The Business Of Unfinished Business

“Unfinished business lingers like a shadow — it follows you until you finally face it.”

Very random ang post na ito. Essentially, lahat ng draft posts ko that I wanted to delete to declutter, but the content, minsan title lang, was too good to be deleted. So here they are, I'm sharing them with you in random order, and there are no timestamps; the earliest entry was from 2019. Hulaan ninyo na lang kung alin.

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Mga Bunga ng Kahapon

"Gaano kahirap ang umusad at iwan ang nakaraan kung ang buhay mo ngayon ay puno ng ala-ala ng kahapon?"

Sabado ng umaga, kakatapos lang ni Andrea sa kanyang trabaho.

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Our Team Was Crucified For Logging Too Many OTs

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Why I Cut Off People So Easy

"I never want to give people an impression that disrespecting me will be so easy because I forgive so easily."

Many people took advantage of me in the past because I let them. That time, I looked as if I was too afraid of confrontation, that instead of fighting for what I knew was right, I'd rather say yes and get on with my life as if nothing happened. But that's all in the past, do some crazy shit on me now and you'll be history tomorrow. You see, it took me years to get to this point. It took a lot of practice. It took a lot of yeses that should have been nos. It took a lot of happiness outside, but deep inside I screamed in anger.

Let me tell you three stories of how I got to this point...

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I Hate People Who Don't Know How to Respect Others' Rest: Anecdotes from Sleeping and Everything in Between

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I Left My Job For Petty Reasons

"You know what, these reasons you have are all petty. If you've only raised these things to the right people, these could have been addressed immediately."

These are the exact lines that I heard from one of the people who received my first resignation letter. Yes, first, because I have to revise my resignation letter for them to accept it. But what exactly are my reasons this person has the audacity to call them petty?

I really thought that this company was the one for me to grow my roots. Aside from the fact that it's very near to my residence, the people whom I was able to speak with during my interview were really proud of what the company has done for them.

Now let me tell you my story from the day I started my training until the last day of my 30-day notice.

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I Don't Give A F*ck: What It's Like to Only Listen To People Who Matter

"When people hear good things about you, they stay silent. When they hear bad things about you, they spread it like wildfire. But when they hear nothing about you, they make things up."

This is from a video that I watched on Facebook. Something random, yes. But very true. Life hasn't always been good to me. Things that made me come up with decisions when viewed by an outsider would be perceived that part of me as the entirety of my whole being. I committed mistakes that I already regretted for even thinking about them. I burned bridges with some people because I knew then that they would never be good for me as an individual. For all of these, I learned how to forgive myself, made peace with all my shortcomings, and moved forward so I could experience things that were only dreams in my past.

When people hear good things about you, they stay silent. People who matter celebrate your achievements and success.

When they hear bad things about you, they spread it like wildfire.

But when they hear nothing about you, they make things up.

However, it's important to remember you cannot control what others say about you or how they perceive you. Instead, focus on being the best version of yourself. And let your actions speak for themselves. Over time, your character and integrity will shine through. And the people who matter most will recognize and appreciate you for who you are.

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Will Miss My Comfort Show: The Heartbreak of Saying Goodbye to The Big Bang Theory on Netflix

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Today, I Was Called Gay At Work

"This was my first time getting called gay in a derogatory way since graduating high school."

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Para Saan Ang Bukas

"Do what is right, not what is easy."

Ito ang line na pinaka-natatandaan ko nang manuod ako ng Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore.

Eleksyon time na naman. Oras na naman para muli tayong mamili ng mga taong gagawa ng kapalaran ng ating bansa sa mga susunod na taon. Bakit nga ba natin kailangan ng mga taong mamumuno sa ating bansa? Ano nga ba ang responsibilidad natin bilang isang botante? Bilang isang Pilipino?

May mga pagkakataon na mas mahirap lunukin ang pride natin kaysa sa paglunok ng sobrang init na kanin. Pero bakit nga ba natin kailangang lunukin ang ating mga pride?

Ako, bilang isang ordinaryong mamamayan, naranasan ko na ang hindi kumain sa isang buong araw at naranasan ko na rin ang kumain ng limang beses sa isang araw. Pero ano bang kinalaman ng mga taong mauupo sa katungkulan sa kung ilang beses ako kumain at kakain sa loob ng isang araw?

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It's You, Only You

"Reasons for loving someone don't have to be complicated."

Nabasa ko 'yan sa isang public Facebook post. Totoo naman. Dati akala ko saying I love you because I love you was enough. But as I grew older, I realized that there must be something in that person that made me love him. I acknowledge the scientific explanation of falling in love, but from a hopeless romantic point-of-view, I want to share why I can say I love you.

