Happy Thoughts Part 2 - Have Something to Look Forward

This time last year I was looking forward to...



and right this very moment until the end of Q1 2012...

and I am more than THANKFUL!

I stumbled upon an interesting post in the internet which gave me an idea for the Part 2 of my Happy Thoughts Project :)

"...There are four stages for enjoying a happy event:

-- anticipation (looking forward to it)
-- savoring (enjoying it in the moment – remember to turn off your cell phone!)
-- expression (sharing your pleasure with others, to heighten your experience)
-- reflection (looking back on happy times – so take pictures)

Anticipation is a key stage; by having something to look forward to, no matter what your circumstances, you bring happiness into your life well before the event actually takes place. In fact, sometimes the happiness in anticipation is greater than the happiness actually experienced in the moment."

Pak na pak di ba? Pag meron kang nilu-look forward, yung 2 hours na byahe mo, parang ang bilis bilis lang. Napupunta lang lahat sa pagmumuni-muni.

Pero what if wala kang something special na iniintay? Shocks guilty ako diyan, lalo na pag tapos na yung matagal mong kina-excite tapos balik ka na sa "normal" life. Katamaaad! Pag tumagal tagal mauuwi na sa boredom at discontentment. Ayayay! Hanggang mali mali na lahat ng ginagawa mong reports. Disaster! (ok masyadong talking based on experience hahaha)

In time, narealize ko rin na hindi naman dapat super bongga yung mga nilu-look forward mo para maging masaya ka. Of course, sino ba namang hindi tatumbling sa excitement na binibigay ng future trip na nakuha mo sa Piso Fare or all expense paid company trip di ba? Pero pag wala talaga, pwede din namang:

"excited na akong umuwi! masarap ulam namin mamaya!"
"excited na akong pumasok! drink all you can yung coffee vendo machine sa office!!!"
"excited na akong tapusin yung ad hoc ko, napanaginipan ko kanina yung SAS code, baka makalimutan ko na!"
"excited na ako sa lunch break, catch up kami ng uber close girlfriends ko!"

and the list can be endless :)

Sure there will be dull, boring, normal, ordinary days when it's hard to remember something that made you smile, but hard doesn't mean impossible. Cliche as this may sound, but the fact that you woke up is already something to be thankful for :) I'll end this post with a video that can help us identify things that will make us happy :)

Alone Time and Random Acts of Kindness

I know a lot of people who can't dine out alone and I don't get it. Ang tanong ko sa kanila, kailangan mo ba ng ibang tao para kumain? hahaha. ;) Well, wala naman talaga akong ginagawa pag mag isa bukod sa kumain, as in mabilis na kain lang tapos alis na. Until this afternoon, I realized that it is only when I'm alone that I get to observe other people and witness random acts of kindness. :)

Isang henyo ang naka-isip na maglagay ng McDonald's branch sa may buendia station ng MRT. Pag pagod ka na makipagsiksikan at bigla kang nag crave ng chicken nuggets at coke float, ayan na ang kasagutan!

While finishing my last piece of nugget, an old man went inside the store and asked the security guard if he saw his Senior Citizen ID. The old man really looked exhausted, at ayon sa na-eavesdrop ko, galing pa daw siya ng LRT Buendia at binalikan niya baka dun naiwan yung ID. Hinanap muna ng guard sa logbook niya kung may nakaipit na ID, nung wala, naisip niya na baka nasama sa tray at natapon sa trash bin. Tumulong yung isang crew, nilabas nila yung garbage bag (as in sa labas ng McDo) at nahanap nga yung ID! After nun, nag offer pa yung guard na i-dryer yung ID kase medyo basa na siya ng coke. :)

Wow. It may sound really simple pero sobrang napa-aaaaw ako :)

And then I recalled one bad day in that same branch. I bought a sundae and french fries to cheer me up, and sat in one corner of the store. After finishing my "happy food" and on my way out, a number of crew members including those in the counter, thanked me for dining and smiled genuinely. One crew even opened the door for me smiling. Feeling ko for a time that moment, "teka joke ba to? nagpractice ba kayo? ba't kayo sabay-sabay? ako lang customer?" hahaha. And then for another split second, i thought, "chos script lang naman yan e!" I don't usually smile back at strangers, but that time, I returned a genuine smile to the strangers who sort of lightened up my day. :) At pagdating ko sa office, I visited http://www.mcdonalds.com.ph/customer_care and sent them a customer feedback. :)

A few hours later, I got this reply from them, not sure if this was auto generated, but it didn't really matter :)

Dear Princess Ramirez,

Thank you so much for your commendation.

It's certainly nice to receive an email like yours and know our efforts are appreciated.

Our operations team work hard to maintain high standards of quality, service, cleanliness and value to guarantee that each transaction you make with McDonald's is a pleasant experience.

