That's All for 2007, Folks!

Well, my work for this year is done. Today's my last day at work for 2007. I'll be back on Jan. 7, 2008.

Manu paid a visit today to touch base with us. When I got a chance to talk to him and discuss copywriting matters (I was writing a fulfillment letter for Belinda's client), he admonished me to grab the opportunities and fill the vacuum left behind by both copywriters (Barry's last day in Toronto is tomorrow). He said that I needed to discuss these with Jim.

Now, I have something to think about during my Christmas break.

When It Rains, It Pours

When Belinda and I left work yesterday, she was talking about me writing a fulfillment letter for her client today. I was looking forward to project because nothing was happening in the office for the last two days. Well, it didn't happen.

Today, right after our last WIP meeting for the year, I got an e-mail from Allison requesting me to proofread 55 online banners. This took me five hours to finish! I wasn't expecting so many errors in them.

Then there were these Chinese ads I had to proof in a hurry. I guess I have to talk to Belinda tomorrow about her project.

Random Thoughts

It's so quiet in here, I don't know what to write. So, here are random thoughts:

• Yesterday, I worked for ¾-hour only; today, probably an hour.
• Amanda was right about the constant playing of Christmas music; it will drive you nuts. (Belinda's radio is set at a station that plays Yule tunes all day long.)
• I'm off on Friday and won't be coming back until Jan. 7, 2008.
• The weather outside is frightful. In fact, it sucks.
• I broke my trusty umbrella just when I got home last Friday. It was the best full-sized, folding and automatic brolly I've had in years.
  

What Am I Doing Here?

Last week, I planned to take the Monday off as a personal day. However, when I read the office manual on Friday, I realized that I only had a half-day left only. So, I had to report for work today.

Then I got this e-mail from Julita clarifying if my Friday off was a personal or vacation day. I said that it was a personal one, but she said that we were not allowed to take them as bonus days off (which I found strange because I remember Doug taking his two remaining personal days on a Friday and Monday; however, he didn't give a reason like I did: Christmas shopping).

However, she said that it was okay for now and wouldn't allow it next year. So, I get to take the Friday off this week because if Julita hadn't approved of my personal day off last Friday, I would have swapped it with this Friday's vacation day, leaving me with no choice but to report for work on that day.

And speaking of work, it's crazy-quiet in here.

The Aftermath

I forgot to mention that before we had dinner last Thursday, we had a secret Santa of the stealing kind. I think the mechanics of this game is to pick a gift of your liking, then someone gets to steal it from you if he or she chooses to.

I chose a nicely wrapped gift, which was stolen from me, unfortunately. In turn, I stole Belinda's chosen gift. I regretted this because it turned out to be a yellow Banana Guard. (When I opened the box, I thought it was a yellow dildo!)

Needless to say, I was very much disappointed with what I got at first. But I thought of the practicality and design of this product and I began to like it. The Banana Guard turned out to be a cool and useful gift after all. Thanks, Tom (or whoever you are)!

Dinner was at Joe Fortes. Only nine of us made it there: Rob, Brooke, Tom, Nina, Amanda, Charlene, Julita, Ryan and me. Everyone got a small token (a Christmas ball) and a $25 gift card. I had ahi tuna steak, which was surprisingly good. I didn't know what the others ordered, but I remember Tom having the 20-oz. Porterhouse steak priced at a whopping $55! That's a lot of meat and he would need a lot of roughage to get that digested.

But everyone had a good time and left with a full tummy.

Office Christmas Dinner

Tonight is our office's Christmas dinner. It's not a party, but a sit-down dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. Julita originally planned to have the celebration at Wendy's place and hire caterers, but there was a change of plans (which was a good thing, especially with the current snowy/rainy weather).

Concerning work, there's not much happening. However, I managed to sneak a half-hour's work updating copy decks of the sales sheets.

And since I have 2½ personal days left, I'm taking them tomorrow, Monday and half of Thursday.

I Wasn't That Busy Yesterday

Unlike Monday, I wasn't that busy yesterday. However, with all that time in my hands, I forgot to write how Tuesday was like. Most of the 3½-hour client chargeables were spent proofing French and Chinese versions of a brochure. Next was for a new project: sales sheets (which took up most of today's chargeables).

We also got an e-mail from Jim regarding Barry, our copywriter in Toronto. He's leaving the company, effective Dec. 21. His departure would leave a creative vacuum at work again. I would love to jump at the opportunity, but somehow I wasn't quite sure if I was ready for this kind of copywriting work.

I'll play it by ear.

Thursday and Friday a Blur!

With work coming in trickles, I thought Thursday was going to be an easy one — until Julita told me that our sister company was requiring my proofreading and editing services. I got to meet Joy, their general manager, who handed me a hard copy of the document that needed nitpicking and had me sign a confidentiality agreement.

I worked a total of five hours checking it, and the only feedback I got from her was that it was everything she expected. (I don't know if that was good or bad.) It was all good though because I got to use my skills. I definitely enjoyed doing it.

The next day, Friday, was the busiest on record for me: eight hours with a 30-minute break. Allison wanted me to do some frame-by-frame screen captures of 24 French online banners, plus 16 more for her presentation to the client.

I left some work from last week for today so that I would have something to do. Unfortunately, Tom, our freelance interactive art director tasked to do these online banners, called in sick. Now, my work was in a standstill because of his absence, leaving me time to write this blog and catch up on other personal stuff.

Morning Rush

I worked immediately as soon as I arrived, foregoing my morning cup of tea. I was editing an advertorial for a client and we needed to submit it today (I was working on it since yesterday). Brooke needed me to cut down some of the copy in order for it to fit in a small ad space.

I managed to remove 95 words from the original 495. However, I laboured in vain because Jim advised us to instead let the artists of the newspaper, where it would appear, lay it out themselves so it would appear like a news item. I didn't mind though because I got to edit — and not proofread — this time.

Then there were French online banners to proofread. I spent 90 minutes doing this. Allison wanted these out today, so it was a rush job again. There were other stuff, too, like brochures, and all my work wound down a little before 4 p.m., giving me some time to write an e-mail to a former co-worker.

It looked like this was the busiest day of the week. Today's client chargeable: 5½ hours. (I couldn't wait to go home and play on my Xbox!)

My Good Deeds for Today

As usual, I was one of the first-comers in the office. I went to the kitchen and started the electric kettle for my morning cup of tea. I checked the fridge and saw that it needed some restocking of juice and pop. Although I wasn't on kitchen duty today (it was Jill from our sister company), I chose to fill it up with drinks. Besides, I might have a hankering for apple juice later in the day only to find out that it's all gone or not a single cold bottle was available.

Then I went to the washroom to take a leak. Someone took out the paper roll out of the automatic dispenser and didn't replace it. I didn't know why, but it was easy to do so. One need only to read the simple instructions, which I did. In less than two minutes, the dispenser was operational again.

Back in the office, Belinda wanted to listen to some Christmas carols. Since there wasn't a radio station playing continuous Yule tunes, I offered to play some songs using my PC's Internet radio. I guess the volume was so loud that Amanda and Charlene asked me to turn it down. Charlene's reason was that she couldn't hear herself over the phone while Amanda simply didn't want to hear them this early (three weeks to go before C-Day). The former was understandable; the latter, just plain Scrooge-y.

Concerning work, it looked like today was going to be a slow one. It looked like I'd be spending most of my day surfing the 'Net and reading newspapers and magazines.

By the way, Rob lent me his Gears of War game. I couldn't wait to go home and try this one out on my new Xbox 360 that I got for myself.

Early Morning Roll

I was on a roll this morning. I started working at 9 a.m. on several online banners from last week. It was becoming repetitive though, with me seeing the same errors repeated over and over again.

Then there was a DM, too, for another client. I spent 45 minutes on that piece.

Unfortunately, work lost steam 30 minutes into lunch time. One o' clock and everything stopped. Total billable time: 3½ hours.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading the December issue of WIRED.

Work or Doug?

I could have worked for more than six hours today if not for the 3 p.m. gathering held for Doug. Today was his last day with the company.

Much Busier Today

I couldn't believe it, but I was working just less than two hours into the day!

