Tag Archives: 2010

Dear Diary

10.10.10

Of course I can’t let this day pass without blogging.

The past few days have been grueling for me, with lack of sleep, family errands and work stress all coming down on me all at the same time. I have never felt so tired, so giddy, so pissed and so stressed in one week, so much that I wanted to cry as Friday ends. I’ve been trying not to make it such a big deal and not stress over stuff, but sometimes you just can’t help but feel it.

Suffice to say that I’m sort of dreading tomorrow because I do not want to be stressed again. At least, not in the same level as I was last Friday. I mean, I’m all for taking responsibility, but don’t you hate it when you have to take responsibility for other things other people committed to do when you weren’t even involved in it in the first place? And you’re put into tremendous pressure because no one else can pick up the slack? UGH. Seriously, give me a break.

BUT. I must stop. No more stressing out.

I wanted to write something fun about 10.10.10..but honestly, I’m out. I’m sort of just waiting for this year to end, which kind of sucks because that’s not how it’s supposed to be. I should be enjoying 2010, I should be thankful because on the overall, it’s not such a bad year. I think I’m just resisting the changes coming, somewhat, or maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can really chew and I’m close to choking.

I really, really hope not.

Let’s see. What are the other stuff that’s coming up anyway?

  • Brother’s wedding
  • Adidas King of the Road
  • NaNoWriMo 2010
  • Runrio leg 3
  • Christmas

Why does it feel like I’m running out of time again?

I’m pretty sure I need to take a step back and figure out what else I can set to accomplish before this year ends. I’m sure I won’t meet all my goals anymore, but I sure want to say that I tried meeting some of them. I need to stop being chicken (about driving  — learning about car insurance quotes included — and getting checked up), to stop being lazy (writing, baking, getting to my ideal weight). I need to start doing something…I don’t know, worthwhile?

Yes, I’m having a growing up crisis today. Oh hormones, would this be you? Please be you.

I think one of the important things I’ve learned — or I’m starting to learn — lately is to stop sweating the small stuff. I musn’t stress over the things I can’t really control, or stress over the things that I shouldn’t really be stressing about. And I have a feeling I’m doing that now with this semi-growing-up crisis I’m having.

Focus. Focus. And prayer. I haven’t been praying for a while now. Must get back. There is no excuse for me not to pray. I’m not holding my end of the relationship well — I’m sorry, God.

Okay breathe. That’s it. It will be okay. By God’s grace, I’ll be okay, and I’ll snap out of this funk and I’ll be able to enjoy the good stress that my life brings and enjoy it at every moment, no matter what.

Dear Jesus, please be with me. I know I haven’t been the best daughter lately, I’m sorry. Please help me get back on track.

10.10.10 seems like a good place and time to start.

My Two Centavos

Pretty Purple Finger

I feel very Filipino today, can you guess why?

In case you’re living under a rock, today is election day for the Philippines. Today, we elect our leaders for the next six years. Today is also the day where we get to see the automation of the elections, which everyone has been talking/writing/discussing about for months and months now.

I finished voting about an hour ago. The entire voting process took about 5 minutes, but waiting took 3 hours. Here are some observations:

  • There seems to be more people voting today. I don’t have a point of comparison since it’s my first time to vote, but my mom who was with me, told me there were more people there. No complaining on the crowds here, because a huge crowd meant more votes, which means more people are getting involved.
  • Knowing your precinct and your cluster number before you line up is going to help. Seriously, it would help you a lot! I made sure I knew our precinct last night, and so when we asked around, it was easier to know. Don’t forget to ask for your sequence number when you check your cluster, so it’s easier to find you.
  • Bring something to get your mind off the waiting. Waiting for three hours isn’t easy. Good thing my mom’s friends were there and I had a book to read while waiting. This is the perfect time for you to make a dent in that book you’ve been planning to read or need to finish.
  • Patience! What’s three or so hours of waiting if it means 6 years of a better country? Smile as you wait, make friends with the people on the line. :) It’s hot, yes, and it may feel like you’re in a place with no furnace filters, but it’s just one day out of the year, for our country, it’s worth the sacrifice, right?
  • The PCOS machine looked…well, cool. It may be the geek in me that rejoiced when I saw the machine. But it was cool. One step to making things easier for us, I hope?
  • Be careful with shading. A note of warning: the ballots are kind of thin, and some of the marks you make on one side will be seen on the other side. It didn’t affect my ballot, but still, better be careful, right?
  • I couldn’t breathe until I see “Congratulations!” on the PCOS screen. One guy went out after he voted and said that there were no rejected ballots in our room so far. I didn’t want to be the first one, so I was extremely careful while shading. My hands get sweaty at the most inopportune times, so I was careful to put my hand on my hanky so it won’t leave marks on the ballot! So I put it in the machine and it felt like forever before the machine told me the ballot was accepted. Then I breathed normally. :P

