the long and winding road

ito ang kauna-unahang premyong natanggap ko sa mundo ng photography. issue no. 21 ng digital photographer magazine worth 295. 2 kopya ng ganitong magasin ang binigay sa klase namin, isa para sa best photo at isa para sa needs improvement. at sa kin napunta ang isa. at alin sa 2 iyon ang nakuha ko? wahaha putik...malamang alam nyo na.

i have been attending a basic photography class for 3 weeks now. its a five-week class held in intramuros. the first sunday was about learning the most elementary thing in photography, knowing your camera. how to hold it. how to operate it. what do those dials mean. what the icons mean and all that jazz. after that, the fundamental concepts were taught: lighting, shutter speed, iso, depth of field, etc etc. and to cap off the session, we were given homework to test how much we've absorbed.

so the following sunday, all our photos were posted on the board. everyone gave their comments and chose their favorite picture and the one they thinks needs improvement.

the photo on the left was the best shot, and the right got the needs improvement mark. which one was mine? putik, the one on the right! huhu

first comment. hmm...im giving E2 the needs improvement mark (huwaatt??akin yun ah) because its underexposed (sinadya ko yun!!!). ang ganda pa naman nung kulay, sayang hindi napalabas (gusto ko nga ng dramatic effect eh!!).

second comment. para sa kin E2 din yung needs improvement kasi parang out of focus (shallow DOF nga gusto kong pakita jan eh, lapitan mo para makita mo kung saan yung nakafocus na area!!!).

third comment. fourth comment. fifth comment. (fine. fine. fine)

teachers comment eto yung focus nya yung sa gitna. yung sa harap tsaka yung sa likod blurred. (buti pa si maam nakita) eto sigurong areang to ang gusto nyang iemphasize (i love you maam) pero dahil pare pareho sila ng kulay, naemphasize ba? (syet, guilty!) you should be clear what your subject is, what youre trying to show, to communicate (syet, wala nga, bow na).

during the discussion, when asked what went wrong, i explained that the picture had 2 versions, one with the white background and the one submitted. dun sa white background, kitang kita mga kulay kaya lang nakornihan ako. i wanted to make the colors more subtle and to make the mood more dramatic. i love contradictions. bawasan ang kulay ng mga makukulay na bagay at lagyan ng kulay ang mga walang kulay. kaya ang ginawa ko sa makulay na necklace, nilagay ko sa itim para magkadrama.

and the teacher said, aahh...eh hindi nila nagustuhan eh.

me. oo nga. obviously. but the most important thing i learned was the most basic thing that a photo dummy needs to know, you need to have a subject. hehe sa lahat ng komento, dun ako pinakanatamaan, wala akong malinaw na subject.

anyway, it was fun. painful but fun. i got a magazine anyway so ok na din

i dont know how to love him

etchos...naalala ko lang yung kanta sa jesus christ the superstar.

hindi ko lang maisip kung paano ko papanoorin sa sinehan ang isang konsyertong pinapanood dapat ng maingay. kapag nanonood ako sa sinehan, syempre nakaupo lang ako, hindi ako nagtetext, hindi ako tumatayo, at syempre hindi ako tumatalon.

nung nanood ako ng concert, nakatayo ako, tumatalon, sumisigaw. in short, nag iingay.

hmmm....

i was texting eyva that im still contemplating if i still wanna catch it on the big screen. because now, i have this crazy thought that 'that moment' of seeing them together in flesh was the summit of my happiness as a fan and i want that moment to be etched in my memory. gusto ko yun ang huling naiisip ko sa kanila. kasi yun ang totoo. hindi ang konsyerto sa sinehan. but on the other hand, curious din ako kung ano included sa 'the movie'

argh...ang laki ng problema

such a pointless entry.

the us presidential hype

obama's victory in the nov 4 us elections got a lot of people really hopeful and happy. the americans are really ecstatic about it but im just a bit surprised that a lot of pinoys also look really hmm...involved?

nagtataka tuloy ako, ganito ba talaga kadami ang pinoy na politically conscious? o pinoy blood na us citizen? o sadyang masyado lang madaming pinoy na feeling amerikano?

i just find it a bit weird to see people wearing obama shirts or actively blogging about their support for obama. yes we live in a politically interrelated world and given the political (and economic) relationship of the us and the philippines, its nice to know that pinoys have their own opinions on who should lead the united states but seeing them react like theyre real americans (unless theyre citizens) just make me smile and frown at the same time.

inspirasyon

ayan inspired na ko magsulat. inspired na ko gumawa ng paper. may nakita na kong source of energy. ang galing galing!

what drives you...

toxic

sana ako na lang si britney spears para ang ginagawa ko lang ngayon ay sumasayaw habang kumakanta ng

with the taste of your lips im on a ride, your toxic tongue slippin' on mine
with the taste of your poison paradise, im addicted to you dont you know that youre toxic

eto 4 na usapan sa ym ng mga magkakaibigan. 6 na taon pagkagraduate sa kolehiyo, ganito ang drama

usapan 1
wanda: tara sama ko (in response to atty's status message)
wanda: gusto ko na din matulog
notaryo publiko: yuck orgy na
notaryo publiko: andami dami ng sumama sa kin haha
wanda: yuck kadiri ka
wanda: ako matutulog lang
notaryo publiko: hahahahahaha
notaryo publiko:: come one come all!!
wanda: nasusuka na ko
wanda: ang toxic toxic ng sked ko!
wanda: argh
wanda: toxic na buhay to
notaryo publiko: tlga?
notaryo publiko: haaaaaay
notaryo publiko: lahat ata tyo ganito
notaryo publiko: anu ba ang trabaho na fun?
wanda: oo nga
wanda: travel writer
wanda: travel photographer
wanda: yun na bagong dream job ko
notaryo publiko: korek!!
notaryo publiko: ako wine taster
wanda: hmm ano pa ba
wanda: game tester
notaryo publiko: uhm sportscar test driver
wanda: hmmm sige seryoso, chef
notaryo publiko: ako rin chef
notaryo publiko: although pressure din yun
notaryo publiko: kasi panu kung walang kumain sa restaurant mo
wanda: oo nga
notaryo publiko: or madaming kumakain
wanda : syet na chef
notaryo publiko : wine taster na nga lang tlga ako
wanda: sige back to travel writer/photographer

usapan 2
wanda: nasusuka na ko
wanda: toxic
kimpossible: mas lalo ako
kimpossible: napaka pathetic
wanda: ano ba yan
wanda: lahat ng nakakausap ko toxic
kimpossible: wala pa kong naiimpake
wanda: bukas alis mo?
kimpossible: di p ako nagpplantsa at andito pa ko hanggang ngayon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wanda: matulog ka na lang sa plane
wanda: sana magawa ko yan diba
wanda: kasi bihira ako makatulog sa plane eh
wanda: ganun
wanda: o fine
wanda: matulog ka sa airport

usapan 3
wanda: heya
henyo: im sooo stressed
wanda: ohmygod
wanda: everybody is stressed out
wanda: ano ba
wanda: wala ba kong makakausap na ndi stressed
wanda: i need postive energy
henyo: stress!!!
henyo: uy, bat nag-suicide taga-ppldt?

usapan 4, eto pinakamatindi sa lahat
....
sezy: dapat daw, mag react na ko, wag masaktan
wanda: tablahan ang gusto
sezy: hay
sezy: sabi nila patulan ko na daw
sezy: well ayoko may high blood
sezy: pero magkakasakit naman ako sa puso kung kikimkimin ko
sezy: ayun
sezy: haay ewan ko , ayoko na
sezy: gusto ko matulog at pag gising ko ok na lahat
sezy: pati yung papers ko

ayoko na...
i need positive energy
gusto ko ng good aura
gusto ko ako lang ang toxic
para ako lang ang magpakabampira
il suck everyone's energy out

sembreak

im exhausted. i just wanna go home and sleep. but i cant. i still have to finish my paper. hay...

come sunday, i promise, ill sleep the whole day. *huge sigh*

======

ang hirap magsimula. eto problema sa kin, kaylangan nasa mood bago magsulat. argh... sa mga panahong ganito, gusto kong maging robot para pag naka-on na ang button, sulat na agad. hay...

finals season

its finals season again. for students, at least for those who live in the spirit of procastination like me, it means tons of paper and a number of sleepless nights. it may also mean hibernation during weekends and becoming anti-social at least until the season ends.

for me it could also mean, ironically, a lot of blog entries. no, its not that i have the luxury of time for my babblings. its just that i turn on my laptop more often so the temptation to write is always there and more often than not, i give in to that temptation no matter how behind iam in my target number of pages for my papers.

for this semester, today is the last day of classes but i have 2 more weeks before my semester officially ends. we had our last class for 207.2. only half of the class showed up for our individual reports on how our papers are doing. kat is done with hers, everyone including me is not. buti na lang mabait si sir. he gave us non-graduating students 2 weeks to finish our papers and 10 annotated biblio. whew!
so for the next 2 weeks, i have to finish 3 major requirements. my thesis proposal for 299, my policy analysis paper for 207.2 and my annotated biblio also for 207.2. talking about a handfull.

=======

my sem is not yet over but im excited about november. im enrolling in that photography workshop! yahoo! im excited to learn and to use my camera according to how it should be used.

=========

i was browsing my archives when i stumbled upon this entry.

