November 29 2006 | Wednesday | 09:06pm
"ROLLERCOASTER RIDE"
ê Birthday Blog ê
So, I declare official that I'm 19. Happy Birthday to myself. =)
As what I planned, I spent my birthday celebration with college friends. We went to Star City!
Some of my
friends went to my house which served as the common meeting place. Surprisingly,
Judy was the earliest bird to arrive (haha, because she's often late in
meet-ups). Soon, Arene, Dez, Djhay and Arene arrived too. By the way, they gave me gifts and
I found them so nice. One was an orange bag and the other one was a PUCCA bean bag. =)
We didn't take long anymore so that we can reach Star City early. We took a cab to arrive at the venue. On the way, it was slightly traffic. We killed time chatting with each other in the cab. Soon enough, we finally saw that huge star which hinted that we were near Star City already. It's been years since I last went to this amusement and upon seeing it, the place is far different from before. The area has been expanded and varied amusements are available.
As promised, I treated my friends a ride-all-you-can entrance ticket. I can say that the ticket was all worth it. Luckily, since it was a weekday, the theme park wasn't that crowded.
Star City Adventure
While waiting
for Anne to arrive, we tried some of the amusements. Perkily, we began our Star
City adventure by a horror booth which ironically, wasn't that scary at all. I
just made fun inside the booth by shouting and pretending to be so horrified. Haha. Afterwards, we rode Viking. It's like an Anchors Away (by Enchanted
Kingdom) version of Star City. I had fun shouting out loud for real! It seemed
like my intestines mixed up as the ride speedily went up
and down. We also rode
Blizzard, a mini-rollercoaster which just badly gave me a neck ache. Haha.
Before fetching Anne at the entrance, we also took the bumper cars. I thought that
"Gabi ng Lagim" (another horror booth) would be scary. I've been seeing this
booth in films and TV which made it a popular cite in Star City, but I was just
dismayed that it didn't scare me. Hindi kasi tao yung nananakot, puro
makina lang din. Nakakagulat pero hindi nakakatakot. Hehe. Along with Anne and
the rest, we also entered there.
It was past dinner time when we decided to take
a break. We ate Chicken Inasal at the food court. After eating, we decided to
literally cool down a bit and entered the ice castle. The frosty Hercules-themed
sculptures were awesome. How I wish to stare at it for a long time but man, the
place was so cold and my body can't take it. Hehe.
Later, time
came for
a hardcore adventure. Oh boy, we rode Surf Dance (not once but twice!),
Dragon
Dance (a ride that swings 180 degrees!), Wild River (a ride that won't allow you
dry), Zyklon Loop (a ride that has 180-degree loop) and Ferris Wheel. I can't
imagine that I went through all these rides consecutively! Nalula talaga ako sa
Zyklon Loop. To ease the dizziness, we took a lighter activity to the Mummy's
house. Afterwards, we played with
token games. Funny that we became all addicted to it.
The
ever-so-late Kristine Liu followed us there. I was glad that her demanding work
in Varsitarian office was finally over and she was able to catch up. As we
waited for her, some of my friends went to play basketball while I,
still dizzy,
just sat on the bench. When Kristine arrived, along with Djhay, Arene and Anne,
we took a ride at the bumper boats. Later on, Dez, Madie and Judy went back
from
playing basketball. As we resembled, we rode again Dragon Dance and Viking so
that Kristine could experience it. I was sitting next to her during those rides
and funny that Kristine was so noisy!!! Nakakatawa talaga siya at natutuwa akong
nag-enjoy siya. Sa ka-busyhan kasi ng babaeng yun, parang nawawalan na siya ng
social life. =p
The second Viking ride really pushed my limits. I guess what went wrong was that we sat at the middle instead of sitting at the top. I couldn't take another ride anymore and as they took two rounds of bumper cars, I just sat on the bench. I drank medicine to relieve the dizzy feeling. Na-sobrahan talaga ko sa sunud-sunod na rides! @.@ Before Star City closed, we took the last ride at Lion King's tunnel. What a calming way to end our adventure.
Baywalk Buddies
Initially, it was suggested that we walk from Star City to Baywalk, but thank God we didn't. Sobrang layo pala. We rode a tourist vehicle instead, which costs 23 pesos per head. It was my first time to ride on that kind of vehicle and the experience was fun. We had a nice view of Roxas Boulevard since the vehicle is an open-type. We were brought down to Baywalk and took a walk for a while. We tried to find Starbucks but we failed. Midnight was winding steadfast and so we decided to leave Roxas Boulevard already.
Since we were many, we decided to take two separate cabs. The first cab went straight to Starbucks in Banawe while the other cab, (where I was included) firstly dropped Judy and Anne to their homes. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to stay overnight at my place.
Our cab was
about to catch up in Banawe when Madie and the rest told us that Starbucks would
already close! Magpapabili na lang sana kami ni Djhay kaso kulang naman yung
pera nila. Such an oddity that Starbucks closed early. When we reached there, I
was feeling so bad that I wasn't able to avail coffee. I just got settled
sipping through Madie and Dez's frappes. Poor celebrant. Tsktsk.
Overnight @ My Place
Some ate midnight snacks courtesy of McDonald's while others watched DVD upstairs. Nothing much happened during the early hours because perhaps, we were all very tired. In fact, after watching 'Laws of Attraction', the lights were off and everyone fell fast asleep.
I just slept
for a few hours. Perhaps I wasn't just used to sharing my bed and seeing many
heads on the floor. Hehe. I decided to get up at 6:30am. I did my morning ritual
of walkathon and reading the newspaper. When I came back, I told our helper to
prepare breakfast for us. Past 9:30am when they finally went home. How I thank
them for being with me on my celebration.
Much that I
wanted to feel my special day, my eyes decided to shut off. I went back to bed
and oh boy, I was asleep until 4pm! When I woke up, I hardly noticed my
cellphone which had text messages and missed calls from people who wanted to
greet me. That was the only moment I came to realize that it was indeed my
birthday. Haha! Later on, I dressed up and went out. Since I wasn't able to
drink coffee last time, I decided to grant my small wish. I went to SM San
Lazaro, drank coffee at Starbucks and yeah, I even went shopping! It was an
afternoon meant for myself alone. I just had great time feeling and appreciating
myself as a newly nineteen-year-old lady.
***
My nineteen
years has been consisted of loops and twists. Just like a roller coaster ride,
life's struggle either made me dizzy or brought me good memories. Each
ride is a mixture of shouting for joy and shouting for fear. I'm just thankful
that there are hand rails and seat belts around -- friends who keep me company,
family who inspires me. There may be scary and shaky stages on the way up but
once it reaches the top, the enjoyable trip down really takes my breath away.
With all sincerity, thank you to those who greeted me!
UST Friends: Chuchie,
Scent, Jade, Grace, Imee, Shiela, Anne, Djhay, Madie, Dez, Arene, Judy,
Kristine, Clara, KUYA Gran, Sir Jun, Amie, Mau, Joyce; Volleyball Friends: Ate Rosell, Jen
Karen, Cathy, Kristine, Jc, Ate Flo, Diah, Karol, Paw, Ate Rox, Beren, Bobby, Arglen, Kuya Popo,
Fritzie, Achit, Evan, Vons; STC Friends: Franz, Ayna, Kc, Tine, Marge, Ice,
Janice, Trina, Ate Faith; Tennis Friends: Jun, Renee, Ashiq (Qatar), Colleen (New Zealand),
Liliana (Mexico), Marie (India), Anouk (Netherlands), Rilana (Netherlands), Amy
(USA), Roxana (Romania), Lina (Slovenia), Iqra (Pakistan), Daniela (Romania),
Zorana (Serbia and Montenegro), Rebecca (Belgium), "Successtory" (United
Kingdom), Farzy (Russia), Marcee (USA), Srijaya (India); and my mom. =)
The greatest rewards come from doing things that scare you the most.
November 27 2006 | Monday | 10:51pm
"BIRTHDAY PRIMER"
I have been granting wishes for myself. My birthday is nearly hitting the calendar and it will be an appropriate occasion to make myself happy through own means.
