weird, wonderful, whatnot...

Yakan Cloth

2011-09-04T23:40:00.001+08:00

of airport stories and elections (unrelated, really)

2010-05-16T15:15:00.000+08:00

luck does really run out after all. after getting away with waking up at 3:59am for a 5am flight some 3 weeks ago, i find myself here at the puerto princesa airport waiting if i can get into the 5:55pm pal flight. unlike the Iloilo flight 3 weeks back, this time, i was idly having lunch with tess (ahrc intern assigned here in elac puerto princesa) and ate lorie (elac coron’s project coordinator when I did my internship there in 2005) in a restaurant 5 minutes away from the airport. i missed the check in time by 5 minutes, and the person in front of me was the last one accommodated for the flight. the airline staff would later inform me that had I arrived on time, i would have gotten a free ticket. anyway, i had been wanting to blog for the past days but work (or procrastination) took precedence.

last monday, the first automated elections took place in the country. i volunteered to do election work for the legal network for truthful elections (lente), and was sent to monitor the elections in bulacan. the elections were rather uneventful, to say the least. not that it went smoothly, in fact there are problems that needed to be addressed. while doing the rounds in selected voting centers some time late afternoon, i was chatting with some ppcrv volunteers when a guy approached us. apparently, the pcos machine in one of the precincts bogged down in the morning. he was concerned because the filled up ballots (which were quite thick already) were just stacked on top of the table in plain view of everyone else. he was asking about procedures, which i gladly answered. much later we asked him if he was a pollwatcher for any candidate or part of the board of election inspectors. to both, he answered in the negative. he was a concerned citizen / voter. i simply thanked him for his concern and told him that this country needs more people like him.

after reflecting over the occurrences that day, i realized that we need more people like him, the guy overly concerned with the ballots. indeed, the philippines is never short of heroes -- “ordinary” people who care for this nation. before he left us i told him, “kuya, bilib ako sayo. mabuhay ka!”

---

postscript: while luck sometimes does run out, God is good. i had already checked-in and will be manila-bound (and back to reality) later at 5:55. :)

of "teacher duties" and choices

2010-04-24T16:30:00.000+08:00

22 april 2010 marked the end of my 4th trimester of teaching in the university. i consider myself (still) a newbie in this profession; thus, being assigned to teach major/elective courses after two trimesters of teaching was both an honor and a challenge. a challenge that i was willing to overcome. last term was a whirlwind, i was entrusted with two elective courses, which of course, meant that i had to make different preparations for the classes. suffice it to say that it wasn't a walk in the park. the ride wasn't exactly smooth, but i was able to manage (i think) or get away with it. (probably, the latter's more apt)

grade consultation day was slated last thursday (22 april). the day before i was in iloilo and antique to do a forum on human rights with my colleagues in the office. in the middle of everything, i was computing the grades of my students. after a whole day of contemplation and endless consultations with fellow faculty (i even had to bother some senior faculty for advice), i had to make a very tough decision -- not everyone in the class would make it. some of the students who were to receive failing marks were graduating. it was only at this point when i realized that giving failing marks to students was not easy. it took me until past midnight to finally convince myself that i made the right decision.

soon after arriving in manila, i went to the university. of course i expected pleas for passing grades and was (sort of) prepared for such. but what i didn't expect was to meet one of the parents of my students, asking why her child failed my class and almost pleading that i give the student a second chance. she was teary-eyed and told me a lot about the life of their family. i listened intently -- to her and to my conscience. bothered by everything i sought the advice (and ranted) of senior faculty members, as if asking for affirmation.

i had to face the parent again, explaining intently and sincerely that it wasn't a choice that was lodged solely upon myself. a student has a variety of choices when enrolling for a class, among which are to study, not listen in class, talk, go out, not attend class at all, etc. we always hear our professors say that they only record grades, it is the student who make the grade. that IS true. and i only realized that fully now.

on the other hand, the teacher has choices as well. a choice to always exercise mercy regardless of other factors, and a choice to exercise mercy and justice keeping in mind educational standards and the duty to be part of the formation of each and every student s/he meets. i chose the latter and stood by it.

my homecoming

2010-03-09T01:07:00.003+08:00

almost 5 years ago, i joined the ateneo human rights center's summer internship program and (luckily) got sent to coron to do my internship with the environmental legal assistance center (elac). for a month, i carried on my internship duties; got to meet different people; and experienced (almost) all sorts of adventures and misadventures in this quaint town and its neighboring islands. more importantly, that month sort of "sealed the deal" of my wanting to continue law school.

i'd always say that my month-long stay here in the calamianes is most humbling, that i realized after having worked with some of the most selfless people i've met in my life. my experiences in the islands in northern Palawan really left a lasting impression on me. little did i know that i would actually fulfill my "promise" (to myself) that soon, i'd be engaged in alternative lawyering.

five years ago, i just finished my first year in law school and was really unsure if i wanted to continue with it. five years later, i come back to the calamianes after almost a year of being a lawyer and (almost) certain that i am in the right path.

five years ago, i remember giving a paralegal training to a fisherfolk community in coron on the fisheries code. five years later, i find myself back in the calamianes doing back-to-back fora on human rights.

five years ago, when i was set to leave the islands at the end of my internship, i said to myself that i will soon give back to this place which has given me a lot (like triggering my want to continue law school and pursuing my environmental advocacy). five years later, i am back and (would like to believe that) i am starting to fulfill that promise.

earlier today, i once again set foot inside the immaculate conception church in culion island, the same church where i fervently prayed that i pass all my first year subjects. today, i said my thanks to the Lord for bringing me again to this place, the same place which helped me decide. today, i thanked Him for bringing me to this path and asked for His continued guidance. most importantly, i whispered my thanks to Him for bringing me back to this very important place, for bringing me back home.

looking back at a fulfillling 2009

2010-01-01T03:43:00.000+08:00

it has been months since i last posted something here on my blog. as part of my annual (well, not-so-annual... as i missed last year and the year prior) "tradition" i take some time to look back at the year that was. mostly to sort of document what how my life has been, how i've changed, and to reflect and see where i am. after all the revelry, celebration, and (lots of) food, and now that everyone's fast asleep, i finally get my quiet moment to try to put together a coherent post.

just like any other year, my 2009 had its fair share of ups and downs, and sometimes to extremes. i started the year with a trip to japan to visit a cousin who's working there. (no, she's not a japayuki, tagahalo lang sya dun ng detergent. haha!) that was actually my first out of the country trip in years, having been quite pre-occupied with school and much later, the bar exams and the preparations it entailed. japan is very interesting, to say the least. and yes, i intend to go back to satisfy my urge to explore and learn more about places and cultures.

i haven't had the time to share my japan stories (and even upload pictures) when robbers broke into our house. (refer to related post na lang, i don't want to dwell on this part of the year na. bad vibes.) suffice it to say that those days were probably my most tuliro moments. anyway...

january also marked the start of my teaching life. i've probably told a lot of stories of how happy i am when i teach, but due to time constraints (as always), i haven't had the time to actually write something on the matter. cheesy as it may sound, this teaching bit has taught me a lot. from dealing with people to (sometimes) engaging in "skit making" in class to cultivating patience. it has been one year since, and things have been happening quite fast -- faster than i expected. quite a lot of trust has been reposed. and i hope to be able to fulfill my responsibilities and meet expectations.

needless to say, 2009's highlight was of course the release of the results of the bar exams. after more than 4 years of slaving away in law school, i finally earned that coveted title (yes, that a-t-t-y that can be prefixed to your name). thanks had been said and stories had been shared, but these things i would tirelessly repeat over and over. this accomplishment i share to my family and friends and to my mom who looks after me every single day. and most importantly, i offer back everything to my Creator.

being the "rebel" that i am, i didn't go into any law related job until the bar results came out (this was a promise i made when i was in 3rd or 4th year in law school). so while most of my batchmates were starting out their careers in the legal world, i was just... umm... floating around. when i felt that i should start my career (and well, earning), i started applying. but i wasn't quite ready to just let go of teaching. this was probably the cause of my unsuccessful applications.

but as the saying goes, "great things come to those who wait." and wait i did. doors closed but windows opened. (i'd rather put it as "windows closed but doors opened") now, i find myself back home. the past 5 months had been a roller coaster ride (this is an understatement), yet i find happiness. it has been 4 years, and i feel that it's time to give back. i have come full circle and i started a new journey. the road will not be easy. but i believe that challenges are meant to be surmounted. teaching / formation / education may not be what i had planned on doing when i started law school, but i think this i was called to do and this is where i found myself. truly, the long wait was well worth it.

2009 had been very kind to me. the Lord has been so good. despite everything, i feel blessed, and even if given the chance i probably wouldn't want to change anything in my 2009. a friend once asked me, "are you satisfied?" my instant answer was "no, but i am fulfilled and happy, and that is all that matters for now."

a peaceful and prosperous new year to one and all! :)

one lazy monday afternoon...

2009-02-23T13:42:00.000+08:00

...in starbucks rockwell (the usual place). i was facebook-ing to kill time. i actually had better things to do (like check papers) but opted to procrastinate (yet again). 2 girls and a guy sat beside on the table (actually on the chairs) beside mine, then i overheard this conversation:

girl (looking at the guy's drink): ano yan?

guy: chocolate...

girl: ah...

guy: bakit ano ba yang drink mo?

girl: mocha frap. hindi na kasi ako nagcho-chocolate eh...

experiencing art. 299 of the revised penal code of the philippines

2009-01-09T13:35:00.001+08:00

"Art. 299. Robbery in an inhabited house or public building or edifice devoted to worship. x x x

(a) The malefactors shall enter the house or building in which the robbery was committed, by any of the following means:

1. Through a opening not intended for entrance or egress. x x x"

the morning of 08 january 2009 -- the morning i planned on catching up with snooze time -- i woke up to the voice of my brother, shouting, "ico, yung laptop mo wala!" then followed by my sister-in-law's voices saying "pinasok tayo kagabi!" those 3 words resounded in my head for a good few seconds before i heard "pati camera mo nawawala!" with that, i suddenly stood up from bed then went out of the room. the empty sofa in the living room is probably the most ghastly scene in my mind.

we live in a compond with a security guard supposedly keeping the place safe (the guard probably fell asleep). upon checking the other rooms, we discovered that the robbers came in thru an unlocked window in a room located in the ground floor. they then went to the upper floor.

i usually leave my things in the living room located in the second floor, just outside our bedrooms. my routine every morning after the bar exams was to sit in that sofa and go online for the whole day. so i would just leave my laptop and camera there in the sofa when i go to bed. every morning, the my black hp laptop would be the first thing one would notice in the living room. now it's gone, along with my canon dslr. with the laptop were tons of photos i've taken using the camera as well as all my personal files and records and the forum 2008 (ateneo law yearbook) files. (the yearbook, by the way, is almost done... see endnote (1) below)

then i saw the room where my brother and i keep our clothes. it was ransacked! (as in parang dinaanan ng bagyo!) we later on found out that the burglars even got some of the rosaries and an image of the madonna and child which were part of my late mom's collection. (imagine, pati mga rosaryo at poon!)

if there's one good thing, the burglars didn't enter the rooms where we were. for whatever reason. god knows what could have happened if they got into our rooms. at least only material things were taken. but of course, i can't help but be sad. people who know me, would know how well i take care of my things. plus the thought that the laptop was a graduation gift from my aunt and the camera was a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. so it has lots of sentimental value. (oo, talagang senti ako) then everything in the laptop! i don't know where to start recontructing them. oh, my presentation for my monday class is there. then i remembered placing some IDs in my camera bag. things just really get worse.

i spent the entire day thinking (and well, sulking), praying, and hoping.

thinking how this could have happened. i've been living in this place for the whole 26 years of my life. and i always felt very, very secure when i'm home. now that this security has been breached, i don't know where and when i could find that security again. i'm also thinking how long i could stand by my word that i would not leave the philippines, no matter what.

praying and hoping that i get my things back. i literally stormed the heavens with prayers. more than being my most prized worldly possessions, these things, as i said, have lots of sentimental value for me.

praying and hoping that things would get better after this. it's not really a good way to start the new year. with god's grace, i/we hope to get by this.

thank you to those who texted to check on me/us. we're ok and safe. thanks. it's very much appreciated.

- - - - -

(1) dear ateneo law 2008 batchmates, i would like to apologize and ask for your patience for this delay in the yearbook production process. rest assured that the layout team and all of the forum 2008 editors and staff would exert our best efforts to redo the entire yearbook and have the yearbook printed as soon as possible. thank you very much for understanding.

updated lakbayan grade

2008-11-13T08:45:00.000+08:00

My Lakbayan grade is C+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

sometimes it does not pay to be early

2008-11-01T19:58:00.000+08:00

people who know could attest that i rarely arrive very early or anything. normally, i would arrive either on time, or a bit late, or sometimes really late.

well, last tuesday (october 28) i arrived at the mactan international airport in cebu around 11:30am, a little more than 2 hours before my flight to tacloban. this was something new, considering our rockstar entrance in the NAIA terminal 3 for our manila-tagbilaran flight a few days before.

to cut the long story short, the cebu pacific flight was (super) delayed. i stayed in the airport for 5 hours. while aren, cathy, binkki, kq and zoe were touring mactan, ginawa kong tourist destination ang airport. waw. at eto ka, wala man lang pagkain. so i had to content myself with dunkin donuts bunwich.

at hindi pa natapos dyan...

october 30. cebu pacific flight from tacloban to manila was supposed to be at 1:50pm. we arrived at the airport around 11:45am. later still, the PA system sounded. delayed! (again!) "at least" this time they served meals. hmm... 1-piece chicken joy na may fun chum juice sa loob. at ang fun chum ay hindi lang "hindi malamig," mainit sya, as in hot. at yung juice ko ay walang straw. ano yun, ngangatngatin ko para mainom?!? total waiting hours at the airport: 4 hours.

