Friday, December 26, 2008

the one that got away…

I accidentally found this article from a friend's friend's friend's link in her friendster account. :) But I really like the article. It's something I can relate to, especially recently when I have been thinking about the one that got away... so here's the blog post (http://thedreamlife.blog.friendster.com/2008/11/the-one-that-got-away/):

i got this through email and i thought it was so true…read on….

In your life, you’ll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There’s the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you’re with …and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away?

I guess it’s that person with who everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person, there was no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn’t fall the right way, I suppose. I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a long time partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing.

It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance. How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you’re not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn’t matter who you’re with, it just doesn’t work. Small problems become big; inconsequential become deal breakers simply because you’re not ready and it shows. It’s not that you and the person you’re with are no good; it’s just that it’s not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you’re ready. You really are. And when this happens you’ll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be perfect, they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it’ll work because you’re ready. It’ll work because it’s the right time and you’ll make it work. And it’ll make sense, it really will. The day comes when you’re finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want and you’ve become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there’s no telling when this day will come.

Hopefully you’re single… but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids, it doesn’t matter. All you know is that you’ve changed, and for some reason, the one that got away, is the first person you think about. You’ll think about them because you’ll wonder, “What if they were here today?” You’ll wonder, “What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?”

That’s what the one that got away is. The biggest “What if?” you’ll have in your life.

If you’re married, you’ll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you’re mature enough to realize that if you’re already with the one you’re with, that this is just another test of your commitment, one which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you’ll think about him/her every so often, but it’s alright. It’s never nice to live with a “might have been,” but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who’s already married. In which case it’s the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you’re old and gray and reminiscing.

But if neither of that is the case, then it’s different. What do you do if it’s not yet too late? Simple… find him, find her. Because the very existence of a “one that got away” means that you’ll always wonder, what if you got that one? Ask him out to coffee; ask her out to a movie, it doesn’t matter if you’ve dropped in from out of nowhere. You’d be surprised, you just might be “the one that got away” as well for the person who is your “the one that got away.” You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won’t make a difference.

If the timing is finally right, it’ll all just fall into place somehow. And it would be a great feeling, if in the end, you’d be able to say to someone, “Hey you, you’re the one that almost got away.”

***My note: Unfortunately for me, the one that got away is getting married soon. It is sad that it's hard to find someone like him. But I'm happy now that he is happy. Memories of him (no matter how vague our situation then was) will certainly bring a little smile on my face. To him that got away, I wish you the best on this new endeavor. Married life is not at all smooth sailing. You know that. I know when you decide on something, marriage in this case, you'll stand up for it. You are a righteous man, responsible and God-fearing. You'll be a great father and husband. Believe in that coz I believe too.***

Saturday, December 20, 2008

One Year

I'd like reflect the one year I have been with my present job, a year away from my family, a year of living on my own, a year of living in a big city. I came to Manila a year ago, November 3, 2007 with excitement, anxiety and fully of energy - with a better paying job, independent living, big city life. Now I look back what the year has brought me, or what I have brought to the year as well. Indeed, the year was a good one. The company sent me to London for a five week training. What more can I ask for! All my life I had been praying to be able to see the other side of the world - the Western side. The 5 week stay in London enriched me. It opened my eyes to another culture. It made me appreciate their culture as well as it made me appreciate more my own culture, heritage, and of who I am and where I came from. It made me feel blessed and grateful for what I have - my family, my friends, my faith, my God.

My family - The sad side, Mama's feet got worse. She could no longer stand up and walk very well. It had something to do with the nerves. Arthritis, she said. I know that depressed her in ways. I continue to pray that she can walk well again. I still hold that dream that one day I can bring her and my father to travels abroad. Apart from that, little quarrels and fits of anger flared up in the family on certain times. But they all got resolved. And that's part of the happy side. Add to that, Mama and Papa had the chance to visit me in Manila when I got back from London. They took time to see relatives and got to taste a bit of the busy and chaotic Manila life. My sisters too were able to visit me. I took them to Enchanted Kingdom. It was a short 3-day visit but a worthy one.

