My friend Dos spared me from a night full of ranting.

I have this notebook. A small, light blue notebook which I bought about three months ago. (It's pretty expensive too). I bring it me with me EVERYWHERE I go. In one of the writing seminars I attended back in college, we were advised to always bring a paper and a pen so that when a thought pops up, we could right it down and not let an idea of ours get lost in space.

So that became a habit for me. Almost everyday, on my way home from work, I would constantly write on this notebook just about anything that pops in my head. Even if it is not really that important. It sort of became an outlet for me where I can vent out my frustrations, complaints, happiness, unhappiness and even weird stories. I only had that notebook just a few days after I put up this blog. You see, it's one thing to have a blog, but it's another thing if you have a private journal. There are things that you could not just say out loud in somewhere as public as a blog.

So anyway, I was in the bus last night on my way home to Calamba. Traffic along SLEX was intense and it almost took an hour before I reached Alabang. When I got in the bus, thankfully it was not full. I decided to sit by the window on one of the 2-seaters so I could take a crude photo of the new SM Calamba (because i was planning to blog about it one of these days).

But I was really having a crazy night. And not a good one at that. Even when I was stuck in that horrible traffic, old, negative feelings suddenly resurfaced and the triggers just came shooting out from everywhere. And that feeling was so irritating, especially when you're working really hard on managing your temper and attitude, and trying to bring out the best in you, instead of the rotten ones. I had a rough week last week and the last thing I need is another emotional breakdown.

When the bus was about to leave the terminal, my entry was far from finished. I was really putting a lot of effort into giving a piece of my mind in that white sheet. I was like, "So here's the deal. This and this are happening, and this and this... and I don't like it."

But in between my rantings, deep in my heart I knew that my soul was praying to God to make me stop, because I knew I was saying the wrong things again and thinking the wrong ideas. I knew my attitude was going the wrong way again and if I want to improve, I need to put myself back on track.

And then, just about the last minute, when the bus was about to leave and I was hastily turning a new page in my notebook for another ranting session, something caught my eye outside the window. When I looked, I saw Dos! My sour mood suddenly changed and it was like something was lifted off my shoulders. Dos and I haven't seen each other in almost 4 months. We did a lot of catching up and my rantings were buried into the deepest recesses of my mind.

I know it wasn't a coincidence. I guess God heard my secret prayer and He brought my friend as an answer. I'm being tempted into continuing my rantings today but if this is going to be a battle, then it's best if I side with the good guys. After all, at the end of it, it will be all for my own good and the glory of my Father.

So thank you Lord for the life of my good friend Dos. Thank you for using her (even if she has no idea of it). Now I know why you created the relationship called 'friendship'.

:)

Dos and I back in college
(taken in our college building)