My So-Called Life

Friendster just sent me an email telling me that my old blog of two (three?) years ago is back. What a pleasant surprise. I had five entries in that damned blog and then it just disappeared on me.

But now it’s back. I don’t know if I’m gonna keep it going, considering as I’ve not the time or the inclination to contemplate my navel in public, but who knows? Maybe its coming back to life is a sign I should give this blogging thing another chance?

Things to do:
1.    Seal P-trap and drainage under the kitchen sink - DONE.
2.    Install drawer lock for master bedroom cabinets - DONE.
3.      Install  two HUGE mirrors in the living room and foyer- DONE.
4.      Install bidet for both second floor bathrooms - DONE.

Ahhh, nothing is more satisfying than a job well done…

I’m turning 33 in two days, and truth be told, I don’t feel it. I always thought people in their thirties were already a little slow on the take, corny, baduy, ‘di na sabay sa uso, and well, old. But here I am,  three years into my thirties  and I certainly  don’t feel slow or behind the trends. Fact is, I can still appreciate music from Kanye West, 50 Cent, Incubus, and even Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. Heck, I even have my own blog on Friendster! That certainly isn’t what I would call old…

On the contrary, I’m beginning to realize the benefits of being in my 30s. I have a beautiful house, a nice car, and loads of cash! I mean, chicks dig that, man! I literally have to fend off women dying to have dinner with me! Seriously though, I am now more mature,  emotionally stable, and financially satisfied. I am now what I envied and hoped to be ten years ago. Now, that isn’t so bad, is it? Not bad at all…

That said, I guess what’s important is not how many years you’ve lived, but how you lived those years. Looking back, I’d say that so far, I’ve lived a very full life. Two years ago, I made a list of 100 Hundred Things I’d like to Do Before I Die. I went over that list again recently and found that I’ve already checked off a fair few. Not bad for someone who started life as a poor, barefoot  kid from the mountains of Marinduque…

Well, not exactly a jet plane–di-elisi, pero pwede na rin…

Pumunta ako sa mina nung biyernes ng umaga para kausapin ang mga opisyales ng unyon. Ang yabang ko pa dahil tatlo lang kaming sakay ng eroplano at feeling big time executive ang lolo mo!  Ang ganda ng biyahe, tahimik ang kalawakan at sadyang magaling ang piloto namin. Nakatulog nga ako all the way.

Ganun din ang biyahe namin pabalik. Mas maganda pa nga ang panahon dahil tirik na ang araw at kitang-kita mo ang mga bundok, ilog, at mga palayan sa ibaba. Walang mag-iisip na ga-hibla lang ang layo namin sa disgrasya.      

Answerte ko talaga, buhay pa ako. Paglapag namin sa Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino, natanggal ang gulong ng eroplanong sinasakyan ko pauwi galing Mangkayan. Buti na lang at talagang nakalapag na kami at minamaneho na lamang ng piloto ang eroplano papunta sa aming private hangar. Habang papaliko kami sa isang lugar sa runway, walang kaabog-abog na tumingkayad ang  eroplano na parang nahulog sa isang malalim na pothole! Nang silipin namin ang sira, laking gulat naming lahat dahil WALA  NA ANG KANANG GULONG NG EROPLANO! Nawasak ang rim at ang goma ay naiwan nang nakabulagta sa runway!

Kagabi lang nagsink-in sa akin ang mga nangyari nung biyernes. Kung sa  Mangkayan pa lang nasira na ang gulong, tiyak na sumirko ang landing ng eroplano at wala na ako rito para isulat ang post na ‘to.

Napahawak tuloy ako sa mag-ina kong parehong humihilik…

Tapos nang araw sa opisina at pauwi na lahat ng tao.  Tulad kahapon wala rin akong ginawa buong araw sa lamesa ko kundi mag-surf sa internet.  Nakita ko na yata lahat ng naka-auction na relo sa eBay!

Ewan ko ba kung bakit  nahiligan ko ang pangungulekta ng lumang relo. Para akong  adik na nanginginig pag nakakakita ako ng  lumang Omega  Constellation  o di kaya eh  Oris pointer date automatic na ibinibenta sa eBay. Siguro dahil ayaw akong bilhan ng nanay ko ng relo nung bata pa ako.

Naaalala ko pang yung una kong relo. Mickey Mouse na  Alba. Yung  kamay ni Mickey Mouse ang umiikot para magsabi ng oras. Sobrang yabang ko sa eskwelahan nung nakuha ko yung relong yun. Ni ayaw kong ipatingin sa mga kaklase kong hiling-hili. Napaaway pa nga ako nung may humirit na "Hus, ampangit naman yan eh!" Sinapak ko nga.

May naka-auction na relo sa eBay ngayon; Heuer na Super Professional. Sinalaki ng wallclock at talagang pambihira!Bi-bidan ko   siguro pag magka-pera ako next week…

As a young junior associate, I once had the fortune of being stuck in a hot, humid courtroom somewhere in Manila with an old, seedy-looking solo practitioner who looked badly in need of a new barong. Our cases were scheduled for hearing that day and the judge was already an hour late. 

The other lawyers had already left and we were the only ones compelled enough to wait. He was handling some pro bono case for the IBP, while I was there to represent one of our firm’s biggest clients.

In the course of waiting, I was being my usual self, staring blankly at the wall and daydreaming of what I would do if I won the hundred million peso jackpot in the lotto. My reverie was broken by my compañero, who began cryptically by saying "You should focus on the here and now. The HERE and the NOW, the HERE and the NOW…," repeating the phrase like some buddhist mantra.

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Rudely awakened, I thought, "what the f–k?!" I was just getting to the good part about buying my own yacht! I was going to pretend I didn’t hear him but looking at the guy, I could see he was really intent on making conversation. Darn.

When he had my attention, he went on about how we could live a much fuller life, and how the world would be a better place if only we consciously lived and focused in the HERE and the NOW. "Relish every  breath," he said. "Feel your feet on the ground, and take in everything going on around you.  You will see beauty in the world and your purpose for being."

Come to think of it, the poor guy’s right. How many times have I caught myself worrying about the future, or regretting my past? This guy may not be rich but he’s leading a richer life simply by living in the here and now–not thinking two, three steps ahead, but just experiencing and enjoying the moment.

I should be so lucky…