2 flights in a row. swerte talaga ako no? laging nasa lucky 1% na delayed flights. (remember, 99% flights on time?)

(conversations with cebu pacific staff intentionally omitted. haha!)

more conversations in sagada

2008-11-01T19:10:00.000+08:00

i kinda forgot about this. good thing kq reminded me when we were in bohol.

again, it's krizna talking to one of our guides. this time while going down sumaguing cave.

kriz: kuya, may signal ba ang cellphone dito?

giude: ah, oo.

kriz: ah talaga? smart o globe?

guide: globe.

kriz: ang galing ah... pano yun eh parang ang lalim na nito.

guide: eh kasi minsan dadalhin nila yung cellphone. tapos mahuhulog sa tubig, ayun... globe, globe, globe.

(ayon...)

conversation in sagada

2008-10-21T20:06:00.000+08:00

(asking about cave exploration / spelunking. i can't remember the exact conversation. but it went something like this.)

kriz: kuya, delikado po ba dun? (referring to the cave connection, where you have to swim underwater to reach the next cave)

guide: ah, oo.

kriz: may mga namamatay?

guide: ay marami.

kriz: saan?

guide: sa sumaguing.

kriz: sa sumaguing? pano sila namamatay?

guide: nahuhulog sila eh, tapos namamatay.

kriz: maraming tao ang nahulog at namatay?

guide: hindi.

kriz: eh sino yung namatay?

guide: yung bats.

(kuya, anlabo ah!)

the sagada leg

2008-10-20T18:52:00.001+08:00

the morning after the batad "trek," i woke up to the sound of krizna's alarm-clock-like voice and sluggishly stood up. half an hour after, we were on our way to sagada. we passed by bontoc to have lunch at tchayapan. (good food here) the rest of the day turned out to be a "break" day after the strenuous hike the day before. we went to the echo valley and saw some hanging coffins. that night was also the night of the sardinas feast. due to a possible lack of funds, we decided to have vegetables and a big bowl of sardines for dinner. true enough, mabubuhay talaga ang mga ahrc interns sa sardinas. parang immersion talaga. haha!

the next day was packed with activities. we woke up early (3:30am) to catch the sunrise at mt. kiltipan. while waiting for the sun to rise, we partook of our hearty breakfast - jjampong (noodles) with rice and hard-boiled egg. (once again, pagkaing intern. haha!) it was a foggy morning so we didn't get to see the actual rising of the sun. yet, when the sky cleared up a bit, the view of the terraces from kiltipan was just wonderful. we took lots of photos before we proceeded to the sumaguing cave to do some spelunking and rapeling.

sumaguing cave was something else. i was awe-struck with the gigantic rock and limestone formations inside the cave. we had to climb rocks and wade through the ice-cold waters. getting through the small passageways was quite an effort. after less than 2 hours, we emerged from the dark cave.

we had a hearty lunch at the yogurt house. i think this is a must-try when one goes to sagada. great food. i love the pasta. and their yogurt is the best. the place is quite pricey compared to the other restaurants in the area, but the food is really worth the price.

we then went to bokong falls for another round of wading/swimming through cold waters. bokong falls, also known as small falls, can be reached by going down the slope of a mountain. which means that we needed to go up the same slope in going back. haha!

rockclimbing was up next. but the ahrc oldies (a.k.a. tanders) were to tired. so mark, ona, lea, mars and myself decided to go back to george's guest house to wash up and then proceeded to cafe st. jo for a round of coffee and some bread while doing some usapang-tanders. you know, life questions and all.

dinner time came, we went to the log cabin for our much-awaited french buffet. just 3 words: GRABE, ANG SARAP! one should not miss this. they have the buffet on saturday nights and prior reservations must be made as the place really gets packed.

the following day (sunday), we had a sort-of picnic breakfast at lake danum. (we didn't have water! haha!) we didn't stay long as the sun was getting hotter. before lunchtime, we headed back to banaue. lunch again at tchayapan. (masarap talaga) we dropped by several viewpoints and saw the view of the terraces as depicted behind the 1000-peso bill. afterwards, we walked around the town while waiting to hear mass.

after the mass, we went back to the bus station. with roughly 500 pesos in our common fund, we again had a "hearty" dinner of cup noodles and tasty bread with fresca tuna (the ones which were not served during the sardinas feast. haha!). ipe was kind enough to buy another loaf of bread and mark treated us with coke. grabe, mga poor na talaga after the entire trip. haha!

what made this trip more enjoyable is the great company. sobrang laughtrip. pag walang pagkain, busugin ang sarili sa tawa. kwento. picture. tulog. kain. lakad. akyat ng bundok. at marami pang iba. to ona, kriz, pia, dema, lea, mars, tonton, mark, ipe, pedro, mike, cj, and kq, maraming salamat and til our next adventure! (let us make sure na hindi si my-ta ang gagawa ng itinerary para hindi tayo mamatay! haha!)

the banaue adventure (banaue-sagada part 1)

2008-10-20T15:50:00.000+08:00

it was sometime in the middle of the bar month when krizna invited me to go to banaue and sagada. i didn't give it much thought until probably a week after the bar exams were over. before i finally said yes, i recalled krizna's invitation. she said we were going to banaue, do some TREKKING in batad then go to sagada.

a few days before 15 october 2008, i confirmed with kriz about who were going to the trip. it turns out that a bunch of ateneo human rights center (ahrc) interns finally decided to relive their immersion experiences (and, well, hardships) with a couple of friends.

so on our scheduled departure date, we boarded a florida bus bound for banaue (florida has only one trip daily to banaue at 10:45pm) and arrived in banaue the following day. the entire trip lasted for approximately 8 hours, including around 3-4 stop-overs. upon arrival, we had breakfast at the halfway lodge and then proceeded to brgy. batad for our supposed and much-awaited TREK. from banaue town proper, the bumpy ride to batad took roughly an hour and a few minutes. once in the batad saddle (the jump-off point to go down the batad village and further down to go to the tappiyah falls), we had a few pictures taken and ate irene (our guide) proceeded to lead us in going down the mountain. after 20 minutes of walking we started to see glimpses of rice terraces. we reached batad village (where we ordered lunch) after less than 2 hours. we continued the supposed trek, this time actually walking IN the majestic rice terraces. the view of the rice terraces and the lush mountains was simply breath-taking. after a few more hours (i stopped asking/checking the time at this point) of going down the slippery trail and countless stops to breathe, we finally reached the end point - tappiyah falls. this was not without any risk. at some point, ate irene instructed us to go in pairs. then pointing to a part were rocks supposedly fell, she told us to cross that part by pairs and as quick as possible. thank god, no rocks were due to fall when we were all crossing. anyway, we got to the falls and swam/waded in its icy-cold waters. the currents were quite strong and we were careful enough not to fall down lest we would follow ona's disposable camera which got washed away. haha!

after 45 minutes or so, we decided to go back. and that meant going up the mountain. so much for trekking. hahaha! we went through almost the same path going back. and while going through the terraces, it rained. we were quick to put our valuables inside ziploc's and plastic bags. the rain was refreshing, to say the least. when we finally reached batad village, we had our lunch. this was around 3pm. an hour after, ate irene told us to get ready to go up again. we were apparently only halfway to the saddle. with heavy stomachs, we started our hike back (read: hike). each time we looked at our destination (the batad saddle), it seemed so far up the mountain. i'm not sure how to accurately describe the entire hike. hmm... eto na lang, mark asked for a piece paper for a number of times so that he could write his holographic will. hahaha!

once back at the saddle around 6pm, we headed back to the halfway lodge to get our things and to have dinner. we then proceeded to the banaue ethnic village where we finally called it a (long) day.

despite a blister in my right foot and the aching muscles after the hike, i must that the hike was well worth it and i enjoyed. i would love to go back there to hike again when i'm more fit for the whole thing. (oo na, krizna, nag-enjoy ako. haha!) this ended part 1 of our banaue-sagada trip.

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end note: ona got hold of a brochure, which described the hike up and down the batad terraces and tappiyah falls as "recommended only for strong hikers" (to kriz: TREKKING pala ah. hahaha!). and oh, according to ate irene, the mountain was 1,800 km above sea level. ayan, sige, mag-trekking tayo! haha!

getting my life back

2008-10-09T20:00:00.001+08:00

all sundays (mostly afternoon to evening) of my bar review months were spent in starbucks in binondo (the one at the foot of san fernando bridge) studying. that routine seemed endless. my brother and sister-in-law would drop me off early afternoon, then i'd go to my favorite study corner, get myself a drink and some pastries (when i feel mighty rich. haha! - which doesn't come often), start studying and wait until they fetch me late at night.

since my late college years and all throughtout my law school life, i always studied in coffee shops. for two reasons. one, i fall asleep in the library. two, i falll asleep at home. this, though, does not mean that i don't fall asleep in a coffee shop. but at least the "sleeping time" is limited.

during the times that i study in a coffee shop, i always envied the people who came in to sit down and read a good book. (READ: non-law books) i was all too excited to be one of them. to enter starbucks without any law books and to just sit down, relax and read.

after a hearty lunch with sarj yesterday, i went to starbucks in binondo. as if going through my old routine, i went up and saw that someone was studying in my favorite study spot. so i got a drink and comfortably settled in the nearby table and started reading a book. this i haven't done for more than 4 years. at least now, i have my life back. :)

---

force of habit: i took out my orange marker to highlight the lines i liked. old habits are indeed hard to break. hehe!

finish line

2008-10-03T19:58:00.000+08:00

29 september 2008. 10:15am. i woke up to the sound of my cellphone as a text message came in. almost like a routine, i thought to myself, i won't study until late that day since it's a monday after a bar exam sunday, but i had to prepare my books and reviewers for the following sunday. the thought lingered for a good few minutes. then i wasn't able to gather my thoughts as to what was the next subject i needed to study. then it dawned upom me that the entire thing was over. the bar exams ended the previous day. really surreal.

the journey ends here (i hope). the ride that spanned 4 years and 6 months was quite something. law school and everything that came with it molded me to the person that i am today. and despite everything, i do not regret having entered and continued with law school. the months that consisted the bar season were the longest and most tiring and stressful months that i've experienced. and while i acknowledge that what lies ahead after this would be far more stressful than this, taking the bar is not something i would ever want to take again. (Lord, please make me pass... please?)

with the stressful bar month came great people who provided relief (sometimes, comic) and made this somewhat enormous task of taking the bar (yes, mere taking the exams is an endeavor itself) more bearable. my heartfelt gratitude primarily to my ateneo human rights center family and to the ateneo central bar operations 2008. maraming salamat sa todo-todong pag-aasikaso, suporta at mga panalangin.

sa mga heads, understudies at volunteers ng central barops, salamat sa mga reviewers, tips, sa mga bumibili at nag-aakyat ng mga pagkain namin sa kwarto. sa mga nanggising sa amin ni bo sa kwarto (jake, alphie, carmi, kate at vina), sobrang salamat. (baka hindi kami nakapag-exam ng morning exams kundi dahil sa inyo).

to my ahrc family, a big big THANK YOU! it is only now that i really understood how much your help, prayers, and mere presence really is encouraging. (sana ay hindi naman kayo nahirapan sa mga requests ko). lyan, salamat sobra para sa lahat lahat! (lagi kong binabasa ang mga barops blogs at albums mo dahil napa-praning ako kaya kailangan kong i-check kung kasama ba sa "lists" mo yung mga requests ko. hahaha!) to the barops '08 heads, thank you and a congratulations! my batchmates (flory, mon and anna a), thank you for the support and words of encouragement. (flory, luto ka ulit next time. at oo, pwede ka nang mag-asawa! haha!) hindi ako magsasawang magpasalamat sa inyong lahat. ayoko nang isa-isahin ang mga pangalan at baka may makalimutan pa ako. basta, sa lahat lahat, maraming maraming salamat! sana ay masuklian ko ang lahat ng nagawa ninyo para sa akin.

to my family, thank you very much for everything. Mom, thank you. this one's for you...

above all, thank you my Lord for being with me each step of the way. ad majorem dei gloriam.

back home @ la salle

2008-07-06T22:21:00.001+08:00

after 9 weeks of studying at rockwell, i felt i needed a change in scenery going into my 10th week of bar review. nakakasuka na rin sa rockwell and everything that comes with it. the decision to go to la salle to study was finalized when i went there to attend gawad mag-aaral two fridays ago (june 27). i thought i would be nice to be back home.

so come monday, i hitched a ride with my brother and got off in front of the north gate. i entered the campus. no more familiar faces. i checked on how i looked. nakaka-blend in pa rin naman ako sa crowd. wow, feeling college ulit! hehe!

to sum up everything, the relatively-productive week was also filled with tons of reminiscing. i went to the library, conserv, medrano, and of course satrbucks at torre lorenzo. i don't remember studying at the conserv during my college days, and i actually don't remember stepping into the medrano hall before (pang mga kapitalistang CBE kasi yon. haha!) as for the library, the only times i remember going in there were 1. when required for a class (ex: audio-visual room), 2. for thesis purposes, and 3. to go to the 4th floor to sleep. well, starbucks in torre wasn't a new place for me. i used to study there, esp. those subjects which involved numbers, i.e. accounting, FINAMA, MATHAN1, QUATECH, and a host of other math subjects which never liked me. haha!

i also ate at the places where i used to eat: SPS, ate em's (yung sa beach), agno (taco salad and pasta!), mcdo, kfc, etc. tried some new places too, like flaming wings and the new place in front of the new br. andrew gonzales building.

the whole week in taft was a refreshing break, so to speak. after 4 years in rockwell, the noisy, fast-paced life in taft avenue easily came as something i actually missed. the faces have changed (and they're a lot younger), many places have been renovated or repainted, new edifices have been built, but the feel of walking through the hallways and the entire campus is still the same. it is really nice to be back home.

