I'm a week late with this Christmas tradition but here goes... This has random events of my daily life posted at random times of the day, which can be once or even thrice a day. Also, there's nothing formal here, I'm just typing anything I want to share. Nov 11 (Mon): I woke up at 0630 again. The weekend was uneventful except for the few hours in the mall yesterday to buy storage boxes for my books and some grocery items since jowa had already run out of his coffee. And this is how I want my weekends to be. Just chill at home doing house chores, reading a book until I fall asleep for a siesta, and an every other weekend badminton catch-up with friends. On another note, I'm excited about this workweek. Mainly because I now have a second monitor to use. Ayos lang naman sa akin na laptop lang ang gamit ko for work, never had an issue using one. Sadyang excited lang ako for the additional monitor kasi it's gonna be a lot easier to move from one window to another and share screen one at a time during meetings. As for the second reason, matatago ko na for now ang books na nabasa ko na at hindi na ako mahihirapang magtanggal ng alikabok from time to time. Also, I'm daydreaming about this view from our quick side trip to Boracay last June. I'm really missing the beach already. It's a good thing my work friends want to catch up on Thanksgiving weekend. And yes! That's a beach trip for two nights. Maybe this is another reason for me to be excited about this workweek. LOL. Nov 12 (Tue): I feel so relieved to finally put my books in storage boxes which we plan to move to our new home in the next couple of weeks. Our shelves are finally easy to dust and easier for me to pick the book that I want to finish within the month. After making some reports and updating some templates, I decided to go for a coffee run and buy some groceries for the pasta recipe I plan to cook tomorrow. This is also to have a new environment to continue working on the report that I plan to present to my team this week and to finally start the articles we will publish in January. Nov 13 (Wed): So... I was not able to buy the ingredients yesterday for pasta kasi napakahaba ng pila sa cashier. Since I don't feel like going out of the house today, I informed my partner na sa Friday na lang ako magluluto. In other news, my friends at work already booked the accommodation for teambuilding on Thanksgiving week. I looking forward to it kasi gustong-gusto ko nang makapag-beach at pool ulit. Five months na since my last trip to a beach. Very great progress for me today, finally! Nakapag-start na ako ulit sa reading ko. I've already stacked the books that I plan to read in the next six months. I'm very hopeful that this is going to be the restart that I've been wanting. Nov 14 (Thu): Walang gaanong ganap yesterday, other than finally I have something to put in my report. I got all the information I need; I just now need to organize them in a way na easy on the eyes para smooth lang ang flow ng presentation ko. Also, I'm so excited for tonight. I'm going to cook chicken fettuccini alfredo. Since hindi pa kumpleto ang ingredients ko, sakto na nagustuhan kong lumabas ng bahay. Ang sakit na din kasi sa tainga ng construction na malapit sa apartment namin. But first coffee! LOL. Stay muna ako dito sa coffeeshop near the supermarket ng mga 2 hours para makagawa ng daily report ko. Now at work, I had a quick chat with my manager. She needed help in setting up a shared mailbox in her e-mail app and a quick chat about our reporting project. My takeaway from this meeting: Some things are not always given or obvious. In leadership, sometimes, we have to remind people to keep them on-track. For context, I finished researching the task she assigned us some weeks ago. She asked me if I also reminded my teammates about it. I said that I thought it was already a given pointing out that it was a task assigned to everyone in the team. And I got that response from her which I agreed with because for some reason there are people in any team who always think that agreeing on others' work is enough contribution from them to a project. Nov 15 (Fri): I couldn't read pages of my current book yesterday dahil nakalimutan ko itong dalahin when I went out. At nakalimutan ko na rin bago ako natulog last night. Pero bumawi naman ako today and read the pages with so much more understanding and takeaways. But this is what struck me the most: If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead. The author further said that goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress and that a handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems. Super eye-opening nito for me kasi in the previous years, halos walang mintis to, talagang I took my time making my goals for the year. I probably spent four weeks deciding on my goals in the coming year. Since I did not think about the systems to achieve each goal, I probably could only reach 15% of them. Sad, 'di ba? But I think this coming new year, it's gonna be different. #FingersCrossed Nov 18 (Mon): Our weekend has been somehow busy. Last Saturday, we went to a park a few minutes from our apartment. We had coffee, explored their supermarket, and had dinner at one of their restaurants which had way too big servings for just two people. Last Sunday, we tried the new LRT 1 stations. We went to the mall nearest the last new station. The experience was pleasant. I just didn't like that we got trapped in a shopping hole and we went home with at least five thousand worth of charges to our cards. LOL. Anyway, this is me trying to justify that unnecessary expense, we bought clothing items that we can use on our vacations, at least on our beach trips. Today, I was supposed to have my annual physical exam in our nearby office but my teammate who I was supposed to go with had a personal emergency and I decided I'll have the exam on Wednesday. Dec 30 (Mon): The 30th of December is way too far from my last update, more than a month, imagine that! All I can say as an explanation is life happened. Some days were just too exhausting to even get up from my bed. Nothing much happened but my body and mind, most of the time, just wanted to sleep, eat, repeat. But I think I'm okay now. Here's a photo that I recently uploaded on Instagram and this was still from our June trip, we called it Almost Panay Island Vacation because we were not able to go to Antique. I still haven't uploaded photos outside of this trip. I think I still have three more vacations worth of photos to upload. I miss the beach already even if I just had a trip to the beach last Thanksgiving weekend. I feel like I need more of the sun and the salty water of the sea. Anyway, I'm currently on my second week of leave from work, I'll be back on the 6th. And this vacation, though I never really went out of the city and just stayed in our apartment, has put my perspective and mental health back to normal programming. I already went back to playing badminton and hopefully, I'll be able to play every week through the new year. On a fresher update, my partner and I watched "The Kingdom" earlier today, a Metro Manila Film Festival entry for this year. I can't tell if I liked it or not. It's a refreshing entry to this yearly film festival. I haven't seen a lot of entries in this genre. On the other hand, it felt like the plot tried to tackle a lot of things in a movie that's less than two hours. Before, I wanted to watch as many of the entries this year as possible but now, I don't feel like it anymore. Aside from the expected high volume of movie-goers that by the way has been making my head spin, watching a movie in cinemas isn't financially sustainable for us anymore. From Php250 last 2019, I think a decent cinema experience is at least Php400 now. Way better if we'll just wait for them to be available on Netflix which by the way has been a great platform to watch all MMFF entries after the festival. Jan 05 (Sun): Happy New Year!!! Well, it's been a few days again since my last update and my 2-week vacation from work ends today. Although I didn't do much during this break from work, I still love it because I could slow down even if it meant not regularly updating this page too. I know you understand, there were just some days that slowing down meant not doing anything at all. Anyway, since I started this Christmas tradition a week late, I decided to extend it for a week. So... Here are some bits of ganaps since the 31st of December: My partner and I decided to run to the public market to buy some essentials for the cooking we'd be doing for our New Year's Eve dinner. It's just the two of us and our dog, Miggyboy, so we decided to cook something just so we'd have something new to eat from dinner until breakfast the following day. He cooked pepper squid and bangus sisig and I prepared some snacks for our movie marathon. We were supposed to make a prosperity bowl but we opted to just do it on Chinese New Year. Came New Year's Eve, and we spent it cuddling Miggyboy because he was very afraid of the firecrackers. There's nothing much that we did at this time other than cuddling, watching movies, and ultimately sleeping around one in the morning. During the day, we attended the mass in Don Bosco Church which isn't too far from our place, about 30 minutes, two jeepney ride away. We decided that for most of our Sundays this 2025, we'll be attending the mass in this church because their 06:30PM mass is not very crowded. After that, we went to the mall to eat dinner at Chibo. The food was okay but Raviolli was still way better. We had coffee before we called it a night. The 2nd and the 3rd days of the year weren't eventful at all. My partner had to return to work already while Miggyboy and I just stayed home and slept a lot. Yesterday, Saturday, I played badminton with my new game buddies. It was my second game day with them and I think I want to keep this already as my Saturday morning routine. I had to hurry home to prepare for a late lunch out with my partner's brother's family. We ate at a garlic-themed restaurant. I think the children liked it. We also gave them our Christmas gifts that my partner couldn't bring when he went to his hometown before the New Year. After lunch, we had coffee while making kwentos of all the travels and plans that we had and have. My partner and I ended our Saturday with a quick tour to a Samsung Store to pick up the Fit 3 bands, my Christmas gift to him, that I bought online. Unfortunately, Fit 3 is no longer compatible with iPhone, so we have to sell his band and use the money to buy another watch compatible with his phone. For today, I'm thawing steak on the kitchen counter. I'll cook it for our lunch and we'll attend the mass in a different church just because it's convenient since we're going to a nearby mall to look for ASEAN costume my partner needs for his work. Jan 23 (Thu): I thought I could continue this until the second week of January. I was so wrong. This month is almost over and I'm still writing the closing portion of this post. So I guess, that's it for this one. Better luck next time again, just like how I ended last year's post.

