Ondoy aftermath: September 27, 2009

NOTE: This was a post I made in my old blog the day after Ondoy hit. I was in Calumpit, supposedly to celebrate Tatay's birthday. We were supposed to leave in the afternoon, but when we learned that NLEX pulled off a Gandalf (YOU SHALL NOT PASS!), we had no choice but to spend the night there - without change of clothing or extra toiletries.  Just now, PAGASA announced that the accumulated rainfall is 472mm in 22 hours, greater than Ondoy's 455 mm in 24 hours. 

[ETA] I'm home. Aside from Twitter, Wikipedia has the the storm on the main page. I see CNN also has it. Facebook is full of it. It's one of the worst we've had - a month's worth of rainfall came down on us in 6 hours. Not as epic as the one in Turkey, but for a country that's so used to storms hitting us month after month, this storm was something. Below is something I wrote earlier today, half-expecting that I won't be home early today, but I got home while the sun was still shining. Whew. Thank God.

Writing this down on my notebook, to be posted online once I touchdown in Manila. With "Off The Wall" playing on The Green Menace, I write this. Mark is sleeping beside me - it is 9:20 AM. He and the other guy cousins stayed up all night - mosquitoes, among other factors contributed to this.

There is no electricity. Murasaki-chan's (note: Sony Ericsson P1i) running dangerously low on battery, which is partly my fault because I've been updating like crazy on our situation there. I decided to use Barahime (note: office phone) as my primary phone late last night, so I can let various people know that I'm fine.

Even if Bulacan was hit with Signal #2, our house in Calumpit is on high ground, so it would take one heck of a rainfall for it to reach the house. Aside from this, when we woke up this morning, we saw how much the damage was from last night. A banana tree fell. Pampanga River - which is literally steps away from our backyard - overflew, the water lilies now beckoning at our gates.

At front, the flood was thigh deep when we woke up at 6 AM. Three hours on, it's just a little over the knee. The elevation leading towards our house is completely submerged till the second gate. Outside - beyond the first gate, people are fishing. We got some fish from them, probably for pangat for lunch later. Papa is fishing for pangasius - the idea of fishing in our own (overflowing) fishpond amuses me.

Back home, our house didn't get flooded (thank God) but it's pretty much a waterworld outside - which is expected for Manila. Listening to the radio I hear that NLEX is starting to become passable. If we spent the night in the expressway, it would have been a nightmare.

I'm wearing my lola's duster. It completes the whole farm look, I think, which adds to the amusement of the current situation. I imagine that this would have been harder if not a lot of us were here. Cousins, titas and titos who have the same wacky wavelength - all of us together somehow managed to take a disaster like this in stride.

We estimate that we'll be able to go home by late noon earliest, dinnertime latest. By that time, I hope all roads are moderately passable, and we can manage to sleep on soft beds and pillows tonight! Plus, I have a ton of pictures to post to show my own take of yesterday's storm, which will surely amuse family members that were lucky/unlucky enough not to be here.

What an interesting weekend.

Intense

We aren't doing any better from last night's rain. We're doing much worse now.

Metro Manila is flooded all around. I'm grateful that my house isn't flooded yet (given Manila's rep for flooding, in general), but I'm sure the story outside will be very different.

Click image to biggify =)

This was how Project NOAH saw my part of the city as of 1:20 PM-ish. By the way, Project NOAH is awesome, and much props goes to PAGASA-DOST for making this happen. We're at an intense level of rainfall, not to mention a RED warning being raised over the whole metro. 

If you're reading this, and you're outside the Philippines, please keep the people here in your thoughts and prayers. If you see tweets from the likes of @MMDA @PAGASA-DOST, @govph and the major media outfits, please retweet them so news about floods and rescue efforts can be spread. I think right now, the most immediate need for evacuation centers are food and drinking water, not to mention clothing. Rubber boats will come in VERY HANDY for rescue operations as well. 

This has been posted like crazy, but duplication is key for a crisis:

Ayala Malls and MOA are also open for people who are stranded due to the rain.

