TeacherandWriterWannabe: Dear Self, Happy Birthday!

It's my 29th birthday. Two more years and I will be one of those who are “lampas na sa kalendaryo”. Oh well, being 29 doesn't mean I have enough knowledge. This age is not a guarantee that I am smart enough, because there are things that I still can't understand.

I can't understand why most people hide how old they are and hate broadcasting their date of birth because for me, celebrating one's birthday is such a blessing. I don't feel shy to remind my friends that
my birthday is only a few days away. I know it is quite shallow but on my special day, receiving gifts and eating out are not very important. I'd prefer greetings from people who value me the most. I also appreciate greetings from people who happened to hate me because at least, they do not curse me on my special day; they exert effort to wish me well. And why would I not feel lucky to reach this age? There are some people who are unlucky because they die young, and there are some whose days are numbered.

I can't understand why some people, upon reaching this age, tend to be in a hurry. Some are in a hurry to find their “significant others”, get married and have kids. They are in a rush because two more years and they will be reaching the age which is “lampas na sa kalendaryo”. And yes, some people wanted me to hurry and have kids. They are worried that, upon reaching thirty, it will be difficult for me to bear children. Well, whoever invented that phrase should be punished with death penalty because there are 365 ¼ days in a regular calendar year. LOL!

MANLIBRE KA NAMAN! Pa-canton ka naman. I can't understand why some people celebrate their birthdays eating out or drinking with their friends. To make it worse, some people spend a lot of money for just one day! I mean, yes, birthdays are special days and we should be thankful but for me, as we grow older, we should celebrate our birthdays as simple as possible.

On the other hand, I learned a lot of things at work such as:

The tax that we are paying is directly proportional to our gross income. Also, no matter how hard we work, our expenses are inversely proportional to our earnings, so we need to set our priorities. Spend more, save less, and vice-versa.

Speaking of which, I learned to prioritize.

Before having kids, as a woman, I should prioritize myself. I should first enjoy my life, so I won't regret later. I can only do whatever we want in a few years (going to spa, salon, movies, studying, focusing on career without thinking of who will take care of my kids) and once I become a mother, things will never be the same again. Call me whatever you want -selfish, irresponsible etc, and try to reason our that having kids is fulfilling and crucify me afterwards, but admit it or not, I am right when I say that once in your life you'd like to pamper yourself a little but you can do otherwise if you have kids. Listen ladies: yes, providing our family needs is our husbands' obligation, but when it comes to budget issues, we know better most of the time. Try to say that having kids is fun, but don't cry and ask someone's help if you experience financial shortage or if you have to resign when there's no one to take care of them. ( See also MAG-ANAK KA NA KASI!)

I learned to avoid people whose priorities and principles do not match mine, although I still consider them as friends. As we grow older, our lives should not revolve around eating out, out-of-town trips, buying stuff and others so I learned to associate myself with people who motivate me to plan for the future, spend less and save more.

I learned that there is no such place called “safe haven”. In every workplace, there are people who treat others as shits no matter how nice you are to them and if you're not brave enough, you will end up being eaten.

I learned that co-workers come and go, but those who treat you as friends will stay connected no matter how far you are from each other. That's why no matter how close I am with some co-workers, I don't expect that they will still treat me as their friend when I find a new job. I also learned not to feel bad when there are people in my Friends List who don't even bother to send me a message when they go on-line.

I learned the “Art of Deadma”. I realized that there are things which are not worth our attention. There are times that our comments and criticisms are not needed because there's nothing we can do about it.

And finally, I learned that, in spite of my weird personality, there are people at work who still love and accept me. Years ago, I have accepted the fact that once I transfer to another work place, my co-workers would eventually forget all the good things we had. That's the reason that I have avoided being close to my co-workers from the first time I started working. But yes, although there might be some who treat me as good-for-nothing, there are people who still tried to break the walls I've created. Here's a screen shot of birthday greetings that I have received from them this morning: