Yesterday, I was asked to do a simple task on EMEA shift. Since I’ve worked on ASIA shift for the day, I informed the client I will just go back online when I go back from a party we needed to attend to. So I decided to leave my YM on.

The help cleaned up the room while we were away. With her employment rate, she knows her duties even without us telling her. She called on the yaya to accompany her inside the room because she kept hearing someone calling her “Pst! Pst!” She was so sure that there’s a ghost in our room.

I laughed when they told me. I told them it’s the sound of my YM makes whenever someone is logging on or off.

Last Thursday, our team went to Canyon Woods, Tagaytay (again) for our annual team planning. We ate brunch at Josephine’s (again), dinner at Le Boutique (again) and breakfast at Bag of Beans (again). I kept saying again, because they were the same places we went to last year for our team planning. Not that I am complaining. It’s just worth mentioning. It seems that the team is showing some loyal traits. Or was it because everyone is afraid of change? Kidding.

This year, the November and December birthday celebrators were not “encouraged” to treat the team. This saved me much money intended for Victorinox swiss army watches, toys and cameras I want for Christmas. Who am I kidding? I am not buying those. I am just a cheapskate. That’s all.

Tomorrow, our team will go to Canyon Woods. Yup, the same place where we held our team planning last year. At least, we know how to get there and we’re familiar with the houses and the modern furniture inside. I’m not sure if I really want to go. I will miss husband and Mikee for sure. But it is mandatory and I need to socialize more with my teammates. Someone always complains, er, uhm, comments that I am so “detached” to the team.

No further comment.

Yesterday, I received a very nice jacket given away at the Twilight-themed masquerade ball/coffeetalk (that I missed) as one of their Promotional Gifts. I think it is one clever way to promote our company because for sure, people who received the jacket will use it simply for its hip design.

I found a wide selection of promotional gifts at the Click Promo Gifts store. These products are especially designed to get the company or product noticed. They have Promotional Umbrellas, pens, mugs and so much more. This is one fun way to advertise a product or a company. Believe it or not, people love using these promotional items not only because they are so useful but because others can associate them with the product or company promoted on the items.

I also found the promotional Conference Folders interesting because I still use mine that was given away on my first day of company “on-boarding” and I noticed that other employees still use theirs too. At the Click Promo Gifts store, a conference folder can be softly padded, have many pockets or even include 8-digit calculator. Depending on your preferences, the conference folder can be ordered in plain stock.

Improve your marketability. Order promotional gifts now.

Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something to eat!

Last Monday, the Trick-Or-Treat teaser was sent out to all employees in our company. I know single employees would probably ignore the email unless it indicates free audio books, perhaps of the Twilight collection or something. Honestly even I who has a daughter just sort of scanned the teaser, saw that it was scary enough and moved on to another email. We received so MANY emails a day, teasers like this one I rarely take more than 3 minutes to read.

One concerned parent reacted on the teaser last Wednesday though. (I am a member of a parents’ club in our company so I was copied on the said email.)

Take a look at this and check if you can read the hidden yet disturbing message too:

Not? Let me rotate it for you:

A revised teaser along with a public apology was sent out immediately.

Yeah, yeah, I missed the very sophisticated Twilight-themed masquerade ball of our department. The manager said there was going to be a grand surprise towards the end of the party.

I tried not looking at them when they started changing into their cocktail. And yes, I looked anyway. With envy. The guys wore their coat and tie, while girls, some of which went to the parlor for a hair do, are stunning in their dresses.

I felt sad. One even said that, if you feel sad, then your decision not to attend should be wrong. I don’t know if I was really sad about not attending or it’s just progesterone kicking in. Yikes! Kidding. I was just wishful thinking to be pregnant.

Anyway, I am quite sure there were so many great pictures last night. I think one of the reasons I enjoy the company of the team is they also love taking and being in pictures. Hahaha. I guess I should just wait for our team planning happening sometime next week. Then, I could join them in that photo opp.

Now I am happy.

There are so much activities these days. So many that some coincide with one another. First, two birthday parties of MBAP kids coincide with our team outing/planning. Second, I just realized today. You see, while I sneakingly checked some commercial collection agencies, my officemates and I were also discussing what to wear tomorrow for the Twilight-themed masquerade coffeetalk. In fact, I was contemplating whether to wear the brown or the blue cocktail dress.

