Contrary to my past Christmases, this year, I’m feeling quite relaxed! Really. I quit my full-time job last year, and being in control of my time has finally culminated to a steady holiday season for me. I still haven’t shopped for Christmas presents, but I already know what to get for my loved ones. Christmas shopping starts next week for me. I actually like the buzz of the Holiday shopping rush. There is urgency, there is purpose. Feels like a heroic mission almost!
As part of my be-a-better-human-being drive, which I have finally pushed out of my brain and into the real world, I have chosen which causes I believe in (children and women’s welfare, breastfeeding) and have started to think of ways I can support them. I encourage everyone to find a cause they believe in, whether it be the environment, animals or bio-fuel. Having something to think about other than yourself, ironically, is the most liberating thing you can do for yourself. Realizing that your “I don’t have anything to wear” crisis in the morning pales in comparison to a child’s “I don’t have anything to wear or eat” crisis should be enough to shake you out of your warm shell and into cold reality. The crazy traffic, the frenzied shopping rush won’t be such a bother once you start to have a greater reason for being alive.
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Sources of Christmas stress:
• Huge crowds at the mall (I remember when I was still working in Makati, I made the mistake of walking on the walkway from Dela Rosa to Landmark right after work—sardinas! I literally had to go with the flow.)
• Traffic!
• Looong lines at the cashier
• Expenses, expenses, expenses (it’s also my birthday month so there’s the standard blowout)
• Attending three parties in one night
• Weight gain (from all the said parties)
• Finding the perfect gifts for the people on your list
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With my kind of job I have barely two weeks of work since we all know by the 15th of December, work tends to slow down. It is a known fact that we do have the longest Christmas celebration in the globe, which is a disadvantage since this shortens the working pace in our business. And how I deal with all the holiday stress-related moments is very simple. I work more than the long and usual hours. Now, my weekends are devoted to finishing deadlines and cementing contracts before everyone slows down to party. Keeping a composed disposition is a challenge, and I hate to think of added facial lines. And I keep in my mind that I will be rewarding my self with a post-Christmas holiday in sunny Boracay.
And speaking of Boracay, I was in the island for a revolutionary party when Eventscape Manila’s Stephen Ku once again made waves to the shores of Boracay as Motorola presented the first Sem Break Confidential event. Constantly changing the party landscape and making it hotter than ever, Sem Break Confidential was adapted from the infamous annual Cancun spring break parties with Motorola redefining what partying is all about.
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