Musings of a COO: “Extra” for a Day

My job definitely keeps things interesting for me :).  I can be doing something creative one day like working on a new packaging design with our artists, or I can be conducting a press conference on another day with a famous celebrity.  There are times when I’ll be handing out medicines in a medical mission, or attending board meetings for a good portion of the day.  Whatever it is I’m doing, it is always guaranteed to be productive and out of the ordinary.  In fact, there are hardly ever days that are alike!

Recently, I had the opportunity to be an “extra” in one of our commercials :). While I’ve made cameos in some of our other commercials in the past, this is the first time that my face actually has screen time, and is quite recognizable!  While I find the experience to be quite nakakaaliw, I’m also quite embarrassed about the exposure.  To be honest, I thought that only my back, or at most, my profile, would be seen.  I didn’t think that the director would be taking from another angle, and it was that other angle that made it past the cutting floor!  Hahaha!  Oh well.  I guess I’ll just have to chalk it up to another one of those experiences that I can live to tell my grandkids about.  Hahaha!

Anyway, just wanted to share with you some of the photos from the TVC shoot, as well as the final product, ofcourse!

The Set

Mareng Winnie and the “extras”!

Lights, Camera, Action!

With ASCOF Brand Manager, A 🙂

The production crew

With our director, Raul Ona

These were the “real” talents! Hahaha!

And finally, the TVC!  Please click on the link below :).  That’s me in the green blouse :).  No judging on the acting, please!  Hahaha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdYwnbOzvHk

At the end of the day, I feel really blessed to have a challenging, at times unpredictable, but definitely very interesting job that I love–I’m really thankful for this.  But more than that, the best part is being able to contribute, to enable, to inspire and to support my colleagues in whatever way I can, and for myself, that I never run out of new things to learn, and experiences that make me a better me.

Instagram Friday

I love days like these that are busy and full of interesting experiences!  Despite the fact that I was exhausted to the core, Friday was such a wonderful day for me and I just wanted to share some snippets of it with you :).

First off, I attended and spoke at a press conference for one of our products, Ascof.  We introduced our two new powerhouse endorsers: Winnie Monsod and Winnie Cordero.  Our brand ambassadress, Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez was also there to show her support :).

My second event was the launch of Daphne’s Home Fragrance at Dimensione Bonifacio High Street.  I was touched that I was invited by Daphne herself :).  Relations aside, I’ve always been a fan of hers and her products.  I love how she has grown her brand, and admire the projects she has chosen to pursue.  Let’s just say, I am living vicariously through her experiences :).  Maybe one day I’ll have the courage to pursue my own passions as well :).

The set up of the event was like that of a tea party.  It suited Daphne’s personality to a tee (no pun intended ;P).  Very old world, sophisticated, and feminine :).  I love how her chairs were displayed too.  Bench really did a wonderful job!

On a side note, Daphne’s Home Fragrance is available at Dimensione and bench stores. There are 3 scents to choose from: Jasmine Mint Infusion, Acres of Lavender and Homemade Lemon Tart. At Php348, I think it’s a steal!

Finally, my day ended with another company event.  While the first two were very lifestyle, this one was a bit more business-like and formal, and involved entertaining a lot of doctors.  Thank goodness the venue was very near home as I was thisclose to collapsing from exhaustion!!!  Hahaha!  It was a fun event, though, and it was nice to see everyone enjoying both the food and the entertainment :).  I particularly loved the event design which carried the theme Filipino fiesta, as well as the song numbers of the “Dalagang Bukid”.  Very old school Pinoy!

So there you have it–my busy, busy, but incredibly wonderful Friday :).  What a great way to end the work week, and to start the long weekend! 🙂

Pinoy Eats World Guerilla Dinner # 9 (Part 1)

I’m very excited to share with you a unique experience the H and I had last week :).  For semi-new parents such as ourselves, getting out of the house and going on dates like we used to is quite the luxury nowadays.  So to have the opportunity for a night off…well, we just had to make the most of it! 🙂

I had been hearing (and reading) a lot about Pinoy Eats World and their guerilla dinners lately, mostly from friends and via Facebook.  What is a guerilla dinner, you may ask?  The concept is very simple.  A group of people (the diners) meet at a designated place and time, then are brought to an undisclosed location for an eating experience that promises to be a fun gastronomic feast!  A sense of adventure, and a hearty appetite are certainly required. 🙂

I was very much intrigued by the mystery of it all, although I have to admit, I’m not very adventurous with my food.  I do love meeting people though, and enjoy new experiences, so I excitedly booked a slot for the next guerilla dinner which was scheduled for November 29.  Tamang-tama, the next day was a holiday, so it was okay to have a late night :P.

The contact person of Pinoy Eats World (the group that stages these guerilla dinners) is Marfee Dizon.  I sent her an email conveying my interest, and she quickly replied with a confirmation of our slots, payment details, and the specifics of our meeting place and time.

At precisely 630pm, the H and I arrived at the Blessed Sacrament of Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, and joined a group of 20 other males and females that were already gathered there.  Some of them were first-timers or PEW “virgins” like us, others had already done it many times over, but were still as “in the dark” as we were about what the night had in store for us.

I never knew Sanctuario had such a beautiful Blessed Sacrament 🙂

The hungry and excited bunch

Once the group was complete, we were further instructed to follow a lead car, that directed us to a home in nearby Dasmarinas Village.  During the short drive, I could feel my anticipation mounting, and my stomach starting to growl.  Haha!  To prepare for this experience, the H and I decided we would eat a small lunch to make room in our tummies for the multi-course dinner that we were about to partake.  We were definitely ready for the gorge-fest–kainan na!

To give the guests a little hint about the experience that awaits them, PEW usually gives their dinners a theme or title.  Tonight’s dinner was called “Eat.Sing.Dream”.  No need to guess why “Eat”, but “Sing” and “Dream” got me thinking.  My guess for the “Sing” part was that it was going to be a night of karaoke.  For “Dream”, I thought this had to do with an outreach type of thing since Marfee had mentioned in her email that part of the evening’s proceeds would be donated to the Pangarap Foundation.

Was I correct?  Please stay tuned for my next post… 🙂