...

I'll start to look at my own faults and correct them instead of looking at other peoples' faults and criticize them but never be able to do anything to change the situation.

The Lasts of 2011

It's this time of the year again when I look back at the year that has passed and try to sort of evaluate if it was a good year or not.

Well, 2011 was generally kind to me. I closed a lot of good deals this year and really earned a lot from the closed transactions. I think I was almost (95%) successful at catching myself from feeling complacent and from stopping to work entirely after closing a big deal. ( Complacency has always been my problem. You know when I close a huge deal I feel like I have the right to slack. I am close to not being like this anymore. Just a little bit more of work. :) )

I took the Written Comprehensive Exam (WCE) for my Graduate Studies and had to take 1 subject twice. Thankfully, I passed it now and I am good to start my thesis proposal writing by next year. Although I found out that my mentor will be on leave next term, she's fine to do consultations so my thesis proposal writing will unofficially start in January 2012 and officially on May 2012. This is good because at least I have time to really study for the broker's license exam on March 2012.

Kd and I were blessed with another awesome year. We're still not the perfect couple but it's the imperfections that keep what we have special.

I had a good share of challenges that I had to deal with especially for work. As a result of dealing with those, I can happily say that I have learned the things that I know now through my own experience.

I am looking forward to the year ahead. I do not know what's in store for me but I remain positive. I'm looking forward to live through the year and fill it with meaningful experiences that when this time of the year comes again, I'll have a lot of things to look back at.

Endurance 2011

I think I have endured a lot this year. Not that I really have a lot of emotional baggage but I mean in terms of work and also physically. I have endured running around the Metro for meetings, viewings, errands, listings and whatnot with a fever, flu or a really bad cold the entire year. I have dealt with difficult and crazy people throughout the year-clients and landlords alike. Although of course I've had my share of good people to deal with, too. So there, endurance 2011.

Butterfly Effect

Butterfly effect is the concept that explains that what we do or say today will have an effect on a lot of things later, tomorrow, next year and forever. Well, this is not the exact definition of course but it's something like this.

Whatever we choose to do or say today will have an effect on our lives and the lives of others whether we intend to do so or not. So choose wisely. Always.

Oh.

I remember Iceman.

?

I would like to believe that being what I am and actually deciding to live my life as I am, I have certain privileges that a usual person (girl) would not have.

Ideally, a couple would marry, have kids (or vice versa), raise the kids until they can stand on their own and then, as a couple, do whatever they would want to do.

Now, since I will not have kids and marry, I will be jumping straight to the last step which is to do whatever I (or KD and I) would want to do. This is a privilege, an advantage. But what do I do?

It's great that I do not necessarily have a guide book to follow but it's also hard to figure out how I should go about things.

Free as I may seem, I feel even more trapped as those who have something to follow.

Tell me.

Nobody is as unfree as he who believes that he is actually free.

Does this make sense?

...

I think I should be doing more in my life now.

I'm not so sure whether I am where I am supposed to be.

One minute I'm so sure, the next minute I have no idea.

I wanna get away and do something else.

Good job.

It's not always easy to juggle people's expectations and moods. Ideally, best arrangement would be for everybody to be happy. But of course, this is not always possible. Most times, I have to choose who to please.

It's difficult sometimes because the heavy feeling of having to choose one over the other seems so unnecessary and yet I cannot let it go. I feel like I'm wasting my time feeling heavy and should just let it go immediately but then that's not so easy to do either.

I can't help but feel that this is wrong sometimes.

...

"Things do not happen.

Things are made to happen."

-JFK

JFK

"For we are opposed around the world

by a monolithic and ruthless

conspiracy that relies on covert means for

expanding its sphere of influence--

on infiltration instead of invasion,

on subversion instead of elections,

on intimidation instead of free choice,

on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day.

It is a system that has conscripted vast

human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit,

highly efficient machine that

combines military, diplomatic, intelligence,

economic, scientific and political operations."

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

1917-1963

Diana

"Only do what your heart tells you."

"I like to be a free spirit.

Some don't like that,

but that's the way I am."

"I fear for my life."

Diana, Princess of Wales

1961-1997

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always."

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."

Do Not Bow

"I cannot teach you violence
as I do not myself believe in it.
I can only teach you not to
bow your heads before anyone
even at the cost of your life."

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
1869-1948

Insane

"Our society is being run by
insane people for insane
objectives. I think we are
being run by maniacs
with maniacal ends and I think I'm
liable to be put away as insane
for expressing that.
That's what's insane about it."

-John Lennon
1940-1980

We Must Know

"I need you to know that this is very important
what we are fighting for,
because.. I'm tired,
I'm really tired of manipulations.
I'm really tired on how the press is
manipulating everything
that has been happening in the situation.
They do not tell the truth...
They're lying...
They manipulate our history books.
The history books are not true,
it's a lie.
The history books are lying,
you need to know that,
you must know that."

-Michael Jackson
1958-2009

Php

If there is one thing about work life that I think is worth writing about, it is the fact that I will have to work hard (or even fight) for every single peso that will find its way into my bank account.

There's no easy way to get money. No easy and legal way I guess. Although the illegal ways to get money would lead to consequences one way or another so that sort of settles the score between legal and illegal ways to earn. I'm completely offtrack. Anyway, there is no easy way to get money. And that means that if you are not having a hard time, if everything is easy, then maybe there is a 99% chance that you are going nowhere.

My point? Take everything in. If you're having a hard time, that's good. It only means that you are a step closer to getting to the good stuff. Working smart and being lucky will probably come up in the following entries. For now, just take these in.

Nothing comes easy. Be thankful for the hardships.

Setting or self?

I've been feeling weird lately.
My head's spinning and I feel like I'm floating.
Lutang ba kumbaga.
I don't know what I should do about it. Or if I should do anything about it at all.
Maybe I'll just wait for things to get back to normal.

Do I need a change of setting or change of self?

Help?

I try to help people. Trust me, I do. All the time. Everyday, every hour and every minute for as long as I could.

I help in every way possible. When I say possible, possible to me. I help in every way that my time, my effort, all my other resources and my entire being would allow.

Another thing that I would let you in on is that I help people who want help and are willing to help themselves. Otherwise... No.

August 14 2009

Exactly 2 years ago, I closed my first ever sale of a real estate property. I never thought that I'd be able to pull it off in this profession. I never actually thought I'd be in this line of work.

I guess life's just really crazy in the sense that you sometimes catch yourself standing in a place where you swore you'll never be caught dead in.

Although no matter how crazy the stuff that life throws at us can be, there will always be Someone up there to guide us and eventually reveal why everything had to happen the way they did.

Postscript: I just composed an entry to diss someone and now I'm writing this to.. I dunno, try to inspire? Crazy, isn't it?

...

Love should never make people feel bad. I know that there should be sacrifices and all that but generally, love should make people feel secure and safe and well... Loved. Anything other than that is not real love I guess.

Friday Fun Day

Busy day today. Not busy enough to not be able to blog though.

10:30-12:00 pm - meeting with a client for a long term lease
1:00-3:00 pm - meeting with a client for an acquisition
3:15 pm - back to the office to send emails if necessary
4:00 pm - read Harry Potter book 1 (Denise Quintos suggested that I read it and now I'm hooked. Well, sort of.)
6:00 pm (more or less) - leave the office to go home
7:30 pm - dinner (either at home or around BF)
8:15 pm - out for the night

I blogged ahead. The day's not done yet, hasn't even started but I am looking forward to go through it.

Later!

Contentment vs. Complacency

contentment-

–noun

1. the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.

2. Archaic . the act of making contentedly satisfied.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/contentment

complacency-

–noun, plural -cies.

1. a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.

2. Archaic .

a. friendly civility; inclination to please; complaisance.

b. a civil act.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/complacency

Is it just me or is there a thin line between contentment and complacency? In anything, especially in my line of work, there is no room for complacency. Ideally, I'd close a deal and then move on to the next. There's not supposed to be any room to be complacent.

The thing is, I think it's my nature to just sit still sometimes. I am not really the intense type of person to just keep going and going and going. I think it doesn't take much for me to be contented.

Like every time, I don't have a point to show. It's just that it's difficult for me to push myself hard after I close a huge deal and I can't really pinpoint if it's complacency or contentment that I'm feeling.

Oh well, I dunno. I'll figure it out eventually.

