Another Philippine Daily Inquirer Editorial

Thursday, December 30, 2004

>Helpless in the face of Nature's wrath
Another excerpt of the December 29, 2004 editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE UNPARALLELED destruction wrought by the magnitude 9 earthquake that shook up the floor of the Indian Ocean and caused huge tsunamis that traveled faster than a jumbo jet reminds us humans of our own helplessness in the face of Nature's wrath. As many as 70,000 people may have been killed, including the grandson of the king of Thailand who was jet-skiing when the huge waves swallowed him. On the other hand, the incredibly huge swath of damage to property and infrastructure in 10 countries cannot as yet be assessed and quantified. The recent tragedy is a most humbling experience for the human race, but the international mobilization of relief, predicted to be the biggest in history, is also a lesson in the oneness of humanity.

Philippine Daily Inquirer Editorial

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Act of God
An excerpt of the December 29, 2004 editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

JUST when the world thought that it had seen the worst of a year of disasters, the worst catastrophe in living memory struck 10 countries, mostly in South Asia, last Sunday, dwarfing everything that came before it in terms of death and destruction. An earthquake of magnitude 9 near Sumatra left at least 5,000 people dead in Indonesia, most of them in the state capital of Banda Aceh. Worse was to follow in a matter of a few hours as tsunamis unleashed by the powerful earthquake raced across the Indian Ocean and then crashed on coastal villages and towns as well as some of the more popular island resorts in the region, leaving a wide arc of devastation extending from Indonesia and Thailand to India and Sri Lanka all the way to Somalia in Africa.

As of midday yesterday, international relief agencies placed the number of dead at about 25,000, almost half of them in Sri Lanka. But the count could double as relief workers reach remote villages that have had no contact with population centers since Sunday. One Thai official said the final death toll in his country could be more than twice the 990 confirmed deaths as of yesterday. Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla said between 21,000 and 25,000 Indonesians could have been killed.

But whatever the final count may be, it is already clear that what happened was an international catastrophe of almost unimaginable proportions. Geologists have to reach as far back as 1883 to find a tsunami of comparable violence and destructiveness. That was when the volcano Krakatoa, located on the opposite side of Sumatra, exploded and caused the deadliest tsunami on record, killing an estimated 36,000 people.

What makes this horrendous tragedy doubly sad and frustrating is that it was purely nature's handiwork, an act of God. Unlike the landslides and floods that claimed 1,800 lives in Quezon and Aurora early this month, for example, nature didn't get any help from loggers and others who abuse it to wreak havoc on hundreds of villages and towns. There are no engineers to blame for poor design and construction, no government planners to call to account for allowing communities to rise in places that are risky. Unlike storms or earthquakes, human knowledge and science seem completely helpless in mitigating the destructive capacity of a tsunami.

Scientists are now saying the death toll in the Dec. 26 disaster could have been much less had India and Sri Lanka been part of an international tsunami warning system, covering countries in the Pacific Rim. But that seems like a desperate effort to assign human responsibility for the devastation caused by a natural phenomenon. By all accounts, the tsunami hit Thailand within an hour and then struck Sri Lanka and India not more than two hours later. How does one move people numbering tens of thousands in that brief span of time? How helpful is a warning that gives people an hour or two to move to safer ground?

My Intangible Wish List 2004

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

And for my “intangible” Christmas wish list for the year 2004 (in no particular order)…

1. peace on earth (as always! hehe) and peace of mind! (hahaha)
2. speedy recovery for my mom (She just had an operation.)
3. good health for my loved ones (After my mom’s operation, I realized just how important having good health means. As the saying goes, health is wealth.)
4. free quality education for all (Education is a right, not a privilege.)
5. a discernible direction of what I want to do with my life after graduation
6. a job that I’ll enjoy (I’ll start my job hunting come January.)
7. to keep in touch with friends after graduation

8. to rekindle old/longlost friendships
9. to have better, stronger and more meaningful personal (and/or working) relationships with family, friends and people I've come acrossed with (especially those who have left an "indelible" mark in my life)
10. a cleaner, greener and pollution free Metro Manila (There’s just way too much pollution! I wish they’d plant more trees and flowers around the Metro.)
11. no more corrupt government officials (The money they put into their pockets should instead be used and invested in projects directed towards the alleviation of poverty and the development of the country’s industries.)
12. more job opportunities for all (So that Filipinos won’t have to look for greener pastures elsewhere and to minimize brain drain in the Philippines.)
13. no more power tripping and manipulative 1st world countries
14. IMF/WB cancellation of the debts of the poorest countries – the Philippines included! (Poor countries will never (and can never) pay off existing debt. As an Economics major, I’ve learned from my Economics professors that failure to cancel their debts leaves them in a vicious cycle where they must continually cut domestic spending and borrow more from abroad to meet payments on past debts. Thus, severely limiting the countries' capacity to address the urgent needs of its people.)
14. a better and more competent president of the Philippines (We need a strong and nationalistic leader!)
15. fewer buses in Edsa (From my unofficial assessment, the primary culprit to the traffic in Edsa!) OR maybe there should be scheduled bus stops in strategic points all over the Metro as in the case in other countries.
16. more competent MMDA traffic enforcers (Again, another culprit to the worsening traffic condition! From my assessment, sometimes they’re really just plain stupid.)
17. more trustworthy, dependable and competent policemen (For a safer Philippines! We need peace and order.)
18. cures to incurable diseases (better equipped hospitals as well)
19. medicine and hospital for the poor (I was shocked to see my mom's bills for her 1st two days in the hospital. It's very expensive to get sick. I don’t think the poor can even afford to get sick.)
20. a brighter future for the Philippines (A better Philippines, a better world)
21. joy to the world! =D
22. love!!! =)
23. and the list goes on…

Home Sweet Home

Monday, December 27, 2004

After a week in the hospital, my mom is finally back home though she hasn’t fully recovered yet from her operation. Nonetheless, I thank God for my mom’s successful operation. Special thanks also to all the doctors and nurses in Cardinal Santos who took care of my mom =). Last Monday, we were all worried sick seeing my mom in so much pain and the doctors having no idea as to her condition. It was only Tuesday afternoon that the doctors finally diagnosed my mom with appendicitis, which very rarely occurs to adults (a mere 5% according to the doctors). The past week, we were tired as well from going back and forth to the hospital, and spending the entire day everday in the hospital. This was my longest time ever spent in a hospital and to think, I hate going to hospitals. No complaints here though because it’s the least that I can do for my mom. After all these years, it’s now our turn to take care of her and return the favor. It’s a good thing though that there are four of us. After all that has happened, I’ve decided that I want to have more kids in the future (hehe) but really ever since I’ve always wanted to have at least 4 kids. As the saying goes, “the more the merrier.” (hehe).

For the first time, we spent Christmas in the hospital – no celebrations, nothing fancy really. While the usual gift giving is always on the 24th, the 25th is usually spent abroad as part of the Sy Clan’s tradition (imagine this: 30+ of us filling up an entire tour bus and yes, the family is still growing! hehe). Hong Kong was the choice of destination for this Christmas. This year though as if she already had some sort of premonition, my mom was stubbornly insisting on staying here instead. And so only after going through all the debates and disagreements, my mom’s decision prevailed. Thus, our family skipped this year's Sy Clan Christmas trip. Christmas felt seemingly different this year. It didn’t feel like Christmas at all. It was just like any other day maybe partly because my mom was confined in the hospital. I've always believe though that ultimately more than all the gifts, parties and decorations, the "specialness" of Christmas is Christmas spent in the company of loved ones no matter what the circumstances may be.