Friends - Indeed,I have made good friends, and even best friends, the kind that'll stick with you no matter what, and support your decisions. They make you laugh and make you cry, and most importantly teach you lessons you can never learn on your own. One of the very special friends I have was my roomie. We had lots of little fights yet we always made up. She made me realized a lot of things. And though we're no longer roomies now, it was having her as a roomie and a friend that I consider one of the best things that happened this year.

My God, my faith - I am sorry to say that my relationship with the Lord waned a bit this year. I missed Sunday masses. I spent little time with Him. I know it was all my fault (who else is to blame). But the good thing is, I never gave up on Him and He never gave up on me. With all the temptations around me, He just wouldn't let me get near them. I am thankful. I am blessed.

The past year was full of colors. It wasn't all bad. It wasn't all good. It had balance. But all in all, it was a precious year, one that shall make a mark in my life story. So many bunch of lessons learned, so many relationships enriched. I can end this year with a smile. And look forward to next year with much hope, anticipation and faith.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

GOD’S PERFECT TIME

“There is an appointed time for everything.”– Ecclesiastes 3:1

He wanted to buy a car. But he could only afford a second-hand. On his first attempt to search for a used vehicle, he received news from a friend. “Have you heard that the car of one of the residents living a few blocks from your home was stolen?”
“Is the Lord telling me something?” he wondered. So he postponed his search. After sometime, he looked again for a car. Just then, he heard that another vehicle was stolen near his area.
After a few months, he resumed his search. And for the third time, another vehicle was stolen … and it was his neighbor’s.
He gave up the idea of buying a car. Instead, he decided to wait for the Lord’s signal.
One day, he dropped by the office of a colleague. He was handed an envelope. It was his Christmas and birthday gift rolled into one. When he opened it, it was a check, the amount of which is good enough for a down payment for a brand new car.
It pays well to wait on the Lord. God’s timing is always perfect. We just need to be patient and trust His heart. byJudith Concepcion
from Didache 9/26/08

REFLECTION:
God is neither too late nor too early. He makes all things beautiful in His time.

I choose to wait on You Lord no matter how long it takes for I know You have prepared only the best for me.

*****
These are the words I exactly need these days. It's amusing that for this week, I chance upon this on my yahoomail twice. Seems like the Lord is telling me over and over again to wait for the perfect time. I've been praying for a lot of things to happen in my life. And the Lord's answer is - Wait, my precious child. In my time, everything shall be done.
*****

Monday, September 22, 2008

I'm not that girl


A fave song...
From the musical WICKED...
Watched the play in London at the Apollo Victoria Theater...
I am in love with this musical...
I really am!...






Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl.

Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl

Ev'ry so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in

Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And heaven knows
I'm not that girl...

Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl...

movie marathon

I'm back in Cebu for a one week vacation.:) I'm happy to be with my family again, making chikas and seeing them everyday. I miss them so much! :)
While here though, I plan to watch lots of movies. Luckily, my brother has a lot of downloaded movies on his PC! And I don't think I could ever finish all of them!
So far, I've watched two - Atonement and Vantage Point. Though with Atonement, I wasn't able to concentrate very well and I kept forwarding it. The audio was bad.:( Anyway, I plan to read the book. I think the drama will be much more stronger in the novel than in the movie. Vantage Point has so much adrenaline rush in it. I like the way it was done. Now I know why the title is Vantage Point. :) Movies on my list:
1- Music and Lyrics
2- Love in the Time of Cholera
3- Sex in the City
4- Indefinitely Maybe
5- No Country for Old Men
6- There Will Be Blood
7- Harry Potter (all series)

Good luck to me! Wish I can watch them all and more!

