lasting impression

Friend 1:
Been together for around 2yrs.
Lived together for less than a year in a foreign country
Planned to get married end of this year.
I was actually helping them in their wedding preparation.
Declaration: madami na kaming pinag-daanan. wala nang makakapaghiwalay sa min.

Friend 2:
Been together for almost 3yrs.
Been living together for more than a year.
Both ditched their gf's of so many years (4yrs +) to pursue this newfound love.
Declaration: can't imagine my life being more perfect

Friend 3:
Been together for 7yrs.
Braved their religious family's wrath to fight for their love
Went to the same school.
Worked in the same industry
Took the same post-grad course.
Declaration: up to infinity and beyond!


Friends 1, 2 and 3 are now single. The shocking announcements happened this year, around one month apart.

It's a time for mourning.

It shattered others' strongly held hope of an ever after the same manner my friends' hearts were pulverized into smithereens. It's like becoming a widow, severed from one's ideals. Friends 1, 2 and 3 are in dark anguish of the sudden, painful twist of fate.

I'm nearing 3 yrs with my gf. And I'm inwardly apprehensive of this seeming foreboding.
I, who have been cynically spitting to my friends that I don’t believe in happy endings. That I live my relationship one day at a time.

The truth is, theories aside, that's a scared womyn daring the universe to prove her wrong. But as fate may have it, these recent turn of events in my social circle is challenging me instead to prove my self wrong. The universe simply won't spoon-feed realizations to a lazy (pretending) theorist. :D It's part of the learning, the experiencing.

Doesn't anything last anymore?
Seeing friends who's been in years of togetherness kinda gives me that glimmer of hope.
Maybe something lasts after all.
Then they break-up.
And I'm emphatically broken as well, including that small spark inside me called hope.

I am in my longest relationship to date (2mos being the shortest).
Maybe this is for keeps.

There are numerous uncertainties in life.
If I consider them all, yeah, most probably, we won't last like the others.
But there is one certainty I know.

I love her.

Beyond fats and flabs,
wrinkles and white hairs,
financial unpredictability,
allergy attacks,
senility,
and all other imperfections.

If I get to know more that will put that love in question, then it's time to pray to the universe.
Until such time, I'll sweat it out to make us last for as long as I humanly can.

(s)wallow

If there is one thing I love doing, it's reading. Uhm, and writing too. And watching films. And photography. Okay so that makes it 4 things I love doing. :)

I just finished reading Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. Must read friends. :)

This is something you digest on an open mind. Chew with slowness so you get to absorb its meaning lest getting lost and lose interest in the process.

I never imagined Maria for a guy. He's actually an advocate for solitude. Beat that.
While the majority makes a crisis over being single, he prescribes it as medicine for the soul.

This is no chicken soup for the soul where you're given feel good stories . This is a strong medicine laced with bitter truth and potent insights. It's like the blue - red pill offered by Morpheus to Neo.
The choice is entirely yours.

I am giving it as a gift to a grieving friend. When you're broken (hearted, ego, whathaveyou), sometimes all it takes is a paradigm shift to knock some sense into a stubborn-jaded head. And yeah best taken with the universal panacea to anything broken, booze. It’s a bitter-sweet life.

i was

I think this cartoon is very funny and thought provoking.
Only apt, because it's rodin the thinking man right? :D

and it is with great irony that i tell you this.
the man who thought of this creative cartoon is now an "i was" :(

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Cartoonist Doug Marlette Dies at 57

-http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/remember/july-dec07/marlette_07-10.html

i'm itching to write something as witty for my O2.

sense of balance

life is never fair, even if you try to be one.
my phone of 2yrs, number of 6yrs got stolen  from my bag.
you'd think after living for many yrs in this metro jungle, that i've acquired the necessary street smart skills to survive manila.

i used to be a smart subscriber. but now i'm smarter, im globe! :D
time for some changes.
it's now a postpaid line.
i used to hate the monthly obligationn of paying bills.
i didnt like the idea of spending more than i'm able.
call me prudent :D
so having a postpaid plan gives me that temptation to go overboard and a monthly heart attack after i get my bill. hehe.
i haven't seen my bill yet w/c is due end of month.
and i am not monitoring my calls and sms.
so there. welcome to the free world. free now, pay later.

what i'd really like to say is i have a new mobile number : xxxx-xxxg2g.

so while it sucked big time that i've lost my most expensive possession (O2 mini) and my second most expensive (recent acquisition) all in the first half of the year,
i have to see the justice in it all to maintain my sanity.

true, i lost my first ever guess eye glasses with transition lens.
but my frequent headaches due to astigmatism has narrowed down to occasional right-half-head pain that can easily be cured by advil.

i may have lost my sim of 6yrs and pda of 2yrs, but i now have an uber cool number courtesy of globe ;)
plus, an ofcmate is selling his O2 mini (of 2yrs also), for 10k.
i can sell my 3g phone now and buy myself a pda. yahoo! :)
i thought i'd be buying a new phone december or when iphone is finally available in the third world. but patience has never been one of my virtues.

life is still sweet and just after all.

