The Year that was

It’s been a while now since the last time I updated my blog. Oh well, a lot of things happened in 2010 — a lot of heartbreaks (lol), exciting adventures, sober night trips and nerve-wracking hullabaloos.  Now everything that happened is just a piece of history.

I thank those people who made my 2010 an awesome one. For making me believe that I touched their lives even in a short span of time.  Enough of the scattered thoughts from an emotional outburst. I promise to update my blog at least once a week this year. That’s all for now. Ciao!

Here are some of the photo compilations of 2010:

IV-Einstein New Year's Get Together 1-1-2010

Cath's Birthday 1-16-2010

Nhelle's Birthday Celebration 1-17-2010

Inquirer's 1st Presidential Debate 2-8-2010

Allan's and Valentine's Day Celebration 2-14-2010

Josephine's Birthday 2-28-2010

My 21st Birthday with some of my closest friends

My 21st Birthday with my former high school mentors and classmates 3-23-2010

My 21st Birthday with my blockmates and college friends 3-23-2010

Racel's Graduation Day. BSBA at Philippine Women's University 3-27-2010

Thesis Party, Town and Country Antipolo City 3-29-2010

Attended my friends' graduation ceremony at PICC 4-8-2010

Post Graduation Outing April 9-10, 2010

Summer Getaway: Enchanted Kingdom! 5-8-2010

The Space Shuttle Ride 5-8-2010

Became a part of 1st Automated May 2010 Presidential Elections (May 11-14, 2010)

Manila Zoo 5-28-2010

Hency comes back to Manila! 7-4-2010

Rigel's Birthday celebration at UP CASAA 7-6-2010

August's Hubbubs

Katips Pips 8-17-2010

Cause we find ways 10-1-2010

Halloween like no other.

Kimpot's birthday 11-6-2010

Sober Night Out Nov. 15-16, 2010

I'm a HP fan! 11-20-2010

Food trip 11-26-2010

Lantern Parade 2010 with UP's Zorro (12-17-2010)

Lantern Parade 2010 with Hanz, Nelson and Marion (12-17-2010)

Lantern Parade 2010 with Carmela, Hanz, Raum, Marion and Jeremai (12-17-2010)

Lantern Parade 2010 (12-17-2010)

Lantern Parade 2010 with Yhe, Manny, Leah, Mai, Nelson and Mela (12-17-2010)

Lantern Parade 2010 Fireworks Display (12-17-2010)

Lantern Parade 2010 (12-17-2010)

Hopia Christmas Party 12-18-2010

Hopia Christmas Party 12-18-2010

Hopia Christmas Party: PJ and I 12-18-2010

Christmas Day at Wham Burger!

Sean Cyriel's Baptism 12-26-2010

Sean Cyriel's Baptism 12-26-2010

Sean Cyriel's Baptism 12-26-2010

Sean Cyriel's Baptism 12-26-2010

One of the best burgers I've ever tasted yet. I discovered this burger last February and it has 8 branches so far. Try this! 12-26-2010

Something new to crave for at least twice a month.

Take note, when you eat at BBB, be sure to bring good company.

Jejemons

.,.MuzTaH f0Whz u?.,.

I’m starting to believe that the end is near.

First, an earthquake in Haiti. Chile came next. Then Mexico. Then China. Even Metro Manila was rocked by a quake. Then there’s some volcanic eruption in Europe. Then there’s political crisis in Thailand.

And in the midst of all of the uncertainty, a new breed of creatures is starting to take over our crazy, little country—THE JEJEMONS.

A little definition of terms first: according to UrbanDictionary.com, a JEJEMON is “basically anyone with a low tolerance in correct punctuation, syntax and grammar.” Basically, these are people who pepper their text messages with commas, periods, and more commas; who use ‘!’ place of ‘i’ or ’3′ in place of ‘e’; who use sTiCky cAps in their messages; and who use EPIC ‘jejeje’ to laugh through SMS, in the assumption that this is cute. For a better understanding of jeje-speak, check out this suicide note, supposedly written by a jejemon.

Jejemon Suicidal Note

Actually, this subculture has already been around for quite a while now. They have been called through many names before: from jologs to emo to jumping jologs aka JJs. Perhaps due to their sheer number, people decided to formally give them a name, and thus the JEJEMON PHENOMENON began.

