On positivity…

5:03 AM

Yesterday, March 31, was probably one of the best days in recent memory.

It was a day of great successes. First of all, just as planned days after, I met up, ate lunch, watched a movie and hung out for the whole afternoon with someone dear to me. Secondly, I was able to meet her Mom and Tito and do fine spending half an hour or so with them. Right after, I got a call from the HR of one of my two active job applications and was told that I got the job (which is a big big thing for me, since (1) I like the nature of work and the possible career it would give me and (2) there was only one opening and a LOT wasa considered for it). I also got to spend (free) dinner with some dorm friends. And lastly, talk to her again about how things turned out for the day–and as an icing to today’s cake, I was told that I made a really good first impression.

Now I think I’ve fallen a significant level deeper for her, because of all this chance to know one another and the people around. On the job-related topic, I now feel really flattered and proud for being the lone survivor in the said job application. I also got to catch up with old friends even for a quick while only. And got to smile so wide all night, as she talked about the comments of the Mom and the Tito.

However, just as how good and bad things tend to balance everytime, I realized now that I’m going to have a hard time deciding as I’ll be, possibly, torn choosing between two careers I both like in many ways. This will be a major decision in life and I’m not sure if I am mature enough to take it–sheesh, one decision that will definitely dictate what my life would be for the next 3-5 years, SCARY! Aside from that I was also able to fish out my status to her and find out how hard a road this would be for me really, given her current distrustful and on-guard state.

Anyway, just like what I realized in my recent Retreat, though things are so unsure and seem to be too negative, we should always try to be more excited in what life brings than being anxious about it. And that’s what I’ll do. I’ll just think and work really really hard on them.

Bahala na. Good luck to me.

On certain feelings…

It’s March 9, 2009 and I think I’m in like.

I actually got this from Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan’s line as he was looking back at his past. Obviously, I didn’t use the line as it is. Of course, the date was changed and another word was replaced.

Why, because I’m not really sure if I could use it. Who actually knows about it? Me? Probably not. One thing’s for sure though, that I’m in like with this certain someone (a more grammatically correct translation: that I really like this certain girl). And for a change, I started doing something about it, a thing that I’ve actively and passively avoided doing in the past 3 or 4 years.

Achievement! Hahaha. From this point on, I’m not sure of what will happen, given our being both so enigmatic when it comes to this issue, and the sort of bad timing, but hey I’d take this, better not sure but doing something about it, than just avoiding it and not trying at all.

Nothing’s for sure, but hey, that’s life. What’s important for me is the now, that sure is happy, and not the future, that of which I don’t have an idea of.

Weeeeeeeee! I’m just so ecstatic. I hope I can keep this up.

On coincidences…

Today was such a long day. I didn’t realize how tired I am until I got back to my dorm room, which was a just a few minutes ago, and rest my body for the first time since the morning. You see, Tuedays were supposed to be light for me, since I only have two classes–my film and multimedia classes–both of which are just free electives. To my surprise, it didn’t go like the usual easy-going Tuesday for me.

The APO job fair became so stressful for me–both going back and forth the venue and the Placement office just to accomplish my job fair tasks, and waiting in a long line to print the necessary documents for my job fair applications for the day. It was made worse by the scheduled quiz in my Film class, which caught me somewhat unprepared since I wasn’t able to finish the reading for I have used most of my free time for the day for my APO task.

Anyway, enough of the ranting. The real reason I wanted to blog today is my funny encounter with coincidence earlier. You see, I made friends with a Placement applicant earlier, my partner in tallying the day’s worth of evaluation sheets. The interesting part here is that, throughout the duration of us working together, we realized so many things we have in common.

Upon introductions we realized that we share the same last name–which she didn’t believe at first, thought I was tripping or something. Second, as the usual background checking of people who just realized that they have the same surnames, we became aware that we both have great great grandfathers, in our respective father’s side of the family, who were pure Chinese.

