Monster randomness post | Hiatus

Hello people of the intarwebz.

Updates are really hard to come by, being UNBELIEVABLY BUSY the past weeks. But, as usual, Tumblr and Twitter have been updated religiously, but nothing beats a blog post. I'm about to do a monster update.

The first term has been overcome...with a 3.5 on both subjects. Considering how hard this term was together with the workload outside school, I'm very, very happy with these grades. =D

The second term began last week, with Media Planning every Thursday and Public Relations every Monday. Based on inside info I got from my classmates, I have a strong feeling that this term will be very reminiscent of undergrad classes. HAHAHA! I don't know if that's good. I hope it is. XD

Also, I won't have any class at RCBC. THANK GOODNESS. I don't want to have another class at that campus again. Death by aircon lagi.

 

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I did my MIBF shopping yesterday! =D

I love MIBF. The atmosphere is soooo good in spite of the thick crowd. Oh, and the books are pretty cheap, too.

This was the damage, este, loot this year. I lost my small NASB, so I bought a compact thinline NIV. I've seen this in bookstores before, but didn't buy it because I thought P1,550 to be too steep. I found this particular copy (IN PURPLE) in the fair, its last price was *drumroll please* P945. Without a doubt, this year's best buy.

The Elements of Style is a recommended required reading for our Copywriting class. I got an ebook last term and read through parts of it, and realized that this book was too good that a physical copy was a must. The version I bought was illustrated and printed on glossy paper. It looked like a woman in a LBD. Last price: P479.20.

I heard Any Human Heart was good. It must be, because Fully Booked had to transfer its last copy from its Rockwell branch for me to purchase at the MIBF.  I love you, FB. Thank you, Lucy. Last price: P502.40.

I have read The Hobbit when I was in college, but never owned a copy. This one, like The Elements of Style, had illustrations, was LARGE (fairy tale book size) and printed on glossy paper, for a very reasonable price of P576.

Hay, new books. Too bad I can't read them until November 15.

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Bad decisions make good stories. In lieu of which, this blog will be on hiatus effective today until November 15. Other haunts (Tumblr, Twitter, and yes...even FB) will be inactive as well.  =D

It's for the best, really. I think I'll do the occasional reply to @ tweets, but nothing out of my own volition.

So, until November 15, then. =D 

By the way, my birthday is on November 5. OHSNAPWAIT

"And so it goes with God."

I was finally able to finish Life of Pi last week, and I must say that unless another book of this caliber ends up on my shelf (whether part of the loot of the upcoming MIBF or after), this will be my favorite book for the year. I was in tears when it ended.

The title of this blog post came from that part where I lost all composure. I don't want to spoil anything, but that answer made sense of the impossible, of the incomprehensible.

My copy of this book came with a reading group guide, and one of the questions was this: How does it (the last few lines of the story) relate to the claim that this is a story "that will make you believe in God?" My answer to this is quite simple - this book will make you believe in God because it is an impossible story, and God is a God who makes all things possible.

One thing common about the religions dabbled upon in this book is that each of them had its own story, and with these, they brought to the table its own unique traits. Hinduism was about continuity and connectedness. Islam was all about brotherhood and devotion. Christianity was about love and undeserved grace. All of these elements were touched upon in this book, and in my perspective, did not give one preference over the other.

For me, that was the beauty of Life of Pi. It wasn't a "religious" book, for what I saw was a guy who got stranded on a boat with a tiger, a hyena, a zebra, and an orangutan (plus some rats and cockroaches) who knew well enough that he wouldn't survive the ordeal. But instead of giving up, he surrendered his life to a Higher Being, and made use of everything in his surroundings in order to survive. What was put on a pedestal here wasn't the religion, but rather, the relationship that person had with God. And in the end, it was never about religion. It was all about the relationship.

This was a story of faith - that even if it's the size of a mustard seed, we could command the Bengal tigers of our lives into submission. This was a story of waiting on God, knowing that what had been promised will come to pass; a story of expectation - that we could have such wild hope over something that was unseen. This was a story of love - that we could love an unseen, and yet true God, who loves and cares for us more than what we deserve.

I SUPER TO THE DUPER HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. =D Oh, and even better, the movie comes out this year. =D

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I watched The Phantom of The Opera last Saturday. And like with Life of Pi, I CRIED.

It was AWESOME. The only coherent thing I can say about it now is that it's worth every centavo. Just GO AND BUY YOUR TICKET, and don't fret over the price, because it won't disappoint.

My favorite part, as I have already raved on FB, was when "The Phantom of the Opera" was sung. It was EPIC - stage design, vocals, acting, the orchestra (HNNNG THE ORCHESTRA) - everything. When the song ended, I wiped my tears and let go of the railings from which I've been holding on to furiously. 

I wonder though why I didn't cry in the finale. The people whom I've talked to who have watched this told me that that part got to them so bad. Apparently, another part got me. XD

I truly hope this won't be my last Broadway show. When Les Miz comes here, I will DEFINITELY WATCH, being my namesake is there. =D

--- --- ---

Here are some other awesome things that happened since I last posted:

• The Project Wendy photoshoot happened. If you're in the Tom Hiddleston fandom, you'd know what this was for. We had so much fun. Personally, I've never been more proud of the photos I've taken with this shoot. I also finally got to go to Paco Park (being the Rizal fangirl that I am, it would be an absolute TRAVESTY if I didn't set foot here), which was OSAM. 
•  THRANDUIL ELVENKING WAS FINALLY REVEALED. I was a mess last Friday. I was weeping (sincerely!) from all of the emotions. Lee Pace looked so bad-ass and ethereal at the same time. Just. HNNNNNG. He will definitely be something to look forward to in this super extended movie version of The Hobbit. I wonder though, if Thranduil will be on all three movies. Hmmmmm...
• Finals for me will officially end tomorrow with our presentation for E-marketing. I'm preparing myself, in case we have to dance GANGNAM STYLE to get the attention of our panel. I hope that this won't push through (LIKE HECK YES PLEASE SANA NGA)
• I've been writing my book. =D
• I'm on leave from stage ministry.