Timeless

With the help of my old iPod and the "Most Played List", here are more songs that I've listened to back in college:

The Scientist - Coldplay
Echo - Incubus
Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
Stolen - Dashboard Confessional
I Did Everything for You - Sufjan Stevens
Where Does the Good Go - Tegan and Sara
Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
Champagne Supernova - Oasis
Forever Young - Alphaville
High - Lighthouse Family
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
Lost in Space - Lighthouse Family
Out of My League - Stephen Speaks
The Resolution - Jack's Mannequin
Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
With or Without You - U2
Wonderwall - Oasis
More Than Anyone - Gavin DeGraw

These songs are still in my new playlists now. Never gets old.

Playlist Today

Since I decided to take note of everything I could take note of, I wanna share my playlist today. Usually, my playlists are made up of the same songs for many, many years. I still listen to songs that I listen to since college, even high school. I think everyone does that, I'm not sure.

I currently listen to these:

Good Life - OneRepublic
Beautiful People - Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi
Up - Justin Bieber feat. Chris Brown
Next 2 You - Chris Brown feat. Justin Bieber
Promises, Promises - Incubus
We'll Be A Dream - We The Kings feat. Demi Lovato

These songs I've been listening to for years and years and years:

Beached - Angelo Badalamenti & Orbital
Porcelain - Moby
Destiny - Zero 7
If I Ever Feel Better - Phoenix
Beautiful - Mandalay
Saltwater - Chicane
Beautiful Things - Tiesto
In The Dark - Tiesto
Just Be - Tiesto
Summer Jam - Tiesto
Forgiveness - Wamdue Project

These are the stuff I remember now. I'll add some more soon.

Let's see how much longer I will be listening to these songs.

Later.

Write to Remember

I have been reading through my blog archives beginning March 2008. I would say that there might have been a lot of things that happened to me but I am still the same person from a little over 3 years ago.

It is amusing that it seems like I am speaking with myself from months or even years back as I read.

I am more enthusiastic about taking note of as much emotions and events and whatnots. A few years from now, I'd read through my archives again and see this post together with the other things that I choose to take note of and maybe feel the same grade of awe that I am feeling now. I will probably be amused at how fast time flies and how many events can happen in my life in such a short span of time and that despite everything I manage to still be the same person, more or less.

I am grateful to have been given the chance to write about the things that matter enough for me to actually find the time to write them. I am grateful that I have these archives to read through when I feel like looking back for whatever reason I may have.

Sweet Disposition

"A moment, a love, a dream, aloud

A kiss, a cry, our rights, our wrongs"

-Temper Trap

Pakpak.

Got wings?

LOA

I am currently on Leave of Absence (LOA) from graduate school during this term.

Reasons being.. I do not really have a reason. It's like this:

I took the written comprehensive exam last term (T3, AY 2010-2011). Out of 4 parts, I passed 3 and failed 1. The ideal arrangement after failing 1 was for me to re-take the part I failed this term (T1, AY 2011-2012) and then do my thesis next term (T2, AY 2011-2012).

But you see, it did not happen that way. I enrolled for residency online and then, being the professional procrastinator that I am, kept delaying my visit to school to claim my enrollment assessment form and actually pay my tuition. Imagine, I had 2 whole months (May & June) to go to school an enroll but I never did. When I finally called DLSU to ask how to go about enrolling late, they told me that my account was cancelled and I was on forced-LOA.

Hassle.

Everything was moved, I'll re-take that 1 part next term and get a shot at thesis next year (T3, AY 2011-2012).

January 2012: I will be taking my broker's licensure examination
January 2012: start of my thesis term

Sooo. There.

Moral of the story?

RHB

I read a tweet today:






I know this is not the best thing to say but I'll say it anyway:

RH BILL!

Alright, that's it.

Do you know?

I am currently living my life in simplicity and as far as I know, I am liking it and I am happy.

But how will I know if I will regret this when I'm old and gray and lying on my deathbed? How will I know that this is the best life I could live? How do I know if I hit the standard already?

Maybe nobody was meant to know. I dunno.

Defined.

character

–noun

1. the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.

2. one such feature or trait; characteristic.

3. moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/character

Random Rainy Tuesday

It's really rainy today and my workload is a bit lighter than usual. I have a little time to blog in between sending follow-up emails to my clients.

This weather makes me feel good. I don't know. It just feels good to be inside while watching the rain through the window.

I'm thinking: ....
-Investigate thoughts and feelings before reacting to them
-Work hard through the summer to get ready for rainy days
-Don't shout at your computer when it's slow, it won't get any faster. PLUS- you'll look stupid.
-Be thrifty. Not with food though; we work to eventually be able to feed ourselves
-Be kind to everyone. You can never go wrong with that.
-Spend all the time you could with people that matter to you
-Never try to be someone else. That's tiring
-Sometimes, a change of self is what's needed rather than a change of scene
-It's okay to feel that you're good and all; but be realistic, man. Keep your feet on the ground
-Stop blaming others for whatever sh*t you're in

Random.

Later.

Drive-thru ATM

Thank you Lord for the drive-thru ATM near our house. It's the best thing that ever happened in ATM history. Well at least for me.

Thank you that I find joy and appreciation in the littlest and simplest of things.

What if Gibo won the May 2010 elections?

Would it be any different?
Would he be like all the rest of the other candidates who over promise and under deliver?
Would he make a difference?

Work.

I was about to blog that I was feeling so good today and then suddenly, my phone rings. It was not a call that I was looking forward to get. Every time my phone rings and it is anyone from Company X, it means there is something wrong.

Although I think I sort of accepted that it comes with the territory.

My job is to find residential and commercial space solutions for my clients. And given the mediocrity of how some properties are planned, developed, built and managed here in the Philippines, problems will inevitably arise, one way or another.

I'm not complaining.. Well maybe a little. But more than anything, I am still grateful. These headaches mean that I have work to do, that I have a job.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of employment.

Having to pretend is tiring. I think.

Thank you Lord for giving me the grace to just be myself. Thank you for blessing me with family and friends that accept me for who I am that I do not have to pretend to be something or someone that I am not.

Thank you that I can enjoy every moment of my life as me.

GVSF

Thank you once again, Gerold. For proving over and over and over that you've got our backs all the time. Thank you for always seeing to it that everything is fair for us.

Thank you for looking out for all of our individual and collective interests. It's great to work with confidence that someone is looking out for me.

I may not be able to do as much for you as your subordinate but I will look out for you the best way I could.

Cheers to many more years of success at work! :)

DQ, BK & JA

Thank you, you 3. For making work life incredibly fun and easy.

I was told before that officemates should never be trusted entirely; officemates can be treated as friends but at the end of the day, officemates are competition and that at any given time, if it is necessary, an officemate can turn against you.

This is not the case at work though especially around you 3. Thanks for making the office the most ideal workplace I could ever imagine :)

--er.

Ever felt that you are not happy with the person you have right now? Ever felt that you wanted to leave the one you are with for someone smarter, wiser, richer, nicer, funnier, prettier and just.. better?

You could do that, yes. In fact, you could do whatever you want.

Just know that there is someone smarter, wiser, richer, nicer, funnier, prettier and better than you but the one you are with now chose you.

Tuesday

Today was relatively light compared to my usual day at work. This is a good thing because I could rest and take it easy for a while. It's a bad thing though because this means I am not working on anything. And not working on anything is bad for anyone who is in sales.

But then again, I guess it's fine. It's okay to have a calm and light day every once in a while.

Thank you Lord for this opportunity to just really breathe.

This might be lame

Saturday is my favorite day of the week. It's the first rest day after the work week and during Saturday, I have the luxury to still say, "I still have tomorrow (Sunday) to rest".

My typical Saturday would be like this:

-Waking up between 7:30 and 8:15. (While Kd is getting ready for work)

-If I could, I bring Kd to work. But most times she takes the trike

-I stand up and stay online almost the whole morning

-I run errands in the morning sometimes like getting stickers for the car, some grocery or whatnot

-By 1:00 pm, the fun starts. Well usually. Kd gets home from work by 1:00 pm on Saturdays.

-So from 1:00 pm 'til whenever, we're just together doing whatever. Kd, Charlie (my car) and I.

Last night, Kd and I had a haircut. A well awaited one. Kd's last haircut was a year ago and mine, 7 months ago.

Then we went out to hangout and eat. We waited for Biancs, my best friend and then went somewhere else to have dinner and get some drinks. After that we met with Janina, one of the people that I consider the closest to me.

I do not really have a point but I just want to say that yesterday night, I felt so grateful that I have the means to spend time with the people closest to me. It was just great that I can see the people I care for every now and then. This might be lame but thank you, Lord for blessing me with these people that I have in my life and for also blessing me with time to spend with them.

