Major Major!

Before I proceed, I, personally, would like to thank and congratulate Fr. Samson for doing a job well done. You have served the Ateneo community well and you're contributions will never be forgotten.

So now since Fr. Samson is stepping down and a new President is stepping up, let this blog (if he ever reads it) be some sort of pool of idea on what I think should be done to convince the people that Ateneo de Davao worth spending both years and thousands for.

First on the list is to abolish it's uniform policy. Wearing the Ateneo uniform on a hot day is like baking yourself on the heat of the sunlight. Wearing the uniform somehow multiplies the scorching heat of the sun. Furthermore, wearing the uniform does nothing to minimize the chill you feel when it's a rainy or cold day. It's absolutely useless (of course instead of covering your body from the eyes of others). People would rather wear something comfortable on a hot day and something cozy on a cold day. And of course they would prefer to be creative with their style on a normal, not so cold not so hot, day. But if it's decency the administration is worried about, of course it's possible to keep the dress restriction. School is still a place to study not a gigantic cat walk. My point is, students are more comfortable studying if what they wear helps them be comfortable.

Next on the list is to give focus on its athletics. The Ateneo should include more ways in keeping its students physically sound. So far, basketball and volleyball are the only sport I see being played here in Ateneo and not everyone knows there's a chess team in our school (is there?). Does Ateneo plan to make their students physically sound by making them dance for 4 semesters? Hey, i have nothing against dancing, but shouldn't there be a choice for the students to make? When i first entered the university I had no choice but to dance my butt of just to make my tuition's worth when I could just shoot hoops (which I'm better at compared to dancing) or kick some footballs to earn a decent grade. And I believe sports is way effective in making students physically fit and sound compared to dancing.

Lastly, I would immediately implement that the campus radio be exposed in the whole university grounds. Scattering speakers all over the campus grounds. By this making the campus people more aware in the latest news, music and even in-born Atenean talents. I will let this campus radio be an avenue for news that students need to know, music that students should listen to and a stage for talents to showcase what their got. Isn't it nice for students be informed as soon as the news break? or allowing talented people to let the students appreciate music created by their fellow Atenean?

Well if all of these were to be implemented as soon as possible, I would love to re-enroll in Ateneo if ever I decide to get my MBA or enroll in Law school in Ateneo de Davao.

“if God will move heaven and earth just to bring two destined people together, I believe he will do just the same to bring two people apart who are not made for each other” –me (02,10,11)

I’ve been staring blankly at this monitor for 30 minutes now, hoping for black smudges of typed-written letters to magically appear but we both know that’s bullshit ‘til I start pressing some keys. Before I start with the main blog proper, I just want to thank that thought at the very top of this blog post if it wasn’t for that thought I may have raised the white flag and went to sleep instead of me typing these words.

So my topic for this blog post is about BREAK-UPS; how to handle them and what to do next after the “worst emotional day” of your life. If you’re about to ask me if the things I’m about to say here are based on my experience, no it’s not. And if you’re going to ask if I ever experienced one, yes I did. If you’re starting to wonder how it happened to me, it’s no longer relevant.

So, how do you handle a break-up? People nowadays mistakenly perceive break up as the end of their world, when in fact science and even simple logic can prove them wrong. SOME (when I say some, it means NOT MORE BUT ONLY FEW IN NUMBER) men take it as a lightly because they’re one again free from the tight (when I say tight, it does mean T.I.G.H.T) grip of their lovers. Some men take it very serious, sometimes way too serious, because they think they know they are never going to find someone who will share with them the most wonderful times of their lives. People, generally, MOURN for the partners they broke up with which is just SO WRONG.

So am I trying to say that it is wrong to mourn over a break up? YES! HELL YES! Why? Because people who experience a break up just escaped someone who were not made for them! If two people were made for each other, it’s a synchronization of two hearts that even adversities or even trials won’t break it apart. Break up is fate’s (or God’s) way of not letting you live someone who was not made for you to love forever. If God will move heaven and earth just to bring two destined people together, I believe he will do just the same to bring two people apart who were not made for each other. So celebrate and be merry! Do not mourn for the loss of someone you just broke up with, you just managed to escape a lifetime of misery and unhappiness! Forget about the good times you spent; as long as time continues to tick, there will always be an opportunity for better times!

