// Quarter Life Monologues

I really should start collecting canceled plane tickets. I’ve managed to accumulate a few in a span of a month, and while it has brought me frustrations along the way, I now laugh at my apparent bad luck (for lack of better term) in flying.

If I may trace my flying misadventures, it all began in Legazpi where I spent a few days with USAP’s marketing mancomm last month. By the way, I almost forgot how much I enjoyed flying. I mean, seriously, while Mikey looked like he was gona puke the entire 30-minute trip, my only concern was how to get his face off the view so I can get a glimpse of the clouds (the bastard got the window seat, loser). Anyway. Point is, I enjoyed flying, in spite them saying how turbulent the flight was. And I’m really looking forward to the next opportunity I could get to fly.

Okay, wait, pictures first.

Marc, Francis, Rico, Ely, Mikey, Alvin and Mel

..and me, of course.

Sooo TGIS, I know right.

Anyway. Here’s where all the “bad luck” started flooding in.

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This is long overdue already but I’m blogging it anyway. The Blog-o-rama column that featured my two blogs came out last weekend, Feb 18, on the Technews of Manila Bulletin. I didn’t know when it was gona come up, hence I didn’t get myself a copy, grr. I found out about it only the day after, good thing a friend has got a daily subscription of the paper. Yay.

In the interview, I talked about my blogs and how they evolved from a personal venting channel to a tool that has helped me establish my profession. Also, I talked about how it’s like to be a struggling female SEO (I know, this is a pretty old tune already, ha!) in this IT industry that’s been mostly dominated by men. I had fun answering Miss Annalyn’s questions, I guess it pretty much showed in how I blabbered my way throughout the interview.

So yeah. Thanks (once again) to Miss Annalyn Jusay for this wonderful opportunity. :) I took snapshots of the column and uploaded them there. Also, the online version can be found here.

Remember that “Dream Job” I once blogged about? That Yahoo Philippines Online Community Manager job opening which, for a while there, I thought I’d like to consider? (No, I didn’t even dare apply, though). Well, the thing with that job is, it required a lot of online and offline socializing and traveling and talking to people — some of the things that appealed so much to me.

Fastforward to now, Day 5 of the Internet Marketing Bootcamp is happening here at our USAP office in Pasig as I type this. I just finished my talk on Search Engine Optimization, and Rico Sta. Cruz is now discussing basic design principles. And I. Am. Not. Listening. Haha. I’ve heard Rico’s talk about 5 times already anyway (hehe), and quite honestly, his has been one of my favorites – ahhh, the frustrated designer that I am. ;)

Anyway, as I browse through my feed reader while Rico talks up front, I find myself reading the recent developments in Yahoo, following the news about their laying-off of hundreds (thousands?) of employees. Apparently, Yahoo’s lay-off included a bunch of VPs, and just recently, Jessica Bowman, who was Yahoo’s SEM Manager — which really came as a shock to me and probably to the rest of the Search world too. I’ve always been an avid lurker of her blog, and she’s been one of the few female SEO gurus I’ve always admired.

So I go back to that job opening that I sooo excitedly blogged about a few months ago, and realized that whoever got that job has probably been laid-off by now too. :P

Anyway, I know I wouldn’t stand a chance then, even if I tried. What really struck me now is how much I’ve dreamed of a lot of things — of getting out of this country and finding my place in (or out of) this industry — when all the while, I’m already right where I should be. I guess it just took me a while to weigh my options, identify the pros and cons, and realize that there’s still more to this place that’s worth the squeeze.

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I have a confession to make (again). During Gio Villanueva-Wall’s Q&A on Keyword Research Tools and Tactics at the SEMCON, I was the one who SMS-ed the question “How does it feel like to be Aaron Wall’s wife?” I mean, seriously, that was a valid question to ask, right? I’m sure a lot of us were curious to know! :)

“I got myself a competition” and “I am married to the Internet!,” Gio said to a room-full of SEMCON attendees. Didn’t I just say that it’s a good SEO technique (for female SEOs) to marry an SEO guru? Hehe. (Way to go Sharm! LOL) :)

Anyway, I was lucky enough to be able to have a chat with Gio when she and Aaron dropped by the Intercon the next day (SEMCON, Day 2). And unexpectedly too, as I just happened to be sitting at the back with some guys from SEO Philippines, near the entrance, when the couple dropped by.

With Gio — yes, that’s my back okaaay.

