— witsandnuts

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You probably should pay extra attention to this post. LOL. :)

As my blog is turning another year old in less than three months from now, I remember that I still owe you responses to some of the questions you asked in this post. For those who are new here, I held a blog anniversary and birthday giveaway last year and each commenter-participant got to ask one question as part of the “game’. And I promised to give a response to the three winners. Well, I really did. Anyway, as I’m planning to hold another giveaway this July, I sort of reviewed what you wanted to happen last year and I absolutely felt the “clamor” for me to share more.

I started this blog without any reader in mind. (You can locate that statement on this blog’s sidebar.) But we don’t really know what’s going to happen next, right? So, it evolved and all that. But I remain non-descriptive and almost privy about some aspects, especially of my personal life. One of the things that I really appreciate about blogging is that the authors behind each post can possibly accept each other for who they are. And as blog owners, we decide how much information we are going to share. And because I really hear your clamor, I’ve decided to put this sort of question and answer (based on the items you asked last year) and decided to group them as follows:

The question was: A suntok sa buwan possibility,what is the first thing/question you are going to ask me if we ever get to meet in person?

BECAUSE I LOVE TO EAT

Q: What was your first meal in UAE? (from Kate of It’s All About the Meow)

A: Chicken and cajun fries from Popeye’s. But on my second day in the UAE, I had my first arabic meal from Mugg and Bean. From the menu, it read as “arabian plate”. It was delicious but being a newbie to “real” arabic food that time, I hardly managed to finish half of it.

Q: Saan tayo kakain? That’s because we’ll bond over a good meal, my treat! (from Toni of Wifely Steps, one of the winners)

A: Anywhere! Any restaurant where Timmy (Toni’s son) can join us. (Note: In December 2008, Toni and I had few minutes meet up in her office in Makati. I will always remember her as a Twilight sister!)

Q: Where do you want to eat? So that we can continue talking at the restaurant. Haha! (from Rachel of My Soulful Thoughts)

A: I noticed that your family frequents Nuvali, can you take me to your favourite restaurant there? Another option is to go to Paseo de Santa Rosa. I miss the crispy dinuguan from Kanin Club!

Q: Vanilla or chocolate? (from Glenda of Oodles of Goodles)

A: Chocolate!

Q: Saan tayo kakain? (from Caryn of Sari saring Kulay, one of the winners)

A: If by chance we do meet in Japan, let’s eat at that same restaurant where Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray (remember him from Ghostbusters?) ate when they were having a sort of lovers quarrel in the film Lost in Translation. But if we’re in the Philippines, let’s grab a bite anywhere near Ayala Museum so you can show me afterwards your contributions in their showcase inside the museum. Or if we get to meet in the UAE, let’s have a hearty meal at home.

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PNS Abu Dhabi
(Few of these photos from the foundation day of one of the Filipino schools in UAE will appear in the school’s yearbook. The school year in the UAE falls from August to May.)

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Complaining doesn't solve anything
Complaining might solve things to a certain extent. But once we try not to focus on ourselves, we’ll realize that there are other things that matter more. And at the end of the day, we might be sharing the same boat.

For most of us who spend more time in the workplace, whether we like it or not, the best thing that should happen is to sustain our excitement in going to the office or attending to work-related stuff. Think of motivating factor + a reasonable boss, eh? I’m glad that although life at workplace can be really crazy at times, my boss is easy to deal with.

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Japanese in the midst of quake
{Source.} Would you still line up during emergency?

Do you remember how our grandparents, parents and other people whom we look up to told us that one of the measures of one’s character is how he behaves during the most difficult times? And as we grow and become more accountable, we often hear that the strength of a nation or an institution is best tested in the most trying times.

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Sabangan Beach Resort, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas
(My brother took this photo during our post-Christmas outing in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas. We were with our family and relatives taking breakfast by the beach. It is amusing to see a rainbow after the early morning rain.)

While receiving an email from YOURSELF is strange, how weirder it could get when you hardly remember what made you write it. This one got in yesterday:

The following is an e-mail from the past, sent through FutureMe.org
It was composed on Monday, January 4, 2010, to be sent on Tuesday, January 4, 2011:
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Dear FutureMe,

I am too stressed out right now due non-work stuff. I am trying to look like unaffected, but really the situation is eating me. To think that the year has just started.

I am still hopeful for a better 2010. Maybe this is just an extraordinary beginning of the year. And that the best is yet to come.

I’ll be found again,
witsandnuts

It took time for me to remember what actually was the situation a year ago. My email to myself sounded like the end of the world was near. I don’t maintain a physical diary and probably I just needed to let it out that minute because I couldn’t bear it just by myself but didn’t want opinion from anyone that I headed to FutureMe.org (i.e. you get to write letter to the future). I think I’ve written more than a couple of emails, the problem is I don’t remember anymore when I should receive them. I surmise that one will come after 5 years. In a way, hearing from my old self now excites me. I liked the (recurring) realization that the above email blessed me — I didn’t know that I was so scared about 2010, that the year didn’t start smoothly… but when I recollect, my 2010 concluded grandly and was actually one of my best years. In general, while a good start is ideal, we don’t give much weight how it kicked off, but how it finished.

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