And...that's pretty much it! 

Accident, work, and school randomness

So, we got into a car accident last Friday.

I think I have accident-related trauma. The state of the back of the Innova really disturbs me - whether live or looking at the pictures I took. Since the back windshield is only patched up with plastic wrap, whenever I ride in the car I could hear the cars behind (even with the iPod on), and it adds to the stress. I really hope that we get it fixed soon.

Drunk Lady Driver Who Drank During Ramadan (that's how I will refer to her from now on) is showing signs of not wanting to fulfill her end of the deal (read: paying for damages, which were quoted at a whopping Php160K+++ by Toyota), and tried appealing to the better nature of the parental units this Sunday.  As for me, I have yet to summon up a "better nature" towards her. My press release, for now, is "no mercy".

If she doesn't fulfill her end of the deal, ehhh...well. I shall keep mum.

Apparently, she doesn't know the difference between a slap and a grab. I grabbed her during the heat of things because she was getting away, and I haven't had my fill of my solo shots of her. I was told later on that she actually screamed, "Bakit mo ako sinasampal?" Eh tanga pala siya eh. I would have resorted to a suntok for what she did to us, cause a sampal won't do enough justice.

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Yesterday, six years ago, was my first day of work in my first job. For perspective, here's a photo of my first EVER office desk, taken during my second day of work. =D Peg: tabula rasa =D

I don't really think the years are significant. If they're 10 or 20, then YEAH! If there's anything that holds any weight, it's the experiences I've had and gained from those six years. For all of them - good, bad, and horrible - I am truly grateful. 

--- --- ---

Finals hell has finally arrived.

Monday was supposedly our finals for Copywriting until DLSU announced that there will be changes to the academic calendar, which included regular classes on August 20 and 21 (IN SPITE OF BEING HOLIDAYS).

Anyway, the jingle I made got a 98% (WAZZUP?!). The presentation is done, awaiting Q&A, where in I hope to bare my fangs, este, play my cards (and show a little bit of fangs in the process...maybe, just maybe...)

Enrollment also happened today, and it looks like I'll be having a Monday-Thursday schedule. Monday - PR (oooh); Thursday - Media Planning (oooooh - I know nada zilch nil about this).

--- --- ---

Will probably be incognito for the next few weeks...until finals hell subsides. 

Toodles. =D

Yup. Still Alive.

I have been remiss in updating this place. But I haven't been really away, because if you looked hard enough, you'd notice that I have two new static pages above! *points*

• Seen/Written is my humble, short collective of written work, posted in some shape or form online - Seen for photography, Written for prose. 
• Books is my growing list of books that I'm open to lend out (to close friends, initially). I was supposed to put up a book club with this person here (AND I HAVE BEEN REMISS ON THAT AS WELL, I AM SO SORRY) but stuff happened that made us unable to do it. Anyway, in an effort to get something started, I've put up my own list of books for loan. This list is still a work in progress; I'm sure I haven't included everything that I have at home.

--- --- ---

So, what has been happening the past few weeks?

• I've been meeting a lot of new people (if I've met you the past two weeks or so and you're reading this, hi!)
• I'm getting required book readings again, and I'm so delayed with finishing them. Required book readings, by the way, aren't the same with wala lang book readings (Read: stuff I want to read)
• I co-composed and arranged a song (emphasis on co- because there's no way I can do it from the ground up). We have this ongoing workshop-slash-book report thing for Music that required us to make a song. I got the recordings of all the songs through email this week, and yeah...hearing my own voice is sooooo awkward *goosebumps* 
• I got paid to do graphic design work in exchange for books (best payment I ever received aside from cash [duh]).
• I ventured once more into snail mail! I called this Operation Liham. The details of the letter can be found on that link. I can't even remember the last time I sent snail mail. It was probably even before 2000. YEGADS

In class, I'm starting to see my most favorite line of Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged in an entirely new light. (Read: SCREW THE RULES.) I'm also seeing a very significant shift in my responsibilities at work, and once again, I find myself hardly prepared.

--- --- ---

This Wednesday, when I went to midweek, I was told by two people that they really like the way I sing this particular song. I am really floored when people say nice things about what I do, whether it's with singing or with work, because more often than not, I am harder on myself than most people are.

But, what I find really funny is that there were other people who told me the same thing for the same song. At first, I was thinking, "Teka, nag-usap ba kayo?" Hahahahaha! But, it seemed highly unlikely because the interval between this Wednesday and the last time I got a similar compliment was more than a year. So...yeah, I don't think nag-usap sila. XD

I guess it's because [1] I love the song; [2] I absolutely LOVE Brooke Fraser (read: girl crush); and [3] there are many ways to sing a song, but very few ways to sing it right. I consider #3 to be the most important, because you can have less of #1 and absolutely none of #2, and still do justice to a song - as long as you sing it right.

Truth be told, I remember messing up Hosanna so many times to the point of not wanting to sing that song in public again, so to hear these things out of the blue is so uplifting.

