finally, the peak of my membership with PAS was running the association as President in 2012. It was the most challenging yet rewarding role for me as member. 

This year, I thought of actually slowing down a bit after my presidency last year but I was thrust again to chair the Socio-Civic Committee when the initial chairperson took a leave from the association. I accepted the role as my way of giving back to the association and its membership for all the support given to me in 2012. It is also out of the friendship that I have with the president Ms. Rhiza Espinoza that I have to extend my support and help in any way I can during her term. To say that it was the most stressful year in my membership with PAS is an understatement. Sometimes, I asked why I'm allowing myself to be stressed and harassed by all these activities to the extent of jeopardizing work and family. But alongside all the stress and pressure are the people who made it all fun and worthwhile. I couldn't have done and pull of an activity without friends in PAS who makes the load a less heavy. Yes, there were those what we call "Sisa" moments but those were the moments that really separate the tough from the weak. I think there's nothing that cannot be done in any organization or association if you get all the help from what you call your support system. 

There were a lot of people to really thank for...my so-called support system, the reason why I am sticking it out with PAS all these years...

To the GGM girls, my bestest friends in PAS for the overflowing doses of laughter and energy.

To the Socio-Civic Committee, for backing me up in all our projects and activities this year.

To my mentor Ms. O, for being instrumental in my being a member of PAS.

To the president Ms. Rhiza, for the trust and confidence and for giving this most coveted award.

To PAS, for the learning opportunities and for giving me the chance to grow as a professional and as an individual.

On top of the pride as this year's MOM, I also received fabulous prizes --- hotel GCs (which by the way was solicited by me hehehe), jewelry, a new microwave oven, a beautiful plaque among others. In closing, I wish to encourage all the members of PAS to give it your best and 100% no matter how little the role is given to you. It will always be rewarded in many ways. Cheers!

The Synergy Run

Pardon the silence but I was swamped with so much activities left and right. I felt the need to escape from the entire buzz but there are just things that you can't leave behind and just finish it once and for all.

One of which is the 1st Synergy Run - a half-marathon run organized by the Philippine Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals Cebu (PAS) and the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). It was a very ambitious project that almost took our time from everything including our sanity. At the start, there were already issues especially with the way both associations do things differently and there came a point when I just wanted to drop everything like a hot potato. But I feel blessed that I had the best team to back me up particularly on the PAS side. Towards the big day though, the committee pitched in and helped in the completion of some remaining tasks. We already felt the so-called SYNERGY. 

The committee goofing around

Well, the turnout wasn't really what we expected. We were short of our targeted number of runners despite the aggressive marketing and promotions. But it wasn't really bad considering the fact that it was a first time for us to organize such an event and despite the competition of runs on the same day. We got good reviews from the attendees with how it was organized on race day itself. And we were truly blessed with generous sponsors. 

Elite Runners in front before the 21k gunstart

When asked if we were to do it all over again, I would still go for it. I believe we have created a mark in the running community and we feel that there's still a lot of room for improvement. The only way to apply what we've learned from this activity is to do it the second time around...or the third and so on. There's actually more gain than lost. I learned so much and my patience was put to a test.

i can still afford a smile despite the pressure

Cheers to the 1st SYNERGY RUN!!!