Fresh Air

I am so so excited for my travel to Bicol tonight. This time, my bus seatmate is Yhenny! (Yes, that's how I spell her name.) We were not able to book early reservations at Cagasawa Travel and Tours nor at RSL Transport, so we'll take Peñafrancia Tours instead. And I am wishing Malacañang would not announce a half-day work today because our travel is at 8:00PM (how was that?), which had the only available slot for today when I took got our reservation a month ago. (This is actually one of the effects of being choosy when it comes to bus lines. Haha. Peace!) We already brought our so many, very heavy pieces of luggage here in the office so it would be best if we go out at 5:00PM and wait for the DTI shuttle bus, which passes by the Araneta Bus Terminal where we will board.

It has been two months ago when I last went home and I am really so excited to breathe fresh air again (meeting my family of course, and having my face cleaned). My sinusitis has been attacking me for weeks now, which means I'm breathing in too much polluted air. Ergo, I super need fresh air. So upon going down the bus at the new, clean, and kinda classy Legazpi City Bus Terminal, I should do the act I did the last time I went home: close my eyes and then breathe in and breathe out calmly. Oh, nice!

But Typhoon Santi has entered our country since last night I guess, and its eye is in Quezon Province -- the very long-road-province land travellers need to take if route is Bicol-Metro Manila. Guys, kindly help me again in praying that we may be spared from this disaster again.

I hope I won't be feeling dizzy tonight and bus log will leave my body tomorrow after lunch as I will attend the 1st birthday party of my college friend's baby.

I hope my pasalubongs will be presentable still when it reaches our house.

I hope not to chill during the travel as I didn't bring with me blanket. I think I will just hug Yhenny. Haha.

But above all, I hope my travel will be safe and enjoyable.

Paranoia or something

Have you ever experienced the state of decision making wherein you have decided option A long long time ago that you have been preparing for it but it seems the preparation is still not enough? Option A is oah, so hot and risky but once you get it's meat, oh, paradise. And then, here comes options B and C, wherein option B is still, safe but not much; while option C was never-in-your-life expected yet also seemed to be OK and safer.

Have you ever experienced setting your mind to be in 'that' state a few months from now, yet some very minor things are hindering you and those very minor things were never expected to be a hindrance at all?

Well, as for me, I am guilty in that state that I do not know if this is a paranoia or something. I just want to be busy and jolly to forget this stressful thinking. When things get so slow and my environment becomes silent, this thinking strikes my mind that it catches me tuliro at 'di malaman ang gagawin, naks, that's from Sponge Cola's song Tuliro, one of my favorites. Oh, I miss Yael, I seldom see him in TV now.

Last night I told Lawrence I'm so stressed that I wanted to puff a stick of cigar to release this. Haha. He got mad at me. We were like father-and-daughter; he being the father explaining to me the effects of smoking, and I being the daughter reasoning out that I need to release the stress.

Oh Lord, I don't know if I am just overwhelmed by the influx of options, which came all at the same time. But I am definitely sure I am lucky on this. I thank You a lot for lending me talents and patience (and beauty?). Help me to repay You in the proper way. Help me to decide properly for the good of the majority.

The workout that was

I went to the gym last Saturday. My initial workout was intense. It felt good after a few hours. But when I was about to sleep, gosh, I couldn't breathe well. My body was like so active still but my mind and eyes wanted to rest. In effect, I didn't have enough sleep. How was that?

Until now, my body is aching. I must say one really has to work hard to achieve his goal, right? I decided not to go back and just do my simple workout and diet instead. Whew!

On a brighter side, I was able to buy ukay-ukay stuffs sold just very near the gym. Grabe, purchasing those stuffs is so addicting, I swear. Good thing I was able to buy some in preparation for our Sofitel official business on Wednesday, which I hope is a good one -- to include nice and overflowing food, drinks, and coffee. Yahoo!

Oh, that reminded me of our Manila Hotel travel experience last month, which I really do not want to experience again. I repeat, it is the travel, not the hotel.

Just keeping my fingers moving on the keyboard

Broken. I broke my diet last night. Grrr. It is because I realized I did not eat miryenda before going home due to the urgent tasks I needed to accomplish. So I just had coffee instead. But when I was nearing Cubao, my tummy kept on shouting that it needed to be fed up and thus, a break from my how-i-wish-an-effective-diet. I went to Sbarro in Ali Mall and ordered Chicago Pasta Sausage. Oah! That was good huh. But I was feeling nervous while eating because I thought that could be the start of my fast-food-dinner again, which I must be avoiding to meet my budget and target weight.

My target body by year 2010. echos! No editing done here. This was supposed to be my glamour picture for our college yearbook, which, until now, remains unpublished.

