Lousian 'to!

Kudos to Mr. and Mrs. Pabsi (aka 'Cher Mel and Ate Bing Pablico) for writing such a beautiful and inspiration song, Light of the North, Light That Transforms, for the centennial celebration of Saint Louis University.


I know it's a bit late for my congratulatory greeting but it's not yet late for the centennial celebrations of SLU. Wish I were there.

LIGHT OF THE NORTH,
LIGHT THAT TRANSFORMS
(Lyrics: Mel Pablico/Music: Bing Pablico)


From a small beginning came
The little seed has fully grown
Now look at what you’ve become
A sturdy tree on its own

It was just one little spark
Now the flame is bright as day
Without knowledge, all is dark
But with your light we see the way

Refrain:

SLU, Light of the North
Shine through all directions
The wisdom you bring forth
Builds, inspires and reforms
SLU, Light of the North
A hundred years now
Through all the times
Continue to glow
Light that transforms!

As you continue with your mission
To touch more lives as you envision
Competence, creativity
You develop in me

Social involvement, Christian spirit
Are imbued within my heart
The future is truly bright
For I shine with such great light

(Repeat Refrain)

Bridge:

As I soar to greater heights
Your wisdom I will bring
The mission of your light
I will keep burning deep within

Through the next years that will pass
I promise to make you proud
With your values by my side
I will transform other lives!

(Repeat Refrain except last line 2x)

Shine forevermore
Through all the times
Continue to glow
Light that transforms…
Light that transforms!

My Red Shoes

I'm in Makati right now with my red bling shoes. I'm so happy with this pair 'coz they're so landi for my standards. Unfortunately, it's also starting to rain and by the looks of the cloud formations it's going to get even stronger in a little while. Lagot! I was supposed to have an interview at 10am today but it was moved to 9pm tonight. Galing noh? Kim was telling me that maybe they were testing me since this was the final interview kuno. Oh well. I'm really staying the weekend with cousin Kimmy anyway so it's not inconvinient for me. Off, to starbucks muna and read a little while waiting for Kim's lunch break. I hope I'll find time to post what I've written so far about my 3-week-bum lifestyle. =)

Last Official Working Day

This is it. My last official working day. I haven't even packed my things from my office and I still have a lot of unfinished works. I guess I might be taking a few more unofficial working days next week just to finish those. Then there's my clearance still. I have to ask a bunch of people to check if I have any unfinished business within their departments.

Unfortunately, today's also a celebration of life here in school. I have a bad feeling that there could be a going away celebration for me in there too. I'm really not looking forward to that. I was hoping for a quiet and tearless exit from school. Besides, they'll probably still see me until next week. I just don't want those half-hearted or worse, those insincere, greetings. Ayaw ko makipag-plastic-an. But I guess that's what's in store for me today...

Count Down

Two official working days left... and still soooo much to do in order for me to be cleared of my work! I have conflicting feelings about leaving - sad since I've been working with kids for about seven years already. It's fun and refreshing and surprising and it constantly reminds me of the child in me. There's also anticipation. I've submitted my resume online to a few companies and now I'm waiting for anyone to respond. Gosh. I'm also excited. I don't know what adventure's waiting for me there outside my comfort zone. I'm going to miss the good friends I have here, the kids, the weather, the easy commute, fresh and cheap flowers and veggies... But I know that there's so much more I can discover about myself and the future when I make this move. That's what I'm looking forward to knowing.

Selling Myself

I'm not talking about the first thing that came to your mind. Though looking for a new job is essentially the same as selling yourself.

Right now I'm looking for a way to showcase my talents, skills and assets in the best possible light for prospective employers - especially that I'm thinking about switching fields, from an educational setting to an industrial one. I have to primp and prime my resume to catch the attention of my prospects. I have to brush up on my knowledge and techniques - for interview and a new field that is. Then I have to sell myself to companies willing to hire me despite of my (work) experiences the past years. I'm somewhat of a virgin when it comes to job hunting. My first shot at a professional stint was a lucky break for me. They wanted me. So I've been a kept woman for almost seven years. But now that I'm about to sever my ties with my benefactor, I wonder if I have the necessary skills to look for a better one. After all, sticking to one made me better at one particular field only. Do I have the necessary skills to catch the attention of a new employer? Would my lack of experience be an advantage or diasadvantage? Could I be too old or too young for their preferrence? Could I translate my skills to a new field?

