Ever heard of International Friendship Day? Well, that day is TODAY. And here in Brand Republic, we’ll celebrate it by honoring the friendliest and bubbliest Citizen of the Republic, Aileen Rabang.
Just a short intro about Aileen or what most of us call her – Ai. When you first look at her, hindi mo aakalain na she’s friendly and bubbly ‘cos that’s how serious and busy she is when it comes to her work. Sometimes, the first thing she’ll do when she reaches her table is to sit down, open her laptop, and mag-work na. Craft creative briefs? Take a client call? Partake in pitches? Name it. She CAN surely do them all. And fun fact, dahil she’s so hardworking, may times na she works overtime nang hindi approved! Kaya sometimes we call her Niki… as someone na mahilig mag-sneaky OT (yup, you gotta love puns!).
But aside from the hardworking Ai we know, she’s not just all about that. Kahit busy, kaya niya pa ring sabayan ang trip ng mga tao. Kahit stressed, she can laugh it off but still do her job competently. You’ll even hear her sing nang biglaan while everyone’s quiet. And it’s okay, ‘cos it’s Aileen, it’s how she works (or maybe how she copes with stress) — plus, scenarios like these are funny. Aside from that, she’s helpful — parang kapatid when you’re on the same team as her. When you’re confused, she’s a tap away. In fact, even as simple as helping you fix your hair, makeup, or outfit when there’s a company ganap — she’ll willingly help you. And it’s for all these simple yet heartwarming reasons why Aileen became the Miss Congeniality of BR.
As a Social Butterfly
If you ask anyone from BR, they would say that Aileen knows how to make her work fun and give a good laugh to the people she’s working with. But, her relationship with her colleagues doesn’t end there. After work, kapag may nag-aya ng samgyup, G ‘yan siya. Minsan siya pa ang nag-aaya (‘cos it’s her fave!). Inuman? Who says no to that, right? Kahit weekdays go, okay lang naman to have fun kasama ang work friends ‘no. Alam niya rin kasi na she can still be productive the following work day. At sa lahat ng ‘to makikita na kahit sinong group ang kasama may it be work friends, teammates, or even TLs — she can go along with all of them. Why? That’s ‘cos she can weigh the personality of those around her. She knows pakikisama and also knows the right words to use with the different people that she’s with.
With her energy, we asked her, “How?” — as in paano niya pa nakakayanang lumabas after work with different people on different days. Well, sabi niya, “One way of destressing ko after work is lumabas and kumain or uminom.” For her, hindi nakakapagod ‘yun ‘cos it’s her way to relieve her stress and pagod na naranasan niya for the day — ‘yun na yung rest niya. And so we probed and asked, “Why?” like why is it not tiring for her given na she’s always (or most of the time) with different types of people, aside sa ito na ‘yung way of resting niya, she said, “I think kaya ko mag-adapt. ‘Yung way ng pakikitungo ko is nakadepende sa grupong kasama ko, so i-be-base ko ‘yung pakikisama ko sa hindi sila ma-o-off — ‘yung pinaka-okay sa kanila.” And I think we’re right about her, she really knows how to assess people’s characters and how to respond to them, which is nice ‘cos this shows her thoughtfulness and respect to others (wuw).
As Miss Congeniality na madalas lumabas with friends, Ai mentioned na for her, 80% important yung time with friends, which makes sense because sabi niya, “May pagka-workaholic ako, like ‘di na tumatayo sa upuan.” That’s why when someone invites her to eat out during a weekday, game na game siya. So, maybe it’s safe to say na she’s not just doing it for her friends, but for herself, too — it’s a win-win situation!
How Butterflies Fly
Clients love Aileen. We know how hard it can be for most people to please someone, but not Ai. So kung being friendly ang usapan, sa kanya talaga ang korona dahil kaya niyang makisama even sa clients. Kaya nga sabi niya, “Kapag kasundo mo lahat, mas madali at mas magaan ‘yung work and pakikisama, na even sa success or failure you can work on it together.” And with this mindset, BR is happy to have Ai in the company, kasi just like what she mentioned, “You won’t feel heaviness, it’s easier and lighter for everyone.”
But just like any person, she deserves to have her alone time. So if given a chance, she always makes sure that she allots time during the weekend to just sleep for as long as she wants or watch a movie or series by herself. This is a good practice that we can learn from her – to give time for ourselves or the things that we need to do that will enrich us so we won’t neglect ourselves.
Colorful Wings and their Reach
It’s no doubt that Aileen’s colorful and fun personality can touch a lot of people. Her vibrant aura can make others happy and brighten up the room. She can transform her experiences into positive ones or at least lighten them up to uplift the mood. Also, one thing to take note of is – and I quote – “The most important in relationship or friendship is not just because you have the same vibe or interest, you should also know when you will be a listener or when you’ll say something because there are people na mas gusto nila yung na ma-chika ka, iba naman mas naaappreciate yung nakikinig ka lang.”
And a good takeaway rito? We should be more sensitive to other’s feelings. What she said above also speaks volumes because it reflects who she is — and the way she positively affects the people around her with her vibrance and thoughtfulness. Kaya just like her, let’s make time for our friends and loved ones, while not neglecting ourselves. We should follow our desires without hesitations (while still being responsible) and not worry about other people’s opinions. As long as we stay true to ourselves, act with kindness, and excel in our endeavors, we can live our lives freely — just like Aileen.
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