30 and then some

I need to kiss 22 more men to get married

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:54:00 +0000

I was reading an article entitled 10 Quirky Facts About Kissing (yes, that's how pathetic I am at the moment) the other day and it said there that the average woman kisses 29 men before she gets married.

What sort of study is this and what are its parameters??? I've just turned 32 last week and this article is telling me I need 22 more kissing partners before I get married. If I averaged at half a man each year, then that means I'll only get married after 44 years.

Geez, that's a long way to go. Looks like I'll die a spinster or get married just before I kick the bucket!

Buuuuut, I can't think of anybody I know to confirm this. So that study may have a lot to do with the studied women's locations. So there's hope yet!

Oh what a pity!

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:50:00 +0000

I hadn't touched this site in a looooooooooong time. So much has happened since my last post and I wonder if listing them down in bullets is going to make up for that?

What the heck, here it goes:

Messy break-up with the boyfriend -- he went off with another friend who was then the girlfriend of another friend (I told you it was a mess!).
Nearly had a nervous breakdown.
Have gone back into the dating scene.
Withdrawn from the dating scene.
Recovery on the way.
Been on a "pilgrimage." I will not elaborate on that.
Holidayed in Cebu.
Went to a wedding and running into the golden couple from the first bullet.
Holidayed in Sydney just last week.

How was that???

After a horrendous mid-year, I think ending 2010 with a Sydney bang (LOLLL) was exactly the way to go out in a high note.

I've got so much in my head, so this site is gearing up for a resurrection. Keep coming back, yeah?

Whoa, it's been that long?

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:17:00 +0000

I can't believe I've gone so long without posting here. Obviously, so much has happened such as:

I've already left my job.
I still work for my old company, but I'm subcontracting instead, so I had been working from home.
I've taken a MASSIVE paycut.
I'm planning on selling my condo unit because of that.

There are so many niggly things about working from home like it's unstable income and you are at risk of not getting any work done due to power cuts and things like that, but after such a long time... I'M ACTUALLY HAPPY.

I don't think I will ever go back to being employed again. But if I do, it won't be here in the Philippines.

OMG, I'm a lemming.

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:38:00 +0000

I was just curious in the beginning about why this whole Twilight series was a bestselling book series. All the cheesiness is definitely a major turn-off.

But having listened (yes, listened and not read) Twilight and New Moon, I think I've become a convert.

I'm still convinced the plot has got more holes than Swiss cheese (ironic, considering all the cheese dripping all over the storyline). But oh, the feelings. I swear, I feel like I was back in my uni days and contemplating on boys, butterflies and broken hearts.

I'm a bit annoyed that Bella likes Edward better than Jacob, though. Not because of the beefy scenes by Taylor Lautner in the movie, mind.

The parts of the story when they were together was so light, casual and tender. He's just the kind of boy I wanted for myself, really. I could never relate to the Edward ones that were so cool, too handsome and rich. I never get comfortable with those types of guys. Besides, Bella and Edward are so corny that it makes me sick.

I guess I have always had a soft spot for characters with unrequited love interests.

Crossroads

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:55:00 +0000

I had been cruising through the last ten years, thinking that a career was the best thing I could give myself. After all, I was brought up to think like that. I'm a good kid, because I listen to my parents.

When I returned from the UK four years ago, I thought this job I'm holding right now will be the last one. I planned to retire with this company. However, in the last several months, things have suddenly gone pear-shaped (and that's not just my figure).

Surprisingly, it was at the lowest point in my career that I realise what it was that I really wanted to do... and it didn't involved being continually employed like a horse.

It's time to get focused.

What the heck is going on, Google???

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:57:00 +0000

It's official -- Google's Page Ranking is a load of bull crap.

I hadn't done much in this blog for months. I hardly ever visit it at all, let alone post. I had really gone of posting because of what previously happened to my PR ranking a few months ago.

So imagine my surprise today when I scrolled down my page, practically ad-less, and saw that what used to be a PR ? (yes, a PR "question mark) is now a PR 3!

WTF???

I suppose I should be happy. Unfortunately, it just confirmed my suspicion that it didn't really mean anything in the first place.

Some weddings

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:45:00 +0000

I went to a lovely wedding last Saturday. The girl was my best friend from high school, but we hardly ever see each other since we started our own separate careers. She became pregnant early and had to marry her then boyfriend.

Yes, she got married again -- but to the same guy, okay? The first one was just a civil wedding, the church wedding last Saturday was held around 9 years later.