Ngayong ikaw na ang nasa harapan ko, hindi na ako magsasayang ng oras at sasabihin ko na sa'yo kung bakit kita minamahal.

Sa ngiti mo pa lang nahuli mo na ang puso ko. My world suddenly stops whenever I see your sweet smile, ang tamis na parang gusto kong tikman by kissing you until the day when I can no longer kiss you.

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Sana Bukas Sa Paggising Mo

"Sana bukas sa paggising mo ang bigat na iyong nadarama ay maglaho na nang tuluyan."

Alam ko, nahihirapan ka na. Namnamin mo ang hirap sa ngayon dahil sigurado ako, bukas o makalawa, mawawala din 'yan. Ito ang paulit-ulit kong sinasabi sa aking sarili. But how true can this be? Most of the time, I feel like I'm just kidding myself.

Heartbreaks always give me the worst pain. Ang hirap kumilos, halos ayaw kong bumangon sa tuwing ang alarm ng phone ko eh tutunog. I've been through this before and yes, I was able...

A Gay Who Wants To Live On His Own Terms: A Short Story of Standing Up To People With No Boundaries

"Solitude is painful when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature."

This is from a random search on the internet saying that this came from Albert Einstein, but I'm not sure if that's true. All I'm certain of is that this line speaks my truth. When I was still in college, I thought being alone was a flaw that I was so ashamed to tell others. But as I grew older, I realized that being alone doesn't necessarily mean I'm lonely. I realized that being able to embrace solitude with open arms is a gift.

Recent events in my life have proven that I totally do not give a rat's a*s on other people's take on how I want to live my life. Let me tell you the story.

In August of 2022, my partner and I decided to live together in the house that his family was previously renting. Obviously, both of us, my partner and I, are to pay for the rent. So what exactly is expected from this arrangement? On my side, I expect that all decisions concerning the house will only be made by the two of us and no one else. Let me be clear with that, no one else.

Weeks after I moved in, his mother visited and just a few hours of being a visitor, I was already hearing that she did not like the way things were arranged in the living room and that she'd arrange them the way she wanted to. Wtf, right? Is that an attitude that you expect from your visitor? Definitely not in my house. Changes were made from time to time every time she would visit his son but I would always put them back to where they were before. We, my partner's mother and I, never talked about this but I made sure that my partner was aware that I didn't like the way his mother was changing things in the house.

One night, a few weeks after that first incident, my partner received a message from her that her friend was sleeping the night in the house without even asking if we were alright with that. Since it was just the first time, I calmed myself and accepted it. The morning came, the visitor's family was meeting her before her flight overseas. And lo and behold, the visitor decided that it was okay for her family to meet her at our house, just putting here that the threat of COVID-19 was still very strong at that time. Though she asked for permission and I said yes, what was I supposed to say? They came and walang kaabog-abog na pumasok, with their shoes on. Like really? I just mopped the floor very early that morning. My point here is wtf?! Nag-desisyon ka na ngang ayos lang sa amin na tumanggap kami ng bisita, hindi mo man lang sinabihan na maging maayos na bisita.

Then the last straw that totally pulled my trigger, nag-desisyon siyang ayos lang ulit sa amin, na mag-patira siya ng bisita niya sa bahay na 'to. On my point of view, sobrang disrespect na 'yon. Regardless kung sino pang poncio pilato 'yan, as long as hindi ka nagpapaalam sa nagbabayad ng utilities sa bahay, wala kang karapatang mag-imbita ng kung sinu-sinong tao without even asking for permission. Since I was not okay with what she did, I never exerted an effort to be nice. Remember, this is not the first she did it. And no, hindi ako magpapaka-plastik just to accommodate kung anong gusto niya. Apparently, it became a fire that I am not willing to put off. I was not surprised at all though. For someone na ang lakas ng sense of entitlement sa bagay na hindi naman niya ginagastusan, natural yung reaction niya.

After all this, I'm not willing to repair whatever relationship we have unless I hear an apology from her. I'm done with people like her who always think they have a say on what happens inside my house though they do not have any money on the table. Decision-making inside our house is always only between my partner and me, and no one else's opinion matters.

So, what exactly I am saying? People will always tell you na nagbago ka na kapag hindi ka na nila napapasunod sa gusto nila. And that's normal. People change and we change for our own betterment, hindi para mapabuti ang mga taong pilit nakikialam. They will tell you that you're selfish. And that's okay. It's never wrong to be selfish for your own good.