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pics at: http://sparkofgenius.multiply.com/photos/album/94/Back_at_La_Salle _for_a_Week

one step at a time

2008-06-29T20:13:00.000+08:00

after three weeks or so. i was finally ready to talk. i knew i needed to let it out sooner or later. i'm feeling (relatively) better now. still a lot of unresolved things in my mind. but for now, i can stay in this vagueness, if only for sanity's sake. as i alwasys say, when everything seems overwhelming, take it one step at a time.

thanks, tring, for the ice cream. it helped (a lot).

- - -

2008-06-08T14:12:00.000+08:00

time and again, everyone has been saying that bar review in itself is already stressful and adding more stress would be just too much.

i should just have obliged with tin's invitation for ice cream that night. haha!

well, i have to do well in this review and eventually, the bar thing. although the thought of always having to prove myself (since high school, college, etc.) really is tiring, at least now, my priorities are clear.

surreal

2008-03-16T13:01:00.001+08:00

Ateneo Human Rights Center Thank You-Welcome Dinner 2008. 14 march 2008. ALS Roofdeck.

It really felt surreal to be handed the invitation to this year's thank you-welcome dinner of the Center. I realized that it was already 3 years since our batch (batch buyonero, summer 2005) was welcomed in the very same event. now, 3 years after TY-welcome 2005, and close to 3 years after summer of 2005, our (along with the other AHRC seniors) status as resident interns of AHRC will now (hopefully) come to an end.

i've said a lot of things about my experiences as an AHRC intern (from SIP 2005 to PLTs and development work to inuman nights and many many more), but after 3 years of being an intern and after almost 4 years of being a law student, i have no words to say but "THANK YOU!" to the Center (especially to sir chochoy, ma'am myrfi, our current internship director lyan, and kuya ryan) and to my fellow interns (especially to my batchmates, batchochoy [our facis], one pact, paglaum [our babies], and all the wonderful people in the Center)

to the newest summer interns, congratulations! you are about to start what could be the most memorable summer of your lives. you are the few and the chosen. you may not be as many, but always remember that you are blessed because not many people are willing to commit their entire summer to self-formation and to a worthy cause. may your summer 2008 be as fulfilling and memorable (if not more), as our summer 3 years ago.

finally

2008-03-16T11:35:00.002+08:00

a long-delayed issue. the completion of this final issue under the palladium's 2007 editorial board took quite some time. mahirap magtrabaho pag christmas break, then midterms intervened then preparations for the night of the arts came in. in any case, i'm just so happy that our last issue is finally out.

the past year was certainly not easy. but despite all challenges and heartaches (?), i can proudly say that we weathered the storms that came by. being a campus journalist is a thankless job, many say. it entails a lot of effort, which many don't appreciate and, much less, recognize. despite the criticisms and the heavy load of law school, we continued to do what we planned with much enthusiasm with the hope that we would be able to be of service to the ateneo law school community and the bigger society, and that we would be able to effect change through our writings, artworks, and photographs.

on my part, my stint as editor-in-chief of the publication taught me a lot. the learning process has no ending; it's all a matter of being open to continue learning. what you always planned on doing may not come to being, but better things would always come your way. maximize these opportunities to do what you always wanted (be it to effect culture change, espouse a cause, or simply just be of service); be creative and think out of the box. who knows, you may be able to achieve greater heights.

To the Editors and staff of The Palladium 2007, my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for giving me the opportunity to serve the law school community with you. The past twelve months (especially the long sleepless nights during press weeks) were really not a walk in the park, but those twelve months were full of learning, laugter, and unforgettable moments that I am honored to have shared with you. With this bunch of talented, committed, and sincere individuals, an Editor-in-Chief could not ask for more. And yes, I am proud to say that we did not only achieve our goal of providing the law school community with a relevant publication, but more importantly, we have built a bond of friendship that would transcend the confines of our small office space in Room 307. [excerpt from "Epilogue," Editor's Note, February 2008 issue, vol. 4, issue 4]

Mike Lo, Tricia, Lea, JD, Grace, Mark, Cecille, Kyle, Bo, maraming salamat sa lahat! :)

To my predecessors, Shy and Sarj, salamat sa pagtitiwala at suporta!

signing off,

Ryan Jeremiah D. Quan

Editor-in-Chief, The Palladium 20007

all's well that ends well

2008-03-02T15:56:00.002+08:00

a lot of things that we're put off had to be accomplished after the concert last saturday; thus, this belated post.

despite everything that i had to deal with weeks back, i enjoyed last week's concert. i chose to. as i always tell a good friend, happiness is a personal choice. the concert was really a refreshing break from the monotony of law school.

congatulations to all who took part in the concert!

SALSA, thank you for making this happen and for giving me the opportunity to perform with all you. it is truly an honor. we've come a long way, as caleen would put it. i love you all!

caleen, congrats and thank you for the patience and for keeping everyone together. nasabi ko na sa'yo ang lahat. bow ako sa'yo! :)

to the SALSA seniors, thank you for making our "last dance" memorable! to pia and the rest (whom we will leave behind [hopefully]), galingan nyo pa in your next dances and performances. again, salamat SALSA! :)

not a good week

2008-02-21T11:31:00.000+08:00

this week proved to be more exacting than i expected. my usual coping mechanisms to stress and emotional rollercoasters are not working. i really don't know why. last night i said to myself that this is just stress and that if i sleep it over, the following day would be a new beginning. i guess i was wrong.

this morning, i woke up to see a cloudy sky, went through my morning rituals, but still felt the same way i felt the past days -- alone.

it's hard to drag yourself to do something which you (supposedly) like (or liked). it's hard to deviate from something you always believed in. but it's harder to look okay in front of everyone when the truth is you're really not.

at this point, i don't want to explain anything. i don't owe anyone any. i miss friends who would just be there; no need for explanations, no need for words, just there.

i hope this ends... soon...

one with the sumilao farmers

2007-12-09T10:42:00.001+08:00

OF A WALK

tuesday, 04 december 2007, i found myself walking with the sumilao farmers, the farmers who walked from their homes in sumilao, bukidnon all the way to manila to ask the government (the DAR in particular) to return the 144-hectare land that they rightfully owned.

several interns of the ateneo human rights center (decided to relive their walking-during-immersion experience and) joined the farmers in walking from the senate to guadalupe, makati. prior to walking, a short program was held in front of the senate. listening to the farmers speak, i felt sad (to say the least), but what really moved me was when bajikjik (a 21-year-old girl who walked all the way from bukidnon to manila) held the mic to speak. she should be in school, but she chose to forego the same to fight for their rights. i admire her courage and determination, but most of all, i admire her passion.

it took us around 3 hours or so to get to our destination. aftter an hour or two of walking, i started to feel the tired. but the thought that the sumilao farmers had been walking for 56 days already (that day) kept me going. this was the least i could do to show support.

their 60-day journey to manila had just ended, but their quest to get back their land is far from over. last friday, the DAR secretary refused to issue the cease-and-desist order being asked in order to stop the illegal conversion of their farm land to agro-industrial land.

OF VISITS AND A MASS

the AHRC interns and some ateneo law students started to visit them in front of DAR where they are staying since friday night.

during one of the visits to the site (i refuse to call it a picket line), we met kuya toto (incidentally, he is bajikjik's father). he told us their story. he was here in manila 10 years ago, in 1997, he was one of the 10 farmers who staged a hunger strike then. now he's back from he started, fighting for the same cause in the same place. after all these years, they seem to have gotten nothing. i intently listened to each word he spoke. i'm always humbled by experiences like this. he said, he only reached grade school, yet i felt he knew a lot more than i did. his experiences and passion to fight for their rights more than made up for what he claimed to be a lack in formal schooling.

december 8, feast of the immaculate conception. tricia, vida and myself decided to hear mass at DAR with the sumilao farmers. after the homily, the women farmers were given the chance to speak about their cause. while grappling to understand their dialect, tears rolled from my eyes (oo na, iyakin talaga ako) as they spoke of their journey, their sacrifices, and how they felt (and are feeling) amidst everything that's happening.

when we were about to leave after the mass, we thanked them for letting us join them. nanay hilda (i remember her as the one who approached me last tuesday in the senate. she was telling me / us to just go straight to guadalupe since it would be a long walk and the rain was going to pour soon. i told her that we would be walking with them. she gave me a sincere thank you and then excused herself.) shook my hand then gave me a hug and whispered, "salamat ha. ipagdasal nyo kami... at sana manalo kami." i held back my tears and gave her an assurance, "opo, nay, lagi ko po kayong ipagdadasal."

their battle is far from over. when they left bukidnon, they agreed that they won't leave manila until they get back their land. walking more than 1,700 kilometers is hard, but leaving their families behind is definitely harder. i am one with their cause for social justice. i continue to pray that our government will do the right thing this time around. (as with a lot of things, it is just a matter of exercising political will.) i wish that they get their land soon, so they won't have to stay long here and be able to spend christmas with their families. and i hope the time will come that i will be able to speak for them (and other people like them) and be able to do more in fighting for their cause.

---------------

visit: http://sumilaomarch.multiply.com

read their story: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=105743

more on the matter: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=105605

more pics at MRD's site: http://markrobertdy.multiply.com/photos/album/322/2007-12-04_AHRC_the_Sumilao_Farmers

i'm back home

2007-12-09T06:47:00.000+08:00

the past week (or 2 weeks) did it. after a self-imposed hiatus of sorts, (i think) i'm back home. for sometime, i chose to go away because some people, somehow forgetting the reason behind the things i love to do. but for the past days, i've realized one very important thing...

more than the people, what's more important is the cause.

disturbance in makati on a lighter note

2007-11-30T21:34:00.000+08:00

thursday afternoon, classes had been called off earlier. i passed by lsac and was watching the news before going to powerplant to have a really late lunch.

joan came by...

ryan: hay naku, sayang ang ice cream sa pen...

joan: oo nga eh. punta kaya tayo dun, baka discounted ang mga cakes...

ryan: sige!