To date, there are 278 Facebook pages that express their deep hate for these creatures. I personally hate them too. Not that they are seriously despicable. They are just the kind of creatures we would all love to hate. Why? Let me cite some reasons.

First, JEJEMONS TEND TO COMPLICATE THINGS. I mean, why say ‘.,.fowhz.,.’ when you can say ‘po.’ Those dots, commas, the letters H and Z are COMPLETELY unnecessary. And puhls, these are not cute. Pa-cute, yes. But cute, definitely not. Maybe they were just inspired by the song ‘Complicated’, sung by no less than the jeje-girlzzz style icon, Avril Lavigne.

Second, JEJEMONS DO NOT HAVE FASHION SENSE. They have default outfits: any black shirt (preferrably with skulls or bleeding hearts), faded denim pants (preferrably with slits and trimmed in a baton manner) and high-cut Chucks. Cheap silver bling-blings are also a MUST. A red scarf, similar to the one Hayden Kho wore in the ‘Careless Whisper’ video, is an optional accessory worn around the neck. I mean, c’mon guys. I know black is a classic color, but a little more color is sometimes cool, especially when it is friggin hot like summertime when wearing black will really kill.

Third, JEJEMONS ARE SLOWLY TAKING OVER THE TELEVISION. Jeje-groups perform every single day in Showtime (and its pitiful rival ‘Diz iz it’, which is titled in a very jeje way). Some jejemons were also chosen to live inside the PBB House. WTF!? Are jejemons the most telegenic people now, next to Brapanese dudes? I won’t be surprised if one day, a show like ‘Jejemon’s Got Talent’ will air in one of those networks.

Fourth, JEJEMONS ARE SLOWLY TAKING OVER THE COUNTRY. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. They are slowly overtaking Koreans as the next big subculture in the country. Just attend any free rock concert and you know what I mean. They come in throngs! They even managed to stop a concert during last year’s UP Fair because they destroyed a fence. Plus, they are invading cyberspace too. They have claimed ownership of Fri3ndzter, their official tambayan in the online world. I hope the Facebook management comes up with away to avoid Jejemons from infiltrating the site. My suggestion: make a new user type the word ‘Facebook’ in some box. If that user types ‘.,.fAc3bhOok.,.’, then he or she must be denied an account.

Lastly, JEJEMONS SHOW US OUR COUNTRY’S PROBLEMS. Lack of proper education makes fock up the jejemon’s spelling skills. Jejemons are usually thin and underweight, which highlights our country’s healthcare problems. Jejemons are more often than not poor, which shows the age old problem of poverty. Because of this, I think we should vote for candidates in the May elections with pro-jejemon platforms. And I think there should be a partylist to represent jejemons in Congress in the next partylist elections. The partylist should name itself something like ‘.,.1-j3jeMonZ.,.’ so that it comes first in the ballot, thus, increasing its chances of winning.

I wish jejemons will just go back to their jeje-balls and let the world be. But jejemons have feelings too right? Let’s just hope that the Jeje-population dwindles after some time, lest we should brace ourselves for their CULTURAL JEJE-MONY.

Hula Hoops…

I’m not the kind of person who usually believes that the stars can tell my future, but sometimes I find it interesting that certain horoscopes sometimes tell a lot about my current situation.

“As much as you would like to assert yourself, you’ll probably hold back. You know you’ll get what you want if you push a little. But you’re not sure it’s the move that is best for everyone. Stall until you feel certain.”

Philippine Star (February 23, 2010)

Inquirer Presidential Debate

February 8, 2010

The official campaign period for the presidency won’t begin till Tuesday and yet candidates couldn’t resist taking pitshots at each other during the presidential debate organized by the Philippine daily Inquirer on Monday.

The questions were direct and pointed:
Centering mostly on politics, law, social justice and the economy.  Yet the canddidates managed to attack each other in their answers. Senator Richard Gordon took a swipe at Senator Manny Villar, telling voters not to support a candiadate who exploits poverty in his political commercials. Senator Jamby Madrigal adds, those kinds of commercials just make fools of the voters. That’s why she says, unlike her 2004 senatorial campaign, she won’t get a celebrity to be her endorser in 2010. When asked about her refusal to accept her pork barrel allocation, Madrigal diverted the discussion back to the C-5 road extension controversy. She likewise blamed Villar’s allies in the senate minority for the non passage of the milk code. And when asked if she had anything nice to say about villar: “Yung pagkakatina ng buhok niya”.

