These past few days, I have been so caught up with a lot of things that sometimes, I just want to momentarily shut out the rest of the world, just be by myself, and let time idly pass me by.

Some of my stressors for the past few days include partying (yes, it has become a chore already), my online work, my debate training, and some of the things that I have to put up with from some of my friends.

Because of this, a vacation from setai 5th ave can surely do wonders for me — if only to resuscitate me and make me feel reinvigorated. I think vacations such as this are surefire ways to make an individual face the world with brand new zest and optimism.

I really do hope I get my vacation soon, lest I end up being burned out and once again finding myself perennially tired, spent, and just plain exhausted.

I seriously think my daschund needs some serious dog training. Why, you may ask?

It’s for the simple reason that I think Choi is having an identity crisis. Yes, you heard me right.

Because we live in a pseudo-farm setting where you can find all sorts of animals (cows, pigs, goats, birds, and others — YES seriously), I am beginning to suspect that my daschund is getting confused with what his animal classification is.

For one, I once saw him sleeping beside the pigs in the pigsty. Yes, he felt right at home in the mud as he bonded with the other pigs there.

For another, I once saw him munch on the tail of one of the cows, and then he swung back and forth as though he were playing with a swing. It was adorable to look at, but I was afraid that the cow might be irritated with his playfulness and just stamp on my cute little Choi.

At least when he gets training, his sense of dog identity can be reinforced. (That sounded weird) Anyway, I will post pictures of Choi soon so you can see how amazingly cute he is.

A new addition to the family is always warmly welcomed in any family.

It is precisely for this reason that all of us are ecstatic when a first degree cousin (from my mother’s side) gave birth two days ago. We were all surprised that she gave birth to a set of twins, both boys, since there had been no genetic precedence to twins in our family yet.

Until that day.

When she gave birth at exactly 10:55 in the morning, we were all very excited to catch the first glimpse of B1 and B2 (since names are still being thought out as of the present) to our family tree. Of course, they looked cute (it runs in the family, me thinks lol) and I was excited for my cousin and her husband.

My cousin, who has had her first pregnancy, told me that even when the birthing process is beautiful, it is still PAINFUL. She has always had a slender figure while she was growing up, but because of the accumulated weight , she actually looks bloated right now (but still beautiful lol). She told me that one of the things that she would do after getting out of the hospital would be to look for cures for stretch marks since her pregnancy had literally left a mark in her body.

Anyway, I can’t wait for my nephews to see the world and be enamored by the beauty of it. I sound so old in saying this, but I guess our generation’s time had passed, and it’s high time for us to create our little versions of ourselves already.

That sounds so cliche, but that sounded just about right.

These past few days, I have not been getting decent sleep.

This is because I am usually met with the most disconcerting sound early in the morning: the clunking of metal and the disturbing buzz of a driller piercing through the ground. Because of this, I have not been getting restful sleep for the past few days — however, I rationalized that I needed to endure these early morning  disturbances (just because).

The reason why all these noises need to cut through the usual peace and quite of our home during morning time is because my mom is redesigning our home’s backyard area. Because of this, she plans to renovate the wide parcel of land at the back, grow flowering trees and colorful plants, and add beautifully-designed stepping stones as well.

I have complained to my parents, time and time again, that the sounds are quite disturbing — but each time, they would just tell me to momentarily endure it because in the end, the result will be well worth it.

But I could not care less, because I NEED my sleep. I just hope that what they say is true, that it will all be worth it — because if it’s not, then they might just see the effects of fatigue on a virtual zombie who has not had accumulated rest for the past three weeks or so.

And I tell you, it’s not a beautiful sight.

There’s a new burger joint in town, and apparently, it has the best cheesy burger that I have ever tasted in this part of the world.

The place is called Flaming Grill, and I can’t even begin to describe the juiciness (and sinfulness) of its bestseller, the ultimate cheesy burger — except for the fact that I hear angels sing each time I take a bite at its juicy beef centerpiece (read: patty), creamy burger cheese that’s generously spread across the patty, and green leafy stuff (pardon my language, since I am not a veggie eater/lover). And the best part about it is a cheesy burger meal with fries and soft drinks only costs like $2 each.

The end result?

