26th of September Surprise

19.09.2011 - Sent the following message to a few of my friends:

I told my friend, our fellow Achiever, I'll make him cry (tears of joy) on his birthday (Sept 26) and I need your help. :):)
Guaranteed he's going to appreciate your greetings. Ang theme is, "May your dreams come true." I will send you a copy of the layout once it's done together with the success story. :):)
Please start your greeting with: Dear Robert... Send greeting by replying to this message.
Saka na kayo mang-intriga, tulungan nyo muna ako.
Sobrang ngayon ko lang gagawin to, kaya pagbigyan nyo sana ako. hehe
Thank you! Love you!

27.09.2011 - Sent the following message to the friends who replied. As promised.

Mission: Make Robert Cry (Tears of Joy) on His 26th Birthday
Lead: VernaTeam: Roan, Lowell, Rico, Rachelle, Aienne, Dani, Bonn, Rhauss, Aubrey

25.09.2011, Day Before Birthday:
Went to a Christian Rock Concert. Fun. Learning Experience. Good music. Great God.
Robert mentioned he is going to attend early morning mass at St. Michael Church in Bayani Road, Taguig.

SMS to Roan: Halu marekoy. How do I get to St. Michael church na malapit sa gate nyo? Magsisimba daw si Bitoy, I want to surprise him.

SMS from Roan: Sakay ka jeep sa guadalupe north bound. ang signage ay Gate 3. Pababa ka sa St. Michael (not exact words, nabura ko na kasi. :)

26.09.2011, Robert's Birthday

0000H - Still wide awake. Fussing about the final plans for the mission. See, plans were already done one week ago but I forgot to consider that Robert also has a family who would like to spend time with him on his birthday. So I have to make major changes. Plus, I went home to Cam Sur the other week, so the logistics of the original plan will be hard to work out.

0100H - Still awake. I composed a birthday message for Robert that goes like this: "26 on the 26th, so here are 26 things I like about you". Mahaba yun, so di ko na ilalagay. Plus, Robert has the one and only copy.
0200H - zzz...

0430H - I wake up with the sound of the alarm. It's raining. I was having second thoughts of going to Taguig. But I picture him alone at church on his birthday. And then alone again, going to work on his birthday, and it's raining, when I could have been there. I've been through a lot of alone birthdays and it was no fun. So I get up and get ready to leave.

0500H - Walk to Aurora.0505H - Jeep to Edsa0530H - MRT Cubao and pray that I make it on time. Taguig is still too far away.0545H - Jeep to Bayani Road. I make a quick call to Robert to greet him happy birthday and to make sure he's going to church, hoping he doesn't hear the jeepney's noise.

0610H - at St. Michael Church. He's not yet there. I call him again, greet him happy birthday and nonchalantly ask if he is on his way to chuch. I go inside the Church, it was cool, well-lighted, and smelled of roses. Nice. Still raining. I wait.
0615H - No sign of Robert. 

SMS to Roan: Gandang umaga! I'm at church. Wala pa si Bitoy. Di pa din nya alam. SMS from Roan: Aww... Good morning!

0625H - Like a naughty child waiting for her victim. I reminisce of the time I happened to be walking in Ayala minutes before 5pm and I knew he was going out of the office by 5. Imagine his surprise when he found me walking alongside him. Haha. He was so surprised, he was speechless for a couple of minutes. I got a lot of laughs. Hahahaha. Priceless...

0630H - Patience is a virtue. Mass starts. Am about to text him when he appears at the door. He finds a seat. I am 5 rows behind him. He does not see me. Quietly, I walk toward him and stand beside him. He looks to his side to see who stands so close to him when there are about more than 100 other empty seats. Then he sees me. 
Definitely surprised, speechless, and happy.
Five minutes into the mass, I can still see him staring at the altar, shaking his head in disbelief, and preventing himself from smiling. I am smiling too... Priceless...
Surprise #1. Done! 

0950H - Surprise #2. A small gift in a small box, with a small note. Given after breakfast at Jobee, and Robert thought surprising him at church was already enough as a gift. The gift, a die-cast mini, mini cooper (the car that he wants to buy).

