Propinquity

I spent the other day with a guy I haven't seen for two years. His name is Jerome. He used to work with me in GoFluent and is so much younger than I am. It was spontaneous, have coffee and just hang cos he's studying for a client meeting. But of course, along the lines of talking, venting and bitch brewing about working, we had to talk about love, and life and breaking up and other things... 

He taught me the meaning of this word without so much as batting an eyelash. Propinquity. An age-old social science concept that makes me cringe because I hate subjectivity but nevertheless, astounds me. How many people in the world can you actually say you have propinquity with? 

There's just much to ponder. Why is it that people fall for someone whom they have something in common with? At the beginning of the relationship, you always tend to look for something in common, something that bonds you, something that unravels the person in front of you... 

Just yesterday, I spent time with Drei and Yogi. Drei himself being a victim of a long-term relationship break-up. That was propinquity. He loves documentaries, likes the Discovery shows, watches How I Met Your Mother religiously, drinks, smokes, born in August, intellectual, close to his immediate family, loves his friends and has common friends with me - PROPINQUITY. So what makes me not want to jump him? PROPINQUITY. Common friends, common issues, common baggage = more stress. 

The thought alone makes me want to question what the science of attraction is from the get-go. What is it that makes someone so irresistible that he/she/it would be the one? 

What exactly makes you want to fall for someone? And fight for it? 

The other day, the random man that I was in a flirtation (yeah, let's call it that, cos what the hell was it, right?!) with for 2 months has called it quits. He decided to date someone. He wants something serious which I can never (not now, maybe next year?) provide. I can give him all the coffee, ciggies, support, talking and even sexy times he wants but not what he may really want.  I decided to think that it's good for him because he is a good man, a very responsible and honest and wonderful (and oh my God, very sexy - damn!!) man. But my ego can't help but be offended by what happened. I was pretty close. Propinquity was there. Same thing - same baggage (his GF left him), same things we like (coffee and talk), same concerns (we haven't had sex for a while) and well, common fears (being the rebound person, among others). But he chose someone else, I guess someone with a clean slate with no onerous and ominous past. Should I have lied and said I was not in pain? Should I have lied and said I can be his everything? Should I have told him I loved him and made love to him even when I can't and couldn't? What is the basis of my propinquity with this man? If heartaches and break-ups were the only things we had in common (yeah, I think it was...in hindsight), why and how did we get pulled to each other? Was it just for physical reasons? (Yes, yes, in my mind, I am sexy too! PROPINQUITY!!! Damn it!). I think yeah... and along the lines, I misread and chose to ignore subtle signs that could make it work. 

I'm going to admit to only one thing and one thing alone... no matter what people say. I miss him, damned it. Fuck propinquity. 

Still Unhappy

I just got invited to go the Reserve, in Julio Vargas tonight. I turned it down. I decided to stay home cos my life shouldn't be a myriad of parties and endless drunken nights anymore. 

6 months without a love life - yup, he broke up with me, have you been keeping up?! 

5 months without guilt - finally, after a month, I forgave myself for supposedly ruining our relationship. Hey, he chickened out! 

4 months of being 29 years old - almost 30, damned it!!! 

3 months of being a good friend to my teammates at work - I am not the lone wolf anymore! 

2 months of being in a flirtatious thing with someone... girl or guy, I'm not gonna say, hahaha! 

35 days without alcohol - the get tipsy kind. Cos I had Jager last night and a little beer earlier. 

20 days of wondering when the heck my period is gonna come - doc placed me on another medication

10 days since my HPV shot - the price of being promiscuous (according to a good friend), in my case, just needed to cos the company will pay for half of it... 

4 days without excessive coffee 

N raised to the power of X as Y approaches zero days without sex - yeah, I really should have an animalistic bump and grind soon. 

So, am I still unhappy? 

Me last night, with one of my good friends, Cee Pua. 

Me, after work... Sans the make-up 

After chatting with a friend over coffee and cigs

Yogi buying me coffee with an artistic effect via the window... 

I am not unhappy. I'm actually relieved. This has nothing to do with the ex nor does it have anything to do with anything from the past. I'm just ready to live my life. 

On Oct 16th, I saw the worst of me. I hit rock bottom and really fell into a bad depression. No one can actually say that I didn't try, I didn't do my best to fight for the best that we can do. I actually did. I did my part and I can't be blamed anymore. I fought for us and fought for him... no matter what he or his family or his friends think. I saw Joyce, and told her about my dilemma. I cried for hours and believed that there is no one that can lift me up. I realized though that no knight in shining armor would come. I had to be my own messiah, my own savior. I am not going to wait for a man nor am I going to wait for a redemption. I had to be my own best cheerleader, my own ring leader, my own everything and I found myself to be stronger. 

This is the day I reclaimed my life from him and started living again. Jeoff is dead to me, at least the Jeoff I loved. I am dead too, but I remain alive and I try to retain that life. 