The last coincidence was the funniest thing that happened. We were working on the evaluation forms then, and I placed my phone on top of the pile I’ve already finished. When people rushed to the room where we were working, this new friend suddenly took my phone and put it beside her. I was stunned when she did that since I didn’t really understand why on earth she took it. Apparently, we also have the same phone and she thought that it was hers.

At that point, we started to get freaked out with the coincidences and kid one another about it. Well, it was really fun, and freaky. I was just amazed by everything that I had to write it here (though like in the past, I don’t think I made much sense writing this). Anyway, I just really wanted to so I won’t totally forget about the happenings.

There. Soupy post, once again!

On television and surveys and generalizations…

2:40 AM
At my recently converted workspace, just beside my dorm bed

Earlier today, while my orgmates and I were watching the Philippine version of Family Feud in GMA7–our usual Tuesday routine at our org room, 6PM on Tuesdays, I was somewhat surprised by the top answer to the question about naming important appliances in a household. According to the survey, the top answer is the television or TV, getting exactly 70 out of a hundred points.

You see, I have never considered TV as one of the more important home appliances. This attitude is reinforced by my being in the dorm and not having easy access to the idiot box for the past 3 years and counting. Well, I see its value, especially when it comes to entertainment, news, and many others. However, I really don’t understand why, for the 100 Filipinos surveyed by the show, 70 people answered it– a surprisingly high turnout, considering that the usual top answers score only between 50 and 60 votes.

At least in my point of view, the TV is among those that are dispensable. I mean, hey if you don’t have a television set, you don’t lose that much, right? You could still find entertainment through other appliances, like a simple radio or a laptop; you could still get news from the broadsheets or the Internet; and others. While no other appliance can store your food and chill your drinks like the refrigerator. Or you cannot make use of any other appliance to make your laundrying faster, easier and more efficient than the washing machine. But these two and the other important ones were no where to be found near the 70-point TV.

Does this simple house survey tell how we, Filipinos, put value in the things that affect our lives? TV over ref, washing machine, etc? Not a very good choice, at least in my opinion. Maybe this reflects a somewhat bad attitude that we have. That as most of us pick the TV that gives us entertainment rather than the other more important and useful ones to us, it is easy to see how we put more value into the more trivial and less significant issues rather than the vital ones at hand.

I know all these are hasty generalizations. But I think that somehow there is a little, so very little truth to it.

(Oh well. I hope I made sense. I just decided to write this since I’m having a hard time to sleep. Anyway, off to bed I go)

On text messaging…

3:44 PM
On my parents’ bed

I think I’ve reached my texting threshold. You see, I’ve been texting like crazy this past few days–without a doubt, so much more than I could ever remember. On an estimate, I think I’ve sent more than 600 texts in a matter of two or three days. This is since, I have been hosting and organizing mini get-togethers and impromtu gimmicks of different groups of my old friends back here in Subic. Thanks to my new globe post-paid line, which enables me to just text or call away and not worry about running out of credits; and to this impulse of mine since last semestral break, to take on the responsibility of organizing reunions or mini get-togethers of my grade school and high school classes.

Now my fingers are all sore. Even my arms are starting to hurt because of this too, I think.

Oh well. I guess this is fine. I just wanted to rant actually. Anyway, all those I’ve organized so far have been successes, so, no reason to fret or whatever. Yay for me! Hahaha. )

On Christmas and New Year’s eves…

1:30 AM
At our house, specifically in the living room, amidst the firecrackers outside and all the commotion inside

Hello 2009! Woot woot!

This is arguably the most fun New Year’s eve and day for the family. Aside from the usual getting together, media noche binging and videoke marathon, this year, my elder sister decided to welcome and celebrate the New Year a little differently. Getting the long neck bottle of brandy and litro beer, which were left overs from yesterday’s house party, she gave shots to everybody. And by everybody, I refer to everyone in the family, including our two nieces and nephew. Damn! After a few shots, the house was in total ruckus. I’ll not go into the details anymore. All I can say is that, everyone dissolved into laughter and fooling around–except for my dad of course, because he has a liver problem making alcohol out of the question, and me, because I’ve been drinking for the past six out of seven nights. But anyway, you get the picture. This was one hell of a fun night. No doubt.