So, what’s next after the break up? Obviously, a lot of things will change but the only way to make things better than it was, before the break up, is create a NEW life (this has a HUGE difference to reproduction) when I say new life, it means to break off an old identity to pave way for a new one. Be new, be fresh, be someone better so that you’re better half may pass your way. Do not worry about when your destined half will will come for surely you were destined for one. Do not look for the right one, but BE the right one!

Advocacy

I express my full support in the creation of a law, providing strict guidelines for media coverage in the Philippines, especially in matters regarding national security and other similar sensitive matters. Similar to what happened in the August 23 hostage crisis in the Quirino grandstand. It is a fact that the irresponsible coverage of the hostage crisis by some irresponsible media entity contributed to the outcome of the hostage crisis, this as well became the ignition for a proposition in the creation of such law. Although this proposition is still on the process of reviewing, I highly encourage the formal execution of such law.

I know you are thinking, in the creation of such bill will violate the people’s right to information and the freedom of the press. But you cannot hide your face to the facts and to the 8 people who died in the massacre due to the undiscerning press who covered the event. I said undiscerning, yes because it is obvious that if only the press’s coverage was carefully planned and well coordinated with the police authority, which is obviously not executed, there will be a more positive outcome. I believe that the media should exercise self-censorship all the time. This is called “RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM. I understand that the media has to do its task of covering and delivering news, it cannot be helped, but I believe the Media compromised itself because of its own power. Regarding the hostage incident, they were thinking to get the raw news; where it was happening; at the fastest possible time. They did not think, the situation was dangerous; people’s lives were in danger; and there was an armed crazy Policeman on the loose. These were the most important factors that were not considered, or may I say deliberately ignored, by the media, hypothetically, to outwit competition.

I am not advocating for a media blackout in times similar to this. I understand the importance of the media coverage in times like this. But what I propose is a set of guidelines, a set of universal guidelines that will set clear the limitations and boundaries of any media network in covering such sensitive news. Guidelines that will prioritize the right to life than public ratings, guidelines that will prioritize the safety of the people who are playing dice with death rather any form of personal gain or protecting the company’s interest. Lastly, guidelines that will that will emphasize discipline and ethics rather than money or fame. Let us not ignore the errors that happened in the hostage taking, let us not take risks of repeating mistakes at the cost of lives of innocent people. We need to learn from this devastation, and the approval of this law will be a public declaration that we learned from the mistakes of the past, and now we have moved forward.

If given the chance to contribute in the making of this law, I would propose that when crisis like the August 23 hostage taking happens again, which I hope never again, all media personnel, both reporters and cameraman will first have to coordinate with the police authority. All media personnel must wait for the permission of the police before any action is to be done. And if the presence of any media personnel is demanded, he or she is required to participate to the concerns of the hostage-taker.

The approval of this law may antagonize the whole concept of the “freedom of press”. But you cannot separate responsibility from freedom. And no one is an exception to this.

Compensation.

What inspired me to create this entry is the shameful (for me) fact that I have been dateless for the past 3 years now and all my life I only had one girlfriend and that was 5 years ago. No, I'm not about to tell you how hopeless I am when it comes to courting, relationships or any other related issues. But right about now I'm about to tell you why you should go out with me, or make you think twice before saying no. No, I am desperate in searching for a date but I'm giving justice to myself by telling the whole world the things women (yes, I will sound very sexist right about now) ignores. Yes, women ignore these very crucial and important things because they already judge you by your outward appearance before making any attempt to know their inner true self. True? You wouldn't dare to disagree. (Told you I was going to be sexist).

I want to make it clear that this blog is NOT out of my bitterness from my experiences but this is a blog of encouragement of some sort to all singles out there. Encouragement that there are still men, whom you thought are already extinct, out there with wonderful personalities. This is an encouragement to the ladies that there are gold in the personalities of the people whom you disregard because of their outward appearance. So here are some reasons why you (not you ma’am) should go out with a guy like me.

