Not as bad as I had thought...

Monday.

I'm not complaining at all.  Not anymore. Hopefully not ever!

We reached our garage from our trip to L.A. at exactly 12:52 am, we put some stuff away until we couldn't hang anymore and decided to leave some things strewn around by our humble foyer. I was having a little bit of sinus congestion and dry throat so I turned my new bestfriend on...that's my new Vick's humidifier by the way, and then went to sleep.

Thankfully, I didn't oversleep. Monday meant the official run of our upgraded computer system, no ifs, ands or buts. Sink or swim. We had a few trial runs with the upgraded software last week, but we didn't encounter any glitch. Kinks usually show up on the actual things anyway, so I was holding my breath for that.

Thankfully again, now almost a day into the new one, I think it's not as bad as I had thought...

Everything's manageable, no major mishaps so far, even if my brain accidentally jumped out last night somewhere in a pothole by Interstate 5.

Sometimes, our fears are way bigger than the actual thing itself.

I don't even know why I'm trying to pull out a word of wisdom out of this experience. The computer upgrade is too menial of an experience compared to my bigger scheme of things.

But maybe that's how the wise come to be.

My Take on Imaginary Friends

=special thanks to my couzin annie who shared "ivan" to me=

I've never felt so beguiled and enamoured (I think "smitten" is more like it) by a character in a book as I've been by Ivan of Cecelia Ahern's "If You Could See Me Now". A real charmer. And he's not even a real person.

But then, how do we prove what's real or not anyway?

You see, Ivan is an imaginary friend. And the book showed a never-been explored side of imaginary friends, their own thoughts and feelings -- what makes their hearts sing and what makes them weak on the knees. It's such a wonderful modern-day tale that crossed the boundaries of usual paradigms we were raised to believe.

Are they real? Or are they real in a totally different sense? I personally think they are.  After all, THOUGHT IS REAL, PHYSICAL IS THE ILLUSION.

Imaginary friends or imaginary companions are pretend characters often created by kids.  According to Wikipedia, "imaginary friends often function as tutelaries (or perform a tutelary function) when they are engaged by the child in play activity. Imaginary friends may exist for the child into adolescence and sometimes adulthood. Imaginary friends often have elaborate personalities and behaviors. Although they may seem very real to their creators, studies have shown that children understand that their imaginary friends are not real.^" According to several theories of psychology, an understanding of a child's conversations with their imaginary friends can reveal a lot about the anxieties and fears of that child as well as the child's aspirations and perception of the world. Some children report that their "imaginary friends" manifest themselves physically and are indistinguishable from "real" people, while others say that they only see their friends in their head.

I believe that imaginary friends serve a purpose.  They are there to answer a child's undefined needs. A child unconsciously creates a character in his mind that fulfills what is lacking in his environment, whether it is deeply-rooted such as love and affection or as basic as company, a "buddy" to play with.

According to Wikipedia, a long-time popular misconception holds that most children dismiss or forget the imaginary friend once they begin school and acquire 'real' friends. According to one study, by the age of seven, sixty-five percent of children report that they have had an imaginary companion at some point in their lives.Some psychologistshave suggested that children simply retain but stop speaking about imaginary friends, due to adult expectations and peer pressure. Children have reported creating or maintaining imaginary friends as pre-teens or teenagers, and very few adults report having imaginary friends. This may, however, signal a serious psychological disorder. Disturbing, hhhmmmmm...

This sends my mind careening wildly into the past. This imaginary friend hype joggled my memory of Jack. Let's just call him Jack because I have forgotten his name since I stopped talking to him when I was around 6 or 7 years old.

Like Ivan, Jack isn't a typical same-aged imaginary friend. Jack (who looked more like a "David" but let's just call him Jack) was perhaps in his early thirties when I first met and "adopted" him. I was maybe four then. I saw him at this department store my family frequented when I was young. It's called ShoeMart.  If you're from the Philippines, you'll know what I'm talking about. ShoeMart then was a small department store compared to the huge empire that it is now.

Jack wore a pair of faded denim bell-bottoms, a white t-shirt and a faded denim jacket. If I remember correctly, he sported a wide black worn-out leather belt and a pair of shiny black shoes. You see, Jack was a store mannequin. In an instant, I was captivated by his smile, his towering height next to me, and a seemingly indestructible build radiating strength and security (hard plastic and plaster, what can you expect?)

Jack and I had wonderful days as friends. He always played with me when he's not "working", brought home food (since we were in the topic of children's needs, that was probably my basic and most sought-after need as a child, hhmmmm), he gave me little trinkets, and we traveled everywhere, parks, the circus, my grandmother's garden. And oh, his wallet. I remember he had a leather wallet too, but he didn't have a lot of money. And I thought he was always sad and tired, but helping him out and being a good friend to him brought me joy. I remember I would send him sandwiches to wherever he worked, and other shallow pretend play like that.

