Sleep Pattern

Recent studies show that the human body doesn't really need eight hours of sleep to feel rested and re-invogarated. They say that all that talk about having at least eight hours of sleep is mostly just media hype.
They say that people need different amounts of sleep but that  most get by on six hours of sleep. One constant advise they give is to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday.


This week, I have been consistently (but unintentionally) going to bed at around midnight and waking up at around 5AM. Surprisingly, I feel rested -- more rested than getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep where I sleep and wake up at random times. The latter actually made me feel more sluggish. Another thing is that I no longer wish for coffee first thing in the morning.


This is not to say that I'd no longer sleep in during the weekend (LOL!), but I guess it does help to maintain a consistent sleep pattern during the work week, especially when I have tons of things to do and only so much time left for sleeping.

Up Again

It;'s amazing how I'm on the roller coaster ride again. I thought it has come to a stop, but it seems I'm at the roller coaster's peak again.

It's crazy how things get broken down then quickly rebuilt. As Miss C and Miss Battery said, this must be how things are meant to be...our destiny.

What I've been Up To

Just some updates about how I've spent the past few weeks...


Avatar

Went to see Avatar with the Engineer a few weekends ago. Tickets were already sold out at the iMax theaters, and rather than go alone, I agreed to settle for a 3D cinema in Glorietta. Well, the movie was actually good. Nothing new in the theme and I saw no "hidden messages," as the so-called hidden messages were pretty much what the movie was really about anyway.

The movie also showed that science can only do so much. CS and I were talking about cloning and how the souls cannot be cloned. But if the soul cannot be cloned, what becomes of cloned human beings? Are they merely robots? Who would want to be just a clone?

Anyway, apparently souls still can't be cloned even in movies. Even the fictional Na'vi people had to rely on their deities to breathe a soul into an avatar - a mere robot. Makes me wonder again why science is trying so hard to disprove things that are spiritual in nature.

Anoher thing I liked about the movie was that when it ended I felt that it was really the end. There was a sense of a "satisfying closure" that I don't get with other movies where I go "huh?"


O'Sonho

I and a group of girl friends had our supposedly monthly (more like every 2 months really) dinner, and this time we tried the Portuguese resto along Jupiter called O'Sonho. I was really curious about Portuguese food, which Infinite raved a lot about. Well, although O'Sonho's dishes were really a fusion of Portuguese and Filipino, I found the food really superb. I wish I could go back there except that, other than this group of girl friends, I don't really know anyone who's adventurous with food. My family only likes Filipino food. Bo-ring! Anyway, as Infinite says, I guess that authentic Portuguese food is available only in...Portugal :P

Aside from the food, I really had fun hanging out with my girl chums, especially with PrettyLady now joining our dinners. It was just so nice to hang out with old friends and reminisce about the good ol' days -- both about us and other people we know -- as well as talking about the current stuff.. and some girl talk that I didn't expect...woah!

Well, I really enjoyed the dinner and can't wait for the next one. Wonder where SexyMomma will take us next?:P


Cambridge Village

With all the negative news I've been hearing about Empire East Land Holdings, and Cambridge Village in particular, I and the Engineer (She recently bought a unit there) decided to pay the condominums a visit just to make sure that our supposed units are really there and are not just imaginary :P

The Engineer's unit is already done, and it looks really nice. I'm so excited for her. The building that houses my unit is still being completed, but I hope it gets done before June! I'm really excited to move in!

We looked at the model units, and I'm now getting so many ideas on how to decorate mine :) Rather than hire an interior decoratior, I've agreed to let the Engineer take care of designing my unit, for a meager professional fee of P100/ square meter... LOL!

My only problem there is its distance from the Makati CBD. However, it's pretty near The Fort and near Ortigas, Eastwood, and the TechnoHub. I'm sorta thinking about selling the Cambridge Village unit and buying a unit in Taguig. However, Taguig is close only to Makati and the Fort and might be really far from the other areas. Since this will most likely be my permanent residence (until the US visa  comes at least), I do have to consider these things, especially since I might not always be working in Makati.

Anyhow, I think I'll be pretty happy living in Cambridge Village if I don't find a better solution to my commuting dilemma. And no.. buying a car is out of the quesion...LOL!

The One that Got Away

Source: The Manila Times
By: Mark J. Macapagal

(This is a repost of a friend's repost...I think this kinda makes sense...)

In your life, you’ll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, one who WILL ALWAYS MEAN SOMETHING. There’s the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you’re with… and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it’s that person with whom everything was great, everything was perfect, but THE TIMING WAS WRONG. There was NO FAULT IN THE PERSON, there was NO FLAW IN THE CHEMISTRY, but the cards just didn’t fall the right way.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. IT HAS TO DO WITH YOU BEING READY TO SETTLE DOWN AND COMMIT TO SOMEONE IN A WAY THAT GOES BEYOND THE LITTLE NICETIES OF GIDDY ROMANCE.

How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you’re not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn’t matter who you’re with, it just doesn’t work. Small problems become big; inconsequentially become deal breakers simply because you’re not ready and it shows. It’s not that you and the person you’re with are no good; it’s just that it’s not yet right, and little things become the flash-point of that fact.

