Life's A Wonderful Chorus

Life's a blur.
And I don't why it should be.
It upsets me that it is.

Life's a blur.
And I don't know if I'm causing mine to be so.
It upsets me more thinking that I can't un-blur it.

Life's a blur.
It's hazy. It's dark.
And I can't wait for the light to come.

I received an unusual gift today. Very unusual.
It's a Pilates instructional cd.

Told you it was unusual!

I appreciate the gesture but I'm yet to appreciate the gift.
Kelangan ko ba mag-Pilates?!
Heck, the only thing that reminds of Pilates is Plinky Recto and her annulment drama!

Ano gagawin ko sa cd na to?!

Hmmmmmm...

Ma-recycle bilang regalo din sa Christmas.
Sino me gusto?

1. That the world is filing up with crap/garbage/shit. Fast. And however we try to change its form, a crap is still a crap.
2. That another’s man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
3. That only roaches would survive the Apocalypse. When everything and everyone else is gone, expect a cockroach to be there. Flying. Scurrying around. Boy, they are a resilient race. A scary one even. Ugh!
4. That the sweetest thing in the world is to just hold hands with the one you love.
5. That love is universal. It knows no bounds. Not even space. Literally.
6. That “Wall-E” is going to beat “Kung-Fu Panda” in the Oscar race.
7. That it’s great to watch than rather wading in the flood on a very rainy night.
8. That I'm sure it’s a better watch than Dolphy’s “Dobol Trobol”.
9. That you don't ever want to lose a loved one. You run after him/her. Even if you don't know where it will lead you.
10. That no man (or machine) is an island. You're bound to share your life with someone (or something). And knowing that, should make you hopeful.

Seriously now.
Whoever thought of this brand name should be ashamed. Be very ashamed.
I mean, who'd ever want to drink something named after a disgusting body fluid? I know I won't!
Pocari Sweat now, Pocari-What tomorrow?

When I was a kid I had my share of getting called in to sing during family gatherings. Birthdays, Baptisms, Anniversaries, Weddings, even Funerals—name it, I sung in it!

“One moment in time”, “The Greatest Love of All”, “Looking Through The Eyes of Love”, “Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?”, “Be My Lady” and even “Eh Kasi Bata” were only a few of the songs I was asked to sing. Yes, even “Eh Kasi Bata”. I know. I almost died of shame that time.

And my parents, particularly my mother, would cry tears of joy and pride. They had no idea what they put me through.

Nonetheless I had fun singing in front of our relatives and friends when I was a kid. Well most of the time. You see I had the voice that could rival Regine Velasquez that time. Don’t all kids do? Back then I could’ve given her a run for her money. Until I grew up. Now I sound more like Regine’s father.

Kidding aside, there’s this one song that I always had fun singing. Back then I was still naive that I couldn’t care less about the song’s lyrics. Now that I’m in this quarter-life crisis, I’m appreciating more what the song talks about. Had I been this melodramatic back then, I’d have sung it with much gusto I’d have been discovered and would’ve been a singing superstar now. Or not. Wishful thinking.

Here’s the song. Hooray for YouTube!

What’s there to give to have these simple joys again?
Simple joys. I’ve so many of them.

Sleeping on a cozy bed every night.
Waking up to one every morning.
The smell of fresh coffee.
Having the day’s paper all to myself.
The company of family and friends.
Catching reruns of Friends on cable.
Catching the latest movie. Even alone.
A text message from a loved one.
Mall sale.
A call from a loved one.
An invitation to an event, or just to hang out.
A chat with a long-lost friend.
Mall Sale.
Taho.
Trips to Baguio.
Drive-thru’s.
Road trips.
New shoes. And clothes. Bought from hard-earned money.
DVD marathons.
LuckyMe Pancit Canton.
Siomai.
Mr. Chips.
Muffins from Kenny Rogers.
Paydays.
A new jacket.
Trips going home.
Christmas. New Year.
Having the house all to myself.
Traffic-less EDSA.
Mall Sale.
A new haircut.
The sight of a crush.
Sex. **grins**
Curly Tops.
Yosi breaks.
San Mig Light.
A pat on the back.
A hug.
A kiss.

Just pure unadulterated simple joy.
What are yours?

Wait, did I say Mall Sale?

It pays to read the day’s paper. More aptly, it pays to read more than just the paper’s Entertainment or Lifestyle sections. This I proved after I read an article by Francis Kong on The Philippine STAR’s July 28 issue, titled “At The End Of The Day”.

Kong asks, “In this demanding and challenging word, how hard are some of us running to keep pace with our lives, are we running to achieve personal best or are we paying a huge price for our so-called success?”

God knows I too, have asked myself this question a lot of times lately. I’ve worked more than 3 jobs since college. I start out okay in a job but I somehow grow tired of it along the way. And as much as I want to play the I’m-still-young-anyway-I-can-find-another-job and I’m-resigning-because-I-want-a-more-meaningful-job cards, I’m not proud of not having been able to keep a job however it wants to keep me. This eternal search for a “greener pasture” is becoming so exhausting that I wonder if I’ll be able to keep up with it. I’m not even sure as to why I search for it in the first place. What’s a greener pasture for? More money? Adulation?

Kong’s article echoes these sentiments seamlessly when he says, “Many of us are running on the treadmill of life at an incredible place and we’ve lost the plot. We are like hamsters on a wheel and we are spinning that device at an enormous speed without really knowing why. I am not sure that we all know what really matters in life.”

Really what does?
At the end of the day, what makes us really happy? What puts a genuine smile in our faces? What makes our hearts full of gratitude? What gives us peace?

The article cites, “it’s not how much money you make, the kind of car you drive, the label you wear, the size of your house or how many pats on the back you received at the office. At the end of the day, it’s about going home to find someone eagerly waiting for you—with a smile to steal your heart, and a hug to make your day." Now this should be good news for us who are not Ayala’s, Sy’s, Tan’s, or Gokongwei’s. So long as we have that someone we can share our lives with, we’ll do just fine.

“At the end of the day, it is about how you will pull yourself together to meet every obstacle along the way. It is about every sacrifice you make in order to be together. It is about how you forgive someone for the mistakes he or she makes. At the end of the day, it is about expressing truth and love to everyone”, narrates the article.

The article turns to ask, “have we lived well enough to have made ourselves part of someone else’s success? Well enough to have helped someone through a difficult time without thought of reward or compensation? Well enough to have children and young people respect us and old people value us because they can see our contribution towards making this world a better place to live in?”

I’m nearing 30 and sometimes I feel I haven’t lived well enough that I ask for more. But this article reminded me to ask, what and whose standards should I use anyway for me to say I’ve lived “well enough”? And if I’m to base it on the questions above, I can say I’ve lived fairly well, thank you very much.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t search for that “greener pasture”. Everyone’s entitled to his own happiness and satisfaction anyway. I just think sometimes we’re looking too hard we miss out on realizing we’re already in it; that we don’t have to go somewhere else to get something we don’t need to begin with.

Mr. Kong segues into saying, “I guess no words can ever be more important than hearing our Creator say; “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Indeed Mr. Kong. Indeed.

A friend told me this very funny story today. She said a co-worker of hers was at an event which apparently was by-invitation only. The co-worker was eventually led out of the venue after he wasn’t able to present any invitation. While he was being escorted out, the usher was allegedly shoving him that he had to say, “Wag mo naman akong itulak. Hindi naman ako pushcart!”

Now isn’t that funny?