s-l-e-e-p

Why is it I start posting whenever I feel so damn sleepy? It either turns out to be a crappy post or a whiny one.

I realized I had forgotten to greet some people during the holidays and felt bad about it so I decided to write them today (well, it isn't completely over isn't it?) I'm trying to improve my keeping-in-touch skills. Jerry does it so well. He still keeps in touch with people he knew back when he was a boy and he regularly calls people he knows from Europe and Africa and just everywhere. He's amazing isn't he? I love my friends so much but I have to admit I'm bad at regular phone calls and e-mails. Since I don't want to grow old and look back and tell myself I should've made more calls and written more letters, I'm going to do my best to let the people who are important to me know I think about them.

Darn it, my week off is almost over. One more day and I'm back at work. Doesn't it sometimes seem like weekdays take forever but when you're on vacation time flies? Arrgghhh! But like my mom said, atleast we had a week off... a week off is better than nothing.

Jerry and I saw A Night At The Museum and Rocky the other night. Both movies were good and we didn't even have to pay because I had free movie passes for 2. We were lucky because A Night At The Museum was showing on IMAX and it was the first time for me. We were already sitting at the back and the screen still looked so huge it made it hard for me to focus. I was impressed (I'm easily fascinated anyway). I think I'm going to buy the DVD for A Night At The Museum when it comes out. It's the kid in me that wants to buy it. Note to self: buy DVD for The Emperor's New Groove! Man, I keep forgetting.

I think I need to get some s-l-e-e-p.

at work in the middle of the holiday season

I can’t believe Christmas is already over. Everything just goes by in such a blur. I always feel sad right after Christmas… it just seems like such a long time until the next one!

So here I am, sitting at my desk at work doing nothing (except for this, checking e-mails, and Friendster). I still can’t believe I have to work today…it just ruins the holiday mood.

I am so sleepy right now

I honestly feel like crawling under my desk to take a nap.I shouldn’t even be here since I don’t have anything to do.

The party at the Jacobs’ was fun! Too bad Jerry had to go home a bit earlier than me to catch the train home. It was the first time I played Taboo and I loved it so much that now I’m thinking of getting it for myself. I looovvveee playing boardgames! Jerry seems to love them too. In fact, we recently bought Monopoly and we’ve been playing it for several days now. It’s been such a long time since I last played Monopoly and it brings back fun memories from my childhood.

I’m dying to get paid. I’m so broke right now and I need to do a bit of shopping. I should feel bad about being broke and all but I don’t because it felt good to spend for other people.

I saw the preview for a scary movie that’s about to come out (sorry, I can’t remember the title). I knew I should’ve looked away as soon as the preview came on but my curiousity got the better of me and I ended up watching the whole thing which only lasted a few seconds but enough to give me the creeps. I woke up this morning and it was still dark and I was the only one up and I started thinking about that damn preview and successfully managed to scare myself. Good thing Jerry called and I asked him if it was ok if he stayed on the line until I finished getting ready for work. Silly, I know, but I feel better that way. This is why I hate watching scary movies.

just words

I feel so tired! The funny thing is, instead of getting some much needed rest, here I am writing. I don't even have anything in mind that I particularly wanted to discuss. I just felt like it.

Jerry's been working a lot lately. I feel bad for him because he's been exhausted these past week and he spends half his lunch time eating and half napping. Sometimes I have to remind him to eat! I won't be surprised if he starts losing weight.

I'm almost off on Christmas break! Yey!

I wonder what other people are doing at this exact same moment.

I missed Grey's Anatomy today. I can't believe I completely forgot about it! I figured I can always check YouTube or some website...hopefully they have it and I can just watch it off the internet. I was thinking of buying the Grey's Anatomy dvds but I haven't decided yet whether I should really spend money on it. The only TV series dvds that I've bought are those of Meteor Garden and Endless Love Story (hahaha! I know, I'm so cheesy!) but I loved watching them so much that I felt compelled to buy them.

I'm so glad the weather's been nice to us lately. It's amazing that the temperature is still above 0 degrees at this time of the year when it should be well below 0. I know I should be concerned about the environment and global warming and I am....but I'm still glad I don't have to stand outside in the immense cold.

Ah...Paper Bags!

I have this weird habit of keeping paper bags. I don't know why but I feel like it's such a waste of paper if I throw it away so I keep every single one of them thinking that I will use them someday. They also look so beautiful most of the time so I feel the need to keep them all the more.

Jerry of course tells me its useless and that they're meant to be thrown the moment I take stuff out of them. Maybe they are... but I'll keep them anyway.

Why am I even talking about paper bags? Because I was looking around my room last night and just realized I've got tons of them! I think I went overboard with the paper bag keeping.

Today

Christmas is just around the corner! How fast is that?! It seems yesterday I was telling myself Christmas is still a few weeks away and then everything went by in such a blur! Jerry and I have found ourselves scrambling for some last minute Christmas shopping.

Today I checked my e-mail and was surprised to find 2 e-mails from one of my professors from college. Both e-mails were e-cards he sent me and I felt bad for not checking my yahoo e-mail more often. I could've replied sooner. It's funny because I am closer to him now than I was back then during college. Although we don't write often, we try our best to keep each other posted.

I thought this week would be fairly easy at work since it's getting closer to the holidays but I was wrong. I've been swamped since the beginning of the week and I feel so tired at the end of the day that I always fall asleep on the train home. I haven't been listening to my iPod on the train because lately I've had several occasions where I almost missed my stop. I would fall asleep and because I had music on, I couldn't hear the driver announce the stops. So, I thought maybe if I don't listen to music, it would lessen the probability of me missing me stop. LOL...

I've been looking at e-cards and found some really cute ones. I almost feel like adding an e-card to my page as a widget. It would look silly though and I don't even know how to add it yet. I would surely miss the Christmas decorations I've added to this page.

Since Christmas is fast approaching, I decided to give myself a treat my getting my nails done. It's not often I would get them done but today I felt like it and so I went. I don't know why but it sure took forever for it to dry and when I tried to wear my coat, I accidentally caught a nail and let's just say one of my nails are a bit ruined. So much for getting my nails done and ruining it right before I even leave the place. Such is the life of a Ms. Anna Karina.

I was thinking of buying a new phone but it's a bit impractical right now so I've decided to wait on it until I have some spare cash. My phone still works anyway and although it's not the best phone out there, it still does what I need it to do.

I got home today and JR went in my room to tell me Miguel ate the chips I bought for work. Instead of being angry, I found myself laughing. You see, I already expected it to happen. So the way the story goes is that Miguel was looking for a snack and JR told him to grab food from the kitchen. Miguel then sees the bag of potato chips I bought specifically to bring to work for our 'thing' on Friday. Miguel opens the bag, eats the chips and even finds the dip that I also bought. Daddy arrives home from work and asks Miguel what he had for snacks. Miguel tells daddy he ate the chips he found together with the dip. Mommy overhears Miguel tell daddy he ate the chips with the dip and mommy then says, "hala, maybe he ate the chips Karen bought for work!" Of course he did! So Miguel then blames JR for telling him to look for a snack in the kitchen. Brothers!

a time without video games

Do you remember a time when video games weren't part of every household yet? I sure do.

When I was a kid, I went outside every afternoon to play with other kids. I knew all the games and I got really good at playing some of them after awhile. I remember my dad buying JR and I our first Nintendo but at that time, Nintendo was still pretty new and we thought it was so expensive back then. Eventhough we had our Nintendo, we still went outside every afternoon to play and we'd only start playing video games after dinner. Around the time Miguel was born, video games were becoming increasingly popular and so were PCs. I think I was 11 years old when my parents bought our first computer at home. Even then, PCs weren't part of every household and we thought only the rich had internet. Of course PCs became increasingly popular and soon enough almost everyone I knew in school had one at home and ICQ was the "in" thing. I remember having an ICQ number as a piece of identification as opposed to having a username. It used to bug me because I kept forgetting my friends' ICQ numbers and always found myself writing them down somewhere. After ICQ, Mirc became popular and eventually we were introduced to YM. When I think about it, I still can't believe how amazingly fast it grew in popularity. In a span of only a few years, the internet became so big and now almost everyone has access to it and you can find almost anything on the net. Now, I can't even imagine life without the internet let alone a PC.

Anyhow, back to what I was originally saying (sorry, got a bit sidetracked there), when Miguel was still young, we used to worry that he wasn't interacting with other kids so much because he was always in front of the computer if not the TV. My parents used to worry that he wasn't developing his social skills. Sure, he would go out to play but not as much as JR and I used to. He would only play outside when he felt like it but most of the time he'd rather go online and play. He turned out ok but sometimes I still wonder whether he had the sort of childhood JR and I had. I wonder what comes to his mind when he thinks about his childhood.

