Christmas

Pathetic 'no? It's 2:08am, December 25, and I'm not even partying. Well, actually - I haven't partied hard since, well, I don't even know when. Anyway, I'm not posting here to rant about anything at all. Ranting about anything can wait until the new year. So... Merry Christmas! Logging off till next year ;)

Options

In life, you don't get a lot of options. You could be a thumbsucking infant waiting for your mom to give you your baby formula (which you might not like the taste of, but you have to endure because that's the only one available). Or you could be a grammar school kid assigned to the seat behind the smelliest kid in class who does nothing but pick his nose all day long. Or you could be a bum, period. With no options whatsoever.

Well, that's how I used to see life then. Back then, it was always do this, and there's no OR to the bargain. As a programmer might say, it's not always a CASE:1,2,3... scenario. It might not even be an IF...THEN...ELSE scenario for that matter.

But enough with the rambling. I've had something which you might call an epiphany of sorts. It goes something like this. It might seem that you don't get a lot of options in life. It might also seem sometimes that you have no options whatsoever. But what we fail to realize is that there are lots of other options available. It's just up to us whether we choose to recognize these options or not. It's just like finding what's behind the door that is one door away from heaven. If your heart is closed, you will find nothing behind that door. But if your heart is open, you may find other people also searching for the door to heaven, so that you may search for the door to heaven together.

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While browsing through my other archives, I noticed this particular entry that I made three years ago:

"...My friends Gheoffrey and Rheza say I never look or seem worried about anything, not even a bit ruffled about anything that goes wrong. I know I seem like the laid-back sort, but I still am human. I worry, I panic, just like any other normal human being. I suffer from panic attacks and stress, I break out in hives, almost anything that falls short of a massive attack of the proverbial shakes. It's just that I try very hard to handle everything that comes my way. The question is, how long before I truly break down?"

Now, my question to myself is, do I still project that same aura of an unconcerned, laid-back person? I still worry about stuff that has happened or is yet to happen, that much I know. But can I still manage to project that particular aura? Or am I already non compos mentis and just not realizing it?

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To sleep early, or not to sleep early - that is the question (to me, that is).

Who Cleans Up After Spiderman? At Kung Anu-ano Pa...

(All English entry? All-Tagalog entry? Taglish entry? Oh well, bahala na.)

Spiderman roams the streets of New York in true swinger style, making full use of his webslinging abilities. Pero do we even stop to think kung sino ang naglilinis nun pagkatapos niyang gamitin ang web? Or does it dissolve into thin air kaya walang trace ng web ang makikita sa mga walls? Wow, magic.

Damn. I need physical exercise. Hindi lang sex (although mukhang kinakailangan ko na rin nyan para maka-focus na ako sa ibang mga bagay bukod dito), but physical exercise na may physical exertion, yung tipong pagpapawisan ka at nakakapag-pa-energize sa 'yo. Pero di ba sex also meets these two requirements? :P

Thinking is good mental stimulation, kaya kung hindi ka marunong mag-isip eh mabuti pa magtanim ka na lang ng kamote sa bukid. Ay teka... kakailanganin mo ring mag-isip pag magtatanim ka. Hehe. Pero it's also bad kung masyado kang nag-o-overthink sa mga bagay-bagay, baka mabaliw ka naman sa kakaisip ng lahat ng possible consequences ng pagtayo mo sa upuan mo matapos mong basahin ang entry na 'to.

Haay buhay talaga. Parang life. :P

Rock Ed Concert and Rockregalo!

Oct 15-16, 2006 -- TUMAYO TAYO!
UN Anti-Poverty Rock Ed Concert
Marikina Freedom Park
Concert starts at 4pm

Featuring: Radioactive Sago Project, UpdharmaDown, Juan Pablo Dream, Giniling Festival, Paramita, BrownMan Revival, and many many many more.

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Dec 2, 2006 -- ROCKREGALO LAUNCH!

Free Concert/Christmas Gift Drive
Eastwood Main Circle
Concert Starts at 730pm

Featuring: Radioactive Sago Project, UpdharmaDown, JuanPabloDream, Giniling Festival, Outerhope, Paramita, Drip, and the list is growing... abangan...nag te-text pa kami ng mga mababait na bandang tutugtog nang pro-bono... hehehehe


Dec 8, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Gweilo's Makati
Featuring Radioactive Sago Project and more... (abangan)

Dec 9, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Aruba Metrowalk
Featuring 6CycleMind, ProteinShake, Paraluman and CallaLily

Dec 10, 2006 ROCK THE RILES 2006!
Performances @ 8 MRT Stations
Rock Ed Artists Gathering for Human Rights!

