A Very Long Weekend

November 30 is Bonifacio Day, a national holiday and a day of celebration for Filipinos espescially for students who mark all the calendar slots of the national holidays. It is a time to commemorate the heroic deeds Bonifacio has done for the Philippines and reflect on his life's works. Rrrriiiiigght... If classes weren't suspended on national holidays, I don't think people would even remember who/what the day is for.

Aaanyway...

December 1 (friday) classes were cancelled so that the November 30 celebration would not affect the overall flow of the week. Yey! a three day week end!

(Un)fortunately however, Thursday classes also had to be cancelled because of the typhoon Reming that was supposedly to hit NCR. I had no classes on Wednesday making my weekend five days long. Wow! NOw what do you do with a five day long weekend?

Since yesterday, I have been waiting for the storm to hit NCR. With all the excitement and clamor the Super Typhoon Reming has built up, it is no wonder that a lot of people is anticipating it's ravaging effects. However, no storm came save for the few raindrops we felt early morning today. Don't blame me for being somewhat disappointed because the storm changed path. The issue was already hyped and was even said to be stronger than Milenyo, yet I did not feel its effects.. Tsk tsk..

But after all this clamor about the storm, I am still thankful that we didn't die because of it's effects unlike those in the Bicol region. God may still be somehow saving us, saving me for a bigger task he has prepared.

Music Zealous - After Two and a Half Years

To be with old friends again is really fun, espescially if you haven't been together for a long time.

The Music Zealous, a singing group where I belong, was founded in 2001. I am one of the founding members and probably one of the best alto singers they ever had.. haha! Well anyway, I stopped, no not really stopped rather sang less when I along with my batchmates went to college. Heck, the group was in Mindoro, how are we supposed to sing from Manila? The members sort of lost contact with each other. Our leaders migrated to Manila as well. There were but a few members left without a leader. Most of the original members got together two and a half years ago, that was also the last time I remember we last sang together.The Music Zealous ceased to exist after three years, or so most of us thought.

Yesterday was a day to really remember. After two and a half years with almost no contact with each other, except for those who frequently go back to Mindoro, we got together and sang together in a church where we were completely strangers. We sang most of the time and maybe got a little carried away with the feeling of singing together again thus making the whole program seem like a musical program with a few speeches. The following are the members who were there:

• Kuya Robert - now an literature evangelist
• Ate Lorie - now a mother of two very pretty daughter
• Dempsy - without you there would be no get together
• Kuya Karl - thank you for helping Dempsy make this possible
• Che - salamat at lumabas ka rin ng AUP.. =D
• Glaiza - you really changed a lot.. nakakabigla
• MM - all grown up and becomming more beautiful
• Micah - still shy but definitely a dalaga now
• Shiela - working and earning.. wow!
• Heidi - came with two escorts and wouldn't even introduce to us who the real boyfriend was! Tsk Tsk..
• Ivan - still kikay, still so conscious about his looks but now his hairstyle's like astroboy's! haha
• Samuel - inang mother.. still the same
• Daryl - really tall and good looking.. You should really go for modelling Daryl.
• March - a working student at AUP.. he's taking up electronics
  
• Roan

The best surprise for me was not those people who came but when Auen sang solo. She is the eldest daughter of our director who, when I last saw her, was still a chubby little kid who still speaks bulol. Now, she's sings and mind you she sings very well for a six year old.

Some had to go home early, around 3:30pm. Others went a little after 6pm. We stayed until 8. The day was truly a blessing for all of us. Not only were we able to see each other again and catch up with each other's lives but we were able to sing together again for the Lord. It was a fun get together and we're planning to have another one like it to be held in BAESA, kuya Robert's place.

To those who were not able to come, too bad for you. hehe... Be there next time.. =D

Third Year at Last!

The first week of classes has officially begun. I am currently enrolled in 18 units (6 subjects). Four out of six subjects are majors and the other two are cognates. Yikes.. After three years in UP I can now call myself a bonifide junior.

