8 Ways To Relax Today

The state of relaxation is somewhat like a unicorn. It does not seem attainable at all. Unlike the mythical unicorn, you can find several enjoyable ways to relieve stress and feel comfortable. Try one or all of these tips to obtain more peace and zen in your life today.

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1. Just relax.

Telling someone to relax is easier said than done. This is especially true when it comes to finding ways for you to unwind. Sometimes pulling out one of your Delta 8 THC Vape Carts is the answer. It offers a milder effect than others, with quick-acting results to achieve a calm and happy state.

Allow yourself to experience something relaxing. Taking time is as important as what you do during that time. Make it about you and for you.

2. Read a good book.

One of the great relaxation tools is reading a good book. The genre does not need to be sweet and serene. It can be a heart-pumping and an intense page-turner. What matters is the act of sitting down, relaxing, and letting yourself become engrossed in the chapters before you. It is simply a mind-engaging release.

Bring your book to the park and find a bench tucked away from others. Or pack a blanket and have a picnic while reading and relaxing in the sun. Keep it close to home by tucking into the corner of your couch with a mug of hot tea, or a glass of wine, and enjoy.

3. Go for a quiet walk.

Putting on comfortable shoes and weather-suitable clothing to take a walk outside is a great way to unwind. You can go alone or with someone with whom you like spending time. The important part is getting outside and moving your body. In addition, walking has the added benefit of exposure to fresh air.

While you can relax by popping in your earbuds and playing a relaxing playlist or podcast, you can also unplug for a while. Keep your phone on you in case of emergencies, but turn it on silent and silence your notifications. Pay attention to your surroundings. Listen to the birds, the sounds of traffic, or whatever else is in your vicinity. Look at the vegetation or the architecture. Take notice of what is there and focus on being in the midst of it all. 

4. Meditate.

Quieting your mind can be hard if you have had a difficult day. Experiencing inordinate amounts of stress may hinder your ability to naturally calm down. If that is the case, try meditating.

Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit down. Reduce any distractions. Focus on the moment you are in right then and there. Put any tasks or work out of your mind. Pay attention to your breathing in and out. Practice meditation when you wake up, before bed, and any time throughout the day to feel more relaxed or to reduce your anxiety.

Meditate with this video of the relaxing sounds of crystal singing bowls.

5. Soak in a relaxing bath.

The warm water of a bath can prove more than inviting at the end of a stressful day. It is a respite against the outside world where demands are hurdled at you from every front. Shut the door on responsibilities - literally and figuratively - and slip into the bathtub. Dim the lights or light a few candles beforehand. Add your favorite essential oils or bubble bath and a soothing playlist.

If you are in the mood, add a scrubbing element to your bath. Put on a clarifying facial mask and call it a DIY spa day. When finished, be sure to apply lotion after patting dry. Next, don your most comfortable pajamas before settling in for whatever is next or a good night’s sleep.

6. Go to bed.

You go to sleep every night, so why should it be considered a relaxing opportunity? It falls squarely in the category of calm when you approach it as such. Set your bedroom up for sleep success. Find solutions to quiet any extraneous noises, shut out all ambient light, and put away electronic devices to reduce distractions.

Address any reasons you are unable to sleep. Go through your nighttime ritual, and take a bath if you wish. Ensure your bedding is clean and comfortable to wrap yourself in it. Once you have taken care of everything, turn in a little earlier than usual. 

7. Spend time with an animal.

If you already have an animal companion, then you know the unmitigated love they have for you. Take a few moments, without the distraction of your phone or a streaming service playing the latest binge-worthy series. Unplug and sit down with your furry friend. Grab a brush for an impromptu grooming session or simply pet away.

If you do not have an animal family member, find a local shelter. Volunteer your time to sit with the rescues and give them socialization. Who knows? Perhaps you will end up with a pet after all.

8. Whip up something delicious.

For some people, the act of making good food is relaxing. There is an almost cathartic effect to the methodical process of following each step to transform raw ingredients into something delectable. If creating food that is both delicious and satisfying and then sitting back to appreciate it is something you enjoy, get your menu ready and start cooking.

