Back to school, back to DLSU | Randomness

It's my first week of my second year of grad school! Around this time last year I didn't have a job, I just moved back to Manila, and I wasn't entirely sure how I'd finance my masters without any regular monthly income. It's just mind-blowing how everything just came together. /sigh

By the way, I learned something quite unexpected this week. The Master in Marketing Communications program of DLSU is rated 21st in the world. Akalain mo yun? Having said that, it's pretty obvious that UST  PWNS everyone locally when it comes to graduate degree programs (teehee). 

Anyway... my subjects this term are very interesting. 

Monday class (Copywriting) will be held in Yuchengco Hall. I know my professor quite well...which is, truth be told, a scary circumstance. Scary - in the sense that I know exactly what to expect.

That aside, this class was a shoo-in for enrollment this term. First of all, it's copywriting. If ever I do not get a high grade, at least I'll be doing something that I really love to do. Second, it was something that I really wanted to learn during my undergrad, but it wasn't included in the MMG program. Now...now...oh my stars. Pinch me, I must be dreaming.

Image not mine

My Tuesday class is...wait for it...at the Makati Extension Campus  at RCBC Plaza! All it takes is a 20-minute walk from the office - something I don't really mind doing.

Tuesday is E-Marketing day. The class is a very interesting mix of MBA and MMC. Unang araw pa lang, ang dami ko nang natutunan. I went home with the realization that I need to get an iPad very soon. Hohmaygash.

Oh, and since I've been posting pictures of buildings that are DLSU-related, I'm reminded of something that's kind of important:

From thelasallian.com

After one year, Henry (Sy Hall) is nearly done. I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed the blue waves on the facade. I know Henry Sy is SM, and SM is primarily blue, but...I certainly wasn't expecting this. At least it has the trademark four pillars that are usually found in a major La Salle building, but truth be told, I was under the impression that this building was supposed to look like a tree.

Anyway, I'm still going to give it the benefit of the doubt, being unfinished still. But the blue wave thing...I wonder how people - especially the older alumni - will react to this.

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Today, I realized again how BAD I am with Tagalog. My mind is automatically wired to Taglish, and my sentence construction patterns are more partial to English than Tagalog (remember: tuwid and baligtad sentences in Tagalog are opposite to English - and I'm surprised that I even remember this!), and if I translate English to Tagalog, I transliterate instead...ugh! It's just so complicated. 

Sorry Gat. Joe. I have failed you. #yunyoneh #gospeltruth 

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I'll end this...errr...really random post (which supposedly was about school, but it went its own course again, as expected) with one of my favorite songs during rainy days. It also happens to be my favorite Kangta song. #HOMGKANGTAWHENISYOURNEXTALBUMBB

Goodbye summer. 

10 years ago today, it was my first day of college at De La Salle University

TEN YEARS.

I had to type it down, because I myself can hardly believe it. This is supposed to be my cue for saying I AM OLD!!!, but I don't feel any different, in general.

Okay. Ten years ago...

1. I was sixteen, going on seventeen *points to yearbook photo for your reference*
2. I had braces (again, yearbook photo /sigh)
3. I was a Japanese Studies major (who looks Chinese! XD)
4. I was a reconsidered passer of DLSU 
5. I had no idea what I wanted to do or be when I "grow up" (in quotations, cause ten years on, I still don't think I'm in that "grown up" status XDDD)

I'm sure there were other things...but those are the most relevant. I had a high school-like schedule, with classes beginning at 7AM and ending at about 3:30 during MWF, and an 8:10 to 4-ish schedule every TH. Oh, and there's PE every Wednesday, which was karate at the then new Sports Complex. We had the football field back then. There were also no security guards manning the pedestrian lanes outside the University. We had to cross on our own. (in other words - may taning lagi ang buhay namin dati pag tumatawid sa Taft!)

Transitioning from high school to college has been one of the easiest things to do. For one, I have this disdain for my high school that I'm actually glad to have left it behind (HENCE THE SMILE!). Second, I got into the school of my childhood dreams - De La Salle University! Ever since I was in kinder, I have looked at that familiar, unchanging facade of the St. La Salle Hall and often dreamed of walking in its halls when I "grow up" (haha, again, in quotation marks). Thirdly, coming into the school under Japanese Studies was a welcome experience while I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. After one term of bliss under the program, I applied to shift to Marketing Management, and by the third term, I was having classes at LS, the building of my childhood fantasy. 