I must be doing something right. It may not be as bad as I think it is. (Applying the temperaments, the melancholic in me has to seriously chill. XD)

And on this note, gusto ko na uli magkaroon ng raket! Nakakapagod din ang work-school-church lagi! Wala bang mga ikakasal diyan? (Bwahahaha tama ba ito? XDDD)

Dissolved | Mixing and matching

This Monday, I got the biggest scare of my grad school life. My Copywriting class was dissolved.

DISSOLVED. This was unheard of during my undergrad (you pretty much should expect a full class almost all the time with the sheer size of CBE), and so when it was announced. I thought, "Now what the heck am I supposed to do now? MY MISCELLANEOUS FEES ARE JUST AS HIGH AS THREE UNITS OF LOAD, AND NOW I AM DEPRIVED OF ONE SUBJECT?!"

There was a lot of drama that involved going to the Department, the Registrar's Office, and the Library (trip to the latter wasn't related to requesting for a special class, but simply to return the equipment I borrowed, which should have been used if weren't for the announcement). I don't know if I was high on something, but when I came home I didn't eat even if I was hungry, and it took me a long time to get to sleep, and I woke up before 4AM, which was waaaaay too early. 

To cut the story short, today I got an email that the class has been made regular again. /sigh  But seriously, I cannot endure again the drama of a dissolved class. Ayoko na.

--- --- ---

Okay. Hot topic on the Internet this week - the Bayo ad. How quickly did we move on from the Coronanovela, people? XD Anyway, I digress.

I don't find the add offensive. I just think it is poorly worded. I am 100% Filipino, but if you've seen me, I can easily pass for another Asian race: Chinese (I get this all the time), Korean (which intensifies when I am beside one, or heavens, if I sing a K-pop song), and surprisingly, Japanese (now this I find kind of odd, cause I fangirl Japanese people, and I don't look like them at all. But when I dress like one, let's just say that it's a story for another time. XD). I'm pretty sure I could also pass for Malaysian.

I bring this up because of this: How do you define what the "Filipino" race is, to begin with? As early as Grade 1, we were taught that our race primarily sprung from the Ita, Indones, and Malay. They were immigrants, and not indigenous to the land. Add to that the 333 years of Spanish colonization, which resulted into the mestizos and mestizas. Oh, and let us not forget the chinitas and chinitos as well, cause the Chinese thrived during the colonial period as well. 

What's my point? I think that the Filipino race has ALWAYS been mixed from the very beginning. Yes, there are some theories that there were indigenous people prior to the arrival of the I, I, and M - but it's simply theory. The point is, we have been mixed and matched from the start pa lang. Almost everyone has claim to Spanish blood (I have, for one. No verified claim for Chinese - yet!) that it's hardly anything special - unless, of course, you are almost pure-bred mestizo. 

Anyway, this isn't really a big deal (for me). If I have to break down my mix, I'll have to say I'm 57% water, 20% Lasallian, 10% mad, and 3% Trekkie. 

I laugh at mixing and matching. I do what I want. 

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.

--- --- ---

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 

--- --- ---

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.

--- --- ---

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. =)

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.

--- --- ---

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.

--- --- ---

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.

You reap what you sow

Reaping time has begun.

KWATRO.

(with hagod)

I wish I could call this a repeat of the First Term Epic Grand Slam but it really isn't...first of all, I only have one subject this term, whereas during the first term, I had a full load for a part-time student. But looking at the bright side, this term also had its own brand of "epic grand slam", in the sense that I had to handle a full load of work and ministry, along with school. 

The real test though happens when I go full load again next term. /sigh I hope I can deal with it.

--- --- ---

Anyway, I have two events coming up, and if perchance you are interested in any of these, please leave a comment with your email address so I can send you more details :-) 

• Friday, April 27: The Happy at Work 2.0 Conference 2012. Happy at Work is an event that seeks to share best practices on employee engagement and happiness in the workplace. Recent studies on positive psychology have shown that it is happiness that fuels success, and not the other way around. We've got really good speakers (award-winning), so it's definitely value for money.
• Saturday, May 5: Project Author. This is BIGGER than the one last December. We actually have Samantha Sotto as one of our speakers (yes, the Samantha Sotto who wrote Before Ever After). Also invited are Grace Chong (her talk is wonderful, believe me), who's an amazing down-to-earth person in spite of her five Palanca awards and 30 books; RJ Ledesma (It Only Hurts When I Pee and three other books), and Larry Gamboa (Think Rich, Pinoy!, and two others). We also invited Flipside Digital Publishing's Honeylein De Peralta, and her talk's a must-listen if you want to get the lowdown on e-books, a publishing route that's established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

Again, if you're interested, please leave a comment with your name and email address so I can send you more details. We've got discounts available, plus these are two events that have wonderful content. You won't be disappointed.

Please also pray for me - these three weeks will be very tough on me (it's kind of like hell week last December). 

--- --- ---

Now reading: A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. I knew this had to be included in my reading list after last year's happenings. I think it will be very interesting to see how the famous apologetic dealt with grief, and how he wrestled with God throughout the entire grieving process.

I tried to keep a grief journal. I was dead serious with doing it that I even bought a notebook for it. But, I only got to write a few pages. It was tough writing about my personal grief story. Finding the words to describe how you feel is both a fearful and challenging ordeal. Fearful, because in many ways I wasn't prepared to face my grief, and instead opted to put layer upon layer upon layer of protection (work, getting more work, getting more and more work) over my true feelings at the time, and shedding all of it would be like opening a can of worms. Challenging, because putting words to describe "grief" on a page is like limiting the definition of my personal grief. One word, like "depression", or maybe "longing" puts limits on the overall scheme of things. 

