Here’s to a Perfect 10

Joepi

I woke up at the last 9pm of 2009 feeling more awake than I usually do in my call-center-schedule-"mornings". I went downstairs to make my coffee and eat my "breakfast." It was a pretty sad sight, BUT I thank Ate Mau for cooking this up and following my request to have breakfast food at this time of night. :-D

No one was home. The dogs were out being taken for a walk by our helpers and the family was still in Cebu. I could hear a few loud fire crackers going off outside courtesy of the "Butchie" household as I like to call them. They have monkeys in there – literally. I wonder how the animals feel. I was getting worried about the doggies wandering outside with all this racket. Their ears must hurt. Just when I was thinking about that, they come walking in with the yayas in tow. :-) I finished brekky, brought my coffee to go and headed off to work by 10pm. I was a little bit worried about encountering some stray fire power from reckless idiots who still believe fire crackers are fun to throw and set off. Surprisingly, the roads were very very quiet in my side of town. Even the usual town idiots weren't around except for a few. People are either getting smarter or getting poorer. I'm afraid it might be the latter. Anyway, I got to work and prepared a few slides for a Powerpoint presentation for a meeting with clients at 1am (I guess I know what 2010 will look like for me!) I was glad to see that the agents showed up though. I know there were a lot absent (and a lot to be reprimanded!) but I was also very grateful to those who showed up. As we neared midnight, we made sure everyone got their free food from Friday's and got ready for a countdown. I watched the fireworks go off outside my office.

Then we started the countdown…. 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4…3…2…JUAN! Happy New Year Pilipinas!

Here are the fireworks from Eastwood Mall where they had their own countdown.
This was the view from our office pantry. Pretty amazing to see fireworks at eye level!

After this I took my first conference call for 2010 (their last for 2009)… and yes I have two Avaya phones in my office. I like Avaya phones. It would be great if I had one at home. (Geek.)

I breezed through the rest of the day and kept myself busy with timecards, rosters, performance numbers, schedules, scorecards and all possible preparations for the year. After doing all this on the way home I thought about things that I would improve on and things I should achieve. So here's the 2010 plan (everyone's gotta plan this.)

1) I told myself that I am going to take my photography more seriously this year (seriousness gauge = lenses, lights and paid gigs) and this might go against the plan to go to South America in 2010. I have to choose and it may be photography as I am sure of traveling to Palau and around the PH this year anyway.
2) I am going to do something creative everyday. I have 3 avenues: iPhart (http://www.iphart.mobi/), photography and my handy-dandy sketchbook.
3) I am going to eat healthier (cut down on Starbucks, eat more fruits, drink more water, sleep and exercise at least 30 minutes a day) This is the cliche thing but I really have to do it if I plan to look good as I turn 30 and lose 30! — ahah! There's a line: 30 minutes, 30 lbs, 30 years.
4) I will travel and dive when I can and within budget ;-) Time to learn to travel light (on the pocket.) I've been spoiling myself in 2009. I will be more careful in the travel and dive financials for 2010.
5) I will have my Quiet Time and no one can bother me for that. In this noisy world we live in. We need this to keep our sanity with all the changes that are happening too.

The ride home also gave me three songs which started the year right for me:
ABBA's Name of the Game – http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/abba/the+name+of+the+game_20002863.html

Third Eye Blind's Semi-Charmed Life – http://www.musicfanclubs.org/3eb/3eblyrics/lyrics_semi.htm
</object>

and All Saint's Pure Shores – http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/allsaints/pureshores.html

Of course with all that, I had to look back at 2009:

It was truly a year of adventure, change and discovery. I was awed by the many things I saw this year – from Sinulog, to turtles and barracudas in Sipadan, sharks and stars in Tubbataha, wonderful coffee, the craziness of humanity and the deep connections we establish with friends. It was a year where my thoughts and feelings were jumbled up so much that there were days that I seriously didn't know which way was up. It was a year that I took chances. It was a year that took me by surprise (in which the shocks still leave me reeling sometimes.) It was a year where things changed in many, many aspects.

With all that here are the things I am taking away from 2009 as my key learning: I discovered that I am not the best person to handle change as it made me feel the worst that I have ever felt that up to now, I cannot say I am the happiest camper in the world. I think that bad feeling was compounded by the fact that I came from a state where I felt and was at the BEST that I have ever been in my life and you know that feeling that you just can't help but compare how it was before and how it is now? It was so painful to see how from being on top, I found myself clawing my way back to the peak as others try to take my spot.

I am learning to cope with change – or should I say – the current state of affairs – and am now putting my feet back on the ground. I now find myself in a place where I am humbled by the juxtaposition of reality and expectations, I am grounded by the weight of responsibility, and I am being held steady by supporting arms of colleagues and friends. It wasn't so bad, but it was a helluva year.

So with that I welcome 2010 with new things to EXPLORE DREAM CREATE IMAGINE AND DISCOVER.

Toooot. Happy New Year. Here's to a Perfect 10.

Joepi Paloma | Manila, PH

Posted via email from joepster.com | posterous

This entry was posted on Friday, January 1st, 2010 at 1:52 pmand is filed under Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply