It’s past 9 pm and I’m currently listening to a webinar for our company about my current journalism specialization.
And about personal branding.
It’s all about the compelling story. No one will listen to you if you don’t have a story to tell.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Because in our world today, no one will really pay attention to you–as a job-hunter, as a potential employer, as a buyer, as a company founder doing fundraising, or an investment banker or consultant–if you do not have a good brand. I used to abhor journalists or bankers who have been doing self-promotion. I always thought that it’s about the craft, your work, or your deal that should speak for yourself.
Apparently it’s not enough.
Yes, of course you should have impeccable and high quality track record–not the half-finished this or that, not the empty/padded resume. You should have the solid background as your anchor but more than that, you should control the narrative—your narrative. You have to be an expert of something so that when you talk, they will listen.
My work week has been better than the previous one in the sense that my anxiety level has gone down. I have received two CVs already and I should do more outreach. I should also reach out to our talent acquisition team but I must get the OK of my bosses, who are still on a Lunar New Year break.
I was relaxed even if edits came flooding my mailbox. I’m happier doing this than trawling LinkedIn for possible candidates for at least three positions I’m trying to fill up before 1H23 ends. Or else the hiring window may close since majority of MNCs right now are freeze-hiring at the moment or are laying off.
The strings during the intro—it’s eargasm. Makes me want to watch Sting in March but damn, it’s sold out!
I’m looking at the concert calendar and only Sting stands out. Sting > Harry Styles. The rest are K-Pop concerts.
It’s a new year and I have again changed the position of my bed, hopefully this can help with my very problematic sleep. I also wanted to have my workstation removed from a vulnerable position i.e. back facing the door, because there were many instances when my girls walked in during my calls because I forgot to lock my door. Even though I have my virtual background on, it’s still unnerving to have them walk in on my calls and webinars unannounced.
So this is the first thing you will see when you enter my room. Photo by CallMeCreation.comMy bed is at the farthest corner of my room. CallMeCreation.com
I could have turned the bed perpendicular to the window…but that was the old position of my bed and it carries undesirable memories, so nope. I would have gotten more space with the old bed position–but nope.
My workstation’s back is facing a less vulnerable position. Photo by CallMeCreation.comBut the background is still not Zoom-worthy. I have to stick to virtual backgrounds for interviews. Photo via webcam.Hopefully this is a cozier spot for the bed so I can have better sleep quality. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I’m going to miss these big white walls where I can put a lot of artworks and photos. My tiny house has limited wall space for such things so I have to rotate frames depending on my mood.
There are now 50 individuals (mostly from government agencies) who have signed up for the data analytics training I helped organize with the graduate school of my university. That number includes my friends. The dean told me that they are prioritizing my group when it comes to scheduling since it was my idea to have this training for journos/communicators.
The unfortunate thing here is I could not commit yet to specific dates because of my travel itinerary, which still hangs by a thread. What is definite is that I need to to go to Singapore in April; I would have to assign the Bangkok coverage (two conferences) to my senior reporters in May because I would be moving houses (5 days off). I decided that I would only use 5 days off in December 2023 so I can have 5 days off for that training then another 5 days off in October for my birthday leave (that hopefully I can finally use for travel abroad).
Or I can ask for a study leave since this is a legit professional training.
Let’s see.
I didn’t work today. I could have but I decided not to. I declared my own holiday. Well, none from Southeast Asia i.e. Philippines submitted a story anyway. So what did I do the entire day? I really don’t know. It’s surprising how I can pass the day without remembering what I did. I think I watched videos of watercolor painting the entire day???
And I was also planning in my head how I would place the furniture in my tiny house so that required a lot of daydreaming.
Because I could manipulate spaces in my head, my contractor told me that I saved myself about PHP 20k since I was able to draw my plans in 1D but could still picture in my head how my sketch would translate to 3D or in the actual space. We were able to understand each other when I was showing him on-site where and how things will be positioned. If I didn’t have the capacity to imagine the spaces in my head, he would have to have the plans rendered in AutoCAD/Autodesk or Sketchup, which is an extra expense. Maybe it runs in the family 🤔. My uncle is an architect and he designed the blueprint of my parents’ house. It didn’t enter my mind to try my hand at architecture or interior design but I have always been interested in it. I always thought I didn’t have a knack for it.
