A Birthday Beyond Expectations

I celebrated my 30th birthday in Melbourne, Australia.

Now doesn't that sound so exciting? It was my birthday gift for myself, and it was also timely that one of my good friends from highschool was getting married there on the same week. I have been planning it since around 4 months back (of course, since I had to apply for a visa and book a ticket), and I was expecting it to be an awesome birthday adventure Down Under. It did not disappoint.

Getting lost in the streets of Melbourne

It was my first time to travel so far by myself (the farthest before that was to Guam, U.S.A.), and I spent most of my 10 days there "getting lost" in the streets of Melbourne, taking solo walking tours and experiencing the city on my own. The day itself was pretty memorable: I spent the day walking around Melbourne, camera and map in tow; it was also the day my iPhone fell into the sewer (on a rainy day!), died for a couple of hours, and was revived miraculously a couple of hours later. That night, my friend Kat gathered some of her friends and family to have a buffet dinner with me at Kitchen Workshop. It was a simple get-together with old and new friends, and a great way to cap off my 30th birthday celebration.

Birthday dinner with new friends 

Of course, there were the little heartwarming moments that made my birthday extra special: a Skype call from my family in Manila at 12 midnight on the dot; and a birthday cake with a humongous candle care of Kat's family, when we got home from our dinner. :)

The biggest birthday cake candle I've seen in mah life

It was an epic event in my life; it was when I truly focused on myself, did things that made me happy, and the time when I looked at life in a more positive way.

I found ♥ in the streets of Melbourne

Every year, I celebrate my birthday very differently from the previous one. Maybe it's because so many things change in a year and my interests also change; maybe it's also because I get restless a lot, and I always want to improve on my life experiences.

Spent my 29th birthday here with these kiddos

My family and friends who helped me with my birthday outreach!

Spent my 30th birthday at Relik with THESE kiddos. LOL.

Every year is special, and every year is always fun. :) This year, though, I decided to just spend my birthday here in Manila. I also didn't want a big party. Big parties entail big funds (which I am trying to spend responsibly for my future haha), intense planning (which I do not have time for because of work), and high expectations (which I cannot afford to have, because I will just be setting myself up for disappointment).

And so, this year, on an insignificantly numbered year (31), I was planning on having a laid-back birthday. No big plans. No big expectations. I was satisfied with just having a simple celebration with friends and family.

However, so much has changed this past year: I've met new friends, gotten even closer to some of them, and drifted apart from some others. 2012 was also the year I met and got to know my boyfriend, Ton, so that's a big and happy change. :) My family and I have also moved to a new house (a house I designed, hurrah!), and I've been reassigned to a new project. All of these factors come into play with what the heavens have got planned for my 31st birthday.

First-off, my boyfriend wasn't going to let my 31st birthday be insignificant, that's for sure. Ton is a show-stopper, and he was not going to let my birthday be another run-of-the-mill inuman. Haha. Secondly, my family missed having to celebrate my 30th birthday with me, and they weren't about to let this one slip past their fingers again. And lastly, my loyal and loving staff from my current project has never celebrated my birthday with me in the past 3 years of working with me (2 years ago I spent my birthday in Baguio for the Panagbenga, then last year I was in Melbourne), so I really didn't know what to expect, spending my birthday at work for the first time. I guess I expected to just work. Haha.

February 25, 2 days before my birthday: I made last minute plans for a small get-together at Relik, during their Akoustika Mondays. Nothing big, just something to relieve Monday stress. :) We used to be regular patrons of Akoustika...as in, EVERY MONDAY NIGHT we would be there to drink, relax and sing. We've been busy lately, though, so we've been absent for quite awhile. I thought a pre-birthday celebration would be a nice time to come back. :)

Thanks to those who were able to come even with the late invitation!

Thanks to the Entourage boys for singing for me! :) "Mr. Brightside" never sounded so good! Haha!

