Sunday Jobs

This weekend, my family and I busied ourselves with our annual pre- Christmas garage sale. This started almost three years ago when my Tita, who was then busy packing & getting ready to move to a new home with her kids finally decided to face a certain problem ahead. What to do with those old stuff she didn't want to bring to her new home? I, on the other hand was wondering the same thing after a thorough search on my closet. I was staring at the items I've found, consumed by disappointment because I didn't even get the chance to wear all of them and because I know I have to dispose some of them to free some closet space. So right then I sent an SMS to my two Titas. I have three beautiful and amazing aunts by the way, two are living here and the last one now living in Arizona. I asked them to raid their closets as well because I am organizing a garage sale. We filled our garage(where else?) with clothes, shoes, toys, kitchen wares and even some furniture for the event and it was a huge success! I was able to convert my old stuff into shopping money so I was more than happy with the result. Maybe next time I'll organize it as a fundraiser. That would make it more special and worthwhile :)

We are doing this for three years in a row now, always a few weeks before Christmas for a couple of weekends. Always at this time of the year because I know Pinoys tend to spend more and are more inclined to shopping when Christmas is just around the corner.

This is hanging on the gate of our garage for two weeks now. I'd like to call it marketing material. :)

So this morning, I was working on my usual friendly, approachable saleslady stint. The morning shift is always packed and busier and let me add that I love my neighbors for being so supportive! LOL I skipped my saleslady stint during the afternoon because I had to drive my Tita to work (Yes, on a Sunday! How very unfortunate.) and to the mall as well for a little shopping. Around 5 pm I've already accompanied her to their head office in Muntinlupa, to Festival Supermall and we're already on our way to Ayala Alabang Village. Her boss called while we're in the middle of phone shopping and asked her to report at their home in 2 hours! He called an hour before saying that he still doesn't need Tita around until 8pm. That makes him like a typical wealthy man who changes his mind almost every minute. At least to me. I still had time to pay my bills at the mall after I dropped her off.

So this concludes my tiring but still fun day. I'm glad to be of service sometimes. Talk about being productive despite the cold, lazy weather. :)

My Usual November 1st

A lot has happened over the long weekend and I'm glad I set aside time for myself, some quality time with friends and of course, the usual Undas tradition of our family. We went to the cemetery along with I think, everyone else. After all, what is it to do on November 1st?

So we stayed at the cemetery most parts of the day. Lighted candles and said our prayers, played some cards with the kids, ate (a lot!) and ate some more. One cool thing about going home in Indang, Cavite is that almost everyone I know can whip up mouthwatering native delicacies like suman, biko (these are basically forms of rice cakes & I regret that I didn't even take a picture) and cassava cakes any time of the day. So this explains the ate (a lot!) description of how my day went. I brought a new book with me this time, it's called The Hunger Games- the first of a trilogy. It was mainly reading a few chapters before I grab a plate and started savoring our baon again and again. I gave the books to my sister Louise as a Christmas present and she's spent almost a year trying to convince me to read them but I kept on procrastinating. Now that I'm back on track, thanks to Eat Pray Love & Fat Cat, I happily and willingly obliged. :) Louise told me that the book will be translated into the big screen, to be released on March 23, 2012. I am very much looking forward to this already.

I reckon by returning to my old habit of reading books one after another, updating this blog comes along with it. And yes, I will try my best to sneak in here every once in a while and hopefully I come up with something worth reading (and writing) each time.

Ciao for now!

A bamboo and a spark of hope.

Change.

The only thing that is constant in this world. And perhaps, the one thing that was constant in my 2009. This is a tribute to the people and events that brought about changes in my life during the previous year.

People.

People that you know come and go. But for whatever reason why, you know that they came to change a part of you. They came maybe to let you experience happiness, or to teach you the true meaning of selflessness. Maybe to let you see that hidden courage inside of you that you didn't know was there. Yes, people that you know come and go, but they come for a reason and go by leaving you a lesson.

During the previous year I've said goodbye to some people who have been my source of happiness and hope for a while. And by parting ways I knew that my life would never be the same again. At first I thought they are bound to leave a hole. But it turned out that the goodbyes were to give way to new acquaintances. New people easily filled those holes as if there weren't really holes to fill in the first place. This doesn't mean that the old ones are easily forgotten. It was more like transforming goodbyes into something new, flourished by beautiful memories and helpful lessons of the past.

Yes, my life has never been the same again since then. Once in my life I have built dreams with people I hoped would be with me forever, only to wake up in the world of reality that nothing's permanent in this world. Something is bound to change. The only thing that should remain constant is how we welcome change. Be like a bamboo. A bamboo survives by bending with the wind. You can survive by adapting to every change that comes your way, even to life's most unexpected twist!

Events.

I had my own share of ups and downs in 2009. I won't deny it. The previous year was a difficult one not only for me but also for those whom I hold most dear. I am sure most people have had the same experiences we've gone through: suffered the pain of losing a loved one, have witnessed your once perfect home crumble, have had broken ties with friends, have seen your dreams at the brink of jeopardy, and have almost mastered the painful art of letting go of a lost love, or a lost dream.

The fact that life isn't as perfect as each of us wants it to be has been reiterated to me over and over and over during the past year. Same as the fact that a person may not always get what she wants no matter how bad she wants it. This year, however, I am starting with a clean slate, armed with the most effective means of retribution I could think of- hope. I am hopeful that with this fresh start, things are going to be different, and 2010 will be a great year for me. If everything is just a matter of perspective, then I choose to have a great one.

Let us all be hopeful this 2010! If you have had countless of unsuccessful resolutions for the past several years, may this be the one you can perfectly stick to, despite whatever it is you've gone through . :)