Kris Kringle

Stuff I got for Christmas. If it weren't for the fact that Kris Kringle is more or less "compulsory" in the office. I wouldn't have gotten anything. It's a little sad, actually. But now I'm over it.

Thanks to my Secret Santa. Whoever you were.

Week 1: Something curly.

Week 2: Something sticky.

Week 3: Something hairy.

Week 4: Something "R".

Gratitude List for the Week

I thank...

God, for a great week overall.

Andres Bonafacio, for dying as a hero ergo making the day of your death a national holiday. We owe you the long weekend, Ka Andres.That may not be that way that you want to be thanked but I still thank you for that from the bottom of my heart.

Vida, for laboring for 2days straight, rain and shine, just to get better at whacking balls.

Kuya Platap, for being patient with our footwork and ground strokes. Thank you for teaching us the basics in tennis. See you next week.

The Alaxan boys, you old guys from the tennis club who wagger your kids' tuition fees on tennis matches (but I really hope you were all just kidding), for the encouragement.

My roommate, Janice, for getting me a bonsai plant. I hope we can prove your boss wrong by making the plants last for more than a week. Oh look, it's already 3 days and they are still alive. 4 more days to go.

My manito or manita for giving me a box of Curly Tops and snake jelly candies for the Kris Kringle last week. Looking forward to "something sticky".

My work and workmates for reminding me that I'm not yet in paradise and things still need to get done the hard way. Special mention to Menard, Kevin and Jules for agreeing to work on a holiday on such a short notice. I also thank Ryan, Dim, Ruby, Mike, Chino and Danica for taking the time out to take my bugging calls on a Sunday night.Work is such a bitch sometimes but duty calls.

My manicurista, for my nail job. You have made the work week ahead of me much more colorful. And you have freed me from the torment of my laundry for the next few days.You deserve a higher tip but unfortunately, I'm not a millionaire.

Gratitude List for the Week

I thank....

God, for all things good and true. For giving me another week which I can spend to live and learn from life.

My family, for being the anchor to my ship. I will all see you soon. Special mention to my one and only sister for securing my XU tshirts.

My friends, for bringing color to my life. You're just a few handful, beautiful people. If it weren't for you, I would have been a hermit, God forbid.

My work and workmates, for giving me a reality check once in a while. Special mention to Vida for braving the blazing sunshine and clay court to join me in my madness for tennis. We'll get better, Vids, I promise. And to Tito, my boss, for the snacks. More, more!

My massage therapist, for expertly kneading my back pains away. Thank you for putting up with my "problem areas". You have made my life a whole lot better, honest.

Tide, for helping me combat my two weeks worth of laundry.

My bed, for helping me reach REM stage every single time.

My pen and paper, for making me realize how lucky I am to be able to read and write.

Random Memory: McDonald's and Me

photo credit

My love affair with McDonald's started when I was in college. I didn't really know McDonald's that well in my high school and grade school days. But in college, the true love of my life was McDonald's. It was the witness to all my exultation and tribulation. When I was happy, I went to McDonald's. When I was sad, I went to McDonald's . When I wanted to relax, I went to McDonald's. When I wanted to cram, I went to McDonald's. There was even a time when a bunch of classmates and I stayed at McDonald's for six hours straight just to study for an Accounting exam.

Usually, we went to McDonald's after our evening classes to have dinner. During those times, Josh, a dear friend and project leader, could be heard saying, "Our professor is stupid. He gave us an A minus for our group paper that I spent 2 hours copy-pasting from the internet." Plagiarism was no big deal to us back then, we just wanted to pass. We also went to McDonald's for the brainstorming session of our group projects and on those occasions Josh could be heard saying, "Let's stop fooling ourselves with this brainstorming crap. We all know that I will still end up writing this paper all by myself. You should all be thankful that I am good at copy-pasting stuff from the internet." Whereupon we dropped all pretense of brainstorming and proceeded with our pointless gab-fest over french fries and Coke float. Yes, Josh, we owe you for making our academic burdens lighter. You are the best group leader ever. Where was I? Oh yes. In college, McDonald's was a way of life.

When I landed my first job, it required me to move into a different zip code for the very first time in my life. I remembered being anxious while I was riding the ferry that would take me to the place I would call home for the next two years. I was excited and scared at the same time, the magnitude of my choice to be away from my comfort zone just dawning upon me. I looked out of the ferry, staring at Ozamiz City as it drew near when, lo and behold! A McDonald's! That's when I knew everything was gonna be okay. And so the vicious cycle continued. When I get stressed out, I went to McDonald's. When I get the job done, I went to McDonald's.

