Just Another Day

V-day was yet another day for me this year. I’ve spent the past 21 years flying solo. Okay, scratch that. Make it flying solo for the past five years. At the age of 16, I was ready to date, only there were no boys to date. =))

I thought that I would meet my boy in college. At 17, I was still single. By the time I reached 18, I was “legally” allowed to have a boyfriend, only I didn’t have one. hahaha! My entire college life, I didn’t even have a single shadow of a boy in my midst. tsk! Sure I had lots of eyecandies but nothing really prospered. It was either they were unreachable stars or taken or I was torpedo to be “friendly”. When you’re single it’s called friendly, when you’re taken it’s called flirting. nyahaha!

During sophomore year I was told that I would meet someone. At dahil dense ako, hindi ko siya naramdaman. toinks! At ang pinakamalupit, nung graduating ako, sinabihan na naman ako na may darating, good catch. I didn’t feel nor see Mr. good catch. Booooo on me! :S

I then thought that I would meet him at work so I was excited to work. I saw one but he was taken. *sniff, sniff* Don’t look for love and love will come to you. So I just went on with my life. Enjoying every second being single. :D Just looking around for eyecandies and making friends. Kaya ako K eh…not! bwahahaha!

But it would be great if I would soon meet THE ONE. Kahit early next year pwede. Hehehe! Para lang maiba naman at may ka-date sa V-day.

V-day was just an ordinary day. So ordinary that I went to school to attend my class. After all, there was no date to look forward to. The prof was kind enough to dismiss us early because everyone was sooooo bummed that we were in school on a Sunday morning plus it was V-day. Wala ka na ngang date, sadsad ka pa sa aral. Grabe naman di ba? ;p

I don’t really mind flying solo but I must admit that there are days that I wish I had a hand to hold, tipong HHWW. hahahaha! I wish I had someone to watch movies with, someone to be with around Manila and other places, someone to surprise and most of all, someone to sit with me, buy me a venti frap (my dream date back when I was a teen) and talk sense with me. Simple lang naman ang gusto ko sa buhay.

To all the boys that I liked/loved, thank you for the fun memories and pain you caused me. It helped me mature and make better decisions. To all of you reading this, if you know my future love, please have him read this. ;p You guys have a little over than five years to find him before I decide to enter sisterhood. Sige kayo, mauubos mga madre kasi lalabas sila pag pumasok ako. hahahaha! To THE ONE, one day you will read this and you will be smiling like a lunatic because you’re toooooo kilig that I have made this blog a loooooong time ago just for you. Okay, cheesy-ness borderline. ;p ;til then…

Easier said than done

*I usually do this kind of blog every year during this month. Unfortunately, I have been suffering from tamaditis and writer’s block so I sincerely beg your pardon for the lateness of this blog and the blogs that would follow…

I always do a blog about LOVE on the second week of February. You don’t need to be a genius to figure out why. But like what I said, I had tamaditis and writer’s block so this blog would be two weeks late. Anyway, I had this blog in mind for weeks now and I certainly know what to tell you about this thing called LOVE…

I’ve never been into a relationship so my take on these things would be a hit or a miss. You would either agree or disagree with me. Either way, I hope we all learn.

LOVE BUGS:

Bug #1: Mr./Ms. Right Now

Better known as the meantime girlfriend or boyfriend. Rebound if you must. I do understand that infatuation happens but one must know how to differentiate it with LOVE. This often happens to people coming from a break-up. They are vulnerable to “falling in love” when in fact they are not.

Solution: Enjoy your time being single. Go out and mingle. Date people. Take it easy. Eventually, you will know if you really are ready for a serious relationship and not just a rebound.

Bug #2: One-way Love Affair

You love him/her but he/she doesn’t love you. Do I need to explain further? I don’t think so.

Solution: The love line is getting long, get to the next boy/girl. ;p What I mean is don’t waste your time waiting for this foolio to love you. You might wait for eternity and believe me you wouldn’t want that. Just remember that you are a precious gem and if he/she doesn’t see that, sorry for him/her. Don’t waste your time on someone who doesn’t appreciate what a lovely person you are. There’s TOO MANY fish in the sea. :D

Bug #3: North and South Pole

She is a party animal, he is a home buddy. She hates smoking, he is a chain smoker. She loves sports, he’s a lampayatot. There will always be differences. The key however is how do you work your differences out?

