Tag Archives: december

Dear Diary

Counting Down to Christmas

November has come and gone, and I thought I would never finish my novel. Well, I didn’t finish it, but I got to 50,000+ words and I promptly stopped writing. I never thought I’d get there. True, this year’s draft is probably the crappiest of them all, but I don’t care. Right now I’m content to having the unfinished draft of Song Bird residing in the deep recesses of my hard drive, never to see the light of day until I finally sit down and figure out what the story is really about. Because right now, I have no idea. :P

The novel I still want to finish is 2008’s and I must really, really sit down and finish that. :)

On another note, it’s December! December is my next favorite month after March, for obvious reasons. I love that Christmas is just around the corner, I love that December means cooler weather, and I love that December means the year is ending and we’ve got a new year coming. I’ve been feeling extra cheerful ever since yesterday, and I’m betting it’s the holiday season.

Of course, there’s another side of Christmas that I’ve been feeling a lonely chill to lately…but nah. I don’t want to think about that. :P

So Christmas! This means:

  • Christmas shopping – more people to give gifts to, and I’m glad the other people are so easy to give gifts to now. :P
  • Christmas stories – Wordplay will be revived!
  • Christmas readings – Did anything ever stop me from reading
  • Christmas eating – of course. I feel a bit guilty for being too lazy to go to the gym today, though (eep). Definitely not the best way to lose weight, folks. :P

Of course, Christmas means more than that, but allow me to be caught up in the festivities for now. :)

So I just thought I’d drop in and say hi. Now that NaNoWriMo is out of the way, it’s time to get busy with other things I have put on hold. I should start doing that now. So happy December everyone!

Dear Diary

Decembrrr

Winter_Wonderland_1_1024x768

I love this time of year. I mean, I love that December is now here, but I love it even more because of the cold, cold weather.

It’s not as cold as the picture up there, but it’s cold enough for me to shiver whenever I’m walking outside at night. And speaking of being outside at night, Eastwood is probably one of the prettiest places at night at this time of the year. Of course I have no picture, but I’ll get back to you on that.

I wish the weather would stay like this. Cool nights with just the right warmth in the morning/afternoon. No more typhoons or heavy rains or anything destructive.

How I wish. Can that be my Christmas wish now? I’d like that even more than rv towing or anything.

I know this kind of weather will last until February, so I’m going to make the most out of this. And, I pray the weather in Coron would stay this way too. :D

Dear Diary

December, December

christmastreeAh…December. How excited I am to see you.

Seriously. November has got to be one of the most difficult months I’ve had this year for some weird reason. I hate that NaNoWriMo was involved, but sadly, it was one of the things that kind of made me want to scream too.

I hate that I’m complaining, but I mean how was it, that my office laptop and ID would just break down one after the other? What’s up, world, why are you picking on me all at one time?

And I hate that I’m complaining about the little things that I’m complaining about are just small petty things — little inconveniences! Why am I complaining about this when I didn’t even complain (as much as I would have) about what happened to us in the flood? Is it the perspective thing?

I don’t know. But still, I’m really glad November is over. It really felt like the month had it in for me. Today I woke up feeling strangely optimistic. I got a pretty good workout done, my laptop is now working fine and I will get an ID replacement by tomorrow. And the weather is just perfect, too.

So maybe it’s just one of those months?

I’ll post about NaNoWriMo again after the TGIO party this Saturday. And if you could spare us some time, please, can you pray that we get the venue? I’m getting zero response from our contact and it’s already on Saturday and I’m panicking already and…

Breathe. Breathe. You’ll get the venue. If you don’t, you’ll find another one.

But Lord, please give us that venue. Please? :D

Yes, prayers. We need that.

I need prayers. I hate to admit that I haven’t been praying that much again. :( I hate that the flood got me praying almost all the time but when I have recovered (I think), I stopped again. I hate this inconsistency. I hate that I am too lazy to pray when I am not too lazy to go to the gym or do other things. I hate that I am afraid to hear what God has to say to me, because I’m afraid that I might not like it. Talk about being disconnected. What I hate the most is that I seem to be getting used to this kind of lifestyle, the one that isn’t rooted in prayer. :(

I can see how messed up my life has been in the past month, all of a sudden.

