As tech-savvy my generation is, I sometimes find myself lagging behind the rest of the class when it comes to becoming fully tech-literate. I may not be a Macgyver but  I can install a program or two and figure my way through the most basic functions of your typical operating system. After all, I’m not a complete dummy who needs an idiot’s guide to technology.

But when the projector’s signal can’t connect to your laptop in class and there’s no kuya in sight to help you, I’ll probably be the last person you’d want to call.

Today, that’s exactly what happened in my INTACT class where I’m a student facilitator. I spent 20 or so minutes trying to secure a connection by ramming the projector’s socket into my laptop and wiggling it in as hard as I could.  But despite my perseverance, after awhile I gave up and blamed it on the cord’s defectiveness rather than admitting my own inadequacy. No offense to her, but at that moment I felt like my mother trying to learn how to surf the internet.

But soon after I called it quits, one of my freshmen (finally) comes up to offer his help. In 15 seconds he simply hovers the mouse on this minute icon on my task bar and in one click, VOILA the laptop suddenly connects.

Thank you Captain Obvious! On second thought, maybe I do need that guide after all!

After covering my first official game two Saturday’s ago, I realized that no amount of prior experience – whether that’s in public speaking, debate, performing or even radio, could ever fully prepare me for my first UAAP report.

I’ve watched live many times before, but witnessing it as a reporter and sitting with the team on the court is like experiencing the game in high definition. Suddenly my senses are heightened and sharpened. You become almost acutely aware of everything around you.

The players look like giants. The cheers and the drums sound louder and lauder. The smell of sweat and the touch of the perspiring players as their skin braises mine during the half time huddle makes their hard work feel more tangible to a mere bystander like me. And lastly, I’ve never felt the taste of a championship being desired as strongly as the hungry boys playing on the courts of UAAP basketball.

Plus there’s the indescribable energy that the league is known for. The kind that fuels the never ending drive of the players and the relentless shouting of the fans.

Add that to the fact that my first game was against the back-to-back champions who just so happens to be my alma matter but rival to my pseudo new school and you’ve got a potentially short-circuit situation. Everything is turned up one notch higher from the cacophony of cheers clamoring for attention on opposite ends of the court to the jarring jerkiness in my heart.

But what’s ironic is that despite the distractions coming at me from all possible angles is that I find myself tuned into my own frequency. Perhaps that’s because i’m trying to focus but sometimes it feels like I’m experiencing the fast paced game in slow motion. Maybe that’s because my brain is trying to process it frame-by-frame.

Personally, my first game didn’t go the way I pictured it to be, nerves and all. But that’s me being my self-critical self who tends to be too hard on herself at times.

I can draw from all the past experiences I’ve had, but once I step onto that court I’m not Rica the thespian or Rica the debater. I’m Rica the court side reporter who’s armed with a microphone at hand and hot pink Nike dunks at foot and she definitely has her own shoes to fill.

But setting all my newbie frustrations aside, it was quite an exhilirating game to pop my UAAP cherry with!  Although I’m not representing my school, I feel lucky that I was given FEU who’s definitely a force to reckon with this season 73.  If i actually played basketball RR would be my idol haha. Click to meet some of the other CSR’s! Pics c/o Karen

With Karen – NU CSR! We’re both newbies.

Seasoned oldies – Job and Pach from ADU and UST!

Jessica, for Ateneo!

Nikko or “Tyler” as he is known on Magic for UE! Also a newbie but not really haha.

*Not pictured: Erin and Riki for DLSU and UP.

Mej and my 21st and 20th birthday party. June 26

I know that this post is about 3 weeks too late but photoshopping and photoblogging is my form of stress relief especially with an impending HELL WEEK which starts today actually.

It’s not often that you have a fraternal birthday twin who’s not your blood relative but is your best friend instead. Mej and I have known each other for almost a decade and this is the first time in years that we’ve celebrated this rare occasion!

Even though it was kind of last minute I’m glad that we decided to throw a joint party. I always say how i’d rather spend on experiences rather than material things because experiences last a lot longer and are worth so much more. Excuse the cliche but with karaoke, sushi, vodka, and good friends all together in one place at one time, it was the cherry on top of an already delicious birthday week.

I feel extreeeeemely blessed for how everything has unraveled in the last 20 years. The bad just makes the good feel even better. I think one of the greatest things about being this age is how the important things seem to have settled down into its permanent place in your life.

With everything that has been happening lately, June has proved to me that it is possible to have my birthday cake and eat it too. Click for more pictures!

Funnily enough, gemini’s are known for being the sign of the twins!

But in actuality, we’re triplets. Meet Lena, the other leg of our tripod. I love my bestfriends!

Note to future birthday self: ALWAYS HAVE KARAOKE. Sober or not, I love hearing my friends belt out!

In my experience what’s always frustrating for the host is figuring out who to invite without making people feel left out, especially when you have a limited budget. “He invited me to his, so i should invite him to mine.” Or “even if she’s not in my immediate barkada we’re close.”

But there’s no doubt in my mind that the Bacolod people (minus Aki and Job, the south boys who didn’t go!) had to be there!

Of course there’s the singles group. Fashionably late, but fun as always.

Then there are my batchmates. Thank you to Karen and Iya – my a3 reps!

