Ulcelerate Month!

You know how the september issue is like the craziest issue for American Vogue? Well, for us the craziest, most stomach twisting months are the 3 months pre Eid al Fitr and Anniversary Issue. The difference between Eid al Fitr and Anniversary issue though, people are less like headless chicken when we are working on the Anniversary issue. Let me explain.

Headless chicken normally running around panicking, stressing, before actually die. Well, during pre Eid al Ftr, we are sort of like that. Running around, panicking, stressed to da max, and we can just drop dead anytime out of tension. Why? Because we have to do 2 editions at the same time. If a writer normally writes 5 article, now she has to write 10 articles. If marketing has to reach a target, then double it! It's all because Gogirl! give longer holiday for Idl Fitr. That means no time to do the next edition after the holiday. Imagine the chaos.

Now it's june. If anyone notice, i hardly ever tweet or post anything these days. I notice my timeline everywhere is quiet too. That's probably because things are just crazy in other's life too.

The one thing that stresses me out is, my clients, for so many reasons, tend to always forget that Eid moves sooner every year. That means the deadline for any kind of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr promotion have to be submitted earlier too! We reminded them almost everyday. They nod and then think that we are annoying for doing so. Then at the very last minute, they beg or sometimes threaten (or else) so that we'd give them a page or sometimes 6 pages for the campaign. This means a round of frowns and lots of cross-departmental mediation. Needless to say, i'm taking all kinds of ulcer and gastritis medications to deal with this stress.* 

Now this post does not mean to understate the stress that my clients are dealing in their own respective corporations. I just meant to paint a picture of what is going on in ours. 

This June is, no doubt, chaotic for everyone! But hey, we are used to it by now. So i'm thinking positive thoughts and stocking my inpepsa, nexium, pankreoflat too. (that's my regular army of gastritis medications) 

I'm sure, we are going to be GREAT!

*To those who do not know, i have major gastritis problems that had me hospitalized several times. Stress usually the main cause. That's why i titled this one ulcelerate : from : ulcer and accelerate ;)

Arrogance

Lately, Anita and i have been talking about arrogance. I told her that i was shocked to find someone made me feel so tiny recently. Not in a good way, but in a way that made me feel like i was being treated like an idiot.

I recounted the conversation i had with the person who belittled me, and of course my sis couldn't believe me when i told her who i had this conversation with. I don't blame her. During the convo, I was too shocked myself, that i hardly said much. In twitter this person always sounded so sincere and humble. That was not the truth, and it's still hard for me to believe that that's not the truth.

I asked my sis, whether i'm dramatizing it. After all, our coach did taught us how to shortlist people that we want to work with. 

There was a moment of silence as we both consider this fact. Then Anita told me, "He may be just having a bad day and you happened to be impacted. But, if he did said the things that you said, and with the manner that you said, then he must have felt some superiority towards you. Otherwise he won't say it that way."

I said, "I understand why he did it, but the way that he did, that does not sit right with me. He sounded like he's the only one who knows about that particular subject, and that's just sounded too arrogant, and i don't want our readers to learn from that kind of people. Is that okay?"

Anita said, "Yes. Of course."

Me : "I do wonder why people become arrogant."

Anita : "Well, they must feel that they are better than others or most people."

Me : " I feel that i'm better about certain things than most people. But i still don't think i have the right to belittle people, or be arrogant."

Anita : "Really, you feel better than others?"

Me: "Aren't we all better at one or two things than others? Even so, it's absurd for me to think, that just because other people are not good at what i'm good at, then that means they are stupid or beneath me. That's just absurd."

Anita : "Maybe he received so many compliments. 'Cuz it can get to your head, you know? And he might not even realized it."

Me : "It's just, such a shame, you know?"

Anita : "Yeah, well..."

After that we talk about something else. 

Arrogance. A concept that i might never understand, along with smoking to look cool, swearing to look edgy, and saying demeaning things to sound "deep".

These things befuddled me.

Gogirl! Milestone : Induction Video Shoot

Yesterday was important. For the first time ever, we made an induction video for new recruits. This is actually a realization of several inputs that i gathered for the last couple of months from the crew, my coach, and business excellence forum.

Inside the video is a little introduction of Gogirl! What are our culture and quirks, what are the expected attitude as part of Gogirl! family, and Introduction of the rest of the other crew members: name, job tittle, job desc, where they sit, etc. 

This is a little scene shot. I was rehearsing my line. We ended up not polishing my language or the way i talk. I want it to be serious but real. I stutter and i repeat things that i said. That's the way i talk in real life, so we let it be. 

  

And here's my make up by Jeinita Ante. I looove it! i can't even recognized myself. That woman is a miracle worker! I swear i  look nothing like this picture in real life!

I wish i look like this everyday! Thanks J! 

The Beginning

I've been thinking about blogging for a while. Most of the time, i thought the blog will work as my digital diary. It's a shame that when we first started Gogirl!, blogs' presence were not as common as they are now. Otherwise, we'd have a documented journey. But then i thought, i can just start now. I will post my days, growing the business, or when i speak on multiple occasions about Gogirl! or marketing, or business strategy. I will write about my thoughts, or probably i will post articles that's been gnawing my mind but unsuitable to be published in the magazine or our website. This blog will be about my own journey. How i always thrive to inspire, motivate, enlighten, or entertain. Just like Gogirl! always do.