Birthday Blues

Last Sunday, July 15 to be exact, I turned 25. Please say I don't look my age! Lol. We started celebrating my birthday as early as Saturday. In our world, we call it "birthday salubong" which was always a drinking session with lots of barchows. The following day, my real birthday, mom prepared all the sinfully delicious dishes for our invited relatives. The theme was supposed to be "Dangerous at 25" but since we are 5 July-celebrants in the family, we decided to celebrate it at one time, making it "A Dangerous Party." There were isaw and chicharon bulaklak (pork intestines), chicken skins, morcon, sisig, and many more. The dessert was an ice cream and the rule: you have to eat it immediately after having lunch. That way, the cholesterol intake will get saturated inside the body. I wonder who among our family felt secretly dizzy. Thank God no one was rushed to the hospital! Lol. While waiting for merienda, we ate bags of chips with dips. It was just frustrating that others can't stay any longer as they have other commitments so they left early. But it can't ruin my day! We then craved for something sweet. CAKE! The celebration continued to a coffee-and-cake night. That was also fun! Two days after, I brought my favorite mom's version of palabok and sumpia in the office. It was a simple birthday treat yet I'm glad my workmates liked it.

I would like to thank all the people who made my special day "special." I appreciate all the gifts, greetings and wishes left and right -- from text messages to sending me tweets and the messages posted on my Facebook. My silver year became memorable because I was (and still am) remembered, loved, and appreciated. Sharing with you now the pact I made each year. I will be a better version of myself because:

I am already 25... and still looking FAB! Kidding aside, because I am a year older, definitely I will be wiser. 

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Entrusting the Trusted Friend

Gone are the days when I frequently receive an invite to attend a debut party of a friend. That's totally sooo college! Not too long years after I graduated, I figured, I often get invited still, but this time to witness a baptism.

To be a part of a Christening is something I truly appreciate, especially when I was picked to be the child's godparent. Here I admit, when someone asked me to be their child's "ninong", I feel honored and happy.

To be chosen means the parents trust me. They saw something in me to the point that they are entrusting me to guide, discipline, and love their children similar to the way they do. That's more than enough proof that our friendship does not exist only inside the classroom or bounded within the school year. It is a sign of true friendship taking into the "serious" next level and that hoping to last for a lifetime!

A big thanks to my many "kumpares" and "kumares" for the TRUST they are offering to me. Newest additions to the list are Rachele, Kaye & Gian. I can't promise anything just yet but definitely, I will try my best to be, or better yet, I will be a good role model to these kids and support their proud parents in raising them up. Again, THANK YOU!

P.S.: Ninong Ludwig is gone during Christmastime! =)

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Morning Sickness

Probably, you already heard about "morning sickness" as it is most often associated to pregnancy. But this is not about dizziness or vomiting or cravings, etc. This is about the "don't-talk-to-me" feeling the moment I open my eyes after a night's sleep.

I seriously think I need to write something about this so that people would understand me and the other kids who also feel irritated immediately after getting up. No, we do not woke up at the wrong side of the bed (though it happens from time to time), neither we are mad at anyone. We just want some quiet time alone. A short, precious time to think, to plan our day, to contemplate on things which we can't do the very moment we step out of the house. We just want to let our thoughts wander without any conscious directions before we face the stressful life outside the peaceful home.

While we are enjoying the fleeting minutes of zero conversation, you may do your own thing. Just do not speak with us, especially if it's about questioning, sermons, and instructions. Anyhow, we wont talk, which makes it impolite on our part.

It's just too good to be true that there are people, my brother is a good example, who can be so alive, energetic and bubbly at the wee hours of the day. He can talk, sing, throw jokes, laugh and all that, and I envy him for that. How I wish I could do the same!

So again, I appeal to the many, please understand and spare a lot of patience to our weird morning sickness. We do not want and mean to be rude. Just ignore us. We'll be the one to initiate a conversation whenever we feel like we are ready. We can't help it, we were born that way!

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Blessed To Be Busy

These past few days I got preoccupied by work. Yes, I'm back to working again as a Company Nurse. I just started last May 2, and I confess here, it's hard to get back to that "grind" after a long months off. I spend 9 hours in the office, at times, I even extend my shift. I allot 4 hours for my travel time and sleep for about 6 hours every night. The remaining hours in a 24-hour day were engaged for my personal activities like working out, tweeting, malling, watching, lounge around, etc.