An overstuffed me eating it three times a day for the past three days or so. I seriously need help with this newfound craving.

Help, in my terms and in this particular case, would mean someone who can physically (or coercively if need be) restrain me from having more of these cheeseburgers, or someone giving me the safest diet pill that’s in the market right now.

I seriously need help!

Last Thursday, I had dinner with my high school classmates.

After dinner, we had a couple of beers, and satiated our sweet tooth cravings (yes, I know it’s a weird combination, lol). After spending time with them for that entire night, I was amazed by the comfort that I feel each time I am with my high school friends.

I actually don’t need to exert much effort in order to enjoy, and we still get entertained by the oft repeated anecdotes about our high school years.

It has exactly been nine years now since high school, but I find that nothing much has changed. The characters that we were famous for in high school are still intact, and the camaraderie is still made apparent by the constant bursts of laughter and the endless banter.

This is a picture of me with the usual suspects.

The cute chubby girl (I love you friend, if ever you get to read this, lol) in front who’s wearing a black dress is Panyang. She is currently an online editor for a web employer. She used to look rather tomboy-ish in high school, but right now, she has resorted to dresses and pretty sandals to dissuade people from thinking that she is a butch lesbian. lol

Nelbiong (incredibly happy guy beside Panyang): He was my classmate from second until fourth year high school. A concession: he made my Physics grade appear tolerable to look at in my high school report cards. He had a teaching stint in one of the universities here after college graduation (yes, teaching physics), but he has since resigned, since according to him, the world operates differently from what the university had taught us. Enough said.

Rya (the thin girl with the widest grin): I consider her as the brightest brainiac in our batch. I always envied her essays while we were in high school, and yet, she also kicked ass in physics and math. She is an accountant by profession, and is currently waiting for her new employer to give her the details of her new job assignment. I think it’s somewhere in Europe.

Jantoy (the sad dude wearing a jacket): He was my classmate ever since elementary, but we were never really in the same circle. Anyway, his work is connected with IT (I think), and the reason why he looked sad in that picture was because he brought a cake with him that needed to be refrigerated so it would not melt and be spoiled eventually, lol.

Maje (the smiling girl): She was the batch’s ballerina. She currently works in a BPO as a senior editor for a company that does medical transcription. A good friend actually.

Apyot (the really happy girl beside Maje): Another accountant from our batch. A consistent honor student all throughout high school, and I even think she was part of the top ten graduating students from our batch. Like Rya, she is also waiting for a job offer from an accounting firm in Curacao (I know right,why there of all places?) She can be quiet at times, but I know that during these moments, she often thinks of the next hilarious thing to say that can crack up the entire group.

And then the smiling guy next to Apyot: That’s me. That’s the extent of the information that I am willing to give about me, just because I don’t know what to write about myself yet. Future lawyer? Erstwhile delinquent? That tag, or label, is still under construction actually.

How was high school life for you?

This March, my family and I are stoked (super stoked actually) to welcome back my brother Ray. Manong Ray is my older brother, he is the second out of a brood of six, and for the past two years, he has been holed up in Dubai, working as an accounting clerk in a multi-national company there.

Here he is! (down please)

He was supposed to come home a year earlier, but his contract had a stipulation that he can only come home two years after his work started. Being a closely-knit family, we constantly corresponded with him via Facebook, called him up during holidays, and tagged him in pictures during birthdays and other such occasions.

I know for a fact that he is rather emotional, but I cannot conclusively tell you that he was a cry baby each time we talked to him via these mediums. (Kidding)

Anyway, one of the highlights of his coming home party is that fact that he promised all of us that he would give us presents when he comes home. Dubai, I remember him telling me in one occasion, sells gadgets pretty cheap, so he plans to purchase numerous electronic gadgets there since these similar items can be quite expensive when they are bought locally.

He specifically told me that he would be getting me an iPad.

Of course, I was ecstatic when I heard this, since I’ve never received an electronic gadget of this caliber (yes, I had to say caliber, that’s how ecstatic I am), and I intend to keep my iPad shiny and new for as long as it lives (Yes, I think awesome gadgets live, they don’t just exist lol).

