The Road I wish to Tread

I can’t surely wait for that moment to finally come. It’s like I want to rush every little instance just to get to that very minute. Could somebody take me to a fast ride towards the future? Somebody take me there please.

I bet you don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s the graduation day. Yes, it is. It’s the time where I get to wear that legendary “sablay”, So to speak.

My very core can’t help but rush with intense excitement whenever I talk about graduation. I may be a bit unsure when will it happen, but one thing I’m quite sure of is that I will graduate. No matter what. I want to travel here, there and everywhere after graduation. And some of the places I want to visit are here in my list:

ABROAD:

1.) France
2.) Las Vegas
3.) South Korea
4.) Singapore
5.) Hongkong
6.) Thailand
7.) Malaysia
8.) China
9.) Hawaii
10.) Texas
11.) Mexico
12.) Brazil
13.) New York
14.) Canada
15.) England

PHILIPPINES
1.) Palawan
2.) La Union
3.) Boracay
4.) Baguio
5.) Camarines Sur
6.) Intramuros
7.) Cagayan de Oro
8.) Bohol
9.) Tagaytay
10.) Sagada
11.) Bukidnon
12.) Cebu
13.) Iloilo
14.) Makati
15.) Dakak

I’m actually thinking of more places but my mind just can’t get enough that it can’t think of anything more. I must admit that not every place I’ve included in my list is destined for me to visit. If it happens then I’d be so much happier, but if it won’t, it’s still fine. I’ll have to take extra effort and triple extra monetary measures to get what I want.

Within those places are restaurants I’m so after. I want to know how well they serve their delicacies and other specialties. I absolutely love food, but my body doesn’t really define how much I love food.

However, I think talks about food trippin’ should be reserved for another blog entry. Let me explore different restaurants and indulge in their sumptuous cuisines even with just their photos. Gotta research ahead.

The Unendorsed Products and Services

My sisters and I talk a lot about things that are weird and stupid. We can go insane just blabbing about senseless matters. It’s fun. It never gets me sick and bored.

I guess being all throughout confined in our house made us create topics which for some are unreasonable. We have nothing else left to do but of course laugh the boring hours away. Haven’t you noticed I’m always talking about boredom? Actually yes, I always does, cause I always am.

One of the very many topics we have discussed at home is the things that have been deprived of endorsements. But in fact, they need not be endorsed because they’re already part of the class A or B necessities. Even without models or endorsers, they will still get something from the people.

Imagine these things being aired on television through commercials. Wouldn’t you think it’s quite ridiculous to hear or watch well-known personalities introducing these products or services to us? See for yourself. Tell me what you think. We’ll see about that.

Here is the list of the unendorsed products and services:

1.) The Bible
2.) Match sticks
3.) Plunger (ginagamit sa baradong inidoro)
4.) Tooth Pick
5.) Fruits
6.) Vegetables
7.) Rice
8.) Bucket
9.) Electricity
10.) Fish
11.) Books
12.) Water Supply (like Davao City Water District)
13.) Hospitals
14.) Tricycle, Jeepney, Bus and Taxi Rides
15.) Funeral Homes

It’s Summer and I’m Getting Bored

It has been two weeks since we left the scorching heat outside our green academe. Worse, it’s been a while that my pocket is as empty as (gotta be ashamed about it)…my brain.
I find it absolutely difficult to go out on school breaks. That is why I hate semestral breaks, summer breaks and any other breaks, which for me is the major producer of tedious dullness. It’s really a bummer if I may emphasize. I get bored with summer. I don’t have anywhere else to go but my room and other places inside our house.
Pity me cause I can get poorer with this time of the year. I can’t save up. I really spend a lot during school days. That is why. No allowance. No money. I have no money. Do you think it’s all good? It’s totally not. There are still a whole lot of summer days ahead of me. That is why I’m letting my brain work on something productive to do.
I’m thinking of having a summer job. I’m actually working on my application form now. What’s lacking and unclear is my parent’s consent. Why am I feeling they disapprove my decision? I just want to do something beneficial. What’s bad about it? There’s nothing to be against with. I’m 18 and trying to be independent.
Beginning this summer, I’m not going to be just a mere couch potato and bed slave. I have to work and earn. I have to experience life outside home. Wish me well. Better yet, pray for me.