You know what I loved the most about my friend Jack? He always took me to the store where he worked (that, of course, was just pretend play). He told me to sneak in the fitting rooms and wait for him while he worked. He worked hard all day. Can you imagine trying to be a frozen statue and not being able to move all day just to sport whatever was the most popular fashion for that season? I'd wait for hours for him so we could play again and talk about so many interesting things. I remember the fitting room to be cold and clean and bright from the flourescent light. Sometimes he'd sneak in so we can talk about my day or introduce me to his friends and his friends' kids the same size as me. All of them, including the kids worked in that store. They were all mannequins. But they were all nice and good-natured, exactly how I wanted the world around me to be.

Jack was my imaginary friend. Or looking back now, I realize that perhaps, I was his.

 

PS. Did you have an imaginary friend too? What was he/she like? Tell me!!!

By the way, this book started out as my bathroom book (I read it one page per day, a little at a time) but as the story unfolded, I found myself cheating to no end until I got to the last page. If you're interested, grab the book now. I heard from a little birdie that Walt Disney already bought the film rights and will come out with the movie by 2011.

I still crave for more of Ivan. I'm still captivated by his charm and wish that his story never ended.  Perhaps it hasn't. How do we know anyway?

My Peter Pan

- originally posted in Coffee, Anyone? as a commercial post, duly edited to take out the commercial value -

My hubby's  excited he'll be turning 40 soon. If I remember correctly, I never even heard him say 39 when asked.  First it was 36...then 37...then 38...and then "I'm turning 40."

It's quite amusing hearing this young spirit chatter away like that. He's looking forward to aging! But that's a good sign. I know he's going to age gracefully and embrace the rust that will appear with time (including mine).

He's even got frames picked for future eyeglasses that he doesn't even need yet. He's too obvious in pushing the idea too, like complaining about a haze around images at night, or even dry itchy eyes (for prescriptions? try again). I think he's trying his darnest to sport some spectables as a form of 40-ish dashing debonaire fashion statement.

Then, he came home from a doctor's appointment once and was so darn proud of the inhalers and other breathing paraphernalia that he came home with. "I have bronchitis and I think I have asthma too!", he announced like it's a big milestone, laying them all out on a tray lined by a clean white towel in the bathroom, while doing a hilarious rendition of the cabbage-patch dance.

He embraces signs of being imperfect and weak but not to a point of trying to pull off a self-fulfilling prophecy. In fact, you can see that he struggles to prove otherwise.

I love his attitude! He's now even opening up to trying some of my beauty regimen to take care of his skin like my Oil of Olay Regenerist wipes and my secret to flawless skin facial foam wash. Far from being metrosexual still, but assuring me that he's starting to take care of himself no less.

I am also amazed at how dedicated a family man he has become. I flinched one time when his cousin tried to be cool by saying,"That's why I'm not married yet, so I don't have to ask permission from anyone if I want to buy something...and I can do whatever I want, whenever!".  Someday, dear, you'll grow up too.  Hubby still falls for toys for the big boys (those expensive Rolexes, guns and Beamers) but holds back in view of his priorities. He has gained my respect for that, especially when I know he wants them so bad.  He said he doesn't get affected if people sometimes kid him about not wearing the pants. The truth is, we are a team and he wants to wholeheartedly give his share to this very special team. I think it radiates from a sense of FINALLY being happy and whole.  You can't give yourself to anyone if you are still searching for parts of your missing self to begin with. He respects my opinions as much as I respect his. He even said one time, "I have found my ultimate purpose in life, and that is to keep my family happy. My girls, most especially" -- that means my stepdaughter and me.  That's why I'd like to give him the world as much as I can too. It is a mutual thing.

This chicks-of-the-past's former Peter Pan has finally grown up.

And this Peter Pan has chosen to grow old with me.

Off to a Good Start

 

Monday isn't cruel after all.

But I'm telling you, it ain't a breeze to combat the Monday blues, what with my knack for all things disastrous -- on Mondays. I woke up with hurting tonsils again. And I just finished my bottle of antibiotics!

With the hope of starting things right, I started my morning with a cup of a new brand of yogurt. New, for my stomach. A few minutes later, I felt so sick that I was ready to flip over in endless somersault to shake everything out of my system.

But I promised myself I'll make friends with Mr. Monday.

And I am rewarded for keeping a positive attitude.

First comes a free can of Coke, then comes F-R-E-E P-I-Z-Z-A!



I know, it looks more like chowmein than a slice of pizza, but that is so vegetarialicious good! Thanks to our baby shower at work for our IT guy's baby. She's already born too, so at 9 weeks, she came over to her baby shower here at work.

 

And then this:

 (for my Coffee, Anyone? site -- this is my second time to receive this...and it's not given by a fellow blogger, it's given by the admin staff of Bravejournal.com!) Please click on the button to view the main page where my site is announced. Hurry as I only have one week of fame...) And MONDAY is almost gone!