Most of the workload — all 4½ hours of them — came from a client's DM mailing and brochure. I thought that this was going to be a slow one, but Deb was rushing me to finish proofreading both projects as they were needed yesterday. (Brooke was sick and Rob was left by his lonesome minding the studio.)

Same as Yesterday, But the Opposite

I did four hours again; but this time, most of the workload came in the morning unlike yesterday. The proofreading tasks were mostly for online banners. Tom, the freelance interactive designer, said that he was doing more than 100 of them for a client.

Today's Much Better

I clocked four hours of work. Woo-hoo!

Almost all happened later in the day (as usual). I proofed DM letters, online banners and print ads one after the other.

Proofreading Assistance?

Just like what I expected on my return from my vacation: a slow Monday (except for a DM letter for a client and a rushed print ad). However, while I was away, Julita sent me an e-mail regarding the possibility of assisting our sister company across the floor with proofreading contracts. Of course, with my current downtime, I'd love to help them. (I'd do anything to make my timesheets look good.)

And since this was inter-agency (i.e., between sister companies), it may take a while for Wendy and Julita to sort out the billing for this kind of work. I hope they figure it out soon because I don't want to spend the entire week surfing the 'Net, solving crossword puzzles and reading newspapers.

Good and Bad News

Jennifer called everyone for an informal meeting a little after 11 a.m. Everyone was there, including the Toronto people via audio link. She broke the news that a client decided to pull out next year. This was sad because this was one of Belinda's clients and she might lose her job for that. But I hope there would be enough work for her to stay.

However, there was also good news. A big client was going to bring new business next year for the company, which meant more work for us. I hope that this was sooner so that they would continue to find me useful.

I also get to leave the office two hours early today. I was supposed to leave for Seattle tomorrow, but plans changed and I'm heading south of the border tonight.

I wanted to get the afternoon off and charge it to my personal days since not much was happening. Instead, I opted to leave at 3 p.m. just in case something pops up.

Then I'm off tomorrow.

Finally, Work!

I just knew today was going to be busy, if not the busiest. It all started early in the morning with a small print ad, then three more different ads, in Chinese this time.

As the day went on, I got to proofread DM mailers and a brochure. All in all, I worked for a total of five hours. Not a bad day, considering.

One-hour Work

Yes, that's what the title said. One hour's worth of work for an eight-hour workday. So, I spent most of my time trying to keep myself busy like reading online news, checking my e-mail from time to time and catching up on the latest regarding my hobbies.

Sleepy Monday

I woke up 30 minutes earlier than normal; i.e., I woke up at 4 a.m. I thought that I'd sleep through my bus ride to work to recover my missing half hour of sleep. Although I managed to doze off on the bus, I was still sleepy at work, especially when I was updating a copy deck that required a copious amount of copying and pasting.

Having a slow day didn't help either. If I didn't plan to update that copy deck, I wouldn't be doing anything at all, except for that print ad that took me only minutes to proofread.

I hope things pick up again at work soon. (I also hope I get a good seat on the bus tonight so that I could log some extra z's.)

Note: Doug handed in his two weeks' notice. He's moving to Victoria to work for an ad agency there in January next year.

Slow Start for a Friday

I thought I'd be spending the entire day surfing the 'Net and watching movie trailers online, but work seemed to pick up right before lunch.

And a little past 3 p.m., Deb rolled out the food-and-drink cart (it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world) with proceeds going to the Food Bank. I got some garlic bread, antipasto, cheese, beef salami and beer.

I didn't know why I chose beer; I'm not a beer drinker and I tend to get red faced after a few swigs. It's a bad choice I'll pay soon enough.

Work Again — Finally!

It was a relatively busy day, thanks to a French DM reprint needing corrections. It took me three hours to check and recheck all three components. Plus, I had to e-mail Vevette, one of the new suits based in Toronto handling this specific project, three times just to get what I needed.

Then Belinda had me rewrite a client's copy deck to include footers and legal terms and conditions. It took me almost two hours deciphering what's what.

I was hoping to hear from Vevette again because I was on a roll. However, with the three-hour time difference between the West and East coasts, I would have to wait for her reply tomorrow since it's was already past 5 p.m. (EST) when I e-mailed her.

The Bookcases Are Here!

Yes, they finally arrived! Now, my pod is complete. However, there are bookcases everywhere in the office. In fact, I have two of these metal furnishings in front of my work station. I don't know where they'll put the rest.

Regarding work, it's really slow. Deb came with printer proofs to check, but she even asked me to be quick in checking them. (Apparently, Brooke didn't notice them in the studio and they were simply lying there untouched on a table for the entire morning.)

Nina also dropped by bearing my order of the 2008 day planner. There were two models to choose from: the regular one and the priority-management option. Since I don't prioritize and manage, I chose the former. It's for nameless cogs in the corporate machine.

I'm Back!

After a four-day staycation, I was back at work.

While I was away, I took a sneak peek at my office e-mail from home and found out that Allison sent me 20 online banners to proofread. I really would love to work on them, but, unfortunately, I was away. However, she still wanted me to work on them when I came back today; so, it was all good. Then there were two job bags waiting for me since last Friday. Apparently, Brooke wasn't in a rush; so, she left them there for me.

I was hoping that there would be a huge backlog waiting for me today, but there wasn't any. I was thankful that I took a break from all these.

I'm Only Human

I was looking forward to having a slow one today because this was the last day of my work week. However, there were lots to do; e.g., I mixed up some copy standards regarding em dashes in the DM letters of a client and I had to undo my previous corrections. There were lots and I had to do some damage control. All were caught though.

And then I helped Belinda write and edit another DM letter for her client. It was all good after all even though I never liked having those I'm-only-human-born-to-make-mistakes moments.

Besides, I'm off tomorrow and on Monday. Yippee!

Nice Start?

I hope today turns out busy because Brooke left a job bag last night for me to proofread. (I always take it as a good sign.) It was a new project for a DM collateral, a small brochure for the client's employees. I was done in an hour.


Then she dropped another bag, this time it's for an old card requiring minor revisions in the text. There's not much to do after this; so, I grabbed the latest issue of WIRED and read some of the more interesting articles.

I also decided to eat my lunch of leftover barbecue ribs on time since nothing was going on. Minutes into my meal and Deb walked in regarding an old copy deck that needed updating for the printers. She said that my food smelled so good, but I didn't know that it reeked until Charlene asked me what my lunch was. ("Is it adobo?") Fearing that some would find it offensive, I decided to finish my meal as fast as I could so that its aroma wouldn't stop filling the entire office.

The rest of the afternoon was marked with a few exchanges of docket bags. I took it easy in between jobs.

Another Slow Day

Well, as expected, this was going to be a slow one. It was a good thing I left some copy-deck updating for today for 1½ hours. The only new thing I did for today was proofreading a series of French online banners. It was good for ¾ hours only though.

It seemed that I was not the only one who was having a slow day. Wendy and some of the suits re-organized the office floor, and the outcome was much, much better than expected. They got rid most of the clutter and moved them to the other side. Everyone simply couldn't wait for all of these renovations to finish.

A Short Work Week for Me

I was looking forward to the start of this particular work week because I would be off on Friday and Monday next week. However, I needed to go through the first four days of the week first.

As usual, today was a slow one, but I managed to keep myself busy by updating a Chinese copy deck of a client's DM campaign. That kept me busy for three hours. I sensed that tomorrow was going to be like this; so, I left some updating work for Tuesday.

It was also the first work day after going back to standard time. It was dark when I left the office at 5 p.m.

Busy Friday

Well, it looked like this is the busiest one for me this week.

Brooke left a job bag on the rack for me yesterday before closing time and said that it was okay to do it tomorrow. And that's what I did. I thought that's the only one for me today because this week seemed slow; however, I didn't notice that she left six more job bags behind it while I was away.

Then more stuff to proofread came: seven TV commercials, a brochure, a French online banner and two copy decks for a client's DM campaign. My total client chargeable as of this writing: 4¾ hours. It's a good way to end this work week. (We're also having drinks at 4 p.m. at the boardroom with the employees from our sister company who took over the other half of the floor and displaced us. No wonder Doug called them enemies.)