February 26, the day before my birthday: Since we were all up late on a work night, I told Ton that I wanted to relax the following day. We just had a simple dinner at Grams Diner, then proceeded to Bugsy's to make an appearance at his co-worker's birthday inuman.

I was telling Ton that I could not feel that it was my birthday. It was like a normal day/night for me. 31 is a pretty odd number, and after passing the milestone of 30 years, I didn't think that another year would really be more significant. Haha. I guess I was having the birthday blues. After years of trying to avoid that damn thing, it sneaks up on me again.

But that would soon change. As soon as we reached the top of the stairs of Bugsy's, shouts of "Happy Birthday!" and "SURPRISE!" greeted me. My friends from high school, college, MBA, the Entourage, and my family, were there! I was amazed at how Ton got everybody together, even if he just met some of them once. He really has the ability to remember every detail of my life, and every person that I introduce him to. Turns out, he has been planning this for about a month already, and he contacted everybody through Facebook (of course).

SURPRISE! :)

Thank you to everyone who took time from their busy weekday schedule to come and surprise me on my birthday salubong! And for keeping all of this a secret for a whole month! Ang tatag nyo! Nag-tampo pa man din ako sa marami sa inyo dahil di kayo pumunta sa aking impromptu pre-birthday inuman. Haha!

Even my family was there at the party! (sans Laurence. Hmp)

February 27, MY BIRTHDAY!: Having had a blast at the party the previous night, I wasn't really expecting much on my birthday itself. I planned to have some food delivered to the office for a simple salo-salo with my staff; and then dinner with my family at Village Tavern. :) I guess my staff had other plans; after being on "birthday leave" for the past 3 birthdays, they weren't going to let me off the hook so easily on my first birthday at work:

Di pa ako nagsusuklay, may surprise na!

Sweet!

They also tried to distract me by taking me on a site inspection so early in the morning! I had surprises waiting for me at the project site as well:

DATEM workers singing me a happy birthday! :)

Spent around 30-40 minutes walking around the site, clueless about the surprise waiting for me back in the office...

Coming down from the site, I saw all of my site architects, engineers and staff lined-up in front of the office, waiting for me:

They all had a WHITE rose for me! Parang debut lang! Haha!

I honestly thought that that was all there is to it: my staff giving me roses one-by-one, getting a photo taken with each of them, and hearing birthday greetings and wishes from all of them. The biggest surprise was still waiting for me behind the door, though. I looked back towards the office and there was Ton, standing there with the 31st (red) rose. ♥

The look of love and surprise! Haha!

It was the sort of thing that I only saw in the movies. I couldn't believe it: I finally experienced my very own movie moment. It's what I have always hoped for, and it happened! To me! It just goes to show that I really should never underestimate the wonders of life: I thought things couldn't get any better, but life just handed me a big: "Hah! I proved you wrong!" in the form of roses and cake and good, well-meaning friends and family. And of course, in the form of a tall and charming Bisaya named Ton. :)

Daghang kaayong salamat. Gihigugma ta ka!

Very happy birthday girl

It was a very happy birthday indeed, one filled with so many unexpected twists. Last year, I remember blurting out (to no-one in particular): "It will be very hard to top THIS birthday!" Somewhere out there, God said: "Challenge accepted!" and proceeded to draft out a plan: a better birthday for Lesley, 365 days in the making.

I am humbled by all of the blessings I have received this past year. Words cannot describe the gratitude I feel. This birthday has been GREAT beyond expectations! And I know that next year will be even better; that is God's birthday gift to me year after year after year after year. :)

Thank You, 2012!

2012 was definitely a GREAT year for me, mostly because it was a year that I chose to be grateful, open-minded and open-hearted. 

2012 was a year of adventure: travelling around the country and around the WORLD by myself, and also with friends and family. 

2012 was a year of accomplishment: I finished my first major construction project (The Mind Museum); the first house I have ever designed was built, and we moved into it; and I graduated from my MBA! 

