Once a Writer...

Logic break time. I went to google.com and just started randomly typing my friends’ names. I was hoping I could find something interesting and I was not disappointed. Most of my searches returned more than ten search results. I saw tons of writings (news articles, blog entries, literary pieces, etc.) from Varsi – Amihans (former staffers of The Varsitarian – UST’s Official Student Publication). Impressive. They are still very into writing. I won’t be surprised if one day, their names become really big in the field of literary and/or journalism. The possibilities are endless. They’re good and I am not being bias when I say that. ;D

I was running-out of names to search for, so I typed “Leah Bundoc” then I hit the “Search” button. I was not really expecting to get any results but I thought I’d try anyway. A couple of items were listed – my Friendster account and someone else’s profile. Curious, I followed the second search result’s link. I was awed when I figured-out why a stranger’s profile showed-up in my search for something that has my name on it. His profile contained the following text --
Favorite writer: Genoveva Edroza Matute, Liwayway Arceo, Anna Leah Bundoc, Amado Hernandez, Yung sumulat ng Fav. Books Ko, Ferdinand Marcos, Ian Sta.Maria.
Speechless. Someone actually read and liked the pieces that I’ve written before? I’m guessing this guy has probably read one of my Varsi literary pieces back in college. I was very touched and still very curious that I even looked for his Friendster profile. He’s a UP Diliman graduate and a PMAer. Nice. He seems like someone with fine taste. (Ehem!) His profile was full of sarcastic comments (mostly political comments) though and I’m just hoping that my name being on it is not one of his many sarcasms. :p

This unexpected “Google experience” had a “blast from the past” effect on me. I was once a writer or at least, I tried being one. I experienced writing because of inspiration (experiences, life, joy and tears) and because of pressure (editors, deadlines and empty newspaper spaces that need to be filled). I went through writing workshops that made me feel like my crafts are worthless. I allowed people to read my thoughts. I survived the bad criticisms. I treasured the good remarks. Hmmm… The experience wasn't bad at all. I might go back to being a writer in the future or at least, I could try being one again. Maybe next time, when I search for my name in Google, I’d get more than just a couple of results. Who knows? The possibilities are endless. :)

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HappYness

This part of my life... This part right here? This is called "happyness."

– Christopher Gardner (Will Smith), “The Pursuit of Happyness”

HAPPY 3RD MONTHSARY, HONEY!

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Something New

I’M JUST TAKING A BREAK. A much needed one, I must say. I’ve been staring at an excel document full of numbers and graphs for hours now. Metrics. Website usage metrics to be more specific. It’s a monthly task that I don’t enjoy that much. Well, I can’t really say I don’t enjoy it at all. It’s one of those new things that were brought about by my new role. New things always excite me. I think life would be extremely boring without new experiences. Those experiences that allow you to go through something that you’ve never done before. I guess it’s because it’s always nice to surprise yourself when you end-up surviving steep learning curves.

TODAY MARKS MY SECOND MONTH HERE IN CHICAGO. I can still remember how terrible my first night was. I couldn’t sleep because of jet lag plus I didn’t know how to turn-off the lamp beside my bed, making it more difficult for me to sleep because the light was on. Funny how I couldn’t figure-out how to do such a simple thing, but I have the perfect excuse for that – I was in an “unfamiliar territory,” remember? :p Now, the “unfamiliar” is not that strange anymore. Aside from learning that the lamp in my bedroom has this tiny lever that I could use to turn its light on or off, I’ve learned a few more things. No, not just a few things… A lot of things. I’ve learned that cooking adobo or nilagang baboy is not that hard (it’s not very easy as well). I’ve learned that I can actually be in the office by 8 am sharp (if I really want to). I’ve learned that distance has its unique way of strengthening bonds (technology makes it possible). I’ve learned that relationships you choose to keep and nurture will grow no matter what (everything really is a decision). I’ve learned that I was right in believing that more than “where you are,” it’s “who you are with” that really counts (snow melts, seasons end, good sceneries will eventually lose its effect on you, but family and friends-- they are for keeps).

ENOUGH BREAK ALREADY. Time to go back to work and do what needs to be done. I’m hoping I could finish this “metrics task” today so that I could move on to something new tomorrow. Maybe something that I’ve never done before would come-up. Something that would surprise me. Something that would make me learn more.

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My Day

Friday. The last "work" day of the week usually makes me feel a bit restless. Today is different because when I signed-in to Friendster (first thing in the morning), this new testimonial really made my day --

Nice one, honey! The last part was very funny (in a good way) and the whole thing was so touching! Thanks!

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