New bag. Forgetful me, I was not able to wash my all-time-favorite pink Lacoste bag, which was a college graduation gift from my so opulent Ninang, during the weekend so I had no choice but to be patient with the already so-torn-out-bag. But I became impatient with it because it destroys the fabric of my shirt, so I accidentally bought a new bag last Monday before going home. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of it, so you will just imagine the bag. It's a black Belladonna on a 50-% sale at SM Cubao. It costed me just 150 pesos as additional payment because I used a Sodexho gift check.

Very often, when I am in the office, I stare at it because I really like it, I love it, but I hope snatchers won't. You look for non-criminal jobs guys. OK? This was the first time I bought a branded office bag. And I am really happy about it. Can you feel it too? Hehe.

Banana Peel. Bananapeel Store is now open at the 3rd floor of Farmers Plaza, yahoo! I think it's the company's second store within Araneta Center, the other one in Ali Mall.

Korina-Mar Wedding. On the 27th of this month will be the most awaited wedding event of the year. The reception will be at the Roxas family's white house in P. Tuazon Ave., Cubao. And I will take a peek there. Haha, I wish I can. If Mar have pursued his presidential plans, I would actually support him.

Christmas at DTI. The Bureau of Domestic Trade (BDT) is sponsoring the Pasko Na! -- a showcase of various Christmas items, food, accessories, and houseware. We went there and I didn't leave the area until I was able to buy dried mangoes from Leyte worth only 25 pesos. Imagine! Well, actually, the hidden agenda there is that I liked the plastic bag of purchased items. It's green and classy! I love it!

Gym. Tomorrow is my scheduled first round of workout in the gym. Wish me luck guys.

Rebond. My sister wants her hair rebonded and wants me to shoulder the expenses. Duh! I didn't even had my hair rebonded more than a month ago because it's too costly to have a really nice result. Oh well, she just doesn't know what she is talking about. Right? But hey, I'll have my hair rebonded next year, um, February, I think, if my plans prosper. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

So stressed

I'm missing Bicol, our home, my family.

OK, the truth is I'm so stressed because I'm set to make a huge decision before the year ends. I have been thinking about it for about six months now. Only a few knows about it and I'm not ready to reveal it now in this post nor to the people who will be directly affected. I have been praying about it every night that He grants me that prayer because it is for the good of many.

Anyhow, I'm going home for Undas and I hope to regain strength when I get back to face the traffic, too many strangers, and the solo life.

I hope my mind could focus on my work since I'm feeling dizzy, sleepy, and ... I don't know how to explain it.

This is so hard.

Oh, by the way, I'm doing a diet regimen for the Biggest Looser Contest in our office. But I'm not doing it just for the contest. I'm also doing it for health and fashion reasons. Fashion? Yes, why not? Today is my third day of the 'After 6 Diet' and it feels good, though every morning on my way to the office, I crave for so many tasty food, I swear; this is agony. I wish to continue it until at least the last week of November. I will be doing this every weekdays and am going to the gym every weekends. I hope this would prosper and my laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) won't get its way.

Weekend review

• Had enough sleep.
• Washed my bedding covers.
• Watched Fashionistas by Heart, finally.
  
• Visited Tita Epin and her family after the typhoon's devastation. My cousin, Paola, loved the mocha roll I brought for them.
  
• Had a very delicious lunch with Tita Epin and her family. We had ginataang hipon na may sitaw, sinabawang tahong, fried fish, and pineapple. Yummy!
• Cleaned our room, which included a change of curtain, yey!
• Discovered something about my man.
• Budgeted to the max, which resulted to an-always-a-realization that my income isn't enough for my living -- cellphone load for my family + for one of my favorite uncles; monthly padala to Bicol; my food, fare, rent, and miscellaneous expenses (trade fair products purchase, medicines, extra curricular events).
  

Oh weekends!

I love weekends, so much.

Hmm...

• Do my laundry, which includes bedding covers, towel, blanket, and mosquito net.
  
• Buy a pair of Paddocks pants.
• Clean our room.
• Sew my slocks.
  

Those are all, I guess. I want to have enough sleep over the weekend anyway.

58th

Lawrence and I at Serendra, the place of the opulent few

Today is our 58th monsary (monthsary? whatever!). I don't plan to write him a letter because I find it too awkward, I don't know why. Yeah, I am a writer, but that does not mean I'll do everything in written format. Haha. Actually, even when I was still studying, I prefer activities involving public speaking and oral graded recitation because I feel that I could still rebut my statements whenever I think they are wrong or I could say better than those. I remember during our school days, Lawrence would tell me to write him a letter once in a while because he found it sweet. Eew?! Ahahaha. I'm sorry Men, but I really find it baduy.