Only one way to find out. Get out there and show 'em what I've got.

Why Blog?

A friend just asked me a while ago why I blog. Here's why:

1. I like writing. It gives my mind and hands something to do.
2. Writing is simply an outlet. When I want to say something, I can do it here at walang aangal. Sure, readers may leave a comment but they can't really censor what I've already written.
3. When I have feelings that I need to express, I can do it here. Then I can process what I'm feeling and what happened to me without having to pay for a shrink. Keeps me sane.
4. I can go back to previous entries and look at where I was at that time. It helps me keep track of life events. It serves as a record of bits and pieces of my life. Who knows, it might be worth something someday.
5. I can be as profound or as shallow as I like. I can talk about anything and everything under the sun. It's a good practice for keeping the mind sharp and curious about people, things and events around us.
6. It's a way to tell family members and friends about how I'm doing. Sometimes it gets tedious to recount stories over and over again. It could be tempting to embelish the story a little just to make the retelling different. It could also be confusing as to what you have already told whom.
7. It's a good way to keep people entertained, parang telenobela, without being tedious I hope.
8. Just because I can.

Of Being Tagged and Answering Surveys

I'm trying to make it a habit to at least write something everyday in keeping with one of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Sharpen the Saw. It might come to a point that I may have to make a living off my mediocre writing skills, who knows. That's why I feel the need to write. However, I can't seem to find anything that I want to write about. That's why I have been reading other blogs for the past hour to get enticed to write something. Hence, this tagged post from G...

INSTRUCTIONS: A person who gets tagged must write in his or her blog ten weird things or habits or little known facts about himself or herself. He or she should also state this rule clearly. At the end, he or she should tag six other people, except the one who tagged him or her.

1. I snore embarrassingly loud that HE felt scared that I might be having problems breathing properly, he has to wake me up to stop me from snoring. When I slept over at their house, he said that he could hear me from the basement, where his room was, to the next floor up. Because of this fact, I try my best not to sleep on the bus anymore when I go home to Tarlac lest I wake to the conductor shaking me and the rest of the passengers staring at me for creating such a raucous.

2. I could eat chicken everyday. I almost got my wish last summer in the developmental camp I attended in Taytay. There would always be at least one chicken viand everday. My favorite vegetable is ampalaya (bitter gourd).

3. I have a tendency to be slow on the pick up sometimes, especially when it comes to jokes. I also have a bad memory when it comes to jokes and funny stories. When you tell me a funny story, try telling it to me again after some time, I'll probaby laugh at it again 'cause I didn't remember you telling me about it the first time.

4. I've always wanted to see how it looks like inside a night club (we call them patay-sindi because of their usual blinking red lights), to see why guys in general frequent such places. My best friend, Jade, and I asked a couple of guy friends to take us there but they backed out the last minute. Guy friends would discourage me whenever I would tell them about this, um, interest of mine.

5. I've never really watched porn. R-rated films, sure but not porn. It's also not on my list of things to do before I move out of this life. But i find it interesting that other people find this to be unusual. Bakit kaya?

6. My guilty pleasure is watching horror films and sci-fi films. Even the cheesy ones. I can't stand watching dramatic movies, especially with other people around. I'm such a cry baby. I cried over Disney's The Little Mermaid and The Land before Time. I think it might have something to do with nanay crying almost every night when she was pregnant with me. I think I might have been imprinted with a crying-easily gene.

7. My most embarrassing experience involved a plane (PAL). I was in the fifth grade then, I think, when we were on our way home to Iloilo. I was putting on fake bravado when I started reading Reader's Digest on the plane pretending that I wouldn't experience motion sickness. Wrong! I just threw up without warning on the plane's aisle. The flight attendant had to cover the mess with newspaper and the rest of the passengers had to deal with the smell for the duration of the flight. Thank goodness it was only for 45 minutes. We fly Cebu Pacific now.

8. I like to make a memory with scents. I'll associate a memory with the person's scent. That's why I'm very particular also that I smell good. I dislike smelling like sweat and as if I've been under the sun for a long time, even if I have. Nahihiya ko tumabi sa tao. My officemate commented that I'm becoming obsessive about how I smell.

