balang araw wengky

…Magkaka-star ka rin diyan. (Mwahaha ako na ang pinaka-makapal. Oh well wala naman masamang mangarap diba, at mag-attract ng good vibes at positive visions? )

Eastwood Mall, July 15, 2010. Senti time pagkatapos umattend ng isang press con.

yes i’m still very much alive

Geez, my last entry was last summer! Man, time to sweep some dust off here.

Between summer and now (which still kind of looks like summer because it doesn’t always rain, although when it rains it’s pretty hard) as my favorite line to use says: “a lot of things happened.” I met a lot of people, most of whom I never thought I would. I’ve been through some things which are really unexpected but then I guess that’s what’s exciting about life. YOU’LL NEVER REALLY KNOW. And sometimes when we get used to things, it kinda gets boring and somehow we secretly wish that things  will shake up. And so they did in mine.

Not-so random lines enumerated in random order about what I learned from the past few months:

1. It’s better to ask than never to ask at all. So what if you stutter, so what if you sound weird, so what if you look nervous… (but of course it’s better if you don’t) Just do it and take the chance. You’ll never know what you’ll learn from the other end. Practice and continuous “exposure” would nail it soon.

2. It’s better to say too much than never to say what you need to say (yes John Mayer I’m quoting you again). It may be embarrassing, but I realized it’s better if you say how you really feel (of course let’s choose our words wisely so as not to be misunderstood/misinterpreted) because there would be no regrets in the end and in your end.

3. Since I took on this job until now… I’ve learned a lot about writing. But I’m not really contented about them. I know there is still so much to learn and so much room for growth. For me art is unlimited and the communication lines are endless. There’s a lot of possibilities we can come up with and so I’m excited to learn more. 

4. Don’t act on your own. Even if you work by your lonesome, you’re still part of the team (especially if you work for a company). Be sensitive and discerning about the things you say, the things you do, because it’s not just you. Take caution.

5. We can never undo our mistakes, but we still have the future to do better, to not repeat the same mistakes, to show that we’ve learned and we’ve grown. If we’re given the chance, LE’TS NOT WASTE IT.

6. RELATIONSHIPS ARE WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE JOB YOU HAVE. Cherish them, because you’ll never know when fate decides to play and tests them.

7. Evaluation time! As a writer I should improve (badly needed!) doing interviews, especially being keen enough for follow-up questions. And I think actually writing down questions on paper doesn’t work for me. Perhaps spontaneity is beauty. Haha. Or maybe putting keywords on my phone would at least do. Basta, I don’t want to write my questions anymore on paper. I become blank. )

8. No matter how difficult things and times are, when you love what you do, and you appreciate the people you work with, it will take forever for you to give up on it.

9. GOOD VIBES FOR THE WIN! \m/

10.  __________________________________ Will leave this blank for now. Learning never stops.

Thank you God for the “fresh start.” 

* * * * *

Sharing here something I posted on Facebook. Got this one from one of my notebooks. It was written beside some unfinished verses for a song I was supposed to write, I think. Hehe. Anyway, I expanded it and here’s what I came up with:

6 music player commands as applied to human emotions and situations: REWIND para sa may mga regret; SKIP para sa may mga gustong kalimutan; FAST FORWARD para sa mga nagmamadali/ di makuntento; PLAY para sa mga steady lang; STOP para sa mga stuck; at PAUSE para sa sabik sa pahinga/sabik sa pag-freeze ng moments/anxious sa change.

I wish everyone well. Lovelovelove and happiness!

away from the city and off to Lingayen

Life in the city can just be tiring and exhausting no matter how fun and fruitful it may be. That’s why when I got the chance last Holy Week to retreat from work and just bond with my parents, see a different view and experience new things, I was really, really thrilled. Two days was all I needed to be fully charged.

Some may find that two days in two towns is not enough, and maybe it really isn’t. There is always something infinite about traveling, about wanting to go further and further and discovering a thing or two even in the simplest of things you see around. But given my work, I don’t have that much luxury of time, and in a way, that helped because I learned to make an itinerary that may be short, but definitely sweet.

After failing to book a flight (sooner… because they’re sold out!) and scouting for beaches in Batangas, Pupi suggested we go to Lingayen and Baguio. I wasn’t really that familiar about what Lingayen has to offer, but Pupi told me they have beaches there. Then I got to read an article about it in Manila Bulletin and got all the more interested.