People Like These Get Into My Nerves

I'm wearing off. So does everyone else I guess. What am I murmuring about? I can't just remain taciturn about these things bugging my emotions. They're actually not things, they're acts to be exact. I'm cursing now. I know it's wicked but it's all I can do to get this distressing sensation out of my system.

Why did I say I'm wearing off? It's because I'm so tired of mingling with people who don't even know how to practice being kind and gentle. They totally wear out my patience.

As what I always do, I have again this list on the acts people behave that I hate the most. It may not be so dandy but at least I've let every crappy thing out of my chest. Here we go dudes:

1+ People who just shrug their shoulders when someone asked them about something.

2+ People who remain passive when something is talking. Those who don't listen.

3+ People who brag about being everyone's favorite. It may be verbal or otherwise.

4+ People who talk in front of the one they're actually talking about. perfect example of first-rate uncouthness.

5+ People who judge something or someone without even giving an effort to understand or find out what happened behind.

6+ People who don't appreciate efforts of those who want to get their attention. Pinapansin na nga, nag-iinarte pa.

7+ People who don't give others the chance to feel joyful even with those little things that give them happiness.

8+ People who are so insensitive that they consciously or unconsciously make somebody feel he or she is foolish.

9+ People who are posers. Those who act like someone they're not. They are just making themselves ridiculous.

10+ People who act like untouchables. They feel different that they start believing they're above others. Those who have the attitude assumed for a certain effect.

Now do you feel what I feel? I can't pretend to be muted with those things I've observed from the people around me. I get frantic deep within whenever people behave in such a spoiled way. This list is my self-proclaimed exclusive expose. Do you know some behaviors worse than these? Let me know. Let us together unveil the conducts only keen minds take heed.

Student Ad Congress 2007

Too late for the report? Yes, it is. But it ain’t news. It just suddenly pops out of my mind. I had been there in the 2nd leg of the Second Student Advertising Congress. By the youth. For the youth. Lousy news report.

It was actually held in Ateneo de Davao University’s Finster Auditorium almost two years ago, August 24, 2007. 4pm to be exact. My friend and I went straight from south to north just to witness that.

Their theme was “Combat ready for advertising wars.” Ateneo’s Mass Communication Club (I don’t know exactly what their club’s name was) prepared a skit showing off their skill in film and stage acts. It cracked me up. It was not that bad after all.

Different agencies confided their strategies in advertising as well. That was the best part. Since I have oozing passion for advertising, I was pretty much amazed with how the featured advertisers created their infomercials.

They have this technique of assaulting the emotions to grab the attention of their target market. It is a good strategy. I sure hope to apply it to my craft soon.

The best infomercial they featured was the one where the toilet is prominent. The narrator was talking about how dirty it was. You may think that the lesson they’re trying to deliver is to clean our filth and have proper hygiene. But it isn’t. It’s actually about abortion. There are irresponsible women who couldn’t, or who don’t have the heart to give the unborn a life that they deserve. They just flushed life in the toilet bowl.

That was a powerful one. But that was just one of the many. I know I could also make one. Especially that my course calls for it. Advertising could be my world someday. I have always wanted to be good at it. I am looking forward for the next Student Ad Congress to get some tips. I know it’s not the only way to learn, but it could be a great help.

Snatches of Conversation Overheard

Just like any other animal, I have as well this sharp sense of hearing. I can always find myself snooping around whenever I notice something odd. It may be people talking around about rumors. It’s human nature to be curious. For some reason, though I try to suppress it, I have this tendency of spying and trying to get honest answers. Sounds so desperate, but I can’t help it.

Those whispered truth that are meant not be heard by any, reach my ears. And as much as I want to ignore it, I just can’t. Overhearing it is not a bad thing. It’s their fault. It’s their random act of stupidity. Just don’t get caught that you’re listening. That’s a huge embarrassment. You might be charged of being “chismosa/o”

I will tell you about something I accidentally heard. It was a bare-naked truth that was supposed to be confidential. But I’m wondering if I actually just overheard it, it could be their intention to let me hear it. Who knows, right? Anything could be possible.

