Growing Up

The most important thing on being a grown up is to realize that you’re not there to please anyone. Rather, you’re there to do something good, something that makes you happy… Something that could define your life.

The New Philippine Peso Bills for 2011

Meet the new 50 Peso and 20 Peso bills.

Got them from my Uncle-Ninong who’s working in one of the banks here in the metro. They look like play money to me, like the ones we use when we play Monopoly. I’m not excited to use these but I’m totally looking forward in having them in my wallet. Indeed colorful!

Starbucks 2011 Planner

Finally, I was able to claim my Starbucks 2011 Planner: Wood.

Sun Cellular Chrismas Party 2010

Bantayan Getaway

1 hour plane ride, 3 hours of land travel and 2 hours on a boat… but it was all worth it.

Wish you were there with us Kenna. It’s not the same without you.

November 2010.

Budyong Beach Resort.

White Sand Beach.

Regina under the sun.

Just before the sun sets.

The cottages.

With my girls, Regina and Jennifer.

My “dad” / “lolo” Ronald.

The beautiful sunset.

It’s five in the afternoon.

Footprints in the sand.

Dinner at the famous Tristan’s Pizza Place.

Mouthwatering Tristan’s Special Pizza.

Sumptuous grilled buttered scallops at Php 120 per kilo.

Santa Fe Port.

Cebu Pacific Air flight ticket (cost-cutting measure, I think).

The obligatory plane restroom vanity shot!

How to be 20-Something by Ryan O’Connell

Be really attractive. Your acne is gone, your face has matured without having wrinkles and everything on your body is lifted naturally. Eat bagels seven days a week, binge-drink and do drugs: you’ll still look like a babe. When you turn thirty, it’ll become a different story but that’s, like, not for a really long time.

Reestablish a relationship with your parents. You don’t live with them anymore (hopefully) so start to appreciate them as human beings with thoughts, flaws and feelings rather than soulless life ruiners who won’t let you borrow their car.

Go from eating delicious food at your parents’ house to eating Ragu tomato sauce over Barilla noodles. Develop an eating disorder to save money.

Move into an apartment on the corner of Overpriced and Dangerous. Sleep on a bare mattress with an Ikea comforter. Your mother talks to you about buying a top sheet and a duvet cover but feel like you’re not mature enough to own something called “duvet.”

“Date people who you know you’ll never be able to love.”

Read the New York Times piece, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” Feel exposed and humiliated. Share it on your Facebook with the caption: “Um….” Your friends will comment “Too real” and that will be the end of that.

Work at a coffee shop but feel hopeful about your career in advertising, writing, whatever. Remember that you’re young and that the world is your oyster. Everything is possible, you still have so much to see and hear. You went to a good school and did good things. Figure if you’re not going to be successful, who the hell is?

Date people who you know you’ll never be able to love. See someone for three months for no other reason than because it’s winter and you want to keep warm by holding another body. Date a Republican just so you can say you dated a Republican.

Eventually all these nobodies will make you crave a somebody. Have a real relationship with someone. Go on vacations together, exchange house keys, cry in their arms after a demoralizing day at work. Think about marrying them and maybe even get engaged. Regardless of the outcome, feel proud of yourself for being able to love someone in a healthy way.

Start your twenties with a lot of friends and leave with a few good ones. What happened? People faded away into their careers and relationships. Fights were had and never resolved. Shit happens.

Think of yourself at twenty and hanging out with people who didn’t mean a thing to you. Think about writing papers, about being promiscuous, about trying new things. Think of yourself now and your face looking different and your body feeling different and how everything is just different.

Form the habits that will stick with you forever. Drink your coffee with two sugars and skim milk every morning. Buy a magazine every Friday. Enjoy spending money on candles, smoke pot on Saturdays, watch the television before bed.

Move into a bigger apartment on the corner of Mature and Gentrification and finally buy a duvet cover. Limit your drug-use. If you find yourself unable to do so, start to wonder if you have a problem.

Have your parents come to your place for Christmas. Set the table, make the ham, wear a sophisticated outfit, This will all mean so much at the time.

Think about having children when you stop acting like a child. This may not ever happen.

Maybe this is assuming too much. Maybe this is generalizing. Maybe society uses age as an unrealistic marker for growth. Maybe. Still feel the anxiety on your 30th birthday and think to yourself, “Oh shit, I’m no longer a 20-something.”

