On My Love Seat

Pink describes what I'm feeling today...I'm happy and today is just perfect to me...guess why? It's my and my boyfriend's 3rd anniversary together.

3 years is quite long and by that time, you've seen not only your partner's good but also not-so-good traits (and he probably has noticed yours, too, hehehe) and still accept him as he is. You no longer just see the wonderful things-- you see the real person and you start to consider if he is the one you are finally going to grow old with. I've known several relationships that didn't last as long. Many people from these relationships tell me that I have to be careful by the time the relationship turned more than 2 and a half years...that there is some kind of "bad" thing about it. I don't see the logic behind this as couples could be together 3 months but end up happily married or they could be together 9 years yet still break up. There is no time factor involved to enable one to foresee what would happen to partners. I believe the "length and strength" of a relationship depends on the 2 individuals because they make the choice to whether stay in the relationship or not. If they don't then it wasn't really meant to be. If they are still going strong, it just shows that both are willing to commit to the relationship, "invest" in it (as some would put it) and make it grow.

Hearing about long relationships that didn't end up in marriage makes me sad and I could only imagine how hard it must be for both the persons involved. It's true that when you love someone, you risk a lot. However, you also gain a lot from the experience. On the other hand, if the persons are really meant for each other, then all the risks are worth it after all! To all those whose relationships have been strong, treasure & keep it. For those that are still blossoming, nurture it. For those who are not yet in relationships, may you find "The One".

Cool Easter

2 days off due to the Lenten season + the weekend that followed gave me 4 days of rest and relaxation. It was a welcomed holiday as I had a very hectic week before this-- blame it on the phenomenon called month-end-meets-quarter-end-workload! It seems everything has to be done before that period ends. So you could just feel the relief these past 4 days brought me.

During weekdays, I:
a) don't get enough sleep
b) am too tired to watch TV after work
c) can only play with my niece during mornings
d) rarely cook, and
e) eat less

If I continue doing these, I could lose the extra fats (hmm...tempting) but it could affect my health. On the other hand, here was my holiday routine--

1) slept
2) watched TV/VCDs
3) spent quality time with my niece
4) cooked, and
5) ate

And I did those "A LOT!" during the holiday. I considered these luxuries in this day and age.

And to top it all, I celebrated Easter Sunday with my boyfriend and niece with a dip in the swimming pool. It was my niece's first time to swim in a pool; she's only 2yrs and 7 mos old. At first she was so excited especially when she wore her swimsuit. But as we were walking beside the pool, she suddenly felt otherwise. It took quite a lot of convincing before she went in with me. I felt her tight embrace round my neck while I made sure she felt safe enough to enjoy the moment. It was a very short moment though, as I didn't want her to catch a cold. Funny, we were so happy she got over her fright of the "big" pool that we forgot to capture the precious swimming moment with a photo. The only souvenir we got was a picture of her standing straight just beside the pool with a somewhat frightened smile on her lips. I was so happy for her that I bought her a medium-sized inflatable kiddie pool!

Oh what a joy little children are...they make us smile and remind us to see the world through a child's eyes. Only then shall we find beauty and happiness, which we think are so out-of-reach due to our lack of time, work and worries about the future. To everyone, happy Easter!

Fight To The End

Sunday's big fight between Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Erik Morales was quite dissapointing as almost everyone wanted Pacquiao to win. A lot of people showed their support and you could hear the crowd's shout, "Manny, Manny!" through the television. Here in the Philippines, everybody was trying to wait patiently until it's their turn to fight.

Yet, even as Pacman lost to Morales, people loved him more as he proved himself a great fighter by finishing all the remaining rounds after he got a bruise on his right eyebrow. He fought to the end even when he could only see with his left eye due to the blood flowing to his eye from his wound. Watching his game made me quite sad as I know he could have released stronger and more accurate blows and carefully defended his own face. Looking at Morales, he knows when to strike and when to avoid Pacquiao's blows. It seems that Pacman needs to learn how to read his opponents' tactics and weaknesses to really defeat them. I am only sharing what I think of the whole game.