My Christmas Wish List 2004

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Although Christmas is over and I’ve opened all my gifts already…just the same, I’d still like to share my "tangible" and very short Christmas wish list for the year 2004. So here it goes in no particular order...

1. a Golden Retriever or a Labrador pup or a Bulldog or a Pug
- I’ve always wanted my own dog. We have a Dalmatian named Milo. He's a very hyper dog. He likes to jump and jump. In fact, he jumps more than he barks! hehe but he's really adorable.
2. a nice watch
- I’m currently eyeing on a Cartier watch!
3. ipod speakers
- To match my mini ipod! hehe
4. a brand new digital camera
- this time one that I can call my own(hehe selfish ba?)
5. Starbucks coffee frap (in bottles)
– finally sold here in the Philippines! (yehey!) I hope they won’t sell it in packs anymore because I don’t like the caramel frap that much.
6. a complete set of the “real” Care Bears stuffed toys
- Care Bears bring me back down memory lane. I hope they’d also bring back the other 80’s toys like Cabbage Patch, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. I can never find it in myself to appreciate the Anime cartoons that kids these days love.

Wala Lang!

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Here are the 10 random things that I’d like to try/do someday…

1. sky dive
2. scuba dive
3. surf
4. fly an airplane
5. swim with the dolphins
6. white water rafting
7. ride in the car of an F1 driver (preferably in one of the Formula One races)
8. watch the NBA game live (and of course, with ringside seats!)
9. watch the Australian cup and Wimbledon live (again, must have good seats)
10. join the Amazing race!

90!

Monday, December 13, 2004

Last Saturday, we finally had our defense. It feels like a huge relief to have everything over and done with. I can finally take a breather and in the meantime, not worry about anything. It feels even better because the grade we got wasn’t that bad at all. To say the least, it was a little more than what we expected. At least, all the hard work paid off! Overall, the defense went pretty well although on my part, I wish I could have done or handled things differently. I also believe we could have done better. Nonetheless, we couldn’t have asked for more. We weren’t expecting for things to play out the way they did and it certainly was a pleasant surprise. In the process of doing our thesis, we encountered a couple of hitches. Going into the defense, we had a lot of reservations and worries. What if we couldn’t finish our presentation in 20 minutes, what if the panelists weren’t as kind or what if they’d ask us difficult questions or what if our company rep didn’t think our service plan was good enough…well, you get the point (hehe). To cut the long story short, our company rep was all praises to our surprise (Thank God!). More than anything else, what matters most is what the company rep has to say about our paper. As the marketing professors would always tell us, as long as the company rep thinks the paper is good, whatever the other panelists has to say wouldn't matter as much anymore. I can’t believe we have finally finished our last term in DLSU. It hasn’t really sunk in yet though. It still feels all surreal.

Post Birthday Thoughts

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

We (that's me and Clarisse - my other half at birth) just celebrated our birthday last Friday. Nothing new, nothing exciting. Turning 23 wasn't any different from turning 20, 21, or 22 for that matter. I don't feel any older nor do I feel any wiser (haha). Although a lot has happened since last year, except for the fact that I'll be graduating soon, I think nothing much has really changed. Well, nothing really drastic or BIG anyway. Just like what we'd always do every year, we celebrated by eating out. This year I suggested Makati Shangri La's Red. Nice place, good food. However, they have very limited menu choices. We continued with the celebration the day after via a BBQ cookout for friends.

Birthday cookout!

It started out one day – spur of the moment – during lunch at UCC when somebody (I’m not sure if it was me or Clarisse or my mom) suggested why not have a joint BBQ cookout instead. We’d always have family BBQ cookouts. We’d grill steak, chicken, barbeque, and prawns and we’d also make our own hamburgers and hotdog sandwiches. It was always fun to have cookouts and so we thought it was a good idea. Other than for the leftover food, the cookout turned out alright. I guess our food projections weren’t that accurate. It’s either that or I guess everyone was “nahihiya” or on a diet. Nonetheless, I’m really happy that everyone showed up. I’m not particularly super dooper fond of birthdays because it reminds me of my age (hehe). But seriously, I don’t want people to treat me any differently just because it’s my birthday. As much as possible, I want my birthday to be just like any other day. Don’t get me wrong it’s still a “special day” and it wouldn’t hurt if people were actually nice to you but people shouldn’t be too conscious of trying to be exaggeratedly nice to you (not that people were super extra nice to me anyway last Friday hehe). Simply being remembered on your “special day” is enough as it is. After all, it always feels great to be remembered, most especially by important people in your life – that for me is enough reason already to make me feel special.

Next Move After Graduation

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

My OJT is officially over and done with today. Now that I've finished my OJT and with my thesis under way, I'm all set for graduation on December; although the march won't be happening until February. It's still hard to believe that I'll soon be graduating. Over all, college life didn't seem such a drag to me amidst all the stress and pressures of being a student. To think with a double degree, my college years were even extended to 5 years. I didn't mind though because I wanted to make the most out of my student life anyway before finally moving on to the real world. Well, the real world awaits me now. I'm no longer as scared of what the real world holds. I'm no longer as ignorant of what the real world is like. With the OJT experience under my belt (not that it was that much of a BIG experience hehe), I feel more confident and sure. I may have no idea of what's going to happen to me in the real world but at least now I know what to expect. I had a taste and more importantly, a feel of what the real world is like. The question now is...what does the real world have instore for me? I'm currently contemplating on whether or not to start job hunting. From my sister's experience, the job application process may take a while so it might be a good idea to start looking for job prospects as early as now. I don't want to later on succumb to the pressures of my parents most especially when the time comes that they'd start nagging me about my being idle for too long. In my opinion, I think I'll be needing at least a month's rest before mapping out the journey of my future career but just the same I'm willing to work right away if and when opportunity comes knocking at my door. I haven't decided yet whether to relax and take a break after graduation or to start looking for work as early as now so that by graduation, I'll have a job waiting in the wings. You know what's weird? Day to day nothing seems to change but pretty soon everything changes. No matter how much I wanted to take a shift from the monotony of the daily grind, in my mind...my efforts prove to be futile. But little did I now that slowly (and I hope surely hehe), small things, that for too many times I have taken for granted, are starting to unfold right in front of me and before I even start to realize it, change has already happened.

My OJT Experience

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

After a two-week long hiatus from “blogging,” I’m now back with a vengeance (haha yeah right!). I’ve been too caught up with work as if I were actually a regular employee of the company and as if I were being compensated for my work. I guess it comes with the territory of being a/an practicumer, OJT, intern. I would have preferred it to be this way though rather than doing nothing at all or being made as gophers. I may be swamped with work but at least I’m being a productive citizen of this world (haha). If there’s anything that I’ve learned to do, more than anything else, it’s creating and designing webpages. To some extent, I kind of feel proud of myself. I started out with nothing and worried as hell that I wouldn’t be able to do the job well but here I am now – the webmaster. the guru. Okay fine that was a little bit exaggerated (hehe).

Today was supposed to be our last day of our on-the-job-training. I was already looking forward to extending my sleeping hours in the morning but it didn’t surprise me anymore that again, something came up. So what else is new, right? We weren’t able to say our formal goodbyes with our supervisors. It was lunch time already when we finished and since we had to leave already and could no longer wait for after lunch, we decided to leave a note instead. It wasn’t really the proper thing to do but that was the only option unanimously acceptable and available at that time. Later in the afternoon, I got a text though from my supervisor asking if I could come in tomorrow because he wanted to discuss and make some changes in the Intranet. Since I was assigned to the Intranet and not that I have any other choice to begin with, I agreed to go to work tomorrow. Anne, Mae and Pan will not be coming in for work tomorrow since they have no more work to do. So I guess I'm on my own for now. Good luck to me!
>
In sum, the whole OJT experience wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, the 200 hours was a breeze except for those days when I had a hard time waking up, when traffic was really bad and when I was feeling lazy and out of it. Going to work and seeing some friendly faces helped a great deal. Having to do OJT with friends made it a whole lot easier for me. It was also nice to have to go to work together everyday with my sisters (and having occasional lunch outs at UCC or Oliver's). I’m sure the real world wouldn’t always have as many friendly faces but we all, relationships that is, have to start somewhere. Before all the relationships and friendships have even started, we were but strangers in this sea of unfamiliar and nameless faces.

