:)

Sometimes, we realize just how strong we really are by knowing when to let go.

And actually doing it.

The truth never leaves a bad taste in your mouth. For as long as you stay true, for as long as you stay real, everything will fall into place.

I'm sooooo proud of you.

i can feel a hangover coming....

Queasy tummy. Bad headache. Ringing in my ears. Impaired vision. A whole lotta giggling.

Aaah... I don't wanna drink anymore. Ever.

Ugh.

Though, many thanks to everybody who insists on throwing me a despedida or a for-old-times' sake party.. I really really appreciate them... :)

Just.... go a little easy on the drinking, friends. I'm only 1 person, and I can only drink so much-- plus, I still have work the next day =P

The TIme Traveler's Wife

I rarely rave about books, but this one I certainly cannot let pass.

The Time Traveler's Wife is the most unusual love story I've ever read. It's a testament to how love transcends time-- It's about a husband who's ill with a genetic disease that causes him to time-travel, as in plucked out of real-time and dumped sometime in his past. He can reappear as a 15-yr-old, as a 28-yr-old or as a 40-yr-old. He meets his wife back when she was a kid. As a result, she's loved him practically all her life-- waiting for the point in 'real-time' when they meet and fall in love. I love how the story takes time out of love's equation, proving in a queer, out-of-the-box manner that love does win above everything. Being in a time-bound body does not mean your love is bound to it as well.

The letter at the end is my favorite part of all.

"Stop waiting and be free. Of me--put me deep inside you and then go out in the world and live. Love the world and yourself in it. Move through it as though it offers no resistance, as though the world is your natural element. I have given you a life of suspended animation. And I don't mean to say that you have done nothing. You have created beauty, and meaning, in your art, .... and for me: for me you have been everything...

I love you, always. Time is nothing."

Sigh... I love it, I love it, I love it! :)

weekend update!

1. Party with officemates! Woohoo! Love the girls, love the booze, love the games. Haha! Bye-bye, Lengleng! Happy wedding!

2. Saw HP4, finally! Loved it, loved it, loved it! (I just wish the MTRCB didn't cut out the kissing scene. Tsk tsk...Party poopers..)

3. Did my X'mas shopping, and I'm already halfway down my list. Hoooray!!!

4. Watched my boyfriend coach his basketball team. They won the game, yay! (Though there's this real bitch of a girl acting all prettier-than-thou with her nose high up in the air. Sana madapa ka, gaga!)

All in all not a bad weekend. Too bad I missed Mia's party though. Happy Birthday, Mia!

P.S. Oh, and before I forget, late Saturday night, my former boss texted me to let me know that the Sponge DM I made when I was in MarComm won a bronze award in the Ad Congress Araw Awards. Hmmm... My reaction: "That's... good." =P Mag-fe-feeling na naman si M niyan. Hay...

ranting... while raving on the side...

Ironically, for someone who's filed her resignation, I have an insanely long list of things to finish before I leave. I never knew having your remaining days as a Citibanker numbered meant being dumped a huge to-do list of new programs to launch, systems to update and goals to hit before you cross the finish line.

I hate this. In standard Citi fashion, they're trying to milk me for whatever my remaining days in Citi are worth. And, what's worse is I'm giving in to it. All in the name of not burning my bridges, lest I somehow find myself back in those hollow banking walls, by some cruel twist of fate. You never know. I might just come back to Mama (ugh!)...

I can sigh and cry all I want, but I'm still gonna finish all these anyway. How sad. I work too much for my own good.

What does keep me sane, though, are two things:
1. my Citi-gal pals: They drag me off my chair to steal away for a cup of coffee, usually right when I need to the most. They let me rant and complain and bitch about whatever my problem du jour happens to be at that time. They take my side in arguments and sometimes even help me fight my battles. Truly, I've come this far because I've had such a great support group by my side. They're not just colleagues-- they're great friends. I'll surely miss them when I go...