Now, since moving to Cebu, I have come to know other places that I love to go to when I wanted to eat. But none of them gives me as much comfort and a sense of home as McDonald's. Oh Ronald, if only you were a real man, then I will have nothing more to look for.

Song of the Moment: Bohemian Rhapsody

Any way the wind blows...

I have loved this song for a long time. It's so beautiful, haunting, weird and complex all at the same time. It's so... human, for lack of a better word. Recently, I stumbled across the song's video on YouTube after which I gained a new-found respect for Queen. Respect would be an understatement. I'd say obsession. I was familiar with their more popular songs and I have unconsciously liked them and knew that they were Queen songs but I have never paid attention to Queen the band. However, this week, after I started watching videos from their concerts and other songs I was not familiar with, I was completely blown away by Freddie Mercury. His charisma, his flamboyance, his stage presence, his power over his fans was incredible. I googled him and I was intrigued by his personality. Here was a guy who was so obviously talented, famous and revered but so unimpressed by his own genius, it's just unthinkable. He was so in communion with his audience when he was performing that everyone in the audience can simply think that he and Freddie were one, but he was so shy in person that he rarely gave interviews.

Now, I'm simply hooked on Freddie. It doesn't matter that he was so glaringly gay and that he had AIDS and died because of it. He was a greater deity than I am. I am now his worshiper and I am not even good enough to write about him.

Freddie, I am simply devastated that I didn't know you when you were still alive and walking on the same planet. Rest assured, your cult will remember you forever as evidenced by your Bohemian Rhapsody video which has over 42 million views on YouTube. Your hair, your eyeliner and your costume (which showed you to be a gay man with lower body fat index than I have) were horrible to look at but I still can't keep my eyes away from you. You were practically slapping me in the face with your homosexuality but I am not embarrassed to admit that I still have the hots for you. And even if you are now reduced to ashes, I am still not worthy to lick your bottomless microphone stand. Thank you for the music.

Goodbye, Gilmore Girls

Nice run, girls. I enjoyed it so much. Thanks for the roller coaster ride.

After all those time that our bond was put on hold because I went away from home and lived in places with no TV. I finally got to watch the whole 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls. All those witty comments, hilarious jokes, food-binging and mother-daughter moments reminded me of the time when I sat in front of the TV watching your pilot episode many years ago wishing that I had the same relationship with my mother. If your final episode came out then, it would have made me realize that there was still hope for my mother and me.

Chris was the very essence of perfection...

...but I still prefer to have a Luke.

I cannot believe I was living vicariously through the Gilmores. Now its over. Oh well. Goodbye, Loreleis.

To My Beloved Friend and Minion, Alexis

(My friend Alexis wrote this on her Facebook page. This blog entry is my reply.)

You are right. Day offs are rare gifts. Why do I get this feeling that you spend yours worrying about tomorrow or about the stuff you need to do when you get back to work? You worry too much. You need to relax. If I had a dime every time I tell you this, I'd be a millionaire by now.

You are right. Life is not easy. All of us have some sort of bitterness, regrets, and mistakes. The important thing is we learn from them and move on. Do not let the negative stuff take center-stage.

It is human nature to be uncontented. It is okay to aspire for possessions and a higher status in life. But that should not be your end goal. When we die, we cannot take any of those with us to the after-life.

If you don't like where you are and what you do, you can only do so much. At some point you have to stop and ponder if it is all worth it. Things may not work out but that doesn't necessarily mean a dead end. If you have learned from it then it has served its purpose. Nothing we do is ever pointless, the good or the bad. Unless you just sit in one corner and wait for the day of your death or the apocalypse, whichever comes first. Now, THAT is pointless.

The most important thing in life I believe is to do something which you believe in, something that is worth your time. Not only will your life be productive but when you die and your Creator will ask you what you have been doing with the time He gave to you, you will not be embarrassed with your answer.

Do not wait for things like love, fame and success to happen to you. Make them happen. And if they don't happen, cheer up, it's not the end of the world. There are other things in life that can make you happy, like your family, friends and work. Like everything else in this world, happiness is a choice. It has to be a conscious effort on your part and no, you cannot find that in another person especially if you are not happy with yourself.