At this point, the key here is to just stay put and be vigilant, keeping ourselves abreast of what's happening around us. Also, don't goout unless you really need to. 

And for those who are associating the rain with the RH Bill, I feel sorry for the lot of you. I feel sorry that you didn't even consider that maybe our trash problem contributed to the flooding that's happening now. I feel sorry that you had to use your God as a cover for your cause. Most of all, I feel sorry for you because you see this "God" as a god who punishes people and takes pleasure in doing so. It's just...ugh. The least thing you can do is put off all of these banters and look out for your neighbor, whether he/she is pro-RH or not. 

Rainy days and Mondays (not connected to The Carpenters at all)

"The reason why people sing songs for other people is because they want to have the power to arouse empathy, to break free from the narrow shell of the self and share their pain and joy with others."- Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

I find that whatever frustration I have with work and life in general, I can always let loose with music. That is why I love my weekends, even if they are so taxing.

Last week was especially hard. Stuff at work didn't go as planned, and along the way I have lost all interest to watch The Dark Knight Rises (unless it's for free). I've had to battle a teeny bit of depression early Friday morning as well (no thanks to U2 sound tripping, but I still love their music to bits). 

But when there's music - especially if you're creating the music yourself, and not just listening to it - there's no other high I'd rather have. Of course, there's the high of watching a good movie, or reading a great book, but a music high is the ultimate high. If I'm involved, I always give 120% of myself, even if it means falling flat on the floor and getting bruised on one side, or getting cramps, or looking like a loon. When there's music, ever inhibition is thrown out the window. It's just me and my audience of One.

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So, everyone remembers Ondoy and Pedring, right? And, if I may go further back, Milenyo? All of these storms had one thing in common - they happened towards the last week of September. 

But tonight, we got a RED warning over the whole of Metro Manila. After tonight's class, I had to brave a flooded Taft Ave just to get home. I walked 50% of the way, then when I realized I couldn't go any farther due to the flood being above the gutter of the island along Taft, a tricycle came. I got a ride from where I was to San Andres corner Quirino Ave for P40, then took a sidecar from where I was dropped off going to Leon Guinto.

My feet got WET. I hate it when that happens. When I got home, I got the Lush shower gel and used it to scrub my feet. LUSH TALAGA ANG GINAMIT KO (your arguments are invalid XD). It was that hardcore. XD

Tonight, the rain comes and goes - which is a good thing. It's not an Ondoy, but I'm sure for a lot of people now, it may be a repeat, and my heart goes out to them. But all of this rain on August makes September even more unsettling. I really hope that the government has prepared. I think we have learned immensely from the past few years, and there are systems that are now in place that make dissemination of information faster than it was in years past (special mention goes to Project NOAH; I've been tinkering it and it's AWESOME). I just hope that people don't take warnings for granted, cause strangely, some still do.

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And, in light of this week's most anticipated vote, I leave you with this quote from my awesome great-grandfather (I wish!) C.S. Lewis from Mere Christianity:

People say, 'The Church ought to give us a lead." That is true if they mean it in the right way, but false if they mean it in the wrong way. (…) But of course, when they ask for a lead from the Church most people mean they want the clergy to put out a political programme. That is silly. The clergy are those particular people within the whole Church who have been specially trained and set aside to

 look after what concerns us as creatures who are going to live for ever: and we are asking them to do a quite different job for which they have not been trained. The job is really on us, on the laymen. The application of Christian principles, say, to trade unionism or education, must come from Christian trade unionists and Christian schoolmasters: just as Christian literature comes from Christian novelists and dramatists - not from the bench of bishops getting together and trying to write plays and novels in their spare time.

No truer words have been spoken. 

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. 

--- --- ---

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.)

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...

Holy Week

Hello people of the Interwebz. Belated Happy Easter. =)

Holy Week is usually busy for me, but this past one was more relaxing than the previous ones.