9. Hi! My name is Russel and I have a cab addiction. Even if I have time to take a jeep to work, I'll still take a cab. This wreaks havoc on my budget. There was one time in college that I took a jeep and the only money I had in my pocket was a five-hundred bill. I had to ask another passenger if she could please pay my fare for me. Kahiya.

10. I'm usually scared to buy clothes at department stores. Baka walang mag-fit sa akin. Ugh!Once I tried to buy pants at the plus size section, they told me that I was too small for their size range. But then, I'm usually too big also for the regular items. What am I to do?

By the way, I'm not really tagging anyone. I may have to add another addiction to number 9 since I'm also starting to answer the different surveys in my friendster account. I actually think that I live a pretty normal and uneventful life based on what I've written. =)

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

You Are Coffee Ice Cream

Energetic and lively, you are always on the go. You're doing a million things at once and doing them well. You tend to motivate others and raise spirits. You are most compatible with chocolate ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

What Does Your Birthday Mean?

Your Birthdate: February 5

You have many talents, and you are great at sharing those talents with others. Most people would be jealous of your clever intellect, but you're just too likeable to elicit jealousy. Progressive and original, you're usually thinking up cutting edge ideas. Quick witted and fast thinking, you have difficulty finding new challenges. Your strength: Your superhuman brainpower Your weakness: Your susceptibility to boredom Your power color: Tangerine Your power symbol: Ace Your power month: May

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Blasted Board Exam and NBI Guys!

With the passing of the Guidance and Counseling Law, Guidance Counselors all-over the Philippines have to take the board exam in Dec. 8. There is still the possibility of exemption though, based on the number of years of counseling experience and academic units for MS Guidance and Counseling. That exemption is what I (and the rest of the Guidance Counselors here in SLU) am trying to apply for this week until next week. There are so many requirements that my pocket has been feeling considerable heavier lately. Puro barya na lang kasi natira at naubos na yung mga perang papel sa palalakad ng mga kailangan. I don't mind the Slow pace at the different government office, I've gotten used to them already. But what got to me today was the service at the NBI. Unfortunately, my name was a hit when I applied for my NBI clearance last week. I had to wait for a whole week only to find out that there's someone out there in Pampanga who is wanted for Malicious Threat. There's even a warrant of arrest for this person. That was okay with me, I still wanted to know what I could do to remedy this situation and get my NBI clearance. So, off I went to be inteviewed by an NBI Agent, a certain Agent Ferdinand Viloria. I was feeling nervous not because i was really that person with the Malicious threat case but because i didn't know what to expect. Well, the arrogant agent began asking so many personal questions. They were okay at the beginning since I assumed it was related to trying to find out if I was innocent or not. What got to me were the unwarranted and uncalled for pieces of advice that he gave me - as if he knew me and he had the right to delve into my personal life. I also couldn't take the snickers of his other office mates (I assume they were also NBI agent), and additional pagsusulsol pa. He was also ordering me around when it came to filling up a simple form coupled with innapropriate remarks i.e. Uy, and ganda pala ng sulat mo. Pwede ka palang maging secretarya. Pero syempre mas maganda pa din ang magturo di ba? He just assumed that I teach. He also threatened that since there was a warrant of arrest out for me, they could just detain me right there and then! The last straw was when he directed me to talk to a certain lady in the room who was also within hearing distance (suppossedly a lawyer) for a very vague reason only to find out that this was not the person to see. Afterwhich, they had the nerve to laugh when the lady directed me to someone else! I was so pissed off after that I only wanted to get it over with. The only matino person that I talked to was Mang Rene, the one who processed my clearance. In the end, I still got my clearance. And the case will not pop out the next time that I renew my clearance, since it wasn't really me to begin with. Kapangalan lang. So, my first encouter with an NBI wasn't the best. That's why I don't plan on having another one.

National Schools Press Conference

This week is the NSPC competition and Baguio is the host city.

