And there goes the day

Some days your day is just going swimmingly, then next thing you know, in a sudden transition worthy of film editing, you’re at the local emergency room awaiting news from a friend.

That was me yesterday. I was settled in to another good day of work when I suddenly get a call from close friend. She’s got a medical emergency that requires me ferrying her to the hospital as soon as possible. What do I do at that moment but drop everything and leave work? I’m immensely appreciative that I work at place where I can leave at the drop of a proverbial hat, no consequences. Any slack from the work I’m responsible for will be taken up by my colleagues (coordinated via Slack, naturally).

That is worth everything. Work will always be there, but the life events of the people close to you - good or bad - will only be there once.

Thankfully the injuries suffered by my friend is not too bad. Wounds will heal and she’ll be just like before in no time. There was a peculiar sensation I discovered during the ordeal during the wait outside of the emergency room. There’s only so much scrolling on the phone I can do while waiting out the multiple hours. So I started to space out and think about whatever comes to mind. That’s when a sort of existential crisis came up: “What the heck am I doing here?” “What day of the week is it?”

“Why did I get picked to have this predicament?” That is a surprisingly selfish thought, especially when I’m not the one with the injury. Of course I have no qualms with assisting a friend (or family) in their time of need. But truth be told: it is still an incredible hassle. The rest of my day have been utterly rearranged. Whatever schedules and routines I’ve got are completely out the window. Again, I’m perfectly willing to help. I guess when you’re outside the hospital waiting for hours for good news, this is the type of thoughts that comes to mind.

Obviously, it’s all part of life. It never goes forever smoothly and happily. We simply have to be up for the challenge. There’s no rewind or reset buttons, no matter that sometimes we wish there is one.

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Don’t forget.

Got by with a little help

Followers of this blog would know: I recently moved.

And I could not have done it with my good friends. I don’t have many of them, but the few friends I do have I consider equally as dear as my family. The successful move out of my parents’ house reminded me just how awesome it is to have help from others.

Admittedly, I am a bit of a lone ranger when it comes to things: I prefer to go at it myself. It’s not like I see asking for help as a sign of weakness, it’s just that I’ve always had this mentality that in asking for assistance, I am being a huge bother to people. This is going to sound like I am blaming my mother: she’s the type of person who doesn’t like to owe anyone anything, and is quick to return a favor. She treats relationship with others as somewhat transactional, and some of that no doubt rubbed off on me.

So I was genuinely surprised and a bit taken-back when, without prompting, my friends offers their services to help me move. Things I would have done myself, like renting a van to haul my mattress, was taken care of voluntarily by my friends. In the case of the mattress, one of them had a Tesla Model S with a big enough boot to swallow the entire thing whole. Another friend - who happens to be the home owner I am renting from - saved me a trip to IKEA and got the bed-frame and bookshelves I needed. Yet another friend pitched in to ferry items from one house to the other, and assisted with building said bed-frame and bookshelves.

My stoic exterior belies how immensely moved I was by their gesture. My friend literally cut the time needed to complete the move by magnitudes. We started at 9 AM in the morning, and by noon the major move and build was complete, leaving me the afternoon to unpack and get my things into place.

If they are reading this: you guys are awesome! Thank you so much, with all sincerity.

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Walking with the sunset.

Please help Puerto Rico

Whilst our President is childishly preoccupied with the NFL and inequality protests during the national anthem, Puerto Rico is experiencing the traumatic aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The entire island is without electricity, 2/3 of the population have no access to drinking water, and it's suffering through an unprecedented heatwave. Aid for our fellow Americans is needed as soon as possible, so please if you are reading this consider a desperately needed donation: hispanicfederation.org/donate.

Thank you.