Weekend Story: Work, Work, Work…

I had a work weekend while the hubby spent his doing the things he loves most — biking, getting online, doing the laundry, eating, and sleeping. I have no regrets, though, because work is work. It’s something you do because once upon a time, you signed your contract and committed yourself to it in exchange for money and career advancement. If your job happens to be something you love doing, then consider yourself lucky (I know I am!).

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So, the hubby and I weren’t able to go home in Bacoor. I went to work on both days (Saturday and Sunday) as we had a big event we needed to be very prepared for. The event happened on Sunday morning at 10AM which was actually a gathering of the highest ranking officials in the country, members of the diplomatic corps, and people from the civil society to celebrate the 118th Philippine Independence Day. The event turned out to be a success.

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Dealing with Busyness

January and June are the two toxic months at my workplace. We normally have big events lined up during these times and so our butts are anything but still. I love my job, alright, but I tend to dread the arrival of January and June every year.

Dealing with busyness is not my forte. I hate cramming and beating deadlines. I remember I used to get freelance work from various sources (e.g. oDesk, freelance contractors, ad networks, blogger friends, etc.) but after some time, I stopped. (I delivered on all my commitments, though, because I firmly believe in professionalism.) I guess I got tired of pressuring myself to earn more money when I value my “me” time so much and I’m more productive working at my own pace.

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Weekend Story: Fun Saturday and Productive Sunday

Last weekend was spent entirely in Manila. The hubby had classes on Saturday and I had to go to work yesterday so we ditched the idea of spending the weekend in Bacoor. It turned out to be a good decision because we had ample time to spend with our respective families.

On Saturday, while the hubby was getting to know his new teachers and classmates at the university (read: first day of classes), I crossed the street and went to my siblings’ place to bond with my family.

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A Cultural Soirée

I’ve never attended a soirée before. Last night was the first time and it was a pleasant experience for me. Just to be clear, I didn’t go there as a guest. It was purely work for me and for my officemates. But we did get seated in one of tables (this rarely happens) and we took advantage of that opportunity to enjoy the rest of the night.

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table setting

The cultural soirée was for the participants of the World Economic Forum for East Asia which the Philippines hosted this year. As expected, it was attended by our President (and one more leader), a handful of local and foreign ministers, members from the international business community and media and private individuals representing their respective groups and organizations. It started with cocktails, then dinner and ended with a cultural show.

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First Event for 2014

At work, our first event for 2014 has just finished. It was attended by diplomats, politicians, businessmen, private citizens and some members of the media. This simple ceremony is held twice a year, January and June. For the one in January, it’s to welcome the new year. For the one in June, it’s to commemorate the Philippine Independence Day.

So yeah, you could find us here in the office organizing this event twice a year. The hardest part about our preparations is getting the answers of the invited guests. While many of them call to confirm their attendance, there are also those who wait for us to call them up or the formal invite to get to their office before deicing if they will attend or not. There are even some who choose to ignore our calls but have the gall to show up come event time.

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The Importance of R.S.V.P.

Part of my work in the office is inviting guests to events. Actually, I just assist the event officer in doing so. We start by sending fax invites and eventually, send formal invites either through courier or our liaison officers.

When the invites have been sent, we call up the guests to ask if they can make it to the event or not. This is when the problem arises. Most of the guests take a long time to respond. Some even don’t respond at all; they’ll just surprise you by showing up during the event proper.

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