I love being a bum. No need to wake up early, and my schedule is mine, and mine alone. I don’t know how people can say they can get bored being at home, when even now, there are so many things to do that’s competing for my time. So many books, magazines, videos, tv shows, websites, so many things to take do at home, at the gym, at the mall. It’s lovely.

It’s also so nice to be at home in a raging downpour like what’s going on outside right now. To be cocooned in my dark, dark room, just typing away in my computer, although I keep praying that the lights don’t go out and I can finish this entry.

So far, in over a week of being a bum, I’ve learned to cook two dishes (adobo and torta), watched a movie (Herbie Fully Loaded — watch it, it’s funny!), watched tons of videos, read quite a number of books (Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Yea!!), got a haircut and hair treatment, went to the gym a few times (though not as much as I should, laziness does set in, you know), and just been really relaxed.

Lovely.

I went to work last Friday, knowing that it was my last day. It was pretty relaxed, thank God turnover was done by Thursday. I had packed up my personal stuff, deleted my personal files from my work pc, and had done probably everything I could and should do.

Thankfully, it was just a fun day. We went out for lunch, closed down the office for close to three hours(!), and went back for picture taking and the mini bridal shower. All this I did not expect, but I appreciated it so much. It felt so nice knowing that I left the company with my work and contributions, small they may be, appreciated. As my dad said, it was my boss’s way of showing that. And with what my officemates did, it was touching that they went through the effort of doing it for me.

I was with the company for close to three years, and I loved and worked hard for the company the entire time. Now, a chapter of my life has closed, with another one to open soon. But at least this chapter ended with a happy ending.

My last day at work, in pictures.

Just finished watching the first episode of Desperate Housewives, which finally reached Manila through cable and it’s great! Now I have something to watch every Tuesday. I actually miss watching something regular on TV, as I haven’t really had a regular show for the longest time. Not that there was anything really compelling for me to keep watching regularly. So this is nice. Yay!

It’s a sad, sad day for me and my family.

Ina, our beloved pet poodle of 10 years, has passed on to dog heaven. She’s given us so much joy with her sweetness over those years, and she will be sorely missed. Gone is the cute little dog who would bark loudly and insistently every time any of us would get home, just so the help could open the door. No more Ina sleeping outside my room, just because it’s cool. No more Ina, the brave-on-the-outside, scaredy-cat on the inside dog, who would show her bravado while inside the house. She, who once barked up at a cow about 30 times her size. Ina, who was eternally scared of thunder, lightning and fireworks. No more Ina, who would hog my Dad’s pillow in their room, or use the La-Z-Boy as her bed.

*sigh*

Goodbye Ina. It will never be the same without you.

Chaos seems to be the word for the day.

Overseas, the tragic London bombing shocked the world.

Locally, clamors for GMA’s resignation is getting louder and louder. The administration is suffering in its instability. Cabinet members have resigned. Some are still staunchly supporting GMA. And a lot are now gathered in Makati to get Gloria to resign.

But who will replace her? Noli? Susan Roces (who must be the most unqualified and undeserving person, imho)? Erap (spare us, please)? Loren (yuck)?

The problem is that while Arroyo may have lost her credibility, there is no clear leader who will take over and be supported by all. You get the feeling that if Noli becomes the next president IF (and that’s a 72-px big IF), they will say that he is still identified with GMA, and plotting for his ouster will be the next agenda. The opposition? How can you trust them? Unless I am alone in thinking that this is all a result of manipulation by the opposition (with a lot of help from Gloria’s *lapse in judgement*), it is unlikely that most will extend their full support for an opposition-led administration as well.

I feel so bad because individually, we Filipinos have the capacity to be good. We all have strong feelings about making our country better. Unfortunately, we are not united. We have not been showing discipline as a nation to help the country be great once again. We have unfortunately had leaders who have fostered their own agenda and vested interests before the country’s. If we can only be united and dedicated, if each of us can make a sacrifice for the Philippines, if we can have a good, strong leader that everybody will follow, knowing that he or she has the country’s best interests in mind, we can do it.

But if all we’ll know how to do is gathering in some street, shouting “Insert name of current leader here, resign!” everytime a new leader is installed, this will never happen. But if we truly make actions speak louder than words, we will inevitably rise and make the Philippines whole again.

I just hope that this wish is not futile. Enough grandstanding, enough selfishness, enough bitterness. Let’s just all be Filipinos, in the honest-to-goodness sense of the word: a citizen of the Philippines, with all the rights and responsibilities it holds.

Boy, the turnover process sure is tiring.

I spent practically the entire day yakking about my job, things to do, and all that. Trying to cram 2 and a half years of accumulated knowledge and processes isn’t the easiest thing, but having done my 30-page manual, I was able to run through most of it for today. I kept asking if I was going too fast, but she said she could still absorb it. Of course, that’s just the very basic. Hopefully though, the manual will help her a lot, since it’s very detailed and step by step. It’s just worrisome though, because a lot of my knowledge (e.g. client history), is all in my head, and cannot be turned over just like that.

Funny, I told my boss jokingly that since I only have a few topics left to discuss, I can leave when it’s done, instead of on July 15.

His reply: Don’t scare me!

:Þ

Last week, we thought my post would be filled, but the chosen applicant turned the job down because she still wanted to take a vacation in Baguio. So we’ve been doing interviews again, and we have another potential one tomorrow. Hopefully, things will be finalized soon to give me more time for a proper turnover. Right now, I’m just so busy redoing the styling of our intranet modules that it’s been making me feel so rushed. On the other hand, it makes the day fly by faster, so I’m all for that. Productivity minus boredom = happy me.

The weather’s so lovely now. If you’re indoors, of course. Rainy and cool, it makes me want to have taho and sotanghon (which I had for dinner), it makes me long for cuddling and my FH…nvm..less than three months to go!