I hope no matter how popular video games are and no matter how "real" the games may seem, that children still go out to play with their friends. There are so many things to learn and discover between friends through different activities. Even though people can talk over the internet while they play RPGs, it's still different compared to having the person right there in front of you.

I must admit that I love paying online games too but nothing beats spending quality time with a friend.

Mission Accomplished!

Karen:

I know it’s your job to teach us how to use the system, but I still wanted to say thank you for all of your help today. You covered a lot of information, you were accommodating whenever we had questions, and you were very friendly. It was a pleasure to have you as an instructor, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of your holiday season.

I received this e-mail from a client I trained... it sure makes it all worth while.

Romantic Movies

I've decided to take a break from watching Love Story in Harvard. I've lost considerable amout of sleep watching episodes of it and each episode is almost an hour long. Believe it or not, I'm still only at episode 9. I've actually skipped parts of it because I wanted to jump ahead to the "sweet" parts - you know, the part where they first kiss and all that jazz. I'm such a sucker for romantic films. They're my feel good movies aside from watching cartoons. Just because they're not too realistic doesn't mean I can't enjoy them. It's nice to believe that there's still magic in this world and that people fall in love everyday and do crazy things for love.

Among all the romantic films I love watching, I must say I never get tired of watching Notting Hill, While You Were Sleeping and 50 First Dates. I love watching these because they never fail to make me laugh and feel good. The first time I watched 50 First Dates I cried in the theater. I don't even know why... I think it just touched me (Gee, I sound so cheesy don't I?)

I also love watching the classic Sabrina which stars Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear. My brothers hate me when I watch this over and over again which gives me all the more reason to watch it. -evil grin-

If there's a romantic movie in the theaters, I almost always want to go see it.

Thank You Father

I just want to say God is good and has blessed me in so many ways. To thank Him is the least I can do. I will not elaborate further but everyday I realize how blessed I truly am.

little things

I've been looking for Paula Deanda's song Easy feat. Lil Wayne and was beginning to get impatient since it's almost close to impossible finding it. But because I believe in the classic line that nothing is impossible, I just couldn't get myself to give up. I finally found a decent copy and am very pleased with myself for all my efforts. -grin-

I've been trying to look at the music charts at RX 93.9 but it seems their chart page is down. Bummer.

Did a bit of holiday shopping over the weekend and a day after payday I find myself a wee bit broke. I would complain but it was all worth it. I am also proud to say I didn't spend too much for myself. In fact, I only bought myself a small inexpensive present and the rest went to buying stuff for others. (Karen = 1 , Shopaholic = 0).

I managed to get in bed by 10pm last night. I thought to myself, "finally, I can get 8 hours of sleep and not feel tired tomorrow at work..." then I found myslef turning in bed, forcing myself to sleep. What's worse, I woke up early this morning... way to early. So, when I think about it, was it really worth all that trouble?

The boss finally moved to LA and I got her office. Part of me is pleased but a greater part of me feels remorse. why? Because I feel lonely in that office! No Steve to talk to, I can't bug the tech guys and I miss out on all the office gossip. Not only that but every person that passes can see what I'm doing on my computer (I tried to move the desk around only to find that it's screwed together and I've got no choice but to have my PC face the glass wall.) I also feel bad because I don't want people to feel awkward around me just because I got a room with a door. I really don't care whether I have an office or not. I was quite content where I was before and the only reason I was asked to move was so that I could close the door when I'm training and it would be quiet.

As soon as I got to work this morning, the very first thing I did was walk all the way to the back and check if Steve's back from vacation. I was grinning ear-to-ear when I saw his jacket slung over his chair. I immediately put my stuff down on my desk and set out to look for him. Too bad he was sitting with the managers so I had to wait until he was through before I could talk to him. As soon as he came out of there, I just HAD to hug him. I was so glad to have my partner-in-crime back. Without him there, I have no one to talk to...plus I was tired of worrying about where I'm going to go for lunch (since our office is conveniently located in the middle of nowhere).

And here I thought...

I was a very curious child. Everytime my parents took me out, I asked an awful lot of questions. Questions like, “why is the sky blue during the day and black at night?” or “how do cars run?” or “where do babies come from?” or “why can’t I touch the stars?” or “How do the chickens know it’s already morning?” My parents tried their best to answer all of my questions and when my questions required answers that were very hard to explain to a child, my dad’s common response was, “It’s very hard for you to understand even if I try and explain it to you because you’re still young. But you will learn a lot of things in school and as you grow older.” So, I went to school everyday thinking that I would get all my answers. But in the meantime, I had my theories and my so-called “childhood myths”.

I thought…

• Babies were put in mommies’ tummies while they sleep. I couldn’t figure out how though…
  
• My real mommy had been turned into an orange ball and the mommy who’s at work is mommy’s twin sister and daddy thinks it’s my mommy. The orange ball might be in daddy’s cabinet...fake mommy put it there. (This was a dream that I thought was real… I think it was influenced by some TV show our maid used to watch)
  
• There are people inside the TV but they’re small so they fit.
  
• Clouds were made of cotton. You can bounce on them, sleep in them and never hurt yourself. God and the angels live in the clouds but they hide everytime a plane passes by so we never see them.
  
• Being an angel was a profession. I wanted to be one when I grew up.
  
• All toys come alive at night when I’m sleeping or when I’m not looking. If I’m cruel to them, they will hurt me.
  
• Dogs won’t bite you if you bite your tongue because they feel the pain too (blame my childhood friend for teaching me this.)
  
• Holy water heals wounds faster because it’s holy (again, blame childhood friend for this.)
  
• You grow up and you marry your next door neighbor. That’s how people find their husbands and wives. Daddy married mommy and they were neighbors.
  
• The sky is blue because God colored it blue just like He colored the plants green. Daddy said the sky is blue because of something called gases… I don’t understand.
  
• Those scary looking plants in school used to be children but the plants did something to them and now they’re horrible. I should never be left alone with these plants.
  
• Rainbows are really big colorful slides. I just haven’t figured out yet how to get on them.
  
• Unicorns, mermaids and Santa exist. I’ve never seen them in person but that’s because they’re magical.
  
• I can fly but I have to jump off somewhere high like the roof.
  
• I’m really a princess and my dad’s the king and my mom’s the queen. They’re just hiding it so I won’t get kidnapped.
  
• Daddy and mommy said my cousins moved to another country but the truth is, they’re just hiding and they’re watching me. I don’t know why they would hide though…
  
• If I drink Nestea, I can fall flat on my back and there’ll be water… just like in the TV commercial.
  
• Big Bird and Snuffleupagus were real.
  
• Dinosaurs are still alive. They just don’t know where to find them.
  
• Frog piss gives you boils and butterfly powder makes you go blind.
  
• If you swallow a seed, it will grow into a plant inside of you.
  
• If you have an open wound, everything you eat will come out of it.

I still believe 2 of the items listed… LOL!

Run! Fifi is screaming!

I have Fifi for a few minutes. Fifi is our cordless reception phone… so when you call our office and dial 0, Fifi starts screaming. No one likes Fifi. In fact, someone attempted to destroy Fifi and succeeded so we had to buy a new phone w/c looks, screams and functions exactly like Fifi. In fact, I think they secretly cloned Fifi and just didn’t bother changing her name. I don’t even know why she’s called Fifi. In fact, nobody knows why.

New Fifi is better than old Fifi. New Fifi doesn’t scream too loud. It’s tolerable...still annoying.. but tolerable. New Fifi actually allows you to have a decent conversation with the person on the other end of the line instead of just static. Also, reduces the chances of you “accidentally” hanging up.

So back to what I was saying, I was left in charge of Fifi while H goes out to pay some bills and grab us lunch. Not very happy that I have Fifi with me. Thankfully, she hasn’t been screaming since I got her. I would leave it with someone else if only someone would take her. Of course, at the sight of you handing Fifi over to them, they start running the opposite direction or utter stupid excuses. I can’t blame them though...I would do the same if I could but I’m too weak… I almost always accept Fifi and end up regretting it later on.

I need to make a phone call to a client but I’m afraid that once I’m on the phone, Fifi will start screaming.

Almost late because of a Korean Drama

Mid-week…almost Friday but not quite…

I was so tired yesterday that I fell asleep on the train home. I didn’t even realize we were already at Kennedy station and a guy had to wake me up. It was so embarrassing! Jerry says I must’ve been really tired and to be honest, I was… I just didn’t realize how much until I sat down on the train.

