Trip for Two

My former boss from City of Seattle and I were having a conversation over e-mail today. When I told her about my plans to finally get out of Seattle and travel the world, she said, "Do it now! Don't be like me, 50 years old, kid in college, and lots of debt without seeing the world first!"

Call me Tae-Young, but I've always daydreamed of packing a suitcase, living in some small apartment in a foreign country, and working as a waitress at a restaurant, not minding that I'm only making minimum wage because the experience is simply priceless. Maybe I'm just a wimp so I haven't done it, but I think my cousin said it best in an e-mail last week: "Because lots of times, you just want to share experiences with someone else who'll appreciate it as much as you do."

Amen. When I ooh and ahh at everything, I want someone next to me doing the same thing. When I'm 60, I want to be able to reminisce "the crazy things I did when I was in my 20s" with someone else, you know? Or at the very least, I want someone there whom I can run to when reality catches up with my idealism and I have no money left to pay for that small apartment in a foreign country. HeHe.

Party of One

My guess is 90% of my second grade class is now married, engaged, or attached based on what Zara told me via e-mail. Who will be at her wedding this summer? "Mayie and fiancee, Carmela and husband, Leslie and husband, Anna Luz and bf, Eloisa and bf, Lucy Ann and bf." I wonder when my name will have "and bf" attached to it on a list.

Bitter? Not really. Nagpapaawa/nagpaparinig lang ulit. HeHe. Let's see, I've been a flower girl, usherette twice, and cord sponsor so far in weddings. With a few more roles, I'll be an expert about every role in a wedding entourage. I can start my own business as an emergency entourage replacement!

And based on this article, I might as well. Why not make a fortune by being single, right?

I swear, was I asleep when God asked every single woman in this world whether she wanted a career or a love life? Did He automatically assign "career" to my name? Can I change it? Please? ;P

Arigato

In an e-mail...

Congratulations, you have been selected to advance to the interview stage of the 2005 Japan Exchange & Teaching Program. ALT interviews in Seattle will be held Monday, Feb.14 - Thursday, Feb. 17, 2005.

So all this time, I've been opening our mailbox, thinking that the good news will come from there. I should've known that the Japanese are too technology-savvy for that kind of thing. HeHe.

Age Difference

"You're the only reason I come into the office. You're so much fun to talk to."

L and I were having another bonding moment while we had the office to ourselves today. I swear, it's like a two-person support group. It's nice to be appreciated. It's nice to know that you somehow make someone's life easy just by being there. However, why couldn't these people who love me be boys men, or at least people my age?

L and I are twelve years apart. One of my former bosses, who's like twenty years older than me, has invited me over to her house twice in the last year. Pen was amazed that her dad actually talked to me when I was over at their house in November. Ate TJ told me over an e-mail how delighted she was to have found my website because I make her feel young. These are older people, with a spouse and kids, and bills to pay. Number of things in common with me: zero. Yet somehow they love me, they really, really love me (Pen, tell your dad to adopt me already!).

My point is that this situation is not helping me with my social life at all. My social circle nowadays is made up of people who are at least ten years older than me. Granted that yes, I don't do what most twenty-something-year-olds do: I don't drink, smoke, hang-out in bars, etc. But don't I deserve some friends that are my age? Someone please tell me what happened to my life between the time I graduated from college and now. And please tell me that there's hope, that I'll manage to find my way back to the mid-twenties crowd...somewhere...somehow.

The EPIK Begins

Finally! The website has been updated and I can finally apply for this. Their orientation period is on my birthday though. That's not good since I was planning to spend at least that weekend in Manila. Ahh, the sacrifices you have to make in order to see Bae Yong-Joon in the flesh.

P for Passion

I'd just like to announce that someone today googled "Christian Bautista's girlfriend" and ended up here. See? I told you guys I was going out with him. >=P

Anyway, currently, I'm only jealous of one group of people: those who are doing what they're passionate about. These are the people who are architects from 8-5, but are dancers after 5. These are the people who are counselors from 8-5, but are musicians after 5. I envy those who have a special section on their website solely dedicated to their passion.

During our various talks about careers, L and I always ended up asking eachother how does one find his/her passion? L said that apparently you're supposed to look back into your childhood and remember what you liked doing back then. Hmmm... I hated reading back then. I played with my cousins every single weekend. I read my brother's loveletters from his girlfriend on a daily basis. Nope, sorry, my childhood isn't giving me any good ideas as to what I should do with my life.

I'd hate to think that I'm passionate about finding my passion. The ideal thing is for you to do what you love to do, learn how to do it well enough that you can get paid to do it. Well, I don't think sitting in front of my computer, pondering about my life, will help me bring food to the table any time soon. Wait, am I the only one who spends this much time on this subject? Should I be feeling sorry for myself instead of spending my 10-11 p.m. on being confused? HeHe.

I Can See Clearly Now

Hallmark needs to keep its Feb. 14ish advertisements to itself. I also found it disturbing that the special deal until February 14 is 200 Hallmark bonus points when you buy three Hallmark cards. Three?! How many significant others do people have these days to warrant buying three cards for February 14?! Tsk. Tsk.

