Crowded elevators on the way up to the office. The long lines in the lobby. The silence in the morning before everyone starts coming in. The smell of really strong coffee from the bar. Cookies and strawberry crackers in their respective jars.
Moving around a lot. Walking from accounts to creatives and back. Invading the creatives side by sitting on my designated spot there. Water refills every hour in the pantry.
Deciding where to eat for lunch. Walking to Podium or Megamall because we’ve been eating at the 4th floor cafeteria for the past four days. Settling for the 4th because it’s a hectic day and there’s just no time for a walk.
Actual face-to-face meetings. Running from one meeting in QC to the next in BGC and back to the office for the last one. Taking time to print something to rest the mind.
The books. The plants. Mang Fred taking care of those plants in the morning. Omar walking over to you with a pen and payslips in hand because it’s that time of the month already.
The client dramas and problem-solving. The long hours. Overtime. Having late Jollibee dinners in the office during overtime. The rants.
The floor-to-ceiling corner view of the Sierra Madre from 30 storeys up. The glass windows turning into mirrors by 5 PM. The reading chair by the bookshelf, which is, by the way, the comfiest seat in the entire office.
Getting bullied by Deux and Billie, in person. Getting work and life advice from Elna, in person. Bogey by the bar, filling his tumbler with beer, again. Turning the lights off at the end of a long day. Walking home with the usual playlist blasting. Seeing everyone else on their own ways home.
The things we miss.