Fresh Meat at Fontana

The past few days have been the most memorable yet. It was my first day at "work." As luck may have it, the Brand Activation Group went on a little field trip for their planning session to Fontana Leisure Park in Clark, Pampanga.

I got to observe how the team worked and got to know them as well. By the end of the trip, I had so much to take home with me to think about. I got the push and motivation that I needed to be more excited than I am nervous about the job and the tasks at hand. This is it. I'm finally ready to take on the corporate world, deliver, and deliver well!

Check out the pictures I was able to take on our last day there:

Mixing work and play. :)

Our boss and her "yellow" thinking hat.

Beauty and brains!
Ms. Angela, Ms. Jinky, Sharon, and Martha

Love Fontana!

With Martha

Inside the lobby.

With Sharon

Upon check out

I'm really looking forward to working with the rest of the team. I'm glad I made the right decision. I feel that I am under the best care and guidance possible. To all of you who's been on the hunt for a job, especially if it's your first, I have a few realizations to impart with you guys:

1. Wait for the right opportunity to come along. That doesn't mean that you won't have to lift your ass up from that couch and actually send out resumes as much as you can. What I mean is that take your time to consider your options. Weigh the pros and cons. Despite the heartbreaks that I went through along the way, I'm glad that I ended up with the one job I was actually grateful to land. Every hurdle is only a step further to greener pastures and better opportunities that will lead you to a place your heart will be happy to be in. I didn't want to take the first offer that came my way. I didn't want to to quit early into it, just because I realized that I wasn't really happy and at peace with my choice, so I end up hating everything and hating even myself. I kept that sliver of idealism in that the right chance will come at the right time and that will be that... Thankfully, it did. Don't lose hope. I've been there. I've been desperate to work and been tempted to take the first thing I see, but trust me, DON'T.

2. Let your resume do the talking for you. You don't have to be someone you're not. Just be yourself and let your accomplishments take center stage.

3. Think hard. Like me, you may have a particular career path in mind. But that won't necessarily translate to where fate may take you. I used to want to change the world. But I realized that changing the world does not only come in the form of fighting from the grassroots up. It can also be done behind a desk or in field work. Whatever I did will have a positive impact on people's lives and my own, and that for me, is my own small way of making feeble attempts at changing the world. I'm only beginning to embrace that other side of the equation. There are countless ways of looking at reality. You just have to choose which one will work best.

4. Faith will get you far. Just trust. Trust in your capabilities. Trust that God has sown fruitful seeds for you to reap. Sometimes all you really have to do is take a blind leap of faith and run with it. You'll be surprised how far it will take you in this lifetime.

5. Enjoy it! Life is too short to be spent on stressing over the most mundane things. Don't expect too much, because if you do, it will only lead you to disappointment and heartbreak if your expectations didn't pull through the way you hoped they would. The problem with our generation is that we want too much too soon. We are young. We have an entire life ahead of us. Remember that we can't have it all in a heartbeat. Just work your way up. Take it a day at a time. You'll get to where you need and want to be in the future. Just live in the now. Plan the future, yes. Carry your hopes and dreams, yes. But don't be rigid because they can be quite limiting and you might end up being boxed in. You have to learn to let go and let live.

6. Learning never ceases. Take every opportunity, every failed attempt, every moment as a lesson learned. Always be hungry for more. Always crave to be more. There's always room for improvement. You can always be a better version of yourself. Life may be a cruel and harsh teacher, but if you're eager to learn, things will go much easier. Don't take it personally. Take everything in stride, but take every lesson to heart. Be a student of life. Welcome the idea of constant improvement. You'll be on your way to success soon enough.

Love,

SGT <3>

In Full Bloom

So you're probably asking why I named this entry as such. Well, aside from the dainty floral print of my chiffon dress (there's something about chiffon that's so feminine, I love it!), my luck has been turning quite well and in my favor lately.

I used to be a very pessimistic person. After going through training in theater, I realized how my negativity follows me around and drags down my energy. I decided to make a change. The moment I started looking at life differently -- in a more positive light, that is, everything seemed more bearable. I also learned that we have to let nature take its course or for things to fall into place. Patience really pays off in this life time. Plus, I think the universe makes it up to us whenever we experience heartbreak or disappointment. Also, the more good we do, the more good we get in return.

I'm not saying that we should commit acts of charity just because we expect to rewarded by fate in one way or another. We must think, feel, and do good for the sake of doing it. It feels amazing too. Smile at a stranger (not in a creepy way, just be polite); give your seat to the old lady in the bus; offer to help your mom carry the groceries; be kind to the earth, seas, and skies; say thank you. There are a myriad of ways to live positively. If you surround yourself with toxic, negative vibes all the time, you'll eventually suffocate. Why not choose the lighter, more pleasant side of being?

Anyway, about this outfit, I went to the office to sign a few papers and to make my employment official. Then, I met up with Fel and Eis in Greenbelt afterwards. We grabbed an Italian and carbo-heavy lunch *cringes* and hung out. I posted the inspiration to this ensemble previously. Just look for Bloom in Business. Sans the nude pumps, of course. I did a lot of walking that day. My feet stood no chance otherwise.

There's something about neutrals that I love. Whenever I wear a nude-y or a peach-y monochromatic outfit, I really go all out. I like subtle prints like the little floral details on this dress, then I accentuate with a bold color, like this tan blazer and the tawny flats from Ultimate OH, to give it a much needed-boost and so I won't look like a flushed and pale woman. 

If you're wondering why the other shoe has no ribbon on it, the ribbon fell off on my way out. I didn't have time to glue it back in. :)) I'm such a klutz!

In any case, I hope you like this "business casual" look. The blazer really added that professional factor to an otherwise casual dress. ;)

Dress: Thrifted

Blazer: Thrifted

Earrings: Gift from Vanni Liwanag

Flats: Ultimate Oh

Photos by Fel Salido

I'm really grateful for how things turned out in my career. I'm still young, I have a lot of dreams that are waiting in the wings, waiting to be fulfilled. All that matters right now is that I bask in this glorious moment, that I live day-to-day with sheer glee and hope, and that I give all that I can to whatever it is I decide to do. There's so much more time. Heartbreaks? Inevitable. Gratifications? Always. Unrealistic Expectations? Must cease to overwhelm me. I just know I have plenty of reasons to smile. As one friend, Darlene, puts it, "Follow your bliss." And I will. :)

Love,

SGT <3