Isang Ordinaryong Araw

Sinimulan ang unang oras ng araw ng napakaraming pagbati mula sa aking FB wall.  Laking pasasalamat ko na lamang dahil nariyan ang FB upang paalalahanan ang mga kaibigan ko.  Ngunit nagpapasalamat pa rin naman ako dahil kung wala ang FB, hindi ako mapapaalalahanan ng mga kaarawan nila.  Kaya ayun, quits lang.

Sumunod ang isang tawag na hindi pumapalya sa loob halos ng sampung taon.  Meron nga lang mga pagkakataon na delayed ngunit hindi pa rin nakakalimot.

Natulog ng alas kwatro ng umaga.

Nagising ng pasado alas otso.  Hindi pa man buhay na buhay ang diwa ay may isang tawag na naman.  Hindi ko nakilala ang boses.  Dahil ilang beses niyang nasambit ang “leche ka!” tiyak akong close ko ito.  Ngunit sino? Bakit? Paano?  Sigurado nga akong close ko ito ngunit hindi ko talaga mahuli kung kaninong boses ito.  Clue.  Magkababata daw kami.  Ayun, naisip ko rin!  Paano ba naman ay siguro magtatatlong taon na rin nang huli kong narinig ang boses niya sa telepono. 

Nag-ayos.  Pumasok sa trabaho.

Umupo sa isang pagpupulong.  Isang tawag na naman.

Bumili ng tanghalian sa labas.  Inilibre ang sarili ng zagu dahil isang linggo nang nag-cacrave sa halo-halo.  Salamat nga pala sa nagbigay ng tirahang ito kay Chewy.  Tutal, sa inyo din naman galing si Chewy!

May nag-text. 

Kung sakaling mabasa mo man ito, bahala ka na kung magrereak ka.  Judge me kahit hindi ako book.  Pero tandaan mo, birthday ko.  Kahapon.

Hayaan mo ng kiligin ang mga makakabasa nito.  Kahit punong-puno ng charantia ang supposedly reply ko.

P.S.  Inaantay ko na ang imbitasyon para sa kasal mo.

Inantok matapos kumain ng tanghalian.  Tinulugan ang isa pang pagpupulong.  Pagkagising ay panibagong pagpupulong na naman.

Pumunta sa dentista.  Umupo halos dalawang oras para sa pagpapatuloy ng root canal.  Ikalawang linggo ko na ito.  Alas otso na ng gabi yata nang makauwi ako.  Masakit pero rock.

Pagkatapos maghapunan, sinimulang tingnan ang libo-libong larawan na nakaimbak kay Macky.  Nagnilay-nilay.  Nagmuni-muni.

Natapos na naman pala ang isang taon.  Sabi ko ilang taon na rin yata ang nakakalipas, dapat bago ako umabot sa tatlumpo, tapos na ako ng masterado.  Nagawa ko ito labing-anim na araw bago ako nag-dalawampu’t siyam.

Ngayong nadagdagan na naman ng isang numero ang mga guhit sa aking palad, may mga bagong tahakin na naman.  Dalangin ko ay matagumpayan ang matagal nang sinimulang mga kasulatan.  Dapat bago umabot ng tatlumpu ay naisakatuparan na ang lahat ng ito.

Hindi ko alam kung ano pa man ang idudulot ng bukas.  Nakakatakot.  Walang kasiguraduhan.  Ngunit isa lang ang nasisigurado ko, gagabayan Niya ako sa lahat ng oras.  Salamat po sa dalawampu’t-siyam na taon! 

Salamat sa mga luha, tawanan, pagkabigo at muling pagbangon.  Salamat sa mga talento, pagpapala, at pag-gabay.  Salamat sa panibagong taon.

Sembreak Day One

dear kim kamustang bakasyon mo
ako heto pa rin nababato
bad trip talagan t'tong Meralco
bakit brownout pa rin dito

October 25 is the official start of my semestral break. Even though it is a Saturday, I still included it in my official 9-day-vacation version 2.0 for 2008.
I just can’t wait for my version 3.0 vacation for this year —Christmas break!

