When Students are Away...

...the teachers play!

The Thin Line That I Crossed

Sometimes, when we get over familiar with someone, we forget our limitations and we say things we ought not to say.

That is the exact thing I committed this week. I accidentally got into Syme's nerves without meaning to. He was kind enough to point it out to me. I was actually taken aback because for the first time, someone reacted against my bullying. I just had to be honest. I did not know how to react to that.

I thought of how I could keep on joking with him without jeopardizing our friendship. It was a challenge because we established our friendship through jokes. Not throwing witty lines at one another would be awkward and would worsen the situation rather than improve it.

I did not have to go through the pains of being awkward. Syme was too kind. He did not let me wallow in my guilt. He said, he was ok, that he was just letting me know what he felt and he did not mean for me to do anything about it. Of course, it was tempting to forget and pretend that everything did not happen. It was not the case for me. I considered it a debt that I got off the hook so easily. Yep. It's a debt all right-a debt that is hard for me to pay.

EpFour: Hungry for Hunger Games?

Monday, March 26, 2012

8:04 PM

Last Saturday, in celebration of completing my requirements for the semester, I went out with my EpFour friends to see the famous Hunger Games. It was Maria's idea as she loves the novel. Also it had been awhile since we saw a movie in the cinemas. As with the other girls, it took us three months before we finally hung out. Hunger Games was the best reason to meet.

It was raining cats and dogs then. In fact, I was drenched from my knees down as if the umbrella did not help me much. My new bag was even wet (which reminds me that I haven't written anything about the bag that Russell gave me).  Naturally, the rain did not purposely bathe me alone so everyone was affected. There was heavy traffic and everybody's mood was foul.

It was great that we did not let it stop us from getting together.

We tried booking seats in Trinoma's cinemas but since Hunger Games had just been shown for two days, a lot of people were still into it. Not to mention it was a Saturday and the start of the vacation for many. It was not at all surprising that it was fully booked. We transferred to SM North Edsa and finally got tickets in Cinema 3 of The Block.

While waiting for Russ and Gerard to come, we ate in Flavors of China. We got to know Dennis and his touch-screen Blackberry. We talked about Sheldon and Leonard and the BIGBANG (not the Korean one).

Few minutes to the scheduled filming, we rushed to Cinema 3 and got our seats without Russ and Gerard. It was a good thing there was initial reservation so we did not have any problem for the late-comers' seats. It did not take them long to come anyway so it was okay.

Since I did not have any clue as to what the story was about I found the movie quite good as opposed to what Maria thought about it. All of us found Lenny Kravitz and the colorful lady interesting. We all laughed at the expression " That's mahogany!" Like me, Jaina found the movie quite nice. Mae vowed to watch Battle Royal--a movie Maria had been endorsing to us even before the Hunger Games fandom. Maria, well, she would just wait for the next installment if it would get any better according to her standards. On the other hand, the boys did not make an effort in expressing their dissatisfaction. Russ said it was good for DVDs but not really for cinemas. We really had different reactions as regards the film.

What we thought of the movie was nothing compared to the experience we had. It was the first time EpFour saw a movie together, the first time I actually brought my boyfriend with me in a cinema with my girlfriends. It was overwhelming.

 

To Cordozar, hey dude. Next time it is going to be pro bono.

To Dennis, nice meeting you.

To Russell, we'll be having more movie watching to do, Pa.

To the EpFour, let us toast for another activity we have accomplished together.

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

Maria. Shopping and Making Up

Unlike most of my Wednesdays spent in staying at home, doing the laundry, reading books, watching movies and animes, and writing, I went out and had a life like a normal human being enjoying her day off.

Maria and I did our best in patching things up and updating each other last Wednesday, 29th of February. We met in SM Megamall and bought some cosmetics to celebrate being girls. We don't usually buy makeup when we go to the mall so what we did yesterday was really saying something. We often hoard books every time we get the chance to go shopping together or we eat out.

Buying cosmetics has just come into our priority list this year. I need it in my field because I look more like a college student instead of a professor and this, by the way, is not an exaggeration. In her case, she has just come to an age where she feels she needs to put on cosmetics. She has lived a huge part of her life without them so she is just starting to experiment with brushes and palettes. Point is, when is she going to start if not right now?

When Maria is with me, I usually drop hints on what she has to buy or not particularly the shade of eyeshadow and blushers. Maria is more of a 'brand' person when it comes to body care so she then advises me of what brands are good for the skin and what are those that only give women a run for their money.