Hell week hasn't begun yet, well not really. But for me, it's as if I have this new drive to become uber toxic even in the first days of classes. Well why not? After three years, this will be the first time that I'd immerse myself in "so much" major subjects. In the past two years I majored in GE (minors) and minored in Pol Sci. I had a change in majors last sem. From GE I became an Organizational Communications major, minoring in Psychology. Oooh.. Cool.. ^_^

Honestly, it's as if I'm a freshie again. The feeling is overwhelming. To be taking up majors you really want to take up is truly exciting. This will be my schedule for this sem:

MTh:

10.00-11.30 Org Comm 107 (Intercultural Communication)
1.00-2:30 Spanish 2

Wed:
8:30-11.30 Org Comm 140 (Organizational Communication Theories)

TF:
8:30-10.00 Org Comm 104 (Interpersonal Communication)
10.00-11.30 Dev Stud 128 (Human Resouce Management)
1.00-2.30 Dev Stud 126 (I forgot what this was.. )

My schedule's still kinda free. Anyone who wants to stalk me now knows my sched. So there. *stalk stalk stalk*

I give my thanks to Alex who "fixed" my blog layout and made it more interesting. *Thank you*

The 6th Beginning

Sheesh.. Here I am figuring out how to delete songs from iPod when what I should be thinking about is the incoming semester! Damn! I'm in 3rd year already? I feel really old. Well, maybe I should start acting more mature and more responsibly.. (I still can't believe that I'll be graduating in less than two years..) *stares blankly at the monitor*

[NOTE: Do not take this instructor's class]

The past sem was quite okay. I did relatively well although my grades were not high enough to qualify for the CS slot. I give the credit of my not achieving a GWA of 1.75 to Sir Abe Padilla, my Anthro 185 prof who gave me a shocking 3.0! Ang masaya pa, bago magtapos ang klase ipinagmalaki nyang passing lang ang binibigay nyang grade! Wow.. Really impressive. Because of that 3.0 my GWA averaged only 2.0 (1.958).. NIce.. Really nice.

I read Faye's blog (www.odalcaria.blogspot.com) a while ago and I would have to agree to what she said about Prof. Atoy Navarro. I consider him as one of the best professors I ever had in UP. Yun tipong strikto na matalino na magaling magturo at siguradong marami kang matututunan. Not only that, he gives just consideration to the effort a student has excerted in his class. And really, he does hand out 1s to everyone who deserves it. I got a 1.5 in his class though I am aware that I barely passed the finals. I deserved that grade despite the final exams. Heck, the whole class (with exception of a few) excerted a lot of effort just to satisfy his whims regarding papers, presentations, and recitations. And believe me, those whims were very hard to satiate. Thank you so much sir Atoy for acknowledging our efforts.

[NOTE: Author highly recommends this professor]

I am once again at the brink of a new semester. New teachers, new subjects, a new chance to get high grades (which I doubt because from what I just heard, DAC teachers have "high" standards a.k.a. give low grades). But as the saying goes, "Do you best and God will do the rest." I'll do my best and trust God to work miracles in the teachers hearts.. ^_^

iPod + iTunes = Stupid?

Hindi ko alam kung ako ang natatanga sa paggamit ng iPod o meron talagang mali sa set-up ng iPod. Either way sumasakit na ang ulo ko sa pagkutinting ng ipod ng pinsan ko.

Dahil malapit na ang pasko, malapit na rin ang birthday nya at gagraduate na rin sya ng elementary sa March, niregaluhan ng tita ko na nasa states ang pinsan ko ng 1GB na iPod nano. Wow! buti pa sya, samantalang nung nag debut ako, $120 lang ang binigay sa akin.. tsktsk.. Anyway dahil ako lang ang marunong mag-upload ng songs sa mp3/mp4 players dito sa probinsya, sa akin nagpa-upload ang pinsan ko.

I was able to put 118 songs (non converted) to the iPod with no trouble at all. However, I needed to transfer almost 1GB of files to the lap top from the desktop for burning. Nung idi-delete ko na ang files, hindi ko sya magawa. Sinunod ko yung nasa manual at napagod lang ako. Ang finaflash ng iTunes sa monitor e zero(0) songs pero kapag tiningnan ang available memory ng iPod, hindi nadagdagan.

