wiki says

Wiki says...

In the English speaking a world, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been argued that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, it is dubious as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century ^[7]. Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow.^[8] Because men felt that put them at too great a risk, the tradition was in some places tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, 29 February, or to the medieval leap day, 24 February. According to Felten: "A play from the turn of the 17th century, 'The Maydes Metamorphosis,' has it that 'this is leape year/women wear breeches.' A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn't do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat -- fair warning, if you will." ^[9]. In Greece, it is believed that getting married in a leap year is bad luck for the couple^{[citation needed]}. Thus, mainly in the middle of the past century, couples avoided setting a marriage date in a leap year.

Galing, ano? The things I learn at work talaga. Heeh.

all i want

is Coldplay, underwater.

stuck in a letter

wala lang.

eto lang ung kaya kong i-blog ngayon.

i am smooshed. tired. and kinda pissed.

anyhoo. i'll shut up and meditate.

happy happenstance

Laica, meet your publisher.

(Sounds a lot like, meet your maker.Ulk)

I faints from the pressure.

Well, this is one humongous kismet kick-in-the-butt,

splash-of-ice-cold-water-in-the-face jumpstart.

Is this it? Abangan.

almost 3 years later

and I'm still in love with this little one. She's grown so big already! :) Can't wait to see her soon. And she gets to wear and appreciate already the things I gave her. (Ako ba nagbigay ng barney na yan? I forgot haha)

i heart josh

Hay, he's such a sweetie-pie. Here's an interview in Ok Magazine and below, an excerpt from http://entertainment.msn.com/movies/hotgossip/2-13-08_3 :

For Josh Kelley, becoming Mr. Katherine Heigl has been a transformative experience. "It's feels unbelievable to be married. I thought that [being married] wasn't that different [from dating], but actually it is so different," the musician enthuses to People. "My mentality changed from being a boyish man to a man's man." Part of that growing up process appears to include having his problem areas pointed out by his wife of little over a month, who stepped out this week sporting an unfortunate chin-length mom 'do. " When we first met, I could tell that my ADD would definitely frustrate her a little bit," admits Kelley. "It's like, I would be drawing on paper tablecloths when I should have been engaging in conversation -- little things like that. No one ever told me that before. Nobody ever cared. But she does. And I like that."

going green

It’s green, comfy, cozy and healthy. It’s this little place we discovered and woohoo, it’s got free wifi J Not that it doesn’t have everything else going for it.

Check out Kozui at Tomas Morato. They’re not that new, probably opened last year. I’ve passed by that place a lot of times but I never went in until last night. They are surprisingly good, with dessert and tea available too. The website doesn’t feature their menu and I can’t remember exactly what I had (haha), but it was good- spicy dandan noodles something, spinach soup and somekinda green iced tea. I love, love the interiors- loft-type, very clean and classic lines, with lots of…green (haha, what can I say, I love the color). I also like the fact that the menu, the posters and all the rest of the collateral are consistent and really well-made. Truly, it’s all in the details, and not a lot of entrepreneurs consider that when they put up their place. The owner, a young Architecture major who happened to be there last night, really did a good job. It’s the first and only branch- I hope when he decides to open another one, or franchise, the quality would be as good. And the music! Mygas! You know that song played now on HBO? The Valentine ad? The one that goes, I wish you shelter from the storm, A cozy fire to keep you warm, But most of all when snowflakes fall, I wish you love? It was playing while we were having late dinner and I was looking for that song! A perfect way to end the day, that random surprise song. Hafta go back and hear the rest of that CD. And to try out (and remember!) the rest of the menu. J

Check out their website, it features better reviews in the links, or go over and visit. Trust me, it’s a happy place.

Handholding

No, this is not in time for Valentine’s. In the course of trying to figure out the difference and effectively managing and leading, I decided to just write about it, in case the answer comes my way.

What do you do with problem children at work? I call my staff, my kids, because even if some are older than I am, I am accountable for the things that they do, the consequences, and eventually, trying to teach them to be more proactive and get along well.