Post-reno Meeting

We just had a post-renovation meeting, complete with coffee and baked goodies. Since we don’t have an official boardroom yet, Jennifer, the de facto boss when Vanessa left, decided to have it at the empty office space in of her office. Obviously, the entire floor was still a work-in-progress.
Julita and Deb would be moving their offices again and occupying the offices that we converted into the library and teleconference room. I almost got an office of my own again, but I liked where I was now. Of course, I would like the privacy, but I did feel isolated when I was stuck in a corner office. Besides, I could always go somewhere quiet like the boardroom when I needed to do some extensive proofreading.

The bookcases for our pods arrive next week; and when they do, we’ll do some renovating of our own again. I’m really looking forward to this so that we can finally get rid of the clutter in front of me like scanners, printers and office supplies. I feel like I’m working in a storage room.

I also submitted my vacation request form, which Wendy approved right away — all seven days of them, three this month, one in December and three in January.

Tummy Trouble Again

Lately, I've been trying this fermented milk (it has the consistency of yogurt and the smell of burnt rubber) containing some probiotic cultures (a billion of them in a small plastic bottle) for my tummy. It was doing okay until today when I didn't drink a bottle because I ran out of them last night.

I've been to the washroom four times almost every two hours today: two at home and two at work. I was forced to take two Imodium tablets because of this. I'm doing okay now.

There's not much work again for the third straight day.

He Saved the Day!

Seeing a job bag waiting for me first thing was a good sign that there would be work for me. Or was it? Two hours into the day and, so far, I did only one more and it required only minor changes. By 12 noon, one more job bag came, but it was for a resized ad (same text, new size).

Judging by the looks of it, these would be my workload for the day. I should have taken the day off. I thought wrong, however.

Rob dropped by with three printer proofs of DM collateral. Since they were only reprints, I wanted not to check them thoroughly. But my conscience was telling me otherwise. After painstakingly proofreading for an hour, I found a pre-existing and glaring typo.

I showed this to Deb, who was very surprised to see this because of two reasons:

1. The client has approved this and never noticed this error.
2. This error has been repeated in print thousands of times earlier.

In the end, everyone was thankful that the mistake was caught in the proofing stage. God saved the day!

A Slow Start for the Week

I thought I was going to be busy today because I had some leftover work from last Friday. It appeared that they were the only ones that I'd be doing for the entire day, plus the new print ad that was no bigger than a postcard. However, I had some personal stuff that needed editing; so, I spent the rest of the day doing it.

By the way, our sister company moved in today. There were free coffee and bagels, which I didn't partake because I was cutting down on my coffee intake. And I was not a big fan of the doughnut-shaped bread. Besides, I brought my favourite banana bread and Deb her home-baked coffee cake.

A Free Scone from Starbucks

On our way home yesterday, Rob said that today's going to be miserable. I didn't know what he meant by that, but it was awfully quiet today. It was a good thing I saved a job folder from yesterday for proofreading today; otherwise, I wouldn't have done anything that was client related this instant — even if it's only for 15 minutes (and that was around 9 a.m.).

Jamie the I.T. guy stopped by my work area to ask me if I wanted a cranberry-lemon scone from Starbucks. He bought two and was able to only finish one. No wonder because these baked goodies were as long as my hand but thicker! Anyway, I said yes because I was still feeling hungry even after eating two chocolate-chunk cookies earlier. However, I only got to chow down half of it because, as I have mentioned, these things were huge.

All's Good Today

It seemed that some people in Client Services liked my new spot and wanted to be here, too. I couldn’t blame them because my pod was in a cozy spot. But I had to reconfigure the place because the afternoon sun was hurting my eyes. Now, everything’s all good.

I didn’t think that today was going to be busy. So, I thought of updating the copy decks from yesterday’s work. Over two hours into the task when Rob and Brooke dropped by with job dockets. I was busy for the next three hours that I had to eat my lunch a quarter past two. I couldn’t complain because they made the time fly fast.

Digging My New Digs?

I finally settled in my new work station, which I affectionately called the playpen. It looked much better and bigger in the architectural blueprints. Unfortunately, the drawings in the design weren’t according to scale.

So, my new digs are actually ⅓ the size of my first office. Plus, the partitions, which act as walls, are so short that they offer me no privacy. The table provides little room to lay out my stuff.

It also appeared that no one was happy with their new pods. Would you be, especially if you had your own office for years and have been relegated to a cubicle?

Doug advised me yesterday that once the dust had settled, I should reconfigure my work station to adapt to my work needs. So, that’s why I did. I sequestered another table and connected it with mine, instantly doubling my work area. Now, my bigger and better digs were almost half the size of my original office.

Am I happy with it now? Not quite. But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And in our case, we’ll need lots of straws.

Office Assembly

Two hours into the day and not much was still going on that’s client related. So far, I only proofread a shortened copy of a client’s brochure.

Some workers were here to assemble our new digs. It’s something to look forward to today. I even got a new chair to go with my new station. Cool!

They started building the pods a little after 1 p.m. I couldn’t wait to regain my privacy. Actually, I couldn’t wait for everything in the office to go back to normal.

Clients

I just couldn’t understand clients. One day, they agreed with my corrections; the next, they didn’t. I guess they simply didn’t want their copy revised, even if these revisions involved commas and em dashes only. They were very adamant about it even though some of my amendments got through to them.

Perhaps I should stop my copy editing and stick with proofreading instead. Maybe I should learn to let go and turn a blind eye on their minor grammatical infractions.

I don’t know anymore.

Jawahar

Thirty minutes into the day and I got this e-mail from Jawahar, a suit based in our office in Toronto, complaining that we (or was it I?) arbitrarily changed his client’s copy. First of all, that copy deck in question came from him. Second, I simply follow what’s on it.

After almost an hour of exchanging e-mails and phone conversations with Deb and me, he finally admitted that the revisions came from the client and he never checked it. Apologizing afterwards, Jawahar should have checked his e-mails first before sending a scathing e-mail, which was cc’d to every suit in Toronto. He’s probably regretting what he said.

But, at least, he got me pumped up for the day. I needed it because there were new projects needing my nitpicking skills. And today was the day I worked most this week: five hours of billable time.

Free Coffee

Doug bought coffee for everyone, which was very kind of him. My cappuccino gave me that caffeine boost I urgently needed to make it through the morning. (I slept at 12 midnight and woke up at 4:30 a.m. today.) And with all that bitter alkaloid in my system, I guessed I’d be fueled up throughout the day.

The caffeine helped because I didn’t feel sleepy when I did some major proofreading on a brochure. It took me more than two hours for that project.

Tummy update: I wasn’t able to do some paperwork at home and found it a bit of a challenge. Pushing the issue was time consuming. So, I opted to do it at work instead when I felt like it. I was done in five. (That’s what I call pulling — or was it pushing? — a fast one.)

Gloom

Today looked like a slow one and the rain wasn’t helping either. The gloomy weather made me even sleepier. This morning, I woke up 45 minutes early from my usual 4:30 a.m. wake-up call to bake mini croissants for breakfast.

I tried to keep myself awake by walking from time to time to the other side of the floor to the copier room, where our makeshift kitchen was, and make some green tea (the office kitchen was undergoing repair, too).

I tried to be productive as much as possible, but there was not much to do actually. Rob handed me two dockets for minor proofing but that was about it. Deb also gave one, too, which involved talking to Manu regarding page breaks in the DM letter he wrote.

By the way, my stomach’s doing fine so far. My troublesome tummy was very cooperative and didn’t quite bother me. However, it did growl after I ate yesterday’s lunch.

Tummy Trouble

I had to go to the washroom for a quickie. I guess my tuna spread and cheddar cheese sandwich for breakfast didn’t go down well. But a mug of hot orange pekoe tea did my tummy good — for a couple of hours though.

Then my tummy started to begin feeling queasy again. So, I had to make another mug of tea to make it settle down again. Otherwise, I’d be forced to take drastic measures and take three Imodium tablets like always. (I hope not because if I did, I’d be constipated the next day or two like always. I’ll wait and see what my packed lunch, baked salmon in lemon dill sauce, will do to my belly. But I decided not to have one today just to be safe.)

It’s busy today, unlike yesterday. I spent three hours proofing English and French versions of a website, and almost two hours on marketing materials. Not bad work in spite of my stomachache.

Where Am I?