Although it was lovely, there wasn't that tingly, giddy feeling I usually get when I go to weddings. It may just be me, but the whole affair last Saturday just seemed like a formality, as they had been together for a long time anyway. That nothing has changed for them really. It's still sweet, but it feels different.

I used to think that having a civil wedding then having the church wedding maybe a couple of years after would be a good idea, when I'm desperate to get married. But the whole Saturday thing may have just changed my mind. Maybe I would rather wait.

Because it seems like doing that will take all the fun out of the celebrations.

I wonder....

Where did the time go?

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:27:00 +0000

It's the first day of December, which means I'll be turning 31 in exactly 15 days.

I know I promised myself that I'd keep tabs on being 30, but life happened, y'know. I knew I'd be too busy at some point, that's why I named this blog "30 and then some" -- so i'll have 9 more years to keep tabs on my thirty-ish-ness. hahaha!

Being 30 is not much different from being 29. I don't want to consider myself too old for anything YET. Maybe when my crow's feet are much more visible, I just might stop wearing shorts or mini-skirts.

For now, I'm going to continue acting like I'm 25.

Dazed Days

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:20:00 +0000

I had been adamant that I didn't want anything to do with the new Twilight movie, New Moon. I refuse to watch it.

I have never read the Stephanie Meyer books and even after year, I still think she sucks.

I only watched Twilight because I felt a little bit left out when my friends talk about it, so I said might as well. I couldn't take the cheesiness of the whole thing -- I had to stop watching mid-movie and continued the next day. I was shouting "what the heck?!?" the whole time I was watching it (I was all alone, mind you).

Though I refuse to watch New Moon at the cinema, I didn't say I will never watch it. I would rather wait for the DVD. I didn't want other people to hear me groan so loudly at the cheesy bits.

My friends were insistent that the books, specifically the first one, were better. So I resigned myself to finding out. But I downloaded the audio book instead, as I didn't want to ruin my already severely damaged eyes by reading those books that could rival the yellow pages.

So listen to the audio book, I did. And now, I had been on a daze all weekend from daydreaming all the time.

Oops.

Caught between the past and the present

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:03:00 +0000

I thought stuff like this only happened in movies.

I was trawling the mall with my bf and our friends last Sunday, when some guy called out my name loudly.

It was my ex from university, and he's heading right for us! We hadn't seen each other in years and my bf has no idea who he is.

I was in a panic! How was I going to introduce him to the bf? Will the bf overreact? What was I going to do???

I introduced my ex as an old schoolmate, that's what I did.

Why? Because saying "Hey bf, this is ____, my ex-boyfriend" just didn't sound right to me.

*sigh*

What would you have done?

Email posting

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0000

This blog is getting old fast and I hadn't been updating as often as I should have. One reason is that I had been awfully busy and another is that I didn't want the office IT getting wind of this blog.

So I'm testing Blogger's email posting service, to find out if that will do the trick.

After hitting Send on this email, I'll be crossing my fingers (and maybe even my toes) for good luck.

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:49:00 +0000

.

The bf's grandma had passed away a few days ago and it was a surreal thing for me. I had been at the hospital just the day before, and I could see how the family was struggling to cope with the fact that Nan might fade away at any given time.

I had lost a great-aunt that I was close to, and it was definitely sad for me. But I guess it wasn't entirely that difficult back then, because I was miles away in another country when it happened. So this is the closest thing I could get to understand how it is to lose someone you love. I truly empathised. I could only imagine what it must feel like to mourn the loss of a family member. All this made me realise something...

It's a morbid thought, but everyday we come closer to death. I just hope I don't get murdered or die suddenly in an accident.

A recap

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:39:00 +0000

.
.

Looks like I hadn't been celebrating my 30-ness as much as I thought I would.

Things have been crazy lately, so busy with life and trying to earn a bit of extra apart from my regular job. So, sometimes I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day for me to finish everything.

I've got roughly 2 months left before I turn 31. What have I learned so far about being 30 in the last 10 months? It is that (surprise, surprise) --

Age is only a number and that you are only as old as you feel.

What a cliche that turned out to be, right? At least, I've proven it.

One little problem, though, is that I'm very childish. So sometimes, I find it hard to act my age. Like, I know some things are inappropriate for me to do anymore (for example, dressing up like a schoolgirl), but I just can't help it. So what happens then?

I say sod it. I'll do it for as long as I can get away with it.

My packing mama

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:40:00 +0000

My mum, she’s a little pack rat.