Until today, many pages are left blank. 

By the way, I highly recommend The Case for Christ. Like, mark it as one of your must reads before you turn 30 or before you turn agnostic/atheist...or something. XD

Book buy this month (and probably the only buy, because I have stuff to pay for) is...finally my own Maxwell Leadership Bible. If you've been to the bookstore, you know how much this costs - over P1000 bucks (when I went to the MIBF last year, it was P1200 I think). I got mine - a brand new copy - for a price that screamed YOU'LL SO REGRET NOT BUYING ME SO BUY ME NOW.

There was a time I got second-hand, yet very good condition leather bound Bibles (like BIG ones) for a thousand bucks (got my big NIV and NASB from that source). But this ... I got for much cheaper than that. *grin*

Finally

FINAL PRESENTATION - DONE
April 1
3-in-1 instant coffee

Finals is done and out of the way,. The group I belonged to got a perfect score!  *hurraaaaaah* Our group is sort of notorious for not following directions and contradicting the professor (for the latter, I think I should say that I'm the one who publicly contradicts the professor most of the time XD), but for our final presentation we were commended for recommending strategies that were different from the leading brand. Huzzaaaaah!

--- --- ---

It's Holy Week again, and I've decided to use the downtime to write my book. I worked on a chapter that I started over a month ago (ye gads), and just when I thought I finished it, I realized I haven't...so I had to backtrack and add some details to it, until I saw the time and had to move on to another activity.

Like with the past Holy Weeks, I have to juggle rest with church work. It's a good thing that this Holy Week isn't as stressful. Last year was the Mary Magdalene thing. I'm happy to say that I have finally retired playing the harlot, and have moved on to other things. XD

--- --- ---

I have been reading. 

Yesterday, I finished Solo Flight, written by Ms. Grace and Francie Castaneda-Lacanilao, which I bought during the author event that I managed last December. This book was a very easy and enlightening read. I would recommend this to singles in their late 20s, 30s, 40s, even 50s. =) It's got an excellent perspective on the single life that's very well grounded on biblical principles. 

My copy (which is autographed, by the way =D) has highlights on some parts, and there were times that I wanted to put underlines on some parts that really resonated, but I didn't have a pen handy. The bottom line of this book is (for me), is that the single life is in no way a half-lived life. =D

Next in the pipeline is this book, which I bought at a very low price (P125!). I've never read a book that attacks this topic from a legalese/journalist perspective, and it's been a good read so far (and might I add, timely due to the Holy Week).

I like book bargains. I regret that I don't got to Booksale that often. I think I may sell some of my books (the ones that I'm not so crazy about) sometime this year, or probably give them away to someone who will take care of them.  And still on the subject of books, I still haven't made that master list of books that I've been intending to make. /sigh

One thing is for sure - I may start a book club with someone. =D I'm actually quite excited about the idea. I have no idea how a book club should be run, though. I'm doing some research on how one is formed and how a meeting is conducted, and how a book is selected to be the reading material for the month. Nevertheless, this is something I find very exciting and worth spending time on.

--- --- ---

I hope I get to write a lot in the days to come. And, by writing, this includes blog posts as well /sigh.

Toodles.

Just another dying ★

Bagyo Berde was, needless to say, very memorable. Why it was isn't because of euphoria of singing in open air at the Alma Mater (it was very stressful, IMO). The journey to getting there is a better story to tell. A Chinese proverb says, the journey is the reward.

In a nutshell, I'm very grateful for being a finalist. I was expecting that we would at least place (keeping positive vibes, of course), but the songs that we did were risky, given the genre of the other 10 bands that played (we called our genre jazz + funk = junk). Deviating from rock was our idea of a "winning" strategy, but alas. 

Anyway, People's Choice isn't a bad spot to be in. In fact, just two days ago, we performed again at the Alma Mater for The Art of Cosplay.  Now this thing right here was quite interesting. We were told that we're getting a televised performance as our prize for winning People's Choice, and we had to be in school by 5:30 PM. Then, I was told that on the  day that we were performing in a competition, which made me panic because we didn't have any practice. When I arrived at the venue, I found myself in a COSPLAY event. And, should I say it? NHK WAS THERE. 

If you're ID 102 and lower/higher (until probably ID 104/105), you'll understand how shocking this is - COSPLAY. IN DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE OBEY-OR-BE-DAMNED DRESS CODE? Gosh, back in the day, we couldn't even come up with a cosplay event, we only stuck with the usual Miyazaki film showings, Minna Utao! and of course the cultural activities like sadou, but a cosplay is an event that NKK could only dream of producing during my time. This event, from what I've gathered, had the support of the CLA Graduate Student Council (solid backing, if I may say so myself), with NKK and I think another org...so a combined force can definitely stage an event like this.

Anyway, I digress. Had I known that we would be performing in a COSPLAY event, I would have brought out my Rinoa costume (sans long hair, of course), or prepare a J-pop song that's bandworthy. Alas, alas...

What was common about yesterday's performance and last Wednesday's was the sheer difficulty of setting up the instruments. Tuesday was understandable, but last Wednesday was just beyond me. We  had a sound check prior to the event, but we still had setup/audio problems. 