Solution: Before you even enter a relationship, surely you knew your differences right? For some they do but for others, differences only surface when they are already in the relationship. So how do you really deal with your differences? Nothing, you just have to live with the fact that you two are different. If you are open to try, the better. Say, your partner is into frisbee and you never played any sport. Why not try it out and see for yourself? If after trying you don’t like it, then just watch your partner play. It takes a lot and I mean a L-O-T of effort to make it work. Give and take. If you feel like you exhausted all your effort but it still doesn’t work out, then go your separate ways. Simple right? Don’t make things complicated. Kumplikado na nga pakukumplikahin mo pa.

Bug#4: Asset or liability

This is very common these days. I’m talking about people who have kids. “Love child” if you are mean. One can look at it as a drawback. You can also look at it as an additional perks. It’s really about perspective. Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

Solution: If you didn’t know there was a kid involved after you two got together, then the decision is yours. You can leave him/her or stay and accept the fact that this little kiddo is part of your partner’s life FOREVER. In this society we live in, brows often shoot up when they hear you are in a relationship with someone with a kid. The challenge is for you to make them see that you are happy with this set-up and what matters most is that you love him/her. PERIOD. Eh ano kung may anak? Eh di instant daddy/mommy ka. Look at Seal. You might think that he is very lucky with Heidi Klum. For me, it’s Heidi Klum that’s really lucky to have Seal. Who would want a preggy woman who didn’t bear your child and marry her? Apparently Seal. Sa bagay Heidi Klum nga naman yun. haha! Back to my point, what I’m saying is if you see the kid as a hindrance then don’t go for it. But if you look at it as an additional perks, go for it tiger! For the receiving end, you are one lucky person ‘coz this person loves you.

Bug#5: Boredom Strikes

After some time, you get bored with your partner. Things become routinely. You get burned out and look around elsewhere.

Solution: This is dangerous and scary but it really happens. I suggest that you two take a breather. Spend ME time. It helps a lot. Also, you could try different things together. Para lang maiba naman. Do not entertain the idea to fool around and look for fun elsewhere. You know what I mean. I believe that for couples to last, they should be spontaneous. Always try new things and hopefully you will be together for a gazillion years. Cheers! :D

Bug#6: THE Friend

I’ve been told that I always treat boys like my buddies. So what’s wrong with that?? Auto-friend daw ako. Meaning lahat automatic friends. Wala na daw chance to make it to the next level. Aba! Hindi ko na problema yun. Have the balls right? What if you are the receiving end on this situation? Say you and I are friends. You like me but I see you as a friend ONLY. Why not take that risk and make that move? Who knows what might happen.

Solution: If you are me, be open to anything. But do not jump into boys as if all of them are boyfriend-potential. Do not be a meanie to boys. hahaha! Be sensitive and vigilant. Mamaya yung friends mo pala nagpapahiwatig na eh ikaw di mo gets. But be careful if they are just flirting around. If you are the boy space friend and you like this girl you are friends with, then I tell you make the move!!! You weren’t given two balls for nothing. It’s better that you make a move rather than asking what if for the rest of your life. Take the risk. If it doesn’t work out, at least you tried.

Bug #7: Million pieces

You were left broken and smashed into million pieces. Your long-term relationship has just ended and you feel soooo lost.

Solution: MOVE ON. I know it’s going to be tough but you have to. You can’t mope around forever. Learn to love yourself. Surround yourself with the people that love you no matter what. Spill all your heartaches, cry your heart out. With each tear that falls, let it wash away the pain. You’ll be better before you even know it. Learn to forgive the person that left you and accept the fact that it is better off that way. :D

Bug#8: Joke Time

People see you as a joke for some reason. They don’t take you seriously. I can not explain further. That pretty much sums it up.

Solution: Ask your closest friends and family (siblings and closest cousins are best bets) why. These are the people who are 101% honest to you. They will not beat around the bush as to why people do not take you seriously. From there, work on these “flaws” not for other people but for yourself. YOU always come first before any other person. Only then will people see you differently. Good luck!

I hope my LOVE BUGS did help or at least entertained you. Bear in mind that LOVE is such a complicated thing. Don’t make it more complicated as it is. There is no such thing as right or wrong when it comes to LOVE. At the end of the day, what matters is you are happy. I know you know what I mean. Kudos to people in love. ;p ‘til then…

Anong hindi mo maintindihan??

*I was supposed to do this blog right after the incident. But my heart wasn’t into blogging then so I waited for the right time. Thus, now. =D

A few weeks back, mum and I went to buy some stuff in the grocery after Church. We usually get in line in the seniors’ lane, mum being one. Haha! It’s soooooo much convenient primarily because elderly people are given priority and the line’s shorter.