Dec 15, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Bagaberde, Pasig
Featuring Itchyworms, Salindiwa, Bagetsafonik, and more

Dec 16, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Aruba, Tomas Morato
JuanPablo Dream and more.... (abangan)

Dec 22, 2006 ROCKREGALO @BlueWave
Chicosci and more.....(abangan, inaayos pa...)

Help Bislig!

(entry taken from Joey's blog)

October 3, 2006. Bislig, Surigao del Sur. a massive fire ate up approximately 3000 households in the public market area of the seaside city of Bislig Surigao del Sur. Many of the affected are small scale merchants who live on the stores surrounding the public market, and fishermen who rely heavily on the public market for deals. This is the biggest fire in the history of the town, rendering around 15000 people homeless and with little supply of food. The town is still in shock. As of this writing, rescue and relief operations are being done to find the bodies of those trapped in the fire. The town depends on the public market for their daily supply of food, and with the market now gone, they will need every help they can get. Bislig is five hours away from Davao and Butuan.

Help can be of any form: clothes, food, utensils, medicines, cash etc. for those who can give please send your donations to Rockedphilippines and we will make sure these will reach the proper authorities in Bislig. Let us know how we can reach you for pick up of goods thru our email rockedphilippines@yahoo.com. For those who are giving cash donations you may send it to the rocked bank account: Bank of the Philippine Islands Loyola Katipunan QC Branch. bank account name: ROCK ED PROJECT . bank account # : 3080-0073-44. please send us an email with the details of your donation (amount, deposit number, date and time) so that we can give you back confirmations.

video footages by joe climaco found here: video1 video2 video3 video4 video5 video6

La di da...

Go USTE! Go USTE! Go USTE! Go go go go!
Go USTE! Go USTE! Go USTE! Go go go go!
Go USTE! Go USTE! Go USTE! Go go go go!

It's been a joy being able to shout these words again with pride. For the first time in 10 years, the UST Growling Tigers, under first time coach Pido Jarencio, won the UAAP seniors basketball crown against Ateneo de Manila. As they say, it's been a Cinderella story for a team with a 6-6 standing at the end of the regular season. Who knew that UST was gonna go from 6-6 to champions? Congratulations to my alma mater!

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Donate old books to Rock Ed Philippines' Bookbigayan Night @ mag:net Katipunan on Monday, October 9, 2006. Stay for the concert at 9pm, featuring Salindiwa, Bagetsafonik, Cherry Cornflakes, Shifting Sand, etc.

Wow...

Almost one month has passed since I retired my TSR headset. Well, here I am still, enjoying(?) my one-month vacation from life's harsh realities. But still, life's realities are already starting to intrude in my existence. Gone are the days when 'having coffee' meant going to the nearest Starbucks chain to order my favorite Mocha Valencia frappuccino. Nowadays, 'having coffee' means opening a pack of Nescafe's finest 3-in-1. Sucks. Yeah, I know. And now, with my wallet screaming drought, hunger, despair, desolation (the list goes on and on), I begin to think. Maybe hanging up my TSR headset was too soon. After all, my wallet was at its straining point when I wore the headset. Hmmm. Whatever.

In other news, my nephew was deemed 'obese' by his pediatrician. Geez, obesity affects even the most innocent of people. And my nephew is already deemed obese at a mere 2 months. How obese, you might ask? Let's just say that his weight at 2 months old is the weight that any other 6-month old baby should have. There. And the verdict: milk at lesser intervals, and vitamins every other day or so instead of every day. Geez, dieting at 2 months old? Almost unheard of.

I went to Eastwood last Saturday on a 'date' with Trixie. Suffice to say that we spent 2 hours talking about stuff over frappuccinos and hot tea at Starbucks, then 2 hours of watching "John Tucker Must Die" (where she learned that getting even isn't all it's hyped up to be), and 2 more hours talking about more stuff over pasta, pastries, iced tea, and a chai latte at Gloria Jean's (everything, of course, was her treat, but don't get the idea that I forced her at gunpoint to do so - everything was voluntary on her part, I think).