So...Monday and I are calling it a TRUCE!

Thank you, Bravenet! Thank you, blogsphere!

And if you have time, please visit these lil guys too:

Wonder Wifey

Clarisse After Dark

If you do, Monday and I will truly be BFF for life!

Take your Time

I decided that I'm going to change my attitude toward Mondays from now on.

I won't rush into the day, I'll take my time, I'll cherish every second.

I'll live for the present hour instead of the next.

I will not wait impatiently for the clock to do its job. Instead, I'll will make the clock wait for me as I do my job.

And I will try to give my heart to everything, my work, the food I prepare, the chores, even the casual conversation with hubby and friends. I will not float somewhere else. I will be with the moment, stay at the moment and focus on the moment.

TAKE YOUR TIME, EVERYONE! And have a great week, even before the weekend starts!

What! It's Friday again!?!

Days travel in the speed of light these days. It's Friday again! The weekend is always a welcome treat that we always look forward to. Perhaps, that's why the days seem to whiz by like bullets these days. The week is reduced to nothing but a mad scramble toward another weekend.

Maybe we shouldn't look forward to the weekends too much then. The cumulative rush brings us to a future that we usually find ourselves not ready for yet. Kids growing up too fast, old people getting even older (and then we resist the thought of them succumbing to illness and death), important and memorable events with loved ones soon being over, projects finished, another one started...our lives leaving us in restless wonder, where have all my days gone?

So instead of spending time spinning like anxious dogs chasing their own tails, let's slow down and start drinking in the cosmic serenity of the present moment. Every step we take (what's the rush?), every breath, every empty second. Stop and smell the flowers. It's been a cliche because it has proven its legitimacy through time.

Perhaps I should start enjoying, milking every second and maximizing my Mondays.

Let's not rush into the weekend. Because in so doing, we might end up not as parched for a weekend respite after all.

The Future of Blogging

Just so you'd know, I'm thinking of you. Yes, you, whoever you are reading this.

But I am not in the mood to write, or rather, write about anything in particular. Like I've never been aimless or pointless in the past! Yes, the paid projects have been put on the back burner because I just can't think.

I've been obsessed with enlisting my new project "Wonder Wifey" in different blog directories lately. A crashing headache, some floating sensations and amusing double vision later, it's still raking a whopping 0 in Page Rank. I'm not worried. It takes time. I am inclined to believe that the universe is waiting for me to finally make up my mind about what direction I'll take that blogsite to. Anywhere, except for plummet south. I hope. We'll see.

I realized that there is a tremendous benefit that one can get from blogging. I liken it to a hands-on school with self-directed training on at least some computer fundamentals. I am willing to bet that each registered blogger can now write a short HTML or CSS code in her sleep.

The free vocabulary exercise is not to be ignored too. And don't forget, the free exercise of self-expression!

Blogging is changing society and the world.  It is redefining the way we relate to each other and to issues.  It helps us take away cobwebs from our minds and it irons out our thoughts for ourselves and for others. In effect, it is helping us grow.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates)

It is a fun and entertaining therapy for everyone too. We learn from people's experiences and points of view, and people learn from ours. We acquire more information than we normally would if we didn't blog, and we share more useful information than we normally would in the classroom or by just socializing alone. And yes, it is a double-bladed sword. Some people are able to tread private grounds without the subject's consent (Hi, Stalker from IL -- "I see dead people, but they don't know that they are dead"). But blogging itself is a blanket waiver. It is similar to opening a window when you want to let the good air in. The bad breeze whisks along with it.

 

Are we on the road to getting smarter? (or just more nosy?)

We have never imagined more than a decade ago that open journals will proliferate in the world wide web one day.

When Doogie Howser MD sort of introduced the concept (check this out: someone transcribed the shows into a real blog, THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF DOOGIE HOWSER,MD!), I've started blogging in my XT 286 PC back in that era of green monochrome phosphor screens. I still have my entries saved in those 5.25" floppy disks back home -- except that they probably wouldn't have withstood the test of time, now moldy, dusty and warped.  Plus, who has floppy drives nowadays?

Decades from now, are we all going to be walking geniuses who communicate and do everything with computers, shrinking the entire earth into a world of interconnected and networked societies, enjoying virtual relationships and friendships. (And even "consummations"?) 

I am scared.  Technical advancements are more than welcome. But I hope we don't forget the basics of which the tapestry of mankind is still woven from -- affection (a hug, touch or a kiss); being physically present on birthdays, graduations, little league events, Thanksgivings and other holidays; family, kindred spirits around a dinner table, three kinds of ice cream...LIVING, LAUGHING AND LOVING. 

If there is anything, I'm hoping that aside from photo and video applications, there would be some kind of smell-o-vision platforms!

You, where do you think are we heading after this?

Like in 2050 A.D.  A.B.  ("Ano Bloggini")...