"Gawin na kaya natin 'tong monthly? This getting strong tradition of our friendship started with that one statement." Ang sarap sa feeling na kahit na super busy kami sa kanya-kanya naming mga buhay, we still find time to catch-up over food, coffee, and sometimes cocktails. So here's a post dedicated to my best buddies as we explore gastronomical places in and out of the metro. We usually have two places in one brunch but let's focus on the main venue. Why? There will be another time for the second restaurant to be the main venue. What to expect? Little side stories before, during, and after our brunch, my impression of the place, their service, and their food. Side Note: The Exploderz ang pangalan ng college barkadahan namin nina Migs and Vic. Kaya any lakad that involves at least one of them, I consider The Exploderz lakad. JAN: Cafe Breton | Ground Floor Greenbelt 3, Ayala Avenue, Makati City Our original plan was Greenbelt, nothing specific, hanap na lang kapag andoon na. Art and I already had something in mind, mostly si Art, and ito ang Cafe Breton. For a few minutes, naghanap-hanap pa kaming dalawa habang naghihintay kina Jhinie and Migs. Ultimately, sa Cafe Breton pa rin kami napunta. Although Alou didn't make it, it was still a great time. Ang daming kwento since lahat kami eh kakagaling lang din ng travel. Kami ni Art eh from our Christmas vacation in Sagada while Jhinie and Migs spent their New Year with Migs' fam in Japan. We love their pasalubongs and their ganap chikas. I hope nagustuhan din nila ang #SlowDayBag that we made at home. So this cafe... ganda ng ambiance, very brunch vibes talaga, perfect talaga for tito-tita bonding time. Hindi kami sa table na 'yan originaly nakaupo, sa isang small round table lang kami pero napansin ata ng waiter na medyo cramped na ang situation namin when Jhinie and Migs arrived. Kaya ayun, inilipat n'ya kami. Kahit na medyo mataas mas comfortable ang upo namin compared sa original table namin na medyo malamig din to our liking dahil super tapat sa air con. For me, the highlight of their menu was the mozzarella burger, at least from what we ordered. Sarap din ng sausages nila. Kung presyo naman, I think it's reasonable considering the taste and servings. On an ordinary day, I'll definitely go back here lalo na on my #MeTime. Sobrang nakaka-relax talaga, tipong hindi ko na rin iisipin kung mag-isa lang ako since ang dami din namang kumakaing mag-isa sa cafe na 'to. That's beside the fact na dati ko pa namang ginagawa ang kumain mag-isa sa restaurants. After our meal, we decided to grab coffee and cake somewhere in Glorietta naman. As far as I remember, we had crepe cakes of different flavors. Ang sarap din sa place na 'yon. FEB: Spotted Pig | 109 Esteban Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City I was totally unaware of this restaurant until I searched for weekend brunch places in Makati. As I browsed through their Instagram account, na-excite na kaagad ako. Very aesthetic ang place and by the looks of it, mukhang masarap din ang food. I think this was the first time na on time kami. Although hindi naman issue sa amin ang ma-late ng ilang minutes kasi it's a Saturday and we're supposed to be sleeping pa given the exhaustion from a week's work. Also, chill day din namin 'to kaya hindi naman kailangang ma-stress pa just because we're running late for a few minutes. Anyway, Art and I were there first and pumila na rin kami while waiting for Jhinie and Migs. After a few minutes, dumating na rin naman sila. We were then seated at our table for a little over five minutes. Ang bilis ng service nila, after 20 minutes, na-serve na lahat ng order namin including our coffee. From what I ordered, I loved their cortado. Although not shown in any of the pictures I uploaded on the gram, bet na bet ko ang aesthetic cup it was served in, syempre eh masarap din. Now for the salmon teriyaki bowl that I ordered... Medyo malansa pa ang salmon nila. I was not sure if that's because hindi pa gaanong luto or sadyang ganon ang pagkakaluto no'n. Anyway, hindi ko na rin inalam, medyo nahiya na akong magtanong kasi ang dami na ring customers na dumating. It's a little my fault kasi sana eh itinanong ko na lang rin, kinda regretting it now. For our after-meal coffee, we went to this cafe bakery a few minutes away from this restaurant. We had apple pie and red velvet cheesecake together with smoothies. Okay din ang idea na mag-dessert sa another place na walking distance lang from the restaurant, I want to believe na nakakatulong to sa digestion. Very rural folk, 'no? I know! After our dessert, syempre uwian na. Art decided to get a haircut before going home kaya naglakad pa kami ng ilang minuto after Jhinie and Migs left. Once we got home, ano pa nga ba, eh di catch up naman ulit sa tulog. MAR: Antipodean Coffee Roasters | 111 Paseo de Roxas, Legazpi Village, Makati City I found this place on Google too. When I saw their Instagram account, I knew it was our next brunch venue. For this month, medyo late kami. Around 11:30 AM na kaming nakarating and was able to order our food almost 12:00 PM na kasi ang tagal naming nag-decide ng oorderin. So the place... Cozy and chill vibe. Medyo mainit lang sa loob despite the ACs and fans sa loob, medyo sablay lang siguro ang ventilation ng kitchen. But I think ang ganda sa al fresco tables nila. As for the menu, it's written on the wall behind us. You can also scan the QR codes taped on the table. It's a bit overwhelming sa sobrang daming options. I was torn between big breakfast and all-day breakfast, turned out both were somehow wrong options for me. Since I was not satisfied with my all-day breakfast, I ordered their Wagyu burger. Yummy! I was super satisfied, 'yong busog ko, grabe. I also got a taste of boyf's order, chicken satay. It's very flavorful. Although may mas masarap pa akong chicken satay na nakain before. Maybe sobrang busy lang talaga ng place na 'to on weekends from breakfast to lunch kasi nga it's a perfect place talaga to catch up with family and friends. I'm not recommending this place kung more than four ang group n'yo lalo na kung gutom na kayo, titirik talaga ang mata n'yo sa gutom. Hahaha. But it's perfect kung #MeTime mo or maybe early weekend date with your jowa or a brunch catch-up with your three other friends. After paying our tab, we decided to have dessert in another cafe within the same neighborhood. We had turon a la mode, chocolate cake, and a somewhat deconstructed bilo-bilo. We also ordered their specialty drinks. Around 02:30, we decided to go home. A funny highlight of this brunch was the anxious feeling for Jhinie and Miguel na baka na-clamp rin ang car nila kasi ang daming na-clamp sa mga street na nadaanan namin. Thankfully, hindi naman. APR: Rustic Mornings | 11 Isabelo Mendoza Street, San Roque, Marikina City Way back 2021, we went sa Marikina to visit Pinto Art Museum. Bago pumunta, nasa plan namin na mag-breakfast muna sa Rustic Mornings. But that time, need pa nila ng reservations for dine-in kaya sa iba na lang kami kumain. Kaya this year, we're giving ourselves the second chance to enjoy their food. Unfortunately, hindi kami ulit tuloy due to busy and conflicting schedules. We're supposed to go there a day before birthday ni Art, kaso naging very long weekend na kaya we took advantage of it and left the city a day before ng planned visit namin sa Rustic Mornings. Kaya for this month, we just decided to have an afternoon coffee sesh sa Ito Kish Design Food. Very last minute, tipong Jhinie and I decided lang on it Thursday before the Saturday meet-up. Ang sarap ng mojicap nila with shakshuka. Then to cap the night off, we had coffee sa Tyler's Cafe na naloka ako kasi super hindi na naman ako pinatulog the following night. MAY: Rustic Mornings | 11 Isabelo Mendoza Street, San Roque, Marikina City

“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. *** 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. *** Our Team Was Crucified For Logging Too Many OTs *** 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... *** I Hate People Who Don't Know How to Respect Others' Rest: Anecdotes from Sleeping and Everything in Between *** 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. *** 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. *** Will Miss My Comfort Show: The Heartbreak of Saying Goodbye to The Big Bang Theory on Netflix *** Today, I Was Called Gay At Work "This was my first time getting called gay in a derogatory way since graduating high school." *** 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? *** 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. *** 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...

