Sailor Mercury for a Night!

So I attended a cosplay last night and boy, it was super fun!

I portrayed Sailor Mercury because our hair style is similar and incidentally, from 15 years back, I really adored her and gave her the status similar to angels and saints. I had stationery filled with Sailor Mercury, a Sailor Mercury body bag, Sailor Mercury bed sheets and I always cheered for Sailor Mercury during Sailor Soldier fights. Whew! :)

I realized that cosplay can be such a stress-reliever. Our cosplay was a company party, and since I work for a graphics design company, we had to be really visually appealing. So cosplay it is!

I posted my pictures in Facebook and a lot of my friends complimented me in my costume. I'm actually thinking of REALLY investing in a slammin' costume. So, what do you think? Sailor Mercury or no Sailor Mercury?

Chun Li is also a very strong runner-up. Lemme know what you think.

♥
bitch varsity captain

On Switching Careers

As far as I can remember, I really wanted to become a writer. Now that I am a full-time writer, I must say I’m happily settled and I don’t want to veer away from this industry again. Oh, did I say again? Yes, I did. The thing is, when I was in high school and college, I was still writing on the side but then I pursued different interests. In fact, I took up Marketing in college because I actually thought that the world of marketing, advertising and public relations is for me.

Right after I graduated, I had two jobs, one for the government and one for a Montessori school. Both needed my business course background but then it took me a long time before I decided to switch careers and become a full time writer.

It wasn’t that pay was bad, it’s just that when I was working for my two previous non-writing jobs, somehow a part of me was missing, and so even when I had a great office, a great uniform and great people around me, I kept on looking at the local classified ads.

After my gig at the Montessori school as an Executive Assistant, I tried looking for different jobs. I lurked around hotel management, VISA processing, merchandising, etc. just so I can find my “happy place”. But then I cut the chase and decided to write full-time. I was a freelancer for about a month and then I made up my mind. I’m glad I did, though.

As you can see, it took me a very long time to finally decide where I should settle. Here are some things which I treated as a career-switching checklist when I decided to switch careers.

The 8-Year Test

Picture yourself eight years from now. Do you see yourself still happily settled in the job that you have now or in the career that you have in mind? Again, the key phrase here is “long term”. If you want to switch careers, that means that you want to forego something in light of another, so it better be worth it, right? Five years is too short, and ten years may be too far off. So eight years it is.

Industry Stability

When the latest worldwide recession hit, most of the jobs which were lost were connected with merchandising and finance. The jobs which weren’t that much affected were the jobs in health care and in education. How recession-proof is your chosen career? Since you will be thinking long-term, assess how sustainable your industry is. The industry I’m in right now (full time) is internet-based. I realized that the internet will only get bigger so I settled here.

Does it Make You Proud?

If your job lets you have a sense of purpose? Do you feel like you “belong” with the people around you? Does your job make you proud? If you answered “yes” to all of these, perhaps it’s really a good choice to switch careers. There’s nothing like having a job which doesn’t feel like a job at all to make you realize the better things in the professional world and in life.

Switching careers is not as easy as it happened for me or as easy as how this article makes it sound like. Decide wisely, weigh your options well and never forget that the key phrase is “long term”.

Got some career-switching stories? Email me at live_out_loud@ymail.com.

What Women Do Better Than Men

Disclaimer: I am an advocate for gender equality. Enough said.

1. Evolve. There are studies which are concerned with evolution and how we look which proved that, indeed, women evolve to be hotter. Researchers have noticed that the more attractive women deliver more children (16% more) than the less attractive ones and there more female children for these women. When these good looking girls grow up, they will also have more female children and this is a pattern we really can’t help.

2. Survive. In a study about car accidents, there is a 77% more likelihood for men to die than women. (Is this the reason why we always nag men about wearing the seatbelt?) Moreover, more women survive suicide attempts and more women also got to keep their jobs when the recession recently hit the world. The less affected industries were those which are female-dominated, like healthcare and education.

3. Live. Yeah boy, we don’t just survive, but we actually live longer. A whopping 85% of people who are more than 100 years old are women.

4. Graduate. Yes, we actually go through education until college and are more likely to finish it than men. In fact, even enrolment says that women top men in the education arena. Also, there are more men which stagnate in college. Bah!

5. Eat. A recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota just reveled that women eat healthier than men. While men usually think that red meat, beer and pizza will pump their malehood, women were eating fruits and vegetables to keep thin. Also, our only known guilty pleasure is eating chocolates, which are still healthy, by the way. Maybe this is also the reason why women have stronger immune systems, aside from our secret weapon which is estrogen. (BTW, Estrogen contributes to the strength of our bodies’ frontline defense against viruses and bacteria.)

6. Lead. Another psychological study revealed that women make better leaders because we are multitaskers, better mentors, great listeners and problem solvers. Is it the “mother instinct”? I have no idea. But we keep the income statements stellar! Which leads me to…

7. Invest. With over 100,000 portfolios studied, the investment returns that women get are higher than men’s by up to 18%. Perhaps this is because women are better decision makers…or the fashion, make up and wellness industries have just gotten bigger. (I don’t really mind!)

