The days after Christmas

Cut me some slack, the title is hackneyed and uninventive; these are days when one doesn't feel like getting up in the morning. And it is not just because whoever is in charge of central heating in the Philippines has decided to lower the thermostat one more notch every day. And not just because the vats of fats and proteins and carbs and sugar that we have ingested over the holidays has clogged up our arteries making it more and more difficult for blood to circulate all over our bodies (I understand this is what happens when bears and other similar creatures hibernate during the winter). It is simply because we need a vacation from the Christmas vacation!!!

Today, I finally succeeded in piling semi-decent clothes on top of my body and drove to work despite the fact that every cell in my body was screaming in protest. I logged on to the net and downloaded my emails. What do you know, there were at least 20 inquiries over three email groups devoted to HR concerns all inquiring about the same thing: "has january 2, 2006 been declared a non-working holiday???" Despite the fact that it has been written up in the papers repeatedly that no, January 2 is a regular working day; regardless of the fact that this question has been answered many times in the days leading to Christmas. I guess it is not a question of people not listening - it is more a question of people wanting to believe - or people hoping against hope that someone out there changed his or her mind and extended the holidays one more day.

Anyway.

The new year has not officially started yet but one can already hear knives being sharpened in the political front. Yesterday, some senators warned that the President's troubles are not over yet. In fact, the good Senator Biazon (goat of his PMA class - grin - couldn't help putting that in) went one step ahead and actually said that he doubts if economic recovery is possible because the political crisis is far from over. In other words, "sorry, Juan de la Cruz, do not get your hopes up because I am not through getting my pound of flesh." I guess all those messages of love, peace and prosperity which they shamelessly placed in their Christmas cards and calendars to accompany their made up countenances had a fixed expiration date after all: good for Christmas day only.

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