I Am The Walrus

Ironic that a teeny tiny third world country like ours seems (so far) unfazed by the US recession. So far, everyone I know still has their jobs, still can afford their daily dose of Starbucks and still can drink their body weight every Friday.

Someone very close to me works for the hotel industry in the US and, as you know, during these hard times, recreation is the first one to go in anyone’s budget — be it corporate or individual clients. He’s one of the many Americans who are looking at their future with doubt and its causing so much anxiety, which is all too understandable.

I’ve advised him that there really is nothing else to do but stay positive and be thankful for the things he has now. And I’m reminded of my friend’s blog a while back when she practically confessed that she finds my positivism annoying hahahaha.

But really, there’s just a point when there’s nothing else to do but sit back and let the universe do its work for you. No matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, there’s just a time when you’ve done all you can and you just have to leave it to God.

My friends have come to me with a variety of issues:

1. “Wala akong boyfriend. Di naman ako pangit”

2. “My boyfriend doesn’t want to get married yet”.

3. “I’m the only sane person in my family, to think I’m the youngest”

4. “My job sucks, my salary sucks and my boss don’t understand.”

5. “I have the most difficult client in the roster.”

6. “My boyfriend is wonderful but my parents don’t like him because he has children.”

And my advice is the same, all the time. STAY POSITIVE. There’s always a silver lining, there’s always something to be thankful for.

Just having your whole family safe and in good health all day every day is something to be thankful for.

Having food to eat on the table everyday. A roof over your head. Clothes to wear.

Money for massage and a pedicure. Or, for the guys, a Lacoste t-shirt.

And people who love you. Oh, my dears, it’s always worth celebrating when you think about all your friends and your family who pause from their busy lives just to say “Hoy, pare, buhay ka pa ba?”.

During crises like these, whatever their form — financial, emotional, spiritual— it’s convenient, hell it’s even fun to turn to self-loathing and wallowing and trapping yourself in a bubble. I understand that, I love to wallow. But like Obama said in his speech, it’s time to dust off oneself and … make this country great again. Huh? What? Yeah, you know what I mean….

I always share to people my daily ritual of going out of the house first thing in the morning and looking up the skies. Whether it’s all blue, kind of cloudy, or raining like hell, I say thank you. Thank you if it’s blue because I love blue skies. Thank you if it’s cloudy then it means it’s not too warm to walk. Thank you if it’s raining because I have an excuse to wear tsinelas to work.

You just need to take a step back, take a deep breath, look at what you’ve accomplished, and as for all the other worries, just say “Hey, Man (God), it’s all you. It’s up to you. I trust you. You haven’t failed me yet. You did that separating-the-ocean thing for Moses, I’m sure you can help me out of this rut.”

And, as I’ve told you (you, Hotel guy, and you, all my friends) I’m just here.

-0-0-0-

Addendum: Thought about this while at the supermarket. I realize that the reason people find my positivizing philisophy annoying is because I also “tend to” (hehehe) provide — nay FORCE! — a solution to other people’s problems because I like to fix things (or think that I fixed something hehehe). And I apologize for that. Truly, my words can only go so far. Hell, my life’s not perfect either (if you only knew hahaha). But let me assure that it comes from a good place and if I had a magic wand that could solve our collective dilemmas, I will.

You just have to keep on keepin’ on. Yes, I quoted Joe Dirt.

Breakfast

You can basically do whatever you want during breakfast — eat a whole ham, for all I care. You’ll burn it (or half of it at least) with your normal daily activities. My personal prefernce is half a cup of rice, fried egg, and hotdog or ham or meatloaf — just like the good ol’ days in Rodic’s at the UP Shopping Center.

Oatmeal and cereal are good too because they have the fiber that you’re going to need for the daily morning pre-bath poop. My favorite oatmeal flavor is Fish and Onion which I rarely see in supermarkets now (sad) and my favorite cereal is Honey Bunches of Oats which i DON’T see in supermarkets now (tragic).

But if you could, don’t do the sugar rush breakfast. For a couple of years, I worked for an office that had a Mister Donut kiosk in the building and I ate donuts everyday for breakfast. It’s all carbs with no real value and it’ll cause cavities. Donuts, as wisely marketed by its brand managers, are meant for kids because they are active enough to burn it. We old people can’t even inhale it without gaining weight.

Morning Snack

I usually keep a pack of fig newtons or 100-calorie-oreo packs in my drawer for my morning snack which usually occurs around 1030-11am (around the time I get to work ngyahahaha). Hunger pangs must not be ignored but at the same time, not overly indulged. A small pack of peanuts can also work for these in-between meals.

