from "for life!" to sun life

My first day at the new job started off on a stormy note – and I mean that literally, as it was the day when Typhoon Maring and a low pressure area joined forces to wreak havoc in the metro as well as nearby provinces.

It was a Monday and work was getting suspended left and right; but as it was my first day, absenting myself just didn’t seem right. So I put on the pantsuit I prepared to be my first-day-at-work outfit and headed to the office.

As it turned out, I was sent right home after dealing with a few HR matters, and my first day was rescheduled to four days later.

So here I am in a new job in a new industry in a location that’s pretty far from where I have worked in all my life.

The job is somewhat similar to what I used to handle in ABS-CBN – Internal Communications and Public Relations. But it’s definitely  a different environment compared to the industry I was previously with (broadcasting/media). I'm slowly getting the hang of it and I trust that I can bring in the things I’ve learned in my past jobs and contribute significantly to Sun Life as part of its PR and Marketing group. At the same time, I have to say I’m looking forward to learning more about the financial industry. Honestly, I never imagined I would get into this industry, and I think I’m lucky that I’m able to learn the ropes in a company that’s at the top of its game and one that has operations worldwide.

At the Brighter Life Presscon at Makati Shangri-La

San Antonio Spurs player Matt Bonner at the presscon for the Sun Life-NBA partnership

At the NBA Cares Clinic at Ronac Art Center. Me (second from left) with Team Sun Life, our mascot Sun Son, and the kids of Virlanie Foundation who got to train with Spurs player Matt Bonner!

With Sen. Bam Aquino during the MOA signing of the partnership between Sun Life and Hapinoy, which he co-founded. (please excuse my chubby cheeks hehe) 

Sun Life’s office is located in Bonifacio Global City. I love spending weekends there with my family and I have to say it’s a nice place to be working at. Admittedly, I have yet to get used to the traffic and travel time coming here. It can be cray-cray! But I like that I can walk around because the streets are pedestrian-friendly, and that there are a lot of nice spots to hang out at. Actually, whenever Mike comes to pick me up, we’re often tempted to have a nice dinner, take a long walk, and just stay a while. We do so once in a while, but the thought of getting home early and having the chance to play with Sloan before he goes to sleep usually has us racing home. We miss him all the time.

It helps that I’m on a consultancy basis with Sun Life and as such, my schedule is quite flexible than it used to be, and I can opt to work from home on some days. I’m definitely going to try and take advantage of that so I can bond more with my little boy.

So. New job, new industry, new location. Talk about leaving my comfort zone and venturing into the unknown. Where I used to say "For life!" on radio, I now say Sun Life :) Game face on. Challenge accepted!