Highway to Happy: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Hate Management 101

I have been practicing a lot of hating lately. I hate my morning commute to Marikina; I hate the AC-less shuttle ride back to Makati more. I hate the smell of unused cigarette filling every inch of my client’s office; I hate the smell of unused menthol-flavored cigarette in that same place more. I hate the never-ending flow of additional work. I hate how a certain person handles business. I hate how I choose to react to things. I hate and hate some more. Even the boyfriend blurted out that he never thought he would see me this passionate about how I HATE things.

Realizing how unhealthy it is to nurture this evil feeling, I went to a place where I used to de-stress and release all the unwanted negative energy. TIMEZONE, where else?!?!?

3 levels of Hate Management

I tell you these are effective. No published research, yet, though. Someone work on it!

Level 1: Basketball Shoot-out

Sweat all the hate out! And WIN!!! (Pardon our oily faces and that guy who posed like the winner. duh.)

Level 2: Go go ball

For more of the gigil factor, try Go go ball! Hit those sliding bottles, sleeping students and floating ghosts!

Level 3: Target Shooting

When the first two fail, pick up that gun and shoot them. Make sure the gun is pink, though. AND FAKE.

Spending an entire afternoon all hyper and sweaty with my buddy sure eliminated some of the hate in my system. Brighter days ahead, please!

# posted by Liana : 8:45 AM 0 Comments

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sugarcoat Sunday no. 2

My virtual pile of work has been towering over my life lately. Nothing new about having both hands full in this kind of job, especially in this time of the year. But, the past week, I have to cut 6 hours off my day and drain them away through traffic, never-ending bus rides and lung-deteriorating pollution. In short, I was assigned to do fieldwork in Marikina. So yeah, imagine Cavite to Marikina and back, every single day. Then, imagine how I will manage to finish everything I need to get done. Stressful!

The worst part about having to endure public transportation for 3 hours (one-way) is having the time to think. I stare blankly out the window and just think. No need for me to state explicitly what I worry about. If you are a twenty-something soul, you know what I mean.

Tomorrow is Monday, meaning, I have to buckle up for mental torture, once again. Hopefully, these kind and honest words will silence the invisible monsters in my head.

Hopefully, they do the same for you, too.

An excerpt from ‘Why Being In Your 20s Is Awesome” by Ryan O’Connel:

We’re not stuck. Even if it feels like we are, it’s not true. We’re the opposite of stuck. As twentysomethings, we’re constantly moving — apartments, relationship, cities, jobs. Anything is possible. People are ready for you. They want to hear what you have to say. They look at you and are curious about what words are going to come out of your mouth. You’re the new generation. What do you have to say? Don’t bite your tongue. One day you’ll be pushed aside for a younger “fresher” perspective so you better get it out now. Make a mark. Make a stain. Make something.

I want to remember the fear, I want to remember the promise, I want to remember the nights I wanted to curl up in a ball, I want to remember the people I’m not supposed to remember, I want to remember not knowing myself, I want to remember the moment I started to feel safe and like this life I’m leading is really mine. I’m going to be scared, I’m going to bruise my knees and not know how they got there, I’m going to try to fruitlessly forge a connection with someone who won’t ever get it, I’m going to lose the person that means the most to me and find my way back to them. I’m going to be a twentysomething because that’s what I am and all I know how to be. And you should too. You should love every single moment of this hot mess of a decade. Chances are you’ll miss it before you even get to say “I’m 30.

Aahh, Mr. O’Connel couldn’t be more right.

Let’s not waste another precious day to useless agitation.

Cheers to being raw nerves, to speaking up, to embracing the uncertainties and not rushing to get answers.

Cheers to being young and happy! :)

# posted by Liana : 8:06 PM 0 Comments

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sugarcoat Sunday no. 1

I hate Sunday nights.

After sundown, when the weekend dusts settle, we are forced to face the harsh reality that it is going to be Monday soon. If you are like me, I don’t just dread waking up early. I dread going to work altogether. But that is another story that should be told another time (or that is a part of my story I intend to change in time).

Every Sunday night, I find myself searching for inspiration to get me through the upcoming week. It’s not exactly a relaxing search. More often, it feels like cramming for a test. But since I’ve been pretty much successful in my inspiration search, I thought of sharing it here.

For my very first Sugarcoat Sunday entry, let me share with you Sarah Kay’s spoken word poetry on TED:

Sarah Kay on TED

In case you are too busy to watch the entire 20-minute video, here are snippets of her amazing words I find the most inspiring:

She’s gonna learn that this life will hit you, hard, in the face, wait for you to get back up so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

Because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers, your hands will always be too small to catch all the pain you want to heal. Believe me, I’ve tried.

Because there is no heartbreak that chocolate can’t fix. Okay, there’s a few heartbreaks chocolate can’t fix. But that’s what the rain boots are for, because rain will wash away everything if you let it.

That there’ll be days like this, “There’ll be days like this my momma said” when you open your hands to catch and wind up with only blisters and bruises. When you step out of the phone booth and try to fly and the very people you wanna save are the ones standing on your cape.

And yes, on a scale from one to over-trusting I am pretty damn naive but I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar. It can crumble so easily but don’t be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.

“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.”

Always apologize when you’ve done something wrong but don’t you ever apologize for the way your eyes refuse to stop shining.