Of course, there are things I miss doing, like blogging, going out-of-town or flying for another country for pleasure, and a whole lot more. I may not be able to do the stuff I religiously do, still I feel blessed. Blessed to be busy, and I regret nothing from all of it. The challenge to most of us now, instead of complaining because of exhaustion at work or tired of the routinary life, turn it into a positive one and be thankful for all the gifts we are receiving from up above.

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Idiopathic Loneliness

"If it's a broken part, replace it.
If it's a broken arm then brace it.
If it's a broken heart then face it."

Those are the lines from one of my favorite songs, "Details In Fabric" by Jason Mraz and James Morrison. Based on the song lyrics, which they meant figuratively, there is always a way to manage the cause of our sadness. Easier said than done, right? Mind you, what's harder to do is to deal loneliness brought about by an unknown cause. I call it "idiopathic loneliness."

Lucky are the people who feel sad for a reason. It sounds odd but that's the truth. Way better than feeling unhappy for no apparent reason. That's really tough to handle!

There are times I wonder, why do I feel I'm at my lowest point of my life when in fact, nothing's wrong going on around me and that everything's perfectly fine. "Emo" as they say, short for emotional. Errr, I hate that feeling, no cure to that! Unlike if you know the cause or the problem, it is much easier to make a move or even find a solution.

I don't know. Even old Mr. Webster could never define. It could be the weather, perhaps our hormones, etc. But whatever the cause of our unhappiness, let us not forget that at the end of the day, we all get tired and lonely. So grieve... struggle... cry. It's okay not to be okay, as long as we find means to get back to our happy lives -- in our own terms, in our own way.

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Tweet Responsibly

Years ago, I created my Twitter account. At first I was curious why most of my friends were into it, then eventually I got myself hooked into "tweeting" after signing up.

The upsides. No remorse, the micro-blogging site is very interesting. It had been an outlet to express my thoughts and feelings, share my ideas and concepts, connect my assumptions and beliefs, showcase my values and practices, etc. I also find it challenging because in order to tweet, it has to fit in to a 140 (or less) alpha-numeric characters. Though I must admit, sometimes, it's not enough for me to share what is going on around me. Well, that is the challenge. My vocabulary has improved, I began to creatively write again, and I started to be an optimistic person -- these are the changes that Twitter has influenced me. It goes to show that when you follow the right person, you will benefit to having a better, fun, positive disposition in life.

The downsides. Unfortunately, we all have our own points of view. My "like this" and "love that" could be "hate it" to others. The fun for me is an embarrassment for my readers. Then here comes the birth of the haters and the bashers. The followers are using the social media to criticize and judge other people. Sometimes, their tweets are below the belt. I also read some "innuendoes" or indirect tweets indicating criticism or disapproval, hence, Twitter war is common nowadays.

The bottomline. First, learn to understand the other people's tweet. As a follower, you do not know all the things going on and so are the reasons behind every tweet. Respect is the key. Second, if you disagree or want to express your disapprroval, tweet in a nice way. No need to fight.

To all of us on Twitter, let us tweet responsibly. Make use of this site to build bridges, not burn. We are here to connect, and not to disconnect. Keep in mind that once you share private jokes, comments, and opinions online, you are making it available for public consumption.

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Sunday Slowdown

After a long, busy week, everyone is always looking forward to spending a stress-free weekend, especially Sunday. To be honest, I know no one hates this day -- a day when one is entitled to just sit back, lounge around, and allow not to do a single thing, except hearing a mass.

While other families opt to go on an out-of-town trip, or choose to just spend quality time at home watching their favorite shows, or decide to gad around the malls, visiting a spa or a massage parlor is one thing a family may include to be part of their Sunday activity. In an hour or so, one may temporarily bring all concerns away and leave most worries behind. It will be fleeting yet surely a great way to relax and bond among the members of the family.

Regardless if you are a student, an employee, a mother, or whoever you are in the world we live in, you need a day-off. Drop your pen. Remove your apron. Play your favorite music. Sing your heart out. Dance the day away. Forget about your diet and your figure. Don't mind the chores. Pamper yourself. Enjoy the day. Do at least one of these for once. Nothing is wrong in taking a break. People, from different walks of life, deserve a Sunday slowdown.

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