Life of a COO

Being a COO, yes a Child of the Owner or a daughter/son of a well-known person in a particular industry, have its perks and downside some of the time.

Earlier, my brother attended a meeting and he finally met one of our Dad's mentors in one of his former offices. I met him already once when he attended a cocktail event that I partly hosted in a former workplace.

Cheebling No. 3 sent a message: "Tainted na ang "anak-anak" para kay Mr. Client S. Anak ka pala ni Lad. Is that good or bad? Anak kasi ni Mr. Client E ay promising."

As I read the message, I laughed and replied: "Hahaha! Nameet ka na pala niya. Negative kasi si FSJ sa kanya. Kaya tinawag niya na Promising dahil sa dami ng pinangako wala naman din nabigay sa mga pinangako. Bad image tuloy."

Oh well, we must prove Mr. Client A and all the rest that we, the Mojica Cheeblings ALWAYS deliver! And I mean, ALWAYS!

Busy Bee Me

As I am very busy, I am unable to update. Sorry for not updating for the past few months, oops, more than a year!

I'll make up for it soon.

Four by Four

It was a very draining Saturday in class as always but my energy level was still very high at 5 in the afternoon. Class was good; I behaved as I should even though deep inside I want to strangle the neck of somebody within my reach. Good thing, I have friends in class who were texting me to put a smile on my face and to cheer up.

As the class wraps up for the day, I was giddily counting the minutes to dinnertime. I was to meet my former officemates and to celebrate the birthdays of Sheryl and Jannice.

Since class was dismissed early, I had time to chat with some of my classmates while waiting for their friends as well. It was nice to talk to Cat and Sheyan and even with the students from the other class.

As I wait for my friends’ arrival, they kept me company. Iyra was the first to arrive and then we fetched Sheryl who got a little bit disoriented in Diliman's campus and then Jannice infront of the Kapuso compound.

So that we don’t have to travel far away, I decided to have dinner within the area. It is good since it will be near for the three beautiful ladies. We had dinner at Chili’s Bar and Grill in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.


It was Sheryl who I haven’t seen for a long time. Four years! During the absence, we stay connected through chats, sms, and emails and of course, letter writing. Oh yes, I still believe in the power of the postal services. Sheryl changed a lot. She’s now blooming with longer locks and with confidence. She’s no probinsiya anymore. Iyra, the “Cutie”, was there and the last time I saw her was in 2007 with Jeremy during a side trip to Diliman from The Medical City. She is now wearing braces and we all agreed that she’s skinnier than before and warned her that she should eat more since she’s too slim. We missed her chubby cheeks and long hair. She’s now sporting a shorter do and takes a few years off from her age. Same with Sheryl, we never failed to update ourselves with the use of modern communication. Jannice or Ja, was very tired coming from her work in Las Pinas and was just so happy to see the two ladies as well.


We were calling Jeremy but he was not answering his calls and he was supposed to join us. Mike had to go to another planned gig while Marvin was out of town and Norman was out of the country.

Much as we want to spend time with the rest of our group, some of our officemates are already in various parts of the world. Abbie and Jean are in Sharjah and Dubai respectively while Raphael is in Bahrain. The significant others of some are also out of reach during dinner. Ka Roger is in Jeddah while Carlos was in Cagayan De Oro.

The night was purely just for the four of us. Four “single” ladies with tons of smiles, laughter and of course, good food to top the night.


We talked about almost everything. Work, school, entertainment, current events, love life, sex life and most of all the lives that we lead since the time we left our Concorde address and the people we met during those short but memorable times.

Dinner was not enough for all our stories. Since Roger’s coming home for a month’s vacation, Iyra suggested for another round, this time longer and more intimate. Iyra will organize the get-together and will try to have more of these good times. Sheryl suggested for karaoke and barbeque night, while Jannice suggested some swimming and I was thinking of doing all of it.


