Of Songs, Laughter and Tears

Friday was nothing spectacular for me. But in many ways, I was at peace. For one, my boss was off to another seminar/training located outside the office. This alone has already made my day complete! With her absence follows my presence in our lunch hour jam with some of my other colleagues in the Human Resources Department. They do this everyday during lunch to de-stress themselves from all the office politics and inhumane workload that they’ve been given. I rarely attend these things because I am THAT wanted by my boss. This day however, turned out to be one of those rare moments when I can simply enjoy my lunch with no hassles involved. I even got to sing!

Secondly, Ninette and I had a movie date at Eastwood that evening. But of course, any date with a fellow girlfriend won’t be complete without some  girl talk! After all, TALKING is really the name of the game when bonding with your girlfriends. So, having checked the movie schedule and having bought tickets, we stayed first at Jak’s Loft (my favorite since year 2001 when I used to work at Etelecare, Libis) for some (supposedly) light dinner. Their Rosemary Panini is still the best one I’ve tasted and there’s really no comparing their Beef/Chicken Stir-fry! Pair this up with their Fishbowl Iced Tea and all thoughts about dieting vanished into thin air! 

 Anyway, I digress. This date was really for Ninette. She was having some heart problems for the longest time now and she needed someone to listen to her woes and encourage her that this is not the last time she is ever going to love. Tears were shed (including mine…konti lang…I was trying to be strong for her, you know) and words were said. She has this quality of strength in her and is very steadfast in her commitments. She is sensible enough to know when enough is enough and she is determined to be happy again. I know she will be. For now, I can only wish, hope and pray that she overcomes this soon and when she is ready, I believe that the whole universe will conspire for her to get what she really wants (quote adapted from Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist). It has happened to me and my other friends before.  It will happen to her too. “Ninette, please know that you have a beautiful soul, a forgiving and generous heart. You are gorgeous  inside-out. No matter what happens, nobody can take these gifts away from you. We, your loyal friends, will help you get through this. You can surpass this and you will. ”

Lastly but most joyously, I capped off the night by exploring Eastwood a bit with my baby. We noticed that a lot of other establishments have already been built and the place has this “community feel” to it now. It’s like living in a mini city. Everything you need is already there, be they schools, offices, groceries, supermarkets, restaurants, bars, discos, tiangges, etc. They even offer free workout and yoga sessions on some days. if only I can make it in time all the way from Pasay. Anyway, before we headed home, we enjoyed a nice hot mug of coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. And it just dawned on me that it really doesn’t take much to enjoy life. And it’s  really not that hard especially when you share it with someone very close to your heart, even more so if he is your other half, the very reason why you go on living each and every day. I know this sounds mushy but without Peter, I won’t be able to explore my life the way I am exploring it now — with wonder, curiosity, glow,  intensity and every bit of passion.