Since it was a Sunday and people just finished Mass, it was expected that the line was a little longer than usual. What ticked me off was that we were in the seniors’ lane and three people ahead of us were TOTALLY NOT SENIORS. There was a mother with her little kid, plus two other men. After them were two elderly men then us. One of the elderly men left the line and transferred to a shorter line. Imagine that! Seniors’ lane shouldn’t be long UNLESS the grocery was packed with elderly people which wasn’t the case that time!

The man before kept on looking at us. Apparently, he was also ticked off by the situation. When he was finally being served, my mum talked to him.

Mum: Sa senior lang dapat itong line di ba?

Man: Oo nga eh. Kaya nga ho ako tumitingin sa inyo kasi nalito ako bat may ibang nakapila na hindi naman senior.

Mum: Sa ** ho hindi talaga pwede pumila ang hindi senior sa senior lane. Pinagsasabihan talaga. Ms. Dapat pagsabihan niyo sila.

Ate Cashier: Ma’am pinagsasabihan naman po namin. Yung iba talagang matigas ang ulo o kay di kami pinapansin.

Mum: Ay dapat mahigpit kayo lalo na kung may senior na nakapila. Kung wala naman nakapila na senior okay lang. Pero kasi nakapila kami, yung isa nga umalis sa pila sa tagal eh.

Ate Cashier: Pasensya na po Ma’am.

Mum: Hindi okay lang, pero sana ingat kayo next time. Asan ba manager mo?

Ate cashier points at her manager who was just nearby. Mum spoke to her and told the entire incident. She said thanks to the comment. Para nga naman yun sa mas magandang serbisyo.

But wait! There’s more!!! Before we were even done, a man, not an elderly lined after us. Tissue lang naman bibilin. Then another man came with his teen son. Grocery kung grocery. So ate cashier was put on a test.

Ate Cashier: Sir senior po kayo?

A-hole Mr: Bakit pang senior lang ba ‘to? Sabi lang naman we prioritize senior citizens.

Ate cashier stopped and failed to prove her point. :S The other man was playing dumb. Deadma sa sitwasyon! IGNORANCE is a CRIME! A-hole Mr. didn’t stop there. He was murmuring about the whole thing that it made me want to retaliate for ate cashier. Mum was throwing dagger looks at him and told ate cashier paalisin sa pila. He knew he was in deep sh*t ‘coz he left his son in line. He walked a little farther and talked to his friend complaining about the senior lane. Goodness! He is such a b*tch! We can hear him from where he was.

He has a point with the entire “We prioritize senior citizens” but if just looked below that sign, he SHOULD’VE seen the SENIOR LANE. So that doesn’t allow him to fall in line THERE!

Sobra-sobra ang pagkairita ko. Ang bobo eh! Bihira ko lang gamitin ang salitang bobo, pero sa mamang yun, akmang-akma ang salita! Kasama pa naman niya ang anak niya. Ang gandang halimbawa di ba? Gusto ko talaga siyang kausapin. Yun ang pagkakamali ko. Dahil pinili kong manahimik at pabayaan niyang tapakan ang pagkatao ng iba. Pero nung panahon na yon, ang inisip ko kasi baka mapaaway ang nanay ko dahil sakin. Ayoko sa lahat ang titirahin ang pamilya ko dahil sa ginawa ko. Dahil ang mga kilos ko, ako lang yun. Teka, switch. My parents didn’t raise me to be disrespectful and that moment I felt that this foolio was such an idiot that he will take it against my mother and not against me. That kept my mouth shut.

Pero hindi ko napigilan magreklamo sa nanay ko habang nangyayari ang lahat ng iyon. At alam kong narinig ng mama yun. He came close just before we left. Again he asked the cashier if it was only for seniors. Siyempre si ate natuod na naman.

As I was grabbing the grocery bags (he was standing there), I gave him the coldest stare I could give anyone, uttered “Goodness!” with so much anger, banged him in the arm with the grocery bags and left. Hopefully, he learned a thing or two.

Forgive my language, pero and bobo kasi talaga! Sobrang bobo nakakainit ng ulo! Anong hindi mo maintindihan sa signage?! Hanep ka lang Sir! Gusto kitang ibalik sa eskwela para matuto.

I feel for ate cashier. I know she should’ve been firm and I should’ve spoken for her when she wasn’t unable to (gave you my reason). But people like ate cashier think this way: The customer is always right. Yun ang masakit na katotohanan. Bihira lang sa kanila ang magsasabi, na hindi po talaga pwede ang gusto niyo. You want to know why?? Because their self-pride is below zero, tendency is for them to just give in. Why zero self-pride? It’s because of people like that man and people like me as well. That man shouldn’t have treated her like she was “inferior”. There’s a thing called human dignity and no one, I repeat NO ONE has the right to take it away!

