The Purple Haze

I really need a new digital camera. Anyway, kudos to my little sister, Jeanine (aka Ninai), for finishing her summer musical theater workshop with Tanghalang Pilipino (CCP’s resident theater group)! Serious stage acting has been one of my frustrations, and I’m glad Ninai has been at it for years. She was so happy with the workshop that she wants to do more next summer! Susmaryosep (kawawa ang pitaka ni Ate). Hahaha!

Johanna, on the other hand, is doing great with her summer college admission test review program. She also egged me to enroll her next summer at CCP’s Arts and Animation workshop. Man, if you could only see her sketches, you’d be absolutely blown away! Talk about Helmuth talent!

Thank you Lord, for making all of these possible. I pray my sisters would use their talents to help lots of people in the near future.

Have I learned to forgive? Being the hard, ruthless little girlie-girl that I am, I guess I have. After all, living with a grudge does not make one younger. I refuse to spend precious pesos on any medical procedure to make fine lines disappear. I have always been a firm believer of aging au naturel anyway.

That answers my question: I haven’t REALLY learned how to.

———————————————

Congratulations to my dear sisters who graduated this year! Like I told Sis Sheila, “I apologize for not making it to your testimonial dinner. You know how much I want to go and send my younger sisters off, but there are just things that we do not have any control over. That’s lesson number one. In college, we would always think that everything revolves around us - that we could make “lusot” our way into anything, that a single Road Rage can be pulled off in a month, and that an exam can be topped by studying minutes before we took one. College is college, and it’s not quite like how things are going to be for you right after. HOWEVER, that’s the good thing about joining Sigma Beta right? It gives us a taste of what’s out there, even if we were “in here”. I really think it makes all the difference, and we owe the sorority that. We also owe the people our education, so don’t forget about them too.”

I have to admit that I almost raised my hands up to rejoice when I found out that my new boss likes working without shoes on. I remember when I was with AL, I felt like I was persecuted (what a word) when I walked around the office in my favorite New York Knicks NBA socks! The buzzing giggles were louder everytime I put on my patent black pumps with those socks on - one office colleague called my get-up, “so London!” But I’m not in London, so…

So far so good with my new work I’m still getting the hang of commuting from where I live in Makati to where I work, but MRT’s been really a big help in cutting down my travel time. I just get a little paranoid whenever I get in the train cars, since images of the Rizal Day bombing are still vivid in my head. I sure don’t want to die all shattered and burnt with shrapnel.

The office plans to bring the staff along to Baguio next week; that should be fun, right? Well, honestly, going there again without Uwy and Elmer feels like desecrating my memories of Baguio. It’d be sadder this time. Awww…

The best news just leaked in a while ago!

My favorite law professor called me up and invited me to work with him on his new law textbook Not only that, he also gave me some inside scoop on new administrative policies that I am 100% sure students will be all giddy about. If only I could divulge it here… I would have, you know, if it weren’t for that blasted article in Inquirer today about blogging, hehehe.

Back to the book, I am very excited to jump in on this one since it will be the perfect avenue for me to review on Civil Law. I’d be researching cases, validating doctrines, editing and writing on my favorite Bar subject! The pay would just be a bonus (yey, I can pay for my sisters’ acting workshop at CCP!)  All this I’d be doing during the summer and probably up to the first semester at the comforts of my office and home. Talk about landing a dream job (DJ)! Not only have I got one DJ, I snagged 2! Thank you Lord!

Last night’s party was technically my last party for my whole 2-week vacation. Hehehe. I feel there’s more to come, especially since my gal pals from Iloilo and Nueva Ecija are coming over to satisfy their beach lust (Galera, here we come).

Tomorrow is another story. It’s my first day at DevConcepts PH! My only problem was getting to my new office, but I eventually figured out my route thanks to Google Earth:

I just have to take a bus to Robinson’s Galleria, then walk to Cityland MegaPlaza! That simple

Argh. I can’t tweak this page’s layout/theme! If this goes on, I’d be forced to shut down this account out of sheer frustration!

Stephen Covey says, “Be Proactive”, so I will be. I’ll take a crash online course on CSS, and turn this page into something like this:

Yes, ala Multiply page!

In other news, Mario and I enjoyed posing as lawyers today at the Senate Building for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Seminar. The event was a collaboration of the IBP Pasay Chapter and Fairchild; our ticket to such is credited to Atty. Apollo XCS Sanggalang, IBP Pasay Chapter President and a professor at the Philippine Law School. The topics, which ranged from CivPro to Legal Ethics, were discussed by esteemed and highly accorded justices and law practitioners. The audience in itself was composed of lawyers, both new and seasoned ones.

