Monday, January 28, 2013

DFA Stress

I'm so worried that I may not be able to make it to my flight to SG on Feb 15 :(

I set an appointment for passport renewal early January, and the earliest available date was on January 28 (today), but the site said that I could get my passport as soon as 7 working days after if I availed of the expedited process, for an extra fee of course. So I was comfortable in the assumption that I could get my passport on Feb 6 at the earliest.

When I got to the renewal office, however, there was this announcement that the passport printer in BSP is broken so there will be extra delay. The poster said 5-7 days delay or more, but still, I was hopeful. An hour after and it was finally my turn, and I was accommodated by this woman who crushed all my hope. She said that the earliest possible date I could get my passport is on Feb 15, the day of my flight, but I shouldn't get my hopes up. She forced me to sign this waiver even.

Oh, sigh. Now I'm calling up people trying to find a way to make things work. I can only hope for the best.


Friday, January 25, 2013

On Unconditional Love

How can you tell if someone loves someone else unconditionally? Is there really such a thing?

Is love conditional when you expect to be treated well in a relationship? Or a friendship?

Where do you draw the line between loving unconditionally and being taken advantage of?

Your opinions would help.

I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now.


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A lesson about patience

I got so angry at work earlier that I was literally red in the face.

This chief of staff of some congressman person was doing a follow up on his boss's project. He was having a bad day. He said that he was talking to my boss and then my boss said she would meet with him yesterday but didn't and their meeting was postponed to Friday but then he was texting and calling my boss but she didn't respond and so now his boss just sent him to our office so he'll know what to do.  My boss wasn't there so I was the one who entertained his inquiry.

He was so rude, he was almost shouting at me. He kept referring to his conversation with my boss he had earlier that day which he insists I should have known about. I was asking him information about his inquiry but he just said things like "ang sabi kasi ganito... bakit kasi hindi mo alam?". Ugh, so frustrating. He was talking down on me! Eventually I just asked him to wait while I figured his case  out. I felt so insulted with how he treated me, and I really thought of him as a horrible person. Fortunately, my co-workers were there to appease me somehow.

After I calmed down and thought about it, I understood where he was coming from. He was frustrated, because he wasn't getting what he needed for the longest time, and maybe his boss was also giving him a hard time. He was having a bad day, and that's probably why he was like that with me.

I then remembered the times when I was having a bad day. Was I also like him? Did I also unknowingly treat people badly? Most probably. I remember myself snapping at cashiers or call center agents, or even my friends and family whenever I was having a hard time. Of course then, I was so preoccupied by whatever issues I was having that I didn't even consider how they felt. Now I know. It feels awful. Even if afterwards when I came to my senses I understood where that man was coming from, at that moment when he was almost shouting at me, it felt awful.

This is why from now on, I have to constantly remind myself to be more patient, and be more sensitive. No one deserves to feel awful. I don't ever want to make anyone in my life feel how I felt earlier today. Even if I know that the people closest to me will probably understand and still love me if I snapped at them, I have to do my best not to.

Anyway, I was able to help this guy after I made him wait. When I got back to him, he was more calm. Judging by the tone of his voice, I knew he wanted to apologize for how he acted earlier. I just smiled and sent him on his way.

So yeah, I need to be more patient. It's nice how I learn things :)

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Happy Sunday! :)

I had a nice Sunday! :)

I felt a little sick in the morning, probably because of the Juju Cleanse I just had. Because of this, I wasn't able to do the Jessup footnotes for A. Cris. :( I hope she understands, and I hope she's not too stressed with Jessup.

It's a good thing that I eventually got better. I watched the Feast via the internet while recovering. Bo gave another good talk. He said: "Focus on the purpose, not the problem." When a person does this, eventually, the problem will become irrelevant. I will do my best to do this everyday. I look forward to the day when this heartbreak becomes totally irrelevant in my life. I am gifted with so many things and I know I have a special purpose in this world. I need to get back on track soon :)

Afterwards, I met with TIm in UP. I attended a Victory Church service. It was similar to the Feast, but it focused more on interpreting the Bible. I liked it when the people there prayed for each other. I felt the energy of their prayers.

After the service, Tim helped me buy my first Bible. I like it so much, it's pink :D. It's also very handy. I'm excited to read it. I hope I can get inspiration from it every day.

Tim introduced me to Ate Lyn, her helper, and Rai, her former classmate.

Rai seemed like such a bright person. She is taking her Ph.D. in Economics in Germany and is now on a research visit. I admired how she seemed so happy with what she is doing. I miss being like that. I claim that I will be soon! :)

We also ran into Kuya Jules, a photocopy machine attendant in Law. He had a heart attack recently, so we wished him well. He said he was looking for alternative methods to heal his ailment. I just hope our prayers for him will help.

Tim and I decided to have lunch in PB Co. I was so excited to eat after my cleanse! I had the Diablo Fish Pasta with half a Sesame Peanut Butter sandwich on the side, and Iced tea. I wasn't satisfied afterwards, however, so I had another half sandwich of Sesame Fried Fish. :) So yummy! :)

I then attended Tim's small group. My good friend Dianne joined us. The Bible lesson this time is about Manna and Quail. The moral is, sometimes, even when we are so blessed, we complain, because we focus on our problems. This is part of being human. However, we must always keep in mind that even during out toughest times, God will always give us enough (like the Manna and Quail). This message is so perfect for my situation.

I need to remind myself that I am so blessed with my health, resources, family and friends. No matter how sad I get, and no matter how tough things get for me, I have enough. I have enough to get me through this.

I am so excited! It feels like I'm finally getting the fresh start that I want.

I plan to start these habits starting tomorrow:

- Come to work on time
- Exercise after I wake up
- Clock in 3 hours of study time

I'm also thinking of doing a fast, but more on this later.