Indeed, you are lucky. Your family loves you. We, your friends, love you just as much. I know you will continue to worry. It's one of the things you do well. It's one of the things we love about you. It's one of the things that make you you. But don't overdo it. Wrinkles are never in fashion. Always remember, however deep the pit that you may be in at any given time, some people have it worse. Some people die miserable. As long as you are alive, you have a better chance of getting yourself out of that shithole and die happy.

More importantly, what makes you really lucky, is that you have me. Your semi-perfect deity of a friend who is willing to go out on a limb to give you decent advice. Understand that this is non-compulsory. You may read this and not follow it, if you wish. Though I strongly advice against that because I know I am right and I would totally hate to see this blog space go to waste.

I am kidding, of course. A little.

Now, if I could only learn to follow my own advices, I'd be in better shape than I am today in all respects. But I guess that's just not how it works.

Summer Lovin' Happened So Fast...

Summer is over. I'm sad. Sniff. Though, I would welcome some relief from this unbearable heat, I still love summer. I was born at the peak of this season. Thankfully, I was able to go to two summer getaways this year. The first one is to our company summer outing at Maribago, courtesy of our employer, and the other was to Malapascua Island with some of my co-workers.

Snorkeling and island tour at Malapascua Island. Perfect!

              

    At Maribago with the entire RC team, because all work and no play...

      
Thank you for all the good memories, Summer. 'Til we meet again...

My Passion for Writing: A Long History

When I was still in kindergarten I wanted to become a nurse. My main fascination lay in the fact that they look immaculate and sexy in their uniform. Moreover, every single nurse that I saw then was really pretty. However, I realized that I have a weak stomach for things like blood, ugly wounds, anything that smells bad and anything that looks eww. A trait which I have unfortunately inherited from my mother. So I had to chuck that ambition out of the window.

When I was in 3rd grade, I discovered the joys of reading and how it made me better in my English subjects. So I started reading more than what was necessary and, naturally, this led to my interest in books and wanting to write something that I would want to read. When I graduated in elementary, I was Writer of the Year, an accolade which was awarded to me because I wrote one lousy poem about my crush and cemented by the fact that I read and spoke better English than the rest of my classmates.

When I got to high school and went to Philippine Southfield School, it was a little different because although I still read more than most of the people in my class, there were now a few guys who were just as good in English and writing. But that didn't matter so much because I have never been a type A competitive person. I'm the kind who, when I'm sure of my answer, will share that to anyone who asks for it, even on major exams. Yes, I know. That is considered cheating but did I also mention that I have always been morally-gray? That is also the reason why I am not so religious. Religions are pretty much black and white when it comes to their stand on moral issues. I'm just not. But I digress.

In freshman year of high school, notwithstanding the fact that there were a few other people good at what I thought was my field, I still loved English and writing all the more. Teacher Vi was a really great teacher and she made the subject interesting. In sophomore year, we had a second English teacher. Teacher Maia was new to our school and she was also a real writer. Our English classes under her were focused on writing and applied English in general. I honestly thought I could impress the hell out of her. When I received the first-ever composition paper that she graded for us, holy stinking cow shit! It was a blood-bath! I literally could not see my own penmanship because of the gazillion corrections that Teacher Maia did in red (even now, if she is reading this, she is probably making mental red marks :)). And since I didn't adapt the I-don't-care-if-I'm-wrong-as-long-as-we're-all-wrong mentality until college, it didn't matter that all the other paper shared the same fate. I was beyond humiliated. Fortunately, I am not easily disheartened when failing at something I love doing and Teacher Vi and Teacher Maia were very encouraging and enthusiastic. By junior year, with our English teachers as advisers, our school established its own publication, I being a part of the editorial staff. By the time I graduated, my father and I were advised by our school's Vice President for Academics, Mr. Apepe, who was one of our mentors during workshops for the school paper, that I should take up Creative Writing or Mass Communication at Siliman University. I was even more encouraged by that push. My father went as far as inquiring dorms for me in that school. Unluckily, my mother did not agree because Siliman was too far away and she would rather that I studied within Cagayan de Oro City. The best school in our city was Xavier University but it didn't offer any creative writing courses so I went on an entirely different path and took up Accountancy which was the best curriculum that XU offered. I do not hate my mother anymore for not letting me go and I don't really dwell on the what if's of my life. Sometimes, though, it does cross my mind that if only I've had formal training...