My self-confidence can be measured out in teaspoons mixed into my poetry, and it still always tastes funny in my mouth.

And this was how Sarah Kay ended her Hiroshima spoken word poem she presented on TED:

I don't know if I can change the world yet, because I don't know that much about it -- and I don't know that much about reincarnation either, but if you make me laugh hard enough, sometimes I forget what century I'm in.

This isn't my first time here. This isn't my last time here. These aren't the last words I'll share.

But just in case, I'm trying my hardest to get it right this time around.”

I watched the video more than a couple of times last night, trying to soak in those words that are too beautiful, until I finally felt tiny thunders in my heart sparking up excitement for the coming week. I hope you've felt that by now, too.

# posted by Liana : 6:41 PM 0 Comments

Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Note to EVERYONE

I found Cara Manglapus’ blog after a few clicks on twitter. Somebody’s re-tweet brought me to her page. Her first entry already got me glued so I diligently backtracked through her old posts, until I came across the one entitled, ‘Young Love: A Note to Self’.

Her every word pulled at my heartstrings. Her beautifully stringed phrases captured what I have been trying to explain in some roundabout way on how you know you are with the right person. Finding her words felt like unearthing a treasure. A treasure that deserves to be shared.

Boys and girls, here is what we all should try to remember, always:

--- If you are in a relationship, make sure it is one that empowers you, one that allows you to learn from each other, not one that holds you back. Make sure it is one that doesn’t get in the way of you being you in your youth.

Make sure it is one that teaches you about yourself.

Make sure that it is one that makes you laugh more than it makes you cry.

Make sure it is one that makes you feel like your capabilities are boundless.

Be with someone who supports you, someone who doesn’t impose unsolicited opinions, someone who allows you to take time for yourself.

Be with someone you can honestly converse with, someone that listens, someone that you want to listen to.
Be with someone who doesn't possess you, but who possesses qualities that you admire.

Be with someone who doesn’t play mind games, who doesn’t use guilt to manipulate you.

Be with someone who wants to know you, someone that wants you to know who you are.

Be with someone who makes you feel good about yourself, who everyday tells you that you are beautiful both inside and out.

Be with someone equally ambitious, someone also constantly working on self-improvement, someone who inspires you to challenge yourself instead of just being comfortable with what you have. It is more likely that this kind of person will understand that at this point in your life he may not always come first, but that that doesn’t necessarily make him any less important.

Be with someone who truly appreciates not just your presence but your role in his life, someone that trusts you and someone that you can trust.

Be that someone for someone.

The time will come for compromises and sacrifices, but there is no better time to discover who YOU are than in your youth.

The right person will admire your strength of character.

The right person will encourage you to be the best version of you that you can be, and the feeling of security within that relationship will be unbreakable. --- http://caramanglapus.blogspot.com/2012/01/humble-thoughts-on-young-love.html

I hope we all find that someone. I know I already did.

# posted by Liana : 6:59 AM 0 Comments

Mother-daughter Tradition Year 3

Destination: PUERTO PRINSESA! :)

Witnessing the magnificence of our country's pride: the Underground River

Making new friends, exploring a new place and having the best time of our lives @ Honday Bay

Just a glimpse of our recent mother-daughter adventure! :)

# posted by Liana : 6:01 AM 0 Comments

Saturday, March 3, 2012

A Forever 21 super sale...

...in MY book, at least.

Last Saturday, I finally had the chance to visit the coolest bookstore in town: MV Logos Hope!

When I read about the ship's visit to Manila through a newspaper article, I felt a bit sad. It reminded me of how I never got to visit MV Dulos. I didn't want to get my hopes up this time. With a very demanding job, the busy season at its peak and a week-long vacation I recently took, I was ready to accept that I may have to, AGAIN, pass up the opportunity of visiting a floating bookstore. But...thanks to my newly-acquired skill of saying NO when bosses ask me to work on weekends (sly grin), I was able to visit!

The quite long line, scorching summer heat, noisy teeny boppers and foul smell of Manila Bay didn't dampen my excitement. You see, being a self-confessed bookworm, this is my version of a Christmas bazaar. I was willing to endure all the hassle for the sake of the experience.

Boyfriend, books, cafeteria and the busy me!

Touring inside the ship didn't take long. There were a few interesting stops before reaching the actual fair. When I got to the bookshelves, I didn't know what to look for, at all. I was aware that titles from familiar authors may not be available, since the ship is being ran by a Christian organization. My expectation was well in check. The goal is to find something not normally available in any local bookstore that would also serve as my souvenir. What better book to be exactly that than this:

I'm sure there's an amazing story in there.

The highlight of the entire experience wasn't the bookshopping part. This floating bookstore failed to be a bookworm heaven in that measure. MV Logos Hope is beyond that. Witnessing a group of people from around the world dedicate their time and energy into a cause that is too noble, it was heart-warming. Most of the crew members were my age. I even got to interact with Asian volunteers. They were kind and approachable, and they look really happy in what they are doing.

Before I left the ship, I was seriously considering researching how to be a part of their volunteer group. I voiced out the idea to the boyfriend and he was supportive. He was probably thinking I couldn't be serious about it. Besides, he sure thought I couldn't survive months away from my family. (Boyfriend, we'll see. ;)) He thought it was a joke that he did this while I was busy checking out souvenir items.