It was lovely to know that Gio speaks fluent Tagalog, hence it wasn’t that hard for me (LOL) to chitchat about tiangges, and shopping, and boracay, and stuff that are not related to SEO. And it was even more thrilling to know that she happens to be dropping by this blog (guitarchic.net) too once in a while. I mean, really now? :)

And really now, it’s not everyday you get to chat with an SEO rockstar in his shorts and slippers. *starstruck*

Chitchatting with Aaron Wall woohoo :)

Inasmuch as I wanted to ask Aaron more about his book and his SEO secrets, I ended up asking more questions about him and Gio, how he likes it here so far, and his interests aside from SEO, and music (music!! man!! I was talking about music with Aaron Wall, haha), etc.

With the Walls :)

I had my ten minutes worth of air time with the Walls, yay ME — perhaps one of the highlights of my SEMCON experience (which I will blog more about later). Very down-to-earth, both of them. :)

I told Aaron Wall that he’s got a pretty good taste, falling in love with a Filipina. And I could say the same for Gio, for marrying The SEO Book. Er, I mean, the author. Hehe.

As for me, I’m still starstruck. (And wondering if someday, people will tell my husband-to-be that he’s got good taste marrying this SEO girl that I am. Blpht.) :p

*Photos courtesy of Jason Torres, who happened to be holding Konks, my camera, when I was having the grand SEMCON time of my life.

Time backtracked. It’s past midnight, I’ve got stuff to do, and I’m feeling a bit drained and gloomy for some reason, but look, here I go, browsing through MobiusGames, particularly the kids section, and having a grand time testing one game after another. So far, I’ve tried Eve Online (a galactic adventure ala Star Wars), I’m loving ToonTown (who wouldn’t love creating your own Disney-like cartoon in the form of a game?), and I’m currently hooked up on Diner Dash (again).

And let me just add that I had a super time laughing over GM Charo, Mobius’ resident love guru, whose love advices you can find on their recently launched online gaming magazine.

Yup. At a time like this. (I can’t believe myself either.)

I know I really have to move on from this break-now-pay-later phase like, real’ soon, but I can’t help myself. I’m extending the streak another night. I guess it’s true what they say — you know a person is pressured when she keeps stalling and making excuses. Take it from someone who has a tendency to do everything BUT that one thing she’s supposed to do.

Thanks to online gaming sites such as Mobius, stalling becomes worth the while. LOL. I mean, seriously. Sometimes I wonder to whom online games are meant for. Evidently, they’re meant for kids, and geeks, but come to think of it, they’re also meant for busy people who need to chill and have a break. Quite an irony, if I may say so, since most of us won’t even bother playing online games because we just don’t have the time. Thing is, if we don’t have time for stress-relievers such as this, maybe we need to make time for it. Get what I’m saying? (And no, I’m not just justifying myself.)

It’s just like that “gorgeous” night at Serendra with three lovely lovely ladies, where, in the midst of coffee and jazz music and yuppies having their own adult conversations, we found ourselves talking about things that usually don’t cross an adult’s mind.

THE Joni Ang, MOI, THE Liz Buenaflor & THE Mae Paulino

And it was fun, and refreshing, and feel-good. As if we allowed ourselves, for one night, to forget the race that this life is, that there are bills to be paid, and that there’s work the next day. Classic girl bonding moment.

Earlier that night, actually, we also met up with THE Eric Roceles and THE Riane Garfin of Digital Media Exchange, and just like the play of words to which this blog post is entitled with, we spent a good two hours talking about a plaything of sorts in an adult-ish and professional way. God knows I was never an online gamer (and the only games I got myself addicted with in my entire life were Theme Hospital, SIMS, and Diner Dash), but to be given a chance to get in touch with that kid inside again was something that’s pretty appealing to me.

So hey, my point is this. Encouraging you, my dear readers, to play Mobius’ Games takes the backseat, lest you start to think that this is a sponsored post (LOL). Sure, Mobius’ gaming portal is proudly crafted by among the best talents in the country, successfully targeting both local and international gamers from the South East Asia. Sure, they offer world-class gaming products that can really get you hooked. Sure, I’d recommend it anytime. But more important than this, gaming sites such as Mobius exist to remind people that there’s always ALWAYS a room, in our daily hectic existence, to relax, chill, and play.

So there goes my Mobius Experience. Plaything, but not really.