Good morning, Panda!

A set or two of heavy drapes is a luxury I enjoy, now that I only get to sleep when the sun starts to rise...Not everyday though. Because, there are days when my mom would unceremoniously barge in my room, flip the drapes aside, and pronounce...good morning!... Today is one of those days :)

Indeed it's a good day. I only had 3 hours of sleep and woke up looking like a haggard panda, but it's nice to go down and see your favorite nephew, sister and brother-in-law splashing away in the family sized rubber  pool and squirting water (from his water gun) all over the garden. It's also nice to eat home-cooked Pochero for lunch.

My day started right and I have a feeling that it's gonna be a good day! Yey!

피곤하다

It's 5AM and I just got home from work... too much work...

answer emails...check quizzes...update records...send emails...proofread the Performance Coaching quiz...counsel colleague who's dealing with an irate client...lunch at 11PM...brief meeting with the team...prepare for this weekend's Team building...prepare activities for tomorrow's session...and the list go on...

I'm working too hard. These past days, I've been doing 2-3 hours OT a day. It makes me wonder why I work so hard... well, i do like my work and yes, I am a stickler for quality. I guess this pretty much explains the extended hours in the office. I'm just a bit stressed this week because I've been going like this for a month and instead of resting this weekend, my team needs to facilitate a team building for a hundred and eighty two people. Cool right? I'm wasted but, am looking forward to seeing teams get dirty and gooey in the Amazing Race activity :) That would make my day and the ecstasy would probably keep me smiling until next week. 

Going back to being tired... It's times like this that I really really appreciate the comfort and solace in my room. I'm too tired to soak in the tub and I might fall asleep, so I'll just crawl into bed after a quick wash.

It's a new day and I'll be seeing my babies later. It's the 9th day of the Leadership program...I hope they're learning to be good and effective supporting managers to their respective teams.

BIG World...

Whenever I read an interesting book, I get cut off from the outside world. Doesn't matter whether I read in my room, living room, dining table - no one or nothing can ever drag me from the house or the book.

I started reading Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn yesterday around 9AM. I haven't finished reading Twilight nor my copy of New Moon and even Eclipse, so why read the last book?... just because I want to =) ... Anyway, I started reading the book yesterday morning and finished this afternoon before sunset. I spent a great deal of time in my room yesterday then I got bored and worried that my family would think I'm sleeping the day away...again... went down, read in the dining table... then moved to the living room, read while watching 13 Ghosts, and when I believed I've convinced them of my presence in the house, I went back up to my room.

This afternoon... I read with my drapes up. My eyes are quite sensitive and I don't want it to hurt because of light-deprivation. When I finished reading, it was about time to shut the drapes.. I started with the window closest to my bed...outside, I saw a mother and her child walking and happily swaying their clasped hands. I couldn't help but think... It's a BIG WORLD out there...Then I moved to the adjacent window and saw a group of youngsters by the store in front of my house and thought... and there's a BIGGER WORLD outside the big world...

Conclusion.. I want to see and be in the Bigger World outside the Big World... wherever that is

North Avenue MRT Station

I worked the graveyard shift last night because I had to finish my Process Design and deck for my learning session before going to work. My shift ended around 4am but I didn't want to go home at such an ungodly hour so I decided to extend two more hours. I was actually excited to leave the office the see the breaking of dawn..

The air was chilly.. Luckily, I brought my shawl. The walk from ADB Avenue to the MRT Station was an exercise, something I haven't done in a long time. The 100 or so steps up the station proved challenging in my 2 and a half inch pumps. I bet my two cents that my legs are gonna hurt like hell after I sleep...

I don't usually take the MRT nowadays because there are more convenient  modes of transportation available to me. And here's what I don't/won't miss during the morning rush in Manila's train stations...

When A Friend Needs Me....

"If there's someone I know who can make her laugh... that's you"


It's 4:00 in the morning. I just got home.. I'm so tired and would like to hibernate the entire weekend. But I won't. Someone needs the biggest hug she can get from her friends and that's what I'll be doing later.
The 'quoted en toto' sentence above is actually a wake up call. A realization that no matter how fast my life goes and how crazy it gets, I still have a responsibility to my friends. Sometimes, a phone call or a text message, not even the understanding that you're always thinking and praying for them is never enough. One day, someday, you still need to get together and give comfort to those who need it. 