So last night, I pulled out The Book, my third time reading it in two months. Is there something wrong with me? LoL.

I'm not really reading it "to learn" per se. More than anything, I love that book because it validates my beliefs when it comes to matters of the heart. No longer do I think that I'm a coldhearted *bleep and it's all because of that book. Very empowering if I may say so myself! LoL.

Here's my take: We all know what's good for us. We know that it's better to eat fruit instead of that chocolate bar lying in the office. We know that it's better to exercise than sit our butt in front of the TV watching American Idol. Hence, I seriously think that we know when we're with the wrong person, or whether the person we have in front of us is not the very best person that we deserve to get for the rest of our lives. If he isn't meeting your expectations, please exit and don't waste your time thinking that a miracle will happen and that guy will finally know how to correctly form a sentence in one day's time ::brushing a chip off of my shoulder::. LoL. The bottom line is I'd rather be alone than put up with crap. Because if you put up with crap, it will turn you into crap, and what good is that? Right? Right!

I think that if someone is confusing the heck out of you, then he/she isn't the one. I think it's either you like/love someone, or you don't. There's no gray area. I learned that this past year. Usually when I got confused about someone, it was because of me trying to lower my standards. Therefore, I have learned that confusion is a sign to find "greener pastures." To all of my love counselors, I'm sorry to say that I won't be needing you this year; I'm a smarter woman now. *cough. LoL. Now, my love recruiters (I think there's none of you left anymore, hahaha!), you're still in demand so please supply. LoL.

Oh my, I've rambled on. To all the single women of this world, please take the time to read that book. Do it as a favor to yourself. Do it as a favor to mankind.

Waiting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

I guess you're more "employable" when you're not a "new college graduate" anymore.

I turned in two resumes on January 3 (new year = new beginning = took some action to get myself out of the rut that I'm currently in). This week, both employers called to schedule an interview. Now, had this been in 2003, I would still be staring at a silent phone right now (and continue to do so for the next 6 months).

So, I have two interviews next week. Neither one of them is for JET. I know I'll have to decide between these two jobs way before JET decides to tell me to keep the hope alive (read: letter to request an interview). Hence, more confusion on my part. Hmph!

You and Me Against the World

Because of you, my life has changed, thank you for the love and joy you bring
Because of you, I feel no shame, I'll tell the world it's because of you

You had me at "Hello"...


You gradually showed your true colors...


You opened up to me some more...


I think I'm in love...


After one and a half weeks of tracking the package on UPS' website, my Powerbook has finally arrived. The wait was well worth it. I can't call it a late Christmas present anymore; I guess I shall regard it as an early Valentine's Day gift to myself. Can you feel the love? LoL.

I've decided to call it "Papa." Yes, it's my first time naming one of my things. Papa the Powerbook. That sounds just about right. Together, Papa and I will travel the world, give birth to one or more children (our first born will be called iShuffle, but we'll have to wait for another year because I want to spend some time with Papa first), and simply make sure that we spend enough time with eachother. (It's sad though that I can't use Papa yet because I have no money to buy Adobe Creative Suite for Macs and Microsoft Office 2004 for Macs. That's an "I'm begging" announcement, in case none of you were able to pick that up. HeHe)

No, I haven't gone mad; I've just made The Switch. =D

Hear My Prayers

Every single time I'm at RiceBowlJournals.com, I always have an agenda. Last month, I was there to find an American Bae Yong-Joon; I failed...miserably. Today at work, I was on the site, checking the Japan category for JET Program participants. I found a couple of them. From looking at all their pictures and travel stories, I now totally wish and hope that I get accepted into the program. I want to experience what they're currently experiencing. And because my heart is so set on this, I'm scared that I won't get in. God doesn't usually give me what I really want. He usually comes back another time and gives me more than what I initially asked for. But Lord, please hear my prayers this time around. Eventhough I'm selling all of my Sanrio stuff on eBay right now to make way for more technosexual gadgets, I would still love to pay homage to my beloved Sanrio Puroland. *SIGH. I wonder how many more whinings I'll be posting on here. HeHe.

Touchy Feely

You know, it is true that when you have little of something, you value it more; and when you have plenty of something, you take it for granted. For "normal" people, it was a three-day weekend; for me, it was a one-day weekend and I was quite happy with it. There were no ringing phones, no stupid questions, and no bipolar disorders. It felt damn good.

After taking my car to get an oil change, I went back home to actually get on the treadmill. When I'm a happy camper, I exercise. When I'm not, you can find me laying on the couch. For the past two months, it has been the latter. Anyway, after a quick shower, I battled the rain and drove to the spa to indulge in a 50-minute massage. My back has been giving me problems lately (probably from laying on the couch too much, HeHe) and I'm also dying a slow death from all the stress at work. Hence, I decided to cough up the money for a massage eventhough I seriously think that any spa service in the U.S. is way overpriced.

Normally, I would be uncomfortable with a stranger touching my nekkid body like that, but it felt good. She can touch my body all day, let me tell ya. Throughout the 50 minutes, I kept remembering Friends' Phoebe though. Tsk. Tsk. I watched too much TV during my heydays. LoL.

