Everything will be all right

Late Saturday morning. I wake with the worsened condition of my colds. I wanted more sleep but I have to get up as I was about to get drenched by the rain water coming from the roof holes. The day is dark (and noisy) with the typhoon. I tried to go online but the internet is so slow (out-of-order even) that I was only able to post one update (my complaints for the day) on Twitter after an hour of trying to do so. I gave up after. And I thought this could be one of the worst days I ever had.

Then an hour later or so, reality strikes and I realized that I am much luckier that I thought. There are a lot out there that unfortunately have to suffer more than I have to come accross. I was complaining about the rainwater coming from the holes while a lot have to deal with the water coming all over the place. I was complaining of my colds, but I know it is a lot harder to be out there battling the forces of nature. I was grumbling on my internet connection, while others are doing what they can to get help and don’t know if others are responding.

At the end of the day, there is still discomfort because of the colds, I wasn’t able to sleep to my room because my bed’s got drenched, and I never got back online as the line got busted. But I am no longer complaining. I am happy to count my blessings.

But I am hoping that everyone and everything will be all right after the misfortune.

on a desperate hope

On my way to work this morning, my mind wanders again on how this daily routine has been constantly “killing” me. As the day pass by doing things that are becoming too monotonous to get me excited about, my life gets more boring to a record-breaking level now. As I am brisk walking, my mind again wonders what I am doing with my life. For five years and counting, I am stuck to a company I wanted to leave for five years and counting also. I am waiting for the moment when “Patience is a virtue” would actually come to terms with my situation. I have been desperate this last few days but it is still not happening. Then I thought of the opportunity I have taken, it seems that I will still have to wait a little more time. Another year in my work station seems to be the idea. While I can still hold on, I just can’t wait to jump out.

So I go with the routine. Log in to my already booted pc then open the email database. Stand up and go to the pantry and stay there for as long as I can. Drink water. Eat. Have a little chat with the messengers. Then go back to the barracks.

I scanned on the emails I received during the weekend. It seems all are spams – all five of them. I was ready to delete them one by one (I don’t want to mass delete them since I want to let the time pass by actually doing something and not just staring at the monitor) when one email caught my attention.

pet peeve number one

maybe i am just making a big deal about it but i am still ticked whenever media (or anyone at that) call the northern provinces of cagayan and isabela as cagayan valley and isabela province, respectively. it’s as if the official names of those provinces are such and calling them merely cagayan and isabela will make anyone lost.

okay, the idea of adding “valley” in the province of cagayan is to distinguish it from the city of cagayan de oro in misamis oriental (down south). and adding “province” in isabela is to distinguish it from the city of isabela in basilan (also down south). but why do we need such distinction? to reduce confusion? i don’t think so. the more i have been confused with the idea. who should i follow now, what my teachers thought me, from the books i read, and what i have known since i was born or the things the media is telling us. unless there are changes in things i have not known.

lost

I know exactly where the place is. It is very much familiar to me as I pass be the place everytime I go to work. I thought that by getting directly to the place will save me time and effort. When I am already there, even if it was my first time to be there, my instinct will guide me where road to take. Just when I thought I will get familiar with the place when I am already at the point and just when I thought everything will fall into place, I got lost. Here’s how it goes.

From my friends place where I have been only for the first time last week, I took a jeepney bound to Tandang Sora. Having to pass by Commonwealth Av everyday, I know where Tandang Sora is. What I am not sure is that if the place I know is a barangay, a district, or a road. But I took the gamble.

realizations and secrets revealed

Recently, a batchmate has invited me on their son’s birthday. Since I have nothing to do on that day, I decided to go. Actually, it was not a difficult for me to be convinced to go at the party even if there are household chores I have to leave home. Those things can wait. It has been a long while when the idea of meeting up with the batch and catch up with other’s lives. Only, everyone has been busy eversince and the meetup with majority present was never been achieved. The initial planning happened two years back and everytime the idea is brought out in the e-group mail, it seems the topic is something new and yet at the end of the day, everything is back in square one. I thought that the venue would be a perfect start to start things up with our batch’s much delayed get-together.