Lunch

Well, there is a myriad of lunch opportunities. At this point, you can still eat whatever you want. However I choose not to overstuff myself as I tend to get sleepy. So here are my usual lunch preferences (at work. At home I usually have no choice but to eat the fried dalagang bukid and ginisang ampalaya my mom has prepared hehehe).

1. Japanese - bento boxes are cool but I like my share of sushi, sashimi and maki. My usual Teriyaki Boy order consists of California Temaki (what I’d like to call Japanese shawarma), unagi sushi and miso soup. Or teriyaki chicken udon and unagi sushi. Japanese soups are good for you. They taste great, rich in protein because of the tofu, and not as rich as, say, clam chowder.

2. Chicken - I can never get enough of Kenny Roger’s Healthy Plate. It’s 1/4 roasted chicken, some salad, some fresh fruit (pineapples, apples, peaches), a corn muffin and a lite iced tea. It’s priced the same as a KFC fully loaded meal but not as fully loaded in carbs and calories (rice and a side of mashed potato plus a brownie? Might as well munch on a sack of rice). Plus! Kenny’s is probably the only fastfood in this country that has fresh fruit and vegetables. So frequent it.

3. Italian - Pizza and pasta are really for days when you intend to run a marathon hahaha. Almost always I gain an extra pound after a pizza or pasta meal. No wonder Marlon Brando and James Gandolfini are pudgy (but not De Niro and Pacino? Because they run after bad guys?). But I do have a favorite pizza (I’m not sure they still serve it) — Shakey’s Friday Special. Anchovies, shrimps, cheese and garlic — my oh my. Perfect with a coke.

My favorite pasta is puttanesca which I try to sample every time I see it on any restaurant’s menu. So far the best puttanesca places have been Mario’s in Tomas Morato and Chocolate Kiss in Roces. I think I finished a pound of pasta puttanesca in Chocolate Kiss, to the surprise (and delight) of fellow foodie Fafi. (FFF!)

4. Chinese - Chinese food would be the Asian equivalent of Italian eating — no good can ever come out of it hahaha. The rice is fried in oil, the dumplings too, thick spare ribs, not to mention cancerous MSG. But you can’t go wrong with noodles, you’re better off with it than rice. I like mine with chunks of beef or a few pieces of wanton.

5. American - Burgers. Blech. Since I had Cojie, I’ve had an aversion to beef. So in places like McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, I usually opt for a fish fillet or chicken fillet sandwich, which is healthier anyway. Wendy’s Shrimp Sandwich is good every year even if they only have it during Lent.

We’re in the subject of sandwiches anyway, might as well go for a sub. Ah, Subway. It’s my pat-on-the-back for a job well done, or a chocolate-equivalent when I’m depressed. There is a single Subway outlet in Quezon City (that I know of) and that is in Crossings in Scout Borromeo. Turkey Sub with everything on it, plus extra olives and jalapeno. Plus it’s right next to National Bookstore?? How can you go wrong?

6. Filipino - Wala kang magagawa. Wala ka nang pera. Wala man lang pang-2-piece chicken sa Jollibee wahaha. Diyan ka na lang sa cafeteria sa baba. Pasensya ka dahil hindi Sbarro ang nagke-cater ng cafeteria niyo (at pasalamat ka din kasi pag nagkataon wala ka namang mabibili wahahaha). So ano pipiliin mo? Eh di buhay bahay ka — pritong isda, isang gulay. Kung may canteen na malapit sa inyo na pwedeng magbenta ng kalahating order ng adobong kangkong o ginising sitaw, umorder ka. Ano ba naman ang P20 para sa kalusugan mo?

Afternoon Snack

See Morning Snack. But I usually have coffee in the afternoon which is perfect with a cookie. Choose oatmeal over chocolate chip. Or a carrot bar over a brownie.

Carrot bars/cakes are awesome if you give it a chance. My discovery of the day — Carrot bar in Bo’s Coffee (with free wifi!). Walnuts and cream cheese on top. It’s a Saturday and I just worked 5 hours, this carrot bar is God’s gift from heaven.

Dinner

Dinner is the most challenging meal of the day for me. Especially if I’ve been particularly disobedient earlier in the day (Why? Why did I eat that ice cream stick?!). Today I realized the perfect dinner place.

Kaya. Go Koreans.

Where else do you get vegetables for appetizers? (remember, in Dencio’s or Gerry’s, their idea of an appetizer is chicharong bulaklak). You get the kimchi, the bean sprouts, the spinach, the tiny shrimps — lovely. You can have the japche, the chewy glass noodles or you can have the bulgogi or the korean beef stew. You don’t need rice and you won’t notice anyway. You’re stuffed from the veggies.

Salads are best for dinner too. I would recommend Figaro’s chef salad because it’s wonderful. Ham and cheese slices, hard boiled egg, red and green bell peppers, olives, salad greens, vinaigrette. Lovely. Figaro Gateway has free Wifi by the way hahaha.