The Reesians!

And finally, the birthday staple. VIP treatment all the way!

Also, click the following links to read more g! articles:

• Slimming down in School: g’s Guide t0 shedding that Summer Weight Gain by Pia Guballa
• Ask, and you shall recieve more than you bargained for- Thoughts on Form Spring by Job Deleon
• Questioning the Light in the Englightened- An Illustrado Review by Angie Garcia
• Toys Tugging at Your Heartstrings – A Toy Story Review by Pia Guballa

June 18, Friday. 2010

Bi-annually for the past 2 and a half years the kids of 1508 come together to scheme the best possible ways to get you drunk and dancing. Everything from the drinks to the music to the atmosphere are personalized for partyphiles own partying perfection. And this, we believe separates us from your typical inter-school party crew.

Personally, it was my favorite PowerHour mostly because my intoxicated inhibitions were free to roam without any real roadblocks. It’s easier to have fun when you don’t have any manholes to stay clear of. You’re less likely to run into any drama!

Three parties later and it’s satisfying to see that people are still putting their trust in us for an epic night! Thank you to the 500+ people who continually stick with us, hopefully until senior year!

I give an A+ to all these people below who came and saw the PowerHour faculty after class:

PowerHour Faculty has TILF’s aka Teachers I’d like to F*ck Haha. Sadly, i lost my ID :(

As an organizer we never know what to expect. We worry that no one will go! But when the people start to trickle in and the place gets packed you wonder why you were so nervous about in the first place.

With Katz and Pau, my fellow boothers for the night.

Our rule is that we’re not supposed to party till after 11. Work first!

One of the reasons why I enjoy organizing parties is seeing and making sure that my friend’s have a good time!

Obviously Marjie is. HI MARJ.

Our birthday baby becomes a mature man. Happy 18th Arbs! Rumor has it you got … :)

Gabe: I don’t need to check my watch to know that it’s GAME TIME.

Thank you to my Bacolod friend’s who came and supported :)

And how could I forget the singles crew and our extended family. And in true PowerHour fashion we go around giving people free shots. And for my friends, they always get extra!

SPOTTED and scandalous? XOXO

That party last night was awfully crazy I wish we taped it.

You’re listening to New 107, University Rock with URock Dj Rica from Ateneo!

Walking into the booth and anticipating my first 5 seconds of airtime was a little bit nerve wracking.  I clutched dearly to my cheat sheet of a spiel in an effort to ease the mini drumbeats in my heart. I was the first new jock up, meaning I would be the first one to be heard LIVE when my tongue would twist and turn in all the wrong places. After all, being tongue tied is the last thing you should be when you’re a DJ.

But after the initial blunders and newbie anxiety you eventually forget that you’re nervous when you’re doing something you enjoy. As they keep reminding us in the station, it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you improve from them. True, but when those mistakes are being broadcasted for everyone to hear, then it makes swallowing them a little bit harder.

Just so I won’t forget next week, things to remember:

1. Always remind people of what station they’re listening to aka New 107, University Rock which at the time felt like a tongue twister my mouth couldn’t commit to memory!

2. Give people a teaser of what’s on the musical roster and always tell them what they just listened to

3. On air your school officially becomes your last name. Ex. I’m URock Dj Rica from Ateneo *note, do not say THE ateneo because when I did I wanted to die of conyo-humiliation

4. RELAX and be yourself. On air the ability to show your personality through your voice is one of your biggest assets

Honestly, I never seriously considered being a DJ as a career. But now if I could just be paid to talk for a living then I’d never shut up. Because it feels like having a conversation in a coffee shop with friends just with a lot more eavesdroppers. After all if there’s one motto i live by it’s to live like you’re telling the best story in the world. And on air that’s exactly what we’re doing except that we’re talking about it for all our listeners to hear.

Plus, the atmosphere is pretty awesome – from the bands you get to interview to the music you play to the people you work with. Generally, everyone is quite laid back, easygoing and well, talkative!

Miko Halili asked the new batch of jocks whether we knew each other beforehand because we all got along so well! So far it feels like a family already.

They’re 6 of us and get this – our names are all derivatives of each other. This is me Rica, with Erika! The others are Anne and Annie; and Lisane and Isa! Cool huh?

Erika & Isa!

Relying on my cheat sheet until the phrases/spiel becomes as natural to me as a second language!

Nothing but your local dj!

Sugar so sweet! Who’s sweet? (Good question)

Catch us every Monday night 9-11pm on 107.5! If you don’t have access to a radio listen and watch our live stream http://www.nu107fm.com/ Next Monday is our official turn over session. Excited!

Thanks to the awesome Lisane Bate and Isa Almazan for the pictures! And to Job De Leon because without him I wouldn’t have ever done this :)

You can really tell the difference between freshmen and upperclassmen especially during the first weeks of school. The girls are overly dressed parading around the campus with their high heels while the boys have silly smiles plastered across their face as they discover the beauties of co-ed education. They travel in packs, marking the cafeteria and matteo up as their own, ultimately making it reek of fresh meat.

The upperclassmen on the other hand are those watching from a distance, amusing themselves with their new found seniority. We’ve lost the pretension of making a good first impression and we’re old enough to walk around on our own. And said with much satisfaction and conviction, we wait until our second, third or fourth year of the  ”first weeks of school” to finally get to utter to our friends: “Freakin’ freshmen.  You’re taking up too much space!”

