The People In My Neighborhood

Meet I and M. If not for the dedication and brilliance of these two, I will not be where I am now. If they weren't great at what they do, the company will not decide to grow the team. There wouldn't have been any opportunity for me. Yihaaa!

These ladies share a dangerous (for obese me) love for food, everything Korean and... selfies?

 

Ms. R is a superstar in the office. She's a major inspiration behind my career move.

She barely sleeps. It's the merit season. Nobody does in C&B.

Our awkward WACKY. It's comforting to know that someone shares my WACKY discomfort.

 

My two bosses. The left (P) and the right (Ms. R). After I give birth, I cannot be fat. Oh, and P never sleeps too.

Simple rule: click before you eat.

C (far right) is the boss of our bosses. Here, they are making fun of me... trying to beat the 5-second timer o the camera. Running pregnant woman is apparently a funny sight.

Team Activity

We stayed at the Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa. It's a majestic destination for relaxation. The Zen minimalist theme of the resort blends perfectly with the view of the mountain ranges,  the ocean and abundant greenery. Like most resorts in Subic, Kamana Sanctuary's beach is not for urban rats craving water activities. It's perfect for sedate, reflective, romantic get away's.

Kamana Sanctuary's perfection lies in its location and architectural design --- do not expect so much from its staff. It seems that they are still in the process of discerning what excellent customer service means. It also seems like they are still not used to having guests. Everything takes a while to prepare and staff tends to panic when simplest questions/requests are thrown their way.

I specifically did not like the big bluff that we experienced. In the process of booking the rooms, I was told (several times!) that they were hosting a big corporate event on the day of our arrival. They said that this is the reason why they can only offer one room type and cannot guarantee availability of the conference room. Well, when we checked in, the place was full... of nothing. Aside from us, the only guests that we saw were  two other people (one couple). Maybe this is some sick sales strategy to create a sense of urgency on our part to confirm the reservation.

Anyways, this was "supposedly" the only room type available on the day of our trip. It's a deluxe twin with loft and a balcony. We shared rooms, despite our boss' generous offer to get us our own rooms, because no one wants to be alone in this spacious work of art. That's a King bed at the lower deck and a Queen on the loft.

Our boss reallywanted us to stay in these babies called Casitas. Again, the resort bluff said that none of these are available on our check in date. When we arrived, our boss asked again and they suddenly had one free. So they put her in one of the Casitas --- farthest from all of us. We could not understand why the rest are not available, or why put her on the last Casita next to nowhere, when there were obviously zero occupants in the entire strip that night.

 These, however, help one forget about terrible service and trust issues.

First "live" encounter with an infinity pool. If I weren't pregnant or if I had preggy swimwear with me, I would have chosen this over sleep and/or breakfast. I miss swimming!

Thank you IHG and thank you to our bosses and my team mates for this wonderful trip. And ok, fine, thank you Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa for providing a relaxing, rejuvenating and peaceful venue for our team activity. 

 

Contact Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa through these numbers:
Tel nos. +632 843.7851 to 52 (Makati)
Tel nos. +63 47 250.0725 to 28 (Subic)
(To call Subic from Manila, dial 047-250-0725)

Fess Up Time

Dinner with team mates and visiting bosses from Atlanta in Speak Easy. Great company of fierce, flavorful women, cold breeze, Sinatra music and dessert al fresco aggravated these intense emotions ---

I miss frozen margarita
I miss coffee
I miss smoking
I miss getting lost in my hazy me-time

Just saying. But of course... baby manufacturing, and eventually breastmilk production, trumps everything else. It just had to be said.

Candle light fascination

Candle holder centerpiece is heat resistant. Loved playing with it...

Ginger Ale (for Ms. R and I), Wild Berries (mine) and Sangria (M). 

Mga napag-usapan at napag-isipan isang gabing halos mahulog ang buwan

1. Kapag kailangan ng karpintero, dapat magpa-audition.

2. Kulang ba talaga ang mga lalake sa Pilipinas para sa lahat ng babae at baklang naghahangad ng tunay at wagas na pag-ibig? O choosy lang masyado ang mga hanggang ngayon ay bakante pa?

3. Karugtong ng pagkukuwenta (ibawas ang mga below 18, ang mga magpapari, ang mga may asawa na, ang mga may sakit sa pag-iisip, etc. para makuha ang value ng eligible males) ay ang pinakapayak at pinakagasgas na tanong: kapag may edad ka na at nauubusan na ng egg cells or freshness factor (para sa mga bakla), sinong pipiliin mo? Iyong mahal ka o iyong mahal mo?

4. Kapag nasa relasyong dulot ay panay sakit, dulot ng takot na maubusan ng lalake (kunektado pa rin?) o ng marubdob na pag-irog (sabeh!?!), where do you draw the line? Sabay-sabay naming sagot: sa dingding! Ibig sabihin, walang malinaw na sagot. Sang-ayon kami sa sabi ng isa, basta walang sakitang pisikal. Chaka kasi ang black ang blue. Eh yung emosyonal na sakit, ikakanta na lang ng "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas."

5. Sa hirap ng buhay at sa mas mahirap na buhay pag-ibig, marami sa atin ang nanghihiram na lang. _____ is the way to go (insert name ng kahit sinong kakilalang nagtagumpay sa pang-aagaw). At inaabuso ito ng Star Cinema.

6. Paano mapuputol ang vicious cycle ng pamumuhunan sa anak dito sa Pilipinas? Paano titigil ang killer mindset na kapag nagsimula na magtrabaho ang anak eh tapos na ang parenthood?

7. Ano ang tamang paraan ng pagkulekta ng stool sample para sa mga annual physical exam? Yung dabes way na pwedeng gawan ng step-by-step guide?

8. Kung maliit na pirasong jebs lang ang kailangan para sa fecalysis, bakit wala man lang kutsarita, toothpick, chopsticks o kahit anong maliit na gamit na pwedeng gamiting panungkit man lang na binibigay ang mga clinic pag may test? Anong iniisip nilang ipangkukuha ng pea-size sample?

9. Kung magka-anak ako ng lalake at nabalitaan kong namamakla, ano raw ang gagawin ko? O kung ang anak kong babae ay nagbabayad/bumibili ng lalake dahil ayaw sa kumplikadong relasyon, ano naman ang gagawin kong aksiyon?

10. Kailan na naman tayo magkikita? Limang taon ba ulit?