I purchased it as a commitment right (to myself, no less) that I will do whatever it takes to move up career-wise and of course, as a little birthday treat. Just to let you in a little about what happened 2 days before my birthday last year — I got (professionally) dumped. I didn’t get the promotion I was working really hard for. I’m not the type of person who would take things too hard but trust me: it was that ugly, painful, and slightly traumatic.

365 days after getting dumped, I’m now addressed as Ms. Ramos (LOL) because I’m already a manager. I’ve moved out of the outsourced industry early this month and I’m now working as a distribution manager for a highly successful newsletter publishing group. I won’t lie to you — getting here was difficult but insanely fun. As a birthday special, I thought I’d write about something I believe I’m pretty good at: what it’s like to be a workaholic-slash-giving career advises (surprise!).

The 411 on achieving goals — the Phoebe way

1. Visualize and solidify

Growing up, I wanted a lot of things. I wanted this, that, and thattt. My parents were very firm in saying “no” if I’m not really supposed to get a hold of something I want. When it’s fine, they still won’t hand it over just as easily. They will make me (and later on, my brother too) work hard for it. I’m the firstborn of two very workaholic individuals and as early as 4, I already know what it’s like to instinctively goal set. I remember very clearly what it’s like to start my day in kindergarten: I have to write down my to do list together with my daily goals. By the time I get home, I have to tick what I’ve completed and show it to my mom so that she doesn’t have to ask me if I’ve done this and that already. If I’ve done everything, I get to have a Barnone (why did they discontinue this wonder?) or Twix. Religiously, I followed this daily goal setting and I ended up valedictorian on my first year in school.

Bottom line: if you want or need to do something, write it down. Make a checklist or if it’s a longterm goal, a concrete plan on what it takes to accomplish your goal. Having a tangible reminder will change things. Really, really.

2. It’s fate…or maybe not

Don’t blame fate when something doesn’t work for you. In most cases, the caveat is poor goal setting. Going back to the first item, when you plan something out, project roadblocks and consider a contingency plan at all times.

3. Work hard

Here’s a smart equation: hard work = big rewards. You know when hard work sucks? When you don’t like what you’re doing. Before penning a goal, please consider if realistically, you can and will stick to it. If there’s more sacrifice than perks along the way then chances are either you’ll fall off the wagon or you’ll get burned out.

my 2009 RHR with my 4 other 2010 must-haves including my 2007 RHR

4. Have a life (seriously!)

When I’m staring at my blog and going through the nutty daily adventures I’ve had, sometimes, I still can’t believe that I was able to juggle work, play, and life and be successful in all three. I won’t say I’m lucky because I’m having a blast. I’d like to think that I know each attribute’s worth and I have to be on top of things if I want to keep everything (my job, my social life, and my loved ones).

5. Have a totem

When I saw Inception, I chuckled the entire time. The very reason why I got my RHR really is because I can’t wait to succeed and when I finally do, I want to be able to hold something to pinch myself back to reality. Because really, just between us: I sometimes can’t believe how successful and blessed I’ve become in the last 12 months!

6. Pay it forward

On my last day at Adobe, my team gave me this HUGE card plus video greetings. I’ve only been their assistant centre manager for 7 months but when they were thanking me for this and that, I really felt that hey, I did make a difference here! Funny because I feel I didn’t do anything insanely phenomenal. All I did was I listened to my superior who never let me down and mentored me to become the manager that I am today (sniff, sniff) and just paid the good treatment forward.

7. Repeat steps 1-6

If you’ve reached #6 successfully then there’s only one thing left to do: set another goal and mimic what worked and eliminate what didn’t.

So there! The cat is finally out of the bag. I hope I got to inspire you a little especially if you’re struggling in achieving something right now. If you are, consider cutting yourself some slack because really — you can do it. Just believe.

“TWIST into a special cookie suit. LICK a real OREO cookie. Then GET DUNKED! by jumping and sticking onto a giant Velcro wall!” Parent-kid duos can have the ultimate bonding of their lives by making a totally uncanny move — by leaping and getting stuck onto a Velcro wall! There will also be mini activities for the parents and their kids like the OREO Face Painting Booth, OREO Find the Word Game Booth and the OREO Sticky Darts Booth.

Visit the following malls on the dates below to know what it’s like to be an OREO for a day:

SM Megamall — August 29
Trinoma — September 12
Market! Market! — September 26
Festival Mall  – October 3

This time around, I want to know what YOU believe in and get a chance to win one of 3 Php 1,000 Levi’s GCs while we’re at it!

How to nab those Levi’s GCs

1. This contest will start today, August 24, 2010 and will commence on September 7, 2010.

2. Your entries will be judged based on two major criteria:
a. Creativity of the photo — the subject must be you and you may include props and other people. Just do not use photos of celebs, stock images, and the like. You can use a photo editing software to enhance the photo’s creativity.
b. Creativity of the statement — give me your best shot on this! No need for lengthy explanations — your statement must stand on its own.

3. Your badge must be shared on your Facebook wall. You can use the share option on the I Believe app to post the badge on your wall.

4. Your badge must be used as your Facebook profile pic for the duration of the contest for the entry to be considered valid. On the profile pic’s description, it must read: “Please visit http://apps.facebook.com/ibelieve-badge/ to make your own Levi’s I Believe badge.”

5. Comment on this post to send your entry. All you need to do is reply and use your Facebook email address so that I can take a peek at your profile.

6. The winning entries will be featured on the Levi’s GWI website once it’s up and running. To receive the prize, you must email me your mailing address as well.

