A Big Change Is Coming

Spring in New York. Summer in Cali.

Sounds mighty fine to me. ;-)

#ThankYouLord

The Return of Kid Bibo

Guess who conceptualized the story, script and dance? I think I should be in a different career since I have been tasked to do all non-work related things in all office events. Hosting, Organizing, dancing, you name it, I've done it. In fairness, di pa ako nag effort diyan bilang naka skirt ako at nasa baba ko lang ang president ng company. Di masyadong performance level, pang kulit lang :-) Apologies for the blurry part, may fog machine and bubble machine kasi kami (EFFORT!).

Tie Me to the Bed

So that I wont need to get up to go to work or attend school.

I'm just exhausted! I might have to give up on my social life at least until I get to complete my staff and be on target.

But until then, I guess no more Wasted Wednesday or Thirsty Thursdays.

Crap.

BFF(F) Time..

Is the best of times! I missed my girls so much, especially my good friend, LOlo, a certified Dubaiyuki. Great that she made time to see us even on her last night here in Manila. I will never forget our epic encounter with Stuart Little-- the sosy, Ayala hopping rat. Laurice literally laughed nonstop for the entire three blocks. Not just a normal laugh, but an uncontrollable, hysterical laugh while my knees turned to jelly. My phobia/ misery is the best comedic act for her. Such a good friend.

See you girls in Singapore in a year?

Happy Merry Christmas Party

Work and Play

Camwhoring with office friends. Pics taken at the office, Republiq and my friend's wedding at Intramuros.

I am A Zombie. A Very Productive Zombie.

Wow, 3 hours of sleep after hours of partying, er, working in heels after our company sponsored an event held at Republiq last night. Yes, it was fun but it really wasn't my thing. Note: the sight of grinding bodies in a dark space is not my idea of a relaxing Thursday night. But, who's complaining? Free food, good dance music and a chance to people-watch.

To say that my social life is active is a severe understatement. I can only blame this on the season. People keep on asking me to do a lot of extracurricular activities that blur the line of work and personal life. Hosting activities, organizing surprise birthday, Christmas, bridal shower, reunion parties, dance presentations, and the ultimate singles mixer. Yes, this is on top of a very time and energy consuming 8-5 (rather, 8-8) job. I barely sleep, I wake up early, I go out a lot, and I seldom have dinner. How I can manage to remain vertical and still have this much energy is really beyond me.

After all these hectic events, I cannot wait to leave. After all, a girl needs to get out of this madness once in a while. And this, my dear, is a welcome reprieve.

PAGOD(a Coldwave)

And the worst part is, before it gets any better
We're headed for a cliff
Then in the free fall I will realize
I'm better off when I hit the bottom
But turn it off
in all my spite, in all my spite
I'll turn it off

-Turn It Off (Paramore)

Pwedeng bumuntong hininga ng sobrang haba?

Just for a few minutes, I just want to do something non-work related, thus, this post. For some reason, I am physically weary. Is it because I'm not getting any sleep? Or maybe its the bad chi of this cubicle? Or maybe I'm just tired of it;this status quo, this never ending wait for the unknown, everything.

This too shall pass. Think of happy thoughts.

On a completely unrelated note, I was surprised by the revelation that contrary to popular beliefs (within the family, of course), my Mom actually wants me to get married soon. She wants to have a grandchild na daw. And here I was thinking they were just NR on the thought of their children having a family of their own. Don’t worry mom, I'm working on it (the marriage, not the kids).Vegas wedding, anyone?

Dear 3-Day Work Week

Please be good to me. I've had a pretty good weekend. Let this not be ruined by irate clients, emotional instability and unrealized expectations. I've invested so much in this for me to be disappointed. Show me some love and I will love you back. I promise.

A.B.


Sorry for the big pictures, extending beyond the borders of my blog theme. I don't know how to edit it.

Tuesday: Choose Happiness Day

If there is one monumental thing that Tubby taught me during our stay in Cebu, it was how to compartmentalize feelings. I have said one too many times that in terms of personality, Tubby definitely has the best one. She has the longest patience among all of us, she seldom gets angry (although candid photos taken of her would say otherwise) and apparently, she never lets the stress of being cursed by her boss ruin her vacation. If I had been the one to receive the brunt of the invectives, I would have cried, NO, bawled over my unspoiled glass of Margarita and would be totally inconsolable for the next three days. But Tubby, with her usual high EQ-ness, was able to take in everything that was hurled at her and throw it right back to the wind. It was like she has this secret stash of sunshine that lets her get stoned with happiness even when the world around her is crumbling into pieces.