Another culinary option is to enroll in a cooking class. Ensure it is a relatively low-key endeavor and that the fare is something you wish to eat. Bonding with other classmates while learning how to cook a new cuisine can be relaxing in its own right.

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You do not have to wait for an ideal time to experience the benefits of relaxation. Find a quiet corner and a few minutes you can steal away for yourself. Or, schedule some time just for you into your daily calendar. A few minutes here and there can prove beneficial to your overall sense of calm and happiness. Go ahead, you deserve it.

Wrapping up 2022

Heya! Here's my last Weekly Monotony for 2022, a lengthy 20 minute vlog about how the past week went by! I kinda forgot to split this into two vlogs but whatever haha you may watch it here below ⬇️

Weekly Monotony (Dec 26 - Jan 1 2023 Vlog) • click here to watch

This one's a pretty long one cos a lot went down this week (ie. eating out haha). 

✱ I don't recall going to the gym cos my head still feels heavy from ubo sipon.
✱ We ate at Alba, tried the newly opened spa at Estancia (Blue Water Day Spa), and dined at High Grounds. 

✱ Cooked sinigang, RTOed, and discovered Black Dragon milk tea.
✱ We also claimed our Once in a Lifetime voucher at Victoria Court before it expired. Luckily, there was an available room on the day itself. They gave us the Chinese Room and it's amazing! There's a big jacuzzi and a swiveling media wall so we can watch TV while on a bubble bath. There's Disney+ installed too so we finally got a taste of Avengers Endgame in 4k!
✱ Dined at Watami which serves ridiculously packed sushi rice it's so frkn heavy haha. Their matcha cheesecake is a great discovery though, I think I have to try making it!
✱ Shang transitioned into a cardless parking system where they take a snapshot of your plate upon entry and you pay for it before going out, by entering your plate number on one of their kiosks. Pretty cool, though I wonder how it works for those with similar plates like 8 and 16 for senators and congressmen?
✱ Anyway. Spent Thursday evening preparing for our New Year trip the next day. We drove to Amadeo to spend the final days of the year at The Farm Shack Villas.
✱ I so love the place it trumps a lot of our "finer" accommodations this year. Nevermind that we got sick from dipping in the cold pool and showering in patak patak cos the water pressure is too weak haha. We still had a blast.
✱ On our first night we prepared truffle cream pasta and lemon butter chicken.
✱ And for New Year's Eve dinner we had Magic Potatoes and US Ribeye Steak w/ Guga Rub (thanks Guga Foods for the recipes).
✱ Went to Acienda Outlet Mall too to eat and look around. I gathered it's not really cheaper at outlet malls, but you do have a lot of options I guess.
✱ Caught the last sunset of 2022, a beautiful raging one, and drove to it heading back to the villa. Sunday was bittersweet as we pack up and leave this hidden paradise. The drive home was smooth, absolutely no traffic, and we were home in 2 hours. ♥
✱ Had dinner with my in-laws at Mama Lou's

My 2022 Lists (Twitter Thread Wrap-up)

I don't know how to call this but when 2022 started I made a list of all the films, series, and books I've consumed. I also made a thread for stuff I'm thankful for. And here's how it went...

Oh my Twitter is private so here's a snapshot I guess haha

By the way, this is the second year I'm doing this and I'm proud to say I've automated the part where I have to scrape all of the images (posters and covers) in the thread. The layout I did on Canva and IG.

2022 in Films (23)

I'm not really a movie person. Everything I watched this year I watched with my husband (except Encanto), he's the one who loves movies. Of all those films I particularly enjoyed Last Night in Soho, Multiverse of Madness, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ricky Gervais Supernature, Werewolf by Night, Wakanda Forever, and Good Will Hunting. 

2022 in Series (17 seasons)

Ahh. My attention span for k-dramas have declined horribly I can't get myself to finish Extraordinary Attorney Woo and It's Okay to Not Be Okay. On 2022 I was only able to complete two romcom type k-dramas. My brain is leaning more towards consuming short and easy to watch series like Selling Sunset and Never Have I Ever haha. She Hulk was an abomination. 