Then I suddenly realized it is also my mother-in-law’s birthday tomorrow. So I emailed my manager:

Hi _______!

Regards,
Thea

Husband must be proud of me.

Hubby and I arrived early at A-venue for the beer bash .

We went back for his teammates. We told them dinner buffet wasn’t open yet. So we went to the nearest Wendy’s to eat a light snack. When we got back, the buffet has just opened. Just in time.

The food was yummmmmmmy… catered by Fish and Co. And of course, it wouldn’t be a beer bash without the overflowing supply of beer.

My teammates:

Some of hubby’s teammates:

Who’s drunk?

The night was full of dancing. There was even a time the camera focused on me. I didn’t notice it until someone told me. The camera was no longer focused on me when I checked the screen. I really had fun. Looking forward to going to more of this company’s beer bash. Loyal? Well, let’s see. Bwahaha.

I was supposed to blog about the BBB that Abie gave me on our Twitter exchange gifts. But I will wait for her to post pictures first taken by her hubby Howell. I wore it last Sunday to the MBAP party and guess what? I’m wearing it now here at the office.

~

What prompted me to blog was that one officemate asked me how long I have been with the company. I said I’d be two years next month. She then reminded me of the multi-purpose loan subsidy, wherein your basic salary multiplied by 13 will be shouldered by the company. That’s the maximum amount subsidized. And the maximum covered per month is 9% of the interest, meaning if it is 12%, the employee only shoulders 3% of the monthly payment. I remember being excited about this during my orientation. Now, I’ve become more excited than ever!!!

So much work to do. I need to finish all these before we leave the house for Mikee’s class. I won’t be bringing the laptop to the parties. It would defy my purpose, to have fun that is. Lately, I have been having migraines. I’m not sure if it’s prolonged exposure to my laptop or if I need to have my eyes checked. I was planning to buy an Oakley to have it reimbursed for our optical benefits but it looks like I’ll be buying prescription contact lenses instead. Tsk, tsk. I wonder if I can opt to buy it in brown or green. Hihihi.

Yes, I am so BUSY today with a capital B… With work, of course. I need to finish all these soon because we are in tight schedule plus I am on leave next Monday. This is so that I can rest after two days of partying (Twitter EB and MBAP party, no, it won’t be hard partying but since these are family-oriented parties, I’m pretty sure I’d be dead tired). Hubby works from home on Mondays so he can rest too.

~

Anyway, Mikee has runny nose. So I kept giving her water. She loves drinking Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Four Seasons but since this has L-Carnitine this is really NOT recommended for toddlers. So what I did was, buy Del Monte Four Seasons in cans (without the L-Carnitine, just the simple fibrous juice) and pour its contents to a Fit ‘n Right bottle and add some water. Viola! Mikee loves drinking her juice!

Mommy tricks.

There’s this former member of our team who loves flaming people on his blog. That’s fine, it’s his blog. He has become a favorite laughing stock of some of the team members. Then someone told him about this whom he fondly calls as “Judas”, being a traitor to the team. Quite expectedly, he started flaming on his blog the supposedly perpetrators of the laughing trip.

Geez, sweet potato pie! Now, we won’t be able to talk openly of our views and opinion without wondering who “Judas” is in the team.

Disclaimer: I haven’t met this former member. He has resigned when I joined the team. So I have no opinion on him.

I admit. I’ve taken my blogs for granted lately. I was busy with work. And suffered from migraine last night. The migraine was so bad I had to skip dinner just to go straight into bed.

At work, I got confused what to do first with so much deliverables. And today, I was told I am the meeting manager. Aside from a process I am deploying today, I’d be leading the team meeting. Geez, when you are the meeting manager, you are supposed to share some knowledge to the team. And I am so not prepared for this!

So bear with me if I miss blogging on some days. Work schedules can just be so hectic.

Sabi ko na nga ba, yang trabaho, panira sa barkada at sa cyberlife eh.

It was raining hard since morning. I was having second thoughts leaving the house for work. I could work from home so why leave? This was the question that was running through my mind. But then, we have a scheduled meeting tonight. What to do? What to do?

As always, laziness took over.

Then, I received a message saying, all will be working from home today due to the heavy rains, and that the meeting will be moved to another date. Woohoo! Buti na lang tinamad ako. Kundi sayang ang effort.