 

 (Bantayan, Cebu 2009)

I've been blessed with a lot of amazing friends... It's time to give back to them the unconditional support, understanding and loyalty they have given during my darkest hours..

    

No matter where we are, what we do, who we are with... we always manage to make the best of our time together. I love these girls so much because they bring out the best in me and they, oh so naturally, help me enjoy the simple indispensable things in life.

See you girls later.....

I like Men.....it's just that Mr. Right hasn't come along yet

"just because I'm single, it doesn't mean I'm gay...." - Peegee

I am not entirely sure how my day went "oh-so-crazy"...

First,  I'm a bloody panda for running errands for my mom and sister so early in the morning (for a night person, 9am is an ungodly hour). Second, I got the early bird award for coming in early for a lunch meeting..just to find out that it got postponed. Third, I stapled myself...pulled out a millimeter of staple-wire from my ring finger, almost cried because no one has a 'cute' band aid while I'm dripping blood everywhere. Now here's the cherry on the cake....

A co-worker just said he believes I'm a lesbian... and a close friend agrees with him... what the?!!

Do I, by any chance, look gay to you??

To clear things up.. I like men.. tall and strong (physically, mentally and emotionally) are my preferences. It's just that, I haven't met a guy that really really caught my attention.

Simbang Gabi.....

Simbang gabi is one Christmas tradition I look forward to each year. I like seeing the people rushing to church. Love the bibingka and puto-bumbong stands outside church, pandesal in the morning, plus a variety of fruits near the entrance gate of my village. There's a lot of goodies to choose from.

Honestly, I don't like waking up at three in the morning to catch the 4am mass. However, this year, my work allows me to attend mass at 4am. happy..... The first three days, Necy (our helper) and I attended mass at 4am. However, on the 4th day, I decided to attend the 8pm mass. Since it's a Saturday, I would like to give Necy longer time to rest ^^.

On the first night of Simbang Gabi, I saw a shooting star.. It was a beautiful sight. Now, it's the fifth night already... time flies...Christmas is really near.. Yey! Happy! There's a lot of things to look forward to this Christmas...

I took a picture of the star lanterns, each one represents a day ^^

 

I wanted to take pictures of the choir and the 'belen', but I'm shy... there were too many people ^_^ Next time, i'll try to get snapshots.

Where is Mr. Sandman?

My clock just struck 4:00 AM.. I'm still awake... Where's Mr. Sandman when you need him the most? I need a few sprinkles of his magic dust...

Don't Let Others Pull You Down...

I found this article in one of the sites I was browsing and i find it inspiring. I agree with the idea of the writer about people wanting to pull you down when you've finally plucked up the courage to become a better person. I've long learned that everything that's happening in one's life is brought about by the choices one makes. Everything is a matter of choice... even happiness is a matter of choice. Our life is our responsibility..let's not allow others to ruin it for us..

Enjoy the article!!

People have a strange habit of discouraging others anytime theytry to improve themselves. This applies to everything from finances to health to careers. I constantly encounter this when people discover that I’ve never bought a new car. I’ve always known that a high quality used car is a far better deal than a new one that loses 25 percent of its value the day it’s driven home. My lifelong philosophy on this was confirmed when Tom Stanley and William Danko reported in The Millionaire Next Door that the average millionaire never buys new cars and later by financial guru Dave Ramsey. Yet the people who mock me for this the most are those who are drowning in a sea of debt including huge car payments. I also encountered this when I went on a low carbohydrate diet. I was amazed at how quick people were to tell me the diet was unhealthy and that I should get off it immediately. Many were graphic in describing how all the red meat would block my arteries and kill me. None of those critics ever cared enough to learn that I actually ate more fish and chicken once I started the diet, and far less red meat than I ate before I started it. My cholesterol dropped dramatically and I lost 52 pounds, which I have kept off for seven years. I find it ironic that none of those critics ever said, “Glenn, you’re fat and it’s bad for your health. You need to lose weight” before I went on the diet. Their criticism only came once I tried to improve my situation. The same will happen to you when you try to improve your career. There will be people in your life that will discourage you from working harder. They’ll purport to be concerned about your well-being but their concerns could be far less noble. If they were really concerned about you they would inquire about your financial situation or goals and offer you encouragement. Their real concern may be that they look lazy if you work too hard. They’ll say things such as “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life” or “Don’t forget to smell the flowers along the way.” Look closely and you’ll notice most of them can’t afford any flowers to smell. This habit of pulling people down when they try to improve themselves isn’t limited to humans. John Maxwell tells a story of a study done on how animals can pull each other down. Four monkeys were locked inside a room with a pole in the middle. A bunch of bananas hung from the top of the pole and one monkey tried to climb the pole to get them. The experimenters hit him with a blast of water that knocked him off the pole just as he reached the bananas. Each of the other three monkeys tried to reach the bananas and each was knocked off the pole by a blast of water. Eventually they all quit trying. The experimenters then replaced one monkey with a new one who didn’t know about the water hose. He immediately tried to climb the pole but was pulled down by the others. The experimenters replaced each monkey one by one. Each new monkey tried to climb the pole and was pulled down. Eventually there were four monkeys who had never been hit with the blast of water. None of them would climb the pole but none knew why. Don’t let the monkeys in your life pull you down while you’re trying to climb the ladder of success.