Feeling niya angat siya sa buhay na pwede na lang niyang pasunurin ang iba sa gusto niya. Kaya nga may tinatawag na rules di ba? Para saan pa yun yung lalabagin rin lang naman kasi tingin mo mayaman ka at ang iba hindi?

People like me shouldn’t just stand there and let him trample the poor cashier’s dignity. APATHY is IGNORANCE’s sibling. Therefore, a crime as well.

May this be an eye-opener to us all that money is not THE gauge for human dignity. EVERYONE has human dignity and NO ONE can take it away. Please, please let us all be sensitive and WISE.

p.s I told my mum if I can say my two cents’ worth to the person involved the next time it will happen and she gave me the heads up. Hopefully, it won’t happen again. ‘til then…

Looking Back...

2009 was a rollercoaster ride for me. I have been very proud of myself when I graduated in college. I finished on time, just the required four years. At that time, I felt accomplished not knowing that it was just the start of the rough road for me.

It felt good going back to Australia, my graduation gift. I love that place so much! :) Though I had to miss my retreat for that trip, I enjoyed it and made it as my retreat place. I even asked friends to write me a retreat letter too. hahaha!

Of course, not to miss would be my last summer break. I savored each day that I was free not minding anything. I also had a very intimate, personal relationship with God. I had LSS with Kath and Dawn. I could never thank the Ocampos, insan, Wongki and the Youth enough for the wonderful experience. :) The feeling is beyond words. I can truly say that I am renewed and how refreshing I am feeling up to now.

’09 was also the time that I felt ashamed of myself. I felt like I wasn’t of any use. Being a bum was quite good but its magic wore off eventually. It’s boring to be home, trying to be busy when you’re not. The fact also remains that, I depend on mama and papa when I shouldn’t anymore.

Goal Manila was a good experience. I have learned that one must endure the pain before you get the prize. The pain was surviving the pain-in the-a** boss who made me do work which was not under my job description! The prize would have to be the event itself. Despite the minor trouble, the futboleros had a great time. :) Not to mention, they were good-looking too!

Then school came and made me excited to learn again. Another blessing would be the PAL training. It’s still a long shot but I’m willing to take the risk. ’09 has taught me to be humble and patient. Things aren’t served in a silver platter especially for a kid like me. I have experienced things I thought I would never and can’t do but I did. I finally knew that things don’t happen with a snap of a finger. My heart raced and got smashed but is still beating. Triumphs and losses are part of one’s life. I have enjoyed and endured the pain in ’09. ‘til then…

Oh so fine oh nine! :D

Oh nine has been a fine year indeed. It was surely a roller coaster ride that I pretty much enjoyed. As the year comes to an end, let me share with you my breath-taking ride this oh-nine. :D I hope you’ll enjoy the ride like I did. Here goes…

This is in random.

My boy Barack wins --- Finally an African-American takes over the White House. I seriously think they should change its name. ;p

Singlehood rocks! --- no boyfriend, no problem. :D V-Day rocked because I had soooo many dates aka single friends like me =))

Misadventures of Dora the Negrang Lakwatsera

*Sydney-Melbourne trip with mum --- graduation gift to me :D yeeeeey! Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!!! I super ♥♥♥ down undah!

*Survivor experience --- Capones-Anawangin trip with team survivor! :D

*Tuguegarao trip --- sad trip but at least I finally reached north

THE DAY --- the reward after four years of hardship. College graduate baby!:D

inlove with YE --- can’t explain the feeling. You guys have to try it to know what I mean ♥

Ate’s off to Sushiland --- my favorite ate leaves for Japan.

family losses --- *sniff, sniff* I will surely miss all of you. =(

Great Depression --- bum for a loooong time can be frustrating

Patience is a virtue --- is this it? :D

Coming of age --- finally a man! Wickedly awesome dude! :D

Trabahador 101 --- from team coordinator to runner!

Me llamo el hombre! --- BOOOOO amarula, el hombre and shot-happy rach =))

Iskul-bukol --- back to school. This time taking up my masters

tags tags tags!!! --- my heaven ♥

OTH + OC = rach glued to the pc =)) I ♥ everyone and everything on it!

rainbow --- a lovely gift from God. The very elusive rainbow was spotted three times by yours truly this year :D

His Royal Hotness! --- I almost died of heart attack when I saw him ♥♥♥

That pretty much sums up my 2009. I experienced the highest of the highs and been thru the lowest of the lows but I still think that despite it all, it was a fine year. Let’s welcome 2010 with a bang! :D ‘til then…