Where The Wind Blows





These were the things we intend to accomplish before the year ends:


Revive the plants in front of the house and turn a part of the compound into an ornamental garden. Relearn to play the Piano and perform Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Clint Mansell's Together We Live Forever on a cloudless daybreak. Cut down on food binging. Drink more water. Be more driven to go to the gym and drop the body weight to 160 before summer. Read more books. Watch more intelligent movies. Go green. Save fuel by turning off lights when not used. Go green. Cut down on plastics by carrying few things brought from convenience stores with bare hands. Learn to be bold. Worry less of the consequences of errors that were made. Assume responsibility of the household. Never wait for the utol to make a move. Sing more often. You have the voice. Drink less booze. You still dream of showing off your six packs while dancing on top of the ledge. Get in touch with your spirituality. Who cares if you begin to hear voices one day. Find a better-paying job. You deserve more for your effort. Get a license. Your loved ones may depend on your driving skills someday.


The Great Turnaround
January 2, 2010
Midnight Afterburner



Except for the ones already considered a habit, none of the targets were met. Colorful excuses can gloss over design failure, and there is no one to blame but me.

But looking through the stained glass, certain accomplishments trumpet over the perceived oversights. We will end the year not in dismay but with a glimmer of hope:


Received a passing grade in Spanish Level I. Level II application in Diliman pending. Semester has been credited with a residency status. The race to finish the master's degree continues. Treated his mom to a first class hotel in Tagaytay. First time for the matriarch to sleep in a suite. Sister got married and gave birth to a healthy boy. He became an uncle in less than a year. Ties with relatives from the father's side solidified. Credit goes to the high-profile visits when occasions summon family presence. Bought his first expensive shirt from Memo. It took him 2 months to pay the shirt, which was on credit, but it was what he wanted when the rays of fashion first shone on him. Earnings from writing jobs began to fill the emptying coffers. The Roadgasmic Party was a very lucrative dry run, Project Raketship brought home the bacon. Search engine optimization experiments initiated. Plans for career expansion envisioned. Spirituality remains intact. Signs of growing foreseen.

Love.

Finally pierced through the calloused portions of his heart.