mango mania

You'll know it's the end of a fashion season when Mango finally has its season sale. You'll know it because everyone's talking about it. And everyone is flocking to all 5 Mango stores in Metro Manila to finally score that bag or that top they've been eyeing for months.

A colleague was the one who gave me the tip yesterday-- in a frantic whisper "Uy, sale sa Mango! First day today!" . At first, I got excited. 50% off in Mango can actually get you some pretty neat stuff.

One thing made me hesitate, though... What I hate about Mango's sales are the lines. The miles and miles of people lining up, clutching 10k worth of merchandise. These notorious queues can take up a good 1-2 hours of your time, depending on what hour of the day you arrive and which branch you head to.

Worse, you'll find that a good 50% or so of these people lining up are actually men. No, no, these men don't shop at Mango. Their girlfriends/wives do. And they have the godforsaken task of queueing on their beloved's behalf, while the ladies wander off in search of more stuff to lay upon the guys' already-fully-laden arms.

Aw, poor boys. All in the name of love. Either that or takot kay komander. So, shut up and line up ka.

I often wondered what I would do if I had a boyfriend and a Mango sale was going on. Before, it was easy for me to raise an eyebrow and think these girls selfish-- expecting their boyfriends to wait through such an impossibly long line just so they can buy stuff. Granted, they may be good deals, pero mahiya naman kayo....

Seemed like I was meant to test myself yesterday. Dennis and I made plans to have dinner at Rockwell, and it happened to be the 1st day of the Mango season sale. As we were walking towards Mango, I started to wonder how I'll handle this situation. Will I end up like one of those girls I had judged in the past?

As expected, at 7pm, the sale was in full swing. The voice decibel was as high as a rock concert, with people shouting above the crowd, yelling out sizes, colors and what-have-you. I looked at the line and estimated that about 25 or so people were lined up. I looked around to see if there were stuff that would catch my eye. Predictably, there were. There was a bag I liked (at a price I liked even better), several tops and a dress that I thought would be a nice addition to my wardrobe. Dennis ran into a fratmate. I thought to myself, Good, keep chatting, so I can keep looking.

After looking around for about 10 more minutes, I started the weighing game: Do I want these things enough to make Dennis line up for about 1-2 hours? If I do, then I better tell him now, while I go and try on the dress... On one hand, we'll miss our dinner plans... On the other, c'mon, how long will this sale last pa?

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

I was so torn.

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

Finally, I decided, I can't make him do that. It just wasn't worth it. I knew he'd do it if I asked him to, but would it be worth it? Sometimes you gotta choose your battles.. and your favors...

So, I put everything back down and walked back towards him. He smiled and asked "O, where do I line up?" I said, "nowhere" with a smile. If I read correctly, he seemed proud of me.

So we walked out and headed to Crustasia for dinner, where we spent about an hour or so laughing and talking, recounting the day that had just passed.

In hindsight, that hour-or-so could've been spent in a queue, in a store, under garish lights, hungry and tired.. where we probably would've fought, and ill feelings would've been exchanged..... Instead, we spent those same minutes laughing and talking and bonding and having fun. Only interesting stories and loving words were exchanged.

Those clothes I saw in Mango may have been really good deals... Half-off. But skipping it proved even more worth-it. Ironically, skipping the sale was the best deal of the night. Hands-down.

great effort... thanks but no thanks

Dear Bossing,

Thank you very much for pouring 2 hours of your time (I know it's in limited supply these days) to try to talk me out of leaving. I was very flattered to see how much of an effort you made.. to make a big case about the reasons I should stay. I was honored to see how valued I was in the team and to see the plans that were being made for my advancement in the organization. It doesn't apply to everyone, I know... and rest assured that the effort won't just be appreciated. It will be remembered.