(laughter ensues)

-----------------

if that disturbance (i refuse to call it anything other than a disturbance kasi nanggugulo lang talaga sila) brought me anything good. yun ay walang prac court dahil wala pa kaming pleadings. haha!

disturbance in makati

2007-11-30T21:24:00.000+08:00

i realized i haven't written anything on issues and all in my blog for the past months. it was intentional. for sometime now, i took a shot at being less involved in these things. i somehow got tired of having to always analyze things and giving my opinion after weighing both sides of the story. but i guess it's in my system . with what happened in makati the other day, i just have to write something.

my thoughts...

first on trillanes. he may probably have nice intentions or great ideas for change in society. i give that to him. but thursday's incident was outrageous (for lack of a better term). did he actually think he could suddenly topple down the government by walking out of a hearing, then going to a posh hotel to duplicate his failed oakwood seige? (in fairness, sosyal, at kelangang sa hotel pa talaga) the guy is really adept at getting media attention. he would later surrender. which makes me think, what is really his intention? to grab media attention? to get the people's sympathy? or wala lang, trip lang talaga? kung gusto talaga nya, eh di sana, patay na lang kung patay, walang susuko.

the thing that really ticked me off (leading me to make this post) is the arrest of the media people who were covering the event. while the media in our country may be far from ideal, the fact remains that they are humans whose rights deserved to be respected. these people were just doing their jobs, and to be accused by the police of getting in the way of their operations was utterly unfair. the media people were treated like a bunch of criminals stuffed into a bus to be brought to bicutan. really degrading... so much for dignity of the human person.

speaking of the police and military, i think what they did was an overkill. sinira ang hotel, nagpasok ng tank sa hotel lobby (tama si levie, it's not everyday that you see a tank ram into a hotel entrance), name it, (gagawin o ginawa na) nila. doing their job is one thing, but doing it properly is quite another. grabe, how they think themselves as gods who would succumb to no one in order to, as they claim, do what they are told to do. while they can arrest the people violating the law, they should give respect to the rights of these people, they still have basic rights as human beings. i remember during the last elections, my dad asked me why i didn't vote for trillanes or lacson. my answer was quite simple. i have a bias against people from the military and the police, because of their "outstanding" track record in terms of observing human rights. while i concede that there are (a few) good men and women in their ranks, the presumption for me is that they always tend to disregard human rights.

overall, the entire country is at the losing end in all aspects (political, economic, etc.) we really have a knack for making a fool out of ouselves in front of the whole world. hay...

feel free to disagree with me. we're in a democratic country, after all.

start-of-sem blues

2007-11-22T20:41:00.000+08:00

it's that time of the year again when i still have a major hang-over of the sembreak that was. i haven't quite gotten back to the groove of studying. more accurately, i'm still too lazy to even think of studying. (it is during these times that i can say that in more that 3 years of law school, i have mastered the art of pretending to study)

but fate has it's own (harsh) way of telling me that it's back to reality for me. in 3 days, i got called in remedial law review class twice, and yes, i was asked to sit down twice also. in other words, hiniya ko na naman ang sarili ko. (as flory would put it. haha!) i'm thinking... that i should be used to this by now. in a way, i am. pero pangit lang ng feeling. oh well...

i hope to be able to "break-in" after this week and get back on track (as if i had any choice).

one year in the making

2007-11-15T13:27:00.000+08:00

"tingnan mo, yung pinaghirapan nyo ng isang taon, mabilis lang matatapos..." this was what one of the suppliers told me as the wedding ceremony was about to start. i then started to sink in that the day we've all been waiting was already there. while i have been extremely busy preparing for the event, the questions that kept bugging my mind were "did we miss out on anything?" or "what else should we do?" or "who should be followed up?", it was only minutes before the wedding did i realize that this was "the day."

last sunday (11 november 2007), my brother ron got married to his fiance-now-wife arlene. we (both of them, my 2 cousins lelyn and grace, and myself) have been preparing for this event since october or november of 2006. since day 1 of the preparations, i sort of placed "unneccessary" pressure upon myself to make sure that everything would turn out great on the big day. i relied much on the thought that lelyn and i were so used to organizing activities back in college. but at the back of my mind, i knew that this was not "any activity." it was a "real" event and it couldn't get more real. for the love of god, it is my brother's wedding. more pressure. so we got ourselves together and summoned all our seemingly-rusty event-organizing skills and started to prepare everything. from project plans to calendars to checklists, name it, we've go it.

the yearlong preparations (in between my law classes, lelyn's masters classes and her teaching job, and grace's nursing classes and hospital duties) really went by fast (as with everything), but not without the countless coffee-shop hopping for late-night meetings (as lelyn and/or i were only available after class hours), endless laughter, (my) rare flare-ups, occasional meetings with suppliers, and late nights in front of the computer to satisfy my obsessive-compulsive nature (either encoding stuff or having art attacks). not to forget, the staple orange clear folder and lelyn's pink notebook with the minutes and deadlines. plus the (bonus) tagaytay-batangas summer trip which was for pictorials but we made it a convenient excuse to go out of town for a much-needed summer vacation.

the day before the wedding, we checked-in the hotel and instantly turned the hotel room into a war room of sorts. what with the laptop and printer set up and all the labeled paper bags neatly piled in different corners of the room and the papers and post-its on the wall. it was quite a sight. haha! it was a sleepless night, maybe because of excitement or the caffeine fix we had at the last minute. (yes, i badly needed to go to starbucks to do some last-minute unwinding.)

funny how i kinda put a time in the schedule for everything that we had to do on the wedding day. grace made sure that we were on time with the scheduled activities for the day. (note, we even had time to take a 20- or 30-minute dip into the pool that morning. to relax for a long day, as grace puts it). and to cater to my vanity needs, i had to ensure that i would look good in the photos, i had to rush to the salon that same morning to have my haircut. hehe! then everything commenced. church. back at hotel. check preparations for the reception. checking sounds, etc. then the reception proper (which i call pistang-bayan, with the number of guests). good thing, we had very able and efficient coordinators for the day so weren't as ngarag that day. (much thanks jen, cathy, mich, tina, and... i didn't catch his name. hehe!)

the following morning, i found myself in the jacuzzi after breakfast. i was busy relaxing that i sort of intentionally didn't attend to any phone calls or SMS that morning.

the wedding went well, i think. or at the very least, none of the minor problems that came up were left unresolved. despite the sleepless nights, countless cups of coffee (and frapps), the pressure, high emotions, inggitera bitches who didn't (or we're not willing to) help out (even with simple things like putting cheesecakes into the fridge), food binges and diets, seemingly endless phonecalls and text messages, and everything in between, i could say that the wedding went well.

to our suppliers, we couldn't thank you enough for making our lives (or at least the preparations) much easier.

to my co-organizers lelyn and grace, congrats to us! we nailed this one down! hehe!

and of course, to ron & arlene, congratulations to you both. we are so happy for you! god bless! :)

the "first event" is done. on monday, i go back to law school...

[more pictures to follow]

salubong and bar ops 2007 afterthoughts

2007-09-23T19:35:00.000+08:00

today marks the end of the 2007 bar season. of course, the traditional salubong was held. other than exam weeks, september is usually the busiest month for law students (or at least, most of) because of bar operations. and after 4 busy and tiring (but fun) weekends for bar ops, law students flock near dlsu's south gate to wait for the barristers.

this year's salubong is somehow more meaningful to me largely because i have a lot of friends who took the bar exams. and it was nic to cap off bar ops 2007 by waiting for them to come out from la salle after what could be the most important exams of their lives; not to mention free overflowing booze and pouring a can or two (or three and more!) on each other.

despite some setbacks and not having a truck, this year's salubong was nevertheless great. as i eagerly waited for friends, i never thought that there will be any chance that i would be caught yelling ateneo cheers. apparently, there is. and that is during salubong. haha! Ü

as i excitedly greeted, hugged, and congratulated my friends who came out, i suddenly realized i won't be seeing them around school as often as i do before. as the cliche goes, time really flies so fast. it wasn't too long ago when i entered law school and the people in the batch who took this year's bar exams were the people i've been used to seeing in school for the past 3 and a half years. this is an additional indication that i am really in my 4th year in law school. (yes, despite having finished my thesis defense, i think i am still in the acceptance stage of the fact that i am already in 4th year, at oo, tumatanda na ako. haha!)

tomorrow, school will be quite different without the familiar faces of this year's barristers. and i guess, starting tomorrow, our batch will be the "oldest students" in school. hay... sige, totoo na, 4th year na talaga (kamusta naman, ang in denial pa rin? haha!)

to my friends who took the bar, congratulations and i will miss all of you. you guys will always be in my prayers and i hope to see you around. god bless! Ü

eventful, tiring, but happy month

2007-09-23T18:18:00.000+08:00

i have been wanting to make a blog entry for the past weeks already, but things-to-do just really pile up so fast that i almost can't keep up with them. every year, i always look forward to september because it's my birthday! (haha!) but this month is the most hectic and fun september i've had (thus far, at least).

highlights (wow, parang movie. haha!)...

send-offs for the ateneo law's batch 2007 with the much-awaited performance by salsa. i figured na may advantage din pala yung hindi madalas sumayaw yung salsa. at least, tuwing may performance, much-awaited. haha! Ü but seriously, that was (arguably) the best send-off dance. the 2 weeks (or so) of practice was really worth it. i'll compile pics (from others' multiply sites) and post them later on para complete. (haha, OC)

bar ops acads (central)... honestly, a few years back, i never saw myself doing this job nor have i considered myself as someone qualified for the job. i don't exactly remember now how i got myself into this. but suffice it to say that after everything, all the efforts and sacrifices were all worth it. much thanks of course to a great labor law team and my adviser, atty. marlon manuel. oh yes, thanks also to jay beron who had always calmly borne with my cramming and beating (and most of the time not reaching) set deadlines. haha! Ü looking back, i can say that i enjoyed doing the nerdy job and yes, i take pride in being part of a great acads team. (congrats jay! Ü)

my 25th birthday... as patring puts it, my silver siomai anniversary. haha! of course, thanks to my dad and my brothers and cousins for making the whole thing possible (parang sponsors. haha!) close to 30 lawyers and law students braved the friday night traffic of edsa to travel to (the faraway land of) valenzuela. thanks guys for coming over. you don't know how much i appreciate it. oh, and i realized i haven't had a birthday party like this since i was a kid. it was one hell of a party, at oo, alcoholic tayo sobra. kulang na lang pati isopropyl. haha! sobrang thank you talaga! Ü (pics at patring's and mark's multiply site. more to follow)

thesis defense... i never thought that this was, in any way, going to be a big day for me. at least, not until 2 or 3 days before my actual defense. sobrang kinakabahan talaga ako (but nevertheless took all the time to sleep). when the day came, i didn't know what to expect. as everyone says, the hardest part is the anticipation. after i came out, i realized that it was a super long recit without any correct answer. funny thesis defense moment: after i stepped out of the room, i saw atty. casis (my professor in trade unionism) in the waiting area. he told me, "parang gisang-gisa ka dun sa loob ah." and i replied (seriously, i never thought that i would be able to say this to a professor), "oo nga po sir eh. wini-wish ko nga po na sana bigla na lang akong nilamon ng lupa dun sa loob eh." (san ka pa?!) anyway, the defense was not a walk in the park, as in kinarne talaga ako dun sa loob. i was close to crying when i stepped out of the thesis room and i would really have cried had i not seen my friends outside waiting for me. a few minutes after, ma'am ampy came out and said, "ok na." all i could say was, "thank you, ma'am." music to my ears sobra. imagine, when i came out, i thought that they were gonna ask me to redo the entire thing. i never thought that they wouldn't ask me to revise anything. shet, JD na ako! Ü and for this i have to thank my thesis adviser (and idol) atty. marlon manuel. thanks to lea for the mock defense and cecille for staying with me before i entered for the defense; patring and vina for the goodies; cecille and lea (again) for helping edit my thesis; (tapos ayoko na magbanggit ng names kasi baka may makalimutan ako, but in general...) my 1E barkada(oo lahat kayo), my AHRC family (especially my batchmates), my 4C blockmates, and all those who prayed and gave support. i shall forever be grateful to all of you! Ü at syempre, i have to thank God for the wisdom and strength HE gave me Ü

ahrc bar ops... 4 tiring yet fun sundays. there's nothing like serving our intern-barristers and of course, the chance to have the interns (alumni and resident) at a single place for "serious" work and non-stop laughter. haha! Ü each sunday was filled with different experiences and funny stories. nothing beats ahrc barops! thanks to all those who came and helped. to lea, ona, and leah, congrats! tapos na tayo! hahaha! Ü despite the stress, i think i'll never get tired of doing this for our interns. Ü

i'd better stop and take a shot at studying (which i haven't done for the past days due to my post-defense-JD-na-ako euphoria). 4C's reprieve from poli review class is over. tomorrow, we meet sir sed again. haha! Ü

better forgotten

2007-09-09T20:06:00.000+08:00

received a belated greeting late this afternoon. "i just realized now. belated. my gosh." (probably not exactly quoted here) i replied, "thanks."

i don't know if it was better off if i just didn't receive the greeting. what am i thinking at that moment i replied? if last year, i was "depressed" (can't find a better word) that i didn't receive that greeting; this year, i think i would have opted that i never received that. in any case, the message deserved at least (and at most), "thanks." things really must have changed.

unwinding on a sunday

2007-08-26T22:10:00.000+08:00

i literally did nothing too productive the entire day. (unless one would consider staring at the tv and getting my sunday dose of variety shows and showbiz news as productive) i was just too tired to even open my school bag after going through "3 weeks" of midterms. due to rescheduled exams and cancelled class/exam days due to heavy rains that hit the metro the past weeks, my midterms were spread to 3 weeks. probably the "longest" exam week i've ever had in my life.

worst part is, i had an exam friday night from 7-9pm (which was extended until 9:30pm) then i had to prepare for another one on saturday at 9am (which, by the way, was a 3-hour exam). while, yes, i could have or should have studied early on (which i actually did to a certain extent), i had to go on "breaks" (due to peer pressure or sometimes the "call" to procrastinate) to watch a movie, to drink, or just to talk with friends. after all, i can't go on memorizing stuff days or weeks ahead because i would have completely forgetten everything when exam time comes. anyhow, i ended up getting around 2 hours of sleep in between those 2 exams. this is way, way below my normal sleeping hours of 7-9 hours (on the average). so after the exam at 12nn, i had to do some barops chores. then because of the "need to go out" after the grueling 3 weeks, i went on a night out with friends at embassy. (thanks shynne! Ü)

what results? a brain that refuses to do anything pangmatalino (as flory would put it) Ü

