I Blog, Therefore I Am.

The 20th Philippine Advertising Congress is probably the best industry event I've been to this year. I truly learned a lot from the sessions and I had fun in the various parties and company gimmicks that were offered.

Here are some of the highlights and pictures.

November 22, Thursday

[1] Jenny, Diane and I arrived very early at the site to get our IDs and registration packs. While we were waiting for it we decided to hang-out at the GSM Blue booths where they had comfy beanbags and took some pictures.







[2] We had Sarah Geronimo as Breakfast Entertainment. Jollibee's the sponsor of the breakfast so it's but natural to have her. I just find it odd to watch her too early in the morning.





[3] We were able to seat at the third row of the middle aisle at the Plenary Hall! Yey! Full view of Neil Gaiman and the other speakers!

[4] Neil Gaiman is so enigmatic! His speech on "Imagination and Creativity in the Contemporary World" brings forth a standing ovation and a crowd who will never underestimate again the power of imagination and the world of "what ifs" after hearing his speech.



[5] SMART is here. SMART is there. SMART is everywhere! Our SMART mega-booth dubbed as "Pentagon" rocks...and with foreign models to boot!





[6] The New Generations Survey that was conducted by Cartoon Network gave us fresh insights in understanding the preferences and buying influence of 7 -14 year old Filipino kids. This is one of the most important studies that was presented in the conference.

[7] The AdCon is notorious for its trade exhibit booths and its numerous freebies. It's the mother of all freebies. It was like a shopping spree! I went out of the hall carrying a big bag full of items ranging from button pins to canned beers.

[8] This is my favorite line to Diane while we were conquering the booths: "I am wearing heels and we lined up for this?" *while I point to one obscure paper bag/promo item to the other*

[9] Best Trade Exhibit Booth (for me) – Philippine Star (who actually bagged the award) and Nokia (they got free popcorns!).









[10] No sign of Aileen. The only friend I knew who was at the Ad Congress was her and I did not even see her. She was busy with their Kodak booth the entire time.

[11] Speaking of friends. I saw several friends and former suppliers at the AdCon. There was Monique (my friend from Assumption), Marvin, Dem and my former AE's from Business Mirror and Philippine Star.

[12] Thursday's lunch was from Philippine Star and they brought in Edu Manzano, Parokya Ni Edgar (headbanging and jumping at lunch) and two Toyota Vios as prizes.

[13] I saw some girl who I am not supposed to see before the afternoon session started. Just ask my colleague Anthony how he feels. Sorry!

[14] Mindshare's James Chadwick's presentation on "Understanding The New Order of Asian Communications" was really good but he encountered some technical problems so he sang instead! He's one of our favorite speakers!



[15] The Print Media analysis of Helen Pemberton (AC Nielsen), Sandy Prieto-Romualdez (Inquirer) and Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng (Summit Media) made waves as they defended the so-called dying medium.

[16] I learned that PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) helped increased sales of their print counterpart, YES Magazine, after it was launched a year ago. YES and PEP’s most popular feature was the confession of Pops Fernandez against Martin Nievera.

[17] Lisa stressed the following on her speech: magazines will thrive in the years to come; magazine publishers see digital as the Holy Grail; and print and digital complement each other.

[18] While we were at the SMART's Pentagon Booth there were some students who were taking pictures beside me. They did not ask me to leave and I did not budge to move either (thanks to more than 12 hours on heels) so Jen decided to take some pictures, too. It ended up like this:



[19] Solar Sports made us wait for more than an hour for dinner! Good thing the food served by Hizon's was the best-ever conference meal.

[20] Diane, Jen and I immediately unpacked our trade exhibit goodies as soon as we reached the hotel. I packed mine according to categories – personal stuff, foodies and usual give-aways.



November 23, Friday

[21] Jen is one of the new converts of Lamoiyan Corporation, makers of Hapee Toothpaste. The speech of their CEO encouraged her to switch to Filipino-made products like Hapee. They were our breakfast sponsor for Friday and I was expecting to see Lea Salonga in the flesh. Their merchandising is quite good, too.





