Some Other Girl

“Bibi Yana!”

Ugh. When will he ever stop calling me that?!

I was straightening out one stray strand of hair when a new voice spoke up. “Liana, we’re late.”

Lex. My older brother. By two years. But he acts way older than that.

“Coming.”

And just like that I am now standing in front of the three men closes to my heart. My dad who’s wiping a tear out of his left eye (out of joy, I presume); Lex, my guardian and conscience; and Josh, Lex’s bestfriend since birth and well, my childhood-til-forever crush. Though he’s oblivious and treats me like how Lex does: a baby sister.

Lex and Josh were dressed elegantly in tuxedos and I was forced into this black tube of a dress. It’s prom night and just like any other normal teenager, Lex and Josh were prepared for this night. I, on the other hand…

“Good thing you’re a year advanced, Liana. Or else the boys wouldn’t have seen you like this,” my dad comments, wrapping me in a tight bear hug.

“That’s. The. Point. Dad.” I try to breathe out the words through his life-threatening embrace. “Wish. I. Weren’t. Advanced.”

“Dad, you’ll ruin her make up,” Lex reminds him. Who’s the dad again?

“Right. And you better get going now. Have fun!”

“Let’s go, pretty.” Josh ushers me outside. Wait. Did he just say pretty?

~

“Your dress really suits your complexion, Liana.” Andy, my partner from Lex’s class compliments, for the nth time tonight. I mutter “Yes, thanks” in equal consistency.

My eyes landed on the far side of the room where Josh leads Jen to the dance floor.

I can’t help but remember how infatuated Josh was with Jen way back fifth grade. Every morning he would ask me to accompany him waiting for Jen to arrive just so he could greet her good morning. So much for having a good strategy of getting the girl, right? But I guess that’s just so Josh-y. He doesn’t really do flashy things to impress a girl. He just lets you know he’s there for you.

That was the first time I ever wondered: why did there have to be some other girl who would catch his attention? Why can’t it be mine, and mine alone?

Right. Because I was only the younger sister.

~

“Want juice?” Andy asks from beside me.

“Yes please.” I urge him, before he could comment on my dress and my complexion again.

Then I notice Lex and Andrea dancing behind Josh and Jen. Lex gestures they switch partners. Josh obliged.

Sophomore year (I was a freshman then), Josh was with Andrea and we all thought they were for keeps. They were really good together and they were good for each other too. Everyone noticed that they were better in class, (not that Josh was ever bad at class) and Andrea was even better at writing. That was my most masochistic year since I thirdwheeled in almost all their dates, because Lex had a part time job and my dad was busy with work too so Josh was left to baby sit me which meant I had to ruin every single date they had. Or they ruined every single chance I had with Josh. Works either way. For the second time, there just had to be some other girl.

“There.” Andy got back and placed my juice in front of me. I mutter a “thanks” and find Anna standing by the dance floor, almost eye-talking with Andrea. Andrea saw her and whispered something to Josh over the music. They stopped dancing and Anna approached them, replacing Andrea’s spot dancing with Josh.

What’s up with all the girls of Josh’s past tonight?

Anna was with Josh during their junior year and they broke up only months ago. Three to be exact. They were so good together that I had to admit that even I liked them as a couple. They were both smart and easy on the eyes. They were both good leaders and their influence on the student body was amazing. They really were an inspiration. I was searching my memory of the reason why they broke up when Mrs. Donovan announced “and now for our last dance…”

Great. It’s already the last dance and I’ve only danced once: with Lex. That. Doesn’t. Count! He’s my brother!

If only I hadn’t been Josh’s second option.

Second?

I was never even an option to him!

I was just…just… a friend. A background to all the other girls out there. Someone to listen to his heartaches. Someone to run to when all the other girls walk out on him. Someone when he had no one.

A reserve.

A spare tire.

The baby sister.

“May I have this dance?”

“Oh no, Andy. I’m fine.”

Wait. That’s not Andy.

I turned to find Josh grinning at me. He cocked his head to the side, a questioning look on his eyes.

~

What if she refuses?

She still continues to stare at me with that confused look on her face. Good thing Jen, Andrea and Anna all agreed to do this or else it wouldn’t be as effective.

My heartbeat is almost deafening. She’s still not responding!

“Bibi Yana?”

“I’m no longer a baby!”

She stands up, irritated, almost smacking right into my chin. I back up, wracking my brain about what I said wrong.

“What’s wrong, Yana?”

She sighs, still furious. The song playing in the background was almost over. It was now in its bridge.

“Go find some other girl to dance with.” She brushes past me and I grab her arm on the last second.

“Please tell me what’s wrong?” This wasn’t how this is supposed to be!

Still, she pulls her arm out of my grasp and walks away.

Just then Lex stands in her way.

~

Lex! Why did he have to see all of this?

“Apologize.” His face was emotionless as always, but his voice firm as usual.

No no no. You boys don’t understand!

“Lex,” I say, his name comes out as a beg. I just want this night to be over. I realize the song on the background has repeated. Wait. I thought that was the last song?

He just cocks his head to Josh’s direction behind me and I know I couldn’t refuse my brother. He’s Lex. He’s always right.

Reluctantly, I turn to face Josh, who I’d never seen more hurt than ever.

~

I don’t know what she saw in my face but the moment she turned her expression softened and her eyes had that kind glow in them I’ve always loved.

Now that’s what Jen, Andrea and Anna never understood. They all blamed Liana for hanging out too much with me, for ‘stealing’ me from them. But that wasn’t it. I was never theirs. I have always been Liana’s.

This little girl I’ve spent every waking moment of my childhood with.

She neared me, all irritation gone.

“Hey.”

I smiled.

“Guess that was out of hand.”

This is her way of saying sorry.

I shrug, accepting her sudden tantrum like every other one she’s thrown before.

“So I guess I can now have this dance?”

She smiled. The one I’ve always been fond of.

When we were on the dance floor, she asked, “I thought your last dance was so special to you? Why spend it with me?”

I gave her a duh look and flicked her forehead.

“You answer that question yourself.”

She feigns concentration.

“Because there’s still another song next to this?”

I smile at her, amused.

“No. Because there’s still a full lifetime next to this.”

MVJLO 11.10.14

Day 06 A book that makes you sad

Day 06 A book that makes you sad: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

If you won't be affected by this book, you have a big problem.

I've had an ebook copy of this since 2010, but I was able to read this through a borrowed hard copy from one of my students just last year, 2013. I was randomly asking them about good reads and she recommended this, and even lent it to me the next day. So I gladly obliged. After all, it's not everyday that I get to read actual books that are sold at a price I can't afford.

When I got home that day, I was excited to read it. After dinner, I plopped on the bed and began to read.

And I regretted reading it during nighttime.

It was about a story of a girl who committed suicide and enumerated thirteen (13) reasons why she did it and recorded them on seven (7) cassette tapes. She was already dead when the tapes started circulating, and if one of them didn't pass it on, something bad would happen.

The book would really dampen your mood, but you just can't stop reading it. Because in a way, at some point, we were a part of someone's sorrow too. We caused pain to someone out there. Deep or superficial, still, it's painful for them. We may have did it intentionally or not, but the bottomline is, we hurt someone.

The setting of the whole book was all through one night, when the tapes landed on her love interest's front door. (or was passed on to him, I don't remember exactly)

So like the story, which happened during the night, I read it for two nights.

Later on in the book, the reasons she cited were not why she committed suicide; those were the reasons behind her desire to be free.

The book was about doing things while we still have the chance. and to say things while we have all the time and opportunity to do so. If we'd let passivity get the best of us, all the things we want to say and do would remain thoughts hidden at the back of our heads. They would remain as thoughts, when they should've been transformed into actions and experiences.

So get up and do the things you ought to, and say the things the people around you need to hear.

Be the person God designed you to be.

Days 1-5 of the Book Challenge

Day 01 Best book you read last year: I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

This book can really mislead you. You'd think it's about relationships, and relationships per se. But it's not. It's about the more important things than being in a relationship. It's about the responsibilities you have to your family, to your friends, to those around you, to yourself, and more importantly to God. It's about realizing that timing really is everything. Not just plain timing, but God's timing. It's about learning to trust him with this very crucial aspect of our lives, and not to try and take control of it, like we always do. We want to do things our way, not realizing that it's not about us, it's not about our partners, but it's about what God wants us to do --- both as singles and as couples.