Good luck and have fun in creating your I Believe badge! I bet you will cause I was giggling the entire time I came up with mine.

kitty x kitty circa 2008

IMHO, this is one of the safest and most sulit (my hair length and thickness only requires one vial) hair treatments available here in MNL. Most salons offer it even the lower end ones (say Index Salon) although be wary because I heard that this can already be tampered.

Post-siesta, I found myself in the heart of the Makati shopping district with these at hand:

After what seemed like forever, I was finally able to finish my shu uemura matte Face Powder in 5YR medium light (Php 2350). 5YR medium light looks too dark on me and I had to switch to 7YR light. Lemming #2: shu uemura Face Powder Matte in Purple. It looks so fresh and clean on me! Thanks for the rec & GWPs, EJ!

Still on Asian products, I got myself a sheer shimmer blush (Php 329.75) from IN2IT. It’s unscented (huge yay!), very pearly, soft, and smooth. One stroke and I was sold.

SB 04 Peach Pearl

I also got myself their award winning waterproof eyebrow colour (Php 299.75). Combining the light and medium brown always does it for me.

ER 01 Eyebrowns

Somewherel in Beauty by SM Makati, this pretty display hypnotized me:

I spent about 30 minutes reading each product lit & stopping myself from getting everything.

lifted from www.blog-ph.com

I ended up with these 2 shea butter lip balms that were so hard to leave behind (Php 199 each):

They’re soft, non-waxy, and really yummy. It’s been 24 hours since I’ve been to their booth but I still can’t get over the Cloud 9 hand & body lotion (Php 599). *le sigh*

I also got myself a thin denim jacket, 2 tanks, and 4 pairs of undies. I’d love to show and tell further but my camera’s died on me already. ’til next haul-a!

Please don’t cook anything with shrimp ’til my birthday. I will treat you, Gov, Twin, and H to a very prawny feast:

Dear Twin and H,

Please take your anti-allergies before lunch. We will have a tempura eating contest. Winner gets a sushi from me.

XOXO,

The almost birthday girl

ps. Who will take care of the reservations?

*le sigh*

We finally have fresh Wet n Wild stocks here in the Philippines! I wish this came sooner as in when I was in high school sooner (some a dozen years ago). That way I wouldn’t have starved myself to save for WnW items to be bought in the US.

I’ve got a few hundreds to waste this weekend. Care to share what I should nab from WnW?

Funny lang — Hello Kitty Japan pero Made in China.

I love how this is *almost* like my Maybelline HG mascara, Lash Discovery!

Blackberry Bold 2 + Globe = my new fave QWERTY device

The Blackberry Bold 2 made my mobile navigation so much easier. It’s super fast and efficient, just perfect for someone as busy as me who needs to juggle work, press, and personal emails and calendars. I love my Nokia E71 to bits but with Blackberry Bold 2, you don’t need to toggle modes between work and fun!

vanilla + mint + mouthwash = (put your wild guess here!)

When Listerine launched its citrus variant, I immediately got hooked. I think I have a bigger (though good) problem now: I’m a huge fan of anything chocolate or vanilla mint. It’s so fresh yet delectable, I got a little confused on my first gargle: was I eating a cupcake or gargling?

tea + milk + Belgian chocolate = Mine Shine Milk Tea and Snack Time Belgian Chocolate Milk Tea

I find it quite odd sometimes how I gained too much weight too soon. That’s ’til I realized I’ve already had two or three bottles of these yummy milk teas and it’s not even lunch yet. It’s refined sugar overload, yes, but I can’t resist it!

Oh yeah. Maybe it’s the Army Navy Breakfast Burritos too!

yogurt + jelly = Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt + Jelly

I’m a big fan of textures in food and chowing on these is so much fun! Between the two, I zero on the buco pandan more often. We (she’s addicted!) get our berry fix from the merry berry 6-pack:

<3 <3 <3

What are your favorite collaborations of the moment? Spill!

Pardon the eye bags, this was taken last August 7 when I had my farewell-slash-very advance birthday party at Adobe. I was trying my very best not to cry hence the puffy eyes. This snap was taken exactly 7 days into using the Pond’s Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam, indoors and without flash. Aside from some sunblock gel and lip balm, I wasn’t wearing anything on my face as well.

Overall, I’m very happy that the Pond’s Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam’s helped me even out my skin tone without breaking out nor stripping my skin dry. Notice how my face and chest skin tone finally matched? I’m definitely recommending it to anyone who wants to brighten up while keeping the pimples and excess oil at bay.

Photo credit: Thea (TYVM!)

Since it took a lot of time (something I do not have) to play, I shifted to the OREO Twist, Lick, Dunk Game and Bonding Puzzle. Unlocking level 1 of the first game won me a gift pack of OREO! Here are some screen caps:

They look very easy but I’m telling you: they’re not! It took a little bit of strategy to breeze through each level esp. the OREO Bonding Puzzle. If you’re up for the challenge and hey, free OREO, check out these games at http://shareoreo.com.

I asked my friends what’s their favorite Sunsilk Co-Creations variant and most of them said the Smooth and Manageable (pink) because of the “rebonded finish”. I’m born with limp hair and quite honestly, that’s the last finish I want to achieve after shampoo. I’m absolutely head over heels over the Strong and Long (green) variant since early 2000 because it does make my hair longer faster whenever I’m tired of my short crop. Also, everytime they revamp this variant, the scent gets better. Runners up would be the Hair Fall Solution (gold) since it does wonders in keeping my bathroom strainer free from hair after bathing and Damage Repair which is a great 911 solution when my hair gets so fried in between coloring jobs. Que horror!

On a side note, I like the fact that Sunsilk/Unilever has been shelving our grocers with refill packs. What a great waste reduction initiative!

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