Time Flies...Really Fast!

age
tic-toc
old and new

hellos and goodbyes

another set of candles to blow

earth colors fading from green to gold

hurrahs and graduation caps tossed in the air

terms of endearment changing from ija to auntie

increasing number of pages to read back on the journal

caps, sweaters, scarves and jackets piled neatly in the dresser

seasons of cool breeze and humid weather and extravagant travels

new set of information to write on forms particularly on the space before y/o

scorecards of greens (hopefully no reds) showing up in blasts and posts and boards

alarm sounding off, getting from one place to another, turning calendar pages, people leaving, loved ones dying, offsprings coming forth, projects and budgets, anniversaries and new chapters, accomplishements in missions, time beaten in races, checkmarks on the bucket list, number of torn sneakers, strands of white hair...

 

When caught in traffic while in a hurry, you painstakingly watch how every second goes by with the slow (or non)-moving vehicle you are in.

Close your eyes for two minutes and it may seem like eternity. I remember what my coach told me about the great difference between putting clients on virtual hold (i.e., with dead air) and putting them on real hold. If you are up for a very satisfying response, better entertain them with automated noise rather than make them feel left behind, alone with silence. Two minutes could be such a long time, relatively speaking.

Take a leave off for several days and when you go back to work, there is a great chance that you will be lost in track with the work process. But be gone and away from friends for a decade and you would still be chatting incessantly ala highschool years come reunion time. Like years have not passed at all.

Time goes by so fast that you almost always find yourself cramming just to beat it.

Time goes by so fast that sometimes the setting sun is mistakenly seen as the rising one.
Time goes by so fast that sometimes you wonder why you are in the midst of a different group of people.
Time goes by so fast that the number of what-ifs and could-have-beens increases without you noticing them.
Time goes by so fast that you either race against it, or just let it pass by, making the most of what you have and enjoying whatever remaining life years you have.

If only we could fly faster than time...
If only we have full control of it to manage it most wisely...
If only we could see the future to be prepared of what is to come...
If only we could turn back time to make better use of what has passed...
If only we were always set with the right mind to make ourselves most productive and deserving of the time lent to us..

Time is gold.
Time is an illusion.
Time is immemorial.
Time belongs to one who has nothing else.
Time is a thief that robs us of our past selves, subtly so.
Time is both most valuable and most perishable.
Time does not change us, it unfolds us.

Use time wisely. :D

CLAIMED: DONE and DID IT!

I am wiriting this on the first day of my second chance with the third major project I am working on. This would be present tense in the future. (that is, written in the past, published today which is present, which at the time of writing was the future...hmmm...I know you get it. ;-)  (Tenses might be confusing: bear with me).

Since I was forced to set goals and hit them, I have claimed early on that I will, err, I have already achieved what I am expected to. I proclaim that gloomy days are over.  I have conquered a challenge which has kept me imprisoned for so long a time. I just actually celebrated with food and friends who were with me through the trials. Today is great - much better than a brand new day!

I still recall what my coach told me about the options I had: whether to stay with a bang, or leave with a slam. Easy pick. But we all know that it is not as easy as choosing which shirt to wear or which donut to eat . I was lucky enough to have been backed-up by him who was willing to take a big risk just to bring out the best in me. I told him, why are you betting all your eggs on an almost-dead frog like me? His answer was simple, albeit, inspirational and has been the crux for all events proceeding. That was a serious talk but for the sake of not getting too serious, he masked his speech -for all intents and purposes -with quotations sounding like "you got me at hello", or "help me help you."

For three straight months I have given 99% of my all (yes, still human) towards achieving the goal of graduating from cap. (For those who know, you know what I mean. For those who do not, send me a pm haha!). I prayed so hard that maybe even the heavens got deaf. I raised cheerfulness to the highest level even if it meant smiling alone (ie, facing a machine whilst interacting with a human voice). My favorite "yay!" has lengthened and has been expressed with much more emphasis with time. Yes, I have considered my member's triumphs to be my victories as well. I shun 99% (ahem) of negative vibes by allowing myself to be entertained by bullies, twins, breakouts, covert affairs, undesirable pear shapes, attractive gay people, out-of-comfort-zone mini-trips, occasional non-routinary adventures, triumphant disputes, special access to tools and scripts, and other such things that made mundane everydays into emotion-filled heavy days (erase the negative connotation associated with "emotion"...those were mostly happy days).

Ahh! The taste of freedom is in my hands. The bitter-sweet memory of the recent past is summed up by the figures on my scorecard. YAY! I did it! Hoooooraaay! (Now just for laughs, because we are all happy here, imagine me dancing the Gangnam style hahaha!)

But more than graduating and promotions and all the rewards I will be getting, the past three months have taught me about resilience in the face of adversity, humilty through victories, and honesty in the midst of all constructs of reality the business world has exposed me to. The long time I have given in getting to where I am right now is just a breeze compared to how much others have spent-much like blooming later, or being retarded. I may have learned the hard way, but as they say, all is well that ends well. ;-)

I have only gratitude for all those who helped me make it through. My mentor who considered my end-of-the-world thoughts often silly has never tired of encouraging me while at the same time posing mini-challenges for me to achieve - much like taking it part by part, one step at a time. My bestfriend, who may have been tormented by my random more-often-than-not expressions of fears, failures and faults, has been so supportive and has been a source of extra energy to  go on. My special someone has always been by my side -physically or not - his presence is my life. My family - well, you know what families usually do in times of crisis. ;-)

It is not really a major major feat - more of a little big kind of thing. The future will never be less challenging just because I have overcome this major hurdle. Surprises will not always bring joy. Smiles will fade when things would be so much to bear. The random, silly expressions will have a new edition.What matters most is that we keep on fighting, praying, and hoping that someday, somehow, we will be where we are destined to be.