I’m pretty lucky to be in a municipality that isn’t really hot in the elections. It was quiet, and it was actually nice to see some of our neighbors and old high school classmates out. :)

And also I guess people were expecting a faster voting process, but remember, what they only automated is the counting, not the actual voting! If this is successful (or somewhat successful, one can hope :p), maybe they should work on making searching the names and places faster? Like putting everything in a centralized database so it’s computerized and it’s faster to find your name and all. Of course, precincts in the far-flung provinces might not get to use that…but then, whoever gets to be the next president can hopefully do something about that, right?

Now all we can do is wait and watch and pray for the rest of the day and for the results.

It’s a pretty successful voting experience for me, and I hope it gets better for others. Truth be told, I almost didn’t want to go later because I felt lazy, but I’m glad I did. I’m glad that even if I was just one person out of millions of voters, I did my part. :) How about you? Will you do yours?

Dear Diary

Run, run, run!

February 21, 2010 marked the fulfillment of one of my declarations for 2010: I will run at least 5k in a marathon this year. Yep, I’m one of the 11,000+ people who joined the Century Tuna Superbods Run at Fort Bonifacio Global City.

I have to make it clear, though: 5k is not a marathon, so I should change that word. But it sounds cooler and more impressive…right? Then again, who’s impressing who?

But anyway. Last Sunday, some of my friends and I joined this humongous event, as seen in the photo above (that was actually after the run already). Originally, it was only me, Toni and Noel who was supposed to go there, but Gel joined in a few weeks later. I was kind of nervous about the race, especially the day before (when the four of us were also together to watch Rent) because I didn’t know what to expect. True, I’ve been practicing on the treadmill a lot, and once at the UP Oval, and I knew I could do 5k easily (or not so easily, but you know what I mean), but I still couldn’t help but feel the jitters. What if something happens, you know?

I shouldn’t have worried, really, because the race went by smoothly, at least for me. I didn’t have much expectations since it was my first race ever, plus I wasn’t really running to win or to beat a specific time — I was running to have some kind of record to break, eventually.

So there. It was a fun race, but there were so. many. racers. In 5k, specifically, which I heard were about 4,000 runners all in all? Wow. I was already on my way back when I saw some people still on their way at the half of the 5k route — man that’s a lot of runners. It was also kind of hard to really run because there were so many people around. It was kind of funny being at the start line at the gun start: everyone were just jogging up and down in their place until the person in front of them finally moved. Heh.

Sometime in the middle of the race, I started feeling some fatigue in my legs. That’s when I slowed down and just let people run by me. However, by the time I started running, the people in front of me were now walking, so hello elbows and cutting and all that!

I also wanted to have a “running finish”, but everyone in front of me were walking already so I walked too. I could have had a shorter time if I managed to run there…but I don’t mind.

All in all, I finished 5k in 43:50, according to the race results at the website. It’s not so bad, since I clocked around 39:27 at the treadmill when I tried 5k for the first time. At least I’m under 50 minutes, and I now have a personal record to beat. :D

And my overall ranking isn’t so shabby either: I’m #550 for the Female Division for 5k (out of 1711 runners) and #1729 for the overall 5k (out of 3706 runners). I’m still in the upper half, so it isn’t so bad. :)

Will I run again? Yes, I definitely will. I don’t know if I’ll really take this thing seriously, and invest in shoes and other stuff, but I will definitely join another race again. :) It’s fun, and it’s another way to exercise and be healthy (which reduces stress and hair loss), plus it’s a great experience. :D Who knows, I may be able to run 10k by the end of the year. :P I’m not closing any doors on that.

Oh and the best part about Sunday?

Wohoo!

Oh yeah. I’ll definitely run again. :P

Dear Diary, Entertaining Angels

First Quarter Pauper

Hi, I’m not so sick anymore. *cue cheers here* I even managed to get a work out today, hurray!

So today, while I was taking a shower, I was thinking of getting a new MacBook Pro. Why? Because…well, it’s comparably cheaper than it was a few years ago — heck, the 13″ in MacBook Pro is even cheaper now than when I bought my black MacBook back in 2007. So I was thinking of selling my MacBook and buying a new one (still naming it Aslan because I love that name) and…that’s it. Why? Well, just because. I know, I know, not so smart; it’s just a want, not a need.