With nothing else to be said, I bid thee farewell.

My Furry Guardian Angel

Also seen at my gallery

Model: Albretch Iñigo G. Javate, and my stuffed Eeyore. Photo credits by yours truly. Taken using my (sister's) Sony Cybershot DSC-S40. August 2006.

Rock Ed Book Bigayan

Rock Ed Philippines is accepting donations consisting of grade school and high school textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, Philippine literature, picture books and other educational materials. You may bring your old books, materials, etc. to Rock Ed events, listed here.

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Again, Rock Ed Philippines is now on SMS!

Type KEYWORD and send to 2948 for GLOBE and SUN CELLULAR subscribers, and 3940 for SMART subscribers

ROCKEDPHIL About Rock Ed
ROCKEDPHIL D For Donations to Rock Ed
ROCKEDPHIL E Weekly Rock Ed Events
ROCKEDPHIL REG How to Register to Rock Ed Philippines TxtDomain
ROCKEDPHIL V How to Volunteer

Thanks Tricia M. Fernandez of Megamobile!

Pic Sharing

This will be all about pictures of the past few months.


My first ever Keno bet, where I won over three thousand bucks in cold hard cash


The facade of the UST Main Building. See how the front has changed drastically in under two years?


Some of my pictures with my officemates (err, I guess I should say former officemates, since I already resigned from 24 by 7). First three pictures are with Jada, then with Ria, Happy, Dorcas, and Ria again.

Pictures taken by yours truly on my Nokia 3660 phone, 2006.

Rockin' On

Finally, I get to go back and show support to Rock Ed Philippines! After quite a long hiatus, I'm back! Enjoy talaga!



White bands. Symbols of support for the goals of Rock Ed. Wear the white band now. Available at all events and gigs where Rock Ed Philippines is present. To learn more about Rock Ed Philippines, how to volunteer, event skeds, and whatnot, visit their website at RockEdPhilippines.org. Or you can also text the keyword ROCKEDPHIL and send it to these numbers: 2948 for Globe and Sun Cellular subscribers, or 3940 for Smart subscribers.

It's about time. And as the first picture says, "No more excuses, Philippines!"

Pictures by yours truly. Captured using my (sister's) Sony Cybershot DSC-S40 at Dish ABS-CBN, ELJCC Building, QC, on September 7, 2006.

Remembering

Facing death at such a young age forces you to reflect on the mortality of man. When you hear of a person of advanced age who died, somehow we subconsciously think that it's supposed to happen. But if it's someone much closer to your age group who dies, that's when your mortality comes into clear focus.

It's usually the young ones who don't worry about their future so much, and also think that they will live forever. But the Reaper can be cruel, snatching someone's life when you least expect it.

I recently heard that my sister's high school classmate died of an aneurysm. Damn. Dead at age 30. Also, there's the UST mountaineer who died of a tragic accident in the mountains; dead before college graduation. And then there's Steve Irwin, who died due to a stingray barb to the chest; dead at age 44. Dreams not yet realized might never be.

What's the point? You might ask. No, there's no point in all of this. At least not on the surface. Just rambling on and on.

To Marvin, Prana, and Steve, and to the countless others whose death became final before their prime, your memories will live on. Thank you for gracing the earth with your presence.

Changes

Change is constant. We are always reminded of this basic fact. Wherever we go, whatever we do - nothing else is constant. We are taught to accept change, or embrace it if we can.

Change is constant. Changes affect everyone no matter how little or how big these changes may be. With change, we either learn to accept and grow with these changes or remain closed and stagnant and never really moving forward.

Change is constant. With change comes the maturity of accepting whatever comes our way, and then doing what we feel is right for us. For it is never without change that we progress. And it is never without change that we really learn to appreciate whatever it is that we have right now.

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I haven't been blogging for so long that I've almost forgotten how to blog. Again, it's real hard to blog when you're not at your own computer and you don't have the luxury of customization and limitless leisure time with which to use for blogging. Sigh. I miss blogging.

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It's only now that I realize fully that being a student is the best life experience ever (maybe going back to school and taking up something new might be a good option, but then who knows? I might even do it soon). It's real easy to apply changes in school than it is in work. At least, in school, the eraser is always within easy reach, and if you screw up, it's easy to make corrections.