College was distinctive, for lack of a better term. I wasn't sure about my major. Being enrolled in the most intimidating course of the most intimidating school in our part of the country, every single one of my classmates were the smartest or the second smartest in their respective schools. All of them wanted to sit in front. All of them raised their hands when the teacher asked a question. All of them spent their vacant periods studying in the library. I wasn't a bad student. In fact, I was an honor student all through elementary and high school. But I never sat in front. I never raised my hand even when I knew the answer. And I only visited the library when I was stalking my college crush or when I was reading books not related to my course (which, if it counted for something, would have made me summa cum laude, no kidding).

Suffice it is to say that my love for English and writing never waned and in that environment of stressed-out students and overdue papers, I found another formidable English teacher, Ma'am Illana. Since my course considered English a minor subject, I only had 5 English classes my entire college life. Fortunately, I had Ma'am Illana in 3 of them. I may not have been good in Accounting, Finance, Law, and Taxation, subjects which were considered major in my course, but not even the best person in Accounting from my class could trounce me in English (ahem). I aced every single English class I had. I especially liked the Humanities. I always studied for it. One time, my father noticed me studying and we had a conversation that went like this:

Him: You are always studying for English. That's your minor and you are already good at that. Even if you don't study, you're gonna get good grades on it. Why not study more for your Accounting? That's your major and you are flunking out on that.

Me: I'm bad in Math and anything that involves numbers. You knew this. If you had only fought for me to go to Siliman, English would be my major, I wouldn't have any Accounting subjects and we would not be having this conversation.

Ok, it didn't actually happen like that but you get the idea. Like I said, I do not hate my mother anymore for not letting me go. At some level, she was right. I do notice that there were just a lot more opportunities for commerce graduates, though I could be wrong. And like I said, I'm not the type who dwells on the what if's. I am happy now. I really am. I may not have turned out to be the writer in the caliber that my high school teachers expected but I believe that I am where I should be. Of course, I will always thank them for their help and influence:

Teacher Vi, with her post-it notes of praise and encouragement which I kept up to this very day.
Teacher Maia, with her ever-reliable red pen. I appreciate all the corrections and comments. They made me better and made me see the beauty of the language even more.
Ma'am Illana, with her formidable look and ancient knowledge in English. You'll never know how much you touched my life.

Thank you!

My Thank-You Directory

Just to show that I am not a bitch most of the time, I am going to post my gratitude list here. I make this every week not only because it is one of the features of my planner but also because it is actually pretty awesome to look at it and know that I am one lucky person.

First, I would like to thank my PARENTS, the two most awesome people in my world. Thank you for all your sacrifices and hard work. Pa, you are my hero, my idol. Thank you for all your stories, for setting a great example and for making me your favorite child. Ma, thank you for your strength. We do not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things and we used to fight a lot but I want you to know that I am grateful and proud to have you as my mother. Thank you for not judging me and for all your advices. I want you both to know that I love you and I think that you really did a great job raising us.

Second, my younger SIBLINGS, all 4 of them: Gorick, Oning, Kakay and Dwight. You are a handful bunch. I want you to know that I miss you all everyday. Thank you for all the chaos you got me used to. I know that you  all look up to me as the eldest but I also want you to know that you can be better than I am. Give your best in whatever you do and always listen to Mama and Papa. They are not our best friends and we don't like them most of the time but they are always right. Trust me.

Next, I would like to thank my friends. DIANNE & TETET who are very much with me despite the physical distance. Our exploits together had been legendary. You are part of who I am. JANICE, my roommate, I thank you for putting up with me and my messy side of the room. Thank you for all the late night talks and DVD marathons. JANICA, we have so many things in common that we finish each other's sentences. You always know how to make me laugh. Thank you for being there for me. Let's get together soon. I owe you lunch. NILA, girl, thank your for being an example to me. We may not agree on a lot of things but I want you to know that I admire you. I would also like to mention some friends who I don't get to see as much as I'd like but are good friends nonetheless: ANN-ANN, APRIL, CHERRY, PRINCESS, EARLYN and others I have failed to mention, thank you for being the friends that you are to me.

I would also like to thank JOSEPH for being a constant fixture in my life. Thank you for your love and attention. I am here for you always.

I want to thank my JOB and CO-WORKERS for making me feel productive without being insanely stressed out and for showing me that it is possible to work and have a life at the same time.

Last and most important of all, I thank GOD for giving me all these things that I am grateful for and even for the things that I am not so grateful for. Thank you for giving me this life that I may enjoy all that you've given me. So many times in the past I had wished for a different life. Thank you for not granting me that wish. Thank you for all that is good in this world. I never appreciate them enough.