2012 was a year of new experiences and new beginnings: I met new friends, explored new hobbies and past-times, and partied the night away; I started a new construction project, handled more responsibility, and new love found me. :)

I will always look back at 2012 with fondness and gratitude. At the same time, I will treat 2013 with the same appreciation, thanking it for the adventure, the accomplishments, the experiences and beginnings that it will surely give me.

Goodbye, 2012! Thank you for all the love! 2013, are you ready to paint the world red with me? :) Let's go! ♥

My "Pet" Project

I came home from Korea and was instantly handed a huge responsibility - to be Project-In-Charge of the Mind Museum Project. It's an iconic project, and I am proud to be a part of it, but I don't want to ramble on and on about it YET (I'll get back to you when it's done). 

For now, I'll just brag about this teeny tiny feature on the Philippine Daily Inquirer (see picture below). :)

My pet dinosaur at the site :) Dino-Backhoe or Backhoe-saurus or whatever you'd like to call it.

Lunch Out

Being a supervisor is a lonely job, especially during lunch time. :( I don't have anybody to have lunch with, because most of my staff would rather have lunch in their respective groups. When we eat lunch here in the office, I usually sit with them and join in on their conversations. But when I decide to have lunch outside, I usually do it alone. It's hard to invite other people, especially when I do personal errands, because I don't want to impose on them, lest they plan to spend lunch break just resting.

I had to do some errands in Glorietta today, so I set out for the mall by myself.

Some random thoughts during my lunch break spent outside of the office:

• (While sitting by myself at Glorietta 4 Food Choices) Gad, the people who are eating at a table by themselves sure look like losers. Why are they alone? Don't they have any friends? (poignant pause) Uh. Wait. I'm one of them! A loner having siomai rice toppings, eating alone at a food court table! I feel like such a loooooseeeerrrr. :(( The siomai is pretty good, though. :)

• An old couple is having lunch together at the table near mine...and they're both just playing/texting/surfing on their Blackberries. :)) Lola & lolo techie!

• (While washing my hands in the Ladies' rest room, the lens of the sunglasses I was wearing on my head fell onto the counter) "Oh no, my shades broke. My 3-year old Nine West shades are dead. :(( I need to buy a new pair soon..." Ok, I lie. The first thought that actually came into my head was: "Yuck, nakakahiya, wa-poise, feeling cool pero sira naman pala shades."

• (While looking around at the Ramp by Crossings) I need a new laptop bag. Is this a laptop bag or just a really big purse? Oh wait, ang cute ng shirt na yun. Oooh, nice heels. Wow, that beige gown is gorgeous, don't I have a wedding to attend sometime in the near future? No? Ok, time to go (walks out of the store empty-handed).

• Bought 4 new "chicklit" books today...with a bag of Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar. 2 must-haves for some alone-time later. :) Might choose to do this rather than watch Inception by my lonesome. I would rather cry over a good book than cry over some random fight scene / movie moment once again.

• On my way back to the office, I saw a green pick-up truck in my peripheral vision. It honked at me, so I automatically raised my hand to wave, because I knew someone in the office who had the same vehicle. When I looked up, the driver was a stranger, and he was leering at me. Ewww. Di ko pala kilala, kinawayan ko. :(( I pretended to scratch my back instead. Haha.

Eating lunch by myself is lonely and pathetic, and it makes me feel like a loser sometimes. But it sure gives me time to think about really useless stuff (on a good day), and some deep, philosophical shit, too (on a bad day).

LATE!!!

Crap. This is the 2nd frickin' time I've woken up at 7 a.m. this week! 2 consecutive days of waking up at 7 a.m. - the same exact time I should have been at work!!!!! Potah talaga!!!!

I don't know WHY I never seem to hear my alarm clockS. Yes. Plural. I have my iHome alarm clock which gives off this annoying series of high-pitched beeps. And then I have my celphone, which has a really weird alarm clock sound (an unearthly melody...hmm...I should change it soon). Well, the point is, regardless of what kind of sound is emitted by these devices, I DON'T HEAR THEM!!!! I don't f*ckin' remember hearing them AT ALL!!! I wake up at EXACTLY 7a.m. (in the worst way possible: my heart thumping like rabbits on uppers), I see the sun streaming through my bedroom window, and I get this sinking feeling in my stomach, telling me that f*ck, I'm screwed.