A World Without Chocolates

Chocolates..Chocolates.. Can you imagine a world without it?

For a girl who’s lived most of her life with what seemed like an endless supply of chocolates, she definitely cannot. A week or two without the stuff is no doubt a torture. Yap! That’s how I felt when my doctor diagnosed me to have an acute gastritis and acute gastrointestinal whatever. One by one, she listed the “NO-NO!” fares for me. Thus, fatty foods, sodas, milk, yadda..yadda..yadda… chocolates……WHAT???!!!!!!!! Yup, I heard it right. No chocolates for a while, at least until we’re sure that I don’t have a gaping hole in my stomach.

I said to myself: I can do it! Better to have a 0%-chocolate in the body than have a slimy tube down my throat.

Guess what.. not a week later, I’m looking for any excuse to get my hands on the sinful stuff. Chocolate drinks?..chocolate flavored chips?.. Candies?..Flat tops? Anything! But the world seemed to conspire against me.. my friends won’t let me near the stuff, all the chocolates in my house found a good hiding place.. and I’m left with my pitiful craving.

What an empty world without chocolates. Truly a tragedy. But hey! Just three more days and my woeful state is over…Yahoo!!! I can go binge, ok, maybe not binge..indulge is a more diplomatic term.. I can go indulge on chocolates again. Can’t wait!!

The Simple Life

It’s just 3 months since my last visit to Isabela and I’m back on the trail up my father’s hometown. There are three things which never fail to make me pack my “bayong” pronto, hop in the backseat of my parents’ car, endure 8-10 hours drive and risk indigestion from eating jollibee and chowking every pit stop.

First….I super love the food! There’s nothing exquisite in the dishes except that my aunt has a way of transforming ordinary ingredients to extraordinary meals. I’ve been on a diet for weeks now coz when you’re being a bum, there’s really nothing to do but whip up some recipes and do the sampling all by yourself. I’ve done my share of boxing and working the treadmill to drop unnecessary pounds but Goodness! All efforts turned out to be rubbish coz I wasn’t able to say NO and walk gracefully away from those heavenly meals. I don’t regret it though, I had a great time and I simply adore my aunt’s cooking. 

Second…. I love the people! Wherever I go, smiles and cheerful comments are generously given. There are so many I couldn’t remember and others I haven’t met but they all have stories to share; stories about our previous visits (when my sister and I were still very little), things about my father, his family…etc. I can’t help but blush, be embarrassed and be humbled when folks tell me that I grew up to be a pretty lady. Adoring looks, genuine interest in what I do, and desire to introduce themselves are some of the things to expect when we make courtesy calls. A couple even said that I look like a tv personality (awww, must be the hair :p ). People accept you with open arms and shower you with invitations for lunch and dinner. To top it all, we left town loaded with freebies…veggies, orchids, chicken (both alive and slaughtered), farewells and blessings. I simply love and treasure their hospitality. And of course, I respect that ilocanos are very hard working as well. 