- - -
it's bar season starting this weekend. despite the thought of tiring weekends, i'm excited to do barops. hehe! to my all my friends, esp. my ahrc batchmates who will be taking the bar (flory, mon, anna, jehan, lovely, ann), god bless and we're here to support you all the way! Ü

product of watching tv the whole day... there's a 2nd installment to the tribute album for the apo hiking society. same concept as the 1st one. a line in the song "salawikain" caught my attention. it says, "pag ikaw ay pinanganak na pangit, 'wag ka nang masungit... bawal magsungit ang pangit..." it really reminded me of some people. i ended up laughing my heart out :p (tama naman diba? para at least merong redeeming value. haha!) Ü

considering to end a chapter

2007-07-23T04:09:00.000+08:00

i was trying to prevent myself to make an entry about this so i kept myself busy editing my thesis and doing some good deeds by helping read through other people's theses, just to keep my mind of this. but now that i'm done (i think) with everything, i can't seem to fall asleep without doing this.

thoughts on saturday night (21 july)... exactly one year ago, i was extremely happy. not really full of hope, but happy. for the past year, i did what i thought was right. i must admit i had my personal intentions (or motives, for that matter), but for the most part, i think (and would like to believe) that i just did everything that i thought would be better for everyone. through everything, i kept myself happy even if in the process i find myself hurting. i know i don't have any right to get hurt, but i still did everything to try to keep you happy and keep myself sane. no regrets, if only for the fact that i was happy doing everything.

the year went by and i found myself getting into something i already cried over a few years back. the apprehensions were there but i didn't back off, thinking that this could probably be my chance to correct a wrong i did before. or more accurately, not to make the same omission. again, i found myself happy and this time, hopeful. months passed and while you confided everything, i felt that we were drifting apart. very ironic. but just the same, i continued to be happy.

a month back, i got tired of the whole race. i wanted to end everything (if there was anything to end anyway). i realized that the hopeful me, was just that -- hopeful -- and nothing more. i figured that i wasn't anyone in your life. the past weeks were hard because i was trying to keep my resolve to do everything for me not to crumble. yet, i haven't quite succeeded. i haven't found the answer if i wanted to close this chapter of my life. a part of me tells me to but another part of me says otherwise.

going back to saturday night (or make that past midnight), i felt i deserved more than "thanks." a year after an eventful night, i don't know if i'm still happy or if i'm still me.

the calm before the storm

2007-06-11T15:36:00.000+08:00

after a non-existent summer break, school starts again tomorrow. while i haven't been doing my thesis everyday, the mere thought of having something pending (and not doing it) is quite tiring.

the past days have been quite hectic. palladium plansem at zambales. my brother's engagement party. mass at manaoag. meadow's (janice's cute, cute daughter) baptismal dinner. today, i plan to just bum around, probably watch a movie and stare at the tv the entire day.

tomorrow, another year in law school will start...

unintentionally funny

2007-05-31T18:12:00.000+08:00

this is the result of staying home for the past 4 days and watching tv for practically the entire day (and doing thesis in between)... simply put, a bored person...

there's this tv commercial for an anti-diarrhea drug which shows a mother looking at her son's report card with declining grades. the mom makes a remark like, "bumababa ang grades dahil palaging absent. lagi kasing may diarrhea." this statement is really really funny, though it may not have been the intent of the remark. then the kid (presumably) took in the anti-diarrhea drug and the next scene shows the kid running to his mom enthusiastically shouting, "top 1 akoh!"

my thoughts:
one, having diarrhea is not reason to always be absent (unless of course, it's just an alibi). hello? whatever happened to the washroom and tissue papers and yes, the bidet.

two, i remember having perfect (or almost close to that) attendance in grade school and high school or even in college, but i never became "top 1." hahaha! parang yung commercial ng gatas yan. kahit lunurin ang bata sa gatas at ipaligo ang gatas sa bata, kung hindi talaga henyo ay wala tayong magagawa.

okay, enough of this. i just needed to take a break. as for now, back to doing my thesis.

knowing too much

2007-05-23T11:36:00.000+08:00

sometimes the problem in knowing too much is you can't do freely what you want to do...

no regrets. i chose this path or allowed myself to get into this yet again. baka mahilig lang talaga akong kumuha ng batong ipupukpok sa sarili kong ulo. hehe!

but this has to go somewhere this time...

me, the lasallian ambassador

2007-05-18T17:12:00.000+08:00

instead of doing my thesis or doing election work (and earning. hehe!), i found myself back in dlsu in the morning of may 11 for the lasallian personal effectiveness program (LPEP) 2k7. backtrack a bit...

a month or so back, i received a text message from jordan (lamb 2k7 HR head) asking if i could help out in the orientation. first thing that crossed my mind were 2 words: GENERATION GAP. i didn't reply immediately. i asked cindy about her thoughts about it, the reply i got was something like, if you have the time, why not orient? i thought, well, it wouldn't hurt to give a try once more. then my schedule became so erratic, to say the least. until wednesday (may 10) night (aroung 10:30pm) while driving home from school thinking how to convince my dad to allow me to go to camarines sur for election work, i received another text message from jordan asking for confirmation if i could orient the following day. hay, stressful. after considering a lot of thing (like election work, thesis - well, not really, among others), i finally said yes, which meant i had to wake up at around 4:30am the following day.

the following day, i found myself driving to la salle and much later in south gate. i had apprehensions, lots of them. so i did the usual lpep routine, greeting the frosh, telling them what to do and expect, preparing / setting up snacks and lunch, doing campus tour, etc. except for the fact that i am years older than the present lasallian ambassadors and yes, i'm not used to waking up early anymore and walking tirelessly all around campus, nothing much has changed. the experience of orienting the froshies was as fun and fulfilling as ever. and i was back with good old friends whom i haven't seen for the longest time, and new friends who relentlessly (wow, big word!) called me kuya. this time around, i didn't mind. i'm resolved to the fact that the current lambs (except the alumni) are at least 3-4 years my junior. i think up to last year, lpep 2k6 (i did an orientation for CLA), i was not comfortable with everyone calling me kuya. haha!

after lpep for COE, i slept for almost 12 hours, thus sleeping at past 10:30pm saturday night and waking up at almost 10:30am sunday. oh, and i gave in to orienting for another college. well, because it was liberal arts (yes, best college without any doubt. hehe!) and i just had to have "fun" in "threatening" somebody. haha! (basta yun na yun) anyways, as expected CLA lpep was much much fun. i also hosted the lamb games during the animo building with jorette. hehe! Ü during the animo building, i was shouting the familiar cheers that i haven't heard for the past year. i felt proud, i had goosebumps. in short, sobrang kinilabutan ako, especially during the singing of the alma mater hymn.

after orienting 2 blocks for lpep 2k7, i realized that my passion to serve hasn't died down a bit and despite a lot of things (good or bad), i will never get tired of serving the lasallian community, even in the littlest way possible. while i'm in another school now, my lasallian spirit (yes, animo!) does not, and will not, waver.

cheers to the lamb 2k7 core and all the lasallian ambassadors for a successful lpep 2k7! i am so, so proud of you guys. it was such a humbling experience to be back and to have worked with you guys this year, which could be (and most probably will be) my last year of orienting. (but i will be more than willing to help in many other ways Ü) i hope that each one of you will live up to the title and feel a (not false) sense of pride like i do each time i introduce myself, "hi, i'm ryan, lasallian ambassador. proudly lasallian." Ü

choices

2007-05-15T22:40:00.000+08:00

despite looking forward to do election work and earn big bucks, i decided not to push through. well, first of all, i got assigned to camarines sur and my dad wouldn't let me go to the province (yes, i'm turning 25 and i still have an overly-paranoid dad). but more importantly, i knew later on that had i pushed thru, i would have left for cam sur the day before the elections and i would not have been able to vote.

yes, it sounds cheesy and it sounds stupid to most (you know, hindi pinupulot ang 4000 a day), but i chose to vote. i felt it was simply not worth it to go to cam sur to "guard" other people's votes and not be able to vote myself. i felt a some sort of responsibility for me to vote. while many people think that their single vote wouldn't really make a difference, i beg to disagree. even though i complain of having a seemingly messy pointing finger, i felt a sense of pride for having been able to vote and somehow shape the country's history

nothing against who chose to go and work (and earn), it's a matter of choice. in my case, i chose to vote.

- - - - -

plus! even if i didn't end up volunteering for the "more noble cause" (although i didn't have plans of doing so due to the presence of some people in my unwanted list), i was able to orient the froshies in my beloved alma mater called de la salle. yes, i'm getting quite old for this task. but i'm enjoying what would most probably be my last time to do take part in the orientation. (more on this in a later post)

just the beginning

2007-05-14T01:17:00.003+08:00

(here is an entry without any coherence. product of a confused mind)

i thought i was at least nearing halfway through things. i was wrong. i'm just about to start things, that is assuming i do start soon.

here i go again, i'm starting to get myself into complicated things once again. all of a sudden, i find myself in an all too familiar situation that i've encountered before. i don't know if i want the same amount of details i had years back. same situation, but different persons. but this time around, it's going to be a struggle for me.

funny how i found myself saying, "...blunt as it may sound, it just takes some getting used to. totoo yun. trust me, i know..." to the exact same person who was the reason why i said the same thing.

if i would do something anytime soon is a question yet to be answered. as of now, only one thing is sure. i wouldn't want to commit the same mistake i made almost 5 years ago.

1st few days of summer vacation

2007-04-07T17:50:00.000+08:00

in the middle of what seemed to me as a moment in my law school life when i'd really appreciate it kung bigla na lang akong nilamon ng lupa, the prospects of summer really excites me. hmm...

a few days into the summer vacation and while the mere fact of thinking of the endless things to do after holy week, including the remnants of what has yet to be done really seal the 2nd semester, is quite overwhelming, i can't help but try to squeeze in time to somehow plan the things i want to do.

first, my friends and i are planning on going to another summer getaway and i'm just too excited about it. Ü next, i need to relax and get away from the boring things i need to accomplish as much as i could. i want to relax, relax, and relax! hehe!

but most of all, this summer is just too important to me. and tomorrow (literally) brings new hope. hay... Ü

as for now, i need to start getting things done. Ü

no-title post (yet again)

2007-04-05T16:26:00.000+08:00

the last stretch of the second semester of thrid year has not been all too nice to me. for a lost of reasons, very personal and otherwise. i didn't want to write on this anymore becasue i wanted to keep this to myself or for the most part, i don't some people to think i'm over-reacting. yet i can't seem to get myself back on track to the things i have to do. admittedly, my insecurity level is just way up. probably a case of temporary psychological and/or emotional imbalance, whatever that means...

looking back, i think it all started with some incident, which i think already happened years back. not really a deja vu. but i never thought it would happen when i least expected it to. call it bitterness or angst. i won't deny. in life, i have somehow learned that it doesn't do you any good to be preteneding to be ok when in reality, you're not. i feel this way and no one, an i mean no one, can tell me how to or what to feel. if there's one good thing that happened amidst all these is i got to know who my real friends are, and who are probably my friends, and who are really not worthy to be called friends.

in a world where people are supposedly more rational than others, i never thought that what i considered haven was not that at all. i was wrong. probably before, i thought (or was) right, but yes, things change and people do change. just like everything, this too shall pass. and the only way to achieve this is wander away, reflect, and observe. after all, it was not a decision i made. it was not me who chose. so don't expect me to do anything. it is probably me who do not understand the whole thing or me who cannot do better. it's what others think, and i respect that. we are all entitled to our own opinions anyway. should there be a time that i should fill in a gap, the question if i would do anything or not is something that has yet to be answered again when the right time comes. but as for now, the answer is really a big no. as i said, it was not my decision. and just like in life, we should stand by our decisions. as i always say, there is not such thing as a wrong decision, but it doesn't mean that there are no good and bad decisions.

thanks to all of you (except those not worthy to be called friends), i realized that there are people who couldn't care less about what other people feel or just probable dense or plain naive. people whom i know, i will never get loyalty from, and yes i have proven it. people whom i feel are stealing away my friends, and try to exclude me from my friends without realizing it. and still there are those who think only of themselves and how they feel, people who shut you out even after trying to reach out in ways more than one. what makes it worse is the very fact that i considered them as really good friends and trusted them. i just hope that i am wrong...

for now, i have to go on with life and be happy once more. happiness is a personal choice. it is not dictated by others, nor should it be affected by what others think of you.

2007-03-19T02:20:00.000+08:00

so many things have happened these days (or months). life has been very eventful, to say the least. ups and downs. a roller coaster ride, as they say.

it's almost finals week yet i find myself blogging. i don't know. probably i'm just so stressed with everything that has happened or is happening. there are a lot of things that i need to say, but i don't want to say. yes, this is weird. i find myself talking a lot about anything and everything. but there are words left unspoken that i'd rather keep to myself. for now or forever, i really don't know.

i feel lost and alone. why i feel this way is something i really can't answer. i need to regroup. i need to find myself before i even find the answers to many things. funny how i can "help" others yet i can't help myself.

but for now, life has to go on (of course). i have my hands full, i have too much to do. i just hope that i don't lose (or continue to) myself in the process...