--o--

Rom woke me up with an SMS asking me to prepare a costume for the Halloween party I’m supposed to attend later that night. Because of that exasperating SMS, I was not able to return to dreamland that early Saturday morn. Instead, I stressed out myself the entire morning thinking of what to wear for the affair. I am very thankful to my plurkmates who were very creative in giving advices about what to wear for the party. Here are some of their awesome suggestions:

• nothing (yeah right, Pen, I’m sure you’ll enjoy that!)
• my everyday attire coz it’s horror enough (I know that already Dean, since obviously, am a horror teacher. Bwahahaha!)
• bahag (g-string) - good thing I don’t own one (Thank you very much Yaya Eloisa for the wonderful suggestion.)
  

In the end, I decided to come as myself. No make-ups; no costumes. Just me, myself and I.

Am telling you, it worked! They let me in!
However, they excluded me from the Best in Costume Award coz they thought I was too authentic for that award!

--o--

Prior to the Halloween party, the Professionals Group of the Gerry Roxas Leadership Awardees (GRLA) held their organizational meeting at the Gerry Roxas Foundation Office at the Aurora Towers. An election of the governing body of GRLAs was held in order to have an interim Executive Committee that will function for six (6) months or until their successors are elected and qualified on a meeting called for the purpose of establishing a permanent structure of the organization.


In case you are a recipient of the Gerry Roxas Leadership Award, either still studying or a professional already, please leave a comment here or visit the Gerry Roxas Foundation’s website.

--o--

While waiting for the Halloween party to start, I dropped by the Lomo exhibit at Cubao Expo which Denxa, a college friend, participated. I was amazed that the analog cameras we used to capture our fond memories back then are now considered as vintage.

While at the exhibit, I asked Denxa a stupid question, "May nagdedevelop pa ba ngayon ng mga film ng analog cameras?" She answered, “sa Florophoto,” with a matching raised eyebrows.

Here are some of Denxa’s friend’s pix during the event at Cubao X. LOL. (Too many reference points!)

--o--

To cap off my stay at Cubao that day, we watched the LFS of HSM3 at Gayway, I mean, Gateway.

Duh. I can’t even spell out HSM3. Of all the showing movies that night, they decided to watch the gayest movie of the year. Well, am just too scared that my students would found out that I watched that movie on the second day it was shown in Manila. Worst, I was able to watch it even before they had seen it. Yikes!

To be fair enough, I was really amazed by the technicalities of the movie. From costumes, production design, cinematography, sound, to choreography, it was fantabulous! (Fantastic and fabulous combined.) It’s rare that I appreciate a musical, so this one is an exception.

Even so, the plot was sooooooo cheesy, am too hypocrite to reminisce those mushy days. Charantia, anyone?

--o--

OVER: the week that was!

I know. And I am very sorry. I know that I do owe you all a lot.

So let me start my soliloquy by accounting all my eustress for the last week of June 2008...

23^rd of June, Mesmerized Monday

‘Frank’ spared me from lecturing in the laboratory this day. However, he didn’t spare the lives of hundreds of people aboard MV Princess of the Stars, nor the ill-fated citizens of Western Visayas.

I guess my friend is right, Sulpicio Lines should start changing their line of business into Sulpicio Funeral Homes after all of those maritime mishaps.

I do remember boarding Princess of the Stars three years ago. It was a trip to Cebu for the 2005 National Youth Science, Technology, and Environment Summer Camp. It was only tonight when I finally decided to look up for my remembrance of that trip. Here it is:

I vividly remember how huge that ship was. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the largest vessel I’ve boarded. Who would believe that it would succumb to ‘Frank’ that easily?

24^th of June, Thrilling Tuesday

While those living in Manila were enjoying their very long weekend holiday, I myself was indeed exuberant upon receiving my very first credit card. Many thanks to my orgmate’s blockmate in college who is also my co-teacher’s schoolmate in high school and grade school. Oh never mind the intertwined relationships!

In exactly 21 days, I received my HSBC credit card with a credit limit of Php*****.00. (I’ll keep it to myself coz you might be able to figure out how underpaid my profession is).

