The year is about to come to a close in a week and three days and checking this blog, I only wrote two entries for this month. As much as I loved writing, realizing that I never wrote anything much the past weeks is unbelievable.
As I write this, my parents are asleep. I'm the only person up hoping to be able to wait for my brother to come home from his stint at a wedding. My 10-day vacation from work for the Christmas season has started, and it has been something I've been waiting for.
I'd say I have been waiting for it. The last week before the office's Christmas closure has been agonizing both for us here in Manila and for the other folks in Australia. Compared to last year, it has been that toxic making each of the staff call in sick. Lucky for me, despite coming home literally crawling to bed for the last five nights, I survived the stress and exhaustion. Maybe because I just motivated myself that I am not entitled to call in sick on the last work week prior to a vacation.
And while I was able to survive the toxic week with the combined stress of Christmas rush, I had to miss the Simbang Gabi this year. As much as I want to complete it supposedly for the sixth year, I had to choose to let go. Yes, I felt bad and disappointed at myself for being unable to finish something I've started, but the exhaustion from the workload is way too high. And if I won't listen to my body, there's a high chance that I'd spend Christmas in a hospital bed in a hospital gown eating hospital food. Thus, giving up is the best way to go.
Save for my a few more preps for Christmas (which, oddly I could not feel much) and plans of embarking in another adventure in a few days, I'll be spending my holidays catching up on sleep -- I've been deprived of that luxury for a week after all.
Besides seeing places like malls and streets decorated with glittering lights and Christmas trees, one of the things that makes one realize that this event is just around the corner is the emergence of TV ads and station IDs related to Christmas. in the past, I wrote an an entry about those
advertisements that not only reminds you of the occasion, but never fails to tug hearstrings as well.
Natatandaan mo ba ito?
I was out with some friends nights ago and when the conversation lead to things Christmas, my friend C asked me to watch this video. At first I thought this was cool. I'm kind of familiar of the station ID having seen it 8 years ago. On a side note, this has a story to tell. Back then, whenever this would be flashed on the TV screen, I try not to see it. Either I switch channels or turn the TV off. At one point, someone asked me what is it with that ad that I don't like that I have to turn the TV off.
To which, I would tell,
"it's the guitar guy".
I was 21 that time and it was really the reason. I don't know with myself too why I did not like seeing that guy with the guitar in that ad. But as years pass, when I see other station IDs, I'd wonder where could that guitar guy in white polo is now, and who could he probably be. And nights back in the middle of watching this with friends, another friend, K placed a random photo from my timeline on our table and asked me,
"kilala mo siya?"
I sat there frozen for minutes looking at them after seeing the photo. I wanted to ask what's the relevance of these. And when I saw her gadget, the video paused on a particular timestamp, it hit me without anyone having to tell me all about it. The next thing I knew, I was hiding my face at B's shoulders as I tried to wipe those trickling tears pending to escape my eyes.
Yeah, TV ads do make me cry. They never fail to. And this one was no exception. But this time, I cried tears that people can see but only my soul could understand.
