Para sa Lalakeng Umaapoy ang Talampakan

Kung hindi ka lalake at kung hindi umaapoy ang talampakan mo, wag mo ng basahin ito dahil masasayang lang ang oras mo na sanay nagamit mo para pagyamanin ang kaalaman mo gamit ang internet.

Pero kung ikaw yung lalakeng umaapoy ang talampakan, para sa'yo ito. Alam kong hindi ka naman mahilig magbasa kaya hindi mo ito babasahin ng buo at pupunta ka na agad sa ending. Pero please lang basahin mo lahat.

Mag-isa sa Magalawa Day 2

Mag-isa sa Magalawa Island Day 1

My alarm woke me up at 5:30am. I looked outside the window and saw that it is still dark. Despite 9 hours sleep, I am still very sleepy so I snoozed until it was 6am. After seeing a bleak light in the horizon, I decided to get out of bed and wait for the sun to grace my presence.

Breaking Dawn

Mag-isa sa Magalawa Day 1

Mag-isa sa Magalawa Day 2

I have traveled alone often enough to know that it is not for me. Because of my previous job as a field engineer.. errr, technician, I've been to Rosary Heights, Mulanay, Narvacan and Guihulngan all by myself. And I hated all of those trips wherein I have to go solo. To think that I am an introvert which means I have this constant need to be alone which should also mean that going solo should be my preferred type of traveling, right? No. I hate having to talk to new people, I hate being vulnerable, I hate not having my own private space, I hate having to ask for directions, I hate being ridiculed by the locals, I hate dirty restrooms but.. I love traveling. And that love is enough to give me courage.

Horns Up

Noong isang araw ay umattend ako sa Investor's Forum ng PhilEquity. Sa totoo lang, wala akong account sa PhilEquity o Wealth Securities at kaya lang ako nakaattend ay dahil sa isang kaibigan kong nagtatrabaho sa PhilEquity.

Ang event na ito ay ginanap sa Auditorium ng Philippine Stock Exchange at ang mga talagang invited lang ay yung top 200 investors ng PhilEquity. Kaya ayun, puro Intsik na mga nakamamahaling bag at relos at cellphone ang kasama ko. Nakakatawa kasi low battery ang HTC Sensation XE kong cellphone nung araw na yun at ang lumang Nokia 1208 ang gamit ko. Bukod pa dun, nakacasual na damit lang ako. Kumbaga sa isang Hollywood movie, para akong African American sa isang White Party. 

Sa mga nakakakilala sa akin at alam kung gaano ako ka-mahiyain ay alam na ang normal na magiging reaksyon ko ay umuwi na lang imbis na isiksik ang sarili ko sa isang kaganapang hindi nababagay sa akin at nagpapalapot ng aking laway. Pero nung araw na yun ay parang sinapian ako ng kakaibang kapal ng muka. Umupo ako sa tabi ng mag-asawang Intsik na nakaLouis Vuitton at Iphone5 na nasa pangatlong row mula sa stage. Keribels. 

Isinuot ko ang salamin ko para makita ko ng maigi ang nagsasalita sa harapan at kinalimutan ko ang lahat maliban sa isa, ang aking pagnanais na matuto.

Marami nga akong natutunan. Isa na dun ay ang mga mayayaman talaga ang nagpapatakbo sa mundo. At kahit ilang People Power pa ang gawin natin para patalsikin ang mga corrupt na opisyales ng gobyerno para mabawasan ang kahirapan, hindi sila ang tunay na kalaban.  

Sa discussion ay sinabing nakatulong daw sa ekonomiya natin ang eVAT at ang pagpaprivatize ng mga ibang kumpanya ng gobyerno at pati na rin yung pagsasabatas ng Oil Deregulation Law. Lahat ng ito kung unang titignan ay kontra mahirap pero itong baboy na nakakurbata sa harap ko ay sinasabing maganda daw ito para sa ekonomiya. Maganda para sa mga negosyante. 

Putangina. Ano? Bigla kong naisip na ano kaya kung pagbabarilin ko yung mga tao dito. Naisip ko kung bakit mga inosenteng sibilyan ang pinagdidiskitahan ng mga rebelde. Hoy mga engot! Eto ang tunay na kalaban.

Lumipad ang isip ko ng mga ilang minuto at bumalik ulit ako sa tamang huwisyo. Wala e. Ito na talaga ang sistema. Sadyang bayani nga talaga ang masa. Sila ang sumasalo ng lahat ng mga kagaguhan ng mundo.

