On the 4th day of 2014*

Tomorrow will be my fourth anniversary in the institution where I work. Last year, I promised myself not to reach the fourth year of my employment in this organization. Why? I was thinking that four years is too long to stay in one company. But no. I stayed, and maybe it’s time to graduate.

What did I do for these four long years? Everything seemed to be just so fast. Like a snap. How come I did not notice that time is fleeting? Have I improved myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? Or did I just spend my time watching re-runs of The Voice?

Looking back on the professional aspect, I mentally listed the failures and accomplishments of the past four years. I learned that along with the failures, such as flunking a life-changing exam and not being able to pass any scholarship that I applied for, I gained the courage to take risks, and I think that it was much better than not having taken them at all. Surely I was frustrated and distraught. It took me almost a year to recover and bring back the positivity I have with life.

As for accomplishments, I am glad to have gotten back to school and pursue my desire to delve deeper into history, politics and international affairs. Although I do not know how exactly I will end up with this degree, I take pride in pursuing what I really like and funding myself to finish this academic endeavor.

Of course, I improved a mile in the use of Spanish (well, according to my standards), as it is the language we use in the office. Compared to my speaking, writing and comprehension skills when I started working, my Spanish is now acceptable. Haha However, I grew complacent and was taking this experience of developing my skills for granted. I just thought that given those four years, maybe I should have been comparable to a native speaker. Maybe it’s high time to hit some books and do a repaso. As one language teacher said: “If you don’t use it, you lose it”.

In those four years, I also got to know more people and made new friends. I was able to widen my network, although I wish to have made it larger. I somehow developed some confidence to talk to people and share my ideas and opinions with them, without the fear of being judged.  

Likewise, I got to meet famous people, which I never imagined of meeting before. I once had a conversation with a colleague. We agreed that when we were in highschool, never in our wildest dreams did it occur to us that we would be attending functions and get to meet high-level personalities.  Seeing them in person inspired me to be like them someday (not the corrupt ones though).

As you see, there were little regrets amid the achievements. There were realities amid uncertainties. C’est la vie. But I have to move on. 2014 will be great.

*My first entry for the 500words/day challenge

On Highschool friends

Who would have thought that it's been a decade
we were so young then, and life was a maze

who would have thought that we'll still see each other
when we are grown-ups now and far from one another

who would have thought that we're a bit different from who we used to be
yet still enjoy each other's company*

*corny but true

On El Nido and new found friends

Being someone who is not used to travelling as a tourist or to travelling for any other reason, I feel giddy whenever I think of a travel experience. When my friend invited me to travel with her to El Nido, Palawan, along with her friends, I never thought that the said plan would materialize.

Come the semester break, my friend sent me a message that she will book me for the trip to El Nido once I confirm my availability. I agreed for the trip out of the desire to satisfy my friend's insisting. Once she started to send me some flight details, the reality of the trip started to sink in. I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. I was thinking that if the Palawan trip would push through, that would be my first time to ride a plane and travel with "strangers".

I just had to document a moment during my first airplane ride. ^_^

For the record, I have never ridden a plane in the 23 years and 9 months of my life. Likewise, I have never tried going out on a trip with people that I only get to meet on the same day of the start of the trip. To elaborate that latter statement further, I was going on a trip with a friend I've known for seven years, and with 4 people that I would meet for the first time, or my friend's friends. So you can sense how excited and nervous I was.

Going to El Nido, Palawan takes an hour of plane ride from Manila. Of course, one can always opt for sea travel but it will surely take more time, which could have been spent on touring the place. My plane seatmate was one of my friend's friend. Let's just call her "Sun". I was very lucky that Sun is a nice lady and is used to travelling, hence made me feel safe during the trip. Nevertheless, I was not able to keep my hands from being sweaty out of anxiety.

When we arrive at the Puerto Princesa airport, I met the other three 'friends' for the first time. It was good that they were just my age and nice enough to accommodate me easily. We then went to the office of Fortwally Travel and Tours for the van ride going to El Nido. We paid 1200 php each for the round-trip use of the van. The bumpy road ride from Puerto Princesa to El Nido approximately took 5 to 6 hours. The ride had one stop-over for us to eat lunch. Sad to say, but I don't know why the driver brought us to an eatery that was very disappointing. The lunch I had was composed of rice, fried fish and a banana, which cost me 90 php. So much for a price in a place where seafood is abundant. Upon arrival in El Nido, we were directed to our hotel, the Marina Beach Resort. For me, the word that best describes the hotel is that it is "cute". The walls of our room are colored with stripes of bright green and blue. The room was decent and seemed affordable. I can say that it is sufficient since one would not stay for a long time in the hotel because of the touring activities in El Nido. I do not know how much is the exact price of the per night stay in Marina since we booked our vacation through Ensogo.