Pacquiao is now the major topic in most news stories and features. I still believe in him even after losing this fight. After all, failure does not mean it's the end of the world for someone. He might even get better after this experience. May Manny be even more determined and successful in his future fights as he brings pride to the country.

Musicality

Listening to music is somewhat like reading a book. It brings you to where you would not normally go. It brings out emotions in you that you don't otherwise feel.

Today I'm listening (again!) to Salsa music, all of which are in a foreign language. I just thought of writing something about it as I realized something happens to me everytime I hear this collection. I 've almost memorized the lyrics (considering I don't speak this language, hihihi!) and I sing out loud to my enjoyment. I don't understand the words but they sure sound great when sung. Not a note do I waste when singing along with each song. Not even the instrumental portion is spared. Parapap-pap-pap...Tengteng tereng tengteng tereng!

If only you could hear them play now, you'd love to listen and even dance to them. If you're too shy to dance, you might not be able to resist tapping your feet at least, moving your head and shoulders, or swaying your torso...Ten....terererereren! Bamboleo!

Weekend Rush

I'm signing in today just so my friends would have something to read when they don't have anything else to do and still think my blog is updated.

I don't really have anything to say right now except that despite so much work to do-- what with all the output details needing to be logged in a shared file, weekly reports to be submitted and queries to be resolved, which ironically doubled in number at a time when I needed to finish other important matters--I could still squeeze some time to write an entry here.

This Friday, I'll be attending an overnight party with some of my officemates to make time for our "bonding". The theme is just like always-- eat, drink and be merry! The day after that, I'll be attending a free cooking demo at a friend's company. Although I already know how to cook the desserts mentioned in the invitation, I still want to see how others do it so I can improve my own technique. I can only imagine how I can keep my eyes open considering I would be coming from a no-sleeping party the previous night. My Saturday afternoon would be spent buying groceries and preparing something for Sunday's get-together with my cousins, nieces and nephew. We would be celebrating my 1st cousin Ching's birthday. In the afternoon we will pay a visit to the zoo which we planned as a treat for the little ones-- Adrian (8), Mariz (2 yrs 6 mos) and Leeann (1 yr 9 mos).

Wish me luck this hectic weekend! It's yours truly, signing out.

Battle of the Brains

Today, I woke up on the 'right' side of the bed and was ready for whatever was in store for me today. However, there are some things that you just don't quite expect to happen.

Have you ever encountered people who, whether intentionally or not, make you feel you have no brains at all? That no matter how simply you raise a question, it cannot be answered by a simple 'Yes' or 'No' and that somehow, they had to raise an eyebrow for your asking such a question. This would be ignored if only the conversation were between the two of you. However, sometimes it's in the midst of other people and it's you that's humiliated. It could make or break your credibility. I am not only referring to my own experience. I see this being done to other people, too.

I don't really like this kind of attitude. What prevents me from getting back at the person is the fact that I know myself and my own mental abilities. I try (very hard) not to be sarcastic as this could eventually ruin my day. And it's also good to think twice before saying something, which is the opposite of what this person is doing. It could be that this person is too insecure that he has to put down somebody publicly so that he gets some attention and a pat-on-the-back. Or he could be the conceited type, the mister- or miss-know-it-all. I know lots of people like this and I realized it isn't worth my time to be rubbing elbows with them. What they need is lots of praise from other people to assure them of their 'own' capabilities (if any). People like these do not have much if they rely on other people's opinion of themselves.

So the next time you encounter one, don't be affected as long as you know 'you'. Can't we all just share what we know and accept that individuals have differing knowledge levels? No two people could know all the same things at the same time. Because if so, this would be the most boring place.

Balance Sheet of Life

Here is a forwarded mail from a friend.
Just wanna share this with you...

