There are things that you just have to be grateful for

Like a mother.

A mother who makes Macaroni Chicken Salad when you get depressed because she knows that it is your favourite food in the world.

A mother who checks up on you in the middle of the night when she is on her way to the toilet just to see if you're sleeping peacefully.

A mother who wakes you up at the crack of dawn only to let you go back to sleep again because she thinks a good mother trains her child to wake up early.

A mum who tells all her friends how proud she is to have a daughter like you who doesn't disobey anything she tells you to do.

A mum who calls Manila and brags to her sisters and brothers that her daughter is very responsible and is very much eager to go to Manila to spend the holidays with your loved ones.

Or your friends.

Friends who constantly tell you what an amazing person you are. Even when you're being a royal pain in the bum, they still tell you how lucky they are to have you in their lives.

Friends who calls you up when they need a logical person to tell them what they should do or what you think of the particular situation. It makes you feel so special, really.

Friends who emails to tell you how they're doing. What they've been upto the past few months. Or how they spent their Christmas and New Year's. Telling you that they missed you and how much they wish you're in Manila right now.

Friends who reply to your messages even in the middle of the night only to tell you that you've woken them up but hey, it's cool so what's up?

Or a cousin.

Who messages you every single day to just annoy the hell out of you.

A cousin who tells you to grow up and stop playing around because players do finish last. Remember the movie Alfie, Nikki?

A cousin who rubs it in your face that he is three months older than you. And no matter how hard you try, he doesn't let you forget about it.

A cousin who threatens to tell your mum what a bad girl you have become unless you pull yourself together.

A cousin who tells you the inside info about your ex-boyfriend - irregardless if you asked him or not.

Or an ex-boyfriend.

An ex-boyfriend who remained a constant part of your life.

Who calls you every single day just to share the day he had.

Who tells you that you don't need to change anything about yourself because he thought you were already pretty when he saw you two years ago - when the Japanese Whaling group was running after you because you got out of the ocean.

An ex-boyfriend who would rather see you happy with someone else rather than see you miserable with him.

An ex-boyfriend who tried his best to make ammends with your stepdad just because he knows it is important to you.

Or a grandmother.

Who stays up really late at night because she couldn't sleep unless you're home safe and sound.

Who wakes you up in the middle of the night to play Bingo with you because at 94, she doesn't have any sense of time anymore.

Who gets sick because it's too cold but really it's like, 32 degrees.

Who doesn't approve of guys calling, texting or coming over to see me. For her, there's only one guy whom she really loved for me.

Who doesn't realise that it's been two years since that guy she loved for me had broken my heart. But still she reckons it was my fault why he cheated.

Who almost had a heart attack when she found out that I'm already twenty-one. To her, I'd still be the eternal thirteen year old kid who eats eight slices of pizza and two chicken breasts in one sitting. Eww..

Who gets drunk just by drinking half a glass of beer. So hilarious but it was a mission putting her to bed.

Or a dad.

Who doesn't call but then gives you a very nice package from him for Christmas.

Who doesn't call but then offers to fly you to Ontario to spend white Christmas with him and his family.

Who doesn't call but then pays for your credit card bills.

Who doesn't call but sends you three or four postcards every year to compensate for his absence.

But nevertheless, you can't get angry with him because you know deep down, that's all he has to offer.

And it makes you a better person to try to understand the situation without making a huge deal out of it.

I read most of my entries and I realise I had become such a negative person.

I start my blog entries complaining about stuff. Boy dramas, friends dramas, work dramas, uni dramas... DRAMAS, DRAMAS, DRAMAS.

I've been pessimistic before. I think I'll try to optimise everything from now on.