So December, I really am excited for you. Maybe this month I can take it slow (sort of) and focus on the things that are important. Like rebuilding my spiritual life and my prayer time. And spending time with family and friends. Going on vacation (Coron in two weeks! I need to shop — but no Dansko for now, I don’t think I can bring that to the beach!). And taking care of myself. And enjoying Christmas.

Maybe this month I’ll find a way to appreciate 2009. But that’s for another post.

ETA: Okay, I just realized that I don’t know why I added that Charlie Brown Christmas tree image. I guess I just want to have a picture in this post. Which reminds me — I resume designing next year. Wish me luck. :)

Dear Diary

Month's End

This time last year, I was busy with work and was trying to cope with my being on night shift. This time last year too, I was struggling to reach 50k for NaNoWriMo. This year, I’m on day shift, trying to cope with all the deliverables at work, and mellowing down from NaNoWriMo after reaching the finish line seven days early.

Right now I’m trying to think of the things to do in the last month of 2008 other than go Christmas shopping. Like:

  • Finish all due rakets (two!)
  • Upgrade my WordPress and create a new layout (musn’t forget this!)
  • Go to the dentist (I’m overdue)
  • Go shopping (I’m in need of clothes, seriously)
  • Clean my room (long overdue too)
  • Meet up with friends I haven’t seen for a long time

I know there’s more, but I just can’t think of them yet. I have a lot of things to do at work too, and December’s a short month (we’ll be off by the 24th, and will be back by January 2), so everything must be finished early. So. Many. Things.

Ah yes I’m stressing myself out again.

I was about to post something about NaNo’s end, but I’ll reserve that on the 30th. Now I’ll go back to my reading — nothing like good and comfortable home lighting to be in the mood for reading. :)

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Diary

Breathe Easy

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I had a very packed weekend, thank you very much. :) Packed, tiring but fun, so it’s probably a way to cap off my very tiring November and first week of December.

Friday night was supposed to be a day when I’ll be home early because I wanted to rest for a change, plus my brother would not pick me up because he has a date, and I have Aslan with me. Oh, and I had a headache too, because of all the laughing we did the day before for our boss’ video. I left the office at 8, thinking it should be easy for me to go home, right? Wrong. The line for the tricycle was sooooo long, it curved to the side of the street, and there were no tricycles! I went back to the office to call a cab, but then my teammate told me that it’s traffic everywhere…so I was stuck. I decided to just wait for my brother, so I ended up staying at the office until 11:00pm. Gah. Ate dinner with some teammates, teased a lot of people (heh), and spent the rest of the night chatting on YM with friends until my brother arrived.

My morning Doulos trip with the Godchicks was postponed, but I had to wake up early because it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Heard mass, went home and fell asleep again, missing the Leopard day with Happy, then headed off to the first ever Pinoy NaNoWriMo Thank God it’s Over party. :) It wasn’t much of a big party, as there were only nine who came, but it was fun hanging out with fellow NaNo-ers. Everyone went home with a prize and a really cool Pinoy NaNoWriMo pin designed by Roland and made by Kage (photos to follow). We had a lot of food care of Mira, and a Powerbooks session after. Since we’re all basically on a break until November, we’ll be starting a year-long writing project, which I will be hosting soon. :D Watch out for it.

Sunday was our account’s first team building. Long and tiring but fun day, and it was nice to be able to bond with other people in our account. :) I’ve never laughed so much in a day, and the entire thing reminded me of a YFC camp. Awww. Photos to follow once I get them from my teammates. :D

I’m finally…resting for this week. It’s not as hectic as the past weeks, so I’m taking advantage of the quietness of this week to do some things I should be doing:

  1. Do my Christmas shopping – self-explanatory :)
  2. Do my Christmas baking – Chocolate revel bars, ahoy! I’m also going to tr
  3. Make a new layout – this layout is almost six months old!
  4. Transfer my domain name and host (Hello Dreamhost). Refine Me is expiring by the end of the year, and after being hosted by Protagonist Webhosting for three years, it’s time for me to move to a bigger place, and try to manage my own virtual real estate. :) So hello, Dreamhost! Hello, new registrar (and possibly tinamats.com)! And ultimately, hello new domains and some business. :D I’ve got to get ready in backing up and transferring domains since this is my first time. Any tips?