In My Head

Yup, this is my life. It's a myriad of parties, crazy and amazing nights out with friends and drinking sessions after work at this Mom and Pop place called "Whistlestop". I can say, I should be the envy of everyone I know. I personally think I drink too much, apparently, I can hold my alcohol anyhow. I haven't done anything stupid or crazy or God-forbid life-altering. I think hitting the right combination of slightly sleepy enough to not cry when I get home,  happy enough to enjoy any silly dare and sober enough to get home is a skill. Good thing I always hit it at 3 drinks. At the end of 3 drinks of mojito, or premium beer, I can head home, not cry and want to get enough sleep and yet, enjoy the company of the usual suspects I drink with. 

Ivan and Iris are two of my closest pals right now, prolly cos of the August connection. I don't know. 

Because of Ivan, I've learned to let things go slowly. I feel happier somehow... I think he makes me realize that tomorrow is always better cos I've never seen anyone so carefree yet so responsible at the same time. (Is that hard to imagine?!) I see myself in him somehow. He loves to have fun, go party on the weekends, have drinks after shift, take pics, watch movies. That used to be me! I used to want to have fun and my weekends used to be filled with so much wondrous events. 

Iris is a spitfire. She has a thing for several guys in the office and she flirts with them openly. It's so funny how she can get a guy super red in the face. Last 29th, she had a dare from her best friend, Cucci to neck with Ivan. It looks like they totally enjoyed themselves. Lolz. She even kissed Ivan on the dance floor. The only dare I was willing to do after a tall glass of Strawberry martini was to dance with Ivan in a seductive way. I just unbuttoned his shirt and pretended to straddle him but other than that, I wasn't in the mood to lick, neck or kiss anyone. I kind of wanted to get home and remove my curly hair wig, lolz. 

Iris' birthday bash @The Fort Piazza

So yup, they seemed like they had fun. I'm still trying to rest from my party the other night, at Icon. It was so weird seeing the Intercon for the first time since I was almost about to get married there. I saw the pool, the cute resto that I wanted to try, where I was supposed to get a complimentary breakfast as part of the honeymoon suite that I will get for my wedding. It was so odd, and yet I felt a peace that I can't explain. This was the last step to truly getting over someone - the might have beens. The next step would be to be able to name him again on this blog and maybe to truly delete all the bad memories I have ever had, be more forgiving and be less pointed about what could be and what will be. 

Iris, Candy, Russ and Me... @Icon

I totally love my friends cos they're with me at any point. It makes me miss my married friends, but well, what are you to do? You don't like the same things anymore and well, sometimes, vices are the only things that hold you to someone. At least Ivan and Iris wouldn't reprimand me if I slept around, lolz, not that I do... 

I miss my friends. I miss Irish and Cym and Chloe, somehow, I know they miss me too. I was really tight with them when I had Jeoff, maybe because for some reason, I felt like I was going to have that kind of life... you know, young wife, about to be a mom, cooking for her hubby and I was going to totally love it. I was pretty sure of it. The sad part is, I ended up losing Jeoff over distance and time and space and while my plethora of friends and family think he's stupid to let me go, he's a much happier person now and he's bound to find the right girl soon. He made me want to be the wife... And now that I'm not going to be a wife, I think I have to keep on frequenting the clubs and going to parties to meet the one. I know that sounds like a crappy, sucky plan but maybe, when I meet the one, I can then do the couple stuff - you know, shopping for pots and pans with friends, grocery shopping, cooking on the weekends, having fun by the park... and not feel hurt or rejected at the end of the day. 

Oh well, someday, maybe when the time is right, he'll come to me and say he wants to get married. Maybe... 

Life After You

I have been working so hard that I have neglected eating or even grooming. I feel so tired all the time. It's weird, but at least I love what I do and that's what matters. 

I posted this song because someday, somehow, I wish someone will tell me the exact same words. I checked my email at work the other day... It's so sad. The Knot sent me and him another email. I suppose you're going to tell me "So what...?" It is just sad. No one expected my wedding to fall apart. No one expected that he'd fall out of love so fast. I met up with Irish the other week and she honestly told me that she wasn't fed up with me, she was fed up with what my ex kept pulling. That she had been on his side for all these years but she can't condone what he has done the last time. I felt sick talking about him but I know she's right. Talking about the pain will not only be healthy but will help me cope with the anguish I feel. 

It's so hard to explain to people why I hide. It's so hard to make people believe that I am okay. But while I never get any better inside, I get better at doing it. I am a facade of happiness and strength. No one knows every day I face the world with a broken heart and crushed spirit. No one cares anyhow... 

I do... I try to care. I try to care about me... I don't have any ill feelings towards him. It's just that, I believed even to the very last minute that we will work it out and we will fight until the end. The love that I felt for him is something I thought could carry me through every little trial in my life with him. I sincerely thought love was going to be enough. It turns out that life gives you a rough punch when all you wished for was a hand to help you up. The universe really kicks you when you're down. At that certain point in my life, I felt so low and then, I thought, just thought that he would slowly come to, slowly see that I'm worth something, anything - just a little drop of affection and all he had for me was hatred and anger. Until now, sometimes, when we talk, I feel the apathy. I don't know if he'll ever love me again. He probably never will. He probably never did... I was an idea of perfection and when I fell short of that, I was let go of. 

