Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Hindsight is always 20/20

Was browsing through the compilation of my FB status in 2010, and I am amazed at how much has happened (changed) in a span of 1 year.

I am so grateful for the gift of hindsight (even though it IS a late gift) - it reminds us that we are capable of learning from our mistakes, and that we should ALWAYS be grateful for who/where we are at the present time. There's no better feeling in the world than knowing that you're on the right track, and knowing that all of the hardships you experienced in the past weren't for nothing.

It will be 2011 in a few days...It's going to be a good year. :)

"Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day." - Rainer Maria Rilke

"Once change begins sweeping into your life and a new chapter is written, you'll be able to glance back with relative ease at the commotion that preceded the turning point and see the order and beauty in all that unfolded, as well as your hand in its creation and the purpose it served." - excerpt from Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

My "Pet" Project

I came home from Korea and was instantly handed a huge responsibility - to be Project-In-Charge of the Mind Museum Project. It's an iconic project, and I am proud to be a part of it, but I don't want to ramble on and on about it YET (I'll get back to you when it's done). 

For now, I'll just brag about this teeny tiny feature on the Philippine Daily Inquirer (see picture below). :)

My pet dinosaur at the site :) Dino-Backhoe or Backhoe-saurus or whatever you'd like to call it.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Hello, December!

It's December once again. Time for Simbang Gabi, Christmas shopping...and bibingka! :) (Well, I guess bibingka is available year-round, but nothing beats eating hot bibingka right after dawn mass...Sarap!)

Just like any other December, this year-ender is sure to be a hectic one. I lost around 4 lbs same time last year because of the stress of Christmas preparations: Christmas party practices, last-minute shopping, pahabol deadlines at work and school. I had so much weight on my shoulders that time because of the pressure to win, all the drama surrounding it, and everything else I needed to accomplish.

2 and 1/2 weeks is not enough to finish all of this madness.

And here I am again, 8 days into the month, and I still have not accomplished a tenth of what I need to do. Same list: Christmas party practices, last-minute shopping, homework, quizzes and reports for school, site work, and paperwork. The list never ends (as with my complaining).

So instead of listing down every single item on my to-do list (yes, the items above don't even encompass HALF of my actual to-do list), I'd rather procrastinate and do a happy list...my random Christmas wishlist! :) There are only 2 days in the year that I can be selfish (and get away with it) - Christmas and my birthday - so I shall claim 1/2 of that privilege now:

1. A MacBook Pro. I would settle for a new MacBook...but if this is a wish list, then I should just go crazy and ask for the best there is. :D
2. An iPad. Yeah, yeah, so I already have its sisters, an (old) MacBook and an iPhone...but i want to be greedy and get the whole set. Me want iPad, now na.
3. Peace in Korea. As much as I want peace on Earth, I will be specific for now, because I know that these things (peace, and other big world issues like love and poverty) take a lot of time. So, God, please grant peace in Korea. I want to go to a safe, happy place by 2012.
4. First place in the Datem Christmas party presentation 2010. God, lilinawin ko lang: gusto ko maging Champion, hindi First Runner-Up.
5. A pay raise. I wish this every single day. I haven't been able to set any money aside for my "future fund" this year (ok, I did, but only during the 1st half...pulubi na ako pag-dating ng 2nd half. Why is this always the trend??).
6. Enough vacation time to be able to read the 5+ books I bought but haven't gotten around to reading yet. I have 5 more books I want to buy, but I have to resist buying them because my book stack is getting higher and higher. Hmm. Ok, maybe I should postpone this wish for next Christmas, since I know it's next to impossible to find some free time for 2011. Mind Museum turnover by December, STRAMA by next term, and all sorts of hullabaloo in between. Right.
7. In line with my wish above, I wish to be able to travel to lots of places by 2012. Since I will be virtually tethered to the Fort/Makati in the next few months, once all of my obligations at school/work are done, I will be freeeee! Planning to have enough money/time to be able to go to the U.S. (to visit my cousins for my 30th birthday), U.K. (watch the Olympics with Sally! And hopefully tour the other nearby countries), and South Korea (if they are at peace already...see wish #3)
8. A job well-done on my first construction project. :) Well, I don't have to wish for this...I just have to do it.
9. A job well-done on my first design project (our house!). Again, it's useless just wishing for it. I will just have to get it done.
10. A job-well-done on my StraMa paper and defense. And hopefully, to graduate with honors. :D Woohoo. Let's go!