I don’t have much experience and practice being a manager/leader yet. I’ve always thought it takes a bit of maturity and experience to be able to rise to that role. I don’t know about my being mature enough, but I’ve been given the opportunity to handle people and now I have a couple of staff issues I’d like to work on. So, what do you do with problem children? (hmm. Is this practice for future real-life child-rearing? Anyways.) What’s more challenging here pa is that we’re a small team and smaller teams are more prone to infighting. A smaller group dynamic is a bit more complex than say, larger groups who have a natural tendency to split up in smaller groups –which then develop their own peculiar behavior in relevance to an over-all large group theme. Groupthink. When thoughts exhibited by group members are geared towards minimizing conflict and reaching consensus, without critically testing, analyzing and thinking things through. In other words, what one says, goes. Eh buti sana kung tama. This results in hasty and irrational decisions, lack of accountability. And for me, stress.

Managerial handholding. Hmm. No answer yet, but getting clear, making progress. Hope this works.

Gotta think about this some more. Hopefully, this week, we get to resolve more issues. Sometimes, it’s easier dealing with guys because I get more straightforward answers (then again, there’s the ego thing, so wala rin.) Not to betray my gender, but sometimes lang talaga, women have so many issues, so much drama. Oklers, no more over thinking this one and I’ll just let it unfold.

Kung Hei Fat Choi I Love Tikoy

Coming home from work, I felt like I was suddenly transported to Chinatown. It was Chinese New Year’s Eve and there was a parade, dragon dance and a lot of fireworks, courtesy of Kowloon across the next block. Mygas, buti nalang I was able to get in the house safe since I had to pass by the area. Though I love fireworks, I’d rather keep at a pretty safe distance- and by safe, I mean faaar. It was pretty, I watched the display from right outside my bedroom window; too bad I was not in the mood to enjoy it.

Still feeling Chinese-y, I cooked tikoy for the girls in the office. Yummers, tikoy dipped and fried in egg is one of my superfave comfort foods. It must remind me of my late grandfather from Davao. Most of his clients and friends were Chinese businessmen and being the only apo for quite a time, I was usually at the receiving end of pasalubongs, from classic Hershey’s Kisses, special siopao from a rundown (but famous) Chinese resto, and of course, fried tikoy. One of Lolo’s best friends lived right beside us and you guessed it, he’s Chinese, too. We used to go swimming in their pool, and play in its cavernous emptiness when it wasn’t water-filled. I guess my childhood was a mix of Chinese and Spanish influences (like most), but right now, its tikoy time and all memories are of the tsinoy variety. Those were fun times, my early childhood. It seemed like forever summer, when my business was all about being the fastest to run and hide (amongst my older, male cousins), being spoiled silly by the same older cousins and various collections of titas and titos, biological or not. Those times were all about waking up whenever I wanted to and staying up as late as the mga matatanda. (Ah, there probably goes my early insomniac tendency). I remember creeping in and eavesdropping on their conversations, the hushed whispers that seemed so mysterious to me, as if it spoke of secret strangeness, that if I dared decode, will usher you in the elite world of…adulthood. And all these because of tikoy. I first tasted this delicacy, I remember clearly, after trying to learn how to roller skate one afternoon. Yes, roller skate- not blade! 80’s kids (and perhaps 70’s?) used to go on those roller blades with four little wheels on them shoes, I think. My first taste of tikoy was served after a raucous time of tumbling down the grass and hanging on to dear life to anyone who came near me. I couldn’t seem to get started on those skates and nobody could even push me to go, so we just all ended up on the floor, barely breathing and laughing our guts out. Fun times. Well now, I don’t know about skating but I certainly could make a mean batch of fried tikoy.

i heart ray

(eh ano naman, close kami)

I could hold you forever…

Watching Live From Abbey Road, Ray Lamontagne, and he’s breaking my heart, this poorly patched up piece within the center of me. And just like that, as the strains of the last notes fade out, the magic stops. Just like that. And everything is the same, again.

500

500 guests, roughly 60% male, more than 10% eligible cuties. And the one guy who comes up to me to chat. is. gay. Haha, go sister.

The event went pretty well, despite the fact that it had a lot to improve on, by my standards. I got to be on a Kapuso TV show, courtesy of a corporate feature. Ulk. What was my sound bite again?