Taking in this good vibe that I got from her, I had to somehow put this “compartmentalizing” lesson to the test. Everybody knows that these past few weeks are not exactly my favorite so staying positive seems like a herculean task. The good thing about it is that I have massive support from my friends. Perksquad keeps me laughing and occupied, CeeLo always drops me a line or two to make sure that I’m still alive, and my boys (Legolas and Spongebob) stuff my face with food and laugh at my face to make me realize that I am not as fragile and weak as I want myself to believe.

Everyday, it would take some conscious effort to stay on track—and sometimes, there are days when it is doubly hard not to lash out or let my emotions get the best of me. Last Tuesday was one of those days. Apparently, I had an early morning meeting with some very important clients and our VP. Stupid me, I didn’t double check my calendar to confirm the time. All the while, I thought the meeting would be held in the afternoon. Most days, I would come to work earlier than 8am. I don’t know why, of all days, I had the patience to wait for a shuttle instead of riding a cab (only to give up after 40 minutes of futility) and why, of all days, the cab we finally hailed had to be the slowest one in this universe. And to make matters worse, it bogged down somewhere inside the jungles of Mandaluyong. Thankfully, it was already near Rockwell and I was able to get a replacement taxi immediately, but only after I got soaking wet due to the pouring rain which stopped the moment I got inside the cab. Just beautiful. And to think, I had been gaily reading Atlas Shrugged that very morning, relaxed and ready to take on the challenges the world has for me. Gak, I hate falling into that pit of false sense of security.

Fortunately, I was only a bit late for my 9am meeting (10 minutes to be exact). Unfortunately, I did not have the time to look half decent for my audience. My hair had gone haywire (frizzy as hay, hard as wire), my eyes had become a (display) window to a troubled, sleepless soul, and I was as pale as a zombie. Need I say that I am not a morning person? I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON--- especially when caffeine has not gotten into my system.

Nonetheless, I carried on with confidence and grace. Not to mention that I no longer had the time to hyperventilate about my physical state or care about the “are you sick” look that I got from everyone. The meeting went well and following the art of compartmentalizing feelings, I did not let the stress of that morning ruin a good day. I folded it, like one folds an old shirt, and hid it in the crannies of my “charge it to experience” compartment.

This is the start of a very worthwhile walk to the paradise of Moving On.

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CeeLo, Legolas and James Franco (my super friend formerly known as Spongebob), this is me keeping my promise. Thank you for always looking out for me.

the Ber-shirk Chronicles

I am bored out of my wits. It’s not the lack of work to do but the lack of energy to do it. Good vibes, baby, good vibes.

This morning, the cabbie I was riding broke down in one of the ungodliest places in all of EDSA--- the Shaw Tunnel. Not only is it dark and polluted, but it will be almost impossible for you to get an empty cab to get you out of there. But yes, TODAY of all days--- on a MONDAY morning, anticipating/ dreading a coffee “date” with someone who, I’m pretty sure, gets 90% of what I’m feeling and would therefore drive me to tears, and on a day I still lack some sleep from baking my first lasagna. Aaah, the shit that happens to me when I’m on my way up.

So there I was standing like a moron in the middle island, in my brown dress and 4-inch wedge, holding what seemed to be like a 5-kilo handbag, my laptop and two Tupperwares of lasagna, waiting for an act of God to save me. 15 minutes of absorbing all the pollution and feeling like a goldfish inside an aquarium being curiously ogled by the cars that passed me by, a cab finally stopped and took us in (my co-cabmates). 28 minutes late is still not bad considering how late my other officemates came in. So, this is still a start of a good week, right?

Anyways, the point of this post is that there is no point at all. I just love shirking…Or better yet, I just love doodling nonsense while waiting for my doomsday. I don’t even know how this coffee thing came about. I don’t know what I should expect to hear. All I know is that my hands are clammy and there’s a pit in my stomach that I cannot explain. Whatever it is that he will say should not make me spiral back to the infinite abyss of sadness. If, for anything, I should be happy that someone is willing to purge it all out with me. As the song goes, misery loves company.

And the other half of my misery is just a few hours away.

No Birthday Blues Allowed

No less than 5 people greeted me today. That was a day in advance from my actual birthday. What time zone are they from? Or better yet, did I forget what date it is today? It must be this week’s toxicity at work or my recent personal struggles which I (with much chutzpah) was able to overcome. I feel so blessed. J

It’s time for my birthday salubong! Wheee! I’ll be spending it with my bestest best friends and people closest to my heart (apart from my family, that is). This is exactly what I need. Super excited!