But whether you’re a freshmen or in my case a junior, there are certain things about the first weeks of school that doesn’t grow old. These things still excite me almost as much as they did 3 years ago:

Thinking of my first day outfit, seeing who lost & gained weight, friends, potential cute classmates, buying school supplies, writing on the first blank page of a notebook, organizing my planner, etc.

No matter how old I get there are just somethings that never change while unfortunately others do – like the dress code enforcement in the library and matteo! But i’ll save my ranting for my g! article.

I know this post is about 2 weeks late but i’ve been pretty busy. But overall it’s been a pretty good. That’s another difference between freshmen and upperclassmen. Our faces already look stressed with org responsibilities and course work while freshmen  faces get to look fresh up until the first month of school.

I can already foresee a hectic year ahead but it’s definitely going to be a labor of love.  Click to see how my first two weeks went!

The keys to my independence. This year I moved to a new dorm and so far I’m really enjoying it!

Partly because compared to last year I get sooo much more private/personal space which I realize makes a big difference. Sometimes after a long day from school, when you go to your home away from home, you just want to be alone. But I love my roomate Camila, who’s chill and pretty awesome.

Hello, school.

First class of the day economics! I thought I’d be alone but jayvee is my classmate!

Jv: Damn, there are a lot of chinese people in this class

Me: Crap, they’re going to mess with the curve!

Going out to eat lunch in Katipunan. First week of school = Blowing your allowance in the first few lunches

Excited much?

The new kenny rogers/ seattles best is fancy shmancy.

Keena – my sexy break buddy.

Oooh I think i spotted someone yummy. Jsec is the perfect place to people watch

School mode, blech.

It’s not JSEC anymore it’s SOM MALL. Lingo of an upperclassmen

Some freshmen are cool – like Adi, Keena’s transferee blockmate

ISM reprizzeeennt. Ron!

Cello’s to feed a hungry tummy and creative mind for our g! meeting

Our perky amazingly multi-talented editor! Sayang, the bottle got in the way

I think the g! staff is fairly attractive and talented. That’s Job, last year’s Adamson courtside reporter and Urock dj!

Age is just a number, a timeline of which we string the moments of our life upon.  It’s an indication of who we were at a particular time and a measure of whether that person lives up to the person we’re supposedly mature enough to be.

That’s because age and maturity grow up together like two friends holding each other’s hands, guiding and often times disagreeing with each other along the way. Sometimes their arguments end in disappointment while other times they live harmoniously.  The challenge is in finding that balance.

So, the question is: What exactly does it mean to be 20?

Turning 20 is transitioning from the first decade of my life to the second. Turning 20 is numerically leaving teenage-hood behind even if in actuality I may still be in many ways juvenile. Most of all, turning 20 is a call that my life is about to turn real. Whether or not I’m mature enough to answer, it’s a number from a person that I can no longer put on hold – even if I wanted to.

“More than anything, this is the time that your life becomes real. And it is beautiful.”

When I asked some of my older friends what it meant to enter my twenties, these are some of the words of wisdom they shared. It’s the time when the world won’t hesitate to discriminate anymore and you’ll know enough to look back at it in the eye and draw your own line. What’s beautiful is being able to see it for what it really is and surviving.  What’s beautiful is experiencing reality and finding that balance despite of it.

As daunting as growing up may sound, I’m not scared. Because so far the past 20 years of my life have been beautiful and I’m certain that surviving the next 20 years will be as well.  Age may be just another number but birthday’s serve as a reminder that there are many things to be thankful for and many more to look forward to in the future.

I had a great 20th on the day itself birthday enjoying the simple pleasures of all these blessings. Thank you to those who spent the day with me and sent me all those wonderful messages. Click to see how my day went : )

There are certain things you can get away with on your birthday. It’s called the birthday excuse.

1. Eating cake for breakfast

“Because everyone deserves cake on their birthday.” Thank you Camila!

2. Choosing where to eat and pigging out without feeling guilty. Birthday boy arbie in the top left who reminds me how nice it is to be young!

3. Indulge your egoism because this is one day of the year when being center of the world can be your birth right haha.

Actually, I saw Mej’s car (who just so happens to have the same birthday as me) so I thought I’d leave her a note!

What would my birthday be without a birthday beer belly! I treated 2 rounds.

The one thing I didn’t want to happen on my birthday was to be alone. Thank you Keena for spending the afternoon with me while everyone had class!

The South boys came to Katipunan! Here’s Aki,one of those blessings in disguise. I’m going to miss him when he leaves.

Gabe takes a study break to come spend some time with me!

Me: I have a feeling we’re going to be friends for a long time

Gab:  That’s because our friendship turned real. And that’s rare.

With out Job, I doubt any of these opportunities would be knocking on my door right now.  So, thank you!

Jaja, Fez and Miggy – people I’ve been sharing crazy adventures with lately.

Mej – my birthday twin and bestfriend. How often does that happen? We’re going to grow old together.

Dinner at The Reserve with the Triplets. 20 years was made more beautiful because of these 2.

A night of amazing indie music – the perfect way to end the night.