Our Birth is our Opening Balance

Our Death is our Closing Balance
Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities

Our Creative Ideas are our Assets

Heart is our Current Asset

Soul is our Fixed Asset
Brain is our Fixed Deposit

Thinking is our Current Account

Achievements are our Capital

Character & Morals, our Stock-in-Trade
Friends are our General Reserves

Values & Behaviour are our Goodwill

Patience is our Interest Earned

Love is our Dividend
Children are our Bonus Issues

Education is Brands / Patents

Knowledge is our Investment

Experience is our Premium Account

The Aim:

• Reduce liabilities to zero at the end of the day.
• Keep the current account active and alive.
• Increase the value of the fixed deposit, by transferring funds from the current account.
• Increase the value of the current assets every day.
• Distribute the dividend with open hands.

Reflections

Funny how a simple melody or line in a song could bring back some memories. Mostly sad ones. Today I thought of my mother and father who have passed away already. Remembering them now I realized, I miss their company but I am also contented to know that they are, at last, free from sickness and other problems that come with old age.

Sometimes I think I don't want to grow too old to take care of myself or my family. Especially if growing old means having a lot of diseases and sickness when you are already too weak to fight them. They are like the vultures that feed on you when you are already wounded.

Yet if we really think about it, as early as now, we should be looking at our family's medical history, current lifestyle especially the food that we eat, and the environment. From all these we can see which gives us the greatest risk of getting diseases. Medical history, though, cannot be changed. We can only learn from it and accept that we are at risk of the same diseases our relatives had. Our lifestyle dictates the way we live and what we eat. This is a controllable factor. Knowing what is good and bad for our health is key in determining which habits and food we should retain or exclude from our lifestyle. It's as easy as pinpointing a target. Example: Exercise is good; smoking and drugs are bad (no offense meant).

In short, we have a choice in whatever we eat or do. Sometimes, it's all in the mind. If we choose (and stand by our choice) which one is good or bad for our health, we are already taking the first big step. The environment is the next factor to consider. Pollution cannot be avoided as we live in the city. But vacations can give us a "breather" (literally, too). Also, we are prone to be influenced by the company we keep. However, one can say "No" and still keep one's friends at the same time. If they're real friends, they would understand. In fact, they may even join 'your bandwagon'. Another factor is stress. It's like a thief in the night-- you don't know it was or is still there. Knowing how to identify your stressors would be of great help in avoiding, minimizing or totally eliminating it.

Taking control of your life is hard. Taking charge would be a better description. You cannot control all the things that happen to you but you can take charge of dealing with whatever comes and with how you live your life. In short: Leave the bad. Take the good.

Life Decisions

Working in the same company for a few years sometimes makes you reminisce the fun and good ol' days when there was much work to do but you can still find time to go out for a gimik at least once a week. Every payday, you could hardly see a soul in the area during lunch break as small groups would dine out. Almost everybody were content with their bonuses. There was always a less-tensed atmosphere within the four walls of the office.

Back when I started at work, many were fresh graduates like I was then. These were the days when I used to call other employees as "Ate" (now I am called "Ate"). Most of us then were very young professionals just out there enjoying the fruits of our labor. Only a few were already married with children. Life seemed so simple then. Life's pace was quite slow compared to the present.

At some point, I would hear about somebody tying the knot, getting pregnant or giving birth. Sometimes I'd hear about new relationships starting and somebody having her first boyfriend. Not all of these life matters were happy ones, though. Some went through heartbreaks or mourning when a loved one passed away. Or someone trying to conceive her first baby for the longest time. But when she does, everybody seems to rejoice with her--with matching food to celebrate the wonderful and most-awaited event! There was always ice cream or cake during birthdays. One way or another, you got an idea of what was happening to somebody and how their lives were changing. There were times, though, that you just knew of it after it has happened. Like one time, we were wondering where one of our co-workers was, as it has been a while since we last saw her. Another colleague confirmed that she resigned. Seeing or hearing about the changes in the lives of my colleagues gives me a bittersweet feeling. It suddenly dawns on me that nothing is really constant except "change" as described in Jose Mari Chan's song, Constant Change.

Some of these happenings are out of our control. They just happen in our lives and our only resort is to accept them. However, most of the changes in our lives are brought about by our life desicions. We don't really consciously think about it as making desicions are already a daily task. We make choices in a lot of our daily activities. What should I eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner? What should I wear to work? Where will I spend my Sunday afternoon? When will I buy a new pair of pants? Who will I invite to my party? Should I study or watch T.V.? How much am I willing to spend on a lovely dress? So many choices, so many desicions to make. Whatever we decide on, that's where life takes us.

