Beware of April Fool's!

I should be writing about Calaguas Island, except that nothing comes to mind. I can't seem to form a coherent line of thought about it. So you have this gibberish instead.

*****

Switched cars for most of the week. Am driving that old sentra that no one in the office uses. Personally, I like this car. Though it has none of the creature comforts and features of most modern cars, I like the feel and the more "organic" attitude that it has. No radio, no power windows, sluggish acceleration and a really large turning radius, it has the feel of my dad's car.

Thus, I'm quite excited about driving to Clark tomorrow. Sure it's slow and boring, but it does give me a lot of opportunities to just relax and think about things. The NLEX is just the place for that, no uphill winding roads and stoplights, just the road and your foot on the gas pedal for the better part of 2 hours.

*****

So just what do I have to think of anyway? For starters, its my birthmonth. Yeah yeah, I'm getting older but I hardly notice that anymore. Sadly, with the current personal financial situation that I'm in right now, I don't think I can afford to treat my friends out. (ayan... wag na kayong umasa! hahaha!) But what I do want to do for this year is to try to have more time for work. Yep, you heard it right. I am convinced that this year has to be centered on my career. It is one thing that I know I have the most control over and with the current crisis, the timing is just perfect.

This is the reason that I have been going to work more regularly (no more bogus client calls and staying in bed until lunch). Though I do admit I still go to work 2 full hours late, the quality of work I've been churning out is quite respectable.

*****

My house is a mess. I can't seem to find the time and energy to pick up after myself anymore. I'm thinking of getting someone to clean the house maybe twice a week but I'm still trying to figure out if I can afford it. I've probably a couple of day's clothes left, a stack of unread magazines to sort through, clutter all around and the last time I checked, I haven't been filling up my water bottles forcing me to drink water straight from the tap. Sigh...

*****

The holy week is almost here, and yet I have made no plans at all. I find myself not really wanting to go anywhere, and maybe for a change I could just bum out at home and do nothing. Maybe I could catch up on my re-reading list, or write some more. Haven't figured out what to do yet but have a sneaking feeling that I'll be doing a lot of running around with my cross trainers.

I've a challenge with myself to lose 16 pounds in a month. It really should be around 20 but I figure that 16 is unrealistic as it is and should settle on that number. I've been doing some math on this, and the best that I could lose is about 8 pounds given an intensive work out and dieting. Well, need to calibrate that weighing scale once again and start buying up lots of tuna, I guess.

*****

Trouble is brewing at the office... Somehow I've mismanaged some of my projects last year and now owe the company over 13,000 in unliquidated expenses. Though I know where all that money went, problem is I have no receipts to show for it as the people who are responsible for it claims that they lost them. A lesson for me I guess not to trust people who are not liable for their actions to be responsible with their accounting. There goes that mini-component.

*****

Lately, I've been finding myself waking up pretty early, 6:00am on the dot. Strange that this has been happening only now. Yes, I do have my phone set to wake up at this hour, but I've had that set for over a couple of years now without actually waking up.

So does this mean that I get to the office on time? (8:00am) Nope. I spend the first full hour sipping coffee. Then random thoughts take over for another hour. Then I procrastinate a little before finally taking that shower.

Why do I do this? I have no idea... maybe my brain runs on diesel and have to start my day reeeaaalllyyy slow. Or the synapses are a little rusty. Maybe it takes that long for the morning wood to settle down. Well, at any rate, these things have taken their toll on my boss who has already sent me countless memos and warnings to be on time. She has filed enough memos to fire me four times over. Lately though, she has noted my "improvement" and commended me on not being "too" late. Great!

*****

I've a mind to send a letter to the guys running Jollibee. The only thing on their menu that I thoroughly enjoy is the Champ. However, each time I order one, it always takes them around 20 minutes to bring it around. Now, being a fastfood joint, I think 20 minutes is a despicable amount of time to prepare a burger. It's just a piece of meat sandwiched between 2 buns. How complicated does it have to be that it takes 20 minutes to do this? Oh well, now my tummy is grumbling and I once again have to wait 20 minutes or so to chomp on a juicy slab of meat.

*****

Almost everyone I meet who asks me how much I pay for rent have rolled their eyes out of its sockets exclaiming why I pay so much for it. It gets a little irritating. First of all, though I can't actually afford it, I like my home. It is the place where I can do all the stupid stuff I want. It gives me that subtle sense of independence, and it gives me an excuse to stay away from certain circles. ("uhm, I have to do my laundry... have to wash the dishes... and so on) True, it makes a heck of a lot of sense to relocate somewhere nearer the office, or get a housemate to share the rent with me, but then I disdain having to share my space with others, and being too near the office means I drive a lot less. (I love driving)

I have thought a lot about moving out, history and all that, but I just can't for the simple reason that I call it home. For the first time in my life, I have lived all by myself (and barely afford it, too) and am enjoying it. Also, with the amount of crap that I have done for the house (plumbing, decorating, bug-proofing) I am compelled to seek means to be able to afford single living.

So with all the effort that I have put into maintaining this artificial lifestyle of mine, try to pretend that its quite normal to be senseless about accommodations.

*****

Something I remember about Calaguas was singing on the boat on the way back. My lack of an mp3 player plays a major factor in this activity, I am left to my own devices to be entertained on a 2-hour boat ride. My buddy Nolan, who did not have his ipod ready, sang with me. So we came to the song "Anna Begins" by the Counting Crows. We talked about the lyrics, and gosh darn it seemed like I had interpreted the song wrong all these years! How pathetic. How many other songs had I mangled the meanings to? "But then I start to think about the consequences/Because I dont get no sleep in a quiet room and this time/when kindness falls like rain/It washes me away and anna begins change my mind"