To complete the night I accidentally ran into Jobim, my guy bestfriend from high school who gave me his own words of wisdom because 1. He knows me best 2. He knows life best.

I love these pictures. No matter how old I get, I know I ain’t gonna live forever, so I just want to live while i’m alive.

Because before I know it, time will fly and I’ll be 21 already.

I’m one of those people who think about their birthday weeks before. I spend too much time thinking about how I’d ideally like to spend it and debating whether or not I should celebrate it in the first place until neither of which really happens. So it turns out that this monologue sounds way better in my head.

Then I tell myself that I don’t really care because I’m getting “old” already when secretly I know that I still do (even a little) just so I’ll stop giving myself unnecessary pressure, stress and expectation.  Because even though you don’t want to admit it, everyone wants to spend this particular day a little bit differently from the other 364 days of the year – even in the smallest ways.

I’m turning 20 in 3 days and obviously I’m not old enough to outgrow this!

Anyways, in the spirit of idealism and materialism this is my personal birthday wish list in no particular order:

1. Clothes - I was cleaning out my closet last week and I realized that a majority of my clothes are either 1. College shirts (thanks to joining a lot of orgs) 2. Sleeveless 3. Black.

I think it’s time for a little bit more diversification and color! I’m itching to spice up my wardrobe! Preferably with a black leather jacket which I know is too hot to wear anyway.

2. Shoes - I don’t have a shoe fetish. I typically have staple shoes which I constantly wear until they die which is unfortunately their sad state now. I desperately need to replace my black flats as well as get a fierce pair of stylish heels

3. Notebook + Markers – A personal hardbound note book to jot down anything and everything that inspires me and and runs across my mind

4. Bling Bling – I might have exhausted the value of my only long gold chain necklace haha. I want more long chain necklaces because any fashion forward girl knows that an accessory can level up any outfit

5. Camera – I can take this off the list soon. I’m FINALLY getting one for myself as my own personal birthday gift

6. Grease DVD- I’d love an original copy of this so i can watch it whenever I need a pick me up

7. Frisbee- To accompany my new drive to get fit this school year! Especially since I’ll be playing more regularly

8. Fedora/Bowler Hat- I’m still sad that I lost mine last year. Since then i’ve been looking for a cheap replacement that is actually not too small for my head

9.Starbucks  gift certificates- To accompany all the hours studying in starbucks i’ll be spending this semester

10. Earphones/Headphones – The kind that you can’t share and you place on top of your head like a headband

ORSEM is a rite of passage where you can’t call yourself an Atenean unless you’ve sweat blue and danced the Pacific Ring of Fire at least once. Whether or not you like it Banana and TNT  will become part of your vocabulary and will haunt your memories with hyper upperclassmen who appear to have overdosed on energy drinks.

Nothing makes you feel old like watching freshman orientation and knowing that you’ve been there, done that. And it’s only when you see the freshmen run around campus like a stampede that you remember just how long ago that was. I visited today as well as helped out in the freshmen comm dept. talks and these were the sentiments expressed by a lot of my friends!

Now that I’m a junior I’m glad that I had something like ORSEM to look back at and laugh about. As much as we all hated being held hostage for 3 days, it’s a shared experience we all go through. Today reminds me of my own ORSEM experience and moments such as these:

I had just come back from Boracay the day before ORSEM so I was the most tanned I’d ever been. I’ll always remember what one of the first things Kevin told me was: “Hey, you’re peeling!” Great first impression huh!

The TNT’s, you’d love to hate them but you don’t.

The awkward first hello’s! Iya was this perky, fellow UAAP enthusiast and Justine was this pescovegetarian chick who seemed too fragile to go back packing on her own. Obviously looks can be deceiving because Justine is definitely more badass than she appears to be!

Dino was my buddy and I totally forgot what we’re doing with this pose.

With Bekah and Lauren showing off our tongues because of the ORSEM slurpees (which I had today!) Funny how some of the people you were friends with during ORSEM are the ones you aren’t that close to now and vice vera

This will most probably be our most complete block pic, EVER.

I love a3 pins from our awesome TNTS! I loved these! I lost mine though.

Sometimes I don’t know whether I was thinner back in freshman year. It’s a frustrating debate. Anyways, check out Kiko’s red pants! We had a deal that I’d wear hot pink shoes and he’d wear red jeans.

Jio’s moo face, first edition. Thank god he stopped doing this!

Group dynamics got us bonding on a whole new level hahaha

Braggy giving us our campus tour.

Who could forget kiko’s garden of a hairstyle! But in fairness, he’s still a cutie!

This is probably how half us spent our orsem. And if we didn’t that’s definitely what we wanted to do!

Do you remember your block cheer? Roxy, Martin and I were trying to remember ours and I think it was “Plant a-3?”. Looking back it’s quite lame hahaha. BUT, in our competition with the other blocks (ehem, a2!) a3 always kicks ass!

We love our TNT’s – pam, ejay and braggy. They were quite awesome :)

Out of town count: 6

Book count: 2 & a half

Gimmik count: Too many to count

It’s the last weekend of summer and I like wrapping up any chapter of my life with a Top 10! It’s been pretty busy and eventful. A lot of expected and unexpected things happened. I’ve said things I shouldn’t have said, made friends I didn’t think I would and took the initiative to try things I’ve never done before.