Surprise #3 Photo-Op. For more than a month already, Robert's been trying to steal photos. He even requested me through text one day. So, I made one his wishes come true-- have a picture taken with me. Hahaha. 

1311H SMS from one of you. I get the message to complete surprise #5.
1315H Lunch at Chowking Insular.
1415H At Medical City. Nobody's going for a check up, don't worry. I just accompanied him on an office errand.
1500H Robert tells me to go home to rest already. So I did. He thinks that it's the last he will see me today.

**Surprise #4 was supposed to be a cake to be delivered to his office because he was throwing a small office party, but the circumstances did not allow it because I had to finish Surprise #5.

1600H Home. Had to finish my last surprise. I type each of your warm and touching messages. Print. Cut. Paste on colored paper. Cut. Fold. Tape your picture outside of each to serve as a marker.
Then, I have this Siberian Huskey (his favorite dog) stuffed toy I bought 2 weeks ago, for which I make a cylindical container from a plastic envelope. Punch holes. Tie to its ribbon. Voila: a messenger dog! 
(I took a picture but bluetooth in my pc is not working, so just ask me for the picture when we meet.)
I re-write the "26 things..." to fit the container and so it goes with the format of your messages.
Dog in the bag. Ready to go.

1745H - Suprise #5 finished. Now, how do I give it to him? By this time, he is on his way home because his family is expecting him. He still had to buy wine and bbq. I can't give it tomorrow because by then, the magic is gone... and he still hasn't cried (tears of joy).
1800H - I change clothes and make my way to Bayani Rd for the 2nd time today.

2000H - 
SMS to Robert: Here lang ako Fabula Pharmacy if na kayo eat. 
I give him the gift with the instruction: open the gift when you are ready to sleep. Don't peek. It should be opened when you're done with everything. Otherwise, you'll lose the moment. He obliged.

2200H Home. Satisfied. But not yet ready to sleep until...

2226H 

SMS from Robert: Oooommmmggggod! You are sooooo sweeeeeet, pnooooo mo ginawa yun B,lalo na ung dedication ng achievers... Naiiyak aq grabe.. 

Mission accomplished! His next SMS again confirms this. 
Thanks you alll!!

Now you must be thinking, why go through all of these? And my answer to that is this:

Robert is special and I wanted him to know that. Making other people happy makes me happy.Life is short, if I have an opportunity to make someone cry tears of joy, I grab it.

And my other lessons are these:

Things don't always go the way I plan, but if my intention is clear and pure, God will make way for it to happen. 
Loving should be effortless but going the extra mile has priceless benefits --- more to the giver than to the receiver.
I will never be able to pull through something like this if I was not in Nu Skin. Yes, I could easily file a leave of absence, but I wouldn't get the same awesome messages you gave for Robert. 

Thank you everybody. Anytime you need my help to surprise someone, just tell me. It will be my pleasure.

This message will self-destruct in 10... 9... 8... Haha. Joke lang. 
But seriously, kayo lang ang nakakaalam nito, ha... Unless I decide to post it in my blog. 
Love you all! 

28.09.2011 - As the last of the 26th of September Surprises, I decided to post the message in my blog.

script

"We should be more like normal people. Jumping from one relationship to the next."

"Who said that's normal? Say most people. Not normal."

"Fine. We should be more like most people. One relationship to the next."

"Why would we want to be like most people? We're different than most people."

"There you go. This is that part of you, that Ally part. Well, Ally didn't end up with anyone. She ended up with a kid."

"But she moved to New York. Things are more exciting in New York. Who knows? She may have found him there. If it were up to me, she would've found him there."

"Really. Keep the hope alive."

"Well if there's one thing I learned from Ally, it's hoping."

...we're gonna stop by drinking our cheap bottles of wine

sit talking up all night

saying things we haven't for a while...

"Is it weird that I feel this song? I mean, it isn't like I've been through this big heartbreak."

"I get it. I feel it too. Just the thought that someone can love as much."

"Yeah. Right."

... smiling but we're close to tears, 

even after all these years

we just now got the feeling that we're meeting 

for the first time...