Getting up at 4 am with party-ready hair, nice classic black top and just slightly faded jeans with my fave heels, all mixed and matched, I get to the hotel at 6 am, fed the necessary people and got them to working. Felt so much like The Wedding Planner (as if! Ha-ha. As an aside, I just met up with some new contacts and might be getting more wedding gigs now. Coolness J). I loved the flowers they brought out- I just thought then, what a wonderful way to start the day, to have flowers brought out into your living room, bedroom or wherever. As the morning wore on, I was still pretty much in my element, making sure all pads and pencils were aligned, newspapers and booths were up and the stage was set up just right. Ah, OC-heaven- from the chair skirts, to signage, to the tiny wastebaskets at the coffee table. Then it was show time. Playing host to guests and clients, it was nice to say hello, make contact and make new friends. There were still those though, who, despite their non-VIP status, had the gall to be haughty. Ah well. Experience has taught me that those who feel the need to prove they are important are those not-so-nice ones who are actually…not. Anyhoo.

Things I learned while running successful events and remaining sane: This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are far more serious and certainly more successful “eventologists.” The term, coined by an (in)famous society boy to describe himself, has now become the byword and label for those actually making a more than decent living planning, creating and executing celebrations. Ha. Getting brochure-ish now. Anyway, going back to doing (one of) the things I love, I learned that:

1- Sometimes I get stuck in the planning and conceptualizing stage- that heady exploration and brainstorming of “what-ifs.” Good thing about setting the date and working towards it is actually great since I am pushed to tick off my checklist one by one, day after day. An OC freak will always get why striking things off your list or ticking off that box equals to little shots of adrenaline high.

2- Planning is great- but prepare to panic, with the requisite poise. It’s all about Murphy’s Law. Everything could go wrong all at once, or it won’t. Sometimes there are just uncontrollable variables- a guest walking out because his secretary wrote a different nickname for him, a rude old man screaming from the back of the ballroom, a nonpaying guest insisting on getting inside, microphones busted despite of tech rehearsals- these were the least of my problems.

3- That one has to be a mix of charm and critical assertiveness. Charm to oil that PR-wheel while getting what you want, or assert oneself when all else fails. Personally, I don’t like getting upset. I want everyone happy and stress-free but I learned that I need to think critically and know who exactly I want to keep happy- my clients or everyone who goes my way? Sometimes, there’s just no time to be sweet. I used to get scared to get mad- I needed to have everyone like me. But no, things don’t get done that way, so I’ve learned to be a …nice-bitch. The original BG daughter, who hopefully gets things done. I try to look at women leaders (or managers) that I think are so kick-ass (for a lack of a better word) at what they do and I notice that they are not ones who are afraid to speak their minds (in a non-rude manner, of course), are confident and try to keep things together (for the team). Do I actually have what it takes? Ah, more practice.

morbid valentine's

bride dies during first dance with husband

Creation Confusion

I am currently in my second phase of product testing for my new baby, whose name I am not yet announcing, nor have I decided on for sure. Suggestions are welcome :-) I am so happy I am placed where I am now (work-wise) and that I am given the means to learn from the best people in marketing and brand building. Before I sound like the brochures that I write, here’s a quick rundown of the things I learned the past week:

§ In developing your brand, check for the emotional hook on your consumers. What do they feel about it? It’s all about feelings, baby. Gain emotional acceptance for your brand.

§ Make it a good balance of marketing and value proposition. It can’t be all about marketing- and it can’t be all about your product either.

§ In the same vein, in the fashion of Blue Ocean Strategy, when you develop your brand/product, have at least no less than six (6!) proposals ready. Six! Don’t fall in love with your idea! It might not be the right one after all. (See? Marketing as romance- he may not be Mr. Right, after all. He may not just be the right brand/product for you. Weird how I am more willing to accept this reasoning more logically, than that soulmate-destiny theory. Ay... that sounds like another article altogether.)

§ Do more thorough product testing. Know me! Try me! Accept me!

§ Define yourself properly. Is your product “necessity driven?” Are your products important?