I was eating then with my friends. There were these two ladies with us in the table. The other one even smiled at me. Later on, I heard them talking about a girl involved in a controversy. I knew who they were talking about. Though they talked in a low tone, I can still hear them. They talked shit about me.

One girl spoke about how stupid I was. Of course, I know which side they were with. It was so obvious for me not to even notice. They were against me. I don’t know if they knew they were talking about me. I don’t know if they planned about it. I couldn’t care less. I was too daunted hearing things against me.

It’s not easy knowing how much others hate me. It’s as difficult as pushing yourself too hard to a hole, too small to fit you in. I think it’s a poor analogy. Forgive me for murdering my own sentiments.

When I listened to them, I tried hard not to show any emotion. I acted like I didn’t care, but in my depths, I was hurt. It cut through my heart. I was like a victim of a crime I myself consented. I allowed myself to be stepped down by these one-sided creatures.

Despite one’s urge to keep a secret, as long as it’s passed on to another, it’s unlikely to happen that the secret is best kept. Nothing is perfect. Each has its own flaws. Nothing can surely escape a fierce earshot…like mine.

Get Wild by Katrina

A sonic explosion soothing my nerves
Making my senses whirl into curves
Amazing hoe it dominates my world
Until they got mad when I spoke those words

Splendid as it seems when I hear it
Gluing myself to where I take a seat
The beat of the drums knocks me off

Hear the words of the once unknown
Let them speak their heart out
Rock the world, don’t frown.

What the Weak has to Offer by Katrina

Worst of its kind
When you indulge deeper
Creeping out from the shadows
Of a great holocaust
Certain shade of black engraved
Thicker.
Agony,
A torturing sore it caused
Flown by the ravens
In the darkest side of the moon
It hinders not
From their gloomy will
Itself being shut;
For them, it is such a boon
Sort of perfection
They instilled in the mind
of the abused
but there is more than
what the eyes see
They brawled on it,
But they pause
With its blinding gleam
They were engrossed
Hoking them to sense the ridicule
they were up to
Drive it away
from the dim cage
where it grew.

Abstract of the Inner Core by Katrina

Gentle breeze from afar
Knocked on the door
Blasphemous echo
Stabbed the heart
Of the beholder
Mystery of an abstract
Painted in its inner core
Leads one to a gate
One would not dare enter
Every inch of her
Is swallowed tremendously
The smell of the weakening grease
Wafted all over
Exuding the heat scorching
Over the crust entirely
Darkest of tears streaked the faces
Of the brutal
Against the odds,
The one downed
Felt the bliss
Beginning of the thrill
Coming forth
Stepping out of the hallway
Flowing with impure blood
The night belongs to the one
With the crown of triumph
The dilemma is buried
Underneath the swamp.

Quotable Quotes from Flicks

I love movies. So does everyone else, I would have to say. They exercise the rights of our fantasies to come as big as life. They enliven those little and big emotions which we can never let all out. Movies have these certain ownership on expressions that have been left unsaid in the real portrait of existence.
For honesty’s sake, I only have a handful of movies watched in the cinema. If I have to enumerate them all, maybe you could say I am pathetic. The first few ones are Filipino flicks in a Film Festival. I am talking about these movies:
+ Malikmata (I watched this with my sisters and cousins at SM)
+ Mano Po 2 (I was all alone in the cold)
+ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
+ Milan (with my mother)
+ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
+ D’ Anothers (with my co-Reflector staff)
+ Mission Impossible 3
+ The Omen
+ Poseidon
+ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Deadman’s Chest
+ Transformers
+ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
+ Beowulf
+ I am Legend
+ The Forbidden Kingdom
+ Twilight

These are all. However, of course watching movies in cinema is no better than watching it at home with noisy yet fun friends and family, not to mention, for free.
Ever since writing became part of my life, I have included taking down the most quotable lines said in all the movies I have watched. It works for me. Really. I applied them in my skill. These are some of the “movie quotes” I have listed. Time to get my game on:

“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious may not live at all.”
- Princess Diaries

“Sometimes the biggest heroes come in small package.”