Lately, a lot of my officemates (and college friends, too) decided on settling down. Every year there is always a wedding invitation received (or just seen held by someone). Others chose to travel abroad for the experience or just within the Philippines for some adventure. Some felt they needed a new work environment. As everyone and everything changes around me, the focus comes back to me. Now, what will be my next life desicion? I think it will be this ~~> I choose to be happy today. :-)

Sounds Greek To You? Not To Me!

It was the year 1994. I joined this international organization for young people where you get an opportunity to make friends, through writing, with another person specially selected for you based on your preferences as to his/her age, gender, location and interests. As an added bonus, your name/address may be forwarded to another person seeking a penfriend. This was a heaven-sent chance for me as I've always wanted to know, and maybe meet, someone from another country.

So there I was filling up the colorful application form. At that time, one carries the risk of it not becoming a reality--meaning, not getting any reply from the organization because of "possible" problems in the payment. But, voila! A reply was received and there I was reading my 1st penfriend's name and address over and over. Not a day was wasted and I wrote my first letter to her, making sure I didn't have any misspelled words or grammatical errors. And finally, I mailed it hoping my precious letter reaches Greece.

They said I'd have to wait for 3 to 6 months for a reply. But hey! I received a letter from Greece within a week! Wow, that was fast for snail mail! But hey, again! I couldn't recognise the return address on the small envelop. Who cares, anyway? It was for me so I read it and felt like I was weightless with glee! Somebody from halfway across the globe wants me to be her penfriend. She wrote,

In case you do not wish to correspond, please give my address to a friend of yours who would like to write.

Why would I give her away? Why would I wanna do that? This was what we used to call a "surprise penfriend", one of the perks of joining the organization. I was too willing to be her penfriend and that night I wrote a reply. You know what she sent me in her 2nd letter? A birthday card, 2 packs of candies, a casette tape recording, a letter and a small album where she placed a picture of her! The joy I felt was so overwhelming I couldn't help but show it to all of my buddies.

That was the start of it all. We exchanged letters, gifts, photos, postcards and casette tapes (although, I think I've only sent her 1). We talked about each other's family and our life as students. This went on for about 5 more years. The number of letters sent and received gradually decreased each year as both of us became so busy. She went to a University. I started to work. We both got so busy that there was a lull in the correspondence. I forgot how we started again but this time, we used email. She once called me on my birthday and that was the first time I heard her voice! But again we lost track of each other. On her birthday, I tried calling her mobile number but I couldn't understand the person on the other line. I was about to give up when, in a last attempt, I texted that, "I just wanted to greet Angie a happy birthday". I got this simple reply,

I will call you

So I waited. And she did call me! We talked for quite awhile as we both missed talking to each other. She gave me her new address and-- fast forward to the present --now we are catching up on things and trying to hold on to this precious treasure that we call "FRIENDSHIP". This may not be the typical friendship everyone is familiar with but it sure is doubly special for me. You know why? Because deep down I know, and am happy, that she considers me her friend after all these years and that she's willing to spend the time and effort to make it last. We've never really met (she visited my relatives who went to Greece in 1997) but we are both hoping (for me it's more like dreaming!) to see each other. Right now, I am content in knowing that, in the 11 years we've communicated, I found a wonderful and thoughtful friend in Angie.

You may be wondering what happened to the letter I sent to the 'other' Greek penfriend. Did she ever receive it? Did she reply? Did we become penfriends? There is only 1 answer to all these and it is: Yes. BUT...it didn't last. It ended in the year 1995.

Ritmo Caliente

I don't speak Spanish. I just wanted to share what Ritmo Caliente represents. It is the core group that danced salsa at Cafe Havana Malate monthly in 2004. Ritmo Caliente (translated as Hot Rhythm) is how we see salsa and it is also the reason we feel all the emotions that it evokes in us. Salsa dancing brings out the excitement, creativity and enjoyment we so want to share with others. It's just so infectious!

