The Daily Panda

Guess Who's Studying Law for Midterms?

2012-01-28T23:09:00.004+08:00

"Dura lex sed lex" means ---
"The law may be hard to observe or difficult to obey, but it remains the law and must be therefore followed just the same"

Rah and Marge Covering Hot and Cold in a Jeepney

2012-01-28T18:50:00.000+08:00

Just wanna share an intermission number Marge and I did last week in our school student body's Meeting de Avance. While studying for my next class, Marge asked me if I could accompany her sing - that same afternoon. Without thinking twice, I said yes. We played Katy Perry's Hot and Cold mashed up with Jeepney by Isponds Cola :)

Enjoy. :)

Thanks for watching.

Our Kite Flying Date

2012-01-25T23:56:00.000+08:00

There's nothing like a 10 peso peddler cotton candy in Rizal Park.
It just brings out the child in us.

Paying tribute to our National Hero, Jose Rizal.

Here's our one hundred peso kite who we named Ego the Eagle.

Up up and away! Launch pad at Quirino Grandstand grounds.

Fly fly away! There's our kite right there.
"Hang on there, Ego!"

And then, suddenly, there was no wind. So, Ego the Eagle crashed.
Here's my second attempt to launch him. Running came handy :)

We decided to retire our kite for the day. All the wind was in Binondo because it was Chinese New Year! Our next mission -- find the water dragon and witness a lion dance.

Why I'm Running

2012-01-22T10:49:00.001+08:00

with my running mate Bong

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -John Bingham

I run because it makes me happy. I will keep on running until the day it ceases to bring happiness.

Pouring out one's reasons for running is hard. Like a confession, it is personal. Some may not understand, some may not care at all, but it is my hope that, in some way, people will discover the right sport for them as we runners did, whether it's running or something else.

There are a lot of reasons why people get into running: to lose weight, to heal a broken heart, to overcome adversity, some run for fitness, some - a combination of different reasons. The reason why I found my self running I guess is a combination of different reasons, too. But if I were to choose just one reason, I think it is because of this: "Running makes me happy." Whenever I see people running, I'm like a child in awe. It's like a circus show, a cotton candy, a balloon, and all the things that can make a child in me amazed and inspired. When I'm in a park, a track oval, a race, anywhere where people are running, it's almost as if I can absorb their happy auras. The happiness running brought to my life changed my life in ways I never imagined possible.

With my speedster cousin Donna

I was insomniac ever since I can remember. The long nights were endless and the mornings were torture. I was a zombie throughout the day and an owl at night. Through the years I've tried to cure myself of this curse. Milk, listening to soft music, beer, sleeping pills, counting sheep, nothing worked - not until I tried running in the morning. I resolved to buy the largest, loudest alarm clock at SM; I resolved to set it up at five every morning and told myself that no matter what, I will run. Running at a regular schedule brought my sleeping patterns back to normal, the quality of my sleep has tremendously improved, sleeping on time became easy, and mornings have become as beautiful as ever before. Sunrise. It is glorious. For me a single sunrise is better than a hundred sunsets.

Running also showed me what commitment is about. Before I was running, I was scared to commit in anything. I was afraid to pour in my heart into something. It seemed to me that every goal was the ultimate end. I just wanted to finish a task for the sake of just finishing it. I just wanted to be on the background. I hated groups, I hated organizations, I hated any institution that required sticking around. But when I discovered my love for running, I realized that commitment isn't that hard if you're doing something that makes you happy.

Air running :)

Just like in running, I realized that commitment isn't a goal but a journey. It is doing what makes you happy daily (with regularity). Just like in running, where the finish line is not the ultimate reward, the prize in commitment is the belief that it makes you a better person - the belief that you are part of something larger, a bigger plan, something really important, and you are happy fulfilling that plan as a journey. In other words, running helped me discover the beauty of living in the present, living in the "now."

Running has changed my perspective ever since. I started watching out what I eat. I started looking after my health. I started to be more understanding and more spiritual. Running trained me to endure more physical and mental stress. The sense of regularity and rhythm that comes with my running allowed me to think more clearly and more efficiently - which translates to better performance at work and in school.

God has blessed me with two legs, two lungs, one heart, and two eyes with a vision; and each stride is like a prayer of gratitude for all the blessing God has given me. Everyday at five in the morning, I wake up, lace my shoes, and jog my self to church to pray. Running gives me something to look forward to. Running pushes my limits, works out my endurance, speed, and gives me direction. There's nothing quite like it. I believe it is worthy pursuit - it just makes me feel more alive. Running is love that grows in time.

The prize in running in my book, isn't medals, personal acclaim, cash prizes, personal records, loot bags, running with celebrities, no it's not. For me, running is the prize itself. And having realized that fact - brings joy to my life.

Goodnight Bimby and Klowee

2012-01-18T00:32:00.002+08:00

Look what I've found out, best friends talaga ang doggy at cat naming si Bimbybells at si Kloweebells :) Kahit sa pag tulog, magkatabi sila :D Ang tweet tweet :)

Goodnight Bimby and Klowee :) Tsup :*

Running P10k at the Stag Run 2012:

2012-01-16T15:02:00.001+08:00

Last Sunday morning I had an amazing time with my classmates. It's my first time to run with them. I'm so happy they are into running, too. I didn't sign up for the 2012 Stag Run: Takbo para sa Edu-Misyon, but it is included in our tuition fee. So whether we run it or not, it has been paid. ~~Parang hold-up.~~ 500 Pesos registration fee will get you a singlet, bib with no timing chip, and a free breakfast at Jollibee.

Ace, Judy, Raahh, Bong

I woke up early to meet up with my running mate Bong at McDonald's at P. Campa in Espana, had some hot chocolate and pancakes and from there we went to the Aseana City near the SM Mall of Asia where the race was held. We arrived around 4.30 a.m, but the race didn't start until six. Before the actual run, there were first, prayers, opening remarks, stretching, dancing, cheer dancing, at other things to occupy our time until the sky lightened up so that we can see the road.

No timing chip, can't time your run.

We had a great run; although, it could have been organized better. One thing that raised our eyebrows was that after we finished the race, Garmin watches confirmed that the route wasn't really 10k but instead a little short of 7k. Kaya pala, I was surprised I finished the race at 40 minutes, only to find out it wasn't really 10k. It was misleading.

P10k = parang ten k, pero hindi. hehe

While I wish the organizers respected the sport of running -- by keeping a more accurate time, measuring the route precisely; and by starting the race on time, you have to put this race in it's proper perspective. This fun run is, first of all, a fund raising event. It's not for the traditional consumer of professionally organized races. It's just what it is - a fun run meant for charity.

I wish the fund they have raised from this event goes far more than 10k. I wish it reaches indigent students in need of education. I wish it will also support missionaries in spreading the Good News in the far corners of Sierra Leone in Africa.

There are no races anywhere near my radar soon, so I guess I'll get back to my daily jogging around our block. I'm slowly getting my groove back on. I jog everyday from our house to church then back. I'll tell you about that probably in my next post.

Thanks Judy and Sir Larry for the pictures :)

Ciao!

-rah

Running My First 10 Kilometer Race: The PSE Bull Run 2012

2012-01-08T14:15:00.001+08:00

PSE Bull Run. There were no bulls in sight.
This run ain't no bull*h\3.

"What! It's this Sunday already?!" I exclaimed as my running mate Bong reminded me of the schedule of our upcoming race while running laps around the Acad Oval.

Here's a little recap of what happened in my ever first 10k race dubbed as, PSE Bull Run: Takbo Para sa Ekonomiya which was held last Sunday, January 8, 2012. The race was said to be a part of Philippine Stock Exchange's advocacy to inform the public about the Philippine Stock Market.

I almost didn't wake up for the race. We went to a party a night before, had a couple of drinks and long chats. I was supposed to go home early to get a lot of rest, but a long lost friend or ours showed up just before when we were about to pack up. We haven't seen this guy for a year - not a word about him. We were happy that he's back.

It was almost 2 am when I got home. I went straight to bed. It was a deep sleep. Thank goodness my dream was about running. I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to wake up at 3:30. I gathered all of my strength to pulled my self out the bed. The clock didn't alarm because I accidentally set it at 3:30 "p.m." I pulled out my gym bag and laced my shoes as fast as I can. The time was 4:00 a.m. We were running very late.

Where's the party?

Sweet Pea prepared her things, too. She didn't have to go with me to the race, but she did to show her support. Without wasting time, we went to the nearby McDonalds to pick up my running mate Bong.

"This race is meant to be. I wouldn't have waken up if it weren't. " - I told Sweet Pea while sipping my coffee. And just like that, I promised to do my best for my very first 10k. 1 hour and 30 is my goal time.

We made it to the event with time to spare to take a wee-wee and warm up. A couple of high knees, butt-kick, sprints, light stretches and I was ready to go. The weather was great. The cool breeze of the morning was just right. I kinda missed the usual festive mood that comes with races, though. This event was laid back, everyone seemed to just wanna run. There weren't a lot of smiling people here.

I won't give up on a miracle.

Bong and I didn't get a good position at the starting line. This little mistake caused us a lot of time getting through a sea of 10k runners. Saying "excuse me, excuse me..." to get through slower runners can really drain your energy.

There was no gun start. They replaced the gun start with the sound of bells to sound like the start of Stock Exchange trading sessions. It was kinda like the start a boxing match. Ting ting ting!

The Kalayaan Flyover was very dark and dangerous. I don't know what happened to the street lights. It was too dark and beam lights from cars form the opposite direction were hurting our eyes.We were merely guided by faint silhouettes. I felt a little scared and distracted that I had to slow my pace down.

Whatta pace! :)
It was around the 8th kilometer
when I "shot" my self. hehe

Around the 5k mark, the acidity from the coffee I drank earlier kicked in and started to slow me more. I stopped by the next water station to try to flush the acidity in, fortunately, it got back to normal. There were already too many distractions so I decided to use my metronome and set my pace strides. I turned on my music player started listening to Paramore songs. "Miracle" seemed to be bringing in more energy to my every stride.

On my Blackberry a song was playing...
Miracle by Paramore

xxx
I'm not going
Cause I've been waiting for a miracle
And I'm not leaving
I won't let you
Let you give up on a miracle
Cause it might save you
xxx

Finally, my last kilometer, I gathered all my balls for a that last big kick.

Finish line.

I don't know my official time, but the big timer at the finish line says 1 hour and 3 minutes. I'm so glad I finished the race. The runner's high - it feels really good.

A woman beside me was upset because she didn't make the sub one hour goal time. Another guy feels really bad because he didn't beat his personal record. I observed that a lot of runners were disappointed of their own run even if they were running very fast already.

You know, I realized there are only two things that can happen in a finish line: either you're happy with what your run or you're not. For me though, I always believed that the prize is the race itself. Just the fact that I got there, running and happy with friends and love ones - that's the prize; and it makes me feel very fortunate.

Honestly, my only disappointment was that the loot bag for 10k was lame and uninteresting, 1 Apple, 1 Banana,1 Canned beans (dapat ba talaga A-B-C? hehehe nangaasar ba kayo? :) 450 pesos registration for these?

Me and Bong together with Coach Rio, The Face of
Philippine Running.

Good thing our pic with Coach Rio kinda made up for my loot bag rant. :)

Can't wait for my next race. :) 'Till then!

Cheerio!

-- Rah

2012 Starbucks Planner

2012-01-07T07:36:00.001+08:00

2012 Starbucks Planner

Two days ago I received a gift from Sweet Pea - the 2012 Starbucks Planner in spruce design. The planner is beautiful, but the particular planner given to me is twice as beautiful because it was given with so much thoughtfulness.

I stopped collecting Starbucks Planners two years ago because it's expensive and takes a lot of my time to collect the stickers. I just wanted a cheapo planner from National Bookstore like last year (which I ended up not using), so it really came as a surprise when Sweet Pea gave me a 2012 Starbucks Planner as a gift. You see, Starbucks Planners are not just ordinary planners, they are collector's items. Maybe that's the reason why they are a bit hard to get.

