itMIKEbeyou 2.0

Article 020. It’s okay. I’ve actually spent Christmas Eve alone a few times already, so 2023 wouldn’t be the first. And no, it’s not as bad as you think. Being single at this stage in my life and oceans away from family can lead to this situation. Also, living here in America for almost half of my existence, you learn how to break tradition. Don’t get me wrong, it can still get lonesome but nothing that a good cocktail can’t fix. Plus I haven’t had a carne asada burrito with chips and pico de gallo in awhile. That’s a worthy Christmas Eve dinner if you ask me. See, if you think about it, it’s technically just another night. Something that you just sleep through as long as you avoid feeling sorry for yourself. That’s a rabbit hole you don’t wanna be in. I did manage to video-chat with my folks and sister despite them being in the middle of hosting the Christmas Day celebration for my Mother’s side of the family (they’re like 16 hours ahead). That’s a very Christmas Eve-y thing to do, r...

Article 019. I’m not in any way an expert. Not even remotely close of being knowledgeable about the topic.  I can even say that I’m isolated culturally and regionally from it and so my point of view will obviously be high-level, possibly insignificant. But a friend from Vegas has been posting a barrage of stories about this ongoing saga between Israelis and Hamas/Palestinians. I got curious so I chatted with her to get her take. She said she’s pro-life and wants a stop to all the killings that’s been happening. Essentially she is pro-Palestine but admitted she needed to brush up on this holy war’s history to get a better understanding and perspective. I said that would require time and she don’t got any what with her three little ones. She knows so she’s thankful for audiobooks for saving her time. I laughed and bid her good luck. I also need to acquaint and educate myself on this matter, if I do want to write about it. And I’m uncertain if I can sum up what I read about it cohesiv...

Article 018. I slept late last night. Shunned the sleeping pill and regretted it a bit. I was worried that I wouldn’t get to shut my mind but eventually, a Meet Joe Black movie later, I made it to dreamland. I woke up the next day early, typical, but fought the urge to do social media. I thought, “ Let’s just not waste the cool snuggly morning on making Zuckerberg another cent richer, shall we? ” Snoozed for a few more hours, happily, and was awakened by Howard’s call. We did our usual early banter and lately we’ve been having some laughter over our misfortunes in life. Really not a laughing matter but we always find a way to make it a little less depressing, just for our own amusement. After a few laughs, we hung up. I had to get out of bed as the morning is about to end and my productivity level, or lack thereof, needs to jumpstart. Banana, coffee and I was on my way to Chuze Fitness. I hit the treadmill and the one thing I love about the time I spend on that machine is that I have a...

Article 017. Today I vent. Today I almost let my anger get the best of me. Almost lost it if I’m being honest. Deep breaths were very helpful calming my nerves, preventing me from saying things I definitely would’ve regretted. And after a few sips of water, I just found myself in one of those blank stares, teary-eyed, my view going beyond the walls in front of me. I did what I usually do when a situation arises— a quick self-inventory. I try to remember what I did to get to this point and on this particular situation, there’s nothing else for me to do. I have moved on. I have owned what I needed to own. Time and again, asked for forgiveness to all the people I’ve hurt and the truth is their peace is no longer in my hands. I cannot beat myself to death for pain I’ve caused ages ago. There is still life to live and I’ve been trying to get mine back. I’ve actually written an entire rant, very explicit. You can feel the anger in the words while you read it, you don’t even have to try. And ...

Article 016. Let me start with this. I’ve been sick. The last few days have been a struggle. I try to take care of myself as best as I can and it’s not often that I get ill. But when I do, I feel like it hits me hard.  My fever has been fickle-minded in the last 4 days not knowing if it wanna stay or leave. Make up your mind please. And because of a clingy acid-reflux problem, I’ve developed a big love-hate relationship with ibuprofen which ironically is my ticket to seeing icky fever go away. So I’m left with good ole Tylenol, no offense, but not my first choice when it comes to pain relief. Soup and crackers had been the only items on the menu. Oh, and some chocolate cake. You’ll find out later where it came from. At press time, I’m about 90. Good enough to blog. THE WEEKEND OF It’s the birthday eve and greetings from Manila have started pouring in since it’s technically the 20th there already. I’m still astonished by people who greets me in social media despite the gap in silenc...