Jeckie and I also started with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and we're now on Season 6. It's a different kind of sitcom for me. The leads are a bunch of egotistic assholes who have absolutely no love for each other, much more to the people around them. That unique premise opens up a lot of possibilities and unbelievably ridiculous situations that never fail to crack us up. I highly recommend it! The social commentary is also on point hahaha

2022 in Books (8)

Oh I'm not proud of this. I completely blew my 2022 GoodReads Challenge because I was stuck on Surrounded by Idiots for months and I couldn't abandon it because of my OCD. Sigh.

In this list I enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation, Atomic Habits, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

I also just discovered Anna's Archive recently which has a pretty promising library, a good substitute for Z-Lib after it went down. :)

2022 in Thanks

Oh I have a lot of things to be thankful for this year and the thread made it easier for me to recall them. Big and small I jot them down as long as I'm thankful for it it goes on the list ♥ For this one though I'm just gonna cover what I consider my personal highlights hehe

✱ I got two credit cards on No Annual Fee For Life promo ♥

✱ Caught Covid and recovered. Probably got Omicron which was the prevalent variant at that time. Perks of isolation: daily trash collection and deliveries taken to our doorstep; serviced apartment feels haha. Except we're stuck at home for two weeks haha. Had to give up (sell) our Spider-Man No Way Home tickets because of this but it's all good :)

✱ As far as staycations go we had 9 of them this year, not including the accommodations we had with our families, and the multiple "short staycations" we spent at Victoria Court HAHAHA. In fairness to VC you can really spend some quality time and entertainment over there. All the suites are thematic and come with jacuzzi tubs, the TVs have been all updated to ginormous smart TVs, there's also karaoke, and last but not the least - their restaurant is really good. I recommend getting their Legendary crispy pata, pork belly, and shanghai!

I love featuring the places we stay at because I get to practice my shooting and editing skills hahaha.

✱ Worth mentioning in my highlights are the best steak experiences we've had this year. Manila Pen's Beef Wellington, Ruth's Chris' Steakhouse's Porterhouse for two, and finally my own cooking: US Angus Ribeye Steak w/ Guga Rub. Guga Food's Guga Rub is one of our best gastronomic discoveries of the year, that and truffle oil!

✱  I worked with True Value for my first ever sponsored video content. I was ecstatic when someone reached out for a video content that's gonna be published on my channel. They paid me a talent fee, and also gave me the items I needed to feature on the vlog for free (I got a butane stove and a lifetime table hehe). They may not like the numbers this video earned but this was an enriching experience for me!

https://youtu.be/6W2NAv1HibA

✱  I voted for the first time in my largely apathetic life. I had hope for a while then it died in a matter of hours. I knew it was better minding your own business. And that's where we at. Still a highlight, but could be a lowlight too you know? For the country, definitely.

✱  I earned $372.81 on YouTube this year. I know it's not much but it's the most I've earned in a 12 month period ever since getting monetized last year! 

✱  Had my longest solo drive when I fetched Jeckie at San Pablo. 84km at night!

✱  I left my cozy five year old job at White & Case for the sake of career growth. Now that's a heavy highlight for me. Writing about it now, four months into my new company, and I still feel terribly nostalgic. I miss my friends, my boss, our beautiful office, my large and motorized personal desk, the benefits haha. I miss everything. And while I'm feeling very stressed right now at work due to, uhmm, the knowledge gap that I have yet to bridge, it's still a bit to early too regret this decision! Hopefully I power through. By God's grace!

✱ My Kindle Review reached 100k views ♥ Which reminds me, I have to work on my backlogs!

✱  My channel reached 2k subs this year! That means 1k legit subscribers cos you know I had to work for my first 1k subs through ~enrichment activities~ and support groups!

✱  I joined Fitness First to put my fitness first charot. We got an 11.11 deal on it which gave us two free months, then we also purchased a PT package which gave us another free month. Good deal, and also, I love it here! Lots of group classes and the coaches are very professional.

✱  I learned a bunch of handy skills this year like replacing a faucet and changing the exterior lights of our car haha.

---

I guess that's it for the roundup! This must be the lengthiest blog post I've ever written this year. Actually I haven't written much this year and I miss it. Hope to get back to just random babbling cos I miss writing spontaneous nonsense.

Have a blessed year ahead and if you reached this point please drop a comment let me give you psycho a little virtual hug for caring enough to read a long-winded account of how this stranger's year went! ♥

Not feeling it

✱ I don't know if I like it here. It's only been 3 months though. There's not much going on besides working and getting paid on time, which is great in itself. But the lack of things, events, or people to look forward to makes the experience pretty dull for me. I can't help compare but during this time of the year at White & Case we have something to look forward to almost every week starting November until January next year. 13th month, Christmas Basket, leave conversions, Holiday Ball, the suspenseful Thank You bonus message, salary increase and performance bonus discussion, and the tons of foods, events and eat-outs. It's super duper festive at White & Case and I miss it. I terribly miss it.

Here, the "big" Christmas party where over a thousand participants attended was held online, and the raffle prizes are so small like the grand prize was a 32 inch Android TV. I sound so ungrateful but I just wasn't excited about the prizes lol. But I did get picked in a raffle and won 1k GCash so not bad. Definitely not bad considering I think it's the first time ever that I got picked in a company raffle haha.

Yun lang, it just feels... sad. Our office looks drab, I don't like the seat sharing idea, I have no friends (yet), and my WTAX for the past two months has totaled to 130k already because of the tax annualization shit so besides not feeling the festivities I also feel so fucking poor right now. Fucking taxes eating my holiday spirit. That's it. I feel poor so I feel bad.

If anything, I thank God that despite the alarming tax deduction which I was not prepared for, what's left of my salary is enough to pay all our monthly liabilities.

✱ Last week one of our tail lights got busted so we had it replaced, was even stressing about it cos I thought it was gonna cost a fortune, turns out it's an easy thing to do by yourself. Then the following week one of our head lights got busted so we had that replaced too, thank God for YouTube lol. So apparently, our bulbs are all nearing their lifespan so we're gonna have to replace everything in one go so they all die at the same time and not hassle us. It's been 6 years so might as well!

✱ I was also sick the entire week. Started feeling bad on Sunday then it developed into a fever. Three days in and my temp peaked at 38.5C so I went to the ER to get checked. Tested negative on antigen so I'm just taking meds for the symptoms. I have sore throat, cough, and allergies. Sucks but I hope it's my annual Christmas fever so I'll be over it before the important weekends start... which is tomorrow! 

✱ I promised myself to read all day so how about getting into that right? Surrounded by Idiots making me me feel like an idiot. What a drag.

✱ Hope you're feeling better than I am!

Frkn migraine

I've been having frequent headaches recently. Normally it comes a week before my period, I'll have it for one whole day and it's hell, but now I have one almost everyday, at random times, and I'm still on my period. I notice I get headaches when I get up too late, or when I'm hungry, or thirsty. So I'll eat alright, have some coffee, and it'll be gone for a while, then it'll be back. Then I'll take some mefenamic, then wait for it to take effect, but I don't think it really works. I actually have a headache right now at this moment while typing this. And it sucks. Maybe it also happens when I eat too much? Is it my glasses? Hay Lord. The location of the pain is telling of a migraine; the first one in this photo:

Besides this fucking migraine I'm also battling some work induced anxiety lol. I'm feeling overwhelmed with my first task, everything here looks super advanced like I'm not properly equipped with anything they're expecting me to do. There's a freaking huuuuuge knowledge gap I need to fill in because huhuhu everything is so advanced nga. Makes me wonder how the heck I got this job when they're looking for an expert. I was very honest with my interviews naman where I said I've never done unattended robots and have never used orchestrator, all my UiPath experience are UI based and manually triggered and now I'm realizing how so freaking basic that is.

