Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Projects vs. Resolution

Yes, this is one of those blogs before the year ends. This usually ends with a long list of what I won't do anymore, what I'll improve on or some sort of a bucket list. That's typical and actually for most people, I guess symbolic. There's nothing wrong with it really... it's actually very encouraging and like I said, symbolic. It's hope, that better things can happen to you and your loved ones. It's encouragement, that even though the past year may have been topsy turvy in some parts, the next can be a clean slate. It can be a lot of things, but mainly it's because people want change in their lives. But for me, I'd like to change it up a bit. Rather than having a long list of "New Year's Resolution", I'll have "The 2014 Project". With the hopes of having more me and family time, I listed down all the things I put on hold, from our wedding album to Danielle's doodle scrapbook to physical fitness. These are doable things and I am putting a timeline on each, something like Project Management...wha-do-u-know...Haha! So here's to a meaningful 2014! Cheers!

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Evil Queen

nce upon a time there was a Queen named Libra. She is the first born of King Quiro and Queen Loumar of the Kingdom Crysandro.  She has a sister, Princess Eiris and a brother Prince Quarius.  She now lives in the Kingdom Caldenuare and married to its King, King Dracon.  They are blessed with a little princess called Jacqueline.  As a queen her responsibilities vary from taking care of the little princess, ensuring a good relationship to other kingdoms, to keeping the household in order while the King is busy running the entire kingdom and sometimes even to helping at her parents’ kingdom.

Queen Libra is very passionate at what she does and about the things and people she loves.  She makes sure everything is perfect, not only for herself but for everyone she cares about.  This is clearly shown on how she completes her tasks as a queen.  When a ball is thrown, she is very hands on from the planning, to decorations, to the actual event.  When servants clean the palace, change the curtains, beddings and the like, she makes sure everything is perfectly matched.  She even visits the kitchen to make sure nothing gets spoiled and everything is fresh before cooking or serving.  She is a hands-on queen and that makes her happy.  She feels that she is doing her duty as a queen and serving her King, her little princess and her own family more than usual.  Everything is going perfectly, or so she thought…

One day, there was a ball in her parents’ kingdom.  Queen Libra together with King Dracon and Princess Jacqueline went to Kingdom Crysando earlier than usual.  Queen Libra thought she could give extra hands in the preparation.  And so they went.  The queen was busy as usual with the preparation, while her King and siblings and little princess was somewhere in the palace.  She was taking the flower arrangements to the tables when she overheard people talking.

“Brother you have to be careful around her, she can bite your head off,” said the first voice with a big laugh.

“Tell me about it.  Everyday it’s the same, it’s like she is the king and I am the soldier. I am scared to death at times,” added the second voice. 

A female voice chimes in, “What about the time she got very demanding and ordered all of us to wash our hands again before eating dessert.  It’s like madness, I say!”

The conversation went on and on about this lady and how awful she is because she is so demanding, overly organized and unreasonably passionate about things that she does.  Even after the first voice spoke, Queen Libra already knew it was her they were talking about.  All of a sudden it’s as if Queen Libra cannot move.  She wanted to run away because she doesn’t know if she can take so much of what she is hearing, but her feet are planted because she felt she needed to know more…. Even though it breaks her heart.  When it was finally too much, she ran… she ran outside the palace, into the woods within the kingdom.  She ran and ran and ran while tears fall down her cheeks.  Almost blinded by her own tears, she stumbled and fell down deep in the forest.  All she can do was stay there and drown herself with her own tears.  Suddenly, forest animals started going towards her, as if comforting her hoping her sobbing would stop.  When she noticed this, she looked up and gave a faint smile.  She started talking to them.

“Thank you little friends and I apologize for disturbing you and your home,” Queen Libra said in between sobs.

She added, “I really don’t know what I’ll do.  It seems that my family, my own blood hates me.  What have I done wrong?”

“Is it bad that I am passionate about everything I do and that I just want things to be perfect?”  She looks at a squirrel as if it can really understand her.

“I feel so lost, I don’t know how to recover from this.  All along I thought everybody was happy about how I take care of them and how I help.  But I was wrong… all along they see me as evil and it breaks my heart,” then she started to cry some more.

“I think I will stay here for now, then runway to another kingdom where nobody knows me.  At least I can start over.  I might die though for leaving my dear Jacqueline behind.  She is my treasure, but if people think I am evil, then better be gone that teach her wrong ways,” Queen Libra stands up and started walking.

To where she is headed, nobody knew.  Will her family look for her? Likely.  Would she want to be found? Maybe.  But one thing is for sure, she needed to prove she is not evil, even if it means leaving everything she loves behind.

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

The World Has Not Ended

So I guess the Mayans made a mistake huh? Today is Day 1 of 2013 and it looks like we'll be all here for the long haul. Good.
I've been reading a lot of Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013 posts and I wanted so much to be able to do the same... But one thing I learned last year is not to over think everything that I do, that it's good to just go with the flow sometimes. So today, officially Day 1 of 2013 I feel that I owe it to myself to say something about the year that had passed and this new one. I just feel that I have to write down what I love (or hate) about 2012 and what I look forward to in 2013.
So in 2012...
• We had our first family vacation. The serious type... Me, Con and Danielle, celebrating the Geek Goddesses' 4th birthday. What I love about it is the possibility of it being a yearly thing. I love that I get to bring Danielle to places. Travel can be the best education she can have :-)
• I experienced how compassionate my siblings can be. With Koryn's 30th birthday at the orphanage, and Carlo's attitude towards his yaya, I am proud of what they've become. One of my year's highlight is when I saw my sister rushing to give her Havaianas to this kid selling sampaguita. Yeah it's nothing big or super expensive, but this is a pair of novelty flip flops that people collect. And even if she knew she wouldn't have slippers on our way home she didn't think twice. That was like "woah"... The good woah. I wish we continue to reach out and help others as much as we can without asking for anything in return. And hopefully we get to influence others as well.
• Work has been overwhelming. It's good and bad, but overall I can say I was a success. Not to sound narcissistic, but I am proud of what I've accomplished and how I've established myself. I am hoping to learn from the past and take the good only.
• Reconnecting with relatives was a delight. I've missed those I am very close to when I was younger. And so I am thankful I had a chance to see them, talk to them and bond with them once more. I hope we can do it more often and remember that family will always be there for each other.  'Til the next reunion :-)
Hopefully in 2013...
• I can travel more to destinations I haven't been to. And like I said bring Danielle along.
• Work wouldn't be so stressful.
• We can have one more in our family and when it happens plans that we have will still be in place.
• I can SCUBA dive some more.
• I take more photos. I don't intend to compete for the best photo, but I hope I take decent ones.
• I write some more.
• I'd be more wise with money.
• I'd be healthy and my family too.
• I'd watch more movies in the movie house just because I miss doing it.
• I can devote myself seriously to a cause that I really love... There's just too many. And when I figure it out, I hope I can seriously work on it.
• Etc.
There... Life is fun and challenging and crazy, but it's really up to us how we go about it.