Violent reactions, anyone? Email me @ live_out_loud@ymail.com. If you’re lucky, I won’t rebut you because I’m busy doing all the things that I do better than men.

A Beauty Dilemma (beautiful nails vs. work efficiency)

If I cut my nails to a length that doesn't make the actual nails surpass where my fingers end, I find typing so easy and my normal typing speed is about 70 words per minute. However, lately, I'm loving how beautiful my nails look in sheer pink glittery polish, with a length that surpasses where my fingers end. So my work efficiency tilts a little. (I'm a full time writer, BTW.)

Also, with long nails, I get tired typing easily. *sigh

At the expense of work efficiency, I have more beautiful-looking hands and even if I work slower now, whenever I look at how good my hands look (and yes, my significant other noticed), I tell myself that it's worth it.

Oh well. Il faut souffrir pour etre belle. One must suffer to be beautiful.

Trading Up

I just met with a former classmate and a really good friend and we had lunch. Over a sumptuous dish of rotisserie chicken, java rice and pasta, we talked about our college life and we dreamt of the things that we will buy come payday. We have both gone far from what we were during college—more expensive clothes, dining in restaurants rather than fastfood chains, and we ALWAYS had prepaid cellphone load. We’ve covered quite a distance, eh?

Then she asked me if I have access to this gadget. It was one of Apple iPod’s latest babies, and I swear, we wouldn’t afford it had we been in college still. However, we talked about it like it was easily acquirable, and true enough, its price didn’t daunt us anymore. After we dined at a nice pizza place, we went out for donuts at a posh place downtown.

Then we continued talking about the latest cell phones, the latest shoe designs, the latest sale, who dates the latest cutie, etc. It was all about updating, upgrading and trading up. (Whatever you call it.) This made me realize that approaching technology, and life in general, nowadays is like riding a roller coaster or a race car without putting your seatbelt on. It can truly carry you in its powerful current and you have to be really strong to resist it.

When we were still in college, we didn’t mind about what the latest gadget was or even what the newest facial treatment was. Today, as we journey the professional life, somehow we are pressured to always step up, as if we are proving ourselves to ANOTHER imaginary boss, whom we need to impress all the time.

Then I realized that this culture wasn’t just with us. This culture was also common to a lot of newly graduated young adults, and reunions were more than just “simple get togethers”, it is an ego parade, and a catching up on who raises his/ her eyebrow the highest. Perhaps this is partly because of man’s cannot-be-contented character, plus the shock that we get from earning money which we can spend entirely to ourselves. This money shock is pretty alarming, because a lot of young people are not even capable of proper financial management. We can still be lured by the shiny things..even if we don’t need them.

Today, we are already upgraded versions of ourselves. And no matter how much I loathe the “always upgrading” lifestyle, I guess that there is still a good side in trading up. Along the way, we cannot deny that we eventually pick up lessons (especially about money) from here and there, and we will end up, well, traded up. Advanced. Upgraded.
Tell me what you think---live_out_loud@ymail.com.

Woman, How is THE OFFICE Treating You?

I recently overheard a conversation about this girl who was not happy about her job anymore. She holds an above rank-and-file position at company downtown. Well, it wasn’t THAT, actually. But she wanted a raise since she was given extra work and she seriously thinks she deserves it. Because she can’t blatantly tell her boss to give her a raise, she started taking absences from work and she expects the rest of the people in the workplace to get what she’s trying to convey. Surprisingly, her female coworkers got the message but the men from the top floors of the organizational chart accuse her of truancy.

My question: why can’t she just write a sincere and courteous letter about her concern? Are women nowadays too afraid to ask?

This glaring situation made me realize of a lot of things that women, I general, miss out on in the office because they were too afraid to ask.

First, the raise. When we’re working at a company for quite sometime and we believe that we have contributed a lot of the things that the company accomplished, then we sincerely believe we deserve a raise. THAT, or we suddenly are given extra responsibilities and the management seem to treat us like the same. (Evidence: the payroll.) Statistics show that women generally earn less than men because we were too afraid to stand up and ask for it. Less women “compete” for promotion against men, and also, less women DEMAND the salary that they think they deserve. When women don’t get what they deserve, usually, they just suck it in and pray that the next time will be better. When men don’t get what they deserve, they usually talk to their bosses about it and they’re even more cunning when competing for a promotion.

A reputable statistics company in the US also held a study which focused on new employees. They interviewed 1000 men and women for the same position. Every one was asked the same set of questions and each interview ended with “How much salary do you expect to receive in this job?” The ending? The average salary that the men quoted was around 20% higher than the average salary that the women quoted.
The thing is, women may dominate a lot of offices lately, but we’re still too afraid to speak out in the office.