We almost forgot that it was a birthday celebration when we were about to dig in with our dessert. We informed our server about it and we got a freebie Birthday Sundae.


Much as we want to talk on and on it was getting too late for us and decided to call it a night. I distributed my birthday presents to She and Ja; and of course gave a present to Iyra as well.

As we were going out of Chili’s, we promised for a much sooner get-together. The dinner was really “bitin” and we missed our boys.


We parted with smiles in our faces and I was cruising on my way home, I can’t help it but reminisce the times we were together as officemates. It seems too long ago and a very short time for us, but the experience and the friendship that was developed was definitely for keeps.

One question lingering in my mind as I reach home, in Ja’s words – can we ever be complete as before? My answer – I really don’t know.

Happy 22!

Happy 22nd Anniversary to R. A. Mojica and Partners!

Best wishes for this special occasion and for another year of accomplishments to come.

Here’s to many more terrific years! Cheers!

I Don't Wanna Work

Another cute one…

1. My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn't concentrate.
2. Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.
3. After that, I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it - mainly because it was a sew-sew job.
4. Next, I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting.
5. Then, I tried to be a chef - figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.
6. I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it I couldn't cut the mustard.
7. My best job was a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.
8. I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience.
9. Next, was a job in a shoe factory. I tried but I just didn't fit in.
10. I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.
11. I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.
12. So then I got a job in a workout center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.
13. After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as a historian - until I realized there was no future in it.
14. My last job was working in Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind.\
15. So, I tried retirement and found that I’m perfect for the job!
    

Tee Hee! What a laugh!

Workplace Language

This is cute…

Blamestorming: Sitting around in a group discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

Chainsaw Consultant: An outside expert brought in to reduce the employee headcount, leaving the top brass with clean hands.

Cube Farm: An office filled with cubicles.

Prairie Dogging: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.

Elvis Year: The peak year of something's or someone's popularity. "Barney the Dinosaur's Elvis year was 1993."

Idea Hamsters: People who always seem to have their idea generators running.

Mouse Potato: The online, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.

Ohnosecond: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a big mistake.

SITCOMs: What yuppies turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids. Stands for Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage.

Starter Marriage: A short-lived first marriage that ends in a divorce with no kids, no property and no regrets.

Stress Puppy: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.

Tourists: People who take training classes just to get a vacation from their jobs. "We had three serious students in the class; the rest were just tourists."

Xerox Subsidy: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's workplace.

Alpha Geek: The most knowledgeable, technically proficient person in an office or work group. "Ask Trisha, she's the alpha geek around here."

Assmosis: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.

Beepilepsy: The brief seizure people sometimes have when their beeper goes off (especially in vibrator mode). Characterized by physical spasms, goofy facial expressions and interruption of speech in mid-sentence.

Depotphobia: Fear associated with entering a Home Depot because of how much money one might spend. Electronics geeks experience Shackophobia.

Flight Risk: Used to describe employees who are suspected of planning to leave a company or department soon. Irritainment: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying, but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The O.J. trials were a prime example.

Percussive Maintenance: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

Seagull Manager: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, sh-ts over everything and then leaves.

Uninstalled: Euphemism for being fired. Heard on the voicemail of a vice president at a downsizing computer firm: "You have reached the number of an uninstalled vice president. Please dial our main number and ask the operator for assistance." See also Decruitment.

My absolute favorite – Idea Hamsters. As for myself, I’m a self-confessed Mouse Potato.

Greatly Appreciated

For all you do, Gobbie -

For sending forms and fixing files,
Poring through the paper piles,
Completing tasks with time to spare,
Keeping track of what goes where,
Placing orders for supplies,
Staying calm when tensions rise,
Typing e-mails and reports,
Handling crises of all sorts,
Taking calls throughout the day,
And being great in every way...

For all these things and lots more, too, it’s time to thank and honor YOU!


Happy Administrative Professionals Day, Geraldine!