Steve still isn’t back yet from his vacation and I can’t remember when he’s supposed to be back. We’re thinking of getting him a Christmas present to say thank you for all the cooking and grocery shopping he’s done for the company. He’s currently on a cruise with 20 other people and how I wish I could go on a cruise too! I’m eligible for 2 weeks vacation time in a year but I only took a week off this year. I probably should’ve used the full 2 weeks since it doesn’t get carried over to the following year anyway. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

A friend told me I should see Love Story in Harvard. It’s a Korean drama they showed in the Phils and dubbed in Filipino and it’s supposed to be good. So I decided to Google it and find out more then I went on YouTube hoping to catch maybe a few episodes just to see what the fuss was all about. To my surprise, they have almost all the episodes… some dubbed in Filipino while others had English subtitles (a big thank you to those people patient enough to upload all these videos). Last night I watched several episodes for several hours and I liked it. I still think Winter Sonata and Endless Love were better but Love Story in Harvard isn’t bad (ya, I know I could stoned for admitting I love watching Korean Dramas… baduy na kung baduy.. but they’re so well done and unlike the Western or Filipino dramas, they’re much shorter so you don’t feel like they put so much stuff in it to the point where it’s tiring).

This morning I decided to watch one episode before leaving the house… bad idea. I was almost late for work! I literally had to run to catch the bus and I was lucky because the TTC driver was patient enough to wait for me.

Yum!

3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups oatmeal
1-1/2 cups mango jam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. Mix butter, sugar, flour, baking soda, and oatmeal in a bowl. Blend well using your hands. Press half of mixture onto a 13-by-9-inch rectangular pan.
3. Spread mango jam on top of crust.
4. Sprinkle the remaining half of the mixture on top of jam.
5. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden.
6. Cool and cut into squares.

Chef’s Tips: You can also use strawberry jam, pineapple jam, guava jelly, langka jam, or orange marmalade instead of mango jam.

I found this recipe on a website and it looks so yummy! I will give this a try one day...

Cooking and I

In case you didn’t know, I can’t cook. I mean, I can but I’m not very good at it. I can probably cook an estimated 10 dishes or less and that’s about it. I used to brush it off like I didn’t need to learn how to cook because I figured I’ll survive (somehow). I grew up with a maid to do all the cooking in the house so I didn’t feel the need for it as much as I do now.

Now, I’m in my early twenties and I really feel the need to be good at it (especially since I have a BF who insists on me learning and being a good cook). No more maids to do the cooking and sooner or later I will have to cook for myself and my family. My great aunt was kind enough to lend me some of her recipes which I wrote down in a notebook and brought with me. I just need some hands-on practice and I know I’ll eventually be able to do it really well. I just have to get over the fear of being burned. Have you ever seen me cook? There’s a very obvious distance between me and the stove.

Jerry’s been pushing me to cook… oh sorry babe, I meant to say “encouraging” me. LOL! And so far, I have managed to cook him 3 different dishes all by myself. –GRIN- I’ve been looking at recipes I come across in magazines and websites but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here. I should probably start with the basics… learn how to cook the dishes my mom and grandma prepares at home. My dad has always hoped I’d be a great cook but I think it’s my brother Miguel who is more keen on it than me. The other day Miguel said he wanted to become a chef someday. I don’t have to be a chef… I don’t want to be one either… I just really need to learn how to cook good food!

My name is Karen and I'm a sleepaholic

Last week I was complaining about my lack of sleep so the weekend that went by I slept and slept and slept…as much as I wanted to. While Jerry calls it “being lazy”, I call it “resting”. If there’s such a thing as a sleepaholic, that would be me. I can sleep for 12 hours straight if I wanted to but I’d probably get up with a bad back. You don’t appreciate sleep until you go several days without it. I make it a point to sleep-in atleast a day of the week. It always feels good to just rest. When I’m asleep, everything feels right in the world... I feel at peace.

I can sleep almost anywhere – the couch, my parents’ or brothers’ bedroom, on the floor (provided there’s a mat of course), on the train, on the bus – as long as I can lean my head on something. But I can’t sleep while standing… that’s just weird. I did see a guy once on the train standing and sleeping at the same time. I was just waiting for him to fall… it would’ve been pretty funny.

The only downside of sleeping a lot? Obviously, you don’t accomplish anything and the day goes by so fast.

Listening to Magic 89.9

I am such a sentimental fool. I'm currently tuned in to Magic 89.9 in the Phils. It's one of my fave radio stations from home. It's so weird, I'm listening to music playing in my country half-way around the world and it makes me feel... almost like crying. I miss home so much.

Ohhh.. here comes the traffic update.. haha.. traffic is so bad there like ALWAYS that I'm almost suprised when there's no traffic. One advantage of being stuck in traffic? It's when you're in the car with someone you love spending time with.. you get to talk and talk and talk while you're in the middle of the road. haha! This also gives you an oppurtunity to sleep while travelling. And if you're on your way to school, you get some "study" time.

It's weird, the DJ's keep saying, "today Dec. 9th..." and it's only Dec 8th here. It's already past noon there on a saturday. The malls must be packed! Oh how I hate the pushing and the long lines. Oh this one is a good song.. I wonder who's singing. I'll have to download this song.

Oooh they're playing The Remedy by Jason Mraz.. I love this song. It's old but it's still nice. I like how they play a new song and then alternate it with some old hits.

It's getting late.. I better get ready for bed... ok, a few more songs!

Pandora

A couple of my co-workers and I were talking about file sharing programs and one of them mentioned Pandora. It's a website that allows you to search for a song/artist you like and it creates a play list with songs that are similar to the one you specified and it streams it so you play it like a radio.

I tried it and I really like it...

http://www.pandora.com/

Whenever I come across applications I can't help but wonder how they made it, what they used to make it and how long it took to make it. I must say I'm pretty impressed.

Freezin'

I hate those people in Calgary enjoying the 7-degree temperature while we freeze our butts of here in Toronto with -6 degrees (and wind chill that makes it seem like -13 degrees).

I left work at 5pm with a bad headache and much needed sleep. I got on the subway with every intention of sleeping all the way and that's exactly what I did. Mind you, I almost missed my stop and by some miracle I woke up just in time.

Did I tell you they blocked the doors leading out to the 116 bus stop? Very annoying. There's nothing wrong with the doors (from what it looks like) so I don't see why they need to put the police lines there. Now, everyone has to pass through the 86 door to get to the 116 stop and I don't even want to talk about how horrible it is during rush hours.

Anyhow, so we had to walk in the cold today with mom, dad, JR and Miguel. We were going to church and maann was it cold! By the time we got to church, I could no longer feel my fingers, nose and ears. It literally felt like my ears were going to fall off. I was so glad to get inside where it's warm. Canada is horrible like that, so warm in the summer and so cold in the winter. Extremes!

Did I tell you I hate those people in Calgary enjoying 7 degree temperature?

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Found this one on a stranger's blog and since I have a lot of time on my hands this morning, I decided to take it just for the heck of it..LOL

See, I told you I'm an angel... REALLY.

Aren't I glad I'm only 17% demon and 17% warewolf? I wonder what makes up a mermaid... hmmm...



You scored as an Angel.

Angel: Angels are the guardians of all things, from the smallest ant to the tallest tree. They give inspiration, love, hope, and positive emotion. They live among humans without being seen. They are the good in all things, and if you feel alone, don't fear. They are always watching. Often times they merely stand by, whispering into the ears of those who feel lost. They would love nothing more then to reveal themselves, but in today's society, this would bring havoc and many unneeded questions. Give thanks to all things beautiful, for you are an Angel.

Angel		84%
Mermaid		67%
Faerie		59%
Dragon		25%
WereWolf		17%
Demon		17%

What Mythological Creature are you? (Cool Pics!)
created with QuizFarm.com

Ikaw Talaga...

This morning has been the coldest so far for this winter season. It’s only still fall but for me it’s all the same. It’s still cold. The only time it’s ever warm is during the summer. Boy, how I love summer. You can’t blame me, I’m Filipino. I grew up in warm weather where I could go swimming whenever I want to except on days when it’s raining.

I’m so glad I don’t have to train today. The only thing is, my work day goes by so much slower. But still, I’m glad I don’t have to train.

This morning I got to work and turned my PC on and guess who was online? Juhl! I haven’t spoken to him in such a long time that when I do get the chance to chat with him, I jump with joy. He was still at work – about to leave – while I’m only starting my day. He’s such a sweetheart. One of my very best buddies! As usual, we get into this whole joking mood where we just kid each other around until one of us gets pissed off or gives up. He just says the craziest things and I can’t help but laugh. If I were in the Phils, I’d be in so much trouble because of him. I remember that time we went to Splash Island and we stopped by the convenience store at Shell (I think?) to buy some snacks and while we were waiting in line, he turned to me and in a very loud voice said, “Ate, ate, anu yun? FHM? Anu yun o ate, S-E-X… anu yun ate?”(for those who don’t understand Filipino, he basically said, “sister, what’s that? FHM? What’s that S-E-X? what is that sister?” – ok, this doesn’t sound too well when translated in English but what the heck..LOL…) AAARRRGG! I turned bright red because the store was packed and everyone was glancing our way!! It was so embarrassing. He was doing it on purpose to embarrass me! All I could say was, “baliw ka talaga Juhl…gagu”. And he was just standing there laughing... LAUGHING his head off!

