My Pretty Little Ladybug

Days before the Scarefest, Haley would cry as I leave the house because she wanna come with me to the office already. So when the day came, words just can't describe how happy and excited she is!

(L) When we bought her costume, we're no longer after what's spooky or one-of-a-kind. We looked for what's comfortable for an almost-3-year-old and something that will fit her to a T.

(R) We succeeded, yes? :D

Let me do it a la fashion blogger, just because. Haha!

Dress, wings* and crown set from SM Dept. Store at PhP 430 (less 10% coz they're on sale)

*Mom tweaked the wings a bit because it's too plain for her liking. She added the red lining, that's PhP 10/yard from Carolina's :)

Black stockings from SM Dept. Store at PhP 150 (less 10% also)

Black shoes from Carriedo Shopping Arcade at PhP 150 (talk about wise spending! :P)

Skirted Trick or Treat bucket from SM also at PhP 100.

For only 800 bucks, achieve na achieve, di ba?

When we got to the office, as expected, my pretty little ladybug was a scene stealer! ^_^ Everyone walks up to her just to say hi or have a picture taken. Here are my 3 favorite shots of the day:

They stayed at the pantry while waiting for the program to begin. And of course, took pictures (the two shots above are taken there as well).

Haley with our cousin Jaren. Jaren's kuya also works in Headstrong :)

Here's Haley with our beautiful momma!

Then we went around the Angry Birds area for more photo opps:

Soooooooo charming!
I told you, kids loved our theme so whether we bag the award or not, we're still winners :)

I just had to pose with King Pig.

And Ate Junie, too!

The astronaut and the fairy are siblings. I love it when I hear them talk cause they speak very fluent English. I swear my kids will be like them! Haha!

I won't miss a photo with this blue bird, inside the makeshift iPod. Funny thing is that you have to guide him around cause he's blind. They forgot to create a hole in the costume for his eyes! Hahaha.

Finally, the program started. First, they gathered the kids in the conference room for some snacks and film showing.

 Watching Spongebob Squarepants while munching on chicken lollipops (she had 4!)

Oh, here's another winner shot of moi! That's our little celebrity enjoying the attention of the paparazzi! ;P

After the mini fashion show, the main event was next... Trick or Treat!

 Haley and Jaren all set to get heaps of candies and chocolates.

 Love this candid shot!

 

 I had to include the 2 photos above (even if they're blurred) cause it captured Haley's experience trick or treating.

 Her bucket is getting heavy but the show must go on! Haha.

 Somewhere along the tour we saw her Ninang Jejo waiting for her to pass by :-)

Oh, do visit Jejo's blog - she's got some great stories and photos to share as well!

 Haley with the Queen and her lady royals.

 At the queen's garden.

 With the lady pirate and their treasure chest! :-)

 Haley and Junie at Hogwarts.

And lastly, Haley getting her treats from my very own team :-)

I was so proud of Haley because she was well-behaved the whole time. Some booths have zombies and ghosts and other spooky creatures -- she got scared but she didn't cry. She just closed her eyes and let me hold her hand until we're done. Good job, little girl!

Here she is at my cube - tired but would still smile for the camera. I trained her that way. Haha.

Oh yes, I deserve that tight hug! ^_^

And what better way to end the night than to dine at the kids' place-to-be -- Jollibee! :)

One last shot before going home -- right at the middle of one of Makati's busiest streets. Haha.

Dear Headstrong folks,

Thanks a lot for the awesome Halloween event!

Looking forward to next year's! :)

Love,

Little Ms. Ladybug

Ham 'o' Ween at Work

If there's one thing that I love about the company that I currently work for, its the Scarefest -- that day once a year when employees pour out their creative juices dressing up their work stations while kids close to their hearts get to visit in their cutest costumes to go trick or treating. It was one event everyone in the office looks forward to because we get to set aside work even just a few hours and bond with our families and co-workers for some Halloween fun.

You see, my team's been holding the Best Scarefest Zone title for the past two years. That means we're vying for a grand slam this 2011. And guess what theme we did?

Yes, it's Angry Birds no less! :)

I admit, it's kinda overused already but it was a hit to the kids! Unlike the other zones, the little boys and girls enjoyed roaming around our area, with eyes open and smiles wide. They goofed around and took pictures with the iconic Ham o' ween tree, King Pig, and of course, our life-size slingshot! :)

We don't settle for less so our birds are 3D! That meant large balloons as mold and layers and layers of paper and glue, and then some paint after! The production wasn't easy but let's just call it labor of love :)

My most favorite bird of them all. I lurrrrve how "angry" it is. Haha.