What you did reminded me a little of an IMC presentation, where you pitch an idea and try your hardest in the Q&A to convince the person you're talking to to see things your way. But, I'm afraid it didn't work out quite the way you may have hoped. After taking into consideration the things you said, I still think this would be a good move. I am also not sure of exactly how it will turn out, but I'll try my best, work my butt off, and hope to high heavens that it wasn't a mistake. But the heart of it is that this is a chance I want to grab-- risks and all-- rather than pass up and wonder later on what could have been. I understand where you're coming from, but I also hope you see how the organization has not (and probably won't be any time soon) been fulfilling the expectations I have of it. This is not about money, as I kept telling you. It's about exposure, training and growth.

I also thank you for being such a great mentor. Having you for a boss not only strengthened me in terms of skills and knowhow, but also in terms of character and attitude. Yours is a path I greatly admire, and do hope that I can mirror even just a quarter of your success. I wish you all the best, as I know you'll be wishing me in the choice I'll make.

- Your Little Flower Girl

~~~~~

In other news... I hope my nego worked and that they'll give me what I want. Please please please! That's all I'm waiting for :-) Icing on the cake, admittedly, but a girl can dream...

~~~~~

Desperate Housewives is sooo addicting! Thanks to my good friend V, I'm incredibly updated in the episodes. When I went online to check out the synopsis of the episodes they've shown so far in the US, (just to see if a suspicion I have about the storyline is correct), I was delighted to discover that I am keeping up with their pace! Yay! Coolness!

~~~~~

wanting out

I want out. Now.

I know it's only a natural part of life to have bad days. Bad work days, for that matter. But lately, I've been having a bad work period (as in, more than just days or weeks)-- I just want to dump everything pending and leave the darn bank. There are so many reasons-- more than I can ever elaborate on in this blog. All I can say is I just want to head straight to the way out... and hopefully never look back.

Today was the worst. In a steady string of 14-hour days, today brought me news that I'd be expected to deliver 16-hours per day next week. Are you freakin' nuts? It's not like I live in the neighborhood, you know? And the work load you're adding is not as easy as you make it out to be. Incremental, by virtue of the word, means extra. On top of. Over and beyond. Sobra.

Add to that the recent developments internally... and extenal opportunities that have come up... All I want to do is leave. Hit the road towards better, brighter horizons.

loco for choco

Makati Shang has the Ultimate Chocolate Buffet, a.k.a. paradise for all lovers of chocolate. There's an endless, bottomless array of chocolate delicacies, cakes, brownies, cookies, ice cream, drinks, and everything else you can think of. It's only open from 6-9pm (a.k.a. dinner hours) but hey, I didn't miss 'real food' at all when I was stuffing myself silly with chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Dark, white, milk... Whatever you want, they've got it!

You really have to try it! Heaven, I tell you...

i love weddings!

My boss got married today! Well, the engagement has been long in the making, but it was... accelarated when my boss received his expat assignment to India. As a result, he and his then-future bride decided to jump the gun and get married ahead of schedule.

For a hurriedly-prepared wedding, it was beautiful. Everything was low-key but classy, simple yet elegant. They managed to stay within budget, but unless you actually knew that for a fact, you wouldn't notice that they had cut corners. The food was sumptuous and totally filling-- an 8-course meal complete with a fondue fountain-- the band was great, the dresses were beautiful, and the venue was very elegant. The programme flow was seamless, & the video of their love story was touching yet funny. I still can't get the image of Yael as the maja rajah out of my head. (Hahahahahahahahahaha!)

'Twas a blast. I do wish them all the best. One look at them and you'll know they're meant to be together. Not even India can stand in their way.

now that's love

There's nothing more relaxing in this world than strolling along the bay, with his arms wrapped around you, as you playfully discuss how to spend the rest of your lives together. The murkiness and smelliness of the waters down below are barely noticeable, because in those precise moments, there exists no one else but you two. There exists no other love than the one that's coursing freely from your heart to his.. and back...



Cheesy? Who cares... It's my life now... There's no one I'd rather hold and be held by, know and be known by...

What can I say? I'm just dizzy with love for you...

i want you...

From far away, I saw the store sign "SALE". So I eagerly entered Kate Spade..

I found you.

You were 'on sale.'

P11,800.

Shet ka.