Money or... something else?

I got this offer to work part-time for a project that I cannot really disclose. It's more of a consultancy job. I am thinking what I should do now -do I go for it or do I let this one go?

It's a chance to earn more by working extra hours weekly. You see, 2 weeks ago, I was thinking of something to do that would make me earn extra bucks. This offer would be the perfect answer to that, right?

But then I thought about it again... Okay, I earn more money monthly. To earn from this though, of course I will be forced to give up quality time with Kd, my family and my other friends. Do I really want extra money that much?

We all want extra. But is the extra worth giving up time with the people that matter to us the most?

REaffirmation

I woke up today with an even firmer reaffirmation that I am where I want to be and I am with who I want to be with. It's not just this spot that I want to be in, it's more of a track. A track that leads forward. I am in the track that I want to be in, with someone I am more than happy to walk along this track with.

Do you get that feeling? That feeling of contentment. The great feeling of knowing that you are with someone that is good for you. Perfect for you.

Thank you for this sense of peace Lord. Thank you.

Realization

I was able to do some thinking. I just realized that the person we are with, the person we love may not love us the way we expect them to but that does not mean that they are not giving us their all.

We may all have different interpretations of love, how we want to love and expect to be loved. However, any variance between how we interpret and what we expect from the actual manifestation of love towards us does not, in any way, change the value of love coming from the other person.

So there, love and be loved. Give love and receive love in whatever way or form.

Thank you again

KD --I can never thank you enough for being in my life

I never thought it would be possible to enjoy almost everything with someone. I never imagined being so incredibly happy while lying down in our makeshift bedroom, talking about anything. With you, I realized that happiness can be simple.

Thank you for the privilege of feeling this comfortable and safe.

Paradise

Did this ever happen to you?

You're sitting and then suddenly everything just seems so perfect. Nothing new happened, you did not get any material object that you have been wishing for nor is there any breaking news. You just suddenly realize that you're fine. That yes, there are many other things that you are working for, dreaming of and all. But you are fine. You are happy. And everything will just happen eventually.

I just had that moment 15 minutes ago. And man, it was great. I guess it's moments like these that keep me going.

"I still believe in paradise but now at least I know it's not some place you can look for cause it's not where you go, it's how you feel for a moment in your life, and if you find that moment, it lasts forever"

Thank you, strangers

Strangers. Amazing how strangers can touch our lives.

Cab drivers, newspaper sellers, parking boys, waiters and waitresses, security guards. Everyone I walk past in the sidewalk. Those I notice, I get to smile at. Thank you.

Walking among people makes me feel alive. Thank you for the brief exchanges of good mornings, good afternoons, good evenings, thank yous and welcomes.

Thank you for these little moments.

Thank you, Benjie

Benjie - friend from RLC

Thank you Benjie for sharing your life with me. I don't know, it was crazy how we shared about our lives the first time we spoke. I remember being so moved by what you've been through. The things that life threw at you were unimaginable but here you are, standing. Fighting. Living.

You deserve the success you've achieved so far. And I am certain that you deserve whatever good things life will bring to you.

Thank you for showing me how lucky and blessed I am. Thank you because you may not know it but you sort of kept me grounded. The story of your life taught me that it's not always what we're born with that makes us. It's us that makes us. It's you that made you. It's me that made me and will continue to make me.

Thanks, Benj! Today is for you. Apir! Tambay tayo minsan ;)

Thank you, Cha

Cha- another colleague at KMC

Cha has been with KMC the longest among all of us. She has been with KMC even before the company was registered as a business.

Thank you, Cha. For working the way you do and being how you are about it. Thank you that I have someone to look up to with regard to how to do our job well. Although I am in a different division, I think work ethics and quality of work applies to any job.

Thank you that you are still as fun and as kalog as anyone in the office even if you are so busy most of the time. It's really cool how work and play balance is maintained in the office.

Today is for you, thank you! ;)

Thank you, Ms. Gloria

Ms. Gloria is also from Luxe.

Thanks, Ms. Gloria. For being good at your work. Thank you for making the transaction with Tourism Malaysia very smooth. Although it took about a month and a half to close that, it was very easy to provide them with their requirements because of you.

Cheers to more deals! Today is for you, Ms. Gloria.

Thanks, Zen

Zen is from Luxe.

Thank you Zen for your kindness and openness to help me out every time I go there to Luxe to bring a client. Thank you for loving your work. Because in loving your work, you inspire me to the same.

Today is for you :)

Thank you, Shiela

Shiela -leasing manager at APMC

Thank you, Shiela. For being kind and all. Thanks for accommodating all my viewing schedules and whatnot. Thank you for making things super easy for me when it comes to deals involving APMC listings. Again, I know you are just doing your job but I appreciate how you do your job so well.

Today is for you!

Thanks, Hash

Hash -EA at APMC

Thanks, Hash. For making my life a lot easier by providing me with listings that you have. Thank you for being so easy to work with. I mean we are all just working but talking to people like you who have your type of love for the job makes things easier. You have no clue.

Thanks, Hash! Today is for you.

Thanks, Raf

Raf -co-broker from APMC

Thanks, Raf. For working the way you do. And for the appreciation you've shown in how I work. Thanks for showing me that there are still good and dependable people in the industry. Thanks for you infinite curiosity in me. I mean I would consider myself rather ordinary but I appreciate your curiosity nonetheless.

Thanks, Raf! Today is for you!

April 11 & 12 -Thanks, Tita Sally and Tito Homer

Tita Sally and Tito Homer -my Kuya's in-laws

Thank you Tita and Tito. For taking care of my Kuya. We miss him a lot at home and it's sad sometimes but knowing that he is in your family's care, we all feel okay. Well, I feel okay, I don't know with the rest of us at home.

Anyway, thanks for treating him as one of your sons and taking care of him in your house. By loving him, I think you love us, his family as well.

And sheesh, Tita, thank you for sending over random food that you just cooked up. They are all good! My favorite though is your homemade biko. Thank you for sharing your passion for food and cooking with us.

Today is for you two :)

Thanks, Liza

Liza -Jom's sister, my sister-in-law

Thanks, Liza. For being so warm to our family whenever we go to your house or whenever there is a family gathering or something. It's cool that it feels like when Kuya and Jom got married, our families got married as well. In a nice family way, of course.

So there, thanks!

Today is for you :)

Thanks, Ariann

Ariann -another classmate in the grad school

Thanks, Ariann. For making some grad school moments fun. Thanks for the friendship. Thanks for making WCE day bearable! I am grateful that I took it with you guys.

Today is for you :)

April 8 -Thanks, Ben O.

Today is December 2, 2013 and I was looking back at the posts I made before where I thanked 1 person everyday. This was my post last April 8, 2011 for Ben Ong:

Ben O.-classmate in grad school

Thanks, Ben! For the coma!! Haha! Thanks for the good times. And for making grad school feel a little lighter. Means a lot to have someone to laugh with habang sobrang seryoso lahat ng tao.

Sheesh!! I hope we all past the WCE with flying colors!! Haha!

So there. Thanks for the friendship!! RICE!

Today is for you!!

Thanks, Zirky!

Zirk -college batchmate

Thank you, Zirk! For the good times! Sobrang godd vibes mo kasama. I don't have to talk when you're around. Parang nanonood lang ako ng show na laugh trip. And thanks too for being there for Kd during the few times that I wasn't.

Today is for you :D

Thanks, Ms. Lustre

Ms. Lustre -statistics professor in the graduate school

Thanks, Ms. Lustre. For giving me the chance to sort of excel in something I never though I will ever excel in: Statistics. Thank you for making us teach the class, forcing us to really understand the lessons that otherwise, I wouldn't pay attention to.

I don't remember what I thoroughly explained during that time though, but I will always remember how good I felt about myself understanding and being able to explain it to the class as well. So there.

Plus! Thanks for being so kind. You were like a professor-mom. It was never difficult to me to come to class during Saturdays.

Thank you :)

Thanks, Ms. Julie

Ms. Julie- professor at DLSU-M Grad School, Chair of the Mktg Dept

Thanks, Ms. Julie. For being 1 of the coolest people in the academe. Well.. At least for me. I was not really sure that Grad school was right for me but when I got to know you, I realized that I could fit right in.

Thank you for being practical when it comes to teaching us. You didn't actually teach. I think you shared your experiences with us. You shared your life. And we learned through that. It's cool knowing you -career woman, successful in the academe (teaching, finished your MA and PhD), a cool Mom of two- and that all of these things can be done.

Thank you for being there for me to look up to.