"This happens all the time you know. Everytime we get together, you and I. I feel absurdly happy, and then this loneliness creeps up on me when we're about to part."

"Yeah I know how it is."

"I miss you."

"You say that all the time. And we promise to see each other and talk more and we'll go around to it in like, six months after our agreed date."

... and we both now how

how we're going to make it work 

when it hurts...

"I'm glad I shared this with you. My Law world."

"Glad to be in it."

"Was I different in there? From what I really am?" 

"Yeah. Different. I like that version of you better."

"How so?"

"Well, you were more assertive. More self-assured. Back in High School you were just going with the flow."

"Yeah, but I was happy then being just that."

"You were good, you know."

"Are you just saying that because we're friends?"

"No, you were really good. And I'm happy you're going for your dreams and you're almost there."

"That's what you do with your dreams. You make it happen. You don't just forget about it when you become a capitalist and get a car and a place of your own. You owe it to yourself to go for it."

... when you pick yourself up, 

you get kicked to the dirt

tryin' to make it work, but, man, these times are hard...

"There's really something between you two..."

"Seriously?! Please stop. Seriously. You concluded that just by looking at us?! Seriously."

"I think you should go take a shot."

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Because you're afraid it might turn into something else. Something possible."

"Oh just shut up."

... these times are hard, 

they're making us crazy

don't give up on me, baby...

"You know what I'm thinking right now? I'm thinking I want you to drive and drive and never stop."

"I think you're gonna write tonight."

"I think I will."

 -lynn

Hey September!

Hey.

Super haggard. Two months into this new position and i am starting to believe that this Operations Head post is a big big joke. Why would they give this to me?? I mean i throw slapstick jokes every 15 minutes. I sing loudly while i work. I make kindat to my cute male staff and snarl at the pretty girls. On the onset i have to admit that i was flattered they considered me. Well i'd like to believe i did a good job in my 6 months stint in collections. But now that im so overwhelmed im thinking if 6 months was too soon? 6 months in collections and you get catapulted to man the whole operations? Parang parusa ata.

To be honest minsan naiiyak ako sa work kapag sobrang dami. I know i can delegate but i still haven't mastered the art of saying NO. As if everyone is predestined to get a special accommodation. A part of me wants to be a brat and say: OMG! This is so unfair! Why do i get appointed in to this while sumasabog yung operations? Why do i have to work out 4 years long overdue audit replies? Why do i have to those long over due audit replies while being audited simultaneously 2 audit teams? Why do i have to learn everything about operations while doing the 4 years long overdue audit while juggling 2 current audit teams? Why do i have to babysit co-officers who are older than me? Why do i have to be the one to get bothered by non-sensical things as broken doorknobs, rampant toilet paper theft, etc?

The immature part of me wants to be salvaged out of this by merely claiming that the odds are against me, im new, and it is unfair. But there's a bigger part of that wants to just suck it all up, go with it and be an adult. And i think that's what i am doing. Actually that's what i have been doing. I just need some reminding that this is the better way of doing things.

Adult stuff. Adult stuff. Adult stuff.

Anyway, before i got sucked into this mayhem that is OPS i had plans to enroll at Slim's for some form and free-hand drawing classes. I've been re-thinking how much longer my learning curve will be kasi i really really wanna enroll na. I also had this plan of transferring to another company. I've been eyeing this foreign bank and judging from the vacancies they have and their corresponding qualifications hindi ako makapaniwala na pwede yata ako mag-demand ng AVP na position. Haha. Pang-matanda! Pero if ginawa ko yun i fear that that might push me to a road where there are no more U-turns... Tama? Shet. Tatanda ako sa corporate. But then again, who am i kidding?? I've never been afraid to do do-overs, u-turns and starting at square one. =)

September.

Birthday ni Verna nung September 01. Happy Birthday, Verna! Will see you this month for our quarterly gossips.

Birthday din ni Arvin at Reuel sa September 27. Yehey! White Bird na ito! =)

Wala pa ako tulog... Sabi ng staff ko ang pangit ko daw... Last day na niya bukas. Bwahahaha!

-abbey