January 18 - 24, 2010: Strange Cravings

I lost about ten pounds in the last couple of months not from any physical regimen or strict diet. I simply lost the appetite. Ironically, it was a season of celebration and food was everywhere. I just didn't bite into it. Thank goodness...... This may be part of the reason why I never really put on the weight. I can easily gain weight but lose it just as easily. In the past few years, however, I noticed that I don't lose the pounds as quickly as I did in the past. Age indeed slows down metabolism.

I am not dieting, never had..... maybe choose certain food over others. When I don't have the appetite, I crave for simple food... really simple devoid of any fanciness. My favorite comfort food is boiled egg that is cooked just right..... not too hard nor liquidy soft with yolk bordering on yellow orange, not yellow. It's actually boiled egg that just set in..... it jiggles once the shell is removed. It's not an easy task to boil this egg. It posed quite a problem for my helper everytime I request for this fare whenever I don't like the food prepared at dinner. One time, she consulted MIL who came up with a formula. As I was happily eating my egg, MIL revealed to me the secret formula..... She counted up to 150 right after the water with the eggs in it started to boil demonstrating even the pace of the count. I almost choked on the egg.

This week I reached a point of satiation on the eggs and I would just not like to have it anymore, not see it or even hear it. I still have not regained my usual appetite which is a good thing. My cravings nowadays are convenience stores fares .... food served or rather, available for picking up at the shelf (because it's unlikely that the shopkeeper will fuzz over you) at Mini Stop and 7-11 in particular. These food are actually microwaveable TV dinners and they are now available to us. These convenience stores used to be just like sari-sari stores of old selling basic commodities that we need on those times. But they have evolved into an all-around shop that caters to our every need because times call for it. The emergence of call centers must have contributed to the resurrection of convenience stores.... just look at how many are being established at each corner of commercial districts. These establishments have also been refurbished and enlarged to accommodate customers who want to dine in or hang out.

At Mini stop, my favorite is their hot chicks which I always order with rice. I got introduced to this to this fare by my students who share the same liking for this food. I used to fight off hunger to have dinner at home. But it's a losing battle whenever my cravings are acting up. Lately it always has.... The aroma of the crispy chicken nuggets dipped in hot spicy gravy is just too much to bear for this moonlighting craver. This week I had it both times I was in school..... bad!

I also would discover by accident another would-be-craving. Sometime in the week, I left the office hungry and would like to take a bite. I was looking at my options..... the siomai, HK-style noodles, or shawarma which I get at the street kiosks where I take the bus going home. They used to make my mouth water and from time to time form part of food of my queer desire. But not this time..... I am tired of these fares and I want something else. I remembered the newly-opened 7-11 near my office. I decided I would go there. I was thinking of hotdog or franks. Indeed, I went to 7-11 and was surprised to see a number of hungry commuters like me taking refuge in the pleasant looking outlet. I decided to eat there. I ordered hotdog sandwich and french vanilla capuccino which I saw on a signage on the counter. Unlike in Mini stop, it was totally self-service here. I was fumbling as I was putting the hotdog inside the bun. I made it though. I nearly burnt my hand filling up the disposable cup with steaming capuccino. I sat and enjoyed my hotdog and capuccino. The capuccino was good that it would fuel yet another craving for me. I had it my mind until the next day.

I decided to do something about it. I called my friend and invited her to lunch at 7-11. I told her I'll treat her for a cup of capuccino. That must have been a good bait because she agreed. I actually didn't care much about the food. I ordered paksiw na lechon with rice and my friend had tapsilog.... These are microwaveable ready rice meals. We enjoyed our tete-a-tete over our capuccinos.

I finished the speech with nary a word from the boss or the people ...... Silence was the response to my work. Either it was a perfect job or it was junked....woohoo! Worse that could happen is my work could be given a fancy repackaging and claimed as someone else's work. It is not actually a remote possibility. Stranger things have happened in this office.

Over my cravings and thoughts on plagiarism, the weekend came. I happily alternated between resting and doing errands. I am looking forward to the next weekend.

--> Continue reading...

January 11 - 17, 2010: The New Becomes Old

The new year feels old on its second week. The honeymoon period is over. There is no turning back nor stopping it. Yet, somehow you still feel attach to the old..... Like when you write the year on dates of transactions with banks or dates on reports, I am predispose to writing the old year. Well. I have written that year for the last 365 days. Writing a new year takes getting used to.......

I was assigned a speech to write for the Secretary this week for an upcoming Department-wide activity.... just as my lazybone was just about cracking out of hibernation but not really out of it yet. It was not exactly unexpected as I have been given the unenviable task before. In one such assignment, the Secretary raved about how much he liked a speech I wrote. That makes me a natural choice for this assignment.

I have been slacking off writing lately. My blogging suffers. The initiative is just not there..... I thought that pooling my daily journal into a weekly thing would free up time for me to write on things I really care about because there would be less pressure. It backfired..... I used to be able to manage writing a daily post and at my worst be two days late tops. Now, my posts are three week late. Blame it on my lethargy fueled by the cool weather of the Christmas season .......or more correctly my laziness.

