north diversion

today i took my first post-ondoy road trip using my own car. under normal circumstances, i would not have bothered driving for more than 3 hours for a 30-minute (or so) meeting just to accommodate a colleague's impulsive request. but this time, i was actually more than happy to oblige.

news bits

52 days na pala akong walang sasakyan. contrary to what i have expected, this wasn't a big deal naman pala. in fact, natutunan kong maappreciate ang mga bagay bagay na usually di ko napapansin o napag iisipan. halimbawa, nadagdagan ang aking serendipity walks, sprints at detours. kumbaga di na masyadong routine ang araw araw sa akin. minsan ako ay late, minsan naman ako ay early. either way, i have a consistent excuse and everybody seems to be extra considerate. even my boss.

38 days nalang at pasko na. at ito ang isa sa mga pinakahihintay kong araw sa buong taon. nung pagkatapos sirain ni ondoy ang aking mga plano sa pasko (and after i declared myself officially broke), nag alala ako na baka maging blue ang aking christmas. di naman pala. i am as excited as always about all things christmas - mga lights, mga decors, mga giftwrappers, mga christmas trees. kahit napapanood ko lang ang mga ito, nasisiyahan na ako. somehow they evoke warm feelings and positive thoughts.

1 week nalang kaarawan na ng pamangkin ko. and since its her first birthday, lahat nang kamag anak at kaibigan at kaopisina ng mga magulang nito ay imbitado. naaawa ako sa ate ko kase lately mukhang di na normal ang pagiisip nito. sobrang haggard na parang ewan. sobrang praning at paulit ulit nalang ang sinasabi. ewan ko ba kung normal lang ito para sa mga first time mommies. minsan, gusto ko siyang buhusan ng isang timbag cold water at sabihan ng 'relax, matagal pa ang doomsday''.

torches and things

a glimpse of the solemn matrimonial rites i recently attended. held at a private beach near my hometown, it was attended by close friends and family members of the couple. my friend planned and orchestrated her dream wedding down to the very last detail - the beach, the flowers, the tropical fruits and food, the fireworks display, the fire dancers, entertainers and musicians, the enchanting torches... even the weather assented to this much anticipated occasion.

it definitely pays to be o.c.

around the bend

a few things i am excited about these days - katy perry manila concert; movie version ng 'where the wild things are'; sem break & going home to the province; beach wedding ng friend ko from college; college reunion; the prospect of a puppy na shitzu; joining the adidas run this month & the timex run (kasama si papa piolo) next month... at madami pang iba...

i'm fine

i just want my old, normal life back. i just want to be able to do my work well, come to class on time, go home and sleep early. i ask for nothing more - i do not even dream of being happy, or of finding true love, or discovering anything special in this life time. i just want to live my life. i know it is not too much to ask. so, i hope you're listening coz i am really getting tired of all this.

fly-me-to-the-moon

i think i badly need a vacation. in support of this theory are the following exhibits:

Exh. A: yesterday was supposed to be a special non-working holiday. pero (no offense to all ninoy fans) di ko talaga naramdaman yun. i was out working the whole damn day (!) at nag-attend pa nga ako ng 2 meetings - isang 8:00 am sa manila at isang 6:00 pm sa makati. alam ko malabo talaga yun to the point of being disrespectful to a national hero, pero wala talaga akong magawa kase that's what i do. unlike the work of most people, my job does not end at 5 or 6 pm on weekdays and it knows no holidays. aargh. pag uwi ko sa bahay, nagprepare pa ako ng mga things to do over the weekend kase feeling ko talaga i should take advantage of the long weekend - which i know isn't normal kase most people would spend it on road trips or the like. but i guess i am not most people. hay.

Exh. B: sa pagmamadali ko kahapon papunta sa isang meeting, me nasagi akong itim na kotse somewhere in osmena highway. but it was actually the other driver's fault kase nagswerve talaga siya while i was just in my rightful lane. considering na nagmamadali ako and i was so sure that the damage was very minor, i just went on my way without bothering to stop. suddenly, nanjan na sa harapan ko ang itim na kotse at sinundan pala ako. then i stopped my car at naghazard na din ako. babae pala ang nagdadrive at me kasama pa siyang isang babae din pero mejo malaki talaga at mukhang marunong mang-away. anyway, sumisigaw sila pareho at pinabababa na ako. i started explaining myself in the most calm and civil manner pero they kept on shouting. sabi bakit daw ako tumatakbo kahit alam kong nakabangga ako etc. medyo naiirita na ako nung sinabi ko: "first of all, you were the ones swerving and you damaged my car. if there's anyone who should be complaining here, it is me. not you. secondly, i knew that the damage was very minor that's why i didn't bother to stop. thirdly, i am in a hurry and i have more important things to worry about. but if you want to complain here and now, that's not gonna be a problem coz i can go anywhere with you. and i am sure i am going to make your day!" hindi naman masyadong aggressive ang driver kase alam kong alam niya na kasalanan niya. pero yung kasama niya talaga ang mejo astig at ayaw patalo. pero natuwa talaga ako nung pagkatapos ko mag explain at lahat, sinabi niya: "hoy wag mo akong ine english english kase nasa pilipinas tayo!" huh? muntik na talaga ako matawa pero pinigilan ko lang talaga kase i know i'd be disoriented. haha. it was quite hilarious. buti nalang they finally gave in and so i left them in peace. hay.

Exh. C: i woke up really early this morning. and then i suddenly found myself saying: sana hindi umulan kase i need to go the office. tapos bigla akong napaisip: what's happening to me?!? i am actually the type who wakes up late and loves to stay home on weekends and holidays. i can't believe i am slowly becoming a workaholic - a monster! nooo...

petty criminal

i am officially a stalker. i have been running on a (more or less) regular basis just so i could accidentally bump into this guy who would usually jog in the same area at exactly the same time after work hours. whoever thought that a crime like this could be so much fun. hehe.