Haaay. I wanna say this too shall pass but I know it will not pass me by idly, I have to really work on this which is freaking scary because I don't know where to start??? I do feel like I know who to go to but I don't know what to tell them or ask them or what specifically do I need from them. I feel like I need a lot of hand-holding in order to do this one job but I also feel hopeful that once I get over this first task I will be in a much better mental state hahaha. For now I've started working on the documentation, trying to piece together the actual scope of the project and the manual steps for the as-is process, just to put something out there. I wanna blame myself for being so freaking shy and procrastinating on a lot of things that require talking to people. Half the stress I'm facing right now could've been eliminated if I went ahead and talked to people to get help. But no, I'm too scared to reach out! Oh well.

Life Lately

✱ Reading 

I've been stuck on Surrounded by Idiots for months but I don't want to quit it because it feels wrong lol. You know when you get a really boring books it takes ages for you to finish and it's frustrating because you can't skip to the next one without feeling weird that you abandoned a book 46% into it? But man, I'm three books behind my goal for 2022 Goodreads Challenge and I can't lose traction just because of a boring book. There has to be a way to overcome this. Yeah, I'm skimming it. That's it. 

✱ Watching

Nothing, at last! We finally finished She-Hulk: Attorney At Law this afternoon which was a relief hahaha. To be honest I didn't like the show. I can't say anything good about it. Oh wait I think I have one, it's *spoiler alert* Hulk's son.

Ever since episode one I've prepared myself for the worst and to be fair, episode after episode it keeps getting worse. Oh my God.

So what's wrong exactly?

• The script. It's so badly written, full of preachy woke agenda that doesn't add to the plot, if there's even one.
• The comedy is so forced it's so cringe.
• Wasted characters. Tatiana for one, I had a lot of expectations. She was the antagonist I was waiting for, or Mallory even, or better yet -- Nikki. I'll find that more convincing, women encounter more bitches than sons of bitches in real life, believe me.
• Ruined characters, most of them men, of course. They reduced every male character in the show to either wimps, incels, or idiots just to elevate the women in the show. To be honest, I would give it a pass because some are new characters I'm not familiar with so you can introduce them however you want.
• But to reduce already established characters like The Hulk, Wong, and Daredevil? They were made so uncharacteristic just to prevent them from stealing the spotlight.
• Very shallow plot. Which is kinda reflective of the whole modern-day feminist movement and the real weight of their agenda. Oops.
• No character development. I think the writers wanted to show how Jen struggled between her two identities and eventually learned to embrace them both. I was waiting for that to unfold. But it wasn't shown anywhere. She just said she can be both at the end, but again, there was no proof. Much like everything she complained about being a woman on episode 1, all but an echo. She has no arc.
• As a law comedy it already failed on a legal front, and it's not funny too. Now I don't know what to call it.
• Jen kept breaking the fourth wall to remind us it's her show, which was cute at first, but eventually became pathetic. Up to the last episode she's been trying to claim the show. Which is weird because it's already named after her. It's such a weirdly insecure act for someone who is so self-assured.

I guess, in true woke fashion, the series is trying to show who the real antagonists are, which is everyone who didn't like She-Hulk haha. Wow. I must admit, they've really mastered the art of victimhood. Congrats! They made it required watching, baited everyone into the anticipated cameos, and yet they couldn't just make it into a good show? They just really want to push the agenda so they can make sexists of everyone who disagree. They knew it sucked and thought it was a gotchu moment lol.

✱ Listening

To BP Valenzuela on YouTube music. 

✱ Thinking

About what day of the week to come to work.

I'm in the office right now and I kinda like the spot where I'm in; row's end beside the window. I haven't been able to sit where I used to (which is beside my teammate) ever since I started coming in at 3pm and even though there's no shortage of seats around here, I don't like the fact that I have to worry about not knowing where to sit as soon as I get to the floor. It gives me anxiety, you know. The same dread an outcast feels coming in to a cafeteria full of people. Which is why I'm considering coming in on Mondays or Fridays instead. I'm still not sure.