"I love thinking things through while having a cup of coffee. Here are some random thoughts I have while having my cup for the day." Entries are raw and unedited ideas and thoughts as I have my morning coffee, from newest to oldest. But this is on hold for now since it's my 2025 Holiday Writing Tradition. You may view my logs here . *** It's the 7th already of Feb. I'm excited for my first time off from work since my long vacation last holiday. Well, this coming Friday is a special non-working holiday as declared by the president kasi Chinese New Year daw the following day, Saturday. I'm not sure yet if I'm also going to take tomorrow or Monday next week as an off or not at all. Anyway, I'm excited sa plan namin this coming Friday kasi pupunta daw kaming Binondo for a Chinese food crawl. Hahaha. Papakabusog pero sana eh hindi gumapang pauwi dahil sa kabusugan. As for work, nakaka-stress. I feel like it's starting to cripple me kaya I'm taking the holiday na rin para makapagpahinga rin ang katawan at brain ko. *** Last day na ng January. And it has to end na may away kami ng partner ko. Last night, I found out a thing na sobrang nagpasama ng loob ko to the point that I didn't even know how to process it right there and then. Hindi ko alam kung magagalit ba ako, maiinis, kung sisigaw ba ako dahil sa sobrang biglang buhos ng frustrations ko. All I could do was walk away from the scene, be far from him. And once I was already far from him, a tear just fell from my right eye. Parang pelikula lang di ba? Pero totoo 'yan. Sa sobrang bigat ng loob ko, hindi na kayang i-process ng isip ko ang nangyari. I couldn't even focus anymore sa trabaho ko kaya I logged out on the dot. It's the worst feeling I've ever had since 2016 when I had a horrible break-up with my now ex. I was super thankful that #TheBeekeeper was already available online. It helped me keep my anger and frustration at bay. Every time Jason Statham punched and kicked a person, I felt like I was releasing my emotions through him. Anyway, I feel okay now. Wala na yung negative emotions ko, and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to come up with a solution sa problema naming 'to. *** It's Tuesday of the last full week of January 2024. As cliché as this sounds, what the heck?! January is almost over. Time seemed to fly so fast compared to last year. I thought I would be able to accomplish something more than what I've done already this month, but I just can't seem to focus and push myself to do them. I don't know, maybe it's because of my hair. Maybe I need to get a haircut already. It's weird? Maybe. But I can't seem to move around freely because my head feels heavier than usual due to my hair. Before, when I used to have very short hair, I had the energy to finish things and just fully focus on my goals. Let's see what I will get tomorrow. This is going to be my first agenda after I wake up tomorrow morning. *** First entry on this post for the new year, all I can say is it's a rough start to the year. But maybe a little better compared to some years in the past. I'm trying my very best to find another source of income because living, just merely living, in this society is getting harder and harder if you don't have enough money. I can't say I'm frustrated with our current situation because other people are experiencing it worse than us. Recently, I looked at my payslip. I discovered that almost an equal amount to our bi-weekly grocery budget is being deducted from my salary just for PhilHealth contribution. I felt so enraged and sad and tired. I'm working so hard, yet I'm not seeing any improvement in the health services of the government. My mother wants one of her teeth extracted, but can't immediately do it because they don't have enough money to cover the expenses. Since the health center near their home requires patients to pay for the service. A health center run by the government is asking for money from the people whom they are supposed to serve with no fee. *** Writing here again after a few days of staying in bed later than usual. Lately, I've been having difficulty sleeping. Maybe it's just the domino effect of waking up outside of my schedule. So much with that. Right now, I'm thinking about our current economic situation. Based on our experience, it looks like living in the city has been a bit more expensive than usual. Yes, almost nothing in our household budget has changed, but it feels like money just passes through our wallets and then goes in a matter of seconds. Our usual grocery list almost never changed compared to the previous month, but our expenses for these household items almost doubled. I mean, yes, I still feel that we're lucky to even be able to buy our groceries and still not remove anything from the list. But if this goes on for a few more months, I'm not so sure anymore. Anyway, I've been thinking about getting a second project since I noticed that my hours after my current project are just wasted on watching a lot of movies and other content on social media. I still haven't decided on it yet, but it looks like the time to have a second project is getting sooner rather than later, so why not now? *** Taking in more of what happened last week, nakaka-gag* iyong mga taong ang galing magmalinis at may lakas ng loob na mag-maganda eh sila 'tong mas bulok ang pagkatao. I know at some point, I'll be able to get over the things that they did and said to me. But definitely not today, not in the very near future. And as I said before, no change in actions and attitude means no remorse for what they did. *** The past few days have been very eye-opening for me. My major takeaway is to not let other people know of our plans unless we are sure that they are the people who always have our backs, no matter what. A deep conversation with my partner got us to a decision to ignore the noises in our surroundings and just focus our attention and energy on our goals. *** It's Sunday, a slow one that is- got up from bed around 01:45 PM. This day doesn't require much action and urgency since tomorrow is a national holiday. Ang sarap sa feeling na ngayon ay optional na lang sa akin ang maging busy. We have great plans for the coming days, and I'm very excited about them. I'm having a new project, and my certification as a training facilitator is coming unexpectedly fast. This coming week excites me in ways I hadn't been before. *** Planning and budgeting for two people is a very challenging task. Let alone that we just started this journey of being financially responsible as a couple. But you know what, this is such a great thing. I mean, it's good that we're already doing this, thus making our future lives together more comfortable. Though I'm very sure that this will require more discipline from both of us. And I think we're both ready for it. I'm very, very excited! *** Due to some events recently, I realized that it's always best to keep away from your toxic and Marites friends and relatives on social media. In the first place, hindi mo kaibigan ang isang tao at never kang itinuring na kapamilya ng isang tao kung kapag nakatalikod ka ay ikaw ang laman ng kanilang mga kwento. Tatahimik ang buhay mo if you only keep people in your circle who always have your back. Proven and tested ko na 'to. I recently had another run of this idea to test my first impression of my SO's relative. And it gave me the same conclusion. So yeah, another lesson learned for me, just because they showed you their best attitude when they first met you, doesn't mean that you can already trust them. *** Downtime before working is so refreshing 'no? Sarap sa feeling na mag-start ng day sa trabaho knowing na masaya ang time mo outside of work. Regardless kung stressful ang trabaho or hindi, excited akong mag-logout from work and do the things that I love doing. Sa ganda ng set-up at schedule ko sa work, I still get to do things on weekdays, hindi tulad dati na kapag weekdays eh work at tulog lang talaga ang 95% ng araw ko. I'm very grateful na sobrang supportive ng manager namin pagdating sa work-life balance. *** When you talk about other people behind their backs, do you still expect that they will let you eat their food? 'Di ba obvious naman na hindi na? But let's make it more obvious, HINDI NA! As a person who values peace and quiet at home, the moment you create noise, regardless of how loud it is and who you are, as long as it disrupts that calm, you are no longer welcome inside. You have to go! So don't expect, just please, don't expect that I will just sit in a corner and let you do your shit. Sabi nga nila, my house, my rules. This is an ongoing, almost daily project that I have now. Expect that this will be updated from time to time.

