Saturday, January 27, 2007
Bits & Pieces
The street lights at the end of the day so far have offered no comfort at all. Who switched them on turn them off please don't dim the starlight. Others prefer to sit under falling stars. Streaks of neon dancing carelessly on the window make me think twice if what I see is the same as what I know.
Like the bits and pieces of sundown that surround us. Deep orange, rich purple. and velvet blue. Some changes unfold fast so fast that we barely notice them happening every single day. They happen every single day. Every. Single. Day. The universe is unfolding as it should.
We only take notice when history repeats and un-scatters itself so ugly it hurts because it takes so much effort to pretend it's not there. Others prefer to sleep in the dark. Notice that what we know isn't always the same as what we see. The universe is unfolding as it shouldn't.
For some unfortunate reason we're always drawn toward something that's happened already before in the past long-ago so over and done so yesterday. At the point where we've managed to collect as much time and space as we possibly could stuffed generously in between now and then, bits and pieces of the unspoken unsaid unfinished arise and it's so ugly it hurts because it matters when it shouldn't. Bits and pieces are only bits and pieces shouldn't matter this much but they do.
Like the bits and pieces of sundown that surround us. Deep orange, rich purple. and velvet blue. Some changes unfold fast so fast that we barely notice them happening every single day. They happen every single day. Every. Single. Day. The universe is unfolding as it should.
We only take notice when history repeats and un-scatters itself so ugly it hurts because it takes so much effort to pretend it's not there. Others prefer to sleep in the dark. Notice that what we know isn't always the same as what we see. The universe is unfolding as it shouldn't.
For some unfortunate reason we're always drawn toward something that's happened already before in the past long-ago so over and done so yesterday. At the point where we've managed to collect as much time and space as we possibly could stuffed generously in between now and then, bits and pieces of the unspoken unsaid unfinished arise and it's so ugly it hurts because it matters when it shouldn't. Bits and pieces are only bits and pieces shouldn't matter this much but they do.
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Okay back to work.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
(Work)ing Life
In dire need of things to stare at while waiting for brilliant ideas to strike like lightning, I posted a print ad of this ridiculously huge hamburger on my cubicle. Sometime during college I learned from one of our overpriced psychology books that as you think, so you become. I think...I think...I think too much, therefore I am too much? What. I'm losing my point here, oh yes, the burger. All over the enticing golden toasted bun it says
"ATTACK THIS like the wild, crazy, yet highly intelligent woman you are."
Perfect words for inspiring fast-track solutions to make me worthy of paydays. I call it sheer poetry. New mantra: attack, take charge, slam, undertake, let them have it! Obviously the farthest I've gotten into zen philosophy is the Japanese resto in Glorietta but the bottom line is, I have decided that this year will be a good year. Despite all the sad constant realisms and heartaches, it is still a beautiful world, don't you think?
Rumor has it that within the next week, Bahrain temperatures will drop to 2C. It's a good excuse to go shopping but somehow wearing thermal underwear in the desert sounds absolutely nuts.
"ATTACK THIS like the wild, crazy, yet highly intelligent woman you are."
Perfect words for inspiring fast-track solutions to make me worthy of paydays. I call it sheer poetry. New mantra: attack, take charge, slam, undertake, let them have it! Obviously the farthest I've gotten into zen philosophy is the Japanese resto in Glorietta but the bottom line is, I have decided that this year will be a good year. Despite all the sad constant realisms and heartaches, it is still a beautiful world, don't you think?
Rumor has it that within the next week, Bahrain temperatures will drop to 2C. It's a good excuse to go shopping but somehow wearing thermal underwear in the desert sounds absolutely nuts.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Celebrating Christmas Season in A Muslim Country
It was a splendidly strange and imperfect Christmas.
My mom and I creatively attempted to uphold family tradition, but it really takes more decors (we only had half our christmas tree - literally), more food (two words: japanese restaurant), more shopping (I miss bazaars), more pictures (too sad to take any), more than 3 people (noisy cousins replaced by my iPod Christmas playlist on repeat), and hmm a holiday leave from work (!) for it to be the same. For Christmas to smell like Christmas and for the lights on our bansot tree to twinkle a tad bit brighter, the missing ingredientwas will always be H-O-M-E.
While everybody in Manila was getting ready for their respective noche buenas, Cecille (a Filipina co-worker) and I were at the office swallowing tears as we watched this on YouTube. It's such a cheesy slideshow but for some reason we kept clicking that "watch again" button:
Told ya it's cheesy. Intro pa lang cheesy na. Although the balut image left a lasting impression on me nyaaay.
Because nothing can cure OFW holiday blues other than sinful servings of all that is fattening, Christmas cholesterol was the only thing that wasn't different. Added lbs isn't even a good thing dammit. But even though it was sad and almost too painful this Christmas (or any given day), no matter how small I still feel blessed to have a piece of home with me. I know they don't read this and gee I hope they never will, but for what it's worth, I love you Mom and Dad.