To rebuke his opponents:
Villar resorted to stoking the class war of the rich versus the poor.
While tirades against Villar earned appaluse from the gallery: Madrigal would also find herself becoming the laughing stock of the audience in some questions. She was jeered when she was asked if she knew how much the so-called poor man’s fish galunggong costs nowadays. She also vowed to have her husband drawn and quartered should he get into corruption scandals. Gordon for his part attacked birthday celebrant Senator Noynoy Aquino for vowing not to impose new taxes. Villar also didn’t mince words for Senator Aquino. While he was asked about other topics, those seemed to have gotten lost when the discussion shifted to the influence his sister Kris wields in his campaign. In an unexpected twist, Televangelist Eddie Villanueva found himself backing the LGBT group ang Ladlad’s quest for a seat in congress. Meantime former president Joseph Estrada was a no-show at the debate, saying he doesn’t expect a fair treatment from the panelists.

In a statement, the Estrada camp said the paper had been unfair to him while he was president so he doesn’t expected to be treated fairly, now.

The Ticket

UP Theater

The Presidentiables minus Erap

Gordon-Bayani Supporters

Inquirer at UP

Gibo, up close and personal

The Mob: "Happy Birthday Noynoy!"

Gordon's car?

Media on the go

Freebie!

Inquirer 1st Edition: The Presidential Debate

Hindi talaga ako naniniwala sa tinatawag nilang ‘suwerte’, ngunit suwerte bang matatawag dahil nanalo ako ng dalawang limited tickets para sa kauna-unahang Presidential Debate ng Philippine Daily Inquirer?

Kahapon, nabasa ko ang status message ni John Nery sa Facebook:

Click to magnify the image

At dahil Inquirer ang maghohost ng event, bigla akong na-excite kasi bukod sa ito’y isa sa mga paborito kong pahayagan, narito din ang ilan sa mga hinahangaan kong kolumnista gaya nina Conrado de Quiros, Neal H. Cruz, Ambeth Ocampo at iba pa.

Isa din sa mga rason kung bakit ko pinilit makakuha ng ticket ay dahil gusto kong matunghayan ang balitaktakan ng mga presidentiables ng LIVE!

Sa aking pagka-’obsessed’ na mapanood ang debate sa Lunes (February 8, 2010), nag-iwan ako ng mensahe sa Facebook account ng ilan sa mga columnists ng PDI na kaibigan ko sa Facebook. Ilan sa mga sumagot ay sina Patricia Evangelista, Juan L. Mercado na nagsabing wala silang tickets para sa event; at Ambeth Ocampo na sinabing ‘out-of-town’ siya kaya hindi siya makakapunta.

Habang hinihintay ko ang sagot ng ilan pang hindi nagreply, pumunta ako sa google at inalam kung saan ako maaaring makakuha ng iba pang impormasyon. Sa kabutihang palad, napadpad ako sa website ng INQ Presidential Debate at sinagutan ang ilang katanungan.

Kinaumagahan (February 2), nakatanggap ako ng email mula sa inquinet.net na nagsasabing isa ako sa mga napili upang makakuha ng dalawang tickets.  Ano pa nga ba ang magiging reaksyon ko kundi matuwa? This is it, I got the golden ticket!

Isa lang ang hinihintay ko sa linggong ito, at iyon ay matapos agad ang weekdays at weekends upang matunghayan na ang Presidential Debate na magaganap sa UP Theater, UP Diliman.  Salamat Inquirer! Swerte ba ako? LOL

Earthquake hits Haiti

In ruins: Haiti's presidential palace collapsed in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

Darkness has fallen in Haiti, where panic-stricken locals are using their hands to dig through rubble in a search for loved ones after their country was devastated by a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

There is no electricity and phones are down in the capital, Port-au-Prince, where thousands are feared trapped under destroyed buildings and witnesses have described chaotic scenes of bodies lying in the streets.

The quake is said to be the largest in Haiti’s history and has been followed by at least 24 huge aftershocks, with experts warning that the tremors could continue for weeks, even months.

There are now fears of looting in the impoverished Carribean nation, which is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

Terrified witnesses say they do not know what to do or where to go.

Major office buildings, hotels, houses, shops and even the presidential palace have collapsed throwing a pall of dust over the city.