3 years later, eto na ako


discover your jack-o-lantern face @ quiz me
my jack-o-lantern face


find your inner PIE @ quizmeme.com
lime pa rin ako haha hindi pa rin nawawala kaweirduhan ko (sabi nga ng ibang kaibigan ko)


discover your dog breed @ quiz meme
at eto pa rin ako

i guess there's not been much change in the inner me

gi was a Sweet Musician in a past life. Discover your past lives @ Quiz Me

whoa! this one is nice

BLUE

You give your love and friendship unconditionally. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

amazing race

im watching the late night, err...dawn edition of the amazing race asia. good thing im on vl tomorrow. team philippines was the last team to leave since they placed last the previous week. though geoff is such an asshole, i hope they stay in the race.

btw, pangarap ko lang naman na makasali dito. haha

i want to write a longer entry but my body is failing me. im just so sleepy and tired. konti na lang matutumba na ko.

somewhere

pakiramdam ko pinipiga ang puso ko habang pinapanood si maria, kumakanta ng "there's a place for us, somewhere a place for us..hold my hand and we're almost there, hold my hand and il take you there" habang yakap yakap ang katawan ng walang buhay na si tony. whew!

nanood kami nina fifi at eyva ng west side story nung linggo at sa kabutihang-palad, si joanna ampil ang nataon sa amin bilang maria.

maganda ang mga reviews ng west side story kaya ang taas ng expectations ko sa dulang iyon. maganda nga naman sya. magaling si maria. magaling din sina bernardo at anita. ok naman si riff. kaya lang si tony, medyo nabigo ako kay tony. oo maganda ang boses nya. kaya nyang kumanta. kaya lang, ang pangit nyang gumalaw. halatang nag-aalangan. parang pigil. stiff.

at ang mga tao. ginagawang sinehan lang ang teatro. late pumasok. tayo ng tayo. ano ba! dula ito. live. hindi ka pwedeng pumasok kung kelan mo lang gusto at umalis sa bahagi ng palabas na inabutan mo.

pero sa kabuuan, maayos naman ang dula. natuwa pa rin naman ako. medyo natakot lang kami nang magkaroon ng break. iniisip kasi namin, baka biglang umakyat sa stage si jolina magdangal at sabihing "due to the physical and emotional stress that my cousin (gian as riff) is experiencing, we have to cut the play short". di ba?

birthday blues

the pal yuppies have this tradition that during birthdays, we all go out for lunch and treat the birthday celebrant to a sumptous meal. but now, there's an addition to that, birthday presents!

this is a replica of a cake but instead of having candles on it, tiny placards were stuck bearing messages from people at work. they call me an activist because i used to join rallies when i was in college and sometimes i write in pure filipino. the happy birthday "placard" on the right, stucked in that pink pencil case is our "birthday torch". pinagpapasa-pasahan lang ng mga nagbibirthday.

a macro shot of the long-stemmed rose they gave me. hindi ko kasi makunan ng maayos. on our way to lunch, polar bear and philboro broke away from the group and said they were just gonna buy something. and when we were ordering food, the rose just appeared from out of nowhere. kidding. i was looking at the menu so i didnt notice them coming in and i just looked up when i heard philboro singing happy birthday sabay abot ng luntiang dahon. they were supposed to buy a flower that matches the color of my shoes but since i was wearing green shoes that day and they didnt find any green flower, red roses na lang na may separate na green leaf ang binigay haha

needless to say, the girls masterminded this. im really not the girly girl type and they want to make me one so they bought this dress for me with an instruction, no a command, to wear it the next time we go out.

so glad to have a really sweet bunch of friends

shock and awe

around 1 this afternoon, i was on my way to school when i witnessed something unusual. i was walking along q. ave, just after the intersection of q.ave and edsa when i saw pedicab drivers rushing towards the gate securing the vacant lot in that area (eton centris). at first, i thought there were just playing but noticing the serious look in their faces plus the fact that they were all looking at a point at my back made me think that that was something else. it took just a few seconds before i noticed an approaching blue truck from my peripheral view. and then it just hit me (not physically though), this is one of those MMDA road/sidewalk clearing operations!

everything happened in less than a minute or so. i just stopped there and watched in surprise from the time the MMDA personnel jumped from the truck to the time they were running after the pedicab drivers who were running with their pedicabs in tow, and chasing the sole sidewalk vendor selling boiled bananas who left her bag which i assume contains some of her goods. that bag didnt go unnoticed and was eventually confiscated. the vendor even attempted to recover her bag from those MMDA guys but of course, her attempts were futile.

seeing her desperate face was like watching those drama movies they play in cinema one. you cant help but think how important that bag is for her. baka madami pa syang paninda dun. ang bigat pala sa dibdib. personally, i agree with bayani fernando's effort to clear the sidewalk from vendors as long as they are provided with alternative places to sell their goods. but seeing that scene with my own two eyes made me cringe. im not really for law enforcement. hanggang plano lang ako. my heart is too weak for those situations. its hard seeing people's faces full of desperation.

i remember one threat of email exchanges we had at the office recently. it started with polar bear's email about the accidental boob exposure of an old lady in wowowee and my expressed disgust at the show which eventually led to talks about porverty, the government and global warming. all of them had the same line of thinking that poverty is a result of one's indolence and that the poor should not blame the president, or the government for that matter, for their shabby state.

desperately, i tried to point out that im not glorifying the poor and they really should not blame everything on the government but some of the social, economic and political structures and the failure of the programs implemented by the government for the alleviation of proverty make the president accountable for the massive poverty in the country. that incident earlier was a testament that sometimes, no matter how hard you work your ass off, you still cant cant out from your current situation because structures prevent you to do so.

in sociology, there's a famous article written by c.w.mills entitled the sociological imagination. i read it when i was in first or second year because its one of basic reading materials that every student is required to read. one of the main points of that article was on distinguishing private troubles from social issues. mills said that for example, in a town with a population of 100, only one person is unemployed, unemployment in that case is a private trouble of that individual. but if a lot of people, say 50, is unemployed, then thats a social issue. same case in the country. if 70% of your people falls below the poverty line, then the poor cant be solely blamed for their condition.

==============

i wrote this in a scratch paper when i was having lunch at mcdo. i was surprised to learn that a 1-piece chicken meal with large orange juice already costs 94 pesos. grabe...

la vida rosa..of weirdness and other stuff

my bosses and i were talking this afternoon about the recent pmap when they mentioned kidlat tahimik who went there in bahag. i told them about my high regard for the artist when my boss blurted out "gi you really like weird people, una you like maverick and ariel and now you like kidlat tahimik?". funny yet true, i find "weird" people interesting.

hr yuppies were once chatting about names that we would give our kids if ever we got one. most of them were opting for unique foreign-sounding names. i said if i would have girl born in june, i would name her aniwai, kalayaan or pilipinas and her nickname would be kalai. and if its a boy, i would name him after things youll find in nature. i also shared that i find the names of manila santos and the de guias interesting. they havent heard about the de guias so some of them thought i was joking and told me to name my kids, kulog, ulan, etc etc

last november 2007, i bought a shiny green maryjanes and wore it to the office almost every day. my friends of course noticed it because, one, its green and two, its not part of the prescribed color and style of shoes for a business setting. some liked it, some im sure found it, again, weird. sabi nga sa kin ni henyo "gi, lumalabas pagka weird mo". then just last august, i bought a yellow shoes so you could just imagine people's reactions. kaya lang masisira na sya. (sad face)

even with people, i find weird people interesting. most of my crushes were more on the "not your usual type of guy" whom girls would think, "ano nagustuhan mo jan?". i think its not the weirdness i see in them but the individuality, the extra dose of talent, their passion for whatever theyre doing and their free spirits.

===========

i was doing an interview with a resigning employee this afternoon who "reignited" my dream of studying abroad. while on the course of sharing his frustrations about his superiors, he mentioned about his passion for learning and teaching. he's a part-time faculty of economic in la salle and took his mba from diliman and his ma in development economics in manila, cross-registered in diliman and took ir 204 under yuzon. i also took the same class under the same professor and found out that well, its such a small world. he also mentioned about his short-term scholarship in nus and i shared about hoysi's scholarship and work there. he was encouraging me to give it a try but i said im still doubting my ability to be a graduate student in a foreign university. baka hindi ko kaya because im not that smart. its just that i love being in school and learning things. and he was telling me that its ok and to start by presenting papers in graduate fora like the one in asian center or in nus to deal with the insecurity issue because its my paper that i would be presenting anyway so i would know more about it than any other person in the audience.

talking about comfort zones. im afraid to try because im afraid of the uncertainties of an alternate future. i remember the same dilemma when i was still in my former job, thinking about resigning or not. salary-wise, i felt ok with whatever i was getting from my former job (only to realize now that i could get a lot more) but principles-wise, i felt like i no longer had any reason to be there.
now, the dilemma is between comfort and uncertainty. i love my company despite its many imperfections and its really hard to leave it. salary-wise, im earning enough although based from the info im getting from my interviewees, i know that i could earn more. ive developed a strong bond of friendship here. and most importantly, im assured of a free ticket yearly. i love it because it gives me a sense of security.
but at the back of my mind, if ive followed this same line of thinking before, then i wouldnt have had the chance of working here. so maybe, i should have the same line of thinking now.

hay...lets see. minsan, duwag lang talaga ako.

para kay frodo

pwede bang tigilan na natin to? tigilan mo na ako. huwag mo na akong tawagan. huwag ka ng magtext. huwag ka ng dumalaw. pwede bang tuluyan ka na lang maglaho sa buhay ko? lalo na kung wala din namang patutunguhan to.

lagi mo kong sinasabihan na hindi ko pa nararanasang masaktan at mabigo. pero nakalimutan mo na ba dati? nung sinaktan at binigo mo ako? matagal din bago kita nakalimutan. mahirap pero kinaya ko. ayokong sabihing naging masaya ako para sa yo. para sa inyo. pero sa maniwala ka't hindi, wala akong inisip at ginustong masama para sa inyo.