Sigh.

Gyaaahhh!!!

IT's been so long that I almost forgot how to blog... I miss my PC (too bad I still haven't had the time to fix it, I've got lots of ideas for blog entries and it just isn't the same blogging on a different PC)... Maybe a longer blog entry is in order, but perhaps after my PC's fixed...

Puerto Galera pix soon!

Procrastinating and Whatnot

I hate procrastination, yet I am guilty of procrastinating on a lot of things. I tend to make up a lot of excuses in order to convince myself that procrastination is not what I am doing. Like for example - blogging. I promised myself an update weeks ago. But I tend to find the most ridiculous excuses not to do it. I'm tired; I can't publish; nothing comes to mind - most common excuses. Sounds familiar?

I hate procrastination, yet I procrastinate even on the most trivial of things just to suit my circumstances better. I'll take out the trash later, or maybe I'll finish cleaning later, or I'll fix my stuff tomorrow, next week, in a month's time, or never. Usually never - that is, until I become reminded about it and then procrastinate yet again. The cycle goes on and on.

Enough about procrastination. I think I'll procrastinate about it later. Procrastinating yet again!

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Sometimes I tend to forget my age. No kidding. Well, not really forgetting that I'm over the age of 20 (that's kinda hard to forget), but forgetting the responsibilities attached to adulthood might be more like it. At times I think like a mature individual, yet the kid in me tends to materialize more often than not. I still enjoy watching cartoons - the type of cartoons designed for kids under the age of 12. I even enjoy watching Hi5 on Nick Jr (though this might be because I'm amorously infatuated with Kathleen de Leon - yep, that might be it). Animé is a different story altogether. A lot of adults (not just me) enjoy watching animé, so that might not fall in the category of childish behavior. Or whatever - there might just be a part of me that's never grown up with the rest of me. Oh well. Boys will be boys.

Mick Foley is in Manila!

Pictures by yours truly, using my then-phone Nokia 7650, at the Raw Live Tour on February 25, 2006.

...Whatever.

It's been almost a month since my last entry. I've really been very busy catching up on much-needed sleep (especially after all the downtimes our system has been experiencing - it's not our fault, but we have to suffer for it by making up on Saturdays, leaving us with little or no time for Sunday recreation. Boo-hoo).

I really am starting to (insert word for a word stronger than hate here) my job. Or maybe it's because of the effin' (bleep)ers (I don't want to mention the place) with whom I get to talk to. Them effin' (bleep)ers are so rude.

It's less than six hours before my birthday, and I still don't have any idea how to celebrate it - or if I'll be celebrating it at all. I dunno - it's just not the same.

The Champ is Here! WWE Raw Live Tour comes to Manila on February 24-25! Can't wait for the 25th, I'll be watching the tour on that day with my brother and his officemates. John Cena said it best - "You want some, come get some!"

...Whatever.

Finally, an Update!

Finally, my first entry for the brand new year of 2006! Not that I didn't have a lot to write about, but it's just that I haven't had the time and the energy to write about my wheelings and dealings for the past few weeks.

First of all... Happy New Year guys and gals! Though it may be quite a bit belated, but still... hehe.

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My sis gave me the Christmas gift I'd requested ages ago - a seven-book collection of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Suffice to say that I finished reading Narnia (as in the whole seven books) in about a week or so. And as expected, a lot of my officemates were borrowing the said book (isa-isa lang! andami niyo eh).

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Isha's rendition of Torpedo still makes my, er, sensitive parts tingle. Wala lang, maybe it's the way she sings the song (sort of reminds you of the way a woman you're coupling with breathes your name while doing it, hehe). To each his own. Yebah!

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I feel I'm walking a very fine line between enjoying my work and getting tired of it. Some days I enjoy my work, other days I despise it. I guess everyone goes through the same period, that this is just a normal phase for all working people. I guess the only thing that reminds me to keep at my work, however tiring and demoralizing some things about it are, is the thought "What if God said He was getting tired of His work? Where would we all be if that happened?" Just a short thought to consider, but well worth considering anyway.

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Have you ever said I love you to someone who thinks that you're not even half-serious about what you said?

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Haay, tama na nga ang drama. I need some breakfast.