AHRC sportfest afterthoughts

2006-12-03T16:28:00.000+08:00

after the successful first-ever AHRC sportsfest, i affirmed the long-accpeted fact that I AM NOT SPORTY!!! it has been 2 days since the sportsfest, and my entire body is still aching. i hardly feel the effect of the alaxan capsule i took.

next, never play "real" sports the whole day, study in the evening and take a shot at going to a 10am class the following day. heck, i studied evidence until 3:30am because i had a class at 10am. result: i woke up at 10:10am. winner.

nevertheless, it was fun getting the AHRC interns together in one sportsfest. grabe, ang intense maglaro ng mga tao. at sobrnag competitive. haha!

congrats to my team, GSM BLUE for sweeping all the events!!! pati quiz bee at charades kina-reer. true to the tradition (and legacy?) of the buyoneros, career ang pag-act sa charades! haha!

pics at http://sparkofgenius.multiply.com

tiring... simply tiring...

2006-12-03T16:12:00.000+08:00

3 weeks into the second semester, yet i feel as if its exams week every week... (i realized it's been awhile since i lawt ranted about law school life. hehe!) for the past weeks i don't think there was a single time that i came to class fully prepared. lucky me seem to just luckily pull it off in every class. (probably with some stroke of luck or the power of prayer or both. haha!) nevertheless, it seems not enough because at the end of it, i still haven't read some cases or sections which i should already read. oh well...

how to drive away beach peddlers

2006-11-12T21:27:00.001+08:00

AHRC 2006 sembreak intership RnR. junketeers at puerto galera. bumming aroung the white beach.

peddler: sir, banana boat?
mark: ay, nasusuka ho kami diyan...

- - -

peddler: sir, massage po?
mark: ay, marami ho akong kiliti...

- - -

peddler: sir, accessories?
mark: ay, hindi jo ako nagsusuot ng mga ganyan.
peddler: para po sa mga pamangkin nyo, pinsan... pasalubong...
mark: ay, simpleng tao lang po kami...

- - -

peddler: sir, banana boat?

mark: ay, hindi ho kami naniniwala dyan...

rants... rants... rants...

2006-11-07T01:14:00.000+08:00

why does the admin try hard to be "hi-tech" when it appears that it (the admin or the system or both) is not yet prepared. technical glitches are forseeable... and it's not as if they didn't have time to fix the entire thing.

first the announcement was between 4-5pm, then it became 10pm. it's already past 1am and still no signs of the grades.

hay... talk about being "trying hard"

words of wisdom... funny but true! hehe...

2006-11-03T23:07:00.000+08:00

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often.

3. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.

4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

5. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.

6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.

7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.

10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.

11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of cheques.

12. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.

13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.

14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.

15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.

16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.

17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.

18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.

19. Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.

21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

22. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.

23. Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.

24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.

25. It ain't the jeans that make your butt look fat.

26. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

27. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

28. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

29. You should not confuse your career with your life.

30. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

31. Never lick a steak knife.

32. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

33. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

34. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

35. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

36. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above average drivers.

37. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

38. Your friends love you anyway.

39. Thought for the day: Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. .. a large group of professionals built the Titanic.

sembreak at long last

2006-10-31T16:29:00.000+08:00

this is the longest semester of my law school life. i never knew how 2 weeks of final exams for 7 subjects could be so draining. towards the end of the 2nd week, i just wanted to get everything done with as i was really, really tired. fatigue, so to speak. and then, it didn't end there. yesterday, i had to submit part of the thesis requirements and some more papers for another elective. and finally, after eons and eons, my first semester has finally ended last night.

after submitting the last of my requirements, i had dinner (i actually forced her. hehe!) with kat at... MCDO!!! hehe! funny how we realized that we hadn't seen each other since summer. haha!

my last post was 22 july. it's now 31 oct (ooh, halloween!). well, many things happened along the way. school, my birthday, barops, and exams... i can't remeber being this busy. probably, during college. but the stress level this time is just too overwhelming. hay...

it was janice's wedding last sunday! the place was nice and i was just so happy to be back with my college / tapat friends. (pics at http://sparkofgenius.multiply.com) santos! i'm just so happy for both of you! i suddenly feel old, people are getting married, my friends discuss about work over dinner, and i am studying. yahoo!

on another note, eventful night is not too amusing after all... when you realize that how tiring it is to be in the race without knowing where to go or what to expect. i don't know, maybe it's an adventure that should be worthwhile but i just don't see the point anymore. or probably i'm just scared of getting into another... (i don't know what to call it). scared to expect, scared to assume...

right now, it's sembreak! i'm so excited to do nothing. haha! the TV's calling me... Ü

an eventful night

2006-07-22T18:25:00.000+08:00

last night was rather eventful. i had fun. or to be more accurate, i was happy.

questions that have been lingering in my head have been somehow answered. "i didn't exactly like" the answer/s i got (it's better said this way for lack of better words), but just the same, i feel some sort of relief just knowing them.

i felt contentment with spending a special time with someone special...

what happens next? i don't know. but right now, i want to leave it first as it is.

happy thoughts... Ü

2006-07-03T02:18:00.000+08:00

what's with me and asking?

the inquisitive me just had to ask. i thought it was as simple as asking, "what did you have for dinner?" but it was far from that.

the answer i got momentarily stunned me. i was caught off-guard, to say the least, and simply said "ah ok." i had to regain the composure to execute that change-the-topic-when-the-need-arises scheme. the topic changed yet the answer i got from the "simple" question still bothers me. i don't know if she noticed. or knowing her she noticed, and was just polite enough not to... umm... i don't know.

the "simple" answer to the "simple" question provoked countless thoughts and questions, which should be asked to get the answers. whether i can or i want to ask them is another issue i would have to resolve in the days to come. while i know that asking them would be the only way to get the answers, yet i don't know if i actually want to know.

i don't know if i would prefer just being ignorant about them and prolonging the "agony" OR just ask and get it over with in, what i consider, a "sudden death" way.

i don't know... let's see...

2006-06-21T11:52:00.000+08:00

you know how it feels when people make you look uber stupid? i just hate the feeling. well, well, stupid me got myself into this anyway.

i just had to ask or confirm something. all along i thought it was just that - a query. i guess i was wrong. there's such a thing called TRUST... u know, between friends...

fine, fine, that TRUST thing, got me into this.

i hate to admit it. but yes, i am affected. and you just had to make me realize that right in front of me. not just once, not twice, but three times. oh well...

so much for trust (and friendship?)...

of endings and beginnings

2006-06-13T00:14:00.000+08:00

the end of summer 2006 also marked the end of the ateneo human rights center's 2006 summer internship program (SIP) and also the end of my apprenticeship at the ongkiko kalaw manhit and acorda law offices (OKMA law).

my batch (batch buyonero -- SIP '05) facilitated SIP 2006. minus some (inevitable) minor glitches along the way, i am very proud to say that we successfully pulled off facilitating this year's internship. indeed, it was another memorable summer for all of us. (not to mention the boracay RnR. haha!) after one year, we all got back together to work and have fun. (grabe, ok lang na magsiksikan sa 1 room, kahit nung BOS pa, basta lang magkakasama! haha!) we almost had a batch reunion during the bora RnR but unfortunately, love, lovely, albert, and jomai were not able to join us. as for myself, ang saya, 2 bora trips in 1 summer. haha!

<-------- @ the beach with princess, chel, lea, ann, and flory. at the very moment that this picture was taken, anna was nerd-ing away in an internet shop in boracay. (read: IN BORACAY!)

club paraw with sher, ann, and anna. hindi kami umiinom ha! wahaha! ---->

<------ ang mga batchmates kong tumador. wala atang hindi umiinom sa batch namin eh. wala nga ba? hmm... Ü

buyoneros having pizza @ aria ------->
top: mon a, peng, mon L
middle: princess, jehan, anna, sher, ann
bottom: lea, flory, me, chel

<---- sand castle in front of seawind Ü wala lang, sand castle lang. mahilig lang talaga kami magpa-picture.

umm... what else? oh yeah, batch buyonero once again got through another cultural night with nothing more than slef-confidence up their sleeves. haha! i'll upload pics as soon as i find out who has pics of our award-winning performance. hehe!

this boracay RnR wass surely memorable for our batch. what with the forever pasaway buyoneros side by side with their uber goody interns. (sobrang bait nila, as in!) thanks to all the people who came. mark & sarj (na nag-overnight lang sa boracay), jeland (even though kasalukuyang sumasakit ang ulo namin ni sarj), rob (na laging lasing at kung ano anong ginawa sa kalasingan. hehe!), meg (na halos mabali ang likod sa pagsayaw sa kalasaingan).

to our beloved interns -- batch paglaom (eyps, janice, marge, francis, kath, hope, ben, jason), thank you very much for being so nice and cooperative. we hope you had a very meaningful and enjoyable summer. congrats for successfully completing SIP 2006. good luck as you begin your journey as advocates of the ateneo human rights center!

to my batchmates, we're officially junketeers! i know that everything doesn't end here. i'm just so thankful to have been able to serve a great team. eto lang... we truly make things happen! nuff said Ü

last friday was the last day of my apprenticeship in OKMA law. as i mentioned in a previous post, the most enjoyable part of my more than a month apprenticeship was the people i met there. everyone was so nice to us and we instantly hit it off with the people there, particularly the associates (a.k.a. the OKMA sorrority). pics after the last day...

<--- with Atty. Mario Ongkiko. (photo ops na!)

OKMA lawyers and apprentices @ chili's greenbelt ------>

<--- @ jill's (the fort)
top: me, leah, evecar (atty. cruz), peewee

bottom: abby (atty. assidao), belinda (atty. atienza), olive (atty. cornejo), kaye (atty. ancanan), riezl (atty. locsin), lyan (atty. carlos) Ü

i'm very thankful to these people for making our stay in the firm very fruitful and memorable. and while our summer apprenticeship had ended, the friendship and fun times will surely be treasured. (naks drama!) Ü

the dark evil side

2006-06-10T23:36:00.001+08:00

i'm not in the mood to post something decent tonight yet i feel the need to. i need to get my mind off things. one of the rare times that i would want to turn back the hands of time or i wish that there is such a thing as CTRL + Z in life. i normally don't regret things i do in my life. but this time around, i have to regret this. lessons learned are given. i just feel stupid to have to learn them the hard way. i just wish that THEY are more stupid than me.

i never felt so much hate for people the way i do now. i can't even shed tears. i don't know why. i am normally forgiving and would simply say that i would just pray for their souls. no, it's different this time. this time, i wish them all the bad luck and the most difficult hardships that they could ever encounter in their lives. i wish them and everyone around them sufferings that would teach the never to mess up with me. oh yes, i'll pray for them. i'll pray that they suffer their entire lives and die a slow death.

they should fret, i'm good at cursing... trust me, THIS would happen.

i don't know why i'm saying this. at this point, i just know that i want all the hatred and pain out of my system. i hope that when i sleep and wake up everything would be okay already. i got into this, i should learn to get out on my own. but i want this part of my life to end, i want to start over. (but the 2nd paragraph above, i really mean and want to happen. and i SWEAR that would happen!)

this is not me. enough of this. i don't want anymore of this.

Filipino table etiquette punished at local school (reposted from blooey's blog)

2006-04-30T18:27:00.000+08:00

Filipino table etiquette punished at local school : Lunch monitor tells student his eating habits are ‘disgusting’

The Chronicle BY ANDY BLATCHFORD

A Roxboro woman has filed a formal complaint with a local school board after her son was disciplined by a lunch program monitor at Ecole Lalande for eating in what she says is a customary Filipino manner.

Luc Cagadoc’s table behaviour is traditionally Filipino; he fills his spoon by pushing the food on his plate with a fork, his mother, Maria Theresa Gallardo, says. But after being punished by his school’s lunch program monitor more than 10 times this year for his mealtime conduct — including his technique — the seven-year-old told Gallardo said last week that he was too embarrassed to eat his dinner.

“Mommy, I don’t want to eat anymore,” Gallardo says Luc told her at the kitchen table April 11. “My teacher is telling me that eating with a spoon and fork is yucky and disgusting.”When he eats with both a spoon and fork, instead of only one utensil, the Grade 2 student said the lunch monitor moves him to a table to sit by himself.

Upset over Luc’s story, Gallardo confronted the lunchtime caregiver the next day and on April 13, she telephoned the school’s principal, Normand Bergeron. His reaction brought her to tears, she says. “His response was shocking to me,” Gallardo, who moved to Montreal from the Philippines in 1999, told The Chronicle. “He said, ‘Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat.’“I find it very prejudiced and it’s racist. He’s supposed to be acting like a professional. This is supposed to be a free country with free expressions of culture and religion. This is how we eat; we eat with a fork and spoon.” Luc’s father, Aldrin Cagadoc, was also surprised by the comment. “I can’t believe even the principal would say that,” he said. “A person of that calibre, I wouldn’t expect him to say that.”

Gallardo, who operates a day care out of her Roxboro home and is close to completing her studies in early childhood education, wrote a letter last week and lodged a formal complaint to the Commission scolaire Marguerite Bourgeoys (CSMB) yesterday.

She disagrees with the lunch monitor’s approach to teaching children how to eat and says it is emotionally abusive to Luc. When she questioned Bergeron about punishing students for their table habits, she says he replied that, “If your son eats like a pig he has to go to another table because this is the way we do it and how we’re going to do it every time.”