On Easter Sunday, we sang (once again) the Hallelujah Chorus, and Because He Lives. Did I mention that we did these songs for all four services? Yes we did. /sigh 

I must admit that singing in choir is one of my weaknesses. I can sing in unison, but I don't have the ear that can tell if I'm blending with everyone else. I'm usually too loud or...too loud. /hehehe

The next day, the entire ministry went to Subic! Wooohoooo!!! I can't even remember the last time I went there. Thanks to this outing, I got to experience the following:

1. Sleep inside the church building. We had to be in the bus along Pasong Tamo before 5AM, so rather than I go out of the streets of Manila at 4AM and be exposed to a lot of risk, I opted to sleep in church instead. I got to leech off of the church's wi-fi (hahaha) and played one round of DrawSomething with a classmate before I went to bed. 
2. Ride a banana boat. I initially wanted to ride a jetski, but P3,500 for one hour was just waaaay too much, plus there's the stress of learning how to operate a jetski (and the sheer fear of getting stranded out at sea XD). The next best thing was a banana boat ride, which was basically an inflated banana-shaped boat being pulled by a jetski.
3. The dreaded beach. I'm not a beach person - I would rather be in a swimming pool. I think the last beach I went to was Bohol, which was...2007/2008(?). I dislike being in the saltwater (although come to think of it, drinking saltwater is more au naturel compared to drinking water laced with chlorine XD), so I just made the most out of the day.

Here's a photo of us on the boat prior to jet-off (LOL I wonder if that's the proper term). The banana boat was worth P250 for 15 minutes, which is kind of steep, but worth it. We circled the bay three times, and got close enough to a South Korean ship. I screamed "Annyong hase yo!" but it looked like no one was there. (I'm sociable that way.)

At the end of the ride, the jetski driver took a very sharp turn that made the boat turn upside down, which made all of us fall into the water. That was probably the best part of the entire ride (and the funniest), though I drank some of the saltwater by accident (ugggghhh beaches).

Overall, I'm happy with how Holy Week was spent. I also got to write some chapters for my book (OH YES!).

Bullets | Short story

My week thus far, in bullets:

• To Kill A Mockingbird must be a required reading during anyone's lifetime. If I chanced upon this book earlier in my life, I might have seriously considered becoming a lawyer. 
• In relation to this, I love Atticus Finch. /oldmanfangirlingnanaman
• If any of you reading this have a copy of the movie, can I borrow it?
• I'm still happy I didn't become a lawyer.
• I'm dealing with a lot of discontent right now. It comes and it goes, and I'd like to think it's all part of the dreaded quarter-life crisis. I'm particularly peeved with the following:
• The NBSB status. Most of the time it's not an issue, but when someone rubs it in, ye gads, it's like an itch that won't go away.
• Some of the things I'm doing now are seriously hampering my ability to do other stuff I want to do, i.e. rest, more sleeping and reading time, more bulakbol time, more me time (in a nutshell). These things may seem really trivial, but I need to do these things. 
• My utter lack of a social life. I can't count anymore the number of times I've been told that I need to get out more. One went as far as telling me that I have to get out because my complexion is more sickly than pale. 

Yeah. That's it. XD

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For those who have been encouraging me in my "author" journey, "thank you" cannot even begin to express my gratitude.  I've been asked by some people what kind of stories do I write, and I usually just smile at them most of the time. When I dared to answer it directly, I think one of my replies was "I write about death". The stare I got from one person was so...how do I even describe it? It was a stare that said, "Why in the world would you write about such a morbid topic?", or "I never thought a person like you would write about that!". 

Ever since the author class thing started, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I remember that one of the goals of setting up this blog was this:

Since college, there's this small itch to actually go public with some of the stuff I write or do, but I have this fear (which nags me till now) that people who know me in real life will not understand it, or it will be shot down as horrible/inconceivable. So, I want to find out for myself if those fears are grounded in truth. Hence, this blog was born.

I want to stay true to this goal - no matter how scary it is. Hence, I have decided to post a story I did two years ago, which is about death. /ye gads

If you know me in real life and you see this story, let me know what you think. As in, seriously. I'd really like to know. A little background follows after the jump.

Quit piddling and write that book

I AM ALAAAAIIIIVE.