Today is for you :)

Thanks, Ate May

Ate May - Kd's eldest sister

Thanks, Ate May. For accepting Kd and I. For the few times that we hung out and shared our lives with each other. Thank you that even if you are well aware of the wrong things that I've done, you continue to support Kd and I.

Thanks for everything Ate May, today is for you :)

Thanks, Paola

Paola -blockmate in college

Thanks Pao! For reaching out to me. We were not in the same circle of friends but it felt good whenever I talk to you and the others. Thanks for the short chats when we catch up and stuff.

Today is for you ;)

Thanks, A!

A -batchmate during college

A, thanks for the few times that we've talked. Always nalang extreme yung conversations. Lagi akong overshare sa iyo. But thank you, really. For listening and giving your opinion regarding whatever story I am sharing with you. It's weird that we're not really close but the few times we talked, bigat ng usapan lagi. Haha.

And thanks too for being such a good friend to Kds. Not that that directly has something to do with me. But Kd considers you as one of her closest friends. I'm just happy when she feels good about the good friends that she has.

So there, today is for you :)

Thanks, Aps!

April -blockmate in college

Aps! Dahil first day ng April, naalala kita. Anyway, thanks for those times in college that you helped me with school stuff. Thanks for never hesitating to help whenever you could. We were never really super close but the fact that there wasn't really any bad vibes between us (nothing that I remember), I am more than grateful for that.

Thanks, Aps. Happy April Fool's Day! ;P

March 31st -Thanks, DQ!

Denise -batchmate in college, friend, officemate now at KMC

Thanks, DQ! For the good times at work. Thank you too for joining the team when I invited you to. Thanks for being so naturally caring. Thanks also for your effort to reach out to everyone around you, including me. Makes things at work really light.

I honestly never thought that I'd be this close to you. Seeing you around school before, you will probably be the last person I'd think I will have fun with. But hey, we have fun at work now and I must admit, at least for now, nothing beats how it is at our office. Lalo na sa Picadilly! Haha. Boo Rufino! Haha kidding aside, I would just like to thank you for all the stories, the laughter, kagaguhan, FOOD and everything else that we've shared and will continue to share.

Thanks also for making work bearable for Kds when you were officemates with her.

APIR DQ! Today is for you :)

Thanks, La

La- neighbor

Thanks, La. Thanks for telling me before whatever it is that is going on with you. Not that whatever was going on with you helped me directly but it sort of made me think of what to do to help. In a way, it's like you taught that I could care about someone else's well-being even if I don't really get anything from it. Long story short, your being open to me made me realize that I have the capacity to care and to understand. And I thank you for that.

Today is for you.

Thank you, Robbie

Robbie -practicum groupmate, college blockmate

Thanks Rob! However you were back in college, I know you helped me get through it one way or another.. for that, thank you. Thanks for the effort you put in for the group. Thanks for not getting pissed at anything that we say ;)

Thanks for the good times during production days! Hassle nung mga araw na yon pero looking at things now, I'm just glad we all made it through. Today is for you, Rob :)

Thank you, Arvin

Arvin -recruiter at KMC

Thanks, Arvin! Like Ms. Liberty, you made it easy for me to adjust at KMC. Thanks for helping me out with all the requirements and stuff.

I find it really awesome how cool, calm and collected you are when you do phone interviews. Not that you interviewed me over the phone but I have been sitting close to you for about 3 months and I heard a lot of your interviews already. Not like... Haha!

Anyway, thanks for adding to the fun at the office. Today is for you :)

Thanks, April

April -1 of the K&C people at work

Thanks, April. For the kindness and all. Small talks sa pantry. Nux may ganon. Simple good mornings make my day more special sometimes. Thanks for that ;)

Thanks, Ms. Liberty

Ms. Liberty - HR Manager at KMC

Thank you, Ms. Liberty! For all the help especially when I was new. It was really easy adjusting into the office with all your help. Thanks for all the info :)

Today is for you :)

Thank you, Chief

Chief --blockmate during college, groupmate for our Practicum

Chieeeeef! Maraming salamat lalo na sa patience mo. Haha! Thanks na hindi ka pumapatol sa mga pangaasar sayo. Tamang steady lang.

Thanks din kasi sobrang reliable mo ka-trabaho nung college. I miss you Hepe!

Today is for you :)

Thanks, Ate Flor

Ate Flor -custodian at KMC's BGC office

Ate Flor -thanks for keeping everything in order at the office in Picadilly. Thanks for always offering your help with whatever it is that you could help us with.

Today is for you, Ate! ;)

Missed blogging on my birthday

March 23 -who do I thank on my birthday? I will leave this blank first until I find someone super special to thank on my day ;)

Thanks, Beth

Beth -another officemate at KMC

Thanks, Beth. For your openness. You don't just share to anyone and I appreciate that you do to me. Thanks for sharing with me all your whatevers. Haha.

Today is for you, Thanks Rolebeth! ;)

Lord!!

Lord, tuloooong!! Intense ng clients na hawak ko ngayon. Kaya ko naman. Pa-help lang please. Thank you thank you thank you!

Thanks, Sonika

Sonika -another officemate from KMC

Thanks, Soniks for being okay with everything. Like us calling you Soniks and making "issues". Thanks for adding in the fun atmosphere at the office :)

Thank you for sharing yourself to all of us! Today's for you :)

Sunday, March 20 -Thanks, Elo

Thanks, Elo. For your patience, kindness, concern and all the good things that you have given me before. Like anyone who has been a part of my life in whatever way, whatever level, I have learned a lot about myself because of you.

Thank you for letting me go when I wanted to go. And for just accepting things. Thank you for being how you were and how you are.

I want you happy. Wherever you may be, with whoever. Today is for you :)

Thanks, Kuya Albert

Kuya Albert -cousin from Dad's side

Thanks, Kuya Albert for all your help with my insurance claims sa car. You made everything hassle free especially nung nakabangga ako. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the service deluxe! Today is for you :)

Thank you, Doy.

Doy -a consultant from Megaworld. Dad, Mom, and Kuya's broker.

Thank you, Doy! For facilitating Kd and I's first ever real investment. Thanks for giving extra discounts! Haha! ;)

Thank you for presenting this opportunity to Mom first para may approval na and then to me. Haha ;) thanks for the lunch din pala! Haha feel na feel ko na ako na yung client ngayon.

Thanks, Doy. Today is for you :)

.

"Achieving excellence depends on the capacity to delay gratification."

Salamat, Ate Lilibeth

Ate Lilibeth -our custodian at the Rufino office of KMC

Ate, sobrang salamat. Super thank you sa mga paghatid at sundo mo ng documents at checks kung saansaan. Sa pagdeposit mo ng pera sa bangko pag tinatamad ako bumaba. Hehe. Sa pagdamay mo ng tupperware ko sa huhugasan mo ;) haha! Sa paginit mo ng food namin at ng coffee. Sana kasama ka namin dito sa Picadilly para masaya.

Anyway, Ate keep up the good work! Salamat ulit :)

Thanks, Celine

Celine -officemate at KMC

Thanks Celine. For always being positive. Sa lahat ng na-hahassle, ikaw yung nakasmile pa rin. Thank you for sharing your JYJ obsession with us. Never thought I'd be listening to KPop but I am now. Not on my own though, just when you play it. Thanks for sharing your life, too.

Work is hard but it gets bearable with people like you in the office.

Thanks, Celine. Today is for you!

Tuesday -Thanks, Tim

Tim -executive assistant to the brokers at KMC

Thanks, Tim. For primarily making our reimbursements get to us on time. Or if not man on time, with the minimum possible delay. I guess that's pretty much it but reimbursements are important. Hehe!

Soo... Thanks!

Monday -Thanks, Mary Anne

Mary Anne -our listings specialist and data analyst at KMC.

Thanks Mary Anne. For being the buffer for between us brokers and the clients. I understand that that is your job but you are doing it very well. Thanks for being dependable when it comes to info about work and whatnot.

Thanks for making our work-life easier!

Sunday -Thanks, Camyl

Camyl -friend from high school.

Thanks, Camyl. We were not always in the best terms but we're still here now. Thank you too, like everyone else in our small barkada, you stuck through. I was not always the best friend a person could have but nonetheless you guys are there.

Thanks for the good times and the bad as well. Those times turned us into what we are today.

Today is for you, thank you.

Thank you, Pam

Pam -grade school, high school, college, after college friend.