This is good news for me since our lone pupil contender is able to attend the national competition without much fuss and drama. His competition schedule was yesterday. As a result, I probable spent a good part of the morning standing outside waiting for Aaron, our contestant, to finish with the editorial cartooning. Only to find out from him that they only spent about an hour on the competition proper and almost 2 hours just waiting. Hay. The awarding ceremony is this afternoon so I still have my fingers crossed that Aaron did his best and will bag a good spot on this year's NSPC.

Press Con!

My first time was somewhat of a success.

It was a laborious task to train writers (since i was in trainig my self and my experience is limited to blog entries and chronicles of field trips and other school events). I honestly had no idea what to expect so I was really groping in the dark hoping to hit something right on the button. Fortunately, the kids were very much game and enthusiastic to get their hands dirty so they had no problem with the extended school days for our writing trainings. They were asked to read up on current local and national events to be ready with anything that may be thrown their way. Due to the lack of time, since we were told late about the date of the contest, we weren't able to focus much on technique and style of writing. The good news is that our contestant for Editorial Cartooning, Aaron Bolinto, made it to the Regional Press Conference. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to go since I was playing the keyboard for the Communicants. It was truly a blessing that his parents are so supportive that they volunteered to accompany him to Lagawe, Ifugao. Buti na lang he went since he also qualified for the National Press Conference in February here in Baguio. Hay, al least sure ako na makakapunta kasi dito lang.

I hope I don't forget the not-so-good experiences I have this year because I plan to come out with more winners in next year's contest.

My First Issue

This school year, I'm one of the school paper adviser for the the Young Louisian Courier. I had to learn (the hard way) how a newspaper is put together. Unfortunately, the other adviser wasn't much of a help, though she's been an adviser for a number of years already. I've had to deal with facilitating the club meetings, collecting and correcting pupils' works and output, as well as layouting the actual paper. I had to learn, together with the kids the basics of writing news articles, features, sports articles, editorial and editorial cartoon (versus regualr cartoon), copy reading and layouting . All the technical stuff made my eyes water in front of the computer while layouting, example,all headlines must have verbs, headlines in English must have a verb in the present tense, Filipino headlines must be in the past tense, captions of pictures must have a title first before its description, Science and Health is usually not included in the competition proper but must be present in the paper. Did they teach all these in school? I must not have been paying attention. Layouting was probaby the most difficult stage since this is a first for me. After revising and re-reading the acrticles for the nth time, I finally gave the final copy to the printers for printing just this afternoon. I also had to RUSH the printers since we're supposed to send ten copies to the Dep Ed Division Office on Monday as our passport for the Division Press Con on the 9th. The work does not end there! I still have to devise a (hopefully) effective system for the cliniquing with the writers before the competition date. It's also one of my observations that our kids need to exert much effort to be creative in writing. They're not that interested in reading books for pleasure anymore, puro school works lang. Hay. Kawawa sila.
So, my hell month is coming to an end. Kaya may time na mag-blog ulit. Time to focus on the second issue of our school paper!

The Ending of Bituin

I wrote an entry on the Sineserye Bituing Walang Ningning(BWN) in my friendster blog. This was it:

Call me a Sharonian if you if you will, but i really fo like most of Sharon Cuneta's earlier films. Nanay is a true Sharonian, that's why I grew up to P.S. I Love You, Friends in Love, Dear Heart, and that one where she is bethroted to Miguel Rodriguez (which for the life of me i can't remember the title!). Then there are the 80's and early 90's classics with their titles as their taglines too: Bukas Luluhod ang mga Tala, Babangon Ako at Dudurugin Kita, Pasan Ko ang Daigdig, Sana'y Wala ng Wakas and of course the popular sineserye now, Bituing Walang Ningning. Of her contemporary films, I appreciated Madrasta and Crying Ladies the most.
Honestly though, Bituing Walang Ningning (BWN) is the only soap opera that I've really been interested to watch. Let's admit it, BWN is a movie classic. Who among our age group doesn't know Cherrie Gil's (Lavinia), "You're nothing but a second rate, trying hard copycat!" sabay saboy ng wine kay Sharon Cuneta (Dorina). Later in the movie, Dorina exacts her revenge with the lines, "Ikaw ang basura. Noon minahal kita dahil akala ko mabait ka...Mula nang ipahiya mo ako sa publiko, ipinangako ko sa sarili ko na di lang kita papantayan, lalampasan pa kita (and of course, sabay saboy ng tubig kay Lavinia)...Amanos"
In fairness to the sineserye, they did well in creating and integrating the new characters without compromising the basic story line of the movie to the series. I really don't want to compare Sarah Geronimo and Angelika Dela Cruz to Sharon Cuneta and Cherrie Gil respectively. That would be unfair. Suffice it to say that ABS-CBN is doing a good job of translating BWN to the small screen.
What I'm waiting to know is whether Dorina will still end up with Nico and give up her career for love, just like in the movies version.
N.B. As of this post, I have already researched IMDb.com and found out the title of that blasted Cuneta-Rodriguez movie: To Love Again.