I felt like a puppy staring at its new food dish; I was looking forward to sitting in my new work station today (which was formerly scheduled for Thursday this week and moved to next Tuesday). Instead, I was temporarily relocated in the middle of our new office space along with three laser printers and a colour copier/printer (thereby increasing my chances of getting sterile). I hope I get to work in my new station soon because I feel so exposed here.

I spent most of the morning setting up my PC and looking for my misplaced notes (especially the personal ones). Around 11 a.m., Brooke handed me two print ads that were resized because they used the wrong ad size. Anyway, both needed minor proofing only. It looked like these were the only ones I’d be checking today.

This would definitely look bad in my timesheet.

I felt like a puppy staring at its new food dish; I was looking forward to sitting in my new work station today (which was formerly scheduled for Thursday this week and moved to next Tuesday). Instead, I was temporarily relocated in the middle of our new office space along with three laser printers and a colour copier/printer (thereby increasing my chances of getting sterile). I hope I get to work in my new station soon because I feel so exposed here.

I spent most of the morning setting up my PC and looking for my misplaced notes (especially the personal ones). Around 11 a.m., Brooke handed me two print ads that were resized because they used the wrong ad size. Anyway, both needed minor proofing only. It looked like these were the only ones I’d be checking today.

This would definitely look bad in my timesheet.

Moving Day Again

I wasn't feeling well again. Stupid tummy ache. Plus, I felt sleepy, too, because I came home past 11 p.m. from an André Rieu concert.

Today was the final moving day. I stored again all my stuff in blue MOVEX bins and recycled old newspapers and laser-printed materials. I was still unsure where my cubicle was. When I looked at the floor plan again, I was stuck in some corner and my "pod" looked like it had windows. Anyway, I would definitely know next week.

There's not much going on in the line of work. The most was for a final tweaking of a website's registration page.

We also took Jen out for lunch today at Westin Bayshore since it's her last day with the company. "There goes another kookie Asian," I said in her going-away card. And with no one from admin coming with us, people began airing out their dirty laundry regarding management — and they were many!

What's Next

I managed to keep myself busy somehow. Brooke brought some laser proofs from the printers for me to check (they were all good); Rob, an old job bag for a brochure requiring a new cover. Deb also gave me another brochure to check, albeit an old one but needing revisions.

From the looks of today's workload, it appears that tomorrow would be a slow day unless, of course, something new comes along.

Also, Tom, the new freelance Art Director, came in for the first time. He's British like Amanda, Jim and Vanessa.

A Long One for a Long Day

On my way to work, I smelled a familiar aroma like fried dried squid. On a cold, rainy day, pusit, as it is called in the Philippines, served with garlic fried rice makes a great breakfast. Yummy!

As expected, today looked like one of the quiet ones that marked my early days here in the company.

Sharon, my predecessor, dropped by to say hi to everyone. Apparently, it was quiet on her side, too, as a freelance proofreader; so, she decided to pay us a visit and drop off some old client files. She regretted giving up her spot here in the company now that she didn’t have any contract work. (No wonder she sounded happy when I said that I plan to take some time off before or right after the Christmas holidays; she would get to cover for me when I’m away.)

One hour before closing time, I decided to take a break from my all-day surfing and grab some apple juice. I caught up with Rob, who was checking out the renovations on the other side of the floor. Like the rest of the creative team, he couldn’t believe my new work station was far away from them. Me neither.

I guess whoever wanted me to be there thought that I needed the quiet to proofread — right by the copier/printer and the fire exit. My new work area is a far cry from my temporary offices. All three had views; this one didn’t even have a window!

And wonder of wonders! As I was preparing myself for my sleepy ride home, I received an e-mail from Charlene to proofread a client’s microsite. I like proofreading, but proofreading something online is difficult and labour intensive: I have to do some screen captures, indicate the corrections by PowerPoint, convert the slides to JPEG format and insert them in Word, where I put my revisions in writing. Of course, this was a rush job and I had to stay an extra hour just to finish everything.

A Sign?

Not much was happening again. The bulk of today’s workload came from proofing a DM letter and online banners.

Today’s billable hours: 4½ hours. I believe this was a sign that work would soon grind to a halt again.

... To Blog

... That’s how busy I was.

Today was Vanessa’s last day. She’s joining Blast Radius. We had drinks at the reception area since the office is currently undergoing renovations.

We’re also having a four-day long weekend (the usual Friday off, Saturday, Sunday and Thanksgiving Monday).

Too Busy ...

I was too busy to blog ...

Jen's Announcement

Finally, after more than two weeks of crazy-busyness, work was trickling in. I didn’t get to do much today. Of course, there were still the usual printed ads and printer proofs to check.

I managed to catch an error in the French version of a DM kit. A word was missing. It was my fault actually. The correction I made was missing that particular word in question. It’s better that I caught it now and had it printed and get yelled by the client later.

By the way, Jen announced that she is leaving the company. Her last day is on Oct. 12.

I Thought Wrong

I thought today was going to be an easy one, but I thought wrong.

First, Wendy told me that the outside envelopes for a DM kit were missing an indicia and a return address. Judging by the disappointed look on her face, this was a big blunder.

Second, there were lots of rush ads — and they kept on coming!

Third, Wendy came back wondering about the copy decks for the same DM kit. Of course, I had to make one from scratch right away. Honestly, I didn’t know I was supposed to do this.

Fourth, I had to check the printer’s proofs. It’s no mean feat; unfortunately, the text on the copy deck I was using to check the text on the proofs was different. Obviously, the finalized text was different from the one I had, but I had no idea that it was revised.

Fifth, I had to proof five French animated banner ads online. This task was a lot tougher than proofing text on paper. I had to make screenshots of each and every frame to catch errors like inconsistencies and typos.

In the end, I did everything that was asked of me and had 30 minutes to spare before closing time. Though there were still some ads that need proofing, they could wait the next day. So, I took the downtime to send e-mails and calm my nerves.

The Tail End

Most, if not all, projects were now in their tail end. However, some new projects were coming in. Nothing huge though.

Wishful Thinking

Still busy and I liked it because it made the time fly fast. I wished it was like this all the time.

My First Copy Deck

It was busy like yesterday. There were new projects, which was good. These kept me busy. But I managed to leave on time because everything wasn’t rushed.

I also got to make my first copy deck. No original copywriting was involved though; I only Canadianized the U.S. version of an insurance mailer.

Office Pile-up

I thought work was going to slow down, but I was wrong. Job bags were piling one after another. And once again, I had to work a few minutes after 5 p.m. because a suit from Toronto was giving Rob and Brooke a hard time regarding updated copy decks.

Organized Chaos

The office floor was a mess. Office furnishings were strewn all over the place to make room for renovation. The boardroom even became a storage area.

Chaotic as it may seem, we managed to get work done. In fact, I did 6.5 client-chargeable hours. That’s not bad for a Monday. (I even proofread a wrong ad, but Brooke and Rob caught sight of it. So, I ended up a few extra minutes after closing time.)

Vanessa's Announcement

I didn’t do much in the line of work (only five hours), but what made this day remarkable was Vanessa’s announcement that she’d be leaving the company in two weeks and our moving back to the other side of the floor (where we were originally — don't ask me).

I was still shacked up with Manu, and we’re both occupying Vassil’s former office, which had a view of the North Shore mountains and a lagoon.

No Complaining

It was busy just like the other day. Brooke and Rob were constantly handing me job bag after job bag. I couldn’t complain though; it made the day go by quickly.

Getting Physical

It wasn’t as busy as yesterday. I only logged a little over four hours of billable time. But since I was also on kitchen duty, I got to do something more physical.

Record Billable Hours

Fifteen minutes into the day and I was already working. I was so busy that I wasn’t able to enjoy my lunch and solve today’s crossword puzzle. In fact, I tried to leave some for tomorrow.

It was already five after 5 p.m. when I decided to call it a day. I was about to take the elevator when Charlene called me in to finish what I was planning to first thing in the morning the next day. She said it was a rush job.

Anyway, I left a little before 5:30 p.m. and it was raining. I didn’t mind missing my ride home because I was satisfied with my billable hours for today: 7½!

The Look

From the looks of the morning, I thought this was going to be a slow one. Fortunately, work started coming in at the beginning of the afternoon. I even left some for tomorrow.