Ivan thought I was angry with him on his birthday. I don't know why and what for. Maybe because I presented our project alone. This is me... I am the lone wolf. I couldn't even trust my senior ISD to help me out. I think sometimes, I feel like I am the only one that can save something. Not because I'm cocky and arrogant, but because I have not had the chance to enjoy something so effortless and true. I thought I had and whatever I have done still fell short. Now, I slowly see myself working harder and harder at being happy, or at least trying to be. I'm getting better at hiding every damned emotion I feel, including anger and disappointment. I'm not jaded or angry. I am just getting amazingly excellent at shielding my emotions from public view. Even Irish got slightly fooled, I'm sure. Why did I let myself only open up to him? Now it's harder to show someone who cares what I really feel. When we started drinking, Ivan and Jessie were singing this song, called "Break Your Heart"... I think that's what I'll do to the next person that ever showed me that he cares - I'm going to break him hard. I don't want that... 

Life after you... and you're not going to read this but life after you sucks... Someday you'll know I'm worth it. Someday, you'll know that I am worth everything that you had to go through... I just hope that someday isn't too late for you. 

Very few people know about this blog so I tend to really post like crazy. It's almost impossible for me to not to, what with the heartaches I've been having over the past. I have been told time and again that this is not something fun to read and I always say that if you don't feel like reading it, you can always close the window. 

This is sadly, part of my life. I am coming to realize that a person who chooses not to love you will not love you. Much as I shudder to think that he will never love me again, it's really his choice now. I'm like a sitting duck, waiting to be boiled alive, waiting for him to really say, "I don't love you anymore." Honestly, this is the most depressed I've ever been in my life. Think of it this way... you're about to be left, but you're staying to either make the person transition better, because you don't want him to feel guilty or you're staying cos you have this 1% chance of saving the relationship or you're staying just so he won't get lonely when he visits in January. Ok, I lied, none of those are my reasons. I am staying cos I love him. I am staying cos maybe, at the back of my mind, I know there's no saving this, but I know I don't want him to feel guilty about leaving me. I am staying cos for some odd, maniacal reason, I believe somehow that two people who love each other don't give up. 

You know, I don't know where this is going. I terribly miss those moments when I know he can't live without me, and really looks forward to my emails. I think now, he just wants to not see or hear anything from me. I can't really relate what has happened before about his parents to what is happening right now, because for some reason, I really think it's his issue with his folks and not with me. If he loves me, as he claimed he did, when he asked me back, well, this shouldn't be happening. If this is what's happening right now, then maybe it wasn't love. I was a security blanket. I was just rebound... 

Oh, those times when he told me he can't believe that I said that we were just friends, that he can't take it. He promised me that he would spend 50 years if it takes that long to prove to me that he loves me, and to prove to the rest of the world that he does. Where is that now? What happened to us? Why do we lose our way so many times and no one apologizes for it? Why does fate allow this to happen? Do I really deserve this? Am I being punished for everything that I have done? I take back the words that I said before about a long-distance relationship. I claimed before that no one should suffer through it. I know now, that no one should suffer through a one-way road, waiting and suffering for someone to meet him/her halfway. 

I really think that somehow, someway, he really doesn't love me anymore. I feel so crestfallen right now. My confidence is at an all-time low. I sometimes wake up, fumed at what he's doing to me. If this is punishment for what I did, then I have suffered enough. If this is some way to be selfish, like having his cake and eating it too, then I probably could expect it from such an angry man. Sometimes, I really just want to tell him to leave me alone if he really doesn't want to make any effort to be with me. Sometimes, I feel like I should suffer through this and wait and believe in him as I did before. 

Earlier, I asked him, is it pathetic to keep hearing he loves me. The only thing he said was that he understands. 

No matter what I say, I still love him. I know I don't have any place in his heart right now. He always chooses something else over me as a matter of priority. I understand this fully. He has every right to do that, but I just wish somehow, he would learn to look into his heart and see that I'm worth loving...I am worth fighting for... 

Drama Queen

He sent me an email. Should I just pretend that nothing happened? No amazing epiphany occurred? I don't want the drama but every time I think I'm losing him, the tears fall down and I can't stop it. The fear is to lose him and yet, I push him away. In every moment when I try to love someone, something happens and yanks it all away. This is why I never could be happy. I think I'm cursed to live a life like this - always in pain and suffering and in constant fear that I'll lose someone. 

It's not fair to have this life. It's not fair to want something so badly that you can almost taste it, but it's isn't yours and may never be yours. The universe dangles it in front of you. But while the best things in life are free, you have to work for your own happiness. 

