State of the Blogging Nation

I've been bloghopping the last few days which I haven't done in years. It's amazing to see the current state of blogs these days compared to when I started blogging in 1998.

For one, I'm not the lone sawi blogger anymore. There are far more people these days who are blogging about their lovelife, or shall I say the lack there of. Personally, I've said everything that I could ever say about my situation so it's definitely a breath of fresh air to read other people's words instead. Parang nakaharap lang ako sa salamin kapag binabasa ko ang mga posts nila. HaHa!

It's also amazing the quality of pictures that people put on their pages. Amateur photography at its finest! Technology nga naman! Gone are the days that bloggers have to scan their pictures because of film cameras! Okay, I just aged myself right there.

But there seems to be this fad currently (just like blog rings, moving icons, MIDIs, and flickR badges through the years): bloggers avoiding posting pictures of themselves on their blogs. That's unheard of in my realm especially with Pen and Raissa since you can practically trace their family tree by using all the pictures they have on their site. HeHe! In this age of Faceb00k, hindi ko naiintindihan kung bakit may mga tao pang hindi makakapal ang mga mukha at hindi naglalantad ng mga pictures nila. ;P

So how have I changed as a blogger through the years? Hmmm... I don't really know. The experiences have changed, hence the topics have been different as well. There are more distractions these days so there's less time to sit and write about more thought-provoking entries (naks!) than I used to. But I'm definitely thankful that I know a small group of people who I've managed to hang out with not only on their website, but in real life too (in Pinas even!)...and have gotten to know their families...and their single, male relatives. HaHa!

I wonder what the next ten years will bring. Note to self: si Piolo sana...kahit his likeness lang, puwede na. ;P

Marketing Me

If you ever want to feel useless with a marketing degree, then just go to a career fair:

"Sorry, we're not hiring marketing people right now."
"We're looking for engineering and IT people."

Dammit. It's like 2003 all over again (the year when I graduated) and finding a marketing position was next to impossible. This career fair is actually at my alma mater; I decided to go because I had to try everything and exhaust all opportunities to find a new job. But really, my going tonight was just a simple revelation of what I already knew: the bad economy isn't kind to marketing folks...even pretty ones like me.

Change as a Verb

I took the day off today to watch the live coverage of the presidential inauguration. More than simply witnessing history in the making, I wanted to be inspired, to be moved, to be changed, but I realized one thing: that change as a noun requires change as a verb. In order for change to happen, one must take action.

I remembered 2005 and how I bought a plane ticket, packed my bags, and went to the Philippines. No excuses, no dillydallying, no second guessing, no fear. Nike would've been proud of me for living its mantra of "Just do it."

When finding a job there took longer than usual, I didn't give up. Determined by God knows what, I just kept trying and trying until I finally succeeded. Maybe I was out to prove everyone wrong or maybe it was my being stubborn, but in the end, I was a better person because of all of it. And personally, I proved to myself that taking the road less traveled definitely made all the difference.

So fast forward to 2009: I hate my job and getting out of it is proving harder than usual. I can blame it on the economy, but I'm blaming myself. Where is that determined, no-fear-but-fear-itself-thinking girl from 2005? I know that I'm currently not her because whenever I read job postings, I can hear myself thinking, "No, you can't do that." Or I'm simply *thinking* about better things and not going after them with gusto as I had done before. My gosh, I am soooo better than this.

Dear self, may you be inspired, may you find that person you once were, and may you take the necessary actions to find the change you wish to see in the world.

HD Headache

While millions of children are starving in Africa, I'm sitting here, freaking out about which LCD HDTV to buy:

Option #1: Samsung 46", LN46A550
Cons: Sound isn't so stellar daw

Option #2: Sony Bravia 42", KDL-42V4100
Cons: Smaller than 46" obviously...if I go for the Sony 46" mas mahal sa Samsung 46"

My gawd, ganito bang kahirap bumili ng boyfriend?!

Negative Vibes

My year-end summary of my retirement account arrived. I almost fainted when I read this line in the report:

Net investment gain/loss: -$2,926.83

Seeing that this account is only a year-and-a-half old, but includes all of my retirement assets, that investment loss is a huge chunk of my life savings. Kung alam ko lang, hindi na dapat ako nagbukas ng Roth IRA in 2007. Ugh!

Touched for the Very First Time

What's this box doing here?


I still can't tell...


Oooh, Amazon creating suspense with a white wrapper.


Self, you shouldn't have!

Meet Tuchie (pronounced "Too-chee"), my new 16GB, wi-fi-enabled traveling companion. Kulay has been all over SE Asia and the Philippines already and his battery is running too short these days after four eventful years that it's time to keep him in the office and bring someone else along on the road. Hence, Tuchie and she's a s3xy girl...like I am. LoL.

You know, it's things like these that empower me to be single. I keep thinking, "If I can get myself an iPod iTouch, who the heck needs a generous boyfriend?" (But then over the weekend, I found out that GabValenciano got RachelleAnnGo a MacBook for Christmas and that made me feel otherwise. ;P Note to self: Please don't advertise again that you watch The Buzz.)

You're Welcome, 2009

I'm glad it's 2009. If past years were any indication, my life seems to be "better" during odd years:

2001 - I transferred to UW from a private university seamlessly
2003 - I graduated with a Bachelor's degree
2005 - I went to the Philippines and finally followed my heart
2007 - I traveled around SE Asia on my own

For 2009, I simply have one goal and that's to take care of myself mentally, physically, and spiritually - something that I put off this past year. Syempre kasama na diyan ang lovelife; I vow to team up with God on that one this year. Sorry na lang duon sa lalake na magiging biktima namin. HaHa! Pero seriously, more effort on this subject this year. Promise! :)

Happy new year to everyone and let the good times roll.