Salon Spree
Last Saturday I went to the salon and had my hair re-bonded. Since then, I've been dreaming to do so but that was the only time I got enough money to afford it. After my 6pm class, I just changed clothing and went to F Salon (as recommended by my classmate Scent). I never thought that re-bonding would take so long! Madie and Scent told me that it only takes 3 hours but man, my re-bonding took a longer time! Perhaps it was because I still got my hair dyed in black.
I killed time by reading. Honestly, it was my first time to read an entire newspaper. Before, I seldom read business sections. Who would have thought that out of boredom, I appreciated it so much? =p Later on, I seemed to create a good relationship with the salon clerks. Since I was with three clerks until the wee hours, I got to know them better. Funny that it all started with a conversation about GMA 7! (We talked about Jiggy Manicad, HAHAHA! =p) We exchanged thoughts on television shows and soon enough our topic changed. We then talked about education. I really appreciated how these salon clerks listened to me. They kept on asking stuffs about my school, about media (since I told them that I'm a Journalism student) and the like. They were so eager to learn from me which I least expected from men who work with combs and scissors. Perhaps it's true that someone must never judge people's interests by their profession. Fishermen catch fish but they may also be interested as to how crops are harvested.
Believe me, the re-bonding finished at 1am! The elder clerk went home by 10:30pm and I was only left with two younger clerks (a gay and a girl) which made the process slower. I saw how they toiled and I realized that it wasn't an easy job at all. Yung pagpa-plantsa pa lang ng buhok, nakakapagod na. Nangalay man ako sa kakaupo, mas nakakangalay yung ginawa nilang pagtayo at paghawak sa buhok ko para ma-plantsa. When it was finished, I saw that the lady clerk's eyes were so red as she kept on yawning.
There were no jeeps present on streets anymore. And even though the salon is just near from my house, the streets were already dark and seemed dangerous. Fortuitously, the salon owner (who happens to be a middle-aged Chinese man, huwaw) offered me a ride home. He also offered a ride to his two employees. That was why I accepted the offer because even though he's a stranger to me, he looks like a good person naman. Besides, the two salon clerks were also in that Honda CRV car. Thanks to that kind man and I reached home safe. I loved my hair despite long hours of waiting for it to get done.
Shopaholic
The next day, I got up quite late. There were no classes and so I decided to go on a shopping! Haha. My wallet has already been emptied talaga. But really, I had a great time in the tiangge!
I went to Tutuban Mall to buy some inexpensive but nice clothes. How I love Tutuban because I can bid for a lower price! It's a market where items can be lowered in price for as long as you're good at bidding. Hehe. Medyo nakakahilo nga lang dahil di-mahulugang-karayom yung lugar! Besides that it was a weekend, I realized that it's Christmas shopping fever. As we all know, tiangge is a hotspot during Holiday seasons.
After spending remarkable time, I finally went home 6pm with a smile on my face. I enjoyed the fact that I placed new items in my closet! Hehehe.
School Impact
I went schooling a while ago. As I expected, many got surprised to my new hairdo. Some of my classmates even held my newly re-bonded hair. In a way, yes, it felt good to receive compliments from people. But to some extent, I felt quite shy about it. Haha. Honestly, I wasn't in the mood to attend classes because I don't want to show up with a new look. Ayokong iparating yung mensaheng: "Kaya nagpa-rebond si Shelly kasi birthday na niya". I don't want people to think that I'm bragging just because my birthday is about to come.
What a dreadful Spanish period it was. We had a 20-item quiz which drove us like bananas splitting. It was quite hard since it featured past lessons from first semester! Harhar. We're not too good to be experts in Spanish language because obviously, it's not our first language. I remember what my Filipino professor (Sir Ampil) told us before. He said that "It's hard to learn a language which you don't use as a native tongue". I believe that it's true.
During Filipino class, we spent most of our time planning and presenting a role play. As part of applying the learning on "Katutubong Pahayag", Sir Acuña decided to establish a group activity. It was so much fun! Our group was a troupe of good actors and actresses (like Matt and Scent wuhoo) which gave a huge thumbs up to our professor. We got a 95 for our presentation which resembled to the story of "Bituing Walang Ningning". How I wish every school discussion is as fun as that.
Disputing Sadness
There are slight problems going on for my celebration tomorrow. Dez texted me around 10pm telling that her mom didn't allow her to come with us tomorrow. At first, I thought it was just a joke. I experienced instances when people tell me that they won't make it then suddenly, they would appear on the day. Unfortunately, this time, it was so true.
Because of that, sad thoughts entered my head. I've been noticing that each time I celebrate my birthday, problems would occur either on the eve (just like this) of the celebration or on the day itself. I feel like what happened a while ago was a De Ja Vu of what happened from my past birthday celebrations. When I was in fourth year high school, I planned a celebration at Enchanted Kingdom with my friends and everything was okay already when suddenly, Tintin (one kabarkada), wasn't able to come because she had a fight with her mom the night before. During my debut, the garden celebration was then cancelled due to some conflicts which I least expected. So I opted for a smaller celebration with my volleyball pals but still, I was slightly sad because we were not complete.
I want to deviate from my philosophy that my birthday is jinks. I want to celebrate a birthday with a complete number of people whom I invited. It's a celebration meant for thanking them because without them, I won't be complete. As what I told Dez, Arene and Madie in our dramatic YM conference a while ago: People come and go. This is the reason why in celebrations like birthdays, I want close people to be with me there. We'll never know, in a day or two, these people may walk away from my life. Or the other way around, I might walk away from their lives. We'll also never know. I might die, I might migrate and other 'I mights'.
Perhaps God already know what's my birthday wish.
Birthdays are like gifts wrapped with shining papers and laces. It looks good outside but it brings mystery and question in its content.
November 24 2006 | Friday | 09:03pm
"SCARE YOUR PANTS OFF"
One question has spelled my day -- why are we often scared of the future?
I attended the OJT seminar in the morning. As to its purpose, we (the juniors) were briefed on the basic key points and possible instances to encounter on our practicum which is about to happen this summer. Included in the seminar were sharing of experiences by some seniors on their practicum and guideline discussions by Sir Ian and Sir Nicky. Ma'am Shake (our guidance counselor) also shared tips in applying companies and passing résumés. Definitely, the seminar helped me to get information on OJT matters (which I vaguely know) but honestly, I became more worried than ever.
There's a feeling of insecurity. Series of questions popped in my head. Will I stand the pressure in a real coverage and serious desk room? Will I leave a good impression to my future editor? And specifically, will I be able to portray and embody the ideals of a trainee working for PDI?
Llanesca Panti was one of the speaker a while ago who caught my interest. Besides being the sports editor of the Varsitarian, amazingly she had her early OJT in PDI Sports. She applied as student reporter for the SEA Games last November 2005 which partly counted as her OJT and then she just finished the remaining hours required during the summer. In a way, I found myself resembled with her fate. She's into sports and her OJT company was PDI. But the huge difference is, she's awesomely talented in writing and I am not. Too bad. I may be a sports buff but I guess I am not as good as her. Between our achievements and skills. shamefully I don't even belong to the official paper. I know it's a no-no to compare myself with other people but because of the ambiguity factor which has been boggling me, I intend to seek from others so that I'll get the chance to peek and check my status.
I am lucky that I need not to apply anymore to different companies in order to have a place for job training. To some extent, I am safely held already. But believe it or not, sometimes I think of this: What if I never had the scholarship and didn't get the free-from-application OJT? I could have gone through the same process as to what the others will experience soon -- the adventures in applying, the nervousness in every interview, and the freedom to choose which company to be in. I'm not saying that I don't like PDI. Naman! It's every journalist's dream to be there. I'm just quite unsure whether I really deserve to be there or not.
Perhaps this is just all paranoia right now. It's an anxious feeling when you know that you're different. I feel quite different as to the extent of my situation for the OJT. It's hard to be a deviant and loner in a world where everybody else is homogenous. God forbid my qualms please. Hay.
