blogging frustration

i haven't blogged in so long and i get frustrated because i really want to preserve all these memories.

and then i come to realize that i'm actually living and absorbing them, and then everything's okay.

i just want to really really put them all here so that i never forget and so that i have something to look at for inspiration when i need it.

#thinkingaloud

my 2011 in a nutshell

2011 was the year when:

i sang at ccp again with some of the most awesome asian folks one will ever meet

 

i started hitting the gym and got hooked!

 

i celebrated 30 wonderful years of being alive

i zoomed to baguio for a refreshing and energizing break masked in a beautiful union of souls. also got to know some friends better during this trip.

i bonded with workmates in laiya, tagaytay and calatagan. the start and end of my many beach and out-of-town trips this year.

 

i had (almost) monthly dinners with harkadah and enjoyed every minute of it. i know it took a lot of effort from all of us, but that effort was what made each one so special!

i went to ilo-ilo, bacolod, guimaras and aklan, and bonded with some of my tightest friends (now known as the wandersluts) over roadtrips, foodtrips and visita iglesia for the holy week. a lifetime first!(fortunately, they all were also good photographers so our photos were fantastic!)

  

i experienced boracay for the first time with some of the most awesome people. (it surely won't be the last.) wouldn't have had it any other way:)

 

i was exposed to cinemalaya. and fell in love with it. it's a parallel universe, totally.

i gained a new sister :)

 

i trotted to europe with friends (aka bagneux brigade) to attend one of my best buddies' wedding. it was a grand excuse to escape and be an excited vagabond once again!

 

 

i flew to cebu and sailed with some of my oldest and newest friends and their little families

i reconnected and renewed bonds with friends of old (and new!)

i became instrumental in making history and singing with a thousand voices in THE araneta colloseum for THE ryan cayabyab

 

i became part of some stage productions that required other things apart from singing sacred music

 

i had a most intimate christmas with the people who most mattered

 

... aaaand i could go on and on.

all in all, 2011 was pretty gorgeous. i'm grateful especially for the chance to travel, which affirms that indeed, i am not limited to just one place/culture/group, etc. i like that feeling of being a person of the world.

ages ago, i stuck a note on my cubby door, which is the first thing i see when i wake up, to remind me to look back on the day that passed and just be grateful for at least 3 things.

and everyday, i'd never stop at 3.

here's to hoping your year was as blessed as mine! i'm ready and excited for the next one!

cheers!

coffee with the 'sales diva'

another random post to preserve a moment.

it's always a great experience catching up with old friends. this particular friend i had coffee with last night was someone i wasn't particularly close to at the time we were working together 6 years ago (we were part of competing districts), but we've always been in touch. recent events have also brought us together and now we're finding ourselves talking like we've known each other forever.

of course we talked about work. past, present and future. and i learned a lot of things, directly and indirectly. i actually thought i'd write them down here before i forget.

- you will always want someone to treat you a certain way, but it doesn't mean that if they don't treat you the way you want them to, they don't like you. you have to understand where the other person is coming from and how he'll deliver a certain action to fully appreciate the gesture.

- never burn bridges, ever.

-remember the people you meet on your way up. you'll be meeting them too on your way down.

- control your feelings. mind over heart.

- one heart, one mind, one spirit. tired heart, tired mind, tired spirit.

- with money should come growth.

-it's fun exchanging stories with someone who's had international sales experience. the connection is unbelievable!

- compete with yourself. be better than you were. beat yourself.

- commit all your mistakes while you are young.

- always see the good in other people. when you are hurt by present negative circumstances concerning someone, go back to the good experiences you've had with them.

- look back for strength. surprise yourself with realizing how strong you were.

- fat bank accounts are an affirmation of how truly hardworking you were.

- it's okay to spend, but remember to save. if you haven't, start now.

- be careful what you wish for (e.g. a break) cos you just might get it.

- my, what 2 months could do to you physically!

- fitness always comes first!

- it's okay to say no to eat-all-you-can!
- it's a great feeling when someone you helped before still cites you as their mentor

etcetera, etctera, etctera ;)

  photo

crossroads

i'm at a crossroads at this point in my life and im seeing a bright future ahead for me. with it comes fear, anxiety, uncertainty.. but excitement definitely tops the list. it's just that comfort and familiarity are not easy things to give up. and the factor of distance is another major factor. challenge, though, is what's keeping my options in mind. and growth. growth both professionally and personally.

but with every decision comes an opportunity to gain and some form of loss. I hate that it's inevitable. hate, hate, hate it.

one other thing: i'm running out of time! my deadline's getting closer and closer. i can hardly breathe.

my cebu trip's getting closer. excited for that release and escape from everything Manila. still havent posted Europe pics, i should get on to doing that immediately. been making a video but it has me missing Paris oh so terribly. and that's only the first stop!

ps. hello blog. it's been a while! thanks to this new iphone app, i can blog on the go. i hope to post more since my ramblings aren't so private anymore on Twitter.

Love, me.

one year

drove to bulacan last week to celebrate the 1st anniversary of a friend's passing. by golly, how time flies.

there were a lot of people present, i saw myself seeing old friends and making new ones. at some point, i caught myself talking to her picture. i still feel she hasn't left, especially with people laughing and sharing stories about her over liquor and cigarettes.

i guess she really LIVED, ya? makes me wonder sometimes what effect i have on people, and how i will be celebrated once i myself have passed on. or will i be celebrated? i wonder what stories about me would be told over and over again.

yiish! suddenly life seems like one major performance. you're only as good as your last show. looking back, i don't believe i've been really really mean to anyone (unless necessary, of course) so i guess it's all good.

la lang.