What's new about this year's planner is that the cover is made out of wood (And they are supposed to be environmentally friendly huh?), it's smaller, and comes with a coffee canvas-like pouch. It also comes with the usual year-round freebies at the back.

I like its sleek and simple design, but unfortunately, I also know a lot of people who don't like this year's planner design at all. And it's like that every year, two opinions: some love it, others don't. But love it or hate it, I guess Starbucks Planners are always interesting to own, use, or give as a gift.

Now I can plan ahead my schedules in style. Thanks again, Sweet Pea. I really appreciate it. Now, let me treat you to a drink. :)

Cheers!

pic from here.

Anti-Goals: Its Virtues

2012-01-06T07:49:00.000+08:00

I wanted to write something about the virtues of not setting goals and being happy with it. I've been trying to find out ways to do this for the longest time, but I found a similar posted on the Zen Habits Blog that basically says all I wanted to say anyway.

New Years Resolutions, are pipe dreams; and setting goals are a waste of time. Plans are pointless, considering that life is really chaotic and unpredictable. So instead of making plans, goals, and resolution, focus on the habits that you enjoy. Daily habits. Do these habits with consistency. Focus on few practices that you enjoy doing regularly.

This is a re-post of the with the permission of the author. Here is the original link to his post.

How to Have the Best Year of Your Life (without Setting a Single Goal)
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jeff Goins of Goins, Writer.
This new year, do something different: stop setting goals.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, then making resolutions for another year is a sure-fire way to drive yourself crazy. I did it for years, and it got me nothing.
Resolutions are pipe dreams, and goals are a waste of time. They are designed to trick you into believing all you need to change your life is a plan.
But plans don’t work. Life is too chaotic and busy. For most of us, it’s impossible to stick to a list of goals for more than a few weeks, not to mention an entire year.
So how do you change your life? By controlling what you can: your daily habits.
The Pointlessness of Plans
Most good things happen without a plan: friendships, falling in love, finding a job, and so on. If you want to make your new year count, you’ll need to be intentional — not by setting goals, but by making space in your life for what really matters.
This was how I was able to get into shape, launch a blog, train for a half-marathon, get a book deal, and keep my day job this year — while loving every minute of it.
Most productivity systems focus on beginning with the “end in mind” and setting goals to get there. Many are based on the assumption that in order to get what you want later, you’re have to give up what you want now. You work the plan, endure pain, and win.
But this is not the only path you can take.
I just finished one of the best years of my life, and most of it was completely unplanned. How did I do it? By creating new disciplines I actually liked doing. I wasn’t only fixated on the end results; I also enjoyed the process.
This is the secret to a healthy, productive life and to making an impact on the world. Create good, sustainable habits that you enjoy, and you’ll end up with a life you can be proud of.
Instead of Goals
There is an alternative to setting goals that will bring you closer to the life you want. Focus on a few practices you can enjoy doing on a regular basis. The trick here is consistency. These four helped me:
Get up early. When the world wakes up, distractionsabound. If you are going to focus on creating a new life for yourself, you’ll need to find the time. The best way to do this is to work while others are sleeping. At first, I didn’t like waking up before the sun, but eventually my body adjusted and I began looking forward to the solitude.
Over-commit. The adage “under-promise and over-deliver” is a farce. It only propagates the status quo. Real difference-makers push boundaries. They test, prod, and poke until something gives. You can do this, too, by saying “yes” to more things than you’re comfortable with. Learn to stretch yourself. You might be surprised by what you’re actually capable of. Your confidence will grow, too.
Talk to strangers. Relationships are what make the world go round. This is true for your career, personal well-being, and inner life. When you meet new people, you make connections that can lead to all kinds of future breakthroughs. Even when it’s uncomfortable, reach out and introduce yourself to new people. The worst they can say is “no.” Fortunately, many won’t.
Practice generosity. Give away your time, money, services, and ideas. When you do this, you will get a lot more than you give. People will learn to trust you, and if you really help them, they will tell others about you. This will build your reputation, and you will have more friends than you know what to do with. And as the saying goes, what goes around really does come around.
After a year of doing these things, I ended up with a life I couldn’t have imagined or planned for. And I had a blast doing it. So I’m going to do it all over again, without setting a single goal.
The best year of your life is within reach — if you are willing to give up on the craziness of plans and instead focus on creating new habits. The first step is to begin.

Happy New Year! Good Vibes 2012!

2012-01-01T02:24:00.001+08:00

View from our streets 2012 at 12am. :)

Welcoming 2012 with a bang! Hoping for a prosperous new year for you, for me, and for all!! Cheers!

Goodbye Hello

2011-12-31T03:48:00.000+08:00

If you want others to be happy next year - try compassion. If you want your self to be happy next year - try compassion. Oh and empathy. Compassion and empathy, they go together.

The end of the world is coming. Are you ready? What a great year 2011 was, it's a transition year for me. My prospective changed a lot. Found new ways of looking at things. Discovered running - my dose of happy pill; and photography my other happy drug. While the truth remains -- that there will always be good years and bad years, I try counting only the good ones. Like a sundial that counts only the sunny hours and forgets the dark ones, positive is possible. I've tried to make this blog as positive as I can.

I am afraid next year I won't be able to write in this blog as much as I want to anymore because of a hectic schedule coming up. I don't know when I will comeback. Farewell!

But I'm cooking up something, a new anonymous blog. A blog with a mask. A blog without a face. Sort of what this blog was originally conceived to be in the first place. It will be be as damp, dark, and as cold as it can get. It will dig deep on what lies beneath the Consciousness. If you happen to find it. See you there then.

.

Year End Digest: Re-post of monthly highlights of 2011

2011-12-29T18:11:00.002+08:00

The year is almost finish! While there are a lot of things I remember, there are also a lot of things I forget. I forget most things that happen in my life. That's why I don't trust my memory. If you want an advise, hear this: don't trust your memory. The memory is a weak slave when it comes to preserving and nurturing thoughts and ideas.

I want to thank all the visitors and readers of this humble little blog, ~~thanks for the bashing, sending negative and hateful comments. You made me stronger by breaking my heart, you ended my life and made a better one start, you taught me everyt~~ Thanks for all the encouraging comments. Even if I don't get to reply to all of your comments, I want you to know that it really means a lot. If you're a writer (I don't want to use the term blogger). I'm sure you understand how encouraging even just one comment can be. When I started ~~blogging~~ writing two years ago, I told my self that if I could just sell my ideas to just one person, I would be happy.

As a special treat, let me re-post the monthly highlights of this blog for 2011. For other post for a particular month or year, you may visit the archive :) Thanks for visiting this year. Till next year!

January

How to Become a Money Magnet Seminar Reviewed

by rah

"One main reason why most people today remain broke is because they never really found a way how to manage their money..."

-John Calub, Success Coach

Saturday, January 22, 2011, SMX Convention Center. Sweet Pea and I attended a seminar on how to become a money magnet. The talk was delivered by the success coach John Calub and was attended by an estimate of 3,000 people. The talk was from 8:00am to 7:00 pm.

I learned about the seminar when John Calub was featured in a local talk show last Friday. The original price of attending the seminar was 8,000 pesos, but he proposed waiving his fee except for 250 Pesos cost of seminar materials. Intrigued by the huge discount deal and by topic of the seminar itself, I decided to attend.

Impressions:
1. The seminar was a gathering of people who want to become wealthy.
2. John Calub shared success principles he learned from his mentors and the books he read.
3. He urged the participants to abandon the "poor man's mentality" and instead shift to the way wealthy people think.
4. He featured a very rare book worth 5Million Pesos. Part of his collection of self help books on wealth.
5. He invited attendees to buy limited edition memorabilia like CDs and shirts.
6. He invited attendees to enroll in his other self- help seminars.
7. He introduced a system of principles to help you save and manage money.
8. He introduced action steps on how to acquire the habit of attracting money.

According to the speaker, to attract money, follow these principles:

PRINCIPLE #1.
Never limit your potential. YOU AND I HAVE INFINITE POTENTIAL.
What are the Limiting Beliefs?
Example:
1. Money is the root of all evil.
2. Rich people are bad and greedy.
3. Hindi importante ang pera, importante masaya tayo.
4. You have to work hard for money. No pain, no gain.
5. You cannot be rich if you stay in the Philippines.
6. Pag maikli ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot.
7. Wealth is "either or"
8. Knowledge is power.

"Look at your partner and say ' friend, we have a multi-
millionaire mind. Apir!"

The Limiting Beliefs should instead be reprogrammed to Empowering Beliefs:
1. The greed of money is the root of all evil. It is a sin to be poor.
2. I can be rich and spiritual at the same time.
3. Money is important in all areas of life.
4. Money comes to me easily and frequently.
5. I can be rich wherever I am.
6. Pag maikli ang kumot, bumili ng mas malaki.
7. I can have it all.
8. Wisdom is power. Wisdom is knowledge in action.

PRINCIPLE #2
"MAKE A DECISION TO BE WEALTHY STARTING TODAY."

PRINCIPLE #3
Understand that "YOUR INNER WORLD CREATES YOUR OUTER WORLD"
meaning, if you want to be wealthy the first step is "feeling wealthy inside."
"Have fun, feel good, it's all been done!"

PRINICIPLE #4
BE FAMILIAR WITH THE FOUNDATIONAL LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE ON WEALTH
Understanding the laws of the universe and applying it in one's life.

1. The law of attraction. Think only of what you want and not of what you do not want.

2. The law of tithing. All humans are required to surrender to God a portion of what he receives. God gives, god also takes.

3. The law of giving. When you give, you receive. Good vibes.

4. The law of cause and effect. What you sow is what you reap. What goes around, comes around. Karma.

5. The law of forgiveness. Detach your self from that hurt.

6. The law of gestation. There is a season for everything. You can't put a date on every dream. Only God knows when what you want will come.

7. The law of polarity. Negative and positive. Yin and yang. Oneness of opposites. There is a good side to every bad situation, and vice versa.

8. The law of abundance. God surely did not intend everyone to be poor.

Jesus himself was wealthy. Sin - means "missing the mark" in its original language root word.

9. The law of rhythm. No matter how good you are, there will be seasons of high and seasons of low.

10. Law of circulation - Everything is created by energy. Energy flows. It cannot be created nor destroyed. Good energy. Negative energy. If you want to get rich spend your money with "no guilt". Guilt produces negative energy. Wealth is intended to be circulated. When your money circulates, more money will come.

PRINCIPLE # 5

"PAY YOURSELF FIRST BEFORE PAYING ANYONE ELSE."
Remind yourself with these empowering beliefs:

1. I always have money that I will never need.

2. My money works hard for me and makes me more and more money.

3. Whenever I spend money, more money comes to me. (guided by the laws of the universe on wealth)

4. I always make decisions that are for the highest good of all concerned including my self.

Bottom line:

The seminar is interactive, fun, and a new approach in motivating you to manage and create money. Some of the points of the speaker may be controversial for some.

I realized in attending this seminar that achieving wealth is possible, I just have to understand the laws of the universe and apply it to my life. Most importantly I realized that wealth (just like success) is a state of mind. To be able to be wealthy outside, wealth must be felt in the inside. It pays to "feel good first." When you feel good first -- the ways and means to attract money (money magnet) will suggest themselves.

Should you probably attend the seminar?

Short answer - Yes.

Favorite Quotes:

"Everyone who works hard will become poor! Don't work hard, work smart."

"Make a dream board and paste all your dreams in it. Imagine that you are already successful."

"Before sleeping and after waking up, get a glass of water and tell that water your dreams. Drink that water."

"If you're happy, you will attract money." -John Calub

February

Happy Quitnaversary!

by rah

Hello there, hope everyone's alright. Today is a special day because I am celebrating my Quitnaversary. Yes, one year of not smoking. I'm glad I made the decision to quit smoking a year ago and never looked back. I've been reaping all the benefits of not smoking ever since.