Thanks Pam. For sticking around. We may have grown into different people now but I'm sure we could still hangout and talk about the same things as before. Thanks for the good times. Learned a lot from your strength, man. I mean, saw you through almost everything and look at you, still alive and kicking. Wouldn't know if I'd come out breathing if I go through what you've been through.

Thanks, Pam, today's for you.

Thanks, Tito Tony

Tito Tony -one of my mom's first cousin.

Thanks, Tito Tony. Not for so many things, we never really spent a lot of time before. But thanks, because you were gay and was not afraid to show it. I guess that is 1 of the reasons why my family, specifically my mom sort of accepted me. I dunno if she accepted me but at least the situation.

Thanks that you showed your true self and as a result, I could do the same. Free-er.

Thanks, Tito Ton. And wherever you may be now, I hope it's a better place than here.

Thanks, Mon.

Mon -J's boyfriend.

Thanks Mon! For always having yosi so Kd does not buy anymore. Heehee! :D thanks for reaching out well to all of us in the group. Sobrang ayos na marunong ka makisama sa trip at sa kwentuhan. It's always fun to have someone new in the group but it's fun-er kapag maganda ang chemistry. Thanks for sharing yourself to the Thrusday club! Really appreciate it.

Thanks Mon, today is for you! :)

Thanks, Sher!

Sher -Ate Tin's husband.

Thanks, Sher! For being cool and all. Thank you for reaching out to all of us as much as you could. Thanks for the conversations about BB, road accidents, your work, my work and whatever else comes to the table during family get-togethers. Thank you for sharing yourself to the family.

Thanks, Sher, see you around! :)

Sarah Salvador

Sarah --1 of my officemates at KMC

Thanks, Sarah. For being helpful and very accommodating especially when I was new at KMC. Thanks for flawlessly explaining what bare, warm shell and fully-fitted means. Thanks for sharing with everyone all the building info sheets that you tediously worked on.

Thank you for always being so positive. Thanks for sharing yourself and your life to all of us at the office.

Glad to be working with you, Salvador! Thanks :)

Thanks, Eric.

Eric --1 of my block mates in college.

Thanks, Eric. For being the kind person that you are. I mean, among all of us, ikaw pinakakuripot but undoubtedly, you were the kindest.

Thanks for taking everyone's pangaasar and whatnot. Thanks for being game and up for anything basta sulit ;)

Thanks, Erribs! Apir!

Thanks, Kish!

Kish and I went to the same school for high school and college.

Thanks, Kish. For always being positive. We do not hangout a lot, we seldom talk but it was always good. Laging pangpa-good vibes.

Thanks Kish! :)

Mike McCollough

Mike is the director of KMC.

Thanks, Mike. For trusting me with such a huge responsibility. Thank you for always being positive towards work.

Thank you for leading us the way that you are leading us now. I guess it's really working.

Thank you for being a boss and a friend at the same time.

See you at work! :P

Kuya Dong

Kuya Dong is our company driver at KMC

Kuya Dong! Sobrang salamat sa lahat ng tulong mo sa amin. Sa lahat ng bagong daan na tinuro mo sa akin, feeling ko pwede na akong maging taxi driver! Haha! Salamat din sa pagcacarwash mo sa kotse ko, nakakalibre pa tuloy ako ng carwash :D

Thank you din sa paglinis mo sa kahit anong gamit naming mga brokers na pwede mong linisin. Swerte namin, hobby mo yata maglinis :D

You're the best Kuya Dong! Salamat sa lahat! :)

SIR Gerold Fernando

Gerold is my direct supervisor at KMC MAG Group.

Thank you Gerold, for giving me the chance to handle clients like BJ and BH. Thank you for trusting me.

Thank you for the support that you so generously give.

There is still a whole lot that all of us in the company have to learn but I am grateful that we are all doing this with your guidance.

Today is for you, SIR ;)

Josh Alfafara

Josh Alfafara is 1 of my workmates now at KMC MAG Group. Josh is sort of the reason why I am here. He helped my Mom get an office space and well, sort of pirated me na rin.

Thanks for being so helpful, Josh. You help me and everyone else in the office in as many ways as you possibly could. You have your own work to do but you help whenever your time permits you to.

Thank you for all the things that you tirelessly share with us -healthful instead of healthy, in-on-at and whatnot.

Thank you for pitching in in the fun at the office. You proved that real work can be real fun as well :)

Thanks, Josh!

March 1- Tere

Tere -the ultimate sales assistant for our group in Robinsons

Thanks Tere. For making me feel like I am in the office even when I am not really there. Haha. You do the things that I cannot do in the office whenever I am out for field work.

Although minsan, mahirap kang utusan kasi super slumped mo with work, steady pa rin.

Thank you for making my life in Robinsons a little easier because of all the work that you did for all my clients.

Thanks, Tere!

February 28- Ms. Osang

Ms. Osang -another workmate from Robinsons. She used to be Eddie's client and thens he wanted to try to work so she joined our sales team.

Thank you, Ms. Osang, for sharing your joyful self with all of us. Thank you for being such a mom especially to me. Funny yung mga advice mo sa akin e, "Pag nag-asawa ka na, magbabago tingin mo sa buhay." I guess di na magbabago tingin ko sa buhay pero salamat pa rin. I know you mean well ;) haha!

Like Kuya Rodel, I would like to thank you for the laughter that we've shared in the short time that we were together. Actually, kayong 2 ni Kuya Rodel ang best pair na makasama magwork :D Our job is difficult but it becomes bearable because of people like you.

Thank you, Ms. Osang!

February 27- Kuya Rodel

Kuya Rodel -also my workmate from Robinsons.

Kuya Rodel, thank you!! Sa lahat. For all your treats for us when you get commission release, for all the stories that you have shared.

Thank you for everything that you taught me and for all the things that you tell me. Things like I am young and that I should be positive because there are still a lot of things ahead of me. I know those things but it's different when someone with wisdom says it to me.

Thank you for all the laughter that we've shared. Sobrang gaan ng pakiramdam pag ikaw ang kasama sa mga manning. Parang hindi nagtatrabaho ;)

Salamat sa lahat, Kuya Rodel!

February 26- Mitch

Mitch -another workmate from Robinsons.

Thank you, Mitch. For always keeping your word. For being accepting. For being real.

You were always so strong, being there for your family and all that. It was really inspiring to know that someone my age, even a few months younger, would be able to almost single-handedly support her family. Makes me feel ashamed of myself sometimes. Haha.

Anyway, thank you for the friendship that you've shared when I was in Robinsons and even as I left.

February 25- Eddie

Eddie, one of my workmates in Robinsons.

Thank you for a lot of things Eds -teaching me how to commute, always being on-call when I need to ask something, always willing to help.

You were always so honest and kind and true. Thank you for being my shopping buddy. I do not shop a lot but the few times that I did, you always went with me. Really appreciate it.

Thank you too for doing almost all the work with the business. It has been really challenging and you fought hard to make it work for us. Now I guess we're smarter ;)

Thank you for everything, Eds!

Wow, missed a lot of days.

February 21, 22, 23 and 24 --thank you to 4 people: Kuya Mimmo, Kuya Pao, Kuya Raffy and Kuya Sherwin. My Kuya's friends who were my playmates growing up. Well, feeling ko para lang akong papansin nung time na yun pero whatever, playmates ko sila.

Kuya Mimmo --thank you for everything! You were my brother's best friend. You were always there for him when he needed you. It was really fun having you here at home during those times to have midnight snack and just bum around the house.

Kuya Pao --thank you for the yosi tricks you showed me! Like killing the lighted cig in your hand and in your mouth. Lakas lang mang-gago. I remember you told me the story about the white lady na naka-hand stand na tumawid sa harap mo. Before, super cool nun. Pero now, looking back, feeling ko baka high ka lang nun. Haha. Thank you too for being my dentist!! Finally nakahanap ako ng dentist na hindi ako isusumbong sa parents ko na nagyoyosi ako. Haha!

Kuya Raf --thanks for always being so kind. I remember you going to the house before to assemble model cars with Kuya. Thank you for the fun times here at home.

Kuya Sher --you barely talk. But thanks for your presence. Ang funny lang, ikaw yung laging pinagttripan nila Kuya pero basta funny parin. Haha. Thank you for adding to the fun.

You 4 Kuyas, thank you most of all for being there for my brother :)

Thanks, Kristine.

Kristine Corsame -my batchmate in high school.

Thanks, Kristine. You know what happened to me before. I remember that you sent me a message that things will be okay despite what happened. We were never really that close but I appreciate what you did.

To this day, I am thankful that you showed concern.