As for me, I usually buy makeup alone because I am quite indecisive and I don't want to be a burden to a companion. Once, Russ accompanied me but he just stayed in the corner. The feeling that someone important is waiting for me because of my caprice makes me quite guilty and that time I felt that with Russ, I rushed buying the things I had to buy.

The two-hour shopping Maria and I had last Wednesday was hassle-free since we were looking for the same things. It was symbolical in a way because as much as shopping is made easier when  done with someone with the same goal, so is making up with a friend.

As I walked along the busy streets branching from the golden Emerald Building, where Maria works in, to the busy Ortigas, all the tension that was building up in me disappeared all of a sudden.

It was a great Wednesday.

Triumphant Love Stories

Unlike my past uncelebrated Valentine's Day, this year's has been quite busy for me. I purposely wanted to celebrate the season because it was the first time I would be doing so as a person-in-a-relationship. Besides, there was another reason to celebrate and that was the birth of the Music Club.

Or should I say rebirth?

The organization was established late last semester and the responsibility of moderating the club fell on my shoulders. Unfortunately, I was not able to handle my job pretty well. Last semester's performance was way below our standards. Since I am the kind of person who hates committing the same mistakes, I promised we would come back with a vengeance.

And when I say Vengeance, I mean it.

That was why I worked my head off, and asked the kids to do the same thing just to have an event solely for the Music Club. I reckon we learned and experienced a lot of things from preparing and performing in our first Concert: Love Stories.

In the process, I saw real talents under pressure. Those were the ones who brought instruments during rehearsals despite their bags were already full and heavy of books and academic materials. They also initiated decorating the venue, and inviting their fellow students to watch their performances. On the other hand, I also saw raw people who were not yet ready for a full blown performance. Quite a number of students were dropped from the performance because of their attendance and behavior in the rehearsals.

JL the guitarist

Jen, guitarist

 

I also received support coming from different people. Russ and his family gave me encouragement. Our nameless Band even provided additional equipment and performed in the concert. Teachers and the Admin Staff invited students to watch. Ms. A and Syme actually supported me from the very beginning.

So how was the concert?

Syme, singing his head off.haha

The Sit-In Band hehe

lovely ladies of the club

the dashing emcee of the program, Syme

As part of the audience, I was quite subjective to say that it was successful. Having the commendations of my co-teachers and students strengthened the belief that it had been great. However, the proofs that had sealed all doubts out of my head were the speeches of our administrators:

"This concert is a proof of the passion of the Music Club. I would like to thank the initiative of  the club for celebrating the season because this is the first time Valentine's was celebrated in WCC."- Ms. Moral

 

"Next semester, we will have a room for the Music Club members and we will fill that room with equipment."- Mr. Gonzales

How did I feel?

I felt proud of, first, myself for successfully putting up the concert and of course my members who exerted their best. I also felt victorious because I was able to fulfill my promise to give them a better stage. Lastly, I felt a sense of accomplishment that I had not felt before.

We were able to make the audience happy and entertained.

We were able to satisfy our administrators.

The greatest achievement of all was the smiles on the members’ faces after their last song number. Those smiles were of triumph.

We were able to redeem ourselves.

jl, wendy, meryll, moi, jen, madel, johnray, christelle, syme, chacha, jane
The Music Club

To God be the Glory.

gerard, russ, moi, rye, chuck

The Importance of Being Earnest in Keeping a Blog

It is a shame of we can’t recall memories. It is heart breaking if we don’t have anything to look back to and in case we can, how sure are we that those are pure memories and not tainted with things that we have wanted to happen? I don’t want to be problematic about that. If a lot of people depend on pictures to revive memories, Syme and I depend on our blog that can retell me the thoughts, the feelings which have not and cannot be captured by photos.

Syme and I have committed ourselves to blogging. We have devised ways on how we can keep our journals without doing it as an additional responsibility.

I have shared the technique of “breaking the last year’s record.” This goal makes me check my past blog entries and motivates me to write more. We ought to change for the better and it is not different in blogging. So far, I have always broken my annual records. Currently, my aim is to break my monthly record and I have done so for some months already.

Syme, on the other hand, has shared that he reads other blogs particularly those that feature his interests. This way, he gets inspiration from other writers, and he can write about the same topics from a different angle. Also, he writes as soon as inspiration kicks in. Since he is an out-door person, it is not difficult for him. What he finds difficult is fighting against his laziness. J Syme has promised he will try to follow my suggestion and beat the crap out of laziness.

As for my part, I have started writing long entries already and have decided to post those which are composed of 200 + words. If not, I should put a picture to go with my scanty words.

