Wrecked Routine

So much for routine and schedules; I see that whatever I do, I can’t stay glued to a regular routine. That is, exercise in the morning, read a book at night, bum around on Sunday afternoon, eat some fish ball or munch mais bought from around the corner at meryenda – for me to grow rounder – yeah, all for health, and health for all.

The reason is that my work is such that I am doing at least five tasks, all with pressing deadlines. I remember my supervisor in my past work: she used to say that our work is like juggling. I thought when I resigned from that job that I would stop juggling and stay focused in one main dream of my getting-old life: WRITING. In fact, this is only the second time I’m writing in two months – not bad? one writing a month? HELLO! See even my writing here is getting, well, very common. I’m already getting tired, dreaming about writing. But don’t misinterpret me: I am very thankful for this present bulk of work, it’s only that I wish I have an assistant: (so I can write he..he)

An assistant will help me
1 run errands such as when paying taxes, SSS, Philhealth, Meralco, and Globe bills
2 do my bookkeeping because I am always lost at which to credit when I debit petty cash and other cash-es. I had very low grades in accounting in my liberal arts commerce course back in the 80s. I wish BIR would not require two books. Imagine, you have a journal (not the diary) and a ledger. Up to now I don't have a trial balance because I'm not sure what to balance. There's a perfect imbalance with what I want to earn and what I actually earn so what's the point of keeping books?
3 do the cooking, washing, watering the plants, changing the water in the plant…(wait a minute, I don’t think it’s an assistant I’m looking for here)
4 tally surveys of translation grids (well that’s a business secret so I won’t elaborate)
5 photocopy, print, fax, and file of documents on demand
6 do my invoice (this one is really one that should always be done pronto!)

Does it sound like my teeny-weeny business is on the upsurge? Don’t make that mistake. It’s still very average and manage-ably small. My take home pay (meaning the pay that I am able to put in my wallet and spend right after I placed them there) remains just enough. However, since I’m getting used to the silence of my text-heavy life, I can tolerate more words and am able to stay up later than usual at night simply working. I don’t get to talk much, except of course when my mother talks me out of my silence, and when my siblings and their kids, if they decide to visit our mother, provide the noise that would eventually require me to shout "quiet!" I fear that I may lose my voice already. So sometimes, I listen to my own voice by talking to myself. No there’s no partial insanity here, only a semi-flawed social life. They say that writers have their VOICES and I’m not sure if the voice I’m talking about and the VOICE of the writer in me are the same. But I digress.

No, it’s just peak season ladies and gentlemen. When July comes, rain would pitter patter on my roof and I will have time to compose a poem about it. Meanwhile, I’m fairly booked up to the end of June and I truly thank God for the jobs that come my way. I’m learning to multi-task and I realize that time management is not as simple as putting what to do in my calendar. It’s attending to the urgent, never procrastinating, always making sure nothing is wasted, that is, that even my leisure hours are not spent as leisurely (well, for this one, I hope that this is only for the meantime)

I still get six hours of sleep, I still eat less than others my age do (I eat like my mother, in small amounts. We always have some left over food in the ref so I bought six tiny square tupperwares for this purpose), I still can’t read the Bible on regular hours (although I’m working on Bible texts almost every day) and I am trying very hard not to get a meta-carpal syndrome. I’m not sure why these details are important in this life but they are to me and to you so whether you like it or not, you sleep long, watch what you eat, read your Bible, and ensure that your work hazard will not be YOURS.

A pastor and his wife visit us every week. They are a godsend really since they take time ministering to my mother. She isn’t able to leave the house anymore without my brother’s car and her wheelchair. When pastor and his wife come, I am forced to turn my PC off however urgent my work is because they come here to simply talk, about their ministry, about our Christian faith, about God's Word with me. We always have a very stimulating conversation which sometimes lasts up to five hours!

Whenever he and his wife visit us, I slow down, I breathe, I bow, I say peace to my wrists, I say peace to my eyes, I say peace to my body.

And then we pray for each other, and I say peace to my soul.

"Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him -- for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work -- this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart." Ecclesiastes 5:18-20