Anyway, I’m glad about this. It made up for the kind of anticlimactic Christmas eve–because at that time, the sister I was talking about above was away for work, and Noche buena was celebrated at my eldest sister’s house and not in our own, a somewhat uneasy change for me. Not that I didn’t enjoy that one. I did actually. It’s just a little different. Christmas is Christmas, anyway.

Oh, well. I think I’ll end this post here. There’s still so much to write about the eve, but I’ll put it off for now. I’m a little sleepy and hungry at the same time that I don’t feel writing here anymore. That’s why. A post is a post anyway, even if it’s unfinished, lacking or nonsensical. Hahaha.

I seriously hope though that I find the time to write again about the 2009 and its probable challenges, about my new year’s resolutions and whatever in the coming days. I can do this! Believe! HAHAHA!

On cooking and washing dishes…

As it was done every year, my parents went to my Dad’s hometown in Batangas to spend the fiesta there with our relatives. Since this is my last Christmas break as a college student, I decided to stay at home and not go with them so I could rest and organize get-togethers with my Elem and HS friends–something that I’ve taken the responsibility of doing since sembreak last October.

This meant four days of living alone in our house for me. Being the caring mother that my Mom is (and her knowing that I can’t survive since I can barely cook and all that), she planned and prepared everything out for me: cooked some meals that can be stored in the fridge for a day or two and be reheated whenever I decide to, bought easy to cook food, and gave me more than enough money so I can always opt to eat out.

I really didn’t have any problems being home alone, thanks to my Mom. Anyway, though I did have everything done for me, on the third day of living alone, I decided to try doing so without consuming whatever food my mother had prepared for me. So, come lunch time that day, I bought some hotdogs, a pack of easy-to-cook soup, eggs, cooking oil, and what not. I tried cooking a “full meal”, of hotdogs as the main dish, chicken and corn soup on the side, rice and iced tea.

The meal, from the preparation to the consumption itself, went fine. Well, I could’ve done better in frying the hotdogs but the soup and rice were perfect. On hindsight, I can really say that the experiment was a success.

Well, except for one thing: the dishes to wash after. It’s not that I don’t know how to or that I dislike washing dishes. It’s about the amount of dirty dishes I have produced un cooking hotdogs, soup and rice only.

This sure is a lot just for those three.

Yeah, I might’ve been successful in my latest try, after such a long time, at cooking, but the dishes and cleaning part… no where was I near to success. Hahaha. I guess I just have to try harder and better next time–which would probably be just a couple of months from now (I’m graduating from college and am planning to live alone and away from the comforts of Mom’s cooking or of the nearby cafeteria, that’s why).

Oh well. ‘Til my next try at cooking and minimizing dirty dishes!

On Christmas parties…

After a whole week of procrastination and a few days of cramming 3 papers–which are two things I usually do and should stop doing–academics for the year 2008 ended yesterday. Yay! And what better way to officially close it and anticipate the coming Christmas holiday than partying with Block WWW and friends.

Last night’s was great. In fact, I’ve so many reasons to believe that it’s actually best with the block so far. I enjoyed it from start to end–from X-Math, to Simbang gabi, to Pao’s and until the DOTA the next day. There was just so much fun things to do the whole time: Ate so much–Nowen’s lechon and Baliwag’s chicken; played rockband/world tour; magic sing concert with Mic, Kat, Janeen, Pizza and the others; GranMa and Bacardi 151º shots; Rayrand running amok after a couple of shots; sleeping wherever; boy’s Magic sing session again in the morning; and then Webtown.

Super saya talaga! There has got to be an encore soon.

On hobbies and on beginner’s luck…

A few days ago while a friend and I were talking, I suddenly got the idea of finding a new hobby. No specific reason. Maybe just to have the chance to do something new, something else––other than dorm, school, DOTA, rockband, Internet, etc.