Generally, I want to avoid days where I have meetings because I prefer to take them at home. And the only days I have no regular meetings are Wednesdays and Fridays. The good thing about Wednesday is that I get to see one of my teammates cos he comes in Tues-Thurs. We have a short overlap where I can ask questions and stuff and kinda just show myself, and that's good. My husband also comes to his office on Wednesdays, so we get to leave the house together. It's pretty practical for us. On the day we both work in the office I don't have to prepare dinner so we can both eat out. The only downside to coming in on Wednesdays is that a lot of people also come to work on Wednesdays, as I have observed, and obviously I want to avoid them haha. 

Let's take a look at Friday. I haven't tried coming in on a Friday. I think less people come to the office on this day so I wouldn't have to worry about looking for a seat. But also, I have no teammate to personally bother lol, aaaand I think traffic is generally bad on this day. Especially when it falls on a payday. 

So yeah, I guess Wednesday is really the obvious choice. 

✱ Smelling

My breath pollute my face mask.

✱ Wishing

For some clarity at work. I have a task now, and I don't know what to do. I'm currently in the information gathering phase, which isn't looking so good because I don't have a clear plan. What I know is that I need to make an as-is process documentation to really understand what they do, get the right access to relevant sites so I can emulate what they do, learn how automations are developed and deployed here (what I'm currently stressing about), and finally develop and deploy everything properly. I think I know what to do but I don't have a template for it.

What I want to do properly though is maintain a Confluence site for all of the details of this project. I really wanna learn how to do things here properly, but I'm not even teammates with the people who can help me from a development standpoint. And in order to move forward I have to really reach out, and I suck at reaching out because I'm not really the proactive type huhu. This stresses me out so much.

Part of me wants to delay this until my new teammate comes in so we can tread together. I blame myself for asking for work too early lol I could have just enjoyed the months until my new teammate comes haha.

✱ Wearing

Blouse, denim leggings, and sneakers.

✱ Loving

♥ That I got to roam around High Street earlier. I reached the almost far end of the strip, where Fully Booked is.
♥ Got 50 off on my coffee at CBTL too. It's not as good though, their cafe latte, I don't recommend CBTL anymore. Muji's is better, and cheaper too.
♥ Had dinner at Salad Stop, ordered Oh Crab Lah wrap. Love it!

✱ Wanting

To get our house cleaned. I have "general cleaning" scheduled every month on my calendar but sometimes I forget until it comes to a point where I couldn't walk barefoot at home anymore because it's too dusty. We've always had a dust problem at home. With the amount of construction happening around our condo, it's a must to vacuum every single day otherwise we'd be dead of allergies.

There are five parts to getting the house really clean: CR cleaning, surface cleaning, floor cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. I cannot do everything in just one session. Good thing I scheduled for a deep cleaning tomorrow, they'll take care of the first three parts. Looking forward to having the house clean again! 

✱ Needing

Uhm, to really make some good progress at work. Please pray for me! 

✱ Feeling

My head hurt. I need to go home now.

Does Your Career Leave You Feeling Dissatisfied? Read This Guide Now

 It’s far too common for people to feel dissatisfied with their career, and the effect that this can have on your day to day quality of life as well as your general mental health is astounding. Being unhappy in the workplace is an issue that needs to be addressed, as you likely spend upwards of 40 hours each week at work - this is a huge chunk of your life to lose to misery and boredom.

Thankfully, there are lots of different solutions that you can explore to find greater satisfaction from your career. It doesn’t have to be difficult to find a good job and actually enjoy making money, as this guide contains some excellent recommendations that you can utilize to change direction today.

So, what are you waiting for? Read on to discover more.