Today is for you :)

Boss Kooks

Boss Kooks --my boss' boss in Robinsons. The only sales director that I ever had.

Boss, wala ka talagang kakupaskupas. Until now that I have been away from Robinsons for about 3 months already, you are still doing things inside the office to help me. Thank you for all your help especially with my clients. You always make things happen for me and the group.

Thank you for everything that you taught me. Thanks for always seeing the best in me even if there were times that I really was not doing my job very well. Thank you for always considering my situation.

Thank you for fighting for the group despite everything.

Today is for you Madame! Maraming salamat :)

17th and 18th -to another couple

JM and Nina --high school friends.

Thank you both for the good times. High school sure was colorful because I knew you two. But I think I am most grateful for the forgiveness. Although I know that things will never be the same, I am still grateful to have known you both.

The 17th and 18th is for the both of you, thank you.

Thank you to 2 people -15th & 16th

Mau and Lau --I was always fascinated by twins. It's just amazing that I know twins. Ang cool lang.

Lau, thanks for being a friend to me. At least during college. Thanks for being so open and for sharing your life with me.

Mau, thanks for a lot of things. I sure learned a lot from you --a lot about life and a lot about myself.

Cheers! :)

Sir Robert

Second boss -Sir Robert. My sales manager in Robinsons Land.

Where do I start? Thank you for a lot of things. Primarily for being so confident in me and for trusting me so much. Thanks for always being so lenient with me. I never had a difficult time in asking you when I wanted to go out of town or leave early for school. Thank you for always putting me first in terms of compromising between the 2 of us, lakas ko sayo. Haha. Thank you for all your support especially when it comes to work-related stuff. Thanks for helping me earn my first almost million ;) haha!

Thank you for always being a friend. Although there are quite a lot of things that you do not know about me, you were real to the person that you know in me.

Thank you for all the things that you taught me -directly and indirectly.

Today is for you, Sir ;)

Thanks, Ry!

Ryan --an officemate from Sony as well.

Ry, I think, is the only human being in the office before that never moved. Not literally though. Everyone of us can change seats, positions, and responsibilities but Ry was only doing Vaio stuff. Yun na siya.

Anyway, thanks. Because if it were not for you, I would not have decided to leave Sony. I dunno. So thanks Ry.

Today is for you :P

Jep /hep/

Jep was another one of my officemates from Sony.

Thanks Jep! For all the help with the tech stuff. It always seemed that your everyday language was all tech stuff. You were always at ease with our work. Thank you also for the calmness that you always exhibit. It was always good to have you around.

It was nice bumping to you the other day by the way :)

Thanks Jep, today is for you :)

Russ

Russel. Haha! Another Sony officemate. Russ was my seatmate in the office.

Thanks Russ for being so cocky that I was able to really practice my patience. Haha! But yeah, all is still good. Thanks for still not changing, mayabang parin at babaero. Thank you for teaching me the thing with the scotch tape especially when my shirt is black. It's still very effective!

Today is for you Russ :)

Dindibells

Dindi's real name is Dindo. Haha. Dindi was my officemate in Sony.

Thank you Dindi!! For all the funny moments that we've shared in the office before. You never seem to have any problems. If it's super boring or stressful in the office already, you always cheer us all up.

Today is for you Dindibells! :)

Current events kuno

Carnappers killed and burned car dealers. PNoy bought a Porsche. A bus exploded in EDSA. A white guy fell or jumped from the Ritz Towers in Ayala Ave. Garcia's insane gifts are surfacing. Angelo Reyes killed himself yesterday on PNoy's birthday. What is happening to the country. I state that not as a question, it cannot be answered anyway.

So here's the thing, I hope we all just focus on doing what can be good for ourselves and everyone in general. I mean, cannot we just all be good and responsible citizens? And by good I do not mean dedicate your entire life to the welfare of the human race. By good I mean to just not do anything bad, anything that can hurt or offend or violate other people. Can carnappers just leave the car owners with their cars alone. Can we just let PNoy be with his Porsche. Can bombers just bomb themselves if they wanna explode and not hurt other people who do not have any idea what is going on in their bomber minds. The white guy, well, he did not hurt anybody so I guess he's fine. Garcia, gawd, this Garcia guy. Can you just admit and give back what you can and just leave it at that. And to the prosecutors of Garcia and the other "corrupt" officials, please, you guys are corrupt yourselves so let us not waste the taxpayers' money going through these hearings and whatnots. Grabe, hypocrite kung hypocrite. Can we not judge Angelo Reyes. So yeah, he's the weaker one in this situation. But maybe he was just so mad at those pointing fingers at him because maybe he sort of knows that these people prosecuting him are just like him or even worse. Hay nako, si Jinggoy pa lang e.

Just wanted to blah. By the way, belated happy birthday, PNoy. Can't say you're doing bad, but hey, look around.

Kla

Thanks lovey! For the good vibes and the good times. For all the different kinds of trips! Haha. Thanks for always being game and okay with anything. Sobrang anything goes, literal. Thanks for staying the same. Almost everything and everyone around us changed entirely but whenever I talk to you, the few times that I get to talk to you these days, you are still the same person I knew in highschool. Thanks for everything, Kla!

Today is for you :)

Gracilufribush

Grace Mendoza. Funny, funny person. Neighbor, busmate, classmate.

Grace! Kaloka. Thanks for everything. For the laughtrip, foodtrip at iba pang trip. Thanks for being such a significant part of my life, especially during high school. Thanks for sticking it through with me even if things got really off at one point. Thanks for sharing your life with all of us. For always welcoming us to your home whenever we wanted to hangout. Thanks to you and Prafay for the casino experience! Haha!

Today is for you Gracilu! :)

Ren & Mon

Missed blogging again yesterday. Today I will thank a couple that has been a significant part of my life.

Thanks, Ren --for giving me the concept of what is real. I remember the time when we first talked about the BS that will inevitably be present in life. How unreal some people seem to be and stuff like that. I remember feeling so free after the conversation that we had. I felt so alive. And after a long time of feeling misunderstood, I sort of found myself. Thanks for the good times and the bad times as well. Thank you because of it were not for those, I would not be the person that I am now. Thanks for always being true to me even if I was not the truest person there is for you all the time. I know I could have been a better friend to you.

Thanks, Mon --for teaching me how to skate. For being there especially during the time that I was a wreck. For hooking me up to the first tattoo artist that inked me. For the good times that I cannot write about anymore because I cannot really remember them; I just know that those were good times. For the tracks I copied from you. For introducing me to super dry --that it is the best drink while baked. For the nonsense conversations that felt so full of sense while we were actually talking.

Thank you to the both of you for being a part of my life. Regards to Joaquin! Yesterday and today is for you, guys. Thanks a bunch!

..

It's not how good you are. It's how good you want to be.

Sir Dee

Sir Dee is next to Ms. Lan in our team in Sony.

Thank you, Sir Dee! For always patiently answering all my questions. Thank you for teaching me the importance of calmness. You did not teach me directly but I saw for myself that in tricky situations, there is nothing more important than being able to stay calm. Even in times of stress, you still get to laugh about the situation. Thanks for being so supportive to me and to all of us in the team.

Thanks, Sir Dee! Today is for you :)

Ms. Lan!

Ms. Lan is my first ever boss. She was my boss when I got my first ever job in Sony.

Thank you , Ms. Lan, for everything! I learned a lot from you being my first boss. Thank you for teaching me to pay attention to the little details because sometimes, it is the littlest things that make the huge differences in things. Thank you also for teaching me to be really patient. Thanks too for being like my mom. For being really patient with me and for allowing me to have leaves even when I was not even a regular employee yet and stuff like that.

Thanks, Ms. Lan! Today is for you :)

Hershie!

Hershie is BJ's girlfriend.

Thanks Hershie!! For being such a nanay to Kd and I. Haha! Thanks for the concern and the thoughtfulness that you have extended to me as BJ's friend and to Kd as well. I have always felt so safe and secure whenever I was with you and BJ.

So there, thank you for being a part of my life. For being so caring and all that.

Today is for you, Hershie :)

Salamat Bidyey!

Bidyey a.k.a. BJ a.k.a. Benedict John a.k.a. Benito Jose.

BJ was 1 of my officemates in Sony Philippines. I learned a lot of things from him --tech stuff (how to setup DVD players, sound systems, LCD TVs, laptops, etc), long boarding, cool artists to listen to and many more.

Spent a lot of time with BJ and I sure as hell enjoyed all of those times. Laugh trip, food trip, road trip kahit anong trip. Thanks BJ! You were like the friend and big brother that I never had. I have a brother but we don't trip like we do. Thank you for always making me feel safe when I was with you. Thank you also for being very open and accepting. You knew everything about me.

