Starting the New Year Right

I feel like I just blinked and its the start of 2014. Already?

But I’m not here to talk about how your Christmas went or if 2013 was brilliant or awful.

Resolutions? Nah. All I wanted was a longer vacation, longer time to watch TV or read books. I kind of clung to them like a raft. I was so lazy the whole vacation to think of what to do. Not an ounce of energy to even wrap gifts. I should be cooking and cleaning, but I was trolling Facebook and Candy Crush.

But that’s just 5% of the problem. If you think being lazy is the problem. You’re wrong.

It’s the cold, crisp, and chilly almost arctic feel in the morning.

Did you see the news on TV? the deep snow in US midwest?

Never mind the blizzard in New York. Mind the strawberries dying in Benguet. I thought I was seeing snow. Who says we don’t have them here?

So that’s what tied me to procrastinating.

Well. That and other thousand things.

Okay, so it is not really the weather alone. The other thousand things, if all summed up, is equivalent to well procrastinating.

Assuming that while some of you may not have a problem playing dead to the world, there are also some who think there are better ways of dealing with things like this.

So what to do?

First, put your laptop down. Get to real work people!

Hi! can i order a Big Mac, but without the cheese, lettuce, 

tomato, buns and patties and just get a pasta instead?"

Because you are a part of civilization. No matter what kind of job you have, do it. Even if you have to deal with a hundred of hot-heads, eccentric or just plain stupid people every single freaking day.

Second, deal with reality straightly.

"You're going to break with me anyway.
So yeah its the fat.."

If you have gained those ugly fats and bulges because of overindulgence this holiday, get out of bed. Take the huge blanket off of you and hit the gym. Stop self-pitying.

Third, take a new hobby. It’s always nice to discover new things.

They do this before the PIZZA

The Shaolin monks are always on the height of their physical and mental condition. That means on any given time of their day they can do a finger stand, perform complicated weapons maneuver and break your neck. So again put down that laptop. Okay?

And lastly, if you still have a lot of money from your ninangs and ninongs and spending it is starting to become such a burden, you could give, like, HALF of it to me. I won't complain. It's like charity. You'll all feel awesome.

I won't deny I actually hoped for her.
Net worth: 16.5 million

Therefore if you need tips on something, or advice, or you want to ask anything, e-mail me or leave it in the comments. I’ll probably help. We’ll see.

::

You say Goodbye, I say Hello!

After surviving a month of overindulgence of spaghetti and menudo, and massive amounts of bad cholesterol from lechong manok and lechong baboy, and overdose of sugar from fruit salad, graham cake and ice cream which is enough to make frosting for a small planet, and not to mention the empty calories and umay factor of MMFF movies (will anyone tell me when Enteng Kabisote and Shake Rattle and Roll will end?), today really is the beginning of a new world.

Apparently the Mayans are right in a sort of way.

And about this time everyone is also compelled to do their resolutions. They are tricky little bastards, aren’t they? Every year I make several resolutions, and by the end of January, they're usually forgotten, much like Jessica Sanchez after she came in second on American Idol.

Most years, I also find that somehow, no matter what I resolve to do, the opposite usually happens. Zumba? nakakain ba yun?

Since that's the case, I've finally smartened up a little and have decided to resolve to do the opposite of what I'd like to do. Without further ado, I am happy and excited to present to you: *Ahem*

1. Screwed at life. This includes, but is not limited to: forgetting to shower for days at a time, being incredibly rude to other living things especially flying insects, and continue to carry books inside my bag for the whole year without reading them. All because Angry Birds are so much fun compared to them.

2. Gain Twenty Pounds. Do I need to lose weight? Yes. Do I want to? Sure. Am I willing to stop eating Tortillos and brownies? No. So, I knew it was stupid to make a resolution that I wasn't going to stick with. In fact, I would love to have even bigger arms, and my thighs are FAR too thin for my liking! Let's fatten them up, shall we?

3. Take really crappy care of my house. Continue to not know how to do things such as sew buttons back on clothing, properly iron my clothes, and put off doing laundry until husband is out of clean underwear.

4. To be more vain.. Spend all of my money on my dry hair, cracked nails, and other material things such as shoes, bags, etc. etc.

Kidding aside, all the goals and objectives we set are good parameters to see how are we becoming as a person, wife, neighbor or in any roles in between. It is like a little target we can check if we hit or miss. And like a game, in case we lose, we can start over and over again. There is no rocket science to explaining life’s success or failures. It is our perseverance and strength of will to go on despite of our present circumstances that all matters.

So friends, what were your resolutions?