tapos nung iniwan ka nya, abot hanggang langit ang galit mo. pakiramdam mo, ginago ka, niloko, kinawawa at kung anu ano pa. hindi ko man inisip pero sumagi sa utak ko, siguro sya karma mo.

tapos ngayon, ngayong maayos na ko. ngayong masaya na ko sa buhay ko, tsaka ka na naman manggugulo. para saan na naman ba ang mga pagtawag tawag mo. ang mga araw araw na text mo. ano na naman ba gusto mo? pwede bang sabihin mo kung ano pakay mo? hindi ako manghuhula na kayang basahin ang nasa pusot isip mo!

kaya ang hiling ko lang, kung wala ka din lang namang sasabihin, eh mabuti pang tigilan mo na ko. ayokong maulit yung dati. ayoko naman talaga dati sa yo eh. nadala lang ako sa kakulitan mo. nasanay lang ako na lagi kang nandyan sa tabi ko. kaya kahit wala kang sinasabi at kahit medyo malabo sa kin kung ano tayo, inamin kong nahuhulog na ko sa yo. at sinabi mo din namang ganun din nararamdaman mo di ba? pero iniwan mo ko.

tapos 4 na taon pagkatapos non, sasabihin mo sa king ako ang unang umiwas? aba, wala na sigurong taong mas lalabo pa sa yo.

kaya ngayon, habang maaga pa, tigilan na natin to. pakiramdam ko kasi, pag nagpatuloy pa tayo, mauulit lang yung dati. kasi lahat ng nangyayari ngayon, katulad din ng noon. kaya sana, bago pa ko mahulog ulit sa yo, lalo na kung wala ka din namang balak magseryoso, tigilan mo na ko.

bonne l'anniversaire

i woke up around 930 am from an interrupted sleep. stayed up late the previous night because of that dinner with j5 peeps. fist woke up at 530am when my alarm went off. had a difficult time going back to sleep since then. plus the fact that my phone was vibrating every now and then because of messages from early well wishers. but i just cant let the opportunity of getting up late pass so i stayed in bed and tried hard to get back to sleep. in vain. until finally, i gave up.

the weather was so gloomy. and it affected me. walang patumanggang ulan. paano ako lalabas nito? celebrating my own birthday has never been my forte and the rain and the clouds and the cold weather added to the challenge.

i wanted to go to binondo and feast on dumplings but just imagining the hassle of going there on a rainy day made me cringe so i ditched the plan. went to the spa instead and had a good massage. had dinner with kuya and the kids after.

thats how my 27th birthday went

*not really in the mood to write*

para kay frodo

pwede bang tigilan na natin to? tigilan mo na ako. huwag mo na akong tawagan. huwag ka ng magtext. huwag ka ng dumalaw. pwede bang tuluyan ka na lang maglaho sa buhay ko? lalo na kung wala din namang patutunguhan to.

lagi mo kong sinasabihan na hindi ko pa nararanasang masaktan at mabigo. pero nakalimutan mo na ba dati? nung sinaktan at binigo mo ako? matagal din bago kita nakalimutan. mahirap pero kinaya ko. ayokong sabihing naging masaya ako para sa yo. para sa inyo. pero sa maniwala ka't hindi, wala akong inisip at ginustong masama para sa inyo.

tapos nung iniwan ka nya, abot hanggang langit ang galit mo. pakiramdam mo, ginago ka, niloko, kinawawa at kung anu ano pa. hindi ko man inisip pero sumagi sa utak ko, siguro sya karma mo.

tapos ngayon, ngayong maayos na ko. ngayong masaya na ko sa buhay ko, tsaka ka na naman manggugulo. para saan na naman ba ang mga pagtawag tawag mo. ang mga araw araw na text mo. ano na naman ba gusto mo? pwede bang sabihin mo kung ano pakay mo? hindi ako manghuhula na kayang basahin ang nasa pusot isip mo!

kaya ang hiling ko lang, kung wala ka din lang namang sasabihin, eh mabuti pang tigilan mo na ko. ayokong maulit yung dati. ayoko naman talaga dati sa yo eh. nadala lang ako sa kakulitan mo. nasanay lang ako na lagi kang nandyan sa tabi ko. kaya kahit wala kang sinasabi at kahit medyo malabo sa kin kung ano tayo, inamin kong nahuhulog na ko sa yo. at sinabi mo din namang ganun din nararamdaman mo di ba? pero iniwan mo ko.

tapos 4 na taon pagkatapos non, sasabihin mo sa king ako ang unang umiwas? aba, wala na sigurong taong mas lalabo pa sa yo.

kaya ngayon, habang maaga pa, tigilan na natin to. pakiramdam ko kasi, pag nagpatuloy pa tayo, mauulit lang yung dati. kasi lahat ng nangyayari ngayon, katulad din ng noon. kaya sana, bago pa ko mahulog ulit sa yo, lalo na kung wala ka din namang balak magseryoso, tigilan mo na ko.

the saga involving the event that must not be named

i cant remember how many times ive said the “its been a week already” line. glad to hear from the weekend news that ely was discharged from the hospital today. by this time last week, eyva, fifi and I were having late dinner at north park, talking animatedly about the event that must not be named while munching on noodles, dimsum, squid and chicken.

by middle of august, philboro and I were still doubting if that event was really true. yes there were a lot of talks about it but only in the blog and email world. no confirmations were made by anybody except for the video interview of ely in 24 oras and raymunds mail in the subsandwich mailing list confirming the event. plus, there were controversies about the sponsorship. plus, its august already. plus, many other pluses. but despite all those ifs and buts and pluses, we still registered in that website set by the cig company, ideally for smokers 18 years old and above. philboro met the two requirements. i met only one. but who cares about the facts? magkakaroon ba ng smoker test sa gate to check if people going in are real, blue-blooded, nicotine addicts? i guess not.

so i clicked on ie. typed in the address that i guess everybody knows of already. responded untruthfully to the questions posed. and voila, done! i only needed to submit my id showing my birthdate. my company id doesnt have a birthdate box on it. so is my school id. i have neither an sss nor a drivers license. so theres no other option but to scan my passport and send it. and thats what i did...only after a few days later. and what did i get? the message telling me that they would need at least a week to verify and process the information. huwat? one week? pero sige lang...sige lang...

a week after, no words from the organizers yet. i was getting anxious. buti na lang i was adviced by one of my classmates to call the organizer and follow up on my username and password. she got hers the day after she submitted her id. so i did the same the following day. kaya lang i wasnt that lucky. by some stroke of (bad) luck, i cant get through the line. nauna pa si philboro na mapadalhan ng password kesa sa kin. umaga pa lang meron na sya. ako hapon pa. but when i logged on the website, huwaw! very informative! hindi nga lang tungkol sa banda haha in short, walang kwenta. i also adviced eyva and mayo uno to follow up on theirs, just in case.

aug 26, there were some gossips about the cig company cancelling the show. seemed like they werent able to get through the legal prohibitions of sponsoring the event. but eyva delivered the good news, theyre now selling the tickets! huwaw, salamat! and theyre holding it at the fort open grounds.

so the next day, my productivity dropped to almost zero since i did nothing but to call ticketworld and surf the net for new information about the golden ticket. umaga pa lang, i was already calling ticketworld every hour and theyre also consistent in telling me "maam hindi pa po available, try nyo before lunch". and when i did, the dialogue was "maam hindi pa po available, try nyo po after lunch". after lunch, philboro found this info that they were selling tickets at 1300 for the back area and 2000 for the front. syempre, 2000 na for a better view! and before the working day ended, philboro got the confirmation that ticketworld is indeed selling the tickets for 800 and 1300. ang saya saya!

pagpatak ng ikalima ng hapon, naglog out na si philboro. sumabay sya kay polar bear na may klase sa araw na yon. pagdating ng 6, ako naman ang naglog out. excited akong sumakay sa elevator pababa, sumakat sa shuttle at naglakad papuntang mrt. but when i got to the platform, lo and behold, napaaga ba ang concert? bat ang daming tao? kung sa ordinaryong sitwasyon, ok lang sa kin yun. mag-aantay lang ako ng tren at siguro ay sa pangalawang tren na sasakay para siguradong makaupo ako. pero ang sitwasyong kinalalagyan ko ng mga panahong iyon ay hindi ordinaryo! i was in an ordinary situation, an emergency that will compromise national security! buti na lang may dumating agad na tren. but lo and behold ulit, they were announcing the worst information i could think of in that situation "hindi po magsasakay ang parating na tren. hidni po magsasakay ang parating na tren". ano? baket? putik!

pero syempre wala akong magawa. wala akong magawa kundi magtext habang nag-aantay ng tren na magsasalba sa akin sa gitna ng kaswertehang iyon. tinext ko si sezy dezy, o ano pare, magpapabili ka ba? pasakay na ko ng tren. in 30 minutes asa cubao na ko. katext ko din si eyva na nagsabing hindi na magpapabili si mayo uno ng tickets dahil sya na lang ang bibili ng para sa kanya at sa pinsan nya. maya maya nagtext si philboro, tinatanong kung ang ticketworld ba ay nasa araneta mismo. oh no, hinde, ito ay nasa national na katabi ng gateway. dun sa bandang breadtalk. maya maya nagtext ulit, sabi hanggang 7 lang daw ang ticketworld. huwat? aabot pa ba ako? 30 minutes ang byahe mula taft hanggang cubao tapos tatakbo pa ko mula istasyon hanggang national. hmm mukhang medyo malabo. kaya kinapalan ko na ang mukha ko at tinawagan si philboro. tinanong kung pwede pa ba nya akong ibili ng 3 tickets. ngunit sa kasawiang palad, hindi na nya kayang magpaluwal pa ng 3 tickets dahil 3 din ang binili nya. huhu

maya maya, i saw the light. muntik na kong pumunta dun. akala ko yun na ang liwanag na magdadala sa kin sa langit. ngunit hindi pala. medyo lang. dahil ito ay liwanag na nagmumula sa headlight ng paparating na tren. agad akong pumuwesto sa may dilaw na linya kung saan magbubukas ang pinto. mangyari na kung anuman ang dapat mangyari pero kaylangan kong makasakay sa tren na ito. buti na lang magaling na kong sumiksik at sa wakas ay nakasakay din ako ng tren at nakaupo pa. pagdating ng magallanes station, may tumapat sa king buntis na ang tyan ay nagsusumigaw sa aking mukha ng, "paupuin mo ko!". ok fine, upo ka. kahit masakit na likod ko, sige lang. positive karma.

