Make Room For More Happiness: Being Thankful for January

A few days ago, I was complaining on Tumblr about this bottomless pit of my to-do’s and how I was lazy to get started on them. To date, I have accomplished most on my list, one of which was updating my planner.

While writing, I noticed a tiny box with a statement that says, “This week I’m grateful…” I looked back on what I wrote for the past weeks and I cannot help but smile over the things that were worth being thankful for.

First week of January: I’m grateful for another year to start fresh.

Second week of January: I’m grateful for people who understand. 

Third week of January: I’m grateful for watching Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with friends. 

Fourth week of January: I’m grateful for a weekend spent in Marinduque.

Things need not be grand to make a person happy.

I am glad to have that tiny box on my planner to remind me of things that I should be happy about and how I should focus on them. Life is full of amazing things, if we learn to take notice of the things that are beautiful.

Also, I am liking how my planner is slowly turning out as a gratitude journal. I have been meaning to make one since I learned about it when I attended a retreat last 2010, but haven’t got to it, until now.

PS. I am sorry for the lack of posts when this blog is supposed to be for ~hardcore blogging~. Admittedly, I have plenty of things I want to write about, BUT, I am too preoccupied with things (like the internet and work) to make time for it.

Oh, Happy Valentine’s Day to you, dear reader!

Today, I win.

Today, our institution held a Mentor’s Appreciation Day to celebrate the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of students, and to celebrate Catholic Teacher’s Day.

I would be vague about what happened today because I do not want to look like I’m bragging. Let me just sum up this day by saying: Today, I felt that I am doing the right thing.

I have been thinking about switching careers, to be honest. I was thinking that I’d do better when working in an office. But today, everything felt right.

I do not know if I am disillusioned with everything that happened, but for now, all I know is that I am happy. I realized that everything has its time, we just have to wait.

Patience, indeed, is a virtue.

Money and material things are not what makes a person happy.

And truly, good things come to those who wait.

From 2011 to 2012

Making a resolution is something that everyone has done over the past years. However, it is the actual doing of the resolutions that becomes the problem. Some of us never exert effort in trying to accomplish our resolutions. We make a list for the fun of it, then, we disregard the list because we realize doing the resolutions is not that fun.

Last year, I made a list of my New Year’s Resolutions, although I was quite cynical on whether I can accomplish them or not. Looking back and reviewing the list, I am proud to say that I have accomplished them all most of them.

1. Spend less time with the internet. I would have to say that I have not successfully achieved this one. BOO! I have to blame mobile internet for this but really, I can only blame myself.
2. Read more. Achieved! Even though I was not successful in my 50 Book Challenge, I definitely read more books this year.
3. Save. Check! This year, I opened another bank account and thanks to my savings, I was able to travel.
4. Gain weight. Done! From 39kg last year, I went to 41kg this summer. Then, I went back to 39kg sometime July, then gained my weight back to 40kg at the end of the year. And yes, I am religious when it comes to tracking my weight.
5. Write more. Success! Even though I stayed at Tumblr over the past year, I have deferred myself from microblogging and wrote a few lengthy posts.
6. Be consistent. This resolution’s success is difficult to gauge.
7. Be bad. Get caught. Make it count. Hmmmmm… The closest thing I have in accomplishing this resolution was defying the memorandums that came from the HR department with regards dress code (wore maong pants, didn’t wear the prescribed shirt, having the prescribed shirt repaired–these kind of shallow things). I was not even caught being “defiant”, and I am pretty sure I never made these “devious” acts count.

Now on to this year’s resolutions/goals.

1. Exercise. Me and some friends have talked about running at Marikina Sports Center every weekends some time last year. I just hope this particular plan will push through. Although, do I really need to be in the company of friends to be motivated to exercise?
2. Sleep early. Honestly, I have all the opportunity to sleep early even on workdays. However, there are times when I allow myself to sleep a little later because of reading or because of the internet.
3. Establish a routine. Not the kind of routine that will drive me like a robot. I just want to discipline myself in doing repetitive tasks such as watering my succulent plants once a week and running weekly (in connection with goal no. 1).
4. 2012 Reading Challenge. I wasn’t successful in reading 50 books last year (I only read a meager 20) but this year, I swear, I will read more books.
5. Enroll in graduate school. Unfortunately, I cannot help but feel amiss with all the job opportunities that have passed by since I do not have masteral units.
6. Find a part-time job. This I need, to support graduate school and at the same time, travelling.
7. Find a new school. I love my current workplace but mostly it is because of the people that I work with, not because of the career opportunities that I am currently taking advantage of.

My last goal is the most important of them all and this will involve a lot of risks. So this year, my theme for 2012, will be all about courage. I have lived the past years inside my bubble, swimming with the current. I guess know 2012, which is a Year of the Dragon (Dragon is my Chinese Zodiac), is a perfect time for change, a perfect time to step out of my comfort zone.

I leave you, with a quote from Trainspotting.

The truth is that I’m a bad person. But, that’s gonna change – I’m going to change. This is the last of that sort of thing. Now I’m cleaning up and I’m moving on, going straight and choosing life. I’m looking forward to it already. I’m gonna be just like you. -Renton

I choose courage, I choose life.

On Starting Anew

First thing first, hello and welcome to my new blog!

This is conceived out of my desire to have a blog intended for serious blogging. Just so you know the brief history of my existence over the internet and to the blogging world, I first blogged at Friendster, then I got serious with Multiply, transferred to Livejournal, then got hooked with Tumblr. Whew. There is a history behind each blogging platform, but I am going to save that story, possibly, as one of my future entries.

The title of my new blog, Suburban Skies, is my url over Tumblr. These words were taken from The Beatles’ Penny Lane.

Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies

Originally, I wanted to use stationeries.wordpress, but the name was taken. Tough nubs.

I wanted to go back to being a serious blogger like with what I used to do in Multiply and Livejournal because I believe that blogging actually improved my writing skills. Writing has helped me in a lot of ways, and being able to write is one of the things that I am proud of.

So much for the introduction, let me tell you about the year that is 2011!

2011 has no significant highlights compared to what I’ve achieved in 2010, especially in terms of career. But looking back, 2011 has been good to me. I was able to:

• Have a vacation to two famous travel destinations here in the Philippines (Baguio and Cebu)
• With the help of a friend, I was able to get myself a netbook
• And with the help of my parents, I was able to give my room a makeover

However, 2011 also had its series of letdowns, of which I will not bother mentioning.

Despite of the roller coaster of a year, I am thankful for the year that is 2011. This year has helped me grow as a person, and my collection of experiences has taught me a lot of things.

I hope you had a marvelous year and here’s a virtual toast, to 2012!

Do you think the world will really end on 2012, as predicted?

PS. If you have a reader, please add my blog to your subscriptions. TIA!