I'll Get Back to You

The past year has just been crazy. I traversed Diliman and Ortigas as if they were Columbia Tower and Galleria, and god knows how stressed Mang Edgar has been. In the car, I switch from my oppressive high heels (I wear uber high heels so I can make direct eye contact to Cesar Melo just in case) to trusty flip flops just so I can (attempt to) run from FC parking lot to AS320 to make it in time for class. Even my mind has been perplexed for the longest time – one moment, I’m thinking about ways to increase consumption of hair conditioner and after a while, write a lecture on Thorstein Veblen’s treatise on conspicuous consumption.

This spectacular schizophrenia ends today.

Today is my last day in ACNielsen. I’m done with my juggling act between two distinct and often contradictory planes, that of the corporate, and what Pat calls the humanitarian (aka the academe). I consider myself lucky because I found a corporate job that makes me do things I do best – analyzing and layouting. Yes, I have a color scheme for every presmat and my charts are evenly spaced. I consider myself even luckier because I worked with people I get along with. I’m not exactly a pleasant person. It takes twenimilyen years before I can initiate a decent conversation with someone I just met. That’s why I’m so amazed how it was relatively easy to get along with the residents of the 11th floor. Here are some shout outs to very exceptional people who kept me sane in the past year –

To my mentor, Ollie, needless to say, my stay wouldn’t have been half as pleasant and enriching if it weren’t for you. No one compares to your ability to inspire and motivate people. Thanks for all your advice, from reprimanding lower mortals to wearing pristine white pearls. They’re equally valuable.

To my teammate, Didith, I guess it’s good that we won’t see each other everyday anymore because if we do, we’ll end up obese and bankrupt. Whehe. Seriously, thanks helping me loosen up. I wish you well in New York.

To the Coke Team – You guys set the standard for obsessive compulsiveness (to my non-Nielsen friends, my work will look sloppy when compared to theirs) and turned multitasking into an art. Carsha, who would have thought I’d meet Señorina Palanca again after Italian 11. Because of that fateful Tortilla Fusion date, you’re forever beholden to witness my disasters in that department. Good luck with MBA! Jen, you never fail to surprise me. I’ll miss your spur of the moment, earth-shattering realizations. Ms Sally, It amazes me how someone so accomplished can be so unassuming. I hope we can work together someday.

Pamsio, well, we’ve been missing you for the longest time. I hope we still get to have our quarterly Bizu/Sakae moments. Maybe next time, in Paris? ;p



Chard, thanks for the supplies – videoke, vodka ice and other guilty pleasures. Too bad I’ll miss your wedding. Gelo, I hope Raya grows up kind and calm, just like you. Wag na makikipag-inuman before special occasions, okay? Mike, thanks for the football crash course. I hope your sprain lasts long enough to enjoy your señorito lifestyle and if not, you can always fake it.

Ms Julie, looking at you reminds me how unfair life really is because you literally and figuratively have everything. But then I remember you need to deal with impact analysis and quality initiative issues, and somehow, yin and yang makes sense again. Whehe. But seriously, you should know that we look highly of you, and consider you as one of the best people we can ever work with/for.

Mammers, the only person in the world who gets me every single time, I will miss you the most.

We usually say “I’ll get back to you” every time we are unsure, indecisive or cautious in answering clients’ questions. And because we’re obliged, either due to responsibility or genuine concern, we do get back to them. Now, I’m faced with the queries like “Are you leaving for good? Are you coming back to Nielsen? Are we going out before you leave?” All I can say is, I’ll get back to you.

Thanks for a great year, “people” ;p

Twenty Three

There’s nothing really monumental with turning twenty three. No new legal rights are accorded to me, and I’m still subject to my mum’s micromanagement. There are some minor shifts in opinion though. For one thing, I’m now flattered every time I’m asked to show an id when I watch R18 films, or get the why-the-hell-is-she-sitting-on-the-teacher’s-table look during the first day of class. I used to hate those circumstances, but now, I savor them. After all, I recently got into the Louvre for free because I am “under 18”.

I’m not really big on parties and dinners, but this year, I believe I have a reason to celebrate, unlike the previous years. After talking to a bunch of friends from one social circle to another, I realized that my life is actually in order. I enjoy what I do for a living, I have something to look forward to in September and my dad just promised to buy me a new laminator. Most importantly, my close friends just did an incredible job in making me feel special and appreciated. Hearing heartening “testimonials” from people that matter best caps my 22nd year and gives a very promising start to my 23rd. Even going to Manchester can’t beat that. What’s more is exciting though, is knowing full well that the best is yet to come. Cheers to everyone who remembered, and even to those who didn’t ;p

Birthday eve, waiting for midnight at Paseo Uno with Jean, Midge and Len (not in picture).

Name is Destiny

I keep on postponing reading Das Kapital for grad school, so I ended up reading Freakonomics instead. Unlike Malcolm Gladwell, I don’t find it “dazzling”, but definitely, there are fascinating parts, especially Chapter 6: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet? Levitt posits an issue – “Does the name you give your child affect his life? Or is your life reflected in his name?” Levitt concluded the chapter by saying “An overwhelming number of parents use a name to signal their own expectations of how successful their children will be. The name isn’t likely to make a shard of difference. But the parents can at least feel better knowing that, from the very outset, they tried their best.” Last sem, I had a student named Swastika. She did well in class and she doesn't look like she has issues with her name. Actually, she has a second name, Julienne, but for some reason, she still opts to use Swastika. I don't know what her parents were thinking, naming a pretty and docile girl Swastika, but as long as it doesn't bother her, I don't think it should bother me. I can't really blame parents for their poor judgment on kids' names. Good thing having kids is not in my "things to do before I die list", since I was thinking of naming my child Slavoj Althusser or Amartya Skocpol.

But going back to the book, what’s more interesting in the chapter is the raw data presented. Below are some names falling under interesting categories:

Most Common Middle-Income White Girl Names
Sarah
Emily
Jessica
Lauren
Ashley
Amanda
Megan
Samantha
Hannah
Rachel
Nicole (Why am I not surprised? After all, nahiritan na ako ng “oh, so this is where the middle class lives”)
Taylor

Most Common Low-Income White Girl Names
Ashley
Jessica
Amanda
Samantha
Brittany

Most Common High-End White Girl Names
Alexandra
Lauren
Katherine
Madison
Rachel
I don’t think an Alexandra or a Lauren can ever live in the slums

Most Common High-End White Boy Names
Benjamin
Samuel
Jonathan (Talaga lang, ha? ;p)
Alexander
Andrew

Most Common Low-End Boy Names
Cody
Brandon
Anthony
Justin
Robert

White Girl Names That Best Signify High-Education Parents
(Years of mother’s education in parenthesis)
Lucienne (16.60)
Marie-Claire (16.50)
Glynnis (16.40)
Adair (16.36)
Meira (16.27)
Where the hell did these women study?!?

White Boy Names that Best Signify High-Education Parents
Dov (16.50)
Akiva (16.42)
Sander (16.29)
Yannick (16.20)
Sacha (16.18)
Again, where the hell did these women study?!?

But the twenimilyen peso question is: How about Jewellord?