Something always happens

Christmas was great this year for me and my family. A lot to be thankful for although I can't help but feel that in this one, I felt more of outside-looking-in. Maybe it's my new time schedule makes me feel aloof (or a goof) but this one passed by fast.  

I got most of the stuff I wanted and was glad to spend and share time with family and friends. I hope people liked what I gave them because I liked all of what I got, no matter how weird they were.

The Christmas Frog.

If there's one thing that's definitely different this time around it's a fear for the next year. 2010 was a year for reflection, self-discovery and planning out life. I spent a big part of it unemployed and focusing on applying for my MBA and somehow ended up right where I was. Life I guess has a way of unfolding itself, mine just decided to fold back in.

Technically it could be said nothing happened for me in 2010 so there's added pressure of making something happen better next year. Time for a plan and sticking to it. Being unsure about the future isn't cool anymore, and isn't as fun.

Still, I can't discount my choices. Another thing about life, something always happens. So technically technically something did happen for me in 2010. I'm doing something new at work, met cool people and found time to travel the world. Well mostly Asia, but it's still traveling. And I enjoyed that part of the year. Plus I think (/hope) I write better because of the GMAT studies. Something always happens, you can't have anything not happen.

So fear for the year 2011? Still real. But looking forward to it. New year, new season and never a wrong time to make things happen.

The Christmas party (and how I now hate alcohol)

Last weekend I attended out office Christmas party. Actually, it was more of planning, organizing and a bit of hosting, which simply means I didn't really "attend" it because of all the stuff I had to do. But before that, a quick story about Thursday night.

Thursday night:
My high school bud who I rarely get to see invites me over to a dinner at his girlfriend's house. So me and the friend who I always get to see decide to brave the Christmas traffic and head to Pasig (for context, I live in Makati). Anyway when we arrive there were two things wrong. 1: Our friend wasn't there yet, which shouldn't be a problem except that reason 2: it as a giant formal dinner party. We weren't in formal clothing at all.
Lesson: plan these things right.

Now back to the Christmas party. To think I should have already learned that party organizers have the worst time during the party itself. I still found myself helping out by fixing up the program and awards of the staff. Crazy coordination which by now I find manageable but increasingly annoying.

The result, my spot away from the people and drinks. I did though have a good view of the staff dance presentations but with most of them being guys who are okay with getting down to their boxers and waving an eggplant around, that was not worth it. It was funny as hell, but then it's funny that you'd want to forget the next day.

My view, and yes that's Santa in our office.

So my party job ended with most of the people and drinks gone. I did have a small after party jamming in the office after but thought it would be fun to go to another after party. I left to go to the karaoke after party with a lot of people and drinks. It was fun and I remember rapping the songs in the machine (and I hope to God I sounded cool...please...). And I don't know if there's a saying about how inversely proportional your morning after will be compared to your last night, but there should be because it's true.

That night left me the next day with a mad girl friend, headache and a hangover that triggered so much feelings of depression and regret, I was curling into a ball when I woke up. I remembered why I don't like going to parties and drinking up and even worse I was reminded of how old I'm seeming to be. Sucks.

So to feel better I'm just going to have to focus on how much people enjoyed and count this one as another one for the team. Christmas is about giving anyway so I can be down with that.

And by "down with that" I mean I could live with it, and I feel like rapping again.

Money and Christmas

A lot of things lately have been about money. Last week's lotto winner won 800 something million, which i really hoped would be mine. My family's getting into stock market trading and talks nothing else besides blurting out weird acronyms and how much they cost. It's all about the money.

My brother earned me some in the stock market which is great. Extra money to spend on Christmas and an upcoming Korea trip. Gotta say my family's been really blessed this year.

Can't help but feel guilty though because as my Christmas is looking to be really awesome, there are probably a lot of people who are going to have a sucky one. I think this is the time where I realize it's not about what Christmas I'm going to have but more of what kind everyone else is going to have.

Make Christmas cool for as much people as possible. Challenge accepted!