The worst thing about today was that it was my dad who woke me up. My dad, who is the CEO of the company I work for. I know he's pretty pissed, because I got home really late last night, and he's probably going to use this as leverage to never let me out of the house ever again. Not a very good prospect since I am planning to go out tomorrow night, and I was gearing up to ask for permission to go to Galera at the end of the month. GREAT. GOOD LUCK TO ME.

Shit talaga. I can't believe I'm absent again. I've had 3 absences in February-March (including today), 2 half-days, and I super-lates (super late being 9 a.m.). I am such a bad example to my employees, I can't believe it. :( The thing is, I have always been early to work. I get there a little before 7 a.m., and I have this *reputation* for being an early bird. But recently. I've been arriving only a few minutes before 7:15 (7:15 is the grace period). I try as much as possible to not be late, since it's very bad if it shows on your record (they post the daily absences and tardiness near the entrance). I hate being late because I don't like showing my staff that I'm a delinquent. I hate being absent because I don't want to set a bad example, and also because there is so much work to do!!! ARGH!!!! I can't beliiiiiiieeeeeeeeeve thiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssss!!!

The annoying thing about today is that I also woke up at 7 a.m. YESTERDAY. I had to rush to work, give some flimsy excuse (in fairness, I told my boss the truth, that I woke up late because I haven't had sleep in 2 days), and I got to work at 9 a.m. Very embarrassing. I slept last night (early morning) thinking that I would be early TODAY and forevermore. Haha. And I still woke up at frickin' 7!!! Instead of giving another flimsy excuse for being late, I just decided to stay home and give a flimsy excuse for not reporting to work. This is sooooo embarrassing. I will be model employee for the next hundred years. :(

I wish Ate Ann comes back (she's our maid). She took a leave for a month, and ever since, I've been waking up late everyday. Hahaha. She usually knows that something is wrong when it's 6:05 a.m. and I'm still in bed. Dagnabit. I blame the new maid. I blame my useless alarm clock. I blame myself for blaming everyone/everything else. I'm f*ckin' 27 years old, I should be able to wake up on time, by myself. *sigh*

That's it. I'm just ranting. If I wake up at 7 a.m. again tomorrow, I am going to slap myself.

Absurd thought for the day

I am buried in paperwork (blue print paper kind of work), and as I sat in my 700mm x 700mm personal bubble (yes, it is that small, I am not exaggerating), I had this sudden absurd thought: what if I had magic powers like Harry Potter? I could just summon the missing blueprints into my hands with one "Accio Drawing S-ORT2-509!"

[poignant pause]

But given that there are thousands of blueprints lying around the office, I could probably end up literally buried in more paperwork.

Hehe.

Told you it was an absurd thought. :D

First Day High

As the previous entry suggests, I started working for a new office just last Monday (the first Monday of June). Of course, like every new adventure, my first day has to have a story. Not necessarily an interesting one, but one that I would like to tell. :) 

This is going to be a really long account of my day, so if you have a short attention span, I suggest that you leave now. Haha. 

* * * *

Ok. So, Monday.

I woke up at 4:50 a.m., so that I could have enough time to prepare for my first day of work. Problem was, I really didn't know how to prepare. What the hell does one wear to a construction site? My dad said to wear "smart casual," but that could mean many things. Rugged office attire? Smart but rugged? Rugged but smart? I gave up trying to think and settled on jeans, a sleeveless button-down polo (pin-stripes pa, to give that office-y feel), and my most "rugged" shoes that are not sneakers: closed black sandals with kitten heels (my shoes are either chucks, strappy sandals, or peep-toe stiletto heels eh). Astig diba. Kitten heels to a construction site. My feet are doomed.