To tell you the truth, I miss the coolness that comes with smoking, specially when having some drinks with friends or being in a very stressful situation. Quitting is not easy. Not smoking is a conscious effort all the time.

I am very sure why I decided to quit. The reason is simple -- It doesn't get better. It can only get worse. There are so many things that I want to do in life that requires me to be fit. Quitting is the first step to being fit. That's what I've always wanted.

Veni-Vidi-Vici means "I came, I saw, I conquered." That has been the mantra of my victory over smoking. Ironically, this secret is in every pack of Marlboro itself.

Congratulate me, I am a very very proud quitter. For those who want to quit, I support you 100%. But quitter or not, let us all celebrate life. Life is short, indeed.

March

Flying. Just like Peterpan.

April

8 Pictures of Marikina River: A Photo Jog.

by rah

I try to jog as much as a I can everyday 4:30 pm. I put on my running shoes and jog intercity from Quezon City to Marikina and back. While jogging, I carry with me my my very very old old digi digi cam cam. Here's a photo-story of what I see when jogging.

Yup that's my feet with my running shoes traversing Major Dizon Street.

I run with children. Yes, mataya-taya.

SM Marikina

Skyline of a jet trail. Is that a boat, ship, or flying saucer? That little white thingy.

Lrt 2 Paparating na sa Santolan Station

SM City Marikina

May

Novus Luna with MGX: Taking the City by Storm!

by rah

Getting ready, checking the sounds.

Margaux (MGX) and I belong to the same music organization back in college (UP Music Circle). When I learned that she's now part of the band - Novus Luna, I got excited. I told her, "I can't wait to watch your gig!" When she told me they will be playing at Freedom Bar, Anonas, I didn't hesitate to go. (even if I had to submit a 100 page school assignment the next day.) It was a great gig. They played their latest single - "Ayoko." Kitchie Nadal even jammed with the band. It was that awesome.

June

On How Not to Worry

by rah

from: here.

July

Lesson From My First Real 5k of Running

by rah

Had a great run yesterday with Seamus and Sweetpea at the 5km San Beda Animo Run at the CCP grounds. I thought the run would not push through because of the rains, but I am glad it did. The event was a bit disorganized. I can tell because it was not the first time I joined charity runs. It seemed the organizers didn't know what to do this time around. Lack of support from the school? Probably.

I got to run continuously for the whole stretch of the 5km for the first time. (My last event runs were more like "walks" really.) I just had to stop once in a while to drink Pocari Sweat. I believe I've just set my fastest time for a 5k run. My running form was more important to me than my speed. I just wanted to run as properly as I can; and made sure I had enough gas to survive the whole run - and I did. My goal was "get to know my self," rather than racing.

There's no one big common goal for everyone when it comes to running. Some, like my friend Jodan, took up running so that they can enjoy their every meal without guilt. My friend Seamus, on the other hand, took up running to push himself to his limits. He wants to beat his personal record. My brother Ryan took up running just to be fit. He's the first to discover the benefits of running. He's been running as a football varsity player since elementary days.

My mom, takes up walking every weekends in her hopes (for the longest time) to help her quit smoking. My father, while he doesn't run - is a fast walker. I'm not kidding you. He's the fastest walker I know. My sister isn't into running but she hits the treadmill and is into boxing. She trains at the Elorde Boxing Gym. You should see her left hook. Sweetpea, meanwhile, wants to run to show her support for charity.

As for me, I jog in the morning to make it a habit of waking up early. (I was an insomniac late sleeper for a very very long time.)

On the road while running that 5km in CCP, I realized a lot of things:

First, the importance of training. You can't just go out there and decide to run a 5k. You must train for it. Start slowly and progress gradually.

Second, stretching is very important. Make it a golden rule to stretch first. It is more important than running. It will prevent unwanted injuries. Stretch before and after you run. It will prevent lactic acid build up that may cause muscle pains. Don't be hard on your self while stretching. If you are stretching and it hurts, you are probably doing it the wrong way.

Third, run for a cause. It's hard to keep up the habit of running, but if you know why you are running, you are already half a successful runner.

I still have a lot to learn. I hope to finish a full 42k marathon someday. I know it will take a long time of training before I can probably reach that goal. But for now, I'm just gonna stick to my daily regimen of waking up at 5 to jog. I am not preparing for any fun run or marathon soon, but I'm running because I believe my morning jogging helps me become a better person.

Cheerio!

-Rah

August

Running Kahit Na-Ulan

by rah

I went on with my usual run even if it was raining. I don't understand why kung kailan ako tatakbo, saka naman laging umuulan. But it's ok. It doesn't matter if it rains. "Life isn't always sunny." - That, I understand.

September

Pulubi Running After Me

by rah

I arrived early at school today, but there was no class. Our prof. Justice Sempio-Diy decided it's "yoga day." (yon naman ang advocacy niya. She wishes everyone discovers the wonders of Yoga)

Tapos na kami (me, ange, avril, bimby, and klowee) mag-Yoga nung Saturday. Today is running day for me. I went home to get my shoes and went straight to UP. I think I'll be running frequently in UP from now on. Running in Katipunan is dangerous, unless you are running very early in the morning.

In UP, before I can even warm up for my jog, I felt the need to pee. Naghanap lang ako ng madilim na lugar, then jumingel ako (ewww).

Anyway, after two rounds at the Acad Oval, I was already tired.

I messaged my tatay. I asked him if he can pick me up on his way home. He said he'll pick me up in McDo Katipunan. I said ok, that's a good place to wait. At least makakabili ako ng Moonleaf Hakka nearby while waiting for him in McDo. At Mcdo, I bought fries.

While eating my fries sa outdoor tables ng Mcdo, merong pulubi na lumapit, asking for spare change. Fine, binigyan ko naman. Pang apat na siyang pulubi na binigyan ko this day. Basta may tumapat na kamay sa'kin, binibigyan ko kahit ano, kahit magkano. Ang philosophy ko kasi, isipin mo nalang kung ikaw ang nasa shoes niya. Isipin mo, ikaw yung pulubi tas wala kang nalimos (kinita) for the day? Ang sad non. Besides, I always believe, every time I give to the needy, positive vibes yon. Anyway, kung wala naman talaga akong mabibigay, or risky maglabas ng pera, hindi rin ako nagbibigay. Hindi ko ineencourage ang pamamalimos, pero kung nakikita ko naman na needy talaga, hindi din naman ako nagdadamot.

After waiting for a while, ayan na dumating na yung tatay ko, so pinutahan ko na siya.

This pulubi, ran after me, shouting!!

Lumingon ako.

"Hoy koya may naiwan ka!" Inabot niya sakin yung Angry Birds na lalagyan ko ng pera.

Wow. Natouch naman ako. Hindi niya dinekwat yung kaperahan ko, instead - binalik niya.

I guess, sometimes, it pays to give.

Pulubi man, may kabutihan din sila sa puso.

October

Film Review: Hable con Ella (Talk to Her)

by rah

Hola! ¿cómo estás? Me llamo Rah, tengo 28 anos, vivo en Quezon City. Me gusta ir a cine y me gusta sacar fotos.(Hi, how are you? I'm Rah, 28, lives and QC. I like watching movies and taking pictures.)

So much for my Spanish.

To be honest, I was never really good at it anyway. I almost failed it back in college.

I have forgotten most of what I have learned in Spanish back then, but I can still vividly remember the movie "Hable con Ella" -- the Spanish movie our professor made us to watch to conclude the last day of classes. It was the first foreign language film that I've seen. It was what gave birth to my fascination with foreign language films.

Hable con Ella is a story of Benigno (a male nurse) and Alicia (a comatose patient). Benigno (translated as benign or harmless in English) has always been attracted to Alicia's grace and beauty. Even before the accident that caused her coma, Benigno would wait for her everyday in her dance classes (overlooking his window) and simply admired her in every way.

One day, Alicia met an accident that led to her state of vegetative coma. She was confined to the hospital where Benigno was a nurse. Benigno would always talk to the comatosed Alicia, give her massages, baths, did her nails and hair. He gave her all the love and care in the world. Throughout the four years that Benigno had been taking care of the comatosed Alicia, his obsession with her grew more intensely. There's no doubt in his mind that Alica loved him too. Benigno wanted to marry her and had even prepared the house where they would stay.

Along the story, Benigno meets Marco, a guy similarly situated with him. Marco was also taking care of his girlfriend Lydia who was also in a coma. He would seek Benigno's help and advice. Their profound conversations would develop in deep friendship and trust, which was further complexed by Benigno's seemingly, strange, subtle, naive attraction to Marco.

One day, the hospital doctors found out that the (comatose patient) Alicia was pregnant. Benigno, as a prime suspect for rape, was charged with and was jailed pending his case. But Benigno couldn't stand being away from Alicia. He will do all that it takes to be with Alicia again. His subsequent decisions - will define the outcome of the story.

Looking closer at Benigno's character, it is noticeable that he is naive and unsure of himself. Viewers will find it easy to relate with his character - he's just like most of us - naive, unsure. The film's telling flashbacks, symbolisms, and back stories (not to mention the nude scenes) will make you want to stay in your chair as long as the movie takes. The scenes are artistic and very well thought of.

The film is also very unique as it engages us to ponder on the notion and concept of love. "Is it right to believe that love can persist beyond the realm of consciousness?" This is one of the main questions that the film is trying to convey.

Starring: Javier Camara, Dario Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Rosario Flores, Mariola Fuentes, Geraldine Chaplin, and written, produced, and directed by Pedro Almodovar. The film won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the 2003 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, among others.

Here's the official trailer. I hope you get the chance to watch it somehow.

Verdict:

Perhaps one of the best foreign language movies I've ever watched. I wouldn't mind watching it again. It's a movie that's hard to forget.

November

How to Apply for a Driver's License Philippines

by rah

I PROTEST! I told my father that I will never get a driver's license as sign of "protest." I find it senseless for him to ask me to get a driver's license and yet not allow me to drive. If he doesn't trust my driving, there's no need to get a license. But yesterday was different, I finally found the courage to get my driver's license and abandon my "protest." Thanks to Sweet Pea who had been very patient with me. She was the one who convinced me that getting a driver's license is really to my advantage.

I filled up an application form at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) East Avenue, Diliman Licensing Branch. I attached my student's license, drug test, medical exam results and paid the fees. While waiting for the written exam, I was instructed to go to the Lecture Room which ironically was a misnomer -- no lectures are conducted there.

There are exam reviewers inside. You can choose whether to take the exam in English or Filipino. I chose Filipino having read here sometime ago that "Filipino is the language of the streets." but I changed my mind when I opened the Filipino exam reviewer. It seemed taking an exam in Filipino would be a hard nut to crack, so I reverted to choose the English reviewer again.

Overhead the room was a TV screen showing something about driving. I couldn't understand what was shown because the TV was muted. There were signs to "keep silence" at every corner of the room. Ironically, the only source of noise and distraction in the room was LTO's own annoying amplifier on top of the door. It made reviewing difficult because you had to divide your attention between what you're studying and listening to announcements.

My name was the last to be called in our batch, and because of that, I was left with only fifteen (15) minutes to review for the written exam. The exam was scheduled at 1:00 p.m. it was 12:45 on my watch. I panicked! How can I study (100) one hundred questions, familiarize my self with (300) three hundred choices and countless road signs in fifteen minutes?! I wasted no time and started cramming. "The mind works best under pressure." - I told myself.

Come one o'clock, a good forty of us applicants were called to the examination room. The examiner treated us all like pesky kids. Ang sunget niya! She asked each of us to choose whether we wanted to take the exam in Filipino or English. She entered our names in the computer. The computer generated a questionnaire consisting of forty randomly selected questions. She printed it out and distributed it accordingly.

I browsed the questionnaire's three pages after receiving it and noticed that some road signs to be identified were so small it can easily be mistaken for a "biological stain." I also thought some items were unfair because it used unfamiliar idiomatic expressions. Question #20 went like...

