thecosmicmuffinapostle

(But hopefully…)

Because of the change in surname, I received friend requests from zillions of Tamondongs.  There will come a time that I would have to edit my shoutout, so I will say this one explicitly: If you do not belong to my hubby’s clan, DO NOT BOTHER TO ENLIST.  (One day I will disinfect my friends list.  Those who will remain are legitimate friends, former and present officemates, schoolmates and teachers, relatives by affinity and consanguinity, and crushees.)

I also received a lot of messages asking for a proof in my change of status.  Here it is.

Yes, we signed the Marriage Certificate last 30 May 2009.  It was one hell of a rainy day celebration which brought many surprises.

I will not go into the details on how much my life has changed.  All the clichés you hear about being married—the post-wedding depression and the pre-wedding jitters—are true.  Trust me.  Those emotions spare no one, even those who are deeply in love with their chosen lifetime partners.

I’d rather share with you a list of pre-nuptial arrangements I would have had Mister Penguin take into utmost consideration.  If given the time, I would have this list notarized and would have coerced Mister Penguin to sign the pre-nupt.

• I’d like to have some free time alone.  Two days in a month would be perfect.  This free time would be utilized in watching movies, going to coffee shops, and re-bonding with my friends.
• I’d like to be able to have my say in what I would be wearing.  Not because I am a fashionista.  Not because I would still want to catch male attention.  But simply because I’ve been given the liberty to choose what to wear while I was still single and I would like to keep things at that.
• I’d like to be able to keep my secrets.  When I say it’s a secret, don’t slap the excuse ‘we are one now’ because that is so convenient and unacceptable.

Hmmmn…  Come to think of it.  I would be having a very long list if I enumerate all the things I want.  Let’s summarize.

I’d like to be given a choice on how to handle my life without my hubby going against it.  Trust goes with what is to be given me and in return, I will take all responsibility and accountability in keeping the marriage from being jeopardized.

Let it be disclosed that this freedom my hubby would be giving me will, in no way, be deemed enough justification for anyone to have the impression that I am cuckolding him.

Let it also be disclosed that despite the freedom I am asking from my hubby, I will, in every way and every manner possible, every minute, every hour of my existence, be faithful to him and would share, in every way and every manner possible, every minute, every hour of my existence, all pains and joys, all triumphs and sufferings, with my hubby until death do us part.

Finally, let it be disclosed that I am asking for something that I am also willing to give back tenfold.

End of text.  Jeez, married life is fun!  (If and only if…)

09 October 2009

Created 28 September 2009*2305EST

Let’s follow (and not follow) the bandwagon.

Lo and behold, an excerpt of the IM exchange between me and my manager early this morning.

Manager                       :           Are you okay?

Anna Gumamela           :           Huh?

M                                 :           How are you?

AG                               :           Same same…  Neurotic on the verge of breaking down.

M                                 :           Weren’t you affected by the flood?

*Kwang kwang kwang kwang…*

Fine.  He was working on shore and I did not realize that he was doing a headcount.  Fine.  The IM exchange seemed like a scene in the local movie where Aga Muhlach played the part of the boss and Rufa Mae Quinto played the part of his stupid secretary, except that my booboo happened in MS Office Communicator.

Fine.  Everybody’s ranting about Ondoy while I remained self-absorbed in my world.

Not that I have every license to be detached.  My parents’ house was devastated by the typhoon.  Nothing was spared there, save for the items on the second floor and the roof deck, and the house itself, though I was yet to see it until after office hours today.

So I went and I saw everything.  Indeed they had to fix a lot of things.  At least they can be fixed.  At least the house, though muddied and filthy, was still standing.  At least all of them are alive and good-humored, including my hamster and my doggie.

I don’t know if this attitude warrants raised eyebrows from witnesses and I don’t give a rat’s ass if it does.  All I know are these mustard seeds (applicable to me and only me, not to everybody) which I carry whenever something dampens my spirits:

• If there are no fair means to get the resources, it’s a problem.
• If the damage is irreparable but it has to be fixed, it’s a problem.
• If it’s salvaging or losing something that is irreplaceable, it’s a problem.
• If time is of the essence and I don’t have enough, it’s a problem.
• If it doesn’t fall under any of the above, it’s not a problem.
• If I failed despite using my supernatural powers full blast, it’s no longer my problem.
• If it’s not a problem or if it’s no longer my problem, then I have every reason to move on to my next task or goal.

(Insert sound clip of The Beatles’ Obla Di Obla Da for a more uplifting effect.)

Call it whatever you want—indifference, apathy, autism, The Ultimate Pinoy Happy-Go-Lucky attitude—but I prefer to call it looking at the bright side of life.

Besides, for someone who has lost dozens of huggable pets, several close friends, two doting grandparents, and two loving siblings in the short span of one’s existence (I pray the list stops there), a typhoon such as Ondoy, and the havoc it wreaked, should not be strong enough to shake me.