And to complete the peg, we covered the facade with some japanese paper and cutouts of black trees, pigs and pumpkins!

Hang some cobwebs for that Halloween effect.

By the way, thanks K for the pics!

Oh, let's not forget "THE" banner.

This baby was made by yours truly ^_^

For the treats, I have to say thank God for Divi land! We got Angry Birds balloons, erasers, keychains, pins and stress balls which all made the children giddy!

 The colorful birds lined up to welcome the guests :)

The balls doubled as eggs in the huge nest.

And the human birds were there to protect the eggs. Cute, no? :D

All these were made possible through the efforts of the TLX Creative League:

The rose among the thorns, Ms. Anne, spearheaded the group.

Wait, why am I not in the picture?!?!

Oh, I remember! Blame it on this little ladybug! ^_^

With a kiddo as cute as her, who can resist being a stage sister? :D

I have a lot of adorable pictures to share so I'm saving them for another post. Stay tuned!

Celebrating "Freedom" at Bonchon Chicken

I was fresh from college when I was hired by my current company. I can still recall how my hiring process only took more or less 5 hours -- took an exam at 2pm, went through an HR interview and a sorta technical one, and at around 7pm, I found myself seated across a resource management staff with a pen in my hand and sheet of paper called "job offer". Even I couldn't believe that I just landed my first job! The next day, Friday, we were oriented and the following Monday, I officially stepped into the stressful awesome world of IT :-P

Along with 16 other fresh grads, I underwent an intensive two-month COBOL Boot Camp. It was a primitive programming language, yes, but it's still very much in-demand in the field. Donned in the most decent office attire in my closet, I braved my first day at work. Turns out I wasn't that brave because came evening, I was crying to J over the phone telling him 3 words in between sobs: I. WANNA. QUIT.

I wish it were that easy but it's not. With the contract that I signed, I agreed to a bond of 2 years with the company. I endured the training and was thankfully deployed to a project that doesn't have anything to do with COBOL. Perhaps it was a waste but I know I'm better off where I landed: Software Quality Assurance. A tester's job gets boring (yeah, add repetitive too) but doing it, the 2 years flew by so quickly. I guess it's true what they say -- If you can't do the things that you love, love the things that you do. I did just that and the next thing I knew, the bond is over... We're free! :-)

Okay, that was a long intro, huh? Now off to the real story:

Note: It's my first time to set the photos to extra large and I love just how clear they are. They however extend to the sidebar but please bear with it for the mean time. I'll try to ask for help fixing it, or maybe you could refer me to someone? ^_^

We celebrated our freedom over dinner at Bonchon Chicken at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

The place is quite small so be sure to arrive earlier if you're dining during peak hours. We were there around 6pm so we were able to secure a good seat.

In case you want a preview of their offerings :-) Much like your usual fast food. The prices are relatively affordable, too.

This is what I got: Combo B at Php 145. The chicken is really tender but it didn't meet my expectations. The skin, as expected, is crispy but it ends there. The meat itself lacks flavor.

One of my co-bootcampers ordered the large chicken basket. A combo of 6 drumsticks and 12 wings for Php 720. It's perfect for a large group like us. By the way, they have 2 chicken variants: soy garlic and spicy. If you're like me who has low tolerance for spicy food, do not dare try Bonchon's. I bit into one by accident and almost finished my large Coke trying to wash away the taste. To no avail.

Me and half of the wing part. This tastes better than the drumstick so I'm happy :-) I think I finished 4 of this (or more). Haha.

Their famous chicken, up-close.

And the aftermath... Looks like Chicken-All-You-Can part 2, eh? :P

Now meet the culprits -- 6 of the COBOL peeps. We were the first to arrive to reserve seats for everyone. Oh, if I may add, I love the Bonchon crew for being patient with us asking them to take group pictures once in a while :)

The second batch.

Me and ecologyfairy! Drop by her nature-friendly blog! :-)

We reminisced our training days and talked about how far each of us has come in a span of 2 years. And speaking of far, we offered a brief moment of silence for Chard, our batchmate who's in Texas for a long-term assignment. We miss youuuuuuuuu! :P

And finally, a group shot including all who came to celebrate :-)

It was indeed a fun get-together. Some of us are already thinking of letting new opportunities in so we savored each other's company while it lasts. Happy 2nd Anniversary to us, guys! And wherever fate takes us in the next years, I'll always be proud to have become a part of our batch :-)