Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A typical Wednesday

It's a cloudy day today. All grey and from the looks of it, cold. However the weather forecast says not rain and when I went out to buy my friend some cheesecake, it was quite warm. In fact, the weather is perfect.

I had a really busy day yesterday. Today I have another one of those busy days. I woke up and immediately tackled some translation work. Made something to eat, went to buy some cheesecake and now waiting for a client to come over in about 5 minutes. After work today, I have plans to meet up with a friend for dinner and then to see a movie. It gets done at 11pm so I should be home late.

Tomorrow is a public holiday so my boyfriend will be home. I wonder if he has anything planned? Not likely, but let's see if I can convince him to take me someplace.

Oh, I made some homemade pickles and they turned out really good! I think I'll try and make something else I've never tried.

This week, I canceled all plans to meet friends, other than tonight. I am way too busy to fit them all in! I am lucky though, all my friends understand how busy I am and they're used to it. However I will not cancel next week's plans.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Life goes on

Yes life does go on even when you think you won't be able to survive another single day.
I realize this time and time again. After five days after my breakup with my affair, I feel so much better and once again, reminded of the fact that all things happen for a reason.

When I look back and try analyzing my relationship with the guy I had an affair with, I realized why I felt so sad. I really don't like the word "sad" because it doesn't even begin to describe what I went through. Anyway, this is one of the big reasons why I felt so depressed.

One of my friends last night told me that maybe, one of the reasons why I was so depressed was the fact that maybe, it was because I was tired of trying over and over again. This was partly true I guess. It all has to do with love, or my personal perception of it.

When I first met the guy, I felt alone and unhappy with my current boyfriend for the longest time. In fact, my friends and I had to go drinking once a week to get really wasted. I also went to the clubs on a regular basis, while doing tequila shots with my buddies. I also had a lot of random sex with strangers on a regular basis. I realized I must be unhappy. But at that time, I just told myself that this was the kind of relationship I was in and that, most relationships are like this and that I shouldn't expect so much. I thought that this was a mature relationship and that all relationships are like mine, one with no passion and sparks. So everytime I met someone who would tell me that they are looking for that one perfect person that fills their lives with love and happiness, I thought in my head, "that's a load of bull"! I learned to love my boyfriend the best way I can and I threw all my expectations out the window.

Then when the other guy came into my life, he brought out feelings that I forgot I still had. I started to get scared because these were the feelings that I was scared of. He started to peel off my protective skin that wraps around my heart layer by layer, and I guess I let him. I was happy to know that I could still feel that way and once again, I believed all the promises that came pouring out of his heart.

Once the relationship started deteriorating and ended up with the breakup recently, I realized that maybe, this kind of person who makes me feel this way, is not a good kind of love. I have felt this way with a person maybe 3 times in my lifetime. The results were always fatal and I always felt that things couldn't get any worse. The feeling is like this. I feel loved and protected. I feel as if I'm treasured and that nothing can make me feel sad anymore. This is how I felt with him and those 3 guys in my past. So it's quite clear why I felt so sad after the breakup. Suddenly, I didn't feel so safe and protected, treasured and loved.

Sure, my boyfriend loves me in his own special way. But he's a realist and sometimes too real. He always seems to come first in his life. He never surprises me with small gifts. He never looked into my eyes to tell me that he loved me. He wanted to keep our lives separate and individual. It was all fine really, until the other guy showed up. I guess he gave me what I needed that my boyfriend couldn't give me. It was like he completed me.

The fact that I could feel that special kind of love that I thought I'd lost. The realization that I wanted to feel like that and I wanted someone to take care of me in that way. The realization that I felt sad and lonely with my current boyfriend. The fact that I had to tell him about this affair so we could somehow improve the situation.

I did tell my boyfriend about it and why I got involved in the first place. My boyfriend, with no change in his expression, said that he was sorry and that it was partly his fault. No drama, no emotions, nothing. My friend once told me that he probably feels many things inside. He just isn't the type to show it. I guess that may be true.

I just hope that things will keep improving with my boyfriend. I'm sure this was a good thing that happened. Maybe we both needed this event to take place, in order to move our relationship forward and into a better place. My protective shell is back in place now, I can feel it back where it belongs. Safe inside where no one can get to it. This is where is should stay for now.

Yes life goes on. I'm back to Second Life as well. My friends are still there and my best friend Jeckie came back on after some absence so I'm really happy about that. I guess our friendship developed because we both gave love to one another without expecting anything in return. We were both there for each other when we needed them to be. She did alot for me while not expecting anything in return. I guess that's what real friends do. And she has won my loyalty that way. I'm thankful to have her in my life.

Today I will go shopping with my boyfriend. I bought a nice pair of shoes and a shirt yesterday. Today we will go to a wine shop to buy a few bottles of good wine. My friends are coming over sometime this week.

How do I feel today? I guess I feel thankful for what I have.