This is the guy that calls me late at night just because he’s bored and couldn’t sleep or because he needs to talk about his dates. You'd think he'd be nicer but noooo! He just has to get me every time.

He’s going to the US next year for a project for work and I really hope I get to see him. I really want him to meet Jerry.

Moving Forward

At least I'm moving forward.
At least I'm moving forward.
At least I'm moving forward.
At least I'm moving forward...

I stand before, a road that will lead,
into the unknown. At least unknown to me.
I want to go, but I'm paralysed with fear.
Fear of a choise, where the outcome isn't clear.

Nooo, but still I gooo.

And I take, the first step of a million more.
And I'll make mistakes I've never made before.
But at least I'm moving forward, at least I'm moving forward.
At least I'm moving forward...

I wonder if, the journey will be,
Shorter as I hope, or much longer than it seems.
But either way, I've made up my mind.
I'm through feeling scared, I'm leaving that behind.

Sooo, Now it's time to gooo.

And I take, the first step of a million more.
And I'll make mistakes I've never made before.
But at least I'm moving forward, at least I'm moving forward.
At least I'm moving forward...

And in while I''l be singing,

Na, nana nana

And I take, the first step of a million more.
And I'll make mistakes I've never made before.
But at least I'm moving forward, at least I'm moving forward.
At least I'm moving forward, at least I'm moving forward.

And I take, the first step of a million more!
And I'll make mistakes I've never made before!
But at least I'm moving forward, at least I'm moving forward.
At least I'm moving forward, at least I'm moving forward!

Mo-ving, for-ward.
Mo-ving, for-ward.
Mo-ving, for-ward.
Mo-ving, for-ward...

Na, nana nana

Moving Forward

Hoobastank

It's that time to be sentimental again...

Today I was asked by a co-worker if my family celebrates Christmas. It's funny, sometimes I feel like no one else celebrates Christmas like Filipinos do. As soon as the "ber" months roll in, we go gaga over Christmas songs, gifts, decorations, and every single thing that has to do with the holidays. We even have the "Countdown till Christmas".

I remember my parents taking my brothers and I for a drive around Ayala every year to look at the Christmas lights. I also remember the annual fireworks at ATC. There is a house in BF Parañaque that we try to visit every year to look at its Christmas lights. Cars stop by it everytime. The entire house is decorated with lights including the gates, trees and the fruits on the trees. It is so well-done that you can't help but think that the owner probably hires a decorator to do it (I can only imagine how much his electric bill is). We tried taking pictures of it but it's too bright that the pictures just turn out overexposed.

I miss Christmas caroling which officially begins on the 16th of Dec, I miss seeing people go to Simbang Gabi at 4am in the morning and puto bung bong (did I spell it right?). I miss the kids going from house to house on Christmas day asking for aguinaldo. I miss the cool Christmas mornings. Not cold, just cool. Suprisingly, I even miss the crowded malls where everyone is just busy shopping for gifts and groceries. I miss the Christmas parties at school.

You know what I miss the most? I miss spending Christmas with relatives. I miss the phone calls on Christmas eve (when everyone is trying to make a phone call and all the telephone systems are too busy you can't even make a call.) I miss the exchanging of gifts in my grandma's house. I miss putting up our "ancient" Christmas tree (the one we've had since forever). I miss our Christmas Wreath (which survived the many years) and I miss our old Christmas Tree decorations (each year we lose a ball or two). I miss having lunch at my grandma's house and talking to my cousins, aunts and uncles and playing games.

I've had 2 Christmases here in Canada and it's been good so far. But there is nothing like spending Christmas at the place you grew up in. Nothing can replace old Christmas traditions. It will always have a special place in my heart - tucked away along with all my best memories. And here in Canada, I will make new good memories with my family and my friends here and I will have phone conversations and Christmas greetings with the people I love from home.

Be grateful, enjoy it.

Ah..here I am again, listening to a song that brings back good memories. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and enjoy it once more. Kinda like going back to the good times and living it again. It's funny how much we take for granted and later do we look back and wish...wish that we had treasured that moment more, enjoyed it to the fullest. And sometimes we wish we had the ability to prolong the moment, to hold it in the palm of our hands and never let go.

But life isn't like that. Time doesn't stand still. The best we can do is to enjoy it as it comes and look forward to having more of it. True, life doesn't always bring us happiness. But each sadness, each hurt we encounter only strengthens our desire for happiness. It helps us recognize the good times from the bad, be grateful for our blessings and it keeps us hoping... hoping for more good times.

We need to learn to be grateful for every reason to smile.

If you knew when

On an episode of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith asks:

"What would you do if you knew this was the last day of your life? "

Do you ever find yourself lying in bed at night pondering on this question? I do. As much as I would love to meet God one day, I can't help but wonder if I would do things differently, look at the world differently, and just see life differently if I knew when I was going to go.

Maybe some things I would do differently and maybe not. All I know is, when that time comes, I want to be able to look back at my life and smile.

Crazy enough to go?

Busy, busy, busy. There are days when I feel like I go to work to do nothing and then there are days when I’m so busy I barely have time to eat. It’s so weird…

The other day Jerry and I were watching TV when the ad for the Amazing Race came on. He suddenly turned to me and said, “We should do that… I think we’d do well…” and I replied with a, “Uh huh… you really think so? I think there’s a high chance you might have to carry me several times…”

I don’t watch it on a regular basis. Ok, more like, I only watched a total of 5 episodes of all the Amazing Race shows (my apologies to the avid fans out there.) I used to follow Survivor but got tired of it after awhile (again, my apologies to the avid fans out there). On those rare occasions when I did watch some episodes, I did think of what it would be like if I was on it.

If I were on Survivor, these are the things that could possibly happen to me:

- die of hunger
- get seriously hurt trying to do a stunt
- get seriously hurt trying to find something to eat
- cry like a baby
- get into a catfight (not very likely but I could get very upset and start a fight)
- embarass myself in front of millions of people by doing/saying something stupid on TV
- get eliminated (and I can think of several reasons why)

and if I were on The Amazing Race, these are the things that could possibly happen:

- die of exhaustion
- get extremely cranky due to exhaustion
- cry like a baby
- get into a big fight with my partner over something very stupid
- get into a big fight with my partner over something that's not stupid
- get into a fight with another couple
- embarass myself in front of fmillions of people by doing/saying something stupid on TV
- get eliminated

The way I see it, I'm doomed either way.

But knowing myself, I can't help but wonder... I mean after all, I have done some pretty amazing things in my life. Nothing major or overly big but I have been able to survive highschool and university (and we all know how challenging that can be...or maybe not), I've managed to embarass myself and survived, I've gotten into fights (nothing big either) but I survived, I've had my share of sleepless nights and survived, I've gotten hurt (both physically and emotionally) and survived, I've skipped meals before and I didn't die, I've found myself under pressure and high stress situations before and managed to keep my cool... so... with that said, I think that although my chances are pretty slim, I still have a fighting chance. No matter how small that may be.

I may not win but it it sure will be one hell of an experience right?

What if Jerry asked me to join? I'd probably be just crazy enough to actually go!

Cute Gift Idea!

I was browsing the femalenetwork.com blogs and saw this cute gift idea.

Kung Fu Kids Desk Collection. Put some fun into his work space. Tape dispenser, P1,440. Clock and card holder, P1,440. CD tray/mail holder, P1,230. Available at Hobbes and Landes (Alabang Town Center, Power Plant, Podium).

I would love to have one on my desk. It's supposed to be a "for him" kind of gift but it's still so cool!

Updates

I’ve decided to take Kristin’s advice and play around with the Fonts & colors option instead of looking for an entirely new template (since my last attempt completely screwed up my widgets!)I know, the one I chose is a strong color but I like it.

I’ve also added some stuff that I thought were cute (check out my christmas tree!) There are so many other things I wanted to add but maybe at a later time because I don’t want to over do it and make my page look over crowded.

So, I finally bought a wireless router and now I just have to figure out how to set it up. If it were me, I would have paid the Geek Squad to come to my house and install it since they have a promo going on for a particular router but dad said we don’t need it since we can probably figure it out ourselves. Of course this is easier said than done. Some guys from work have kindly offered to help me encrypt my router.

I got Jerry watching Heroes and Grey’s Anatomy as well. I find it very cute when he tells me we need to go home early on Thursday nights so we can catch the show.

