No, it hasn't been much fun at all since you've been gone..

Whenever I feel frustrated because things aren't going my way, only five things can make me feel better:

1. Praying.

2. Talking to my parents.

3. Talking to my friends.

4. Shopping.

5. Cleaning.

Talking to God always helps. You should try it sometime.

My mom and my dad are huge influences in my life. Although I technically didn't grow up with them, their practical way of looking at things and their non-verbal but constant reassurances of unconditional love never fail to soothe my frazzled nerves. Yes, I am almost eighteen years old but I still run to my mommy and my daddy when I have a "booboo".

My friends are amazing. I can talk to them about anything without having to worry about what they think of me because they accept me for who I am. I wouldn't trade any of them for all the Maltesers in the world.

Shopping is a no-fail therapy. It never fails to make me happy.

Cleaning helps because I firmly believe that if I can't organize my life then I can at least organize my surroundings. My favorite chores are ironing clothes and washing the dishes. Vacuuming and mopping the floors, too. Of course, I don't get to do those often because I have someone who irons for me and we have cleaning ladies at the dorm who take care of the floors for us. So I focus my attention on my closets: classifying my clothes according to color and use (pang bahay, pang alis, corporate, you get the gist.); arranging my magazines according to the issue dates; piling up my books according to their authors; re-arranging my shoes; and so on. Cleaning helps me forget that I have other problems because, I focus on whatever task is at hand.

It's pure bliss because I forget, even for just a while, that I live in the real world and that it tends to suck from time to time.