Hello, people who read this blog. I am currently in Tagaytay for the author class' Writer's Retreat. As of 10PM, my brain has officially fallen asleep, which is why I've resorted to making a blog post.

My progress with the book I'm writing is going along well, which is FANfreakingTASTIC! As usual, I was fearing the worst. I get the butterflies and awkwardness of extreme proportions when people look at what I write, so for the boss to tell me that I write good and what I've written was good made me feel so relieved. I just need to add a few more details here and there, but I'm on the right track.

Now, what I really wish I was writing right now is a fiction piece. If I get to finish Unforgiven, I swear I will throw a party and invite everyone I know. That's a story that's been brewing since...I don't know exactly when, but I'm pretty sure it comes all the way back to grade school. So if that gets done, then ye gads, a celebration is definitely in order.

Sorry for such a crappy entry. Like what I said, my brain has fallen asleep. =/

小さな痛みさえ愛しくて

Even a little pain is lovely.

I am alive, ergo I will blog.

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Hello new hair. This here happened the day after I (finally) confirmed that I did not pass the audition. I'm glad that I have short hair again. That means less time to fix, less product, less fuss, less damaged ends.

I wish that my hair had the type of curls that had meaning. Mine just curls, end of story. It doesn't fulfill any aesthetic purpose whatsoever. Getting a digital perm will be GADAWFUL for my budget. Getting a perm will mean telephone cord-like curls, which isn't what I want. Plus, the whole notion of getting a major treatment like that is something that I'm not too keen of at the moment, since my hair is still recovering from that super awful rebond of 2008.

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In one of my interviews of recent, I was asked if I have Chinese roots. I smiled at my interviewer and replied, "My official answer is no, I don't have Chinese ancestors. But in my head I try to make up stories where in I have Chinese ancestors who mingled with my actual mestizo and mestiza great-grandparents, just for fun."

She must have thought that I was whack. But that was better than telling her that I sometimes fantasize that I was adopted. WAHAHAHAHAHA.

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I am officially a Cinemalaya volunteer. *huge grin*

When I saw the ad on Tumblr that CCP was looking for volunteers, I thought I'm jobless, so what the heck? I should give it a shot. My first Cinemalaya was 2009 (I watched Astig), and I'm not a film buff in any shape or form. Nevertheless, I got a spot (a much-coveted one at that, apparently).

What are the perks, you may ask? I get to watch the films for free provided that it's not during my shift. I also get a shirt and a shiny certificate from the CCP. Oh, before I forget - I got a tour of the CCP, which costs Php200 plus. Yup. Volunteer work is fantastic.

What totally made my day yesterday was when I got to see the CCP Main Theater, aka the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. It had the old theater smell to it, and was all kinds of awesome, for many great performances of the Broadway kind (among other epic productions) were staged here. Usually you'd have to pay a huge sum of money to be able to sit as a patron. Yesterday, I got to stand on the stage of this theater because I was accepted as a volunteer. Oh the joy.

As part of my break-in, I have to attend the opening of the festival, which is happening Friday at 4PM. Since I have class on that day I'll only be able to stay until 5:30 PM max, then go back to DLSU for Stat class. One of my assignments is also to familiarize myself with all the movies in the festival (together with screenings), which is pretty tough.

I haven't decided yet what movies I'll watch. I've been told that Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank is good, as well as Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa, so those are on my list. But if I may be totally honest, I'm looking for a movie that is as provocative as Astig. Yup, provocative is a good way to describe it. XD Recommendations would be nice though.

That's it for now. Until the next one, then. =D If you're bored, I recommend that you look at my progress with the handwriting meme thus far at Tumblr.

Not by might, or by power...

Hello universe, I am back. /le sigh

This will be long. Let's take this one event at a time...