I was fascinated by the passion that the speakers have shown for the profession, like retired Ombudsman Hon. Jesus Guerrero. He and all the veteran companyeros and companyeras deserve all due respect. I am truly privileged to have shared the same room and lunch table with them.

Now this is what you can call “sharpening the saw.” I am pretty amazed at how resourceful a person can get whenever left with seemingly LIMITED options. Ika nga nila, ang taong nagigipit, lalong nagpupursige.

(Countdown to my new job: 4 days)

Congratulations to all the Graduates of 2008! Kudos to my little brother, Ken, for hurdling 4 fun and confusing years in high school. I’m sure that college at PLM would be as manageable and instructive, if not life-changing.

Over lunch a while ago, Dad complained about how long the valedictory addresses were and how he slept through almost the entire graduation ceremony. I couldn’t blame him; mine was equally boring. In fact, the single most exciting thing about my college graduation (aside from the admin. calling out my name) was when Vida ran about the stage carrying a manila paper demanding justice and equal rights, if my memory serves me right. I also loved how my activist friend and her orgmates let down the big, red “Serve the People” banner from the DL Umali Hall in front of the field. How I love and miss UP. Vida and I are now both law students, and I’m sure our other batchmates have gone pretty far too.

I have vague memories of my high school graduation from St. Theresa’s College. But it would be a grave injustice to my good high school teachers if I’d say that it wasn’t as important as college.  I’ve learned quite a lot there too, the most striking of which for me was that no matter how far we go, we should always put God and our neighbor before us. Little did I know that this would be the same mantra our college professors would pound in our heads, only in different packaging (mostly in RED).

To Ken and all your batch mates, again, put God and the Filipino before anything else. Let all the political and economic turmoil the world and the country is  currently experiencing serve as lessons; never treat these as normal, everyday occurrences. Be not like the thieves of the government in sheep’s clothing. Uplift what’s good in all your ways.

In true UP style: Serve the people.

Happy birthday Emily!

Wishing you all the best things in life

See you in Xaymaca this Saturday! Let’s partaaaay!

Iohann’s probably laughing his head off because of my ignorance, hehehe. He made this vid and composed the song back in ‘07 and it’s going to be posted here only now

Anyway, check it out:

The music and lyrics are waaay cool. Thanks for sharing this, hannybunnywifey

Happy Easter!

If I remember my Religion classes back in high school right, Easter or Pasko ng Pagkabuhay, is the most important Catholic date of all - even more important than Christmas. The Catholic congregation celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after He was put to death on the Cross to save man from sin; a mark of the fulfillment of God’s plan, much to the chagrin of demons down under (and those evil entities walking on earth disguised as people). So if this is one of the most important dates of all, how come Christmas celebrations always seems way more pompous and jovial? Ah-hah! This is where we can see how commercialism and capitalism has expressly or subconsciously twisted how we celebrate religious observances. I would have to research more on this, and is better left for another entry. Hanggang sa isip ko nalang muna ibang comments ko dito.

My family and I attended Sunday Eucharist a while ago at our local parish, as we regularly have been doing so probably since 1985. It never occurred to me until today’s particular mass that people, during Ama Namin, never really liked holding his neighbor’s hand like they were supposed to. While the Priest and laymen served as models during that particular rite, people at the aisles never even bothered stepping a few inches to the side to reach out to another hand. For non-Catholic readers, the Ama Namin (Our Father) is supposed to be sung while the whole church was holding hands, signifying unity in purpose and prayer, a spectra of communion or being one. It seems that some has lost their sense of community and just wants to get the rite over and done with. Another reason might be that they may be thinking that community should be thrown out to the bin, since his or her prayer is wildly different from the others anyway. Or, it could also be that some don’t like holding another stranger’s hand for fear of bacterial infections or social stereotyping.

Could the same be true in churches where the rich go to, like in Sanctuario de San Antonio?

They say the church (like school) is a microcosm of how the Philippine political system is. I dream of a time when we could all lose our inhibitions and focus on uniting to reach a common goal. I yearn for that moment when no one would ever think twice to hold a neighbor’s hand; to help others when they’re in need.

And don’t even bother telling me that it’s your constitutional right to do or not to do something as long as it’s not illegal (like holding hands during mass). That’s another twisted way of applying the law, and if you think that way and you’re Catholic, you are no different than ERAP trying to tell everyone that he’s innocent of PLUNDER.

I hope that change starts in our church or in our own little communities. Try nyo lang, next Sunday, wag mo nang isipin kung pasmado yung katabi mo, o nahihiya ka hawakan kamay ng katabi mo kasi maganda sya/gwapo sya/pangit sya. Hawakan mo dahil kapwa Pilipino sya, at dahil kailangan nyong magkaisa lalo na sa panahon ngayon.