Steve’s off on vacation which means I’m all alone in our little corner in the office. It also means we have to fend for ourselves during lunch break. No Steve to cook or take care of lunch for us. I just hope someone remembers to order in. LOL!

You Learn...

After awhile you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn that love doesn't mean possession
and company doesn't mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises and you begin to accept
your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of an adult not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build your roads today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have ways of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine
burns if you get too much so you plant your
own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
that you really are strong
and you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn...

Veronica A. Shoffstall

I messed up

Last night I attempted to change my template and by doing so I had accidentally deleted all of my widgets (it’s those items over to the right side of this page). I was confident I could change my template just to see what it would like and if I didn’t like it I could always revert it since I had a backup saved on my PC. Turns out the backup file does not contain a backup of the widgets. I don’t know why though. Anyhow, I was totally planning to going to bed before 10pm but because I messed up my page, I spent a lot of time trying to bring them back and eventually had to re-create them (very annoying if I may add). I ended up going to sleep at midnight and of course had difficulty getting out of bed this morning.

Crap Internet

Need wireless router. Internet is crappy. Cannot download music from iTunes. Cannot even install YM or MSN messenger. Can use windows messenger but keeps hanging and shutting itself down due to intermittent internet connection. Takes forever to load certain pages on certain websites.

In short, no internet = useless laptop.

Tired

I feel so tired. Blame it on my entire Sunday afternoon spent wacthing Grey’s Anatomy DVDs. I usually sleep on Sundays. It’s the one day of the week I try my best to devote to nothing but a day of relaxation and that means getting tons of sleep. =P

The Christmas party on Friday was ok. It wasn’t “all that” but it was ok. To be honest I would have rather gone to Jerry’s Christmas party if I had known my company Christmas party would be so “ordinary”. Thankfully, I had a great weekend and that makes up for Friday night. –grin-

I can’t believe how cold it’s gotten since last week. I know the temperature should have been in the negatives by mid November but this autumn was nice for me because it stayed above 0 degrees all the way until the last week. I got off the subway and saw snow on the ground. Where did that come from?! I don’t recall it snowing in Scarborough last night or this morning but it looks like it snowed downtown Toronto. I wore my high boots to work and I was worried I might slip and fall. It looks like it’s got a good enough grip on the pavement but I need to go shoe shopping again soon if I want to survive the winter. Bummer.

Once again it has been a few days after payday and I don’t know where my money went. Honestly, all I did was buy what I needed. I didn’t even shop for clothes, no new shoes, no accessories…nothing but the basics and yet I feel as if my money slipped right through my fingers. Arggh! And I still need to buy a new bath tub mat and a wireless router so I can finally make use of my laptop. This sucks.

XM Satellite Commercial

Don't you just hate it when you're in the middle of your show and then it goes on a commercial break? And what's worse, you hate the TV commercial they're showing!

But once in awhile you'll come across a TV commercial that makes you laugh, think or touches you and you catch yourself saying, "oh! I love this commercial! It's soooo funny!"

Have you seen the latest XM Satellite commercial where this guys is sitting in his car singing along to a song and he's so into it and then he realizes there were women watching him from his car window and he gets embarassed but the women throw him their underwears? I love that one. It always cracks me up.

a thought...

Patience is a virtue but when do you say enough is enough?

Post #1

This is officially the first post composed from my own laptop!! yey!

I remember Shey, Cheri and I wishing we had a laptop in college. It would have made our life much easier.. and cramming would have been more comfortable.. LOL!

As I write this, Miguel is watching the Simpsons and every now and then I would stop and watch portions of it. I remember Mommy banning JR and me from watching it when we were younger. We were also banned from watching Celebrity Death Match on MTV. I don't know if you ever watched it but it was basically celebrities made of clay, wrestling and it was kinda gory. It was funny though and we loved watching it. So imagine how bummed out we were when our mom told us we couldn't watch in anymore. Mommy thought both the Simpsons and Celebrity Death Match were inappropriate for kids (although when Celebrity Death Match was on, we were already in our teens). There is no point to this story. It just came to mind.

rambling

I’ve been quiet latey. I don’t know if it’s because I’m tired or just not in the mood. My co-workers think I’m bored. Maybe I am. Or maybe I just have a lot on my mind. Not necessarily bad… I just happen to have my thinking cap on. It could also be due to the fact that there’s less sun and the skies have been grey and it’s making me feel depressed. I hate winter.

I was reading an article yesterday about light therapy. Apparently it is quite common for people to feel slightly depressed during the winter months. It has something to do with the fact that we get a lesser amount of sunlight. I think I am one of those people. =P

I’ve been surfing the internet, trying to look for a good template. I am getting a bit tired of the one I’m currently using. Unfortunately, it’s not easy since I’m using blogger beta. I would have to revert to the Classic Template which I don’t really want to do since I enjoy using the features that came with the beta version. It just sucks that there aren’t as many choices when it comes to templates. Blah!

I am saddened by the fact that I would have to wait until the spring to see Heroes again! It sucks big time.

Something to share...

A nice story...this could help put things in proper perspective for all of us.

An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.

The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "Only a little while, Señor."

The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, Señor."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But Señor, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then, Señor?"

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions, Senor? Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

"You mean being a Harvard MBA, you have to go thru all that to finally get to where I already am, Señor?"

Life Lessons (Forwarded to me)

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there...to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be but, when you lock eyes with them, you know that every moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair but, upon reflection, you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, Injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.

Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart to. If someone loves you, love them back, unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.

Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to.

Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you.

On Crying..

My mom had to wake me up 3 times this morning. I was dreaming and she was also in my dreams so I thought her waking me up was part of the dream. Thank God she noticed I wasn’t getting out of my bed and had patiently woken me up 3 times or else I would have been really late for work.

Anyhow, I was just reading Diogo’s post about controlling emotions and just remembered Jerry saying I was such a cry baby. I cry when I’m upset, mad, frustrated, or hurt. I cry when my dad raises his voice while talking to me and I cry when I’m very worried. Funny because I never cry when I get injured unless it’s really, really bad. If Iwere to get slapped, I would probably cry not because of the physical pain but more because you slapped me and I’m emotionally hurt (I’ve never been slapped on purpose by the way). I don’t know how the crying starts because one minute I’m just talking or sitting there quietly and the next thing I know, tears are rolling down my cheeks. I normally cry when I have too much emotion like when I’m really, really upset, hurt or very angry. I prefer crying than shouting or throwing things around. It’s a good outlet for me.

You know what’s funny? I feel more like myself when I cry. What do I mean by that? It means you’re seeing me with my guard down. You’re seeing nothing but exactly how I feel. I don’t care how I look and I don’t care what anyone else thinks... I just need to vent. I need to let it out. I don’t like crying in public but I can’t always help it. Sometimes I’ll just cry. Some of my friends have seen me cry and they can tell you what I’m like. I pretty much say what goes inside my head while I’m crying. I remember when I broke up with my former bf… I cried all night and then I had to work on a project the following day. I went to a meeting at a friend’s house and we were working on our project and I was crying the entire time. They wanted me to go home and rest but I reminded them we needed to finish the project because the deadline was coming up. Imagine me sitting in front of the computer, crying and occasionally banging my head while uttering the words, “I’m so stupid…” It really is a sight to behold. Most people see me as a very cheerful person who always has it together so it surprises them to see my crying.

I hope you never see me cry because it means I’m not ok. =P

Weird

I had another weird dream last night. I don’t recall much of it except that I was on a field trip with some friends from highschool and I have no idea where we went but it was some gallery or building of some sort and we were in a room with marble floors. There was a wooden bench and we were sitting on it, talking and taking pictures. I realized I had forgotten my camera in the bus so I went back to get it and the next thing I know, I’m somewhere else with my mom and my brother Miguel and a few people I didn’t know. Anyway, we were going somewhere and we sat down to eat and take a rest and this very cute guy sitting across the table was talking to us and he kept smiling at me. I kept thinking to myself, “Do I know him? And why is mommy talking to him like I’m supposed to know who he is?” Anyway, he was texting me, asking me if I wanted to go out for dinner and when I looked at the phone I was holding, it was a Nintendo DS and he was holding one too and so was my mom and Miguel. The guy’s was blue, mine was white, mommy’s was red and Miguel’s was something but I can’t remember what. Anyway, we had to go and the next thing I knew I was awake.

Very, very weird!

Hooked!

Last night I found myself watching yet another episode of Heroes. Dammit! I wasn’t planning on getting hooked on another TV series. I really thought it would be one of those wanna-be series but it turns out I was wrong. It almost has the same charm as Lost where you find yourself watching episode per episode trying to find the answers to the big mystery surrounding it. It’s almost as if each episode is a piece a puzzle and when you think you’re about to get the big picture, something happens and you’re back at square one – guessing what’s about to come.