In the afternoon, my first subject was Literature. Ma'am Pereña gave a quiz. Luckily, she loosened her belt on us and allowed us view the Powerpoint Presentation which actually gave the answers to the essay-type questions! Hehe. Mukha mang kalokohan ang pagsusulit na yun dahil sa lantarang pagpapakita ng kasagutan, kahit papaano isinalba ako sa pagka-bokya. =p Later on, we had the discussion on Dante Alighieri and his Divina Comedia. "Inferno, as part of the Divina Comedia, is one of my favorite books since high school. Honestly, I got disappointed as to how it was tackled a while ago. I was expecting for a longer time to discuss the cantos, the characters and its symbolisms but what happened was just a snappy discussion. For those classmates who never had the chance to learn Inferno before, somehow I feel sorry for them. Inferno is a very good book to talk about. Too bad it wasn't considered as one a while ago.
We thought that our Art Appreciation professor won't be around again. Suddenly, she came in while some of us were busy reading the PGC book. So far, Ma'am Rivera is okay. I'm just quite distracted with her mannerism of saying 'you know what I mean' which for some time, led me laughing secretly. So anyways, she discussed the guidelines in writing a reaction. She left us with readings and required us to write a reaction about it. Later on, we went to the UST Museum and viewed an Ilocano exhibit. Specifically, it displayed Inabel, a cotton product popularized by the Ilocanos. I believe there'll be more museum visits to come for this subject. And yes, I hope to get the artistic side in me as much as possible. =)
Nighttime came. We still had the last class until 9pm. Political Dynamics has always been causing the class to be nervous. Personally, I was slightly shivering from the moment Sir Tayao came in. Pinagpapawisan kahit malamig, naiihi kahit kakagaling lang sa CR at di-mapakali kahit nagbasa ka naman -- yan ang puwedeng mangyari sa iyo kapag Pol Dy period. Most often, graded recitations are unpredictable. Under Sir Tayao, questions are harder because it will really require you to be a critical thinker. It's not enough to memorize. It's not enough to be so fatalistic. If only there's a magic crystal that can predict his next questions, I could have availed it. The feeling was so uncomfortable when I was sitting on my chair and waiting for my turn, without any idea if the day was meant for me to recite. I realized that it's not easy to earn grades! Since recitation is a percentage in class standings, results are considered as crucial. It's a toss between reading everything and understanding critical ideas.
Sometimes, it's really distressing to wait for what will happen next. It's not everyday that sentences end up in periods. Most often, you're left with so many question marks, either dumbfounded or disappointed with its exclamation answers.
x`cez: I watched the news and Max Soliven passed away. He was a pillar of media especially during the Martial Law. Definitely, he's a huge loss in our field.
Hawak-kamay, di kita iiwan sa paglakbay. Dito sa mundong may kabiguan. Hawak-kamay, di kita bibitawan sa paglalakbay. Sa mundo ng kawalan.
November 22 2006 | Wednesday | 10:42pm
"THE BOOK SAID IT ALL"
I went to UST's Registrar Office to get my transcript. It's for the purpose of reimbursing my second semester tuition from PDI because as stated in the scholarship contract, I must submit my grades to them. Unfortunately, first semester grades aren't out yet at the Registrar. Quite dismayed, I went to Sir Nicky (the professor who walked my scholarship application) at the Department Head Office and asked advice on what to do. Good thing I thought of going to him because he got the solution to my small problem.
We then went to the Dean's office. A special certification of
grades was printed for me. The only thing left to do was to let the Assistant
Dean sign it. I was seated for around 30 minutes there. Too bad Señora Gonzales
(the Asst Dean) had many appointments and I had to wait for my turn. While
seated, many people passed by me -- students, assistants, professors. Some of
them talked with me and in a way I appreciated it to overcome boredom. In fact,
I remember Sir Baccay who slightly made fun of me upon his entrance. Well, it
was because I was busy texting and I didn't greet him right away. Hehe. But what
really caught my attention was my encounter with Ma'am Villadolid. As she
entered the office, she smiled at me (like what she always does and we all love
her child-like smile!). She
then
asked why I was in the office. So I replied that I was getting a certification
of grades. At first, she thought that it's for OJT purposes but then I told her
that it's for tuition reimbursement. "Ah yes, because you're the PDI scholar
right?" she smilingly said. I was beginning to get shy and I thought Ma'am
Villadolid would go already. Surprisingly, she stayed there and in fact, she
gave me something. From her bag, she brought out a green loot bag containing a
medium-sized book. Waah, Ma'am Villadolid personally gave me a free copy of her
book, "Journey for the Spirit"! >,<
From the bottom of my heart, I was so touched by her kindness. I remembered those times when I seemed to question and dislike her because she gave me 2.0 as my grade for some of her exercises in Feature Writing. Conscience had really knocked to my door. Before Ma'am Villadolid went out, I really thanked her and deep inside, I promised myself that there'll come a day that she'll be proud of me. I know it wasn't enough in words to tell how grateful I was. From that moment, I felt like my motivation to be a journalist solidified further.
Finally, my turn came at the Assistant Dean's room. To tell honestly, I was quite nervous at Señora. Haha. Perhaps it's because of her facial expression that puts a terror in me. But I know that she's kind. Hindi lang halata. As she was signing, she was also talking with me. Nakasagot naman ako, hekhek. I thought then I would be tongue-tied out of nervousness.
I went back to
the Main Building, hoping to see Sir Jun and get my points updated but when I
got there, no one was around. So I was about to head Dapitan but then, I
accidentally met Ging. Napasabay tuloy ako ng lakad sa kanya papuntang gym dahil
may ipapa-kuwento ako. Well, it was about Golda's (a volleyball pal) wild night
at Tapsi. Haha. Golda, who was sooo drunk during that night, didn't know what
she was doing. She confided to
me
days ago, thinking it was a shameful night and pleaded me to ask Ging (Golda's
long-time idol in volleyball) what really happened (Ging was also at Tapsi with
her teammates). So yun, nag-kuwento naman sa akin si Ging. At grabe, parang
hindi ko kayang i-kuwento lahat kay Golda dahil ang adek ng pagkaka-kuwento ni
Ging haha! Perhaps it was really a wild night for my poor friend. =p Tsktsk. So
anyways, besides that topic, Ging and I happened to talk about my ka-tropas in
volleyball. I accidentally spilt the beans that we're not okay with each other.
Talk about irony, Ging became my adviser and listener on the issue. Haha.
Kakaloka.
I didn't notice
the clock, it was past 4pm already and I had to meet with Franz at McDonald's
Retiro. Hurriedly, I went my way there. Fortunately, Franz was still there. She
was with her two buddies, Jen and Gerice. I borrowed the book, "Inferno" from
her because I might use it for Ma'am Pereña's class on Friday. I spent an hour
at McDo with
them
as we ate our snacks. Again, I had a great time updating myself about my former
school. In a fact, there was a time when I saw a group of Theresians
entering McDo. The scene had brought me to nostalgia. Seeing those
teenage girls wearing either STC school uniform or PE outfit made me remember my
high school years. It was indeed a perfect time to reckon the past. Parang
kailan lang. =/
What a day it has been. Ang daming nangyari. Hehe. As I reached home, I felt tiresome and so I took a nap. Too bad I have unfinished readings in Political Dynamics much that I wanted to rest more. So anyways, tomorrow's class is too early! What's more hateful is the fact that Sir Rotor will begin my day. Haha, =p Mentioning his name always remind me of his crazy task for us to listen to his radio show which absolutely has no relationship with Photojournalism! Tsk.
Thank those people who criticize you because the more it molds you as a person.
November 21 2006 | Tuesday | *02:28am
"ONCE YOU FALL FROM STAIRS, YOU'LL LEARN TO REFLECT"
I badly met an accident last night. I fell on our stairs, seven steps coming from the second floor. The steps of our stairs total to eight and true enough, I was like a super woman who flew from the top!
I was about to take a step down when suddenly, my right foot slipped. Either my flip flops or the stairs was slippery. Good thing I slightly caught reflexes and fell on my butt instead of falling on my spinal column. For a minute, my body was numb. The incident happened late at night (around 11pm) and unfortunately, I got nobody to call for help. They were all fast asleep. Slowly, thank God I began to feel something again. I tried to get up little by little. I couldn't hardly walk but I pained myself to move my legs. My muscles and bones were aching so hard especially on the lower extremities. I decided to head straight to my mom's room and asked for an immediate aid. I was in tears.