At 5:20 a.m., I was done with my shower, and my wet hair was soaking through my crisp, pin-striped polo. I sit down for a breakfast of Frosted Flakes and cold low-fat milk. I feed the dog. I grab my stuff (my bag, 2 pieces of tuna pandesal, a water bottle, and my planner), kiss my parents goodbye, and I head towards my car...which was, I realized as I drew nearer, the dirtiest thing in the world. Wooh, great. I had to drive around Metro Manila in a car covered in plant spores (If you do not live under the canopy of 6 eucalyptus trees, you wouldn't understand).

Anyway, I left promptly at 5:45 a.m. (because I had to be at work at 7:00 a.m. Tuh). Wow, I get to listen to the beginning of the Morning Rush! Hurrah! :) I get to EDSA-Guadalupe at 6:10 a.m. (wow, aga, mali time estimate ko. Haha!), and I drive into the site office lot at 6:15 a.m. I parked, put on a little make-up (can't afford to look sloppy on my 1st day), and waited. I got to listen to the first batch of the Morning Rush top 10 ("Top 10 Grammatical Errors that give you a headache." Ahluvit), and then I got out of the car.

The guard made me wait outside, because the person I was looking for (my supervisor, an architect-nun. Haha) wasn't in yet (it was only 6:30 a.m. Duh). A few minutes later, a 40-ish looking guy told me to wait inside. So like a very trusting puppy, I followed him inside the office, and there were only a handful of people in there. Tuh. Everyone's late? It was already 7 a.m. by that time.  I started doodling on my planner for 30 minutes before a guy came in and told me I was waiting in the wrong office. The office I was supposed to report to was next door. Ohmygod, I was late. I woke up early, I got to the site early, and I WAS LATE. How annoying is that?!?! Or how stupid. Hahahaha. *sigh*

So I went in. My supervisor was on sick leave, so someone else had to brief me about my work responsibilities. Ok naman. It's a lot different from what I was used to, but I can handle it (I think). I spent the morning just reviewing the floor plans and the project description of the buildings we were constructing. Then someone toured me around (the tour lasted around 5 minutes. The office was that small), and introduced me to some of the people there. I have office mates with names like Charisma, Melchor, Modesto, and Fundador (that's a winner). Hehehe. Ok ba? 

During lunch time, I ate one pandesal and then, being anti-social me (and because no one was around anyway...they were either eating in the pantry, or sleeping in their seats), I walked to the nearby (very nearby) mall to do some window shopping. Ang saya. Ang lapit ko sa mall. The perks. :)) The downside? Having no money, in a mall full of really expensive designer brands. Torture. Kulang nalang talaga eh umiyak ako sa loob ng Zara. Those long, summery, flower-print dresses!!! I need them!!!

*sigh* 

After lunch, there was a staff meeting...and it lasted for 4 frickin' hours. After the meeting, uwian na! Yahoo. So I went to the mall again. :)) My credit card is going to bite me back some day...(in approximately 1 month, when the bill comes).

* * * *

So yun. I guess that wasn't really a complete account of my day. Tinatamad lang ako to recall every single detail. Basta yan na yung gist. :D I think I'm going to like this new job. It's very technical (very construction-y, obviously), but I think I can do it. My body still has to adjust to the new hours (7 a.m. naman kasi!!! Waaaahhh), and to the new environment (I have to learn to use the site office restroom, rather than walk all the way to the mall to use their really nice, tissue-equipped restroom...maarte ako sa banyo, sorry. Pero kawawa bladder ko, since I can only go to the mall during lunch time. Hahaha!). 

But this is bound to be a very interesting ride. :) Hurrah, I'm excited. Bring it on!

Next time nalang

It's Friday night, and I'm about to go to bed.

Why?

Because I have work tomorrow.

Not overtime, mind you.

My work is from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (but people don't really leave till 6 p.m.), Mondays through Saturdays.

Nice.

I have a loooong, detailed account of my first day at work. Watch out for it. :))

For now, I want to sleep.

(or maybe check my mail...Hehe)