If you're wondering why I'm writing this down, it's for reference. Maybe because I need just one person to know and I know he doesn't even know I'm posting anymore. Maybe, just maybe, I could get through that one person to understand somehow where I'm coming from. He will never be named again in this blog for fear that somehow, in the next few weeks or months, he will not be someone that should be named. He may choose to be with someone else, or choose to be alone. Either way, it won't be with me. 

We just had a fight that lasted for two days. It outlined how he is angry that I ruined our chance at being married. Because his parents hate me now, there's no way they'll want to live under the same roof. They asked him to drive them to a retirement home. He talked about this old man who kept complaining that he was left there by his daughter. 

I know he feels guilty and so do I. But what am I to do? His parents accused me of insulting them without even talking to me about an email, about anything... 

I think that's when I saw the gleam of anger in his eyes. The same eyes that used to smile at me when we are talking and cuddling. Same beautiful brown eyes that showed me so much love now shows me this glazed facade that doesn't make sense to me. 

I prodded him to talk to me about it. Over the span of the few weeks we got back together, he has started losing interest in what I say or do. He emails but he's not like he was before - when we were happier. He is now morose, almost stand-offish. He would sometimes say things that are meaner than usual directed at me or things about our relationship. He would spend less and less time with me, until what is left is a Sunday evening talk and would sometimes even end in a fight. 

I told him I will absolutely face the wrath of his mother. If that's the only way to win him back, then yeah, I will do it. If I had to live under the same roof with them, day in and day out - cue music and really bad telenovela writing, with all the drama, I will live through that. 

But also yesterday, he wanted to see other people. Don't take it against him, it was my idea. Thikning that if he really loves me, he'll come back. No we didn't break up. He just wanted to see if he could really live without me. He's starting to doubt me, doubt if I can marry him and live a life that 

Sometimes, in some moments of your life, you wish that you were not there. That your brain would check out and never come back? Sometimes, you wish you were insane and that nothing anyone says could hurt you. Sometimes, you wish you had all the strength in the world to fight all the injustice that happened and somehow, shield yourself from so much pain. My spirit is so broken. I love him to bits but my spirit is so low right now, I could actually be in hell, or rock bottom whichever is lower. 

He now has every right and maybe, every intention to say goodbye. That fact alone is so palpable, I can't even begin to describe how much that really, really hurts. If my heart was a direct manifestation of what I'm feeling, I'm due for a double bypass surgery now, with a 50-50 chance of survival. My heart is bleeding out of its own crevices and there's nothing I can do to tourniquet the broken parts long enough to make it stop breaking even  more. 

I've been crying since I got home. I know that doesn't sound so healthy. That actually sounds pretty bad. In any case, this is what made me cry more. 

Live Like I'm Dying

Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up. We're hiding behind skin that's too tough. How come we don't say "I love you" enough, til it's too late... 

I just attended a beautiful wedding. It was superb. It was a classic theme, with gold as the motif. It was spectacular seeing people celebrating love. It was as if love was the free-flowing drink in the party and everyone was drinking out of it. I held tears that were meant for the bride and groom as they walked down the aisle and proclaimed their vows.

Attending the wedding made me realize a lot of the things that I want. Not in my wedding but in my life. And they say if you proclaim it and believe that you will get it, you will. I'm sorry if this will be one of those emotional posts. I'm still crying for the bad things that happened in my life. Whomever you are, a divorced mom, a funny friend, a loving daughter, a single man, a married husband, a dedicated wife - know that this is my perspective - my take on my life. 

I want a love that's true. Something that can't be taken away by time or distance or space or other people. I want a love that stands the test of life - a journey on its own, with no destination but with a clear goal in mind - that the journey is enjoyable, that it's full of affection down the road and nurturing experiences. I want a love that transcends through everything - people, places, lives... I want a love that consumes, not only me but the other person too. I want someone to be there for me - not because of obligation but because of real love, something that isn't forced and acknowledged but it should be something that reverberates within that person's soul. 

I want a love that has no exceptions. I want a love that grows and functions on its own - something that doesn't need to be directed but has its own way to guide itself. 

Yesterday, he mentioned that he doesn't want this to be an obligation. Yesterday he said that we need some time away from each other, because he wants to find out if he can't live without me. 

I want a love that lets me see bright, fresh colors. Something happy that really makes both of you happy... 

I'm sorry if this is becoming more of what is than what it is supposed to be. I just hope to see something other than the gray I see. Nothing breaks my spirit more than knowing that the love I seek is the love that I'll lose. He's slipping slowly into the night. Yesterday, we even thought of seeing other people just to make it work. But how do you make things work? Is it possible to make someone angry less angry? Is it possible to make someone who's hurt less hurt? Is it possible that two people in love can't find the words or the actions to say that they love each other? 

All I know is I love him. This is why this breaks me more than anything. This is why I am so hurt and sad and really depressed. This is why I can't see colors and I'm plunged into a dark, gloomy night. 