"Baka nabalian ka ng likod ha," as said by my mom while she was trying to put ointment on my aching body. Honestly, I got so scared with her petty hunches. Well, to break a backbone is a serious matter. I heard people who had simple accidents but suffered forever. God was still merciful that it didn't happen to me. I told my mom that the aches were not on the backbones but rather, my hips, butt and left ankle were throbbing. She tried to massage those parts but damn, whenever they were being touched, it hurt even more!
Continually, I was crying and blaming myself for being careless. Admittedly, I was in a hurry to go downstairs. I took for grant the stair handrails. As I can remember, I was pre-occupied with what to type on my online journal. It was really an unexpected event which really caught me. Now I realize what it means by "Safety first".
We'll never know when or where accidents will happen. Petty or huge incidents, life's unpredictable as always. Fondly last night, I sent a group message to my friends telling about accident and concluding that I would lessen the habit of making fun on people already. Honestly, I felt like a goody-spirit transcended in me. Yes, it was only a small misfortune, but what if it gone worse? Deeply, I thought about what if I got paralyzed, became unconscious and failed to move again. Will I be able to correct my wrongdoings? Will I be able to say my unsaid words? Will I be able to have my hopes again?
Perhaps the reason behind my bad fall was for me to get awakened. For the past days, I've been taking for granted people, valuable things, and chances. Sometimes, I intend to philosophize that "there's always tomorrow and it can wait". I guess it's a symbolism to face things I seem to hop away from. Just like the stairs, every step is needed in order to reach something. There may be slips on the way but these are only mini incidents that will make you stronger and better.
I wasn't able to get my transcript today (from the registrar's office in UST to fix my tuition reimbursement) because I decided to rest my left ankle. Also, I wasn't able to drop by TomWeb office upon request of Sir Jun. Look at the upshots, darn it affects me so much.
There are things we regret: words we wish had gone unsaid, starts that had bitter endings, chances we threw away, roads we should not have never taken, signs we didn't see, hearts we hurt needlessly and wounds we wish we could mend. The past can't be re-written but it can make you stronger. Be thankful for every change has thrown you, for every break in your heart, for every scar. Some pages were turned, some bridges were burned but you had lessons learned.
November 19 2006 | Sunday | 07:16pm
"VICTORIES"
Victory is the product of hope and belief.
It's been the talk of town -- Manny Pacquiao has done it again. Just like 'The Lord of The Rings', another trilogy had ended. The third Pacquiao-Morales match became in favor of the Filipinos. Streets got emptied, crimes rates were lessened but the most miraculous event to tell was that a boxer stood out to make Filipinos proud.
A while ago, I was so tuned in to my TV screen. As early as 11am, I declared myself a couch potato and waited for the Pacquiao-Morales match. I may not be so good in boxing technicalities but when it's a Filipino who competes, my interest is rest assured. Watching someone like Pacquiao was terrific. Thanks to the free access of Sky Cable Pay Per View (haha!), I was able to see the match ahead than the others.
With regard to the bout, I never thought that Manny could knock out Morales so fast! In fairness to his nemesis, Morales released good right hooks. But conceivably, lady luck and faith favored Manny which led him to victory land. Astoundingly, the Filipino boxer was able to put to sleep the Mexican by three rounds only! Whoah talaga. I've been hearing series of sports analysis beforehand and neither of them predicted a very early knock down by Pacquiao.
"Pinoy ang tumapos," as what ABS-CBN flashed in their commercial breaks after the match and I believe it was a very well said statement. Then again, being a Filipino feels awesome whenever a co-Filipino becomes crème of the crop. It's like embracing and claiming what the Filipino pin-up has done spectacularly. I may be seeing again the so-many-Pacquiao-appearances (which in a way irritates me) but what to expect, Manny Pacquiao is the Filipinos' main course today. Viva Pacquiao! (hehe)
Meanwhile, Pacquiao's post match interviews and news caught me all ears that I failed me to check Roger Federer's finals match schedule! I almost missed the live coverage! Good thing I was able to scan TV channels for a while and upon reaching Star Sports Channel, I saw that it was already the beginning third set of Federer-Blake finals! I didn't know how Rogi pummeled the ball for the past two sets which he had won. But I guess Rogi had been performing perfectly because when I watched the whole third set, he really dominated and had minimal errors only. James Blake wasn't that competitive as to Rafael Nadal whom Rogi competed last night in the semi-finals (that almost gave me an heart attack because their match consisted of long rallies).
My Rogi is the ATP Masters Shanghai champion!!! He got the title in just three
sets (6-0; 6-3; 6-4). What a year-end career for Rogi because the Shanghai
tournament gave him the 29th straight win! Wow. How I admire Rogi for
his dominance as a tennis superstar. I admired him even more because in his victory
speech, he didn't forget to thank special people behind his back. Sobrang
naiinggit ako ngayon sa girlfriend ni Rogi dahil mukhang mahal na mahal niya
talaga!!! *heartbroken* LOLZ. Rogi said something like, "..and to my
girlfriend, Mirka, she's lovely, she supports me everywhere I go. Maybe
people say I am the best, but I need Mirka to be the best!" WAAAH!
Mirka is one lucky girlfriend having a man like Rogi who's so thankful to have her in his life. And yes I'm hoping, that someday to victoriously find a man who'll say and do the same thing to me... <3
Laban mo, laban ko, laban nating lahat. Hindi ako susuko, isisigaw ko sa mundo. Para sa iyo, ang laban na ito.
November 17 2006 | Friday | 09:47pm
"STUTTERS, STUNNERS AND SHUTTERS"
Pretty much my life evolves in campus. I attend lethargic class hours, I do dreary assignments or to dramatically put it: I fulfill my demanding responsibilities as a student. Surprisingly, I learned to stay in the house when I'm not schooling. Perhaps I'm beginning to feel that I must rest when I do have the chance.
I've been remaining mute and cold to my volleyball pals from what had happened almost a week ago. It's not that I hate them or I don't want to see them anymore. Perhaps, just like how an astronaut would say, "I need space". Hehe! But seriously, I chose not to keep in touch to leave a statement. I'm thinking that they didn't really understand my reasons before. So now, I sacrificed distance for them to think about what they badly misinterpreted. In a way, I feel quite disappointed that misunderstandings came just when my birthday is nearly to mark the calendar. Initially, I had plans to celebrate my birthday with them but I guess it won't be appropriate anymore with what our relationship shows. Still, I'm hoping. It's not too late to patch things up.
Partly, we (our
class) survived from dooms day a while ago. Sir Tayao was absent and so we
didn't have th
e
recitation. But what drove us crazy was his difficult seatwork that he left for
us to answer. Imagine how hard Sir Tayao's written activities are and what more
if it's the one-on-one question & answer with him! I'm quite nervous about his
subject, Political Dynamics, and I'm really putting so much effort in reviewing
his assigned readings. All the time, my head was like kissing the Philippine
Constitution book already. So anyways, my two other subjects for today didn't
fret me much. Our Art Appreciation professor is still not around while during
Ma'am Pereña's class, we didn't discuss any formal lesson because our book
wasn't available yet. Instead, the time was spent as our professor talked about
former Journalism students who filed complaints against her. From what I
understood, the students seemed to frame her up and allegedly invented some
stories in order to reverse the case. It stroke me as to how she got
disappointed with the students and said something like, "Mga Journ students pa
man din, ganyan ba ang klase ng mamamahayag na magta-trabaho sa media?". I
didn't hear the other camp's story but in case Ma'am Pereña's is correct, this
story really sends an alarming question to the ethics of Journalism. I pondered
to my self. And yeah, I promised to be an ethical Journalist as possible. For
me, earning financially is just secondary to my chosen field and what's more
important is to earn credibility.