Entering college was like coming full circle. It was a promise that was fulfilled.

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Ten years after my first day of college, I wonder now how everything ended up like this, and if everything went according to plan.

I've always been told by my parents to plan. "How do you see yourself 10 years from now" is a staple question during job interviews, and of course, for the sake of a job you'll try your hardest to give the best answer. The truth of it is, I've often been very unsure of my answers - especially when I was searching for my first job. Most of the time, my answers were what I thought would please the interviewer most! 

But, I do remember saying...

1. I want to get an MBA or a master's degree 
2. I want to travel -  go out of the country, and be in more places in the country aside from Bulacan
3. I want to live alone

And in the span of less than ten years (graduating in 2006), all of these very simple plans have been fulfilled. I'm in my second year of MMC. I have travelled CALABARZON (thank you DLSC), and I have spent more than a year away from family - surviving storms, snakes, beetles, forest fires, and the traffic resulting from Skyway (phase 2). 

And there's more - stuff that I didn't even dream of doing: winning a trip outside the country by singing (no less!); writing a book; singing in public (that last one is something I never would have guessed!)

If I had a chance to pay a visit to my sixteen year old self - a sixteen year old who is...

1. Incredibly unsure of herself and what she can do 
2. Discouraged due to high school authorities (all that drama those months leading to graduation is just...ugh) 
3. Indifferent
4. Sort of confused if she's good, or up to no good 

...I'd probably not take that chance. If ever I will, I won't show nor introduce myself to her. The most amazing thing about my college life is that I have absolutely no regrets, and I feel so blessed to have had that experience. I relished every day of those four years, taking it one day at a time.

I didn't make too many plans. I simply did my best in all of my subjects, so when I got my grade I knew I likely deserved it. I didn't join too many orgs, nor did I aspire for any political/leadership position (with the exception of NKK, which was more of a passion thing, and not a resume asset). I befriended as many people as my rigid rules on personal space would allow me. I shared my notes willingly, taught classmates generously. I took my own share of risks, worked to earn money, sang to earn money. 

If there was any plan, it was to live the remaining four years of school life the fullest way possible. What "fullest" meant was a mystery; one that can only be defined when the journey has been made. 

I certainly don't think I've got it "all together", though. If there's anything my sixteen year old self thought of her future twenty-something self, it was that. I'm still learning, re-learning, and unlearning. I haven't figured everything out quite yet, and that's okay.

I don't think anyone will ever figure everything out. =)

Brown, blue, and orange - a morning at CIW

"Magsuot ka ng kahit na ano, wag lang brown, blue, or orange."

"Puwede bang mag-shorts?" I asked.

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Image from DefinitelyFilipino.com

Last Saturday, I went to the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong. I was ordered asked to go there to do ministry to the inmates, along with some other people who are also in music. 

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much with the visit. At the very least, I wished that it wouldn't be hot, and that it will be uneventful (i.e. no encounters of the weird kind). Prior to this I haven't been inside a prison before, and everything I knew about prison life I've seen in Mission: Impossible movies and the like.

The first thought that came to mind the night before was what I was supposed to wear. Given the heat, I'd rather be wearing shorts, but I was advised not to, along with the very helpful tip of not wearing anything brown, blue, or orange (which was what the inmates wore, color-coded according to the gravity of their offense).

I wore purple. With leggings. 

I asked if I could bring a camera, and I was told I couldn't because the identities of the women inside should be protected. That seemed reasonable enough, but it would have been awesome to have had one though. For one, this post would have been written much easier. 

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Our group was led inside without much fuss. We were advised to leave our cellphones behind at the car, which we've already done before going inside the facility. We were body searched (always a very unpleasant experience for me, even if it's a woman doing it) after our hands were stamped. Then, we were led inside the complex.

Everyone was very courteous. There was a good morning thrown my way every 30 seconds or so for the first ten minutes I was in there. I quietly took in everything - the obvious abundance of orange shirts and dresses with the occasional blue and brown, the long queue of the telephone booths which was their major connection to the outside world and loved ones, the beauty salon (I was tempted to try it out, to be honest - they had nail art!), and the impeccable surroundings that made littering seem like a mortal sin.

We made our way to a few flights of stairs until we reached the covered roof deck which had an amazing view of the Makati, Mandaluyong, and Ortigas skyline. There were also two keyboards in one end, with an overhead projector (is this real life?!). There were also chairs neatly arranged in rows. 

