Baaku playing with my concert ticket

Last night, I went to my second concert for 2009. I became an accidental fan of John Legend when I saw a random home-made video with Save Room on the background. I could say I immediately got hooked.

I was quite nervous at the concert because I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve always gone to rock concerts, that’s why. However, John Legend absolutely rocked the place with his soulful voice. The love songs brought me into unfamiliar territory but it was delightful. He knows that his voice is such a deadly charmer. We were captivated, almost hypnotized, by his energy. Only the first half of the coliseum was full and yet the people were surprisingly lively. I tell you, that is so rare here in the Philippines.

We danced and severely enjoyed the night as he seamlessly played his songs. My favorite part is when he performed Green Light. His band made us celebrate, he sang and worked the crowd, he mixed a little of bit sexy singing a part of a Snoop Dogg song (this made me go crazy), and he got on top of his piano. For the encore, he came back alone dressed in a suit and sang a very memorable Ordinary People while working his magic on the piano. I had goosebumps hearing people sing the “take it slow.. this time we’ll take it slow” part, we sounded so good. There wasn’t anything ordinary that night.

Today was a normal summer day in our house. I was peacefully watching TV when I saw, from the corner of my eye, my dad approaching while holding something in his hands. My automatic response was to scream and jump away in fear. I was expecting a creepy creature. But it was a bird’s nest with an actual bird in it.

What are the odds that you’ll find something like this in your own garden?

Apparently, he was trimming some of the trees and found this nest. I was seriously captivated by it that I totally abandoned a show that was a few minutes from ending. I followed my dad as he called the attention of every person in the house. I had to take a picture so you could see it too. Magnificent, huh?

My dad put the nest back as soon as he was done gardening. It seems the birds like to build their nests in our humble garden during the summer because the same occurrence happened April of last year. It makes me proud that my parents’ green thumb is making a difference in the birdies’ world.

How long did it take for mommy birdie to build this nest? How did she weave such a fine art piece using her beak? Did she transport the twigs piece by piece? The questions keep on coming while I look at this picture. I cannot fathom how a little mommy bird could form such an intricate nest. I guess we’ll leave it as one of the countless miracles of life. It is in the simple little things that we appreciate our significance in this world. Happy Thursday. :)

How would you spend Php 347,836,903.20 or 7 million dollars?

I have been asking myself that question since Saturday. Everybody was talking about it, and people were patiently braving those long lines just to place their pet numbers. One ticket is just Php 20, so I decided to join. I really didn’t have any numbers in mind so I just randomly chose 6 out of 49 numbers with the help of Booni the rabbit. My mom also joined so we were both grinning from ear to ear on Saturday night, with our hearts filled with hope.

It felt good to have a chance, no matter how slim, to be able to change your life in an instant and most importantly, the lives of other people. I thought about saving some for investments and that I will not have to worry about money for the rest of my life. I thought about securing my nephews and nieces’ education, renovating our humble church, organizing events that will encourage others to give back as well. Ah a lot of things! I even thought it would help me with projects for our little town because I want to become a mayor someday and really spark that change we’ve all been waiting for.

But of course, I didn’t even get one number right. I lost. My mom got one. It’s okay, I’m sure the two winners deserved it.

What I learned from joining the lottery is that it’s nice to join such thing every once in a while. I liked hoping and wishing for the wonderful opportunities winning the lottery could give. It gave me a clear grasp of the things I would love to do. Haha. Mayor Gia, for the win! :)

I missed looking at the perigee on Saturday night. But I was immensely productive, as mysterious as it had always been, as the full moon graced the night sky.

I wish I knew more about astrology aside from just reading my horoscope predictions from two newspapers (and they’re conveniently placed beside the comic strips). Full moon has always been associated as a period of growth and wholeness. I guess there must be some kind of truth in the magic of the moon. I mean, if it helps us think positively and embrace abundance, and that we are one with the universe- then I am beyond thankful for such a phenomenon.