I've been enjoying every shutter of my new digital camera right now! Last
Tuesday, my mom bought me one (we went to SM North EDSA) as I told her that I
slightly need a camera for Photojournalism class. Surprisingly, my mom was too
kind to avail an Olympus camera for me. Hehe. So now I'm within 'the trend' who
has their own cameras. =p Beyond camera whore sessions, I'm really hooked to
scene photography. For the past few day, I've been experimenting on my shots and
I'm trying to construct a certain 'theme' for my chosen images. Wuhoo, I love
it. =)
* Rogi's on a winning streak! He's already in the semi-finals of ATP Masters Shanghai, beating Nalbandian, Roddick and Ljubicic! He's indeed too athletic to handle! More so, I read from his website that he's included in People Magazine as one of the sexiest man alive! Waah! As days go by, the more I get hooked to tennis and of course, to Rogi's Swiss eyes!!! <3
Less talk, less mistakes.
November 12 2006 | Sunday | 09:40pm
"ONE"
I'm trying a wake up myself by going downstairs, eating dinner, and looking for fresh a environment since I must not fall asleep yet. It's too early to be one with my bed and I don't want to experience an inverted sleeping time again. I guess what kept me sleepy was the Philippine Constitution readings that I've started to read a while ago. To tell honestly, seeing political terms make me yawn because simply, I'm really not into politics. Perhaps what only unites me with politics is the fact that it's part of my school course and if I don't study it, I will flunk. Tsk.
Roni Alcano bagged the 2006 World Pool Championship. It was a 9-ball billiard competition hosted by the Philippines which was participated by 128 professional players worldwide. While I was wrapping my PGC book with a plastic cover, simultaneously I was also watching how a Filipino snatched the crown from a German contender, Ralf Souquet. I really felt goose bumps upon seeing Filipinos being as one for Alcano. Even though they were (the Filipino audience) too noisy which could have distracted the athletes' focus in the game (just like what happened to Janggo Bustamante in his match versus Steve Davis), the crowd's effort to cheer on was an advantage by that time. And yeah, talk about my emotional side, I almost cried (out of sympathy I guess) when Souquet was teary-eyed because he failed to get the championship in Manila. When Anthony Suntay was interviewing him, Souquet told that he's been wanting to be a champion again but a greater Filipino made took his hopes away. I feel so proud to be a Pinoy. =)
I've got to thank Rogi.. because I'm starting to get acquainted with global
people in his official website. Hehe. I found out this morning that ATP
Masters Series Shanghai won't be aired live and it will wait until 2AM tomorrow
to be on Star Sports. To keep myself updated to Rogi's match versus Nalbandian,
I was online for three straight hours and fed information from those who have
live streams. I kept on refreshing the thread from Rogi's website and I was able
to picture what was going on in Shanghai by reading their posts. Honestly, I
really had fun. During the first set when Rogi's game was shaky, I was also with
the other Federer supporters worrying about how the game would end up. And when
Rogi finally won (3-6; 6-1; 6-1), perhaps we all had the same feeling of
breathing freely already. Imagine the power of technology which literally
connected people. China, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil and Philippines may set its
own differences in language but because of a simple tennis tournament, these
countries were able to understand one language-- sports.
You are everything, and everything is you.
("The One" by Jennifer Lopez)
November 11 2006 | Saturday | 06:46pm
"RAIN AND SUNSHINE COME TOGETHER UNDER THE SAME SKY"
Sunshine...
I had a fun-filled second day in UST yesterday. I admit that most of my time was spent for non-academic noisiness. Haha.
My first class was Literature, situated in a claustrophobic type of room (hehe, Room 204 is so small!). Again, we were under Ma'am Pereña. Despising fortune under Pereña as it may seem, I still hope to get away from it by performing better in her class. It might be a tough road once more but we'll see. In fact, before we got dismissed, the class settled the schedule for watching the Individual Film she assigned to us. Iniwan niya sa amin ang isang maagang gawain. Susulat kami ng reaction paper sa mapapanood naming pelikula. Hay.
Our Art
Appreciation professor was missing in action and so we stood by for 3 hours.
Besides the camwhore sessions (thanks to Arene's new Olympus digicam wuhoo), I
had a sort of "girl thing" conversation with my female friends in the room at
that time. I guess it was not bad after all that once in a while we talk
about sensitive topics. We laughed, we made fun, but deep down, it rang a bell
to me -- giving realizations and newly-found facts about stuffs seldom touched
in everyday conversation. Later on, we decided to eat dinner at Antonio
Street's popular barbeque house. Sa sobrang usok ng lugar, nangamoy ulam kami
pagbalik sa classroom. Haha.
We were all dreadful for the last subject. Well, many hearsays roamed around telling Sir Tayao, teacher of Political Dynamics, is hard to please. I even heard a former student who got debarred because of him. Conversely, during the first meeting, Sir Tayao wasn't as scary as to how eavesdropping told it. Just like any other typical professor, he explained his house rules, the course scope and requirements. He even joked once in a while. Before we go, he left us with an assignment. We're to review our PGC (Philippine Government and Constitution) and specifically, we have to read Chapter One of the 1987 Constitution. The pursuit is on and I'm raring to go.
After class, I
went to the gym to finally get the correct memory card from Ate Rox. I was to
meet with Ate Flo and Carol also (friends from volleyball) but since I didn't
get an immediate reply where they were, my classmates decided to accompany me
there and at the same time, to watch volleyball too. I felt glad to influence
them in watching volleyball! In a way, I was proud to show how Ate Rox plays.
Even though they just stayed for a while, I still appreciated it! So anyways,
when they left, I came back joining seats with my volleyball pals. By the
way, Ate Myrlene was there again and we sat with her. Mabait naman siya eh.
Walang problema sa amin. =)
Ate Rox came to our place after their training. She was quite in a hurry then but I was demanding more from her. Haha. Of course I was just joking. What I simply like about her is that she knows how to ride on with my gags. =p When she was asking for the payment, I was trying to run away from her. The more she got jokingly infuriated with me when I was giving a 20-peso tip to her. Haha talaga! Eh paano kasi, sabi niya dapat P1300 yung memory card (originally P1,200) dahil tip niya raw yung P100. Hehe. Ang saya kasama ni Ate Rox.
Carol and Ate
Flo ate dinner at P. Noval. Since I've already eaten, I just drank C2 then.
Later, we were about to go home when Ging saw us across the street. She was
looking for Ate Myrlene who was also looking for her. Nagka-salisihan siguro
si
la. At dahil umuwi na yata si Ate Myrlene, nagpasama na lang si Ging sa amin.
Hinihintay kasi ni Ging si Dahlia na sasabay pauwing quarters. So yun, tamang
kuwentuhan at tawanan. Nakita pa nga namin si Goalda (friend din sa volleyball)
eh, hehe. So anyways, I can feel that in a way, Ging was really trying to stay
close and repair my past hatred to her. She kept on cornering me but I just
stayed numb on her friendly approaches. When she told us that she wants Globe
text pals, I was the only one who didn't ask for her number. Carol and Ate Flo
did. I chose to be silent when they were exchanging numbers. Perhaps I just
want to set the boundaries to avoid issues again. (*But I guess I'll be
thanking her for introducing me to her brother, Ting). Hekhek. =p
Dahlia was slightly drunk when we met her. Kakatawa tuloy lalo na nung nagbibiruan sila ni Ging. Haha! Natahimik na lang ang earth nang biglang nakita namin yung tatlong coach ng UST. Hehe. (Siyempre dapat behaved. =p) Soon, Ging and Dahlia rode the FX to go home. We also did. Medyo nakakapagod nga lang ang daan ko pauwi dahil kinailangan pang maglakad hanggang De La Fuente para ihatid si Carol. Take note, I was on heels! Tsk. Ka-aba-abang paa pag-uwi ko ng bahay.
***
Rain...
I had a bad morning today. Late na nga kong nagising, nagkaroon pa ng away sa kaibigan. How ironic that I was just with my volleyball pals yesterday but now we're in a sort of war. Here's what happened.