As you get older, you accumulate possessions -- dozens upon dozens of toys, gifts, clothes, knick-knacks and such. My mum is Ilocano and think throwing stuff away is wasteful. She would pack all the stuff I get fed up with in a box, maybe even slip them in a plastic bag individually, and stores them in one of our bodegas. You forget what she puts in those boxes after a couple of months.

My sister and I had been digging into our closets the other night, to give old clothes to the flood victims and our mum was looking over our shoulder the whole time. She was inspecting my stack and saying things like:

“Oh, this pair of shorts is (brand name) and it’s still in great condition, so let’s keep it.”

And I say “Mom, I will never use it again. It doesn’t fit me anymore (typical).”

She replies “I will give it to your cousins.”

I tell her “Some of them don’t even like us. Those who do, don’t need it. Let those shorts go, Mom. Other people will appreciate them better, especially now.”

I had to drag those shorts out of her clutches. She was very reluctant, but I’m very proud of her. It takes a lot for her to let things go, no matter how trivial they are.

I am humbled

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Whoa, it has been a whole month???

I would like to thank everyone who kept on "dropping by," even if I didn't have anything new in here for a while. I had been very busy with work and writing stuff for somebody else, that I didn't have enough energy to put my own thoughts into words.

I actually kind of miss blogging and maybe I will have the time in the near future to keep updating as much as possible.

Thanks again, everyone!

Girl power

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:54:00 +0000

My parents raised me up to be a career woman -- that I should never depend on a man for my future.

It’s admirable, at first glance. The real reason, though, is that they taught me that just in case my future husband would cheat and leave me for another (and possibly much younger) woman. Therefore, I’ll be self-sufficient when that happens.

Nearly all of my dad’s sisters married well, had become excellent housewives, yet was left alone or mistreated by their husbands eventually. So it’s understandable why my parents feel the way they do about marriage and women.

I guess the whole “independent woman” thing is ok, it makes a lot of sense. But the fact that I should expect to be left by the man I will marry is a little unsettling. Shouldn’t we be thinking of marrying someone with the intent of staying with them no matter what? I think optimism helps a (what sometimes might feel like) long and difficult married road.

But what does a single 30-year-old woman know?

Delayed dreams

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:51:00 +0000

The last several months had been a time of introspection – so much, in fact, that I’m still doing it a lot lately. Maybe being 30 does that to you. You suddenly feel like you’re running out of time and pressured about chasing after your dreams.

After nearly 10 years of desk job duties, I find myself wanting to do something very different…

… I want to make clothes.

It’s strange, because Home Economics class back in high school wasn’t exactly kind to my report card. The teacher then made us sew up a pair of shorts and mine was lopsided – one leg was tighter than the other. I’ve always hated that class.

So WHY would I want to make clothes now???

Maybe it’s the same reason why I eat vegetables now, when I used to hate them so much.

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:52:00 +0000

I’ve read somewhere about this study which said that the general population’s happiest years are when they’re in their 20’s and 60’s. Everything in between are the little low points in everyone’s life.

The study said they don’t know the reason for this.

Well, they should’ve just asked me, because I know the answer!

People are happy during their 20’s because they start earning money to spend on themselves – it’s a sign of independence and being able to do whatever they wanted and didn’t need to ask for permission anymore.

But eventually, when they reach the end of those years and into their 30’s, the novelty has worn off and life becomes more stressful in terms of work and most of the peers looking into settling down. So apart from stresses from work, there’s pressure in looking for Mr/Miss Right.
And no matter how fun it is, raising kids isn’t easy. These are the family years – could be fun (for the lucky ones) but still stressful.

Sometime after the kids leave the nest, is retirement time. People are once again free to do whatever they wanted and didn’t need to ask for permission (not from their parents this time, but from work).

So maybe, the key to happiness throughout our lives is having the freedom to do what we want without having to ask for permission from anybody.

Go away office lurkers!

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:50:00 +0000

I hadn’t been posting much recently because our office just got its new server and I didn’t really like the idea that our IT guy can see the sites I go to, especially this blog. I rant about work all the time, so I didn’t really want anyone from work lurking around here.

I know they might be lurking around here already, but you never know.

Divas in the kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:46:00 +0000

I live in a flat with a couple, and that’s really difficult when you’re not that close. The office pays our rent, so we’re just civil with each other.

I work with the guy and his girlfriend is staying with him. The guy’s ok and the girl, well, let’s just say we’re getting along better now than we used to.