Day 02 A book that you've read more than three times: Sunday's at Tiffany's

Recommended by a friend who's a fellow bookworm, this book has topped my list of 'most-sought' books for quite some time. Since January of last year, I've been sweeping bookstores selling low-priced books for a copy of this. It's available on other bookstores, but on a very pricey amount (which I don't bite, anyway. Life's too expensive nowadays to spend too much on a single copy) so I've been investing time and effort searching booksales for this. And voila, one day I finally laid my hands on a copy and I went straight to the counter.

It's about a girl whose first love is her imaginary friend. When children reach eight years old, their imaginary friends stop existing and they get on with their lives. But Jane saw her imaginary friend once more when she was grown up. Which was everything but normal. So Jane and her imaginary friend Michael discover why she sees him again --- which leads to her own healing and eventually, Michael's too.

Day 03 Your favorite series: Harry Potter series and Hush Hush Series

No need of an explanation. This is not only a part of my childhood, this is my childhood.

Vampires are out (they've never been in for me, anyway); fallen angels are in!

Day 04 Favorite book of your favorite series: HP's 3rd and 7th books; Hush hush's 4th and final book

For the HP series, there's a tie for my favorite book. The first is the 3rd book, since it's still amazing how Harry could have mistaken his patronus for his dad. :D sometimes you gotta be your own hero.

The 7th is well, very informative... and just so worth it.

If you haven't noticed yet, I have this knack for the final books. Well. Closure is a big thing for me. And the revelations are oh so enticing (and unexpected too).

Day 05 A book that makes you happy: Bible

Yes, I know it's cheesy and so corny (for some, that is) but it's true. This book right here really makes me happy. It reminds me of how loved I am, and always will be. It's the only book where the author is in love with the reader, and not the other way around. :D

30 day challenge

Since I have spare time this summer, I thought I should be productive with it. But I think it's a little late for this since I have 9 days left before May ends. But still, I want to do this. I will compress challenges; I won't do them day by day. I'll answer challenges as long as I have spare time. So maybe in a day, I'd write about five challenges (maximum) if I'm really not that busy here at work.

Answering these kinds of stuff can really help stimulate the mind, and it helps me relax too. I know it sounds VERY nerdy, that writing is relaxing for me, but it really is. I don't know. It's just a form of therapy for me.

Here are the sets of challenges that I'll do for the following days. I'll post the picture of the challenge that I'm answering, to avoid confusion.

I know, I know. It's really ambitious of me to try to do this with only a few days left with my (working) vacation. But I JUST NEED TO WRITE. It's been a difficult to just even write simple compositions lately and I feel that it's a burden. So, to stimulate my mind and writing skills, I've decided to do this. 

Or I just want to write again. Either way, it's still a win-win situation. :D

I'll start in a bit! Me is eggzoited. :D

BACK TO BLOGGING!

So obviously I've been out of the blogging world for quite some time now. No, for YEARS now. I've been busy with getting myself out of school (graduating, that is. haha) and feeding myself (getting a job). Blogging's been out of my priorities for the past two or three years, and I REALLY MISS IT. I didn't realize how much I missed it until now, actually.

I was randomly browsing my social media accounts and I bumped into my old Tumblr accounts (which are on the links above, should you want to browse my random ramblings there) and I realized how much time and effort I've always invested on both those accounts. I would literally pore over those for hours, and I would always get the question: "what do you get out of maintaining a blog, anyway?" Honestly, I get NOTHING out of it. No monetary value, no popularity boost, no recognition, no nothing. But I still do it. I dress it up, I make entries, I search for things to post. Speaking of dressing up, here's the new look of my recent blog in Tumblr:

It looks really plain, but I like it that way. Minimalist much, isn't it? Less is more! :D

Well, I can say that this is the start of my coming back to writing. Hope I could sustain this though, coz I have a jampacked schedule for the next months. But, God-willing, I could sustain this again. :D

Today's May 21, 2014, and I welcome myself back to writing. Back to blogging. :D

It's been a while

This post really isn't a short story or any work of fiction. It's personal. XD

My plate's been really full lately: work and school. So my muse hasn't exactly been giving me the usual frequent visits as it has been before. In short, inspiration is a bit elusive. Just the tinny-tiniest bit. :)