-----------------------------------------
License to Err

kadramahan

this is gonna be melodramatic so be warned!

i've been wandering. and i have been lost.
i got distracted by the seemingly important things in life like maintaining my office slave position (it's a rat race i tell you. you don't know how many aims for the slave stature), trying (and still failing) in becoming a responsible, independent adult (read: domesticated. as in house chores man!).

to successfully do that, i had to (or should i say, i chose to. that hurt! :( )give up some hobbies, like photography, writing and even reading books i like! (that are ofcourse nonwork-related). yeah, yeah. i practically sold my soul.

how do you buy back your soul?

can my hard-earned wage be enough?
**it's friday da sahod day today**

i settled for voyeurism.

but i realized there is no satisfaction much more happiness in that.

it's like watching but not really looking.

i've been too ashamed and yeah, complacent to go back and retrace my steps to you.

and so, it is with ache that i look at you now.
with distant familiarity. like i'm not worthy of your company.
that if i dare look you straight with my eyes, i'd see the piercing hatred and painful abandonment.
and that is why i have probably been avoiding to even scan on you.

it is with longing that i'd like to get to know you again.
to share my recent past, my pain and my soulless self.
i admit this is a cheap shot at making you understand why i left you.
but i pray that with that understanding will come forgiveness.

-- my open letter to firewomyn (my blog, my alter-ego) --


proof that i am trying to go back to my ways:
last pic i've taken:

Sales & Marketing 101

Sum-where? :(

Summer has officially ended.
Sigh.
It rained this afternoon. Hard.
Sigh again.
I've never liked rainy season.
It makes me feel lethargic.
It feels gloomy.
Unless I'm locked in a room with gf and we're watching tv/dvd, eating or cuddling.
Hay sarap :)

Lessons from G(r)ay Matters

We often don't end up w/ our first love. Sad.
But what matters is, we can have a second, a third, and a so on :) hehe.

Sometimes, a kiss is all it takes.
Of course, the body and face where the kiss is coming from matters too :)

Too often, we are the last to know that we are gay.
So never underestimate your friends' or family's gaydar.
Knowing is ok, acceptance from them, well, that's a different matter.

We can be friends to our dumped suitors.
This may seem weird, but it happens...
Once you get over the awkward feeling of guilt as the dumper, and the misery as the dumpee

Be careful of third wheels.
It messes up the signal and diffuses focus.
It also brings forth competition.
So call the third wheel reinforcement only if you don't like the girl.

A matter of fact: naive is cute. Appealing even. :)
Are you familiar with the new cow syndrome?
It says new cows or newly come out gays are the most attractive in the lot.
Something like a potent pheromone. So enjoy it while it lasts. :)

We Matter!

Finally! A mainstream g2g (girl to girl) flick that does not end in violence or tragedy.
*remember Monster? Boys Don't Cry?*

It's about a womyn who discovers one night that she is gay.
One drunken night (where she was sober and the other, above tipsy-below wasted state) in between good nights in bed, their lips ended up touching, then pressing, then probing, then … (this is turning me on. Wehehe).

After a mouthful, deep tongue kiss, the straight girl passes out. And the confused gay-to-be was left stunned at what just transpired.

The gay-in progress walking to and fro still in shock of what happened and more importantly what she felt. Twas yummy in a way that twists your tummy as if a ball of fire slowly builds up from down there going up to your chest. Whew! Whatta-gay-triggering kiss! :D

Gay life is full of drama and complications. I think it's ingrained in our genes. Never boring :)

Twas supposed to be a happy confusion, but only thing is, the girl who woke up the sleeping gay in her is her brother's fiancee.

At this point, I will stop, because I want you all to watch this blog-worthy film :)

In a few days, I'll post more thoughts about it as I don't want to put any spoiler
*in respect to the film I so currently love ;) *


http://www.graymattersmovie.com/

baguio tourism secret revealed!

i never thought it could be this cheap! :0

a fitting pasalubong to my g2g friends. hehe.