Latin music always had a place in my heart but not the way salsa has affected me--thanks to Sir Francis! He was our salsa trainor, making sure we not only perform but also learn and love the music as well. For it is only in internalizing salsa that we can truly give justice to its name. Just the first measure of the music is enough to make us let go and let our passions rule.

Presenting, the salsa club members led by Sir Francis: Jory, Freda, Gail, Giggle, Monchie and Vernie. These people worked their way to achieve a considerable amount of knowledge and skill in salsa dancing. No matter how hectic each one's schedule was, they always made the best effort to be there every session.

Basic steps, advanced steps, combinations and partnering are but a few of the things we learned in the few months that we got together bi-weekly. Not only did we learn and perform new steps but we also had a non-stop dancing session which we adapted for physical fitness, exercise, toning, slimming and stress-relief. Indeed, salsa dancing has served such purposes in our lives. It has encouraged us to live a healthy lifestyle, too. This is something that has had an impact in all of the group's members. In addition, it has brought unique and dynamic individuals together who bonded in a special way that extended outside of the salsa dancing scene.

Whenever we miss the dancing, we just turn up our salsa music (which moved me to write about this) and wish we could go back to those days. The sessions have currently stopped, yet there is no denying that the passion is still there and can be seen in each one's eyes. Only waiting for the right time-- the time to rekindle the fire. Now when will this be, salseros y salseras? Make it soon.

Braced For Beauty

I've just been to my dentist, Doc Pong, only to accompany my officemate Joyce who was scheduled today for upper and lower metal brackets installation. I remember the 1st day I got my braces and I was so excited then as I am now--for Joyce. As for myself, I tried to request for dental cleaning but Doc said I just had my 1st adjustment a week ago and I am not scheduled until after the Holy Week (28-Mar). It would have to wait until then. (Patience, patience...)

Afterwards we went to SM & Landmark to scout for affordable interdental brushes & picks, floss, and other dental hygiene stuff you can imagine. Joyce and I got these dual purpose picks which have rubber picks at one end and small conical brushes at the other end. In addition, I bought a tongue cleaner while Joyce purchased a dental floss.

I have always wanted to have braces because I'd like to see my teeth straightened so I could smile more confidently. Smiling doesn't require too much effort for me as it comes naturally. But smiling for a close-up pose is a different story. This was a long delayed plan, or let me say 'gift', for myself. Before I decided on it, I went through a lot of arguments with myself-- one side took me on a guilt trip due to the financial aspects of it and the other side kept convincing me I should reward myself too after years of working. Now you know which side won the battle.

Frankly speaking, I can't believe I became this meticulous about my teeth or dental hygiene. I wasn't so particular about it-- not until I got my braces early this year (finally!). Now I'm constantly looking for products that could help me keep my teeth/tongue clean and my gums healthy. It has become quite a fetish. Though I admit flossing is really tiresome not to mention challenging what with all the dental appliances in the way!

I guess I just have to put up with this for more than a year (for beauty's sake, girl!). They say that braces can also help you lose weight, or lose the extra fat around the midsection...(yahknowwhatimean). Though I have to see it for myself. So, braces anyone?

First Blog

Now that I'm striking my keyboard keys for this 'first blog' (a milestone, mind you), I don't really know what to say. (This does not really go well with the Blog title GigSpeaks...redeem yourself)

Let me just say that what inspired me to create my own blogspot here were the many blogspots I came across with while surfing the Internet, in addition to my friend & officemate Gail's own page. Gail shared a few of her posts with me and I had fun reading them. I find it both enlightening and fun reading other people's thoughts on certain things and events in their personal lives or even on life as a whole.

I used to call myself a 'frustrated' writer so I guess this blog changes things for me...So now I know why I couldn't get any words out earlier--I was just too excited to start this new 'change'...

Too excited that I already 'marketed' this page to some people even before I got this 'First Blog' published. Who knows, I might even inspire other people to create their own blogspot--and finally delete the term 'frustrated' and become 'the writer', just as I have. Just now.