The Week in Review (October 20 - 25, 2008)

I took my leave for the whole week to get some much needed rest and to celebrate my hair thinning and turning silver. Sadly, I was discouraged to make travel plans by the crazy weather. So most of my time was devoted to sleep which in my line of work is a precious commodity.

I did go out of town twice, the first was a visit to my cousin and nephew in Calamba then to my good friends in Los Banos and the second was a trip to Tagaytay with my cousins, aunts and my big brother for some bulalo.

I loved my trip to Laguna as not only did I get to taste sugpo and isaw again and pigged out on the best crispy pata I had to date (thank you Kamayan sa Palaisdaan!), I was able to reconnect with two of my best friends, Pogs and Bing. It was a surprise visit for I wasn't able to inform them beforehand that I'll be coming to visit. In hindsight, i think this was a bad idea since three other friends could have postponed or rescheduled if they've known I was coming (or maybe it's just me wishful thinking). Nevertheless, we had a blast binging on native cuisine and even made an homage to the very funny and now famous Youtube duo Moymoy Palaboy.

We got to talking about the others who weren't there and realized the three of us who were present are the singles of the group. Our friends who are in relationships are with their significant others or husbands and kids. And we thanked the heavens for singlehood for without it we couldn't enjoy ourselves, go on trips when we want, climb mountains on a whim or to just be. Don't get me wrong, we are happy (and at times, jealous) for our "double" or n-tiple friends and we respect their choices. For me personally, let me just put it this way: the taming of my shrew is still not at hand ;-)

I had Pogs drop me off inside our campus in UPLB so I could walk around and help hasten my digestion. I took some photos of my alma mater - the buildings i used to go in everyday, the park and fields where we used to run and play, and the scenes that used to be so familiar but are now somehow different when I take a closer look. I could not help but feel nostalgic and miss those days. During birthday celebrations, there used to be twelve of us maximum but now, the Delta 12 has been reduced to one fourth of its size. At work, at least five of our team mates are leaving by the end of the year, four of which will no longer be with us to celebrate Christmas this year.

Certainly it's sad news but I must say it is not unexpected. It's how life is - a terminal of people arriving, staying, leaving, returning only to leave again. Most of them stay for only a while, some a little while longer. Others will touch you on the surface, a few will have courage enough to touch you on a deeper level. It's all a matter of appreciating and making the time they are with us as meaningful as possible.

This is why family is very important. And you don't have to be related by blood to say you're family. They are the most likely to stay with you for a little while longer. I am lucky I have my family to keep me grounded. Thank you to Toni and her family in Calamba for always having a spare pair of rubber slippers for me whenever I need to getaway. Thank you to my big bro Alex, my Auntie Malou, Auntie Tess and my cousins, Ada, Arah and Martin for simply being there when everybody else is not. Trips like the one we had to Cebu, Bohol and most recently, Tagaytay will hopefully be more frequent as I have realized, these are the times when I am most happy, at peace, almost whole.

This week, I celebrated my 25 years on Earth. I was sad, happy, nostalgic, hopeful, disappointed, content. Mostly just thankful.

25

So I turned 25. I have lived a quarter of a century. And that calls for some big celebration - maybe go out and do something significant, something I have never done before like lose my virginity. But I've never been one for birthday celebrations (mine in particular) and I lost my virginity when i was nine.

My old friend Julianne greeted me that day and in her text message said, "Happy silver anniversary on this earth!" and it hit me - silver anniversary. As marriages go, this would be considered a milestone. Therefore I really should do something, preferably life-changing. I mean, I already have effing silver hair!

Life-changing: I met up with a girl, went biblical and I'll know in a few weeks if my life will change.

I'm just kidding of course. I wouldn't go that far. But I made sure I got laid and did so safely.

A quarter of a century - sounds like a quarter-life crisis looming on the horizon. Sorry to disappoint, but nothing like that as of the moment. Maybe when i turn thirty, I'd give it some serious thought as to how I want my life to turn out. I never thought I'd be saying this but I am relatively happy with where I am right now. Sure there's a long list of things I want to possess, skills and new knowledge I want to acquire, places I want to visit but turning 25 did not make me anxious nor did it create a feeling of great urgency to cross these out of that list. No, it's not a bucket list. It's too early for that, just some things to do, if you will.

It's funny but as I advance in years (some positive scripting for me), my goal is to take less responsibilities. I don't know if that's a good thing. My drive, that fire in me that fuels my desire to achieve something great has diminished. The dreams I had as a child no longer visit me.

Reading the words I wrote above now, I realize it's not a good thing. It's sad.

However, there is no cause for alarm. I'm going to recycle one of my favorite quotes (from the fantastic film The Shawshank Redemption):

"Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."

I have hope that one day, something or someone will re-ignite my fire (Dan Hartman's Relight My Fire plays in the background). Until that day comes, I will productively slack off.

Happy birthday! Really.