The delay was shorter last Wednesday compared to Tuesday, though. In fact, it got so long that I couldn't think of anything witty to say to the audience. So, I flipped through my head (a la iPod) some of the recent J-pop/anime themes that I knew by heart, and said, "Okay lang ba na kumanta ng J-pop na acapella?" I wasn't entirely sure what response I got (yes/heck no/whatever), but I went with my gut and blurted out, "This is LET IT OUT by Miko Fukuhara." Boom. I sang the verse, then the chorus. It was nearly mechanical, the way I did it. I've only sung the song in Wako (HAHAHAHA). If you're reading this and you were there, I give my humblest of floorbows or my widest of smiles to you, whichever is appropriate. =D

Anyway, after that, we got to play our two songs. Both were pretty smooth-sailing. The Wednesday performance was obviously more stressful than Tuesday's. On the basis of my performance alone, I think Tuesday was better; I mostly blame myself being so stressed about the performance last Wednesday, and partly on the stage monitor (I had to walk to the house just to hear myself).

I think a shout-out to Noey is in order for cheering me on two days ago (sorry talaga, I didn't realize it was you until I saw you up close /fail), and had I known that she was performing I would have attempted leaving the office earlier. =) And, on the subject of shout-outs, if you cheered on for us last Wednesday either by going to DLSU, or voted for us through text/coin bank, plugged us on the radio, or lifted us up in prayer, THANK YOU. This win is yours just as much as it is ours.

--- --- ---

This song was on repeat the weekend before Bagyo Berde. I was happy to have this on repeat, in spite of it bringing tears to my eyes everytime I listened to it. Basically, it puts the whole experience into the right perspective. :-)

[static] Support Cherry Cherry Boom Boom at Bagyo Berde - the DLSU Centennial Battle of the Bands

Cherry Cherry Boom Boom (a 100% Lasallian band!) will be performing next Wednesday at Bagyo Berde - the Centennial Battle of the Bands of De La Salle University.

There are many ways you can support the band! We will appreciate it if you can come and watch us at 6PM next Wednesday at the Amphitheater. Tickets are being sold at Php150 along Miguel and Velasco Halls of the Alma Mater, as well as in the SDA Building of DLS-CSB.

If you cannot come on Wednesday night, you can still support us by doing any or all of the following:

1. Vote for us. If you have a Smart number, text BAGYOBERDE <space> POLL <space> 3 and send to 700DLSU (7003578). That's "BAGYOBERDE POLL 3" and send to 7003578. If you don't have a Smart number, you can go to the Bagyo Berde booth along Miguel and get a Smart SIM for free. You can also pasa load to my Smart Bro number 09396652946 so I can use whatever load you send to me to vote for CCBB. If you will pasa load to my Smart Bro, please text me on my Globe number (wahahahahaha!).
2. If you are in DLSU until 5:00 PM, visit the Bagyo Berde booth (either along Velasco or Miguel) and drop a few bills in the Cherry Cherry Boom Boom coin bank/can. 
3. Donate to Youth Church (YC) of Church of God-Makati. Our entry is fully supported by the youth ministry of our church. Your money will go a long way towards building up leaders out of our youth in Makati, and in other places of the metro and beyond. 

Thank you!

This is so epic I can't even find the words to describe it

On music and writing

These two have got me pretty much occupied during the week.

Let's start with the music:

Bagyo Berde, the centennial battle of the bands of DLSU, will be held on February 8 at Amphi starting 6:00 PM (request for leave has been GRANTED!). Cherry Cherry Boom Boom is the last among the 10  finalists who will be performing. Buti na lang - that gives our fans/adoring public/relentless supporters friends and family ample time to come to DLSU to cheer for us.

We're still in the planning stages of our setlist (I have no idea how many songs we have to sing XD), and said plans will have to remain secret until Feb 8. (I mean, you can never tell if someone from the enemy is stalking this blog, right?! LOL!)

The videos of the audition will be posted by the organizers soon. Once that's up, I'll be sharing it here.

I've also resumed keyboard lessons last Saturday. I'm actually enjoying it a lot, but I'm having trouble finding time to practice at home with Angela. /lesigh

--- --- ---

Next up: writing. The second session was really interesting - we had to brainstorm through post-its (a very unconventional method, mind you) in order to come up with our book title and cover. I think I have a firm title for the book that I'm co-authoring (again -  I still cannot believe I'm doing this. /slapface) and a book cover as well. POST-ITS. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT. 

Oh, and here's our first class pic:

Booyaaah

Yup, I have to post it again. Our "band" got in the battle of the bands of DLSU, which will be held on February 8. A little research was done some of the competition we're facing, and we learned that some of the bands hold regular gigs (and have FB pages!). I thought to myself, if one would consider our Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday assignments as gigs, then we hold at least two each week! We just don't have a Facebook page. /heehee

One of the songs we did during the audition was Oo by Up Dharma Down. Learning it was such a challenge - I couldn’t nail the vocal by just listening to it a hundred times, and listening to it a hundred times wasn’t possible, since I was given the song less than two days before the audition date. Oh, and to aggravate things further, my fellow band members did a bossa arrangement for the song. Bossa is a genre I am NOT comfortable singing with.

So, on the eve of audition day, I wrote the lyrics down and “drew” the melody (see left). Then, I practiced it. By the time we did the audition, I nearly forgot some of the words, but at least I nailed the melody. =D

Now that we’re in, we're so excited! They chose only 10 out of 46 bands that auditioned! For sure, wala na akong kodigo by February 8 (hahaha!!!). We'll be getting t-shirts to wear for the finals - I found two sponsors and I've drafted various shirt designs already. We have no setlist yet, or a solid original song, but we have time to prepare. =)

I'M SO LOOKING FORWARD TO FEB 8

WE GOT IN. THIS MAKES ME SOOOO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY.