pagdating ko ng guadalupe, mga 645, nagtext ulit si philboro. nakabili na daw sya ng tickets. at may mga nakapila pa daw sa likod nya. kaya mula guadalupe hanggang santolan, wala akong ginawa kundi magdasal. sana po umabot ako. mula santolan hanggang cubao, inisip ko naman kung anong ruta ang dadaanan ko para mabilis akong makarating sa national. lalabas na ba ako agad ng farmers? o dadaan ako sa walkway tapos baba na lang ako sa hagdan sa may araneta? o diretsuhin ko na hanggang gateway tapos baba na lang dun sa may pizza hut?

paghinto ng tren sa cubao, para akong nasa amazing race. minumura ko na ang mga tao sa escalator dahil hindi ako makatakbo pababa. paglabas ko ng istasyon, lakad takbo na ginawa ko habang bumubulong ng sana po, umabot ako. lakad. takbo. hingal. takbo. lakad. daan ako sa walkway. baba sa hagdan sa may araneta. takbo ulit. pinapawisan na ako. pero wala akong pakialam!

pagdating ko sa national, diretso agad ako sa counter. sabay tanong, ms san yung ticketworld counter? hindi nagsalita si miss, tinuro lang ang katabi nyang babae na mukhang nagbibilang na ng perang pinagbentahan nya ng araw na yun.

ako: ms, pabili ng tickets para sa event that must not be named
ms: maam, sarado na po ako
ako: (cursing in my head pero nakangiti outside) ms baka naman pwede pa, please...(sabay ngiti ng pagkatamis tamis)
ms: sige maam (isinoli sa lalagyan ang pera at nagbukas ng pc)
ms: ilan po maam?
ako: 2 sa patron. tumatanggap ba kayo ng card?
ms: opo (sabay kuha ng card. nagtype sa pc. niswipe ang card sa terminal)
ako: (nagtext agad kay eyva, pare, may tickets na tayo yahoo!!!), text din kay philboro, yey! umabot ako!)

sa mga oras na yun ay may pumila na sa likod ko. mga 3 o apat yata sila.

ms: nagdadial sa telepono. hindi daw sya makakonek
ako: kinakabahan
ms: dial.dial.dial. sabay dialogue ng "hello, may credit card transaction ako. hindi ako makakonek sa server eh. hindi ko alam kung nacharge na to". mahabang patlang. baba ng telepono. click ulit sa mouse. hidni pa rin makakonek. click ulit sa mouse. wala pa rin. sabay dialogue dun sa katabi nya ng "hindi na ko makakonek"
ako: sa loob loob ko, ay wag na wag mong sasabihin saking hindi mo ko mabebentahan ngayon. magwawala ako dito.

pagkatapos ng ilang minuto...

ms: maam hindi na po ako makakonek.
ako: pano yan?
ms: try nyo na lang po ulit bukas. 10 am po kami magbubukas
ako: ano? available na ba tickets online?
ms: hindi po ako sure.
ako: *nakasmile* ms patry naman ulit. baka pwede na. (wag na wag tatarayan ang mga nasa counter pag klangan mo ng pabor. yan ang natutunan ko sa 2 taon ko sa trabaho)
ms: try ulit. click sa mouse. wala pa rin. click sa mouse. wala pa rin. sabay dialogue ng "maam ayaw talaga eh"
babae sa likod ko: sa ibang outlet ba, meron?
ms: maam, buong ticketworld po to eh. til 7 lang po kasi kami kaya baka hindi na kami makakonek kasi magaalas otso na". bukas na lang po maam
ako: eh pano yung card ko? pano ko malalaman kung nacharge?
ms: checkeck ko po. *sabay tawag ulit sa telepono*
ms: maam, nacharge po pero papavoid ko na lang.
ako: ha? nacharge na? (isip isip ng paraan to use that fact to my own advantage) ms since nacharge na, pwede bang pagprint mo na ko ng tickets bukas tapos daanan ko na lang?
ms: naku maam, hindi po ako ang tao dito
ako: eh di ibilin mo dun sa papalit sa yo.
ms: naku maam, hindi po pwede. ipapavoid ko na lang po yung transaction
ako: *still not giving up* eh paano ko malalaman? wag nyo na lang pavoid, print mo lang ako ng tickets bukas.
ms: hindi po talaga pwede eh.
ako *resigned* sige kunin ko na lang name ko para just in case hindi navoid, may babalikan ako
ms: sulat sa papel ng pangalan at phone number.
ako: lumabas sa national na luhaan, at lulugo lugo. sabay text kay eyva ng, pare, i failed (or something to that effect). and asked her to check if the tickets were already available online.

while walking towards the foodcourt where i was meeting my sister (we're supposed to study together), i was still thinking about the golden tickets. pagdating ko sa foodcourt, i found my sister waiting. hay, hidni ako makakapayag. so i just dropped my bag, got my card, went downstairs and headed to netopia. i was already at the ground floor when i realized that i had no cash with me. ang galing! so i went to the atm machine but boy was i so lucky that day, allied was out of service. so i had to go back to the foodcourt to get cash.

when i got to netopia, 815 na. whew, siguro naman aabot ako. so i typed, www.ticketwolrd.com.ph. opening website. error. argh! so i typed again. error ulit. type ulit! type! type! type! sa wakas, nag open. at andun sa may header, earserheads reunion concert. buy now. syempre click agad. pero ang bagal. so open ulit ako ng 1 pang window. ticketworld ulit. mabagal ulit. pagcheck ko sa isa, uy choose seats na. click patron. submit. pagkatapos, account information naman. at dun na ako sinwerte ng todo todo. biglang nag error. argh! 845 na! but i tried one more time. wala pa rin. so i resigned. sige na nga.pag uwi ko na lang sa bahay.

when i went back, hindi na ako makapag aral. i was just staring at the labor code in my hands. my sister and che were reviewing spanish and i was reviewing the events that just transpired. ano ba to?

by 1030, nag aya na kong umuwi. pagkabihis ko, inatupag agad ang laptop, at nagconnect sa internet. once again, i opened the site. buti na lang online din sina dory, henyo at polar bear so we chatted while i was waiting for the site to open. nagopen naman, ang bagal nga lang. so i asked the help of the dsl powered people, i.e. dory and polar bear. we simulatenously were trying to buy 2 tickets for the event that must not be named. at around 1145, polar bear was officially the winner. yeba, may tickets na ko! syempre, text agad kay eyva.

the following morning, i excited na ko kahit na hindi ko pa makukuha ang tickets kasi may klase pa kami ni polar bear. we were supposed to claim it at moa friday night. but since i was already assured of a seat, i emailed everyone na. fifi replied and said that she wanted to go too! haha we have a problem here fifi. told her to drop by ticketworld but since we were worried about the availability of the tickets, i volunteered to check if i could buy tickets for her online. but just like my previous attemps, i failed. but that night, i was able to buy tickets for her and mayo uno, hassle-free! *isang tulog na lang, jollibee na naman*

tapos, sabado na! i went to work early so that i could leave early. twas a great day. or so i thought. like the usual, i attended my 207.2 class. by 230, biglang umulan. ng pagkalakas lakas! oh no, doomsday na ba? so i texted eyva, fifi and mayo uno but gladly, they said na wala namang ulan sa makati. at around 345, i was already anxious. naku, baka mag overtime ulit si sir. by 4, the report was cut. but to my dismay, namigay pa ng exam questions. and worse, nagdiscuss pa! huhu while he was discussing about the concept of prisoner's dilemma, i intentionally shut my mind off. ayoko ng makinig! gusto ko ng umalis. after a few minutes of talking, he finally decided to let the class go. woohoo, ako yata naunang lumabas sa pinto. but lo and behold, ang lakas pa rin ng ulan! not the ambon-like ulan or the tikatik-like ulan. when i say malakas, its the kind of rain that we have pag may bagyo. as in malakas! pero bahala na si batman, for the love of the band! sinuong namin ni donna ang kalakasan ng ulan papuntang waiting shed. there we waited for a cab. wait lang ng wait. but you know cabs, when you need them, wala sila. and when you really really need them, walang wala talaga sila. so again, armed with a tiny umbrella, we braved the heavy downpour and walked towards the checkpoint. buti na lang ang mga jeep, hindi kasing corny ng taxi at nakasakay agad kami. at buti na lang ulit sa edsa pa lang, wala ng ulan. god is so great.

when i got to mrt's ayala station,bumaba ako sa may forbes side. but wait, sino tong mga taong nakikita ko. mga nakaitim. dementors ba sila? it turned out, madami ding nakaisip ng iniisip ko so i had to change my strategy. masyadong madaming competitor. so akyat ulit ako ng stairs and went to the other side.

first stop was sm's taxi line. but no, ang haba ng pila. try ulit sa glorietta. at oh no ulit, haba ulit ng pila! buti na lang sa hindi kalayuan, may nakita akong isang taxi lane pa, na walang pila! so ipinagpara agad ako nung guard ng taxi.