Then one day you’re ready. You really are. And when this happens, you’ll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect, they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it’ll work because you’re ready. It’ll work because it’s the right time and you’ll make it work. And, it’ll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you’re finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want and you’ve become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there’s no telling when this day will come. Hopefully, you’re single, but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids, it doesn’t matter. All you know is that you’ve changed, and for some reason, the one that got away, is the first person you think about.

You’ll think about them because you’ll wonder, “What if they were here today?” You’ll wonder, “What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?” That’s what the one that got away is. The biggest “What if?” you’ll have in your life.

If you’re married, you’ll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale-like you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you’re mature enough to realize that you’re already with the one you’re with and this is just another test of your commitment, one which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you’ll think about him/her every so often, but it’s alright. It’s never nice to live with a “might have been”, but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who is already married. In which case it’s the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you’re old and gray and reminiscing.

But if neither of that is the case, then it’s different. What do you do if it’s not too late? Simple… find him, find her. Because the very existence of a “one that got away” means that you’ll always wonder, WHAT IF YOU GOT THAT ONE?

ASK HIM OUT TO COFFEE; ASK HER OUT TO A MOVIE. It doesn’t matter if you’ve dropped in from out of nowhere. You’d be surprised, YOU JUST MIGHT BE “THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY” as well for the person who is your “the one that got away.”

You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won’t make a difference. If the timing is finally right, it’ll just fall into place somehow and you know, I’m thinking, it would be a great feeling, in the end, to be able to say to someone, “Hey you, you’re the one that almost got away.”

“Everything happens for a reason…”, said the one that got away.

Keeping the Peace

I've finally attained some peace after weeks of trying to get myself grounded.


Now I'm careful in how I move lest I disturb the peace.


Allow me to bask in it for awhile, for I know this  is just another lull in the storm...

Simpler is Better

This is the slogan of a company where I used to work, and somehow I've tried to incorporate this way of thinking into my daily life.


Whenever I encounter difficult situations, I try to simplify them before I even try to think of a solution for them. And now I'm trying to employ the same principle on how to better handle an endeavor that has long been failing and getting stuck because of the original aim of thinking big and doing things big.


Despite the many who thought that this was the way to go, it just didn't work. We're obviously still where we used to be -- well, maybe we've made a teeny weeny bit of progress, but I can't help thinking that we could have accmplished more had we approached things differently.


Although I'm all for dreaming big and seeing the big picture, I believe that it's better to start small and to take baby steps. After all, isn't that nature's way of growing things?


Similarly, in the efforts to grow the seeds of an ideal, I think it's best to keep goals and expectations small and simple. This way, it will be easier and faster to get gratification from efforts, which can otherwise lead to frustration. It is also a popular belief that there is strength in numbers, that more heads are better than one. But I think that more than the number, commitment and the quality (for lack of a better term) of the minds at work are more important. A bunch of half-hearted wills (again, for the lack of a better term) is really quite useless when compared to a few who strongly believe in the same ideal.


I met with a small group of colleagues in efforts to continue pursuing an ideal, and I must say that enthusiasm is indeed contagious. I hope we can sustain this eagerness, as frustration, discouragement, and the lack of commitment are just as contagious.


With fresh minds joining in and with our optimism rejuvenated, I have high hopes that maybe, just maybe, this time it will finally work.

Power Starved

It seems I've talked about this so many times before under different circumstances, involving different people. But somehow it keeps recurring.

I can never understand why some people just crave attention, which sometimes -- maybe often? -- leads to the craving for power. It amazes me, for instance, how some people have a way of turning every conversation so that it becomes about them. Why do they always feel the need to steal the show? Is that their feeble attempt to feel -- err, seem -- important? Or smart perhaps?

And then there are the people who easily fall for flattery. I hate flattery, especially if  it's obviously the empty kind. So many people get manipulated through flattery, and I just don't get it. I'm not probably the best person at handling flattery. I'm not particularly good at taking compliments. I let them in one ear and out the other. I'm too cynical to accept any form of flattery or compliment as sincere. Anyhow, I know myself, so what others say don't really matter. It just irks me how some people let flattery get into their heads, making them suddenly act all-important when the flattery is so obviously untrue.

And then there are people who don't need attention or flattery to think greatly of themselves. Of course, self esteem and self confidence are important and even encouraged , but there are just some people who put themselves on a pedestal and don't take the time to realistically and truthfully evaluate themselves.What's worse is that they think they're so great that everyone else is less than they are.These are usually the type of people who stop at nothing to get ahead -- even to the ploint of undermining others.

Well, I'm obviously someone who hates attention, flattery, egotism, and most especially the cunning. I believe that if you're really good then people will know your worth without you having to broadcast it. I believe that you can assert yourself and get ahead without stepping on other people's toes.

I truly admire people who keep low profiles and yet are successful and well known for what they do. I think that people who keep calling attention to themselves are really insecure and are grasping at straws in order to get the attention and power they crave.