I am not one to recommend protein shakes or meal replacements because they give you cravings later on. But if I should, I would reco that concoction I’ve written before, Fruit Magic’s Nutty Oaty. Banana and peanut butter and oateal and a scoop of protein powder. Four hours later, you’re running to the bathroom. So it’s a meal and a laxative at the same time! Who needs xenical? Wehehehe….

I remember the late Doreen Fernandez. She had the world’s most awesome job. Eat food and write about it. How great is that. While I have to encode a thousand ad placements over the weekend for a Monday meeting.

So I threw that aside for a bit and wrote this down.

And now you just read it.

Addendum to entry http://anagrrrl.blog.friendster.com/2008/08/21st-century-upcat/ 

My nephew passed the UPCAT. Hurray! He however didn’t get the course he wanted, but he’s going to UP Diliman definitely. I told him he should get Math or Physics because if he wants to go to engineering, the subjects would be similar. Plus Math and Physics majors are cool. Hahaha.

Addendum to entry http://anagrrrl.blog.friendster.com/2008/11/packed-up-saturday/

Cojie’s grades still bother me. His lowest is 90%, highest is 93%. I worry that he will be ruled by these numbers the way I was. After an exam, he would be very conscious of the number of mistakes he made instead of the number correct answers he had. That could be a very frustrating habit in the long run.

Addendum to entry: http://anagrrrl.blog.friendster.com/2008/02/joy-in-pain/

Uh. Well. Nothing to add. This is just for Joy a.k.a. Extra Rice to read so she could laugh about it.

Addendum to entry: http://anagrrrl.blog.friendster.com/2008/03/viruses/

This one should be hilarious for Fafi. Laugh it up, girls. That’s what those morons are there for.

Addendum to entry: http://anagrrrl.blog.friendster.com/2008/12/im-afraid-to-fly/

I didn’t fly. Maybe I’m not that kind of a bird. Maybe I’m an ostrich or a penguin. Hahaha.

Addendum to entry: http://anagrrrl.blog.friendster.com/2009/01/wait/

Still waiting for my life to change. Still waiting for THEM to rock my world.

So I’ve been told. And I shouldn’t complain, you know. My life right now is crazy exciting. So exciting I still can’t tell people about it! Or them. How do you pluralize “it”? Because there are two “it’s” and both are situations where I have to wait.

One, I have to wait for a couple of weeks, according to reliable sources. The other, I have to wait for a couple of months, according to a reliable source. Both occurrences are about to change my life drastically. And something new happens everyday, every week, that I feel like I’m on a different roller coaster — each one more heart-stopping that the next.

I sometimes think, “Hey, my life wasn’t so bad without all this. I had my kid. My family. My job. My friends.” Sometimes it scares me when change happens even if it’s a good thing, because even good things bring with it complications.

I watched “The Other Boleyn Girl” today and the epilogue talked about Henry VIII failing to produce a male heir to replace him but was eventually replaced by his daughter by Anne Boleyn (who he had beheaded) who was the red-haired (future Queen) Elizabeth. And I wonder about Anne Boleyn. If she had known that her daughter would be one of the greatest monarchs that England has ever known, in return for her beheading, would she have felt better about it? If God himself told her “Hey, we have to chop your head off, you’ll desert your only child, you’ll be humiliated in front of thousands. But your little girl’s going to be Queen and she’s going to kick the ass of her father, the King — the one that practically swung that sword? you remember —- as ruler of Englad. You still good?”. Would she have said, “Eh, what the hell. Bring it.”

That’s what I feel like right now — my head’s going to be chopped off. A lot of people are going to hate me in the next few weeks and the next few months. I’m going to cry a lot. I’m going to raise my voice in arguments. And yet I look forward to it. If only to produce Queen Elizabeths.

My horoscope last year (for year of the snake) read that 2008 would be a so-so year and it definitely was not. It was a so, so, so much (fill in noun) kind of year. So much pain, so much excitement, so much travel, so much stress. Not a day was so-so. 2008 was a rockin’ year, and I tookit all — triumphs and failures, happiness and sadness.

It’s only January and I know for a fact that 2009 is going to majorly trump the craziness that 2008 was. In terms of my career, my family life, my friendships, my personal life — I am going to be laughing and crying this year, hopefully more of the former.

And you know what? I’m scared out of my mind. I’m scared to go back to work on Monday, even. Given the consequences I have really yet to share.

Things are going to change. People are going to change. A lot of people will love me.  A lot of people will hate me. It’s just one of those things when you have to think of what’s good for everybody, no matter who gets hurt.

Like that Rotary Club motto.

But I’m powering through. I’m letting things happen to me. I’m going to laugh and cry my way towards the end of 2009 as I always do year after year.