I don’t know how many others even watch it. I only started watching it because of JR. I actually missed the first few episodes but JR had been able to see it via streaming video on the internet and I had him narrate them to me. Hehe! They finally revealed who Sylar is but I still can’t quite figure out how he was able to inherit telekinetic abilities from his first victim and whether he is in fact inheriting his victims’ powers. My favorite character by far is Hiro Nakamura. I think he’s pretty adorable and although he is clueless at present, he seems very powerful in the future.

The more I write about this, the more I realize you probably don’t know what I’m talking about! I also realize it can be pretty hard to follow especially if you’ve missed a few episodes. Anyway, I like watching it.

Childhood Friend

I grew up with a boy for a bestfriend. I don’t re-call meeting him for the first time – I was far too young. He’s two years older, stubborn, smart, and mischievous. He was my hero. We didn’t go to the same school but our houses were right beside each other. I always thought he knew everything. He taught me almost all the games I know from the simple Hide-and-seek to Patintero, Tumbang-preso and Bahay-bahayan including where are the good places to hide when playing hide-and-seek, what to do so a dog won’t bite you (this requires you to bite your tongue while passing a dog but you have to keep your mouth shut or else it won’t work), what makes a good instrument for christmas caroling (extensive research and product testing an absolute must), where babies come from (yep, we saw 2 dogs one day and he said they were making babies – I was shocked, I was only 7 or 8 at the time! And I thought babies were put in mommies’ tummies while they sleep at night…tsk tsk…), how to fake afternoon naps so I can go out and play afterwards (I never mastered the art of faking naps… I always fell asleep after a few minutes), how to scare your baby brother effectively (I always got caught and got in trouble for it), how to make your wounds heal faster (go to church and put holy water in it), among so many other things. We hung out so much that the other neighbors thought he might be gay (I was able to convince him to play Barbie with me on some days – hey, he always played Ken anyways and now that I think about it, I don’t even know where he got the Ken doll because it sure wasn’t mine!).

It took me 2 years to learn how to ride a bike. I don’t know why it took me so long but during the time when I didn’t know how to ride one yet, he would always let me ride on his bike. If we were riding his bike, I could sit behind him since he had one of those really long seats that could hold 2 small children but if we were riding my big bike, I had to stand behind him on those things that stick out the sides of your bike wheels. One day, he was biking and I was standing behind him and my right foot slipped and I scraped my knee on the pavement. By the time he stopped, blood was dripping all over my leg. I would never forget the look on his face. Utter panick. He brought me home and my nanny cleaned my wounds and he felt really bad about it. If you are wondering why I am even writing about this particular incident, this explains the tiny scar I still have on my right knee. I love that scar because it reminds me of my childhood and the special friend who cared for me.

He was my first crush and he knew it because the moment I realized I liked him, I told him. I remember it like it was just yesterday. Funny the things you remember as you grow older. I think I was somewhere between the age of 5 and 7. We were playing with some friends and we were hiding in my garden and I tapped him on the shoulder and I pretty much blurted out that I liked him. I don’t even know why I did it but I never regretted it. He just looked at me, smiled and that was it. It really is so much simpler when you’re younger. No fear, no uneasiness and you can so easily forgive yourself for the things you do. Did he feel the same way? I don’t know and I’ll probably never know. He never said anything. We were bestfriends and eventhough he knew I liked him it didn’t change anything between us.

Sadly, we grew apart as we grew older. I don’t really know how it started. It’s as if one day I woke up and we were strangers. We would smile, say hi and exchange a few words whenever we saw each other but that was it. It broke my heart because I felt I lost my most treasured friend. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks about me when he thinks of his childhood. I’m sure the friend I knew back then is still in him somewhere. One thing is for sure, I am grateful for the friendship we shared.

Sometimes I wonder if I am subconsciously measuring every guy I meet against him… LOL!

Annoying

Don’t you hate it when someone tells you to do something and you do it and then they reprimand you later on – for doing exactly what they asked you to do! I don’t understand that at all and for some reason I always get into this situation. Grrrrrrrhhhh!

If there is anyone they should blame, it's them!

My stand on Peace of Mind

I have published this as a comment on Diogo's blog but I thought I might as well put it here...LOL

You have to admit, everyone has a different opinion on what peace of mind is. So to say that peace of mind can be found or attained in a “specific way” is a little flawed. Some people view peace of mind as having everything they want in life so to them, they attain peace of mind by getting the things they want. Some people view peace of mind as being surrounded by the people they love so as long as they have their loved ones with them, they have peace of mind. Some people view peace of mind as being successful, so they strive to be successful. Some people view peace of mind as being close to God, so they live religious lives to have peace of mind…and so on and so forth.

Ever wonder why so many people can’t seem to find peace of mind? It’s because they haven’t figured out yet what gives them peace while some people want everything in order to have peace of mind.

Diogo is right to say that a glass that is ¼ full is still ¾ empty. The question is, are you ok with that? Are you ok with the fact that life will never be perfect, that you will always want something more, and there will always be something that you lack? Are you ok with the fact that life will not always seem fair and that with every success you attain, you will have disappointments?

Personally speaking, peace of mind is being ok with myself – what I have and don’t have in my life – coming to terms with the fact the life will bring me pain together with each happiness that comes along. I may not always have peace, but I will have moments of it and that is enough for now.

What Kids Say Love Is... (this is cute)

What kids say love is...

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds,

"What does love mean?"

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think?

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
-Rebecca age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
-Billy age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
-Karl Roberts age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your Frenchfries without making them give you any of theirs."
-Chrissy age 6

“Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
-Terri age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
-Danny age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
-Emily age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen,"
-Bobby age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
-Nikka age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
-Noelle age 7


"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
-Tommy age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and scared. I looked at all the people watching me ad saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore,"
-Cindy age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at nght."
-Clare Age 6

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken."
-Elaine age 5

"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
-Chris age 7


"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
-Becky age 3

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
-Lauren age 4

"I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her."
-Bethany age 4


"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
-Karen age 7

"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
-Mark age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
-Jessica age 8

Article by Bo Sanchez

Another week and already it’s beginning to get busy. I was reading an e-mail that a friend had forwarded to me. It almost made me cry! It was an article written by Bo Sanchez and in it he talks about how unfortunate it really is that a lot of Filipino women are forced to work overseas as domestic helpers in order to provide for their families. He writes that a lot of us forget how blessed we are that we have our families with us 24-7. About 80% of these women working abroad are already separated from their husbands and most of them haven’t seen their children in years. I can’t imagine being a mother and being away from my children. I must admit I admire the strength and the amount of sacrifice these women make just so they can send their children to school. I thought it best to just post the article here rather than talk about it. So here goes…

We were going to Hong Kong that day. I was going to preach for three days but had two extra days to be with my family. Picture us at the airport: My wife carrying our baby in her arms, my eldest son bouncing about like a rabbit and announcing to the whole world, "I'm going to Hong Kong Disneyland!" And the poor skinny father? Straining to push eight massive bags on a wobbly cart with a stubborn right wheel. (I've noticed that these deranged carts supernaturally end up with me wherever I go.)

That was when we heard the crying.

Correction. Not crying. But spine-chilling, lung-busting screaming.Two kids were holding onto their mother. They were separated by four-foot tall steel bars. But to those distraught children, those steel bars represented two years of being without their mother - the contract of a domestic helper in Hong Kong.

Four small arms clutching, grabbing, not letting go.

The whole world heard their pleading scream, "Mommy, please don't go! Please don't go!" I'll never forget the mother's pained, tortured face - as though a knife was ripping through her body. My wife cried openly. I wept inside and held onto my kids more closely.

That was two days ago.

Yesterday, the story continued...

Those Small Arms Continue to Reach Out

Yesterday was Sunday. And I walked around Central. If you don't know Hong Kong, Central is where thousands upon thousands of Filipina Domestic Helpers congregate. They sit on sidewalks. They sit on overpasses. They sit by storefronts. I walked passed one woman who was reading a handwritten letter. The handwriting was obviously a child's penmanship. I walked passed another listening to a little cassette player - not to listen to music - but to a voice of a kid telling stories. But what broke my heart was the news given to me by Shirley, the head of one organization that tries to help them get financial education. I was shocked by what she said. "Brother Bo, out of our 700 members who are married, 80% are already separated from their husbands."

Families aren't designed for prolonged separation. They're not just made for that.

We're supposed to spend time together.

6 Steps to Spending More Time with Your Family No Matter How Busy You Are

"Bo, why are you telling me this? I'm not in Hong Kong. I'm living with my family under one roof."

