For the second year in a row, my sister is going to the States for a business training. I am envious. Because I never had that kind of opportunity where I work. Past tense because I don’t think there ever will be at this point. I’m convinced that I have to do it on my own if I really want to travel and purchase something like Orlando vacation packages for myself. All in the right time, I guess. I’m going to have to be content with my pasalubongs for now.

Tomorrow will be the first birthday celebration of my friend’s daughter. It’s a pretty exciting event, of course for the family but also for everyone of us who have been there with the parents even before they were married. It also reminds me of how fast time passes. I don’t want to say that it passes me by, because that sounds bitter if not downright  pathetic. It’s just that these little people who are growing up before your eyes, even or especially if they are not your own, make you see how the world is changing, with or without you doing the same. I’m getting melodramatic. I’ll just enjoy the party, is what I should do. I think this Baby jogger city select thing is worth a look. I don’t have my gift yet.

It seems cliche now.  To say that you have to try and do something to challenge yourself once in a while. To try to tip the scales your way sometimes. Or is it?

I was reading this book my sister brought home – it’s about how to gain power. Looking at the table of contents, I immediately realized that the book is probably the real deal. If you follow what it’s saying, I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll gain power over some or a lot of people. The problem is, it is also a sure way to gain haters and enemies. I guess that’s the problem with power. Especially if you’d like to have the my-own-office, title-on-the-door type. I’m not saying it’s better to be powerless. Maybe I just want to have a few things my way from time to time.

When the storm Basyang (Conson) hit Manila a couple of days ago, I was at the office, trying my best to finish my work so I can go home before the conditions worsen. Alas, I was not able to. I was there when the howling winds started to bring fear into my and all the other people’s consciousness. I decided to stay the night, and continue working, as it seems that it’s the safer alternative than to brave the rains and the nasty winds. That could have been disastrous. Good thing that for the past few months, I had been taking my vitamins quite religiously. I’m not a fan of no sleep, but when the situation calls for it … then I have no choice.

Together with a few colleagues who got “stranded,” we decided to go home when everything’s peaceful, which is actually far into the next morning. Looking at the fallen trees, the fallen billboards, and the pieces of glass and metals on the streets as we made our way home, we knew we made the right decision to hide from Basyang in the confines of our workplace.

Is it a sign of a problem that I’m enjoying having too much stuff to attend to? Nah, don’t answer that. Seriously, don’t.

My relatives call me a workaholic because I rarely attend family gatherings and other non-major occasions. I wasn’t, but acquiescence is so much easier than the truth, which is that I’m mostly just too lazy to make the trip. This time, though, they may be right. I am busier than ever, and I’m actually having the time of my life. With work and some Internet stuff, plus a few badminton tournaments in the near future, the coming months are going to be uber hectic for me, I might soon be looking for eye creams and reading acne treatment reviews. I’m going to need a lot of coffee.

My sister’s husband is selling his car, and I really, really want to have it. But all things considered, I don’t think this is the right time for me, so I’m definitely passing up this opportunity. Definitely. I couldn’t hear it said enough through my conversations with my sister lately. We’ve decided that there are a lot of other things that will be better prioritized than thinking about buying a relatively new, automatic car. I don’t even need to think about Mercury insurance reviews for now; just a cab drive through SkyWay and other steep, narrow, and curvy overpass is enough to dissuade me to think about driving. I’ll remain a daily commuter. For now.

It’s summer! Time to give up your Hudson jeans for beach wear.

Truth is, I was so laughing at myself when I realized that I even forgot that it’s already April and it’s the time when students are vacationing, families (and friends) are going to the beach, and everyone’s just excited to take it easy and get some relaxation time. I’m thinking of joining the lot. I just hope I get to do it before the summer ends, because so far I’m still swamped. Or maybe it’ll be fine to let the majority have their fun and then schedule some trips when it’s no longer the peak season. That is, with the hope that typhoons would not get in the way by then.

Everyone knows how it feels like to worry too much. I don’t think it’s a case of some people obsessing over things worse than others, but more about people obsessing over things period. We just obsess over different things, but it’s human nature I guess. Well, I’ve been writing about trying to keep healthy and thinking about finding the best fat burning supplement, but until I actually felt something off with my body, I haven’t really been trying for that a lot. These past couple of weeks, I’ve had a “condition” that maybe started as mildly worrisome and escalated into something that made me stay for three hours inside a hospital emergency room. I almost got admitted, too. So far, the current diagnosis is… wait for it… stress. Stressing yourself about something you have no handle on and you can most probably eventually resolve if you just take the right steps and be patient with it is never good. But we always do it, don’t we?

I don’t do well in competitions. I guess you can say I don’t have that killer instinct that winners got. I don’t wanna call it having a weak heart but it would be too self-righteous, rather insecure, and possibly not 100% accurate  for me to say that part of it is because I don’t enjoy seeing other people get upset and disappointed when they lose. I am just not competitive by nature.

Which is why it’s ironic that I keep on joining badminton tournaments. Just today, I almost got eliminated from an intercompany badminton tryout because of my passive style of play. But a single point from elimination, I somehow managed to get my stuff together. I was pretty pleased with myself because I felt, for the first time, that I really had to do the mental thing to earn my place. I wanted to hug the fitness equipment around right after that.

Funny thing about Facebook, you realize that you really can’t remember everyone you meet in your life. I keep on seeing familiar names and familiar faces and sometimes I cannot match them. It’s particularly embarrassing when somebody sends you a message talking about stuff that you’re supposed to know but then you realize it has left you. Time passing, what can I say. I used to feel so guilty, but thinking about it too much would just give me reason to make use of the best wrinkle cream. So I’m giving myself a pass. But I need to remember better, too.