Today is the first working day for 2013 but I am still on a break. I usually extend the holidays for a day or two to beat the traffic and the blues. But I am forced to take extra days this year because of the adult airborne measles that I caught after Christmas. The rash and spots are now healing and improving but my boss kindly asked me to stay and work at home to avoid spreading the virus. 

I am kinda happy for the extended 5 days of medical leave because I can catch up with the things I am supposed to do last December (like my on-line Christmas shopping). December is usually dead work-wise but that's not the case in the last two years. With the launch of the Smart iPhone 4S two years ago and the Smart iPhone 5 last year, I was literally robbed off two weeks of my December for two years in a row now. iPhone launches are fun, creative and exciting but it also entails a lot of hard work and a lot of late nights. We had our launch this year at Resorts World Manila and it was good celebration attended by first iPhone 5 buyers, celebrities, and our media and blogger friends. I was busy all night entertaining guests and doing Social Media stuff so I only got to take a few snaps of the event.


I was truly grateful for the long break so I immediately asked the boyfriend to shop for our Christmas presents on our first day off from work. Barely 3 hours in the mall and exhaustion sets in. We immediately went home so I can take a rest and drink meds. A few hours after and my fever was already on the high 38s. I spent the next few days in bed with high fever and a red-hot face. I went to Asian Hospital and Medical Center on the 27th when I noticed that the rashes are spreading all over my body. The ER doc cleared me from dengue and confirmed that I have adult measles and must be in isolation for the next week or so. To cut the long story short, there goes my holiday. I spent the entire holiday break in our home. I wasn't able to attend a single Christmas family gathering or shop for gifts (save for some Connie's Kitchen gourmet bottles for colleagues).

I started feeling better a couple of days ago. I am actually grateful for the extra days and the isolation. It's been a while since I last took a break and really rested. I am too overworked last year and I feel the need to re-energize and reset my body for a change. It's a good thing that I was actually forced to rest and hibernate. I need the rest for the new challenges that this new year will bring.