March 31, Holy Wednesday, we hopped in to Victory Liner bound for Dagupan (buses straight to Lingayen are in their Cubao terminal, and we didn’t want to go there given the enormity of people lining up there lol).

Travel time to Dagupan takes five hours. Once you get there, you’ll have to take a jeepney ride to Lingayen for P20. Trip is around half an hour (traffic included; we got there after lunch). During the jeepney trip you’ll see a lot of fish ponds: fish is one of the main sources of livelihood in Pangasinan. Some of the ponds looked dry though, probably because of the temperature.

We went down the capitol coz that’s where Hotel Consuelo & Resort was located. It’s a very conducive location because it’s so near the capitol, a walking distance to Lingayen Beach, as well as the Veterans Memorial Park. And for this trip I really wanted to go to the beach, and to get some bonus on history and culture makes for an excellent experience (and the hotel an excellent location for that).

Lunchin’ at a not-so-lunch time lol
Hotel Consuelo also has its own resto (and own swimming pool—although we didn’t get to check it out, hehe) were they offer “lutong-bahay” style of dishes (they got a large menu, tell you!). For our first meal out-of-town (and outside lunch time since it’s already 3 PM lol), we ordered their signature Fried Chicken and Pinakbet. I particularly loved the Pinakbet, coz you can really taste the freshness of the veggies, especially the ampalaya, which isn’t bitter and has a certain crunch to it. Fried Chicken with it is a good match. We learned later on that the chickens were from Nueva Ecija. It’s tender and really stuffed. With every bite you will realize how healthy the chicken was.

       
Lingayen Capitol
What adds to the sunshiny aura in Lingayen are the yellow-painted offices in the capitol (not that they’re Team Noynoy or anything, I guess, lol). The place is just so wide, clean, and green (because of the trees). Pupi told me it’s one of the most beautiful capitols in the Philippines. Really fine architecture they got in there, it looks so regal.

Veterans Memorial Park
Lingayen also has a contribution in Philippine history. It was one of the battlegrounds during WWII, between US and Japan. For a time it was under the Japanese, but were eventually liberated thanks to Americans and fellow Filipinos. In this park, one will find replicas of battle tanks and choppers, a photo gallery of its history (very detailed, but I didn’t read it in full coz I was too excited to head to the beach, my bad, haha), and a collection of vintage items from that era. You’ll also find Princess Urduja’s Palace beside the park. Too bad we only got to see the facade.

Lingayen Beach
It may not have white sands or crystal blue waters, but this public beach has a beauty of its own. On a personal level, it’s really easy for me to appreciate any beach because I just really love beaches. To be in that moment to feel the strong yet ironically gentle rush of the wind, the cool yet warm water drenching my feet, and watch how the waters roll over each other, I couldn’t help mutter, “I could live here forever.” I just love how uncomplicated and divine the beach is. It inspired contentment in me.

Lingayen Beach also has the view of a mountain range, which appears in silhouette at sunset. And the sunset, it’s just breathtaking. And to love the place even more, the entrance is for free, and even the public bath house as well. And oh, it’s got a long row of beach cottages where you can hang out.

Dinner time!
We went to dinner with Tita Aida and Tita Noemi, Mu and Pu’s officemates, who were also there at that time (they were on vacation on a nearby town). We had Sinigang na Malaga and Pancit Bihon. We were able to buy a kilo of Malaga from two ambulant women fish vendors. Two pieces of fresh fish for a kilo, equals to 200 pesos. We then had these two biggies cooked at Consuelo for a hundred pesos. When I tasted it, I felt like I was eating the sea… I swear! It really tasted more like the sea than it did like a fish should. That’s how fresh it is.

  

Morning beach & breakfast
We woke up around 7AM the next day, had coffee first before heading to the beach. Nice, warm sunlight, as well as passing, smiling Lingayen people greeted us.

Albeit we only stayed at the beach for an hour (we had to leave soon because we’re heading to Baguio), we really had a great time. Albeit there were a lot of people, it didn’t look too crowded and we were able to find a spot for ourselves, playing a mini-game of defying/braving the waves. It was just so enjoyable.

After beach-ing, taking a bath and fixing our stuff, we had our last meal in Lingayen, again courtesy of Consuelo. What made our breakfast of Daing na Bangus, Scrambled Egg and Sinangag all the more satiating is meeting Mrs. Consuelo herself, the owner of the whole place. She was a really inspiring woman. She told us about how hands-on she is and how important building relationships are, whether it’s with your family or your colleagues or your neighbors. I was also fascinated about the kind of businesswoman she is. She said she tries to give allowances to clients who don’t have that much budget. And she really has that passion and gentleness about her that is just admiring. Twas a pleasure to have met her.