at si manong, sya ang favorite kong tao nung oras na yon. when we got to mckinley, the traffic was terrible. as in hindi gumagalaw ang sasakyan! buti na lang nahahawa ako sa pagiging kalmado ni manong. he was listening to this radio station where you could hear people say amen every minute. and manong was making a sign of the cross every so often. after maybe about 30 minutes, madami na kong nakikitang direction papuntang event site. grabe ang saya saya ko. when i got to the honda entrance! yahoo, gusto kong ihug si manong sa pagdadala nya sa kin dun safely. i was so happy that i gave him a hundred bucks even if the meter said i just had to shell out 70 bucks.

pagbaba ko ng taxi, grabe, festive atmosphere! pagkakita ko pa lang stage, gusto ko nang maiyak sa tuwa! jusko lord, totoong totoo na nga! hindi pa rin makapaniwala eh haha

when i got inside, gusto ko agad sumigaw! woohoo...parang isang malaking up fair! familiar get up. jeans, chucks, dark-colored tops. at may mga taong nag-aaral habang nakaupo sa damuhan. hmmm...asa sunken ba ko? syempre, hinanap ko agad sina eyva at fifi na nakita ko after 100 years. hehe para kaming nagtataguan.

we didnt go near the fence between patron and vip. dun kami sa elevated area near the mcdonalds booth. since it was only a lttle past six, medyo maluwag pa. nakaupo pa kami ng maayos. pagdating ng 7, ayan medyo sumisikip na. at pagdating ng 8, hindi ka na talaga pwedeng umupo dahil sa siksikan.

at pagdating ng 810, gustong sumabog ng puso ko sa tuwa. at todo lakas ng boses ko sa pagsigaw. grabe, talo nito feeling ng inlove! wahaha it was pure bliss!

and the rest is history.

==============================

this is the 3rd reconstruction of what i wrote earlier. i was almost done. nasa kalahati na ko nang bigla kong mapindot ang hindi ko alam kung anong key at nawala ang sinulat ko sa loob ng 1 oras. tapos nung tapos na ko, as in tapos na, bigla naputol internet connection ko. ano ba!

cant help it

im on a 2-hour break from my exam. after staying in starbucks for more than 4 hours, i was able to answer 2 questions from my exam, technically 1 1/2 hehe ndi pa kasi tapos yung isa. 3 more questions to go! one thing ive realized. the questions were not hard. i just have to read. so moral of the story, read the assigned readings every week so that come exam time, all you have to do is write

simultaneous with eating oatmeal for dinner, im checking eyva's recommended site. astig nga! hay its been a week. i remember all the anticipation haha

*sings* its all coming back to me now. nye haha

overcoming addiction

im slowly trying to overcome it. besides, its been a week already. so im posting a non-eheads entry, only after seeing this

last wednesday, i passed by araneta on my way to alimall. ang daming tao than the usual, yun pala concert ni avril lavigne. so i was singing skaterboi in my head.

"im just a skaterboy, i said see you later boy, im not good enough for her"

yan ang paulit ulit kong kinakanta from araneta to alimall. when i reached starbux, i was already looking inside. checking if my favorite seat is unoccupied. and im so glad it is. so i was still singing skaterboy in my head.

here's the thing. i saw the guard opening the door for me. but since my attention was on the seat and not on the door, i didnt notice that i was heading towards the un-opened door. so the next things i know of was, kablag! bumangga na pala ako sa glass door. good thing that i was carrying some readings and my arms were at my chest so yung arms ko ang unang bumangga and not my face. i was laughing so hard at myself! buti na lang walang tao sa labas except for the guard and that guy studying at one of the tables. pati tuloy sya napasaya ko at napatawa. but he gave me that peace sign after.

idolatry...fanaticism...still on eheads

here i go again. instead of doing my take-home exam for 207.2, im writing this entry. parang last sem lang hehe

but in all fairness to me, i finished one article tonight. i read my prof's article on cooperatives as a mechanism for promoting social justice. o ha? but while reading dharam ghai's article on decent work: universality and diversity (which ive perpetually been trying to read ever since the beginning of the term), the image of ely in that white long sleeves being elevated on stage with one arm raised and a guitar on the other keeps on popping in my mind. hay... still cant get over it.

anyway, got this one from the mail this morning. thought id be too selfish not to share it with people. alangan namang ako lang manghinayang no! haha

from http://danglingteal eaves.multiply.com
>
> Now it can be told. Aug 31, '08 7:43 PM
> for everyone
> We were all supposed to dance the Huling El Bimbo with a fantastic
> fireworks display. It was going to be the perfect song to end a
> perfect concert.
>
> I know because my sister said so. She was one of the band's PAs
> (guess which one!) and was there during the production meetings. On
> Sunday morning, as we gathered for our family lunch, she told us what
> was supposed to go down during the Eheads concert.
>
> The first set went exactly as planned, except of course for Ely's
> collapse. To refresh your memory, these are the songs we heard:
>
> 1. Alapaap
> 2. Ligaya
> 3. Sembreak
> 4. Hey Jay
> 5. Harana
> 6. Fruitcake
> 7. Toyang
> 8. Kama Supra
> 9. Kailan
> 10. Wag Kang Matakot
> 11. Kaliwete
> 12. With A Smile
> 13. Shake Yer Head
> 14. Wag Mo Nang Itanong
> 15. Lightyears
>
> During the second set, the band was to sing ten more songs, in this
> order:
>
> 1. Maskara
> 2. Poor Man's Grave
> 3. Torpedo
> 4. Trip to Jerusalem
> 5. Back To Me
> 6. walang Nagbago
> 7. Maling Akala
> 8. Tikman
> 9. Spoliarium
> 10.Magasin
>
> When Magasin was to be played, the screen behind them would have
> montages of various news and magazine clippings of them. It would
> flash alternately with shots of the band and audience until the song
> reached the coda where Ely sings "...ay centerfold ka naaaa...woo hoo-
> hoo, haaa-haaa" part of the song. Then there would be fire works and
> a fountain of sparks, going on til the last note of the song. Then
> the hydraulic stage would be lowered and the band would make a "fake
> ending".
>
> The lights would then go out.
>
> My sister said the band would wait til the crowd chanted "more". "It
> would take two beers' worth of chanting "more" she said. Then in the
> darkness, a very dramatic keyboard solo would be heard, and it would
> be the opening chords of Para Sa Masa.
>
> The hydraulic stage would rise again and there they would be.
>
> After Para Sa Masa, they'd switch into Overdrive. With the crowd
> pumped within an inch of insanity they were to hit us with Pare Ko.
> And then we would slow down and reminisce with Minsan.
>
> Finally, they would perform Huling El Bimbo. Again, after the last
> refrain, at the coda (la la la laaa...) the grand fireworks display
> would go off, fountains of light surrounding the stage. The next la-
> la-la parts would see fireworks from behind the general admissions
> section, and as the song ended there would be a burst of confetti all
> over the audience.
>
> Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered for the final exit.
>
> Those were the plans for the Ultraelectromagneti c night. It may not
> have happened as planned but at least we knew they were going to give
> us a show we would never forget!
>
> We asked my sister if the band knew about all these plans and she
> said they did. In fact they were so excited about all the gimmicks
> and couldn't wait to party with the audience. "Nag-usap pa nga sila
> kung may mga kailangang saluhin na kanta just in case (di na kaya ni
> Ely)," she said. "And Ely said, hindi, Kakanta ako!"
>
> I'm putting out an order to the Universe that we all get to watch the
> second set!

larawan mula sa eheads concert

dahil inasahan ko nang hindi magpapapasok ng camera, hindi na ko nakipagsapalaran na dalhin ang akin. sige na nga, back to camera phone ulit. buti nagdala yung kaibigan ko ng p&s na madaling itago sa bag.


kuha pagdating ko sa site gamit ang sew800i around 6pm


nang medyo dumidilim na


kuha ni fides


ang tagaaaaalll...


sa wakas ay nakita ko na...


wooohooo



yiiiiii


during the 20-minute break


at pagkatapos ng concert...

with a smile

the first time i heard about it, i doubted if its gonna push through. but still, i wished that it really will. all the gossips, which kept on changing every now and then, were dealth with cynicism but still, i kept hoping. i even registered in the marloboro redlist even if i wasnt a smoker.

then aug 30 came.

a few minutes after 8pm, the numbers 10:00 were flashed on the screen, ticking. countdown na! sigawan ang mga tao, akala 10 seconds pero putik, 10 minutes pala to. ang tagal! haha ganunpaman, sinakyan na din ng mga tao. what is 10 minutes compared to 6 long years of waiting for the fab four este eheads to perform together on one stage. pagdating ng last 10 seconds on the 7th minute, sinabayan ang countdown. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...zero woohooo pero syempre after nun, 6 minutes pa. at pagdating ulit ng last 10 seconds for that minute, chant na naman ang mga tao. that thing went on until finally, on the last minute, on the last second, pagdating ng zero, nagdilim ang stage. wooooooo wala kang makikita kundi ilaw ng mga cellphone, video, camera at kung anu-ano pang tech gadgets na dala dala ng mga panatiko para marecord ang kung anumang mangyayari sa gabing yun.

tapos biglang may lumabasa sa screen. ang mga katagang SA WAKAS (pasintabi sa sugarfree) and a flash of eheads images after that. maya maya, nagliwanag ang stage, putik, andun ang apat! lahat ng tao sumisigaw, nakataas ang mga kamay, nakatawa, nakangiti, ewan ko lang kung may naiiyak. i was shouting at the top of my lungs! its true! its true! haha hindi pa rin makapaniwala eh.

