3 of 12 Things

I've made a list of 12 things I commit to do this year, with the aim of maintaining wellness, work-life balance, and a well-rounded life. I've categorized them into physical, social, emotional, spiritual, financial, and intellectual activities.

Of the 12, three fall under the physical category -- all about my health. A month after resolving to do them faithfully, I find that I've pretty much stayed firm and true.

1. Exercise at least thrice a week. I used to do this more frequently, now I'm trying to make it a habit again. I've been meeting the minimum so far, but I should be able to up the ante soon. Sloth is truly seductive, and it must be resisted!!!

2. Limit softdrinks to 5 glasses a week. This cuts my regular weekly intake by half. (Hmmm...I must be semi-addicted to Coke Lite). Since start of year, I've been averaging only 3 glasses a week. Hopefully, I'd soon zero this out. I don't want my insides corroding after all!!!

3. Take multi-vitamins everyday. I'm not really into vitamins because I have this notion that the natural stuff (e.g. fruits) are sufficient to keep me healthy and strong. I realize now they aren't enough given my lifestyle and the weird, potent strains of sicknesses going around. I want to be complete!! (I'm not taking Centrum though hehe).

So far so good. What's tricky about these however is that they are not one-time activities, but ongoing commitments. Anyway, I'm thinking the next months should be easier since I already made it through the first. In any case -- I must persevere! I must resist temptation! I must stay firm and true! (Hahaha, OA!)

Creeping From Old Life Into New

I'm officially in the Neutral Zone -- that unsettling in-between time, the limbo between old life and new.

It is challenging and stressful, especially because I am the way I am. I have to keep in mind that change is a process one cannot simply rush through, that things eventually fall into their proper place -- with patience, hard work, and a lot of faith.

I'm thankful for the help that always comes my way, mostly in the form of good people. People who give me perspective, who are dependable and committed, who I can talk to openly about musings and realizations (some of them painful and disenchanting). People who brighten my day, and who propel me - sometimes without knowing it - to break through the confusion of the neutral zone : )

I hope I could write about New Beginnings soon.

Defense Mechanisms

I had an interesting conversation with Migs not too long ago about defense mechanisms. I don’t recall what triggered our discussion exactly, all I remember was we were trying to get each other to reveal our most commonly-used defense mechanism hehehe. Here are some of the more popular ones:

1. Reaction Formation. This reduces anxiety by taking up the opposite feeling, impulse, or behavior. An example of reaction formation would be treating someone you strongly dislike in an excessively friendly manner in order to hide your true feelings.

2. Displacement. This involves taking out frustrations, feelings, and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening. Rather than express your anger in ways that could lead to negative consequences (like arguing with your boss), you instead express your anger towards a person or object that poses no threat (such as your spouse, children, or pet).

3. Projection. This involves taking our own unacceptable and uncomfortable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other people. For example, if you have a strong dislike for someone, you might instead believe that he or she does not like you.

4. Sublimation. This allows us to act out unacceptable impulses by converting these behaviors into a more acceptable form. For example, a person experiencing extreme anger might take up kick boxing as a means of venting frustration.

5. Undoing. This is an attempt to take back behavior or thoughts that are unacceptable through an act or communication which partially negates a previous one. An example would be excessively praising someone after having insulted them.

6. Rationalization. This involves offering a socially acceptable and apparently logical explanation for an act or decision actually produced by unconscious impulses, avoiding the true explanation for the behavior. For example, a woman with a closet full of dresses buys a new one and rationalizes that she doesn't have anything to wear.

The list goes on! We are such complex beings :p

What Is Class?

Last night, I was leafing through an old book to get additional inputs for the '09 strategies branding...I came across an article which has helped shape the meaning of "class" for me. Here goes:

What Is Class?

Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head-on and handle whatever comes along. Jacob had it. Esau didn’t. Symbolically, we can look to Jacob’s wrestling match with the angel. Those who have class have wrestled with their own personal “angel” and won a victory that marks them thereafter.

Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes. Class is considerate of others. It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of petty sacrifices. Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors or money. The most affluent blue blood can be totally without class while the descendant of a Welsh miner may ooze class from every pore.

Class never tries to build itself by tearing others down. Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse. Class can “walk with kings and keep its virtue, and talk with crowds and keep the common touch.” Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class – because he is comfortable with himself.

If you have class, you don’t need much of anything else. If you don’t have it, no matter what else you have – it doesn’t make much difference.

Nice.

Plays Galore!

So I watched Repertory’s season opener yesterday: A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino. Written by Nick Joaquin, it is considered the most important Filipino play in English.

Set in Manila in October 1941, it tells the tale of two of Don Lorenzo's daughters, Candida and Paula Marasigan to whom Don Lorenzo has given the portrait. Many different forces want the painting. The daughters resist the temptation to sell their father's self-portrait, which could fetch a small fortune, and ignore their siblings' coercion to dispose of the family house.

My favorite veteran Rep actors – Ana Abad Santos and Liesl Batucan (who, I realized just yesterday, is a dead ringer for work buddy Liza B!) – played Candida and Paula respectively.