My mom and I creatively attempted to uphold family tradition, but it really takes more decors (we only had half our christmas tree - literally), more food (two words: japanese restaurant), more shopping (I miss bazaars), more pictures (too sad to take any), more than 3 people (noisy cousins replaced by my iPod Christmas playlist on repeat), and hmm a holiday leave from work (!) for it to be the same. For Christmas to smell like Christmas and for the lights on our bansot tree to twinkle a tad bit brighter, the missing ingredient
While everybody in Manila was getting ready for their respective noche buenas, Cecille (a Filipina co-worker) and I were at the office swallowing tears as we watched this on YouTube. It's such a cheesy slideshow but for some reason we kept clicking that "watch again" button:
Told ya it's cheesy. Intro pa lang cheesy na. Although the balut image left a lasting impression on me nyaaay.
Because nothing can cure OFW holiday blues other than sinful servings of all that is fattening, Christmas cholesterol was the only thing that wasn't different. Added lbs isn't even a good thing dammit. But even though it was sad and almost too painful this Christmas (or any given day), no matter how small I still feel blessed to have a piece of home with me. I know they don't read this and gee I hope they never will, but for what it's worth, I love you Mom and Dad.
---
I just said my farewell to the sticker stub-collecting/begging marketing strategy/tradition of Starbucks SparkHope planners. *Sniff.* Hello to this one that has arabic squiggles and a Hijri calendar. I anticipated your "WHUT" so I already linked it to wikipedia just in case haha. If you've paid close attention, I'm a real sucker for metaphors. Unless somebody took it as a hint to FedEx or DHL me a Starbucks planner, I just want to say I heart metaphors because they make me oh-so-suavely mysterious. Tsss :p
On the first fresh page of last year's "find your favorite" planner, I wrote:
HERE'S TO 2006:
-Graduate on time. March 25: adios Ateneo yeah baby yeah!
-Travel. Bora, Dumaguete, Europe...
-Lose weight. Shuddup ;)
-Get a job. New year's dinner, my treat, first dinar paycheck I LOVE IT.
-Conquer the unknown. Living in Muslim country, a work in progress.
...Hey no way! I miraculously stuck through with my resolutions after all!
*I thank you BOW* (a la Little Miss Philippines)
2006 was a year of change. Good changes, bad changes, and everything in between. There weren't even countdowns, fireworks, or torotots. Thankfully this year December 31 and January 1 coincide with Eid Ul-Adha, so I welcomed 2 double oh 7 wrapped in a fluffy blanket watching re-runs of every woman's source of wisdom, Sex and the City. In Carrie Bradshaw's words:
"When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone, or a heart. You look before you leap, and sometimes you dont leap at all because there's not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there's no safety net. When did it stop being fun and start being scary?"
It's true, life is for the brave. So this year because we can never really tell exactly who we'll be or where we'll land 365 days from now, I only resolve to do one thing. Find stability, find balance. All other details fall in line and shall be between me and my arabic Sasref-sponsored sticker-decorated planner.
Did I forget to warn you it was going to be a long post? Haha oops. If you're still reading this, thank YOU for going along with my yadayadayada's and Happy New Year! ;)
On the first fresh page of last year's "find your favorite" planner, I wrote:
HERE'S TO 2006:
-Graduate on time. March 25: adios Ateneo yeah baby yeah!
-Travel. Bora, Dumaguete, Europe...
-Lose weight. Shuddup ;)
-Get a job. New year's dinner, my treat, first dinar paycheck I LOVE IT.
-Conquer the unknown. Living in Muslim country, a work in progress.
...Hey no way! I miraculously stuck through with my resolutions after all!
*I thank you BOW* (a la Little Miss Philippines)
2006 was a year of change. Good changes, bad changes, and everything in between. There weren't even countdowns, fireworks, or torotots. Thankfully this year December 31 and January 1 coincide with Eid Ul-Adha, so I welcomed 2 double oh 7 wrapped in a fluffy blanket watching re-runs of every woman's source of wisdom, Sex and the City. In Carrie Bradshaw's words:
"When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone, or a heart. You look before you leap, and sometimes you dont leap at all because there's not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there's no safety net. When did it stop being fun and start being scary?"
It's true, life is for the brave. So this year because we can never really tell exactly who we'll be or where we'll land 365 days from now, I only resolve to do one thing. Find stability, find balance. All other details fall in line and shall be between me and my arabic Sasref-sponsored sticker-decorated planner.
Did I forget to warn you it was going to be a long post? Haha oops. If you're still reading this, thank YOU for going along with my yadayadayada's and Happy New Year! ;)
---
P.S.
Dear Chris, you are one of the bravest souls I'll ever know. I'm sure you had a blast partying the night away during JC's birthday. You are sorely missed here on earth.
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