Our number one goal is 100 percent customer satisfaction.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. Please continue to tell us how we're doing.

Amazing how these simple random acts of kindness matter a lot. Naguiguilty tuloy ako minsan sa dalas kong maging grumpy when I should have smiled instead and could have brightened someone else's bad day. :)

*image is from the web

Happy Thoughts Part 1 - Food!

"Think of the happiest things! It's the same as having wings!" ---Peter Pan



Aaaaaw Peter Pan! My favorite cartoon character! Mapa tagalog or english speaking Peter Pan :)

I've been daydreaming about this blogpost over the weekend and it felt like one of the best weekends ever! :) I listed things that make me smile, giddy, laugh and happy. Imagine, 2 days of happy thoughts? Kung meron lang akong fairy dust, malamang nakalipad na rin ako! :)

I now have 21 in my list pero feeling ko madadagdagan pa, and I'll be sharing 2 of them in this post :)

1. Happy Food!

Syempre pagkain talaga ang una sa listahan. Pag stressed ka at hindi ka pwedeng magreklamo, ano pa nga bang pinakamabilis na solusyon kundi kumain? Pag bagong sweldo ka at feeling mo nadeprive ka sa masarap na pagkain during the sweldo de peligro days, ano pa bang una mong iisipin kundi "bibili ako ng masarap na pagkain!". It's like the fastest and cheapest reward you can give to yourself after a hard day's work. :)

Presenting my happy food! Yes, puro chicken talaga! I love chicken! Kahit allergic na ako :( May ointment naman e. hahaha. I'm not very fond of sweets but Stik O, Banapple's Banoffee Pie and Coffee Bean's Triple Decker Cheesecake are exceptions. And my closest college friends might never forget how I say "Oh my god, Vcut" kapag nakakakita ako ng Vcut sa mga tindahan. hahaha.

Ito yung mga pagkain na kahit mag isa lang ako sa table (dining or computer table) na kumakain e napapangiti ako sa bawat subo at bumubulong ng "the best!". No kidding! hahaha.

2. Luto ni Itay

That's my father on a normal weekend thinking of what to cook for us. :) Kahit anong pagkain pa pag tinabi sa luto ng tatay ko, taob lahat! One reason kung bakit hindi ako mahilig sa mga carinderia food, or level ng mga tinitinda sa pantry namin e dahil nacocompare ko sa luto ng tatay ko. Mataas standards ng taste buds ko pagdating sa lutong bahay! hahaha ;) He cooks the best sisig! The best dinuguan! The best sinigang! The best siomai! The best palabok! The best maja blanca! The best everything! Kaya palagi rin akong nagvovolunteer na magdala ng food pag may party since pre-school para malaman ng lahat ng kilala ko kung gaano kasarap magluto tatay ko. hehe :)

And what makes me a giddy daughter? Everytime he asks me "Darling, anong gusto mong ulam bukas?" :)

More to come!!! :)

IHG Christmas Party

WARNING: This is vanity post. Scroll down at your own risk ;)

It's nice to dress up once in a while :)

Back in November, we had a kulitan google chat about our preferred team Christmas Party theme. Some of the suggestions were Star Magic Ball, Vintage look, Hawaiian, United Nations, Rocker and lots of other silly combinations. Vintage look was quite interesting, so I tried experimenting on my hair :)

A "toned down" Star Magic Ball theme won, meaning pwedeng mag cocktail dress. haha. Just when we thought we'd say goodbye to our dream vintage look, yun naman ang theme ng department namin sa company-wide Christmas Party ng IHG! Amazing! :)

Fine, fine, fine, my get up wasn't really vintage, wala akong pera pambili ng dress, so ni-recycle ko na lang yung 350 peso dress na nabili ko sa Pasig tiangge na pinamana ko na sa younger sister ko. hahaha. :) I thought I'd make bawi na lang sa hairstyle, but no. You see, I tried my best, kumulot siya for 30 minutes, pero ayan bagsak na ulit sa 3rd picture.



My sister borrowed/took my cam's memory card so I didn't take it with me. Ok na rin. Hassle magdala ng huge cam sa mga gantong parties. Graduate na ako maging "glamorous photographer" hehe ;) Buti na lang ang sipag sipag ni Kuya Mike mag take ng pictures! :)

This one's my favorite :) Ika nga, pang profile picture. hahaha :)



With my make up artist and office sister Jhen :) Minsan talaga pag napapatingin ako sa salamin, feeling ko nakikita ko na siya. hahaha. Siya din ganun. hehe ;)

Pictures with UP Stat batch mates :)

With the beautiful Revenue Optimization Team :)

 With the man in "Lider" Jacket. hahaha. I love the lower right pic. hehe ;)

With the most wonderful team ever :)

 

 *special thanks to Kuya Mike for the pictures :)

PPV - Project Positive Vibes

I can will win this and I shall see the happy Princess again! :)