si ely syempre nasa gitna. nakaputi. may sukbit na gitara sa balikat. naka aviator shades. ang ayos ayos ng itsura. medyo pumayat. pero ang ayos ayos! si buddy, nakawhite coat din. pag nakaharap ka sa stage, nasa bandang kanan si buddy. ganun pa din ang itsura, hindi ngumingiti haha. si rayms, nasa likod, with the drums, naka-itim na shirt. syempre hindi suot yung red-rimmed nyang shades. im not sure pero im assuming naka chucks sya. ayos! si marcus, nasa left side ni ely. syempre ang haba na ng buhok, naka itim din. at hindi ko din alam kung naka boots ba sya or sneakers. isa sa mga naiwang palaisipan sa kin ng concert na yun.

first song was alapaap. syempre intro pa lang, wala ng ginawa mga tao kundi sumigaw. when ely went,

"may isang umaga, na tayo'y magsasama"

the crowd went wild. as in deafening noise from everyone and everywhere. the group is performing! walang makakatalo dito! except for the great april boys of course na muntik nang maging isa sa mga dahilan para hindi matuloy ang concert because the 4 just cant let the opportunity of seeing the april boys reunion concert pass. (sowee.bad girl)

going back. after the first line, naging chorus na ang kabuuan ng kanta. nung chorus na, biglang may fireworks sa stage. sosyal! pagbanggit ng huling linya at huling nota mula sa gitara at keyboards (jazz nicolas shared the stage with them)may fireworks ulit! sosyal ulit! pagkatapos ng fireworks, sigawan ulit ang mga tao. nag-aantay kung anong sasabihin ni ely. mangungumusta ba. magha hi. pero wala talaga. mga tao na nangungumusta sa kanila. sumisigaw. nagchachant ng "group hug. group hug, group hug" pero wala talaga. walang ad lib. tugtog lang talaga.

sumunod ang ligaya. sembreak. hey jay. kamasupra. harana. in between the songs, habang sila nagpapalit ng gitara (after every song sila kung magpalit ng gitara), ang crowd sumisigaw ng group hug, group hug, group hug. pagdating sa fruitcake, nag adlib si ely. ang sabi, "dahil malapit na ang pasko", sabay banat ng, there's a fruitcake for everybody, tapos kanta na ulit. with the crowd. lahat naman ng songs nila, kinanta with the crowd. haha

pagdating sa toyang, nag adlib ulit. ang sabi, kumusta?
tapos kanta ng, they try...
crowd: to tell us we're too young
ely: they try...
crowd: to tell us we're too young
ely: they really tried
crowd: *laughter*
ely: to tell us we're too old
crowd: *more laughter*
ely: to old..to really..be bold
crowd: woooooo
ely: bahay namin, maliit lamang
crowd + ely: pero pero pero malinis to, pati sa kusina.
hanggang natapos ang kanta.

sumunod ulit ang kailan. wag kang matakot. kaliwete. shake yer head. wag mo ng itanong. with a smile. (sorry hindi ako sigurado sa pagkakasunod sunod)

after the 2nd to the last song. sigaw ulit ng group hug ang audience. si ely, napatigil. akala namin may ihihirit. pero wala pala haha kanta lang ulit.

pagkatapos ng lightyears, umupo si ely. yumuko habang nakahawak sa nakatukod na gitara. ang audience hindi alam kung pano magrereact. i was thinking if he did that because he got so emotional because of the things happening to his life lately? was that in remembrance of his mother? naiiyak ba sya? or just a prelude to a punchline? tapos bago makapag react ang audience. nagdilim ang stage. at nagflash ng 20:00 sa screen. ok, 20-min break.

syempre ang audience, reklamo na naman haha 20 minutes, ang tagal! pero ok lang. sige lang. masaya naman ang first set. parang sa kanilang apat, si raymund yung pinakamasaya. sya yung pinaka energetic. nagtataas ng kamay para pumalakpak. nambato ng drumstick. nambato ng bote ng tubig. tayo ng tayo. bigay todo sa paghampas. mabuhay ka raymund! ely at one point shook his head so hard kaya natanggal yung shades at napunta sa audience. ely looked so haggard.

after 20 minutes, the crowd was getting impatient. ang tagal naman ng 20 minutes! tapos a few minutes more, people went to the stage. and you could hear people asking, bat may babae? bat may babae? then somebody talked,

"ako nga po pala si buddy, sya po si raymund at yun pa si marcus. kasama po namin mga organizers and ely's sister, si lally". that time i was wondering if this is a comedy act and if these people were impersonators. when i saw them on screen, i thought, wow, that guy really looked like buddy. and then he said that theyre asking the crowd to listen to what the organizers have to say.

then ely's sister talked with a quivering voice. thanking the crowd and explaining that because of his brother's poor health compounded with the death of their mother and the many things happening lately, they had to rush him to the hospital. he was asking for the audience's understanding and bidding everyone to have safe trip home.

the organizer took the mic after and thanked the crowd and again asked the crowd to understand that because of what happened, they had to cut the concert short. he also enjoined everyone to pray for ely and allot a few minutes of silence. and the crowd really went silent. as in silent. maybe that went for about 2 or 3 minutes. nobody was talking. it was just pure silence.

then the organizer again thanked the audience. And wished everyone to travel and drive home safe. Tapos bumaba na sila sa stage. And everyone just clapped. Syempre may mga humihirt pa ng, “kayong 3 na lang! tugtog pa kayo!”

it was a bit surreal. the entire concert was really, how would you call it, one-helluva-night? A drama. One moment youre so happy, the next moment youre sad. Parang linya ng heartbeat sa ECG machine. Ang emosyon ng tao minsan nasa peak, tapos pagkatapos ng ilang sandali, nasa baba na. From the very start until the end. Mula sa mga bali-balita na hindi maconfirm. Tapos nung maconfirm, biglang nagback-out. Nung may sumalong sponsor at nagbenta na ng ticket at nung turn ko na sa pila, biglang nagdown ang server at hindi ako nabentahan. Nung may ticket na ko at araw na ng concert, biglang umulan sa QC at nag-overtime pa klase ko. Paglabas ko ng klase ng 430 ng hapon, parang bagyo sa lakas ang ulan. Pagdating ko sa Ayala, wala akong makitang taxi. Pagkasakay ko ng taxi, ang traffic naman. At nung sa wakas mapanood ko sila, hindi natapos.

Lalo tuloy nabitin ang tao. An hour after that, we were talking about what could have been the perfect finale for that. Magpapadala kaya sila sa "group hug" chant? o sabay sabay silang magbabow at magwewave goodbye? O basta bigla na lang magdidilim ang stage at magfaflash ng salamat sa screen? Ano kaya last song nila, minsan o para sa masa o pare ko? Ano pa kaya yung mga kakantahin nila? Another 15 songs pa kaya o onti na lang? Ang dami pa nilang hindi nakakanta!

And with the fact na hindi natapos ang concert, magkakaroon pa kaya ng part 2? Hope not for that would be an overkill. Or pag nagkaroon, same tickets pa rin hehe kantahin nalang nila kung ano yung hindi nila natapos.

anyway, whatever happens or will not happen, sapat na sa kin ang mapanood ko silang muli na magkakasamang tumutugtog. anyway, 15 songs na din yun. Kinantana nila ang with a smile at narecord ko pa.

it was all worth it. kahit na hindi ko nadala ang camera ko to document the event. the 1,339 patron ticket was soo cheap compared to the happiness that one great night gave me. kahit siguro murahin ako in the face ng mga taong nang-aaway sa kin on that night, ngingiti pa rin ako at sasabihan ko ng peace! i havent been to an open air concert (except for the up fair) and im glad that the first one is just so great. the sound. the lights. the fireworks. the quality of the video on screen. the crowd. and the BAND. just right. no exaggerations. just music.

salamat incubus na nagfront act haha

salamat ERASERHEADS!

waiting

august 22
friday night
7:55pm
netopia sa farmers
pc # 52
*sound of keyboards being tapped*

waiting for my sister.
we're going to study together later.
but she still has some work to do so i have to wait for her for a few minutes.
i dont want to eat alone. have to wait for her.
so i came here. and rented a pc.
and opened yahoo.
and downloaded my 207.2 readings for tomorrow's class.
also visited my multiply account.
and added joanne as a contact. a fellow eheads fanatic.
im done downloading the readings.
dont feel like chatting with friends in ym.
dont have anything else to do now.
but write.

===========

about two weeks ago
around the same time
national book store
robinson's galeria
*sound of cash register closing*

was waiting for my friend.
was going to have coffee with her and talk about our favorite topic.
*wink*wink*
was looking at the books. looking for something interesting.
my eye caught a photography book. good thing it wasnt wrapped.
*thinks that whoever thought of wrapping books that are for sale is a jerk for how would you know if a book is worth buying if you dont get to see whats inside?* sige nga!*
browsed through it.
*sigh*wanted to take pictures again*hoping to have more time for that*
finished browsing it. returned it in the rack.
walked though the aisle. then turned to the next one. until the next one. until the next one.
went to the fiction section. saw haruki murakami's books. remembers her own copy of after dark. thinks where it is now.
thought of buying another title but its a bit pricey.
decided not to.
then saw another title. from another author. another asian author.
read the synopsis. hmm not bad
got it and paid for it.
waiting by hai jin

=============
wala lang
ayan 810 na
andun na siguro kapatid ko
makaalis na nga

is it worth dying for?

the title doesnt have any connection with the content of this post. except for the reason that i actually have the time to write non-school stuff such as this because its a holiday!

everythings been a bit of crazy lately. like an emotional roller coaster. one moment, everythings working out just fine but before you know it, reality kicks in. and its kinda stressful. masakit sa ulo!

thats exactly how i feel and think about people these past few weeks. ang labo! does it confuse you now? i assume there are knitting eyebrows slowly forming but dont think really hard because i dont have a deeper thought. i just want to write to unleash some of the things occupying my mind. because everything and everyone's simply...vague.