Status: Single

Saturday, October 16, 2004

I watched Wimbledon today in Rockwell. It’s funny how despite the conditions and positions the characters were in when they first met, who would have known they would end up falling for each other? It wasn’t planned or anything. It wasn’t even the best “first meeting.” In fact, it was anything but perfect – it was awkward, humiliating, unexpected and outrageous. I guess everything doesn’t have to be picture perfect always. When it comes to love…when it hits you, it hits you hard. Before you’ve even realize it, you’ve already fallen in love.

Love is all around but ironically, I think I'm lost or perhaps, has love lost its way? As JC Chasez's Build My World would put it "someone for everyone but no one for me..." I’d often get the dreaded question Do you have a boyfriend? and I’d awkwardly answer the usual No. As if my answer isn’t good enough, they’d even follow it up with a series of Why’s or How Come? They’d mostly have matching shocked or I’m sorry expressions as if something’s wrong with me. As if that wasn’t terrible already, they’d continue on with their own theories of my being single - usually that I’m mapili, aloof, unapproachable and what-have-you - but the truth of the matter is, they don't know a single thing about me and they don't have a clue of how I feel. You can just imagine how uncomfortable it makes me feel so I’d just politely shrug my shoulders and subtly change the topic in the hopes that they’d start moving on to more interesting things to talk about. I used to not mind others' pestering my non-existent love life but I guess you reach a point when all the talk gets a little tiring already or maybe I'm succumbing to the pressures of still being single at 22. Whichever the case, I need a break!

All the whole love affairs and talks have made me start thinking about "single-hood" or "single-dom." So after much thought, I’ve considered the following:

Physical attraction. On both sides, maybe there isn’t just any physical attraction to begin with. We have to admit that looks initially matter. There must be some sort of attraction towards each other to start the ball rolling. The superficiality of beauty though is not what keeps a relationship going. At the end of it all, personality will still be the deciding factor. After all, beauty is only skin deep.

Circumstances. Circumstances make it difficult or perhaps impossible to find love. First, there’s too many missed opportunities if not, the lack of it. Second, there’s just way too many factors involved like family, friends, work, beliefs, tradition, and culture, among others. In some ways, circumstances do impose limitations on us. Circumstances are uncontrollable. It will really depend on how we can best respond or react to whatever circumstances that we come face to face with.

Compatibility. Not all personalities match. Companionship is of utmost importance in a relationship. It’s hard to find that someone who you can totally relate to and understand unconditionally – regardless. Unfortunately whether because of poor judgment (really first impressions never last), pride or just plain fate, it is not so very often that we get the chance to get to know a person really well no matter how much we would have liked to. Hence, what could have been a budding lifelong and meaningful friendship OR romance will forever be just that – a could have been.

Timing. Love will come around. You can’t force love to come nor can you hurry love. We have to wait patiently. I guess all it takes is just perfect timing – you have to be at the right place at the right time.

On love and on being single: Love is a funny thing. You can find it, lose it or search for it all your life. All our lives, we search for someone to love, someone to make our life complete. As for me, I'm not expecting too much anymore but neither have I given up just yet.

Hope Floats

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Just when I was expecting for the worse, a plesant surprise came along. I came to work with my mind already set that I was going to redo everything that I've worked on yesterday. I came to work prepared that the files that I worked so hard on are already gone with the wind (hehe) just as it made a disappearing act in my USB drive (hehe). Sorry to be very corny but if things go wrong, sometimes it really helps to just use whatever sense of humor that you have left. "Life is like a mirror. If you frown at it, it frowns back. If you smile, it returns the greeting." I've read this somewhere and somehow it just sticked. It makes a lot of sense to me too. Nevertheless, I still tried to check at the office computer drive since I had nothing to lose anyway. As if the impossible happened, to my disbelief (and delight!), all the files were intact. Last night, I actually gave up on the idea that the files could still be in the office computer. How could it be when my USB drive didn't have the files that I directly copied from the entire folder in the office? Nonetheless before I went to bed, I still prayed to St. Therese hoping for a very small miracle to happen. I wasn't really expecting anymore. If any, I was expecting for the worse. I've moved on from yesterday's unfortunate events and I was prepared to patiently finish everything today. Indeed, life has its own way of making us smile - especially at times when we want to give up and lose hope but certain surprises come your way when you least expect it so don't give up and throw in the towel just yet. You need to have that Never Say Die attitude so as to survive life with all its tribulations and unpredictability. Hard as it is but never impossible.

The Virtue of Patience

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Something funny OR exasperating happened to me this morning. It actually depends on how you'd like to think of it. I'd like to think funny (hehe). I was supposed to drop my sister first at the back of SMART in Valero street. For some reason, I asked the driver to stop upon supposedly seeing the "back" of PBCom Tower. To our surprise, we found a different "back." Yep, I wasn't alone. It's a good thing Pan hitched with me today. It took us a while before we realized that we were at the "back" of GT Tower. To think I'd always wait for my sister at the "back" of PBCom Tower everyday since she usually leaves work later than me. So I must say I literally have a photographic sketch of the "back" of PBCom Tower. I find it strange though to have missed out on the details. First, the nearby parking lot had no shed/roof. Second, Racks was nowhere to be found. Third, there was no building/condominium next door. I really don't know what I was thinking or what came over me (hehe). If there's any consolation, Pan also thought we were at the right "back" otherwise she would have stopped me from going down the car. So there we were scratching our heads in disbelief and in amusement. Maybe we should take more vitamins from now on (hear me sing to the tune of "not enough vitamins, not enough life..." hehe).

As if my day couldn't get any more off-track, I logged on to the office computer only to find out that all the files I worked on yesterday were all gone. You can just imagine how frustrated I was. There goes a whole day of hard work...down the drain. It's a good thing though that I was able to save the files that took the most work to finish in Microsoft Word. What's ironic is, I'd usually "secretly" (hehe Maersk is kind of strict with regards to downloading files and programs) save all the files I worked on in my USB drive so that I can do some work at home. Now you see that I'm very much dedicated to my work (haha). For the first time though, I decided not to save in my USB drive yesterday because I was going to watch my favorite show, The O.C. I missed it though because I went to watch Open Water in Rockwell instead. Can I just first share how much I hated the movie?! It is by far the worst (take note! in the superlative degree hehe) movie of the year. At first, I was thinking how the heck can you make an entire film of two people stuck in the middle of the ocean? The answer is simple - you can't. By the time the movie's ending credits started to roll, I was nauseous! I think I should've taken Bonamine first. Seriously, all the floating and ocean waves made me feel queasy and all woozy.

And on to my day's events...