And that’s the to-do for the next few weeks. For the next few days, I’ve got work, MV Doulos trip, shopping trips, payday, a Christmas party and birthday party coming up. Yeah, that‘s taking it easy. :P

Dear Diary, Randomnities

Brrr Months

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I was out today to buy clothes for tomorrow’s party. I used Sylvia to get me a Php 2000 worth outfit — black and silver bubble-skirt looking halter top (haha that’s all I can use to describe it), black leggings, underwear (hee) and black sandals. It’s supposed to be a Christmas party, but it’s Hollywood themed, so I guess this should do. No celebrities to copy, I just want to dress up for once. Hah. I know I’m probably going to get teased tomorrow by my oh-so-loving teammates, but I like what I bought. More spending tomorrow as I get a pedicure and my hair done (hot oiled and blow-dried or should I go for curls? But my hair is wavy already, I don’t want it to be frizzy). Cash or card? Cash. Maybe. Yes, I prepare too much for the party tomorrow, but it’s not a crime to actually get dressed right? :P Now if only I could motivate myself to exercise more…hmmm.

Has anyone noticed how cold it’s been lately? It started Tuesday this week, I think, when it was raining while I was on the way home. Now it’s not raining; it’s just cold. But I do like this cold weather since it would be easier to commute. Remember, it’s cold, not rain. I don’t like commuting when it’s raining…to think I used to love the rain. It’s not as cold as it is in the US, like in Las Vegas (does it even get cold there?), but it’s cold enough for a tropical country like the Philippines. Brrr.

The cold is a sure sign that Christmas is approaching…25 days to go! And yes, my Christmas spirit is here, especially after listening to all those Christmas songs they’re playing at the mall earlier. :) Yeah. I can’t wait for Simbang Gabi to start, and even to hear the carolers coming around (even if they sing the same song every single night). I can’t wait to start buying Christmas presents for people (and if you want to get me something too, here’s this year’s wishlist *wink wink nudge nudge*).

And then before we know it, this year’s ending and it’s 2008. And I’ll be turning 22. And I’ll be pressured more than ever to make that Sydney trip push through. Ah, I need to put all of these down on paper, yes?

I think I’ll go watch some Gossip Girl for a while. I will try to write a review of Enchanted ♥ by tomorrow if I have the time. :) This entry is so random, I like how it’s not laced with anything I worry about. :D

Have a nice Friday night everyone!

Dear Diary

So Ends Crazy November

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November has indeed been crazy, but let me just say: IT’S (ALMOST) OVER!

My posts for this blog has been considerably few for this month, and I blame it all on National Novel Writing Month. Writing a 50,000 word novel in a month is no joke, and this year it’s hard because I’m not so in love with my story as I used to the past years. Then again, my past three novels have self-insertions in it, and most of the other charaters are based on the people around me, so it’s easy to write. This year, there’s no self-insertion as the characters are based on mostly my imagination, not on other people I know (So teammates, no one is in the novel this year. Maybe next year?), though my friends and I made a cameo (Heh. That’s blatant self-insertion!).

NaNoWriMo 2007 winner!Oh yeah, I reached 50,121 words today, and once I saw my word count was enough, I stopped writing and I intend to bury that novel in Aslan until I can look at it again in the face. It’s not that I do not like my novel this year — I do. I just don’t like the way I wrote it. I feel like I lost my writing skills in the middle of the month, and you would not believe the amount of word padding I did in this novel just so I can get to my word count. Bah. Quantity over quality. I’ll get back to it when I feel like it. David and Marianne can wait (and oh yeah, I scrapped the entire Marianne recovering from drug rehab thing…it’s to heavy to write). Right now, let me rest and start making a dent on my long overdue reading list. Pride and Prejudice, here I come!