Almost every day of the week  got me out of the house.  In the past two months I’ve been a working girl by weekday, party girl by weeknight and beach bum by weekend!  So, in no particular order here’s my list of the top 10 moments that made my summer of 2010!

1. Asian Music Festival

It was the first event I covered for my STATUS internship. I was blown away by the atmosphere of the music and dedication/passion to the artistry of creating something that sounds good while at the same time moves the soul. It just goes to show how many awesome bands there are out there and away from the main stream. Plus, it was the first time I felt like a real journalist!

2. ACOMM Plansem

For obvious reasons I can’t exactly disclose what happened. But what was supposed to be a time for planning the school year became one big group dynamic that was a little bit too dynamic for our liking. An adventure gone haywire haha. Nonetheless it was memorable and will probably go down in the history of plansems as one for the books.

3. Voting!

Although the people I voted for didn’t win, I took part of history in the making!

4. Dvd sessions

This was the earlier half of my summer before I got bogged down with work and Bacolod. Dvd sessions at Marnee’s house where we spent more time talking than drinking with some of my favorite people – the makati kids. I wish I was able to do this more!

5. Bacolod

This was probably THE highlight of my summer which significantly influenced how the remaining months would turn out. Asides from the fact that we did so many things from cliff diving to trekking, none of us knew that such a random group of people could have such a connection and still remain friends till the end of summer (and hopefully till we graduate too.) I have a good feeling about this particular college barkada.

6. Caliraya

A second out of town trip with the Bacolod people for Jaja’s birthday and it reeked of Bacardi 151. Madness ensued within a non-ac nipa hut as well as the grass behind it. Another significant milestone in our relationship with each other (in more ways than one.)

7. Cheers Wednesdays at Ponti

One Wednesday in particular was pretty dramatic – well, the consequences were. This night changed a lot of things, some for the worst, some for the better, some expected but done in the worst way possible. At least we’ve all moved on from this night and we  can continue to live another day with lessons well learned.

8. STATUS Internship

I didn’t care that I wasn’t able to sleep in most of my summer mornings because working at STATUS was worth it! As I’ve said many times before, I learned a lot, met awesome people and had an overall worthwhile experience. I definitely recommend everyone to take the initiative and intern over the summer! This also includes my stint with the Tutoring club.

9. UAAP Courtside

I tried out to be a court side reporter for UAAP season 73 this summer. I wasn’t going to mention it until I was certain of whether or not I was going to get it. But it’s definitely part of my list and since I’m honestly doubting that I’m going to get it I have nothing else to lose! So far I’ve made it to the second round where they picked only 24 people. The fates still have yet to tell me whether or not I made it to the third (or at all.) A separate blog entry for this soon once the verdict is final.

10. Tagaytay

I’ve had a lot of out of town trips this summer but I’m including this one because I surprised myself with how I let myself go. And no, it’s not what you’re thinking. It’s very much g-rated.

There are other things that I wasn’t able to includes such as finishing books and playing frisbee but there could only be 10! What’s your Summer 10 this 2010?

As I said in my previous entry I’ll be posting some old essays. This is the one I wrote for an international relations scholarship in Clark University. I didn’t get the scholarship, but I did get into the university which I honestly really wanted to go to if I had the funds.

Anyways, this was the time when I was more globally aware and honestly felt like my future was in foreign affairs. I wanted to be a diplomat negotiating peace talks between countries. Oh how things change! Looking back I wish I could’ve written the article differently. While I was reading it I saw so many things I wanted to edit!

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Why do we fight?

I was in my Theory of Knowledge class one Monday morning when my teacher asked us: Why do we fight? It was such a simple question yet it left our class unsure of how to respond. After 80 minutes of discussion the bell rang signalling the end of the period. But I was still pondering about how it related to me as a student and person in general. So as I walked to my next class I asked myself: Why do I fight?

I believe that whether or not we’re aware of it we’re always fighting for “something.”  As students we fight to be heard by the administration. As teenagers we fight to be recognized by our peers. And as children we fight for freedom from our parents. These are all causes that at one point in our lives we can identify with and perhaps prepares us to fight for something that we believe in the future. But for me, I wish to fight for causes that can be applied on a global scale. As a dedicated and passionate delegate of Model United Nations (MUN) for three years, I fight for diplomacy.

My involvement in MUN makes me choose to fight for diplomacy because that’s what I believe is needed to overcome global issues. Diplomacy shows that it is possible for people who have different skin colors and are from different cultures to set these aside and work together for a common goal. It is an act that serves as an example; a model of character that I believe can transcend feelings of hate, disagreement and tension. However, despite the fact that we have institutions like the UN that try to uphold the meaning of diplomacy, it’s still lacking worldwide.

Because we are living in a world that is continuously being shaped by war we need diplomacy to intervene because everyday we see pages of our history books come to life in the news. Palestinian refugees clash with Israeli forces in the battle for a Promised Land; American soldiers and Islamic insurgents combat in Baghdad; and political giants fighting a military dictator for control over 170,000,000 people in Pakistan. Even in the Philippines we need diplomacy to enable open communication with the government and the factions and minority groups that continuously try to be heard. This is because when their voices can’t be heard, then they resort to using force instead. This can ultimately affect the lives of thousands of Filipino’s, including myself, when bombs explode in shopping malls that my friends and I visit or when coups take over buildings that are within my community.

