A place to breathe….

Yup I’m leaving today.

I had my reflexology last night and took a pill for anti itching for my allergies. Usually this combination will leave me knock down already and wake up fully refreshed the next day except today!

I slept at almost 12 and woke up at 3, I must be very excited heheheh.
Everything is pack, ticket is ready, locks are in place, will be removing all electric plugs later…. I guess I’m ready to leave though a bit worried and sad to leave, bf was in the hospital last night till today for an accident in the office plus the fact that he just had some thorough checks last week for his head. Not so happy to leave him like this but just need to entrust him to HIM.

So in an 1.5 hours, I will take my shower and leave for the airport : )

For the past two weeks, there’s this intense feeling in my stomach every time I remember my deadline tomorrow. The deliverable is very interesting but requires a lot of creative juice. On a normal work week this is not a problem but not when I’m about to go home in the Philippines!

It was a struggle everyday to achieve a bit of something in order to meet my deadline. And it’s really a struggle coz my mind and heart are not here anymore and with this kind of project you need not only to work hard but to really be inspired and I’m not anymore!!!

So when the news came to me this morning that the software that I need to launch this project has not been purchased which means that my deadline has just been extended one month after I arrive back to Geneva, sudden Joy enveloped me! I can’t explain how happy I am right now! How free I feel!!!! Which means Manila here I come!

The sand of Bohol will do good to restore back my creative juices hehehehheeh!!! I’m on vacation mood now!!! Yahoo!!!

I need to capture the feeling till it’s there, I’m so happy!

Just got back from roller blading and I was able to go around the Divonne lake =) It may not be that big but the fact that I was able to try and finish it with no hassle is a big achievement for me.

For the first time I can actually say I can roller blades, it may not be perfect but at least I’m moving and I’m not stumbling. What’s so nice about roller blading, you get a sense of achievement everytime you can go further and everytime you develop more confidence with the skates on.

And today Lumi thought me some few techniques that made the last leg of the lake easier. And the best part of it is that I really enjoy being outside, enjoying the place and most importantly the company I’m with is superb!

Can’t wait to be able to do it with so much ease…. I will get there soon!

It’s addicting!!!

Just came back from Divonne in France for my third time to be on roller blades. Each time I put those blades on I get more and more hooked up. The more you improve, the more you want some more.

First day:
I was screaming to death when I first put the blades. I was screaming because I was literally nervous to death. I almost thought of backing out but I already have all the equipments on plus the safety gear so I will really look like a coward if I backed out. The thing that makes me feel so nervous is that the blades do not feel right on your feet. It’s just not natural at all. I was extremely happy that I was able to stand already on the 1st day. No major fall and I was able to painfully walk and glide a bit with a friend at my side. Once she didn’t pay attention to me for a split second, she found me on the floor =) yup, oops down. It was extremely painful when I remove the shoes, it’s like the feeling when i first skid. the shoes are extremely hard so if you are not very well in doing what you have to do then imagine the unnecessary force in your feet.

Second day:
I brought the roller blades on my vacation to Chamonix. I was determined to find an hour or two to practice. I want to take advantage of the fact that I have two friends roaming around with me who can actually help me by holding me while I try to get my balance.

I was lucky enough to find a flat face in Chamonix (this is a place famous for ski, meaning mountain so to find a flat surface is really a miracle). So I forced to my friends my agenda and lucky me they didn’t have any objection.

so were were already at the park, Kristeta was holding me and helping me to get my momentum. for 3o minutes we were doing back and forth while she’s holding me. then they needed to go and look for toilet. i sat and waited for them to come back. i noticed it’s been quite a while already and they still have not come back. 10 minutes and more passed, i decided to try it by myself. little by little i was able to manage to go back and forth at the park without any assistance. of course i was barely gliding, more of surviving each step but who cares!

My friends actually came back after more than an hour. They were laughing when they came back. They have done it on purpose. They knew I wouldn’t try hard if they were there so they literally left me by myself. It wasn’t so bad, I was actually very happy with my achievement. No fall at all but one funny incident. One time, I can’t turn because it was a bit of a slope and I was moving down slowly. I called a bystander to help me go back to my lane and voila I was ready to blade again =)

Third day:
I’m quite fortunate that I have friends in the office who are determined to practice roller blades as well. Today, we went to a nice big park in France. It’s perfect to learn rollerblades, it has a big lane with a few people doing roller blades, biking and walking. And the fact that they can see you are not at all stable with your rollerblades, they actually give you all the space you need. They also give cheers of encouragement, i like these people! Some even stop to give some tips, unfortunately they speak too fast and i only understood a few french words =(

Today, it felt amazing. I started to glide. I started to feel good and have my confidence with the blades. I started to look like i was actually doing roller blades. I was so happy, you can’t imagine the sense of achievement i felt. And the good thing about this is, you can actually feel that you are improving so it gives you more push to try and try.

We are planning to do it every Monday, I have to see because I already have my reflexology every Monday night. I have to do this all the time and I’m sure in no time I will be gliding like the wind! Our target is to be experts by the end of summer, not at all impossible.

Lately I needed some changes in my life. Needed a new approach in everyday living. Things have been almost the same for a couple of months now and I needed something new in my life so I decided to embark on some small but new things in my life. They may be simple but they definitely adds color to my everyday journey:

1/ i colored my nails
it’s been more than a decade since i had my nails long and colored. one day i saw my officemate with nice & long red nails. that same day i decided that i will have my nails done. i was extremely happy after going to the salon to have it made. it makes you feel more lady like. now i change the color of my nails at least 2x a week.