-Spy Kids
“Gimli: I can fight side by side with an elf.
Legolas: What about side by side with a friend?”
-Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

“Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see in your eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of men comes crashing down. But it is not this day! This day we fight. By all that you hold dear on this good earth. I bid you stand, Men of the West!

-Aragorn (LOTR)

“It is our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.”
-Albus Dumbledore(Harry Potter 2)

“Brother to brother, yours life and death.”
-First Knight (chivalric code)

“You can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. It is the honest man you should not trust for you never know when he would be dishonest.”
-Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Deadman’s Chest

“Immortality, take it! It’s yours!”
-Achilles (Troy)

“Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Harry. Soon we must face the choice between what is right, and what is easy.”
-Dumbledore(Harry Potter 4)

“Men are easily seduced by power.”
-Galadriel (LOTR)

“You have to accept that there are certain things you won’t understand right away.”
-Tom (Transformers)

“All You need is love!”
-Moulin Rouge

“With the All Spark gone, we cannot return life to our planet. And fate has yielded its reward: a new world to call home. We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret, waiting, protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage, and through we are worlds apart, like us, there’s more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here. We are waiting.”
- Optimus Prime (Transformers)


So what line moved you?

Unleashing a Silhouette by Katrina

Stricken by the mystic reflection
I was stunned
Unmisted by any emotion
Now mesmerized…blinded
Crafted with invincible elegance,
I could not resist
I reached for it so hard
Restless,
I won’t let go
I was chasing paradise
Enough to make me linger
Falling deeply into its snare,
Was I fooling myself?
It was full of undying deception
It was hopeless,
Impenetrable
When light hits,
Its flesh unveiled its shadow
An intense impact it blew me
I was jaded
It was a fool
Unleashing a silhouette,
I was hypnotized
But now shattered.

Abstract of the Inner Core by Katrina

Gentle breeze from afar
Knocked on the door
Blasphemous echo
Stabbed the heart
Of the beholder
Mystery of an abstract
Painted in its inner core
Leads one to a gate
One would not dare enter
Every inch of her
Is swallowed tremendously
The smell of the weakening grease
Wafted all over
Exuding the heat scorching
Over the crust entirely
Darkest of tears streaked the faces
Of the brutal
Against the odds,
The one downed
Felt the bliss
Beginning of the thrill
Coming forth
Stepping out of the hallway
Flowing with impure blood
The night belongs to the one
With the crown of triumph
The dilemma is buried
Underneath the swamp.

Maam Liked It

Maam said this speech is my best so far. She didn't give me comments. That was all she said. I hope I can do better than this the next time. Here is my speech.
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Honored guests, welcome to the 12th Founding Anniversary of the University of the Philippines Mindanao. This another year to witness another milestone unfolding in our premiere institution. Truly this is an absolutely perfect moment to celebrate the day the country was blessed for having another UP constituent to nurture the minds and hone the skills of the Mindanaons.
Eighteen years back, the vision of having UP in Mindanao metamorphosed during the 3rd regular session of the House of Representatives on April 30, 1990. It was 1st District Representative Prospero C. Nograles who paved the way for the House Bill No. 30358 known as an “Act to establish the University of the Philippines in Mindanao.” Mr. Nograles seemed to foresee Mindanao's success if UP is by it's side.
This intense conviction for the endowment of a UP constituent in Mindanao was finally enacted into law on February 20, 1995 through the Bill, Republic Act 7889. On the same year, the Board of Regents submitted an official declaration of the creation of the University of the Philippines in Mindanao.
Time has passed so fast and UP Mindanao has retained its undisputed prestige for more than a decade of existence. It has proven its excellence and dignity in just a short span of period. I believe that it will carry on until the day the world stops needing it which is totally impossible.
I am one of the proud and honored residents, or Iskolar ng Bayan as they say, who once dreamed of being here and now I am one of those who made the wisest decisions. Being a UP student is indeed the greatest way to make our lives in the future a notch higher. That is why this day, we commemorate a very special moment, the 12th Anniversary of the University of the Philippines Mindanao. Let us celebrate together and hope for more fruitful years coming ahead. Good morning and God speed.