For years we have been fighting with our fists and guns rather than our ability to communicate with our voices. Everyone deserves the right to be heard but I believe that when we resort to violence that this is achieved with great casualties. In a world filled with conflict, diplomacy is what is needed to overcome it together.

This is why I fight. I fight for diplomacy.

After experiencing the world of the employed as an intern this summer, the question now is: Which do i prefer being – a working girl or a student?

Before officially ending my internship I remember my editor asking whether I was looking forward to going back to school, especially since for the past two months I’ve gotten to learn first hand from a classroom without walls.

My answer? Well, it’s a yes. Because as much as I’ll surely doze off listening to a boring lecture by a monotonous teacher and would much rather be covering events and meeting people who are much cooler than anyone i could ever meet in school, the bottom line is this: I feel like there are just so many things to look forward to this year such as ACOMM and g! magazine (to name a few) that will kick, push, pull and hone me into a much better version of myself.

For juniors it’s THE year to step up especially when I know that most of my friends have core positions this year, including myself. It’s something my blockmates have talked about in Matabungkay. As juniors we pretty much have enough experience to our name that we can’t use ignorance that as freshmen we used as our excuse for pretty much everything. As sophomores we could still get away with it.

Because of how hectic high school was for me I’ve been floating for the first two years of college, taking my time to test the waters before I dive in deep into my extra curricular activities.  But now, I’m finally ready to take the plunge! The currents might pull me deep into the undertow where at times I might find myself desperately gasping for air. But I’m a strong swimmer. And I know that there will be people there to rescue me if needed – such as Lauren my co AVP for the ACOMM projects department.

Plus there are my friends and orgmates who I’m looking forward to enduring the perils of university with. And there’s the other extra “stuff” that I’m hoping will make my school year the BEST it can be. In fear that I might jinx my chances by mentioning it here, I won’t just yet. But soon, I hope. Real soon.

I know I’ve mostly been posting pics of my lakwatchera side but my days have been just as full as my nights! It’s just that playing seems to be more fun to document than working and I don’t have my own camera (yet.) BUT as Idge says below in his ACOMM presentation we’ll all work hard to party even harder!

Sometimes I may prefer the working world, but I feel like I haven’t milked college for all its worth just yet.

So rain or shine, A’s or C’s, well-rested or stressed, whatever this year will be, I’m looking that bitch straight in the eye and saying BRING IT.

Luckily they didn’t die in vain. Here’s an essay I wrote for IB English that’s different from my usual style. I’ll be posting some others as well mostly because I want to keep track of my old essays.

Unearthing these old papers makes me excited about my upcoming first semester writing class! This is kinda what I miss about high school Lit/English class. I want to strengthen and expand my style as well as try writing about new things!

——

How to write about the Philippines

[Some tips: San Mig and sisig are good]

When writing about the Philippines keep in mind that: Filipino’s communicate with their chins, lips and eyebrows as much as they do with words. However, one may include common Filipino expressions such as “Dude pare chong” and “Psst hoy!” Take note that direct translations of tagalog into English are difficult. Misinterpretations may occur. Although gigle does refer to the want to bite someone, it implies that the person is expressing an exuberant nature rather than a cannibalistic one. Boracay is pronounced as boh-rah-cai and not boh-rah-cay.”

Do not have a picture of pinoy’s (what Filipinos’ refer to themselves as) living in nipa huts (or in other words, tree houses) amidst a jungle as the cover of your book. This is a common misconception. 20% of pinoys live in Forbes village while the other 80% live along the streets of Edsa, none of which are tree houses. Traffic is an essential part of the day as well as children selling sampaguita on the street, or vendors selling bobbing dog heads.

Be sure to mention common pinoy topics of conversation. Just remember: PBA or “Politics”, “Basketball” and “Actors.” This will allow readers to relate to the Philippines many prominent historical figures such as: Imelda Marcos, Erap and Manny Pacquiao. If you’re an aspiring singer come to the Philippines where it’s easy to become an artista. Just have long black hair and a supply of whitening lotion and you’re sure to have a number one hit single about your hair on Myx!

End your book with a quote straight from Mcdo himself (pronounced Muck-doh not Mack-doh.) “Love Ko To.”

Summer days driftin’ away, to uh-oh those summer nights…

When the curfews don’t matter and every night is a weekend.

Because I’m at a loss for words and I’d rather edit pictures than write blog entries right now. Here’s what I’ve been up to these past couple summer nights -the ones that we were lucky enough to document on camera.

Belcanto

Reedley support for Mej’s summer showcase!

It takes 37 muscles to frown at someone, but only 5 to punch them. Jobim is my guy best friend from high school and until now he makes me want to hug and hit him at the same time because 1. He’s almost always right 2. He’s slightly obnoxious because he knows that he is

Izakaya

I LOVE a chill place that serves reasonably priced beer. Izakaya is one of them. The ambience is as intimate as the barkadas that hang out there. This, along with good earth and ponti are my top 3 favorite places to drink in Makati.

Cheers Wedneday’s, Ponti

This is why I don’t care whether or not I go out on a Friday/Saturday night.

