Shirts of Pride

I've been really wanting to buy either a 3 Stars &a Sun or a Team Manila t-shirt for months now but I guess I have to sacrifice a little bit more since I definitely need a serious prioritizing of my expenditures. For those who don't know, those two brands I've mentioned are the 'in' thing right now for they produce shirts and other clothing items whose designs showcase the national emblems of the Philippines and everything that is Pinoy.

It's very amusing and undoubtedly uplifting seeing youngsters like me sporting these patriotic shirts. It's like showing to the whole world how proud you are of your own race; that being a Filipino is something to be grateful of.

I just hope that it goes beyond being just a fad. I hope that every Filipino who wears these clothes live up to what their shirts say. I hope that nationalism doesn't end in fashion, but with passion. The kind of passion that will eventually lead to the transformation of the society where we all exist.

"I am a [Filipino]. I am a HERO."

Into The Twilight

I hate to admit it, but I am one of those who had never, as in NEVER, went trick-or-treating before. Apparently, it's rarely practiced her in the Philippines, except in some elite subdivisions but since I only dwell in a small, serene village, I bod goodbye to the thought a long time ago.

And because I'm quite old to engage in such (if there'll be a chance), I think I'll just settle for another favorite Halloween activity: Halloween parties!

I do admit, though that I am a virgin as well when it comes to Halloween parties. One reason is that, yep, it's seldom performed by typical Filipinos and second, modern Halloween parties are frequently held in bars and other 'nocturnal' establishments, making it more impossible for me to attend one. But my hopes are still high. Probably after graduation, I, together with some friends, would finally be able to wear our most splendid costumes and party the night away! Woohoo!

And speaking of costumes, I already have a fixed image of what I'm going to look like at the event: Edward Cullen of Twilight.

Alright! Alright! I know many ladies would react violently to this and I'm sure it would be a tall order for me. Edward's too perfect anyway so I'll just settle for Dracula then. LOL.

Good Ol' Days

A few days from now our high school batch will be celebrating it's second grand reunion (Yep, that's how badly we miss each other.). Sadly (and quite despairingly), I won't be able to attend the event due to some friggin' school agendas. Besides, the reunion will be held in a bar and hell no do I drink. Also, most of my close friends can't go as well; can't risk being out-of-place in a sea of hard partying people. It's still sad, though. Big time. I really miss those guys. We shared a lot of memories (good and bad) with each other and I can just imagine the overflowing nostalgia and...joy as we relive those memories together. :(

Fast forward to 2021. So what would it be like 15 years after graduation? Probably most of us have a stable job and have established a family by then. Some might even be comfortably enjoying their position as a high-ranking official in a prestigious company (I'm probably one of them. LOL.). Maybe our reunion will now be held in a grand hotel with us wearing ties and gowns. That only means we have to excel and be well-established for us to attend the event. Because by that time, the reunion is not intended to celebrate but to intimidate. Sad.

I hope that won't happen to us.

Baby Talks

So it was a boring Thursday night and I was scanning thru the channels of my newly fixed TV (Yey!) when I came across probably one of the most interesting episodes of Oprah. It was one of those replayed episodes shown on local TV here in the Philippines (I think it was originally aired November of last year). It features four incredible stories about life and science but what fascinated me most was their cover about this 'special baby language'.

The invited guest was Priscilla Dunstan, a woman who claims to have been blessed with a 'photographic memory' for sounds which she eventually used to develop her theory on baby language; that these angelic little creatures actually produce different sounds to relay various messages to people. Interesting.

My interest even went maximum when she discussed about the five general sounds that babies produce: the 'neh' sound which refers to hunger; the 'owh' sound which they make when they're tired and sleepy; the 'heh' sound which signals discomfort; the 'eair' sound for lower gas, &; the the 'eh' sound when they want to say, 'I wanna burp, Mom!'. They even showed super adorable babies making those actual sounds! I was soooo..amazed (it's an understatement)! My jaws were left hanging till the end of the entire segment. It was so unbelievable...but true.

I seriously want a baby now! LOL.

Cheesy

Last Sunday, I was able to catch a few parts of a special presentation of the wedding ceremoniesof two celebrities here. I don't know how to put it but I seriously felt so..inspired by the young couple. It's really weird for I got so absorbed imagining myself to be on that very special day, wearing a nice, well-cut suit, waiting for the most beautiful girl as we walks down the aisle and professing our love for each other. I don't know if it's normal for guys like me to feel like this, but I simply couldn't help myself (I'm actually having second thoughts till now whether I'm going to post this or not). It's really cheesy, you know. But it's the kind of cheesiness that makes me smile incessantly and blush so wildly. LOL.

