Mondays can be taxing...

Especially since I had to pay my tax this morning. While I was writing the check, all I could think of was: "How many trips back to Manila could I have taken with this money? A lot!" Then my mind shifted and thought: "Heck! How many jeans could I have bought with this money? A whole friggin' lot!"

But hey, it felt like such an adult thing to do. And i'm glad I did. Although I must say, I miss Marge and the finance department back in Manila. They always handled all my tax requirements - including those wonderful reimbursements they give me every month.

And in other random and non-tax related developments:

1. I finally found my cousin Nene's blog! Nene and I were major pen pals way back in 1980-something P.I. (Pre-internet.) I can still remember how nice Nene's handwriting is, and how we'd end our letters with sentences constructed from pop songs. Like: "I'll wait for your next letter 'All through the Night' and i'll be asking 'Mr. Postman' to make sure that your letter will 'Get Here' because 'I'm so excited' that 'I can't fight this feeling anymore.'" We had a lot of fun doing that.

"All through the night" by Cyndi Lauper
"Mr. Postman" by The Carpenters
"Get Here" by Oleta Adams
"I'm so excited" by The Pointer Sisters
"I can't fight this feeling anymore" by REO Speedwagon.

Now, I can keep tabs on what's happening to her and the Kwong Dynasty. Reading through some of her entries made me miss my cousins back in California.

2. After scanning through Nene's blog, I learned that my Great-Great-Great Grandfather's name was Roque, my Great-Great Grandfather's name was Santiago, my Great Grandfather's name was Felipe and of course, I know my Grandfather Teodoro, or Lolo Doring as we fondly call him. They have such Castillian sounding names.

3. Auntie Tita really looks like Mom. I was looking at a photo of her, and had to do a double take because for a minute there, I thought it was Mom.

4. I'm wearing the pair of shoes that was given to me as a gift, and they're very, very, very nice. Some pairs of shoes are like clothes. You have to wear them to realize how nice they really are.

5. It's really difficult to have a teleconference with the Thailand office since my English skills are reduced to Neandertal proportions. "This... not clear... don't understand... maybe shorter... that's good..." And yes, I will have to meet with them again tomorrow morning at 10! "This... very bad..."

6. The SHK Building in Wan Chai still has their Christmas decorations up. People! It's almost February! You can at least put a cupid's arrow around Santa's chest to make it look a bit more updated.

7. Orange trees are sprouting all over our office building and those gargantuanormous red lanterns are starting to descend from the ceiling - and that only means one thing: Chinese New Year! Bring on the lai-sees! Woohoo!

8. Yesterday, I bought a couple of funky looking jeans for Javier. There's a pair from Zara, and a pair from Roca Wear which has a built in belt. That little boy is going to grow up a jean addict just like his Tito. I miss Javier. I miss my family.

9. I miss Mark. I think i'll grab an ice cream later. And yes, it's confirmed that they've discontinued Cherry Garcia in HK.

10. After checking the calendar, I realized i've only been back in HK for 17 days. Strangely, though, it feels longer than that. Ah yes, that's what happens when you "live" in another country but don't stay longer than 8 weeks.

Ah yes, the work day is over. I promised myself a "post-tax-treat" tonight, and it's about time to go out and get it.