My Christmas Giveaway

Think of a thing you’ve owned for more than 10 years. It’s probably worn and torn and tested through time, but still you proudly own it, and are using it. You’ve grown so attached to it that you can identify it amidst the clutter of your room. Ten feet away. Upside down. Blindfolded.

Now think of that one thing held by someone else. “Hey! That’s mine!!” yes? There’s that certain connection wherein that thing, you know and feel, is yours.

Today, walking to Cebu IT Park, I encountered an elderly woman who greeted me “Maayong Pasko.” She held a cane, and an elderly man. She let go of her companion and extended her hand, palm faced up.

Deep Ex-.. What?!

Will You Receive Free Items?

I received a call from an agency called “Alternative Distribution Channel” saying that I had been selected as a recipient for free gift certificates for shops and restaurants in Cebu.

Wow! I’ve won something from a company I never heard of! But didn’t the saying go as “there is no such thing as a free lunch”?

During the conversation, my suspicion only rose more because of certain shady topics, and below is my attempt to recall them.

Cough Syrup with Ice Cream

“Wow! I can take something to rid me of this cough and then something else to get it back!”

Say whaaaat?! XD

Making A Move

I’ve recently been fiddling on my new tumblr site and have been thinking if I should concentrate on it all the way. The thing is, the interface is more suitable for my artwork and I can write blogs in it too. WordPress.com is fine, honestly, but is it even advisable to maintain two blogs? What do you think?

WordPress has been awesome. I’ve been in here for quite a while. Hiatus here and there, I still get to post a few thoughts. It has a wonderful interface for writing article drafts and it has served me well.

A month in dru-ing and I’ve found it very convenient. I’m still having second thoughts about whether I put drawings in tumblr, and then blogs in wordpress. However for now, I’ll just keep working on updating my tumblr.

This is a courtesy post: Follow me on tumblr too! (or stumble upon it when you find time or when you’re desperate.) Thanks!

Rehabilitated as defined by Red

Red

“Rehabilitated?… Well, now, let me see. You know, I don’t have any idea what that means.

I know what you think it means, sonny. To me it’s just a made-up word. A politician’s word, so that young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie and have a job. What do you really wanna know? Am I sorry for what I did?

There’s not a day goes by I don’t feel regret. Not because I’m in here; or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try to talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can’t. That kid’s long gone and this old man is all that left. I gotta live with that. Rehabilitated? It’s just a bullshit word. So go ahead and stamp your forms, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don’t give a shit.”

- Red, The Shawshank Redemption

Dreaming With A Broken Heart

Together with some of my officemates and friends, we made a video for someone whose resignation came as a shock to us. She had left us empty and lost on our first few weeks she was gone.

The video was inspired mostly by John Mayer’s song “Dreaming With A Broken Heart.” I had heard it a few times back, and I thought the piano was nice and the lyrics were good. However, at the time, it was of no use to me.

After my officemate left, I heard this song again and a burst of inspiration flowed. This and that came, we had a plot, and the characters were set.

Anyway, I wouldn’t want to stall you. I’m posting my video up here too so that everyone can see.

I’m so proud of my friends. :’)

Another Awesome Out Of House Experience

When I’ve already been to Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Cracked countless times in a minute and have even been to their mobile sites, I’m flat-out bored. And when I’m flat-out bored, I go out for a walk.

On afternoons, I usually go to the mall, or a coffee shop nearby, or a place where I can just sit and draw. Though the latter, I haven’t really done in quite a while. (Note to self: Must draw again). Somehow with just people-watching, reflecting, talking to myself (which I often catch myself doing), I find serenity.

On midnights, I usually fancy going out for a bowl of batchoy near the corner of the street. I do it on a whim. Every night. Well, on a number of occasions.

I have had a share of fruitless ventures when batchoy was not on my list but still wanted to go out. I end up aimlessly walking around IT park, or just give up half-way out the corner, or walk to JY Square Mall (which is about 6 or 7 blocks away), and walk back. Nothing extraordinary. The thrill or the gusto sometimes just die on the way.

Being alone sucks sometimes, however it does have its perks. I get to be with the person who’ll I’ll be stuck with most for the rest of my life. If you still don’t get it, I get to learn to live with and by myself.

One evening, I was bored. I went out. Midway, I thought batchoy was not really nice to have, being that it had been quite humid the past how-many nights. I thought I rather just return, muscle through my hunger and sleep it away. But hey, I still continued walking. I turned on the corner. I continued on my no-goal walk, and decided to visit the nearest convenience store. I reached City 25.