Love in transit

meron ako nakatabi sa mrt.
Astig na batang babae.
(i should omit 'batang', it makes me sound like a pedophile. ugh.)
Maganda, may gitara at may manipis na tirintas sa batok na nasa ilalim ng kanyang pony tail.
Kung anu-anong censored na ang naisip ko na ginagawa namen ü hehe.
Buti may dumating na mga taga-cubao, at napasiksik sya sa tabi ko. Hayy, kileg ü

ang tumabi sa kaliwa nya ay isang butch.
nakakatawa. kasi ang itsura namin, ako (femme), sya (na im sure object of our kamanyakan), butch (na umeepal pa, e ako na naunang katabi).

tinititigan ko reflection ng mukha nya sa katapat na window.
*shempre, para hindi naman garapal na manyak ang dating ko. ka-turnoff!*

Maamo na palaban. hmmm... may promise. :D
at ako naman, pademure na pasimpleng papansin.

Super text sya. as in every 5sec open ng cel at reply.
tantya ko, 10 words (in txt lingo) per second sya magtype.
super talented ng kanyang fingers.
totoo talaga, let your fingers do the talking and action!
wehehe. ayan na, kung anu-ano na naman naiisip ko. :D

I think kapuso/n sya.
kickass, pretty, rockin' girl like her, she can't be straight!
*okay, okay, heterophobic comment sya.*

Nasilip ko sa cel nya ang wallpaper nya.
Confirmed! Pic ng butch and pic nya e.
Angswerteng butch naman.
hay. *smitten*

G-ifts

I'm a very generous person.
I like giving to people.
I think I spend more on other people than on myself.
Specially true during Christmas.

Maybe it's the Santa Claus syndrome.
You want to make kids happy and the people you care for feel special.
These can be sweet little stuff that you can just throw up in the air, up for grabs to anyone who wants 'em. Read: meaningful, yet considerably or not pricey.

And then there's the Matrona syndrome.
This is lavishing someone with stuff s/he asks for or sometimes doesn’t ask from you but you think s/he needs or should have. The price oftentimes is incredulous and the only one who thinks it's ok is the matrona in the making.

Santa clause syndrome borders Matrona syndrome when the gift is unreasonable.
Yes my friends, relationships have a price tag.

Here's my relationship-price range:

a. Parents: 5-10k

b. Siblings: 1-2k (can go up as high as 4k depending on your closeness)

c. Jowa (meaning the feeling is mutual): 3-5k (if together for 2 yrs or more, can be as high as 6k)

d. Ex (na ikaw ang nagditch) - 500-1k (dahil may pinagsamahan naman kayo, but largely pampalubag loob for the heartache you gave him/her)

e. Ex (na ikaw ang iniwan for whatever reason) - 5-20 (pambili ng paputok para pasabugin nya mukha nya or pambili ng kape para tamaan naman sya ng kaba sa tuwing may lolokohin/iiwan sya)

f. Super friends (bestfriend level) - 1-2500k (ito yung kahit hindi kayo madalas magkita pero hindi nawawala ang depth of connection)

g. Frienditas (chika friends) - 400-600 (ito yung mga madalas mo makasama kasi madaling hatakin. In other words, mga kaladkarin)

h. Friendly friends (potential fling in the guise of friendship) - 300-500

i. Boss - 300-500 (dahil kailangang sumipsip paminsan-minsan)

j. Ofcmates - 100-200 (dahil kailangang may clout sa ofc kahit plastikan lang)


! Gulat factor: !
I got my first birthday greeting last night.
First kasi way ahead ang greeting nya.
Touched na sana ako, kaso the real deal is, she thought my bday was tomorrow! :D
Nonetheless.
I got my first birthday gift kanina.
First kasi malayo pa ang birthday ko!
Super touched ako kasi, she gave me what I wanted and more! :)