"Bata pa lang ako, pangarap ko nang makapunta sa isang lugar na malamig kapag Pasko, iyong tipong ang taas ng araw pero balot na balot ang buo kong katawan." This would have never happened this year. After feeling under the weather for over a week, I convinced myself this trip had to be canceled. Thanks to my partner, he persuaded me to go on this trip with him, of course. Packing for a trip had always been a challenge for us, and it's no different this time. After four hours of packing, we finally went to the bus station. As an additional challenge, taxis were nowhere to be found. So, we decided to just take a tricycle. The bus left the station at exactly 07:00 PM, just five minutes after our arrival. The trip was smooth as I expected, with occasional coughs and sneezes in the background from several passengers, including myself. After five hours, we arrived at the Baguio City terminal, but we had to wait for almost two and a half hours for our connecting bus trip to Sagada. At the bus station, people flocked as we waited for the first trip, which thankfully left around 02:30 AM. It took us six hours to get to the Sagada Centro, after several stop-overs and many steep zigzag roads, just in time to register at the Tourist Information Center. Our supposed check-in time was noon, but the guests before us had already checked out a couple of hours ago; that was why the receptionist checked us in around 09:00 AM. After settling in, we decided to have a late breakfast at the inn's restaurant. The food was generally good, except for some weird combinations of vegetables and mixed condiments. After, we decided to take a nap and explore the nearby establishments in the afternoon. Around 03:00 PM, we went to the only museum in the town proper, Ganduyan Museum. It showcases things that the people of Sadada use in their daily lives. There's not much in the museum except for the catalogs with short narratives of the artifacts in the exhibit. There's an entrance fee of Php 100.00 per person. I know that it's for the maintenance of the museum and the salary of its personnel, but I think it's a bit much. For one, the artifacts don't look well-maintained. It's as if after putting them on the shelves, that's it, no cleaning of any sort. Also, visitors have to remove their footwear before entering, which I understand was a measure to keep the place clean. But if you're exploring in slippers, good luck with the cold floor. All-in-all, it's a good experience to see what the lives of their ancestors looked like, but the museum could use some more love and care. After spending half an hour in the museum, we decided to grab some snacks at Yoghurt House and Gaia Cafe. Yoghurt House's best-selling yoghurt was amazing. I think the coconut shreds and honey elevated this dessert, not to mention the perfect strawberry marmalade. We also ordered Bolognese pasta. I think there's nothing special about this pasta, except for the fact that the pasta was cooked al dente. Also, toasted bread could have been a better side. After an hour here, we decided to visit Gaia Cafe. From Yoghurt House, we had to take a roughly 10-minute tricycle ride. Good thing, our driver was so chatty that she informed us that it would be better if someone would fetch us after our stay, since tricycles were rare in the area. We ordered coffee and cookies while waiting, and we just basked in the cold breeze of the afternoon with the picturesque view of the fields at the back of the cafe. The cafe closed at 06:00 PM, but our tricycle driver arrived 15 minutes later because of heavy traffic. We spent the time before our dinner at 08:00 PM just resting. I was able to catch some sleep while my boyfriend was browsing social media. Dinner at the Log Cabin was exceptional. We had to wait for almost 30 minutes while standing because many customers were still in the queue when we arrived. Good thing, the line for two people was very short. I ordered their smoked ham, and it's the best homemade ham that I've tasted so far. For our second day, we woke up around 04:30 AM to catch the 05:00 AM bus to witness the sea of clouds at Isang Wow Cafe during sunrise. Unfortunately, the place was already crowded with other tourists, so we decided to only order a cup of coffee. It was disappointing, though, that it took them almost two hours to serve two cups of coffee. And the coffee tasted of nothing. It's as if it's just hot water with black food coloring. As for the view, it's nothing less than spectacular. We were able to see the clouds moving, and if they had moved a little towards us, we could have touched them. Around 07:00 AM, we decided to go back to downtown to get our breakfast. We initially planned to eat breakfast at Sagada Bistro, but we found out that they open around lunchtime. We then opted to eat breakfast at Salt & Pepper. However, around this time, they only served breakfast items on their menu. There's nothing much to say about their breakfast other than marami, but your typical Pinoy breakfast items. After, we decided to have dessert at Lemon Pie House. Their lemon pie and egg pie were to die for. I will go back to Sagada to eat them again. They were perfect with their hot lemon tea. After this, we returned to our accommodation to get some rest and resume our tour in the afternoon. Around 01:00 PM, we were already heading to Sagada Pottery. It's very near our accommodation, but since we didn't know that at first, we took a tricycle to get there. The demo they provided cost us Php 200.00 per group, regardless of the number of people in a group. I'd say it's a very short demo. It only contained a 2-minute brief history of Sagada Pottery and almost 10 minutes of telling us the basics of making a vase, pitcher, bowl, and cup. The items on sale cost at least Php 700.00. They also had an online shop, which was why we decided to only buy one item, and thought that it was better to buy the rest online since they sell them at the same price. After spending 45 minutes here, the extra 15 minutes waiting for another tricycle, we went to Sega Tours to book our Hanging Coffins itinerary. It only took us 15 minutes to book our tour, and then we found ourselves already having a mini trek to go to the starting point, St. Mary's Church. I think this was the most challenging part of this activity since, instead of utilizing the paved road, to avoid traffic, we took some outskirt paths through the residential areas. Before we started our trek, we had to pay an entrance fee of Php 10.00 per person. While on our way to the scenic site, we passed through an Anglican cemetery. After almost 10 minutes of downhill and uphill trekking, we finally reached the hanging coffins of Sagada. As a talkative person, I was able to get as much information from our tour guide. Knowing the rich culture and tradition behind this practice was worth the breathtaking trek. After our trek, we decided to rest in front of St. Mary's Church. We just sat there, appreciating the beauty of the structure itself. Sobrang peaceful sa pakiramdam just sitting there with my partner kahit na medyo marami ring tao sa paligid. And I found myself daydreaming that someday somewhere I'll be in a place in winter enjoying the first fall of snow, holding a hot coffee in my left hand and a croissant in my right hand beside my partner with our dog. Then, I was pulled back to reality when my boyfriend said that we had to go and eat a late lunch. So we walked to Sagada Bistro, it's just walking distance if you're used to walking. I had their pork sisig, and it's the best among all the sisigs that I've tasted. The ambiance of the place was very homey. Though I just didn't like that the place was a bit warmer than I would have wanted it to be, probably that's just because they wanted to keep the warm air inside since it's very cold during the night. But their food was very good, even the baked chicken that my partner ordered. To cap off our day, we decided to have coffee at Bana's Coffee. I ordered their Spanish latte and it was one of the best that I've ever tasted. Although their al fresco tables were already occupied, we decided to stay for an hour while having our coffee. The place was decent enough for me to enjoy my stay while drinking my coffee, despite not being able to order any pastry. Once we were back at our accommodation, we decided to take a nap. However, it led to a full-blown sleep, at least for me. Around 09:00 PM, my partner was a little hungry and decided to have cup noodles downstairs. I was so recharged after this much-needed rest because we had to check out around 07:00 AM the following day to catch the bus to Baguio. The trip was a bit longer than we anticipated because of traffic. We arrived at Baguio around 02:30 PM. Since a Good Taste branch was only a few steps from the Dangwa Bus Terminal, we decided to have a late lunch there. Their food was still as good as our first lunch there a few years ago. And their servings, good for two people, were still good for four to five people, just like before. As expected, we had to take out some leftovers. Around 4:00 PM, we checked into our accommodation, City Center Hotel, which was just a walking distance from the bus terminal. Unfortunately, we were unable to participate in some nighttime activities, such as the night market and dinner, because my partner fell ill. We just slept in since our bus trip down from Sagada was also very taxing. Around midnight, I woke up and decided to eat the leftovers from the restaurant. After having breakfast, I went to Baguio Public Market alone and just let my partner rest in our suite. I bought our supply of coffee beans, strawberries for my homemade jam, some lemons, and honey. Around 11:00 AM, we decided to check out already and left our bags in the reception because we still had some plans before heading home. Right after checking out, sakay kaagad ng taxi pa-Camp John Hay. Since we were only there to have coffee, we were seated in a cozy corner near the coffee bar. I had a cappuccino and jowa and I shared a slice of ube cheesecake with macapuno. One of the best cheesecakes I've tried, I must say. Masarap din na may caramel sauce. We also spent some minutes strolling around The Manor and taking some photos. Massage at North Haven Spa Dinner at Tsokolateria Left Baguio at 1145PM

Prologue: Pagsabog sa Alaala " Inay, tulungan natin si Itay ." " Halika na, anak! Wala na tayong magagawa sa sinapit ng iyong ama. Umalis na tayo dito bago pa tayo makita ng mga tao ni Don Pedro. Masakit din ito para sa akin anak pero hindi natin sila kaya, napakarami nila at armado pa. Hindi ko kakayaning makipaglaban pa sa kanila, pagod na pagod na ako anak. " " Sige po, ako na lang ang tutulong kay Itay. Magtago na lang po muna kayo dito sa pagitan ng malalaking ugat ng Nara. Magtiwala po kayo, babalik ako kasama si Itay. Sapat ang itinuro ninyo sa akin para maipagtanggol ko kayo ni Itay. Hayaan ninyo po akong magamit ang mga natutunan ko para mailigtas kayo sa kapahamakan. " Matapos makumbinse ni Mark ang kaniyang ina ay kaagad siyang tumakbo pabalik sa nasusunog na bahay. Habang tumatakbo ay naaalala niya ang kanina lamang na masayang bonding nilang pamilya habang pinapanuod ang napakagandang sunset sa beach na nasa harap lamang ng bahay na nirentahan ng kanyang mga magulang for the weekend. Napakaganda ng paglubog ng araw. Pinaghalong kahel, pula, at dilaw na animo'y isang bolang ipininta ng isang magaling na pintor sa kalangitang ang mga ulap ay nagmistulang mga buwayang nasusunog, na tila ba nagpapahiwatig na may isang unos na paparating. Sa paglubog ng araw, napagpasyahan ng mag-anak na pumasok na sa beach house upang maghanda na ng kanilang hapunan. Si Mark ay ang nag-iisang anak ng mag-asawang Martin at Mathilda. Si Martin ay anak ng isang albularyong hasyendero sa Negros. Si Mathilda naman ay laking Maynila at anak ng isang mayamang negosyante. Unang nagkakilala ang dalawa nang minsang nagkasabay sila sa pag-jogging sa oval ng unibersidad kung saan sila parehong nag-aral. Matapos ang ilang beses na pagkakasabay sa pag-jogging ay naglakas-loob na si Martin na magsabi sa dalaga na balak niyang manligaw. And the rest is history. " Boom! " Isang malakas na pagsabog ang nagpabalik sa isip ni Mark sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon. Nakita niya na biglang nagliyab at sumabog ang sedan na sinakyan nilang pamilya kanina galing sa mansyon nila sa Quezon City. Chapter 1: Ang Kasalukuyang Hamon " Aaaaaaah " Sa sobrang lakas nang pagsigaw ni Mark ay biglang nag-sitahulan ang mga asong kalye sa ibaba ng apartment building na tinitirhan niya. Ito ay dahil na rin sa bukas ang bintana ng kanyang kwarto. Umuulan nang matulog siya kaninang alas-otso ng gabi kaya hindi na niya isinara ito. Isa ang ulan sa mga bagay na nagpapakalma sa isipan niyang minsan ay mas maingay pa sa EDSA on a Monday morning. " Panaginip na naman. " Kaagad siyang tumingin sa alarm clock niya sa bedside table. Alas-kwatro pa lang ng madaling araw. Ala-sais dapat siya gigising ngayong araw dahil Sabado naman at wala siyang planong lumabas ng apartment pero sigurado siya na hindi na siya muling makakatulog kaya minabuti niyang bumangon na at pumunta sa kusina para uminom ng tubig. Ang apartment niyang ito sa Makati ang itinuturing niyang safe haven kapag siya ay nasa kalakhang Maynila para ayusin ang mga negosyong naiwan sa kaniya ng kaniyang mga magulang. Lingid sa kaalaman ng karamihan, siya na ngayon ang nagmamay-ari ng pinakamalalaking real estate, telecom, at logistics companies sa buong Asya. Mayroon lamang siyang isang pinagkakatiwalaang tagapamahala sa bawat kompanya at inire-report na lamang ng mga ito ang mga kaganapan sa kanya. Pumupunta lamang siya sa Maynila kapag may mga papeles siyang kailangang pirmahan. Matapos uminom ng tubig ay naisipan niyang magbukas ng kanyang laptop to check kung may bagong updates mula sa kaniyang mga business manager at personal assistant. Ang personal assistant na Chapter 2:

"For someone like me who is living alone, stress and anxiety can come and go any time of the day. So, coping with them is something that I take seriously." Some of my friends when they first met me asked how I was able to keep up with life while living alone. And my answer has always been as simple as "I find ways to keep myself grounded". Since my first job, I learned how to cope with stress and anxiety in a way that my body and mind can easily reconnect to my reality. One of my coping mechanisms is having tea while reading, writing, or doing nothing at all. I started to have tea in my day-to-day life when a friend, from the university organization that I was once a member of and I talked about our morning and night routines. She told me that whenever she had difficulty falling asleep at night, she would drink at least a cup of hot Chamomile tea. Also, that time was the start of the milk tea craze in my area, and my best friends and I used to hang out in different milk tea shops near our university. We even came to a point where we were researching different teas that could taste great together. We also had milk teas that represented the three of us. There were also instances, maybe three days before exams, when we would stay in one of our two favorite shops for at least two hours to compare and review our notes. Before, I used to buy boxes of tea packed in individual bags but when I realized that those bags were just another waste in my bin, I decided to buy loose leaf packed in reusable tin and glass containers. I have a couple of online sellers from whom I buy my supplies. They have very good customer service and their teas are just as good as what I expect them to be. They even give me samples of the other teas that they sell. But for now, I'm enjoying Chamomile, Jasmine, Hibiscus, and Assam. Whenever my friends go out of the country and ask me for something that I want, aside from the go-to "I LOVE" shirt and ref magnets, tea is always my answer. And yes, whenever I give gifts, most of the time, it has something to do with tea, either the tea itself or some tea wares. The next things on my list that I want to do in my tea adventure are to develop food recipes that involve tea and to grow my tea. So watch out for that in this post and my coming posts.

"For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice. To make an end is to make a beginning." This is a famous line by T. S. Eliot. The past year has been everything but predictable. A lot of things happened and a lot of other things didn't. Personally, I'm grateful that my family, friends and I are still alive after 2020. This 2021, I want to do three things that I think will be able to help me become a better version of myself. Removing the Unnecessary For most people, including my past self, cutting ties with people and habits is a very difficult thing to do. But as I have learned from the past year, my own sanity and peace of mind are more important than what other people will say. Fake friends. I am embarrassed to admit this but having a lot of friends was one of the things that defined my self-worth before, even the number of my Facebook friends. Getting through the last quarter of 2019 and through 2020, I realized that only the people who care for me are the ones who should matter. And yes, I also unfriended a lot of my Facebook friends. Being connected to just few select friends also helps me to easily interact with them. Now, I no longer need to think who among my "friends" are available for lunch or dinner, badminton sesh, or just a nice chat over coffee. All I need is to simply reach out. Toxic relatives. Those relatives who have always something to say about what I said, posted, bought, ate, and how I looked like. I don't need those kind of nagging and negativities in my life. So, to permanently shut their negativities out of my life, I decided to just stop communicating with them and just focus on my relatives who really care about me, not just because they could get something from me. Too much screen time. Being alone in the middle of a pandemic has spiked up my screen time, be it on my phone, personal computer, and even TV. Marami sa atin ang talagang ito lang ang paraan para maka-cope up with the pandemic. In my case, ito lang ang pinaka-safe at pinakamadaling paraan to keep my sanity. But I think it has to be left in 2020. I can think of other things na pwede ko nang gawin this 2021, aside from playing badminton. Cherishing the Constants Being with people who are important to me and doing the things that I love are the most rewarding life experiences for me. This year, I'll make sure that I get to spend more time with these people and commit to get better at doing the things that I love. Best buddies. Shout out to my constant buddies in lakwatsya, badminton sesh, at kain. You guys have always been my rock during the difficult times of my life. I cannot find the right words with the appropriate intensity to say how much I'm grateful to have you in my life. Basta all I can say is, I LOVE YOU ALL. Basta let's have more lakwatsya, game days, and food trips. Sunday gameday. In the last few years, I've been playing badminton every Sunday since I already have a circle of fellow badminton enthusiasts. I'm committing myself to playing badminton at least once a week starting February, I just have to fix some things in my schedule for the first month of the year. Yes, I also plan to constantly play on Wednesdays. I want to improve further my skills in the court. Probably, I'll be watching more tutorial videos on YouTube and enroll in training camps. Reading time. Lately, I've been struggling to finish a book in a month. In 2021, I'm allotting at least an hour a day reading a book. I still have plenty of unread books in my To Read shelves so I'll just focus on finishing all of them first before buying new books. I also want to publish my reviews of these books here on my blog. Discovering New Things I think I am a person who can be called an adventurer. Well, at least 'yan ang gusto kong paniwalaan. To a lot of us, a new year can offer a lot of things, the perfect time to start new things, and most of the time, just simply an excuse to do the things that we're not able to do in the previous year. HAHAHA. Investing in stocks. Last year, I already started investing in mutual funds and saving for some of my other financial goals. This year, I want to invest in the stock market, at least those stocks that offer dividends since I'm not planning on trading stocks on a daily basis. My simple strategy is to buy 5 shares of three stocks per quarter for the next five years. Also, I'll sweep YouTube for the best investing strategies and probably be able to share them here. Acquiring new skills. Professionally, I want to explore new avenues where I can gain some extra income. To be able to do this, I will enroll myself to free online courses offered by some universities abroad. And perhaps take advantage of the trainings that my current employer offers. I goal to have another income stream once I hit my 30s and acquiring new skills will pretty much pave the way to this goal. Healthy cooking. This year, I want to focus on having more vegetables and fish in the dishes that I will cook and further explore recipes for chicken breast. Last year was more of a pasta year. Though I was able to cook and come up with variety of pasta dishes, I still feel that I need to do more to achieve a healthy cooking style. I'm ending this goal setting here to make sure that I'll be able to focus on them and be able to master them in 2021. Here's to hoping that we'll all have an improved and productive 2021. Cheers!!!

"Travel! Money spent can be earned but not time." I saw this line in a Facebook post that encourages people to experience Filipino hospitality by traveling all around the country. To be very honest, I think this line spoke to me more than it should. With everything happening in the world, loved ones and friends bidding goodbye, and a future full of uncertainties, investing in experiences is a very personal way of enjoying my limited time. Our recent trip to the City of Pines made me realize some things. Working from anywhere is now my number one priority when looking for a job. With the work set-up that I have right now, working 8 to 10 hours, 5 days a week in the office is no longer an option for me. Working from anywhere eliminates my worry of doubling the workload of my teammates while I'm on vacation for the obvious reason that I still get to do my tasks. Also, my setup makes filing a vacation leave way easier than it was before. Of course, in any work set-up, boundaries should always be set. Once I clock out, I no longer entertain work-related conversations so I can focus on enjoying my vacation. Save and set a budget for a trip pero 'wag naman masyadong magtipid. Setting a budget for a trip is a good way para hindi maging burden ang trip expenses sa finances ko. I had a 10K budget for our 5-day and 4-night stay in Baguio. It was easy to spend this amount since I saved for it and I wasn't also guilty for spending it since before I even saved for it, I already made sure that all my financial plans and obligations were cared for. Masayang mamasyal na hindi iniisip na baka mapasobra ang gastos since guided naman ako ng budget ko, I even had a set amount to spend daily. Take pictures to remember that trip but don't over-do it. It's alright to take photos of every place I have on my itinerary pero 'wag naman yung bawat galaw na lang eh may picture. With this Baguio trip, may mga lugar na halos hindi ko na na-appreciate just because I was no longer in the moment. Focused na lang sa kakakuha ng picture at naubos na ang oras ng hindi man lang nag-sink in yung feeling na andoon ako. Moving forward, I will just get 2 or 3 photos per place and will then just enjoy the moment of being there, letting myself be in that place, at that time. Eat and eat and eat. Just bring some meds and probably some toiletries. One of the best things when I travel? Foods! As someone who loves to eat, ang makakain ng mga pagkaing wala sa Maynila eh ang perfect lang. Or at least, eat in a restaurant na wala sa Maynila. I know naman na eating at this kind of restaurants can be pricey sometimes. Kaya syempre hindi naman kailangan na sa lahat ng meals throughout the entire trip ganito ang sitwasyon. As I learned from this trip, you may do this probably once or twice daily. In our case, we were able to eat in six cafes and restaurants within our 5-day stay, most of them during lunch and dinner. In between these food adventures, palaging may mga pagkaing hindi mag-a-agree sa aking tyan kaya palagi akong may dalang Imodium, wet wipes, tissue, alcohol, at kung minsan eh sabon. Have a local experience of the activities that you usually do when not traveling. May mga bagay na masarap ma-experience sa ibat-ibang lugar. For me, it's massage. It's my monthly activity kapag andito lang sa metro. And yes, ang sarap ding alalahanin ng mga pagkakataong na-experince ko din 'to sa Baguio. We went to North Haven Spa, their branch at the back of SM. I got to experience a full-body scrub, their sauna, and a full-body massage. *** Okay, I'm cutting my story here. We'll probably go back before this year ends, kwento ulit ako ng mga bagay-bagay.