For our dinner, we dined at the famed Art Cafe. The place was very quaint and the food was really sumptuous. The dinner was accompanied by music from this keyboardist who played very well. Frankly, I appreciated the music more than the food. If I had the money, it would be fine with me if we eat all our meals in Art Cafe.

El Nido Art Cafe

The second day of our trip was the most exciting and memorable part. It was the day of the island-hopping tour. We were fetched by the island tour guide from our hotel at around 9 am. The tour guides suggested for us to rent swimming shoes and goggles, which cost 200 php. We also paid 200 php for the environmental fee. The islands that we went to were part of the 'Tour A'. We went to four islands: Shimizu Island, Secret lagoon, Small lagoon and the last stop, which is the Seven Commandos beach. Unfortunately, we did not get to drop by in the Big lagoon since it was high tide.

My favorite spots were the Small lagoon and the Seven Commandos beach. The former reminded me of the Middle Earth setting in the Lord of the Rings movie. We went there by riding a kayak, and the place was just majestic. It took my breath away! Once surrounded by the magnificent rock formations, one cannot help but to utter nothing. I was speechless for some moments and just basked in the beauty of what I behold. I did not bring a camera since I know that it cannot capture the glory of the place. It was also a good thing that I did not tag the camera with me, or else it would have been destroyed by the water when I fell from the kayak that we were riding on. The Seven Commandos beach was a perfect place for a panoramic view of the sunset. It was also a nice place for taking photos. It was a pity that we stayed there only for a short time.

Caught the wave while in the boat

Sunset in Seven Commandos Beach

We had our dinner at Altrove and Sea Slugs. If the waitress at Altrove would not have been cruel, their pizza would have been perfect. Food at Sea Slugs was nice, although I expected more.

Overall, I can say that El Nido is a place that definitely deserves a visit. I just wish that every Filipino can witness its beauty and the calm vibe that it offers. If given the chance, I would surely go back. 

Details in the Fabric

Details in the Fabric

By Jason Mraz ft. James Morrison

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed
Instead of running around
And pulling all your threads
And breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it
If it's a broken arm then brace it
If it's a broken heart then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

Hold your own
Know your own name
And go your own way
And everything will be fine

Hang on
Help is on the way
And stay strong
I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything
Everything, it will be fine
Everything

All the details in the fabric?
Are the things that make you panic?
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow?
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
Know your name
Go your own way

Hold your own
(Are the details in the fabric?)
Know your name
(Are the things that make you panic?)
Go your own way
(Are your thoughts results of static cling?)

Hold your own
(Are the details in the fabric?)
Know your name
(Are the things that make you panic?)
Go your own way
(Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?)

Hold your own
(Are the things that make you blow?)
Know your name
(Hell, no reason, go on and scream)
Go your own way
(If youre shocked it's just the fault of faulty manufacturing)

Everything it will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold

On Changes

The second half of the year is very crucial for me, as well as to a number of people I know. My heart thumps just thinking about the foreboding changes in my everyday life.

As far as I am concerned, the second half of the year signals the arrival of a new boss, our family's transfer to a new home, additional graduate courses to take, return of an esteemed friend and the departure of another one, and a highly-monitored income. Nevertheless, I am excited about how these changes can possibly transform me into a better person, and a mature one at that.  I am optimistic that letting go of the past and moving out of your comfort zone will only help you achieve greater things. As on quotation says, "Achievement is the enemy of comfort."

A heart's desire

Sometimes, you just long for someone to whom you can tell everything.

Summer 2013

Hello again blog!

It's been a long time. Apparently, I was on a hiatus for the past weeks because of the deluge of school requirements that kept me from posting some of my musings here. Fortunately, I unbelievably survived the three-week-straight hell week and passed my courses, thus letting myself enroll for the next semester.

This week is my rest week. I finally am able to breathe. I just chatted with friends, scrolled down through Facebook statuses, watched my two favorite shows (The Voice and the koreanovela The Greatest Love) and thought of things that I want to do for the rest of the summer. How I wish to get in touch with friends and travel to different summer destinations!

I relish this summer so much. Maybe because I was so tired during the last semester that I feel like I really deserve this rest. Yet, it always seems to me that I need to do something productive, like read something relevant to my studies, to improve my Spanish/French, to scout for houses for sale. Whew! I just don't want to miss the fun this summer has, but I don't want to be too complacent by wasting away time rather than developing myself for future endeavors. Well, maybe I just have to enjoy more time for writing on this blog.

Leisurely things

In the near future, I hope to have the luxury of time and the abundance of money to do these things:

* Practice piano pieces
*Read on the Citisec Online website and invest
*Write a PDI-worthy article
*Draw/paint
*Write a poem
*Develop a product for business
*Read "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami

When will I have the time?