The last time I watched a play was ages ago -- Avenue Q back in 2007. I had to forego Lea Salonga’s Cinderella in August 2008 because I was sick as a cow (using Sam’s words) at the time. Filing out of the theater last night, I remembered the reasons I love going to plays so much.

• I marvel at the energy and prowess of the performers, who do not have the luxury of “takes.” It’s all happening real time so everything has to be perfect…And the actors have to make an impact even with limited (most of the time zero) special effects!
• I love how 3D stage designs give a story even more depth and texture…At the same time, there are always things that are left beyond the audience's visual reach, piquing the imagination: the room to which a closed door leads, the goings-on outside a window, what’s up or down a flight of stairs...
• The storylines are absorbing. They're not the stuff movies are usually made of, but that’s part of their charm.
• My all-time favorites are Romance, Romance (for the songs and music), and Woman In Black (I think it’s hard to scare people in a play, but this one really did frighten the audience by employing creepily unconventional means).

Here's the line-up I look forward to watching this year:

A musical comedy, a modern-day retelling of the classic novel Pride & Prejudice with genders reversed

One of the longest-running musical shows in the history of American theater -- a clever reverse of the Romeo and Juliet story

A musical adaptation of the famous fairy tale, with a twist (will watch this with my Children's Theater buddy -- my niece Zoe)

A popular Broadway musical which was made into a Johnny Depp film

YEY!

Macau/HongKong Trip Highlights

Winning at the Venetian Macau Casino! I won HK$226 at the slot machine right after betting the minimum amount of HK$20!! I quit while I was ahead and collected my winnings pronto hehehe.

Dining at Camoes, an authentic Portuguese restaurant at the Macau Fisherman's Wharf. My first time to try Portuguese cuisine -- yum yum!

Riding a giant tea cup at HongKong Disneyland! This is a favorite ride of mine - I'll never be too old for it. There's something delightfully whimsical about sitting inside a big, big tea cup as it spins frantically all over the place with other tea cups, in what's supposed to be the Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

SkyJumping off the Macau Tower! Needless to say, this was the best part!

Going home. As expected during any trip I take out of the country, I got a little homesick (I think it set in after the jump). I missed my family, I missed my room, my bed, I missed friends from work and outside. It's always good to be back home :)

Hello 2009!

I did it! Finally, I've experienced jumping off the Macau Tower! At 61 floors, it's the highest SkyJump in the world.

Here's a chronicle of how it happened last January 2.

Initially, I was decided on doing the Skywalk instead of the Bungy or SkyJump. The Skywalk involves walking the Tower's outer rim at the 61st floor. Here are some shots:

After getting outfitted with the Skywalk harness and while waiting for the first batch to finish, I spent my time watching those doing the Bungy/SkyJump get prepped and actually take the plunge (complete with dramatic background music to create a suspenseful mood).

Part of me wanted to change my program to a jump, but I told myself I'd just do it the next time I visit Macau. Simultaneously, though, I was being badgered that the Skywalk was too easy for me ("It's for kids and the elderly!"), that I was chickening out and not rising to the challenge blah blah blah (nothing galvanizes me faster than statements like this haha!). What sealed the deal was me suddenly recalling my resolution from the holidays' decluttering exercise: I should stop waiting for the perfect moment and simply live for the present! Knowing me, I'd be off to the next new place and wouldn't be returning to Macau for a long time. It was now or never!

Also, I don't have fear of heights. I actually enjoy being in high places (the higher the more exhilarating!), which means the Skywalk is still within my comfort zone. My big fear - which I wanted to defy - is that of FALLING. So -- I changed my mind and chose to SkyJump instead! Here's a snap of me paying for the additional fee. (I spent close to PhP9,000 for the entire experience, including the photo CD and DVD documentation of my jump...it was well worth it!)

We had to wait some time before my turn so we decided to have lunch first at 360 Cafe, the revolving restaurant at the 60th floor. Bad idea to do so before a jump! Till now I couldn't remember what I'd gotten from the buffet because of the butterflies in my stomach...They refused to fly in perfect formation no matter how hard I tried to get a grip! :p

After lunch I got myself geared up, and waited. I had my picture taken by the influential writing on the wall:

My turn finally came. Below is a photo of me at the take-off point, receiving last-minute instructions and getting hooked to the cord on which my life will depend as I fall from the 61st floor to ground level. It took about 10 minutes to get prepped. The team actually has a spotless record - zero fatalities to date... Still, at that juncture, I couldn't help but think that there's always a first time for everything hehehe.

The following shot was taken about a minute before the actual jump. The guide was creepily perky while I was all twisted up inside! There's the jump-off point to the left. Remembering THE MOMENT still makes my heart race hahaha!

Finally, the moment of truth. When the barrier was removed and I was right at the edge poised to take off, I experienced a moment of sheer terror. All I could think of was: "WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING??!!" But it was the point of no return. So, with arms outstretched like wings and eyes wide open, I jumped! WOOOHOOO!!!

I won't even attempt to describe how the 20-second fall felt... But I loved it and I'm glad I did it. A bit crazy, but certainly a thrilling way to start 2009! And thank God I lived to tell the tale! :D