[Project FeeTrail April 2013]: Gratitude in lieu of a Wish

They say when it's your first time at a church, make sure to pray your 7 (or 9?) wishes for it will come true. I did that when I visited 7 churches before holy week and now it's the first time I get to visit the church of Pila, Laguna. I was covering for my sister's wedding gig event, but when I first had my moment to breathe a prayer, I did not wish for anything but said thank you to God. The day before the event, I had my make or break exam and it was no easy feat.

It took 3 hours for the deliberation, the comments were tough, I really thought I would be recommended to try again. After all, the exam was expedited and I chickened out and planned it on the next semester. Then I got shoved to do it way earlier. Somehow, I'm glad I did it.

I was asked to step out of the room for my three advisers to deliberate whether they should pass or recommend me to try again, and I was already saying my Hail Marys. This is why I can never join those reality show contests with crucial decisions being made on National Television. It really is too nerve wracking for me.

This year, I constantly prayed for calmness and I got it. While I was waiting for the results, I kept on consoling myself that if it did not turn out the way I wish it would be, it's the journey and not the destination and what's important is I will not give up.

But then, I passed, and I wish I could say I am over the moon, but I was just pretty calm and extremely thankful that I passed. There's something in me that did not make me swoon nor twitter blast something out of a giddy moment. I was just deeply humbled and thankful. I have a feeling that maybe, after experiencing death in the family, nothing can really top the level of happiness that I felt before. I used to be over the top happy, with eyes literally sparkling (like those of diamonds, says an ex-boyfriend, chos), and with a can't-shut-the-F-up smile. This major accomplishment is something that is supposed to level me up, but it humbled me down. That is why I dedicate my thesis to my late father and my inay (mother).

My Masteral Degree down to the process of me with my MS Thesis is a concrete proof of WHEN it's meant to be, it WILL be. I thought I would graduate in 2012, but it turned out I will be facing something bigger last year, bigger than my Masteral Degree that it just had to come first.

So now, I'm just really thankful. :)

People Watching at the UPLB Graduation

Okay. As early as this first line of the post, I have crappy photos in this post. I did not really have intentions of taking photos of the UPLB Graduation, but I don't know what made me whip out my camera phone and take photos of interesting people.

I lived in UPLB all my life and I never attended graduation even if I had friends graduating. I saw it as an opportunity to be always doing something else (read: out of town activities) because my parents were the busiest at this time of the year. My late dad is the official photographer for more than 30 years during UPLB Commencement Exercises and my mom is always with a steering committee of some sort.

It is only this time of the year that I took part in UPLB Graduation. Earlier in the office we were like this:

Photo by Chad Roble

Then we had to go near the stage as part of the publicity and documentation committee.

I don't like summers anymore

When I was still in college, going home for the summer makes my heart giddy because:

1. I'm always up for a vacation.
2. I like getting in and out of the city.
3. I love change once in a while.

In my mind, summers were like this:

But now, more than a decade later, I dread summer. Because not only I have grown up and started living an adult life and its responsibilities, but because Summers have now come to this:

In the office.
Right at home.
Outside the house.
Name it.

Please don't hate me, but I really want this summer to be over so we can move on to the cuddle weather.

Jolo (Revilla) or Coco (Martin)? Take your pick!

With the upcoming elections, Inquirer tweeted this picture today as campaign for voters not to sell their votes.

I noticed the photo on the 500 peso bill.

Does he look like Jolo Revilla?

 

or Coco Martin?

I say Jolo Revilla, but when I zoomed him in, he started to look like Coco Martin!

What do you think?

I love Betty White

I love Betty White.

I love Betty White because I've learned on much earlier that I am not born out of the cookie cutter.

And that I will always have this little rebel in me.

And because I have such high respect for individuality and those who have dared to be different.

But not the jologs and jejemons, please. I can only take so much.

How to survive the 3rd time watching a Live Sunday Show

It's my third time to watch the Sunday show Live at GMA's studio, so I pretty much know how it roll. Back then, the show is called S.O.P., now they call it Party Pilipinas. Let me say it straight, better to watch on TV. But then, watching and experiencing it live is also worth it, but not on a weekly basis.

So, How to survive the 3rd time watching a Live Sunday Show aka Party Pilipinas?

First, Invite Friends to come along

Few weeks ago, when I learned that my mom invited her friends to watch Party Pilipinas Live in GMA Studio, I decided to come along and invite my friends as well, too bad we only have limited tickets. 15 to be exact, otherwise, I would have invited more.

Do you remember the first time you learned about the internet?

I do.

I remember the first time I learned about the internet.

It was in 1999, when communication is still MIRC. It costs Php90.00 per hour and internet cafes were stylish, cold, and they serve fancy chocolate shakes with wafers on top.

Do you remember getting your first email address?

I do.

It was back in 2000, as a college student. I learned about MIRC and people keep asking me for my email address. And I was like, what is that? Maybe I should get one. I went to this internet shop near my college dorm, and without asking for assistance, even if I looked stupid, I navigated my way through yahoo. Trust me, google was still just being discovered and yahoo.com used to be the thing.

I must have created 5 different email addresses in one sitting: I have yahoo, hotmail, mailcity, msn and aol. I had fun creating different names for my email address, until I decided to have one email address that I'm going to have for a long time, I still have it now, more than a decade later.

I developed this love affair with the internet. And it became everyone's thing.

Sulyap Gallery and Cafe (and now Bed and Breakfast) in San Pablo City

One of the nicest thing about working in the wedding industry is you get to ocular places for reception. Yesterday, we found ourselves in Sulyap, in San Pablo City, a kind of hidden place with Antique and Art Gallery that's not accessible in the main road.

I've been seeing it when driving to San Pablo City Laguna. It is only now that I learned that they just opened Bed and Breakfast as well.

We went and parked inside the place to see this building to meet a cake designer. It gives that old school, Panahon ng hapon (old Japanese time) feel. But I see other photographer feasting on the antique display of cars, old liquor brandy barrels and scooters.