by Maribago Beach, I sat down and read

A few months ago I promised myself that my days would not (and should not) be defined by my deadlines or my bylines.

It was triggered by a friend's question. She asked me while having dinner at Bugis Junction: Meron ka bang ginagawa sa buhay mo na hindi ginagamitan ng utak? I thought about it for a long time, and then said: Biking. Jogging. Running. Cross-training. Cooking. Hindi ginagamitan ng utak un ah. She then said that those things still require focus. She explained that in biking, you still exert an effort; you need balance. In jogging, running and cross-training, you have to motivate yourself to do those things on a regular basis. As for cooking, it still requires precision and decision-making. She's not satisfied. Oh sige, meron ka bang ginagawa sa buhay mo na hindi kelangan ng mind or concentration, un ginagawa mo lang for fun? Hindi kelangan pag-isipan. I gave myself some time to ponder, and then said, Alam ko na! May sagot nako. Satisfied ka na dito: Painting my nails! Di ba? Hindi mo kelangan ng mind dun!

She explained that painting my nails --- which I don't do often, by the way --- still requires attention to details and concentration. Not all people could paint their nails properly, she said. But in the end she told me that it was an "acceptable answer". I promised that the next time we meet, I would have a list of "mindless" things I've done.

Of course, I've known from the very beginning that I was doomed for failure in this case. It's not in my nature to engage in mindless things, or maybe the definition of what is a mindless activity and what is not is an issue for me. How could we be so mindless? Maybe we do things out of habit, but how would we know if our minds are not working while we are doing those things? There, there. I'm overthinking it.

My mission to do mindless things did not work as I'd planned because I can't think of anything that could be labelled as such. Instead, I've just vowed that my weekends would be spent wisely and actively. In the last 30 days, I'd not written any article for the magazine and not submitted any story pitch for next year (gasp!). I'll play catch up soon for sure. However, my time typically spent poring over magazines and perfecting my afritada was used for:

20 little things that made me happy in the past 30 days

1. Achieved my goal of jogging/running from Block A to Block G. Non-stop.
2. Trekked to and from Macritchie Reservoir Treetop Canopy. Roughly 10 kilometres. I overestimated my friends' endurance and underestimated mine. 
3. Attended a media tasting event (a Christmas Menu preview) at lunchtime. A first for me, as I usually attend media briefings at night or immediately after work. 
4. Went all the way to Simei (a 40-minute train ride to the east) just to play Kinect with friends. 
5. Braved the storm and went to Mactan Island, and wandered alone for two days. 
6. Sat down by Maribago beach (and for the first time in such a long time) did nothing but read for hours.
7. Travelled to Cebu City with my parents. Bliss.
8. Met up with a friend immediately after a flight. Watched Changi Airport's beautiful art installation (Kinetic Rain, google it!) while having dinner. 
9. Attended a book swap. In a bar, of all places.
10. Went to the Singapore Writers Festival just to attend two talks, one of which is about travel writing. 
11. Attended a Meet the Author Session with travel writer Pico Iyer. One of the most enlightening and inspiring talks I've heard. And I'm so glad I've recorded it. (I'll write something about this soon)
12. Went all the way to Ang Mo Kio (a 40-minute train ride up north) to visit my former landlady and landlord, and the rest of the Galvezes, the family who sort of "adopted" me when I came to Singapore.
13. Started learning a new sport. The kicks are still causing muscle pains after every session, but it's worth it. 
14. Ate Purefoods Tenderjuicy hotdog straight from the grill at Ayala Cebu. The first bite brought me back to my childhood days in Batangas. I'm over you, Jollibee Chickenjoy.
15. Beat a self-imposed financial deadline.
16. Discovered a new bakery, called One Kampung Bahru, with yummy cinnamon buns. The best part: it's only 15 minutes away from my flat! 
17. Came to terms with the possibility of looking for a flat alone next year.   
18. Found out that the drinks stall in Bugis Junction serves very good brewed local kopi. Why have I known this only now. After 3 years here.
19. Received random messages from friends on my roaming number, Gmail, Whatsapp and Facebook. I'm getting sappy, but without those, I would probably be homesick by now.
20. And speaking of homesickness, I've never used the phrase "I'm homesick!" in the past 30 days. Let's keep it at that.