But Bergeron says it was Luc’s eating technique combined with his behaviour at the table that was inappropriate that day, which is why he was moved. “Luc can be turbulent,” he said yesterday. “Like other children, he is frequently in situations where we have to intervene. It’s normal, he’s a child. He is in a period of learning.”

The principal of the 387-student Roxboro school said he explained his position on using two utensils to Gallardo during their telephone conversation. “I said, ‘Here, this is not the manner in which we eat.’ “I don’t necessarily want students to eat with one hand or with only one instrument, I want them to eat intelligently at the table,” he said. “I want them to eat correctly with respect for others who are eating with them. That’s all I ask. Personally, I don’t have any problems with it, but it is not the way you see people eat every day. I have never seen somebody eat with a spoon and a fork at the same time.”

CSMB spokesman Brigitte Gauvreau says the board will not comment — due to confidentiality procedures — until Gallardo’s complaint is filed and she makes a public statement.

taken from http://www.westislandchronicle.com/pages/article.php?noArticle=6063

internship chronicles (part 1)

2006-04-29T21:39:00.000+08:00

i have not really experienced working... working as in a real job. after graduating from college, i went straight to law school. so that explains it. although i've been through several internships or on-the-job trainings, it still is different. i'm currently having my internship at the ongkiko kalaw manhit & acorda law offices in makati. as compared to my previous internships, this is internship is, i could say, the closest i can get so far to a real job.

i attempted to go home to valenzuela after office, but i felt really tired after driving through the horrendous traffic in the metro. so i decided to just stay in palme starting last tuesday. the experience has been great thus far. besides the usual research stuff that the lawyers give us, we get to tag along with some hearings and go out of the office from time to time to go to the prosecutor's office or the court. i'm also enjoying the company of my co-interns, peewee and leah. after my first week at the office, i can say i'm really enjoying. probably because of the working environment in the office.

more of my internship adventures... Ü

----
some "interesting" stuff...
- parking costs 115 for the whole day. gawd, and i thought the 40-peso parking fee in rockwell was iniquitous
- i walked from the office (located near greenbelt 1) up to rockwell last wednesday. call me crazy but i had to because i can't get a cab to ride because of the so-called rush hour, and i had to get to get to rockwell the soonest possible time because there was a send-off dinner for the summer interns. it was OVERLY TIRING!!!

post-BOS '06 post

2006-04-29T17:03:00.000+08:00

after holy week, the ateneo human rights center conducted its basic orientation seminar (BOS) for the 2006 summer interns. i was really excited because this is the "real opening" of SIP 2006. of course, another chance to work with (And make chismis) with my batchmates. hehe!

anyhow, the sked for the interns was lighter (at least, from where we see it) than ours last year. and our interns were so mabait. i remember last year... day 2 of BOS, i was late becasue i wanted to take a bath first before going to breakfast (or leaving the room, for that matter). so the following days saw us (me and my batchmates) going to breakfast first before going to the conference room. this year... day 2 of BOS, i was the facilitator for the day, i went down with flory at 7:30am (call time for breakfast), all the interns were already there and had already finished taking their baths. i was really stunned. hehe!

i'm just so happy that the BOS was successful, minus the dismal attendance of junketeers during the cultural night. this was because, fr. b held his talk on the same time and day. fine, fine, i'm not faulting anyone. hehe!

speaking of cultural night... pictures really do tell stories. see for yourselves... (no captions needed!)

CONGRATS to my batchmates, the BUYONEROS, for a successful BOS! good thing, ok din yung immersion and the send-off dinner!

<----- buyoneros during BOS '06 (top: hector. middle row: che-che, bekih, jhun, roksee, val, bhoyet. bottom row: emerson, veron)

by the way, we have new names. thanks to anna's (err... veron pala) bright idea. how to come up with the name, just look at the person then suddenly, a name comes to your mind that fits the person. (i.e. si chel mukhang che-che! bagay! hehe!)

on to another adventurous summer with my batchmates, now as facis of SIP 2006.

the buyoneros with batch paglaom (SIP 2006) -------->

top: philip, marge, francis, mon L, mon A

middle: peng, jehan, hope, janice, ben, kath, eyps, chel, me, april

bottom: anna, jason, flory, lea, sher

boracay get-away

2006-04-15T14:04:00.000+08:00

i couldn't be happier (and re-charged) after my boracay vacation with my blockmates and friends. it's been eons since i posted an entry in my blog. obviously, life had been so busy in law school. and this summer get-away surely was a welcome break.

<--- picture on the van on the way to caticlan with cathy, mar and dykim. it was sooooo much fun. drinking and partying till 4am (almost) everyday. minus, the occasional glitches in our vacation like the delayed flight, rain in saturday night, lunch at tonton's (tonton's anyone?!?!), among others, i super had fun with the people. oh, who could ever forget the nightly slammer at pier one that made people fall down while dancing (hi shynne!). hehe!

@ pier one, boracay... the place of nightly slammers.
hehe! -------------------->

i can't write anything more, but pictures do tell stories (naks! tinatamad lang mag-isip ng isusulat. hehe!)

<----- after paraw sailing Ü

snorkling yan kahit na mukhang mga nasa monkey bar. hehe! ---------------->

<---- at puka beach (think puka shells) after lunch at tonton's (L-R: peewee, cathy, shynne, cecille, julie, me)

banana boat ride... woohoo! mga nalalaglag na, pa-picture pa rin ang inaatupag. haha! -------------->

<---- @ jonah's milkshake (clockwise from bottom: kq, julie, renee, shynne, me, ces, peewee, jacqui, john paul, aren, cathy)

partying the night away @ club paraw (L-R: joei, ces, julie, me) ----------->

<----- @ the beach kasama ang "head" ng bar-ops (L-R: me, dykim, ces, peewee at ang nakabaon na si jacqui, head ng bar-ops)

somewhere in aklan na may cold springs (L-R: ces, julie, dykim, peewee, me, aren, renee, cathy, shynne, kq, cathy, teng) si john paul ang kumukuha ng picture ------->

more pictures to come. hehe! Ü

i'm excited for our next vacation get-away. haha!Ü

COUNT ME IN

2006-03-12T16:12:00.000+08:00

http://countmein2006.blogspot.com

FOR A JUST AND FREE SOCIETY

Alyansang TAPAT sa LaSallista

2006-02-11T21:49:00.000+08:00

RESPECT is earned... not commanded (nor "projected")

2006-01-03T23:23:00.000+08:00

it's back to reality tomorrow... the holidays are over. so much for bumming around the house and staring at the boob tube for the whole day. well, yeah, plus listening to my cd's and being online the entire day.

why do i have this inclination to get into things i'm not familiar with? first, that one. now, this one. life is complicated as it is. why do i want to make it more complicated? hay... i hope i can get through...

the year that was

2005-12-31T13:46:00.000+08:00

2005 has been a relatively fruitful and eventful year for me. despite the seemingly routinary life in law school, i have somehow managed to have some fun and make something out of my life. and i'm proud to say that, YES, i have a life! haha! Ü

my life has been more or less revolving aorund law school. i figured that out since my first day in law school. so might as well make the most out of it, do something new, meet new people, do things i enjoy. i wouldn't want to go into my usual rants about law school life. after a year of doing it, i realized that it's all the same, it's just a cycle i have to live by for the next 2 school years (hopefully).

probably, the highlight of my year would be my summer internship with the ateneo human rights center and my month-long stay in coron. that was quite an experience. won't go into details anymore because i have prior posts already on that. (but if you wanna find out, check my archives. haha! got some great pics here in my blog also)

hmm... what else? oh, it's been more than a year (exactly a year last november) since i started my "semi-independent" apartment life. speaking of which, it has been all too exciting and eventful. parang pinoy big brother yan. totoong buhay. may mga nae-evict at may mga new housemates. haha! enough said, after all, new season na. Ü

well, my whole year has been full of color and mystery from ghosts from the past to four-letter words to the most mundane of things. and i'm just so happy and contended (for the moment) for all the good that has come to my life. people do come and go, but special ones remain cherished. and hopefully, more special ones occupy a spot in our hearts. (nyay, tama na! gaaah!)

anyhow, i'd like to thank everyone around me. as always, i would not want to mention names as i always forget some. mahirap na. well to everyone, thanks for being part of my life, for making my 2005 special. you know who you are ;)

as the new year approaches, a lot of new things will come my way. some of them, unfamiliar. i actually got myself into quite unfamiliar grounds (more on this in the next year... 2006 na kaya bukas. haha!). well, i hope to pull this off. there's always hope and with the new year, i wish that everyone would keep even a small tinge of hope that this life (in this country) is worth living.

A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL!

what the?!?!?

2005-12-31T13:37:00.000+08:00

even after more than a week of not being able to check my mail, i suddenly refuse to check my mail. why? for christ's sake, my blockmates (yeah, the new ones) are studying over the break!!! goodness, don't people nowadays know how to rest and relax for awhile...

fine, nothing wrong with doing geeky stuff over the break. pero naman, feel ther holiday spirit naman kahit for a few days lang. i just miss my 1E block...

holiday post

2005-12-30T15:22:00.000+08:00

haven't blogged in awhile. not that i didn't want to. i actually had the time. but our internet connection was cut off and to be replaced only a week after. oh well... i'm soooo happy it's christmastime again. the idealist in me always makes me feel that however how hard times are (economic crisis yada yada...), i should be celebrating (for crying out loud, it's vacation time! haha!)

but seriously, the christmas season always makes me feel happy. just that i'm happy enough to celebrate. i don't mind what other people have to say, i'm just happy and i want to celebrate. Ü

it's been a busy christmas season also. lots of parties to attend. they're quite exhausting at some point. what with the horrendous traffic in the metro. it just makes it too cumbersome to go from one place to another. in any case, i found mayself in every party / get-together i intended to attend. it's probably the only time when people become masipag to get-together and all. and again, must be the holiday spirit in me.

[17 december 2005]

christmas get-together with some green & white people. it's been ages since i last got together with them, esp. joseph who has been missing in action for more than a year.

had lunch (yeah, late lunch) at grilla in greenhills then went on an "adventure." (fine, fine, jologs talaga mga taga-green & white) ayan, nagpa-picture daw ba sa harap ng pinoy big brother house? haha! Ü

some "other things" are better left unsaid, if only for the reputation of the publication. note that all the people shown here are senior editors of green & white, minus lorraine, who's currently the associate editor of g&w.

very typical of green & white people. picture kung picture. haha!

(L-R) lorraine, ces, lyzen, joseph, me

next stop for the day: tapat christmas party at janice's place.

i sooooo miss these people.to be a bit more serious, it's really something else when you have people with whom you share the same ideals and principles. (naks!) but really, these people have become a major part of my life since my frosh year in college.

super thanks to janice for organizing this yearly tradition. at oo na, engot talaga ko sa pagpa-park ng sasakyan. at least hindi ako sumabit sa kahit saan dun sa dinaanan at lalong lalo na sa gate nyo. haha! Ü oh, janice, may career ka palang maging parking lot aide. haha, joke! Ü

ang tanging EB ng tapat (ata) na sobrang hilig sa picture at palaging BB (wag na alamin kung ano ang BB, supposedly maganda dapat ang image at reputation ng mga EB. haha!)

EB pic minus saint (na surprisingly, hindi nag-grand entrance. he usually loves making these surprises and grand entrances. hay, hayok kasi sa atensyon. peace saintee... ikwa pa rin ang presidente ko. haha!). di bale, pwede na rin kapalit si army, presidente rin naman yan. Ü

standing (L-R): army, jaypee, rg
sitting (L-R): kate, jillian, me

[18 december 2005] ateneo human rights center & KKK outreach @ batasan, qc

this was so much fun (well, minus the fact that i didn't have any sleep, literally, before going to this activity... came from the tapat party then i went straight to church for simbang gabi then to batasan after)

we had story-telling, games, and art workshops for the kids in the community.

as can be gleaned from the photos, ang balaod kids (flory and lea) ay may career sa pagiging clowns. haha!

a million thanks to all the volunteers from AHRC & KKK for this wonderful activity. and also to carol for helping us find the community.

[21 december 2005] 1E the reunion christmas party @ alvin's castle (hehe!)

sayang, not everyone was able to the party. since freshman year in law school ended, we've "parted ways" in a sense since we're not all together in one block anymore. but the people remain the same, inom kung inom, kanta kung kanta, kain kung kain, picture kung picture. haha! Ü

i so miss 1E. iba talaga yung block natin. simply the best. we truly rock! hehe...

thanks alvin for lending your not-so-humble abode for our party. salamat din pala sa lechon. and sa lahat ng nagdala ng food, ang sarap! holiday na holiday, bumabaha ang pagkain! Ü

sana next year may 1E reunion ulit at sana mas marami na ang makapunta.

it has been (and still is) a busy holiday season for me (the perfect excuse not to do anything academic... much like last year. hehe!) and i'm enjoying it. haha! Ü

time to go for now, got to prepare stuff for new year's eve dinner tomorrow. wala pa namang nalason sa mga niluto ko nung noche buena, so i guess ok pa :p

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

2005-12-09T03:16:00.000+08:00

todo promote ng jacket! haha! Ü
AHRC JACKETS FOR SALE!!! Php 1,100 only
get in touch with anna a or any of the buyoneros Ü

2005-12-09T03:11:00.000+08:00

buyoneros (summer '05) @ the 1st AHRC internship congress
(L-R) chel, sher, anna, me, love, flory
not in pic: mon and lea

2005-12-09T03:01:00.000+08:00

mon, lea, me, anna @ the AHRC internship congress
03-04 december 2005. eugenio lopez center, antipolo

2005-11-29T11:30:00.000+08:00

after mag-timezone sa greenbelt... mga mukhang nag-day off. hehe!