After a while, there was some prayer done, and some talking. Soon there was singing, reading, even laughter, and then everything became solemn again, and then tears.

And then my heart was full.

It was such an eye-opening experience to have been a small part of these women's lives even for a few hours - to have hugged them in spite of every rule I've placed on myself regarding personal space, to have shared in their tears as they prayed for breakthroughs in their cases, for forgiveness, to rejoice in every season of their lives, especially in this season of isolation from the outside world. 

I found myself crying at times during that morning. How often have I complained about things not going my way, or how hard life is ... what are my difficulties compared to these women who have been separated from family and loved ones - some even carry their pictures along with their IDs as a reminder. The food inside, I've heard from their own accounts, was so awful - a can of tuna was shared by three people. And through all this, they still have hope - a wild hope, if you will - that it could only get better.

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It was rather timely that in my various searches made through the Internet, I (re)learned something about "compassion". Compassion, from its Latin origin, actually meant to suffer with another. It's far from an act of kindness, though it is slightly close to empathy - to understand and share in the feelings of another. 

When I was doing ministry there (and believe you me, I am hardly ever prepared for these things, but when push comes to shove, I somehow get a grip of what is expected of me), from the moment my hand touched one's shoulder, I felt compassion at that instant, and I found myself crying with them. I remember learning from somewhere that while you're doing ministry, you're not supposed to close your eyes, and you shouldn't be fazed with the showing of any emotion (i.e. crying) - for very good reasons, I must add. In the case of last Saturday's, however, it was close to a knee-jerk reaction, if you will. To explain it would look rather weird, cause I would do it this way: it's like the other person's emotions penetrate and swirl inside you, and as they swirl they hit you where it hits them at that specific moment in time - chest heaving, eyes tearing, teeth gritting. It can only be compassion, cause I could think of no other explanation. 

Aside from this, I was also reminded that everyone is capable of great good and great evil. These women, who may have done evil in different shapes or forms, are also capable of shedding tears or becoming vulnerable. They're no different from me, or you. 

--- --- ---

So, there you have it! I got into prison, and I got out. 

If the family learns about this, it will be long before I hear the end of it. ("Buti na lang hindi ka napagkamalang preso!" or "Buti na lang nakalabas ka!". Hay, family.)

Hair issues

Look at my hair. LOOK AT MY HAIR.

The last time it had a hint of going beyond shoulder length was last year. LAST YEAR.  It's long enough now that I could tie it in a ponytail without leaving a strand behind. With the length I've been keeping my hair in recent years, this is a milestone (I kid you not).

Anyway, early this year (call it a resolution, if you will), I decided to do a little experiment with my hair, and if I am successful, that means loads of money saved (going to tuition funds, of course) and less hours spent at the salon.

The experiment is simple enough - grow my hair again. Like, beyond the longest I've ever grown it (way beyond shoulder blades, or as I'd like to call it, beyond the bra strap. Bwahahahaha.) 

Here's where it doesn't get simple. I have to resist the urge to get my hair straightened or colored. I've done both since high school, and to see the state of my hair without these two is something I really dread - especially seeing the white hair. #geneticsproblems

But more than saving money, I've decided to do this because no matter what I do, my hair will never be straight permanently - or black, for that matter. It will always curl at some point, and for the past ten years I've wrestled with that inevitability by going to the salon every six months and spend like...nearly P10,000 to get straight hair. Plus, I've got strands of hair that are hopelessly damaged due to too much treatment.

So...yeah. No treatments for a while. I can do this.

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By the way, this is how busy tomorrow will be:

7:30 AM - Going to a correctional facility. NO, I DIDN'T GET INTO TROUBLE WITH THE LAW. I was asked to go for a church thing. I'm actually curious with what I'll see inside. Will definitely blog about the experience. 

12:00 PM onwards - OL GIMIK. OH MY STARS I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHEN OUR LAST ONE WAS. It will be Little Tokyo for lunch, then Wako. I AM SO EXCITED.

Hurrah for the weekend!

Life ruiners, among other things

Hello people who read this blog.

If you see me this week and you're getting a hint that I want to spend some money, please, for the love of everything holy, stop me. Remind me that I have just paid for my tuition and am still paying for the buy-one-take-one shoes bought last May 1 and for the Phantom ticket bought last April, and couldn't possibly afford to spend my money on a whim. CANNOT. I REPEAT. I CANNOT. 

