A career in housekeeping?

Last night, I rearranged my room and threw out things I don't want or need anymore. I stopped short at moving one of the two beds inside into another room, though I'm still contemplating it at this point. I am proud to report that I threw out buckets of paper and even old, empty ballpens I couldn't part with when I was my younger, packrat-er self! And, I made a tiny holder for my earrings out of that piece of glass. I. Am. Genius. 

What I'm really liking about this Something New Project is that I've become more open to trying out new things - it makes me lean towards saying "yes" to stuff I would normally say "no" to in a heartbeat (Like me saying yes to going to church with my little brother over an extra hour of sleep; I haven't gone to church in months!),  and it also makes me actively seek out opportunities to do something for the first time. Mind you, it takes some creativity!

Since creativity isn't really one of my best assets, suffice to say I am running out of ideas! Today, for instance, I have yet to do anything new of significance and it is already 6 PM. Should I go clean another portion of the house? Maybe the den? HELP!!!

A letter of resignation

Today, I officially fired myself.

Before you think that I'm taking my Something New Project a little too far, let me just say that it's been some time coming. And now it's here. And it feels scarier than I thought it would.

I'm firing myself from a job I actually liked. I have two main jobs - Finance Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing. I'm giving up the latter, because of many reasons, including the fact that juggling both jobs has left me exhausted, stressed and pressured beyond capacity.

It's taken me a while to admit that. It's taken me a while to admit that, though I work hard and have the best interests at heart, sometimes I'm just not the right person for the job, in this case, due to lack of experience and lack of time.

How I wish I could just give up my Finance Manager post, instead. How I wish with all my heart that that was the one I had to let go of. But circumstances dictate that I hold on to that one just a little bit longer.

I don't know what to expect now that I'm not the boss of these 6 people outside my office anymore. I don't know how to deal with not having an office of my own. I love this space, with its quiet and more than enough space to think, and its beautiful view of Manila Bay just outside my window, and I feel sad that I have to give it up. I'm afraid that I'm going to be insanely jealous of the person I hired to take my place, because she will now have this office. She will now have the time and the privilege to do what I was supposed to. She'll have my job.

My Finance office is chaotic. Imagine dot matrix printers churning out papers and phones ringing every single minute. And I'm supposed to be balancing numbers and making finance reports in the midst of all that? Where do I go to think now? Where do I get my own space and peace?

I still have a job, but somehow I feel almost jobless. Like I'm not sure where to go from here.

But of course, being the oddly organized yet still messy person that I am, I do know where to go from here. I know that I will finish packing up my things, move out of this office, pack my bags tonight, go back to my Finance office, clean up the back log I have to come home to, clean up my room at home, schedule my flights, turn over my work to the new Director of Sales and Marketing, check up on her, check up on myself, check the hotel, and do what I was supposed to be doing in the first place, what I have to do to make sure everything is working properly - fix up the finance, inventory and audit reports.

I almost feel like I won't even do any of that, but that's gonna defeat the purpose of executing my own resignation. The reason why I have to give up my job is to make way for other more important things. This will change me, I know it, but I don't know how exactly yet, or whether it will be for the good. I do feel though that it's the right, albeit difficult, step.

I love being able to come to Manila, my freedom, learning new things, being my own boss, making my own schedule, calling my own shots. But more than that, I love my family, and I care about the future of this business.

Closing my eyes and taking a leap of faith today. I can do this.

Yesterday, my siblings and I went to church just the three of us for the first time, without being told! Are we really adults now? It was good to be sitting there with them, listening to the Reverend talk about how the opposite of love is not hate, instead, it's indifference. A very nice thought: once we are secure with ourselves and when we trust that we are in good hands, it will be easy for us to love unselfishly. It was a perfect way to end the fantastic weekend.

The service ended with this film. It made me cry.

The past 3 days

The past three days have just been awesome, thanks in part to my new project! Thus, the backlog for my blog. I know you've missed me, so here we go now! (Is anyone even there? :))

March 24, 2011

I received and opened my very first Christmas gift in March! Cue snow

March 25, 2011

I went shopping with my sister just the two of us for the first time! Suffice to say she has been transformed into a very fashionable lady >:)) And, I love her to pieces. We are closer now than we've ever been before, and I hope that just keeps going.

March 26, 2011

My friends and I spent a fantastic day at this members only beach club called Pico de Loro. The pool was absolutely heavenly. Tell me, have you ever tanned while lying in a "just perfect depth for tanning" pool? I know. It is pool genius.

brown rice

To help fight my Dad's rising blood sugar levels, I decided to pick up some brown rice at the grocery and prepare it at home. Just to quote some health benefits of brown rice:


"The health benefits of high fiber content foods are numerous, it reduces the possibility of heart diseases, helps avoid abrupt spikes in sugar levels, helps digestion and reduces constipation etc. Some medical tests have indicated that the health benefits of brown rice could include controlling high blood pressure. Besides high fiber content, brown rice also contains other nutrients like, B vitamins, manganese, selenium and iron. By eating brown rice, you will also get the health benefits that such nutrients give the human body."


You can check out the source here for more information: our friend The Internet


It actually tastes good! Hearty and a little bit nutty and more exciting than white rice ;)

Doesn't that look appetizing? This is one Something New that I'm definitely gonna turn into a habit :)

Something New

‎"He wanted to live life in such a way that if a photograph were taken at random, it would be a cool photograph. Things should look right. Fun; there should be a lot of fun and no more sadness than absolutely necessary." - One Day


No more sadness than absolutely necessary. Don't you think that's just pure genius?


--


Today, I realized something about myself - I'm addicted to routine. I'm happy, but my life is the same, everyday, and after a while, I realize that, though I'm happy, I stop growing. I stop challenging myself. I stop creating. And I stop being the best person I can be.


With no time wasted and a sudden urge to drink coffee after lunch, I'm starting a project. A very simple one. I'll call it the "Something New Project." (Just because everything that ends with the word "project" sounds so cool, right?) Everyday, I'll do something I don't usually do, or I've never done before. The project will go on for as long as there is something new for me to do; that's my commitment.


So today, coffee. Just because it's something I don't usually like to drink. Just me actually pouring fine ground coffee into a cup, adding in some sugar, and stirring it all up with hot water. I never realized how simple it was. The warm cup in my hands feels pretty darn good.