But after much thinking, I realized that I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it this year. Okay, I may be able to afford it, but it’s just not prudent to do so this year (did I use the word correctly?). There are all these other expenses that I need to attend to first, like getting new clothes (yes, it’s a need now), paying off debts, sponsoring another child, trips with friends, and there’s my brother’s wedding this year too, where I promised to pay for the flowers. So…it’s really not wise to buy something that expensive when the one I have right now can serve me just as well as a new one can. Plus…okay, I don’t really need it anyway. I use it only for my stories other personal stuff, and I have Teo to use while I am at work — laptops provided by companies that provides IT Jobs are pretty powerful too, if you ask me.

I decided then to put it off one more year and just get it for myself on my 25th birthday in 2011 (gasp!), if I still feel like getting one. Things could change, you know.

Then I thought of what’s one thing we need at home? Aha! A PRINTER! The old printer we have at home is not really working anymore, plus I hate that when one of the cartridges runs out of ink the printer won’t print anymore — EPSON, why so? I don’t really do much printing at home, but my mom does, especially when my dad sends stuff. Plus it would be nice to print the right stuff correctly at home and not anywhere else, if you get what I mean.

Oh and I’d like to print my novel too, when I get it done. And put it in a binder and have an actual printed copy I can go through and edit after.

So how much are HP printers nowadays? I like HP because the draft setting of their printers doesn’t look like draft at all, but like normal print. I know, HP cartridges can be very expensive, but then their inks last a long time, right?

But you know what, that isn’t really the point of this post. Heh, got you there. I just felt like rambling.

After thinking of all those want-to-buys and fueling my gadget thirst this early in the year…I realized I need to focus on the immediate things first, which are the things I have decided to splurge on in the next two months. I have to stress the “splurge” because it’s not a need…or wait, it can be a need, since it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I mean…well, it’s hard to justify, but it really is a once in a lifetime thing and I don’t want to miss these.

First off:

BACKSTREET BOYS IN MANILA IN FEBRUARY 27.

Backstreet Boys

If you don’t know these guys, it means I’m getting old. Or you’re just young. But anyway, it’s Backstreet Boys! They’re the first band I really liked, Nick Carter was my first biggest celebrity crush, and I wrote stories about these guys. The last time they were here (still with Kevin), I missed the concert because I had a  YFC planning that night and I didn’t have the money. I can’t miss this now.

Of course, tickets are expensive:

  • Patron VIP (Reserved Seating) P4,760
  • Patron (Reserved Seating) P4,280
  • Lower Box (Reserved Seating) P3,810
  • Upper Box A (Reserved Seating) P2,860
  • Upper Box B P960
  • Gen. Admission P480

But it’s not like I need to see them up close. Okay, maybe I want to, but I’ve grown up from the last time I fangirled over them, and honestly, Upper B is okay, just like when I watched Lifehouse in Manila two years ago.

Fine, laugh all you want. It’s the Backstreet Boys, and 90’s music is not the same without them!

I justified this expense for myself by the way: it’s my post-Valentine’s Day gift for myself. Yay. Grace, Jana, lessgooooow!

And next.

PARAMORE IN MANILA ON MARCH 9.

Look how cute they are here There is no way I can miss this one. How many times have I just listened to Paramore songs all day? When I work out? When I’m feeling angry? When I’m feeling emo and melancholic? Sometimes when I’m even cheerful? Heck, I was listening to Paramore’s Brand New Eyes when we were cleaning the house after Ondoy!

So there is really no way that I’m missing Paramore’s first concert in Manila. I’m even willing to splurge more for this. Look at these ticket prices:

  • GOLD: Php 3,950.00
  • SILVER: Php 1,550.00
  • BRONZE: Php550.00

I’ve been to MOA’s concert grounds during the Katy Perry/Mae concert, and it’s free standing, so to get the really best place there, you really have to be early. Even early enough to hear their sound check, right Happs? ;) There’s no way I’m settling for less with this concert — Gold all the way! :)

Oh, and there are VIP tickets available for this concert…but I don’t think it’s worth it for the price.

Two other things about this concert: (1) it’s on a Tuesday night and (2) How many Twilight fans do you think will watch this concert all because of Decode?

Hm.