Usually, I remember that I'm broke not rich (every time I look at my wallet, I am reminded), but it would be good to have a support group. XD

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This has been a great year for book-reading so far. I've read more books than the number of months that have passed this year (HAH!): 

1. 1Q84
2. The Feet of Juan Bacnang
3. To Kill A Mockingbird
4. Solo Flight
5. The Case for Christ
6. A Grief Observed
7. Before Ever After

And on that note, #8 in the list is this:

THE RED NECKLACE! Thank goodness for Fully Booked - they transferred one copy from some branch to the Greenbelt 5 branch just for me to get it. =D The book looks lovely for P335, it even has some of the words printed in red. 

Anyway, I bought this book to go along with the audiobook version that I got last week. I expect that I'll be in that fine point between getting lost in the story and marveling at the awesomeness of Tom Hiddleston voicing all of the characters - that fine point is called life ruination 

Anyway, I haven't read historical European fiction since The Constant Princess, so...yeah. 

HOMGICANTWAITFORHIDDLESTOREADTHISSTORYTOME

Lists

IT'S FRAAAIIIDEEEYYYYY /freakout

I'm in the mood for making a list. So, I shall make one.

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A reading list, that is! Probably this book has got something to do with it. I'm now halfway through Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto, whom I've met last Saturday (the post, in case you missed it).

Romance isn't really my home genre when it comes to books, so you could just imagine me sighing with relief when I found out that this book isn't the typical romance novel. It's fantasy, which is totally in my home court. XD

It's been a good page-turner so far. Getting into the flow of the story was hard for the first few pages though, because I couldn't keep up with the descriptions. I'm like...oh wait, she has diarrhea? When did that happen? and so my eyes scan the page again to see what I missed. I eventually got used to it, and now I'm progressing at a very comfortable pace.

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Oh oh, and I got my first audiobook yesterday - The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner, as narrated by Tom freaking Hiddleston. ALL YOUR ARGUMENTS ARE INVALID. 

In spite of Hiddleston's awesomesauce tulo-laway voice, I still long for the written word. My carnal fangirl tendencies make me concentrate less on the story and more on the voice behind the audio book - which isn't so bad because Hiddleston's voice is like HOMGTHICKDARKCHOCOLATE THAT YOU CAN HAVE AND YOU WON'T GET ANY ALLERGIES. With that being said, I think I'll have to buy the book and read it while listening to the audiobook; otherwise, I'll be lost in the story (and instead be raptured in Hiddleston's voice - whether it may be the girl character or the Scottish one or the Count...bwahahahahahahahaha).

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Dear Weather sages, 

Please make up your minds if it's going to rain or if it's going to be sunny.

Achoo,

JC

Running

For the past weeks, I've made a conscious effort to make an appointment with myself to run at least once a week. It's been easy ever since I went on vacation from school, because Mondays are obviously my running days (by default, I go home at 7PM due to color coding in Makati). I wonder how that will change when first term comes, but that's for another blog post.

Anyway, I've been running...or as a classmate has aptly put it, tume-Temple Run ako sa Legaspi Park. Temple Run dahil talagang parang naglalaro ka talaga ng Temple Run kung doon ka tatakbo! Hahahahahaha! Marami kasing pasikot-sikot, maraming obstacles (insects and fellow runners included), and the feel of turning is very reminiscent of   the player's perspective when playing Temple Run. I make it a point that I run at least 3K everytime I'm there (a commitment I've kept to heart, so far =D).

I've noticed a few things when I run there, and I don't know if this applies to running in general, but here they are:

1. Running is a lot like driving, or rather it should be like driving, in the sense that if your pace is slow, you keep right, but if you're keen on passing the others, you take the left side. I learned this because most of the fast ones stayed on the left side. 
2. And in light of #1, there are some runners who aren't exactly aware of this, which, if I may refer to driving again, are like some drivers here who insist on staying on the left lane of the expressway even if their speed is at a measly 60KPH.
3. Running outside is nothing like running on a treadmill or an exerciser. The latter has its benefits - I don't get skin asthma attacks, I can adjust the weight of the pedals for a more challenging run, and I don't necessarily have to keep track of the distance I'm running cause there's a gadget that does it for me. Doing it outside, however, makes you enjoy the scenery, and gives you the real feeling of actually running that makes the experience on a treadmill seem like a lie. XD

But here's what I really miss - playing badminton. Ye gads, this was an almost every other day thing when I was in Laguna. YE GADS. I am so out of shape.