1. I may not be blessed with good looks, but my personality can compensate for it.

Yes, I admit, I am not the type of guy that women fall for because of their looks. But if my personality can take a human from, rest assured you’ll fall for that guy. Why? Because I’m a gentleman, sensitive, understanding, forgiving, trustworthy, and reliable. Of course by saying all these things you could rule out humility in my personality, but I am not arrogant, I’m just proud of who I am.

2. I may not be blessed with a killer smile, but I have a hundred ways of making you smile.

I am a person full of humor, I may not be good with jokes, but I have a unique way of putting those God given smiles on your faces. People are unique from each other and so is the way of making them smile. I may be not the type of person who smiles a lot but I am kind of person who lives to place smiles on the faces of people.

3. I may not be blessed with cool talents, but the only thing I know I’m good at is to love.

I don’t know how to play any music instrument. I am not blessed with a good voice and I am not blessed with an athletic body but when everyone is playing their music, singing their song or playing their games, I am with people whom I dearly love and I made sure they feel it.

I know this won’t change anything but if there’s anything I would like you to bring home is the truth that people are like gold mines, they may look plain and boring outside, but it’s full of gold in the inside (now you know why it’s called a gold mine)

Winning the Dream Goal !

My heart was pounding as if it were a lion forcing its way free out from my chest. It was at the peak of the afternoon but I was shivering. The crowd was at its feet as I walk to my post, they were cheering at the top of their lungs but I couldn’t hear them. All I hear was the sound of my own heartbeat and respiration and my knees were shaking as I try to stand my ground against the present adversary. I looked into my opponent’s eyes estimating my chances of success, the odds were against me, but that didn’t matter soon. I took a few deep breaths to release tension that was flooding me, it didn’t work. My opponent gave me a sharp glare as I positioned myself in the middle of the goalpost. I bent my knees and lifted my arms in attempt to cover as much area as possible. He took a few steps away from the ball to gather enough momentum and I prayed to my God for favor. We were both waiting for the whistle, for Him to kick the winning goal, or for me to defend the goalpost, defeat the champions and become a hero.

Championship match of the invitational soccer tournament and it was our school versus the long time defending champs. The match was a close an even one; we were playing at par with the champs even though it was the first time ever that our team reached the finals. Regular period was over and the scores were tied at zero. And to break off the tie, the teams must face in a 5 man kick-off to determine the champs. In a kick-off both teams will select 4 of their best strikers plus the goal keeper. It will be a one on one match versus a team’s striker versus the opponent’s goal keeper and the striker has only one chance of kicking the ball, if it goes in, it’s a score and of course if the goal keeper was able to block the ball then there will be no score.

The scores were tied a 4-4 and it was the champion’s last striker versus me, the goal keeper. If they manage to score, then it will be all over for us, but if I manage to block the ball then there might be a small chance for us to defeat the champs.

The whistle was blown but he still hasn’t moved an inch, he was still deciding score. Everything I was taught was useless now, when the striker kicks the ball all I have is as much as 0.02 seconds to decide where the ball is going. You can’t even call it anticipation when you only have this much time. It was his luck versus mine as he started to dash towards the ball. Is the ball going left? Right? Upper left? Upper right? Lower left? Lower right? Or straight towards me? If there’s a time to guess the perfect time would be NOW!

The moment the ball flew, I can remember it as clear as HD, everything was on slow-motion. The ball flew directly where I guessed it but the ball was moving faster than my body is. I decided a few milliseconds late. I stretched my hand as far as I can in attempt to block the ball, but I doubted I could make it. I closed my eyes and desperately trying to extend my whole body towards the ball that was traveling faster than I expected. It was all down to luck.

BLAG! BLAG! BLAG! BLAG! ARBY!!!! OPEN THE DOOR! WAKE UP! YOU’LL BE LATE FOR SCHOOL! –mom

True Story.

Ambition.

We all had our own ambitions when we were young. Some of us dreamed of going to the moon, some of us even dreamed of inventing things you can only see in the movies. Some of us dreamed of being someone they idolized and some of us dreamed of the things their parents dreamed for them. Whether its being a doctor, fireman or a law enforcer, these ambitions are our first inspiration to be someone important.