I wish we could see the dawn - just a glimpse of it. 

The iPod Game

I tend to torture myself with weird and vague questions about my life using my iPod. Today, I just uploaded a new playlist - the Sissy playlist. It's a collection of songs from boy bands - good, sad, painful and even funny ones.

Earlier today, Jeoff and I had the most painful fight ever. I just feel like he doesn't want to treat me fairly. He's an angry man. He believes to some extent that I ruined a possibly good wedding. That's beside the point though. In case you haven't been following what my life is about, that's okay. I don't really expect anyone to, considering half of my friends have probably given up on me.

Anyhow, this is going to be one huge word vomit so it better be at least over the top, cos it seems to be the running theme in my life. I think God is one mean DJ.

Yes, I play some stupid iPod game. Just now, I was relaxing in my room and decided to press shuffle on iTunes and asked God one random question. "What's gonna happen next?". It's so freakin' weird. Let me tell you what kind of songs I have on the Sissy playlist, alright?

1. On Bended Knee - It's from Boyz II Men which specialize in songs of regret...

Can we go back to the days our love was strong.Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong? 

2. Four Seasons of Loneliness - Again some weird song from Boyz II Men that sings of four seasons of loneliness.

This loneliness has crushed my heart. Please let me love again. Cause I need your love to comfort me and ease my pain. Or four seasons will bring the loneliness again... 

3. Total Eclipse of the Heart (by Glee) - Not that I had anything against the original version, I kind of needed a sissy playlist, remember? I had to go super ShowTunes by invoking the powers of Rachel Berry and the Kurt.

Once upon a time, I was falling in love. Now I'm only falling apart, nothing I can do... The total eclipse of the heart.

4. Everytime - From the Rhythm Nation diva, Janet Jackson. I badly wanted this song on my Sissy playlist cos it reminds me of High School and everything that was strange about it.

But everytime your love is near and everytime I'm filled with fear... cause everytime I see your face, my heart just begins to race everytime... 

5. Never Ever - This soulful song is from All Saints which may have been the basis for Val Kilmer's movie some odd years ago.

Never ever have I had to find, I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind. I've never had my conscience to fight. The way I'm feeling it just don't feel right. I'll keep searching deep within my soul, for all the answers. I don't want to hurt no more. 

6. Tearin' Up My Heart - Ok, this I don't have memorized. I remember it to be one of those break up songs too  from N'Sync.
7. Invisible Man from 98 Degrees - Yup, someone taken for granted.
8. All Rise - From Blue, which talked about universal love.
9. It's Gonna Be Me - From N'Sync again. Really freaky song about trying to win someone over and that the next time that girl will love again, it's gonna be them - sounds like a restraining order.
10. Other boy band and Glee songs that are bound to hurt you - Bad Romance, True Colors, My Confessions, Somebody to Love, You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Amazingly, what I got was I Do, despite the fact that I was talking to God and asking for a sign as to what I need to do.

In case you've been living in a cave, this is the video for that damned song...

 

God is an unfair DJ. He kind of makes you hope for something you've always wanted. 

Caught in a Bad Romance

So here I am again. Nursing a slightly broken heart. I have held off blogging about what had happened the past week, drowning myself in work, friends and more importantly, television. I've told the world what had happened to me and Jeoff's parents and well, sadly, it has not bore me anything new. It is the same problem and I have come to accept that it is not going to change. 

Jeoff broke up with me last week, Saturday, at 10.30 in the morning. Officially, we have called it quits. No wedding, no relationship, no nothing. I was again, pretty predictive in my last post. 

Jeoff emailed me and told me that he loves me and he will not be leaving me. He said though that he needs to colect his thoughts and will speak to me tomorrow. I think wait for a couple of weeks when your mother decides to never speak to you again for the rest of my life and let's see you pine for me still. Should I just do the right thing and let him go? I know how much he loves them. I just need to do the right thing and let him go and have him find some other woman whom his parents will love and I hope will love him more than I do.

Amazingly, I guess I know him well enough that he would always choose his family, a trait that sadly diminishes my priority in the hierarchy of things to do in his list and yet, made me fall for him even more. 

What is worse is that his father has fallen even more ill than before and now, he has slipped into a state where he has been repeating what he has been saying. It's a little nervous breakdown, brought on by the thought that their only son is leaving them to be with me. In case you're wondering why it's so bad to be with me, I can't give you the answer to that. But as my good friend Raika, has mentioned before. perhaps it's because every mother chooses herself to be template of her son's wife. I am not his mother. 