20. "It is normal to sound off in driving but a driver must keep in mind the performance of his car, his distance, and his skill in driving, except ________.

a) in multi-lane highways

b) in a curve

c) in a curb."

Come on! What does "Sound off" mean? Does it mean...

a) to rev and accelerate one's car and make a sound?

b) play loud music while inside the car?

c) beep the horn?

d) speak angrily?

Can't they just use simple standard written English? And what does curb mean anyway? If you know what a "curb" means without google-ing it, ikaw na ang best in English 'teh! :D

No time limit. Someone in the room asked if there was a time limit, the examiner said "as long as we don't go beyond five p.m." Wow! was that a joke? It was just one p.m. You mean to say we can take a forty item multiple choice exam for four hours? Cool!

VIP treatment. A popular "kapamilya" who has a regular tv and radio show was also getting her license the same time. She didn't have go through the lines and wait, an LTO staff was walking her through the whole process. She may not be demanding to be treated like a VIP, but she's not refusing it as well. For us who patiently waited for our turn, I don't think that was fair.

After a long while, the results of the exam were out. My golly! I can still remember the sound of the FAILEDstamped on application papers of those who didn't make it. There were a lot of them! Nalagas ang batch namin.I had faith in our batch kahit marami sa kanila mukhang jejemon. The examiner was literally banging theFAILED stamp on the application papers with so much gusto! Those who failed were told that they may re-apply after one month.

I told myself, "What a waste!" I felt sorry for most of my batch mates. Waiting for one month doesn't make sense. The exam was easy: 1) if only the examinees were given enough time to study; 2) if only a lecture were conducted to brief the examinees; and 3) if only sufficient instructions were given before the exam, a lot will surely pass.

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting. Thank God I have extreme patience.

Tips. I realized, in this branch of LTO, "You are on your own." If you are planning to apply for a driver's license in this notorious East Avenue Main Branch in the near future, consider my advice - TAKE THE WRITTEN EXAM SERIOUSLY. (45) Forty-five minutes of review should be enough. It's OK to tell the examiner that you want more time to study. A lot of road signs look alike. If you were asked to identify a road sign in the exam and you are not sure, don't be afraid to stand up and look it up in the wall where road signs are posted. It is not prohibited. Don't guess if you are not sure of your answer, just get back on it later. There's plenty of time.

After the written exam, the few of us who passed the written exam were instructed to go to the actual driving test area where we were made to wait for another hour again.

After the passing actual driving test, we were made to wait (again) as they print our driver's license.

How much. I was ready to go home and spread the good news specially to my father when I remembered I don't have money left to commute back home. I just brought with me 1000 Php thinking it would be enough. I was wrong. Good thing I had with me my ATM. For your non-pro driver's license application, expect to spend the following (as of November 2011):

100+ personal fare

300 drug test

100 application fee

67.63 computer fee (kailangan talaga may 63 centavos??) haha

350 license fee

67.63 another ridiculous computer fee (at kailangan talaga may 63 centavos ulit) haha

250 test car rent fee

10 gulaman

23 siopao

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

≈1268.26 Php

Sagad na talaga pera ko pati coins. Sana hindi nalang ako bumili ng gulaman at siopao para nakauwi pa ako. hehe. Be sure to bring around 1,500 Php para may pang Jollibee ka pa pagkatapos ng napakatagal at nakakapagod na process na to. It took me seven hours from the time I went to LTO until the time I actually got my license.

I'm glad I finally got my driver's license. And now for the next important question I have to ask my self ---

What will I drive? Wala naman kasi akong coche! hehe

Tomorrow Chevrolet- New Balance Power Run na!! Yehey! Finishers get a chance to win a brand new Chevrolet Cruze. I hope I win. If I win, of course, papasakayin ko kayo lahat. That's a promise.

Cheerio!

-- rah

Lessons From Chevrolet New Balance Power Run 2011

by rah

NOVEMBER 6, 2011, 4:30 a.m. The time has come. It's race day.

I prepared an apple, two bananas, and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I asked my brother if he would be so kind to cheer for me up for my run - which really meant, "Can you drive me to Bonifacio Global City?" My brother was so supportive. I promised him that he can have the car if I win the raffle, but before that, I must first finish the race in less than an hour. It was raining hard. I can tell by the way the wiper of our car was working. There was no sign the rain would stop.

There was another problem. I noticed a slight tinge of discomfort on my left foot. I don't know what caused the slight pain, but I was praying it's not an injury. When we got the BGC, I stretched my foot to loosen tight muscles while waiting for the race to start. I also laced my shoes tighter for better support. After more warm ups, I concluded my foot was fine.

I positioned myself near the middle of the pack to give way to the "more competitive" runners. Then the count down, 3...2...1... bang! Game na! Everyone was running. I was surprised almost everyone was running so fast. It was like I was running for a 500 meters dash category! I was tempted to speed it up but I had to maintain my pace. My goal was to reserve energy enough so I can run faster halfway the track.

All of us runners were soaking wet. It didn't stop raining the whole race. Another thing I noticed was that a lot ladies were very strong runners. The legs of some lady runners were distracting -- or should I say inspiring. That's what I like about the 5k, there are a lot of sexy runners.

Just after the 5k race. I felt so happy because I've set my personal best time for a 5k.

It just came to my senses that it was already the last kilometer when I saw the 4k sign. "Gosh, it's the last kilometer, why am i jogging?" I walked for like 5 seconds to gather up may balls, then I ran as fast as I can towards the last stretch. At that point, as I expected, there were a lot of participants already walking their way to the finish line. I run passed a good number of people in those last five hundred meters. I was very surprised where I was getting my energy coming from. I always loved that 5k last stretch "kick" (i.e. sprint towards the end of the race).

YES! I MADE IT! Finally, I crossed the finish line with raised hand, huffing, trying to catch my breath. I saw my brother cheering for me.

The car we didn't win. But it's ok, the prize was the race itself.

After the races, it was time for the organizers to draw the winner of the car. Sadly, my stub was not selected. But that's ok, because I still felt a winner! I realized that I can do it! I learned in training and participating for this event that I can be a better person. When I saw the FINISH line, I realized it's just the START of brighter things to come.

-Rah

A Birthday Surprise

by rah

Can't wait to attack Avril's special cake.

I DID NOT KNOW WHERE WE WERE GOING on the evening of November 24, 2011. From Sweet Pea's place, we hailed a cab and told the driver to take us to Timog.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

I've seen Wensha's big neon signs before, but I hardly know what happens in that spa place, except for the fact that customers are given 6 hours to eat and rest all they want, and one hour of relaxing massage. As we entered, nicely dressed crew received us at the counter. They gave us our magnetic wrist band keys for our lockers. It's my first time. The receptionist could tell, because I asked too many questions.

The food was yummy, especially the Japanese hot pot. I like it when I'm cooking my own soup with my choice of ingredients. I'm surprised Wensha offers hot pot as complementary service, it's expensive in other restaurants. For dessert, there's unlimited ice cream.

Then, it was spa time! The massage was like nirvana. The massage therapist took care of all my stiff muscles. I felt super relaxed and felt super rested.

After the massage was through, I met Avril at the lobby. We waited for twelve o'clock a.m. while munching dimsums. I thanked her for the wonderful surprise. It has been a long while since I my last spa.

Finally it's 12 a.m! Avril gave me a birthday card, a kiss and another surprise birthday gift - a hydration belt that I can use for running. At that point I was so kilig already. I wasn't expecting it.

Then we went home. Just when I thought it was time to call it a night, there was another surprise. Our house was dark, except for two candle lights. I thought it was brown out, until I heard my sister singing: "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday happy birthday, happy birthday to you..."

My sister and Avril prepared a special made to order cake with two candles - two and nine. It was so sweet.

The next day, when I got home from school, mama and tatay prepared a feast for me. We invited my titos, titas and cousins in a small salo-salo. A lot of friends also sent their greetings through facebook and text. Some old friends came to visit, too!

-- rah

December

Tatay's First Race

by rah

Tatay's sporty "get up."

"Here's your running shorts, running shoes, and socks." My tatay (a senior citizen) requested my help in preparing the running gears he could use for their office sponsored fun run, and I gladly did.

The time was four a.m., the race starts in two hours at the UP oval. Cash prizes await those who finish the race. This race was different, employees were "paid" to run. How I wish all races were like this.

Under the pretext that I would be somewhere around UP to jog on my own, we drove to UP. But the truth was, I was gonna cheer for him! I can't help but smile as he lined up at the starting line. I guess I was more excited than he was.

Six thirty a.m., at the sound of the whistle, their office was running - lawyers, clerks, janitors, staff, everyone.

I jogged the opposite way to meet him halfway. When I saw him, I gave him a high five, "You can do it 'tay!"

He finished setting a personal record. It's his faster ever! You should have seen the very proud son that I was. I wish it's enough to get him to be inspired to run regularly. Yes, he sure did enjoy his first ever fun run. Mission accomplished. Next up, I hope I can get my incorrigible mom (a chain smoker) to run too.

Our Yearly Christmas Party Gigs: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

2011-12-28T07:28:00.001+08:00

It has been a yearly tradition that Marge (a.k.a. Majo Jojo) and I "gig" for class Christmas parties. We'd say "yes" to your invitation and perform at your Christmas party right away. You don't have to pay us. Yes for free! What an amazing offa! :) You just have to feed us. We performed Have Your Self A Merry Little Christmas. We wanted to play more Christmas songs like: Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, All I Want for Christmas is You, and Jingle Bell Rock, but there's just not enough time.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light,

From now on our troubles will be

out of sight...

Good friend Francis helping with the microphone

Guitar. My ever so trusty Yamaha FX guitar named Mango. When I bought this guitar after graduating from college, I just know I had to name her Mango. It's her rich yellow color that resembles a ripe mango where she got her name. I use Mango mostly indoors because it has a sound pre-amp output that can connected to an amplifier.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yule-tide gay
From now on
our troubles will be miles away...

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were near to us
gather near to us once more...

This is the part where we sing "Hang your shining star upon the highest... BOW. :P

Through the years we all will be together

If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

It was fun! This year was a little bit different, because while practicing, Majojo and I were able to tweak a poem she wrote into a song. We hope one day that original song will debut itself on a gig somewhere.

Can't wait for the next Christmas for another yuletide gig. There's really something about Christmas gigs that's so sublime, so merry, and bright. I hope we'll be able to do this for a lot of more years to come - even if we're not law students anymore.

Our Family Zoo Adventure 3 (Tiger Safari and Crocodiles)

2011-12-28T02:06:00.001+08:00

Now, to conclude the last part of our family zoo adventure... our encounter with the tigers! Man these cats are big and majestic. You don't want to upset them.

The tiger jumped over our jeep looking for food. It scared me, I tell you.

Can't underestimate tigers, they are very ferocious.

Tigers are highly ferocious, and unlike the laid back male lion, it's never wise to turn your back to a tiger even in captivity. Even seasoned zoo keepers report tigers assume a stalking position and prepare to strike when they turn their back to them in the cage -Source

Honestly there's a part of me that feels sorry for these tigers.
They have to work for their food by entertaining guests.

Poor ostrich losing some feathers.

There! The crocodiles, a lot of them! They are as crooked as our politicians. :)

Conclusion: Zoobic Zoo adventure was fun and refreshing. It's a bit pricey, and you have to charter transportation to go there, but it's really worth it. It's a great place to date with your significant other or bond with the family. I'll definitely go back if given a chance to. My favorite part of the tour was, of course, the Tiger Safari. I just pray Zoobic can maintain the facility and remain as an animal sanctuary for more years to come.

Our Family Zoo Adventure 2 (Camels and Reptiles)

2011-12-27T03:31:00.000+08:00

We don't get to see these camels and reptiles everyday, so we were very excited. The regular admission of 449 ++ for the whole Zoobic tour was, I guess, worth it. We really enjoyed feeding and interacting with the camels, reptiles, and a lot of other animals I never knew existed.