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One hundred years of Lasallian presence

One hundred years of Lasallian education

One hundred years of Lasallian awesomeness

--- --- ---

Me, along with some college friends celebrated the Centennial last Thursday. We first met at CBTL in the newly renovated University Mall (promise, the University Mall that we experienced was FAR from the UMall now), then we had dinner at Persia Grill just beside it. By the way, DO NOT EAT THERE and spare yourselves terrible service and forced tipping. We had to be in school before 7:30 to get to the acoustic concert/poetry reading, but since service was poor, we got to school quite late. And yes, we were forced to tip. No joke here. They didn't have change for the money that we gave and the server had the gall to tell us "I-tip niyo na lang yan." We were late, so we didn't have time to argue. If we argued, it would have been over a Php20 bill, but then again it was worth the arguing because they didn't deserve the tip to begin with. Anyway, I hope that this blog post will serve its purpose when the adventurous person Googles Persia Gril U-Mall and finds this entry here. It will be worth letting go of the Php20. =D

Now, DLSU is very different from the campus where I spent a year and a half with. It's very urban, which very much suits the city where it is situated. It doesn't help too that the football field has been excavated in order to make way for the Henry Sy Hall, so now the school is left with but a few trees. But football field or none, the memories that we collectively shared in DLSU are the stuff that not even new buildings can take away from us.

Since we were late for the acoustic concert (THANK YOU TALAGA PERSIA GRILL UMALL), we celebrated the Centennial at *drumroll please* the 4/F of the Miguel Hall.

This building was my home for nearly a year and a half. M314 was my first classroom, so a lot of my "testing the waters" happened in this hall right here. What I'll never forget about Miguel is its ridiculously cold aircons. Ang lagi ko ngang biro in the workplace is that in La Salle, we are trained not only for the real world, but also to withstand cold room temperatures that are common in the workplace. Some go as far as believing me with wide-eyed wonder. HAHAHAHAHA.

Yes I know there's a concert and other things, and celebrating the Centennial in a deserted hallway seems like the most boring way to celebrate...but just reminiscing college life in sheer quiet, without sharing the humidity on ground and getting the sweat of other people on your arms is blissful.



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Have I mentioned that I lost my voice? *looks back at previous entries* Yes, I did.

It's been a month since then. The "breathy" phase of it is gone, but I still sound rough. What's worse, I seem to have lost control of my diaphragm/lungs, in the sense that I cannot hold air for too long.

This by far is the worst completely-lost-my-voice incident I have ever had. To make matters worse, I absolutely hate salabat.

Today, I visited the ENT again (two or three weeks ago he prescribed me some steroids, which goes to show how bad it was...), and he gave me some anti-inflammatory and anti-reflux meds, plus he told me to hydrate and refrain from vocal abuse. I wanted to snicker when he said that cause I absolutely loved the term...

So, there's nothing left for me to do but obey the prescription, do vocalizations...and probably take a swim at the Sports Complex so I could strengthen my lungs again.

Hay, hail to thee alma mater talaga.



--- --- ---

I mentioned the voice issue because...*breathes in*

I went to an audition yesterday. My first audition in...years. Like, seriously.

Against all odds (including my voice teacher XD), I decided to go with my audition for this musicale. It was the last day of auditions, and I chose to confirm on the last day on purpose cause I thought my voice will be back by then. Of course...if anything can go wrong, it will. /le sigh

I was the fourth to audition in the afternoon batch. When I heard the first one, I was like oh my stars, why am I here? I fumbled for my iPod inside my bag and tried to distract myself with my music and the lines that I was given for the audition. Inside my head, I was telling myself, why am I here? I was told that I shouldn't be here, and yet I came! My voice isn't in perfect condition! The one singing sounds incredible - how can I stand a chance with this voice?! 


So I prayed. I think I remember praying that God will help me do whatever I can in order to sing at the very least in tune, and not to sound too hoarse...and probably a hodgepodge of other fragmented thoughts that came at the spur of the moment, and then I distinctly heard:

Not by might, or by power, but by My Spirit.

At that point, I knew that whatever the outcome will be, it will be as God wills. And with that thought in my mind, with all fear shoved aside, I was asked to enter the audition room.

And, as how most anime episodes end: つづく . . . Heeheehee. The story goes on.

Super special awesome ultra special sexy transformation sequence, go!

"I'M BACK, BABY."
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, I owe you one.

Ladies and gents, I give you the camp post.