Listen. Yes, you're not in Hong Kong. But if you don't have time for your family - and your heart is not focused on them - you might as well be in another country.You could be physically present - but are you emotionally present as well? Let me share with you five important steps you could take to become more emotionally present with them...

Step #1: Be Close.

I'm still in Hong Kong as I write this piece. It's five in the morning as I type this article in bed. And my little family is literally around me because we're all sleeping on one bed. Yes, we've become one mass jumble of intertwined humanity - our limbs, legs and arms crisscrossing each other. And that's when I realize - gosh, I don't know how blessed I am. Why? Here I am with my family. I feel their skin. I smell their scents. We're so close, I feel their breath. And yet I'm surrounded by 148,000 domestic helpers here in Hong Kongthat have been away from their families for months, for years, for decades. And for those who've separated - forever.

Let me say it again: We don't know how blessed we are.

We complain that our families are nutty. But we don't understanding how blessed we are to have them close enough to experience their nuttiness. We complain about our petty quarrels, our cold wars, our dysfunctionality. But whose family isn't dysfunctional? I've talked to some people here in Hong Kongwho would give anything to be with their families again - even for just one day of nuttiness. The first step is to be more emotionally present to your family is to actually be physically present to them. Be close!

You need to know how precious your family is - and treat them that way. You need to see them as your true wealth - that nothing is more precious than your relationships.

Step #2: Be Deliberate.

Because you need to protect this treasure or they get stolen from you. No matter how busy I am, I schedule a weekly romantic date with my spouse. Yes, I actually write it down in my appointment book and treat it like a meeting with the President of the Philippines. These weekly nights are blocked off for the entire year. Nothing can touch it, except some dire emergency. Why? Because if my marriage fails, everything else stands to fail as well: My ministry, my businesses, my soul... So it is an emergency that I bring her out every week.

I also schedule a weekly date with my kids.I believe parents need to do these one-on-one dates with each of their kids. Unless of course you've got 18 children and may need to bring them out by two's or three's. Sometimes my son and I just walk around the village and talk. It doesn't have to be big. But swapping stories and opening our hearts to one another on a consistent basis is already very big to them. It means they matter to you - that you value them - and you'll see their self-esteem grow.

Step #3: Be Expressive.

I tell my wife "I love you" seven times a day. I hug my kids countless of times a day. At night, I tell my kids, "I'm so proud you're my son. I'm so proud I'm your Daddy. You're a genius. You're a loving boy. You're an incredibly gifted young man..." This is true. I have met 40-year olds who long to hear these words from their parents - "I'm proud of you," and feel an empty space - like a gaping wound in their souls because their parents have never told them this.
Don't do that to your kids.

And before I forget: Praise your kids seven times a day.And praise your spouse seven times a day. I'm not kidding. It will revolutionize your marriage. If I say, "Criticize your spouse seven times a day," I bet you'd say, "Kaunti naman. I do that already." But that's the problem. We don't realize that when we criticize our spouses, we actually destroy our marriage bit by bit - not just our spouses. But when you praise and honor your spouse - you build up your marriage.It can be very simple stuff:

Ang sarap ng luto mo ngayon, Hon.
I thank God He gave you to me.
You're so hardworking.
I love it when I see you play with the kids.
You know how to make me happy.
Ganda mo ngayon.

Keep on doing this and you'll see changes in your life and your marriage you thought were not possible.Let me say it again: Praise your spouse - and your children - seven times a day.

Step #4: Be Deep.

Your weekly dates shouldn't just be watching movies, eating out and going home. Talk deep. Talk about your feelings. Enter into each other's worlds. Dive into each other's dreams, hurts, desires, worries, hopes and burdens. When you open yourself up to your spouse or your child, there are more chances for the other person to open up to you.

Step #5: Be Simple

Yesterday afternoon, I preached to 700 people in Hong Kong. I usually give my talks for 45 minutes. That's been my trademark. But yesterday, I gave a solid two-hour talk. Vein-popping, heart-pounding, passion-driven talk - because I had a burden in my heart. Because I preached on Financial Literacy. I challenged them, "Raise your financial I.Q.!" I scolded them, "When you left the Philippines, you told your kids, 'Anak, two years of separation lang 'to. After two years, Mommy will have saved enough and will go home and we'll be together again.' But after two years, you go home and you haven't saved. Because you repainted the house. Because there's a new TV set in the living room and a new gas range in the kitchen. Because the kids have new designer rubber shoes. I taught them how to live simply and ruthlessly save 20% of their income. Because unless they do this, they will be forever trapped in Hong Kong.

Look at your life. Are you living simply? Are you saving 20% of your income?

Step #6: Be Financially Intelligent

I also taught them where to invest. I told them, "It's not enough to just save. You need to know where to put your money. Because savings accounts at 1% and time deposits at 5% won't do. Inflation - which is at 7% - will simply eat them up." So I taught them about mutual funds and other investment vehicles, including the ability to sell something and get into business.
Here's the truth: The more you know about money, the less time you need to make money. So the more time you have for your family.

Actually, a time should come when you don't need to make money. Instead, you let money make money. And that requires financial intelligence. Read. Attend seminars. Look for mentors.

Go Home.

After giving my talk, I took a deep breath and told my audience in Hong Kong, "When you follow these principles and have saved enough - please go home. Please go home to your children."

I made a lot of people cry that day.

I'm telling you the same thing.

Oh yes, you may be living with your family in one house, but it's possible that your heart is so far away from your spouse and kids - and they are far away from you as well.

You need to let your heart go home.

Go home my friend.

Your heart belongs there.

single

Ah yeah that's right
All you single people out there
This is for you

I'm not waitin' around for a man to save me
(Cos I'm happy where I am)
Don't depend on a guy to validate me
(No no)
I don't need to be anyone's baby
(Is that so hard to understand?)
No I don't need another half to make me whole

Make your move if you want doesn't mean I will or won't
I'm free to make my mind up you either got it or you don't

[Chorus:]
This is my current single status
My declaration of independence
There's no way I'm tradin' places
Right now a star's in the ascendant

I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna be
I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna be

Ah yeah Uh Huh that's right

Don't need to be on somebody's arm to look good
(I like who I am)
I'm not saying I don't wanna fall in love 'cos I would
I'm not gonna get hooked up just 'cos you say I should
(Can't romance on demand)
I'm gonna wait so I'm sorry if you misunderstood

[Chorus]

Everything in its right time everything in it's right place
I know I'll settle down one day
But 'til then I like it this way it's my way
Eh I like it this way

Make your move if you want doesn't mean I will or won't
I'm free to make my mind up you either got it or you don't
'Til then I'm single

This is my current single status
My declaration of independence
There's no way I'm tradin' places
Right now a star's in the ascendant

"Single"

-Natasha Beddingfield

I like the message of this song. I believe in taking my time before I enter any relationship and I find that it's better to be happy with yourself rather than rely on someone else to make you happy.

I have to remember

thanks to Tina for this!

If the Lord has you on hold... hold on!
If the Lord has said "NO" to you... thank Him!
If the Lords is molding your heart and mind... go with His change!
If the Lord opens doors that you have asking Him to open... Praise Him!

God has His hands on the situation!

YOU SAY GOD SAYS BIBLE VERSES

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Blogs about God

As mentioned in my previous posts, I’ve been going through other peoples’ blogs and I just discovered that there are a lot of people that blog about God, religion and their faith. Just when you thought nobody goes to church anymore combined with the number of non-practicing Christians, it really is good to know that God is still remembered and revered by many.

I think it is very healthy to discuss God every now and then. While some people think that questioning your faith is wrong, I think it helps you gain a better understanding of what faith really is and having a deeper sense of belief. If you don’t ask why, you won’t know why. As the Bible says, “seek and you shall find”.

I find it interesting to hear what others have to say about God. Since each person has a special relationship with Him, each one will have a story to tell and an opinion based on their personal experiences. God manifests Himself in so many different ways and when you listen to other people’s testimonies, it’s as if you see Him in a new light and it makes you think.

The best things in life are free...?

Life is so unpredictable almost to the point that it scares me. Just when you think everything is fine and everything seems to be going your way, something will happen and everything just comes crashing down. It’s almost as if the best things in life are no longer free because you eventually have to pay for all the good times you enjoyed with some really bad days. Sometimes I’m afraid to say I’m happy for fear that it will be taken away from me. There are also times when I feel like I have to work so hard for the things I want to get that when I finally get it, it almost feels as if I had paid for it.

I don’t always feel this way. I really do believe in blessings and I know God is good and He loves me. I just get frustrated and overwhelmed by the things that are out of my control.

Now 100!

Officially a hundred posts!

It surprises me how much I’ve written in a few months.

Why?