Oh and justification for this concert? My early birthday gift to myself. :)

So see, the first quarter of 2010 is kind of making me a pauper already, just thinking about it. Not to mention there’s the Century Tuna Run on February, Avenue Q on March…and what else? Ah see. I think I’m going to start bringing lunches to work, and stop riding cabs. And stop impulse buying on books when I don’t really need them (yeah right).

Sigh. I’m happy though, because it means I can afford these things and it means I’m being provided for, and it means I’m blessed enough to be single (yes!) and have the finances to pay for these things…and enjoy life. Jehovah-jireh, right?

You know what, I should get back to work. :P

Dear Diary

First Week of 2010

It’s been a while since I last posted. I am supposed to be translating some reflections right now, but instead, I’ve been setting up a new blog for the past few hours. Yes, this is me procrastinating. I kind of hate it, but I couldn’t stop it.

So before I go and start translating (yes, I’ll cram it in a bit), let’s see what happened in the past days of 2010.

Wakes and Birthdays.
The first weekend of 2010 had me going to two events that celebrate life: a wake and a birthday party. My teammate’s mom passed away a day before 2010, and it was really a sad thing. I can’t find the words to describe the pain, possibly because I don’t know the pain of losing someone close to me. And I pray that I don’t get to experience it anytime soon. :( The wake taught me, once again, to treasure the people around me, especially the ones I love.

The next day, I went to a surprise birthday party for a friend that we organized. It was a fun, fun, fun party, because the surprise was (almost) complete and we had a grand time screaming like it was the fans day that it was. :) Oh, and my friends and I fell in love with Grimace — look how cute he/she/it is when he/she/it sat down like a purple…well, poop? :)

Grimace! :)
Grimace! :)

After that party, it seemed like everyone will be getting surprise parties this year. Hm, interesting. Would this be the year I’ll get my own surprise? Who knows? Let’s see. :)

Work, work, work
It’s back to work, too, and good thing we don’t have too much work this week, yet. It’s proving to be a very challenging year, though, but it’s going to be fun. :)

Bad moods galore
I experienced the worst kind of mood swing last Tuesday, and until now I still feel ashamed of it. I snapped at a ton of people then, and I didn’t feel like talking to anyone at all. :( I figure it was just hormones, plus lack of sleep…and probably some other stuff, and every girl gets into a mood swing every now and then. I hope it doesn’t happen again, though.

Holiday fats begone!
I was serious in workout again this week because of everything I gained last Christmas. I wasn’t sure if my results were good for the week because I didn’t get to lift weights as much. So I was ready for less than stellar results for last Thursday, but surprise surprise: I lost all my holiday fats. :D My muscle mass went up, so there’s no change in the overall weight, but still! FATS ARE GONE! Wohoo~

Thesismates Reunion

This was us 4 years ago
This was us 4 years ago

Met up with my thesismates last Thursday before Ramie left. It was also the first time I went to Trinoma too — cue loser music here! :P Trinoma was an okay mall, I didn’t get to explore it yet, but I’m sure there are no outdoor fireplaces there. I don’t see the need, anyway.

Spent Thursday night eating and chatting with the three important guys in my school life. :) It was nice to talk to them and catch up and realize that, well, other than being thesismates, we are good friends. It didn’t feel like we haven’t seen each other for more than a year — and I guess that’s real friendship there.

Next big event for us (and for other blockmates, I guess) is *drumroll* Ramie’s wedding! It’s not until the end of this year, but I’m sure it’s going to be one big highlight of the year. :)

RPM, Baby
Earlier today was my second time to do RPM class — cycling class for those who aren’t familiar with the class — and even if I felt like fainting in the middle of the class, I managed to stand up at all parts of the class that needed standing. What a work out. I plan to master that class. :P

One More Page
After much thinking and realizing how much book posts are eating up my space here at my personal blog…I finally decided to set up my own book blog: One More Page. I’ve had a couple of posts inside already, so why not drop by and visit? :)

This blog would mean that there would be less book related posts here…which means I should get posting more…er, personal posts here.

That’s my first week of 2010 so far. I really should start working on my translations already…so I shall end my post here. How has your week been so far?

Big, Fun and Scary Things, Dear Diary

2010 Declarations

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Ugh, I can’t find the Bible verse about this post just as when I need it. I know there’s got to be one about declarations in the Bible, but I can’t remember it. This is why I should read my Bible more often.

BUT ANYWAY. Hello, this is my fourth post for January 1, 2010, and I’m not quite tired yet. Which is just good because I still have another blog post and two articles to write. *sigh* No rest, no rest.

No, I’m not complaining.