2. my darling beau: He makes me smile even if we're not together. He knows what to say, when to say and how to say just the right thing to make me feel better. Most of the time, right in the middle of chaos, I get a text from him that manages to take my mind off my problems for a few blissful minutes. My friends often tease me about my up-in-cloud-9 smiles and faraway looks, and they know immediately the reason why. Well, what can I say, I love the guy :)

I'm soooo counting the minutes, hours, days and weeks until I finally leave Citibank. I know it's been a good training ground for me, and I probably wouldn't know what I know now had I not chosen to spend my career's early years in there. I know they've been good to me and have rewarded me for the blood, sweat and tears I've poured at their feet. But I also know the time has come to move on.

I just wish that that time hurries up and gets here already. I'm itching to move... and dump all this remaining work on some other poor sucker's lap.

true love...

The only daughter (and child) of Japan's emperor relinquished her throne as princess in order to marry a "commoner". After the wedding, she'll move from the royal palace into a regular apartment owned by her urban-planner husband. She'll also give up her royal allowance and start working within a household budget. All because she'd rather be a commoner along with the guy she loves than be a princess and be all alone.

Awww... And they said it only happens in the movies....

early christmas

Christmas came early in the Co household. I came home this evening to discover our Christmas tree has already been set up! :)

In the spirit of an early Christmas, I hope to start on my Christmas shopping soon. Perhaps this week. Might as well get it done before the real holiday rush comes in and I'd resort to panic buying =P

i did it!

Effective December 9, 2005, this girl ain't a Citibanker anymore.

What relief!

What excitement!

I can't wait!

tempted

I'm so tempted to accept the offer.

Better pay, better boss, better benefits, higher level, more challenges, more interesting work, travel opportunities, better exposure, office is closer to home...

Am I missing something else or is there no contest?!

What a week!

It's been a great great week! God should really make more of this sort of week. This is what people need-- not those work-packed, overstressed ones that everybody can certainly live without.

After a failed attempt to land in Kalibo, FILC finally arrived in sunny Boracay on Nov 1 and spent a glorious 4-days there. Needless to say, paradise still looked just as I remembered. Beautiful, peaceful, perfect.

Well, during the day, that is. Sadly, I didn't really see much of its nights, as I spent them cooped up in bed, bathing myself in White Flower, watching crappy TV and talking to my beloved as he tried to make me feel better as much as he could from a million miles away. What's so strange is that my tummy only acted up at night! When the sun is up, it's a-okay. But as it sets and darkness falls, parang it misses the sun so much it starts grumbling and complaining. Hay.

Anyhoot, looking at the bright side, I got a semi-tan (as usual, my skin only keeps the semi-tan for about half a day or so) and got to bond more with my beautiful sistahs. Will definitely do it again, though next time our resort of choice shall veer more towards the higher-end (codename for cleaner, bigger and better-smelling) of the available choices.

As soon as I landed, I couldn't wait to see my beau again. I missed him so much! As this was our first time away from each other for that long, we both suffered some separation anxiety and really bad withdrawal symptoms. When we saw each other again and went out to a movie and dinner date, I actually felt naninibago, as if it was weird to see him again (in a good way, of course). I missed you, babe!

Oh, and my parents definitely have a strange way of missing me. I discovered when I got back that my mom had bought me a beautiful, super elegant Jessica McClintock evening bag. For no reason. Just 'coz. Haha! I love being an only daughter! It certainly has its perks :) Imagine, ako na nga itong umalis, ako pa ang may pasalubong!

After a glorious week at paradise and a glorious weekend with my baby, I guess I'm ready to go back to work tomorrow. Well, this week starts off with a meeting with Company S, where hopefully my deal with them pushes through and I'll be off to greener pastures sooner than I expected. Wish me luck! :)

What a great holiday! I wish every year has a week like this. A week full of friends, bonding, laughter, great experiences, sunny skies, a great boyfriend, and a really really nice evening bag. Life can't get much better than this :)