Just some things that I'm thankful for every day to remind me of what the Christmas season is all about. It's part of the Christmas tradition that I'm establishing starting this year. Nov 06 (Mon): Woke up before noon today. It's a brand new week: new things to learn and new opportunities to conquer. I'm very happy that my after-job part-time called me back for my services again. Super grateful to my partner for being so supportive of my decisions in my professional life. Also, I'm extra-craving for this Dalandan coffee from our recent trip to Boracay. This day though is going to be extra long because of the tasks that I have in my full-time job. Oh well, it's Monday after all. In addition, bawing bawi ako sa tulog nitong weekend lalo na last night. Super thankful rin na I finally had the energy and will to clean the living room and put away some things. By the way, nag-samgyup din kami kahapon sa Jin-Joo Glorietta. Hindi ko gaanong na-enjoy kasi parang and bilis kong nabusog tho okay na rin, at least napagbigyan ko din si jowa sa gusto niya. He had been craving for samgyup since last week. LOL. Bumili din kami kahapon ng sourdough bread sa newly opened branch ng The Daily Knead sa Glorietta. I like it. I think I found my new go-to bakery. Looks like I'll be buying my weekly bread from them in the next few months or until may artisan bakery na mas malapit dito sa bahay. Nov 07 (Tue): I was not able to get the amount of sleep that I wanted to have, given my busy schedule at work last night. But thank God for coffee. I hope this mug that I have right now will be able to keep me awake until 04:00 AM. After getting up from bed, I immediately toasted two slices of sourdough bread and they were great. But I think they could use a side of scrambled eggs instead of just a spread of coco jam. Well, there's still tomorrow to try it. My first day at my part-time after three weeks turned out to be great. I'm thankful that the executive virtual assistant of the owner is very easy to work with. Anyway, I love the workload that they gave me, I get to put another skill of mine to use. Also, I'm super grateful for my colleagues in my full-time job. We're now able to work as a team and people are already sharing their ideas freely. I have a new project, as a contributor, that's gonna eat up the bulk of my time but it's a good avenue for me to learn new skills and hopefully be able to apply them to the project that I'm leading. Nov 08 (Wed): Doing this after logging out from work. This morning was one of those days, to get up from bed was a challenge. So I stayed far too long and late to even type my entry for today before I started working. Anyway, I'm so thankful to my partner for being so understanding during this kind of day. Big shoutout to my colleague who is always ready to cover my tasks during these days. Lastly, just because I'm very sleepy already, my heart is full because of the simple act that the owner of the company where I'm working as a part-timer did before I logged out a few minutes ago. He apologized and said that he felt like he let me down because of the downtime that I had in the last 3 weeks. But of course, I assured him that all was well, that I understood what he had to do. And yes, I meant every word in that. I'm just excited that I'm now back to my regular programming in this part-time. Nov 09 (Thu): Woke up very early again today. I think I'll be able to fall asleep later during my lunch break at work. Anyway, I'm both excited and anxious for today. Just some first times at work but I'll be okay. I just need to super focus on my tasks. I'm grateful for my energy today. Right before I took a bath, I was able to run a load of laundry and probably another one later. Also, I think I'll be able to fold the laundry that I washed yesterday. I think the next thing that I need to try harder to get done is my daily reading and every other day workout routine. Nov 10 (Fri): Too sick to write a full entry for today but I'm very thankful that my manager agreed to not have our 1-on-1 coaching session because I can't talk much due to my sore throat. I'm very glad too that the owner of my part-time agreed that I could just work for my Friday hours tomorrow. Despite my partner working long hours this week, he still was able to buy the roasted chicken for our dinner. Nov 11 (Sat): I'm so thankful that I got to rest throughout the day to recover from sickness and not escalate it to a full-blown flu. So grateful for my partner, he cooked Tinola and I think it's one of the reasons I got well easily on top of Biogesic every 12 hours. After my shift in my part-time job, my boss informed me that I could also render some hours tomorrow, but of course, I'm working the hours. Nov 12 (Sun): Thankful for a chill Sunday this week. We ordered McDonald's online and just chilled at home with our dog. I feel so rested and ready for the week. I ended my Sunday with a 4-hour shift in my part-time. I hinted to my boss that I wanted to take his project offer in one of our GCs if it's still available. And I just got a confirmation that it's still up for grabs. Now. I'm wondering if my schedule can still accommodate it. Anyway, last night, I was mentally in this coffee shop with their Real coffee and that toast with scrambled eggs plus the view of the white sand beach. LOL. But yes, it's a fun way to start this week. Nov 13 (Mon): Woke up around 11:30 AM, too early than my alarm at 02:30 PM, because of loud banging and drilling in our neighborhood. It turned out the public road in our street is getting jack-hammered just to be reconstructed later on. I don't know the reason but from my perspective, that road is perfectly fine. Anyway, it's been an extra challenge at my full-time job today because it's my first time actually doing the report of my colleague who is currently on a 2-week vacation. But I'm excited for him, at least he gets to rest from all the craziness going on in our team right now. Nothing bad, all good stuff but extra challenging. I just hope that when he gets back, he'll have a refreshed perspective and be able to take the challenges head-on. Nov 14 (Tue): Too tired to actually function after my 13-hour work. But I'm thankful that my partner is very supportive of this endeavor and understanding of the things that come with these long hours of work. Also, my partner bought a comfort food for our dinner, dinuguan. Oh my gosh! I super loved the way that dinuguan was cooked. Nov 15 (Wed): So today, I decided to ask my boss at my part-time job if I can move to the day shift temporarily, just until the construction in our neighborhood is over. I'm very grateful that he accommodated my request. Such an amazing human being! But of course, I assured him that for anything collaboration-related, I'm always available to hop on a quick call before 12:00 PM, his time. This way, I still get to maintain my flawless inputs and outputs in his company. Nov 16 (Thu): Finally experienced having at least 7 hours of sleep. Also, it was my first time working from 08:30 AM to 12:00 AM the following day. I don't know but I felt so productive compared to working from 03:00 PM to 06:00 AM the following day. Maybe it's because I had enough sleep? Yeah, maybe that. Nov 17 (Fri): I had to move out of the hours for a few hours to be able to think properly while working. The drilling noise in front of our house was driving me nuts. It made me happy na nakalabas din ng bahay and got to have coffee with my partner after his work. I'm excited to have a 7-hour sleep tonight. I'm also excited for tomorrow, finally another badminton game. Nov 18 (Sat) : Been a great day dahil nakapag-badminton ako. However, I didn't like the way I was paired with other players in the queue that's why I asked my badminton buddy to get us in the Saturday morning queue instead of the afternoon next time. At least the queue master in the morning already knows my level of play. My partner and I were supposed to have pasta for dinner but we did not push it because he was still full from his catch-up eat-out with his friend from his previous work. So I just had a burger and fried chicken from McDonald's. Nov 19 (Sun): It's Miss Universe 2023 coronation! I'm happy that the Philippines bet got into the Top 10 but it felt and looked like she deserved to get into the next cut, Top 5. I honestly still can't move on from that until now. Anyway, MERALCO decided to do their maintenance on this same day so my partner and I had to rely on the data from our mobile phones. That's why our viewing experience kinda