Now that I have designed my own house, I think I can say I did it!
I would just have to invite my uncle to my housewarming to show it off and see his reaction. 🤣
Well, the Lunar New Year fell on a Sunday and the government neglected to declare a non-working holiday… so we had to leave for Manila during lunch time today.
I went out to buy my handmade shampoo bar and dishwashing liquid from the local weekend market. I also bought brunch for me and my twins… Not happy with our food 🙄 I should have stuck with the artisanal breads.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I also bought vegetables to bring with me to QC because I knew I wouldn’t have any time to spare to shop for veggies when I get home.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com
By the time we left my mom’s house, the traffic jam was already bad near the hot spring resort areas. This is a sign of what is to come this summer. 🤦♀️
Right now, I’m already racking my brain regarding the logistics of moving houses. I will be leaving mid-May and that is the height of traffic jams in this part of the world. I have to do the major move on a week day. If I do it on a weekend, my cargo truck will be stuck on the road for 5 hrs.
Sign of things to come. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
We went straight to Mitsukoshi in BGC to check out what’s there. Our main destination is Kinokuniya.
Checking out the manga on display. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
The girls got excited by the large selection of manga in Japanese and English.
I think their selection of manga and the number of aisles devoted to it is larger here than in Kinokuniya at Takashimaya in Singapore. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
My girls were crestfallen when they saw the price of each manga volume. 😁 So they’re just going to stick readinmg manga online.
As for the stationery… 🥱 That was a big disappointment. It was just the usual Fullybooked fare. I wish Loft or Maruzen would open a branch here.
But I did find a few stationery items outside Kinokuniya x Fullybooked, like Sailor fountain pens and other ink brands. They also carry Travelers Notebook refills but not the leather notebook covers. No Hobonichi as well.
Fountain pen inks. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
We checked the accessories section and got stuck there. Well, the girls got stuck because they were overwhelmed with the earrings choices.
Thegirls choosing their earrings carefully. Photo by CallMeCreation.com Photo by CallMeCreation.com
In the end it was only Twin I who bought earrings with her money in her Maya account. Twin A decided to save her money to prepare for the February Fair in my university hometown because they will be hanging out with their review center friends.
I finally found this umbrella brand. Wohoo! Photo by CallMeCreation.com Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I bought my first Waterfront umbrella in Asakusa, Tokyo and I never took it out of my handbags. My current umbrella is almost six years old and is still going strong. It’s small, very lightweight, and yet sturdy. Perfect for sudden rainshowers in the city or when I travel abroad.
I didn’t find Prior by Shiseido in the cosmetics area. *sigh* I can’t even find it online.
We tried the food court but our choice was not a good one (Tenya) and we were not happy… again.
Cheese!
To make up for our disappointment in food and stationery, we went to Fresh, Mitsukoshi’s supermarket.
This time, we were satisfied with what we saw. And bought.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I finally was able to buy: light miso paste (a whole bag weighing 800g!) for less than PhP 200, dashi, bonito flakes, green tea powder, cooking sake, tsuyu for cold soba, and Japanese ramen that are cheaper than what are sold in SM and online.
And beer.
Beer! Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I wanted to buy one for each variant but it will be too heavy to carry to the car.
Because, why not? Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Next time I drop by here, I will take home with me the canned goods and seasonings ❤️ Mitsukoshi Manila is still on soft opening and only a few vendors and brands are still being carried. The food court is not yet SG Takashimaya-level in terms of choices but there is potential given that the department store itself is huge and it has sprawling gross floor space, unlike in Mitsukoshi Taipei where everything is crammed into small shelves, sacrificing the presentation of the merchadise. I don’t remember entering a Mitsukoshi in Tokyo so I can’t compare.
The UCC coffee I had last night kept me up until 5 am today. I was so groggy the entire day.