In an ironic twist of fate, the girl and I got home within seconds of each other. The guy is nowhere to be found. We do some small talk then do our own things.

Come dinner time though, the awkward part begins. She starts cooking this elaborate pasta dish, while I’m struggling to prepare my pour-boiled-water-into-instant-ramen bowl and got the powdered flavouring all over the kitchen counter. It felt like a competition on who makes the better dish -- and mine isn't exactly a proper meal. Pfttt.

I love this flat, but times like this make me look forward to when the lease runs out – which is the end of next month. After that, I’ll need to face a different set of complications.

7th month of 30-ness

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:21:00 +0000

So I’ve been 30 for 7 months now. It’s still surreal.

The year’s gone halfway now and I still don’t know if I should be celebrating or lamenting my age. Some of you might think I’m shallow for even considering this, but heck, it’s my internal dialogue, so butt-out.

When I finished university, I thought by the time I’m 30, I’ll be living like one of the cast of Friends – you know, the television show. I would live in a swanky apartment in the heart of the city (doesn’t have to be New York), with a roommate, possibly. I would be able to shop for nice clothes in fancy boutiques, hang out in coffee shops all the time and go to bars every weekend.

It has been 9 years since, so how did I do? Not so bad, really. I’ve got most of it down, but the thing is, I want to OWN my living space. I figured that I should have my own house/apartment/condo unit by now, but I don’t. I regret to not have been motivated enough to invest in one for the past 9 years.

I have regrets this early, so who knows what I will regret by the time I’m 40? Or 50? Or 60?

Who knows, though? Everyone will have regrets as the years pass, anyway. It’s just so difficult to keep yourself focused at the present when there are so many distractions in life. I guess regret is second nature to us humans.

Mother for a week

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:18:00 +0000

My visitor was traveling alone when she came over, and I must say that would make her a very brave 20-year-old. Some people don’t even get to leave the country until they’re much older.

BUT, no matter how adventurous she might be to leave her first-world comforts to vacation in the third-world, I guess teenagers everywhere are the same – messy and a little tricky to manage.

I know I’ve said she’s 20 but I still think she’s a teenager which is why I called her one – you don’t change much in one year unless something really drastic has happened.

So anyway, I noticed that I keep picking up her stuff lying around and cleaning up the tabletops where she had eaten, etc etc. Some might say I should have given her a laydown of the “rules” I want her to follow while she’s here, but I didn’t really want to ruin her holiday by telling her off. It was only for a few days (thank God).

So to all the parents out there, I’ve now had a glimpse of what it must be like to have children – feeding them, checking up on them, telling them to sort out their dirty clothes and stuff like that. It is HARD and I feel for each and every one of you. Maybe after this experience, I might become a better daughter to my own parents (but they must treat me like a grown up, since my age is getting advanced).

Picking the right property

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:44:00 +0000

If there is one thing I’ve learned about living in residential buildings, it is that some of them are rubbish at it. The one I am living in at the moment is fine – it is an old building, but security is good and they collect the rubbish in a much more hygienic way. There was one I stayed in that didn’t know how to manage their pests and in a few months, my apartment had turned into something like that movie Joe’s Apartment – yeah, the cockroaches had taken over and drove me out. These property managers should take a lesson from Real Property Management!

Resurrected!

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Umm, yeah. I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. I’ve been busy!
Well… that wasn’t entirely true.

Yes, I had a foreign visitor for a week and a half and I had to take her ‘round the sights and stuff, but we still had a lot of downtime despite the touring. So I should still (technically) have time to post.

HOWEVER, the visitor was also hogging the internet and computer most of the time and I just end up going to bed early because I got tired of waiting for her to finish all the time.

So yeah, there was time but no means to do it.

I guess some readers got tired of coming back to see the last post for yonks, but that’s what I get for not managing this blog properly. Tsk.
But as the visitor had left the premises, I can happily go back to my usual routine -- work, blog, eat out, pig out at home or hang out at a coffee shot the rest of the time.

I’ll be back tomorrow, that’s fer shurr.

Top 10 Entredroppers for June

noreply@blogger.com (This Woman) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:15:00 +0000

I would like to thank the following for dropping the most Entrecards into my inbox last month:

Comatised
Subjective Soup
Ninoholic
Crimsonsparkle.net
Luv a Bargain
Naoko's Cooking
Out of the Blue
Black Holes and Astrostuff
My Careless Whispers
Secondary Roads

Thanks so much, guys! You're all stars in my book!