At first I thought camels were hostile, but they are friendly pala. As for the snakes, hehe goodluck...

Friendly camels! Too bad wasn't able to see camel toes. :p

They are just interested on our food.

I forgot that camels are not dogs. Hehe I'm so used to our dog.

Animal show where they force the animals to work for food. :) Just kidding. The animal show is really to increase people's awareness on animal protection and nature conservation ;p

There are a lot more features in Zoobic. These caves are old war bunkers converted to mini museums and attractions. There's our safari jeep. It is reinforced with grills to protect passengers from possible tiger attacks!

Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. Herpetophobia is the fear of reptiles. Hssss... Zuma will love it here.

Admission:
Adult P449
Children 4 feet below P349
++
Souvenir picture at the tiger safari =P295 each
Feeding the bearcat (stick of bananas) = 10 pesos each
Feeding the Birds (you just have to hold the bird seeds in your hands and the birds will come to you. = 10 pesos per cup of feeds
Feeding the Goat/sheep (milk) = P25
Dressed chicken for the tiger (this is what they use to lure the tiger to hitch on top of the modified jeepney. = P200
Safari Train ride = P50 per pax

Our Family Zoo Adventure 1 (Birds, Chimps, Reindeer)

2011-12-26T18:28:00.000+08:00

Days before Christmas, the family went to Subic to visit their zoo dubbed as Zoobic. We really had great time :) Here are some photos to share. Enjoy.

Cute white parrot. I wish I could bring this home.

I know what's on her mind. FREEEEDOM! Chimps unite, we have nothing to lose but our chains, we have the world to gain!

Rodolfo, the other reindeer. Not included in reindeer games.

Bang gang. Once you go black, you won't go back.

Hedwig. Shhhh, owls are nocturnal, she's probably sleeping now ...

Colorful coat for a bird.

Can't take my eyes off you, I love ya baby.. and if it's quite alright, I need you baybeh... Ack! those
cheezzi love birds.

"Gasolina"

2011-12-23T18:30:00.000+08:00

Gasolina
by Rah

"The vanity of existence is revealed in the whole form existence assumes: in the infiniteness of time and space contrasted with the finiteness of the individual in both; in the fleeting present as the sole form in which actuality exists; in the contingency and relativity of all things; in continual becoming without being; in continual desire without satisfaction; in the continual frustration of striving of which life consists."

-- Arthur Schopenhauer

Chapter I

“Kung wala ng gasolina ang kotse, hindi na ito aandar.”

Ito ang text sa akin ni Joey noong gabi ng September 24. Busy ako noon sa aking term paper sa school kaya hindi ko na binigyan ng pansin ang text niya. Binura ko lang ang text niya ng ganun-ganun lang, wala na kasing space sa cellphone ko. Kung maibabalik ko lang ang panahon, sana'y nireplyan ko siya.

Kababata ko si Joey. Magkaklase kami mula ng grade one hanggang high school sa Baguio Central School. Naaalala ko pa ang unang araw na nagkakilala kami, sinamahan niya ako sa clinic noong minsang masugatan ang tuhod ko dahil sa pagkakadapa sa P.E. Ang tagal na nun, dalawampung taon narin ang nakakaraaan. Masayahing kaibigan si Joey, mahilig mang-trip at mang-good time, pero pag oras na seryoso, seryoso din siya. Totoo siyang kaibigan at handa ka niyang protektahan sa oras ng pangangailangan.

Noong third year high school naging officer siya sa C.A.T. Pangarap na talaga niyang maging sundalo sa simula palang. Sabi ko sa kanya, wala siyang mapapala sa pagiging sundalo, walang pera doon, atsaka, wala namang giyera sa Pilipinas. Pero desidido siya. Sabi niya, "Ang pagiging sundalo ang solusyon..." Hindi ko maintindihan kung anong ibig niyang sabihin. Ganun talaga si Joey -- pilosopikal, madalas malabo, pero sanay na ako.

Nakahiligan ko naman ang pagsusulat para sa aming school paper, na para kay Joey ay mas-lalong kasayangan ng oras. Mas mabuti pa daw magtanim nalang ng kamote kaysa magsulat ng mga walang kakwenta-kuwentang kung anu-ano. Hindi ko alam kung paano kami naging magkaibigan ni Joey gayong ang layo ng aming kinahiligan. Isang bagay lang siguro kami talagang nagkakasundo - sa musika.

Naaalala ko pa ang mga panahong gumawa kami ng banda, ako ang gitarista at siya naman ang bokalista. Simple lang naman ang pangarap namin - ang magkaroon ng album at ma-feature sa magazine, isang pangarap na alam naming malabong matupad. Yano, Eheads, Parokya, Siakol, Razorback, Wolfgang, lahat na ata ng banda noon memorize namin. Sa dami at tagal ng aming pinagsamahan, higit pa sa magkapatid ang turing namin sa isa't isa.

Fourth year na kami noong nakilalala ni Joey ang girlfriend niyang si Senya. Lagi ko silang kasama sa recess at uwian. Saksi ako sa pagmamahalan nilang dalawa. Ang sobrang pagmamahal narin siguro sa isat-isa ang dahilan kung bakit binigyan sila ng Diyos kaagad ng anak. Walang nag-akalang si Joey pala ang unang magiging tatay sa aming mga magkakaibigan.

Nung ipinanganak ang baby niya, sinamahan ko pa nga siya sa ospital. Nasaksihan ko kung gaano siya kasayang makita ang anak niya. Ako pa nga ang nag-suggest na "Bianca" ang ipangalan sa anak niya. Ang ibig sabihin kasi ng Bianca ay maputi. "Wow improvement ng lahi!" - 'yon pa nga ang joke ng mga kaklase namin, gayong pareho kasing kayumanggi si Senya at si Joey.

Pagkagraduate namin sa high school, nagkolehiyo ako sa Maynila, si Joey naman, pinagpatuloy niya ang kanyang pagiging sundalo sa Philippine Military Academy sa Baguio. Alam kong mahirap maging isang PMAer, ngunit wala akong duda na makakayanan niya iyon. Kahit anong hirap ay malalampasan niya, lalo pa't inspirasyon niya ang kanyang girl friend at anak. Isang taon narin ang nakakaraan mula noong pumasok siya doon.

Chapter II

1:00 a.m. ng madaling araw October 3. Tinawagan ako ng tatay ni Joey. Nasa ICU ng Baguio General Hospital raw si Joey. Nagmadali akong pumunta sa Baguio. Pinara ko ang unang taxi na dumaan sa Katipunan kung saan malapit ang dorm ko. Sinabi ko sa taxi driver na dalhin ako sa istasyon ng Victory Liner sa Cubao at lumuwas sa unang bus na papuntang Baguio.

8:30 a.m., pagdating sa Baguio, sumakay ako ng taxi papuntang Baguio General Hospital. Dumiretso ako sa Intensive Care Unit kung saan naka-confine si Joey. Nalaman ko na nagtangkang magpakamatay si Joey sa paginom ng isang bote ng Muriatic Acid.

Tunaw at sunog sa asido ang kanyang bibig at lalamunan, tuklap at sunog ang kanyang balat sa leeg, hirap siyang magsalita at naghihingalo sa paghinga. Maya't maya ay umuubo siya ng dugo. Maya't maya sumisigaw at namimilipit sa sakit.

"Bakit 'tol?"

Hinawakan ko ang kamay ng akin kaibigan. Hindi ko napigilang tumulo ang aking luha noong sabihin niyang:

"Patawad 'tol... 'Di ko na... kaya."

Dinala si Joey sa operating room. Gulat pa rin ako sa mga pangyayari. Sinamahan ko siya habang tinutulak ng mga nurse at doktor ang kanyang kama sa operating room, ngunit pinigilan ako ng nurse pagdating sa pinto.

Chapter III

Nalaman ko sa kanyang nanay hindi na pala makakabalik si Joey sa PMA. Officially dismissed na ang status niya kasabay ng lima pang estudyante dahil daw sa academic deficiency, deficiency in conduct, at failure in aptitude. Hindi ako lubos na makapaniwala. Imposibleng maging dahilan ito nang pagka kick-out niya sa akademiya. Alam kong wala ng ibang pinangarap ang kaibigan ko kundi ang maging sundalo.

Nalaman ko din sa kanyang nanay na si Senya raw ay lumipad na papuntang Singapore kasama ng totoong tatay ni baby Bianca. Hindi pala talaga tunay na anak ni Joey si baby Bianca kay Senya. Di umano, matagal na palang nakikipaghiwalay si Senya kay Joey, at nagkaroon lamang siya ng lakas ng loob at rason na iwan si Joey noong ipinakita niya ang medical documents na nagpapatunay na hindi si Joey ang totoong tatay ni baby Bianca.

Isang gabi bago ang paginom ni Joey ng Muriatic Acid nagkaroon ng matinding pagtatalo si Joey at Senya at nagbanta si Joey na magpapakamatay kung itutuloy ni Senya ang paglipad sa Singapore kasama ang kanilang anak. Walang nag-akala na tototohanin pala ni Joey ang kanyang banta. Hindi ko maintindihan kung paano nagawa ni Senya iyon. Ang bilis ng mga pangyayari. Hindi ko pa rin lubusang maunawaan kung paano humantong sa ganito.

Chapter IV

Sinabi ng doktor na talagang malubha ang pinsala ng Muriatic Acid sa lalamunan, baga, sikmura, at bituka ni Joey. Hindi naa-absorb ng kanyang sikmura ang nutrisyon at gamot na kanyang kailangan. Hindi daw nila magagarantiya na bubuti ang kalagayan ni Joey. Isang linggo na lamang daw ang taning ng buhay ni Joey. Kailangan daw naming ihanda ang aming sarili.

Chapter V

Binawian ng buhay si Joey 9:30 ng umaga, Lunes, October 7.

Chapter VI

Hindi ko marinig ang musika na pinapatugtog ng caro ng patay dahil sa lakas ng ulan, pero naririnig ko pa rin sa isip ko kung paano noon tinugtog ni Joey ang mga paborito naming mga kanta, naaalala ko parin ang mga pangarap naming maging sikat na banda, ang pag bili namin ng una niyang gitara, ang kantang una naming tinugtog. Parang pinagsakluban ng langit ang araw na iyon, napaka-dilim ng kalangitan at napaka-putik ng paligid ng libingan. Sariwa pa sa isip ko kung gaano siya kasaya noong makita niyang ipinanganak si baby Bianca. Alam kong nakita niya ang kinabukasan sa mata ng batang iyon.

Hindi pa rin ako lubos makapaniwala kung paano nagawa ni Joey na magpakamatay. Malayo sa aking hinuha na magagawa niya iyon. Araw-araw tinatanong ko ang sarili ko kung saan magsisimula at kung saan magtatapos ang aking pang-unawa. Humihingi siya ng tawad, pero hindi ko maintindihan kung anong klaseng tawad ang nais niya.

Sana'y naroon ako sa tabi niya sa mga pinaka-madilim na oras ng kanyang buhay. Sana'y naroon ako para makinig sa kanyang problema. Sana'y naroon ako para pawiin ang lungkot, galit, at pangungulila niya. Sana'y naroon ako para sa kanya -- katulad ng mga panahong naroon din siya para sa akin sa tuwing ako naman ang nangangailangan. Ganoon ang tunay na magkaibigan -- laging nandyan hindi lang sa oras ng saya, ngunit mas lalo na sa oras ng lungkot. Sa totoo lang, walang araw ang lumipas mula noon na hindi ko sinisisi ang sarili ko. Wala man lamang ako nagawa para matulungan ang kaibigan ko sa oras ng kanyang kalungkutan.

Naalala ko ang huling text niya sakin. Ang text niya na sana ay hindi ko binura at binale-wala:

"Kung wala ng gasolina ang kotse, hindi na ito aandar."

Mali ka Joey... Aandar pa rin ang kotse kahit wala ng gasolina. Kailangan lang ay payagan mo ang mga taong nagmamalasakit at nagamamahal sayo na itulak ang kotse sa pinaka-malapit na gasolinahan.

