So many things ... so little time

I've missed training for two straight weeks now and it makes me wonder how long it will be until I'm back on the mat. My life is now one big juggling act with work and school taking center-stage.

Funny how one of my classmates said that if there's one thing a part-time MBA will teach you is how to manage your time. Never saw it that way but her statement did change my perspective.

There are never enough hours in a day, don't you think?

Sometimes, I think that we, as productive beings, should be critical about how much time other people put into their work or into their passions. After all, time is all we ever have that we never really can call our own.

Then again, how we view time is subjective. What can be a one-minute wait for someone may be an hour for another. So, it's always best to make the best of whatever time we have. What a waste it would be to throw away this resource! Probably the most important one in the world.

So, whenever I find myself staring off into space, I just stop myself to think that this pause - however short or long it may be - is there to remind me (first) of my existence and (second) of the time that I still have to keep me moving in my life.

Return of the Comeback!

Happy New Year!

It's been 4 1/2 months since I posted something on my blog. In fact, there are still 6 unfinished drafts staring at me from the dashboard of this site. Somehow, I feel guilty that I won't finish them anymore for the simple reason that the issues I originally wrote about are already outdated.

But, it's time to move on and "turn over a new leaf", as the adage goes. So, for 2009, I made 5 simple resolutions:

1. Train harder
2. Eat better
3. Drink less
4. Read more
5. Spend more time with loved ones

These 5 resolutions are written on the mirror opposite my bed so that I am always reminded of their existence everyday. Why did I make these promises?

For three years, I thought that my work was the end all and be all of things. So, I turned my back on martial arts and for the longest time, did not compete in any tournament just so I could focus all my energies on my career. My efforts paid off and I got promoted, earned a bit more, and moved a few steps up the corporate food chain. So what?!

In those three years, I gained weight, became irritable, and missed out on the company of my family and friends. Now that I'm in the rat race, I feel that I'm just another face in the crowd --- just another rat! =)

Maybe what I needed was what management experts call "work-life" balance. But, when we talk about work and passion, is a balance really possible?

For me, it sucks to find out that you've missed out on some of the best years of your life. just because you've been so driven to succeed. But, at the same time, it's great to know that it didn't take me a lifetime to realize this.

I've since rediscovered my passion and my love for martial arts. Yes! I'm back in training. And yes! I'm rusty. But who cares? I'm happier and more at peace with myself. You might say I'm back in my element.

It will take me a few more months to get into top shape but I know that keeping my resolutions will make it easier for me to comeback into the game. For now, my sights are set on getting my purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Three years is a long time to be gone. I just hope that 2009, the Year of the Earth Ox, will be a favorable one. More than mind, body, heart and spirit, I will definitely need all the luck I can get.