I received a new notebook computer today to replace the one that has served me well over the past nine months but developed problems recently with its cooling fan. Getting a new computer is a major event in my life.
Of course the replacement took a lot of time, first to back up and transfer files, then to dispose properly of the information on the hard disk of the old computer and see to it that the hard disk is wiped and reformatted, and finally to set up the new computer with the necessary programs and settings.
I was lucky that I could complete most of the work between 9 am and 3 pm today. This would not have been possible without the kind and helpful support of my IT colleagues in the office.
So this is my first post from the new computer. I made sure to pay my respects to the old one before I gave it away, because it has supported me faithfully and it has witnessed my first steps as a writer since May this year.
Meanwhile, Manila is in the throws of Christmas. Throngs of people are still converging on crowded malls to finish their gift shopping for numerous relatives, friends and acquaintances. And the traffic has not failed to live up to expectations of producing spectacular jams at this time of year.
While spending more time on the road, I was wondering where the people in the cars around me were heading, and how they would spend their Christmas. Most people I know here will celebrate Christmas in their family circle. Some will be less lucky not to have their family around, while at least one person I know intends to get away from family tradition and create an alternative Christmas experience.
I will be spending this Christmas at home with my young daughter. That’s a first-time experience for the two of us, and a great opportunity for quality time and bonding. We are already preparing our program for the day, which will include creative activities like each making a collage and writing a story on what Christmas means to us. Of course there are gifts to be exchanged from under the tree, and carols to be sung, probably on the Magic Sing videoke player (a microphone with built-in karaoke that is connected directly to the TV).
Dinner plans are in the making, with my daughter in charge of mixing and matching the design for a three-course meal. We will then ask our helpers to weave some magic to create the meal, after reviewing the feasibility of our choices. Ironically, we will get a new stove and oven the day after Christmas, which was the earliest it could be delivered when I bought it last week. The old stove has signalled the end of its service and has one memorable event left before parting with us.
I celebrated today’s events, including the new computer, plans for Christmas, a nice Korean dinner, and yet another visit to the bookshop, which is now my daughter’s favorite place in the mall. To my surprise I found a beautiful and voluminous coffee table book on Gustav Klimt’s work for an unlikely low price. It now adorns my work table.
However, the best thing today happened to me before all of this. Early morning I read what a friend had sent me through email. He shared a koan that had been entrusted to him by his Zen teacher years ago: 'Everyday is a good day'. He still ponders on it almost every day. It struck a deep chord in me. How precious and true it is.
Photograph: Singapore sky, June 2006
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