I am not stressed out right now. You know I only get stressed out when there are things I need to pay for and I don’t know if I’ll have enough cash coming in. That’s when I get stressed out.

In the past, before I’ve temporarily quit the corporate world, I was always stressed out. Work, my boss, my cash flow. There were so many things to think about. My siblings going to school and their tuition fees and allowances. My mom was sick and her medical bills piling up. My dad without a job or a business to speak of. Me and my sister were the only ones earning and it wasn’t ever enough. Can you imagine how stressed out I was all that time?

I thank the Lord that stress is not that frequent in my life now. I hate it just as much as I hate problems.

It’s hard for me to stay focused because I have short attention span. When I am reading, for me to stay focused, I go to a corner and shut out the world by tuning everything and everyone out. When I am writing, I put on the headphones and listen to soothing music. Or to pop music if I want the adrenaline pumping in.

But to really focus on one thing for a length of time… it will be hard but doable. I just have to tune everything out and zoom in on the thing or person I need to focus on.

Describe a time when you learned a lesson the hard way.

I am a very trusting person. I always think that because we are now friends and are close to each other, you wouldn’t betray me or do something to hurt me. My sister kept on reminding me not to be too trusting when it comes to my co-workers. But I was too confident that I knew them and they treated me like their sister.

I was wrong, of course!

I learned that no matter how close you and your co-worker are, when it comes to promotions and other corporate prizes at stake, you are nothing! They’d kiss the ass of those who matter and will put you in a stake if it meant they will get a bigger chunk of the prize. I was back-stabbed and the staff I was protecting from being fired? She never really liked me at all! Imagine that!

Life could be hard. And it becomes harder if you are not wise and cautious.

What’s the farthest you’ve ever traveled from home?

I have never traveled as far as Cebu City. I know, it’s pathetic! My sister has been to Malaysia and I have never been out of the country. Sucks!

But then don’t worry about me. I plan to travel far and wide by the time my brother graduates from college. It’s my gift to myself for being able to send all my siblings to school. It would be the fulfillment of my dreams. To travel far and wide with the family and by my lonesome.

These two men are related. They work for the same company. Since they are related, they thought they’d share a room, you know, for them to help each other adjust to being away from their families. But you know what they say, right? Familiarity breeds contempt. Yes, even on persons who are related to each other!

They started getting annoyed with each other. Instead of becoming closer, they were drifting apart. The older man asked for a room of his own. He refused to talk to the younger one for weeks! They had a falling out that began over a cat. Imagine that!

But you know what? Time apart made them realized how immature they both acted, especially the older one. They have mended broken fences and are not as close as they were before they roomed together. Maybe closer than before!

I had two really great best best friends! They were the persons with whom I was able to share almost everything with. Even the embarrassing family issues. But we drifted apart because of a huge misunderstanding. It was one of the saddest days of my life…

Even before I met them, I already had a best friend. Let’s call him D. I met him in second year high school. He transferred from another school. We didn’t hit it off right away. But his easygoing ways lured me to become friends with him. We were best friends for almost two decades when money drew us apart. I should have known money would do bad things to a good friendship. It happened to us.

I got so angry with him! I thought he was my best friend! But then I should have been more attuned to the changes in him. He became an alcoholic. He hated his life, his wife becoming the breadwinner and him the housekeeper. It didn’t sit well with him that he was earning so little. He is still hiding from me. I told a common friend that I don’t need the money back anymore. It is his.

It just pains me when I am reminded of how it used to be. He’s my very own clown! He was always there just when I needed someone to cheer me up. He was my shoulder to cry on, the same way that I was his.

Hay.

I can still remember a lesson my Values Education teacher in high school taught us that day. It was about prioritizing our families over other things, over friends. It was supposed to be a good lesson that turned to a confusing one! What started as a lesson on quality time with families turned into a lesson that involved slippers. Yes, slippers!

Later on, we learned that the reason the slippers were included in the lesson was because my teacher threw a slipper to her husband. They had a huge fight that day and her anger was still simmering on the surface when she came to school. Since the lesson was about families, it was close to home so she let out her emotions on the topic and confused it with what happened to her.

