I met with Clarence and Marie today to see the Da Vinci exhibit at Bonifacio Global City (BGC). We don’t really meet on a regular basis but we intend to catch up at least once every quarter so as to be up-to-date with each other’s life events and milestones.

Being too isolated and out of touch has been a struggle of mine long after COVID has eased out — it seemed like everyone’s social lives are going back to the lively ways it was pre-pandemic and I’m regressing. The more I introspect and live in my head, the more I feel lonely and anxious. I’m not a social butterfly but being human I started to crave some social interaction and one that’s not purely virtual. I realized I need to balance my virtual and physical interactions, because too much of either is exhausting, and right now I have too much of the virtual that I feel relatively meaningless. The good news is that I’ve moved to the city (Makati) again, so I have little excuse not to socialize and connect (or reconnect) with people since I am nearer to them and there are tons of social spaces. I have a couple of plans laid out about the activities I’m hoping to do while I’m here, God-willing:

• Serve in ministry (or -ies?)
• Attend face-to-face classes (Spanish B1 in Instituto Cervantes and IT courses)
• Consistent tennis lessons and workouts, more swimming
• Driving lessons
• Meet up and reconnect with people (old and new)

Continuing on the first paragraph, our meetup today was particularly refreshing because we were all jolly and we barely talked about work! Normally it’s taxing when the topic of work arises, but things have been moving differently for us lately and though there are still struggles, I guess we were looking at it in a more positive and clearer light because stuff didn’t seem to burden us so much anymore. We immersed ourselves in the exhibit, agreeing that we didn’t learn much about Da Vinci’s life and works as the displays were lacking, but enjoyed it nonetheless. We hopped around cafés, checked out an expensive pet shop and grooming clinic (with pet prices reaching up to half a million pesos!), and talked about life (sadly not much going on with love, lol!). I truly appreciate both of them for being there consistently and I thank God that our friendship has been thriving through the years.

About life, I told my friend un poco chisme sobre alguien. For the sake of anonymity let’s call him P. P sent me a funny message but I thought it was strange, so I asked my girl friends what it meant and if that kind of banter was normal, and they said he probably was only joking around so I shouldn’t overthink it. Besides, I don’t feel anything romantic towards him. P and I got along well I think because of similarities in our personalities and backgrounds. I admire P intellectually and professionally because he’s achieved a lot in his career and he is very successful doing something he is passionate about. My interactions with him made me reassess the qualities I am looking for in a man, and thanks to people like him I could broaden my perspective about men and see their good qualities.

With that, I wonder if I would someday meet a man with that kind of intellect, professional characteristics, personality, and humor (given that he is also Christian and I find him physically attractive — what is it with Mediterranean guys? They have that je ne sais quoi). And if one day I were to meet someone of this caliber or better, I need to evaluate myself if I would be a suitable partner for them. Will I be able to support and complement them? What will I have achieved by then? How will I work on myself so that I am also maturing and improving, so that I won’t be a nuisance or drag them down?

That’s all. Time to hit the hay!