Surprisingly, I am calmer than most people would expect me to be. At work, no one knows what ordeal I faced and am facing except for a select few. Only one knows the story. I had told all my friends though, because I didn't want people to expect a wedding in October only to be disappointed that neither bride nor groom will show up. Superficially, I look fine. I know I look great, because make-up does amazing things that you body will not do for you. So do clothes. And finally, the posture, stance and grace should be there, beyond belief. I am an expert at covering up my true emotions, no matter how overwhelming they are - in the office and everywhere else. I think I learned that because I didn't want to people to feel obligated to care for me. Also, I don't want pity. I wanted genuine concern. In my process of coping with this so-called rejection, I timed my breakdowns. I wanted it everyday for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I would lie back, wipe my tears off and head down to wash my face and then, sleep on the couch. Why in the couch? My room was too painful a place to stay in. Pictures of us, stuffed toys, jewelry - everything he had ever given me lied in the 4 corners of the room. Every talk we enjoyed happened in that room. It was surreal. 

In the process of "decluttering" my feelings, I am most certain that I love him. I really do... In the back of my mind, I know it may not work, and I feel so powerless about it but I know I love him too much. So many questions, so much resentment and anger and regret poured into me. Discovering yourself in a frame of 30 minutes doesn't allow you much branching out into the psyche but I'm glad that I didn't push myself for more. I just think that maybe, if I allow myself an hour to cry hard, I won't be able to hide the fact that I cried.  

I am now at a standstill. I am caught in a bad romance... a very bad one. I don't want to be a friend but I can't be a lover. I love him too much but I know he has every issue in the world with me. I love him too much to give up but I love him too much to not give up. 

Life is fucking complicated. 

Maya Angelou's Still I Rise

Just needed some form of inspiration for today. I look to Maya Angelou for such inspiration and courage...

Still I Rise
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Beautiful Nightmare

Ok, so the tests were normal. I'm so thankful. The ultrasound turned out to be a good test after all. It showed a section of my breasts - axilla, lobules, almost everything that I was worried about. It's good that:

1. There were no lumps/bumps or bruises in them.

2. It showed me how much fat I had in my breasts

Haha! Ok, not exactly medical in my sense. I am trying to cut back on lots of fat. Less sodium, less carbs as well. I had a great awakening. It's scary to be fat nowadays, lots of pain in my back and I really wish my HMO would cover breast reduction surgery. I just saw a woman in TheDoctors episode crying cos she can't open the pantry cupboards cos her breasts get in the way. I don't want to be like that...

I think sometimes, people can obsess so much about death when they haven't really started living. I was so scared I was gonna die that I was convinced that I was indeed, about to. The pain was sort of a manisfestation of what I was feeling inside. I was in a tremendous amount of stress. Everything was such a pain. It was a pain getting up in the morning and a pain to go home at night. I was always pretty casual with my time, giving it freely to whomever needs it. Now, I need to relax and really prioritize things that matter to me. I know it sounds crazy to admit this, but as a manager - I suck at prioritizing. People do feel, probably, that I'm there all the time, but in all honesty, sometimes, I am just a shell of who I am.

I can't keep on taking on people who assign me their peace of mind. Sometimes, it becomes overwhelming that it has gotten to the point that it can cause severe breast pain.

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Disclaimer: Pardon my rants and I couldn't really think of anything to say. I just needed to get this off my chest primarily because I've been crying all night and I don't know how to handle myself anymore. I've not been diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and I've not been diagnosed at all. I will be diagnosed tomorrow. 

 

I just came back from the doctor today. And here I am, frantic about tomorrow... I don't even know where to draw strength or how to find grace in a moment like this. I'm scared.

I woke up Thursday afternoon last week, feeling pain in my right breast. Upon checking myself, I found a small lump on the right side of my breast. As you can imagine, this is something almost unbearable for a woman - to come face to face with the shocking truth. That primarily, I have been lazy to do my self-examination weekly. Now I should. Secondly, that I can feel so much pain in my breast that I would go to a doctor about it.

I've been awake for hours, wondering if I could go on like this. Questions started popping in my head, like what am I going to do...? Am I gonna be able to fight this...? Will I be alright...? All I could think of is the worst case scenario. Call me a pessimist but I believe that life isn't a fairy tale. And good people do die of horrifying diseases. I don't know if I've been good or bad, but I know one thing - I don't want to die of a horrifying disease.

I was watching that video in Youtube and I can't believe how much of it is exactly what I'm thinking. Why, what am I here for, what should I do... Mine is somewhat more selfish, I would have to admit but it makes me think of things like should I break away from people I know...? Should I still get married if this turns out to be serious...? Should I just disappear if it is...?

I know I'm jumping the gun but I feel so exposed. I feel so vulnerable. No one is even here with me. I don't want to tell my folks because I don't want to alarm them. I don't really want to involve my friends because they have their own lives to live. My fiance keeps telling me "It's nothing, it's nothing..." and it really frustrates me sometimes that he thinks it's nothing. It's my fight to keep sane and to keep healthy but on one hand, I really wish someone could provide me some comfort in telling me that they're going to be with me no matter what. Or someone could go with me to the doctor and give me a hug afterwards, or an effin' Prozac.

