Work...I love it!

As far as summer outings go, my first work-related one should be pretty shambolic.

Rain was already pouring in since Friday morning due to a tropical storm. We had no idea how bad it would become by that evening, when the higher-ups were meeting about whether or not to proceed with the summer outing at Blue Coral resort in San Juan, Batangas. We were e-mailed that the outing was a go.

Imagine the sight at our meeting place at the Makati Stock Exchange, where people had either very optimistic or very realistic clothing. In the chilled wind and rain, a significant number of my officemates were hanging out in their sandos, slippers and board shorts.

Before we even made it to Blue Coral, the telltale signs were staring us in the face. Along the length of the STAR Tollway, billboards were getting sheared into jagged strips, power pylons were being swayed left and right, and the palm trees’ branches were being swept back at an unusual angle all because of the gale-force winds. That Saturday morning, the rain was no longer much of an issue—it was the fierce winds that were the talk of the trip. As we neared our destination, we saw along the shoreline the upturned remains of beachside gazebos and remarkably choppy seas.

One in the afternoon and we had arrived. The resort staff obviously did not expect us to come...and why should they? Typhoon signal #2 was already raised in the whole province of Batangas. They reported there was no electricity, no water and not enough generator capacity to keep all the cottages lit. They were so flabbergasted of our arrival that they hadn’t even prepared any lunch; it had to be prepared in haste. It was clear as day: no one’s staying here overnight.

Nonetheless we trooped back to our two buses in good spirits. I was slightly disappointed our jamming sessions at nearby Audiophile studio were for naught as there was obviously no battle of the bands going to happen at beachside. We made the most out of our current situation by shooting pool with defective cue sticks, cracking jokes, playing pusoy-dos and singing a few tunes on the trip back home. As a consolation, we were treated to an eat-all-you-can buffet dinner at Dads Glorietta, where I stuffed my face with sushi.

The success or failure of the summer outing didn’t really matter to me. What ultimately mattered was the time I shared with my co-workers. I’m very lucky I got assigned to my current project, because it really is an extension of my very joyous college experience, with new-but-somehow-quite-familiar people. Our team is a very loud, noisy, happy bunch of people that knows all too well how to have fun on a regular basis and doesn’t really give a damn about rank.

I am very, very grateful for my new friends. I wish I could stay with BDCN and never get reassigned anywhere else. I’ve already found my comfort zone and I would really rather not leave.
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Here’s one of the songs I was supposed to sing at the summer outing. Yes, I practiced, and I was so, so prepared to get rid of my solo-vocalist shyness at the beach. Somehow, I’m convinced I would have done well if it had pushed through.

Sunday morning, rain is falling
Steal some cover, share some skin
Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable
You twist to fit the mold that I am in

But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do
And I would gladly hit the road, get up and go if I knew
That someday it would lead me back to you
That someday it would lead me back to you

That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never wanna leave

Fingers trace your every outline
Paint a picture with my hands
And back and forth we sway like branches in a storm
Change the weather, still together when it ends

That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never wanna leave

But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do
Sunday morning rain is falling and I’m calling out to you
Singing someday, it’ll bring me back to you
Find a way to bring myself back home to you

You may not know
That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning...

- Maroon 5, “Sunday Morning”