Leftover Food

Happy Friday! (But a slow one though.)

I thought of updating a copy deck and prepare it for French translation. That kept me busy for 30 minutes.

A sister company was using our boardroom and they brought food — lots of it! The pecan pie was good.

And for the first time, Vanessa, the managing director, dropped by in my office — not to talk to me, but to Manu as usual. (She said hello to me though.)

Manu

I tried to be busy, but I had run out of ideas. I had updated every copy deck that needed updating and studied brand standards. Nothing seemed to be happening again.

Manu moved in today. Finally, I had someone to talk to. More people were dropping by my office because of him.

And true to form, while I was doing almost nothing the entire day, Brooke and Rob dropped by bearing job dockets around 3 p.m. — and two of them were rush jobs.

My Roomie

My happiness of having my own office was short lived. Julita came in wondering if Manu could squeeze in. I didn’t mind having a roomie. At least, I wouldn’t feel isolated and I would have someone to talk to.

My New Temporary Digs

My new office was so bright and warm in the morning. The glare was hurting my eyes. I tried adjusting the blinds, but only one panel was working. Oh, well …

Moving Day

Some were surprised I got an office of my own (although it’s temporary). I was surprised, too, because those who moved had to share office space. (But we had the same view of the harbour though.)

Re work, I managed to eke out a little over four hours, thanks to a troublesome marketing material.

Sorting Stuff

I spent half of the day sorting stuff from file cabinets for next week’s big move (for some of us).

I'm Writing Again

Before I left for my staycation a week ago, I asked Doug if I could help him with some of the copywriting if he was swamped. Today, he asked me to assist him with a client’s legal terms and conditions.

Although it was a short task, it was good to write again!

Back from My Staycation

I’m back after six days of staycation. It appears I didn’t miss much.

Halfway through the day and still no sign of work. Yesterday at home, I was so bored to death that I couldn’t wait to go back to work. Now that I’m here, I feel like I’m still on staycation.

Then I heard Rob stapling some laser proofs. That only meant one thing: he’s coming over with work for me — and he actually did! It was for a client’s brochure, which was translated into Chinese.

Today’s total billable hours: 1¼ hours.

Birthday Eve

It’s the eve of my birthday and the last day before I leave for my six-day staycation. Two-and-a-half hours into the day and nothing is still happening.

Rob is back though. But like I said, nothing is happening, especially now that the colour printer is out of order.

Another Slow Day

I decided to read a client’s style guide so that I would have something to do in the morning. It took me 1½ hours to do so, which I added to my timesheet as billable time. It’s work-related anyway.

Then I got some real work, courtesy of Belinda. She wanted me to proof Doug’s work for mistakes. The errors were minor; so, it took me only half an hour proofing his copy.

By the way, Rob wasn’t in today. His absence meant that I wouldn’t be getting laser proofs to check. Hence, another slow day.

No Vacation Time

I was supposed to be in vacation the entire week beginning today, but Wendy didn’t allow me because she wasn’t sure of the week’s workload. So, I opted for the day (my birthday actually) before the day closes for the long Labour Day weekend.

Wendy said yes to that and to one more day after Labour Day. She actually felt bad for not letting me go on vacation this week. But by allowing me to take an extra day off, she felt good.

Regarding work, I almost didn’t do anything. After the WIP meeting, I proofed a copy deck for an hour and that was it. I spent the rest of the day reading and surfing the Net.

Rush Job, Time Flies

I did okay — six hours of work. That’s not bad for a Friday. It made the time fly so fast, especially when everything was rushed.

Not Again!

I practically didn’t do anything — only 1½ hours of billable time! I hope things change for the better tomorrow.

I Made It!

I end my three-month probation period. I made it! So, I’m now a full-fledged full-time permanent employee.

I was up to a good start. By 9 a.m., I was checking Web banners and pages. I wasn’t even done with them when Rob asked me if I could proof something on screen. Lunchtime, Belinda had me checking 19 sets of proofs.

I thought today’s a no-luncher. But I managed to eat my packed lunch — while working, of course! Then, it was quiet again. No work for the rest of the afternoon.

A Busy Day

It was a relatively busy day. I performed more than six hours of billable time. It was satisfying because I got to use my Photoshop skills in making revisions on Web pages and banners.

Making My Presence Felt

I attended my second WIP meeting. I was finally making my presence felt. I even sent an e-mail to the accounts people in Toronto, suggesting I needed to see their work before anyone got the final say.

And as usual, much of the stuff happened in the afternoon.

Courtney

Today is Courtney’s last day. I hardly knew here and seldom talked to her. But we’re having farewell drinks for her at 4 p.m.

I also saw Doug talking with Vanessa on my way to the washroom. It scares me when I see bosses talking to workers in private. Such things remind me of my getting laid off in one company. I still remember my boss wanting to talk to me privately in his office. Prior to that, he was circling the office floor like a vulture eyeing for carcasses. And in one fell swoop, my career was over.

Maybe I was just getting paranoid, especially when Julita gave me the look like she knew something I didn’t. Because back in my old company, I was the last one to know, though I had received early warnings from co-workers I worked closely with.

Also, knowing that my probationary period ends next week didn’t help either because there was always the possibility that they could let me go before I reached my three months.

In the Zone

I was on a roll this morning! I worked for three hours straight and stopped a few minutes before lunch. With Belinda telling me that she needed me to update a copy deck, I thought I was going to work right after lunch.

Unfortunately, her request came 1½ hours later. But I was able to work on her stuff for 1½ hours.

Question

If I were to add yesterday’s billable hours, it would show that I was doing nothing for more than half the day. But what could I do?

Wine and Chips

I was hoping that there’d be more work waiting for me, but it looked like I finished all of them yesterday. There were still stuff to do, but they involved minor corrections only.

Because of this, I was able to eat my lunch, solve today’s crossword puzzle and read a newspaper online. And I got to have some potato chips and wine at the employee lounge 30 minutes before closing time.

Vassil

I attended my first WIP meeting. Finally, I got to know what projects to expect from clients. I also found out that Vassil was let go early this morning. (So, that’s why Jim, the ECD from the Toronto office, wanted him to come at 8 a.m. today.)

On the boardroom table was a list of projects printed on five tabloid-sized papers. This made me wonder how come work comes to me in trickles when we’ve got a long to-do list. It was also a good thing Doug reminded the accounts people of my existence.

After the one-hour meeting, I was off to work, which was good. I was so busy, I didn’t have time to eat my packed lunch. (All my sustenance came from baked goods, a quarter of a white-chocolate bar and fruit juices.) In fact, I was working until almost closing time.

Now, with all the work done, would I be doing anything again tomorrow?

Bored Stiff

Although this was a short work week, the days seemed long, especially when I had nothing to do. I only worked for 1½ hours today. Where were the ads?

I was so bored stiff, I didn’t know what to do. I thought of taking some time off as soon as I end my three-month probationary period on Aug. 22.

Rob

There’s nothing new happening today. I only re-proofed two projects from yesterday. No mean feat.

But what bothered me was Rob’s pre-proofing of copy decks as he lays them out on his Mac. Not only that, sometimes he doesn’t follow my corrections or the client’s instructions.

Proofreading Korean

For half an hour, I proofed the work left over from yesterday and updated its copy. After getting Vassil and Doug to sign it, I headed to Rob to hand the job bag to him.

It looked like he’s fairly busy. I hoped he hands some of these to me, which he did actually. Both of us were busy trading job bags well past noon.

The ad that struck me most was the one in Korean. I had never proofread a Korean artwork before, so this was entirely new to me.

After all of these, it was silent again.

Waiting for WIP

There was supposed to be a WIP (work-in-progress) meeting today, but it was postponed because the accounts people were having a teleconference with clients. I was kind of looking forward to this meeting — my first one.

Thirty minutes before lunch time and no work in sight yet. Rob has been printing proofs since this morning, and I was hoping that he would drop by in my office bearing some job bags.

Someone did drop by though; it was Belinda. She just asked some questions regarding her client’s ad layout. That’s all. She also told me days ago that August would be a crazy-busy month because of her client’s new marketing campaign. So far, I only worked on three projects. I hope more would come.

And come it did. Ten minutes before closing time, Rob dropped by with a job bag. I worked on it for a few minutes and left it for tomorrow since no one was around to sign it anyway.