So what kept me seriously busy on such a magical Saturday? I cleaned my room. What’s funny is that I have always been known as the most organized here in our humble home and yet it took me 15 hours and 5 bags of trash. It must be because cleaning for me is beyond putting things away and getting rid of accumulated dust. The perfect word for it is repurposing. I patiently fixed computer wires and the strategically placed the sockets within my reach because I used to have to walk behind my computer and crouch down to plug in something. My dresser is now a comfortable reading nook. My boxes are creatively mixed in one place. The treasure chest that holds my office supplies is now on top of a former garbage bin that I pimped with four rollers so I could slide it around the room. I let go of the stuff that had no purpose but just sit there. I learned that the process of organizing evolves as needs change. An organized room is not just a clean room. An organized room is a room where you do what do you best with ease.

At 4am, I was finally done. I then devoured a big slice of blueberry cheesecake as a reward before falling asleep while watching my favorite anime. Sunday was spent reading my favorite magazine. It was a weekend without work, and I vow to keep my weekends free from now on. And today, I am back here at the office with a fresh attitude. :)

As early as September, the local news had been giving us a Christmas countdown, to which I never failed to respond to with a heartfelt “No!” 100 days before Christmas: No! 40 days before Christmas: Nooooo! 25 days before Christmas: Noooooooo! (with hands pressed on my cheeks in complete horror) My niece and I also witnessed the ultimate sign of doom which is the lighting of the Advent wreath in our parish church. I swear, as soon as they light that thing, it means Christmas is just a few heartbeats away. And it was.

A lot of events unfolded amid the amount of work I had to finish before the holidays.

Early December, my mom wouldn’t let us eat dinner until we finished decorating the tree. Lol. I didn’t want to use the usual Christmas balls so we settled on colored paper, yarn, bunny baskets for candies, bunny cut-outs and silver garland. It took us quite a long time to finish the whole tree but it was definitely satisfying to see other people’s faces when they see our extraordinary tree.

Inspired by a certain furry pet we all love.

On Dec. 22, Booni turned 2. Last year, he had a banana for a cake so I rushed to the supermarket to get him an apple. I couldn’t find number 2 candles or any cute ones so we settled for these simple candles we had lying around the house. We also made bunny headbands so we would look like bunnies while celebrating with him. We, humans, had some strawberry ice cream while Booni ate a few slices of the apple.

Booni and fellow huma- bunnies.

After hurrying from store to store for last-minute Christmas shopping, I searched for some materials for a unique gift-wrapping style. It has been my tradition to come up with a different gift-wrapping technique each year. Everyone was surprised to see Christmas lights, and they kept asking me if they light up. Haha. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to engineer a switch to make the gifts light up. It was still a huge hit though.

Goodbye, ribbons. Hello, christmas lights.

Christmas was fun as usual. We stuffed our faces with chicken, baked mac and five kinds of cake on Noche Buena. On Christmas Day, we went to visit some relatives to catch up, and yes, eat lots again.

Poor Santa.

The New Year also came quickly as I had been very busy going from one wedding to another assisting my brother. I was actually just vegetating seconds before midnight waiting for the fireworks countdown on TV. 3.. 2.. 1 Bam! The power went out. The first hours of our 2009 were spent in darkness. Hahaha. The power came back before sunrise, and then we got busy preparing for our excursion. We got ourselves a private hot springs resort where we played Rockband and abused the karaoke. Um, I abused the karaoke. We were all tired from playing, swimming, singing and eating junk food. We capped the night of January 2 near the Manila bay inside a Chinese restaurant where we stuffed our faces with sumptuous food while a beautiful fireworks display enchanted our eyes outside.

I still have yet to finish my list of goals for this year to make sure I get as specific as possible so I can envision them clearly. But in a nutshell, I wish for growth. In my career, in my personal life, in my relationships- I wish to grow and finally become what I want to be. Every day will be day one and I will grace each minute with full awareness. Yesterday, I was invited to a Christian worship celebration, and though it was different from the Catholic Sunday mass I’ve attended all my life, I can say that it was one of the most enlightening Sundays I’ve ever had. I might not officially embrace Christianity but I am sure that I will come back once in a while to refresh my soul.

Change is good and I am ecstatic for more changes this new year will bring. Happy 2009, my fellow passionisttas!