When my classmates and I see each other, we still talk about that slippers lesson. It was a classic lesson from a teacher we loved poking fun at!

I can’t sleep without my ointments. Do you know Vicks Vaporub? I can’t sleep with applying a little of it on my temples. It somehow has this calming effect on me. My sister has the same nightly ritual, too. We bring with us our ointments wherever we go. We just can’t sleep well without it.

Do you have things you can’t live without as well? You know, ointments, oils or body rubs?

I lost this blog’s rank for some reason. I regularly update this blog so I can’t understand why. But don’t worry (I am telling this to myself!), I will get this blog’s rank back!

I promise that!

Happy weekend everyone!

Have you ever thought about starting your own business?

As a matter of fact, yes, I thought of starting my own business. It was during that time that I was in between jobs and I was so worried if I could still get a new one. I already mapped it out. I already had a marketing strategy. I already had the figures written down. All I needed that time was the capital and I would have been set to go and put up that business.

It’s a publishing business involving local books, if you care to know what the business I thought of.

Having coffee with someone can be a source of inspiration. I have a weird mind so you have to understand that mine works differently than most people. When I am talking to someone and sipping my coffee, one part of me is listening to my companion. The other part is busy listing down topics I can write later on.

Weird no?

That’s how my mind works. So whenever I am sipping coffee anywhere, expect the other half of my brain thinking of what I can write after.

Happy New Year everyone!

Stay safe and God bless. Don’t forget to say a little prayer of thanksgiving.

It’s weekend!

Happy weekend to each and every one of you!

What are your plans? Sleeping in? Going out? Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy it.

It’s amazing how a person can sacrifice so much for his/her family.

I know this person who sold his blood just so he can buy something for his family this Christmas. He’d go hungry just so his family will have more to eat. He’d sacrifice everything for his wife and two kids.

He’d sacrifice and give up so much for his love of his family which a lot of others can’t boast of.

I think I’ll try running by January. Let me enjoy the rest of the year sitting on my fat ass. And then come January, I swear I’ll work out like crazy! And run!

Run, baby, run!

I think that’s going to be my mantra by 2011. Run, baby, run! And lose weight NOW!

What do you think?

I have yet to shop for Christmas gifts for friends and love ones. Are you done yet?

I will do it this Sunday. I’m still completing my list. I’ve always told myself that the list should be complete before November but I always end up getting it done a day before I do my Christmas shopping. How bad am I?

Anyway, I’m almost done with my list. I hope I can finish shopping in a day.

I know at one point in time for the past several years now I ended up like this. Exhausted. I am reminded of those days I was working nonstop in the office for 24, 36 hours and when I get to go home, I didn’t know how I ended up on my bed. I was a walking zombie then.

Weird though that there are days when I miss it. Working nonstop. Working in the office and being exhausted but satisfied with the work you did.

You don’t follow everything other people tell you to do. Or follow others going out the door just because you felt like it and that you sympathize with them. That’s B.S.!

I still regret that day I walked out on the accounting firm I worked for just because almost every one’s walked out the door first. My parents were telling me to stay put and see it through. I still had so much to learn. It could propel me to bigger possibilities. But I followed the stupid people milling out of the company and see where it got me!

I encountered a slew of troubles left and right and I am just thankful that it has stopped.

Abundance is, in large part, an attitude.

- Sue Patton Thoele

I believe this. I believe that every little thing in this world is just a matter of attitude. Even if we have more than enough but we always think that it isn’t, then we’ll always be lacking of something. But when we put in mind that we can make do with whatever we have, minuscule as it is, then it is enough.

It’s a matter of putting into mind whatever we believe in.

This is by far the best representation of my laziness! Hahaha!

I love this poster! I think I’ll get this printed and will put this on my bedroom wall. Another testament to the fact that I love procrastinating more than hate it. See the thing is I do this, procrastinate and enjoy the moment cherishing life with my love ones. And then I cram! Bleh!

Hai. Procrastination, I hate and love you!