Third…. I love the simplicity of life. I love visiting Isabela because it’s a place where I can always get down & dirty (in a wholesome kind of way, hehe) and be closer to nature. During our first day, my father said he’d make me plant coconut trees along the edge of his property (when we were younger, he made me and my sister plant corn! “Won’t go swimming if you don’t learn to plant” – his words back then . Off we go and ants attacked me. None of those mattered the next day though coz I was busy splashing away in the resort.) 

Anyways, my mom and I took the 2kms trek along the stretch of cornfield and found that the deed is done. Lucky me! There’re cowpoop all over the place but I didn’t mind. I was too busy reveling in the perfection of greens to notice. After meals, I always make sure to do the dishes. I so enjoy using the manual pump in a shed outside my lola’s house. Instant exercise ito! Where else would you manually pump water, just so you could take a bath, but in provinces? Electricity is not something new there but they don’t have streetlamps yet, so everything outside is pitch black. My lola’s abode is situated a couple of feet in front of The farm and when you go outside, you could feel the night breeze coming from the fields. It’s kind of relaxing and spooky at the same time. My imagination kept going on the scary scenes of “Night of the Living Dead” and “Jeepers Creepers”. I don’t know what it is about the province that folks go to bed early. We would go to bed as early as 8 or 9 pm during weekends and 10 or so (after Sa Piling Mo) on weekdays. Imagine how hard it is for a night creature like me, who usually sleeps at 2 to 4 am, to sleep. Actually, it’s not that hard. I just have to crack a little open my right eye and see nothing but pure darkness to encourage me to start counting sheep and wish for sleep to take pity on me. Come morning, I’d wake to the combined efforts of chicks and roosters’ crowing, must be 6 am. It’s been over a month since I got up that early. It’s really unusual for me but I do welcome the refreshing change. I remember tagging along my mom and aunt to the town’s wet market. I don’t really get it why my mom thought she should mention to my dad that I would be going in my tees and shorts. I mean I’ve been in that market before and I’ve seen people wearing the same thing. Good thing, my aunt, lola and dad said it’s just ok. The place is a bit small but it’s relatively clean and organized; meat in one wing, veggies in another and dry goods elsewhere. It’s really nice to shop there, plus I always liked the bibingkas that one particular lola sell there. Hay, What more can I say? I just know that I have a soft spot for a simple adventurous life..

Birthday Surprise... year 2006

When it happened…..June 27, 2006 

I know my illegitimate sisters have been cooking up something for me. They said so….haha! Funny coz they’re more excited about it than me. They can’t even wait to tell me that they have a surprise. I admit to liking surprises…i like giving them. The little things lang naman. But. I haven’t gotten much of it myself that I don’t know how to react. Honestly, I didn’t know what to feel when they told me about it. I’ve been conspiring to catch Tina off guard and reveal what they’re planning, but she’s as tight-lipped about it as a clam. Couldn’t extract any information! The day finally came, I remember donning my red low v-neck empire cut top from mint, paired with denims and black slip ons, wishing that the two aren’t up to some crazy out of this world racket, (but a blind date with a hottie was a welcome surprise..haha!)..Ttick tock, tick, tock – the clock strikes 5pm , (okay, Tina’s on her way already)… tick, tock, (5:35pm says emem’s digi clock) cling, cling….Huy! (Tina’s here!).. Pack-up Time!! Our adventure started the moment we passed the jolly jeep in front of Salon de Ken and they admitted that they’ll be taking me out on a date (well, it’s not how they said it, they said.. we’ll treat you to a movie and dinner, You won’t pay a centavo!, to me it’s pretty much like a date..hehehe). Flattered and embarrassed, that was what I felt. I thought it was really sweet of them, coz if I think about it, we didn’t really had a chance to go out on a movie together (well we have had dinner together while watching dvds at the dorm, I think it doesn’t count). I was embarrassed because I didn’t want them spending too much on me, I didn’t know how to tell them that and I just didn’t have the heart to do so because they were so excited. Haha! The funny thing is while on our way to greenbelt, we were snapping away some photos for the scrapbook they’re making for me (haha, guys I won’t pretend I don’t know it because nasabi nyo na din, I just hope the pictures turned out ok..haha!). Ces and I almost ran head straight in the middle of traffic just because we wanted a shot while crossing the street. That was when I started having fun and realized how much they’re getting out of their way to make me feel special and make me happy. It was an overwhelming realization. Off we go to watch Scary Movie 4, they bought me a popcorn; normally, I could finish a giant cheese flavored popcorn by myself before the movie ends, and as Alex witnessed what a sucker I am for popcorns he said matakaw ako..haha!, but, since they’re paying nahiya naman ako na magmadamot and cheerfully shared it with them. Though the movie was short and not as entertaining as the previous 3, I had good laughs too. After the movie, we went off to grab some dinner at Mann Hann, even asked Glecie’s advice on which to order (Chinese itesh)… We got Yang Chao, Chami and sweet & sour fish fillet. Can’t eat much coz we’re still full, thanks to the giant popcorn. While having dinner, I had so much fun chatting. Cess and I are in the same office but we rarely get a chance to chat since she came back coz I know how much work she’s been doing. Unfortunately, the place is closing already and the waiter volunteered on giving us the bill without us asking, so we guess it was time to go. It was bitin so we promised to have coffee some other time, definitely before I leave. Outside G4, it was time to go our separate ways.. Cess went off to where she can ride a Washington jeep while Tina and myself went the other way towards MRT.