§ When you do know who and what your brand is, be true to it; be true to your brand DNA. “Like a rubber band, the more you stretch it, the weaker it becomes.” (JLG).

§ Don’t do what your competitors are doing. Why are you following the people/brands that you want to obliterate? Just because it’s their business model, doesn’t mean it has to become yours.

§ Cart/kiosk businesses are impulse businesses, where they market impulse buyers. People walking in the mall who see your cart suddenly buy (nuts, fries, etc), and interestingly, people buy the bigger sizes, than the small ones.

§ One of the best ways to sell snacks in groceries is to cross sell. Why? Because people who try to eat healthy actually try to avoid passing through the snack lanes.

§ There is no such thing as creating new prices- its either you raise or reduce. And you must know why.

§ Also, it’s my second week in class. In all of them, we’ve been tackling case studies on condoms. Everything from how-to-use guidelines, market studies, product design, and size (?!). Filipinos, apparently, only fall into the “regular” category which is 6-7 inches. International sizes, meanwhile (which are not available locally), range from 7.8-8.2 (large) and 8.5-9.5 (extra large/European). I swear, this is backed up by market studies. Then there’s the history of how and why glow-in-the-dark ones were made available locally. Its been found out that in the provinces where electricity is unavailable in most areas and families slept in one-bedroom homes, condoms evidently weren’t used properly and would slip out of their hands- they couldn’t see it anymore, so there- a band-aid solution to population explosion. Kaloka. That kept everyone awake in class.

§ In the UK, where there was a major campaign on a certain brand of condoms- they had programs on availability only in certain strategic locations. The point is, it is not everywhere but it was made available in the right places, so focus where it counts.

§ Did you know that Listerine was originally made for curing athlete's foot? Other original uses for this wonder brand includes dandruff and dry scalp treatment (1921 to 1929), a beauty treatment for the skin (how used, I have no idea), antiseptic for cuts and for surgeries, deodorant, as an after-shave lotion and during WWI, as a wound irrigant. Yes folks, that's the same stuff we gargle with everyday. The success of Listerine is not only due to a great product but also due to memorable high-impact advertising. In the 1930's Listerine created such famous slogans as 'Always a bridesmaid, never a bride'. In the 1970's it was 'the taste you hate twice a day.’ (More here: http://www.superbrands brands.com/volII/brand_listerine.htm) I don’t get the slogans. Haha.

§ What is your shopping behavior? Practice monitoring your thoughts and behavior when shopping. Understand: At what point does a customer decide to buy? Understanding your consumers’ behavior will put you at an advantage- a lot like stalking them, actually. In retail, for example, women fit merchandise and it is at that point when they decide to buy. What do you then to help them along in their decision? Make fitting rooms as conducive as possible. Simplest of solutions, actually- provide an ottoman, hooks for hangers, flattering mirror and lighting, make it as cozy and comfy as if they are dressing in their own rooms.

§ Solve your problems today without creating problems for tomorrow. Again, band-aid solutions won’t stick.

§ Look for your SIMPLE BIG IDEA. Simple is not easy. Do few things excellently.

And lastly,

“If you want to be known, put a sock in your mouth and everybody will know you as a fool.”- Leo Burnett

Tipping Point Leadership

How can you catapult your organization to high performance when time and money are scarce? Police chief Bill Bratton has pulled that off again and again. Here’s what it takes. (HBR Online, April 2003)

Reading Blue Ocean Strategy (which I still haven’t finished hanggang ngayon), I realized that authors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne are also the authors of Tipping Point Leadership, which was a bit controversial awhile back. Some major points:

· In any organization, once the beliefs and energies of a critical mass of people are engaged, conversion to a new idea will spread like an epidemic.

· You do not need extra resource to reach the highest tipping point. Concentrate your resources where the need is and the payoffs are likely to be great.

· The good news is- tipping point leadership is learnable.

This is not new, but for me right now, it is relevant and am excited to learn it. The case features how William Bratton made successful drastic changes in NYPD. He was appointed police commissioner in 1994, amidst turf wars, high crime rates, general dissatisfaction and low morale amongst 35,000 police workers. Holler if you want a copy of the seventeen-page article.