Dapat ba akong maging si Bonifacio o si Rizal. Si Bonifacio na iwinaksi ang sistema at lumaban mula sa labas, o si Rizal na pinagaralan ang sistema at winasak ito sa mula sa loob. Sa totoo lang pareho silang namatay kaya kahit ano pa ang piliin ko ay pareho rin lang ang kahahantungan.

Sadyang malakas ang agos na ito para labanan ng isang maliit na isdang tulad ko. 

UP Fair 2013

It is February 15. The day after the mass-retail-made-up-celebration called Valentine's day.

Yesterday, I have been trying to control myself to not post any anti-Valentine status and I succeeded. But residue photos of flowers and chocolates and all those crap in my Facebook news feed today are really testing my bout. 

Oh well, what a better way to celebrate Single Awareness Day than to rock out in UP Fair with my single and fabulous friends.

No, we are not bitter at all. These girls constantly remind me that it is better to be single than to be unhappily attached. That it's better to discuss our dreams of traveling the world than to complain about each other's spouses. I have always thought that single people are just too picky, but I realized that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being extra critical when it comes to choosing someone that you will spend the rest of your life with and give up your dreams for.

And again no, Disney princesses didn't fucked up our expectations about love. It's more of how Joan of Arc, Amelia Earhart, Florence Nightingale, Helen Keller, Emily Dickinson and Marie Curie showed us what we are capable of. 

Ok, enough of the heavy stuff, here are the fun we had in this year's UP Fair.

The Abot-kayang Ticket

Rock Climbing, Deadly Roller Coaster, Small Circumference Flying Fiesta, Deadlier Octopus 

Leche Flan, Takoyaki, Ihaw-isaw Madness

The Bands

Blogilates

She is Cassey Ho and her social media sites bear the name of Blogilates. I thinks it means Blog + Pilates. She is famous for her Pop Pilates videos. Pop Pilates meaning she base her Pilates/Cardio/HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts on pop songs such as Taylor Swift, One Direction and Maroon Five songs.

Like tons of her other followers, I love her energy, how she motivates you to push yourself to the limits, how she tells you a story during a really hard workout to try to keep your mind off quitting, and how she makes you sweat like a pig while saying you look beautiful.

I first came across her in the virtual world when I was browsing some Yoga videos on Youtube and I randomly clicked on one of her videos. Until then, I was hooked. Her fitness calendar had been the wallpaper on my laptop since September 2012. I have been trying to religiously follow the workouts on her calendar each day for 5 months now. Yes, I've been devoting at least 30 minutes of my everyday life to her if you would like to put it that way.

Before her, I thought I was already fit coz I could do more sit ups than most of my male friends and I could run faster than any of my female friends. I was wrong. After trying her workouts, I  oftentimes find myself out of breath and wanting the 30 seconds side plank to be over. I realized how my balance suck and how weak my arms are.

This is the workout video that made me humble, it showed me I have a long way to go when it comes to fitness and that my biceps and triceps are such pussies. Darn, I really hate side planks! :D

Meanwhile, this is my favorite Pop Pilates video because I observed myself get better in doing this workout upon repetition and perseverance! Before, I have to stop while pulsing in duck squats but now, I could follow the whole video in a breeze.. :)

So there, the reason for this post is because there is not much fitness entry in this blog which is weird because exercising is part of my daily routine.  Just see my desktop post-it below.. :D

Six Degrees of Separation

"It's scary how accurate this song is."

You've read the books,

You've watched the shows,

What's the best way no one knows, yeah,

Meditate, get hypnotized.

Anything to take from your mind.

But it won't go, ohhhh ohhh

You're doing all these things out of desperation,

Ohhh ohhh,

You're going through six degrees of separation.

You hit the drink, you take a toke

Watch the past go up in smoke.

Fake a smile, yeah, lie and say that,

You're better now than ever, and your life's okay

When it's not. No.

You're doing all these things out of desperation,

Ohhh ohhh,

You're going through six degrees of separation.

First, you think the worst is a broken heart

What's gonna kill you is the second part

And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle

And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself

Fifth, you see them out with someone else

And the sixth, is when you admit that you may have fucked up a little

(Oh no there ain't no help, it's every man for himself)

(No no there ain't no help, it's every man for himself)

You tell your friends, yeah, strangers too,

Anyone who'll throw an arm around you, yeah

Tarot cards

Gems and stones,

Believing all that shit is gonna heal your soul.

