Back From Hiatus

Such an eventful Friday! (Okay, fine, fine, delayed post. Hahaha.)

"Ladies and gentlemen, please, walk this way!" Mr. Carlos Celdran, thank you, I had an awesome walking tour! Manila never looked so different until you made us see beyond aesthetics. :)
On a kalesa with Meryl, Kay, and Paula! Thanks manong kalesa driver for this photo!
Later that Friday, Royale: Rule the Night at Gasthof, A-Venue, a party for the benefit of Project: Brave Kids. I rarely go to parties but my friends, Lych and Reg (and their group for their event class) organized it. Congrats!

(Okay, so they're not in the photo. Hahaha. Sorry, the ones with them aren't up yet!) Here's Pam, Ate Clarence, Kuya Jojo, AJ, and Mommy Ria! Some heart-to-heart with Ate Clarence made a lot of things make a lot of sense! :)
And then my Saturday and Sunday were very uneventful. Home, grocery shopping, church, dine out. But it was awesome, nonetheless.

I didn't mind three things for three days:

1. SCHOOL - Yes, I know it's almost finals week but I think I can manage to take a break. Besides, my classes this term don't require a lot of reading, reviewing, studying, and the like. Most of them (if not all, hmm) are method- or process- application classes. Of course, having Monday as a no-class-day is always a plus! :)
   
2. WORK - I know I'm not really "employed" but GMG, more than an extra-curricular school activity, is almost my life. Well, my lifestyle is dictated by it sometimes. I haven't been very MIA (missing in action) because I'm like glued to my phone, still. I think I really, really deserve a break from all the production services request. After all, I have academic, family, and social life to lookout for as well.
   
3. CYBERSPACE - My mom always told me that I'm an internet monster. Or a computer monster. Something like that. I look like a zombie because I stay up until the wee hours of dawn, just hooked up to the internet, eyes glues to the monitor, fingers typing away to infinity. And beyond! (Haha, Buzz Lightyear in the house?) I'm glad to see only 77 email messages for a span of three days, as opposed to my more estimated 50+ email messages per 24 hours.

Now that I'm back from my so-so but relaxing weekend, I expect my world to be the way it was three days ago: noisy and erratic despite the awesome, cheap thrills. I don't expect the stress to be murderous anymore. I think I owned the weekend.

Happy Panda

Sometimes I just wanna hide from the world (well, MY world, at least) and from everything that's happening with it.

Photo downloaded from somewhere in the web, I don't own it. I wish I owned a panda, though.

What makes a panda sad?

Sometimes I just wanna hide from the world and from everything that's happening with it.

1. Sleeping at wee hours in the morning (try 2AM?) to make sure that the day ahead is planned, spic and span
2. Making endless phone calls and sending text messages that depletes a P100 credit to P12 in a matter of three days
3. Listening to ramblings and bickering from the bosses and higher ups about how wrong things were done
4. Setting three to four meetings in one afternoon just to meet deadlines

What makes a sad panda a happy one?

1. Getting a hug from mom, dad, brother, and puppy
2. Getting a pep talk from the ultimate hero, mommy
3. Crying a large bucket of tears as a way to de-stress
4. Getting by with classes and school work
5. Hanging out with friends (and best friends!) who actually listen even though some don't understand

I was Happy Panda at the beginning of this week. Tuesday came and I was Sad Panda. After today, request problems were resolved and issues were cleared. I'm no Sad Panda no more! But I ain't one that's happy either. Tomorrow, perhaps? :)

Today's Tribute

I wasted half of today to oversleeping. I go online to check my online accounts and whatnot. I thought about posting an entry but not much has been very blog-worthy. I found out from my best friend Meryl's blog that today is World Poetry Day! I felt instantly joyous! :) *Chimes, singing cherubs, hallelujah!* Hahaha.

So as a tribute to World Poetry Day, here's one of my own:

And... So what?

Once, I told a heart that I start writing poems about the things (and yes, people) I love
And I find myself staring at the vibrant piece of two-dimensional art, over and over
And I know it's not real although it looks real but it doesn't feel real
And, sigh, we are not real
And I amuse myself each day with how I act as if there's only you
And I know I love you but I don't see its purpose to be more than just an inside-joke
But I really do love you, yes
And maybe I'm still too chickenshit about admitting it
And maybe
And maybe I forever will be?
And I hear my heartbeat when I force the feeling away
This feeling, not one of clarity but of denial, I assume
For what I feel is real but not enough to break this bond
And for that I thank God
And I'm almost certain that this illness will soon leave me be
And I know you, so much more than I planned to
And maybe I'll never stop writing, so what?

Completed: March 8, 2010

Another piece written out of impulse. Heh.

Taking The Wheel

Today wasn't my usual class-chill-stat-hangout-MIA-chill Thursday.

I drew this on my best friend Joh's nape, see? CUTIE! I think I wanna be a tattoo artist if worse comes to worst. Bahahaha!

I took the wheel tonight and boy did I drive! (Haha, what?) The Green Media Group had its last general assembly for this school year and it was awesome. Hehe. Well, generally, maybe not really that awesome, but it was to me! It was the first time that I presided a general assembly. It was nothing much, really. It's just like talking in front of a class, telling them about your plans and all other agenda. It was cool.

