Sunny Days

I’ve had a full day today, a really good day spent with the greatest friends any person can have.

People have often said that to have one friend for life is already a blessing. Well, consider me super blessed because I don’t just have one really great friend, I have several.

I spent lunch until the late afternoon hours with my ACE team friends. They are the bestest (if there ever was a word) people in the world. Everytime I hang out with them, I always have the best time. And yes, everytime we come together, all we ever do is talk.

Still, there’s something that could be said about people you connect with in an unexplainable level. I won’t say we are of the same wavelength because, hello, we’re definitely not.

I could never belong to the same wavelength as Marie, whose knowledge and experience as a professional trainer is beyond words. I love how I learn so many things from all her stories. And even those things I already know about, I still appreciate it coming from her because it means that I, at least, know something that someone like her also knows. She is so fun to be around. Even her subtle jabs don’t feel like jabs at all.

And then there’s Tessa, whose fierce sweetness is simply adorable. This girl who’s very brilliant in mathematics and follows the logical side of things is possibly the best kind of support system anyone can have. I’m not sure how many personal things she’s witnessed from every one of us, but yeah, she’s always a witness, always present, always stable.

There’ also Coleen, that sporty chick who can probably outrun all of our partners. Well traveled and well-read, she can also sing the high notes effortlessly. When I was new to the ACE team, I remember people saying that she was strict, intimidating and difficult to please. Boy, am I glad I got to her good side. She’s this loyal little princess who knows a little of evey freaking thing there is.

And our resident nice guy, Jayjay, who we all hope will find the love of his life and live happily ever after. All nice guys always get that, after all. This nice guy was blind to all our monkey business when he was our boss. Thank God for that. But he has since made up for his naivete regarding our secrets and dark sides.

Let’s not forget Janice, the one person we all make fun of because, well, she likes to make fun of herself too. But we all love her that way. Easily the prettiest out of all of us. And yes, my man, Jeffrey, is completely besotted with her. Lol.

Lastly, there are the partners. Come to think of it, since we all met, I think I’m the only one who hasn’t changed partners at all. It’s amazing to realize we’ve already known each other for quite some time now, considering we’ve seen partners come and go, new partners replacing the old ones in our tight little circle.

These are the only people I’d trust to talk about me behind my back. I trust them because I know that even if they talk about me, they’re not doing it maliciously or with the intent of making me look bad to other people. It’s just that as friends, we all know our strengths and weaknesses, and we all accept each other in spite of all those.

The day I joined the ACE team was a really lucky day for me because it led me to this path of having them as friends. Even to this day, when we all have different work lives, we still manage to come together every now and then. I’m absolutely blessed to have these people in my life.

New

When I was younger, all I’ve ever wanted to do was write.

I wanted to be a writer.

I’m good at it. Not to brag or anything. I just know, writing is what I’m good at.

And I pursued it. For a while.

Until life happened.

Before long, so many other things became more important.

Work. Money. Reality.

I lost track. I lost my gift. I lost my passion.

I slowly became a robot. All work. A little play. A little vacation every now and then. But never any passion.

I’ve always seen myself to be the one who lived recklessly, the one who did not care about the world, the one who defied expectations. Unfortunately, I became ordinary. I became just another person who loved work more than life.

Yes, life happened. But I never got to live it.

Instead, I watched it happening, fighting it, making sure I get to be the last one standing at the end.

But that’s not the point of life. Not at all.

In all my efforts of making sure I got out of it unscathed, I wasted precious time. Time I could have spent on things that really made me happy – words, ideas, romance, artistry, inspiration.

But no more. I am not going to watch from the sidelines anymore.

Today is a new day.

I am going to live again. I am going to write again. I am going to challenge everyone around me again.

And I will live. I will cry and laugh and scream and shut up. But most of all, I WILL WRITE.

Exalted

Sometimes, we reach a point where everything is just how we want things to be.

When you’re at this point, be thankful. Celebrate every moment. Live every day. Glorify the Lord in the best way you know how. Say your prayers of thanks.

These moments won’t always last. But there is always something greater.

It is not true what they say that when you’re already there, there is no other way to go but down. The truth is, when you reach the peak of everything you’ve aimed for, when you’re already at the top, there is STILL another way up. You carve a way up. You defy expectations. You empower yourself.

Thank you, Lord, for everything you have blessed me with. I always ask for more not because I am never satisfied but because I know you can give more and you always do. It is because I have faith that you only give what is good. I know your plans are to prosper me. I know you will take me there.

Souls Departed

This post is a day late. My late stepmother’s birthday was yesterday. However, as always, I have been caught up in work and other personal stuff, so I wasn’t able to stop and write about something.

She was a fun person. She wasn’t the usual stepmother character that used to be portrayed in fiction where she had imaginary horns and always made things difficult. In fact, she was kind and nice to me. She did not treat me like a daughter, which was just as well because I honestly did not see her as a mother. I already had a mother, and I did not have the need for one more. She also did not try to be my best friend. When I lived with her and my dad, I was at a point in my life where all I wanted was to get away and go some place where nobody really knew where I came from, and I could pretend I had a pretty normal life.

I am thankful for the years I spent with her and my father. It was during those years that I realized exactly what I wanted to happen with my life. I realized I wanted to be on my own, how badly I wanted to be free. So when the first chance at freedom came to me, I grabbed it without any second thoughts.

I try not to regret anything that’s happened in my life, any decision that I’ve made. However, the only regret that I may have is that I never got to thank her personally. I wish I could have seen her before she passed away. I wish I was able to tell her that all is well. Wherever she is right now, I can only pray that she has found peace and happiness that may seem to have eluded her while she was alive.