Anyway, since I will be receiving an iPad soon, I quickly headed to the local stores here to look for ipad cases. I have always been a sucker for making sure that my gadgets last, and I think these cases will not just be protective coverings to my gadget (Gahd, I love how that sounds), but it can moreover make it appear nice as well. I intend to buy a blue-colored iPad case, so it doesn’t get dirty easily.

I just hope my brother doesn’t flake on his promise.

Last week, one of the news headlines caught my attention — not because I was amused by it, but because it was a little bit disturbing for me.

A traffic enforcer was suddenly catapulted to the limelight, and this was because he was able to flag down an erring driver who disregarded the red light and just sped on instead. The driver was apologetic and cordial, so the officer let the driver go.

He was not aware though that he was reprimanding the city mayor for beating the red light.

Last Monday, he was pleasantly surprised when during the early morning flag-raising ceremony, his name was called, he was aptly recognized, and he was applauded by those who were there. The city mayor, no less, was praising him to high heavens, since apparently, he embodied the ideal working values that traffic enforcers ought to have: unfearing and non-discriminating.

He was even promoted, and those officiating the flag ceremony sent a clear message to all who were there that he was someone who was worthy of emulation and praise. That he personified the public servant that the country needs.

Hm. All is well and good, but I only have one question: What happens to the city mayor? Does he get out of the public’s eye scott-free? Why shouldn’t he be penalized for being a traffic violator?

This situation, I think, merits another close inspection, because this is clearly a representation of how public officials think in this country. He is city mayor after all, so there is nothing wrong with beating the red light. I’m in a hurry after all, so the basic traffic rules don’t apply to me. Plus, it helps that I am using a government-owned vehicle. So no harm, no foul.

This frame of mind, for me, represents what is inherently wrong with how people think in this side of the world — because if the city mayor disregards even the smallest of traffic rules, how will he get to make the ordinary lay people follow these rules as well? Indifference in the small things always manages to transcend into the greater situations, and right before we know it, we have all become apathetic to these basic rules that were established for ensuring societal order.

Yes, we should praise the traffic officer who was not intimidated by the prospect of flagging down a VIP — but let us not forget the city mayor who opted to disregard the most basic traffic rule right in his own turf.

I was at my brother’s house just a while ago because I wanted to see for myself the new TV that my brother and his wife had just recently purchased at the electronics department of the local mall here.

They have been saving for this purchase for several months now, and I was actually with them when they were looking for TV options just the other week. When I got there, what greeted me was the awesomeness of their flat screen HD TV. It was a 52 inch Samsung LN52B750 flat panel HDTV. Whew, that was long! But seriously, I was smitten by the impeccable texture and sheen of black that greatly accentuated its modern features.

It also had a built-in sound system, and woofers that almost blew up the roof. They are actually pretty stoked with their new purchase, and so for the next few weeks or so, they have scheduled movie nights at their house. We already have a line up of movies to watch, and all of us are excited to give their brand new TV a test run.

Chips and salsa over movies anyone?

This June, as I had been endlessly mentioning in my last few posts here, I am going to be  enrolled in law school — and even when I am both anxious and jittery for this new experience, I am actually bent in realizing this childhood dream of mine.

As early as now, I am already thinking of where my field of specialization will be, and as early as now, I am bent in being affiliated with legal battles that seek to emasculate the rich, and empower the unfortunate ones in society. I know that people might accuse me of being enamored with idealism that is typical to most young people, but I honestly believe that this will be my main motivation in taking up law, since as it is, I am predisposed to believe that the laws in general tend to side with the rich and further oppose the poor.

One specific field that I am looking forward to specialize in would be Mesothelioma cases. These are lawsuits that are filed by individuals who have developed certain ailments, such as fatal cancer varieties, as a result of constant exposure to asbestos.

Everyone knows that asbestos, when being exposed to it for a long time, is cancer-inducing — and even when most manufacturers know this for a fact, they tend to disregard these inherent health hazards and still subject their workers to these poor working conditions.

If a lawyer specializes in this particular field, he/she would be assisting individuals when they seek for monetary compensation for the physical and moral damages that they incurred. Moreover, this would also be a helpful measure that can financially assist these hard-pressed workers, since the chemotherapy sessions that these afflictions require are often expensive and progressive.

So help me God.