More info on hotel
The twin-sharing room in Consuelo Hotel costs P1, 230 for an overnight stay. It’s got a clean toilet, cabinet, table and mirror, cable TV, and refrigerator. It also has a phone for you to call the reception in case you need something. They also hold events like weddings, parties, and other functions. For more info, visit this site.

And with that, we bid Lingayen goodbye with smiles on our faces. Oh life in the province, so simple, so light.

UP NEXT: Our Baguio Trip! \m/

some kind of a vidspam

I must admit my music library is getting really dusty and rusty and is in serious need (and want, from me lol) of updating. Haven’t got the chance to devote my time to get new albums, but I had been “canvassing” thanks to Grooveshark,  I get to stream albums I’m interested in—fast and continuous. Got the link from Gia. Somehow it can be associated with Last.fm (which reminded me that I created an account last year only to abandon it a few days after with no serious content to begin with lol). Last.fm’s interface and structure is different though. I think Grooveshark is more for listening for yourself than sharing what you listen to to others (at least that’s how I deem it to).

More music matters: Here are three music videos of the songs I like at present. 

“Hey Soul Sister” by Train. The song reminds me of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” you know, that acoustic folk happy vibe type of music that is just uplifting from the very first strum of the guitar. 

“Sooner or Later” by Michelle Branch. I miss, miss, miss my ultimate idol-musician. I’m really excited about her new album. She says there are changes happening over at her label so they had to postpone the release of “Everything Comes And Goes.” But I want to believe just as what she believes in, that it’s all for the better. Anyway, this is her first single off it. You can really hear the fusion of her country and pop-rock influences. My favorite line? “SOONER OR LATER YOU’RE GONNA WISH YOU HAD ME.” Haha.

“Crazier” by Taylor Swift. I’ve been hearing this song on the radio and as always, Taylor Swift’s songs grow on me. If you listen to the lyrics they’re really simple but what really catches me is the melody, most especially in the chorus, when she croons “you make crazier, crazier…” Later on it dawned on me that it was that song used in the “Hannah Montana Soundtrack.” 

‘Til then. \m/

eternal sunshine of the un-spotless mind

Woohoo, capped off the day early at work. I’ll be leaving in a while to have some “me time”. I actually feel kind of weird leaving the office early because my body clock is used to the nine-hour (or more) work time. But I think this is an opportunity that doesn’t often come. And besides, I’m really itching to go for some reason. Maybe it’s one of those days that you just wanna get out and get away and distract yourself with other things, clear your mind of what you’re usually doing. So I’m going after I let this thing out:

I wonder why I sometimes (or most of the time) can’t tell a proper story well. Especially if it’s very important to me, but I tend to get caught up with all the details; trapped in the feeling of wanting to pour them all out yet conscious of boring people to death, especially if I’m sharing it in a group. I just look like I have some pretty thick face and some handy guts but I realized I have moments like that, feeling uncomfortable to talk about “me” stuff. Maybe I should enroll myself in some Speech class or something? )

* * * * *

LET GO OF THE BITTERNESS. LET GO OF THE PAIN. LET GO OF THAT ONE THIN THREAD THAT SHOULD’VE BEEN CUT A LONG TIME AGO. JUST… MOVE. FORWARD.

—posted this on my Plurk and Tumblr yesterday after realizing that somehow I’m still hung up on yesterday. Things happened and they happened for a lot of reasons. My life wouldn’t be the same if otherwise happened.

* * * * *

Found this on cosmopolitan.com: the FOUR GUTSY CHANGES TO MAKE THIS 2010

“You need to push out of your comfort zone in order to grow,” Portmann says. “Thrusting yourself into new situations will teach you about yourself and what you’re capable of.” 

Maybe that’s the reason why I’m in this new situation, experiencing a different kind of experience, feeling a different kind of feeling that I never had before, or maybe I had, but it was in a different context. It’s uncomfortable because it’s a discord, but I guess we need to be shaken up sometimes to excite ourselves and our lives, to see which of our principles still apply when were thrust in a different kind of situation. Or maybe just to test us if we’ve learned from our past mistakes.

The article’s a good read, check it out: CLICK. 

* * * * *

Since we can’t bang our hearts on the wall, it’s the head that suffers. )