Constantine and Sideways

I managed to catch 2 movies last week- "Constantine" and "Sideways". Obviously, I watched "Constantine" because Keannu Reeves was in it. Then I watched "Sideways" to find out what the buzz has been all about.

"Constantine" is based on a comic-book character who hunts down demons and sends them back to hell. He has the special ability to see things and to travel between hell and earth. I thought the premise was quite interesting and the visuals were entertaining. However, the movie was really bogged down by the script. I just felt the pace was too slow for an action movie. Having seen "Elektra" though just a few weeks ago, "Constantine" doesn't seem bad after all.

"Sideways" is about 2 friends who go on a wine-tasting trip across California a week before one of them is scheduled to get married. All the good stuff you've heard about this movie is true. Of course, I had high expectations of this film because the director also made "About Schmidt" which I really liked. Thank God, I wasn't disappointed this time. It's funny and sad all at once. There are no heroes or big moments in this film. Everyone is flawed, but in the end, they go on with their lives. They find little pockets of happiness in what may seem a totally meaningless existence. It's a simple story with no pretentions. I'll probably watch it again next week.

A Typical Day

I've been really busy with work in the last few weeks which is why I haven't been able to post as often as I would like to. I just got a new assignment last Thursday, so now I have to worry about another training program for my division. I'm barely finished with the first training program I'm building up. I've also been busy supervising the new hires and the trainees just to make sure that they integrate well into the division. Plus, I'm getting much more involved in the recruitment process for our training pool, so that's another thing I have to spend time on.

A typical day for me these days begins with me spending time in the gym almost every morning. It's either I'm attending dance classes or I'm lifting weights to get rid of my flab. The dance classes are quite ridiculous, but I have to admit a lot of fun. I also make sure I spend some time on the treadmill just to get keep increasing my endurance.

After my workout, I buy myself and my sister breakfast. Then I go home and get some much needed sleep the rest of the day. If I have to catch a movie, I wake up at 3 PM. If I'm not really after watching anything, I sleep until 6:30 PM.

By 7:30 PM, I need to be out of the house if I am to make it to the office by 8:30 PM. Sometimes I leave earlier if I want to have dinner in the mall. By the time I get to the office, I give myself at least 30 mins. to settle down then I spend the next 8-9 hours working on various projects, attending meetings or coaching people on things they need to work on. So at any given time, there can be at least 3 people looking for me at my post.

If I'm lucky, I can leave the office at 5:30 AM. If on that day, I have so much work to do, I leave at 7 AM. It's not so bad. I've been tempted many times to bring my work home. However, I realized how that managed to burn me out the last time, so I leave everything in the office.

So far I have no complaints. I've adjusted really well to the new work environment. All my bosses are quite nice to me, so I just do my job and keep them updated. No one pressures me unnecessarily and no one from the office calls me when I'm at home. I'll do this for a year and then it will be time again to re-evaluate my life.

I HATE VALENTINE"S DAY

I probably have a history of having the worst Valentine's Days ever. In my 26 years of existence, I have had only 1 year of actually ever being with someone on that date. There was one year when I was stuck in the office finishing work. Another year where I was too depressed to go out so I ended up just going home and getting drunk after work. For typical year though, I spend most of my time hiding at home and avoiding any phone calls from friends.

I don't know why. I have no problem with my current status. I'm single not simply because of circumstances, but also because it's a choice I made. But I swear I just hate Valentine's Day. It's the one day of the year when I feel really alone. I walk in the malls and I see couples holding hands or girls carrying flowers. It's not as if I don't see that every other day of the year, but I guess it's highlighted on that date.

So what did I do this year? Well, since I work on the night shift, I really don't have a choice but to go to the office. The good thing is, I have a valid excuse not to be out that night. However, I still have to have dinner anyway and having no food in the house, I have to go to the mall. So I ended up dragging myself to Shangri-la Mall. That's when I decided to treat myself to a good dinner. I went to Sugarhouse and ordered something called Two Pigs in a Blanket, which is basically a sausage sandwich. Afterwards, I capped off the meal with a delicious Turtle Pie, which is a chocolate cake with a caramel base. Not content, I bought a Chicken Florentine meal for my midnight snack in the office.

At around 8 PM, I made my way to the office which is about 2 blocks away from the mall. With a full stomach, I didn't feel so sad anymore. Gosh, I have to go to the gym again tommorow to work off all the calories again.:)

Summarized Updates

Haven't been able to update my blog as often I want to because of so many meetings at work. At the same time, I'm still worrying about the training activities for my training class that I haven't had enough time to sit down and just organize my thoughts for a coherent blog.

Anyway, I'll just summarize all the things that happened last week....

- Last Saturday, I attended a baby shower for my former boss from my previous office. The party was so wholesome that I decided to go to Malate afterwards even if I had not slept properly for days at that point.

- Before going to Malate, I met up with my friend Paul in Megamall. I haven't been able to hang out with him as often as before because we're both really busy with work. Plus, I needed to give him some stuff. He's one of the people I really miss eversince I got busy with the new job.

- I went to Malate with my new friend in the office, Erik. We were supposed to go to the Orosa/Nakpil area since a lot of my friends hang out there. However, when we got there, he wasn't that comfortable with the crowd. We ended up wandering aimlessly in the place. At one point, we ran into my other friend Cecil who was with her friends. They were hanging out in another bar at another part of Malate. Erik and I decided to stay there until around 4 AM.

- Last Wednesday, I woke up early afternoon just so I could run to the mall and catch a screening of "Let The Love Begin". When I wasn't working, I was watching "Mulawin" almost everyday. Since then I've been a fan of the Richard Gutierrez- Angel Locsin love team so I decided I was going to watch their movie. I thought the movie wasn't bad. There were some variations to the typical "poor boy meets rich girl" storyline. I just think it's impossible though that there would ever be a janitor with Richard's looks.

- Last Thursday, I tried to watch of the movie version of "Phantom of the Opera". I ran out after just 20 minutes. I was laughing so hard, I just had to leave. I really cannot relate with modern musical theater.

- This Friday, I took an exam which I flunked pretty badly. I didn't feel so bad about it though because I did that to answer one question I have in my life at this point. What happened last Friday affirmed my decision of late last year.

- This Saturday, I badly needed to catch some sleep so I just visited my Dad, went to the gym and afterwards went home. So at least this Sunday, I'm pretty well-rested.

- My friend is planning to set me up on a date with someone. I haven't said yes. I'm really not comfortable with the idea of going out on a blind date at this point of my life. I used to do that often before and I've had a lot of funny experiences to look back on. The question is though, when will I ever be ready to go out anyway?

The End of The Week

It's 7 AM in the morning and I am still in the office. I'll be leaving in a while.

I'm still getting used to the fact that I no longer have to run like a rat just to be where I am supposed to be.

Sometimes I still feel a little disjointed from this life. It still doesn't feel real.

What did I do for this week? I attended a 2-day training for Trainers, did my revisions to my training program slides, interviewed 5 people for the pilot team and dealt with the usual day-to-day issues in the office.

What did I fail to do? Damn. I'm still not done trying to figure out activities that will keep my training class lively. I haven't finished preparing my assessment materials and my training effectivity survey.

Despite not finishing some work, I don't feel rushed, harassed or depressed.

This weekend, I'll visit my Dad, attend a baby shower for my ex-boss, go to Malate with my ex-boyfriend and my new found friend in the office, watch a tournament on Sunday and watch a movie with my sister.

So this is what it finally means to have a life....