Two weeks ago, the Executive Board for the next academic year was announced. Tonight, more brave souls were summoned to the call of leadership and responsibility: the Pool Heads for GMG's six unique pools.

[L-R] Incoming pool heads for an awesome year ahead: Frank (Hosting), Hannah (Creatives), Raj (Production Design), Celine (Coverage), Robin (Scriptwriting), and Joan (Audio-Visual Production).

Outgoing (and proxy) pool heads and incoming pool heads!

Outgoing pool heads, incoming pool heads, plus the executive board! We are gonna have an awesome year, loves! ♥

Going through a transition phase yet again, and this time, I really should take the wheel. Note to self: In everything that you do, DFTBA! (Don't forget to be awesome!)

Too Little Or Too Much?

I hate how I run out of words to say/blog about. I mean, I don't get why I hesitate to write about anything when this blog is not only a personal outlet to vent out with or document my daily life, but it's a blog that worships randomness. Spontaneity is the key! I think I've been thinking too much lately.

I couldn't write because either I have too little (or none) to talk about; or there's just too much happening with my days this week.

So here. Musings:

• Today, my dad registered me, my mom, and three friends in the upcoming Mizuno Infinity Run 2010 happening this April 11 at The Fort, Bonifacio Global City. No singlet included but there's a finisher's shirt. Hmm. I wonder if I'd fit in a small-sized singlet. Haha.
• I've been doing my personally-crafted "training program" for the last couple of days. This exercise routine includes sit-ups, leg-raises, touch-toe bending, and leg stretching for at least 15 minutes twice per day. I guess I'm still on my personal best high.
• The responsibility I have with GMG just increased |<---infinity---THIS MUCH---infinity--->| since two weeks ago after the proclamation, I'm fully aware of that. But I didn't expect the responsibility to actually kick in this early! I'm going loco.
  
• I sort of lost drive in watching American Idol since I missed it last week. Maybe I'd tune in again when it's near the finals. Heh.
• I've read an article by Winnie Monsod about why she will vote for Noy. She pointed out interesting facts that I think the Filipino people should really consider. Come on. For the good of the country, please? I'm not saying explicitly that I'm for Noy, I just agree that Monsod had good points. Swakto.
  
• Summer is near. I'm not hitting the beach. I want something interesting to do! Shout out: Sis and Beggie! Lunch-movie-coffee date? Sure yan ah. Haha. :)

Thazzit for now, love.

Personal Best

My personal best was 50 minutes for 5K, and that's the farthest I can run. More than that, I think I'd die midway. Haha. With enough training I think I can go for a 10K on the Mizuno Run on Aprill 11. But! Before anything else, I'm still holding my head high and proud because I beat my 50 minutes this morning in Ready, Get Sweat, Go!, the Pocari Sweat Fun Run. This morning, I ran for only 43 minutes for 5K! Woo!

It is Otsuka's first time to organize a fun run, I think, and I have to give it to them for having 1,800 registered runners. That's 300 people more than expected! ;) But I hate how the water stations weren't very functional. They're placed in strategic places but I know that they weren't strategic enough when I started coughing because my throat was already extremely dry!

Anyway, less rant, more photos!

HAHA. This photo, FTW. Sorry, I'm just so overwhelmed. I wasted a month without training and yet I beat my personal best!
Mom beat her personal best, too, with 38 minutes! Woot!
My brother, Gabe, was supposed to run 10K, but he has a basketball game in the mid-morning. No, he didn't run 3K. He ran 5K, we were just being goofy. Hahaha.
Look who I met up with at the starting and finish line? David! Hahaha! Great job on the 22 minutes, partner!
Beads of sweat. Let's go, thesis! (More beads of sweat there. Haha!) Missing Meryl. Sis, run with us soon, ah? :>

After today, I have set a new goal: RUN MY FIRST 10K! It comes with a condition, though. I'll only run a distance of 10K once I get a 30-minute 5K run. Woo!

On Satisfaction

We never get satisfied, do we? I have always said and believed that it is human nature to never get that certain level of satisfaction. It's not a bad thing, though. This only urges us to

1. do something even greater than what we already have,
2. to motivate ourselves to be better,
3. and to constantly move forward toward change.

Change is a constant thing in this world, after all, so the cliche goes. In my opinion, when humans fail to be contented, it usually deals with one's selfishness and personal interest. Simply, it is just the WANTS that make us ever so inconsistent.

A timely, concrete, and apt example is the fact that here in Metro Manila, we ask for something and we're given the extreme. We wish for a little bit of sun during the wet season to fight off floods and whatnot. Ugh, typhoon season, the weather is just so awful. During the summer season, we wish for the slightest cool gust to touch our faces because the sun is more than scorching. Behold, we get an El Nino instead.

The heat is unbearable. I wish I could stay in the shower all day.

Best Weekend Yet

I believe I had the best weekend of the year yet.