I got a bag-ful of tubaws,
a necklace na pinitas pa daw nya sa pusod ng dagat,
and the best of all that made me smile then laugh … a musical greeting card! --- priceless!!! ;)

ocular experience

Ang sakit ng kaliwang suso ko!
Yan ang gusto ko sabihin para magbiro.
Pero ang totoo, puso ko ang masakit.
Ang sakit sakit nya.
Parang pinipiga sa kamao at dumudugo sya.
Habang inuubos ang dugo nya. Sya ding agos ng luha ko.
Hindi ko mapigilan.
Kesyong nasa opisina ako at nasa sasakyan kanina.
Ang sakit sakit nya.
Pinasisikip nya ang dibdib ko.
Nahihirapan akong huminga.
Hindi ako kumain mula tanghali hanggang gabi.
Hindi dahil fasting ako kasi ash Wednesday.
Isa itong hunger strike.
Hmp.
Niyaya akong magsimba ni jowa kaso I don’t feel religious today.
Specially when I'm losing my faith.
Winarningan ko rin si jowa na I'll be a lousy companion today.
Kung sigurado syang gusto nya pa rin ako makita after nya magsimba.
At sigurado rin akong pinagdasal ako ni jowa para luminaw ang pag-iisip ko.
Hanggang dyan na lang ang pdeng luminaw.
Kasi ang mata ko, hangga't hindi napapalitan/naibabalik ang salamin kong (tangena!!!!) nawala, ndi na ito lilinaw pa.



Oh Fact!
a. 30 lang grado ng eye glasses ko, prescribed for astigmatism.

b. Guess ang tatak nya. Ang lens nya ay nag-iiba ng shade depende sa lighting condition. So shades/eye glasses sya.

c. Ang salamin na ito ay nakuha ko ng libre courtesy of office optical/medical benefit ko from last year.

d. 3rd choice ko lang sya sa mga nashortlist ko na eye glasses. Top choice ko ay oakley na black rimmed and isa na I can't remember the brand, pero violet rimmed sya. Both are priced at 12k++. Guess ang cheapest. Out of vengeance, I want as replacement, my second choice na violet-rimmed.

So bakit halos maglupasay ako sa pasay dahil sa pagkawala nito?
Meron kasi syang continental value.
Ito ang aking first ever eye glasses.
It took me and jowa 3days back and forth to the malls looking for the perfect eye glasses for me.
Halos tumaas na grado ng mata ko nun kakapili and kakasukat. Susme!
To undergo that same grueling process is something I'm not excited about.


Word of Mouth:

Astigmatism - meron ako nito. Hindi dahil astig ako. Kala ko noon astig ako. Pero nung nangyari 'tong trahedya na to sa buhay ko, isa pala akong marshmallow sa lembot.
Bakit kaya astig-matism tawag sa kanya? Hindi dahil astig ang meron nito. Pero astig sa tindi ang sakit na dulot nito! Masuka-suka ka na gusto mong mag-headbang sa nearest pader.

glass half empty

I am so stupid.
I lost my 2-month old eye glasses worth 9k.
I left it in the cab this morning, when I took it off to fix my hair and placed it on the seat.
It is so far the most expensive stuff I've lost.
I don’t know how to recover from this awful feeling.
Since I've worn that eye glasses, I haven't had headaches anymore.
I have astigmatism.
Now, I have to take advil everyday again.
I'm actually in tears.
And I thought I'm going to be lucky this year as what the chinese new year prophesized.
So much for luck.
It's been countless bad luck since january.
I hate myself.
I hate this life.

work out

i have finally liberated myself from office misery.
i have removed my backlog and sent 'em to my almighty boss, accepting whatever consequence may result.
and it's out there.
no more looking back, just living ahead.
the ball is in his court.

so far, nothing career changing effect has happened yet.
but if ever it does, i'll be okay.

my friend and gf have finally convinced me that it is normal and right to look for other opportunities even if you're still committed to your current work.
i have been battling with that decision for the longest time.
being part of management, i always thought that it is betrayal to seek greener pasture elsewhere when you're still connected with a current job.
that it is unethical.
and the only just way is to officially resign, leave the company, then (only then) hunt for the next job.

but as everyone i know pointed out, reality doesn't work that way.
you only leave once you have secured yourself with a new job.

is it just me or them?

i have staunchly tried to be firm about my beliefs.
but as i continue to be unhappy and restless, the prospect of a new beginning, a reset, is twisting my hard held notions on work ethics to bend with reality.

each day that i say my mantra, 'may mas okay pang iba', i get more convinced.

this ethical dilemma at work makes me wonder if the same applies in relationships.
i have always been the type who never gives up, until the other person gives up on me. i am this stubborn and dreamy and stupid a lot of times.

i always hoped that things will turn out ok in the end.
at least you can't blame me for not trying.
that's why when it ends, it truly is the end. no encore, no ellipsis.
it is with finality and no turning back.