I went to the Apple website to find out how to delete songs from nano's memory. Ang dami nya'ng nilabas na search results pero nung nag click ako ng lick ang lumabas "This page cannot be found." I tried it a lot of links but the result was still the same.

I'm really getting frustrated because I need to burn the files badly. Tsk tsk. Why can't Apple just put a "delete song" or "delete songs" option so that it would be a lot easier. Honestly the whole proccess of selecting songs from the iTunes library then right clicking then choosing "clear" and re-updating the iPod is so complicated that in my case, it just won't work.

Hay.. Ngayon nagta-tyaga akong maglipat ng walong files na approx. 180MB ang isa gamit ang 256MB na flash disk. Good luck naman sa kin, anong petsa pa ko matatapos...

T_T

I Let Go

This will be my first ever written entry regarding what happened last May. The event involved yours truly, yours truly's boyfriend, and a certain girl that we can hide by the name Kristine Faith.

Last May 2006, yours truly's boyfriend's sister texted him that a girl who was a bride's maid at her wedding and a cousin of her husband claims to be a friend of him from way back their elementary days. Kristine Faith(not her real name) said that she and yours truly's boyfriend met at a science camp or press conference (I'm really not sure which is which because it seems that they met on both occasions). She insisted that she knew yours truly's boyfriend. Yours truly's boyfriend on the other hand was intrigued by who this long-lost-friend could be so he asked for the girl's number. He saw her picture, he knew the name, she did not even ring a bell yet they had this texting relationship that lasted until last September.

They saw each other behind my back. I was aware that there was a girl, a friend but there was just this nagging feeling that something was not right so I continued to nag yours truly's boyfriend every now and then to STOP whatever was going on between them. He said it was nothing. I didn't believe him.

June 14, 2006 around 4 in the afternoon. We were at our org's tambayan, he had to go to the bathroom so he left me his phone. The girl coincidentally texted
"Be (short for baby) kain tayo...ü"
I instantly felt cold.
"Be?!" was all I can think of responding.
She said "Oo, bakit? Ayaw mo ba? Dilis ang ulam ko"

I went to where yours truly's boyfriend was, fortunately he was not inside the boy's toilet or else i would have had to go in. I could not say anything. I just wept. The issue lasted for more than a month. Heck, it "ended" only last September. It ended for them, but the hurt was still and I don't know until when it will be fresh for me.

During the course of our conference regarding the matter, I found out that they already had exchanged I love yous as a joke. A very careless joke indeed. I also found out that they have been calling each other "Be" for quite sometime. The girl admitted to have fallen for yours truly's boyfriend. Kristine Faith(not her real name) said she had this feeling since they were in grade school. She believed in fate so much - i.e. she being a bride's maid in his sister's wedding, she getting hold of her number, she having this communication with yours truly's boyfriend - that everything was as if it was God's plan for her!

I let this matter pass for a while because she told me that she did not know that yours truly's boyfriend had a girlfriend. I couldn't blame her for falling for him especially if she did not know that yours truly's boyfriend's real status was. I accepted this alibi and blamed it all on him. Well, this was until yours truly's boyfriend's sister told me that she already told Kristine Faith(not her real name) that her brother was already taken.

She become my friend on Friendster, I read her blogs, bulletin posts and kept an eye on her. I loathed every bit of her. I said I won't forget the hurt she caused as long as I lived and I wanted her to suffer just the same.

On the proccess of despising her, I noticed that it brought more hurt to me than it did to Kristine Faith(not her real name). Everytime I refreshed the memories of the May-September affair, I couldn't help but writhe in pain inside. I was hurting more. She was going on with her life.

Tonight I am letting go.

I have deleted her name in my list of friends. I have exposed my feelings to the whole internet community hoping that someday she would read this and be aware of what I felt. What she did, I will not forget but at least the pain won't be that much and eventually dissappear.

Iam still with yours truly's boyfriend. I hope I am stronger. I wish this would not happen again.

With heavy exhalation of air, I let go.

Undas

"Tinatamad ka bang dalawing ang
iyong loved ones sa sementeryo?
Text DALAW ON at i-send sa 2366.
Sila mismo and dadalaw sayo! Text na!"

