as 2009’s last breath slowly peters out, i managed to find the time to go online before the noise outside (firecrackers, sirens, horns, etc.) claims my wayward attention.

oddly enough, i actually managed to finish all my chores before 11:00pm — which i could never quite manage in the past few years — and now i find myself a loose end. there’s only a couple of hours left until it’s 2010 in our corner of the globe. usually i feel kind of nostalgic for the preceding year whenever new year’s eve rolls in, but now i can hardly wait until it’s 2010.

i think it’s not only me who feels this way. i guess in many ways, 2009 has been an uneasy year for so many of us — for personal, economic, career, political and other reasons. and even though there aren’t too many signs to indicate that 2010 will be a great year, just the chance of making a fresh start is enough to make me look ahead in anticipation — not with blind optimism, of course, but a kind of hopeful expectation.

it doesn’t really matter what comes next. just the possibility of finding something better is enough for now.

Happy New Year everyone, wherever you are. go easy on the bubbly and those firecrackers. and may 2010 be a kinder, luckier year for us all.

sometimes all it takes to lighten up your day — or, in my case, night — is a hot snack, especially when you’re exhausted and feeling a bit down. in fact, it’s amazing just how a well-timed quick bite can change your perspective in an instant.

now this wouldn’t be a problem if you have a well-stocked larder or if you had the presence of mind to order some takeout food earlier. but if you’re a night owl like me, or have crazy working hours that leave you stalking the streets at some ungodly hour in search for food, this can be a pain in the you-know-what (and in the stomach, too). good thing there are 24-hour convenience stores, but if there are no 7-eleven outlets in your area, this becomes a major inconvenience.

so i’m rather gratified to learn that there’s a Pan de Manila store near where i live, right next to the subdivision’s gate. and the fact that it’s open all day is a major plus for me. i go there two or three times a week, and i find it rather amusing that every time i drop by, this old security guy (at least, i think he is) is almost always perched in his chair by the door and snoring away peacefully as customers walk in and out.

another thing i like about this Pan de Manila shop is its “old-world” atmosphere — it’s not super-sleek or chrome-plated like most business-like urban bake shops. it’s not well lighted, but it has a certain kind of charm that reminds me of the old days when bakeries were basically a family-run operation that thrived in small neighborhoods and knew their customers by name. and the products? i leave that for you to decide. know, however, that i have been eating a lot of bread these past few weeks.

below is an entry that i’d been planning to post but never got around to do because i was too busy doing other things. anyways, i’d like to place it here all the same because it sort of gives me a reference point

the decision to relocate has long been an unresolved issue that became increasingly urgent yet improbable as time passed. after the heady self-realization that i was ready to move on, i became somewhat somnolent. i did my packing rather listlessly and found enough reasons to postpone making my decision. at times i wondered if i was actually ready to uproot myself from my old, comfortable routine.

the thought of expending that much effort alone — believe me, few things can be as exhausting and physically (and financially) draining as moving — was enough to make me quail.

i knew that “moving on” was something that i was bound to do sooner or later, but after a while i got a little lost due to shifting priorities. finally, when it became painfully obvious that i had nowhere else to go but forward, i literally fell back on my — well, fallback plan. it’s not that i just sat on my butt and waited for things to fall into place. i actually went through a whirlwind of activities as i searched for: (1) a living quarters that would get me nearer to my work; (2) a secure address that would assure safe travel at anytime; and (3) if possible, a location that’s relatively safe from flash floods and other forms of natural calamity(ies).

hah! easier said than done. after going through the motions (and nearly getting sick in the process), i finally decided to move to a quieter neighborhood (thanks to an insider tip from a friend), which isn’t that far from where i used to live. and my checklist? uh, right — after a week, i chucked it out of the window. obviously, i wasn’t going to get all that i wished for, so why saddle myself with a list?

the funny thing is, i’m even farther from my workplace now, which means i get to spend more on transportation. and i’ve been informed (rather smugly by a former neighbor) that floods are known to occur in my current address — nya-nya-nya-nya-nya! and what’s more, the rent is about 25% higher than what i used to pay for my old place.

oh well. i guess you can’t have it all.

but you know what? i can’t bring myself to care. in fact, i rather like where i am right now. my new digs is almost as big as my old unit, and i rarely see my neighbors because of our different schedules. utilities aren’t a problem and there are a number of food chains and 24-hour convenience stores within easy reach — quite a big plus for a night owl like me. and the security here is heaps better than what you’d find in my old neighborhood.

hmmm…

whew… i guess i can breathe now

after so much useless hand-wringing and vacillating, i finally had my internet reconnected today — via SmartBro’s Share it promo, which means i can now make simultaneous use of the wifi devices that i have thoughtlessly amassed these past few months.

right now i feel kind of giddy for having been able to figure out those baffling, hard-to-read (they’re ant-sized!) printed instructions in the manual and actually managed to get things working on my first try! weird…

anyways, i need to collect my thoughts before i can finally fire up my engines — they’re grown rusty from lack of use. give me a minute to feel my way around folks and i’ll be ready to (really) blog again. until then, hang on and stay loose.