[22] Michelle Green dubbed as the 'Most Powerful Woman in Asian Advertising in Asia' of Leo Burnett gave one of the most applauded presentation on "Engagement Marketing". She also showed various award-winning case videos. One of them was Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty TVC last year.

[23] My most favorite speaker and presentation was the one of Tay Guan Hin of JWT Singapore. His presentation on "Magical Creativity" was very engaging and informative. He discussed effective copywriting and he even performed magic tricks to convey various messages.



[24] I like the speech of Derek Callow (Google) at the AdCon better than his presentation at SEMCON '07 which I attended last September. A number of us like Derek and I was not surprised when one of my colleagues dragged me to have our picture taken with him. We stalked him backstage! Hah!





[25] All of us were required to wear SMART shirts when our Wireless Center Division Head, Bong Mojica, had his presentation on Mobile Advertising.

[26] I love the lobby lounge of the venue. They had non-stop free soda, chips, coffee, hams, corned beef and juice for all delegates.

[27] GMA 7 outdid everyone in their sponsored dinner. While the others have raffle, entertainment and freebies...they had Bingo games and Marimar!

[28] I almost won P75,000 in the Bingo Game sponsored by GMA 7. We were playing "last man standing" Bingo Game and I was one of the last 5 (out of 3,000 guests) who still have an unpicked number card.

[29] Guess who won THAT Bingo game? Some guy from ABS-CBN! What a sweet revenge! The host, Arnel Ignacio, doesn't know what to do or say! It was truly one of the most memorable AdCon ironies.



[30] Jenny and I went home at 7:30 am on Saturday so I can catch up with my team for our Finance For Non-Finance class in Makati. We missed Neil Gaiman's book signing and the Araw Awards BUT we were able to take nice beach pictures!



More pictures at my Multiply as usual.
Until AdCon 2009!

I received a phone call from my boss around lunch telling me to inform my staff that management asked us to go home due to some trouble at The Peninsula Manila which is just a few meters away from our office. I immediately switched on my live streaming feed via 3G and learned that there's an ongoing coup d'etat or mutiny attempt led by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and General Danilo Lim.

Here we go again.

As I write this Senator Trillanes (who's also a former military man) and his cohorts just agreed to surrender and leave the hotel premises after an afternoon filled with drama that includes a press conference, a call to People Power, a three o' clock warrant of arrest, evacuation of hotel guests, a teargas at the hotel and an armored personnel carrier (tank) that broke into the lobby.





The siege and mutiny attempt calls for the immediate resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and a call to the Filipino people of "Gloria o Pagbabago?". This is not entirely new to us because a somewhat similar incident happened in July 2003 at Oakwood Hotel with Trillanes also in the lead (Hmmm, Trillanes love Makati hotels, huh?). That mutiny led him to jail and court martial but it also got him elected as a national senator. Yeah, only in the Philippines.

Read all about the siege here.

The sad part about this is the immediate arrest of the NOT SO involved in the mutiny. Senator Trillanes and General Danilo Lim led the pack and together with them are some Magdalo soldiers, former Vice President Tito Guingona, a bishop, a priest and civil society leaders. It went from bad to worse when several members of the press were also arrested. What?!

I feel so sad for the media press who were arrested. What is happening? That is so LOW! They were merely covering the event but the police still arrested them to verify if they are part of the rebel group or not. They were even asked to surrender the films and footage that they took earlier. This is the first incident in recent memory where members of the media were arrested for questioning not only to serve as witnesses but also as possible suspects.

My parents who are martial law babies and who lived as teens and yuppies during that dark Marcos era fear for the worse. They said that freedom of the press was the first to be violated in those years. It was also announced that 12:00 am to 5:00 am curfews are to be implemented in several areas in the Philippines including Central Luzon, CALABARZON and Metro Manila until things are settled. I refuse to believe that the government can actually do this in the NOW. This is the Internet age where everybody knows everything. This is the vigilant age where everything is just a click away. A curfew? Absolutely no way! What the heck is happening? But in any case, always bring identification cards with you to be on the safe side.