Following Syme’s example, I am also trying to be as objective as I can in reading other blogs and, instead of putting harsh comments on the site, I only post my reactions in my own blog. Not only do I add posts but I also keep the peace from those close-minded writers such as myself who cannot accept negations and criticisms.

The most important key in blogging for us is to have the time to write stuff. As soon as we get the inspiration to write, as soon as there is an opportunity or experience or situation that subjects itself for us to write, we will.

Stalky & Co.-Defying 'Three is a Crowd'

Thursday, January 19, 2012

1:33 PM

3 is not my favorite number. Whenever I am asked to give a number out of the recesses of my subconscious, I often say seven and not three. But quite inexplicably, the digit 3 has become a part of my life.

For one, three is the most abused number in English. Most people particularly those whose mother tongue is not English, this number is often times read, said, blurted out as 'tree.' As a language teacher, it has been my responsibility and, lately, my goal, to correct this mispronunciation.

Secondly, my closest friends usually come in threes or we make up a group of three. When I was in high school I used to write this story/drama/novel (depending on what I wanted to call it when I was young) about my circle of friends who I thought would be with me to the ends of the Earth. Both of them  were smart (forgive me for the use of the past tense since I could not speak for their current capabilities)--one was good in Math, the other in subjects related to memorizing things. I did not excel in neither, just the average but I can I say I started to show my aptitude in languages back then. Right now, I don't even know where they are and I don't seem to care much about their activities.

When I got to the University, my closest friends came from a different batch, different majorship that at first it was most unlikely that we would stick together for a very long time. I am glad to note that they remain my closest friends, Kath and Grace. We got closer because of our school organization, PNU-SG Commission on Elections. I can say that we were the pillars of that organization when we were still in school. We underwent series of trials, hardening questions, harboring grudges and all but we stood tall. Eventually we became friends.

When I started working, I hung out with Louie and Edison, technically my seniors in the University and in the workplace. One would think there would be a gap among us but I am glad to say there was none. They were the reasons why the workplace seemed less stressful for me.

Working for Korean companies, I met friends who shared the same behavior and ideas. If my  memory serves me right, I have written things about them in my blog before and our adventure still goes on. One of the groups I belonged to was EpFour, established to divert my friends and my attention from our depressing work area. Our life then seemed to be so routinary and boring that we looked forward to our after-work meetings. Aside from that, the four of us, Maria, Maiden, Jaina and I, had the same drama and anime addictions. We even had characters that fit our attitude well. The next group I belonged in the same workplace was the Hyotei group, consisted of fanfiction writers that have developed a similar liking for a club in Prince of Tennis, Hyotei. I do not consider it as my favorite team but one of my favorite characters comes from that group. I call Maria Atobe until now because of her similarity with the Hyotei King. Instead of calling Cheska Kabaji, I call her Chezuka because she also has an attachment to the Seigaku leader but in the Hyotei Gakuen, she prefers to be called Kaba-chan because she has a stronger preference for brawny characters than bespectacled ones. As for me, in Hyotei Gakuen, I am Oshitari, the sarcastic "soft-spoken" tensai who never fails to contradict Atobe. Outside of the group, I am either called FujiEiji or Niou.

Third point why I say three has become part of my life, I have this inexplicable attachment to novels with three main characters such as Three Musketeers and Harry Potter. When I was in high school I have a lot of websites about Three Musketeers, I frequented the library for information about Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Instead of reading pocketbooks like what my classmates used to read, I read, thought, and dreamed about my musketeers and how it would feel like living in France. In my addiction I even wrote an essay--not a good one, mind you--about Alexandre Dumas.

Though he doesn't exactly share his limelight, Harry Potter is often seen with his best friends Ron and Hermione. I have been addicted to them since high school. I have followed their adventure from Philosopher Stone to Deathly Hollows.

When I thought this subconscious addiction to three would stop there then comes the Trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. How crazy is that?

Just lately I buried my head in Rudyard Kipling's novel Stalky & Co. It took me a long while to finish that thin book. At first I could not get the hang of the dialogues in it but the setting of the story helped me a lot as it is a school. The story revolves around this three...I repeat...three boys who excel in different fields but do not run out of naughtiness. Stalky is the leader who can worm his way out of any trouble because of his expertise in spoken language. He is quite witty. M’Turk is a placid guy who storms up when triggered and he has a great aptitude in Latin. Beetle on the other hand is a poet who vents his emotions on paper or anything he can write his thoughts on.

 They, often reprimanded by the school masters and heads, are the pioneers of naughtiness and chaos in school. They don’t care much about rules and stuff. What they know is they have to go to school because their esteemed parents want them to in order for them to become good citizens of their country. As any other students, Stalky, M’Turk, and Beetle use the school as their playground instead.