The successes and failures of 2012

I find it funny that people divide their lives by years when life is a continuum that is divided only by day and night. Nevertheless, I do the same.hehe To cap the year, I looked at my Wishlist for 2012 and see if I achieved some. Here's the list:


To conquer the 2012 FSO Exams – I am very glad to have taken the FSO exam this year. Although I did not pass the entire exam and only reached the Written Part of the test, I take pride in having the guts to take on the challenge. It was an exhilarating experience. For now, I will not take the 2013 FSO exams. I am also still not sure if I will continue the journey towards becoming a diplomat, but we will see.

    
   To have my Master’s degree abroad – I know that I will not achieve this wish within 2012, even in 2013 probably since I recently did not apply for any scholarship abroad due to various commitments that made me very busy. But this will remain a goal for the coming years and I pray that the universe will collide to help me attain this aim soon.

To have the house of our own – My family and I are still on the process of looking for a different place, a new home. I know that this search should be given a lot of effort and time, which I failed to provide. But this coming year will be different. I know that we will be on our way to find a house that fits our income and our dreams.hehe 

To invest – I am very proud to have invested my money this past year. Well, technically it was not a mutual fund or a UITF. I invested it in our store which participated in the Bahay ng Alumni Christmas bazaar for 2012. From just a concept in our minds, my sister and I concretized our plan to join a Christmas bazaar. Unfortunately, we were not able to watch the Lantern Parade and did not reach our target profit but still, it was a learning risk. We discovered that we need some product development because selling the products that we ourselves made is more profitable than just purchasing from wholesale sellers.

To learn the piano or the violin – The summer of 2012 was the time to learn the piano. As stated in a blog post before, I enrolled in a piano class. However, I haven’t practiced the instrument for some months. I need to refresh my knowledge and skills in the piano and learn more complex pieces so I can really say that I know how to play the piano.

To have a photo published in a magazine or a periodical – It is sad that the camera that I plan to use to produce quality photos had its LCD destroyed. I know it was an excuse but of course I would not like to submit low-quality photos for contests. I hope to have that camera fixed I can achieve this wish by 2013.

To have my written article be published – I do not know if there’s something wrong with me because I can’t seem to think of topics that I would really like to write on or that are publication-worthy. I shy away from writing something about myself or my life experiences but I also think that I am not the authority on writing on other topics. But someday, maybe I am knowledgeable enough on a topic that I will be asked to write something about it. For now, I will just practice, practice and practice.

To travel – I had the fortunate chance to travel to Burot beach and Calaruega Church in Batangas last August. It was just a single travel but I enjoyed it very much. I hope to have more travels and to give more time for travels this 2013.

To read at least 30 books – This year, I only finished two books (“Who moved my cheese?” and “Flipped”) because my time was spent on academic readings, which I do not count as books since they are only journal pieces. I already miss Murakami, Coelho and Lewis. But every time I start to read a novel, I feel guilty because I should be reading assigned articles for school. Well, that’s what you call prioritization.

To lose at least 5 kilos – This one is really a WISH. hehe I sort of monitored my weight the entire year and it did not change. At least it did not increase thanks to my decreased food intake. I should exercise more to be fit and have a healthier body not just diet on food.

Be more generous, helpful and loving as a person – I do not know if I have achieved this goal. It depends on the persons that know me and that I encounter frequently. Maybe I should ask them.hehe

Have a more personal relationship with God – I know I failed in this one. What a shame. I long for the days that I can feel like I can hear Him talking to me. I must also give Him more time and effort.

 Looks like there are more failures than successes. But I know I should not be disheartened. After all, there's still 2013. :)

A celestial dream

Last night, I dreamed of stars on the sky. It was more than a dream. It felt real and seemed like I was very near them, that I can touch them and hold them in my hands. I hope that dream signifies that I will soon reach the stars, that I will soon achieve my dreams. Soon.

Another semester, another chance

The first two weeks of November signaled the start of the second semester. I was glad that the first sem was over and I unbelievably got through it with flying colors. I hope that that achievement will repeat this current sem.

I am satisfied with the courses I took, though they look more demanding (knock on wood). But I know that I can do it (think positive!). I'll just have to reduce the amount of time I spend lingering in Facebook and Twitter. As my theory professor said, "Facebook is dangerous for graduate students."

Well, I think the sem break got me enough Facebook rush that I need, that's why I was not able to do the tasks that I should have done during the break.Ha ha! First of all, I was not able to finish that Marvin Perry book, though I finished "Flipped". I'll write a review on that later. I failed to do the other sem break tasks that involved reading. Ok, so what does that say?

Nevertheless, it seemed to me that my experience during the first semester of grad school changed me in a way that is very much helpful in the future. In work, I now try to finish a task as early as possible so that I can have more available time to read. I also read faster now. haha

Let's see what this second semester will bring. I know it will be a better one. :)