Better safe than sorry.

Photo and news credits: Inquirer.net

I am here at Subic, Zambales to attend the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress. This is only the 2nd time I will be attending the biggest advertising industry gathering here in the Philippines. The first one was back in 1997 at AdAsia Manila which was actually the Asian Advertising Congress held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). I was able to attend that event because several classmates and I were student volunteers together with other Communication students from other universities. It was one of those first fine moments when I had a glimpse of my future career.



20th Philippine Advertising Congress Logo

The mega-event started tonight with a Keynote Speech from John Gokongwei but we were not able to see it since we left the office at 7:00 pm. He talked about his riches-to rag-to riches success and the companies and product he built and introduced like Cebu Pacific and Universal Robina Corporation's C2 Juice Drink, which changed the landscape and perceptions of consumers and how we do business.

The business session starts tomorrow with best-selling author and celebrity speaker Neil Gaiman leading the pack. He will be talking about "Imagination and Creativity in The Contemporary World". I am truly looking forward to his speech. I haven't read any of his books but I definitely know him and his best-sellers. My ex was the one who actually introduced me to him through his book American Gods. Then there were also Neverwhere and Stardust which was turned into a film recently.

The theme for this year's AdCon is "The New Order". The congress will discuss the collaboration and competition between traditional marketing/advertising and new-age technology. It will set to understand how one complements and compete with the other. The sessions are divided into four phases: imagination and creativity, marketing and media, creativity, and going digital. Focused topics on emerging mobile and Internet marketing trends will also be discussed with SMART's very own Bong Mojica to talk about Mobile Advertising.

Speaking of SMART.

This is one of those moments when I am very happy and truly proud to be a SMARTee. We are just mere presentors and merchandising sponsors for the event yet our hardworking Event Team did one helluva job in dressing up Subic. The very long road stretch from the San Fernando Interchange all the way to Subic was filled with our streamers, banners and merchandising floaters and inflatables. It's "Power To Lead" literally and figuratively. This is truly bad for our competitor who gamely claimed that they are the event's "official telecom provider". Duh? It doesn't look like they are. [EDIT: read this guy's post of Smart's good branding at AdCon]

The AdCon will end by Saturday night with the ala-Famas Araw Awards as culminating event. I will be missing it since I have to be back in Makati on Saturday morning for a Finance For Non-Finance class with my team. I am staying at The Camayan Beach Resort (near Ocean's Adventure) with Jenny and Diane who are also from my department. The resort is really nice, the beach is very inviting and the rooms are very cozy. It would have been perfect if it's not 30 minutes away from the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center where the AdCon and all the evening parties are. We were late in the registration so our marketing team was not able to book all 25 of us in a nearer hotel. But no complaints since these are all free. :)

Hi, my name is:
Abbie

Never in my life have I been:
Seriously betrothed to another person, an associate of an advertising agency or a traveler outside of Asia.

The one person who can drive me nuts is:
My dad, my mom and my bro. In that order.

High school is:
Where I found my lifelong friends.

When I'm nervous:
I get jumpy and distracted.

If I were to get married right now my Maid of Honor would be:
A toss coin (literally) between Tin, Aileen and Charo. Losers will be Bridesmaids. US-based Ivy and Mitz's chances are forfeited due to distance.



My hair is:
Long, straight and shiny. Indulge me, please. :)

When I was 10:
I was pissed because my friends became "grown ups" who doesn't want to play anymore. Aquanet became their best friend and it took the place of Kick Ball.

Last Christmas:
Was almost NOT like Christmas. My dad was in the hospital and we spent the holidays there.


Christmas '07 Decors at The Podium. So nice.

I should be:
More assertive, involved and BITCHY.

The happiest recent events were:
Our family Saturday dinner, some great news from work and the a-okay concept for an upcoming launch.