If you think my woes are over, think again! my day is far from over. As if my day couldn't get any more frustraing, I came home only to find out that my day's work were all gone. To think before I left the office, I made sure to save all the files I worked on in my USB drive. Of course, I've learned a very valuable lesson from yesterday's mistake. I didn't want it to happen again so I safely saved in my USB drive. For some unknown reason, I was able to save only a half of the work I did today. Really, today was hard work. To say the least, I finished a ton of work today - even more than yesterday that's why I feel so utterly frustrated and helpless. I don't know what to do. Hay! A part of me wants to just laugh it off while a part of me wants to cry and scream at the top of my lungs "You've got to be kidding me!" (*Sigh!*). Admittedly though, I was a little careless in saving the files. I was in a hurry to leave the office worried that Clarisse was already waiting for me in the car. She texted na kasi that she's going down na. Apparently, SMART's elevators are very very very slow (hehe). Oh well! If there's any consolation, there's at least something to keep me busy tomorrow (yeah right! as if that's going to make things better).

I couldn't seem to understand why Murphy's Law is always working double-/over-time, whichever way you want to put it, in my life; as if it's always in its highest force/power/influence. For the ignorant...yes, there is such a thing as Murphy's Law. I'm not kidding! Go do Google search and enlighten yourself (wahaha).

In the game of baseball, I've strikedout already but you know what...in the game of my life, I'm far from game over. If any, I've become even more optimistic and I'd like to think tougher. I'm actually trying to perfect the saying, "Patience is a virtue." It is a virtue indeed. I'm learning. I'm coping. I'm keeping the faith. You'd be amazed how much patience can do to your life. From experience, having even the slightest bit of patience can go a looooooooooooooooooong way. So have patience (and a little bit of humor wouldn't hurt too). Believe me, it will do your life a whole lot of good as it did mine. Even after all that has happened to me today, I still have the heart to laugh about it. ;)

P.S. I'm working with Microsoft FP and as I've mentioned before, it's a first for me and obviously, I can't really seem to figure it out yet.

Hakuna Matata

Sunday, October 10, 2004

I feel so full right now and to think, I haven't had dinner yet and I don't plan to anymore. We had lunch at Summer Palace in Edsa Plaza. I ate a whole lot that I think I'm going to puke any minute now (Okay, I'm exagerating hehe!). I just love dimsums though. After lunch, we went to see if there were any seats left for Shark Tale at The Shang. Yey! I finally got to watch Shark Tale. Other than the kid's annoying kicks at the back of my chair, I enjoyed the movie. It was a funny movie (Aliw!). Lenny the Shark is just so adorable! Oscar the Seahorse (?) is really hilarious. My hats off to Will Smith! I like him - he's cool. Shark Tale definitely tops my list of favorite cartoon movies along with Monster's Inc, Finding Nemo and Shrek. I think The Shang has the best movie seats/chairs; their seats are very comfortable although they have this very stupid policy of not allowing moviegoers to bring outside food in the theater. Grabe, you can't even drink Big Chill! When I went to watch A Cinderella Story a few months back, I gave the usher a piece of my mind when they wouldn't allow me to bring my Big Chill drink in (hehe although I couldn't blame them because they were after all just doing their job). At that time, I just couldn't help it but to tell them off.

I'd also like to share a trivial thing that currently frustrates me. I don't like the way events are turning out in Survivor's Vanauatu (did I get the spelling right?). I just watched Survivor a while ago only to see Brady, the cute FBI agent getting voted off - major bummer! (hehe). All the good and interesting guys (or should I say gentlemen?) are being voted off one by one. John is the only one left standing. Gosh! it's turning out to be a boring Survivor season.

Indeed, the weekend went by so fast. It has been an unproductive one for me. I originally planned to religously learn the Frontpage tutorial but to no avail, I found myself watching movies instead (hehe). Friday night was spent watching The Punisher while Saturday morning was spent watching Smallville Season 3 and the afternoon was spent watching Raising Helen (and shopping! hehe) in Rockwell. I brought some work home so as to be able to get a head start but I guess my being a movie enthusiast got the better part of me. I feel sort of guilty not doing any work during the weekend. Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? (hehe). At this point, I think I need to have some relax and chill time for myself (wahaha). As the saying goes, "you have to work hard and play even harder." Nonetheless, I hope the rest of the week will be a good one for me. I'm trying to have this whole Hakuna Matata mantra going on in my head right now. Yup, no more worries from this point onwards.

Extra Challenge Undercovered

Friday, October 08, 2004

I just came home from Rockwell where we watched The Punisher. I wasn't expecting much since it was a flop in the U.S. and I think it has been receiving poor reviews. I really wanted to watch Shark Tale or Wimbledon but cartoons and teeny bopper movies aren't exactly my dad's idea of a good movie so I really had no choice to begin with. By the way, did you know that The Punisher was a Marvel comics character? I didn't know that until I saw the opening credits of the movie (hehe). It wasn't that bad really although there's just way too much violence involved. I guess that's just what happens when you lose all the people you love unexpectedly in the hands of revenge-seeking gruesome people. I think what the protagonist had to go through is the worst thing that can happen to a person. The movie gives you a take of how it feels like to have nothing to lose and live for anymore. It gives us a perspective of how life would be like without family. To say that it is unbearable is even an understatement.

Anyways, work today was a bit stressful. I was originally tasked to do the advertising strategy part of our OJT undertaking but I'm now faced with the daunting task of doing the company's Intranet in the Philippines, which for your information is accessible to all Maersk offices around the world and mind you, will be supposedly used for the next 3 years tops. Some pressure huh? I may be a creative person but I'm no professional webmaster. I want to be though (hehe) but I just don't have the patience to go through the tutorials all by myself. As many webpage software choices available in the market right now, I'm left with no other option but to use Microsoft Frontpage since it's what the company is currently using. As if I wasn't already having a difficult time trying to figure my way through the ins and outs of Frontpage, I was even given a list of restrictions - from the colors, fonts, page margins, layouts/templates, pictures, software programs, no take home work and the list goes on. How can I do the job well if my resources and creativity are being limited? So how can they expect me to come up with a kick ass website now? Don't mind me though, I'm just being a little bit O.A. right now (hehe). I'm just panick-stricken because I never had a background of designing webpages and I have little time and resources to finish the website. To think, I haven't even finished the advertising strategy yet and not only that, we still have a marketing plan for our thesis and nerve-wracking panel defense all scheduled by the end of the term. Nonetheless, I actually believe that I can still do the job well if only I was given the freedom to do whatever I want. Webpage designing is something that actually interests me if only I wasn't ignorant on the subject matter. Really, the restrictions wouldn't be that much of a problem anymore if only I knew how to create a webpage. The thing is, nobody's patient enough to teach me (not even myself! haha). This is a challenge that I'm left with no other choice but to face head on regardless of the circumstances. I'll definitely be needing all the inspiration, patience and courage that I can get in the few months ahead. Good luck to me. I hope Microsoft Frontpage will be very cooperative and will work with me on this (haha!). Who knows I might even end up being a webpage designer guru of some sort (haha yeah right!).

P.S. Sorry for the corny title. No pun intended! (hehe).

