My First Six Months in the Construction World

I can't believe it's already Christmas in 3 days! THREE DAYS!!!

Saying that I have been busy for the past months could be the understatement of the year. Since the construction of our house started last June, it has been one heck of crazy, stomach churning, hair raising ride of emotions since then.

I feel like a newbie soldier that just has come out of a battlefield...bruised, filthy, bloodied to the very core... limping, yet walking slowly away from the crazy inferno. I guess construction life does this to people (at least to me.)

I have learned a great deal more about architecture, engineering, construction, and surprisingly, about business (among others) in the past six months in the construction world. It definitely trumps all those years of slaving around in a 9 to 5 job in front of a computer, with the occasional yells and burns from the boss and annoying co-workers. Although I have been an architect for 4 years now, I can say that I still have so much to learn.

Everyday is a learning process for me. Every client, every laborer or worker I work with, every peso I lost due to my own negligence, every lapse of judgement, every problem I encountered- they are all instruments that could make me better at what I do someday. Who knows, five, ten years from now, I could look back to this moment in my career and still be thankful for all the challenges I was able to surpass, with God's grace.

There were number of times that I wanted to give up, to not go on living. To runaway and leave is the easier route. But in my mind, and in my heart, this is what I wanted to do. I want to build and design people's dreams. I want to give to them their hard earned money's worth (though I learned this the hard way.) I need to fail in order for me to succeed. The lessons I took away are more important than the monetary gains.

There's this quote I have read somewhere that's quite fitting for my first six months of my solo career:

"If you fail, fail fast."

PMS-ing

Depression.

It comes in all forms and sizes. Just browse your facebook wall. Some will keep ranting about whatever crap they are going through - cursing, complaining, fussing about the inequalities of whatever.

For others, well, some just like to sleep all day long, wishing that everything will be alright when they finally wake up. But they never do.

For many others still, they keep buried in work. Tons and tons of work. Until their life is literally sucked out from their veins (Caffeine replaced their red blood cells, perhaps?) Exhausting every bit of energy their already tired bodies could endure, so that they would be too tired to think of their problems. Or to even feel anything.

My Stock Market Journey Starts Now

Today marks the day I finally took a giant leap towards my financial freedom... the most sensible thing I did with P 5,000 cash I earned from one of my projects. No, I did not purchase another gadget, or update my wardrobe (which terribly needs to), or buy tickets for my long-overdue vacation... Rather, I used the hard-earned-literally-sweat-and-tears-and-all-those-sleepless-nights money to buy my first stocks.

Yes, I finally joined the crazy, confusing, scary world of the STOCK MARKET!

3-month Hiatus

Sooooooo..... have I been THAT busy that I have not posted anything for three whole months?!?! Nor have I even had the time to visit my own blog! Whoah! I guess it's time for me to slow down a bit before I go berserk with all these busy-ness!

To keep things up to date, these are the stuff that have kept me busy (and sleepless!) for the past months...
(writing this blog while waiting for my sketchup render to finish-- that kind of busy- busy)

A Sunday Night Convo with Myself

Here we go again... This is all too familiar. I see there's actually a pattern of some sort here. I know you too well that I have an idea of where this is going, or not going.

Arei, this is your brain talking. Follow my advice: Slow down..... slow down!!!

An Oil Cutter Story

Source

This afternoon, I finally found the oil cutter I have been looking for ages. I stumbled upon it accidentally though. It was conveniently camouflaged in various lengths of sachets of Dove shampoo and Creamsilk in one of my parents' drawers. Funny how I never saw it there before, since I open that same drawer everyday before hitting the showers. I guess, I was just not looking.

Anyway, I was excited to try it because I never really tested it out since I bought it 4 or 5 years ago. I got the scrap glass I had lying around, and I prepared to cut a piece for my t-shirt printing business. All the while, my 5-year old nephew, Keyaan, was watching me intently.