Short Week, Long Day

It was a short week, but a long day for me. Work came a little before lunch — and that was about it. I killed time by reading the newspaper, solving crossword puzzles and playing mahjong solitaire.

A Short Week (Surprise! Surprise!)

It was only today that I found out that this work week was a short one. I didn’t know that the office is closed this Friday in time for the civic holiday on Monday. Well, I guess I missed marking this date on my calendar.

As I had expected, today was a slow one. I only checked printer’s proofs for 15 minutes — and that’s all! What a way to start the month!

Something New

Well, I thought I wouldn’t be working at all today. However, I spent two hours proofing and reproofing a six-page newsletter, which was an entirely new work experience for me after editing ads for quite some time.

Quiet and Slow

It’s awfully quiet and slow in here again. I only worked a combined total of one hour. I hope work picks up again soon.

Same Sh*t, Different Size

Once again, there was work waiting for me when I got in. Unfortunately, they were the same ads from last week, only different sizes.

And these were the only stuff I did for the rest of the day. Total billable time: 30 minutes!

Style-point Error

With Rob and Brooke both on vacation, it looked like things were going to slow down. Rebecca, a freelancer, was called in to pick up the slack the two left behind.

It’s almost lunch time and it seemed there was no work in sight. Fortunately, Jen came in with an ad to proofread. Afterward, it was Deb; she brought three. Anyway, as I was proofing the ads, I saw a style-point error. Because I’ve been proofing the same work for days, they all looked the same. It was only after a day that I noticed this mistake.

That style-point error was a mere period. It wasn’t supposed to be there, but there it was. It’s not glaring or a huge mistake. I wouldn’t lose my job because of it, but I was after consistency. I guess my being a perfectionist was rearing its ugly head again.

Timbits

This was one of the days when work was intermittent. There were new stuff to do, but they were print ads.

Doug brought Timbits, which was today’s highlights.

Leftover Work

The leftover work from yesterday lasted for 45 minutes only. However, there were still work, also from yesterday, that was revised and needed proofing. All in all, I worked for a total of 4¼ billable hours.

Two Months and Counting

Two months now with the company. So far, I’m enjoying the work; it’s the lull between projects that’s driving me crazy. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of hours; oftentimes, days. I can’t wait to see my timesheet filled with projects.

True to form, work suddenly picked up during lunch hour. And for the next five hours, I was proofing laser and printer proofs. I even had to stay for half an hour because of rush work — and some leftover work for tomorrow to boot!

Two Hours for a Project

The day started slowly. Rob dropped by with a job bag containing a project for a client’s newspaper ad.

I’ve seen the ad before, but there were revisions. Even though I took my time proofing it, I was done in half an hour. At the end of the day, I was able to squeeze in almost two billable hours out of that project.

Slow Again

The last two days were pretty busy for me. So, it looked like today wouldn’t be, unless Rob would drop by and hand me some proofreading work.

Yes, there were some work, like updating copy decks and proofreading minor revisions, but nothing substantial. With proofs coming from the printers, it looked like we’re at the tail end of the major project. So, it seemed like things were getting slower again.

I just hope new projects come up — and soon. Otherwise, there won’t be anything left for us to do.

Eugenia

When I came this morning, there was a small pile of work waiting for me to proofread. As usual, I finished them in less than three hours. But there were other small projects that were dropped on my desk from time to time.

We also had a short meeting about timesheets, and Eugenia tendered her resignation today (July 26 was her last day).

After lunch, there were a couple of projects, but they weren’t enough to work on for the next four hours.

More Work

Like I said yesterday, I bought a magazine, book and newspaper. I was ready for another boring day. Fortunately, Wendy, the PM, brought me some stuff to do around 9 a.m. I was busy until 11 a.m., which was good.

At 1 p.m., she dropped by again, bearing a job bag. It was good for another hour though. Then a few more came in, courtesy of Rob. I had to leave some for tomorrow; otherwise, I’d be doing nothing again.

Bored Crazy

By far, last week was probably the busiest for me. So, after all those ads, brochures and other projects, this week looked relatively quiet.

As usual, I spent the entire morning doing nothing. At lunch, Doug handed me a docket to update some copy decks for him. After an hour, they were all done.

The rest of the afternoon was boring. I was trying my best not to fall asleep. To while away the time, I resorted to reading magazines. This only made me even sleepier. Such ennui was driving me crazy!

Tomorrow, I’ll bring more stuff to read.

Friday the 13th

Unlike yesterday, this was a relatively quiet day, save for some rush jobs from Brooke requiring quick proofreading that lasted only a few minutes. That’s Friday the 13th for me.

But by lunch time, work started to trickle in. There were the old ones from yesterday and a new one — a brochure — that had several consistency errors.

Twenty minutes before closing time, Jen asked me if I still had time to proofread some banner ads. How could I say no? Unfortunately, there were some mistakes, much to the chagrin of Eugenia, the interactive art director, who had to stay a little late because of this.

A No-Luncher

I reported for work an hourly and hit the projects immediately. There were seven ads to proofread — and it only took me an hour to do so!

After a 2½-hour lull, other projects came in. No new ones though. But some were so messed up that I spent over two hours deciphering and cleaning their copy decks. Once I was done with them, it was already 1:30 p.m.

And when I was about to go to the kitchen and grab my lunch, other projects came in. It was a no-luncher for me. I only had a chocolate chip cookie for sustenance.

Busy Tomorrow?

The morning was quiet; I practically spent the entire morning surfing the ’Net. But the afternoon wasn’t.

Brooke handed me some small proofreading jobs to work on. She also asked me if I could come in early to proof some ads — a lot early if possible. So, it looks like tomorrow’s going to be a busy day for me.

Nina

It looked like this was going to be a slow day. I only worked on two ads for a total of one hour. It would be hard again to find productive things to do for the next seven hours.

I just hope things get busy again soon, like tomorrow; otherwise, I’d be bored stiff again. (By the way, Kyla’s replacement came in today. Nina’s her name.)

Over and Done in 1½ Hours

The work that I was saving for from last week was over in 1½ hours. I wished it could have been longer, but I just couldn’t extend it for half an hour more. I just hope there’d be more work for me later.

Well, I worked on other projects for 3½ hours more, for a total of five hours, which was good because it meant I was doing nothing for three hours only (one-hour break included).

The Busiest Day, So Far

Like yesterday, I worked right away. Since I couldn’t read Chinese, I simply compared the characters in the proof with the ones in the copy deck. It took me an hour to check that thing!

And I got to proofread banner ads. It was kind of difficult proofreading them because they were Flash animations and I had no way of pausing them by frames.

This was the busiest day (and work week) so far. I was working until closing time. In fact, I left some work untouched so I could start proofing them first thing next week.

Office Barbecue

Because this was going to be a short day (office barbecue party at 3 p.m.), I started working on a client’s mailer Brooke left on my desk yesterday. I worked more than two hours on that project.

And while I was finishing that work, Brooke dropped two more projects for me to proofread: a brochure and a poster. For once, I was continuously busy. In fact, there was one waiting for me tomorrow: a Chinese brochure.

For the office barbecue at Wendy's place, I brought my wife's Chicken Waldorf Salad. I never got to taste it along with the other foods the rest brought (except for the ice cream). I left at 5:30 p.m. with Belinda, and they started grilling meats around 7 p.m.

Kyla

Kyla, the office receptionist, hadn’t showed up for work since last week. And I guess this was the reason she officially declared her a non-employee today.

I worked on a client’s ad. No big deal. But before I left for the day, Brooke said that she would have something for me to work on tomorrow morning.

Morning Off

I took the morning off for a medical appointment. When I reported for work, I saw the “suits” and the creative staff having a meeting again. I hoped it would bring more work for us, especially now that Wendy and Deb’s work week has been cut to three days.

After lunch, Brooke handed me some proofreading work. I took my time this time, making sure no mistakes went past me.

Kitchen Duty

I was on kitchen duty. As soon as I dropped my stuff in the office, I went to the kitchen to start the dishwasher, stock the fridge with juice and pop, and clean the microwave oven and kitchen counter. It was fun doing something different for a change. (In fact, it was fun doing something!)