It was my fault that I forget some things. I was so wrong to say "yes" to Ate Flo and Carol that I will come on Sunday to be with them. I forgot that this Sunday is for Rogi's Shanghai ATP Masters match and I promised myself not to miss it. As expected, Ate Flo then again got mad at me. She's always acting like that when people fail to meet her expectations. You'll either love or hate Ate Flo for being a tight friend. In her text message, it hurt me when she said, "Ganyan ka naman palagi, kapag kami ang nagyayaya hindi ka sumasama". They simply don't understand. Because of the long time not being with each other, they don't know who's Roger Federer for me right now. And I'm hunching that still, they seem not to understand my academic reasons for not showing up before. Iniisip siguro nilang nagdadahilan lang ako.
Our talk went further. I replied saying, "Kung hindi ako marunong makisama, eh di sana umuwi na ko pagkatapos kunin yung memory card kay Ate Rox at hindi na ko sumama sa inyo nina Ging, Dahlia at Carol dahil sobrang sakit na ng paa ko." I know that Ate Flo and Carol like the company of Dahlia and Ging right now. Kahit hindi ako ganun ka-close kay Dahlia at mailap nga ko kay Ging, sumama pa rin ako kagabi dahil gusto nga nilang makasama yung mga yun at masaya ako kapag natutuwa sila kina Ging. Ate Flo fired back saying that they're also doing the same thing. Alam ko naman yun eh -- na sumasama talaga sila lalo na kapag ime-meet si Ate Rox (na kaisang-isang idol ko talaga sa volleyball). Pero kung hindi man sila makasama sa akin minsan, okay lang. Hindi ko idadamdam yun. Sa totoo lang, kagabi, kahit naman ako lang eh puwede naman akong pumunta ng UST gym dahil taga-doon ako. I invited them because I want them to meet Ate Rox who's also their friend and to watch a volleyball training which of course, interests them. When my friends can't comply to my favors, my philosophy goes like, "Perhaps they have reasons for not coming".
Nagtataka ako bakit si Ate Flo makitid yung pananaw niya sa ganyan. I said sorry (three times to be exact) and explained everything but it seems that she can't get it. I chose not to clash with a close-minded heart but it turned out that she pounded me further. "Eh di sana umuwi ka na nun...", she replied. -- it came to show how she sincerely want to break our friendship. Ang dating kasi sa akin: 'hindi-na-kita-kailangan-kapag-nandiyan-na-mga-paborito-kong-tao' klase ng sagot. Mark this day because they'll miss me until they realize their own misjudgments.
Anyways, I went to UST today to watch a funny individual film "Ang Daan sa Kalimugtong" at Medicine Auditorium. Eto yung inassign ni Ma'am Pereña na panoorin ng klase. The story went around two siblings living in Benguet. It showed the difficulty of life in the mountains and how youngsters coped it. The film was only for 1 1/2 hours. I ate lunch at Almer's with my classmates and I went to Sm San Lazaro to rent VCDs before going home, Grr, my feet are still aching. Nagsugat na dahil natuklap na yung balat ko sa paa. X.x
Yin and Yang -- good and bad.
November 09 2006 | Thursday | 07:14pm
"DREAM ON TO SNATCH REALITY"
Second semester in school kicked off today.
Just when I was about to fall asleep, my alarm clock rang already. Darn, I had a bad get up because I only got 2 hours of sleep! Oddly speaking, my sleeping habits pattern to a graveyard. Now that school has resumed already, perhaps I must work on shifting from 'I've been used to' to what 'I must be'. It's a different era right now. I woke up to the reality that school days are taking place again. Today marks the beginning of another trip to Mount Calvary. Hehe.
My Thursday schedule is for Photojournalism, my sole subject every 7-10am. A while ago, we met our professor, Dr. Rotor, who I believe has interests in Psychology. As an activity, he let us write about our interests and favorites. After doing so, he tried to pettily interpret our outputs. He discussed the left-right brain, subconscious-conscious-unconscious stuffs and the like. At first, it was sort of exciting. Asked about my top three hobbies, I wrote: a) playing & watching ball games, b) writing, c) designing web pages. Asked about the three favorite people, I wrote: a) Roxanne Pimentel, b) Roger Federer, c) Jiggy Manicad. Hahaha! But later on, the mood became boring for me. I hardly understood him because it was too noisy. I just spent time adding up to the noise by chit chatting with Shiela and Djhay. Haha. =p
We got dismissed at 9:30am and while it was still early, I just hung out with my
friends. Habang hinihintay si Anne, tumambay muna kami sa AB Pavilion. As
expected, I wasn't able to control my mouth again in speaking and the heck, I
was laughing at my own jokes! I was fooling around pretending to be speaking
with Jiggy and Rogi on my phone. O di ba sosyal, naka-3-way pa! Haha. Minsan
naiisip kong parang gawaing-siraulo yung mga ginagawa ko pero nakakatuwa ding i-acting
yung mga pangarap na umiikot sa loob ng utak ko. Hampas man lang ng imahinasyon,
galak naman ang dala sa realidad. So anyways, when Anne arrived, we went to
Ice Monster. Thanks to Arene's influence to eat there, my promise to save money
was busted.
Chuchie was with me in the jeep as we went home. My feet ached and my eyes were sore when I reached home. I just watched TV a for a moment then I took a long nap until 5pm. Rarr, tomorrow's going to be a dreadful schedule in school because it's up to 9pm! Goodluck naman sa akin.
** What happened yesterday:
I had a sort of 'despedida de sembreak'. Instead of spending my last day of vacation at home, I was out until 11pm! I hung out with Ate Flo and got involved to volleyball once more. I had loads of fun, really.
We met at SM San Lazaro around 5pm. Besides dropping by Video City to return my VCDs, we also ate dinner together in the mall. Later, we went to the UST gym. Ate Rox and I agreed last night to meet up in order to purchase a memory card being sold by her brother. Surprisingly, while waiting for Ate Rox, we came across Lyceum volleyball pals, Papa Dah and JM. We all sat at the campus bench as we shared scoops on volleyball especially the UNIGAMES. Cool. =)
Upon entrance in the gym, we caught Ate Rox training already. So we just sat and watched as we waited for her. To my amazement, Ate Chelle and Ate Yeth (the Carolinos) were there along with Kate (Co Yu Kang). I think they're practicing for an Alumni League. A tune-up game was held between them and the UST-WVT! Nakakatuwa yung laban nila. But the more exciting experience was the presence of a familiar UST die-hard fan. I thought my provincial nemesis would be there (since she's a friend of them)! Tsktsk.
By the way, Ate Rox pointed Ate Myrlene (the UST fan) to us. She asked if we
know her and I said that we don't know her personally. When Ate Rox excused
herself that she would dress up first, I decided to dare myself and approached
Ate Myrlene (HAHA). It was time to make friends! =p Ate Flo backed me up by
acquainting very well with Ate Myrlene and even involved Lani Misalucha as the
topic of our whacky conversation. I realized that Ate Myrlene is not the
bragging type of fan (unlike those.. ehem). She was rather timid and knew how to
ride with our jokes.
After their tune-up, Ate Rox approached us. She handed to me the memory card but
when I saw it, waah it was a wrong one! Akala ko pa naman magagamit ko na. The
card was so huge and it didn't fit my phone. Saying her sincerest sorry to me (haha
inasar ko kasing mali-mali siya palagi =p), Ate Rox told that we meet again
tomorrow and she'll try to get the right memory card from her brother. Last
night, she texted and whooped me that the correct 512MB for my unit costs P2500!
I asked if there's a 256MB instead which might be less inexpensive.
We had a short but fun time with Ate Rox on our way home! It's not everyday that we get-together with her who's quite busy nowadays. In fact, I was surprised when she said 'no' to her team mate's invitation to hang out before heading home. Ate Rox is really dedicating herself in her career today as a NCCC employee and for that, I salute her. Perhaps she had really positioned to the reality that sports isn't forever for her and that she must rather invest into something which lasts longer. Through our conversation last night, somehow I spelled that she has a new dream to pursue.
A joke and a truth are not mutually exclusive. The best jokes are true and the best true are jokes.
November 05 2006 | Sunday | *12:12am
"WHEN YOU KEEP ON WAITING"
Traffic, falling in line, getting turns and obtaining things -- these are some terms I seem to hate beecause it sends a waiting signal. Whenever there's something pending, it leaves the rope hanging. It's not that I'm patient about waiting. Rather, I'm just the type of person who's so excited about what will happen next.