Thank you, Bidyey. Today is for you :)

Tito Boy

"Every Filipino has got to have at least one Tito Boy." -Rex Navarette

Tito Boy is Tita Mila's husband. He's sort of straightforward. I dunno, for me he is. He just told me last night that if my goal is too big, I will not be able to make it. I have to begin with the smaller things. Anyway, thank you Tito Boy, for the reality check. I guess I'm thankful because your words keep me on the ground. I dream big but big enough for me to reach? I dunno. But yeah, thanks for reaching out to me, to Kd, to the family. Appreciate it.

Today is for you :)

Tita Mila

Tita Mila is also my sister's mom.

Thanks Tita Mila for being there. For always opening your home to the whole family. For always being helpful to all of us.

Thanks for reaching out to us. For reaching out to me. Thank you for accepting me and Kd. I really appreciate you giving Kd a gift for Christmas as well. It really means a lot.

Thanks Tita Mila, today is for you :)

Tita Ceci

Tita Ceci is 1 of my mom's sister.

Hey Tita Ceci, thanks for always being present. I mean yeah, you're always in every family affair and you always try hard to stay awake even if it's very late already. Just so you can spend time with us.

Thank you Tita Ceci. I remember before, when I was a lot younger, like 6 or 7, I go to your house when I was sick. You take care of me before when no one can stay at home with me while I was sick. That was just a few times but hey, thanks nonetheless.

Thank you for being so funny especially when I introduce you to the few friends that I have introduced to you.

I know I have not told you but I am grateful that you are a part of my life.

Thanks, Tita Ceci. Today is for you :)

Oh, and happy birthday! Tomorrow, the 31st is your birthday pala!

Thank you, Ate Tin!

2 for 2! Ate Tin is my 2nd and last cousin in my mom's side. We're a pretty small family.

Thanks, Ate Tin for reaching out to me by talking to me every time we see each other. I understand that our age difference may make it difficult to find a common ground but we do anyway.

Like Ate Pat, thank you for accepting Kd and I. It means a lot that my few close family members are okay with how I am. I actually think that that is enough for me to not care about what everyone else is going to think and say.

So there, thank you. Today is for you :)

Thank you, Ate Pat!

Ate Pat is 1 of the 2 cousins that I have in my mom's side.

Thank you, Ate Pat for sharing your life and yourself to the family. For genuinely wanting to make all of us a part of you. For passionately sharing your hobby, photography, with all of us. Thanks for the photos that otherwise, none of us will be able to take. Thank you for the laughs and for the fun times.

Thank you for being okay with how I am. Thanks for accepting me and Kd as well. I really appreciate how you always extend invitations to Kd for all our family affairs.

Thanks, Ate Pat. Today is for you :)

Support Jamille Binay! :)

Vote for this kids video. She so wants to meet Taylor Swift :) by voting, we can all help make Jamille's wish to come true!

http://taylorswift.getmusicasia.com/vid111

Thanks everyone! :)

Jecko.

Well.. Thanks Jecko. Because if it were not for you, I would not start this blog. Haha. Pongfreak is almost turtlefreak. Pong pagong. Haha so there.. Anyway.. Thanks.

Thank you for walking into my life and for staying.. For a bit. You taught me a lot. A lot about life and a lot about myself. I am grateful that you walked in to my life at the time that you did. I think that I am where I am now, happy, because of you. Not entirely though, but significantly for sure.

Thank you, because if it were not for you, I would not have known how to decipher between WHO's real and who's NOT.

Today is for you.

Sister-in-law

Jom is my brother's wife.

Thank you , Jom for being how you are. Thanks for taking care of my brother and making it easy for him to fit into your family especially when you guys were newly married.

Thanks for being kind to the family. For being accepting. I dunno if you're passive or accepting but whatever it is, thank you for being how you are.

Thank you for your effort to reach out to us.

Thanks, Jom. Today is for you ;)

Norman Morales

Norman is one of my village friends, a busmate, classmate and schoolmate.

I remember being in your house everyday every summer. Thank you for welcoming me into your home. At that time, parang 2nd family ko na yung family niyo. I also got close with your 2 sisters, Arianne and Yel.

So there, thank you for also making my childhood normal. Haha!

I have spoken to you recently and just found out that you are assigned in Clark already and that you work as an engineer with an airline. Intense! Imagine mo, we used to just play with pellet guns and bikes before and then now engineer ka na?!! Haha! Proud of you, Norms!

See you around! Today is for you ;)

Dashteen.

Konsehal Dustin de Guzman. Haha kainis, konsehal!

Anyway, thanks for being there. Especially during college. You had your issues but you were still a friend. Haha! Hay nako Dustin! You're like a brother to me. A really bad brother. Haha! I'm thankful though that you're my friend because at least I have an idea of how guys really are. Alam na!

Thanks for being the friend and brother that you are! :)

Inked again. 01/22/11

In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.

The Weekend for a Couple

Missed blogging again yesterday. Anyway, this weekend is for the couple that is the reason why I have my best friend, Tita Judy Anne and Tito Dioey. Bianca's parents.

Bianca became my best friend in grade 6. At that time, it would be impossible to become Bianca's friend and not be friends with her mom, Tita Judy.

Thank you, Tita, for everything. For the laughter and the joy that you brought to me and to the barkada. For always being so cool and hip. To this day, I must admit, you are the coolest mom that I have ever known. Thank you for the forgiveness. I was not always the best friend that a mom would want for her daughter but thank you nonetheless for the love and the acceptance.

It may be a little too late for this because you are in a better place now, but I want everyone to know how you were. And though I cannot sum everything up in this blog entry, at least I can give whoever a little idea about how great you were as a mom and a friend to all of us.

Thank you, Tito Dioey, for the few but significant talks that we've had. I appreciate your inputs on the options that I have for myself. Like studying and working in the U.K. and stuff like that.

Thank you guys, because if it were not for you two, I would not have a best friend :)

Nana

Nana was like a mother to me. Not just me actually, my mom, maybe even my dad, my mom's siblings, my siblings, my siblings' kids. Lahat na.

She was a one-man team at home -doing everything from babysitting to cooking to supervising the other helpers to grocery shopping and everything else that was needed to be done to run the house.

Thank you Nana for the guidance and the love that you have given all of us. For offering your life to look out for the family. For always seeing to it that everything that we needed, especially while we were young, was in place.

Thanks for making it possible for Mom and Dad to work as hard as they did. For making it possible for them to stay in the office to work for money to feed us, school us and provide for all our needs. If it were not for you, Mom will most likely be forced to stay at home to take care of us. If that happened, Mom and Dad will not be able to save and invest as much as they did to be able to give us a comfortable life until now.

I understand that you will never get to read this anymore since you are up there in a happier place. But I just want to thank you, for whatever it is worth. If it is worth anything at all. I just want the world to know, if the world cares at all, that for the first 14 years of my life, I had a Nana that cared for me and loved me. A Nana that looked out for me while my parents were working hard for the family.

I will see you again, Nana. After I make you proud of me. I know you want me to be Ms. Universe but looking at how things are with me now and how I am.. Well, that seems to be out of this world. But I know I will still make you proud. Wait and see ;)

Thank you, Nana. Today is for you :)

Mica Singson

I think Mica was my first ever best friend. I'm not so sure. They lived right in front of our house. I can surely remember though that I always crossed the street to play with her, her brother JL and sister, Tara.

Thanks, Mica. I think I had a normal childhood partly because of you and your family. You see, I grew up like a semi only child. My sister is 13 years older than I am and my brother, 10 years. So I was the only kid at home.

It was cool that I had playmates almost the entire day but did not have to suffer sibling rivalries. Very steady diba?

So there, thanks Mica :)

P.S. I do not have an idea where you are now but maybe 1 of these days, you'll see this.

P.S.P.S. Let me know in case you do! ;)

His name is Radium.

Pang Ieong is his complete name. His English name is Radium. Radium is my classmate at the graduate school in DLSU. He is Chinese (pure, I think) and he came here to the Philippines to study. He has a hard time speaking English but I love how he tries his best to still reach out to me and our other classmates.

Thank you Radium for being so helpful and kind. For sharing with me the information about our lessons that you know. For sharing with me whatever materials you have available. I never felt that you hesitated to share whatever it is that you think you can help me with.

I really appreciate that you told me you really want to help me because you think that of all the people you got to know here in the Philippines, you thought I was one of the good people. It's not everyday that people say that to me.