Oh, I decided not to buy anymore potato chips for a while. I think I had enough chips to last me 5 years.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Day or Recovery

I woke up this morning hoping to feel better. I actually did feel better after a night of rest. My head was clearer and I realized what I needed to do. Anyway, this morning I woke up and made myself a cup of decaf latte with a sprinkle of cinnamon to lift my spirits. Then after quickly checking emails, I started on project clean up. Yes, I'm going to clean my house and get rid of old things that I never use and all the dust that had accumulated over the past year. I started out with the dining area as there is a lot of stuff I don't use in the cabinets there. Once that was done, I continued with the living room. By this time, it was around 1:30pm so I started to get hungry. I went out to get something to eat, at which time the ex-boyfriend who I broke it off with the other day, called my cell. I was in line at the register at the grocery store and couldn't really talk so I told him to call me back. He called back 3 minutes later and I had a little chat with him for about 5 minutes. It felt really strange to be talking to him like nothing happened, so I apologized to him for being so dramatic the other day and that something was really wrong with me. I told him that I feel much better today and thank you for the call. He said that we should have dinner sometime next week and I said that sounded great. I told him that I'm cleaning my house to get rid of all the mess I've accumulated over the year and besides, my mother is coming soon so I need to get it cleaned anyway. I told him to have a great day and don't forget to eat. I did my best to sound as cheerful as possible and made like it was the best day of my life!

After I hung up, I was quite amazed to find that I was indeed happier today. I went home and had my late lunch while watching an episode of desperate housewives. Immediately afterwards, I started to do some laundry and went to tackle the bathroom and hallway closets. While rummaging through the hallway closet, I stumbled upon some old pictures of my ex ex and my ex ex ex as well as my ex ex ex ex! hehehe! Yes I have a lot of exes! I started to laugh because they were all so funny and I completely forgot they were there. I think my mother tried to hide it from my current boyfriend. I don't know why she finds it necessary to do that. I mean my boyfriend knows I'm not a virgin.

After the closet, I scrubbed the bathroom tiles, the sinks, and the toilet. I then continued to the kitchen. That was the worst, but hey, someone has to do it right? I thought that was enough cleaning for the day and you know what? I felt wonderful! I felt that I deserved to relax so went to the DVD rental shop to rent a couple of DVDs. I did an hour of yoga but had to end it short because of heart palpitations. What was causing it today, I have no idea! I watched THE INVASION with Nicole Kidman while eating a cabbage salad and some potato chips. Yeah I know it's a weird combo but I was too lazy to leave the apartment.

After that, my boyfriend came home complaining he had a headache so I had to make him some hot tea and gave him a back massage. It's 10.27 pm now and I'm ready to head to bed. Nothing else for me to do tonight and besides, I am tired today. Tomorrow I need to continue cleaning my apartment. I might as well do everything I can this week as I have a busy week next week. In my desperation for company, last night I emailed a couple of my friends to make plans for next week. At the same time, a friend from Bangkok will be coming and wants to meet for coffee! Okay, is that too much? Sounds like a lot to me so we'll see how things go. I might have to cancel some things. I really do need to get back to my designing.

Anyway, I had a really good day and it was better than I expected it would be. I'm still a bit sad, but compared to yesterday, I'm a totally different person! I'm hoping that tomorrow will be much better than today and I'm pretty confident it will be.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Third post of the day

It's almost 11pm over here where I live. I literally couldn't do anything today except eat and watch Desperate Housewives all day. I'm depressed and it all feels like a dream. It's like you're in this half-awake state all day because everything's all blurry and all I wanted to happen was for time to go by faster. The minutes were ticking by so slowly and it's been a long and lousy day for me. I don't feel like logging into Second Life. I don't feel like working. I don't feel like doing anything except taking a sleeping pill and zonking out. The problem is I don't have any in my apartment. I went to buy a bottle of wine and had a couple of sips but decided it was better not to drown my sorrows with alcohol. It was tempting but I'm not going down that road.

I just finished reading through my blog from the past year to see if I could find some answers to my present situation. I think the problem was that I was living a fantasy life for an entire year. Yes, I was! So many things spun out of control. I think I ran myself into a big and busy rut! I avoided the consequences of my actions for the longest time and it has finally resulted in me hitting a brick wall.

I've been in denial for more than a year now. I had been filled with fear and guilt with a dash of shame. Juggling so many things in my life and trying to be so many things to different people finally caught up with me. I started to forget who I am. So I ran away to a world called Second Life, where I didn't have all those problems. I was free and happy there. Now, even that's not enough to save me.