the fragility of human life

i dont really know your story. all i know is that youve been together for 5 years now. he came from a long relationship. i dont know about your story.

his family didnt like you at first because youre way older than him. but through the years, youve managed to charm them with your kindness. somehow, his family has learned to love you. and things have been going along pretty well.

though he might not have nagged you about it, he wanted to have a child. both of you are not getting any younger and his parents have been anticipating for another grandchild. this time from him.

he's in a deep dilemma because he didnt plan it. he said they started as flings. the thought of having a new challenge excited him. yet years after, it grew into something more serious. now,another life is involved. that of their unborn child.

unlike you, she is more demanding. she wants to have him,legally. she wants marriage. but she is not desperate. if he doesnt want to, its fine with her. but she has voiced out her preference.

he's been accompanying her to her pre-natal checks. he cried when he first saw the ultrasound image of their child. he cried because of too much joy. and too much guilt.

he's been thinking of you whenever he is with her. the thought of you being alone in the house feeds his guilt. he can no longer afford to be mushy with you because his conscience bothers him.

he doesnt want to decide now because he cant. youre leaving and he doesnt want you to ruin that plan because of depression. he plans to tell you once you leave.

he doesnt want to live with her just because of the child. akthough the idea is not that bad after all.

for now, he's thinking of just leaving the both of you. maybe out of cowardice. or maybe out of bravery.

but the turn of events over the weekend have been so unreal. seems like the heavens have made the decision for him...tragically.

now, no one knows where you are. last friday, maybe you were even excited when you boarded that ship. happy to go home and pay a visit to your loved ones. but nature has been cruel.

you are not in the list of survivors. we dont want to think that you didnt make it. now, we can only pray that ypu are on a shore somewhere. you dont deserve such a cruel ending. not in your lovelife. not in your life.

up checklist

i dont usually post these kind of stuff in my blog but because its the height of UP's centennial celebration, ill allow myself a little indulgence.

galing kay ava, in line with the peyups centennial hoopla, ilan sa mga sumusunod ang nagawa nyo nung nasa UP pa kayo? =P


[ ] Worried about getting bullied by fratmen or getting killed in a riot.
[ ] Got bullied by fratmen or was killed in a riot.
[ ] Witnessed a riot.
[X ] Watched the Oblation Run.
[ ] Made friends with a teacher
[ ] Was tricked as a freshman into attending a rally / prayer meeting.
[X ] Wore red or black on one of those wear red or wear black days
[ ] Wore red on Valentine?s Day.
[ ] Wore black on Valentine's Day.
[ ] Celebrated a birthday at Mang Jimmy's.
[X ] Learned UP Naming Mahal
[X ] Was an RA (registration assistant) or SA. (SA AS 101)
[ ] Lied or begged to an RA for a slot in class.
[ ] Participated in a there's-only-one-more-slot-are you-feeling-lucky?
[X ] Jogged around the campus (FOR THE LOVE OF KAMASA)
[X ] Visited the Vargas Museum
[X ] Knew at least one xerox lady, manong, or technician by name. [OO NGA, counted
ba si Manang Pilar, ung nasa Pilar-Herrera Hall]
[ ] Attended university level graduation.
[X ] Got an activist for a teacher
[ ] Watched a La Salle vs. Ateneo UAAP game.
[X ] Watched a UP vs. any school basketball game
[X ] Studied in CASAA.
[ ] Studied in McDonald's or Jollibee Philcoa for one full night and bought just one regular-sized drink.
[ ] Studied along Katipunan.
[ ] Studied along Katipunan and affected by the mannerisms of a stereotypical Atenean.
[X ] Watch a play that's not required for Comm III (DAMI NITO)
[X ] Went stargazing. (SA SUNKEN, HABANG KAUSAP ANG MGA TIBAK)
[x ] Ate in Chocolate Kiss, Tea Room (in CHE) or Chateau Verde
[ ] Struck up a conversation with a taong grasa
[ ] Wrote to/for the Collegian
[ ] Seriously pondered about the identity/ies of the people described in
Eksenang Peyups.
[X ] Went to the chapel. [OO NAMAN, LALO NA NUNG NAG MATH17 AKO]
[x ] Got a pebble stuck in your shoe/slippers while walking in Sunken
Garden .
[ ] Cut class with your block to watch a movie. [pwede ba to tambay?]
[ ] Had a Voltes V for a teacher.
[ ] Took a class under Joseph Palis.
[ ] Lied to the transcript lady to get a transcript earlier than the
standard 3 months.
[X ] Went to a Freshman-only concert.
[ ] Subsisted on just streetfood (fishballs, half footlongs, kwekwek,
squidballs/rolls, mais, dirty ice cream) for a day.
[ ] Learned how to smoke. [tried but never learned]
[X ] Went on an out-of-town trip with blockmates or orgmates. (MADAMING BESES)
[ ] Fell in love
[x ] Actually read the book you keep borrowing from the lib.
[ ] Played cards during your free time.
[X ] Dressed in business attire [comm III & interview sa org]
[ ] Sumabit sa jeep.
[ ] Got sung to or sung to someone in class during Valentine's day.
[x ] Watched the Lantern Parade
[x ] Helped out a total stranger.
[ ] Helped out a total stranger because he/she was hot.
[x ] Learned to stay awake for more than 24 or 48 hours straight [sa socio
199.1][ ] Got bullied by fratmen and feeling cool wannabe people who were actually losers.
[ ] Took Wednesday and/or Sat classes WILLINGLY
[ ] Volunteered for the pahinungod. [wanted to]
[X ] Ate "tasteless white sauce" pasta from cock-a-noodle-doo.
[ ] Got a boyfriend/girlfriend.
[x ] Took time to read the vandalism in the CR
[x ] Watched a sexy art film for any GE class. (pila balde)
[x ] Got held up or pickpocketed. [sa katipunan]
[x ] Felt depressed because you were not as good academically as you were
in high school.
[x ] Did a last minute paper (ALWAYS)
[x ] Had spent a lot for 1x1 ID pictures.
[x ] Got exempted from final exams
[ ] Got exempted from a final exam but still took it.
[x ] Attended a varsity pep rally.
[ ] Watched LIVE AIDS, Androgyny, Maskipaps or any well-known variety
show.
[ ] Promised to quit smoking.
[x ] Got into at least one (org- or council-sponsored) adventure race
[ ] Knew where the best restrooms are on campus.
[x ] Joined an org.
[x ] Allowed yourself to make mistakes.
[ ] Went to the gym in spite of having no PE class just to ogle varsity
players/cute boys. [nye, ang layo]
[x ] Took summer classes
[x ] Admired the Oblation.
[x ] Made a video for a project.
[X ] Had a crush on a teacher.
[ ] Had a teacher who had a crush on/tried to court you.
[ ] Attended your ROTC Bivouac.
[ ] Faked sickness to get an absence excused.
[ ] Got your car scratched by one of those "Kuya bantayan ko kotse niyo"
kids.
[ ] Took a PE class where you had to pay for tuition (i.e. sportsclimbing,
ten pin bowling, scuba diving, etc).
[x ] Went to school in your crappiest yet most comfy clothes.
[ ] Learned how to use the Bayantel pay phones.
[x ] Participated in school activities.
[ ] Caught the UP Pep Tryouts.
[ ] Dated someone from UP.
[x ] Rode an IKOT and TOKI.
[X ] Found a tambayan.
[ ] Went drinking at Sarah's.
[ ] Learned how to beg for a higher grade.
[ ] Used your 6 allowable absences wisely
[ ] Lived in a dorm.
[ ] Volunteered to be beadle or go-to guy for your group / class.
[ ] Had the worst schedule.
[ ] Realized that there really is just one coconut tree on the sunken
garden
[ x] Not used up all 6 allowable absences
[x ] Ate in ISSI, Treehouse, Mama Thai's and other more obscure cafeterias.
[x ] Ate food Aristocart-style [once, yung sa eng]
[ ] Is active in your org.
[X ] Attended an ACLE.
[X ] Got as many app forms as you can during the job fair.
[X ] Learned how to cram. [learned...and mastered!]
[x ] Sold tickets for (or watch) an org-sponsored movie premiere. (OO NAMAN, CHOCOLAT YATA ATBP)
[ ] Saved money to Xerox all of your seatmate's notes.
[ ] Had accidentally seen a make-out session.
[x ] Slept in class. [sa sts]
[ x ] Finished a homework/assignment/paper in the Shopping center or
Philcoa. [MADALAS SA CSSP COMP LAB AT NAPAPAGALITAN NI ATE ROSE DAHIL SA KAINGAYAN]
[ ] Had mountains of "unused" sample exams and/or old testaments.
[X ] Resolved to be "better this semester"
[ ] Slept during a test.
[X ] Had groupmates from hell [kaya ako naincomplete!]
[X ] Learned how to work with groupmates from hell
[ ] Perfected the art of parking on campus.
[ ] Had a bad encounter with one of the guards on campus
[X ] Developed a love for sisig. [gloria's sa casaa]
[X ] Practiced those UP cheers in the first meeting for PE class.
[X ] Looked at microfilms in the library or poked through archives
[X ] Reserved a classroom, AVR, etc. for a class or org function.
[X ] Attended the UP Fair.
[X ] Went to a library other than your own college's to research. [pati
social work at women studies]
[ ] Lost a perfectly functioning umbrella [
[ ] Used consultation hours properly.
[ ] Went to the Guidance Office for real, heart-to-heart guidance.
[ ] Went to the infirmary
[ ] Attended class with a hangover
[x ] Drink beer or alcohol while inside UP grounds
[X ] Walked all the way to Philcoa or Katipunan from UP
[ ] Buy frogs from NSRI or a Bio department.
[ ] Maxed out on the 6 allowed unexcused absences but DID NOT drop.
[ ] Got invited or pursued by a sorority or fraternity.
[X ] Wore slippers to school.
[ ] Had a professor who smoked in class.
[ ] Got diagnosed by the Infirmary as pregnant or infected with STD.

maligayang sentenaryo up

isandaang taon na ang nakalilipas nang magsimula kang humubog ng mga kaisipan at pagkatao ng mga kabataang tinaguriang pag-asa ng bayan. isandaang taon na ngunit pinipilit mo pa ring maipagpatuloy ang paggampan sa iyong pangunahing layunin sa lipunan. sa gitna ng maraming pagbabago, nawa'y patuloy kang maging inspirasyon upang ang hangaring mapabuti ang pansarili at panlipunang kinabukasan ay makamtan.

final destination

It started in Sagada but ended in Galera. All these plans about traveling together as a group is indeed challenging especially with people who have classes during weekends or who are saving their leaves for other travel plans (fine, you can charge me with both). You’ll have problems with schedules, finances, leaves, etc etc. But we hurdled all that, and settled for a cheap, accessible and relatively near out of town getaway --- sa isla ng Puerto Galera.