I was greeted by the guard (I swear, I thought she was a guy), and I thought, “Hey, let’s have something cold.” I walked to the freezer, and looked for pinipig crunch to no avail. “Boo. No pinipig crunch.” Disappointed, I wanted to check the next convenience store at IT Park. BUT! Something else caught my eye.

It was foreign. Korean.

I picked it up. Lo and behold, it was an ice cream sandwich! (or so I think) I quickly bought it (for Php 60) and gobbled it up on my way back.

I was not disappointed with my discovery. The vanilla ice cream inside it, multiplied with the brown sweet stuff (somebody said it was mongos, but what the hey), plus the dough-like covering was delicious!

Every bite was bliss. The combination of having sweet, sweeter, and bland did not spoil my sweet tooth. Half-way before I reached home, I had already finished it. I wanted more, but I decided I’ll just come back for another when I get bored again.

Insofar, aside from my discovery of that amazing batchoy corner long ago, that was yet another great exploration! When I reached home, I took a shot of the wrapper.

Rapper.

Joke.

Here. Does anyone know what it's called?

This Lent

The Lenten Season is one of the most anticipated seasons for Christians. It’s a very good time to reflect, be in touch with God, recall the blessings, and be sorry for our mistakes. The Catholic Church encourages that we sacrifice something for Lent, and it has been common practice to abstain from meat and fast during Fridays during the whole season. It is a way to find humility, and to realize that we are very much blessed in our lives.

For this Lenten season, however, I’ve decided to hold back on the following things:
1) Sin
2) Beef and Pork
3) Extra Rice

Though I haven’t really been strict with #2 and #3, avoiding #1 was the most difficult (duh). My sacrifice this year, I think, is more lenient than it was before food-wise. Last year, I only had poultry and seafood, and the year before that, I also fasted on Friday (eating dinner only). Adding sin up in the list was just crazy, but I gave it a shot anyway.

I remember the time, 2 years ago, when I fasted on Fridays. Two words to describe it: “Very Humbling.”

Food was everywhere. Holding back was a trial, all I was thinking was “malapit na ang 7pm!” which now, I think was just very greedy of me. I thought about the people who were on the streets with nothing; just an open palm to ask for help. Blessings were everywhere for them: Food, shelter, companionship, love, and yet they had little or none. Blessings were also everywhere for me, and yet all I was doing was limiting myself from them.

How blessed I am compared to them. How unfortunate of them compared to me. We both yearn but I had the capacity to feed my hunger, and they don’t have that much.

What resilience, what humility, what trials they have compared to me who is only worrying about where I shall have dinner with my friends. What ignorance, what apathy, what indifference I have for this realization, and yet do nothing.

Starting that time on, I would help anyone who would ask with whatever I have. I’d ask myself, “What would I want people to do to me when I’m in their predicament?”

The Lenten season is an avenue to learn new things about myself, and this year, I learned to just take it easy with life, follow my heart, and just roll with the punches as they come along. Be strong. Accept myself. Don’t abuse the blessings, and keep in mind a moral and clear conscience. We fall to temptation and commit sins many times, but it’s the standing back up that really counts.

Have a Holy Week!

I Heartbreak Music XD

If words alone can make and break people, words with the right tune have the power to complete and to destroy us. Though many use words to impress, to deceive, to make a fuss, it can also express love, reassurance, and sincerity. Words can alter feelings, and through feelings can we relate with each other.

Feelings such as joy, sadness, ecstasy, and even being in love can be expressed in song. When one sings a song, the tune is telling the world, “I know how you feel,” “There there,” “It’s exactly as I think it is!”  Such tunes and words calm anxious hearts, strengthen faiths, give embraces, wipe tears, comfort the depressed, give people courage, lift morales, and best of all, a way to praise our God. It is telling those who can hear, “I understand you! You are not alone!”

“The worst thing in the world is being alone.”  Though music does not feed you, it has enough to make you forget about it. Even if you’re by yourself, you know someone out there has listened to the same music as you, and that someone out there, is going through what you’re going through. “Be strong!” it tells you, “You can do it!”

In that aspect, all types of music I greatly respect, and it is untrue when we say that “Today’s music is nothing but garbage.” When in reality, like 50 years ago, bad music will just be forgotten, and those that actually meant anything will live on. Time will be our filter.

In this context, I would like to share with you a song I’ve grown fond of. Years back, the lyrics had been powerful, and they grasped the feeling of being on the losing end of breaking up, of having to hide everything from everyone; telling everyone you’re okay, but drown in tears when alone. If songs can elate you, it can also be a medium for heartbreak.

Friends, Breakdown by Mariah Carey.
PS: Please excuse me not putting up the official video.
PPS:  I especially like Mariah’s 2nd stanza. XD

Break Down
By: Mariah Carey Feat Bone Thugs N Harmony