Me, Myself and My Lonesome Self

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Shark Tale is already out in the theaters today. I've been wanting to watch it. From the trailers, it looks like a fun movie to watch! But of course, I couldn't watch it today because I had to go to work. I spent the day at work all by my lonesome self. It was a first for me which I think will still need a lot of getting used to. It's hard when you have no one to talk to or share your trivial thoughts with or laugh around with your corny jokes (hehe). The people in the office are nice but being the new "kid" on the block, I'm not as comfortable yet with the unfamiliarity. It's a good thing though I had some sort of work to do otherwise I'd be lost out of my mind. For the record, it has been a productive day for me (hehe). I finished quite a lot today. Anne and Mae had an interview scheduled for the day while Pan had a badminton tournament to attend to and as for myself, I apparently had no reason or excuse whatsoever. Being the professional that I am (*Ahem! Ahem!*), I was left with no other choice but to dutifully go to work. Fortunately, Clarisse's office was just near mine so I wasn't a loner during lunch break. We agreed to eat lunch at our favorite UCC Paseo. It wasn't too long a distance but it wasn't short either. If only I were wearing sneakers, I wouldn't mind the distance at all. Really, I'd gladly welcome a good and much needed (hehe!) exercise anytime. I think I need to catch up on a whole lot of exercising. I've lately been tired, lazy or even busy in my standards (as a matter of fact, I have my own definition of "busy" haha!). So there goes my resolution to be all fit and healthy. It has indeed been a struggle (wahahaha). My high-heeled sandals may have made my feet all sore but nonetheless, the meal was a sumptuous one. The food definitely made the walk all worth it! (hehe)

After lunch, there I was again singing to the tune of Celine Dion's All By Myself (hehe). But hey! being alone doesn't bother me as much anymore unlike before. Hmm...is this a sign of maturity? I would like to think so ;). You know what, sometimes it's okay to be alone. Once in a while, we all need a break from each other to recoup and be in touch with our inner self and surroundings. The truth of the matter is finding yourself in solitude is inevitable but it doesn't always have to mean that you're lonely or a total loser. You'd even be surprised that sometimes to be in the company of ourselves isn't that bad after all. It is in fact the perfect opportunity to reflect on what you've done, didn't do, could have done and could still do in your life. Surely nobody wants to be alone forever but I would like to believe that there is still such a thing as solitary contentment, which we all ought to have just so as to be able to have a good grip of ourselves from time to time.

Positive Chi

Saturday, October 02, 2004

If there's anything that I've learned in this past few days, it's learning how to block and filter all the negative energy and channeling it to something more positive and productive. You'd be surprised to actually find more peace within yourself. This world that we live in has so much good to give and yet here we are living in so much pessimism. It's such a pity that our lives are surrounded by so much anger, hatred, bitterness, jealousy, and the list goes on. Whether consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally, some people just have the knack of putting you down and sometimes even, they try a little too hard. Why not bring the best out of each other? I believe that if you don't have anything nice to say to a person then just keep it to yourself. Believe me, it would do you good even more to just shut up. There's also times when people blame you for something you didn't do but no matter how much explaining you do, they can't seem to understand you. It's as if no matter how much good you do or how much you've achieved or how much you've tried, you're forever tainted in their eyes. It always feels as if your best was never good enough. Sometimes, there's no use or point to explain myself anymore. In fact, I don't want to prove myself anymore to anybody. It's so hard to please others all the time. I've come to accept the fact that you can't please everyone. All the negative vibes won't do you any good and you can't always get yourself affected by all the pessimism. If you'll always let others put you down then you'll forever be stuck in a rut. Absolute peace may forever remain an idealism most especially in this times of ours but you know what, simple as it may sound, learning to accept and understand is one step towards finding some sort of inner peace. Whenever circumstances are against you or if you're stuck in a rut, I believe the best way out of it is to pick up the pieces and move on to better and more positive things. For as long as you're happy and you're not stepping on anybody's toes then you're okay.

We are the Champions!

Thursday, September 30, 2004

I decided to skip work and instead do work at home today because I didn't want to miss Game 3 of the UAAP Men's Basketball finals. Our current "project" required us to be on the phone talking to different exporting companies. I was practically on the phone the whole day because we had a deadline to beat tomorrow. Talking on the phone the whole day gets a little tiring at some point. I was never a phone person to begin with which makes things even more difficult for me. It doesn't help also that most of the people we were talking to on the other line were not very accomodating and entertaining. So you can just imagine how relieved I am to take a breather from work. All day long, I was looking forward to today's game. It's a good thing the game didn't disappoint me. I even think it's the best game yet this UAAP season. It was a close game althroughout although La Salle was trailing by a few points most of the time. It was very exciting and nerve-wracking most especially in the last few minutes of the game. Jayvee Casio's 3-pointer was a winner! Indeed, it was all about heart at that point. He shot and delivered at the times when it mattered the most. I thank God Miranda's shot didn't went in. He had a clear view of the basket and at first, it actually looked like it was going in. It would have been a big heartbreaker for me (and for the entire La Sallian community as well) if that shot of his went in. At that point, it was anybody's game. I guess it just really wasn't meant to be. I was even up on my feet shouting "Boo! Boo! Boo!" non-stop in hopes of jinxing Miranda's shot. I just feel so elated right now that La Salle won. Of course, it feels good to win but this championship makes it even more special because since the beginning of the season many doubted, many criticized, many boasted, many jeered, many came up with their own conspiracy theories but deep down in this Green Archer's heart of mine, I never stopped believing that one day, we'll prove them wrong and we did. Need I say more? =)

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Sunday, September 26, 2004

Today was a day of wins and losses. Win because Clarisse and I won 1st place in our level *Let me take a bow. Thank you, thank you!* (hehe). We had to play 3 teams but we were lucky enough to have won all of our games. Although it was a sweep (haha), I still commend the teams we played against. Indeed, it was a good fight. It was definitely a hard-earned win for us and not to mention, we had a super workout today (hehe) but hey, it's all good. At first, we were feeling the jitters but eventually we came around, played hard and won. I guess it's all about teamwork, patience and faith. Although some of the teams looked very serious and were in full battle gear (hehe), we never gave up. We literally played our hearts out today. We believed in ourselves. We believed that we can actually win this thing and we did! Yey! I get to have my very first trophy. Unfortunately, we weren't able to accept our trophy on stage and had our picture taken. I had to choose between waiting around for the awarding ceremonies and rushing back home to catch the DLSU and FEU game. What can I say! as much as I wanted to take part in the awarding ceremonies, my love for La Salle prevailed. Now, you know just how much a diehard La Sallian I am (did I say that right? What the heck!). La Salle all the way! It's the school I chose, it's the school I love.

From a high or more like from cloud nine, I was brought back to earth (haha!). It was a major bummer that La Salle lost today but I'm keeping the faith that they will win it on Thursday. I hope that they will come up with a very good game plan - one that will kick ass! (hehe). Just the same, I'll still be praying very hard for that La Salle win from now until Thursday. I think I'm going to keep my fingers - and toes!- crossed as well (haha, yeah right!).

No doubt it always feels good to win and while losing isn't really the best feeling in the world, it actually makes us more human and most of all, humble. And it shouldn't come as a surprise anymore that in life, you win some and you lose some. I believe the art of winning and losing comes with grace in acceptance of whatever goes your way and moving on after that.

Just a Saturday...

Saturday, September 25, 2004

We ate lunch at Cibo in Glorietta 4. After which, we went to watch 13 Going on 30. We were supposed to watch The Notebook but we were late already for the 12:30 pm showing and since we didn't want to wait for the next showing at 3:00 pm, we decided to watch 13 Going on 30 instead. I don't like watching movies at G4 anymore. It's crowded. It's noisy. It's free-for-all seating (usually!). The BBQ popcorn sucks! It tastes like plain/regular popcorn. Read: BBQ popcorn is supposed to taste like BBQ. Duh! (hehe) To think, Tater's was supposed to be good. I think I like watching movies best at Rockwell. It's not crowded. There's less people and the place is cleaner and less like a "palengke." I also like the popcorn in Rockwell and they even allow you to put lots of extra BBQ flavor for free (hehe I always ask for additional BBQ flavor kasi on my popcorn). Anyways, it's a good thing though I liked the movie. 13 Going on 30 was fun to watch. It wasn't as in super good but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was very light and entertaining. I like watching romantic-comedy films because it never fails to put a smile on my face. It gives you that warm-fuzzy-touchy feeling. I even almost cried in the latter part of the movie (hehe). I'm a sucker for romance. Also, I would like to share a new discovery. We ate dinner at Italianni's in Greenhills and tried their Cappuccino Pie for dessert. It's super yummy! It's my new found favorite. It's super sarap that we even had two orders! (hehe). Now, I'm super full. I think I'm going to bed early tonight to have a good night's rest for tomorrow's tournament. I hope we win! (also, I hope DLSU wins against FEU tom) =)