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"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me..."
Galatians 2:20

That verse pretty much sums up my entire camp experience. It was absolutely WRONG for me to think that it was the typical clean fun camp that I experienced during the camps that TFCA held for us. It was dirtier, messier...and I'm still not inclined to say that it was more fun XD. If they told us "This is like CAT/COCC camp" then I would have prepared myself mentally as well as physically.

I was not ready for mud.

In the previous post, I said that camp was a traumatizing experience. It was so much so that I completely broke down (as in waterworks talaga) on the last day. I had lost my voice, I had no wit left, and barely any reserve power to even will myself to eat. But somehow, I survived.

But more than these experiences, that verse really applied in the fullest force possible when it was time for altar call counselling. I had training (but I admit that I did not listen as well as I should be, HAHAHAHAHA!), but it still felt like I was coming into a battle that I wasn't prepared for. Yet, as I said in the post prior to this, I was fully aware that it wasn't me who was ministering to these people anymore, like...I became a vessel, and my self took a back seat. It seems unbelievable, I know...but it's an experience that one has to feel for himself, I guess. =D

Now that's been said, it's off to my personal best (and worst) experiences.

Between two realities

< OBLIGATORY GLOATING PART OF THIS POST >

I survived the NON-DOOMSDAY/RAPTURE of May 21, 2011.

Need I say I told you so? XD

< / OBLIGATORY GLOATING PART OF THIS POST >

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I'll reserve camp talk for another post, simply because it deserves its own post, and I want to have pictures to show when I write about it.

In a nutshell, however, it was traumatizing. Yes it was generally great...I had fun being myself (more specifically being pasaway) and everything, but the emotional toll on myself was just so much that I completely lost my wits at one point. Oh, and my voice too...that I completely lost by Friday.

Nevertheless, beyond my feelings and dealings I am so overwhelmed with what happened in camp. It definitely exceeded all expectations. At a point in camp I thought the sensation of having mud thrown on my face will be a feeling that will haunt me for the rest of my life...but the mind has its way of dealing with these things. XDDD I just wish I had a moment to watch all the awesomeness unfold, but my job in camp was to fight a battle that was supernatural in nature and minister to kids who were hurting and lost. It was a test of mental toughness in many ways, and I'm glad I survived (although barely).

Let me just say that there were a lot of stuff that I didn't know I had in me that showed during camp. What surprised me the most that there were many times that I was completely aware of my "mind" or "soul" taking a backseat, while someone (or should I say Someone...yup, that's more accurate) completely takes over. It gets better: the takeover was so complete that I could barely remember what I said, or rather, what my mouth uttered to a specific person I was praying for at a certain time. So, I know I was standing, I know my hands were on a person, I know I was speaking, but the words...just...wow. On a normal day or conversation, I wouldn't be able to say them.

Today, my voice is back, yet I sound hoarse still. I'm trying to keep quiet as much as possible since I have two job hunting appointments tomorrow, and I definitely need the trusty throat to be well enough in order to impress.

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I am officially a grad student of De La Salle University.

Since it was a requirement, I attended the new students' orientation yesterday afternoon (which was basically like undergrad LPEP, only many notches down in terms of execution). I enjoyed more the program-specific orientations, to be honest.

Here's the stuff that stuck during the four hour-orientation:
1. I cannot get a grade below 2.0 (which is basically anything below 80%),
2. If I want to pursue a doctorate degree, my chosen program will not cut it, and
3. I have eight years to finish the program.

Number 2 is something I'm content about at the moment, cause I honestly don't want to do a thesis by my lonesome. Plus, for the life of me, I cannot imagine attaching a "Dr." salutation to my name XDD.

Number 1 is something I am a bit nervous about. Then again, during undergrad, I only got two 2.0s. But that was undergrad. So yeah. XDDD

Number 3 I found very amusing.

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When the orientation was over, I felt obligated to see for myself the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf branch inside the University Library.

I saw it, and inside my head the Hallelujah Chorus played. The moment was glorious.

Now the Library will have the aroma of coffee mixed with old man smell. That's definitely an upgrade. XDDDD