Ive never been to Puerto Galera so (my other self and) I was excited about the trip. But wait, seems like the mighty hands of destiny wont allow us to have a hassle-free trip to that island so it summoned the ghastly winds and a low pressure area was born. We were supposed to leave at the break of dawn of Saturday but by Thursday night, a friend adviced us that the center of typhoon Cosme is in Galera. Wow! Pero hindi pwede, kailangang ituloy to! This would be the most opportune time to go there especially with the latest occurrences in Henyo’s life. Naks! So despite the discouraging weather forecast for the weekend, we decided to go.

We stayed at Dory’s house in Las Pinas Friday night. We were watching the news but the weather reports were not very friendly. So we slept trying to come up with an alternative plan but came up with none. Bahala na si Batman!

Saturday morning came. Wow, it was so calm. It was a bit cloudy but the weather was just fine. And we were sooo happy.

But, there was one problem. We didn’t know where to get airconditioned buses going to Batangas port. So we had to take an ordinary bus first going to the bus terminal somewhere right after the expressway (didn’t get the name of the place). There we took an Alps bus going to the pier.

We got to the port at around 830 and after a quick survey of the ticket prices offered, we opted for MV Brian and bought a round trip ticket. Departure time was at 0830 and even if it was already past that time, the crew still assured us that we could still take that trip. Hmmm…pano? So off we ran to the boat passing quickly through the baggage checks.

When we got to the boat, we found out why. People were already hysterical because the departure time was delayed for more almost two hours. And people dont know why. They were threatening to disembark if we wont leave in the next few minutes. Finally, one personnel came and he explained that the trip was delayed because they were still securing permits. Talking about service..

After about 30 minutes, we sailed. Naks! It was a calm trip. Despite the typhoon in Pangasinan at that time, the weather in Batangas was ok. The sun is up, no strong winds and the sea is calm. Perfect! Or so we thought until we reached the open sea.

Grabe, we thought we were gonna die. Ok, im a bit exaggerating here but maybe some people in that boat were thinking that we are indeed. The first few minutes were scary because aside from the big waves, you have to deal with passengers shouting at every “bump” of the boat. Imagine turbulence in air. Or imagine being in a small roller coaster in the sea. Or how about Enchanted’s Rio Grande in an open sea. The waves were so big so everytime we crash into them, whoops, splash! And since we were at the front portion of the boat, wow, kami ang sumasalo sa tubig. Sometimes they would turn off the engine because if we don’t, we might indeed CRASH. After maybe 30 minutes, the passengers were already silent but you could sense that everyone is really tensed and is praying silently. I was both praying and singing in my head, with one hand holding my bag and the other gripping my seat. I would hold my breath whenever I see big waves coming our way. There was also this point when I was just waiting for one really huge wave to come and would turn the boat upside down.

Anyway, that roller coaster ride went on for about an hour. We were supposed to dock in White Beach but because of the big waves, we docked somewhere else. No one wanted to sit beside us in the shuttle, which was a jeep, because we were soaked. Really drenched in saltwater. Hay, I swore to myself that I will never go back to that place until next summer.

To balance things out, we found a cheap room. P1,500 lang. So we fixed our things first, checked which ones got wet and which ones didn’t. Got a shower to remove all the salt which already dried up and clung to our skin. After that, chow time! I was actually hoping for a seafood feast but we ended up having an ordinary Manila lunch. Buti na lang masarap ang pagkain. Or maybe we were just so exhausted and hungry and just happy to be alive kaya appreciative kami sa pagkain.

Dory was craving for that Galera ice scramble so we walked the entire stretch to look for one but there was none. What we got instead were new buys. Dory, Henyo and my other self bought beach outfits while the real me just settled for a new pair of shorts. After that, we wanted to swim already but the waves were still big so wag na lang. We opted to have our skin painted with henna.

After the henna, malaki pa rin ang alon so whats the best thing to do? Photoshoot! So we acted like lunatics and model wannabes by the beach: running, posing, and doing stunts.

After about 100 years, kahit malaki ang alon, sinuong na din namin. Ay ni Henyo lang pala. Dory and I sat by the shore, settling for the smaller waves. After maybe 20 minutes, we went back to our room because we were already trembling. Ang lamig!

Then its dinner time! We had fish, and squid, and chicken kebab, and rice, and water. Dami no? We even had a slight altercation with the cashier because we ordered for an eggplant which came after we cleared all our food. Syempre we didn’t want to pay for it so she came to our table and insisted that we have to pay for it because we ordered it. When we refused, she told us to talk to the manager. I told her to call the manager. And she did but apparently, the manager was wise enough to know what customer service is so the cashier didn’t come back to us and sent the waiter instead to give the bill, which now excludes the eggplant. Ang alamat ng talong, bow!

My other self was so longing to dance after that but because of that argument with the cashier, we opted to leave and walked to find a decent place to dance. So we walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, but found none so we ended up in the place where we started. But this time, the place was full. All seats were taken so we waited for quite some time to get settled.

I don’t know what the place is called but it seemed to be the party place in the entire White beach. I guess the main attraction were the gay waitresses who looked like real girls (at least some of them) and dressed in really short shorts or micro minis. Mahihiya kang ipakita ang pata mo  They even had “brighter future” than most girls do.

Anyhow, we gulped down a pitcher of Mindoro sling while chatting with our waitress named Sam and taking pictures in between. S/he said s/he’s from Malate and goes to Galera every summer or whenever there’s an event. That night, s/he and her/his fellows danced like the PCDs.

It was a typical summer night at the beach. There were a lot of groups having fun. We sat beside a big group of yuppies who seem so hungry for one summer hurrah. There was also this couple, a foreigner whose hands keep on working its way to every part of his girl’s body. There was also this guy who just keeps on dancing. Wherever you see him, he’s dancing.

It took another pitcher of the famous sling and an order of that Margarita slush-like thing before my other self had the guts to go to the dance floor to do her thing. My real self stayed at the table with dory and was just happy taking pictures of people having fun at the dance floor. It wasn’t long before we realize that we were already drunk. We were supposed to answer the call of nature and had to go back to our room but we noticed that hey, asa bangka pa ba tayo? Bat gumegewang ang paligid?

Anyway, we survived that drunk journey to our room and back to the beach were we just kept on laughing and making fun at our state. Henyo came to drag us to the dance floor where we danced and jumped and laughed and jumped and danced. We just stopped when we noticed that hey, this area is transforming into something else. Hehe

We had instant coffee after that (brewed is available not until 5am) and went back to our room. But the night is not about to end yet. My other self was walking when she suddenly stopped and stooped and you know what happened next. As to Dory, she was shouting ahn neyong ha seyo (sorry for the possible mistakes in spelling) to a group of Koreans who were having a drink downstairs. What a night.

The next morning, my other self had this headache. Dory took pictures of Henyo sleeping. My real self wanted some more sleep but had to wake up. Henyo woke up last.

Breakfast was ok. The tapa was makunat and the coffee was instant but we need nourishment. We still have a long way to go. We were deciding the best way to leave the island because we don’t want to go through another experience of that sort. One is enough.

It was 945 and the boat is about to leave at 10. But when we reached the pier, hala, si boat nasa laot na. But it was ok because the waves were still big. Coast guards were also very visible at that time. Other boat companies cancelled their trips and it was only the mighty (mighty-han) M/V Brian who sailed through the stormy sea.

So from there, we took a tricycle to the town proper. Astig mga tricycle. Inaakyat ang bundok. And the view from the mountains was much better than from the beach. Langit ito. From the town proper, we took a 1 ½ hour jeepney ride to Calapan. The jeepney ride was in itself an adventure because people were literally adorning the jeep, asa loob, sa side, at sa ibabaw. And then one last tricycle ride and we were at the Calapan port! Hayy… sa wakas.

Supercat, our saviour, was at the pier waiting for us. We had lunch first, and banana chips and corn chips while waiting for boarding. Good thing the pre-departure area had an air conditioning system. Hayy…

Then it was time to board. And it was time to go. And after a few minutes, it was time to pray again! Jusko, hindi pa pala tapos ang roller coaster ride. Walangyang mga alon yan! We could feel the ferry jumping through the waves. And whenever it tilts to the left or to the right, we go through the same routine of grabbing our seats and praying and hoping that we’re not gonna die at that very moment. Gusto kong mamatay ng may kabuluhan at hindi dahil sa pagkalunod. Hay… all we wanted was to have some moments together and have fun pero bat ganun.

Anyway, we survived all those. Despite how rough the sea was, we made it! Walang makakapigil sa taong gala hehe