15 Random Things I've Learned in My Thirty (Gulp) Years of Existence

Two days from now, the inevitable will happen. I could not stop it, nor could I control it. I have no other choice but to face it- just like any other person born in the year of the Ox, 1985.

It is still so surreal. I still feel like I am my sixteen year old self, still waiting for something GREAT to happen in my life.  I have now come to realize that THAT day will never come. It is what we make of it... Every. Single. Day. Like the old adage says, "it's the journey, not the destination."

The BIG 3-0. (sigh....) Maybe it's not gonna be that bad after all? Hmm.... I still have two days left to let it all sink in, to finally accept that I am leaving the "late twenties" behind.


Here are the things I have learned from my life (in general) so far. To wit:

The Waiting Game

I am back in my messy room, typing away in my messy work table. I kind of missed this (and yes, the mess too.) After all, I was away for a good ten days (mostly on the road.... *to blog or not to blog about it*)

The twins did not seem to notice I was gone, but Nadeen seemed a bit taller from the last time I saw her. Toki, on the other hand, was ecstatic to see me, like always.

Anyway, while my stomach is still digesting the fried chicken (ala Jollibee- recipe I got off Youtube) I cooked- which needs more salt, by the way, let me give you an update of the happenings for these past days....

Bicol Adventure Chronicles

The elusive Mt. Mayon, Albay, Bicol

Disclaimer: This is a lengthy post!

One fateful night of January this year, two of my closest friends from my former office and I were having a casual group chat on Facebook. Phoebus and May Anne, although our personalities differ significantly, we all have one thing in common, and that is our love to travel. They both went with me to Bohol last year to attend a friend’s wedding, and perhaps that was the beginning of our budding, albeit expensive, hobby.

This time, we were bound to explore BICOLANDIA!

I have always wanted to visit Bicol- to eat its famous delicacies, such as laing and bicol express, to take selfies at Cagsawa Ruins, to marvel at century-old churches that were preserved in time, and of course, to see the beauty of Mt. Mayon with my own eyes. I have had many Bicolana friends in college (thanks to UAPSA) that made me want to explore Bicol even more.

Thanks to promo fares, we were able to book a flight to Legazpi for a relatively cheap price (my ZAM-MNL/ MNL-ZAM ticket was a different story!) Since May Anne is a Bicolana herself, she gladly obliged to be our tour guide.

#BackpackersReunite. On board Cebu Pacific Air bound for Legazpi.

And so the adventure begins….

Malamawi Island : A Hidden Paradise

White Beach, Malamawi Island, Basilan

Once in a while, it is nice to go out of our comfort zones. Break away from the monotony of everyday life- to not think too much nor plan too detailed, instead, to just get out there, explore and experience the earth's wonders. Take risks. Yesterday was one of those rare moments, and it's definitely one for the books!

My Latest Addiction

One of the fondest memories of my childhood was riding a bike. That feeling when the wind touches your face, that rebellious streak you get when riding on cemented roads (even though your Mom told you not to.) That moment you fantasized you were one of the pros when tackling that (tiny) hump or pile of gravel in your backyard, or perhaps the freedom one feels when driving alongside motor vehicles on a busy highway.

I remember when I was about 6 years old, I had this little blue bicycle with three small wheels (a tricycle?) Now as I think about it, I think it was originally one of my older sisters'. Being the youngest in the family, I got to keep their toys after they've grown out of them. I had an extreme aversion to dolls anyway, but the cool ones I got to keep for myself (like Papi, a malnourished brown teddy bear, which was my Tita Neneng's originally.)

Last November, as soon as I got hold of my terminal pay (after waiting for 3 months!), I was decided to relive one of my childhood memories- so I bought myself a mountain bike. :)

What's Up, 2015?

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Nine days had passed since the Year of the Sheep began... I was not able to post on New Year's Eve since everyone in the family had a bad case of the flu. Until now, we are still coughing like mad dogs. I hope this does not mean that we will be sick for the rest of 2015...