-ABC News

Pasko 2009

“Objects in pictures should so be arranged as by their very position to tell their own story. ”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Nayna and Tayto

Mickey

Sisters, Cousin, Son and Grand Daughter

Before eating lunch

Salu-Salo

Uncles, Aunts, Nieces, Nephews

1..2..3..Smile!

Bagets and Forgets

First Cousins

Soriano Family

Carpio Family

Miro

Christmas

Parol

Christmas may mean differently to all the people who know it. Christmas is a time for ostentatious extravagance; it is the season to visit the church; Christmas is a day to reunite with relatives; it is a season of forgiving and reflecting; to some (especially students and kids), Christmas is vacation and gifts.

Christmas means sharing what you have.

Whatever place Christmas occupies in our hearts and minds, I believe nobody who recognizes the yuletide season can ever be indifferent towards Christmas. And it’s good to realize what these places within us are even for a while. Although, we should not overlook the smaller things that comprise our world. Anyway, thinking about the real essence of Christmas is not the only thing that can make the season meaningful. Here’s a clip from one of my favorite Christmas songs, The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole.  Hope you’ll enjoy it.

Happy Christmas!

Photo credits are given to Google

Video goes to YouTube

UP Lantern Parade 2009

There’s no better way to hamper my last school year in college than spending it with my best friends doing almost crazy things that grasp our attention.  We don’t bother if we look like fools taking candid photos with Zorro and if we seem irritating laughing rowdily while watching lantern parade. Because the last thing you could think about is caring about what other people would say, right?

Thank you guys for making every moment unforgettable, we may not always complete as expected but I don’t think I’d be able to weather any storm without your help.  This year became a tough one to all of us, but anyhow thanks for a rocking 2009!  I ♥ you HOPIA!

Here are some of UP Lantern Parade 2009 pictures:

Ako at si Zorro

The Back hoe

UP College of Science: Turn off Climate Change now!

Palma Hall: The Famous AS Steps

UP Babaylan: The leading gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) students' support group in all campuses of the State University.

Babaylan with Ian

UP College of Engineering: Robot

UP College of Engineering: The Electric Jeepney

UP College of Fine Arts: Chinese Dragon

Ang Pag-asa ng Bayan: Ako, si Zorro at Ian

Masaya lang kami

Porma!

Different Facial Expressions

Zorro and Mark: Let's get ready to rumble!

Litrato ng magkakaibigan

Camwhoreness!

And finally, with Sir Ramon Bautista!

Season’s Greetings

Maligayang Pasko

These are the days when you wake up in the morning chilling. These are the afternoons when you find the usually-less-populated-in-the-afternoon malls very crowded. These are the nights when you get off an airconditioned bus and doesn’t feel any drastic change in the temperature as you walk down the night streets. These are the sundays when instead of 60′s or 70′s hits, you hear wonderful and innocent carols. These are the sunsets when the houses and the roads are sparkling with bright lights as soon as the moon is peeping. These are the hours when you sense a certain bliss and ecstasy in the simple gestures and expressions of people whenever they’re reminded of the time and date. These are the days when you feel a certain warmth in every cold morning you welcome, and comfort in every veracious night you sleep.

 

Parol

These are also the days when you plan for a better future, and often finding yourself still hoping for one. These are the days when you enumerate a thousand material wishes in the morning, and end up facing one real, crucial reason to wish for, and all those thousand wishes turned futile come night.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

These days aren’t exempted from the cruelty of the world: boats sink, cars crash, flood sweeps, minds trick, actions hurt, words damage, eyes witness, and the world revolves. Indeed, these days are seen as special, and you can want to make them extraordinary, but sometimes you just can’t make them as perfect as you’ve imagined them to be however you try.

But I think there’s one thing you can do. The only thing that we can do- make these days different. We can make them different from the other days of the year when we just let the chances they offer of changing pass us by. These days are no exemptions. These days still begin with mornings that lay a number of opportunities for us to be better and chances for us to fix things. Perhaps we can take advantage of the season to compensate for the 330+ days we didn’t even attempt to grasp those chances. And from there learn to take each day as if it’s one of ‘these days’ when we commemorate and celebrate the birth of a man who sacrificed himself for the world, of a God who forgives unfailingly. That surely makes Christmas special.

Happy Christmas!

Having said that, I know things like this are so easy in words, but very difficult in real actions. It’s still up to us after all- How deep this season gets into us- right?

 

Photo credits are given to dcercado