Another interesting fact: more men ask for cash advances than women. Well, I told a friend about this and she just said that maybe it was because men are more pressured to provide, so they ALWAYS have to have money. My take on this is that women always had a shady relationship with money, and that is why women are not encouraged to really talk about money outside the bounds of family.

Men have always been trained to become go-getters and that is why in the office, they rise faster. Women, on the other hand, are being socially rewarded for being cooperating and having an easy-do-deal-with attitude, that is why women are not likely to stir legitimate corporate intrigue.

What do you think about this phenomenon? I’ve only been in the corporate world for months and I can these sad things actually happen. Should the bosses reach out to women more? Are workplaces and organizational charts simply not women-friendly enough? What about other forms of abuse? Like sexual and verbal assault? How long should the women keep mum?

Woman, how is the office treating you? Woman, email me at live_out_loud@ymail.com.

Il Faut Souffrir Pour Etre Belle (One Must Suffer To be Beautiful)

It hurts but I'd like to think it's worth it.- Bitch Varsity

WAYS I HURT MYSELF FOR BEAUTY (AND FASHION)

1. Wearing an embellished hair band which glistens beautifully in the sunlight and keeps the hair off my face...which also presses too hard at the space below my ear. So I had to take it off everytime I'm just working on my office desk.

2. Wearing 3-inch heels. They had to look fabulous, though. Once in a while, I go to the bathroom to massage my feet.

3. Wearing belts to cinch my waist which eventually tighten when I'm full. I just sit straight so it doesn't hurt as much.

4. Waxing (and threading). God, it hurts so damn much. I'm pretty OC about this. It's definitely worth it.

5. Curling my Lashes. Sometimes I tend to pull too hard or press too hard.

10 Ways to Pamper Yourself for P200 or Less

So I was alone this afternoon, and I had money to spare. Actually, I had more than P200 but I wanted to bring home food and ice cream so I kept my "pampering" budget at that. The ending? I didn't really UNDERGO any form of pampering aside from window shopping (because it was absolutely a by-product) but along the way, I thought of ten genius ways to be pampered for P200 or less.

1. Get a foot spa at a cheap salon. I am pretty sure there are foot spas which cost only P200, you can stroll around the AdDU college campus and I'm sure you'll find one. Getting a foot spa means ending up with pretty feet and that's really heartwarming. A foot massage also sounds just as divine.

2. Buy Hershey's kisses and eat them all up by yourself. WARNING: This is pretty embarrassing so I advise you do all the pigging out at home. Well, it's chocolate. And chocolate is a basic human right. YUMYUMYUM.

3. Buy a lip gloss. It is amazing how much power a woman can have anytime of the day, anywhere she goes, when she has the right lip gloss on. Explore the bounds of this power and buy a lip gloss with a shade that compliments your skin tone. I recommend Nivea Caregloss & Shine (a little over P100), the Penshoppe lip gloss palette (P129) and Ever Bilena lip gloss in shade 07 (P75---a steal!)

4. Buy the latest issue of your favorite magazine and read it cover to cover. Magazines are usually filled with words which encourage you to become a better version of yourself in the most important aspects of life (aka 3Bs): beauty, business and booty. I'm a fan of Marie Claire (filled with intelligent reads) and Cosmopolitan (foxy foxy foxy).

5. Watch a feel good movie. Hit the cinemas. I'm sure you'll find one movie there that you seriously wanted to watch, it's just that you have no one to watch it with. Well, why bother, when you can down the whole tub of popcorn all by yourself? LOL. At least you don't have to explain the sticky parts of the plot to someone who's a empty upstairs.

6. Hit the flea market. Well the flea market is a tricky place. You don't really find the things you need there, but you find things that you like, and you end up buying them anyway. Most of these things are just pretty-at-the-moment and after a few days, you will wonder why you bought them in the first place. Sigh. But going to flea markets and knowing your cash can stretch farther is therapy in itself, isn't it?

7. Go to the arcade and play all the games you're dying to play! Just knock yourself out. Personally, I think the arcade is a great stress-reliever. Everything is bright and happy-tuned and it is filled with goodies! Timezone is my home away from home.

8. Go to the gym. The upscale gyms have a one-time fee, which range from P100 to P200. Exercise is good for your body, enough said. Besides, you could use the extra endorphins. Lastly, you might bump into a buffed cutie there, right? *wink

9. Buy flowers. Everytime I think of flowers, I instantly smile. They just radiate a big portion of the world's quota for beauty and therefore they have the power to make anyone smile and feel better with just the sight of them. I ♥ gerbera, long stemmed deep red roses, two-toned mums and orchids. Mixed flowers bouquets are love!

10. Have a street food buffet! Eat the streets out! LOL! For once, neglect the oil, salt, grease and even smoke! Street food is cheap and yummy! Come on, don't be a killjoy. With P200, you can even treat your whole barkada to a kwek-kwek fest! :)


Now that I think about it, perhaps the reason why I ended up doing NOTHING among these ten is that I simply couldn't decide. :p So have you? Hit me back for other stellar ideas! ♥