Image Source - Pexels

Work From Home

One of the best ways to get rid of most of the hassle that comes with any average job is to work from home. Working from home means that you don’t have to be bothered by colleagues whom you do not get on with, nor do you need to go through the stress of having to get ready and travel to a workplace. When you choose to work from home you can expect so many benefits, and it can be a fun and relaxing experience if you take the right steps to meet your goals and stay focused. You can use the opportunity to cook yourself a fresh nutritious lunch rather than forcing yourself to eat a miserable, half-empty grocery store sandwich, and you can even choose to get dressed in your comfiest clothes rather than wearing a suit. There are so many job options that you can explore if you would like to work from home, including blogging, trading bonds, working in customer service, admin, and more.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone 

Another effective step that you can follow if you want to gain more satisfaction from your career is to step out of your comfort zone. It's more than possible that you have become your own worst enemy in the workplace, as lots of people accidentally hold themselves back through lack of confidence amongst other reasons. Deciding to take the plunge and step outside your comfort zone will be an exciting and invigorating experience that will certainly benefit your career, so it’s a good idea to try and build up the courage to break free from the same dull cycle. If you want to change industries to work on a whole new subject, then get out there and do it! If you’ve always dreamed of heading back to school to get a degree, then get out there and graduate! Outside your comfort zone is where the magic really happens, so you certainly won’t regret diving in at the deep end when your career shoots to superstardom as a result. 

With any luck, these informative ideas will help you to achieve career satisfaction in no time at all.

Everything material is immaterial

I wanted to share a lot of things that happened in the past couple of weeks but it feels too late now like all of the emotions I have at the time have gone already so I couldn't write about it blow by blow. But let me try...

On October 1, on the way to IKEA we got into a traffic accident involving an SUV. I was merging lanes, thought it gave way, then BAAAM!! Apparently not. We were already halfway into the lane when the car behind us slowly moved forward. It scraped our car from the driver's door and went on until our sidemirror folded. Ironically, it all happened so slowly. Yep. Slowly. It looked very intentional. Only a sad asshole would assert its way in that manner. But because it happened slowly we thought maybe the driver wasn't looking, was preoccupied with other things and didn't notice the car in front has already moved forward significantly. And us on the other hand, saw it as an opportunity to merge, one that the car behind generously provided us. But nope.

I spent the week after that gathering info from our insurance provider and demanding payment from the driver. We exchanged fb's and I asked for a very conservative 2.5k to cover the participation fee from our insurance provider. In which she responded, "what about my damage?". Wow, she clearly has one on the head. Lol at the audacity of this kid. I told her her damage is her fault. And it is. I shouldn't even care that she's wearing a mourning pin, is on the way to a funeral, when she carelessly inflicted damage on our vehicle. But that glaring black square on her white shirt was the first thing I noticed and admittedly when I saw that I didn't know what to do next. I offered my condolences but that's not really why my mind blanked out. I don't know. I was just shocked. And in my state of shock and confusion I forgot to get her number, the offending vehicle's plate, and its OR/CR. The only essential thing I got is a copy of her driver's license. The plate number we recovered through our dashcam. Damn.

Thankfully she was responsive on fb, but not at the rate I prefer considering the urgency at which I want to get over this with. She paid up, eventually, and all is good. But not after threatening her that it's either 2.5k or the insurance company will run after her for the full cost of repairs, and we'll have to put this on blotter so it will show up in her records. Considering her age which I got from her driver's license, if she starts looking for a job she won't get a police clearance. That should make for an easy choice.

Only God knows how the hell she didn't notice a car halfway merged in front of her. We weren't even cutting, if we were then the impact would be fast. She had all the time to slow down and pull to a stop and she didn't. Seems like she wasn't looking at all. Hay. I could only hope she learns from this. I mean, if you're not in the right headspace, being in mourning and shit, you shouldn't be driving. Don't be a danger to the people around you right?? Urgh.

After the incident we tried to salvage whatever good is left of our day by still going to IKEA to do what I had planned to do: buy some home decor and eat meatballs. I was only able to do the former because the line at the Swedish Restaurant was ridiculously long. I was happy with my purchase though. I got three Knoppangs and a Fejka. Still doesn't compensate for getting into a traffic accident. Urgh. Plus IKEA on a payday weekend is such a bad idea. It was so crowded and chaotic.