sucked. Since it's kinda hot inside the house without electricity to run our fan and AC, we decided to go to the mall and compare prices of the newest model of iPhone from different retail stores. We also had a satisfying lunch at a Thai restaurant plus a coffee sesh at CBTL. Nov 26 (Sun): Had a blast day with my best friends and their girlfriends. Kasama din sana namin si Art pero meron siyang plano na lakad prior to our day out getting finalized. We had lunch at Din Tai Fung. We also had coffee bago pumunta sa condo nina Migz to surprise Vic for his farewell party. We watched some movies and ordered pizza and wings for our dinner. It's a happy experience for me, at least napakita namin kay Vic how much we appreciate him as our best friend. Nov 27 (Mon): Today lang nag-start mag-sink in sa akin na aalis na si Vic and will live overseas for good. Nalulungkot ako, I guess I'm just not really used to saying good bye sa best friends ko. Since 2010, kasama ko na silang dalawa. They witnessed all my ups and downs ever since naging magkakaibigan kami. Ibang-iba yung feeling na lumipat lang to a different province or city for work yung kaibigan mo. At least kapag ganito lang, we can still see each other as often as we want kasi ang dali lang ng commute at sobrang mura lang ng pamasahe as compared to moving permanently overseas. I mean yeah, modern na ang communication ngayon pero yung opportunity to have coffee, drink alcohol, or have lunch or dinner any time na gustuhin namin eh mahirap na. Haist, I'm sad but I'm very happy for him kasi at least marami sa mga pangarap niya ang matutupad with this move. I hope all good things for him and sana palagi siyang safe doon. As for me, I don't know kung hanggang kailan ko mararamdaman ang ganitong sadness. Nov 28 (Tue): Kinda feeling lost with my part-time job. My boss has not been responsive since Friday last week. I feel like he is gradually ghosting me. LOL. But still, I'm doing what's expected from me and creating my own tasks that I think are aligned with the major tasks that he plans to hand off to me once we have new clients. As for my full-time job, I had to go to the nearest site to get my laptop reformatted because some of the installed apps were not working properly. Despite this, I was still able to learn a certain process that's very important to our ongoing project. At home, my partner cooked a delicious dish for our dinner. I'm so thankful for my partner. In the midst of everything that happened at work, I have him as my rest and comfort. Nov 29 (Wed): I cooked spaghetti for dinner. Unfortunately, my intention to cook it on low fire almost made it burnt pasta. Masaya na akong hindi tuluyang nasunog at nagmukhang baked spaghetti lang siya kahit na walang melted cheese as ibabaw at naging black pasta ang ilalim. HAHAHA. I'm still thankful naging maayos pa rin ang dinner namin. Lesson learned: Never leave the kitchen if you're not yet done cooking. Also, balik-loob na kami sa cucumber in our drinking water. Ang refreshing pa rin talaga ng may cucumber compared sa basta lang malamig na tubig. Nov 30 (Thu): I don't know what's with me today, sobrang wala akong energy and drive to move around and even work. Mabuti na lang my boss in my part-time informed me earlier today that I could take the day off. Maybe I'm just getting overwhelmed by my tasks in my full-time job. Ewan ko ba. I probably need to reset my perspective at work. My partner and I cooked together a veggie dish for our dinner. Aminado naman ako na I love planning what to cook, prepare the ingredients, and put them together sa pan or pot. Sadyang hindi ko lang talaga forte ang paglalagay ng tamang amount ng condiments. LOL. A lot of instances, yung matabang habang niluluto ko eh nagiging maalat kapag naka-serve na. Good thing, my partner has an impeccable sense of taste. Dec 01 (Fri): Nothing much happened today. I still don't have the energy that I used to have. I felt like I was getting drowned with my tasks but lacked the drive to start them at all. Anyway, I cooked our dinner tonight since my partner had an event at his workplace and he had to go home very late. My boss in my part-time job decided to pause my employment since he said he had to catch up on the tasks that I finished. Right now, I'm really just looking forward to the weekend. I wanna have long hours of sleep, play badminton, jog around our neighborhood, visit a museum, and catch up on some of my video-creation items at work. Dec 02 (Sat): I was able to clean the house and re-arrange the fixtures in the living and dining areas after our late lunch. Around 06:00 PM, I decided to ask my partner to go to the mall and buy some treats for our dog. There were a lot of items on sale and we're able to grab some with 60% to 70% discount. After that tiresome run of errands, we decided to have our dinner at Pepper Lunch in the mall's food court. It's kinda funny because a lot of the customers at the table that we chose ordered the same dish from the same restaurant. If you've dined at Pepper Lunch, you can then relate to eating your food with smoke all over the place. To cap the night off, we decided to grab chai latte and dark mocha at Starbucks. When we got home, we both couldn't sleep. While my partner was browsing through social media, I decided to run the laundry and start a new Korean series on Netflix. I super like Strong Girl Nam-soon. I hope there are still more episodes to come aside from the current 16 released episodes. Dec 03 (Sun): We did not to a lot of things today. Just plain chill at home: sleep and Netflix, mainly because my partner has been feeling dizzy since he woke up this morning. I had to buy him a few cans of pineapple juice and some chips to snack on while watching Netflix. I decided to end the night around 02:00 AM because of one-more-episode syndrome. LOL. Dec 04 (Mon): The main event of my day was my appointment at DFA to apply for my passport. My appointment was between 01:00 PM to 02:00 PM. Unfortunately, I was able to finish the application around 04:00PM already just because the queue of the data capture step was so disorganized. After that, I decided to go to Mall of Asia to grab a very late lunch and coffee. Before I went home, I grabbed a cup of iced milk tea and some takoyaki for my partner. Although I filed an emergency leave at work today, I can say that I'm pretty much productive. Dec 06 (Wed): This day has been a bit challenging. Since I don't have part-time work this week, I woke up around 01:00 PM and had to log in for my full-time at 03:00 PM. During my shift, a lot of things were happening and my mind was just running in different directions. Being too stressed by the events of the day, I logged out at exactly 12:00 AM. And to destress, I watched a Korean series on Netflix until 05:00 AM. I kinda didn't like how my day went but here's to hoping for a better Thursday. Dec 11 (Mon): Thank God, my left foot no longer hurts. It had been hurting since last Friday. Finally, after two tablets of Flanax and multiple cold compresses, I can now walk properly. This day for my full-time has been a lot. I worked on a lot of aspects of my 2024 goals while realizing a lot of possible roadblocks. As for my part-time, I still have no shift this week just like last week. I just feel sad. I've been looking forward to working my extra hours this week but it looks like all I can do is use them to watch Netflix, read books, and update this blog. Dec 13 (Wed): Ramdam ko na ang sinasabing busy days ng dati kong supervisor sa current role ko. I have a lot of projects to start. However, I am excited more than overwhelmed despite the number of tasks that I have to do. This day has been extra compared to Monday and Tuesday. Financially, this is what's taking a toll on my mental health. Managing our household's finances is very taxing. I feel as if my energy is getting sucked out of my body every time I see the deficit that we still need to work on. On the good side, I am now done with the 16-episode Korean drama series that I've been watching since last week. Jan 07 (Sun): Closing this Christmas Tradition for 2023. I'd say I'm 50% successful with this last project of 2023. Things got in the way, life happened as they said. I had been very busy at work, caught flu that made me bedridden for almost two weeks, and was demotivated to write anything for the rest of this project. I hope to be more productive with next year's Christmas reflections and for the rest of 2024 in general. Happy New Year, friends! It's another opportunity to better ourselves.