I cannot think of other stuff to wish for. Too many material things that I want, but I know I can just buy them when wish #5 comes true (in time).

In terms of virtues and values -- Lord, please grant me patience and faith. :) I have faith that You only have the best planned out for me, and I am patient in waiting for it to come to fruition. Thank you, Amen. :)

On this day, God wants you to know...

... that it's your heart that knows who loves you, not your ears or eyes. Listen to the words, and you can be fooled. Look at the actions, and you can be fooled. Feel deeply into your heart, and then you will know the truth. Who makes your heart soar now? Well, what are you waiting for?

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Goodbye, Friendster

  • This farewell is long overdue.
  • One thing I learned from my MarkMa class is that everything we put on the web is already for public consumption. Our "brand" on the WWW is determined by the visibility of our sites, our information, our work. And so, I set out on a mission...check all of my social networking sites / blogs / and other information on the web (as seen by Googling my name).
  • Turns out that my brand on the web is very visible. :)) So I checked the links one-by-one to see if any of them were embarrassing, and if I can still do something about it. Haha.
For my Multiply site: I did some impulsive deleting of contacts from Multiply (sorry to those I've deleted, nothing personal. Add me nalang ulit haha), initially intending to keep all of my pictures but to keep them private.  Then, after realizing that I still needed the site to post pictures (and deleting my 300++ contacts manually was just too much work), I abandoned my plan and decided to revamp the look instead. Some of my best work are on Multiply. *sigh* But you can see them on my Flickr page instead. 

Will convert my Multiply site into a travel blog of sorts. Or something to dump all my photos in. Haha. :) (oooh, that's an idea. I should put up a blogger focused on traveling).

Another social networking site that NEEDS TO GO is Friendster. I was hesitant to delete it before (sayang kasi testimonials haha), but now that I look at it, I don't really care.

So I will now delete my Friendster. :)

But before I do, here is a copy of my profile, just to see how I was before. Reading it now, I don't think I really changed much (I *looooove* the 40 things that make me happy. It is SO me). :))

GOODBYE FRIENDSTER. It was a good run. :)

* * * *

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

You Give Me Something

As I said 2 blog entries earlier, another favorite song of mine is "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison. And I *did* say that this song warrants a separate blog entry...so here it is. :)

I've written a lot about lyrics and quotes in this blog of mine, and I keep reiterating that we (us regular folk) are drawn to others' words because - like what I said in my previous blog entry, "Eat. Pray. Love...Read a Book." - "They're the things you know are true, but you can't quite find the right words to express them." (See related blog entry "Quotes")

A lot has been going on lately, and I don't have the time (or the resolve?) to say what I feel out loud and so I usually live vicariously through songs.

This particular song called out to me, not in the usual way (not through the radio / iPod), but through a Facebook status of a friend. One line jumped out at me (guess which line?), so I searched for the full lyrics and the mp3 (I had it in my iPod all along), and I was blown away.

This song (and its message) is along the lines of "Half of My Heart" (in terms of significance and impact. Haha), and it is now #6 in my Top 25 Most Played (it's got a lot of catching up to do with my top 2, "Edge of Desire" by John Mayer and "Secrets" by One Republic. Haha).

The video for the song (as shown below) is a bit cryptic; what is the significance of the can-can girls and the jumprope girls? Are they there to impress the girl, or to impress James Morrison?

Hmmm. Maybe it is meant to highlight the aloofness of the girl; her being "nonchalant" and dedma; her inability to be impressed. :) James Morrison does not know what trick / style to execute in order to impress her; he can't read her; he doesn't know where he stands with her, thus the plea "please give me something..."

