100 30 things to be happy about

when i was in college, i borrowed the book 14,000 things to be happy about from a girl named vicky. she was one of those cool girls who resided in ilang-ilang residence hall (i was one of those noisy, crazy girls who almost always got in trouble with the dorm head), cool enough to have a non-fiction book (to my mind then, books were mostly either of the fiction variety, or the textbook variety).

reading the book then inspired me to, every so often, write lists of things to be happy about. you could find them in my notebooks, in my planner (remember those tickles planners that were all the rage in college? gah, i'm dating myself.), in post-its stuck to random pieces of furniture, like my bookcase at home and my desk in the dorm. the included the most inane things, like bachoy from the canteen (something that i still love to this day) and the most important, like bacon (yes, bacon is important).

recently, my favorite girl boss started writing her own list of things to be happy about (brought about by the gift of a lovely (and uber expensive) moleskin notebook. and it reminded me of the joy that writing the list brought me, especially when i was tired, frustrated, and just unable to cope with the rigors that came with college life (thinking back, i can't exactly imagine how i thought college life was rigorous. i mean, what could've stressed me then? that i had to wear my jeans for two days in a row? crazy!)

and so, in no particular order, 100 30 things that currently make me happy.

1. a non-thinking book, a bag of cheetos twisted puffs, and diet sarsi on a cold rainy day with nothing to do.


2. moniegold chewy tamarind candy


3. zippered pillowcases in lovely fabrics and prints from SM


4. the realization that while the blackberry is a dream come true, i am still a nokia girl through and through


5. being able to travel to a whole lot (okay, to me it was a whole lot) of places last year


6. hk disneyland with mama and kit. wish papa could've come with us though.


7. balikbayan boxes


8. using my secret crush's name as my password. ha! ha!


9. almost-over root canal sessions with dr. jennifer, unarguably the best dentist when it comes to injecting my gums. she gets it in one go. how fabulous is that?


10. yakimix or sambokojin ... it doesn't really matter. as long as they use bacon to wrap stuff with, then you've got my attention.


11. the new bedroom arrangement


12. water in bf.


13. no wait, 24 hour water supply in bf


14. automatic washing machine


15. water + washing machine = being able to do laundry whenever i want to, whenever i need to, or whenever i just feel like it


16. bros flores and last weekend's retreat ☺


17. cd-r king -- the stuff they sell, not the service. it doesn't matter which branch you visit. their service is uniformly crappy.


18. home bloggers who inspire me to just be a better at taking care of my home


19. every day light devotionals. brief, to the point, but very very good.


20. sans rival from dumaguete


21. sparkly toenails


22. hi-top and their 50% off on near-expiry merchandise


23. free stuff from work


24. gummy bears


25. bachoy from the canteen


26. ... as well as their sopas


27. ... and their spaghetti


28. cheap books


29. kids on summer vacation which means i get to work much faster


30. universal channel and law and order every morning (reason why i never make it to work before 8 am anymore :(

i was (as you could see) aiming for a hundred. but i realized that a hundred is a bit hard when you've got stuff to do.