Ten Reasons to Date an Engineer

1. The world revolves around us. We pick the coordinate system.
2. Find out what those other buttons on your calculator do.
3. We know how to handle stress and strain in our relationships.
4. Parents will approve.
5. Help with your Math homework.
6. Can calculate head pressure.
7. Looks good on a resume.
8. Free body diagrams.
9. High starting salary. (I wish!)
10. Extremely good looking.

Life in a Box

Have you ever felt that you’re living inside a box? You can’t do what you really want. You can’t express what you really feel. Your every action is being watched. One wrong move and you’re already judged. Basically, you can’t do anything. Well, welcome to my life.

Sometimes, I hate myself for being too nice, too kind to others. Believe me, at home, I’m the total opposite.  I’m bossy, snob and most of the time, ill-tempered. I am the King. But when it comes to the people outside my so-called kingdom, I tend to be submissive. I always consider their feelings, thoughts, emotions. I don’t want to blame my parents for this. They raised me well. They’re awesome. They taught me to be giving and very much mindful of others. They said that I should be careful with my actions so that I won’t step on or hurt other people. But of course, I think I exaggerated. I became super careful in dealing with other people’s feelings, thus, sacrificing my own. Even though I want to express what I truly feel, I tend to show what people would want to see.  I tend to live up to their expectations. Because of this, I hide my true feelings, I lose myself. I know it’s totally wrong but I guess it’s easier this way. Less complications.

I know I need to express what I really feel and shouldn’t be affected by these things as long as I’m happy. I keep on telling myself a million times before, I couldn’t please everybody. But what if the only people I want to please are the ones who really matter? Should I continue to hide my true self? Or reveal my true colors knowing that this might hurt, offend or disappoint them? Easier said than done right?  I know the feeling of getting hurt and I don’t want them to experience the pain that I’ve felt. I don’t want to cause misery to anyone. Their happiness is my happiness.

Honestly, I don’t want to think anymore. I’m tired. I’ll just hold on for now. Anyways, these tears will eventually dry up and then I can smile again.

Halloween 2010

I celebrated Halloween this year with my relatives and ditched Big Fish’s Cream Party and Meiday. Their neighborhood organized a Trick or Treat event for the kids so everyone’s pretty busy packing candies and chocolates. We transferred from house to house, helping my uncles and aunts pack the treats for the kids. It was quite tiring but definitely worth the effort since we’ve been eating sweets here and there while putting them in small plastic bags.

6PM came. The street was filled with lots of kids in their scary but cute costumes. Our cousin and nephew joined the bandwagon, sporting their scary costumes. Charles came in his Undertaker costume while Xander became the cutest Dracula. To add to the excitement, some of the neighbors decorated their houses with scary statues and mascots. Some even played spooky background music to put the crowd in a scary mood.

Charles as the Undertaker

Xander as Count Dracula

120 kids in their costumes flocked the houses chanting “Trick or Treat.” The street was a total chaos! Candies and chocolates overflowed while spooky music filled the air. While giving out sweets to the kids, the young adults in our family munched on Scramble, a popular Filipino street dessert made of strawberry-flavored shaved ice, powdered milk, chocolate syrup and marshmallows. In no time, the candies and chocolates vanished into thin air. Happy faces all over as the kids ran here and there carrying their buckets full of sweets. It was totally a fun experience and I’m definitely looking forward for next year.

Enrico, Kristian, Kuya Michael, Joy, Ate Michelle and Elinor

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sibling Bonding

Here at CBTL, The Venice Piazza with my little sister. She and her friend are going to this BDJ Fair/Bazaar to check out some girly stuff. Since it’s too tiring to go home and just fetch them when they’re done, I’ve decided to bring my work laptop and finish my EMT Written Report that’s due on Friday. Hey creative and BS juices, I need you now. I need you badly!

As of today, I only have an outline and some ideas for the powerpoint slides. I need to further explain my participation on the listed projects, emphasize my strong points, prepare an executive summary on my whole stay in the department and do a lot of BS.

Here’s my report outline:

1. RANO Disaster Recovery Management Team

2. GSM Outage Reduction Task Force

3. Power Outage Portal

4. Basic 3G Training for RAFO Engineers

5. CX Optimization Project

6. 3G Node B Hardware Upgrade

7. 3G Node B Software Upgrade

8. Executive Summary

9. Powerpoint Slides

I need to finish this paper before FRIDAY and prepare the powerpoint slides for the Revalida.

I know I can do this. Game on! Aja!