We'll go through these review days for WCE and I am positive that if we help each other, we'll get through this.

Thanks again, Radium. Today is for you :)

Thanks, Deboy.

Deboypalaboy ;)

Thank you for keeping me sane during our Practicum days. Wild, that was 6 terms with TOD Corp.! Haha! Thanks for saving my ass whenever I fell through in terms of my responsibilities. I have always felt that we were looking out for each other.

Thanks for listening to me. SHOCKS! I remember how I loved to talk to you because you were so interested to find out what was happening to me. Haha conceited ko lang pala. But yeah, super thanks for everything, man!

And gawd, thanks for still being okay with me when half the block was dissing me. Haha. Nakatawa nalang remembering it now.

College would not be the same without you so thank you! :)

Question:

What is it that makes a happy life?

3 Boys/Brothers/Loves

I was not able to blog last Saturday and Sunday so today, I will thank 3 people. Just so there will be sort of a theme, I'll thank my 3 guy friends whom I could consider my brothers: Marc, Ben and Inno.

Marc --

Thanks for the infinite number of rides that I hitched with you. For all the times that you listened to me rant and rant about the same things. For all the interesting conversations. Interesting daw :p Thanks for all the comfort that you always offer. Comfort when I was down, when I'm unsure, comfort whenever I am not confident enough. You were the one who had little to say but always gave the most comfort. Yung temang, "Mong is here, everything will be okay". Thank you Marc Ong! For being the friend that you are to me and to everyone :)

Ben --

Thanks for being a reminder that life can always be lived with humor. Maybe you don't know and I am sure that I haven't told you this but you are someone that knows how to have fun and still be able to attend to your responsibilities. I mean we all do that but I think that you are able to do it more gracefully. Parang never ka na-stress. Haha. Thank you too for being honest to me and to all of us. Thank you for being real, so real as to admit that you are lost. So real as to admit everything to all of us. You remind me that there will always be real people in the world. And of course, thanks for all the crazy moments. Haha, nothing beats! ;)

Inno --

Thanks for always being there. For sharing with me the things that you have shared in the few years that we have known each other. I appreciate your insights when it comes to business and investments. It's funny how our conversations changed through the years. Thank you for always being truthful. You were never the type to just say what you think I want to hear. That means a lot :)


Thank you Loves! :)

Thanks, J!

Janina became one of my closest friends in college beginning our 2nd year at DLSU. I dunno how it all happened but what matters now is that she is one of the people that I consider the closest to me. Today is for her.

First off, thanks for lending me your laptop while we are here in Cebu right now. Haha, I would not be able to work on some work-related stuff and blog if it weren't for you.

Thanks for being mothergoose in almost all of our trips. Thanks for always taking care of booking flights, hotel rooms and everything else. I dunno how our trips will be if it were not for your planning skills. Yehess!

Thanks for always being okay with whatever I want to do. I mean I know we were never the type to actually stop each other from doing stuff but I never felt that you were against anything. You were just there, ever willing to talk. Thanks for making me feel that I never have to be anyone but myself around you.

Thanks for the laughs and the crazy times. Things would be really different if you're not around. Medyo mas tahimik ng konti, haha!

Thank you for being how you are because if it were not for that, then I would not find the friend that I found in you.

Today's for you :)

Life is Like Coffee

Thank you for the person who sent this to me :)

http://www.flickspire.com/m/MrPositive/LifeIsLikeCoffee

Little Big Guy

Today is for a 5-year old little big guy. His name is Drew. Drew is the youngest kid of my sister.

I would like to thank you for being the kid that you are. Your presence at home has colored my life in many different ways. You are very different from any kid I ever knew. Well I have not known a lot of kids in my life but you know what I mean. You are witty and intelligent beyond your age. That makes me a really proud aunt. Thank you for they joy that you bring to the family, like Andy and Dion.

We have a long life to live together and I know I will get to see you grow into a drummer, singer, guitarist, boxer and whatever else you want to become. Whatever it is you want to become, I will just be here for you.

Thanks again!

I dunno when you will be able to read this but I want to thank you nonetheless. January 12's thank yous are for you Drew :)

Toes, NIECE, Shoulders, Head.

Today is 01.11.11. Random!

Today is for my niece, Andy.

Ands, thank you for the joy that you give to us at home. Thank you for the simple gifts that you make for all of us. Your thoughtfulness always reminds me that more often than not, it's the simple things that matter the most.

You may not know it, but you ease my tiredness or frustration whenever you give me your little notes that have thank yous and I love yous in them.

Thank you for your simple gestures that can complete my day sometimes :)

Thank you for your sweetness and innocence that you share to us.

Today is yours ;)

My First Ever Nephew

Dion was born when I was in Grade 4 I think.. That was 1997.
I was not aware of a lot of things back then but I know I learned a lot when Dion came along and I suddenly became the sort of big sister that I never was.

January 10 is yours Dion. Although I dunno if you will care now or at all. I will thank you anyway.

Thanks for coming into our lives on that 2nd day of July 1997. Things were different after you came. We all adjusted to you, the youngest human being at home. I myself have adjusted, too. I stopped watching TV late because you were sleeping. I learned to change diapers, feed a baby and make milk (I was Grade 4, would you believe it?). I know though that the things I learned will never be useful because as far as I know, I won't have kids anyway. But I am thankful for you nonetheless because it is the little things that get us ready for bigger things. I would want to believe that I am responsible enough to be given real responsibilities now. And I think I can say that having you in my life has somehow taught me to be responsible.

Hey Dion, today is for you ;)

Grateful to Have a Brother-in-Law

Almost everyone gets to have a brother-in-law. Not all may be living with their brother-in-laws though. And that's why I think I'm sort of different. I live in the same house with my sister's entire family. It's chaotic but still fun. It'll be dead silent here at home without kids but that is a different story altogether.

Today, I will thank my brother-in-law, Kuya Dino.

Thank you for the favors you've done for me especially when I was not driving yet. There were a couple of times that you brought me to school, to a gimmick, a friends house and whatnot.

Thanks for cooking for the family. I mean, I think you are the only 1 in the 9 people here at home that has the patience to cook. Well, you and Mom ;)

Thanks for taking care of my sister and for providing for her needs and even wants. Thank you for trying your best to provide my sister, niece and nephews the life that you think they deserve.

Thanks for your willingness to help me with directions, tech stuff or whatever.

Thanks for accepting Kd and I. I honestly don't know if you accepted us just because you have no choice or because you just really do but whatever it is, thank you.

Today's for you ;)

8s!

Thank you for your open-mindedness.

Thank you for always telling me that it's alright to be real. That actually, being real is the only acceptable thing. That it is the only option that we have so that we could be really happy. You did not say these things to me but I know I learned these from you.

Thank you for always guiding me.. For always trying to look out for me in terms of the people that I let into my life. For being straightforward with me about the people who you think are good friends and those that are not.

Thanks for saving my ass a thousand and one times.

I know that there may be things that I will never understand but I will always be grateful that I have an Ate like you.

Today is for you ;)

Dear Kuy.

Kuy, thanks for being such an inspiration.

As far as I can remember, I have always wanted to be like you.
I saw that you were always so good at what you do. Especially your job.
I remember that I sort of decided that I wanted to be in sales primarily because of you. Heard from your stories and saw with what you were doing that hard work will always, always payoff one way or another.

I learned from you too that relationships with people in and outside of work matters because we will never know when we will have to work with them.

You taught me the importance of patience and understanding. You were patient with teaching me how to be patient especially with issues about Mom and Dad before. I was a kid who did not understand what our parents wanted for me and you were there to try to explain.

Thanks for teaching me whatever there is that you could teach me about business, work, investments and life in general.

Thank you, Kuy, for being the big brother that you are to me. Today's for you :)

Pillows are Hard to Find

Pillow a.k.a. Miggy Dizon

I have known you forever. You have been my bus mate since I was in grade 1.. I think.
But I never really got to talk to you and get to know you.
Not until about 2 years ago.

Thank you for not minding that I shared my whole life to you in an hour. Considering that that was our first real conversation. EVER.

Thank you for listening to me even if for about 2 or 3 weeks I was just saying the same things over and over and over again.

Thank you for always being available. I'd call, text or chat you up and you were always there.

Thank you for seeing the real person in me despite my being so wasted during those times.

Thank you for the words that you said that really helped me to keep myself together.

Now, I am perfectly okay. You made me believe that when God takes someone away and it hurts so much, He makes sure that a friend will be there to help with the hurt.

Thank you, Pillow! :)