While doing the above, I literally bumped into Doug, who knew how bored I was. He said (like everyone else here) that work was coming soon for me.

Early Morning Confusion

This morning was not so quiet. Apparently, there was some confusion in my proofreading marks, and I had to explain them via e-mail.

What to do next? I couldn’t tell. It was quiet like yesterday morning, but became busy in the afternoon.

I took a quick stroll after lunch, hoping that there would be work waiting for me. But, alas, there was none. Maybe later. The day wasn’t over yet (four hours to go as of this writing).

Well, this day was another waste of time. I could have been productive doing something else. I could help Doug and Manu write copy. Maybe there’s something for me tomorrow, the last day of our work week.

Proofing TV Ads

It was quiet across the board. But I was still hoping work would come in very soon.

I bumped into Julita in the kitchen. As always, she asked me if I was doing anything work related. I had nothing to report to her except for the one I did yesterday. Then I quietly slipped away from her.

I also saw Vanessa, the managing director, by the printer. I thought she saw me staring blankly at my computer screen. I wished there were other things to do for me here; but as a proofreader, there’s not much.

In the afternoon, Rob from the studio dropped by, asking for help interpreting proofreading marks on yesterday’s brochure. However, those weren’t mine and there were several. It appears that I goofed again! And I missed a lot of copy revisions by the client. Obviously, I was reading the wrong copy deck. Anyway, that wasn’t excusable. (I never liked doing things in a hurry!)

Anyway, I was able to redeem myself and made sure all the revisions were in the brochure and copy deck. Then Brooke handed me two small proofreading jobs, which I finished in an hour. It looked like work was picking up.

And just as soon as I was prepping myself for home, Allison, the account director, called me for a proofing work. It was for a TV commercial and I could view it using my QuickTime player. Unfortunately, my player was acting up and I was forced to bring my work home.

30-minute Work

I was expecting more work to arrive after Deb’s memo. Half way through the day and I was still waiting for someone to walk in my office carrying a job bag/docket.

Two hours before closing time and I heard Vassil and Manu next door conceptualizing an ad. I wished they would invite me to their meetings. I’d simply observe and only offer suggestions when asked to.

But I got to work albeit only for 30 minutes. Deb handed me a rush proofreading job for a brochure that was in the works for weeks now. At least, I had an entry in my timesheet that I worked on something.

First Month Anniversary

Today marked my first month with the company. So far, so good — save for the days when I was simply doing nothing at all.

I asked Deb if I get to proofread online material, too, because I remembered Leanne before she left the company, asking me if I had checked her work for a client’s microsite. Deb sent a reminder to everyone in the Vancouver and Toronto offices that I existed. If that memo won’t send a deluge of work my way, then I don’t know what will.

The memo worked! An hour before closing time, Brooke, the studio manager, handed me an electronic mailer to proofread. It was short, but it was well worth the half hour I spent. (Believe me, I would like to spend more time proofreading it, but there’s only so much I could do with a one-pager.)

Working at 9 A.M.

For the first time in weeks, I started working at 9 a.m. Doug sent me an e-mail with a request to proofread banner ads for a client. While I was working on them, I got a call from Charlene requesting an updated copy deck for a client. I actually updated it yesterday, but apparently there was a revision to make. I also missed an error in the footers. Fortunately, she caught it before the project was finalized.

I was hoping that these would continue well into the afternoon. However, I was all done by noon.

Lowlights

From the looks of it, today was going to be like the others: slow and boring — unless some unexpected work pops up. And they did!

Deb came in (I could hear her sandals flip-flopping) with a revised brochure for a client. As soon as I was done with it, Jen, an account coordinator, called my attention to proof her client’s mailer.

I wished it was like this everyday so that the company continues to find me useful and not lay me off, which is still one of my greatest fears.

My lowlight of the day: I lost the silver bracelet my elder brother gave me when he was in India working as an animator. Its clasp was loose, so I guess it slipped from my right arm. It was a send-off gift when I went to the Philippines for Christmas.

Another lowlight: I broke the left arm of my action figure displayed on top of my computer monitor. I was so bored that I tried to tinker with it. The said arm was stuck and I forced it to move. It snapped.

Work — Finally!

I was expecting some proofreading work today for a client’s brochure. I was looking forward to this one, but nothing seemed to be happening so far. According to Charlene, the account manager, this project should be out by the end of the day.

Finally, it came. Actually, two did. One was for an ad. Both jobs were worth 1½ hours of billable work. I was still waiting for Vassil’s project though, but it looked like it went straight to the client for approval.

Pretty Boring

It looked like another long day for me at least. Some were in the boardroom; others were in their offices. The rest, I thought, chose to come late or simply not show up.

I talked to Vassil after lunch. He was working on a concept for a marketing kit. He asked me how I was. I told him that I was waiting for work. I thought I heard him say that he would hand me some soon.

I hope I heard him right because it was getting pretty boring in here.

First Agency Meeting

We finally had our agency meeting. It was at 8:45 a.m. and lasted for two hours (which helped me kill time). In its agenda was the introduction and roasting of the new guys. We were asked beforehand to prepare some embarrassing moments to share. Fortunately, they didn’t (or chose not to) ask me to reveal any.

Afterwards, I asked Manu, the freelance copywriter, if I could help him with his project. He explained to me the creative brief behind it. I offered help because I saw him staring blankly at his computer monitor. Plus, I was a copywriter before and had lots of time in my hands.

Another Long Day

I brought some graphic design books from home to share with Vassil. I thought he might get some fresh ideas from them for his projects.

It also looked like it was going to be another long day for me trying to keep myself busy.

Can't Get Work? Then Make One!

Well, if I wouldn’t find work today, then I might as well create one for me. I had this idea last night to create or update the style guide of a client. Although it was only a concept ad, I took note of its style elements and flagged the errors. So, when I encounter this promotional material in its production stage, I already know what to watch out for.

I wondered if I could charge the client for this task. So, I asked Deb if this was possible. She said it was not because it was still in the conceptual stage. However, she said that I could charge this work as part of my training. (In that case then, I’m on my third week of training now.)

I was also supposed to attend my first agency meeting today. It’s been scheduled and rescheduled several times this month that it was eventually cancelled.

Feeling Unneeded and Useless

Half way through the day and still no work for me. The creative department had a closed-door meeting this morning. I thought I was in creative, but I guessed my proofreading services weren’t required yet. (Didn’t they know that I was a copywriter, too?) I really wished to be in one of those meetings. I just felt so unneeded and useless in my office doing nothing.

I also finished the graphic design book I brought from home. It’s almost closing time and no work in sight.

My highlight of the day: I got a free chicken sandwich for lunch.

What to Do, What to Do

I got to work on a client’s brochure. There were lots of inconsistencies in punctuations and capitalizations that it took me 1½ hours to finish proofreading it.

Doug said last week that this week was going to be busy. Maybe for him. Because as far as I was concerned, I was still thinking of what to do to while away the time. I didn’t want to finish reading the graphic design book I brought from home for it would only make me sleepy.

Ending the Work Week in Style

It was a very happy Friday for everyone. Julita had invited the entire office for some drinks and munchies at the lounge at 2:30 p.m. Well, it must be 5 p.m. somewhere in the world.

I am not a social drinker; so, I had a glass of white wine. Besides, beer makes me red and that would be very embarrassing.

Proofreading Pictographs

I got to proofread French and Chinese versions of a client’s brochures today. The French version was easy. It took me 30 minutes only to check the document even though I don’t speak the language.

The Chinese one was a different story; it was entirely in pictographs! It took me an hour to proofread that thing. How? I simply compared visually the characters from the copy deck with the laser copy.

But there was one thing I missed: the logo was in English for both versions. I actually have noticed it earlier, but I forgot about it along the way. It made me remember Sharon’s advice: When in doubt, ask. Well, I meant to, but I failed to take note of it.

It's Getting Personal

With no work in sight yet, I thought this day was going to be a long one. Fortunately, I found some personal stuff to do.

Caffeine Fix

Though I woke up 30 minutes late this morning, I made it on time. However, I was still sleepy. So, I made myself a cup of Italian espresso. It was so strong that it made my left hand shake and my heart palpitate rapidly . It was a weird feeling, but it made me wide awake.

I also got my box of business cards.