But lately an idea's been knocking at the door. And I've decided I'd give it a try. Again. :)

I'm planning to write another mini-novel. It's still on the process. Chapter one is finished but I just can't bring myself to post it because I still might change just a few parts. Because it doesn't seem like a good opener for a story. I kind of blocked the supposedly flourishing plot. Haha. Fail. XD

I wrote this post just to have something new on my blog. :))

Geriatric love ♥

Geriatrics or geriatric medicine is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geriatrics)


Since I was a former Nursing student, I came across this term and started using it to refer to the elderly. But my fascination with the elderly started way back during High School, when we visited a Home for the Aged during a religious activity. 


The facility was located near a hospital here in General Santos City. Prior the activity, I didn't know that it existed at all. When we went there, all I wanted was to get it over with. I wasn't really expecting anything unusual or emotionally moving since we would be there only for a short period of time. BOY WAS I WRONG.


When we arrived, there was a program already going on inside. The in-charge informed us that there was a group of students who were scheduled that day too, but they were a little behind schedule that's why they weren't finished with their program yet. So she encouraged us to just join their activity, since we didn't exactly have a program of our own anyway. And so we did.


When I took a peek inside what seemed to be their living room where the program was held, I saw that the 'geria' (shorter term for geriatric) were already on their feet, being ushered to the center of the room. Music was blaring from the stereo just beside whom I assumed the emcee, and suddenly the partners of each geria were starting to dance, encouraging the geria beside them to do so too. I was still enjoying the scene when suddenly the emcee saw me and started to pull my hand, towing me to the direction of the only geria left on the sofa. An elderly man, not wearing even an iota of a smile on his face. All the other geria were almost laughing out loud, enjoying the music and their dance, but he seemed to be unmoved. So I invited him to dance and reluctantly, he joined me.


While we were dancing, I tried to talk to him and fortunately, he cooperated. I learned that he was on the Home because his children already have families of their own and there was no one left to take care of him. While he was relaying this, the sadness on his eyes was almost tangible that he even had to look away when a shadow of a tear appeared. 


The dance was over before we knew it. When it was time to go, there were three or four elderly women who cried and said bargained if we could stay longer, especially those in wheelchairs and couldn't walk. The sight was so moving I tried to think of other things except the sadness and loneliness they've been enduring all this time to keep the tears on my own eyes at bay. 


Since then, I swore that I'd someday help a specific Home so that the geria would feel less lonely and sad. Because of that experience, my heart goes out to almost every geria I see. 


Today, while in a bookstore, my private reading was cut short when I heard an elderly man's voice enter the bookstore and ask something I didn't quite catch to the guy at the counter. When I turned to have a better look, I smiled despite my bad mood. There standing on the doorway was an elderly couple, probably on their 70's, animatedly chatting with the guy at the counter. 

This paparazzi shot was the best one I could take, since I was afraid someone might see me secretly taking a photo of the couple. Haha. I was even more amused when I observed that they were Ilonggo. 


"BISAN ISA LANG KA BESTSELLER, AH." I heard the elderly man say to his presumable wife. 


I was just fascinated with the couple. Moments later, a woman handed them a bag of food. "Balon namon? Salamat gid," said the elderly woman. 


I just hope that young people would treat gerias better, not with evident impatience. Old age doesn't equate to uselessness. They can be a handful sometimes, but they deserve to be treated with patience. After all, they didn't grow impatient with us when all we could do is cry and throw tantrums not long ago.




MVJLO 05.27.12

Coffee~

I wasn't really a coffee drinker since my mom would always say that it'd only make my palpitations worse. *I had congenital heart disease*

When I entered college, still I wasn't able to appreciate it. My classmates would even call themselves coffee addicts and every time we would spend nights over a classmate's house for a school project, they would look forward to cups of coffee every two hours. And I was like "okay. I'd settle for hot chocolate."

The "no coffee" mentality only intensified when I got hospitalized for three times last year (march, june and august) due to gastritis. Coffee was one of the no no's since it increases the stomach's acidity. It was fine with me since I really didn't crave for it anyway.

This summer, I tried to convince my mom to let me have my first cup of coffee ever. She agreed, but I only had half of the cup. Then I started looking forward to it.

