PsYcHo BaBbLe

My Decision. Today, I officially (and finally) turned down the offer of a fashion buyer position in Hong Kong. If the offer came last year, maybe things would've been different. I would have taken the offer and would probably be in Paris right now doing the buying for Sinequanone's  Fall-Winter 08 Collection (and maybe surprising my Philippine counterpart =P) . But it didn't.

My Opportunity. I received a message a couple of months back from Isabelle, my Sinequanone French Agent, asking me if I was interested in working for the Sinequanone group in Hong Kong. She said that she needed competent and reliable people to work for her in her group and she thought of me. I was flattered of course! She’s one of the toughest foreign principals Rustan’s has to deal and I was surprised that she handpicked me for the job. It would have been such a great job. A job fashion enthusiasts would kill for. I will be PAID to SHOP! (And the pay would be 15x my current annual salary mind you!) My work would just entail me to preview the collections in Paris every quarter and then make my selection for the Hong Kong and China market. Go back to Hong Kong. Finalize my buy and then monitor my sales and my boutiques across HK and China. THAT’S ALL! Dream job it really is.

My Dilemma. When I left Rustan’s, I already had my heart and mind set on teaching pre-school. Last December, I started teaching at my tita’s pre-school in commonwealth. I helped out in teaching the 2 classes for the 2-4 years age group. I loved it! I still love it! However, I promised my dad that I would also help him in our family business. So when January came, my daily classes became thrice a week and then twice a week. And now, I only get to teach once a week because of work in the office. It saddens me actually that I had to forego once again my plans of teaching in order to help out my dad. It was my decision anyway. I loved seeing my dad so happy with me joining the business. He worries that no one will take over the company and that all his hard work will just go to waste. Things were going along just great when I received the news of work opportunities abroad. I had to decide whether to stay with the family business or leave for HK. A true test of -- FOR LOVE or MONEY. 99% of the people I talked to told me to grab the opportunity. My mind says go but the heart was singing a different tune. Despite the great offer, I was having difficulty in making a decision because of 1. my family and 2. my spiritual journey. I couldn’t bear to leave my dad and my brothers and I didn’t want to be uprooted from my current journey of faith. My LIFE is here. My LOVE is here. My HOME is here.

My FUTURE. I think God has better plans for me. This opportunity was given to me to test me and to teach me. “Sayang” they all say but my heart’s at peace and I think I made the right decision to stay – not only for my family but for my sake as well. And with God by my side I need not worry about a single thing. =)

…. However, there will be things I will certainly miss… =)

Will definitely miss:

1. Practicing my french

2. Cooking at that closet of a kitchen (literally)

3. Franklin Apartment @ 8th Arrondisement

4. Braving the REM and going tp places outside Paris alone.

5. Meeting new and interesting people.

6. Self-timer mode photo sessions around Paris.

7. Exploring Saint-Ouen and Marche Dauphin

8. Finding ukay places in Paris!

9. Previewing latest fashion collections before the world sees it =D

10. People watching while sipping cafe au lait at Paul's (that's the only drink i know how to order in french aside from water, tea and orange juice hehehe)