Last night, I finally had to face up to one of the biggest problems in my life. For an entire year, I had another boyfriend. This guy knew I had a boyfriend and it started out as a way to spice up my life. I was bored and unhappy at that time and it just happened. Things got out of hand and I didn't know what to do about it. Come to think of it, I still don't know how it got so out of control. I think somewhere along the way, I started to fall for this guy. I finally ended it last night and although I feel really sad about it, I know it was the right thing to do. But the thing is, the pain I feel is just as painful as my past breakups. I mean how can this be? I'm with my boyfriend of 7 years. I'm pretty sure I love this guy. But right now, I'm just devestated about breaking up with this other one that lasted a year. Fuck, I am so fucked up! Yeah I know I should be posting this in my Secret Garden section but I think I need to confess here as it's pretty obvious I've been in denial for such a long time about this. I am so fucked up and I need to fix my life one step at a time.

I remember a friend of mine told me that I was fucked up about 20 years ago. Well, he was right about that. I know that a year from now, I will look back at all of this and say, "wow I was really fucked up then". Well, I kind of wish it was next year already!

Well, I made my mess and I have to clean it up. I think I will start to clean my apartment tomorrow. I will do some yoga and maybe I should take up jogging or something. I need to clear my mind and remove clutter from my life. I feel the need to simplify things just like a friend in Second Life told me to. I want to wake up tomorrow feeling better than I feel today. Tomorrow my friend will come over for drinks. I already made plans to meet some others next week. I will also try to work on my relationship with my boyfriend of 7 years. Yes, I did tell him about the affair, not including all the tiny details. I did tell him that I was very unhappy at the time. He also told me that he understood and that he is partly to blame for all of this and he actually said thanks for choosing him in the end.

He is a really good guy, my boyfriend. Now I just need to talk things out with him so this doesn't happen ever again. My mother will be here in a few weeks. I want to be happy when she's here. She doesn't need to see all the drama in my life.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Okay I've been busy and lazy

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post. Before my blog disappears into oblivion, I've decided to post today. Besides, I'm just recovering from a cold and still taking it easy.

First things first. It's getting warmer here in Japan and I can get rid of my electric blanket! Yay! Bad news is that I have to put away all my winter clothes and start getting my spring/summer clothes out from the 2nd floor closet. Yes, my walk-in closet is on the 2nd floor of my apartment! It's more like at attic really, but we just don't have enough space on the main floor for all our stuff and we really do need all the space we have. Space is expensive in Tokyo and I can't move. I like the city too much! So byebye winter!

My mother is coming to visit in April. I haven't seen her in 3 years and really looking forward to seeing her. I'm also saving up so I can take her to Thailand next month. I already bought the plane tickets and reserved the rooms for 7 nights. I reserved really nice rooms for the trip and spent a large chunk of my savings, but hey, she's my mother and she deserves it. I hope she enjoys the trip. It's a surprise!

My friend Michael from Hawaii has plans to visit in June and we have tickets for Singapore during that time. However one problem exists. The hotel rates are outrageous! I have searched and searched the internet for deals but cannot find a decent hotel at a price we can afford! Sure we can pay $500US per night for 9 nights but do we really want to do that? Let me tell you that better deals can be found almost anywhere in my opinion! Even Tokyo is not that expensive! What's up with the prices in Singapore these days? Another gripe I have. The prices for drinks in Singapore is rediculous! I think we can get the same bottle of wine here in Japan for a third of the price in Singapore! Is it that nobody drinks in Singapore anymore or just that prices are too high? I really don't know but a cocktail at a restaurant in Singapore can cost around $10US. In Tokyo, this is quite normal at a very upscale restaurant! But here in Tokyo, a good bottle of wine only costs around $10US! At restaurants, table wine at a nice trattoria is around $5US! Maybe that's why everyone drinks here in Japan. hahaha

Anyway, moving on.....

My relationship with my boyfriend couldn't be better. It's pretty unbelievable to me but true. Our sex life is great and he pleases me in bed like no other! We both love wine, good food, yoga and making money. No, we don't like the exact same things. However our preferences have become similiar throughout the years. It's a nice and comfortable feeling.

My second life in SECOND LIFE is as always, busy! I have seriously started designing clothes in SL and it's harder than I thought and sometimes not as much fun. However I am enjoying this new project and for me, a new business venture. It's another incentive for me to spend so much time in the game. It's very exciting to me to be able to do this. Because it's a business, I have realized that I have a lot to think about in regards to this venture. Not only do I need to design clothes I like, but must be able to sell these items through research and smart marketing. Yes it all sounds like hard work, but believe me it's much easier than doing business in SL and a smaller risk that's for sure! Anyway, let's see how far I can get with this in this new world called Second Life!

My Bell's Palsy is mostly recovered but sometimes I have to wonder. Just last week, I felt bad the entire week mostly due to my affected side tightening up all the way from my scalp to my neck. It's really irritating and I still get upset when I don't feel all that great. Just to make things worse, I came down with a cold and slight fever and that was enough to keep me off my feet for a few days.

So lots of things are happening in my life at the moment. Yoga is the one thing that keeps me sane through this time of restlessness.