Today, I went to a food taste session for a magazine. And I didn't expect that I'd enjoy one of their servings. I thought I'd enjoy the chocolate moist cake, but I was surprised that I enjoyed this instead.

Yum. I'd definitely come back for more. ♥

*disclaimer: I am not, in any way, affiliated to the above brand. I just love this*

Make It Through

“If you don’t do this tomorrow, believe me, you’ll never be able to do it.”

Allie stared at her aunt with pleading eyes. “But…”

She heard her sigh, and felt her mother nudge closer to her on her side. “It’s Mom’s birthday on Monday,” Allie almost whispered, lowering her gaze.

When her aunt didn’t respond, she looked up to meet her eyes. “If we postpone this to a later date, you won’t be able to do it at all. You’ll just hide behind excuses.”

“But I promise I’ll do it on Tuesday,” I bargained.

“On a weekday? I doubt you’ll be able to move your things then.”

Allie thought of her aunt as solid rock. She wouldn’t even listen. Didn’t she understand that it was the first time Allie would be away from her Mom on her birthday? It was hard on her, if she hadn’t notice it yet.

“Your Aunt’s right, Allie.”

With the quiet voice of her Mom lingering in her ears, Allie conceded to her Aunt’s idea.

~

“All set?”

Allie nodded without turning around to face her Mom. It was Sunday, the agreed date for her to move in her Aunt’s house. Allie’s family has been experiencing financial difficulties and her Mom was pushed to the limit, causing her to temporarily let Allie live with her Aunt who is way more capable to provide her needs.

Allie was fighting back her tears all the time they’ve been packing her things. She could tell that her Mom too was feeling the same. After all, it’s the first time they’ve been ever apart. What’s making it more difficult was the fact that they both don’t know when she’ll be coming back. 

“Hang your underwear in a more private place okay? You won’t want your uncle to be greeted by your undies once he gets home,” she chuckled an awkward laugh and still, Allie didn’t face her. Every word she says seemed to provokes the tears.

They loaded her things to the public vehicle they rented. On the way, Allie tried to have small talk, just to get her mind off the present situation. They finally arrived and were greeted by her Aunt and two of their maids.

“Get her things and arrange them in her bedroom,” Allie’s aunt ordered the maids. They obliged.

Allie, her Mom and her Aunt settled in the living room. After a few minutes, Allie’s Mom initiated the inevitable.

“I have to go,” she said, standing up. Allie wanted to throw her arms around her and beg her to bring her along, but she knew better. Her Aunt was never a fan of drama.

Allie and her Aunt both stood up and walked her Mom to the door. With a heavy heart, Allie hugged her Mom one more time and whispered, “Happy Birthday.”

Her Mom squeezed her before letting go and walking away.

Good thing Allie and her Mom had dinner before they left, so she excused herself and went to her bedroom after the reluctant goodbye. She tried to busy herself with the project that was due the day after tomorrow but her mind couldn’t help but think that in a few hours, her Mom would be celebrating her birthday without her.

~

Allie tossed and turned in her bed but sleep was elusive. She didn’t dare turn off the lights because her Aunt’s niece (her husband’s niece, to be exact) was arriving any minute from work.

As if on cue, the door opened and she raised her head a little to see her almost-cousin. She was five years older than her, and was working at her Aunt’s business. Her duty was until closing time.

Allie smiled sweetly at her, suddenly growing conscious. It was her bedroom after all. Allie felt like an intruder.

Her cousin just looked at her and managed to mumble “Oh” as a greeting. Well. It was awkward to find someone in your bedroom. But she was briefed right? Allie sighed. At least she had a separate bed.

Allie watched her disappear into the bathroom and checked her watch. It was 12:30am. Happy birthday Mom. All her self control for the past three hours disappeared and Allie gave in to the tears that have been pushed back since that afternoon.

~

Sleep didn’t stay for long for Allie that she woke up every hour or so. She readied for school at 5:20am, which was much earlier than she used to. The room had a bathroom, so she didn’t have a problem with personal necessities. Usually, it took her at least thirty minutes to bathe but today, she was finished after fifteen minutes. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she found her cousin still fast asleep which was good since she didn’t want her peeking while she dressed.

After a few minutes, she got out and was met by the maids.

“Good morning Allie. Do you really get up this early?”