Lucky Break

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Yey! I was able to catch the game today between DLSU and FEU. I thought I wouldn't be able to watch it anymore because of work but it's a good thing though that we were given a day off today. It was the perfect timing! I'd like to think of it as a lucky break. I was supposed to ask the driver to buy tickets at Araneta last Monday but decided against it at the last minute because the "good" side of me prevailed (hehe!). I was actually debating whether or not to skip work today. In the end, I decided to go to work and have the game recorded/taped instead but still that did no stop me from whining and complaining all week long (hehe!). Of course, for someone like me who's a diehard fan, missing a game (more so if it's the finals) is a big deal. So you can just imagine how relieved and happy I was upon learning yesterday that we will be given the day off today (not naman as in super happy since I was feeling all confused and crappy yesterday). Sayang nga lang because I wasn't able to buy tickets anymore but then again, it's still better to catch it on TV live than being stuck at work and not being able to watch it at all. Game 1 of the finals proved to be a good one for La Salle. La Salle played really good defense against FEU and to think, FEU is the no.1 defensive team in the league right now. I feel happy for La Salle. I hope they'll win it all the way. I also hope I'll get to watch at least one of the remaining games live. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the badminton tournament this Sunday will finish early so that I can at least catch the game on TV (fyi, the badminton tournament has games scheduled in the morning but unfortunately, our games were scheduled in the afternoon, grrr!). And if there will be a game 3 (I'm pretty sure there will be one), I'm wishing as hard as my powers will allow me (haha) that we'll be given a day off again next Thursday so that I can try to watch the game live. Hmm...is it really possible to have two consecutive lucky breaks? (I hope so!)

I'm no longer feeling as crappy as yesterday not because La Salle won (but it helped! hehe) but because today's break gave me the time out to clear my thoughts. I've decided I don't want to worry too much anymore. I don't want to overanalyze things because it makes matters even more complicated. From now on, I'm going to take things one day at a time. Really, whatever works... =)

Misunderstood

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

I'm feeling sort of crappy today. Nothing really serious though (hehe). I guess I'm just in "one of those moods." I have a gazillion things on my mind right now. I'm in a cloud of confusion, frustration and hopelessness. Don't you just feel that sense of frustration whenever people make the wrong impression of you and that sense of hopelessness when you can't do anything about it? You try to change it and end up getting even more confused, frustrated and hopeless. Go figure.

You see, I'm not so much of a talker. I'd rather listen than blab my way through a conversation. I don't want to try too hard and end up saying stupid things or things that I'll regret later on. I don't want to force myself on someone and end up looking like a fool. Yes, I may be tense at times especially in stressful, awkward and unfamiliar situations but hey, nobody's perfect! I have a lot of quirks that need a lot of getting used to but I guess that's what makes me different. I would like to think I'm a fairly nice and easy-going person. I can be really serious (when the need arises hehe) and believe it or not, I can also be crazy (when I'm in the mood =) ). People will just have to get pass through the first impressions. Get over it! After all, first impressions never last.

But then again, maybe it's just me. Maybe I need to change something. Maybe I have to be more open. Maybe I have to be a little more friendly. Maybe once in a while, I have to put my guard down or maybe, just maybe regardless of what others think of me, I simply have to enjoy being myself and hopefully, everything else will follow.

A Taste of the Real World

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Today was a looooong and tiring day. In fact, I actually just came home from Olympic in Libis where we played badminton. We had to practice for this Sunday's tournament. Come this Sunday, we're ready to show our moves (haha! as if we really have "the" moves to show). We may be amateurs but definitely, we wouldn't let our opponents win without a good fight. Go Team Globesco! =)

So, today was our first day in Maersk Filipinas. It's THE day. I woke up really early thinking that I'll be VERY early but I was wrong! Traffic was really bad today and I think I had a little too many stopovers. To put it in simple terms, I WAS LATE! It's a good thing though we weren't immediately called in to the office. Althroughout the day, we were basically briefed about the company's operations. Joy, who by the way is the guy in-charge of our training, wanted to make sure that we perfectly understood the company's business before we start working officially. The orientation was quite interesting but it's just too much information for me to absorb and lack of sleep makes matters even worse. As much as I wanted to listen, my mind at some point starts wandering off to La La Land. I guess my overcapacitated mind needs to recharge in order to function properly (no kidding! hehe). Nonetheless, I must say I've learned so many things today.
In sum, first day of work wasn't that bad at all. Today was definitely a whole new experience for me. School is so much different from work. The environment is different. The people are different. The culture is different. Work gives you that sense of maturity and responsibility. Work teaches you to set your priorities straight. Work makes you start thinking about the future. Work is that point in your life where you officially start growing up. The change gives me some sort of excitement but at the same time, it gives me the jitters. I'm also feeling some sort of apprehension. I'm scared that I wouldn't be able to meet my supervisors' expectations. I'm afraid that I would'nt do well. I guess this is just a taste of what the real world is like and I'm sure it's not going to taste sweet all the time. But no matter how different and difficult everything may seem, I know I'll survive at the end of it all. ;)

Dealing with Choices

Monday, September 20, 2004

3M, Nestle and Inquirer 7 called us today. Before, we were worried sick that we have no company to work for. Now, we have the luxury of choosing. Long before other companies started calling us though, we've already accepted Maersk's offer. Our training which was supposed to be at 1 pm today was cancelled and rescheduled to tomorrow. Work tomorrow will be from 9 am to 5 pm. I hope that they'll allow us to work together. I'm a nervous wreck. I find the people in Maersk a little intimidating. I hope that we'll all do well. I really want to watch the finals game live this Thursday. Unfortunately, work starts this week and I don't think I can miss work. Initially, I plan to call in absent but I haven't really decided yet. I have my priorities distorted right now. Work has barely even started yet and here I am, thinking of absenting myself (haha!). It's all about setting your priorities straight, right? Obviously, mine's a little crooked right now. I think I need to continously keep my priorities in check. I just hate having to choose most especially when I'm in a no win-win situation. I just hate having to deal with everything all at once. Why do life's choices have to be tough? If only life's decisions could have been much easier...

Animo La Salle!

Sunday, September 19, 2004

Tickets may not have fallen from the skies as what I was wishing for but I'm still in a happy bubble right now because La Salle won (Woooooooohoooooo!). Mac Cardona played one heck of a game! On both ends of the court, he was just unstoppable! He definitely deserves a shot at the MVP title. I hope La Salle will go on to win the championship! Although FEU is one tough team to beat, I believe that La Salle can actually do it. I hope they'll continue to play good basketball. I hope they'll continue their winning streak. I'm excited. I'm thrilled. I'm ecstatic. I'm overjoyed. I'm beaming with so much school pride. If only I could jump up and down and scream ANIMO LA SALLE! at the top of my lungs, I would. Coming from a large family of true blue Ateneans, I have grown used to the usual banters / "kantiyaws" and whatever bad remarks/comments/jokes they have to say about La Salle. All this time, I just smiled and listened (I was never really the "pikon" type, anyway). So, now's my turn. Before you make any assumptions, I have nothing bad to say against Ateneo and bragging has never really been my style. All I want to say now is (with a big smile, hehe!) La Salle won, fair and square - enough said.