(salamat kay Lady Gaga for the name of our band XD)

Been kind of busy in this part of the woods

I live.

And I've got a pretty lame good excuse for the lack of posts:

• Work. Um, yeah, pretty obvious, but will elaborate
• Class has begun, and we have to do some taste testing and rate attributes of the food, etc. etc. 
• Church stuff

... and these three commitments are basically what have been keeping me busy since last year, which leads me to think that these excuses are indeed lame. *facepalm* I'll just have to find more time to blog.

I'm contemplating on buying a .me domain, by the way. I'll probably do this when I have decided on a domain name. I don't want it under my name, and inasmuch as I want it to be wonderingwhattodowithdaylight.me, it's too long. 

Anyway, moooooving on.

--- --- ---

Church stuff - I'm getting a lesser load of assignments for the first three months of the year, which I really appreciate. That means I can devote more time to the other church commitments (hahahaha).

Most immediate among these commitments is actually not church-related, but will involve the youth ministry. We're auditioning for this thing here:

By the way, may band room pala sa STRC?! SINCE WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? All I did in STRC was run around and exercise during ROTC days!

Saka ko na ikukuwento yung experience ng pag-audition when the results are out. All I can say for now is that I am soooo relieved that I was able to sing bossa. I thought I didn't have it in me. Salamat sa mga bandmates ko, OSUM kayo. XD

--- --- ---

Ahhh. Work. I remember a verse in Ecclesiastes that says enjoying the fruits of your labor is a gift from God. This is especially true this month, since I was asked to participate in one of the projects I am managing - the author mentoring program I was talking about in the previous blog post. 

One of the assignments is to send invites to friends that you are launching a book. I don't really know the emails of my friends (plus they check their Facebook more often than email anyway), so I decided to post the "invite" there:

Mga friends, by faith I will be signing copies of my first book at the Manila International Book Fair this year, and I'd like to invite all of you when that happens! I don't know the book title yet, but it will be about how you can fulfill your dream of becoming an author. Heart is seriously pounding triple time as I type this. #thisisanassignmentfortheauthorclass #ihavetocomply #youhavenoideahowscarediam #idontshowmyworktopeople #gettingpublishedisbothexcitingandscary

The hashtags speak the truth. #youhavenoidea

A lot of people liked and commented that they were excited for me - some were even congratulating me already, which got me even more scared!

While most of the people I was growing up with wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be an astronomer, a surgeon, or an author. But out of all of these three dream ambitions, the one I worked on the most as a kid was becoming an author (Second to that is becoming an astronomer - I learned how to spot constellations and near stars as a kid, and I can still remember how to do this now. I never really worked on becoming a surgeon - when it came to dissecting frogs I decided to strike that out of my list XD).

If my memory serves me right, I finished my first fiction story when I was 7 or 8 years old, and it was written in pencil on scratch paper that was the kind used for dot matrix printers. I think the only reason why I did that was because [1] there were no notebooks available, and [2] nobody in the house would suspect that I would write something important on scratch paper, cause as early as that, I had an unexplainable fear of people reading my stories.

Oh, by the way, my first story was - you wouldn't guess it - FANFICTION! (of what series it was about I will carry to my grave - I think only one person knows what series it is, and I pray said person doesn't remember anymore XD) 

At about that age too, I started keeping a diary. It was the "Dear [name of diary] (yes, I did that!), Today was really fun because I spent the day in school...", and here I would chronicle a day in my geek-outsider grade school life.

I also remember a time during Grade 5 when I was so mad (at what or who I don't want to say =D) that I decided to throw away everything that I have written thus far - and that included the first story that I wrote on dot matrix paper, and the first diary that I kept. I regret doing that now - I mean, how nostalgic would it be if I saw what I wrote twenty years ago, diba?

During high school, I wrote for the school paper (news, features, the usual lot), and I also wrote an original fiction piece - the first one that got published (with much fear on my part!). It was was supposedly a four-part story (with the assumption that we publish an issue every quarter), but we were only able to release one issue that schoolyear (haha fail). Buti na lang that happened, cause the story was kind of dark for a Christian school - dark in the sense na a character was killed, there's mention of blood, and this will be read by grade school and high school students alike. If all four parts were published, there's a good chance that I'd be sent to the principal's office or a guidance counselor. XDD

And, there was also NaNoWriMo, which I joined twice and won both (with extreme consequences for my physical health, though). I don't think I'll be joining again, not unless I find a way to eliminate the back pain, which is highly unlikely. Some of my chapters for NaNo were published online as part of a local compilation of excerpts written by those who joined during that year, but I kept it a secret from everyone (haha!).

So basically, what I'm trying to say is that I am sooo afraid of seeing my work published under my name, for  various reasons said and unsaid. Hence, the mere exercise of me posting that status message was nerve-wrecking. It's like ... coming out. HAHAHA!

Even if the book doesn't come out this year (or during the MIBF), it will likely come out at some other time. I'm sure there will be much prodding from the boss to do it. Also, writing a nonfiction piece is something I've never tried before, and thought I'd never do.

So, this endeavor of writing and being published is by faith, simply put. =D

--- --- ---

I am so gung-ho with third term - gung-ho in the sense that I want to get a much, much higher grade than last term. I have no qualms with last term cause I gave it everything I could, but the situation now is very different from last term. I think I can make a comeback. *positive vibes*

More than the dress and the voice

If you know FFVIII well enough, you know what song this is. It's Eyes on Me, the song Julia Heartilly sings to Laguna Loire, and it is also the main theme of FFVIII.