Allie took the seat nearest her and nodded. “Yea.”

“You’re really early for school,” the other said as she placed the food in front of her.

Consuming the food was a bit hard for Allie since no one joined her for breakfast.

She returned to her room to brush her teeth. Taking a few steps inside, she scanned her cousin’s bed and found that she was shaking sleep. Allie smiled at her sweetly, trying the befriend her.

“Close the door,” was all she said and went back to sleep again. Allie realized she wasn’t able to close the door properly.

Doing her last minute preparations, she went outside to wait for her Aunt to get up. It was the first time that she’d ask for allowance. To be honest, she didn’t have any idea how to do it.

Her silent dilemma was answered when the door to her Aunt’s bedroom opened and the first word she heard from her was, “Allie?”

One of the maids answered, “She’s in the living room, Ma’am.”

Allie straightened herself up and waited for her Aunt. As always, she’s looked stressed and tired. But that was normal for her. She wouldn’t be this successful if she was just sleeping all day.

“We’re going to work now. We’ll drop you off.”

Allie and her Aunt waited outside for her uncle. After a few minutes, he emerged from the front door and he entered the car. Allie and her aunt followed suit. In the back of Allie’s mind, she admitted that this was the life she wanted ever since before. Maids serving her, and a drive to school every day. Anyone looking at her now would conclude that she must’ve been the luckiest girl in the planet. Maybe she was luckiest, but not the happiest though.

“Here’s your allowance,” her aunt handed her a bunch of bills. “We’ll teach you how to manage your money and that’s the first batch you should handle.”

Allie accepted the money and stuffed it in her pocket. Without counting it, she knew that it was enough for two weeks.

She was dropped off at school and her classes seemed to pass by in a blur. By lunch time, she texted her Mom to meet her up and she did. Allie was just so excited to see the birthday girl.

~

Days passed by and Allie still wasn’t happy. She had the life she wanted: nothing to worry about, just her studies. Finances were stable, food was always on her plate, and she was free from household chores. But she couldn’t find the enthusiasm to enjoy all of these when she knows that her Mom is still within the city, taking on life’s difficulties alone. Not totally alone though. They still see each other every lunch time since her Mom meets her up at school but the time still wasn’t enough. Her mom was her best friend, her confidant, her critic. She just couldn’t afford not talking to her and not being with her every night before going to sleep. What was worse was that she was now leaving her in these difficult times of life. Allie felt a terrible mixture of homesickness and guilt.

~

The week ended and Friday rolled around. Allie’s Mom spent dinner with her at a nearby restaurant. After the meal, Allie was dropped by her Mom at her Aunt’s house. They both waited for her Aunt to arrive since Allie had to propose something. When she arrived, both Allie and her Mom greeted her

“Uhm, Auntie, I have something to tell you,” Allie began, nervous.

She looked at her and sat at the dinner table about to eat. “What is it, Allie? Why don’t you both join me for dinner first?”

“Oh no, we just had dinner. Uh, I was just about to ask if it’s okay if I spend the night at Mom’s? I mean, I’ll be back here first thing in the---“

“You know Allie, I’m not forcing you to stay here,” her Aunt was placing food on her plate.

Allie didn’t know what to say next.

“All you have to do is to say it. You don’t have to torture yourself.”

Allie blinked, finding the courage to say what she’d been dying to say. “I want to go home, Auntie.”

“Sure. I won’t hold you back. Just make sure that you’re making the right decision. Opportunity knocks only once Allie, and always remember that.”

Allie nodded, happiness and relief filling up inside her.

“Go fix your things and head home.”

It took Allie and her Mom almost two days to get her stuff packed but that night, Allie was able to do all that alone, in less than fifteen minutes.

~

“HOME SWEET HOME,” Allie greeted their house upon opening the front door.

“Welcome home, Allie,” her Mom greeted her as she followed her inside, with her bags in hand.

Allie nodded, taking in the familiar feel of their home. “You know Mom, I don’t care if we don’t have food on our plate or if I don’t have allowance for school the next day; just as long as we’re together, I know we’ll make it through.”

MVJLO 01.23.12

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

My first one-shot story for the year ;D

Trivia: this one’s based on a true story. 

Places and the Pinwheel.