"One a year, go somewhere you have never been before." I have this line from Dalai Lama pasted on a page of one of my diaries. As far as I'm concerned, I'm following this for the rest of my life. Side Note: My monthly brunch with my best friends is not on this post. You may reach them here: https://bit.ly/2024_The_Exploderz_Brunch_Diary. JAN (Weekend Travel): My year started with a trip to Zambales with my work circle. It's a weekend trip lang since lahat kami eh sadyang busy the following week. We just needed a breather from everything we did during the holidays. And I'd say, goal achieved! Sobrang chill lang ng experience namin sa Limliwa Beach Resort: watching the sunset while having random conversations with cocktails in our hands, swimming even before the sun rose the next day, and also, having that seafood lunch right before we went home! Then, came the last weekend of the month. This was my second year attending the Lupi Festival in Lumban, Laguna through the invite of my partner's friend. Aside from the festival experience of suddenly getting wet because the people had a free pass na mangbasa on that day, I super enjoyed our side trip to Liliw where we got to see artisans-made shoes and slippers plus got to have coffee and kesong puti cheesecake at Arabela. FEB (Art Appreciation): Nothing much happened this month except randomly discovering the yummy food of Bistro Ravioli. This month was supposed to be the Art Appreciation Month of 2024 pero wala kaming naging ganap kahit isa sa museum. But to still enjoy the public holidays sa buwan na 'to, we went to Binondo the day before Chinese New Year for that Chinese food goodness. We also had coffee sa isang rooftop cafe, sarap ng flat white nila. Mabuti na lang talaga eh hindi kami sa actual na Chinese New Year pumunta, napakaraming tao, hirap na hirap kaming maglakad, parang pila papasok sa concert venue ni Taylor Swift if ever man na magkaroon dito sa Pilipinas. We are yet to have a proper Binondo Food Crawl but I'm hoping that we'll have one before this year ends. Probably dalawa lang kami ni Art para hindi mahirap magdecide kung saan kakain at ano lang ang kakainin. Last entry for this month ay ang first time coffee experience namin sa The Usual Coffee. It's a nearby coffee shop, siguro mga 15 minutes from our house. Your usual coffee orders lang ang nasa menu nila, talk about being true to their name, right? The good thing about it eh talagang perfect ang pagkagawa nila sa bawat order. I had Sea Salt Latte but it's the best I ever had. MAR (Food Appreciation): Pagpasok pa lang ng buwan, may entry na kaagad ako. My constants sa work and I spent three nights sa Dasol, Pangasinan. Dagat pero super calm, hindi mo talaga ramdam ang alon. Chill lang talaga: kain, tulog, Netflix, inom, repeat. Ganda sanang mag-island hopping pero sobrang init kaya hindi na namin pinush. Tampisaw na lang sa mababaw ding beach nila kaya sobrang enjoy din kami kahit na wala kaming activities. Kahit na medyo disappointing ang accommodation na nakuha namin, we found new friends sa restaurant kung saan kami kumain ng pitong beses dahil sa sarap ng mga luto nila. It's just called La Manila, managed by two friends na chefs ng Philippine Airlines bago mag-pandemic. Sa trip na 'to first time kong natikman ang Tequila Rose at Baileys. It's our second time attending the Manila Coffee Festival, una noong introductory year nila. Ang daming bago this year. Pero ang pinakatumatak sa akin eh ang chocolate coated coffee beans. Sarap! We bought a jar and three tin cans, inuunti-unti namin ng kain. Though grabe ang tapang, kapag antok na antok ako, I ate five pieces at naitatawid na ako until end of my shift. This month, we also tried a new restaurant sa Glorietta, new to us, at least. It's called Mamak Kopitiam. I super enjoyed their strawberry syrup coolers and roti. Sarap ng dips ng roti nila, my fave dip was the one that kinda smelled like bagoong pero may hindi ako ma-figure out na ingredients that probably made it the Malaysian version. Since mawawala na rin sa Ayala Museum ang Hymen, oh Hymenee ni Juan Luna, we decided to see it for the second time since libre din naman ang entrance. All I can say is nagkaroon ako ng deeper understanding of the painting when I saw it for the second time. That feeling na nagkaroon ako ng rush of ideas dahil sa nakita kong painting, I couldn't explain the feeling pero para siyang pinagsama-samang rage and love. Maybe intense passion is a better to describe it? On another subject, it's my first time meeting my online Filipino teammate since malipat ako ng department last July 2023. It was just a very short meet-up, we just had coffee but what I liked about it was we were able to set up a then monthly teambuilding kahit na dadalawa lang naman kami. Dapat luluwas kami ng Metro Manila for the Holy Week and enjoy the beach kaso ang sobrang traffic paalis at pauwi ang naisip namin. So we just stayed in a nearby hotel on Maundy Thursday, visited seven churches for the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, and went to Taal, Batangas on Black Saturday. We were supposed to attend an Easter Mass pero nagkasakit ako kaya we just stayed at home. APR (Birthday Travel): This is my partner's birthday month so we went to San Juan, La Union to celebrate. We spent four days and three nights in San Juan savoring the food, coffee, and some alcohol of the nearby restaurants, cafes, and bars in between enjoying sunrises and sunsets on the beach. I finally had a photo beside a surfboard on the beach! And of course, my morning taho ritual on the beach sa unang umaga ng travel. For the places that we went to, I enjoyed Karruba Cafe and Bakery for its creative pastries, Sabong Fried Chicken for its honey-bagoong fried chicken, Shogun Cafe & Bar for its cocktails and coffee, Putik Friends Pottery Studio and Cafe for its coffee and mugs, and Kabsat for its delicious dishes. Disappointment for me ang Coco Mama saka El Union. Coco Mama kasi ordinary dessert lang siya, nothing new. I thought it's something na hindi ko makakain anywhere else. El Union, dito ako sobrang na-disappoint. Akala ko napakasarap ng dirty horchata nila, without the cinnamon, ordinary coffee lang na nilagyan ng gatas. We also had a side-trip to Luna, La Union to see Bahay na Bato and Baluarte after naming mag-check-out sa hotel. Iniwan na lang muna namin ang mga gamit namin sa hotel since pwede naman daw, para wala kaming gaanong dala. Nag-enjoy ako sa Bahay na Bato. Well, it's a museum kaya given na enjoy talaga ako doon. Although the second part of this side-trip which was the Baluarte, one of the old lighthouses of La Union eh medyo na-disappoint ako. Ang ganda ng view, yes! But since hindi naman managed ang lugar, ang daming tambay sa mismong lighthouse, hirap makakuha nang maayos na photo, kailangan mo pang magpapicture sa mga nag-o-offer doon na mag-picture sa'yo bago umalis sa background ang mga nakatambay na locals. All-in-all, sobrang nagustuhan ko ang trip na 'to. I'll probably go back to learn how to surf. Maybe on my birthday next year? Chill at Papakape's Pop-Up Cafe in Luneta Park. Dulaang UP's Kung Paano Nanalo Sa Karera Si Rosang Taba and roamed around UP Diliman's acad oval after a very long time. MAY (Anniv Staycation): No idea yet. JUN (Class Break): Weeklong Vacation (Ilo-Ilo, Bacolod, Guimaras) JUL (Travel Break): AUG (Travel Break): SEP (Birthday Travel): OCT (Travel Break): NOV (Travel Break): DEC (Winter Holidays):

"Tara sa Zambales sa January 6!" Sabi ng work friends ko sa Telegram groupchat namin. This was how our planning started two weeks before this weekend getaway. After 30 minutes, we already had one: meet up in Eton Centris at 09:00 AM and go to Liwliwa, Zambales, and just walk in on any of the resorts there. January 06 came. I woke up around 07:00 AM and immediately had my morning coffee. After two hours, I was already at Eton. Since my friends were late, I decided to have a chai latte and flatbread in the nearby coffee shop. Anyway, they arrived after almost 1.50 hours. Well, I didn't mind waiting for them. I had a book with me, What If It's Us, that I had been wanting to finish so I brought it, anticipating that my friends would be late since two of them were coming right after their shift at work. After 3.50 hours of shenanigans on the road, we're finally at the resort. Since we did not reserve a room days before our arrival, we got the room farthest from the beach. However, this was also a good thing. The place had a poor cellular connection. Since we're near the reception area where wi-fi was available, we're able to access the internet. We had a late lunch right after checking in. Then, we rested for a bit. Around 05:00 PM, we went to the beach to watch the sunset. While waiting, we enjoyed some cocktails from the beach bar and some pica-picas from the resort's restaurant. We didn't have dinner anymore since we were very full already with the pica-picas that we ordered. Around 09:00 PM, we went back to our room and called it a night because we planned to have an early morning dip. Morning came, around six o'clock, and we were already at the beach enjoying the waves. After almost two hours, we decided to already have breakfast. I had pancake and bacon which I thought would have been better if the bacon was a little more bacon-tasting. After all the eating and taking a bath, we rested until 11:00 AM, so we still had time to pack our things before we checked out. Less than an hour on the road after we checked out, we were buying ripe and green mangoes for pasalubong. We also had a mango smoothie that's almost puree. The highlight of this trip aside from having cocktails on the beach while watching the sunset was the Putok Batok Gang lunch before we went home. We were not new to the place because we also had lunch in this restaurant when our team went to Zambales last 2022. But I have to say this, the experience that we had this time was a downgrade of what we had before. We ordered the same item on their menu, a combination of crabs, shrimps, and clams with cajun sauce. But the crabs were no longer fresh when they were cooked because their meat was sticking to the shells already. So eating the crabs was a little unpleasant. After lunch, we decided to have coffee in Subic, at High Grounds Coffee House before driving home. We were expecting to be in the metro around 06:00 PM but made it before 05:30 PM, just because our friend was driving like a NASCAR driver. From this trip, I learned na sobrang random pala talaga ng work friends ko pagdating sa mga gala. But this is what I like the most sa circle kong ito. Hindi kailangan ng mabusising plano para makapag-travel. Kahit nga wala kang budget eh, they will cover for you and just pay them back on the next pay-out, minsan nga, pay-outS pa. Also, everytime na kasama ko sila, ang mga frustration ko sa trabaho na hindi ko masabi sa ibang tao, nasasabi ko sa kanila. And I think they feel and do the same. Kung baga, we're each other therapists during our trips. Sa sasakyan pa lang, we laugh a lot already about random things. Random as in random, like out of the blue na ang pasok ng topic ng usapan tapos we'll suddenly burst out laughing. Sa totoo lang, sila ang isa sa circles ko na everytime kasama ko sila, ang gaan lang ng pakiramdam ko. It's as if nawawala na lang na parang bula ang mga pasanin ko sa trabaho.