One of the first ideas that came to me was fishing. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to try it. I still remember that one time, a neighbor/playmate of mine gave me this improvised fishing thing (made up of a hook and a string rolled into a donut-like plastic container) that the kids in our neighborhood at the time use to “fish” in the waterways near our barangay plaza. Unfortunately though, my Dad, the killjoy that he was, upon finding out about my fishing thing, took it and locked it up in his tool box and told me that it was unsafe, thus he was not allowing me, to play with hooks. And the good child that I was, I just sulked away my disappointment and kept my enthusiasm for fishing out of my mind.

Anyway, back to my point. So, I told my friend about that possible hobby. The first thing he said was, “but fishing is for the patient,” then, as I expected he’ll say, “so, it’s not for you.” Shoot! I tried defending myself but in the end, my friend was able to give counter arguments to break down my defenses. Okay, I thought to myself, maybe I’m not that patient but that doesn’t mean I can’t take up something that requires it. I mean, perhaps there’s way or something.

So, days passed and I kind of forgot about that conversation already. Until we visited an Antipolo farm last Monday.

The farm was great (though it’s really far from our dorm and we got lost going there). There was so much to do there. They have tight ropes, balancing logs, a hanging bridge, bamboo rafts and so on. However, what really interested me was the fishing part. You see, they have this Tilapia pond wherein any visitor can just use their fishing rods and try catching whatever.

After eating the sumptuous lunch they prepared for us, I went straight to the pond to try my luck–and perhaps fulfill my childhood dream of a hobby. From then on, most of us spent the whole afternoon there, trying to fish while talking about whatever and all. At the end of the day, the whole group, armed with around seven rods, was able to catch a total of four Tilapias. Proudly, I caught three out of the four we got. Talk about beginner’s luck. After being hooked on my thumb (because of my own stupidity) and a couple of hours waiting, catching those Tilapias were so fulfilling. In a way, I was able to continue the fishing hobby and disprove my friend for saying that it was not for me. Hahaha!

Okay. So I know that catching fish in a not so big fish pond is really nothing compared to the real thing. However, who would not be proud of being responsible to the biggest part of the whole catch! Thus, despite this being so triviall, I don’t really care. At least in my own point of view, that fishing exprience was a total success to me.

I sure hope I can do it again sometime in the future. Not just once or twice. But so much more. Like a real hobby maybe.

On blogging and not blogging…

On my corner, right after watching Pacquiao beat up De La Hoya on YouTube
10:30ish PM

I’ve told myself before that I’d blog here as much as I can, to be able to preserve memories, to share whatever to whoever, to practice writing again, and many others. However, as usual, I have been failing to find the time––or the diligence, since I think virtue rather than chance is the issue here––to write on this blog.

What’s wrong with me? Well, I’ve been able to blog about the start of classes and the positive changes I’ve encountered so far in terms of academics and discipline. However, I have missed writing on an awful lot more, starting from my sembreak’s adventures, to my birthday, to my last ortho check up, and all the random happenings, thoughts and realizations in between. What a waste. If only I was more persistent and consistent.

Hmm. Now, I wonder if personal pressure and punishment can help. I’m actually thinking of making a deal with myself. I’m thinking of making blogging a must per week and having a consequence should I fail to do so.

Sige, I’ll do this! EXCITING!

The only question now is what must be the possible consequence. No DOTA a week perhaps? Or no internet or movie or whatever for a period of time? Or required saving up instead of spending on miscellaneous things?

I guess I’ll figure this out on a later time. What’s important for now is, this is decided: required blog per week! or else, whatever consequence.

I hope this works out.

Now I feel weird blogging/talking to myself. Nice!

P.S. Immaculate Conception day tomorrow. Yay, Mama Mary! You’re the best!

P.P.S. Since it is the Virgin Mary’s day tomorrow and since the Ateneo is Marian, no classes! More so, ARSA’s going to some far in Antipolo tomorrow. I am so looking forward to it. I just hope tomorrow’s as fun as I’m imagining it to be. Yey!

P.P.P.S. The second long weekend is almost over, and I have yet to start on my Multimedia class Photoshop project and my two Film class papers. Classic me. Good luck! Hahaha.