multi-masking

I was reading Andi Eigenmann’s blog post revealing her sentiments towards her dream wedding and her postponed career when I saw this on the comment section:

I couldn’t agree more.

It’s September! The first Monday is US Labor Day too, so there is at least one reason to be happy this month. Even so, I feel a little lost, and there’s this small indefinable ache inside me. A lot of things seem to be weighing me down these days and it looks like this month, there’s a huge possibility that I might just snap.

Twenty-eight more friggin’ days to go before EOM. Even so, the idea of tomorrow brings me a day closer to October, which precedes November, which in turn comes before December, the most wonderful time of the year.

I’ll just have to wing it. Even if it means I need to do it zombie-style.

Wake me up when September ends.

My Dearest Ella,

Earlier tonight, I was watching you smoke with Ric and it finally hit me: you’re leaving Branders!!! On the night of September 1st, I won’t hear your footsteps and your music between 8-9PM, and I won’t be able to see you in the mornings when I come in for work.

It feels weird, this feeling of having to say good-bye to you a second time after what, four years? And you know how much I suck at good-byes, and how I tend to lose communication after doing so.

Anyways, I don’t regret referring you to work at Branders at all. I can see how much you’ve learned over your tenure here, and how you have made valuable friendships within your Finance family, and that gives me a sense of fulfillment that somehow, I have been your indirect shepherdess of sorts. I’m only sorry that it wasn’t until recently that I had the luxury of being able to bond closely with you again and form our sisterhood with Shari.

I know you’re both excited and scared with life after Branders, but I know wherever you go, you’ll thrive because you adapt easily and even though you say you are weak, you are resilient enough to shield yourself from pain.

I know I’ve hurt you with my harsh words a few times — I hope you have forgiven me for being mean then, for not being able to trust you with your judgment when in reality, between the two of us, you’re actually the one who’s more mature. But again, you know I only said those things because I love you, right? :*

Thank you for giving me the chance to be your friend. From PeopleSupport to Branders (and all the shit in between), I have always felt your presence and you did what you could to stay in touch. You had a stoic exterior, you weren’t as expressive as I was, but you put up with me and my shallow ideosyncracies, and because of that, I know you love me as much as I love you.

Let’s show the world that not all good-byes are forever. If you need a drinking buddy, shopping buddy, eating buddy, movie buddy, et cetera, et cetera, I’m just here okay? And you still owe me a sleepover at our house.

Good luck, babe! I’ll keep my promise: I will drink lots of water, drink lots of water, drink lots of water, and I love you! :*

I am unfazed. I am level-headed. I am a grown-up. I am mature.

Hahaha, you guessed it right. Dream come true.

I’d love to let you in on a favorite little anecdote. December last year, I was out with my girlfriends in search for outfits for our office Christmas party. I can’t really remember how we all agreed on our meeting time and place at Trinoma, but somehow, one got stuck in traffic somewhere and couldn’t make it on time. We were all cool with it and told her not to stress over it.

The next thing we knew, she was texting us that she took the MRT, boarding at the CUBAO station, of all the stations. There were other amusing stuff that I’d rather not mention, because I don’t want to paint a bad picture of our dear friend in the readers’ minds. Bottom line is, she wasn’t really used to commuting AT ALL, let alone ride a train, and from a crowded station at that.

It took her another good 20-30 minutes to get to us, and when she finally got hold of us, she had tears in her eyes and she looked harassed and even a little muddied up (this is no exaggeration, seriously). She was still obviously rattled, and she cried out: “The things I do for you guys…”

To any outsider who would hear this story, she would be just some rich little bratinella who needs to know more about life, but I instantly loved her more after that. To some other person it might be some frivolous thing that should be just tossed away but understanding where she was coming from, it was a very grand gesture on her part. (Luv you, M!)

So why did I think of sharing that here? Everytime I remember that story, I think to myself, there’s always that one person (or two, or three ) that makes you hate yourself somewhat because you know you look stupid having them as the center of your universe, or something to that effect, and yet you can’t stop, because you love doing stuff for them. It could be a family member, a very close friend, a corny puppy love — whoever it may be, you’ll find how much you get a kick out of making these little favors — sacrifices, even — just for them.

It’s not always necessarily the right thing to do, sometimes it reaches the point of being a guilty pleasure already, but yeah… there will always be that one person (or two, or three) that gives you a natural high just by knowing that in your own little way, you’ve definitely done something for them.

Around 5AM today, I drowsily boarded a jeepney on the way home from work. I was dozing off when I thought I heard something familiar.

Initially I thought it was my phone ringing, and I was thinking if it was safe enough to answer the call. Seconds passed and my eyes widened. I heard words being sang.

I acutely became aware that the driver had his radio on full-blast. And that the song playing, the song that jolted me from my sleep, was PiNK.

And believe it or not, months after it was released, that was my first time to hear it playing over the radio.