Ito sana ang irereply ko sayo.

Pero huli na ang lahat.

End Notes:

1. Eto po ang entry ko sa pacontest ni sir GasolineDude BLOGVERSARY WRITING CONTEST. Sali rin po kayo para sa chance na manalo ng mga limpak limpak at umaatikabong mga papremyo! But wait, there's more! Why wait! What a great offfa! :p

2. DISCLAIMER po: All characters appearing in this work are PURELY FICTITIOUS and IMAGINARY. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is PURELY COINCIDENTAL .

3. Thanks so much for reading. Kung nakarating po kayo sa part na ito, ibig sabihin, binasa niyo at tinapos talaga kahit mahaba. Maraming maraming salamuch!

4. 2x na salamuch sa mga regular readers at comments. Always appreciated. 3x na salamuch sa mga suggestions at corrections ng mga friendly friends habang sinusulat ito.

5. Ang moral lesson po ng story ay ito: "Huwag snubbish. Magreply. Magtext. Makialam." hehe oktnxbye! :D

2011 University of the Philippines Lantern Parade

2011-12-19T15:31:00.003+08:00

Crowd of people at the AS steps, Belly Dancing Org "Indak Oryantal" and Darna!

Big robot floats and Lola Basyang with her E Book.

Manny Pacquiao Lantern Float

Zombies on the lose! UP Film Institute

Jump shots

Hot air balloon lanterns.

Pop culture mascots.

We'll surely go back next year. :) Dinner at Chocolate Kiss Cafe, Bahay ng Alumni,
unfortunately my camera ran out of battery, hehe :)

Running the 35th Milo Marathon 2011 5k

2011-12-12T02:12:00.001+08:00

My sister and my brother

Sea of 5k Runners 5:30 a.m. waiting for the gun start.

My finish time: 1 hour 7 minutes and six seconds, and proud of it. :) (I'll post the story behind it in my next post)

Next year, level up na :)

Angelica, Avril, Raaaaahhh, Ryan

With Bong.

"Direction"

The Runner's High

Breakfast at Pancake House Harbor Square

Omelets and pancakes for breakfast

Afternoon Urban Running Katipunan-Marikina-Katipunan

2011-12-09T15:24:00.001+08:00

Three o'clock in the afternoon, no classes today. Hello running shoes. Feeling lucky, I just run out of our gate bahala na kung saan makarating.

Urban running is dangerous. Delikado ang mga motorcycles. Pati side
walk na dapat sa tao, ginigitgit. Ang hirap tumakbo ng ang daming
iniisip, e.g. SAFETY MO! hehe

Running Katipunan, I didn't know where my feet will take me.

Hidden LRT 2 tracks, few people have seen this view of the LRT2

Before I knew it, Marikina na.

SM Marikina

Bonny Serrano Avenue, I found my way back where I started.

It's hard to compete with vehicles.

Facade, it's just a face, behind the walls are eye sores. Indurstrial
Valley, Marikina.

At siympre, naki-party muna ako sa mga bata :D

Conclusion: Urban running Katipunan-Marikina-Katipunan in the afternoon is difficult and dangerous. Other than running, you still have to think of your safety. The motorcycles, they get into my nerves. They think they own the pedestrian side walks. I think urban running is really more like urban hiking, you have to put it in its proper perspective. Appreciating the city, meeting people, reflecting, being grateful - I think that's what it was about.

Feature: Chevrolet - New Balance Power Run 2011

2011-12-07T17:32:00.000+08:00

Tatay's First Race

2011-12-03T00:19:00.001+08:00

Tatay's sporty "get up."

A Birthday Surprise

2011-11-26T15:13:00.001+08:00

I DID NOT KNOW WHERE WE WERE GOING on the evening of November 24, 2011. From Sweet Pea's place, we hailed a cab and told the driver to take us to Timog.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

Then, it was spa time! The massage was like nirvana. The massage therapist took care of all my stiff muscles. I felt super relaxed and felt super rested.

Super special cake from Avril. Made to order :D

as in super effort :) Every bite was like heaven. The star of the party.

Running hydration belt made by Adidas but from from the heart of Sweet Pea.

Hindi ko na kailangan iipit ang pera ko sa brip ko
while I'm running ... hehe if you know what I mean. :p

Can't wait to attack Avril's special cake.

My sister Angelica's super shrimp with her secret sauce

Tatay's specialty ginataang crabs. Super sarap, everyone went crazy.

My Tatay's specialty. Feisty spicy crabs.

Feast with family and friends

Avril's awsome surprise.

Liempo and Shashimi c/o mama and tatay

Good old friends visiting :) thanks guys, you remembered :)

"Where are we going?" I remembered my question to Avril. I realized that the answer to that question wasn't really a place -- but a moment in time. A moment in time I will treasure forever. I closed my eyes, made a wish... and thanked God, my family, and my good friends.

25th of November 2011 (1:10 a.m.)

2011-11-25T02:09:00.001+08:00

Thank you Avril, Angelica, family and friends... :D

Inviting My Friends to Run

2011-11-20T13:04:00.001+08:00

The singlets, race bibs, timing chip, and instruction manual of my
classmates. This is all that's left after I've distributed the rest.

Face. You have to put up a "face" when it is time to get grades. The face must neither be happy nor sad. It must be somewhere in between :/ <--- like this perhaps.

When I got my grades at the Dean's office, slowly, subject by subject, I peaked into my grade sheet with a "face" on.

1. The Dean gave me a passing grade...
2. Retired Justice of the Court of Appeals passed me... so far so good.
3. Justice of Sandigan Bayan passed me...
4. MTC Judge passed...
5. The Associate Dean passed me...
6. Attorney Doctor President of the largest medical association in the Philippines passed me...
7. Senior Partner of Law Firm... passed me!

It's the first time I'll be joining
the Milo Marathon
The 5k, of course, is my favorite.

I passed all subjects I took in this semester. I wasn't expecting it. I've considered my self "dead" halfway the semester as my midterm grades were hanging by a thread. It really is a blessing.

I ask my self what's the difference between this sem and those I've taken in the past; I had only one thing in mind -- Running.

Running is a diversion from all the stress of school. It gets me to wake up early. It develops speed, endurance, time management, and a unique positive perspective -- all are helpful in work and life. It just keeps the energy flowing. God really meant the body to be moving.

And just like that, I got my friends sold. I got a good number of them to join the 35th Milo Marathon with me. Inviting them to a race is the best way I can introduce them to the joy of running. I was so excited for them I even volunteered to register them as soon as possible. We will all be running the race favorite 5K category. I hope running makes a positive effects on my friends and classmates' work and life as it did to me. When I was still starting to advocate for running, I told myself that if I could just get one person to discover the benefits of running, I'm already happy.

See you at MOA grounds on 11th of December good friends :)

-Rah

Farewell Lolo Pancho

2011-11-17T17:23:00.001+08:00

An outstanding man full of talent, his greatness emanates naturally in his character. Everyone close to him knows he had an amazing way of looking at the world. He saw beauty in everything and expressed his love through art, fashion, music, and dancing.

I learned a lot from him, although my meeting with him was brief. He taught me valuable life lessons I will cherish my whole life:

"In everything that you do, do it with love in your heart and you will always find yourself in a good position. Whether it be studying in school, dealing with others, practicing your craft, learning an art, or performing for others -- by doing it with love in your heart, you will always find yourself in a positive light." - He said.

He also taught me the value of smiling. "Smiling is priceless." - he said. "It creates so much but doesn't cost anything. A smile motivates and inspires others, it is always appreciated, and always leads to success..."

But I won't see Lolo Pancho smile again. He has joined his Creator in Peace on a good morning of 11.11.11. Just February this year we celebrated his 86th birthday in Bacolod together with Avril and her family. Nobody expected it would be this soon.

I will forever cherish the wonderful life lessons you imparted Lolo Pancho.

I pray Almighty Father hear our prayers for Lolo Pancho whom You have called from this life to Yourself. Grant him light, happiness, and peace. Guard him from all harm and give him eternal life in Your light. Amen.

Lessons I learned Running the Chevrolet New Balance Power Run 2011

2011-11-10T13:24:00.000+08:00

NOVEMBER 6, 2011, 4:30 a.m. The time has come. It's race day.

I prepared anapple, two bananas, and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I asked mybrother if he would be so kind to cheer for me up for my run - which really meant, "Can you drive me to Bonifacio Global City?" My brother was so supportive. Ipromised him that he can have the car if I win the raffle, but before that, I must firstfinish the race in less than an hour. It was raining hard. I can tell by the way the wiper of our car was working. There was no sign the rain would stop.

There was another problem. I noticed a slight tinge of discomfort on my left foot. I don't know what caused theslight pain, but I was praying it's not an injury. When we got the BGC, I stretched my foot to loosen tight muscles while waiting for the race to start. I also laced my shoes tighter for better support. After more warm ups, I concluded my foot was fine.

I positioned myself near the middle of the pack to give way to the"more competitive" runners. Then the count down, 3...2...1... bang! Game na! Everyone was running. I was surprised almost everyone was running so fast. It was like I was running for a 500 meters dash category! I was tempted to speed it up but I hadto maintain my pace. My goal was to reserve energy enough so I can run faster halfwaythe track.

All of us runners were soaking wet. It didn't stop raining the whole race. Another thing I noticed was that a lot ladies were very strong runners. The legs of some lady runners weredistracting -- or should I say inspiring. That's what I like about the 5k, there are a lot of sexy runners.

It just came to my senses that it wasalready the last kilometer when I saw the 4k sign. "Gosh, it's thelast kilometer, why am i jogging?" I walked for like 5 seconds togather up may balls, then I ran as fast as I can towards the last stretch. At thatpoint, as I expected, there were a lot of participants already walking their way to the finish line. I run passed a good number of people in those last five hundred meters. I was very surprised where I was getting my energy coming from. I always loved that 5k last stretch "kick" (i.e. sprint towards the end of the race).

YES! I MADE IT! Finally, I crossed the finish line with raised hand,huffing, trying to catch my breath. I saw my brother cheering for me.

After the races, it was time for the organizers to draw the winner of the car. Sadly, my stubwas not selected. But that's ok, because I still felt a winner! I realized that I can do it! I learned in training and participating for this event that I can be a better person. When I saw the FINISH line, I realized it's just the START of brighter things to come.

-Rah

We were all drenched and wet.

Just after the 5k race. I felt so happy because I've set my personal best time for a 5k.

I forgot my watch, good thing I can tell the time from here.

One of the prizes: Libre, papayungan ka ng chick :)

"Lamig daw." Libreng massage from another chick. Haha

The car we didn't win. But it's ok, the prize was the race itself.

How to Apply for a Driver's License Philippines

2011-11-05T19:50:00.001+08:00

20. "It is normal to sound off in driving but a driver must keep in mind the performance of his car, his distance, and his skill in driving, except ________.

a) in multi-lane highways

b) in a curve

c) in a curb."

Come on! What does "Sound off" mean? Does it mean...

a) to rev and accelerate one's car and make a sound?

b) play loud music while inside the car?

c) beep the horn?

d) speak angrily?

Can't they just use simple standard written English? And what does curb mean anyway? If you know what a "curb" means without google-ing it, ikaw na ang best in English 'teh! :D

After a long while, the results of the exam were out. My golly! I can still remember the sound of the FAILED stamped on application papers of those who didn't make it. There were a lot of them! Nalagas ang batch namin. I had faith in our batch kahit marami sa kanila mukhang jejemon. The examiner was literally banging the FAILED stamp on the application papers with so much gusto! Those who failed were told that they may re-apply after one month.

After the written exam, the few of us who passed the written exam were instructed to go to the actual driving test area where we were made to wait for another hour again.

After the passing actual driving test, we were made to wait (again) as they print our driver's license.