Original video made by WongFu Productions, specifically Wesley Chan and his brother during one of their trips.

THESE FOUR WALLS.

I've been so accustomed to these four walls that I almost forgot that I have that dream to go out and see the world.

Oftentimes, we are not only confined to four walls of our homes, our classrooms, our offices but also by walls we've consciously and unconsciously built to keep out certain people in our lives. Some were built out of automatic response to pain. Some aren't even aware they've put up those high walls to lock some people out. But whatever category you belong to, you just have to learn to dismantle them slowly but surely. You'll never know how beautiful the scene is unless you get those walls down. Now. It's never too late if you start now.

See the world. The pinwheel did.

How my idols influence me

I was thinking of a new story to post here but I came up short so I opted to re-post something I've done for my Tumblr. This is my Day 07 entry for the 25-day challenge. 

Jayjay Helterbrand. I was a high school freshman when I first saw him play on tv. My Ninong was watching the game, and I was reading a book. He forced me to join him in watching, and I really had no other choice. I joined him, and I saw the player wearing the number thirteen. I saw how good he was at the court, and how confident he moved. From then on, I became a fan of him. Until now. I came to appreciate the sport basketball because of him. Now I watch basketball games partly because of the players, and partly because of the game itself.

Paul Anthony Artadi. When the Ginebra team visited GenSan last November 09, 2007, (I was in fourth year high school then) I got the chance to see JayJay in person, but he wasn’t that approachable. I really wasn’t a fan of Paul, but one of my friends was. She was all giddy when she saw Paul. She didn’t notice that Paul was already climbing the bus and she literally called out his name to get his attention. He heard her and we both shouted “pa-picture!” to him. He gladly retraced his steps and approached us seconds later. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and after the photo was taken, he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before saying thank you and rushing off to the bus again. Because of his humble attitude, I realized that I should never deprive anyone of a simple act of kindness because that could mean so much to the receiver.

Christopher John Tiu. I first saw him in a magazine. He was still a college student then, in Ateneo. His fame wasn’t a surprise, his good looks were enough to set him apart from the other players. But that’s what I thought. Not only is he good-looking, but he plays well and is in fact the captain of his current and Philippine team, Smart-Gilas Pilipinas; he did well in school too, since he graduated with a Master’s Degree (as far as I can recall, yea); he is a young entrepeneur too, proven by his numerous business engagements; and he is an advocate for worthwhile stuffs. He is also a gentleman, since he sees to it that his relationship with his girlfriend would be kept private as possible. He made me realize that one could aspire for more, and could actually acheive it with proper amount of determination, perseverance, humility and faith.

SHINee, SNSD (Girls Generation), f(x). They made me realize that being and staying in a group isn’t that hard. Also, they inspire me to sing and dance to life’s struggles even though it seems hard to actually do them at the same time. With proper practice and right attitude, you can pull through.

WongFu Productions (Philip Wang, Wesley Chan, Ted Fu). They’re my most recent addiction, together with the other youtubers namely KevJumba (Kevin Wu), Cathy Nguyen, Arden Cho, Ryan Higa, David Choi, Chris Dinh, Kina Grannis, Gabe Bondoc, and all those yet to discover (and those I forgot). These three men inspire me to go see the world and not be intimidated. They were Asians raised the American way, but they’re still nice guys just like any typical Asian is. They inspire me to be the best I can be, and actually enjoy while I’m reaching for it. They make me want to treat experiences in life like a movie. As much as I’d want to skip the unnecessary parts, I can’t, for if not for those parts, the final piece wouldn’t be as good. They make me want to capture how beautiful life is. And most of all, they make me want to take part in their motto as a group: If there’s someone out there who had a good day because of our work, then we know we’ve succeeded.

Hello!

Yay! I've revived my blog. :) 


I really have no idea what to post here... yet. But hopefully I'll be able to figure out in the next few days. My mom really forced me to revive my blog since our internet connection at home is somehow losing its purpose. Sooo. She told me to do something productive with it, particularly, start a blog. And here I am, blogging my thoughts out. Honestly, I'm hesitant about this since I know it's difficult to maintain a blog. Pffft. But everything's worth a try, right? 


As of now, I have nothing more to say. I temporarily rest my case. 


Btw, if you're wondering, I'm the one in the middle. :)