Surprisingly when I woke up, the rain fell cats and dogs. I planned to return my borrowed VCDs at SM San Lazaro but I had to wait for the rain to stop. Later, when sunshine finally came out, I went my way to SM. The jeep ride was going well until it reached the corner of Blumentritt and Amoranto Street where we experienced an unimaginable heavy traffic. The vehicle volume situation was bumper to bumper. I was really curious how come it was traffic whereas it wasn't any holiday at all. In fact, it's a Sunday!
An hour passed, the jeep had gone only 10 meters. My head was starting to ache -- out of heat and noise from outrageous people & vehicles stuck in traffic -- so I decided to get out of the jeep. I know that SM was still far away but I had no choice and so I tried to find another route. As I walked, along with numerous people (who, perhaps got tired of waiting as well), I saw the real cause of traffic. Initially, I thought it was because of the immediate water flood in Dimasalang but unexpectedly, it was due to a burial ceremony heading slowly to the Manila North Cemetery! Good thing I got the instincts to walk instead of waiting for the traffic to get untied (na mukhang after 58 years pa mangyayari). Tsk. I was already at the Blumentritt wet market when I rode another jeep which passed by Tayuman. Too bad the jeep didn't directly passed by SM San Lazaro and so I had to walk a few more meters to reach the place.
As I returned my VCDs, I borrowed another set of VCDs. I thought that I would obtain the "4+1 Rent" promo (rent four items and get one for free) of Video City already but hatefully, I didn't. The guy employee told me that I have to borrow 5 VCDs first (that time, I only got 3) in order to get the promo. Harhar. Much that I wanted see more movies by visit, that Video City promo keeps me waiting too. Left only with three movies to pick, I chose "Confessions of Teenage Drama Queen", "Memoirs of Geisha" and "Brokeback Mountain" as my VCDs.
There were a number of people in the mall today. Hindi na ako magtatakang may pila kahit saan. At the National Bookstore, where I bought a single and tiny item (a ballpen refill), I had to wait for my turn on the line. Supposedly, I would eat snacks from any fast food chain but darn it, seeing the long lines and all-occupied seats lost my appetite. I just drank orange juice and then I went out of the mall already.
It was past 5:30pm on my clock when I reached Lourdes Church. I was late for the 5-6pm mass. Dahil hindi ko na naintindihan yung Ebanghelyo at sermon ng pari, nagsindi na lang ako ng kandila sa prayer room. I found solemnity in praying. I realized that though everything or everyone keep me waiting, there's one God who will never do that to me. So after thanksgiving and petitioning, I finally went home. Man, my feet were so tired. I went to my mom's room to relax and I actually played Scrabble with her. I've been waiting to get a revenge from her when she beaten me up last time. Hah, and the wait was over -- I won a while ago. =p
* By the way, a sweet thought simply came in my head when I was stuck in traffic. Knowing myself, I am fond of daydreaming especially at times of boredom. Well, I thought about my DREAM FUTURE, seeing myself after 10 years ba. Haha, I know this whole thing is exaggerated but this was the content of my diffused head a while ago! =p Pardon for too much idealism, dreams are dreams anyway. Hehehe.
Anecdote on Shelly (year: 2016)
There's the picture of Shelly, 28, recognized as sports journalist of a daily newspaper. She part-times in the magazine, writing about lifestyle, love and leisure. She may be busy working on weekdays but astoundingly, she has time for social events on weekends. One Saturday night, Shelly decided to attend a get-together dinner with her friends in Makati. After a tedious but rewarding work in the newsroom, she was fetched by her boyfriend (going strong for a year) who happens to be a journalist too. (They met in a news coverage when Shelly unfortunately got into trouble with an international coach and there came a much veteran journalist who redeemed her from the abyss.)
As they got out of the Honda car, the almost-perfect couple promenaded in the restaurant. People began murmuring because they seem to recognize the two people at the door. "Oh that's Shelly, I love her columns," told by a mother. Shelly's four female friends were already seated but they simply stood out of joy when they saw her. After long-time loosing touch, they finally got reunited.
Just like Shelly, her friends became successful in their chosen careers. One is a surgeon working at Makati Medical Center, another is a head nurse of Philippine Red Cross. The tall and stylish friend of hers is now a ramp model recruited by South American designers. She brought along her boyfriend who's the son of a wealthy businessman in Davao. Lastly, Shelly's closest friend among the four is now an accountant-manager of PCI Bank Makati.
Shelly introduced her boyfriend to them. Well, they've been hearing about him. Shelly's closest friend met him once in a fundraising affair but they never got the chance to speak for a long time. It was indeed, a night of acquaintance. Shelly told about what has been going in her life. She expressed how thankful she was for all the endeavors. It wasn't an easy path though, but she believed in herself and she made use of inspiration to achieve success.
Later on, Shelly had to call the night because her boyfriend has an early coverage. Shelly promised to keep in touch again very soon. In fact, the two guys (the BFs =p) got acquainted very well and they planned to play badminton next next Friday. Of course, the femmes will also be there, but after they visit their former professor in the hospital who got sick recently.
So Shelly and her boyfriend were about to go when suddenly, someone greeted them. It was the mother who admires Shelly's write-ups. She carried with her an issue of the magazine. "I've just read your latest article Shelly," said by the mother, "Through your article dear, I was advised of what to do as a single mom." Shelly just smiled and replied back thanking the compliment. Her boyfriend slightly pinched her on the cheek as he kept on joking her. The mother was also with two other women and a man who introduced themselves as Balikbayan from Italy. They've also been reading Shelly's articles via internet and they think highly of it. The group requested for a photo with Shelly. Her humble boyfriend took the photo. Another photo shot was taken but this time, the mother asked a pose of Shelly and her boyfriend.
It was really a flattering moment for Shelly. She remember her younger years when she used to take photos with her idols. Now, it seems that some people idolize her already. Just when Shelly was about to get tired of waiting for her dreams to come true, after 10 long years, she realized that reaching for her dreams is worth-the-wait. =)
*********
Among all the waiting, I guess the future will be the longest. But still, I'll be waiting because only in the future will I know what's next in my story.
Why wait for tomorrow when you have today?
November 03 2006 | Friday | 10:43pm
"HOME"
Movie buff best describes me today. I chose to stay at home to watch movies. As I woke up, right away I told myself that I want a movie marathon. And so it was. Our driver dropped me at SM San Lazaro (again LOL) and went to Video City instead of going to that unknown video house in Del Monte Avenue (Imee told me that it wasn't ACA Video anymore) which is farther.
It took me time to pick my first 3 movies. Besides having a hard time selecting only three movies among many good films, an irate customer really bugged me. I overheard that he was complaining about Video City, not telling that they were opened last November 1st. I think what happened was, his borrowed items got overdue because he failed to bring it back last All Soul's Day. Nothing concerned me about the complaint but rather, what really disturbed me was his way of complaining! He was too noisy. He's a gay by the way. Ayaw niya talagang magpatalo sa empleyadong kaharap niya. The poor lady employee was just trying to explain until that crazy customer decided to create a scene of his own. He then complained about the improper attitude of the employee towards him, whereas, in my opinion, there was nothing wrong really. Ughh, I hate it when there are people who tries to grab attention, coming from senseless reasons! When I finally grabbed my VCDs to bring home and went to the cashier, the lady who got involved in the scene just tried to smile at me. I realized how hard it is to manage 'homeless' people who are empty with attention. Tsk. I hope she won't get fired just because of that insane customer.
When I reached home, right away I watched 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Honestly, I got bored during the later part of the film. Masyadong mababaw yung kwento. The story started with the quest for five lucky visitors to Willy Wonka's factory. It was so predictable that the main character, Charlie, would be chosen. Spilling the beans, he was the lucky heir of Wonka's factory (as the price) among four other bratty kids. Lalo pa kong tinamad manood nang magsimulang tumalon-talon yung CD. Sa pag-aakalang makakawala na ko sa patalun-talong pelikula, pati pala sa orhininal na bala may ganun pa rin! Hmmp. After watching it, I decided to rest my eyes for a while because I experienced a migraine. It was past 5pm when I went to my mom's room to chit chat with her for a while. Actually, it was my tactic to convince her that we eat dinner outside. Hehe. Naisip ko kasing baka gutom lang ang dahilan ng sakit ng ulo ko.