Well it's not, no, wohhhh

You're only doing things out of desperation,

Ohhh ohhh,

You're goin' through six degrees of separation.

First, you think the worst is a broken heart

What's gonna kill you is the second part

And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle

And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself

Fifth, you see them out with someone else

And the sixth, is when you admit that you may have fucked up a little

No there's no starting over,

Without finding closure, you'd take them back,

No hesitation,

That's when you know you've reached the sixth degree of separation

No there's no starting over,

Without finding closure, you'd take them back,

No hesitation,

That's when you know you've reached the sixth degree of separation

First, you think the worst is a broken heart

What's gonna kill you is the second part

And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle

And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself

Fifth, you see them out with someone else

And the sixth, is when you admit that you may have fucked up a little

Sino ang Masa

Ito ang kauna-unahang kong tula na naisa-publiko gamit ang internet. 
Ito ay naisulat bilang sagot sa kantang "Theme from Noontime Show" ng bandang Itchyworms. Hindi ako sang-ayon sa kanta nila at sawang sawa na akong marinig ang mga taong lagi na lang sinisisi ang masa. At isa pa, peyborit ng lola ko si Willie. Mwehehehe. 
Unang naisulat itong mga tugmang ito noong 2007 sa rakista.com v1 Literature Forums. Nakakatawa lang kasi yung isa sa miyembro ng bandang ito ay mapapanood na ngayon sa isa sa pinakasikat na noontime show sa bansa. ~this is your show, this is your time.~

Sino ang masa?
Ang masa ba ay mangmang?
Ang masa ba ay bayaran?
Siya ba ang dahilan
sa pagkalugmok at kahirapan?

Sino ang masa?
Ito ba ang karamihan?
Kabilang ba ako sa
tinuturing na latak ng lipunan?

Sino ang masa?
Kailan mo masasabing di ka
isa sa kanila?
Kapag ba mayaman ka?
Kapag ba naiiba ang iyong musika?

Sino ang masa?
Sila ang sinisisi
Ngunit ang mga kandidato,
tuwing eleksyon sa kanila kumakampi.

Sino ang masa?
Ikaw.
Ikaw na nandidiri sa kanila.
May nagawa ka na ba para
mabago ang sistema?

Sino ang masa?
Sila ay mga bayani.

Bago sa pandinig hindi ba?
Ang masa ay mga bayani.
Pagkat ano pa ang mas dadakila
sa pagsalo ng masalimuot na bungang
kasaysayan ang may sala.

KPOP

I only had 2 hours of sleep and I want to rest so bad but I found myself in the middle of a crowd of screaming young girls singing and dancing to songs they don't even understand. WTH am I doing here. Sure, I like Girls Generation but it's too late when I realized that I don't like them this much.

There is no way out so I just decided to enjoy myself and watch the fan girls and fan boys go crazy over their favorite KPOP singers. Then, I asked myself why the popularity of our local girl and boy groups couldn't match to these Korean talents. Come to think of it, I actually couldn't remember any Filipino boy or girl group that made it's mark. Hmmm.. No, I don't think the Mocha girls count.

These KPOP groups have the charisma, the good looks, and yeah, the talent. Well, the charisma more than the other two.

Girls Generation a.k.a SNSD is the last one to perform with only 5 songs. Bitin! Given my 4 feet 11 inches height and my general admission ticket, I could barely see them. While they are performing, I asked myself again, WTH am I doing here. I realized that I only watch concerts because of the live music and I don't like KPOP songs, I just like how they look. Oh well, I guess I am better off watching them on Youtube. SNSD said they are coming back here on summer but nah.. no more KPOP for me. =P

Fan boys and Fan girls

Girls Generation

Hyoyeon, my favorite member of SNSD coz she has the least number of fans

Meanwhile, a nice photo of the Mall Of Asia fireworks

2013

And the most generic first blog post for 2013 would be a New Year's resolution. So this part would be me explaining the significance of new beginnings, how 2012 was a good year and that 2013 will be a better year and all that stuff but I'll just get right into it. I am posting this as a reminder to myself of the 3 simple things I'll do more often this year.

1. Be kind to myself and others.
2. Be more impulsive.
3. Talk.