But there was no batch get-together happened.

Ten: My best pre-school memories

Those were the days when pre-school education was not as prevalent as it is today just yet. There would be a year or two where our parents would leave us to the custody of our grandparents. Our parents then will go back home for work. This would be the time when we are still young but old enough to be weaned from our parents. We are about four to six years old then. I remember them when they are leaving us telling they would not take long and they would go back right away. They tell that would just be away for a week. But a week then was equivalent of five months. We would see them back during Christmas break and much longer on summer season.

There would be days that we would miss our parents but young as we are we would easily divert our homesickness (if there was such in our vocabularies) to the different activities available for us to explore. The following were the best memories of my pre-school years:

Swimming by the river or at the sea –

’sup

the existence of this space is given. but the drive is something i am still seeking to give me the kick. and restart the run. there are interesting things that happened to me for the last few weeks that i need to document. these moments will define me in the future. still, i am… uninspired to put those things into words. things just happen and it’s really disappointing when you can’t even tell yourself what has just gone by. frustrating, really.

Seven: Top Keywords to this Blog

For the last 365 days, the following are the top keywords that led someone to any page of this blog. In reversed order.

did you write the book of love – There are other entries who barely made it to the top seven keywords but I picked this line from one of my favorite songs since I think this appealed more to searchers than the other keywords used. It’s one of the titles I used before that has nothing to do with the content of the post.

Seven: My Favorite Ilocano Words

For various reasons, the following are my favorite Ilocano words. While these words may not be of daily usage, I have learned to love these words over the period of time. These just sounds so awesome to my ears that I grew up liking them more and more. Here are those (in no particular order):

narasuk – The closest definition I can think of would be wild, impulsive or uncontrollable “urge” in a sexual manner. This often used in adult conversation where no children around should listen. Used in a sentence: Narasuk dagiti agekna sakbay a nagpakada. Roughly translated: His kisses to her are wild as he says his goodbyes.

Watch

Somewhere in the cyberspace, tres years ago, below was written in one of my old blog before I transferred in wordpress. I am talking here about my wishlist. Here it goes:

Relo

Wala akong ginagamit na relos ngayon. Ang huling relos ko ay yung nabili ko nung college pa lamang ako. Pinag-ipunan ko yun mula sa aking allowance. Ginagamit ito ng utol ko dati pero sira na ata kasi hindi ko na nakikita. Wala na rin akong palitan sa ngayon. Hindi naman kasi ako yung taong “time conscious” masyado na kailangang nakatingin sa orasan minu-minuto. Saka meron naman orasan sa computer ko na siya namang lagi kong kaharap. Kung nasa labas nama’y nandiyan ang cellphone. Para sa akin, ito ay luho lamang at hindi isang kailangan.

Gusto ko pa ring magkaroon ng relos hindi dahil sa kailangan ko ito. Pero kung magkaroon man ako, iyong may simbolismo (sign of hardwork, perseverance, membership). Halimbawa, sa aking trabaho, ang relo ay binibigay sa mga service awardee, yung mga empleyado loyal na nakatagal na ng limang taon, sampu o higit pa. Binibigay ito tuwing anniversary ng kompanya. Mukhang madali lang, pero hindi. Isa itong challenge, isang reality show na tulad ng Survivor o kaya’y The Apprentice (hindi nga lamang ito napapalabas.)

Pangatlong taon ko na rin dito, isa itong achievement para sa ‘kin dahil di ko inaakalang tatagal ako kahit man lang isang buwan dito pero hanggang sa ngayon nandito pa rin ako. Pero malaking tanong para sa akin kung magtatagal pa ako at makakabuo ng limang taon. Maraming kasing “squeeks” at “gripes” diumano sa grupo, may maririnig ka pang mga “going concerns” na nakapanghihina ng loob. Dagdag pa ang masyadong pressure na dulot nito at personal issues na hindi nabibigyan ng kasagutan. Siyempre may opportunities pa rin sa labas na nakapanghihinayang na palagpasin ang mga ‘to.

Pero masarap pa ring magkaroon relo may malalim na kuwento. Kailan kaya ako magkakaroon nito?