Sundays Together

Last Sunday, Jeffrey and I spent a whole day in Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.

He has always wanted to experience what the place was like. It was so fun. Yes, the package is a bit pricey for most people, but the good thing is that an expensive package meant the place wouldn’t be too crowded.

I’m planning to take my mom there too, as a Christmas gift in December. I’m sure she’d love the place as well.

We started checking out the Savannah Park, where the wall climbing, tennis court, firing range, karaoke, and children’s park were located.

Jeffrey also tried wall climbing and was able to reach the top.

Everywhere you go, you’d find a pool or a lagoon. There are outdoor shops as well like henna tattooing and a couple of restaurants to match your food craving. We had lunch at the Kilimanjaro Cafe, where they served a sumptuous buffet.

I absolutely loved the dessert, although I do wish they had more fresh fruit.

They also let you try kayaking, which Jeffrey also took advantage of.

It was absolutely a perfect Sunday. I’d love to go back there.

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Clashes

There are people in your life you will remember for always. You may never see each other again, but you know that these people have greatly impacted the person you have become.

I have so many people to thank the Lord for. As hard as life has been, I think I’d gladly go through all of the hardships again, if it meant I’d still end up where I am now.

I will always be thankful for the friends I have made along the way. I will also remember those people who have become a huge part of my life, even if it was only for a moment.

To my friends, thank you. To my family, lots of love. To God, you have my life.

Let’s celebrate happiness!!!

Blind Curves

I’ve always been the kind of person with no definite life plan.

When I was younger, I’ve always wanted to become a doctor. When I grew up, I realized I could never stand the sight of other people’s blood. How was I possibly going to attend to the sick?

When I entered college, I was dead sure I’d be enrolling for a bachelor’s degree in accountancy. However, I ended up pursuing Sociology-Anthropology. I spent the next seven years professionally working in the BPO industry, I loved those years. In all my life, I have never learned so much and absorbed so much than when I was in the corporate world. There may have been days when I questioned my decision to stay, but, in general, I was happy.

However, Fate had many other plans for me. I was given an opportunity to leave the corporate life and start a quieter work environment by working from home full-time. I took a chance, and I am so thankful to God that the risk paid off.

The past three months, hell, the past year has never been what I would have expected. For someone who doesn’t really plan on how my life should be, what I am going through now is still beyond my wildest imagination. Never would I have thought I’d be spending a 26-hour workday at home.
Surprise

I am happy. I mean, what person would not love being able to work from home and still earn something decent? I don’t see far into the future, but I can honestly say that where my life is going now is absolutely the greatest surprise I have even received.

Leaps and Bounds

I have to admit; I ask for too much. I am difficult to deal with. I pick fights and fight back whenever I can. I whine; I complain, and I demand. A lot. I am not an easy person to love.

But all in all, I thank all the stars in the sky because I have people who love me. I have more than my share of people who love me. So, yes, I may not be the ideal, but I am one lucky person.

Luckier still because I found someone who understands me almost as much as I understand myself. He may not really know me, or get how my mind works. But in his own little ways, he knows how to deal with me. He know how to work around me. For that alone, I will remain thankful.

And yes, I ask for a lot. But that does not mean you cannot give me just “a little”. No matter how small, I still know how to look at the bigger picture and appreciate the little things for what they are – small acts of love or kindness that definitely goes a long way, longer than some of the huge jumps that people go to.

And it is because I know how to appreciate the little things that I also demand leaps and bounds. Yes, I need the huge jump too. It is because of that I also want the giant leap, the grand gesture. So yes, I am lucky. But I know I will be luckiest for all the things I am shown, little or otherwise.

Retro

I was going through my old blog at http://ishathebeautiful.multiply.com when I found one blog that I particularly like. Actually, there’s more of these blog entries that I always like reading over and over. It’s just that this one surprised me. It was written March 11, 2007. That was the time when me and LOVE weren’t really in good terms (in other words, I was in everywhere else but LOVE). I am surprised at how far I’ve come from the time I wrote this till today. It’s a good thing I already knew back then that LOVE needed patience and hard work.

Here it is:

 

if there are things i’ve learned in life, knowing how i used to live it not too long ago, one of them is the fact that if you want things to end right, you have to start them right in the first place.

happy endings only exist in movies. movies for the immature, to be exact. because the truth is, real life never ends. i mean, nothing in this life just ends. everything that we do affects us, molds us, makes us what we are, what we become.

it is when we learn to accept some truths in life that we become happy. sometimes, we make decisions, impusilve ones, that take us to hostile places. sometimes too, we do just the right thing and make ourselves happy.

i don’t know what i am doing right now. i am not sure if this is right. i am not sure if this will make me happy, if this will make everybody happy. but what i do know is that this feels right. after all the mistakes i have made before, stupid or stubborn ones, i have stumbled upon something i know i will never regret, even if it turns out to be a failure.

i have never been known as someone who gives up, and i am not giving up now. i can hold on. i know i can hold on. it does not take only a patient man to hold on the way i do now. all it takes is knowing how to love somebody. all will be well, i know that. and maybe one of these days, i can say that too.

3000

I have just added five new bloggers to my blogroll. If you don’t find your name there yet, don’t fret. I will be adding more in the next few days. Sooner or later, your name and your link will appear there too. I am having fun with blogging. I think this may be the longest time that I have stuck with a blog and written at least one entry everyday. I am also very grateful to my readers. Today I have reached the 3000 milestone. When I started this blog, I did not even dream of having anybody read my blog at all. Of course, I wanted that to happen, but how could one person expect to be noticed in this over-populated blogosphere? Now, after almost four months, this blog has grown and evolved into something more than just fun. This has become a dedication too. Thank you so much, friends. xoxo