Julia was in love with Laguna, but she was too nervous to tell him anything. Laguna, on the other hand, felt the same way, but was too clumsy to even make a move every time she visited the lounge where Julia plays. 

I've always liked this song, but since it's only known by geeks a few people, not everyone was crazy about it. It also didn't help that during the time it was released, listening to Chinese/Japanese/Korean singers was considered extremely weird (right now it's just weird-ish I think, hahaha!). 

--- --- ---

I could finally strike out my wish to sing this song in public (without discrimination - excluding karaoke gimiks of course!). I was asked by a good great friend of mine in high school to sing this for his wedding. It was to be sung during the wedding march of his dashing bride - a schoolmate during high school. 

Now, singing a wedding march for me is no walk in the park. It's actually in my top 5 hard-to-sing-in-these-situations-list (first are funerals) because you absolutely CANNOT mess up a perfect, once-in-a-lifetime moment. When I'm really nervous, my throat dries up, and so I drink a lot of warm water, which then leads me to puke (all cause-and-effect, really). XD

The song went pretty well (my employers, este, groom and bride loved it). On my part, I wish I  rehearsed the Faye Wong version, because that's what was played and I only knew at the moment I was supposed to sing that's how it will go down. I was in love with the Angela Aki version that I didn't even consider the original. /facepalm /headdesk 

How I wish I had a video of it cause I was being accompanied by an accordion, violin, and flute - apart from piano and guitar! How epic was that?! I don't think I have any pictures of that part too...I guess I was too nervous that I didn't even think of using my camera. /le sigh

--- --- ---

Yesterday was the first day of class. I hope to get a better grade this time around, so I have the guts to take the plunge and take two subjects next term. I don't want to be delayed anymore.

The classroom this time is in Yuchengco, which means colder temps and smaller desks. LS is old and finding your room there is a bit of a challenge, but their big desks make up for all that. 

Did I mention that Yuchengco Hall was my building crush before (when it was new)? Now you know.

a time to work, a time to blog

Inasmuch as I'd like to post something here, nothing extraordinary has been happening that's worth a post...everything that I'm occupied with has basically consumed me - so much so that I can't differentiate Tamahome from Tasuki anymore (if you follow my Tumblr you'll understand).

Just to give you (and myself) an idea...

December 3

• School: I have a reporting on product placement, specifically in movies and games. While I was reading the material, my top-of-mind examples were [1] the Panasonic phone that Cloud used in Advent Children and [2] the futuristic Nokia smartphone that was installed in the car that young!Kirk was driving. This isn't really hard, but there's pressure involved because there's ...
• Work: I have to manage an afternoon-to-night event for aspiring authors, which is happening in Makati. I'm really excited about this event since I get to meet authors who have won the Palanca...plus a person that I have idolized before I took up marketing in college (rubbing elbows kind of interaction, oh the perks of this job). I have to take off early from class to go to the venue. Hay, the wonders a working student can do. #bibidibabidiboo

December 9

• Work: I've got a golf event to manage. I know NADA ZILCH NIL about golf, and this event has not made me a convert. I'd rather play jackstones than golf. Or read Twilight than golf---OH SNAP! (LOL) The event will begin during the wee hours of the morning towards very late in the evening. This is a very big problem because on ...

December 10 

• School: IT'S FINALS DAY. HOLY MOLEY GUACAMOLE. Seriously. I don't know how I'll survive. I have to make up a strategic plan for some make-believe company with make-believe market conditions within two hours. And as if that's not enough I've got a ...
• Raket: I have to sing for a wedding in the afternoon, and it's a Lea song. And I haven't practiced for it.

After all of this, I seriously need some time off. /le sigh

Once all of this over, I'll be back posting again. =)

Boo

I have not been updating. I am sorry. *facepalm*

This sorry state is about to be remedied.

--- --- ---

I turned 26 two Saturdays ago. Twenty-six is a good age (I think I don't look 26 - I certainly don't act like  26!), but it's a few years shy from 30. Not so good. =/ I don't think I fit into the "thirties' mold right now, or anytime soon...

Anyway, I decided on a Guy Fawkes birthday theme this year. Apparently, not too many people in my circle of friends knew about Gunpowder Plot Day/Guy Fawkes Day/Remember, remember, the 5th of November day. I keep on telling people in the days leading to November 5 that it is a holiday declared in my honor and that they should page homage to me by sending cash gifts or in kind. They simply knew my Guy Fawkes mask as the V mask from V for Vendetta, which is close enough.

I cut up a bunch of Guy Fawkes masks and gave it to the people whom I was with during the day, and I shot photos of people, including myself, wearing the mask. It's kind of like a mature children's party, if you will - wala nga lang party hats. I decided on not having pasta for my birthday dinner. Instead, I had some risotto and fish & chips. *shrug* 

The only major detail I missed was the bonfire. /tsk

--- --- ---

I finished reading this book last month. It took me a whole frigging month to finish it. /le sigh Things haven't exactly been smooth-sailing the past two and a half months, which explains the whole hiatus/drought of posts that this blog had experienced. Kafka is a good writier, although I feel that his writing style isn't engaging enough. 

The Hunger Artist remains to be my favorite Kafka story, as well as this other short story included in this collection, the title of which escapes me at the moment. In the Penal Colony was nice in its own disturbing way. I usually am very partial to those kind of stories but my imaginings of the Bed, the Designer and the Harrow were too detailed. By the time the climax happened, I was cringing.