It might take a jolt to to rekindle my fire. I think I work best with pressure. Be it school or office work or a hobby or errand, I accomplish a whole lot more under pressure. This would explain why I have to pile up or bunch together activities. I am sure I would do something about it but right now, I just like to get back on track.

On a personal note, this week saw some old wounds reopened due to an altercation between family members that turned ugly. I have not spoken to one of the protagonists for a long time and it just validated whatever animosity I have for this person with this latest caper. What's worst is that this person has the nasty habit of letting anyone who care to listen into the whole mess dragging innocent people in the process. The other protagonist would confide to me how he pities the other inspite of the strained relationship. Sadly, this other person can easily put on a sheep's clothing in front of other people. This person also gravitates towards people who welcome intrigues and controversy and take pleasure in other people's pains and misfortunes. Well, predators of the same mold hunt for the same prey.....

It seems like the new year would soon be just another year. We would keep on getting the same hits, the same misses, the same crap ....... Even if the new year takes time getting use to, it loses its novelty in time and we will all fit into a pattern of ease.... and just like old habits, it becomes familiar......

--> Continue reading...

January 4 - 10, 2010: Fresh Start

After my luxurious treatment at the spa, I am ready to face a new day on a new year.....

I am hoping that feeling good at the start of the week would somehow rub on people and things you encounter. It's a brand new year, a brand new week, a brand new day..... I was feeling good going to the office.

Last year's change in schedule proved hard to hurdle. I face the same challenge every morning. On some days, I would succeed...other times not so. I notice that I am coming to the office much earlier than my previous record. I see this as a small step that leads to the right direction. I just have to try much harder each day.....

Part of the reason I arrive in the office earlier is the change in the mode of transportation I have been doing since the last months of last year. I cannot battle with the monstrous traffic in SLEX. I studied my options and tried and tested all sorts of combinations of vehicles when I commute to the office. The uncomfortable jeepney ride to Alabang and the ride in the spacious bus (provided you sit in the middle of a three-seater or beside the window) would be the fastest route to my office. I have been making use of this route more often than not. I noticed that a number of my co-riders in the shuttle service in the village have been doing the same. Could it be because of the shorter travel time or just hard times? The fare is much lower with the public transport system.

I have been thinking a lot about my passion lately. I have been enjoying mingling with my pets. The long vacation gave me the time to reflect on the kind of life I would like to have in the immediate future. My mindset has somehow changed about the kind of things I would do when I finally decide to retire for good. I retired prematurely early on in my career thinking that I want to live a quiet life at that time. It proved to be an undoing and I had to reenter the corporate jungle another time. This time, however, I am yearning for a peaceful existence. It feels like I have been inching closer and closer to my dream....

The year is still young. I would like to face sunrise as each day unfolds and see through the day every time the sun sets......

--> Continue reading...

December 28, 2009 - January 3, 2010: A Toast to a Brand New Year

It sucks that I had to go to the office on Monday disrupting what is supposed to be part of the Christmas season. I don't mind not having to benefit from holiday economics any other time but this time P/GMA should really be declaring the entire Christmas season as one long holiday for the benefit of the lazy bones. Of course, it's not gonna happen. Holidays are very bad for the economy.... But isn't tourism part of the economy too.... so with consumption......

Being the responsible adult that I am supposed to be, I reported to work not only on Monday but also on Tuesday. My mind was on anything but work though. Thank goodness, school is off. I consoled myself with the thought of a long holiday beginning on Wednesday.

Miraculously, I started feeling good as soon as the long holiday started..... which is actually good as I want to exorcise the bad vibes and karma of the past year and start with a clean slate.

On new year's eve, we went to hear mass. Then, we feasted on our Media Noche. As midnight drew near, we went out to join the neighbors in welcoming the new year. Firecrackers turned the neighborhood into a virtual warzone even if the fireworks appear to be getting smaller each year. As midnight stroke, we would be toasting to a brand new year with our neighbors. Kids and even oldies would be jumping up and down in the hope of getting taller or perhaps to symbolize aspiring to get closer to one's goals. As the firecrackers died down, we would get back into the house with empty wine bottles and wine glasses.

Before finally hitting the sack, I started sending my greetings to friends and foe on my phonebook. It might be worth mentioning that I seem to have mended fences with a bitter enemy..... I hope I did. She actually initiated the gesture by sending me a an unexpected gift before Christmas. I was actually taken by surprise with her gift but felt good about her gesture. I had to thank her which she acknowledged. She was among those I sent greetings to on this new year's eve and she greeted me back. Could this be the start of a new year for us?

I had to finish off the weekend with a feel good day at the spa before I go to work the following day. The spa has a promotional offer on its services and i just have to avail it. Carting MIL and MD, we trooped to the spa for a pleasurable time. MIL was given with a gift certificate at the spa by the kids. I gave her another treatment as my gift. MD also availed of a number of services. Of course, I had the most treatments and services. Well, I deserve it. It took us all of seven hours to complete all treatments and services but it felt very good afterwards. I swear I could skip dinner to avail of more services but MIL and MD were probably raring to go home.

With an eventful week, I am ready to face a new day on a new year...........

--> Continue reading...