Sleepy Saturday

Saturday, September 18, 2004

I couldn't sleep last night. I don't know if it was because of the caffeine in the Javanilla shake or Kris Aquino's Feng Shui. To think, I already deliberately missed the scary parts and there I was, my imagination still running wild. I just couldn't take the latter part of the movie off my mind. Thinking of the ending's "shocker," although it was kind of predictable already, just gives me the creeps! Thank God for the i-pod. It took my mind off Kris Aquino and the scary looking ghosts. The music had me wide awake though up to around 5:30 am when the sun was about to rise already. I woke up at around 9:45 am. I'm very much deprived of sleep right now. So, here I am writing this blog and very groggy! I'm definitely going straight to bed after this. At this point, I don't think anyone (and not even Kris Aquino's Feng Shui) can stop me from having a good night's sleep (hehehe). Besides, I'm over Feng Shui. After all, it's just all make-up and sound effects (that's what I try to tell myself over and over again, call it my coping mechanism! haha).

Today was spent shopping in Rockwell with Clarisse. She was off from work at 12:30 pm but had to pick Valerie up in Ateneo. Traffic was really bad in Katipunan because of the ACET. By the time she got home, it was 2:30 pm already and we haven't had our lunch yet. It's a good thing it wasn't traffic going to Rockwell. We had our very late lunch at Oliver's and Starbucks. Later today, we were able to catch the 7:25 pm showing of The Terminal at the Shang. It's just the four of us - me, my dad, Christine and Clarisse (my mom just left for a two-week vacation in Europe while Valerie has a despedida party in Alabang). From its past trailers, I had no plans of watching it because it didn't seem to catch my interest at all. Since I've been hearing good feedbacks about it, I decided to give it a try. Here's my verdict: Although there were a couple of funny parts, overall it wasn't my type of movie (I knew it!). Props to Tom Hanks though. He is one hell of a good actor. He's portrayal and accent was very believable (Galing! Galing!). I've never heard of Krokhazia but he sure makes it all real. The movie was a little too long for me and it didn't help at all that I was feeling groggy and sleepy the whole day.

Major bummer! Auntie Natty texted that more or less, she wouldn't be able to get us tickets for tomorrow's game. She suggested that we fall in line in Araneta early tomorrow morning. By the time we reach Araneta, I don't think there'll be tickets left anyway. I guess I'll have to make do watching on TV. I hope La Salle wins it tomorrow. I don't want another U.E. 2002 scenario happening again. There were a lot of conspiracy theories but the bottom line is, everyone should learn from U.E.'s very valuable mistake. I hope the entire DLSU team will play really good basketball tomorrow. As for me, I'm still praying for tickets to fall from the skies (haha, yeah right! I wish!).

My Ordinary Friday

Friday, September 17, 2004

Today's plan: to have lunch with friends in Rockwell at 12:30 pm. I woke up a little before 10 am. giving myself just enough time to change and prepare. I dropped my sister first in Ateneo before going to Pan's house. Traffic was really bad today in Katipunan. My sister was even late for her 11:30 am class. I was supposed to be at Pan's house by 12 pm to pick her up but ended up late as well. We then met up with some friends for lunch at Rockwell. We all couldn't decide where to eat. After much debating, we ended up at Crustasia (did I spell that right?). I wasn't really hungry though. I probably ate too much steak the night before. After lunch and after much debating (again!), we all agreed to watch Feng Shui. Everyone wanted to sit in the middle. It's a good thing though that I got (more like secured! hehe) myself a seat in the middle. I'm such a scaredy cat (hehe!). I missed out on most parts especially the scary parts because I had my eyes covered all throughout the film. If I hadn't, I surely wouldn't be able to sleep tonight and worse, my "wild" imagination will scare the hell out of me for the entire week or so. Honestly, I didn't have the guts to watch the scary parts - fyi, that's where the ghosts and weird-looking creatures start popping up and scaring the sh*t out of you. Pan and Grace were screaming their hearts out, that's how scary the movie was! It was actually quite stressful to watch the movie (hehe!). If only given the choice, I would have chosen to watch The Notebook, The Terminal or 13 Going on 30. I was never a fan of horror films to begin with. Unfortunately, everyone else has already watched The Notebook (except for me and Grace). We also couldn't watch The Terminal because Kathy already saw it. Since the only movie that was about to start that time was Feng Shui, we had no other choice but to watch it. For a Filipino film though, I must say it was pretty good. If you want a good scare then I suggest you watch this movie, and if you're a brave soul, watch it at night! It's even scarier than Godsend. Meanwhile, a small but good part of the day to be happy about was when Pan told me that Maersk Filipinas finally called. For the past few days, I have been praying really hard for this. It's quite amazing how God works in mysterious ways. Believe me, prayers do get answered. According to Maersk, we're supposed to have our training at 1 pm. on Monday. If everything will go as planned, we'll now officially have our OJT at Maersk. I'm hoping that this time around, I won't have a boo-boo and everything will turn out the way they should be (just perfect! hehe). Although, I just can't seem to explain why but somehow, there's always a blooper waiting to happen, as what usually happens in my case. Oh well, bloopers are probably the ones that make this "serious" life lighter and a little funnier (well, that's one way of looking at it!). We waited for our "sundo" in Seattle's Best. Yes! this is the perfect way to end the day, with my favorite Javanilla Shake! (hehe! babaw ko! But Valerie can relate with me on this one). So, this pretty much sums everything up today. An ordinary Friday as it may seem, nothing really new and exciting but nonetheless, thank God it's Friday well spent in the company of good friends.

Chances

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Finally, school is almost over and done with. I don't know if it's something to smile or frown about. I guess it gives me mixed emotions. A part of me says I'm ready for change and I'm ready to move on to greater things while a part of me doesn't want to grow old and to let go. One thing I'm sure of though is I'm going to miss DLSU, friends and college life as a whole. I wish things could have played out differently. I feel that I could have done more but I no longer want to dwell on the what if's and the could-have-been's. It wouldn't do me any good anyway. Besides, I had my fair share of chances already. What more could I ask for? As many as the what if's and the could-have-been's, there's nothing left for me to do but to learn from my mistakes and to move on without any regrets. I guess that's just the way things are meant to be and let's leave it at that. I have 3 units left which includes an On-the-Job Training/Practicum with a thesis paper required to be submitted at the end of the term. For the past days, I have been enjoying my little R&R&R (that's rest, relaxation and recreation) time for myself. Heck! I deserve it. After all, I have been working my butt off for the past 4 years and 1 term. Not that I'm complaining or anything but for the longest time, I have been a slave of stress. Once again, I come face to face with my nemesis, the dreaded stress. I am faced with the dilemma of finding an OJT company. My break has not even officially begun (hehe yeah right!) and here I am again, stuck with a problem. I wonder when will I ever be problem- and worry- free? (*Sigh!*) Just when you start thinking that everything is fine and dandy, something comes up. You see, I am slowly feeling the pressure of still not having an OJT (On-the-Job Training) company to work for. To make matters worse, my dad is constantly nagging me about my OJT. He wants me to start working right away even if I keep on telling him that the deadline given to us by our practicum coordinator is still on October 8. Meaning, by October 8 we should be working already. As early as now though, most groups have already started working. Actually, we were interviewed by Maersk Filipinas last week. The job that they are planning to give us is actually quite interesting. We were quite sure that they were accepting us already - so sure that we turned down the offer by SMART. We were only waiting for our coordinator's approval. I don't really know why but from hot, hot, to steaming hot, Maersk literally went cold, cold, to icy cold. Anne's going to call Maersk again tomorrow and I am praying as hard as I can that they will come around. I pray that they will come to their senses and accept us (haha!). Okay, I have learned to accept and understand the fact that things do not and cannot always go your way no matter how good and deserving you think you are. However, I still believe that sometimes in life, all we need is just ONE chance.