But as I look back to my younger years, I realized that I had ambitions that are distinct from others. Even my parents once told me that my ambitions in life was something out of the ordinary. As far as both me and my parents remember these are the ambitions I had and the things that inspired me to become one of these

One of the very first ambitions i had was to be a Doctor and a Pastor at the same time. Growing up in a religious family, the concept of God was the main reason why I wanted to become a "PasDoc." And another thing that contributed to this ambition was numerous stories my parents used to tell me about Jesus healing the blind, Jesus healing the deaf, Jesus healing the people with leprosy and a lot more. At one point I did want to be like Jesus and just be the almighty healer of everyone; but that dream didn't last for very long. I hated the smell of the hospital, I was in and out of the hospital, and I fear needles.

We were Soldiers, Band of Brothers, Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, and Pearl Harbor. These are the movies I grew up watching and loving. And amongst all the gunshot, grenades and explosions I fell in love with the concept of war. In this love I found another ambition, to become a war soldier. I even bought myself an air soft gun just to feel the tenacity of war. I shot dogs, cats, birds, people (of course! but i don't let myself get caught). I loved shooting other things aside from myself. But again my dream of shooting other people didn't last very long, why? Because once you experience the feeling of being shot, all your love for shooting will vanish.


There came a time in my life when I had no idea what my mom and dad does for a living. Then there also came a time in my life when every peso we had was as important as our lives. Maybe because of poverty, or because of my dad's lack of education, my dad ended up as a taxi driver for 3 months and an FX driver for another 5 months. But when you're young anything you're dad does is cool in your eyesight. Although he kept on reminding me to finish my studies so that I won't follow his footsteps, there came a time in my life when my ambition in life was to be a driver just like my dad. I didn't care what kind of vehicle I get to drive, as long as I'm driving then I'm cool with it. But of course this dream didn't last for very long after realizing how little you can earn in driving.

My mom said I had a new ambition every two weeks, but these are the only things I can remember. My mom did mentioned that I dreamed of being an astronaut, pilot, fireman, policeman, lawyer, suicide bomber, and a librarian. But as for me, I can't remember why I dreamed of these things but all I can remember was I was really excited to become someone with a title. And up until now I still dream of me being a professional one day, whatever the field as long as I'm having fun with it. But as for now, my current ambition in life is to be a . . . .













Writer.

Letters to Juliet

Dear Juliet,

Indeed, I am foolish, foolish enough to put to waste everything I was trying to salvage. I am foolish enough to hope. I am foolish enough to believe there’s still a way to return things the way it used to be. I am a fool to the extent that I miss you, even if you just used me.

You once gave back life to me. You sparked my every days. You gave me another reason to wake up and see the beauty of the world, in you. Even if others made me happy, you’re the one who completed my days. You were happiness itself. And I enjoyed every single stolen second we shared. I was truly, madly and deeply in love with you and you said you felt something too, but you were not sure about what it is you feel for me, you were never sure. I knew from the start that the things between us complicated, but I refused to see it that way. Your heart was already taken, but I was fighting for it too. You were in love with someone else; I was in love with you. Now things got more complicated, but now, I don’t bother to look at it anymore. After using me to until you get what you wanted, now I will use you to get what I need, pain.

I was on my trip on being better, But now, I'd rather not feel anything.

Misery, bitterness, hatred, anger, anguish, pain, suffering and agony what more can one man withstand? All of these became my friends, and pain became my anesthesia. Pain drowned all reasons and bitterness sweetened every frail word. Suffering fueled my agony and agony blurred my vision of hate and hate dismembered all traces of love and finally misery did its part of hardening my heart.

I no longer need you’re apologies, or your sympathy. I need not anything from you. What I need now is not to get over you, but you to die inside of me. Now that I’m null, I no longer need to run away from you. Seeing you will bring forth new waves of pain and pain will only make me numb. Hearing you will bring memories, memories that will be burned by apathy. Nothing can hurt me anymore for I’m too numb to feel.

You brought back life so that you can kill me again. This is how I summarize our story, this is how I epically failed, AGAIN.