Production Ins and Outs

I had a quick meeting with Deb late this morning about the ins and outs of ad production. She gave me an idea where my role as the proofreader comes in in the production stage. It’s much more difficult than I thought, especially when the entire company depends on you to catch glaring mistakes in spelling, grammar or anything that will cause embarrassment to the company and lose money or, worse, the account.

Manu, the freelance copywriter, reported for work today. He’ll be working in Leanne’s former office for the next two weeks.

And 15 minutes before closing time, Doug handed me work to proofread. Fortunately, it was something I worked on a few days ago. So, it was something I was already familiar with.

Isolation

Working at the far end of the office floor makes me feel isolated. And now that Leanne’s office, which was right next to mine, has been vacated, I felt even more.

After two hours of ennui, it’s time to take my 15-minute break. As soon as I returned, Deb called me to her office for some proofreading work. Woo-hoo! That thing took two hours of my time, well into my lunch break.

After a quick lunch in my office, I took a stroll down the harbour and sat on a bench to admire the view. A few minutes of reminiscing and I was off again to work. I was wondering what to do with the rest of my day when Vassil dropped by with a docket. More work! I was in the zone!

Leanne

Today was Leanne’s last day with the company. (Leanne was the Creative Director; she was one of my interviewers.) I was looking forward to working with her actually (because she was one of the best in the field of creative copywriting), and her departure left me heavy hearted. I was hoping to learn lots from her.

I also got my first pay stub. It’s not bad for a week’s worth of work. I wonder how much will I make in the next four weeks.

This afternoon, Deb; Belinda, the accounts supervisor; Doug; and Vassil were discussing a project outside Leanne’s former office and mine. I felt so out of place. I very much wanted to join in their discussion and see what they were talking about.

Bored

I practically did nothing. I stayed in my office, working on my professional biography.

My Wish

I worked on another marketing material for the same client yesterday. I just wish it was like this everyday, but I’ve learned earlier on that sometimes there’s work, sometimes there aren’t any in this kind of business.

My Magical Red Pen and I

There’s nothing like a proofreading job to end my day. My itchy editing finger was annoying me all day that I decided to copy edit and proofread old marketing material. Thankfully, Deb came bearing a docket with files for proofreading. And away my magical red pen went!

First Mistakes

Deb came with some comments on my proofreading. No, I didn’t miss any grammatical or typographical errors; they were more of style preferences. You know, like subheads should be centred. Nothing critical though.

Doug, the copywriter, and Vassil, the art director, were so kind enough to invite me to come with them to buy lunch at the community market. And, of course, the rest of the day was spent reading existing style guides and familiarizing myself with the finished projects.

First Assignment

I finally got to use my proofreading skills for the first time. Deb thought that she might as well make me proofread three DM letters for a client. I was more than happy to do it; I was excited! In fact, I was so excited that I put off lunch and worked on them right away.

After less than an hour, I proudly submitted my work. Aah, job satisfaction!

The rest of the day was spent again reading existing style guides and familiarizing myself with the finished projects.

Second Day

My second day wasn’t as exciting as my first. I spent it reading existing style guides and familiarizing myself with the finished projects.

First Day

It’s my first day at my new job. I felt like a kid on his first day of school. Everything was new to me, including the office. Yes, I got my own office (but it’s only temporary until we move to the other side of the floor in September). Its view is not as spectacular as the rest, but I still could see some greenery and the bay. Plus, pop, juice, coffee and tea were free. I was beginning to like my job.

In the afternoon, I met Sharon, the company’s former freelance proofreader, for the turnover of duties. I felt bad taking this job away from her, but she still graciously showed me the ropes. (I’ve learned during my interview with Leanne, the creative director, that they offered this job to her, but she declined because she’d rather work on a contractual basis.) She only had two tips for me: Admit your mistakes and never be afraid to ask (don’t assume anything).

It was almost 5:00 p.m. when we ended our meeting, which Sharon and I closed with a handshake and wishes of luck. I didn’t want to leave exactly on the hour, lest I be labeled a clock watcher. But Deb, one of the production managers whose favourite expression was “My bark is worse than my bite,” admonished me not to stay late as the front doors were locked and alarms set by 5 p.m. to avoid theft. That’s fine by me.

And for the first time in months, I left work and walked towards the bus stop with a grin like a Cheshire cat.

Prologue: My Career So Far

Ever since a close friend suggested that I work as a copywriter (CW) for an advertising or marketing firm because of my creative writing skills, I’ve been meaning to get, at least, my foot in the door of one.

So, I’ve been sending résumés to every company in the industry that was looking for a copywriter. The closest I got to working for one was for a Hong Kong-based publisher of trade journals. They were setting up a production office in Manila. For two years, I wrote headlines and body copy for hundreds of the company’s magazine advertisers. I thought I was going to write copy all my professional life until I got promoted to production assistant (PA). As PA, I supervised the production of a trade journal. I also had my own clerk who acted as my personal assistant.

Magazine production was entirely new to me. I had no idea how to paginate the journal until the production manager (PM) likened the process to playing Tetris.

And there I was with my assistant, tabulating ad breakdowns and editorial pages, planning page layouts, and building master and mock-up dummies. My tasks looked daunting; but if I were to add up my days of actually working on magazine production every month, I was only working for two weeks! I couldn’t complain; besides, the money was better.

However, I still wanted to write marketing and advertising stuff. While still working as a CW in the production department, I applied for the CW position in circulation marketing. The manager probably thought I was still a newbie in the business; so, she hired someone from outside who had more copywriting experience.

Years later, circulation marketing’s CW later became project executive. Soon after, she transferred to production and would become our new PM. One day, she called me in her office. She informed me that one of the project executives was leaving, and she wanted me to apply for that position.

Apply I did. After an interview with the manager and a writing test, he offered me the position. Finally, I was performing various marketing duties, like creating DM kits and selecting third-party creative services for our trade show booths. Of course, the pay was much, much better.

It was around this time that my wife and I planned to migrate to Canada. Seventeen months later, my wife, my three-year-old son and I boarded a plane to Vancouver, B.C. Nothing could have prepared me for what would happen in the next seven years: unemployment.

For seven years, I had no regular income. My first job was only seasonal. One Christmas, I was doing maintenance and housekeeping duties for a high-end men’s clothing store. Then I landed my first freelancing writing gig, where I didn’t get paid in full.

Realizing that it was taking me long to get a job, my wife constantly prodded me to take a publishing course from a community college to upgrade my skills. After passing an English and writing test, I got in.

Twelve months and a publishing diploma later, I was ready to take on the corporate world again. No biters though. But thanks to college’s publishing coordinator, I was able to get a six-month contract as a listings editor and editorial assistant of a publisher of travel magazines. At the same time, I also got a freelance work for a U.S.-based travel website reviewing Vancouver’s sights and sounds. Then I landed another short writing stint where I got paid $20 per 200-word submission. And like good things, all of these came to an end.

However, another good thing started. A classmate of mine from the publishing course called me up one day to tell me that he was publishing an Asian-Canadian lifestyle and culture quarterly. He asked me if I wanted to join him as his copy editor. I said yes, of course. He added that since it was a start-up, I won’t get paid at first. Bummer.

It took him more than a year to pay me. To augment my meagre income, he had me do freelance work for two of his acquaintances. One didn’t pay me a single cent; the other one paid extra.

After six issues, an apparent suicide and a lawsuit, the magazine went belly up.

These were desperate times, and they called for desperate measures. So, I worked part time proofreading an online book retailer’s auctions on eBay.

It wasn’t that bad actually. After a month, I started working full time. Two months later, I received a promotion and a significant raise. The next year, I was made product manager. This time, I got quarterly bonuses besides another pay increase. Two more raises follow. I was on a roll. Or so I thought.

Just two months short of my fourth anniversary with the company, I was laid off. Sales were going downhill and the much-needed reorganization rendered my position useless.

Three months on employment insurance after, I found work as a researcher for a producer of an awards show. Because it was only a survival job, I wasn’t totally happy with my work. I wasn’t even planning to stay with them for a long time either. Besides, working in a virtual office wasn’t fun for me anymore.

But telecommuting has certain advantages. For one, your boss won’t know if you go out for job interviews, which I did five times.

One of these interviews was for my present position as a proofreader.