Ooh, I think I figured it out. :)

I love this song. :) James Morrison, are you sure you don't reside in my mind / heart? You seem to know all of my lines. :))



You Give Me Something
by James Morrison

You only stay with me in the morning
You only hold me when I sleep
I was meant to tread the water
But now I've gotten in too deep


For every piece of me that wants you
Another piece backs away


'Cause You give me something
That makes me scared alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something
Because someday I might know my heart

You only waited up for hours
Just to spend a little time alone with me
And I can say I've never bought you flowers
I can't work out what they mean

I never thought that I'd love someone
That was someone else's dream

You give me something
That makes me scared alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something

Because someday I might call you from my heart

But it might be a second too late
And the words that I could never say
Are gonna come out anyway


You give me something
That makes me scared alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something

You give me something
That makes me scared alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something
Because someday I might know my heart

Know my heart, know my heart, know my heart

Friday, November 19, 2010

Taking Chances

Again, my iPod is calling out to me. :))

(I didn't even know this song is in my iPod. What episode was this performed on? Or is this a bonus song in the CD?)

And in a random act of fate, this song played right after Future Love by Kristina DeBarge. Hmmm.

Universe, what do you have in store for me?

* * * *

Taking chances, taking a leap off the edge...they're all about taking risks. What's in store for us outside our comfort zone? What is waiting for us on the other side? There's only one way to find out.

The Italians (according to Elizabeth Gilbert) say it best with the term "attraversiamo:" Let's cross over. :)

What do you say? :)

* * * *

Taking Chances
Glee Cast

Don't know much about your life.
Don't know much about your world, but
Don't want to be alone tonight,
On this planet they call earth.

You don't know about my past, and
I don't have a future figured out.
And maybe this is going too fast.
And maybe it's not meant to last,

But what do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

I just want to start again,
And maybe you could show me how to try,
And maybe you could take me in,
Somewhere underneath your skin?

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?

Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

And I had my heart beaten down,
But I always come back for more, yeah.
There's nothing like love to pull you up,
When you're laying down on the floor there.
So talk to me, talk to me,
Like lovers do.
Yeah walk with me, walk with me,
Like lovers do,
Like lovers do.

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

Don't know much about your life
Don't know much about your world

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Love Is Hard

My iPod surprises me sometimes.

I never paid much attention to this song before, but my brain had a few moments of free time (haha), and a couple of words from the song sailed right through that window, and I was instantly hooked.

Another James Morrison song I like - no, love - is "You Give Me Something." That's a winner. :) But that's another blog entry altogether. :)

Ah James Morrison, how your words ring true. :)




* * * *

Love is Hard
by James Morrison

I see lovers in the streets walking,
without a care.
They wear it out loud
like there's something in the air
Oooooh, and i don't care

They're treading lightly
No they don't sink in
There's no tracks to follow
they don't care where they going

And if they're lucky and they'll,
they'll get to see
and if they're really really lucky
they'll get to feel..

And it kicks so hard,
it breaks your bones.
Cuts so deep
it hits your soul.
Tears your skin and
makes your blood flow.
It's better that you know,
That love is hard.

Love takes hostages,
gives them pain.
gives someone the power to
hurt you again and again
oooh, but they don't care

And if they're lucky and they'll,
they'll get to see
and if they're really really lucky they'll
they'll get to feel.
And if they're, they're truly blessed
then they'll get to believe
and if you're dammed, you'll never
let yourself be deceived.

And it kicks so hard,
it breaks your bones.
Cuts so deep
it hits your soul.
Tears your skin and
makes your blood flow.
It's better that you know,
That love is hard.

Hmmmmmmm...

Kicks so hard,
it breaks your bones.
Cuts so deep
it hits your soul.
Tears your skin and
makes your blood flow.
It's better that we know..

And it kicks so hard,
it breaks your bones.
Cuts so deep
it hits your soul.
Tears your skin and
And makes your blood flow.
It's better that you know,
That love is hard..

love is hard, love is hard.

If it was easy,
it wouldn't mean nothing, no.