As I try to figure out my life and its path in the next two months, I'm looking forward to these massages as my salvation. I think I finally understand how important it is to pamper yourself; not necessarily to look good, but to feel good. Although I'm sure, they go hand in hand. Now if I can only get my spiritual side jumpstarted, I swear, no one can dampen my spirits.

All By Myself

It's a fact: hell exists on this Earth. Our Marketing Communications Manager has turned in her resignation. I only have three weeks left of having someone at the office that keeps me sane from all the madness. After that time, I have four weeks until "March 2005." Crap! It's not so much of meeting the deadline that I have set for myself, but more of how I'm going to be able to handle all the stress that will arise from L not being there. I can only buy and eat so many gallons of ice cream. God help me.

Speaking of which, last night, before going to bed, I prayed long and hard to God. He doesn't expect me to stay at my job for my entire life, does He? At least, I hope not. I have at least 50 reasons, Sir! Hey, maybe I need to enumerate those tonight to Him. The Guy doesn't seem to be listening to me half of the time. ;P

Please feel free to pass on any interesting and fulfilling job openings to me. It will be greatly appreciated. Guaranteed.

Monopolized Entertainment

Remember back in the day when ASAP stood for ABS-CBN Sunday Afternoon Party (Yes, we already had TFC around 1995)? Back then, the hosts were Martin, Pops, Dayanara, and Ariel; The Streetboys and Manoeuvres provided all the dancing; and the "Pare Ko Gang" were the youngins. Even when they decided to add Jolina into the mix, I still enjoyed the show.

Nowadays, I ask myself, "WTF happened?!" Instead of being entertained, I am now annoyed every single Sunday (and yes, I still watch it nonetheless). Does the show really need 5 billion "regulars"? It's such a circus! If ABS-CBN can't get these people decent projects, by all means, let them go to other networks instead of placing them all on ASAP!

If you already have a ZsaZsa, why do you need a Kuh? If you already have a Vina who can sing and dance, why do you need a Rica? If you already have Bea and Shaina, why do you need Anne (of all people!)? If you already have Sarah, Mark (my beloved promdi), and Papa Christian, why do you need Erik, Gumby, Poor Girl, and Frenchy (I don't mind the recent addition of Raymond though)? Then, there's The Hunks...why are they all trying to be wanne-be rockstars? Stop the madness!

I'm not even going to get started on ASAP Fanatics. I just need some good entertainment. I realized that I only watch a handful of TFC shows nowadays, all of which are from the News & Current Affairs Department: The Correspondents, Pipol, and Straight Talk (I keep missing the MYX shows on Saturdays!). And yes, I watch The Buzz, but not for long if they're going to change the format like they did today. Tsk. Tsk. Let's raise the bar of quality, people, because I seriously don't believe that what I'm watching is what the Filipino audience really want...at least, I hope not. And yes, I'm probably talking about this subject because I'm simply having Good Morning, Kris withdrawals. GMA-7, hurry up and get a satellite up in space! Now na!

Potential Freedom Discovered

Did you all know that the Smurfs can be seen on TV on Saturday mornings? I might not complain anymore about getting up early on Saturdays to go to work because of this!

And if that's not all, I finally found something intriguing on INQ7.net today. Basically, I'll be turning in an application this week that will allow me to be in the Philippines for eight weeks this summer. Yes, call it deja vu, but without the perks like free housing, 24/7 air conditioning, and getting paid for hanging out at U.P.-Diliman all day. HeHe.

Please God, I'm not wishing for a boyfriend this year. I'm not wishing for you to give me strength to get on the treadmill everyday this year. I'm not wishing for the Opposition to go to hell and die (okay, wait, I might if Susan Roces gives in to their dumb ideas), but please grant my wish to be in Asia for an extended stay this year! Whether it's Japan or the Philippines, please grant my wish. Please set me free from my mundane seven-days-a-week routine. Pretty please!

A New Start

I had set a personal record last night: I was in bed by 9 p.m.; asleep by 10 p.m. It's not that I'm not welcoming 2005 with open arms. My 2004 actually ended on a happy note, thanks to a package I received in the mail yesterday. It's always nice to be remembered when you thought you weren't going to be, you know? Bonus na yung maganda ang gift na binigay sa iyo. Ang hindi ko lang kinaya eh yung closing remark na "Ang kagandahan." Bagong taon na po, huwag na po tayong magsinungaling! LoL.

Anyway, I was going to buy some stuff at Ikea to help me organize my room a little better, but the darn place was packed. I shall try again on Monday after work. Once I got home, I found out that Bravo is having a Queer Eye Marathon. I haven't watched any of the shows this season and I realized how much I missed them so. Grabe, I really want a gay guy friend this year! LoL. I also found out that they're going to have a Queer Eye for the Straight Girl show soon! My gosh, someone write to them and recommend me! Help me fix my life, people! LoL. Granted, I don't have an apartment for them to decorate, nor do I have someone special to learn how to cook for. HeHe.

Happy 2005, everyone!