I had a wonderful night. Thanks guys! Seeing a movie and having dinner might not be an out of the ordinary thing between friends but your purpose and effort in making it a lasting memory for three simple ladies like us is nowhere near extraordinary, it transcends exceptional and is simply historic for me. I may not be someone who deserves so much special attention or caring, but that night, I am so grateful for it. As I said, I am so used to making others feel special that I almost forgot how it felt. Thank you so much for letting me rediscover that heavenly feeling. I owe the two of you a lot. Sometime, somewhere, someday…we’ll meet again and I’m sure the bond we have (remember, you’re my illegitimate sisters) will always be there. One time, I’ll write a story of how the three of us met..haha! looking forward to it.

A Walk in the Garden..

It’s a bright new sun shiny day… I knew something was different..But didn’t discover it until I had my walk in the garden. The Garden…it’s not much…just a bit of space beside our house that my mom filled with her precious flowers, from her collection of a decade old orchids up to the most recent breed of euphorbia. She even got a simple collection of cacti, which, by the way, I think are cute. She’s been working on it for so many years that I think we have more plants in our lot than the whole block combined. For the past week, I’ve been doing the same routine over and over again; Would sleep around 2 or 3 in the morning, wake up at noon, eat, watch tv, stay in my room, soundtrip while reading, watch dvd, sleep, eat chocolates, make desserts, tease nessie, chat with gles and wenski, watch tv,…yada yada yada…..believe me, same old routine every single day. Today, it’s Sunday….for the first time this week, I woke up at 8 to attend mass at 9. Surprisingly, I enjoyed playing nanny to two of my cousins, would’ve been three if only God gave me an extra hand for my little cousin to hold. At home, I decided to give the car some pampering (We’re going to pick my dad up in Intramuros, so I wanted the car to be impeccably handsome). While I busied myself with the car, got an unexpected visit from a long lost family friend…I was diverted again by a bouncing year old baby boy…super cute and cuddly! Later in the afternoon, my mom and I went to Intramuros for two reasons; first is to pick my dad up. Second is to meet with gles and henry to give them something for the laptop’s repair. Thank you so much guys! Owe you bigtime! Coffee tayo minsan! It’s been a busy day for me that I just wanted to drop down on my bed and snooze the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I was so full of French fries, coke float, pansit and sopas that I decided to talk a walk in the garden. THIS IS IT!!!!! My walk in the garden is the first serene action I have had in months. It made me feel so light that I realized that this is what I’ve been missing this past year since I started working. This afternoon, I was able to examine every flower, bark and root I passed. I was able to enjoy the cool breeze of the late afternoon. I was able to sit with my most favorite dog in the whole world and by the way he affectionately pressed his head to my tummy, I could say that he missed me.. I felt guilty of course because the only communication I’ve had with him this past year was a Pat on the head and a reminder that he cannot go out. Haha, poor boy! To make things better, my dad came out with a cup of tea. Another thing I haven’t done in a while is to sit down with my dad and enjoy a steaming cup of tea, so I hurried inside and got myself some tea and went out to sit with him. I felt so light today that I just had to write it down.. I want to capture these memories while I still can. I want to have as much as my defective memory could carry so that when I go away, I have something to give me strength. Something that would remind me of my purpose in life.