The next crazy thing that’s about to end together with this month is my first time as night shift for work. Hay, finally! Okay, I admit that I might have complained a bit about my being night shift but I did shut up in the middle of the month and managed being on night shift quite well. It was interesting to see so many people on our floor and to see how many things I can finish doing at night. I admit that I wrote a lot for NaNo during my shift, when I’m out of things to do. The only thing that made this month’s shift crazy is that we have this really demanding client, plus all our extracurricular activities that we all said yes to. O_o; Okay, it was a nice kind of busy, but it kept me too much on my toes that now, I just want to relax. And do the normal work we used to do.

Today’s my last day of night shift for this year (since tomorrow we’ll be on holiday), and come Monday, I am a happy morning person again. :) Yay. Will I go on night shift again or try mid-shift next time? It would depend on the need, actually. See, being on night shift has really nice financial perks. :> But let’s see how it goes. I’m not even sure when my next schedule is. :P

Hopefully the craziness with work especially this particular client would be over by today, just so it’s some kind of a clean slate by Monday. :)

So it’s almost December! My tentative list of things to do for December are:

  • Get that Dreamhost hosting plan and start transferring my files.
  • Change domain name registrars.
  • Make a new layout.
  • Start putting more effort on Mission: Sydney
  • Organize NaNoWriMo Thank God it’s Over (TGIO) meet up.
  • Christmas shopping!
  • Christmas parties (first one on Saturday for work)
  • Read, read, read!

And now I shall go to work. Later I shall post about something serious, and Enchanted ♥ ♥ ♥ . Keep safe, everyone. :)

Dear Diary

"You're standing on my neck."

1 Comment

DariaThank God for DSL, I am now enjoying watching Daria. For those who don’t know, Daria is a spin-off of Beavis and Butthead. I got to watch Daria once in MTV, and as much as I wanted to watch it religiously, I couldn’t because I didn’t know the schedule. Now I just finished downloading Daria season 1. Wohoo! I’ve been watching since Friday and I’ve been giggling like an idiot here in my room. I love, love, love this cartoon. :) Ah, Daria, you are so hilarious. :) And yes, I was told I looked like Daria when I am wearing my glasses back in freshmen year in high school. :D I’m biased. ;)

Anyway, my long weekend was…well, long. Friday caught us with being half afraid of the typhoon, but rain didn’t even appear that day. How fun. I spent the day at home, doing some random testing and watched videos/TV.

Saturday, I was out half the day for the East A Sectoral Christmas Musicale. Stressful day, stressful pre-performance, but everything turned out well. It was then I felt that I belonged in the group, that East A2C is where God wanted me to be. :)

Finally, today, I spent the day watching Joan of Arcadia and Daria, and then went to my cousin’s house to eat for our grand aunt’s birthday. Now in some way, that is the highlight of my weekend. Because of my NaNoWriMo 2006 novel, I’m sorta kinda thinking a lot about cousinhood, and how we would get along and how I could get closer to my cousins, ever since it hit me again how we all don’t seem to be cousins at all. In fairness today, I listened and talked to my cousins after eating, and although we didn’t share “moments”…it was good enough for now. I’m patient. Although I really wish we’d get to share some more stories or something.

I noticed some things too, like how they talked about not going to Mass anymore. Maybe it’s just me, being that going to Mass is already part of my Sunday, and if I don’t get to Mass, I feel like my day isn’t complete. The way they talked about not having been to mass for more than a year was…well, shocking. It’s not something to be proud of…but they sounded like it. :( Okay, Lord I can feel a prayer urge coming in.

This has got to be one of the most boring entries I’ve ever written. Hmm. I shall write my usual ones within this week, hopefully. Gimme time, gimme time! And I should make the new layout this weekend. This long weekend hasn’t been a waste, although I could have done so much more.

On other news, my bedroom is looking less like a storage room of stuff and becoming more of a bedroom. :) I still want a bookshelf.

It’s DECEMBER! Wohoo! 22 days till Christmas! :) Have a great week everyone. :D