thus, i can't apply the common rule that 'you must first have a fallback before leaving the present' in my relationships.
i'm into single-minded approach.
in other words, naka-helmet ako.

you can say, my values are the same when it comes to work and relationships.
i struggle and do my darn best to make things work, exhaust all options to save and stay.

and if after everything i still fail, i leave.
carrying no baggages, just memories and lessons learned.




parting shot: in organizing my messy life, i started with something doable and achievable. like my desk. my favorite school/ofc supplies, pens and pencils! :)
this is my first time to have a pen/cil holder. and i've ached between transparent plastic theme or aqua. color won over. so i'm planning to have aqua theme on my table :) in time for summer. hehe.

btw, in case you're interested, learned this in "how to simpify your life" by tiki kustenmacher.

para sa mga single

believe in love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance,
and have faith that in this love there is a strength
and a blessing so large that you can travel
as far as you wish without having to step out it.

-rainer maria rilke
letters to a young poet

law of love

Isa ako sa mga biniyayaan ng pag-ibig.
Punung puno ako ng pag-ibig.
Kung pde lang ito ipamahagi sa lahat ng babaeng nakilala ko, ginawa ko na.
Kaso contrary to the gospel, love is selfish.
It is territorial.
At dahil dyan, kahit gusto kong magshare ng aking puso, ndi pde.
Kasi may nagma-may-ari na nito.
Hay, napakaswerte nya!
Sana alam nya yun! :D
Never ko naisip na ako ay submissive type.
Pero sa aming dalawa, feeling ko sya ang batas.

case 1:
An hr before lunch
Gf: may lunch kme ng barkada ha.
Ako: (sa isip ko: !@#$%^&*!!!!) ok. *sabay tahimik na lang*
ang style, papaguilty. Kaso minsan, ndi umeepek. Waaapak!
Gf: naiinis ka ba?
Ako: hindi. Ok lang ako. *sabay haba ng ilong ko. Amplastik! Tangina.*
Gf: naiinis ka eh.
Ako: *natural!!! Pagpalit mo ba naman ako sa barkada mo eh. Amp!* ok nga lang sabi ko. *ngingiti ng pilit*
Verdict: sya ang batas

case 2:
Ako: maaga ako uuwi.
Gf: may gym ako e.
Ako: ok
Gf: maaantay mo ba ako?
Ako: try ko. Text text na lang
Gf: gusto mo ba antayin kita?
Ako: *ofcourse da corrs!* sana.
Gf: sige, ndi na ko magggym.
Ako: agahan mo na lang gym mo.
Gf: ung aero na gusto ko an hr after pa e.
Ako: magweights ka na lang muna
Gf: o sige na nga.
Verdict: ako ang batas. Hehe.

So sino ang batas sa min?
Pareho pala kme. Depende kung sino ang tinatamad maki-argue.
Sya kasi, ndi na nagtatanong.
Ako nagcoconsult pa.
Infairness naman, alam na nya kung ndi ako natutuwa sa sinabi nya. Pero tinatry pa rin nya just in case makalusot. Ako, may tendency na ipilit gusto ko.
Wala lang, minsan gusto mo lang mag-inarte at masunod minsan. Hehe.
I guess, love ang batas at kme ay law-love abiding citizens :)
So may justice pa rin in the law of love.
hay, ang korni ko.

my brutal truth

How do I begin when my career feels like ending?
Mistakes are hard to swallow, much more if other people points it out to me.
*goddamn pride*
With so many errors committed,
I don't know how to redeem myself.
"good to great" book says confront the brutal facts,
And have the optimism that things will still turn out ok.
Gulp!
I pray its gospel is true or applies to my predicament.
3 months from now will be m evaluation again.
I already know that it won't look good.
Just worrying abt it gives me nightmares and tension already.
I'm scared. Ashamed. And face flat on the floor down.
Sabi nila, when you're down, there's no way to go but up.
Sounds easy specially when you spit that quote to another person.
But when it's myself down there, I feel lost.
How can I move up when I feel paralyzed in this quagmire?
I'm trapped in a state of negativity which is causing my depression.
How I wish nagyoyosi ako or tumotoma, that way I can just smoke or drink away this suffering.
I'm scared. I'm ashamed. Down. And I need help..
I'm writing in my newly bought notebook.
It's a cheap shot for a restart.
I don't smoke nor drink (heavily).
But I write. Occasionally.
On moments of depression, desperation, inspiration.
2 out of 3.
That's why it has to be a new notebook. :)