2/ i’m learning rollerblades
yup! you’ve read it right! i’ve passed the 1st crucial part: starting! tomorrow will be my third time that i will be practicing rollerblades. i watched some videos on the internet on how to properly do it. tomorrow i will try the new moves that i learned from the internet.

3/ joined a book club
i am a member of an expat group in Geneva and they have tons of activities. i decided to join a book club. it is quite encouraging to make me push myself to find time to read a good book. we are first meeting on the 23rd of april and going to discuss White tiger. I had the book for almost 4 months now but haven’t really touched it. it’s good to have a motivation to read some more and at the same time meeting new people.

4/ back to yoga
after 7 months, i’m back to my yoga class. it was a hard comeback. every part of me was aching. dominique said, that’s what you get for being lazy

5/ bar hopping
one friday night, i invited my friend and her husband for a drink in geneva and also to meet daniel. only to find out that i barely know any nice bar in geneva. no, we didn’t go out that night. i wasn’t feeling very well but after that incident i decided to venture out in geneva and find some really nice bar. so far i have discovered: pickwick, britannia pub, alhambra, l’antedote, jazz bar in front of novotel and cafe cuba. not bad at all! will try to find more time to check out some other bars so next time i have friends over, i will know where to bring them for a drink!

it’s been fun trying and learning new stuff. i’m definitely not stopping here.

More than a year ago, I hosted the Bible Study in my house. Filipino friends arrived with foods, disposable utensils, cups, drinks and EVEN salt and a dishwashing soap.  Yes that’s how empty my kitchen was. When you open my refrigerator, you will see all sort of drinks mostly milk, softdrinks and orange juice but rarely food. If there’s food it will be bread, cheese, butter and jam.

Now, when you go to my kitchen I have all the basic for cooking: pans, utensils and even spices! I also now have dishwashing gel =)

Little by little I started cooking which I have literally done only once every month before. Dinner before means eating out or buying microwavable foods. I still eat out and buy microwavable food but not as much as before. Now I try to cook and eat in the house for breakfast and dinner.  Sometimes I also cook for my pack lunch.

What trigerred it? Nothing really special but I also get tired of staying late almost every day. Now that I have French school Tuesday and Thursday, I try to make it a point to go home early on Monday and Wednesday to have proper rest. And most of the time during lunch time I have to study so I need a quick lunch then back to my books so a pack lunch is more advisable. And so far I’m enjoying the new lifestyle. Not to mention I’m saving a lot for not going out that much anymore.

Today, I cooked my first adobo. I searched the internet and voila saw the ingredients and procedure on cooking it. I was so excited while marinating it. And I’m so glad it turned out okay =)

Well I don’t have any food in mind that I want to cook soon. Maybe I will crave for something but as of the moment, I’m quite happy with my first adobo!

I woke up each day making the decision to be happy.
Not everyday is a success but everyday I try.

One common mistake that everybody commits in trying to achieve happiness is we deligate that task to somebody else and this often ends up in disappointments.

Happiness can be achieved even without grand things coming your way. Try to smile even you don’t feel like, try to observe if it makes a difference on how you feel and most often than not you will feel happy.

Look at each situation and event as if it’s something extravagant and be thankful for that. And most often than not if we see things that we feel grateful for then we feel happy.

We have to train ourselves on this coz human nature sees the negative things first and it’s not easy to just shift from being negative to being positive but with training I believe we can do it. So why not start now?!

And again, happiness starts from within ourselves… Not from other people, not on circumstances in our lives. It’s us that sees things and interprets things so it’s us responsible for our own happinesss. So each day let us make that decision to be happy =) I’ve made mine today.

I bought my new GAP trouser from US.

Pasok ako sa store, kita ko sale…
So dampot ako dito, dampot don.
Then punta ng dressing room to fit.
Wow I tried one pair of pants at swak
as in I love the fit!

Alam mo ung feeling na you are meant to be?
Ganon, ganun ang feeling ko!

So I checked teka ano bang size ng pantalon na toh…
Then I saw sa etiketa, putsa kaya naman pla!

Kaya naman pala ang ganda ng fit…
Kaya naman pala parang pinasadya para sa akin…
Kaya naman pala parang di ko na talga sya mabitwan….

Kasi nman pla gawang Pinas!

Ako na taga Switzerland… na tubong Pinas
Pumunta ng US para mamasyal ay
Nakabili ng pantalon na gawang Pinas.

Putsa ang layo ng nilakbay ko para lang bumili ng pantalong
gawa sa Pinas…. Mas mura siguro kung sa pinas na lang ako bumili noh?
Pero baka di sale, kaya sa US na lang…. hahahhaha

New year, new hopes, new dreams, new goals, new targets…
It’s a new beginning, time to restart our lives and get excited again for the surprises that are waiting to unfold….

I’m so excited for this year, I want to finish a few things and start some new projects. I’m very optimistic that this is my year…

Looking back to 2008, it has been a tough year but despite that it was still great and I’ve learned a lot from all the experiences. One thing I wouldn’t want to experience again from 2008 was the surgery =( no way!!!

Looking forward to 2009!