So I’ve been pouring out “Yay, it’s 2010” posts in this blog just because I can, and this is the fourth one. I never had the time to do this a few weeks back because I was busy with work, workout and going out with friends, which just proved that I somehow have a life somewhere out there. Today I’ve holed myself inside the house, and it’s kind of nice to be back to this kind of routine, even just for today. That, and going out means the lingering firecracker smoke will trigger all my allergies and make me sick and I don’t want that for 2010.

But, I digress.

It’s time now to write down my 2010 goals, which I will call my 2010 Declarations. Why the name? A couple of days ago, some friends and I were chatting and we were talking about — haha don’t laugh — guys and dating. A friend said something about the topic and I agreed, and then she said, “Yes, let’s declare it.”

I have never read The Secret or anything that is related to the topic of focusing on your goals/dreams to make them come true, but I do believe in accountability and that the first step in making your dreams become reality is to write them down to where you could see it everyday. I also learned just recently that being specific and positive about your goals helps a lot too…so this year, I’m making my 2010 goals into specific, positive declarations in hopes of being able to achieve them this year. :)

So let’s start!

Continue reading 2010 Declarations →

In His Steps

2010 Prayer

Hello Lord,

It’s the first day of 2010, and I know I should be writing this down in my journal in the privacy of my own room, not on my blog and in front of the TV. In fact, I should have been doing this earlier, and not now, but because I chose to play a game in my iPod touch and not do this.

I’m sorry. :(

It’s been a while since I last talked to You like this, and to be honest, I am not used to it yet. It feels kind of awkward, because it’s been ages since I last prayed a personal prayer, and when I am okay. I only found myself praying when I’m feeling troubled or if things aren’t as fine and dandy as I want things to be. I have a feeling that it could have been a better year if I have learned to keep on praying despite the things that happened, if I had prayed before I did anything. But I didn’t. And now I feel like I don’t have to right to approach You.

But I’ve got to try.

I’ve waited for 2009 to end for a long time, and now that it has and 2010 is here, I really, really want to make this year better. I really, really want to make this year different, to make this year count more than 2009 did. And I know I can’t do that without You.

Thank You for this new year, Lord. Thank You, for giving me another chance, giving me this new year to have a fresh start. Thank You, Lord for 2009, even if I kept on complaining about it before. Thank You for the year that was, because of it, it has made me stronger and I guess, wiser. Thank You for sticking with me even if I didn’t. Thank You for just loving me even if I do not deserve that love at all.

Father, please be with me in 2010. I know You know that I miss my life in college terribly, because it was the time I felt most connected with You. But it’s already gone and I don’t know if I will be able to get back to the same level anymore…but that doesn’t mean You’ve changed. If I should take in any comfort this year, it’s that You never change, and You’re always there.

Continue reading 2010 Prayer →

Greetings

Hello, 2010

Goodbye, 2009! You’ve been difficult, and honestly, you wouldn’t be missed.

Hello, 2010! I feel like posting this, because I totally agree with what this says:

Yes, it will be awesome
Yes, it will be awesome :)

I’m terribly sleepy from the sugar rush earlier, but I’m still awake because I have to do some work! Eeep. :P It’s okay, but I hope it’s not a sign of a lot of work to come!

More posts on the new year (namely my goals for 2010 and a review of my 2009 goals) when I wake up later. For now I’ve got to finish this last pieces of work, and then go to bed since we still have to go to mass tomorrow.  Plus I might be organizing what’s left of my bedroom/storage room when I get home (what I can organize in it, since there’s pretty much..nothing there save for my books), but that’s got to more interesting than reading about life insurance rates.

…AAAAND I’m rambling again.

Anyway. 2010 will be awesome. :) Let the awesomeness begin!

Dear Diary

2009 In Review

Whew, finally.

It’s just like 2009 that I would have a minor argument with my mom last night. And I’m all, Please, give me a break. And then I heard of my teammate’s mom passing away and it’s just…sad. Quit it, 2009.

Maybe it’s silly of me to be blaming it all in the year. A couple of days ago, when I was feeling feverish at work, I kept on muttering, “I hate 2009. I hate 2009.” My teammate asked me why, and I told him a lot of bad things happened in the year, primarily Ondoy. He asked me to name more reasons why 2009 sucked and as I tried to remember my other reasons, I realized that they’re all small things that just happened to converge at the latter part of the year, which made 2009 seem unbearable. I was trying to recall the good things in the year, and even if I still have a hard time remembering anything else that happened before the flood, I know there are a lot of good things in this year despite all the bad things. So now let’s try to remember that.

JANUARY