Happy Ordinary Day

It was one of the most ordinary birthdays i can remember. I went to work, had meetings, ate at Max's (of all places!) for dinner yet i couldn;t be happier. Well, maybe that's an overstatement but the truth still remains that it was a very happy occasion. I delighted in the warm greetings, the jovial office banter, the good normal food and even the chance to get an early night's sleep.

Happiness is really a state of mind and i was glad i was in its territorial waters last Thursday. Ü

Smells like school spirit

It's been a very Blue day today. Firstly because I got a birthday letter (it wasn't a card) from Fr. Nebres/Ateneo alumni office and second, well, it was game day for Ateneo vs. DLSU part 3. Well as many people know, Ateneo did lose. By 1 measly point. It was disappointing at the very least, even for a relatively moderate fan like me. But after all the heartache and awwws, the jeers and taunts, i just can't help but feel proud of my school. And it's not because they played their hearts out or any of those empty self-comforting rationalizations. PLEASE.

I just realized that it's easy to love your alma mater after a win. Even the most disloyal subject adores a king returning from a triumphant campaign. But deeper school pride transcends momentary victories. It actually reveals itself more brightly when things are in the pits. When you can honestly say that you'd take on ridicule and defeat any day, when you're proud to represent even when you're still bludgeoned and licking your wounds, THAT is real pride. After 13 years of watching the game It took this particular defeat to realize i had this in me. I guess i'm not much of a 'moderate' Atenean after all. Ü

On friends

A friend of mine gave a great insight about me regarding friendship. It has something to do with our other friend whose presence in gimmicks i absolutely love and hate at the same time. I love it that she's so bubbly that she's opinionated, that she's witty and you need to constantly catch up with the banter. But these are the same things i hate about her at times--that her opinions are sometimes so disagreeable, or negative, that conversations are exhausting, its like a mental 100 meter dash but taken to marathon proportions.

But deny and complain as i may, I really do like her presence. She has the ability to bring out the best in me--i feel like i am at my wittiest, my bubbliest when i'm with her. I like the me that she brings out. She never crosses the line (for she values her privacy even more than i do) yet im less of everything that i hate about myself--less shy, tongue-tied or uneloquent. Though i believe that we shouldnt rely on others to complete us, friends really do help in revealing the great persons we already are.

On getting older...

When you were in college with limited allowances, you were happy with an order of 3 piece siomai and 2 cups of rice and McDonald's was a treat. Dencio's was regular gimmick fare and you'd go to a Greenbelt retaurant for extra special occasions like Christmas celebrations.

When you start working, you realize how hard it is to make money and though you can afford to eat in swankier places, you opt not to because your computations reveal that a dinner can cost you a day's wages.

But after several years of working and several wage hikes down the road, no resto is too expensive and no luxury is too great because you've been working so hard, you deserve to enjoy every peso you make. And sometimes, you end up with less money than you did when you started. When life was less complicated and your joys less sophisticated (or expensive!). Don't you miss the old days?

Seasons of Life

I just learned that one of the nicest and friendliest security guards in Burnett passed away due to a heart attack. He was just 40 something. The father-in-law of our officemate just passed also. So did my uncle. All in a span of a few weeks. I dunno if its just coincidence but it seems like we are in the middle of a season of death. It's weird how life events such as weddings or births, hook-ups (and break-ups!) can be totally be absent for most of the year then suddenly occur consecutively, almost as if a higher power is really orchestrating life.

On traveling

Just got back from a 6 day Indochina pseudo-adventure. Despite the numerous air transfers, language barriers and wet weather, i can't wait to do it all over again. Like a chance meeting, a first date, I think those 6 days were enough to make me want to get to know the place more, although a second date could be years away. That isn't so bad either because by then, the land would have changed enough for it to be both familiar and new.

Walking along the backpacker areas and seeing so many Caucasians who seem to have taken months off to go around the world have done nothing but fuel my inner wanderlust. And though i'm a stickler for good personal hygiene, I can't help but envy them, their reused clothing and sweaty looks notwithstanding. There's something so exhilarating about an unfamiliar city, where every turn leads to unexpected surprises and every stop is a new experience. Nothing can make me feel more infinite than turning the world into one big road trip. Nothing is boring. There are no routines. Everything is seen with new eyes.

Love conquers all

After a night of experimental theater, hole-in-the-wall eats and coffee amidst the mist, i came across a dog and cat (an askal and pusakal?) near our street in a very Lady and the Tramp moment. There couldn't have been a cuter yet uniquely dysfunctional couple--a pale-colored dog and a jet black cat in a loving embrace. There was bloody conflict or lusty butt-smelling action. They have nothing in common except for their kalye-living ways. They're just two natural enemies enjoying each other's company. Too bad i wasn't able to take pictures. I'm just happy i didn't run them over.

Nothing can restore your faith in the possibility of a happier, more peaceful world than a strangely romantic dog and cat relationship.