By this time next year:
I should be happier, more contented...and yeah...in a relationship.

My current gripe is:
Some admin stuff at work that I should not let pass.

I have a hard time understanding:
Math, men and their numerous issues and baggages, and Meredith & Lexie Grey's relationship.

There's this girl I know who:
Turned her back to fame, popularity and fortune to pursue her life's goal and true passion. I admire her for that. Very very few people can do that

You know I like you when:
I talk about you all the time, I text you and I blog about you.

If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be:
My Mom

Take my advice:
1) Get them when they are young! The older they get, the more issues they will have. 2) Resign when you still have enough drive to do it.

Something that I really want to buy is:
Another Dorothy Perkins pants and jeans, a Macbook Pro and a Canon 400D.

If you visited the place I was born:
You can go to Luneta Park after!

I plan to visit:
Iloilo in January for Tish's wedding and to Italy before I die.

I'd stop my wedding if:
It's not true love or if he's gay.

The world could do without:
Joseph Estrada

I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than:
(THIS is not a question!)

Most recent thing I've bought myself:
A hot Pork Ball Congee at Luk Yuen at SM Megamall. I miss it SO much! It's my ultimate comfort food. I've been eating them since I was five years old. The branch in Glorietta 2 is obviously close due to the bomb(?) blast.



Most recent thing someone else bought me:
Chocolate Temptation Crepe of Crepes and Creams at Podium

This morning I:
Watched Grey's Anatomy Season4 Episode7 - Physical Attraction, Chemical Reaction.

Got this meme from Apple and Jing. Tag to Aileen, Charo, Tin, Mitz, Jean, Mindy, Riz and to anyone who likes to do it.

I am so proud of the above websites! They both have good content and well-executed design strategies. Both truly deserve Philippine Web Awards distinctions.

Please vote for them via SMS or through the Phil Webbys website.

For non-Smart subscribers, you may also vote through your mobile network by texting WEBBYS VOTE 35 and send it to 2973 for the Smart Corporate site or WEBBYS VOTE 90 and send it to 2973 for the Smart School site.

For my friends who are still on other networks, voting is the least that you can do for me! :)

Christmas is always a tad too early here in the Philippines. Post-Halloween usually ushers the sappy Christmas songs, monstrous traffic jams and queue at the mall that signals the most wonderful time of the year.

I know that Christmas is going to be truly merry for me this year!

And all I want is...

Either this...



Canon is still CANON and it's so damn good-looking!


Or this...




But friends say that this is the easier choice.


What do YOU think? 400D or D40x?
Or should I just forget this and save for my dream machine (a.k.a MacBook)?

More Worldless Wednesday posts here.

The long-overdue blog redesign is now completed so it's now to write some posts. I've been so behind with my writing but I hope that I can update more frequently in the coming days. November is not my favorite month for nothing. This entry on my cousin's wedding is already delayed by two weeks.

Anyway, moving on.

My family, the rest of our clan, and I attended my cousin Gen's long-awaited and well-prepared wedding to Nonie two Saturdays ago, October 20. The wedding was held at a very beautiful quaint garden home in Antipolo City called Jardin De Miramar. I love out-of-town garden weddings! There's a certain tranquility, exclusivity and intimacy in them. Nonie and Gen truly made the right choice in holding their union in one.




Gen and Nonie met through their Church's Pastor five years ago and been in love since. Most of the guests were their Church friends (or otherwise known as the Bridal Shower Girls) who witnessed their love story through the years. The rites and program were very simple and it was mostly participated by family and close friends. Bonus points to the pastor for his very endearing sermon and good pieces of advice to the couple. And special kudos to Gen for choosing Josh Groban's "You're Still You" as part of her wedding march.



The Beautiful Bride


"Who gives this woman?"

