my priorities

last night's household was a breath of fresh air. i learned something new (again) about myself and my sisters and borthers.

earl & camille challenged us to come up with a list of how we prioritize 5 major points in our lives: prayer time, service, family, career, relationships. They told us to rank them they we prioritize them now and how we want them to be prioritized.

syempre, the ever pasaway, i came up with my own gimik. i ranked them according to how i value things before SFC, and now that i am one of them.

Before:

1. relationships - i was happy with what was going on in my life. i thought i had it all, i could just die.

2. career - money was a big factor then. i was materialistic. i was, for a time, married to the mall.

3. family - they're just there. everyone's healthy, everyone's at peace, everyone happy. i know that no matter what i do, i know my parents are just there. they'd love me no matter what.

4. prayer - ack! i had everything a girl could ever ask for. i don't need it.

5. service - i used to live for myself.

But now (and I'm proud of it):

1. prayer time - for me, this is the most "convenient" thing to do - because you can do this anytime, anywhere. lately, the first thing that i do when i open my eyes in the morning is pray. simply to thank and ask for guidance. i learned somewhere that prayer is not a spare tire we pull out everytime we feel our life has gone flat. rather,we should use it as a steering wheel to navigate us to our path where god wants us to be.

2. family - i come from a very small family, although i must admit we dont have a very open relationship, but we find ways to communicate. i'm still working on this part. i learned to value my parents more now, most especially when my dad got sick.

3. relationships [romantic (ulk!) or otherwise] - the people who keep me grounded; it's god's way of telling me that he loves me thru the friends he gave me.

4. career - it puts food on the table alright, but i believe i wasnt born to work. i work to live. i think ive already proven something,although not that grand (yet),pero im happy where i am now.

5. service - this is one thing i need to exert an effort in. although i intend to serve (charity), the thought is there,but i need to execute. like on my bday,instead of receiving gifts,i wanna be the one to pay it forward now. i believe ive been very blessed,so why not share the blessing?

so there, i challenge you to come up with your priorities too.

birthday wishlist

damn! i'm turning 28 in (checking pda)... 33 days!

is it true that as you get more comfortable in your own skin, let alone build a stronger sense of self (read: self-esteem), you become more fearless in facing your real age (i mean biological, not mental age). i don't believe in numbers anyway.

even if you insist that i'm officially old (yeah, yeah, we'll all get "there." una-unahan lang yan!), i believe i'm still entitled to my whims. i can tell you i'd want world peace as the perfect birthday present albeit its pageant-like-answer-that-will-surely-land-you-the-title theme, why not, libre ang mangarap! although it gives me chills to the bones to admit that i've been working this long, yet i haven't saved much to cater to my ever lust-inducing impulses (i'm talking material things, you moron!), i guess coming up with a wishlist won't hurt at all. if there are people who's like to play santa this early, go ahead and pacify me. if you don't intend to play mother theresa, no worries.

anyway, here are the things i'd like to have:

1. a digicam (dslr preferred) - to capture every great (or the not-so-great) moments with my friends, family or myself. sometimes i love taking pictures of non-living things. minsan gusto ko naman mag-trip kunan ng litrato ang mga taong nagmo-"moment" or nag-e-emote.

2. nice pairs of shoes (notice it's in plural form) - i'm talking killer shoes that will not only make my ugly feet & legs look beautiful & slim, but will also give me blisters. my life mantra is "beauty over comfort." i don't care if i commute every single day, but as long as i get praises for my shoes, then i'm all good!

3. shopping spree - it's been a long time since i went shopping. i don't intend to blow my month's paycheck on a single (sosyal) store. lately, i'm into this anti-mass-produced labels. so ok lang if i get to buy a few pieces, as long as it looks good on me and i don't get to bump into someone wearing the same ensemble.

4. a nice bag - hmm... the smell of luxurious leather, colored, well-made, arm candy (ok, i don't wanna push my luck and wish for an LV Damier).

5. plane ticket to an out-of-the-country trip - need i say more? (a trip to the beach will do.)

6. a laptop and a wireless internet connection - so i can blog, blog, blog away. anytime. anywhere. (and read more blogs)

7. a powerbooks gift certificate - so i can buy all the books i want. i love reading. i'm reading lauren weisberger's "chasing harry winston" lately. i'm starting to like chick lits. although i'd like to read garcia marquez' one hundred years of solitude one day, i'm taking it one step at a time.

happy birthday to me in 33 days!

ode to tickled pink

It’s one of my good friends’ birthday today. She goes by a lot of moniker: Cha, Chachi, Chachikibuta, and, er, Czarmel. But to me she’ll always be friendship. Yes, we’ve learned to call each other “friendship” over the years, no matter how bakya it may sound. For me, she really epitomizes what friendship is all about – giving, understanding, sacrificing, loving beyond borders.

Let me tell you about how our friendship started.

Well, as early as 5th grade (gee, that was many moons ago!), we were already classmates. We belong in the same row as we were alphabetically arranged by surname – she, Cruz, and me, del Rosario. For some strange reason, perhaps we being childish and all, we started “fighting.” I really can’t quite recall what started it, but what we’re sure of is that pareho kaming maldita at such a young age!

