What's Up With Me
The Mandatory Post about Law School
Nov 29th
Law school examinations have already started in the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and in the University of the Philippines College of Law. For certain, the applicants have been warned about what they’re getting themselves into. Before I took the exams last year, I already heard of many law school ‘horror stories’ from a lot of people—from my friends, officemates, relatives.
Even my boss, who has a daughter with a J.D. degree from Ateneo, warned me. “Sigurado ka na diyan sa desisyon mo ha? You know, my daughter always stayed up to around 3 in the morning just to finish reading her cases. I never thought she’d keep up with law school. If I were in her place, I wouldn’t have survived.”
My boss is one of the intelligent people I know. And he thought he wouldn’t survive in law school? I hoped he was just exaggerating.
Now I Feel Like a Genius
Feb 28th
Most of my friends know that I never had an interest in DNAs and parabolas, well basically because I always have a hard time imagining such abstract concepts (seen in Science and Math books!). BUT I think mostly everyone knows how much I LOVE tweaking computer codes, although it may also be considered abstract, since my dad, who is an engineer, introduced to me MS-DOS when I was 8, the Internet (through Netscape Navigator) when I was 11, and HTML when I was 14. I remember the days when I was the only girl who compete in ‘computer contests’ in school. I remember that before going to sleep, I used to regularly browse through my thick HTML guide, and I never admitted to anyone that I did that just for fun!
Sometimes, I still wish I have taken up MIS (Management Information Systems) instead of Communications as my undergraduate degree. Sometimes, I regret not taking programming classes, because if I did, I could have enhanced my ‘techie skills’, as how my friend Mich calls it.
But the Internet has been a great avenue for me to still explore HTML and CSS at least. I have long been looking for a desktop client which can allow me to post to all my accounts in Blogger, LJ, and Tabulas. I particularly had a hard time looking for a client which can cater to Tabulas because it’s not as popular as the other two.
But after knowing that w.bloggar supports, not only Blogger and LJ, but also the old Blogger API, which hosts Tabulas, I became so excited I downloaded the software immediately! When I was customizing my account in bloggar, I didn’t get at first what to put exactly under ‘host’ and ‘path’, until I figured out that the host is api.tabulas.com and its path is not /xmlrpc/ anymore but /blogger/. So hooray, I did the right thing, and now I can easily post to all my accounts, thanks to w.bloggar and also to my repressed ‘techie skills’.
(and for the first time in a very long time, I feel like I was a genius to have worked that out!)
I hope this can be of help to others, especially to the Tabulas users out there, since there are already a lot of clients which support Blogger and LJ (like the fabulous Microsoft Live Writer).
Happy-Sad
Feb 22nd
Zen Garden, Ateneo de Manila University
I’m still swamped with work, but just to mark this occasion, I am blogging now to announce to the world (and to convince myself) that yes, today (well since it’s 12:17 am, then I’m referring to yesterday) is-was the last day of my undergrad classes.
Good thing I still have finals next week and graduation is still a month away (near) from us, because as of now, saying goodbye to classrooms, cafeteria food, homeworks, and teachers still feels so surreal.
And for the longest time, I thought school will take forever. Who was I kidding.
Can someone fund my Postgraduate degree?
The Year That Was 2007
Jan 18th
It might be a tad late already to post a year-ender post, but I cannot not chronicle how 2007 went for me… because when I get older stuck with a memory like a sieve, I need to remember that this was the year:
…when I first had my 10 megapixel Canon digicam. My batchmates in Comm, especially my blockmate Scott, and my aunt, roused my curiosity in photography. I really did make sure that I get the camera with the best features (there is during that time) without having to strain my mom’s wallet.
…when I first competed in an inter-school competition and surprisingly, became a finalist! I decided during the very last minute to join Uniliver’s Print Ad competition last year. I can still remember all the stress that competition cost me! Being one of the finalists is already an achievement for me, especially after knowing that I am the only one of the finalists who worked alone (if only Tin were there), while the others were in groups.
…when after the longest time, I first experienced again to spend Valentine’s Day without a ’special someone’. Mom bought me a laptop jacket to compensate for the flowers and chocolates I won’t be getting that year (and God knows until when?). It was still fun–I celebrated it with my family in an eat-all-you-can place. I gave chocolates and Valentine cards to my friends, Mich and Tin, to express my love for them.:) Oh my, now this reminds me that Happy Single Awareness Day is nearing!
…when I first had my practicum in an advertising agency (Campaigns & Grey) and in the marketing division of SMART Communications. It was more of a privilege for me to have worked in SMART, they trusted me to sit on the job of my ‘boss‘ who went on leave for a month in the States!
…when I finally got the chance to travel abroad! I will never forget Victoria Peak and the endless walking we had in Hong Kong. AND OF COURSE, I will never ever forget my US trip, from arranging all the requirements to acquire a US visa, to the looong hours I was in the plane, to finally stepping in New Jersey and seeing my Uncle and Aunt’s beautiful house, to road tripping from there to Maryland, Washington, Boston, and getting inside Harvard and MIT, to my first try of playing in a casino (…just with a slot machine ah! and they gave me a free drink! how dare them think I’m already 21!), to touring around the magnificent New York, to discovering the beauty of the evolution of time through paintings and sculptures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to trick or treating with my Uncle’s neighbors in Jersey, to ALL THE SHOPPING, to watching my first Broadway musical, to getting lost in Los Angeles, to all the screams I had in Universal Studios, to rallying with the Writers’ Guild (haha actually I was just at their back to take their picture), to seeing such well-toned bodies of cadets in Westpoint, etc, etc.
Traveling abroad made me realize how vast the landscape of the world is, and that I should never just limit myself in staying here in the Phils. Actually, it made me appreciate Filipinos more, upon seeing the contrast of our culture to others’.
…when my friends surprised me for my birthday! It was so sweet of them to actually think that I should celebrate my 20th and a month birthday!! Who wouldn’t be surprised?! Even me, the Nancy Drew wannabe, didn’t find any clue to it at all!
There’s actually more: my dad leaving for work in Dubai, me living away from home for the first time, my immersion in Rizal, Papa Bong’s 1st year death anniversary, the numerous visits I had to the hospital, the social enterprise we built, me being an officer in PEERS, more Philo classes which I ♥, simbang gabi (dawn masses during Christmas season) in Ateneo, etc, etc.
SO 2007, THANK YOU!! 2008, make sure my list will be longer next year!
Vows
Dec 29th
Commitment… it determines circumstances rather than being determined. Every commitment involves a promise. Persons making a promise are understood to be making predictions about themselves, they are asserting their firm intentions. They are not merely describing their present state of mind but are binding themselves to a future course.” - John C. Haughey, S.J., The Act of Committing to Christ: Freedome and Conscience (from my Theology 151 book)
I can clearly remember Sean Covey emphasizing in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (my how-to-deal-with-puberty guide) the importance of keeping promises to oneself. He says that just like when we break our promises to others, we also lose trust in ourselves when we fail to do stuff we’re supposed to do, like when we promise we’ll wake up early in the morning to exercise but we always end up putting off our alarm clock, snoozing until we panic as we finally realize it’s already lunchtime. Our subconscious mentally notes every failed attempt of doing this and that, that’s why the tendency is we reach a point that we already struggle into thinking that we can achieve our tasks/goals, until we doubt we can still make our dreams happen, that we can be who we want to be x years from now.
I’m a victim of this, of disappointing myself very so often, of not being able to set my own standards, of letting circumstances determine who I am. I show everyone I’m happy, I’m carefree, but actually, it seems I’m in a constant battle with myself. I know what I want, I know what I’m good at, but I don’t know if I can still cross the line from point A to point B. I don’t know if I can resist not to fall into the void outside, or if I don’t get stuck at one point and find myself comfortable in not moving anymore.
But what I’m really clueless about is to when did I stop believing. When did the blandness take over? When did I ever lose my appetite for the euphoric feeling of success, of ticking off occasional to-do lists?
.
.
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I think it is timely that I ponder upon those New Year resolutions now.
——
Anyway, I think I will never get tired of photography and the wonders Photoshop brings.
Once upon a time…
20, Don’t Mess with Me
Nov 17th
Ang hirap mag-update! Kakainis! Ilang oras bago ako makapagsulat ng ‘decent entry’. Eh kasi naman sinimulan ko ‘to ng Inggles, kaya inisip ko, dapat Inggles na lahat! Eh ang mahirap, kapag nagsusulat ako, nakasanayan ko na i-outline muna. Yun kasi turo sa Basic English class namin noong first year. Hay naku! Bahala na si Batman! Isusulat ko lang kung anong unang pumasok sa utak ko. Akalain mo, kapag gusto ko magsulat dito, magbe-brainstorm pa ko, tapos topic outline, tapos first draft, 2nd draft, x draft, edit, edit, edit, tapos saka pa lang final draft!! Kakainis!! What a rigorous process. Yan tuloy, anong nangyari? Iilan lang ang posts dito! Kaya agree talaga ako doon sa quote na Perfection is a terrible taskmaster. Dahil gusto mo iperfect lagi, hindi mo tuloy namamaster! HELLO. Wala naman kasing grade requirement tong blogging. Bakit ba ako nagpapapressure.
*
Anyway. So, what’s up with me? Well… I’ve turned 20 and a lot has changed the past year. For one, I’ve been to Hong Kong and the US.. That’s a record for someone who hasn’t been abroad ever since (compared to most of my classmates who were traveling since they were in diapers hehe). From now on, I swear I would travel at least once a year to a place I have never been to my whole life (doesn’t matter even if it’s just in the Phils!). I’m (almost) done with thesis. Change of career plans – I don’t want to go into Advertising anymore. I realized that in order to survive in that industry, you have to have either the guts to sell your ideas or a mind of a genius to come up with bizarre, obviously-this-is-the-plan plan. Neither of which is innate to me. Plus I am uncomfortable brainstorming in a large group. Lagi akong napepressure magisip ng puwedeng pambato na idea, but the pressure doesn’t do anything except fry my brain. I know myself. I need to think first by my own and rehearse my lines, even anticipate the flow of discussion, before I can negotiate and converse in a lengthy formal (formal since it’s work) discussion with people. So great. I learned all of this just in time. Just in time before GRADUATION. Just in time for me who can’t reverse my way back and pursue another career.
*
I’m ___ lbs. heavy, and dieting seems impossible. Savoring Kimchi, munching a bar of Lindt milk chocolate-in short, EATING-is the next best thing to getting a boyfriend. Retail therapy won’t work since there aren’t enough clothes that can fit me anymore (or maybe I’m just exaggerating).
*
Wow. I wonder how worse can a quarter life crisis be.
Zambales Getaway
Apr 11th
Tito Mangks was our designated driver for the trip. He has never been a fan of long hour driving. But this one he had to make an exemption for.
Everyone was all excited to go. Especially Tita Ni, and her daughter, Katha.
For lunch, we ate in Jollibee, because with us was the writer of its ads. (Tito John–dad of Katha)
Photography is my hobby, which was inspired by her.
Finally, we’re at Zambales. I bet you know it is popular for its mangoes. (Rajah–brother of Katha)
Since it was Holy Week, we had to visit the church.
And wait for the procession, which was really dragging.
But the night wasn’t gloomy at all.
I found it even serene.
What we were really looking forward to was the beach.
I was all giddy, even though I couldn’t swim that day (it’s a girl thing). So I just took pictures of myself.
But I tell you. Vanity is hereditary.
Yet nothing still could match to this.
We indeed had fun.
If everyday is always like this, then I will always be assured of a good night sleep.
For more photos, visit here
Define Holy
Apr 9th
Last Maundy Thursday, my family and I weren’t able to do our usual Visita Iglesia because we still had to prepare our stuff for our trip to Zambales the next day. We just went to the Marcelo church at night to do the way of the cross. Having realized that we never ate any meat during the day, we decided to treat ourselves to any open coffee shop nearby. But then my mom has never been really a fan of Starbucks or the like because she finds the coffee prices there absurd. So at 9pm, we headed to Brooklyn Pizza in BF Homes instead, and at around P500, we already had one humungous pizza in front of us! Their White Pizza is the best, I swear. We did our best trying to avoid meat for the first 21 hours, but it did not surprise us that we still had to resort eating a packload of wheat with bacon, pepperoni, and grease on top of it to end the day.
Cooking gives me the high, and I am glad summer months give me the chance to be all squiffy at it. That’s spaghetti with tuna, which my siblings did not know of until their plates are all empty.
I will post about our Zambales trip in awhile when Tita Ni sends me the pictures. :)
This is a tale of a 22-year old who recently found solace in running and travelling. On most days, she's just the usual cranky law student, but's leave that out, won't we?