The book reminded me of how I studied seriously in high school and not so seriously in college. How I made fun of the teachers I did not like particularly those who would just go to school, give us things to do without teaching us anything.

What is more is that the book finally solidified why three seems to be a good number for friends. I cannot imagine ‘Stalky and M’Turk’ tandem without missing Beetle, and it goes for any other tandem missing out a person. In the friendship of three, there may be a stronger bond between two friends, it won’t be the same as having all three together. What is more is there are times one finds himself extremely different from the other that there should be another person to smoothen the relationship. My friends and the books I have read prove this.

If Stalky, M’Turk and Beetle were alive, I would have thanked them. I haven’t examined my life from this angle until now. Who would have thought that the number three has been a very significant digit for me? Even though my favorite number will never be three, I will give more justice to it. Learning that I haven’t been a victim of “three is a crowd,” and I can’t remember a time when that number has done me wrong, I guess it is time for a different perspective. The proper way of putting it will be “the Power of Three.” 

2011 Top Ear Candies

It has been awhile since I have written something about the songs I listen to. It is just appropriate that before the year ends, I must share those which have made most of my days, and accompanied me through my ups and downs--my 2011 playlist.

10th Departure & Gather (PoT official soundtracks). In the first quarter of 2011, I was addicted to Prince of Tennis. Along with my friends I made up worlds filled with the characters that we liked best and publish them in Fanfiction.net. I used to write fanfics while listening to these songs along with the rest of the tracks from the voice actors of the anime.

9th I Hate You & Ugly (2ne1). In Kpop I am quite YG biased and it all started with Bigbang. I  may not call myself a real Blackjack but one thing I know is I like the songs coming from this group. They have enough spunk and girl power. Though I can only understand bits and pieces of these songs, I can pretty much just settle with the melody.

8th Hands Up (Bigbang). Speaking of YG-biased. I like both Korean and Japanese versions of this song. Every time I listen to this, I feel like having my own concert.

7th Good Day (IU). I find this girl cute. The music video is also cute. I have this funny feeling though that she can be a good substitute for a missing SNSD member any time. But that is just me. The song has a nice feel to it, even though the message is quite sad. It helps that it is not English and I just have to imagine it is a very happy song. I like the bridge part best.

6th Head Over Feet (Alanis Morisette). This song speaks so much about how I started falling in love with the man I see myself growing old with.  It took me years to appreciate this song in its entirety. Now I know that feeling as if the song was written for me or could have been composed by me. Hehe.

5th For Good- (Wicked). "Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun...Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood...who can say if I have been changed for the better but because I knew you...I have been changed for good."  I was in the church when I first heard this song performed then by a member of the music team. Then, Simon recommended the musical Wicked and I found out that this song was a part of it. As soon as I got a copy of the song, I kept on playing it. It's quite addictive particularly if I want to feel lonely (sometimes people like me 'want' to feel lonely, believe it or not). I feel like crying every time I wholeheartedly listen to it while thinking of my beau. Hehe.

4th You Can Count on Me (Default). Since I am using his phone, I get to listen to his playlist and one of the tracks is this. I like it, being alternative/grunge. The lyrics is quite mushy but the melody tones it down. It is one of the songs that I sing to him.

3rd I Believe (Fantasia). I haven't created a playlist for confidence-related songs  but once I do, I'll make sure this is a part of it. I know that I'm pretty arrogant and I don't seem to need this song but from time to time I need a boost for my ego. I may not be at the pinnacle of my career yet (not yet I hope because that would mean I could never go any higher), I know that I am already a step toward it. That is saying something.

2nd Defying Gravity (Wicked). I hate it when people tell me what I can't do. I laugh at those who tell me things that I do best. I think these are the things that I should declare.

"So for those who ground me, take a message back from me...Nobody, in all of Oz, nor wizard that there is or was, is ever gonna bring me down."

1st Something Right (Westlife). Although this is a love song and it's nowhere famous last year (I got the song two years ago), this speaks for what I am feeling today. There have been a lot of things I have done in 2011 that are remarkable. I have been to different places, and met different people. I have made so many decisions. I have been turning my life around.

I am still surrounded by tribulations but that doesn't mean I am just going to surrender.  I am still standing.There are things and people that remind me that I am indeed in the right place, in the right situation.

I must be doing something right.

That is about it for my 2011 playlist. I hope I can listen to some real good songs this year. I think I need to revamp my playlist, have enough room for new things. Right.