Now, I'm reading A Wild Sheep Chase by - you guessed it - Haruki Murakami. This is the first of three Murakami books that I bought during the MIBF, and on top of this I've got other readings for school to do...but the great thing about Murakami's books is the way his stories draw you in, that you don't realize that you've read this many pages until you glance at how many pages you have actually read.

After this book, I still have Norwegian Wood and South of the Border, West of the Sun from my MIBF stash to read. After that, I will move on to to this ...

1Q84 BABY!!!!!! ZOMG KEYBOARD SMASH ASFOPHSDIOCVNASDHV9PAWEYFHP0IO!!!!! All my kuripot-related arguments have become invalid. /le sigh

Already I'm getting requests if this book can be borrowed after I'm done reading it. I'm okay with lending, but I'm not really sure when I'll be able to lend it. This is the thickest Murakami I've ever laid eyes upon. It doesn't help too that I've got other Murakami books in the pipeline, plus real life and everything else in between.

On the subject of lending, I think I ought to be making a list of the books I have here so they can be lent out. Hmmmm...that might be a good project. 

--- --- ---

This year, I am officially grandparent-less. Tatay and Nanay (side ni Papa) passed away just over a week apart last month. It's really sad, and for a while the family was in a state of funk. 

On both occasions, I was asked to look for a solo picture of both of them to be displayed during the wake. Looking for a good photo wasn't hard, but when I did that I realized that I have no recent photo of me with my grandparents, or even with one of them beside me.Ako kasi lagi ang tagakuha ng picture. That really depressed me for a while. But, when I shared this to one of my titas, she chastised me: "Hay naku, JC. Kung hindi dahil sa iyo, wala tayong magandang picture na maipapakita ng sa Nanay at sa Tatay, at wala rin kaming  magandang kuha kasama sila kung hindi dahil sa iyo." Though the thought of that was quite relieving, I still wish I had a recent picture with them.

--- --- ---

A few years ago, sinabihan ako ni Tatay na bilhan ko siya ng libro. I always knew that he loved to read - kadalasan nga mas updated pa siya sa showbiz happenings kesa sa akin. Mwahahahahahaha. 

Tinanong ko sa kanya kung anong klaseng libro ang gusto niyang bilhin ko. Very specific ang sagot niya - gusto niya yung mga biography. He wanted to read the life stories of the likes of JFK, Nelson Mandela, etc. I was fully intent on buying him a brand new book (as in hardbound - I remember even looking for a good enough biography, choosing between JFK, Winston Churchill, and I think even Adolf Hitler) but I was convinced by the parental units to try my luck at second-hand bookstores.

That's where I found that book - the unauthorized biography of Frank Sinatra as written by Kitty Kelley. It was the perfect book - laging kinakanta ni Tatay ang My Way (aka second national anthem ng Pilipinas) at New York, New York tuwing magka-karaoke. I bought it without giving a second thought, and gave it to him nung sunod na uwi ko sa Calumpit. He was able to finish the book within days. When I went back, kinuwento na niya sa akin ang buong libro (it fascinated him that Sinatra was part of a mafia of some sort, but admittedly, I don't really care about the mafia, I just like listening to his songs XD). 

The book was damaged because of Pedring, hence the not-so-good condition in the photo above.

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Nung namatay ang Nanay (nauna siya sa Tatay), ramdam mo kaagad na wala na siya. Lagi kung umuuwi kami sa Calumpit, pagka-mano mo pa lang tatanungin ka na kaagad: "Nag-merienda ka na ba?" or "Nasaan si [insert name of kapatid/pinsan/tito/tita na absent on that day]?". Nung umuwi ako for the first time since namatay siya, walang nagtanong sa amin nun. It was downright depressing.

One of the reasons why Ondoy became bearable was because pinahiram niya kami ng maisusuot. Actually, na-enjoy kong suotin ang duster niya. Hahahahaha! Tsaka, we were very well fed for a storm like that. As in walang de lata or instant noodles kind of food - we had real food that day (birthday celebration kasi ni Tatay kaya maraming pagkain, but I think even without the birthday we'd still be decently fed). All of the beds available in the house had mosquito nets over it because of her. Lahat kami nagkaroon ng unan nung matutulog na kami because she prepared our beddings. Sa umaga, meron kaming sinangag at hotdog dahil maaga siyang nagigising. Or, during very special days, may gatas ng kalabaw pa. Haaaaaaaay. 

She was the one who told me to put ice on my skin asthma in order to relieve the itching. I got the idea of putting my arms/legs/face in front of the aircon whenever I have a skin allergy attack from her. Naiisip pa nga niya at times, lalo na kung may ulang na ulam kung may dala pa akong gamot (at naalala niya pati ang pangalan). Hardcore. 

I guess that pretty much explains my hiatus of sorts. There's nothing really "happy" to post about. For a while, everything was in shades of gray, and if something were colored, the hues were faded. I wasn't also in the mood to meet with people - even for birthdays. Heck, I even toned down my own birthday celebration (I didn't have a bonfire XD). It's just...le sigh. 

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I know, November is NaNoWriMo, but I haven't got time for that - add that to the fact that every time I joined NaNo and crossed 50K I have to have MAJOR THERAPY done to my back. Not good. 

Plus, I don't really know how to do 50K with my workload + grad school + everything else in between. It's next to impossible right now. 

Most importantly, I don't have a plot. So yeah.

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I want a new header image. I was doing a vector awhile ago but scrapped the idea. Whatever it is, I know it will come sooner or later.