Once in awhile someone I love or care about deeply will confide in me about a difficult situation he/she is in and I will sit there and listen and I can’t help but wish I could do something about it. I find it really difficult not to get affected. Many times I’ve found myself crying for friend in trouble and it really bothers me to know that a loved one (be it family, relative, bf, friend…) is suffering. I feel like I should do something but Idon’t know what it is that I can do and most of the time I really can’t do anything about it. Sometimes I feel like listening isn’t enough although often times it is. What hurts me the most is the fact that I know this person has a good heart and deserves nothing short of the best that life has to offer and it seems unfair that he/she has to go through some really ugly stuff. I don’t understand why.

I got stood up!

Ok, after a dozen phone calls it’s official – my client has ditched me. He was scheduled for training and he didn’t show up. I should feel bad because he sort-of wasted my time but I don’t feel bad because I didn’t want to go through it with him anyway. I would have probably needed to stay at work until 6:30 PM had it gone through.

Time for some more software testing… fun, fun, fun! (sarcasm here) But I’d rather do QA than train today. If Steve was making chicken ceasar or briami for lunch this day would be perfect.

waiting...

While writing this, I’m on the phone, trying to reach a client. This is my third phone call to the guy and I keep getting his voicemail. It’s funny he has such a long introduction – one in English and another in Spanish (I think) or something that closely resembles it. It sounds very professional though and quite impressive considering he’s only telling you to leave your name, number and a brief message and he’ll call you back. So, I recorded my message and pressed the review button (I have a habit of reviewing my messages before I send it). Content with the message I recorded, I waited for the machine to tell me which button to press to send and it proceeded to give me a long list of options. It got pretty confusing and tiresome so I hung up. It will send it anyway right? Oh well, I’ll try again in a few minutes.

Happy about it

I must have been super tired yesterday because as soon as I got into bed last night I was fast asleep. Jerry came by my house to have dinner with my family and to ask my dad for help with his new laptop. I must say, I love it when he spends time with my family. As soon as we walked through the front door, Miguel and my dad were waving at him from the living room and my mom was giving him a hug. Jerry went to my brothers’ bedroom and said hi to JR while I was changing in my room. Jerry pretty much ate everything that my parents offered him and I could tell my parents were very pleased (poor Jerry must’ve been really full after dinner!). Of course my mom talked to him the entire time he was there.

I really love that he gets along so well with my family.

An unlikely visitor

I was reading this woman’s blog and one of her posts was about her “unlikely visitor”. She was playing with her daughter when she heard a knock on her front door. She thought it unusual since it was a single knock so she went to see who it was or what it was. She found a bird lying on its back. It apparently knocked itself out on her front door but it was still breathing. She felt sorry for it so she was trying to think of ways to help the poor thing. Of course she didn’t have a clue what to do so she was thinking maybe she should get a toothpick and support the bird’s neck with it and maybe nurse it back to health with milk. She ended up calling a vet’s office and by this point, she was already crying because she was very concerned about the bird. The woman who answered the phone told her they don’t help wild birds and advised her to “let nature have its way”. At a loss, she went back to her front door to check on the bird and to her surprise, it was back on its feet as if nothing had happened.

I don’t know why I’m writing about this but when I was reading her post, I was imagining it happening in my head and I guess I found it amusing. Amusing and touching at the same time. To be honest, I don’t know what I would’ve done if I were in her shoes. My first instinct would have been to call my brothers or my dad and ask them what I should do. For some reason, when it comes to things like this, I always think my brothers or my dad has the answer. Would I have cried? I don’t know.

Apologies to those who might mind

I've been clicking on the Next Blog button and browsing through strangers' blogs. Since I don't know any of them personally and I want to be able to go back to their blogs at some point (when I have the time), I've added a separate link list to keep track of them.

I apologize if I'm linking to yours and you don't want me to. If it helps to know, I'm linking to your blog because I happen to think your blog is very interesting. =P

I don't like you but I don't know why

I don't have any problems being introduced to others or meeting new people. I can be shy at times but I'll smile and talk. If I seem very quiet, it isn't due to anything negative, it's probably because you make me nervous. Just give me sometime to get comfortable, I promise to do better.

Although I find that once in awhile I'll meet someone and I'll feel uneasy towards that person or for some reason I just don't like him/her and I don't know why. It's like my instincts are trying to tell me something even though I don't know what it is. I know it's not right to judge others right away and I do try to get to know the person a little better first before I make up my mind but it's hard for me because my guard automatically goes up. It's like my instincts are screaming and I'm trying to shush it down and I'm trying to convince myself that there is nothing wrong with the person and that I should be extremely nice.

The thing with me is that I can't fake my emotions. If I don't like you, you'll know or atleast get the inkling that I don't like you. I won't be rude to you but I will put some distance between us. I will be helpful when needed, I will listen, and I will respect you but unfortunately I can't force myself to like you... it has to happen on its own. Although most of the time my instincts are right, I have been wrong in a few occasions. I guess I have to let some time pass, see what happens and do a re-assessment. LOL

something on a post-it

The other day I was training a client over the phone and I wrote the following lines on a piece of post-it. I’m very bad at writing poems. I can write essays anytime but I suck at poems.

I am a butterfly
A cloud in the sky
I am here one minute
And gone before you know it
I am hiding in thecupboard
Or sleeping under a tree
Sometimes I am lazy
Othertimes busy as a bee
I am lying on a beach
Gazing at the sea
I am jumping on a puddle
Dancing in the rain

I don’t know why I was writing it or what I was thinking of. Ijust started writing andthis is what came out. It doesn’t make any sense but it’s very rare that I would write something like it (eventhough it’s very bad) so I wanted to keep it here. =P

Panalangin

Panalangin ko sa habang buhay
Makapiling ka Makasama ka
Yan ang panalangin ko

At hindi papayag ang pusong ito
Mawala ka sa 'king piling
Mahal ko iyong dinggin

Wala nang iba pang mas mahalaga
Sa tamis na dulot ng pag-ibig natin dal'wa
At sana nama'y makikinig ka
Kapag aking sabihing minamahal kita

Panalangin ko sa habang buhay
Makapiling ka Makasama ka
Yan ang panalangin ko

At hindi papayag ang pusong ito
Mawala ka sa 'king piling
Mahal ko iyong dinggin

Wala nang iba pang mas mahalaga
Sa tamis na dulot ng pag-ibig natin dal'wa
At sana nama'y makikinig ka
Kapag aking sabihing minamahal kita

Panalangin ko sa habang buhay
Makapiling ka Makasama ka
Yan ang panalangin ko

At hindi papayag ang pusong ito
Mawala ka sa 'king piling
Mahal ko iyong dinggin

Panalangin ko sa habang buhay
Makapiling ka Makasama ka
Yan ang panalangin ko

At hindi papayag ang pusong ito
Mawala ka sa 'king piling
Mahal ko iyong dinggin

Panalangin ko sa habang buhay
Makapiling ka Makasama ka
Yan ang panalangin ko

"Panalangin"

-Apo Hiking Society

some words...

I noticed a lot of us who blog, don’t seem to blog on the weekends… it makes me wonder if most of us are blogging when we’re at work…?

I didn’t sleep too well last night. It’s probably because I slept yesterday afternoon and might have had too much sleep. Jerry called me around 2:30 AM to say goodnight and since I was sleeping so lightly, I actually heard my phone ringing, was able to answer it and consciously talk to him. I normally miss his calls when he calls me past 1 AM and if I do get the chance to answer my cell, I’ll be carrying a conversation with him and have no recollection of it in the morning. Sometimes I’ll even ask him why he forgot to call me when he said he would and he would tell me he did but I just don’t remember. It’s weird. If I were hiding something from him, I think I would’ve blurted it out during one of those conversations. LOL…

I’ve been dreaming a lot about moving. I don’t know why but almost every night I would dream that my family’s moving again. It’s a different house everytime but it’s always a house with so many rooms. I hate moving because of the hassle and I guess it’s probably why I dream of it so much.

My youngest brother, Miguel, was doing his homework last night – again, at the very last minute. I heard my mom reprimanding him again for delaying. I had to smile because he reminded me of myself when I was in highschool. I used to love to wait until the very last minute to do my homework and I don’t know why. My mom used those very same lines to me and I would always tell her not to worry because I would finish it on time. My parents could never be mad at me when it came to my school work because I always managed to get really good grades. I loved going to school. To me, it was a game… a challenge… and I loved it. Hopefully Miguel will learn, just as I did, that starting early really helps. I am not too worried, he’s smart and he’s really, really good in Math (I remember him getting a perfect score in his math exam when he was four… he was so little and he would always cry in school but he some how managed to get a perfect score in his finals. Little brothers… they always surprise me.) Occasionally he’ll slack off a bit but when motivated, he bounces back.

I need to get an eye exam. I keep getting headaches. I obviously don’t have much to write…