I would admire quiet confidence more. The truly confident are secure in themselves and do not feel the need to get other people's approval to know their worth.

Eye Opener

I was talking to CS about the same things I talked to Infinite about. But for some reason, Infinite and I couldn't understand each other's point of view while it was so easy with CS.

At any rate, I finally understood what Infinte was trying to say, thanks to CS, and it seemed so clear to me. I felt so enlightened.

I have been meeting more and more people who are against the church -- mostly the Catholic church, but I realize now that it may as well be any church. I mistook that to mean they were against God to which I revolted -- for lack of a better term at the moment.

Save for the aetheists (no offense!), I've realized that it's possible to believe in God without subscribing to everything that the church -- any church -- says. Churches are, after all, man-made and subject to imperfections just as the next human being is.

What's saddening -- and perhaps frustrating -- is that some people equate their belief in God to the credibility of their church. Just because church leaders fail in one way or another doesn't mean that there's no God or that God is not as good as these church leaders say He is.


I guess I was being too idealistic to think that church leaders are infallible because they're not. A week ago I was attending mass with a friend, and the priest had some "commercials" before the mass ended. He was selling some religious materials where orders could be placed through his email addrss, customized cellphone number (a number that spells out his name), and even a Facebook account! Ugh...I was trying hard not to roll my eyes. My friend said that the priest was even texting while the choir was singing (Couldn't wait to follow up on those orders?). OMG!!!

Even the Bible is flawed, they say. But then again, the Bible has also been written by men who were just as imperfect as you and I. Besides, the Bible has been translated in so many ways, so many times that the author's intended meaning could have been lost in translation.

To make things more complicated, Bible text isn't as straightforward as a user's guide where there is no ambiguity and one procedure step can only mean one thing. It seems that the Bible's meaning can be interpreted in many ways -- literally or not-so-literally, and this again can be manipulated by churches and church leaders to serve their purpose. They can be twisted to mean anything, and people would believe them without question.

In addition, I've heard a lot of stories about how the Vatican is bathed in gold and how Vatican priests live like princes. I personally know nothing of this. I think this side of the Catholic church is kept hidden from most people, except for the few who had the privilege of seeing it for themselves. Although I'm not inclined to believe this -- or maybe I don't want to -- the many stories I hear prompt me to keep an open mind.

All these realizations do not dissolve my faith in any means. It just makes it clear to me that I should direct my faith in God and not in any church and to start trusting in my own values more than in the dogmas that churches teach. Religions evolve to cope with the times, but faith in God should always hold steadfast.

My Prayer

If You will it for me, please give me the strength to carry on.
If not, please give me the strength to let go....

Listening In

They always tell me to trust my intuition. But intuition and logic seem to get mixed in, making it hard for me to identify one from the other. I believe both are gifts. Our intuition helps us sense and see things that are not readily obvious while logic helps us make sense of the things we see.

My gut feel has proven me right a lot of times. Lately, however, my gut feel seems to be drowned out by what my logic tells me. My logic seems to be screaming so loud that I don't even get enough time to process what my intuition's telling me before logic takes over.

Perhaps I should learn to silence my logic for once. That seems a scary thought, but perhaps not everything has to or can be explained. Perhaps it isn't necessary to make sense of everything. Perhaps a little chaos would do some good.

As I remember my resolution for this year, perhaps I should just go for it and throw caution to the wind.

White Elephant Party

I recently attended a post-Christmas white elephant party with my former teammates (When I say "former teammates", I refer to my Information Development teammates 'cause they're the teammates closest to me). I was sorta lazy to go considering that I'd be on vacation by then, but I really missed the guys (read: everyone), so why not?

White elephant gift exchanges were first introduced to us by HappySanta, and they've seemingly become a part of Infodev Christmas parties. The game was fun as usual. But whoever invented that rule about not laughing at a joke anyway? I laugh so easily, I was the easy target for this. Next time, I'll have to practise being more unsmiling and un-laughing.. or maybe I should go to such parities in a sullen mood...yeah, right!

It was seeing everyone -- well, those who came anyway -- that was the best part. It's amazing how this team seems to still be whole despite the members having gone their separate ways for almost two years now; how everyone's still in touch with each other. It's even fascinating how old issues still haven't died. So high school, I know, but there you have it.

No offense to other past and present teams and teammates, but I will always feel bonded to the Infodev team -- personally and professionally. Can't wait for the next party!

The Me Year

I'm actually excited with the coming of this year. I can feel that exciting things will happen this year -- or perhaps I'll make those exciting things happen. Whichever the case, I know this year will be different.

This year will be a year of growth and change. I can almost hear Merl and Job muttering that my blog's about life lessons or "high school lessons". Yeah, well, I'm a late bloomer :P And I guess that comes from always playing it safe.

This year I hope to become UN-ME. To do things I don't normally do. To be more impulsive. To be more passionate about the things I do and not just doing them because I have to.

I'm glad that I got to achieve most of my New Year's resolutions last year. This year, I won't even attempt to list them down, as there are too many. This year, it's gonna be all about me -- focusing on my goals, improving myself in all aspects, and just being happy. Worries, go away! :P