Em Ay Bee Eff (MIBF)

I told myself last week, "By nook or by crook, I'll get my butt to the MIBF this weekend!" And I did.

The perfect schedule dawned on me while I was tossing and turning early Sunday morning: go to SMX at 10AM, get books (I've got a list down to stay on budget and avoid splurging - HAH!), then go to Makati.

Having a list can do you wonders. I didn't get some of the books that I wanted, but nevertheless I got other good books that I'm looking forward to read in the coming months. This also means - of course - that I won't be buying any books, or anything that is classified under "wants" that''s extravagant for the coming months. /le sigh

See, books are one of my biggest weaknesses. Give me a book on a subject or author that I like and I will devour it. I'd rather shop for books than clothes, to be honest...not that I find clothes shopping dreadful (at times I do), but for me, there's nothing more fulfilling than going through the shelves of a bookstore. There's also nothing more intriguing than a book that draws you to itself. There are times that I buy a book and enjoy it without even reading a review about it online or hearing about it from someone. It doesn't happen all the time...but when it does I'm rarely disappointed.

Here are the books that I bought. The Amplified Bible I got for 30% off, which is a good enough bargain (best bargain still is getting leather-bound NASB/NIV study/app Bibles for ONE THOUSAND BUCKS EACH). I'm having trouble with finding a place for my big books. The rest are all fiction books - I bought Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, which comes with other stories that "he could stand", according to the book's description. The splurge is made two times more epic with the three Murakami titles. =D

All of these books I bought while staying under budget, which was great! That's the wonder of having a list handy. =D It's like getting groceries.

Sometimes I wish I had the same determination when it came to clothes sales or whatnot. But, I just can't. /le sigh /story of my life

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Busy with a lot of work stuff, not to mention church stuff (Candlelight, le sigh), as well as school stuff (one subject wonder). How I manage to make entries like this one here that make sense, I consider now a major feat. 

I need an outlet. Somebody invite me to a photoshoot. Somebody invite me to karaoke. Somebody invite me to something I enjoy. 

Sound-off

What it takes to be better

It's quite interesting to think that even if information is now more accessible than ever before, that people are still misinformed/do not have the info they need, and make sweeping generalizations out of what little they know. I do this a lot of times, and for every time I've done it I realize that I do not know it all, and there's not a chance that I will know it all. I can give my opinion on certain issues or things, but I cannot generalize the entire world based on my thinking alone.

I say this because this right here happened. It was a simple reblog that didn't mean any harm; it was a statement of facts. Then, the original poster messaged me, which caught me by surprise. You could see with the way that I replied that I wasn't so pleased. I haven't gotten a message back, by the way. (I'd like to see him try.)

It's this kind of selfish thinking that's causing the problems of this country. It's always me first rather than me last. It's not the world - it's my world. People in government would rather amass ill-gotten wealth first rather than deal with third-world problems. Forgiveness is given so easily, but the lessons learned from dispensing that forgiveness are so easily forgotten. Our own comfort comes first rather than the comfort of those who aren't comforted.

The National Anthem suddenly comes to mind - ang mamatay nang dahil sa 'yo - isn't that the epitome of selflessness? We know this by heart, so why is this so hard to do?

Loving this country is a struggle for me - it's a love-hate relationship, if you will. Voting and paying for my taxes is pretty much as far as it goes. I don't like to wear nationalistic shirts, nor do I buy them (if you give me one, I'll probably not wear it too often. Baka gawin ko lang na pambahay.). As a friend aptly puts it, "nationalism is not a shirt", meaning your nationalistic shirt doesn't necessarily equate to your level of nationalism. As for me, I don't want to wear something like "100% Pinoy" or "I♥PH" and be a hypocrite about it.

But ask me about Rizal, and the fangirl in me will come out. Ask me to go to Intramuros or Rizal Park (which is quite near my house), and I will surely bring my camera. But, if you ask me to translate this passion into current affairs, I will shy away from it. I can talk about it, but my interest will not last long.

What I do not do is impose this way of thinking upon other people and say that this is how "the whole country" is thinking. That's stupid.

I know that there are people out there who love this country unconditionally, in spite of its many imperfections. There are people everyday who risk their lives to defend this country and make it their job. There are still honest people in the government who remain honest in spite of the backlash and bad reputation they're receiving. There are people who have not lost heart and continue to innovate and receive acclaim, then give the glory back to this nation. These people are better than I am.

It is with posts like those I have linked that spark whatever Pinoy pride I have in me. It provokes me to ignite the fire and keep it burning (It shouldn't go out to begin with.)  It also keeps me on my toes that I should always be thinking, always be seeking, always be keeping an open mind, and be aware that in the vastness of this universe, I am but a tiny specimen in it, but one of 6 billion strong and special who have a soul.

The epic First Term Grand Slam

KWATRO.
(with hagod)

When I came in as a grad student in DLSU, I was psyching myself that a 3.0 or 3.5 final grade is "high enough". Since a 2.0 kind of equates to a 1.0 - anything lower than that and you have to retake the subject.

So, imagine my surprise when I opened MLS this morning and saw that BOTH of my subjects got a FOUR POINT ZERO. Tears of joy. Previously unknown [bad] dance moves emerge. Sheer bliss.

The Stat grade was something I wasn't expecting at all. Just last night, I was musing that I will be happy with either a 2.5 or a 3.0, because even if I did really well in my finals (I got a perfect score), I have no idea how midterms went down.

Anyway, this means that I officially have my Friday nights back (WOOHOO!) - I can once again attend Friday practices until December, and I have a (OMGWHUT) 4.0 GPA.

Slap me, this must be a dream.


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In hopes of refreshing my RK quotient, I watched the Rurouni Kenshin movie (―維新志士への鎮魂歌) last night. I always thought it was an awesome movie, primarily because of the Hitokiri Battousai flashbacks that were replayed seven or eight times (hahaha!). 
Hitokiri Battousai's like my husband from another life. HAHAHAHAHA /ehem