100+ personal fare

300 drug test

100 application fee

67.63 computer fee (kailangan talaga may 63 centavos??) haha

350 license fee

67.63 another ridiculous computer fee (at kailangan talaga may 63 centavos ulit) haha

250 test car rent fee

10 gulaman

23 siopao

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

≈1268.26 Php

Picture time:

Basta driver, sweet lover.

Actual testing ground. That little car right there is the test car. The rent for the test car is 250 Pesos. Mind you, you will be using it for not more than three minutes.

Doing the math, if (100) one hundred applicants rent this one tiny car for (5) five days a week at 250 Pesos each, its gross income can easily reach roughly (6) six million pesos per year. In five years, it would be 30 million. Let's just say half lang doon ang net income. 15 million parin. WOW! Kumikitang kabuhayan 'to ah!!

After so many years, I finally found the courage to abandon my "protest" and get my driver's license.

LTO Licensing Center Diliman Branch. Brace yourself, there's a lot of cold hearts here.

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting. Thank God I have extreme patience.

The "Lecture Room" I was talking about.
Ignore the word "lecture," that's only a room.
No lectures are conducted there.

Running/Praying for Souls

2011-10-31T22:00:00.002+08:00

May the souls of the dead see the light...

Walking on the way home from my afternoon jog, I saw a family place a lighted candle in front of their gate. I am not sure, but I presume it has to do with the upcoming All Souls Day. When I got home, I did the same. I got a candle, went outside, and lighted it up.

There's a long religious debate on whether or not we should pray for/to the dead or not. There is also a long religious debate on whether or not purgatory exists, but I don't want to go into that. All religions can spend all the time that they want debating about dogma.

But for me, it makes sense praying for the dead. I don't know why, I am not sure either. I remember attending a requiem mass sometime ago. The religious leader said: "the dead cannot pray for their own souls, they need us, the living -- to pray for them."

I believed him. "They need us. They need us to pray for them." Tumatak yon sa utak ko. Kailangan din nila ng moral support. The soul journeys from this world to the next. May transition na nagaganap. Endeavor. I think prayers serve as their moral/spiritual booster para makatawid sila sa next life (sa finish line?).

Parang pagtakbo din yan, kailangan mo ng someone na maniniwala sayo na KAYA MO. Kahit isang tao lang, sapat na. It just takes one person to wish and pray for your good luck and it already means a lot.

I dedicate this afternoon's run to the faithful departed, -- to the souls of those "nauna na."

Eternal rest, grant to them, God. Let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Training for Chevrolet-New Balance Power Run 2011

2011-10-27T10:01:00.000+08:00

Although I tried to wake up early today, I just couldn't. It's probably because my body wanted to recover all the puyat it had studying for the exams the previous days. So I just decided to run in the afternoon, which is quite unusual for me.

Afternoon runs at UP. Where's everyone?

Since I don't have anyone to run with, I just ran with my shadow. "Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is." It may be one's link to more primitive animal instincts, which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind." "In spite of its function as a reservoir for human darkness... the shadow is the seat of creativity. So that for some, it may be, 'the dark side of his being, his sinister shadow (which) represents the true spirit of life..." - Carl Jung

I am not alone after all. Jogging with "THE SHADOW."

Sun sets at UP.

After my jog, I went home straight to take a shower. The next thing that was on my mind was to go to Shang New Balance store. On my way there, I stumbled upon a drink stand that I have missed so much - Quickly!

Wala paring kupas.

Of course, I bought my ever so favorite Taro Ice, which they now call Super Taro Ice.

Tastes oh so yummy. Honest to goodness. No frills.

Then, I went to the NB store to register for the New Balance Power Run 2011 right away...

NB Store in Shangri-Ladida

After registering, I get the bag that contains all that I need for race day.

The bag the contains everything I need for the race.

Running shirt

1000 Php shoe discount. Too bad the discount is only until 6 November. But no worries, a small stub right there in the corner gives 20 per cent off until the year ends. Great deal parin.

My race bib with timing chip. Also a raffle stub, for a chance to win a Chevrolet car!

Rules rules rules.

NB shoes galore. Good thing I didn't bring any extra cash. Buying running shoes is just too tempting.
The feeling's so strong.

I am a long time fan of New Balance. I like their running philosophy and the quality of their products. What's more, I think with NBs, you get your money's worth. I will buy another pair once I retire my old ones.

But what really made me decide to join this race is the chance to win a car! That's very unique in a race, getting a chance to win a car. *Fingers cross.

Of course, you just don't put your shoes on and decide to run a race. You must train and prepare for it. Training makes the challenge easier. I like how Manny Pacquiao put it, "The harder you train, the easier the fight."

First Time in a Regional Trial Court

2011-10-24T20:39:00.010+08:00

The Manila City Hall where you will find the courts. Trials usually start at 8:30 a.m.

MONDAY, I woke up early to meet my classmates at Manila City Hall. As one of the requirements in our subject Practice Court, we were required to render several hours of court visits. The requirement made a lot of sense to me as I haven't been to a court before. I don't know what a real court looks like nor how a case is really heard. I consider my self very fortunate to have been to a court, not everyone has been to a court. That's true even to some lawyers.

Inside the Manila City Hall, we had a hard time looking for the Regional Trial Court we were supposed to visit. "It should be somewhere here - third floor, but where is everyone?" We opened an old inconspicuous door and there it was! It was a room as jam-packed as an MRT on a rush hour.

Persecutor cross-examining the witness.

I was excited. I had been waiting for this moment for years. It was my first time to see how a Philippine court looked like. Judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys, family members, inmates, stenographers, evidences -- everything that I have been reading in books and cases were there right before my eyes. We observed the persecutor cross-examine the witness. There was tension in the air as the lawyer was trying to squeeze the truth out of a witness who herself wasn't sure of her answers.

I was seated beside an inmate ready to be sentenced for a crime. "Kuya" didn't mind me. He had his own business. I find a sense of security knowing that all inmates are handcuffed. I also noticed that the "witness stand" was an old dilapidated chair, which had probably been there since circa 60's (?) The Philippine flag at the background was old, you can tell that it hasn't been washed in years. Along sides were cabinets that seemed like lockers. There were also old unused papers lying on every corner. Without people, that room could easily be mistaken for a bodega.

Inmate waiting for his case to be called

Outside, just a few steps away, there was a room renovation going. I think they are furnishing a new court to replace the existing one. Thank goodness. Once complete, there should be a better venue to administer justice. With that said, they no longer have to used that "bodega," and oh, that hideous looking witness chair.

Bimby and Klowee as Friends

2011-10-23T21:12:00.001+08:00

It's nice to know that after barking, biting, chasing, and humping each other the whole day - Bimby and Klowee are STILL friends.

Feature: A Surprising Study on What Motivates Us

2011-10-20T14:49:00.000+08:00

Study shows that there are three (3) factors that lead to better performance:

1) Autonomy - it is our desire to be self directed.
2) Mastery - our urge to get better at stuff.
3) Purpose - ... making the world a little bit better.

Enjoy and share.

Film Review: Hable con Ella (Talk to Her)

2011-10-09T13:46:00.010+08:00

Hola! ¿cómo estás? Me llamo Rah, tengo 28 anos, vivo en Quezon City. Me gusta ir a cine y me gusta sacar fotos. (Hi, how are you? I'm Rah, 28, lives and QC. I like watching movies and taking pictures.)

So much for my Spanish.

To be honest, I was never really good at it anyway. I almost failed it back in college.

I have forgotten most of what I have learned in Spanish back then, but I can still vividly remember the movie "Hable con Ella" -- the Spanish movie our professor made us to watch to conclude the last day of classes. It was the first foreign language film that I've seen. It was what gave birth to my fascination with foreign language films.

Hable con Ella is a story of Benigno (a male nurse) and Alicia (a comatose patient). Benigno (translated as benign or harmless in English) has always been attracted to Alicia's grace and beauty. Even before the accident that caused her coma, Benigno would wait for her everyday in her dance classes (overlooking his window) and simply admired her in every way.

Happy Birthday Tatay

2011-10-01T23:47:00.001+08:00

September 27.

Happy Birthday Tatay!

My Tatay and I two decades ago. Time flies so fast.
When I showed you this picture, you smiled and laughed.
I know you saw the future in my eyes.

Birthday Bash at Tatay's office.

We hope you enjoyed the special surprise we prepared for you. :)

Love,

Rah

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

2011-09-30T11:52:00.000+08:00

A commencement speech given by Steve Jobs to the 2005 graduates of Stanford. It talks about making sense of our lives, following our heart, and finding out what we love.

Enjoy and share the inspiration.

Cheers.

-rah.

P.S. Transcript attached.

Stanford Report, June 14, 2005

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Source: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea's Shopping Spree

2011-09-28T17:31:00.001+08:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

Every year, at 25th of September we splurge shop somewhere. It has been a tradition. This year, we burned our allowances in a Divi shopping spree and a cruise ship dinner.

Thank God the "boyfriend chair" was invented. It is where boyfriends sit while waiting for their girlfriends shop around the mall or boutique. You can find it at the center of the shop or near changing rooms. And why do boyfriends have to sit and wait? Well, it's because girlfriends take a lot of time making up their mind. Most boyfriends can't stand the wait. Thank God I was gifted with extreme patience, plus, I really enjoy accompanying gf shop. I learn a lot from her on the subject of fashion.

A "boyfriend chair" is where boyfriends sit while waiting for their girlfriends shopping.

Shopping makes you thirsty, so we tried BubbaTea Licious Milk Tea. We ordered Taro Milk Tea. It's cheaper than the more popular brands of milk tea. It tastes like a reincarnation of the of Quickly's Taro Ice which was popular sometime ago.

It's a reincarnation of Quickly™'s Taro Ice.

Shopping can also make you hungry, but we didn't want to eat a full meal because we made dinner plans. So we tried this Sin Yi Long egg tart. It's not as fresh and as soft as Lord Stow's egg tart, it's just "ok." Nothing special, puwede na pang mirienda.

Puwede nang pang mirienda.

Katas ng shopping: Wallet, bag, blouses, hats, stockings, dresses, pants, shorts, cardigans, etc. :)
Ubos na pera, ipon nanaman ulit :D

Come night time, dinner for two on the deck of the Prestige Cruise Ship

Docking at the back of the Folk Arts Theater, a cruise ship was waiting for us.

Multiple choice. Which of the following is/are true while I was on board the Prestige?

a)"hindi ako na-sea sick"
b)"hindi ko naubos ang napaka-sarap na dinner"
c)"hindi ako nagsuka sa CR"
d)"hindi ako kumanta, nakakahiya!"
e) None of the above

Good Luck!

First to get the correct answer gets 20 Peso load. hehe

We felt like king and queen of the world for one night.

Happy Birthday Boo, 'till next year's birthday shopping spree! :)

Wish Granted: Asics Cumulus Running Shoes

2011-09-27T06:21:00.024+08:00

September 26. Happy Debut my new Asics GEL Cumulus Running Shoes. The universe has a special way of granting what we ask for. Sometime ago, I wished I had an Asics Running shoes to relieve my NB running shoes. I posted that wish on my side bar without expecting anything, to my surprise, someone sold me his Asics for a steal. Masaya lang talaga ako 'cuz I wasn't expecting it. I promised not to buy another new running shoes this year. I hope I haven't broken that promise yet considering I bought a "used" shoes, not "brand new." Hehe excuses. But it's a bargain talaga. Believe me you'll never get a deal better than what I was offered.

I took it for a run this afternoon and I wasn't disappointed. It offers more cushioning while retaining its responsiveness (compared with my New Balance 563). The shoes was said to be made for people who are prone to injury because of a particular gait of running. It may take a little while before I can get to know its benefits. I haven't taken it for long runs yet. It has been raining hard lately because of Bagyong Pedring which gets into the way of running safely (Signal no. 2 in NCR today, classes in all levels are suspended).