Happy vacation to me!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

May 10-June 14 2008

These are the inclusive dates of the London trip. I spent some 5 weeks there. And I tototally enjoyed it. And I wanna go back. Because there were just so many things to see and so much to do but so little time. If given the chance to back to UK, I'll do the following things:
1 - go to Scotland and visit my friend Eva and her family
2 - visit my cousin's family in Sheffield
3 - go to Oxford
4 - take a pic at the 9 3/4 platform
5 - get inside the Tower of London and see the crown jewels
6 - shopping in Ashford
7 - watch Les Miserables and other plays/shows in West End

While I was there in London, these were the only tourist places I've been to or activities I did:

1 - Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards, St.James' Park
2 - River Thames cruise
3 - London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge
4 - Madamme Tussauds
5 - Portobello
6 - shopping and window shopping in Oxford street, Kensington High Street
7 - Kensington Palace and Gardens, Harrods for Princess Di's monument
8 - Greenwhich
9 - Hampton Court Palace (my favorite!!!!)
10 - Sheffield
11 - Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, City of Bath
12 - drinking beer (w/o ice)
13 - wearing no jacket at 14 degrees Celsius (it was sooo cold)
14 - watched Wicked (I so love this musical!!!)

I think I've mentioned them mostly... I think I haven't missed the important ones and my favorites...

Friday, May 09, 2008

London Here I Come

I'm writing this blog entry at the Dubai International Airport awaiting for our connecting flight to London. :) I'm happy for 3 reasons. One - there's wireless internet connection and I can log in to the restricted sites in the office i.e. yahoomail, blogger, gmail. Thus I can write about this UK trip. Two - it's my first trip outside of Southeast Asia, my first trip to UK, my first trip to Europe. And I am not paying for the airfare and accomodation! This is because I'm on a business trip. I'm with two other officemates. We'll be in London for a series of trainings and meetings. (And on the side, sightseeing and shopping). Three - the flight was easy, not much pain on the ears, good food, nice attendants, watched Juno and for some reason I forgot the other movie. (We're on business class!) In less than an hour, we'll be flying to London. Here I come. ;)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

24/27

Today is March 24, 2008. It's my birthday!!!! And I'm now 27 y.o. I can't believe it I'm nearing 30. wahahaha... It's kinda weird to say that I'm 27. I feel old. It also feels odd especially when I'm still single, unattached and my friends and contemporaries are already starting their own families, getting married, having kids. Well anyway that's life and that's just how it is.

Today my little sisters (actually not little anymore) surprised me at around 3am when I was so sound asleep, they sang 'happy birthday' carrying a little doughnut with a candle. How sweet. I'm touched. I love surprises. :)

I got a few text messages today from friends and officemates. I don't know yet what else is coming. :) But usually they are just text messages and email greetings.

Happy birthday to me!

Friday, March 21, 2008

i'm in town

i'm here in cebu for a short vacation(?), that means a little over 3 days. well, i miss my family and friends here. yah, i do. and they miss me too! i'm spending my bday here. i don't know how it will be. but surely it won't be anything fancy. i'd like it to be simple, less gastos. i'm on a tight budget as the US economy is in a recession. huh? is there some connection? well, i've heard and read news of the economic conditions of the US and they're not good and wala lang, i felt that could be a good reason.. ;-). I wonder if my friends working there feel the hard times...hmmm...

anyway, while i'm here in cebu, i don't want to burden myself thinking about work, problems (mine or the world's). 3-days in cebu is a respite from my busy life in manila. besides it's holy week, time to reflect on this life and my JC's life.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

My Family's New Year's Message for me

Dear Mae,

We hope you will be sucessful in all your endeavors in life in this new year 2008. We love you so much and please take care. GOD BLESS YOU AND MAMA MARY LOVES YOU.

From Papa, Mama, John, Christine and Charm


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It can get lonely here in the Big City but when I realize that my family is praying for me, I get the feeling that I am okay and everything will be okay. :)

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