Isa lang yan sa mga jokes tungkol sa undas na natanggap ko kahapon. Yung ibang sinabihan ko na ang mga loved ones na lang namin ang dapat dumalaw sa min, medyo nag freak out. Ayan tuloy, naakusahan pa ko na wala daw akong paggalang sa patay. Sorry sa maooffend pero galangin ko man ang patay o hindi, hindi na rin nila malalaman yun.

Sa totoo lang, nagkaroon ng impact sa akin yung text messages na nagsa-suggest na tayo dapat ang dinadalaw ng mga yumao nating mahal sa buhay. Bakit kamo? Dahil sa totoo naman bukod sa kaligayahang naidudulot ng pagkansela ng mga klase at pasok sa pampamahalaan at ibang pampribadong institusyon, sobrang stress physically, financially at emotionally ang naibibigay ng Undas.

Sa mga balita tuwing undas nandyan kadalasan ang sobrang traffic at pagsisiksikan sa mga pier (physical stress), ang pagiging in demand ng bulaklak, pintura at kandila na hindi naman pinagaatubiliang taasan ng presyo ng mga nagtitinda (financial stress). Nanriyan din ang muling paggunita sa mga maliligayang panahong na kasama ang mga loved ones na minsa'y nagiging dahilan pa ng kanilang maagang pagkamatay (emotional stress). Tsk tsk.

Ganito ba talaga ka-gahul ang tao sa oras at kailangan pang magsiksikan sa mga sementeryo tuwing November 1? Hindi ba nila pwedeng gawin yun, ang pagdalaw at pag-aayos ng puntod, sa ibang araw kung kelan mas konti ang tao, mas mura ang mga paninda, at kung kelan makakapag grave robbing pa?

Anyway, dapat din nating makita ang kabutihang naidudulot ng Undas. Una, nagkakaroon ng instant reunion ang mag-anak. Dito nagkakatipon tipon ulit ang mga kasambahay na matagal nagkawalay. Ang masaya pa, every year nauulit to. Yun nga lang, every year paunti na rin ng paunti ang dumadalaw at parami ng parami ang dinadalaw.

Pangalawa, FOOD. Oo, nagkakaroon ng mga munting salu salo sa mga puntod ng minamahal kung saan matapos iyakan at tirikan ng kandila ang nitso ay lalatagan ng mantel at gagawing dining table ang mga ito. Shet! Dual purpose!

Pangatlo, nagiging malinis at kaaya ayang tingnan muli ang mga sementeryo. Ewan ko kung bakit pero parang may annual schedule ang mga kamag-anak na i-redecorate ang mga nitso/mosoleum/lupa kung saan naroon ang mga namatay ng loved ones.

Siguro marami pang benefits ang Undas na di ko nailagay, kayo na lang bahala magdadagdag. Basta ako, hinayaan kong sila ang dumalaw sa akin. Unfortunately, mukhang hinintay din nila na ako ang dadalaw sa kanila. So, sa katapus tapusan, di din kami nagpangita.

Porque?

These are the questions going on my mind at present. Questions where i need neither a yes or a no answer. Questions that need a hell lot of explanation for an answer...

1. Why do people blog?
I mean, what the heck is it with publishing your thoughts, feelings online?

2. Why am I blogging?
A question I myself could only answer. It may take a little while before I find the reason for this act though. My answer to this might lead to my finding the answer for the first question.

3. Why can't I get a certain girl out of my mind?
She tried and was on the process of stealing my boyfriend a few months back and I still want her dead, why? Sorry..

4. Why do I feel so empty?
Oh God, I think I really need You.

5. Why do I have this undying urge to make a lot of money?

Come to think of it, it is I who needs to discover the answers to these questions. A little bit of self discovery, as many would put it. *sigh* Oh well, another journey to the self. I thought I already got a 1.5 in that subject (Psych 10)? Anyway, here I am taking another journey back to the self because really, I still don't have a clue to who I really am, what I really want, and who I will become...

I think my template's cool by the way. So white, as if everything is so serene. Well, it's still AS IF.