this.is.shinkaideI am bored. And so can you!

If there is one thing that pisses me off more than someone with really bad body odor, it’s someone who bathes in perfume. Seriously, I don’t understand the rationale.

Just because a little bit of it smells nice, doesn’t mean drenching yourself in it will make you smell awesome. No matter how much they want it to, it just doesn’t work that way. It will make them stink and annoy the hell out of everyone else around them, but no one will say a word because it could hurt their feelings. Whether they are told or not, nothing will likely change anyway since the habit is likely to be so ingrained due to some sort of neurosis that causes them to do that which most people would normally have the sense to not do.

It just makes being around that person more difficult, and the best thing to do is to avoid this person. But then again, that may not always be possible.

Some of the worst offenders of this that I know are two of my grandmothers and some of my aunts. Just some time ago, I got stuck in the same vehicle with one of them, and it triggered a mild asthma attack. It also just so happens that I didn’t bring my asthma medication along with me, since asthma attacks have been a rare occurrence for me save for ones that are triggered by food allergies and, yeah… strong scents. So I asked to be dropped off at a 7-Eleven near our intended destination so I could chug whatever caffeinated drinks I could find as an emergency remedy (caffeine is a mild bronchodilator).

I had planned on not drinking coffee today because I overslept, and wanted to make falling asleep easier. That’s not happening now, I suppose. So beyond the two asthma attacks I suffered today, my sleep cycle is completely wrecked once again. Awesome.

Or, to be precise, your skin’s health.

A little over a month ago, a rash started appearing on my left wrist. I immediately suspected my wristwatch’s strap as being the offender, so I cleaned it up as best as I could and purchased some tea tree oil for my rash. The tea tree oil worked quit nicely, and my rash disappeared after a few days of regular application.

However, a few more days after that, the rash reappeared; the difference this time around was that the tea tree oil no longer worked, and the rash kept getting worse.

So I paid my dermatologist a visit the other day, and she told me that it was likely that my wristwatch’s metal alloy strap was leaking nickel, and that was what was causing the allergic reaction (contact dermatitis). She told me that it was common in old watches, and that I should swap in a stainless steel, leather, or plastic strap in for the old one to avoid this from happening again.

Anyway, for now, I’ll just have to do without a timepiece. I don’t want to spend on a new strap for watch I’ll be looking to replace anyway.

On the tail end of having the flu right now, feeling pretty good.

Interesting series of events happened the past two weeks.

Firstly, some visitors let my cat A-dolf out again. It never fails to piss me off, most especially when it’s the same visitors who always happen to do so. What is it, the second or third time already? When he got back seven days later, he was filthy and his white paws blacked with who knows what. Me and my sister had to give him a bath, which is not easy to do, since cats just love water.

In the middle of that week, I could safely say that I was pretty well and recovered from the flu, so I ran some errands for dad since he happened to be sick as well. Used my bike to save time and money. Long story short, I overexerted myself and the flu somehow relapsed.

Then, just a couple of days ago or so, someone from a publishing company called me, saying they were looking for an illustrator. We set the interview for Wednesday this week. I was excited; if this would push through, I’d be paid to use my best skills, and it would also likely be my least boring job yet. But then I got to thinking.

My mom always keeps trying to get me to get a job, whether it be in a call center here in Makati or somewhere in Spain or England (just last week she asked me to try and get a job in Canada). I would always reply that I’m currently in the middle of working out some plans, and to just drop everything in mid-air would be irresponsible and would show a lack of commitment. My rationale is that I put a lot of thought and careful planning into this, so it would only be right for me to see how it all plays out up until the end, win or lose.

If you don’t have the guts to stay the course you’ve carefully plotted and would rather just put down the sails and let the waves toss you about, you don’t deserve to get to where (or what) you want.

I’m currently doing two projects right now. One is doing quite well, and the other I’m still making ready. I’ve settled into a nice daily and weekly routine, and everything is running well (although quite slowly, due to the aforementioned ailment). Taking on a full-time job would likely wreak havoc on my established workflow and produce more stress than I’d be able to handle (I’d already learned this the hard way a few jobs back).

Eventually, I decided to just withdraw from the interview.

I have a plan, and I’m taking my own advice and I’m sticking to it.