Since Gen is a year older than me and I am her "next in line" it was not a surprise that she got me as one of her Bridesmaids. Yeah, yeah, I am at it again. This is the ninth time I've been part of a wedding entourage. Six times as a Bridesmaid, thrice as a Veil Sponsor, and once as Maid of Honor to my dear Olen. Along with it are nine gowns in different colors and forms – from Maroon to Pink to Blue. Yeah, I truly am a Professional Bridesmaid and I dunno if I will be happy or sad about it. Aside from me, a number of my relatives were also chosen as part of the entourage.

Here are some of the photos:


With my niece Hannah (who looks like me) and Goddaughter Khiara



My nieces Chesca and Migee as Flower Girls



Tita Doris with The Navarros

I had fun in the wedding with my other cousins. It was truly a wedding worth attending. The scenery and the nice venue absolutely made up for the very long drive to Antipolo. I also overdid the photos so here's the link of the album at Multiply and a slideshow from Google Picasa.




Best Wishes, Nonie and Gen!

P.S.
Wedding Season officially started for me! Next stop? Raymond & Patty, Carlos & Che and Rhett & Tisha! Whew!

A month before Gen's Wedding (or days after her fun, fun, fun bridal shower) I immediately began to look and scout for THE perfect Make-up Artist who will doll me up for her wedding.

I went to my official SOS on-line forum for beauty stuff (otherwise known as GirlTalk) and asked advice and get reviews of professional stylists. One sister recommended this then another suggested this and so on. They were all great I must say. But I got lucky when one of the forumers recommended Mich Lim and posted her website link. Her blog included her portfolio and I instantly like it upon seeing it. Her forte is the the natural no-make-up make-up and some of her works were even featured at posh magazines like Preview and Marie Claire. I immediately booked her for Gen's wedding and she was fortunately available for the 20th of October.



Here are my BEFORE shots.
Picture on the left was taken minutes before the session
and picture on the right was taken the night before.

We had the make-up session at Azta Salon in Metrowalk. She told me that the salon is owned by a friend and she lets her use it when she have clients. She doesn't have a salon of her own since she mostly do freelance venue-based work and is open to all kinds of make-up jobs – weddings, shoots, fashion shows, etc.

We started immediately since I arrived 1:00 pm and have to leave by 3:00 pm. She applied really good make-up on me and used great brands like MAC, Guerlain and YSL. I especially love the Guerlain Terracotta Africa Rhythm bronzer that she applied on my cheeks. It was the great "finish" that I wanted. We spent a lot of time on my eyes and she applied earth and subdued colors like brown and tan. The false eyelashes that she added also made my eyes pretty and brighter. My mom absolutely loved it (and my mom is not easy to please when it comes to me). She kept on gushing about it to her sisters and nieces. One of the things which I am not too happy about was the concealer. I find it too heavy which was actually my fault. Mich had to apply great amount of it because of my eyebags due to an extended night out with friends the night before. One tip: sleep early and get enough rest the night before any special event. Well, that's why it's called "beauty sleep".

I truly and absolutely love how I look that day. I truly recommend Mich especially if you are going after the natural look. We finished around 3:00 pm and the make-up lasted until 11:00 pm without too much retouch. I only re-applied some lipstick and powder during the entire wedding. Mich's specialty is make-up and she usually asked the Azta staff to fix the client's hair. Since my hair was just rebonded, I just opted for a simple straight blow-dry as not to damage my rebonded hair.



My AFTER shots taken in the car just right after the session.

Oh, before I end this, aside from having great prowess with the make-up brush, Mich is also a darling. She's cute, very nice, engaging and she really makes one comfortable. She's truly perfect for nervous brides out there. Her hands are also light when she applies make-up. I had stylists before who have heavy hands that makes one think of face torture. I truly admire Mich and her talents. She's been in the business for only three years yet she's already making a big splash in the beauty world.

You may reach Mich through her website: http://michlim.multiply.com. She usually do make-ups or trial make-ups with brides at any Azta Salon (Metrowalk, Robinson's MetroEast, Eastwood, Katipunan). Her rates and contact information are all in her website (I cannot post it here since her number is not on MY mobile network. Sorry.).

More pictures of me and the wedding at this site.