Finally, our bad luck has worn out and we had a pretty off the charts and dramaless Cheers!

Yes, I learned my lesson from the last White Wednesday. I’m taking my shots in moderation now.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t get to that happy place.

I think we all did.

Arbie’s shirt says it all!

Mindless.

Ted Mosby says that nothing good happens after 2 am. But frankly, that’s when some of the best conversations occur in the cars, gas stations and fast food chains of the night.

05.22-23.2010. Tagaytay

I’ve been kinda MIA with the singles group and our extended family this summer. So my reunion with them has been long over due.

I’m pretty much the bunso of the bunch given the fact that most of them are joining the work force  permanently now.  So I’ve missed my ate’s and kuya’s quite a bit. After all, they are mostly the ones responsible for conditioning me on how to always have a good time.

It was a much needed escape for some- an outlet for pent up tears and emotions; a time to be unleashed after being committed for years; and an excuse to simply get your drink on.

What more reason do you need? Kagulo indeed.

I’m with the party rock crew

The ladies love us, when we pour the shots. 

We came to get crunk. How about you?

Bottles up. Lets go round 2!

Stargazing because we’re lonely and cuddling amongst friends is fun.

Face of shame?

Me: To be part of Grease is on my bucket list. It’s my dream musical

Ate Pia: Why?

Me: Because I saw you in it and it’s what inspired me to go into theatre. Flattered?

Ate Pia: Hahahahahahahaha

Me: Why are you laughing?

Ate Pia:  You know what got me into theatre? Seeing Tita Chari in Grease

** Tita Chari is our auntie turned big shot director in Philippine theatre

Just when I was looking forward to spending the last week of summer relaxing at home  Bibo texts asking if I could help perform “Summer Nights” from Grease for the ORSEM (Ateneo’s Freshman orientation) this friday. Asides from the fact that I do owe him for all the favors I’ve asked from him, that i’m generally a yes-woman and that Grease is one of my all time favorite musicals (next to RENT), the thespian in me gladly obliged.

Within us are many roles, some of which are more actively expressed than others depending on our circumstance. We can be a “leader”, “writer”, “athlete”, “comedian”, etc all rolled into one.  It’s like everyone has a mild case of multiple personality disorder where each distinct identity takes control of behavior but often times with the exclusion of the other. We can try juggling multiple persona’s but it gets tiring to the point that something eventually has got to give. After a long battle with the heart and it’s often contradicting passions, my diagnosis was this: Goodbye theatre (at least temporarily.)

But sometimes, when i look back at the love autopsy, I wonder whether that was necessarily good for my health.

Luckily 3 months ago I was able to perform straight theatre again but it’s been more than 2 years since I’ve done musical theatre and there is a difference between the two (as there is similarities.)

Although it’s just a small performance for ORSEM it reminds me of the simple pleasures of rehearsing and performing – Clutching your lyrics while foot tapping in order to find the rhythm; Figuring out the harmonies and the background echos of a song so it sounds right;  Belting and losing yourself to the song so that the notes become characterized with your voice and personality. Most of all I love seeing people work together to create something out of nothing.

I guess it goes to show that you can take the girl out of the theatre but you can’t take the theatre out of the girl. And she’s going to go out of hiding – at least for a short while. Who knows when she’ll make another come back? Frankly I long for that day to come again. See us during ORSEM Friday at 9am!

You can see BlueRep’s All Shook Up newbie cast singing “Can’t Help Falling in Love (one of our best songs I think) here or below! I get kilig watching it every time! Check out my first stage kiss. Or was it? HMMM hahaha

On another note, I changed my layout again. Finally, something I’m happy with because customizing on wordpress is a pain in the ass. Black is more my color, don’t you think?

I’ve been waking up earlier to make the days feel longer because the weeks seem shorter which only means that school is much nearer.  The thing is… my list of things to do before summer ends hasn’t gotten significantly shorter! Personally I need full bumming days because I tend to move much slower which makes it harder to accomplish anything. Anyways, I have 14 days to do the ff:

• Finish Skins Season 2-3 (Semi-check)
• Start and finish OTH Season 7
• Start and finish Chuck season 2
• Watch the movies i downloaded (Semi-check)
• Clean my room especially my closet to hopefully make room for new clothes
• Pick and print pictures to decorate my wall with
• Download music and update ipod
• Learn, play and record a song on the guitar
• Finish “Measure of a Man” and start on my third book of the summer
• Exercise (which I’ve actually been semi-doing!)
• Shopping
• Foodie date with Karen
• Get enough sleep

Comments about what movies to download and watch would very much be appreciated!

On the upside i’m not complaining because I’m still having fun. Distillery Monday’s and Cheers Wednesdays at Ponti’s occupies most of my nights. Then there’s org stuff and errands to run which not only requires me to commute to the north most of the time but takes up most of the day. Plus, I’ve begun playing frisbee and I’m going all the way to ateneo to do it which is another time guzzler but i don’t mind because it guzzles the fat as well. And well, there’s catching up with much needed friends like Lena who’s finally back from Italy!

Or I can blame blogging for taking up the time needed to do everything else.