From Great to Lesser Expectations

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Today's a good day. It's that sort of day that I find myself smiling and feeling ecstatic. I wonder if it would have been any different if La Salle lost. My "happy bubble" would probably pop but nonetheless, I think I'd still find myself smiling. The fact that we were very lucky to have scored really good tickets to the Ateneo and La Salle game (again, thanks to Auntie Natty!) is more than enough reason to feel happy most especially for someone like me who's such a huge basketball junkie. We actually had no plans of watching because we were thinking that tickets were probably sold out already and we didn't want to bother and hassle Auntie Natty so we didn't ask her for tickets anymore. While we were watching Godsend at Rockwell last night, we had a surprise call from Auntie Natty. She had two lower box tickets! Since there were four of us, I suggested that we draw lots for it. In the end, my mom would'nt let Clarisse miss work and after much thought, Christine chose to let me and Valerie watch instead. So there we were in Araneta with good seats, a nice view and enjoying ourselves. Although I was in the company of the Blue and White people, I must say I truly enjoyed myself. I enjoyed watching the game. I enjoyed cheering my heart out. I enjoyed just being a part of the large crowd. Basketball games especially if your team is playing (and of course, winning) is always fun to watch! For the record, I also like watching Ateneo games regardless of who they are up against. It would probably be nice to be able to watch games live regularly but then again, I guess that would take away all the excitement. Maybe part of the reason why I get excited watching games live is because I don't get to do it every so often.

Here's a thought that I would just like to share. In the past, I would use to expect too much (whether with regards to important or trivial matters) that I always end up getting dissapointed. So now, I have been trying to take a different approach. Don't get me wrong, expectations will always be a part of us, no matter how hard we try to shrug it off. My past experiences thought me to be more patient and not to make too much expectations. You'd be surprised that sometimes good things happen when you least expect it. So here I am with lesser expectations and surprisingly, I find myself a lot more happier. Almost contended even.

In Between School Colors

Saturday, September 11, 2004

I woke up in a pretty good mood today. Aside from having a good night's sleep (that's 11 hours worth of R&R to be really precise about it), I am looking forward to watching the UAAP game live later at the Araneta Coliseum. For the benefit of the confused, I am talking about the very much anticipated game between the Blue Eagles and the Green (?) Tamaraws (hey...technically, they're green; no pun intended!). Half-awake, semi-conscious and all, I forced myself to get up. Yes, oversleeping can be bad for your health (you should know that by now!). Anything in excess or less is not good, if you know what I mean. As you can see, I am taking the "Everything in Moderation" words of wisdom to heart. Well, not really as in seriously/strictly/religously (whichever way you want it) but at least you can say that the BIG E (E-ffort!) is there. I always believe that there's nothing like giving it your best shot even if there is potential risk of failure. So I got out of bed and hopped on to the shower, watched some TV and ate breakfast (more like brunch already) in UCC with my mom and shobe. Eating at UCC (especially breakfasts!) is always a pleasure for me. It's one of those simple pleasures that you can't seem to explain why but nonetheless, it makes you happy - not euphoric happy though but more like simple happy, which I value even more. For me, believe it or not, but it's the little things in life that get to me. Call me a sucker! I'm guilty as charged most especially for simple, little and random gestures or acts (of kindness, thoughtfulness or what-have-you). After brunch, since our driver was able to buy us upper A tickets only and to think, he fell in line really early last Monday, we (that's me and my sisters) all agreed to go to Araneta earlier hoping to save ourselves good seats. True enough, we were early. Yup, early enough to catch the opening tip between the Blue Falcons and Yellow Tigers (again, no pun intended!) but not very early enough to score good seats. Clearly, we were'nt the only eager beavers. As the saying goes, "The early bird catches the worm." Hmm...what the heck! I might as well consider taking that to heart also. Who knows I might catch something even bigger and better than a lousy worm.

Watching UAAP games live is always a delight! Aside from being a self-confessed basketball afficionado, or a diehard fanatic if you will, you've got that whole school spirit vibe going on, which makes things sort of different and a little more interesting; perhaps, even more special. Cheesy as it may sound but it's true. Cheering for your school is different from cheering for like say, your favorite NBA team (Go Spurs!) or PBA team (Go SMB!). The latter doesn't involve school pride or anything like it at all. There's nothing like the feeling of being able to cheer your heart out - until your voice rans out, until your hands hurt from clapping or until your head hurts - for your school's team although I must say, the rivalry and all the jeering can be pretty tough and serious at times. I guess that's all part of the hype, psych and let us not forget, the game. Seeing the guy you are crushing on (by the way, my sister has a huge crush on him too!) and having to watch the game inches (okay okay, a couple of meters!) apart is always a plus also! Since my sisters are all from the Blue School somewhere along Katipunan, I would usually tag along to the Blue Eagles games. Needless to say, I always find myself caught in between the Blue and White shirted people. Indeed, I am a brave soul. Perhaps, the only brave soul to sport a shocking green top and sing the DLSU anthem all the way (win or lose!) especially during the few and "lucky" times we were able to score tickets of ADMU and DLSU games (Thanks to Auntie Natty!). As it is common knowledge, scoring tickets to ADMU and DLSU games is like finding a needle in the haystack; really, you'll never know when you'll strike lucky. Nevertheless, it is always fun and exciting to watch UAAP games regardless of where your school stands in the rankings and on whose side you are on. I would like to believe that in between school colors, there exists an invisible bond amongst us - whether or not we know about it and whether or not we like it. So once again, here I am in between school colors with much respect for the other schools, our "friendly foes" as I would like to call them and more importantly, silently beaming with much pride knowing that deep down I am loud and proud to have the true heart of a Green Archer, and nobody can take that away from me. Animo La Salle! =)

Therapeutic Writing

Friday, September 10, 2004

I woke up really early today and to think, I could hardly sleep at all last night. The effects of having too much caffeine in my system is probably setting in or perhaps this is what I get for thinking too much. My "blabbering" mind is constantly on a roll. What can I say, my special mind has the gift of gab (no pun intended!). So here I am finally joining the bandwagon. I am now officially getting a blog and actually writing my very first post (while watching a live feed of the Men's U.S. Open, which by the way is turning out to be a good game). I have been wanting to get a blog ever since but never found the time and never was in the mood to do so. Clearly though some things do change. As obvious as the sun shining (sorry! I couldn't come up with a better comparison), I am in "the mood" today. Something must have dawned on me last night. I could'nt quite figure it out yet but it has to be something good because I am actually finally writing my (and very much delayed) first post. It has been ages since my last journal entry. Blame it on stress, fatigue or laziness. You see, the Hello Kitty diary that I own since grade school is not even halfway through so I am hoping that this time around, (*Ahem! Ahem!*) being all matured, grown up and wiser, I will have the initiative to post regularly and write about, as I would like to think, my life's greatest and shining moments - the summation of the good and bad experiences, achievements and bloopers alike. And now that I have more idle time on hand, I can blab all I want. To make things clear, this blog has no other purpose other than to help put things in perspective for me. In this way, my thoughts will no longer be as disoriented and disorganized as it is now (I hope!). More importantly, this blog will enable me to let everything out of my system. You know, pouring my heart out and throwing it all out here isn't such a bad idea after all. In fact, this can actually be a good thing. Really, I mean something good can actually come out of this, don't you think? To put it simply, this is my way of healing and rejuvenating myself from the hustles and bustles of the daily grind. Therapeutic writing as I would like to put it.