I never thought then that there would come a time so soon that we would be neighbors and see each other everyday. Now, a day isn't complete without seeing each other. I also never thought I would be mentioning his name often in my blog. I thought only Jam, my officemate, does it. Ahahaha.

Lawrence cooks well, I swear, and gets mad if I don't eat every thing served on my plate or if I don't eat all the food he has prepared. So basically, he is one of the reasons for my non-decreasing-weight.

He chooses nice clothes for me. He texts me every afternoon, "Are we gona meet later?", as if it still needs to be asked. Haha. He fetches me whenever I feel dizzy or weak from office. But he always puts his heavy arm around my shoulder whenever we walk, so a day is always ended up with my complain on that burden. Haha.

I usually tell him we are so happy these days that we are now too much dependent on each other. What if time comes when we need to part ways due to career demands or family decisions? Oh well, by then we just have to be prepared.

Wedding Bells and Long Table
Definitely not soon. Unless otherwise he becomes a millionaire or either of us is already a regular employee of a real estate company. A car is also a requirement for my soon-to-be-husband because I always tell him, "When I get pregnant, never allow me to ride the MRT or tricycle."

I also tell him we must enjoy to the fullest the unmarried life. Yes, it is also a must.

Men, I wish us good health and security always, so as our families. I love you. Naks! Ang cheesy!

Lessons

I hope the person/s who initiated the "9:00-PM power shutdown/typhoon Pepeng landfall in Metro Manila" gossip are happy now with the panic he/she/they caused to the public, including me.

Below are the lessons/realizations I had after my panic attack last Friday:

• First and foremost, never ever panic, specially when the news you got did not come from a reliable source (e.g. forwarded text, e-mail, instant messages by people from a non-disaster prevention-related agency).
• If ever panic attacks you, keep motivated to fight for your life. In my case, though my family is in Albay, experiencing the typhoon's wrath, I told myself I needed to walk and walk and keep breathing (despite my continuous palpitations due to my clautrophobia attack also) because my family was waiting for me to get home in Cubao. I mutually transfered Albay to Quezon City for about an hour. Ahahaha. In effect, I arrived home safe but still catching my breath. I even already thought of fainting because I can hardly breath and I was really feeling so dizzy. But I realized the streets of Makati and Pasay Cities were too dirty for me to lay down there. I so continued walking from RCBC Plaza to LRT 1 Gil Puyat to LRT 2 Recto until I reached the Gateway Mall. Whew! Motivation at work, right?
• The house where I have been staying in for a year and a half is flood free and typhoon proof. Lucky me! So I think I'm staying there until my sister, Laly, gets a job here.
• Always stock food. Always.
  
• Keep your cellphones fully charged all the time. Also make sure you load it up always and you can still make at least two outgoing calls.
• Keep coins and bills in your bag and jeans.
• It is also wise to always have stored value tickets for both MRT and LRT to avoid the queing at the ticketing booth.
  
• Always bring along with you plastic bags, where you could place your cellphones and other important stuffs if worse come to worst. You know what I mean.
• Keep at least one person updated on your situation.
  
• Pray.

Though I was so pissed off by the not so good people who spread the gossip, I thank them on a positive note because I have proven I could survive during panic moments. Nevertheless, I would never wish for a worse moment than that. Duh?!

Do something good people!

Experiencing it without them

I'm living on my own for two years now, which means I do and experience almost every thing by myself.

If super typhoon Pepeng will landfall in Metro Manila or in Albay, this would be my first super typhoon experience without them or my siblings' first without me -- yes, because when super typhoons Milenyo and Reming devastated our province, it was only the three of us in the house while our parents were elsewhere earning a living. We stocked junk foods and prayed the rosary. Among us, I was the most nervous because I needed to take care of them while also making sure that all our things/appliances remain in their places. I also made sure our photo albums were in good condition still. Haha.

I am aware of my mentioning in my previous post that I wouldn't blog on the typhoon. But I changed my mind after reading my boss' blog on his family's experience with tropical storm Ondoy.

I feel so nervous now because I will be alone in the room over the weekend. Oooh! Scary! I asked Lawrence where I would stay if water reaches our house. He said I could stay in their dorm, which is at the second floor, with all the other boys. Haha.

Major supermarkets in Cubao -- SM, Shopwise, and Isetann -- do not anymore have enough stocked foods. They also do not have candles anymore when I was about to buy some last Wednesday. My roommate also told me stock of ready-to-eat and instant foods at Greenhills Shopping Center are out-of-stock (OK, redundant, fine). OMG! So I think I have to pursue my plan to go to Megamall later this afternoon, if weather permits.

Oh Lord, spare us from the typhoon, please, have mercy.

I'm encouraging all the Catholics to pray the rosary, specially that October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. Nothing is impossible with God, right?