I've been crying since earlier. I don't really know how to stop. There's still pain on my right breast. I didn't ask for anything that would stop the pain, so I can feel exactly what it is tomorrow for the final check-up. They keep asking me what kind of pain it is and now, it's graduated from a dull, throbbing headache to something that seems like muscle burn. I don't even know why I'm crying. Maybe it's the pain AND the idea of losing a breast or worse...

SO what do I do if I have Breast Cancer? It's the Big C... The one that could take my life away... I know, I'm jumping the gun but if I do, what do I do? The world is stopping ever so slowly for me. It feels like I'm trapped in a time warp. Being in a hospital, facing your own misgivings in life (not being healthy enough, smoking, eating unhealthy food, staying up late), it is slapping me in the face... And what do I do if I was given another chance at this life? I don't want to die... I don't want to die...

Meeting Joe Black Again

Ooohhh... swoon!

Yup, I spent the evening playing with Jeoff's Resto City and Cafe World. I miss him so badly and watching the movie on a local movie channel just made me miss him even more... :(

He's on a family trip in Niagara. Supposedly someplace really romantic. I wonder if other long-distance couples ever feel this way. In fact, I wonder if Jeoff even feels this way. I really feel so bad whenever I see a romantic movie on my own. The kissing and heavy petting on screen makes me the kissing and heavy petting with him! Haha! I know, I know, too much info, but sadly, I would really love it if I can spend a whole month just being with someone I love.

We've been in a long distance relationship for almost 4 years now. It's crazy.

I am still swooning...

Flooded

Storms have come in and the last one was Ondoy - it's this terrorizing and traumatizing super storm that swept the whole of Manila in rains, winds, and flood. Hundreds have died and millions had to deal with damaged properties. It's a heartbreaking scene, looking at pictures of people whose homes have been ravaged and whose family members have left them due to this tragedy.

Let's not forget...

Good Girls Go Gaga

I don't really know why for some reason, I am loving this song. I don't intend to go bad anytime... nor do i have thoughtless friends. Just that it's stuck in my head for some reason...

I have come to a few realizations for my birthday and funny thing is, I don't really want to share them verbally. Better do it through my blog. Crazy...

   1. I don't process raw food...
   2. For some reason, I have come have aches and pains all over - I now use a bottle of wintergreen oil to get rid of back pains. Weird.
   3. I am crazy in love with nerds - Jeoff, Chuck and well, Superman - ultimate geek right? Lolz...
   4. I like Ube-flavored ice cream... Pretty crazy but I like it.
   5. I listen to Lady Gaga and I am not ashamed of it. Haha!
   6. I play Facebook games to escape reality - reality being deadlines, admin work and tons of crazy shit in the office.
   7. I am not meant to be in the political arena.
   8. I hate conniving and manipulative bitches who think they can get away with anything by raising their voices, flirting, showing cleavage and pretending they know all about Six Sigma Management Principles.
   9. Someday, justice will fall swift on people who owe me big time...
  10. I really want to get married, have kids and become a good wife and mother. I know no one sees me as that, considering how cutthroat I am but dear gawd, I'd bawl over for an opportunity to become Mrs. Jeoff Francisco now. I miss him.

Considering my top 10 list, I have to ask how people perceive me. I really have come to a point where I don't care. There are a lot of idiots out there and the only thing that matters to me is my family, who really should know me and who really should understand me. No one else needs to know who I am and what I am about except the people that matter. This is my bad phase I guess. I have been such a good girl for so long. People always need to be pleased but honestly, I don't care anymore. I'm turning 28. It's now or never...

Take Me Away

Take Me Away - Lifehouse

I totally feel this way...

So in love and so happy. When I arrived in the office, there was a box of roses waiting for me in my cubicle. Oh wow, I must sound so incredibly mushy today because for some reason, I can't stop smiling.

this time what I want is you
there is no one else
who can take your place
this time you burn me with your eyes
you see past all the lies
you take it all away
I've seen it all
and it's never enough
it keeps leaving me needing you

take me away
take me away
I've got nothing left to say
just take me away

I try to make my way to you
but still I feel so lost
I don't know what else I can do
I've seen it all
and it's never enough
it keeps leaving me needing you

take me away
take me away
I've got nothing left to say
just take me away

don't give up on me yet
don't forget who I am
I know I'm not there yet
but don't let
me stay here alone

this time what I want is you
there is no one else
who can take your place
I've seen enough and it's never enough
it keeps leaving me needing you

take me away
take me away
I've got nothing left to say
just take me away

take me away
take me away
I've got nothing left to say
just take me away

Girl Meets Reality

A funny clip from Will and Grace reminded me of this song. Grace's husband Leo leaves New York for business. It's pretty amusing because she pops on her video recorder and sings a song for her hubby. Comically speaking, it's one pretty funny idea.

I can't really imagine singing a song on a video. I have done it once. And I sent it to him. I doubt that I'll have enough gumption and courage to actually post it online. Nonetheless, I'm talking about this because he's about to leave again.