Along with my brother and mom, we ate at Cajun. What surprised me was the presence of familiar customers who happens to be former Theresians. First was Joanna's friends (IV-5, 2005) who had a reunion of some sort and later on, I also saw Roidah Ylagan, a batch mate, who's with her boyfriend. Mala-homecoming tuloy ang pagkain ko ng hapunan haha. When I saw those those IV-5 girls having loads of laughter and chit chats, I realized that my barkada in high school didn't have any get-together yet. We had plans before but it never became in reality. We are so distant from each other already that even in non-busy days like these, we had forgotten to keep in touch. Last night I was uploading high school photos in Multiply.com and I honestly miss those moments I saw in the pictures. Minsan pala, kahit masaya ka na sa yugto ng buhay mo, hindi pa rin mawawaglit yung nakalipas na alaala kung saan naging masaya ka din.
Next to my movie list was 'Zathura: A Space Adventure'. Generally speaking, I liked the film and it was way better than Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Since then I've been wanting to see it (sa sinehan pa lang) but this was the only time I was able to watch it.
Perhaps I'll just watch Chicago tomorrow. My migraine isn't gone yet and it pains in the head. =/
Natatandaan mo pa ba, nang tayong dalawa'y unang magkita? Panahon ng kamusmusan..
November 02 2006 | Thursday | 08:02pm
"BUY AND RENT"
Out of boredom, I spent time at SM San Lazaro. I didn't have definite items to buy but it turned out that plastic bags were full as I went home. I feel like my sense of control slowly diminishes just because I know that I have resources.
It was slightly traffic on my way to SM. Along Blumentritt St,, I saw an unusual quantity of people who were heading to the North Cemetery. Today's not a holiday anymore but still, cemeteries are busy. So anyways, when I reached SM, I went first to National Bookstore. I spent time scanning books. Much that I wanted to avail some good ones (such as "The Devil Wears Prada" or "The Notebook"), they are too expensive to buy. I just got settled with a cheaper yet interesting book. I bought "No Boyfriend Since Birth", another Summit book which only costs P150. Sana maganda yung kwento. Mukhang makaka-relate ako eh. LOL.
Halos naikot ko talaga yung SM. At the top floor, I went to buy blank CDs from CD-R King and I also looked for a new mouse pad. Unlucky to find a good one, off I came down at Comic Alley and there I saw a cute Card Captor Sakura mouse pad. Hehe. Binili ko na rin, maski gusto ko talaga ng Pucca mouse pad. =p Later on, I entered the department store. I was laughing at myself because I got fascinated with orange stuffs again. I availed an orange rug and an orange placemat. Haha! Ka-adekan. Gusto ko pa sanang bilhin yung nakita kong orange crayola pillow, orange wall clock at orange drinking glass pero napigilan naman ako dahil baka hindi na ko makauwi kapag naglabas pa ko ng pera ulet. Tsktsk. Kahit papaano nasabi ko sa sarili kong, "medyo nagtitipid ako". =p
I went home around 5pm already. Medyo traffic nanaman pauwi. Pfft. Supposedly, I would head straight to Del Monte Avenue to rent a DVD or VCD but I got worn out and decided to call it off. Too bad there are no video house available around our place. Ngayon ko lang napagtanto na yun ang kulang sa La Loma. There are fast food chains around (Jolibee, McDonald's, etc.), a coffee shop (Starbucks), drugstores (Mercury Drug), a shopping mall (SM San Lazaro), a hospital (Chinese General Hospital), and other places, but a video rental business is lacking. I've been noticing the mushroom-like appearance of salons and spas in La Loma but I wonder if they still earn a lot due to the stiff competition. Sana may makaisip magtayo naman ng video house. Ako ang unang magpapa-rehistro bilang miyembro, yan ang panigurado.
Sophisticated choice of dinner again, I took out Mustard Grilled Chops from Cajun. Har. Wala na tuloy akong pera ngayon. Tsk.
As you add combinations of fixed and variable inputs, output decreases.
-Law of Diminishing Returns
November 01 2006 | Wednesday | 08:51pm
"UNDAS"
Taun-taon, lumuluwas ako sa probinsya para mag-Undas. Naisipan kong hindi umuwi ngayon nang maiba naman. Buong araw, nandito lang ako sa bahay. Parang isang ordinaryong araw lamang, liban sa isang maliit na salu-salo kasama ang mag-anak na Bisaya.
Yung buong pamilya ko nasa Batangas ngayon. Pagkagising ko kanina, tinext ako ni Gabby (my best cousin in Batangas). Tinanong niya kung nasa rest house daw ba ko. Siguro ikinagulat din niyang wala ako dun. Maging ako, nagulat. Haha. Ewan ko ba kung bakit hindi talaga ko lumuwas. Nung umuwi kasi ng Batangas yung mom ko, tinatamad akong sumama. Wala kasing PC at internet doon. Malabo pa yung reception ng TV at ang layo ng fast food chains. In short, life seems unusual there. Marami kasi akong gustong gawin dito na hindi ko magagawa doon.
Namalengke si Ate Aileen kaninang umaga para sa pagpa-pancit at ginataan. Nagulat akong naghahanda pala sila kapag Undas. Sa Batangas kasi, matapos dumalaw sa Bauan (kung saan nakalibing yung tatay ko) at sa sementeryo ng Mataasnakahoy (kung saan nakalibing yung iba pa naming kamag-anak), diretso-bahay na agad. Walang handaan. "Parang alay na yun sa patay," sabi ng nanay ni Ate Aileen. Nung una, akala ko hindi puwedeng kainin yun handa dahil iaalay talaga sa patay. Haha, muntik na tuloy akong umiling sa pagco-contribute ng pera. =p
Naaaliw ako ngayon sa pag-eedit ng videos. Kagabi pa kong nagbababad sa harap ng kompyuter. Nakakatuwang balikan yung mga dati kong kuha. At mas nakakatuwang napapaganda yung video kasi na-eedit na sa PC. Pinakita ko yung final product sa mga tao dito sa bahay. Tawa sila nang tawa. Video kasi yun nina Schenly at Xianne nung younger years nila. Hehe. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam kapag na-aappreciate yung gawa mo. =)
Napanood ko sa balita kanina yung dumog ng tao sa mga sementeryo. Parang piyesta. Kahit maulan, marami pa ring tao. Siguro tradisyong-Pinoy na nga talaga ang Undas. Pero napansin ko lang, parang konti na lang yung mataimtim na nagdarasal. Habang pinapakita sa 24 Oras yung footage ng pamilyang nagro-rosary, sinabi ni Mike Enriquez, "Pumukaw po sa aking damdamin ang pamilyang mataimtim na nagdarasal sa kabila ng mala-piyestang kapaligiran.." Unti-unting nawawala na yata ang tunay na motibo sa pagpunta sa sementeryo ngayon.
Kinagabihan, nagsindi ako ng kandila sa grotto. I took a moment of silence, thought about my departed loved ones and prayed. I even stayed for a while to make mini candle balls for Xianne and Schenly. Hehe. Kahit na-miss ko yung nakasanayang pagpunta sa sementeryo, pagsalubong sa maraming tao at pagluwas sa probinsya, naraos ko naman yung Undas nang tama. Para sa akin, kanya-kanya lang yan ng paraan sa pag-alala sa mga namatay na kaanak. Pinili ko ang mas simpleng paraan.
* Hindi ko man masyadong na-feel ang Undas, mas ramdam ngayon ang Pasko dito sa bahay! Haha. Kamusta naman, may itinayo ng Christmas tree dito sa sala. Nakakatuwang pagmasdan ang mga umaandap-andap na liwanag at bilog-bilog na dekorasyon. =)
Kapag namayapa ang isang nilalang, mas maaalala ng tao kung ano ang nagawa niya kaysa sa kung sino siya.