The Year That Was 2011

While others are busy making resolutions this time, well, I thought of why not do a Year In Review? And since this will be a start of a series for many a year to come, you can take it as a year-ender or something like the kind you see on TV. Only, there aren’t many highlights. Thanks to my husband who did not even attempt to take me anywhere.

I don't need to chronicle the events of 2011 in detail since most of the major ones are listed in the archives. You know, those little boxes with caption down below that says “You Might Also Like”. Instead I'm going to reflect a bit on how those events affected me.



I would like to believe that I am better with words, than with numbers. And so, reading and writing has always been a huge part of me. I remember getting addicted to comics when I was eight. And that’s when my parents taught that some good spanking would served me well. I likewise started young scribbling words to complete a story. And these unpublished stories are what my children look up to every night. They have now become the giants, and fairies, and princesses in my own fairy-tales.

Unfortunately, since I seemed to have a natural gift for writing pretty well, I took the skill for granted and never pushed myself to become better. I think this had to do with my most hated emotion and the one that I seem to be constantly battling: fear. I was afraid to find out that "pretty well" was the best that I could do. I was afraid that, while I might be a star in the Little League, that I could never compete in the Majors. I'd done too much stagnating for many years though, and it was time to either face the truth if I stop making excuses and write like I've always wanted to do. For whatever reason, I chose to blog as a means to figure out if my writing was totally skipabble, forgetabble, or not.

It was about this time last year that I took blogging a bit more serious. Although some of my posts can barely pass for school essays, and my stories weren’t funny and exciting like others, in any case they were honest and sincere. To fully appreciate what is it for me to bare myself open, you would have to know how impossible it is for me to talk about Missing Father and Senior Moment, let alone personal fears and insecurity in If I Have No Fear and Does She. My apology for babbling and emoting.

2011 also saw the dawn of my new vocation, well, this time in teaching. I was tasked to talk in the church every third Sunday and not a quitter, I hate averting challenges. So I faced it head on but there are days that my uncertainties storm my head like giant hails. It made me completely mental as told in Quo Vadis, but fortunately things turned out in ways that I could have never imagined. Sorry for not making sense here, I’ll probably discuss this in future posts.

What I'm getting to in a much longer route than I had anticipated was that this blog has made the difference for me this year. On a writing level, it helped me to maintain a better--though still not brilliant--writing schedule. It's also given me some confidence that my writing might not be completely crappy given the positive feedback that I've received about it. I am so grateful to entertain you people.

On a personal level, I am thankful for the friends I did not know a year ago. Andy of Jec and the Beans Talk and Dai Ling and just recently Sagittarian. And to people I have forever, my BFF, my support system, my friends for life, Margj of Between You and Me and Dio of Sense and Sensibility. Thanks for all your comments. They made me feel I am not blogging for myself alone. They, and all of you dear readers, are a blessing that I never, ever saw coming.

So here we are, one more trip around the sun, one of several billion before and several billion to come. I pray that everyone will have a blast in this 2012. If anything, this New Year is a reminder of the fact that somehow despite of the many mistakes we’ve had; we are really doing just fine.

A Better Year Ahead

Many people cram for their resolution. I, for one, am contemplating what to do this year. However, there are still boundaries that are yet to cross. By now, I already realized that I can’t be lower than 100 pounds not unless I suffer from eating disorder. I can’t shoot, swim, or run fast enough. I hate walking lengthy distance and don’t consider working out a happy experience. Diet? I can go as far as oat meal and cereal bars just don’t take dinner out from the schedule. So the idea of getting thin and on top form is probably reserved for next life, err, I mean next year. Others would suggest opening a business. Well why not if you have the time, money and inclination for it. As for me, I can only do it as a sideline but not really a source of living. Taking a vacation is also a good resolution. However, it should be at barest minimum, within the budget and with immediate family only.

But then, not all resolutions are difficult and stressful. You can actually make them simple. Here’s what I learned from Bo Sanchez in his recent blog:

Cut TV watching. Replaced it with reading books, playing with your children or listening to your spouse’s stories.

Be the kindest person you can be. Offer your seat and learn to put others’ needs before your own.

Listen to understand, not to reply. While it is liberating to express yourself; it is more healing to know that there are other people who are in a tougher position than you are.

Learn to save, invest and to tithe. This may not be the easiest times but saving a portion of your salary will help keep you afloat when in great financial difficulties. No matter how small. 10% or not, it’s between you and your God.

Keep dreaming. I once read that idle mind is a Satan’s workshop. So? go ahead. It will save you from catching Alzheimers.

Have a blessed year everyone!