Earlier, whilst waiting for a cab, I can't help but be a little misty-eyed. Why does a great day have to end? I know that I have been "hogging" him the whole time, nonetheless, I wish that he will actually stay longer. I sincerely wish that the remaining week of his visit will run incredibly slowly. If I wait for him to come back, it would be 2010.

I know this seems like word vomit, but I am feeling mixed about this. I wish he can stay and I know that he has to go. I know he has to work and take care of his business there and all I wish for is for him to be in my arms. Everyday that he was away, what kept me alive and waiting was the idea that he will be back and will be in my arms again. It seems like everyday is a battle to stay sane from missing him and from so much loneliness. When he left last time, I cried for a whole week. No one knew. I didn't want people to find out that I was that affected. Now, I vowed that I will never cry. I will not cry. I will be stronger and better and will draw from my memory everything that we did together - the trips to the mall, the making-out, the movies we've watched, the food we've shared (guess what, I think we're at that level where we can pick out food from each others' plate), and the laughter that really makes me feel that the intimacy we share is real. Laughing with each other and at each other is incredibly wonderful. I just wish it can go on like this forever.

Zen

It has been quite a whirlwind. I have to admit, I love being away from work and from the office. I love the ability to NOT check my inbox just because it's needed. I love the fact that people in the office also respect my need for some time alone and some time to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I have come to realize that last year was placed in a pedestal for me. It's been one heck of a beautiful year. Being with my family, my friends, the man of my dreams, my kick-ass job and along the way... making mistakes, learning promptly what I was doing wrong and correcting things, one by one...

I have also been following a little bit of "The Secret". It's this nice school of thought that says you have to phrase things positively in order to push the laws of the universe to work for you.

So here are my positive thoughts for the year:

• I love my family... These are the people I will die for and will kill for. I am blessed to have such wonderful parents and wonderful loved-ones.
• I am a strong and intelligent person. I am capable of doing things that are beyond other people's abilities.
• I am a great trainer, a great people-person and a great employee. I am someone that people relate to and are able to respect and love.
• I am a good person and I will channel my energy to reflect the good in this universe to the people who need it.
• I am someone who doesn't need anyone to fulfill my dreams. I can work on it on my own.
• I am loving and understanding. I deserve someone equally loving and understanding as I am.
• I am forgiving. I will always see things from the other person's point of view before I start pointing fingers.
• I am true and real. I am capable of negotiating within the bounds of my reality instead of manipulating things to my advantage.

This year, my mantra is to be pure and true, with lots of zen moments in between.

I want to rediscover art, and beauty through my eyes. I want to see what else I can bring to the table. I want to challenge myself, and fight for the future more as a ready, willing and able person. I want to consistently perform at par with people whom I care for and people that I respect as individuals.

The Way He Loves Me

It's pretty baffling how one man can change the way you look at things, how one man can change the perspective you have in this lifetime. I know I probably sound like a schoolgirl gushing about her crush on this guy but dear God, I don't what I ever did in this lifetime to find someone so amazing and so wonderful. He makes me laugh and think and appreciate the things I have in this life. He sits down with me and I am calm in the midst of Makati traffic. I am humbled by this feeling and I can't imagine how and why I ever mistook this for something that won't work. I can feel his love and it radiates all over.

Again, I don't mean to sound incredibly mushy about how I feel. For some reason, I can't stop thinking about it. It's 2:30 in the morning, I just finished a lovely dinner with him some hours ago, and still, I can't stop thinking about how beautiful everything was and still is. And I honestly can't wait until I get to spend some time with him again.

I am not going to lie, I think a little part of me is scared as hell because he will leave for Canada again. I'm scared because I don't how to go back to not seeing him again for another year. I seriously wish I can make him stay or that I can go with him.

Still, it doesn't matter for now. I want to live with what is, not what will be or what was. I love everything and I can't thank God enough for sending me such a wonderful and amazing man. I am blessed to have him.

Enchanted

How does she know that you love her? It's funny cos the first time I saw this, I was with House. Me being Wilson, trying to be a good friend. It's showing on HBO as I type this entry. It's weird because I've never been a fan of either Amy Adams or McDreamy Patrick Dempsey but this film has made me realize a lot of the things I love about falling in love, about romance and reality. It's this film about a princess in an enchanted land who gets thrown into a well by an evil queen where she ends up in New York and in the home of a single dad and his daughter, Morgan.

When you think about it, romance is kind of like that. It is this enchanted and pristine princess that gets thrown in a well and ends up in the harsh reality of New York. In my case, it's the urban hub of Ortigas. Everyone has problems. Why sacrifice the good times for the bad? And so I end this entry with the one song that made me cry from this movie. Something that I feel everyday...

A life goes by
Romantic dreams must die
So I bid mine goodbye
And never knew
So close was waiting
Waiting here with you
And now, forever, I know
All that I want is to hold you
So close
We're so close to reaching
That famous happy ending
Almost believing
This one's not pretend
Let's go on dreaming
Though we know we are
So close
So close, and still
So far...