The on;y problem is: will she be willing to exchange vows with me? Instantly I realized, love is not always about red roses and happy endings.

Gosh. I said I hate emos.

Losing a Bestfriend

I went home today elated because it’s the last day of the semester only to find out one of the biggest upsets of my life: my TV broke down. I felt I could’ve died.

I know that it would happen anytime soon for it felt like it’s been suffering on its deathbed for weeks now. What I didn’t expect that it would happen this soon. I was just watching my favorite show last night but when I went up my room today, I couldn’t turn it on! Poor buddy, I should’ve brought you to our friendly technician the moment your symptoms appeared. I’m sorry.

I was totally devastated. It seemed like my whole world crumbled right before my very eyes. I didn’t realize till then how much of a couch potato I am. It felt like my life depended (almost) on my TV. My best techno buddy.

The good news is, he will be reincarnated by tomorrow. Good luck. See you soon, bud.

An Open Letter to the Devil's Advocate

So it's Goodbye now for us. Finally.

I cannot say that time flies fast 'coz each class we have with you was dragging, every bit of second spent (wasted?) was sacrifice. Every time you enter the room you out us all in a defensive mode, anticipating the shrapnel-like tirades about our awful 'mistakes'. Mistakes that you just made all up. And if we ever have one, it's the only thing that you'd see.

Instead of providing us the essentials, you shower us your 'destructive criticisms', which will all boil down to one thing -- WE LEARN NOTHING. Heck, as if you teach us something.

You are the mother of ironies. You regard yourself as a mentor yet you don't understand how we, students feel. You talk about Psychology yet you act as if you haven't got a speck of idea of how our minds work. So didn't learn anything now?

It's sad. 'Coz I give teachers (though you seriously don't deserve to be called such) my deepest admiration but knowing someone like you? I think i'll have a second thought in generalizing.

You are nothing. You impulsive, self-indulgent hag.

The Best Stress Reliever

Being a typical college student, it’s inevitable for me to be put under a lot of stress (especially during the last weeks of the term!). So, trying hard to avoid it, I tried every possible way that I know to do so: exercising in between breaks, listening to Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli all day, doing my own style of yoga. They help up to some extent. But just yesterday, amidst the pile of paper works scheduled to be finished, I, inadvertently, discovered the best stress reliever of all -- texting.

Ah yes, texting. The Philippines in fact has been dubbed as the texting capital of the world due to the millions of text messages being sent everyday. Many thanks to the Unlimited text service of local Telecom companies, all you need is at least 20 bucks worth of load and you’re off to send countless messages to anyone around the country.

However, I am not one of those who are so into this texting thing. I usually avail the Unlimited service once a week, typically when I have nothing else to do, very unlikely to many who avail it almost everyday. So it was quite surprising (for me and for my friends) that I was able to find time to reload in the middle of cramming. But what surprised me more is how I was able to find respite in this supposedly tedious and callusing effort. It became my instant Stresstabs. Just perfect.

But it is not texting per se that truly brings comfort, it’s merely a tool. What does the magic is COMMUNICATION. It brings this certain feeling that embraces you when you finally siphoned off all the demons rumbling inside you and knowing that there are persons ready to listen about your rants and frustrations about the world. When all the world is pressing you, it is gratifying to know that there’s someone who is willing to carry the burden with you.

O,h I love my friends! Even though they stress my fingers.

Stressed Out

Ah, the hell weeks are back again. It's just a week to go before the end of the term but here we are still cramming and trying to accomplish a mountain pile of requirements.

For this week we've got a pre-final examination covering ALL of the topics that we've (or should have) learned, a research paper and a written report to submit. And adding to my burden are my *oh I don't wanna curse* group mates who are so cooperative that they could've just given me all the workload. And oh, I almost forgot, I still have to finish my Humanities notebook 'coz that's a big part of my final grade. Gosh, does our professor think he teaches high school students?

And of course, next week will be the time that I dread most. It's actually the most ironic week of all. At first, a feeling of excitement and relief will burgeon you 'coz obviously, it's the remaining days of the whole semester. But heck, imagine your last week jam-packed with 4 major examinations, 2 additional reports and another written report. How I envy the worms. I could've just died.

I've always believed that I have mastered the art of cramming back in high school (our batch had the reputation of cramming over almost everything). But I seriously got myself wron. College is a lot more seriuos business.

I badly need inspiration right now. Seriously.