I still drove on the way home despite my trauma from the incident. I've always hated the route going to and from MOA. It always gets crazy the moment you enter EDSA extension. All types of vehicles are in one crazy riot: trucks, jeeps, buses, motorcycles, trykes, private cars, even pedicabs can you believe it argh.

On the way home we stopped by Poco Deli to get a late lunch when I realized my wedding ring is missing. Wow. That is strike two for the fucking first of October. Obviously I felt even more down. Could the other driver have taken it? Was there some hocus focus that happened earlier? Is her mourning pin fake? Lol

When we got home I just cried at my husband complaining about how bad this day was. He hugged me and comforted me all night. We were together the whole day but he wasn't as fazed as I was. He says today was a very interesting day and brought up very convincing points as he was consoling me:

1. Don't worry about the car because we've been meaning to have our bumper fixed anyway so let's just consider this incident as a final reminder to get the bumper fixed haha
2. Don't worry about the ring because we could have his melted and turned into two rings, we've been meaning to have his resized anyway cos it's gone loose now
3. You got your IKEA haul and we had a good lunch at Poco Deli, and we got to buy legit Vienna sausage lol

That was very enlightening for me. You know, that whole night I was just so disheartened all I did was come to my husband to cry and get a hug. It is very comforting getting a warm hug from someone you love. He made me realize that everything I worry about is material, and ultimately immaterial. Every dejected thing about this day shall pass. 

And it did.

It's been three weeks since the incident and everything's been sorted out. Actually, the next few days already felt like retribution. Like I mentioned above, the driver paid up. And aside from that, when I called insurance turns out we didn't have to pay for anything. It's our first claim for the policy period so participation fee is waived. The entire claiming process was also a breeze. We just had to bring the car to the auto shop for assessment and pay for notary of affidavit. We didn't even have to write the affidavit, they took care of everything. Yeah, including making up a story, if you get what I mean. Since we're not going after the offending driver anymore we had to file for self-damage claim. The owner and one of his guys was bouncing off ideas on what to put on the details of the affidavit, and in end we settled for a story which they assured us would get past through insurance. They told us not to worry, cos they know them all too well. This story works so let's stick with it. 

Guys. That experience was interesting, to say the least. We just met a Saul Goodman. And despite putting our integrity in question, we felt super relieved after. So this is how this works huh? This is how the world works?

Two weeks later we brought the car back so they can start with repairs. Here's to hoping they do a good job with it!

Finally, to put an end to all the stress I sustained from that unfortunate first of October, miraculously, my wedding ring turned up. Turns out I dropped it at Poco Deli! I never considered looking there because it was where I realized I lost it so naturally I would retrace my steps, Poco Deli not being in that trail. And by God, I wouldn't have asked there if the guard at Unimart hadn't told me to try checking with Poco Deli first while the admin officer is on break. I didn't really have any hope left in me that day, so whatever, even though I was convinced it isn't the place to look for, I have nothing to lose anyway so might as well. And then can you believe it, when I approached the counter and asked the crew if they found a ring when we dined here last Saturday, they heaved a confirmative "aaah", and lo and beaaahld, they actually have my ring! Oh my God! I was in such a good mood we had celebratory sushi at Dough and Grocer. Their assorted Aburi Oshi oshi is delicious!

I can't believe it. Everything was solved within the week. First we learned we didn't have to pay anything for participation and repairs, then the driver who hit us paid up, and finally I found my ring. I'm still reeling from how things turned around that quick, putting all my worries and tears in vain.

Thank God for my husband, he's been a great refuge in that trying week. He kept me sane. Even though we already both know what to do, which is to get the car fixed and accept that I lost my wedding ring, I was too focused on the process, anticipating the worst, that I lose sight of the goal. My husband, on the other hand knows that what we want to happen will eventually happen so why worry? 

Yeah I get his point, I just don't know if I'm capable of that haha.

Ahh, thank you Lord. ♥

If you've reached the end of this post, wow, thank you for enduring my rambling!!!