Well, the series ended last week (or was it the week before that?). No. Dorina did not end up with Nico (he got back with Lavinia), but you can conclude that she will end up with Oman. But she did give up her career for her family. The ending was actually a let down for me. My sister did say that it' s just right that the sineserye did not follow the movie ending, to prevent it from being too predictable. Hay, basta, di lang akko natuwa.

On a day like this...

It's Saturday and I just finished with our club meeting. I'm one of the moderators for the Young Writers' Club, the ones responsible for putting together the school paper. Medyo pagod but I think that our club meeting went well.

When we were younger, Saturday was always associated with waking up late because of staying up late watching tv the night before. During our teenage years, gimmick might naman. But now that I'm working, it has always been a regular working day. Since Sunday is the only day off from work, that's also the chore day for me - the day when I get to do my laundry, cleaning (if I'm up to it), cooking etc. etc. It's also the day when I get to sleep a little later during the say or take a nap in the afternoon. I think that this is karma for all the days that we didn't sleep in the afternoon when our parents told us to. It's only now that it has come back to haunt us.

On a day like this, cool with a little sun out (now this is Baguio weather!), it makes me think of having a picnic, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with vegetables, long conversations, napping, flowers, going on a road trip, coffee, a movie. My mind is definitely not here inside our office, in front of the computer. It's a good thing that I have a good imagination, I can be elsewhere for a few moments. It's also good that I'm a Psycho grad, I can sublimate my urges for a later time or rationalize that the rain in the afternoon will just ruin a daytrip ourside. It's good that I'm also a realist, this is the time to focus on work and that's what I should be doing.

Whatever. I wish it were already my day off.

On to Other Matters

I’ve been going on and on about relationships as if that’s the only thing that interests me at the moment. Actually, with all the no classes days here in Baguio (because of typhoon Florita and Glenda), I got to watch all episodes of Season 1 and 6 of CSI Las Vegas (the original is still the best!). I guess you could say that I definitely am CSI-holic. They make geeks look so cool! Waiting time ulit for season 7 to start.

I saw Lady in the Water last Saturday. Only M. Night Shyamalan can get away with his story-telling-movie style for this film. I know that his movies are probably an acquired taste for some, but I enjoy watching them. Try nyo rin!

I truly didn’t enjoy watching Basic Instinct 2. Maybe I had high hopes since the first one was heart-pounding, lip-licking, and it made you think whether Sharon Stone’s charater was really a psychotic killer or not. However, after the first few scenes in Basic Instrict 2, I was itching to press the fast forward button. Besides it was a give-away (from the first Basic Instinct) that Catherine Tramell is the killer and Dr. Glass was being set–up. Nothing new to be seen in this movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest, was one of the movies that I’ve been salivating to watch since I saw it’s trailer months ago. So when I saw it last week, I was both satisfied and dismayed at the same time. Satisfied that there would be a third installment to Capt. Jack Sparrow’s adventure, dismayed at how Johnny Depp’s character evolved in this one. Okay, Capt. Jack was still irrisistable in this movie, but he was also portrayed so cowardly. His cool-under-pressure, sinister, scheming and ruthless side was not so evident as a whole in this movie. He was doing all the scheming out of fear of Davy Jones instead of trying to outwit him. The only truly redeeming scene for me was when Capt. Jack Sparrow was eaten by the giant-squid monster.

Blogger

I was reading tita daisy's blogspot and for so many times i wanted to comment on the things she shared. unfortunately, it was open to bloggers only. so, what can i say. all for the sake of commenting? maybe... let's see if i can maintain two blogs. =)