Last Tuesday, I received news about what lies ahead for me in the next three terms of the incoming school year. I pulled an MIA (missing in action) Wednesday because the news from Tuesday has not sunk in yet. Oh, and because I had to cram a project and study for an exam. Thursday was another MIA day, but mostly from obligations and other responsibilities. It was a chill-day Thursday where everything's already perfect except for the parental issues that come and go. Frustrating.

Anyway, I'm here to word-vomit about my weekend. And to me, and other four-day-class week students, the weekend starts on a Friday!

Friday was awesome! I spent the whole day with my best bud, Bru! We went Greenhills shopping in the morning, lunch at Savory Chicken, chilled at Gelatissimo, a little more shopping at Greenbelt in the early afternoon, and wasted away chatting at Starbucks until sundown. I missed Bru so much, and now that he's back in Davao, I miss him again! And very late that night, I sat and bonded over coffee with my mom and two ate cousins! Looong day but it was hella good.

Zippo necklace I bought for my bud for P80!

At Topman. Yes, we both tried on a shirt. No problem for him, see. Ugh, I can be such a boy sometimes! Haha!

Chilled at Gelatissimo! Love you, bud!

Goofing with my mom at Bo's Coffee. Two cousins' photos were too goofy for this entry that they might have me killed if I put them up. Haha! Baboy! (Inside-joke!)

Saturday was majorly super mega ultra awesome! I met up with Lexie at the MRT Magallanes Station so we could go to the Shang together. We met up with thesis-mates Tracy and Nadine, went to Cartwheel Foundation, Inc. (their chosen organization for thesis) where Joh was, to help them prepare for the night of their lives, the event!

I got to do what I do best, event production! Well, by best, I may not be that good, but event production is something I believe I can really manage long-term. I acknowledge all the panic and stress pre-, during, and post-production. It's part of a long process that involves mega fulfillment in the end! So, to my three amazing friends: Joh, Tracy, and Nads, thank you for giving me the opportunity to take part in producing your event! I know I do those stuff in GMG but I think your event gave me satisfaction that's totally in a different league!

Being the Green Media Group person that I am, I spent an awful lot of time running from the stage, where the AVP was located, then up the tech booth for lights and sounds. Above is me taking a breather in the tech booth. Hahaha.
[Photo courtesy of Therese Ong]

Oops? Photo size fail? Haha. Okay, I'm lazy to re-upload. Make do with this, please. Thanks. Haha. So above is a photo of 8 lovely Org Comm girls as production crew; 3 thesis-ers and 5 friendly helpers. Haha. Plus! The thesis group's mentor and three other professors from the panel. Congrats again, girls! ;)
[Photo courtesy of Lexie Cerezo's camera. I think. Haha!]

How nice is it that the event title fit squarely with what the night really was? A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Cartwheel Foundation, Inc.'s recognition dinner held at The Legend Villas, Mandaluyong City. A night worth remembering, definitely.

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME.

The Future Started Today

Responsibility is something I've always had, but it wasn't something I always chose to deal with. Sometimes, random circumstances tweak the way your life was supposed to go... Or at least how you wanted it or how you planned it. It's all a matter of recognizing priorities and acknowledging what's urgent and important.

Today marked the beginning of a future (I hope will be) filled with surprise, excitement, new insights, new learning, and maybe a bit of healthy stress. Haha! Come on, I'm not being pessimistic; it's all part of the job. Pressure will always be there to create stress, eventually. Just a reality check. Haha.

Today, the gods have spoken. Haha, what gods? I have one and He's the only one I got.

I know and I believe my Father loves me, He never leaves me.

My Father's Child
(A gospel song I learned back in grade school.)

I am more than scared than confident, which isn't such an advisable start. But the more that I think about it, I am constantly being reminded that there will always be my GMG mommies and current co-executive board members who I can run to when all is set on rocky ground.

Outgoing and incoming EBs.
[Photo courtesy of Joan Guinto]

All geared up? Good to go? Let's do this, darlings!
AJ, Meryl, Mimi, Sheila, and Angge... WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, OKAY? I believe in us! :)
[Photo courtesy of Joan Guinto]

Green Media Group - Second General Assembly,
AY 2009-2010, T3 | Y505

Photos, photos!

Coverage Pool!
[Photo courtesy of Joan Guinto]

So, here.
[Photo courtesy of Meryl Algenio. Thanks, sis. CONGRATULATORY!!! Haha!]

*** EDIT ***
So just to give you more than just an idea, haha, I've been to vague, yeah? Haha. I was elected as the DLSU Green Media Group's President for the incoming school year of 2010-2011. There. Whew. It still feels a little weird to say (or type) that. La la la. :)

Fate...

... is something I hardly believe in. It is something that I resort to only when logic (and all else) fails. It's simply like throwing myself into an abyss, a bottomless pit, just because I was too lazy to make sense of it.

It's driven me before, and it seems to a faint,
haunting mass appeal.
But lately I, am beginning to find that I,
should be the one behind the wheel.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there,
with open arms and open eyes, yeah.
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there,
I'll be there...

Drive
Incubus

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there. I'll try my best but no guarantees. You can expect my open arms and open eyes, though. ;)