Loving my almost new Asics Cumulus Running Shoes

If you wish for something, just try writing it down and putting it up. Sometimes "the law of attraction" works. Try it even if it's just a small thing that will make you happy, even if you hardly have an idea how you will get it. Sometimes small wishes do come true. And if doesn't come true? Ok lang. Sabi nga ng nanay ko nung bata pa ako, "Anak, libre mangarap." Positive thinking lang. "Positive is possible!" - that's my motto. (It's also a spelling trick to help me remember that the word "positive" has (1) one "s" and that the word "possible" has (2) two "s") ;-)

Cheerio!
Have a great day. Ingat po tayo sa bagyo.

Product Review: Moon Leaf Tea Shop

2011-09-24T11:36:00.016+08:00

Tea fever.

Yes it's here and it's viral. If you haven't tried milk tea, you don't know what you are missing.

There are a lot of tea shops opening lately, each of them racing towards tea supremacy. There's Happy Fanshu Japanese milk tea with pudding, Moon Leaf, Bubble Tea, ChaTime, Loose Leaf, Tea Bucks, The Tea Shop, Happy Lemon, just to name a few. Not to mention, you can also still order tea from old coffee shops we've known like Starbucks, CBTL, and Seattle's Best. Tea is everywhere and is here to stay.

The first ever milk tea introduced to me was Nai Cha from ChowKing. I really liked Nai Cha, but I wonder why Nai Cha is now only being offered in a small boring size. It used to be sold in varying sizes. But no worries, milk tea is now more exciting because there's just so many tea shops to choose from, like Moon Leaf!

We have been long time fans of Moon Leaf, but getting to the nearest Moon Leaf from our house is out of the way going to school. So when news came out that Moon Leaf (Tolentino Street near UST) was opening, we went there soon as we had our free time.

What to Get.

If it's your first time to order from Moon Leaf, I suggest you try first their Wintermelon Milk Tea with pearls. That's like their standard "bang for your buck" product. More or less you will like it. On your next visit, try Hakka with nata. You may also want to try their other products, like my personal favorite Yogurt Milk Tea or Jasmine Tea with Yakult. After that, you are on your own!

How Much.

The prices range around 70 to 100 Pesos depending on the type of tea. Add ons like pearls, nata, aloe vera will cost you 10 Pesos more. It's recommended that you add nata or pearl to your milk tea. It just adds more character to your tea and makes your tea more special.

How it tastes.

Light and refreshing. Not too sweet and not bitter at all. The black pearl is chewy chewy, and the nata is chunky and fruity.

We were excited to visit the newly opened Moon Leaf Tea Shop near UST.
We are a big fan of Moon Leaf Teacher's Village Diliman which was first
discovered by my bro.

Glorious.

Tea or me?

Waiting.

Punch it.

Yogurt Milk Tea with black pearls for me,
Jasmine Tea Yakult and nata crystals for Sweet Pea.

Verdict.
It's the unique experience that keeps us coming back for more.

Treachery: A Reaction to the Mayweather vs. Ortiz Fight

2011-09-22T02:24:00.030+08:00

Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: Ako ang nagwagi Larry!
Larry Merchant: Meganon!?

I watched this fight expecting the highest level of boxing skills. I was surprised when the fight ended because of some headbutt, terrible piece of refereeing, and some sick cheap sucker punch. (not to mention, the prima donna verbal exchanges from Mayweather and Merchant.)

While it is true that Ortiz did not protect himself while still saying sorry, Mayweather should have refrained form making a cheap shot like that.

You don't attack a guy who's still saying sorry, that's treachery! It is morally wrong anyway you look at it. "Sportsmanship," which refers to virtues such as fairness, self-control, courage, and persistence, doesn't mean anything to Mayweather. The commonsense of "defending one's self at ALL TIMES (not just most of the times)" is obviously not important to Ortiz. Cortes the referee on the other hand is showing signs of aging. His tagline, "I'm firm but fair." may have lost its credibility. Even referees have to retire too when age is catching up.

Mayweather may have won the fight at least according to the official rules of boxing, but he has done so unethically. I can't stomach this. Hindi ma-fathom ng utak ko kung gaano kadisgusting yuck kadirs ang fight na to. They are disgusting - Mayweather, Ortiz, and Cortes -- The Three Stooges of the a circus-like fight. What a waste.

Rematch? Nah. It will be difficult for Mayweather to sell his fights ever again. We all had enough.

Running Katipunan

2011-09-14T02:39:00.014+08:00

The time has come to wake up,
lace my shoes, and run.

I love how the sun rises in Katipunan.

Stopping to smell the flowers, too.

Sharing with you the joy of running.

Stopping for a while to pray...

...and look at others pray. I can almost hear what they are asking from God.

Nun sense.

Dapat maingat sa pagjog sa part na ito ng katipunan. Ang daming
sasakyan a labas-masok sa loob ng Ateneo. Ang hirap tumawid.

Miriamish.

The morning Katipunan traffic.

UP College of Science Amphitheater

Fibonacci and the golden curve.

Slowly but surely. This snail was moving as fast as he could. You can do it
Mr. Snail. Tara jog/ run tayo, whatever!

Me and my trustworthy New Balance 563

Old school, the mother who loves me so dear, I hug you so tenderly, mother. All my love
goes to you.

The garden that sinks

Enjoying my UP taho with a view of the
Sunken Garden

Around the oval as fast as I can.

Bird's eye view.

Oble: Honor and Excellence.

Marikina Sports Park

2011-09-10T07:05:00.002+08:00

One fine Friday morning, we woke up early...

to run..

at Marikina Sports Park track oval :)

Bubba Gump Date

2011-09-09T10:22:00.001+08:00

Rah, Sweetpea, Anton, Queenie, Jasy, Bry meet up at Red Mango Green Belt 3

After meeting with friends, sweet pea and I decided to try Bubba Gump.
There's no place like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Running with Forrest Gump. See that bucket at the back of the sign? It has more than
meets the eye :D

"Jenny Curran: Do you ever dream, Forrest, about who you're gonna be?
Forrest Gump: Who I'm gonna be?
Jenny Curran: Yeah.
Forrest Gump: Aren't-aren't I going to be me?"

While waiting for the food

Dynamite Shrimp - Recommended.

Fries on the side - Recommended

Bawwoons!

Run, Forrest, run! Run, Forrest!

My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates.
You never know what you're gonna get.

Pulubi Running After Me

2011-09-05T23:13:00.002+08:00

Takbo Turned Tsibog

2011-09-04T21:01:00.001+08:00

We were ready to run. At 4:30pm we decided to go to UP, hear mass, and then hit the road.

At 5:30, after the mass ended, the sky was so dark, the rain poured so hard
that running became impossible.

We wouldn't have mind getting wet, except for the fact that our bag wasn't waterproof and that
we couldn't leave it anywhere.

Running for fitness, instead, turned into food trip. We went to UP Shopping Center to buy
every food that our hearts desired: manga, mais, bitcho bitcho, fruits in ice cream, fruit shake, etc.

It was too late when we realized that we didn't have money to commute back home anymore.
We spent all our money on food. :(

We called home para magpasundo.

Running on a Rainy Wednesday

2011-08-31T21:50:00.011+08:00

I had been staring at my books for hours. I had a lot of things in my mind. I had a lot of things to finish, but I couldn't seem to figure out how to.

I wanted to run, but it's raining.

I arranged my "things to do" in order, I told myself, "I'll be back." I messaged friends if they wanted to run, jog, whatever, I received no reply.

I changed to my black jersey and shorts; laced my shoes and decided to run even if it's raining.

I didn't know where to go.

I ran until reached the next block. When I got there, I decided to run until I reach Aurora Boulevard. When I got there, I decided to run until Ateneo, when I got there, I decided to run until I reach UP. When I got to UP, I decided to run around the Acad Oval Twice.

Bumili ako ng Gatorade, tapos bumili ako ng footlong sa gitna ng AS at FC. Kulang ang pera ko, pero buti nalang mabait si manong, pumayag siyang ibenta ang footlong kahit kulang pera ko.

Then I decided to run back home again. I can't do it anymore.

Ang layo na nang natakbo ko.

Sumakay ako ng jeep pauwi, buti nalang may nakaipit na pera sa brip ko.

When I got home, I finished my assignments. Solutions to my problems started showing themselves.

A Rainy Date at Makati

2011-08-29T01:40:00.007+08:00

Gusali.

Makati. Sunday. Around 5 p.m.

Inside the keb.

"The best. Nakaka-in-love."

Shopping. Forever 21

Like a scene from Resident Evil.

Our Running Shoes of Choice

2011-08-26T10:05:00.002+08:00

New Balance -- the brand of running shoes we (Seamus, Jodan, and I) really love!

Today, good run at Marikina Sports Center Track Oval.

Breakfast at Tapsi ni Vivian, Anonas.

Bimby and Klowee

2011-08-20T02:45:00.001+08:00

(Klowee and Bimby) It's nice to know the kids are finally getting along.

On Monthsery Gifts

2011-08-15T14:15:00.002+08:00

Akala ko I would surprise Sweetpea sa monsewy gift ko sa kanya,

it turns out - ako ang nasurprise niya :) Thank you berry much boo! Super sweet ng gift mo sakin, so yummy :D Hindi ako sanay, cheapo lang kasi ako.

We ordered our favorite pizza, Calda Pizza and studied for midterms thereafter. Study date :D

I love you, Boo. Mwah :D :D :D

The Daily Panda

Guess Who's Studying Law for Midterms?

Rah and Marge Covering Hot and Cold in a Jeepney

Our Kite Flying Date

Why I'm Running

Goodnight Bimby and Klowee

Running P10k at the Stag Run 2012:

Running My First 10 Kilometer Race: The PSE Bull Run 2012

2012 Starbucks Planner

Anti-Goals: Its Virtues

How to Have the Best Year of Your Life (without Setting a Single Goal)

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jeff Goins of Goins, Writer.

The Pointlessness of Plans

Instead of Goals

Happy New Year! Good Vibes 2012!

Goodbye Hello

Year End Digest: Re-post of monthly highlights of 2011

How to Become a Money Magnet Seminar Reviewed

Happy Quitnaversary!

8 Pictures of Marikina River: A Photo Jog.

Novus Luna with MGX: Taking the City by Storm!

On How Not to Worry

Lesson From My First Real 5k of Running

Running Kahit Na-Ulan

Pulubi Running After Me

Film Review: Hable con Ella (Talk to Her)

How to Apply for a Driver's License Philippines

Lessons From Chevrolet New Balance Power Run 2011

Tatay's First Race

Our Yearly Christmas Party Gigs: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Our Family Zoo Adventure 3 (Tiger Safari and Crocodiles)

Our Family Zoo Adventure 2 (Camels and Reptiles)

Our Family Zoo Adventure 1 (Birds, Chimps, Reindeer)

"Gasolina"

2011 University of the Philippines Lantern Parade

Running the 35th Milo Marathon 2011 5k

Afternoon Urban Running Katipunan-Marikina-Katipunan

Feature: Chevrolet - New Balance Power Run 2011

Tatay's First Race

A Birthday Surprise

25th of November 2011 (1:10 a.m.)

Inviting My Friends to Run

Farewell Lolo Pancho

Lessons I learned Running the Chevrolet New Balance Power Run 2011

How to Apply for a Driver's License Philippines

Running/Praying for Souls

Training for Chevrolet-New Balance Power Run 2011

First Time in a Regional Trial Court

Bimby and Klowee as Friends

Feature: A Surprising Study on What Motivates Us

Film Review: Hable con Ella (Talk to Her)

Happy Birthday Tatay

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea's Shopping Spree

Wish Granted: Asics Cumulus Running Shoes

Product Review: Moon Leaf Tea Shop

Treachery: A Reaction to the Mayweather vs. Ortiz Fight

Running Katipunan

Marikina Sports Park

Bubba Gump Date

Pulubi Running After Me

Takbo Turned Tsibog

Running on a Rainy Wednesday

A Rainy Date at Makati

Our Running Shoes of Choice

Bimby and Klowee

On Monthsery Gifts