I semi-ditched the notebook/planner once

For nearly a decade, I carried this leather planner every. Where. I. Went.  Nearly!  It was an upgrade from the student planner I used in preparation for "greater things to come". Since it was a bulky, multi-compartmentalized, tabbed three-ring binder in heavy two-toned leather (the better to go with every purse or outfit *wink*), I couldn't always put it in my purse.  So, wherever I went -- shopping, to work, riding the bus, the supermarket, carrying a tray in a fastfood restaurant, ordering and taking my coffee to-go -- it would be hand-held, tucked between my upper arm and my torso, or hugged close to my chest.  Needless to say, lugging the planner limited the range of movements of one arm.  But I always thought I would die without it, so I didn't mind.

crazy things I did for love

"What's the craziest thing you've ever done for love that you didn't think you were capable of doing?"

Craziest?  For love?  That got me thinking... I was actually stumped. 

After finally submitting a cover story way beyond the deadline set for this magazine I love to write for, I am asked to submit a sentence or two in reply to this unsettling question for the contributors' page.  And I thought completing the cover story over the frenetic holidays was a challenge. I think: the article is for the February issue.  February, Valentine's, Love.  But, of course.

So, about Facebook...

Sure, I happen to be one of those who embraced Facebook. All it took was a couple of invites, and I was hooked. And -- surprise!--I am still at it. My day is not complete without logging into Facebook and checking updates. Live updates.

On days when I try to deny my Facebook dependence, I check my Email inbox... to check on Facebook notifications. Then there's no beating around the bush from there. I click on the nearest link that'll take it to my fix for the day. The hour.  Ok, no --  the moment.

I fell in love with Facebook because of the wonder of connection and reconnection it provided.  Long-lost X's of all kinds.  I got a thrill with every notification that an old friend had found me.  Even our clan's egroup has dwindled down to personal messages. News and photos go directly to Facebook. Can I even count the many times I've thanked God for Facebook?!  Not to mention the times I swore and believed with all my heart that FB was made for people like me: 

This is me for 2010

Oh, drat -- January's ending soon. This New Year has been facing me straight in the eye for a month, and I haven't really buckled to do the traditional resolution thingy.  I'm unprepared, as usual... or not.  I no longer know for sure.  Oh-nine had a lot of carpets pulled from underneath what I thought was solid footing, so yes, I now say to oh-ten, bring it on, and I'll take it day to day.

I do know from experience, though, that there are certain tried and tested tools to get people going and going the right way. 

PR at home

I am a communicator of messages by profession, but I have never felt as challenged in sending a message as I am with my kids.  Are my objectives measurable, realistic, and specific? Do I have my key messages right? Am I using the right medium?  Are they listening?  Because if they are, after all, then they sure are doing a very good job of looking as though nothing I say can help.

Five top reasons communications is not quite an area of specialty at home:

my lullaby

"With your work and your four kids, I'm just curious -- when do you find the time to read?!"

She knows about how much I love to read, books in particular. And, she had a point. It's been getting more challenging to get to read as much and as often as I used to. I didn't need to think hard for the answer. I told my workmate the truth: I read at night.

Reading at night is a vital element holding up the rest of why I am the way I am --  my habits (coffee *sigh*), my body clock, my work practices -- me! Which came first?  My love for reading.

Here are the top reasons I love to read books:

finding comfort in knowing even just a bit

I find myself sometimes agonizing over things I cannot fix. It's difficult being a control freak in a world where you are not the director. Not even the scriptwriter. Thank God for everyday microcosms: my work desk, my work, my family -- no strike that -- , my quiet time in the bathroom, where I have even just a modicum of control.

I tried to fix a printer that won't work earlier today. Everyone just gave up and said, "we bought a bad one."

To save or not to save

So many people lost their loved ones, their homes, their cars, and their other prized possesions during the recent floods brought about by Tropical Storm Ketsana, referred to locally -- and already used as an adjective and verb -- as Ondoy. Rich or poor, everyone in the metro was affected, either directly or through loved ones, friends, and/or workmate.

Surveying the damage and the losses right after the worst of the flood was the most painful... or so one might think. It has actually been a series of pain and torture. My home was spared, but I had so much stuff at my parents' house, I had even just a fraction of an idea of what they felt. First, devastation, then helplessness, then the overwhelmed sense you get when you are faced with a to-do list so long and a time table so tight. Then you learn to let go, take a deep breath, then begin the process of cleaning up and rebuilding. All throughout picking up a lesson or two.

One thing Typhoon Ketsana has taught me is that when faced with a few minutes before disaster strikes, what can I save?