Nevertheless, just as an ‘old’ friend warned me not so long time ago, I swear from this day on that I wont use my card that much every time I pay a visit to the mall.

Using it twice in every visit is a good idea…right? What do you think?

25^th of June, Wednesday Workout

One thing that made me very excited this day is the fact that it’s the first day of classes for my Photoshop class. Yippee! I’m glad to be a student once again. Teacher Niño, the school’s Art teacher, opened his graphic arts class for the school’s grown ups. So, who are my classmates? Teacher Lilia (the Filipino teacher), Teacher Ana (the School Registrar), and ultimately, Teacher Gracel (the School Principal).

At least now, I can edit already the pictures I’m posting here in my site (without using Paint!). Hehe.

See for yourself!

26^th of June, Thursday Tautness

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

This is what the Lord impressed to me upon waking up from a dream before 3 in the morning. Thou I know that I had a hard time the whole day figuring out what am I supposed to do with my vision, the Lord assured to me my actions at the end of the day. "Mission accomplished," I would say. Thus, just as a colleague remarked the following day, this is just the beginning for me, I know that there are still a lot more things He prepared for me.

27^th of June, Friday Fiasco

Even without enough sleep the other night, I still accompanied my class to their field trip to the Quezon City Central Post Office. It was also my first time inside a big post office. Despite my fascination on how they were able to sort and deliver all of those snail mails in the biggest city in Metro Manila, I was disgruntled at the same time by the actual condition of the post offices in the country. It seems that everything was a makeshift in that post office, from the packets where they sort the mails, to the used sacks of rice they use in delivering the mails to the other central post offices. Ridiculous, I may say.

Good thing my students still enjoyed the entire trip to the dilapidated post office. (Taken for granted that it was their first time to actually mail a ‘real mail’).

28^th of June, Saturated Saturday

Work doesn’t end for me on a Saturday. By 7:15 am, I was at the school already 'coz we’re headed to Grace Christian High School for the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools – Science (ICASS). Two of my students joined the said competition. But since I have angst about this competition, I’ll be posting soon another entry about it.

After the contest, we returned to our school 'coz by 3 o’clock pm, we had the first Parent Interaction Hour (PIH). It’s an orientation for our student’s parents for the new school year (some sort of a PTA meeting).

At 8 pm, I had an organic dinner with a girl friend in a nearby vegetarian resto. But since I was not happy with my tall glass of homemade mango yogurt, I insisted to her that we should drink a bottle of –OH. Good thing she was not happy either with her cute mug of hot chocolate drink. And so we both drink a bottle of –OH.

And the rest is history...

29^th of June, Shopping Sunday

What is the best way to formally end an entire week of eustress other than shopping? Answer: more shopping.

Today is the first time I used my credit card. And the first thing I bought with it are my…

Then I also bought a…

…and I lived happily ever after…

THE END

The Nature of Zorro

In an email my student sent me today, she forwarded some things that I really need to ponder upon. Here's an example:

Three things in life that are never certain:

1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams

But anyway, this blog has nothing to do with that email...


An online friend finally allowed me to post her pictures here in my site. I met Chutte in Multiply. Here are some of her pix at the Bromo Crater in Indonesia two years ago:

Bromoarea

Mountain View at the National Park

Beautiful, aren't they?


I just love nature. And traveling is my addiction.

I decided also to feature pictures in my sidebar. (Well actually, I've been doing that since I started this blog). The only difference now is that I'll be featuring shots regularly. Every two weeks maybe... =D


Oh, one more reason why I blogged this late is that I'm waiting for I-Witness.

Howie Severino documented "three teens from public schools, all headed for college at UP Diliman. These youngsters carry the weight of their families and communities' expectations as well as their branding as part of UP's centennial batch."

Not to mention their first encounter with the home-grown rallyists who are always there everytime there's a Freshmen Orientation at the University Theatre.


And who can forget Zorro! I love this guy. He's always up to date with what is happening in his society. I always catch him reading newspapers in Nadasha (a 24-hour eatery here in our place).

Anyway, the commercials are over, I need to go back in front of the TV...

'Til next time!

Mabuhay ang mga bagong iskolar ng bayan!