And then we met again in sophomore year. This time, we’ve formed allies with the rest of the girls whom we know we’ll be friends with for a long time. There was me, Cha, Mikhai, Janice, Aissa, Oss, Tatinne, Cathy (oh, no, I think I missed someone). We would always hang out to our house in Paco to swap stories, pig out on junk food and to basically bum around. We all shared stories about our crushes (si Jay!!!) and we would mock some of our classmates and teachers (mean girls forevah!).

Sad to say, some went their separate ways, yet some remained loyal to the group.

When we reached college, we seldom, if at all, saw each other.

And then we graduated.

We started fulfilling our fantasies to climb up the corporate ladder (until now, it still is a fantasy as we aren’t so high and mighty…yet. We want world domination!).

One day, someone invited everyone for some catching up.

It didn’t end there.

We were seeing more and more of each other since then.

I found myself praying and saying thanks to The Man for uniting us again. The challenges we had to face this time are far cry from what we used to battle way back.

Now, we have to wage war against career, family, money, relationships and a whole lot more.

When I was struggling with issues of the heart (you know what, looking back, I find everything so funny. I cringe all the time!), my girls were always there. We were always together every single day. We would drown ourselves with coffee, food, shopping and we would always laugh our hearts out.

Of course, within a group, there will always be little cliques.

In ours, Cha is my clique.

She was sooooo patient in listening to all my rants about life. Ang nakakatawa, we experience almost the same things at the exact same time. That’s why I’m overly thankful for having her in my life. She never passes judgment on me, she even spoils me rotten (in a good way ha?). She says all the right things when I need to hear them. I believe that its God’s way of saying that He is just beside me all the time Chachi as just an instrument. What do you know, she is even my prayer partner. We never fail to say our St. Jude novenas every Thursday.

Since today is a Thursday, and it is your birthday, I pray that you be given impeccable health, bless you with a happy love life really soon, a kick-ass career and may all your prayers be answered. You know you are in my prayers.

Thank you, friendship, for everything. Happy birthday!

I love you ng bonggang bongga!!! ;-)

get a life

you insecure bitch, will you please stop viewing me on friendster.

you got what you wanted, didn't you? aren't you at all happy?

you're so insecure. you have zero self-esteem.

bitch! bitch! bitch!

chaos

whaaaa!!!!

grabe na ang nangyayari sa office!

puro gossip, puro intriga.

my gosh, can't people from that other bank please shut up. and that girl with puny brain???

i wanna be left alone.

i wanna live in peace.

i'm happy. can't we all be?

hiatus

i've been in hibernation for 1 month, i think.

well, i've been very busy leading a very happy and peaceful life.

i've never felt this way before.

it's overwhelming. there are no words to describe what i feel inside.

i'm happy.

deliriously happy.

money DOES NOT make the world go round

I never fail to read the papers on Sundays. For one, I have all the time to do so, unlike when I do read on a weekday, when I end up rushing for work. I still am late every time nevertheless.

Like I blogged before, I love Bum Tenorio, Lucy Torres (sometimes, I get jealous of her because she writes about food she tries most of the time, yet she stays slim in spite of all the sweets and fatty food she shoves down her throat) and Jim Paredes’ columns.

This Sunday, Jim Paredes talked about things money can’t buy. Since he teaches creative writing, he asked his class to list down things that make them happy yet come (for) free. My initial reaction: wala nang free ngayon! Or kaya, free man sya, meaning no monitary value, yet emotions are involved. Either way, there’s a price to pay for it.

In this time of soaring oil prices & inflation, I was surprised, as I read on, that the students were able to list down 10. And then, Jim even challenged them to list down 200 more! Wow, that was something! So meaning, marami talaga! He even added that when we are stripped of worldly wealth, we really get to come down and get to appreciate the basics.

Sige, sige, Mr. Paredes, I’m up for the challenge. I’ll think of something and come up with a list of my own, in no particular order:

- the sun, the moon and the stars that remind us that there are greater things in this universe
- the air we breathe
- the sound and music we hear
- gravity, that keeps us “grounded” (hehe, I was trying to be funny)
- our dreams that we strive to put into reality
- our parents, our friends, our extended families
- happiness in spite of our discontentment
- peace of mind that give us sound sleep every night
- our faith in God, that He has good plans for us
- our religion that helps us shape our value system
- our health that helps us carry out our tasks everyday
- prayer, our venue to be with the Almighty
- healing, and the hope of rising from the ashes
- love
- a kiss
- the power of holding hands with a friend or a partner
- ambition, our aspirations that we continually work hard for
- forgiveness
- our “humanness”, flaws and all
- our strength and courage to go on in spite of challenges
- relationships with people that make us realize that God is with us
- blessings and grace we receive from God
- patience in waiting for something without any timeline
- humility in accepting our weaknesses or faults
- compassion for the less fortunate
- our talents that set us apart from others
- our voice that helps us communicate and sing in the shower and speak the sweetest and sincerest prayers
- our sense of smell that makes us appreciate the flowers in the garden, our fresh bottle of perfume and even the smell of coffee in the morning
- our ears that make us hear the gushing wind or the angry waves

So far, here are my “free” happiness.

Sige nga, what’s yours?