So for tiny house updates, my contractor told me the Meralco guys will be coming to install power lines next week. I need to apply for a water line next Friday.
Mommy, why is our bathroom fancy? Well, darling, those are tiles from Spain, which mimic microcement or slate. Photo by CallMeCreation.com I told Twin I that it would be fancier once the lavatory and fixtures are installed and the artwork are hung. Photo by CallMeCreation.com Overhead lighting in the girls’ room. Photo by CallMeCreation.com Sanding down what was a very red wooden floor. Photo by CallMeCreation.com The newly varnished bedroom door. Photo by CallMeCreation.com The cabinets are up. Photo by CallMeCreation.com The Kohler moveable kitchen faucet to make life easier for my dishwashers 😂 Photo by CallMeCreation.comCutlery drawer. Photo by CallMeCreation.com Condo-sizedbut I’m making up for it by using durable materials and fixtures. Photo by CallMeCreation.com Outdoor lighting. Photo by CallMeCreation.com Another outdoor lighting. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I went out to meet with my BFFs for coffee and bakery goods at Wildbreads this afternoon. Had a good laugh for 3 hrs but we had to break up before dinner because, you know, weekends are for errands 🤷🏻♀️. My bestfriend T and I both suffered from anxiety and low serotonin this past few days. We both hate our admin work but that’s part of what we got appointed for. I told her about the other issues that I’m struggling with, which I don’t know how to deal with right now.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Maybe, it’s the season. I scanned blog entries from last year and I could see a pattern.
But it’s good to see friends and laugh our butts off.
Meanwhile, Ate C sent us this pic of our cats waiting for us. Awwwww. 😢
Kimchi waiting for me to come home from my mommy errand this morning. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
We will be driving tonight to my hometown. I need a change of scenery to ground me and to chase the blues away. To see my BFFs to cheer me up. Perhaps take a little hike to the forested upper campus. I need to let go of things that I cannot control.
I decided to cook hotpot today.
Lots and lots of different mushrooms that I bought from Sarang Mart, meat, tofu and dumplings. Photo by CallMeCreation.comJust letting the main ingredients boil first. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I really need to shake this bad vibes off and clear away the cobwebs. I don’t know what else I should be doing to lift the dark clouds over my head.
A few hours later…
Photo by Twin A.
Remind me to leave much, much later on a Friday night. 🫠
I was just relieved that the piece that I had labored over for two weeks is finally published.
Pressure is still mounting within me. Stress is eating me alive.
My bosses didn’t approve my trip to Singapore next month. They said I just conduct interviews via Zoom.
That didn’t sit with me well (which is an understatement). I’ve hired via WhatsApp and Zoom and they turned out to be flukes. They’re no longer with the company. And to think I had lost my mind training them and was dragged through compliance and legal issues because they were not the journalists they claimed to be. The problem is I didn’t get a good “feel” of the candidates when I was in the process of hiring them. Well, I wasn’t the main decision-maker; I was just a deputy at that time. How can I poach with this kind of arrangement?!
When my company was hiring me almost 9 years ago, the APAC boss flew all the way from Hong Kong to talk to me at Podium in Ortigas. She took time to understand where I was and what my expectations were. I felt that I was given importance. That made a lot of difference.
I felt feel so blue today. Retaining a headhunter was out of the question because London didn’t retain any. A new approval from London is needed and it would take forever. Like forever. I told my boss that doing this by myself with no help from London and from HR will eat up 90% of my time and I cannot edit and chase stories. I would have to let things slide at a time when we are super undermanned. Which hurts me so much.
I am just so angry and sad.
At Wilcon Home Depot. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I decided to go out of the house and drive to Wilcon Home Depot along C5 to exchange my extra curtain rod and toilet paper holder with a wall fan that I will have installed in my bedroom in my new home. A little bit of fresh air made me feel a little bit human again instead of being a ball of angry nerves.
Then when I opened my “newspaper” tonight, I saw this. You know, when America sneezes, the world gets chills.
To express my sadness, I resorted to painting bookmarks again.