Inaugural Address

This is my sample Inauguration Speech. I got 67 over 70 with this. I lack proper posture and my intro wasn't that right according to our professor. Here it is.
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To my colleagues, co-journalists and mentors, I stand before you to take the oath of the presidential office in our organization, the Philippine Society of Campus Journalism. With wisdom, bravery and humility, I heart fully accept the responsibility and privilege to handle everyone for the betterment of our services to the public, especially the budding campus journalists.

It’s definitely a great honor to have everyone of you believing and trusting in me. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, in behalf of the newly-appointed officers, to our adviser Ms. May Ann Jumuad who put us to where we are now. We assure you that we will exert extra effort in unleashing primal energy to sustain the prestige and success left by the previous administration.

It’s difficult to search for the perfect words and speak especially when you’re at the height of your emotions. When I gave Ms. Jumuad my confirmation on her appointment to me as the president , up until this moment, I am still processing the thought of what I have decided. It’s not an easy task , isn’t it? That was why I refused at the beginning. I was so afraid to take on the challenge. This is an up a notch chance to prove my skills.

When I had the time to think through things that was going on, I realized that if I don’t grab the chance, I will never ever have another chance to share my passion and expertise to others anymore. So when Ms. Jumuad talked to me again about the same matter, I answered my immediate and resounding yes. I accepted it, and I know you’re there to help me out. We are team. Right isn’t it?

I had high hopes on helping other aspiring campus journalists achieve their dreams, and now we’re here for them, as big as life. That’s our priority. Sharing others what we have learned. So, in the future, they will be continuing our duties. Let us all together pull everything off for a better society.

I let go of my inhibitions just like everybody else did, and that made a significant turning point in our lives. Just like saying “I took the road less travelled and that has made the difference”. Let us encourage everyone to call the shots- to do what has to be done for the good. We ought to strive hard enough to retain the accomplishments handled with care by good hands. We must not fail each one of us especially the ones we are serving-the public. We are one and we are all in this together.

On a lighter note, I am pleased to tell you that the office is starting to plan about the publication office that will produce the master pieces of our professional and aspiring journalists. That highlights the year 2009 for all of us. We will all work hand in hand to show that we, the journalists, can do for our fellow men.

I remember way back then when some of my classmates and I joined press conferences to compete with the other schools in the city. That was one of the memorable moments of my life. We attended workshops and seminars, and felt like we wore the chosen ones. We were pressured but that was a nice feeling though. I just laugh at the thought of it, because journalism isn’t about fame. As journalist, we write to express, not to impress.

All of those experiences have always remained seared in my memory. From then on, journalism has been my world. I’m glad I’ll be sharing the rest of my journalistic years ahead with everyone. I believe that this union will be bound by our passion and eagerness to succeed. We will work together as one. If we may fall, let us work things out in peace and unison to put everything back to how it should be. We must strive to finish the tasks we are in. To God be the glory. To everyone, Godspeed.

Heart's Day

Where will all the lovers be heading at? Valentine's Day is one of my most awaited day ever, though nothing really romantic happens. I just stay at home whenever the 14th of feb comes. I'm a home buddy, whether forced or not. I can't go out. That's so sad. I hope some day I could feel the romantic vibe going on outside my comfort zone. How about that?

In the midst of my speech

We had our first speech in COMA104. Introduction of a guest speaker, that is. I chose Ms Evelina Ayson as my "as if" keynote speaker for my "as if" seminar on Social Psychology. I was trembling on the stage but of course I tried so hard not to make it so obvious. I was tensed because in my two years in college, that was the first time I spoke again in front of a crowd. Well, they're not totally just a crowd, they're my classmates. Despite the shaking hands, I did my best though.
Someone got so rude when it was my turn to speak. I don't really know if she did it on purpose but I think she acted so bad. Our professor warned us beforehand not to go out the room when the speech is going on. But she went out. I really think she hates me. I'm not an idiot to not even notice it. I got hurt, I must admit. Really hurt, that I can't stop thinking about it. It's hard to attend a class when you know one or some of your classmates dislike you. I don't want to sound over reacting but that played on my head, even until this moment.