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Behold, next term's schedule. The amo actually had a say with my schedule, which was pretty much how I wanted it to work out. The Monday class is Copywriting and the Tuesday class is E-Marketing. 

My professor for Copywriting goes to the same church as I do (which isn't exactly good news XDDD), and I told him this past Sunday that I already enrolled in his class. Here's what he told me:

Prof: Alam mo ba kung ilan ang nakapasa sa akin last term?
Me: Ilan po?
Prof: 10 out of 23.
Me: HUUUUWAAAAAAAAT?!
Prof: Well, hindi naman sila bumagsak, pero mga 1.5...eh diba nga 2.0 yung minimum grade?
Me: HUUUUWAAAAAAAAT?!?!

So with this, I think I must shelve the possibility of getting a 4.0. There goes my CGPA. /sigh

Anyway, it's not like I want to run for Latin honors or anything - like with undergrad, I'll just give it my best shot, so by the time the grades come in I will have no regrets.

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One of the biggest life lessons I've had the past year or so is this: I'm hardly ever prepared. Over the past year, I've been given so much responsibilities - in work (oh dear Lord I can't even), in church...and I'm hoping I don't get more family-related responsibilities muna cause that will be too much. XD Whenever a new responsibility comes, one of the first thoughts that pops into my head is how prepared am I to take on it; and the personal assessment - most of the time - is that I'm not.

But, another thing I've realized is this: although I'm not prepared when the responsibility is given, the preparedness comes while I persevere towards the goal. It's rather fascinating how things and major events of late have turned out in this fashion. Being the perfectionist that I am, this is the kind of scenario that really frustrates me - of course, it's only natural that I want things to turn out in this way or so help me! 

So right now, if you ask me if I'm ready to lead a band, or to manage an entire business unit, I will most likely tell you that I am hardly ever prepared. And it only gets better from there on in.

Happily ever after - a longer version this time

As promised, I am posting about the Author event that happened yesterday. Of course, I have to repost the epic Samantha Sotto photoset, and along with that my pictures with our other speakers  - Larry Gamboa, RJ Ledesma, Charles Tan, and Grace D. Chong (I had to be the host during the afternoon session. HOST!!!!! /dedz).

I feel really privileged to have organized this event (though it is rather tiring, LOL. By the time the event ended I realized I had a poor excuse of a meal for lunch and had next to nothing for merienda. I would have crashed along Pasay Road if weren't for CBTL.). But being a reader and a writer myself, having to listen to all of these people talk about their author journey is nothing less than inspiring.

About this time last year, I remember that I was seriously contemplating on returning to Manila even if it meant resigning from work and being unemployed. There was so much uncertainty during that time, as well as self-doubt.

But looking back on it now, I realized I didn't have to fret so much. From that very low point last year, I'm now meeting people whom I though I'd never meet in my lifetime, learning new things at a speed that I'm not used to, and taking on responsibilities that I never even thought I'd handle...oh, and did I mention writing a book?! It's all just amazing. It's far from "living a dream", but it's far from half-bad.

And on this note, you've just been Loki'd. #appropriatelokireactiongifisappropriate

Happily ever after

So today, I...
1. Asked Samantha Sotto to autograph my copy of Before Ever After---
2. And not just any autograph - but a GEEKY autograph---
3. And I asked her if we could do a wacky shot.
Check, check, and check.

(Autograph says: To JC, Find your inner chicken. Love, Sam).

 MY DAY. IT IS MADE.

 Ms. Sam, if you're reading this, thank you so much for being a sport to my wacky/off-the-beaten-track whims during Project Author today. It's the first time I met an author to whom I can actually relate to, especially when you were gushing over Dr. Who!

It was such an honor to have heard the story of before Before Ever After. Now, I really have to keep on writing. Thank you also for giving me the tip of texting myself in order to store book/plot ideas in the middle of the night. XDDD

(Okay, I know what's written above is pretty much what I posted on FB and Tumblr, but I just want to get this down cause I'm still in utter disbelief of what happened! Hahahaha! I'll probably blog more about this event in the next few days.)

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Okay. I seriously need a day off. SO TIREEEEEDDDDD.

Tomorrow - 2PM service, and SLEEPTIEMZ. And maybe BLOGTIEMZ also. Let's see...