2005-11-29T11:27:00.000+08:00

with tapat friends at greenbelt (12 November 2005)

2005-11-28T01:07:00.000+08:00

i'm just so glad to be alone at home today...

just me, the tv and the internet...

a sense of serenity and calmness...

refreshing...

messed up world

2005-11-27T23:42:00.000+08:00

everything around me seems all messed up. it's hard to get people to understand you or what your doing or about situations in general. what i can't seem to get is why do people not be able to understand what they're supposed to understand... sounds stupid. but that's exactly what i'm thinking.

questions i have that i want to have answered... or on second thought, never mind!

1. why can't people understand that when you're in class (or in the church attending a mass), you can't answer your cellphone?
2. why can't people understand that it's hard to drive while talking to someone on the phone? (or to be exact, while someone is nagging over the phone) and having crushed side mirrors (not your fault) just plainly aggravates the situation
3. why do people wander off to places to attend to "important" things (yeah right!) while a more important thing needs to be attended to?
4. why do people not understand how horrendous traffic is in the metro despite living here for years?
5. in connection to no. 4, why do people ask you to make drive real fast (to the point of making the car fly) and later on tell you to drive slowly?
6. why do people not understand that other people have problems too?
7. why do people keep changing their minds about thing supposedly settled already?
8. why do people divert their anger to innocent people?
9. why can't people be sensitive of what others feel?
10. and the list goes on...

at this point, i'm just so tired of being all too considerate and understanding... i just am...

2005-11-10T01:25:00.000+08:00

don't look for love... let love find you...
otherwise, you'll feel and look stupid...
what's the use of looking? you end up "finding" someone you think is the one, but no...
you can only love fully when you've attained a sense of "wholeness" within you...
when you're ready to give up things dear to you...
how do you know? hmm...
picture this. you think you've found the person, then you feel bliss...
but at the end of the day, you'll find something missing...
whatever that missing thing is, you can't seem to fathom...
then, you haven't found love, you're not yet ready...
when will you be ready...
ask yourself and you'll get the answer...
as to how many times you'd have to ask yourself the same question, only time will tell...
looking for love seems like a chivalrous thing...
i think otherwise. just wait...
wait until when? when will love find you...
you wouldn't know. maybe never...

why am i writing all theses gibberish? i don't know...

2005-11-07T00:42:00.000+08:00

on the way up. (with ninang and my youndest brother, raven)

2005-11-07T00:39:00.000+08:00

my big face and the view from up the mountain

2005-11-07T00:38:00.000+08:00

up at last! 300 steps all in all

2005-11-07T00:36:00.000+08:00

grotto on a mountain slope in lucban, quezon. yep, i climbed all the way up. (30 october 2005)

life stages

2005-11-06T23:51:00.000+08:00

while i find myself still in school and have always felt young (as a friend puts it, age is only a state of mind), i realize now that i'm actually getting old (not old old, but maturing, so to speak). not that i mind or not that i'm insecure of such fact. i was just amazed by the thought. why?

a good friend invited me to become a secondary sponsor (candle, to be specific) in her wedding in june next year. it's not actually the first time i've been invited to a friend's wedding (my friends, not my parents' or siblings' friends). but most of these friends who tied the knot already are a bit older than i am. but this is different. it suddenly dawned upon me that this friend who's getting married june next year is actually a batchmate in college. oh my, friends my age are starting to get married. not that i want to get married any time soon. (you know, career muna. showbiz eh. hehe!) it's just the thought that i am actually "of age" to get married already. (yeah, i know, the family code says 18 years old yada yada yada. i mean, the "right time" to get married, which i think is also relative. anyway, i'd rather not go into this topic.)

life stages... why the title? well, i thought that the occasions go to somehow indicate our age... for example:
- kiddie party stage --> you go to this when you're a kid
- not-so-kiddie party stage --> early teenage years probably
- prom stage --> high school, definitely
- debut party stage --> early college years
- wedding stage --> a few years (sometimes, many years) after college graduation
- binyag stage
- then back to the kiddie party stage

and though the personalities will definitely differ, the cycle continues...

certified tv junkie

2005-11-06T23:22:00.000+08:00

finally, something to write about. since ninang and ninong left for the States 3 days ago (and some days when they were still here), i haven't been going out (except friday night - went out with my siblings and cousins to a comedy bar) for two reasons. one, for lack of reason to go out and two, for lack of funds. (maybe, the latter is the more appropriate reason. hehe!) anyhow, since i haven't been going out of the house (and sometimes the room), my companions include my cellphone, the internet, and the tv. (i told you i'm an introvert!)

i can't recall spending too much time in front of the tv than now. or maybe i did when i was a kid. just so happens that i have been "depriving" myself of tv during school days. (READ: forced deprivation, i.e. no tv set in the apartment in makati) i seem to have memorized the schedule of shows on tv and have some sort of schedule of what to watch on a certain day. haha! for one reason or another, i don't seem to get bored at this lifestyle. at least for now. these days, watching tv is of utmost importance in my life. (probably, more important than the national economy. hahaha!)

then suddenly, mikee cojuanco's ad is aired. it says... children who watch a lot of tv lose precious quality time with their families. it also makes children pale because they are not exposed to sunlight as a result of staying inside their rooms. it is also not good for the eyes because the eyes become tired after some time; thus, resulting to poor eyesight.

hmm... these "adverse" effects sound rather familiar. they can also apply to law school. haha! go figure. Ü

sembreak post (random thoughts, yet again)

2005-10-26T00:20:00.000+08:00

i actually can't think of anything to write about, hence, the title. i've officially been on vacation for 6 days now. minus the occasional family dinners outside (which has been happening almost every other day this week), i'm actually just at home. i'm in front of the pc and the tv for most of the time. umm... basta halos hindi ako naaarawan. while i wish to go out of town, i just can't for several reasons. well the primary reason is that my tito and tita (whom we ALL call ninong and ninang) from the states are here and staying with us. so i'm officially the tour guide. hehe! i don't mind really. it's been around 3 years since i last saw them.

anyhow, nothing really "exciting" these days. but it's ok with me. i've never been more addicted to pinoy big brother than now. (right, joei? hehe! warranty against eviction!!!) parang lahat episodes sa primetime pati yung update napapanood ko, pati yung sa studio 23 and yung uplate (which airs at around 1:30am) napapanood ko rin. hehe!

hmm... i just got my haircut earlier. wala lang, i just felt like sharing it. wahaha!

oh, yesterday, we went to tutuban with my ninong and ninang. grabe, a lot of things have changed there since i last set foot there around 6 years ago (when i was stillin 4th year high school). most of the shops i was familiar with are gone and new ones have been put up.

last wednesday, after last final exam, we had a block party in alabang. it was so fun! hehe! i now feel more "at home" with my new block. saya!Ü

i promise a more sensible post next time. hehe!

something "new" part 2

2005-10-09T11:39:00.000+08:00

something "new" turns out as nothing new after all... oh well... life...

anyhow, aral na ulit. waaaah!!! finals na bukas!!!

something "new"

2005-10-02T08:29:00.000+08:00

a week before finals and i find myself in front of the computer making an entry here. yeah, it has been quite some time since i last posted something here. well, what's new with me? hmm...

oh, it's 8:00am and i'm awake already. take note, i slept last night. i actually went to mass earlier at 6. i found it refreshing. it has been years since i last went to mass at 6am. lately, i go to the anticipated mass in school on saturday afternoons, primarily to save on travel time on sundays so i can study or just rest (the latter is usually the case. hehe!). yesterday was the exception. well, i intended to go to mass. no thanks to our professor who came in late and extended class for around 20-25 minutes. so when we went down to the chapel, homily na. o well... anyway, it just felt nice when i went to church earlier (oh yes, nagising ako!). probably, i should do that every so often.

actually, another reason why i'm posting now is to "overwrite" that previous entry. ang dami na kasi nagco-comment. hehe! wala, wala kayong makukuhang sagot sa kin kaya tigilan na! hahaha! at least when i take my long "leave" from the blogging world for finals, iba na yung unang makikita. wala lang, naisip ko lang.

oh, the other day (when i went to la salle for the green & white 2005 launch) i found out something "new" and interesting. honestly, i was caught off guard and didn't know how to react. hehe! as of now, i don't know what to think about. finals muna... (here we go again)

i hope la salle wins game 2 (and game 3 na rin). hehe! ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

anyway, finals week is here again. i need to hit the books. god bless to my friends and blockmates. we can pull this through! Ü

matters i don't normally mind

2005-08-28T03:45:00.000+08:00

oh that four-letter word... (there are a lot of them, go take your pick) i don't usually talk about it, much less, post something about it here in my blog. umm... i retract. i actually did a few months back. (if you're much too inclined to find out, go check the archives)

it doesn't seem to be much of a concern for me, or so i think. i don't even know why i'm writing about this now. i just feel i needed to let this out before i finally call it a night (or a day -- it's past 3 in the morning). with the recent turn of events in my life, i suddenly feel so emotionally unstable, a feeling i can't explain no matter how hard i think of it. i just end up being tired and exasperated. i thought IT wasn't there anymore. then again...

let's just say that there are 2 people involved. which makes it all the more complicated. suffice it to say that whatever i want to happen can't happen. it just can't. my fault? probably. but i don't know...

to the other person, i can't seem to understand why i am very bothered and you are not at all. what i hate most is that you can't seem to notice ANYTHING. could be your fault or mine or i'm just probably plain stupid.

to that other person who will probably remain to be the one that got away... admittedly, it's not your fault. i think it was never your fault from the very start. it's just me. what i can't understand is why i still feel the same way after all these years. i thought it was over. everything. i guess i'm wrong...

serves me right for being so insensitive and scared...

with that, i shall call it a night and rest. hoping that at the break of dawn, i can start anew with all the mess cleaned up.

2005-08-28T02:59:00.000+08:00

at starbucks... elvin, jay, lloyd, saint, me, kate, ben, boom, mito

2005-08-28T02:57:00.000+08:00

with saint, jill, rg, kate and jaypee. forever BB! haha!

2005-08-28T02:56:00.000+08:00

tapat get together at dampa

so much thoughts

2005-08-28T02:45:00.000+08:00

finally, after several months (literally) i'm back (semi) to the blogging world. how's life for me... well life has been sooooo busy. whoever said that second year in law school is just a walk in the park?!? yeah, a walk in the park barefoot and with the way full of spikes. well, midterms "officially ended" yesterday. due to 2 exams we requested to be moved. i won't rant about the exams anymore. i think i've went past that stage already. i realized that when i rant about exams, i say the same things over and over again. just one thought for the midterms: goodness, i haven't seen so many signatures on my exam permit. oh well...

i've been trying to make some coherence of all my thoughts to make a nice comeback entry. well, i can't seem to succeed depsite the long hours of staring at the pc. not a case of writer's block, but rather, there are just too many things to say and i just can't seem to figure out what to write about. weird, ain't it?

anyway... saint (who's back in japan now) and jay (who's also back in cebu) were in manila last week. went out twice with tapat people last week. talk about good timing. besides going out with them after not seeing them for a really long time, it was a welcome break after midterms. i was actually going out almost every night that week. hehe...

pics to follow Ü

2005-07-03T02:11:00.000+08:00

dance number for RnR cultural night. si lea na naman ang center stage. haha!

2005-07-03T02:02:00.000+08:00

si love, napagod sa pag-kayak. haha!

2005-07-03T02:00:00.000+08:00

da modelz... flory and cla!

2005-07-03T01:59:00.000+08:00

cla (batch amici) during a "photo shoot" hahaha!

2005-07-03T01:58:00.000+08:00

flory again. yet in another turista shot

2005-07-03T01:57:00.001+08:00

flory in her classic turista pose

2005-07-03T01:57:00.000+08:00

tug-of-war ito!!!

2005-07-03T01:56:00.000+08:00

RnR at hundred islands

2005-07-03T00:31:00.000+08:00

batch buyonero after RnR cultural night. hehe!

2005-07-03T00:30:00.000+08:00

tagaytay! (L-R) chel, lovely, ma'am maits, ma'am myrfs, sir arpee, me

2005-07-03T00:27:00.000+08:00

going up to see baracuda lake (talk about rock climbing)

2005-07-03T00:26:00.000+08:00

toy plane!!! i actually rode this going home to manila (it's a 19-seater plane)

2005-07-03T00:25:00.000+08:00

outside ELAC office (taken before i left coron)

2005-07-03T00:24:00.000+08:00

with ELAC staff... (L-R) kuya jojo, ate lorie, mon, ate bhing, obeth, ate josie, ellen, me

2005-07-03T00:23:00.000+08:00

ELAC law interns for summer 2005 that's mon alcasabas (also from ateneo) and ellen (from san beda)