“What can you do now and today that will contribute to your future” – R, Editor in Chief of STATUS Magazine

** Disclosure: LONG ENTRY. This is for posterity’s sake. Pictures included after the jump

Months before summer began and prior to my internship there was only one thing I wanted to do – take a step into the working world and get a taste of where in the industry I wanted to walk for at least the next 5-10 years of my life. Luckily my persistence and constant declarations to the universe paid off because after months of stressing out I got what I wished for. Two months later and I’ve got more out of the experience than just another line in my resume. From the nonsensical to the most practical, I’ve picked up things that I never expected to such as…

• Fashion friendly vocabulary which now includes: Uppers and Tongue Tip (Street wear), Colorway (synonym for color palette.) Yes I’ve become somewhat more fashion savvy.
• SUPRA designers are insanely creative. They seem to constantly come up with a new style every week! How they do so is beyond me!
• When in doubt, google.
• I’m secretly in love with Banksy and his work. Genius!
• I get a kick out of covering events and scribbling in my little notebook
• The importance of research and keeping updated! My googling skills have improved so much!
• It’s possible to tastefully use douche bag in an article/blog

And now that I’ve gotten a glimpse of what’s out there, this is what I’m certain of…

• As much as possible I don’t want to go corporate. I love power suits but I love the fun, creative, and fresh working environment that I’ve had this summer even more. I want an office where wearing shorts is part of the dress code.
• I need a job that keeps me on my feet and puts my people skills to good use. I enjoy writing but I think I need another outlet for my energy besides my computer screen.
• Journalism is awesome but maybe it’s not totally my thing partly due to the aforementioned reason (although it might be something I do on the side.) Sometimes you have to experience it yourself to figure out what does and doesn’t work for you

As for everything else in between…

• In whatever industry you’re in there will always be someone who’s better than you in one way or another (and vice versa.) So, the best you can do is to learn as much as you can from them, and immerse yourself in your environment because you’ll learn more about yourself in the process
• Ask questions and be open minded about your strengths and weaknesses. As long as you’re always putting your best food forward you’ll keep on growing in the right direction  and in time you’ll see that you’ve gotten so much better.
• Always give quality work because not only does it show but someone out there will eventually notice and reward you for it.
• As Diana Vreeland said “The rules of good taste were bendable, as long as you did it with style.” Style. There’s something admirable in taking a chance and expressing your individuality in front of judging eyes. Those people have guts.
• When you’re passionate about something, getting paid doesn’t matter that much. That’s why there’s not much money in publishing haha

Overall I love that it takes me 2 hours to research and write two blogs when it used to take me 5. I love that I’ve gotten faster and more straight to the point. I love that my articles/blogs bleed less and less after being edited. I love that I’ve discovered new awesome bands to add to my playlist. I love that I was able to interview someone cool and get my words printed in a magazine. I love that I know what hypebeast and highsnobiety are. I love that I can include attending coachella to my bucket list.

But most of all I love that I made this happen all on my own. I’ve had many unfulfilled goals before partly because I never followed through in accomplishing them. Not only was this purely my initiative but I did anything and everything to make it happen without the help of my parents or anyone else.

I may have sacrificed a summer of being able to sleep in and bum at home, but looking back it was definitely the write kind. I have no regrets!

Click to see pictures of my last week!

Rules to work by. I’m still working on number 5.

Creative minds need creative spaces to be inspired by.

I had to take a picture of this quote in the bathroom before leaving. I love it! It’s a good reminder of why I’m there in the first place

My little love notes for my office mates haha.

I brought brownies as a parting gift

Our aircon SUCKS. To beat the heat we have at least 4 fans in the office. We literally put our sweat into giving you the best issue.

Beyond the divider lays the art peeps who are always laughing about something.

But the editorials team is still the best!

(Top L-R) Loris, Gio, Reena (Bottom L-R) Tin, Nante, Me

The happy faces I wake up to see every morning haha.

Crazy colleagues.

I probably change my hair style as often or even more than I go shopping in months. While others go to the malls to make themselves over through clothes, I visit the salon to feel the trans formative power of changing your hair whether it’s in the cut or color.

So since school is starting soon I did what I always do in preparation for a “new chapter” in my life – change up my look. From black back to brown (again) my locks now look almost as sunkissed as my skin. As you can see in the picture above this is probably the nth haircut or hairstyle i’ve had in two years. Its been quite a hair evolution with sideswept bangs to bob-cuts to the awkward stages of growing it out which is unfortunately its sad state now.  I’m missing long hair again so my options were pretty limited this time around.

In fear that I may appear to be more narcissistic than I’m willing to admit myself to be, here’s my rationale:

1. I really am that vain (with my hair at least)

2. When you feel good on the outside, you feel good in the inside (cliche, i know)

3. Boredom

4. When you want to implement change in your life manifesting that through a new look helps with the process. Because looking and feeling like a different person, even in the slightest ways motivates you to act like one too.

Number 4 is pretty much the reason why its become sort of a personal tradition. Admittedly it might be a little extreme especially when it changes almost every summer and sembreak but since when was a little re-invention bad for anyone?  If it works for Madonna then it can work for me! We should always start anything with a little bit of gusto even if you have to start with your hair!

Besides, brunettes have more fun! Sorry, no picture to accompany the new do.

Cheers Wednesday’s at Ponti. May 12.

Some things are definitely better left unsaid. And this night was no exception.

The night started out innocently enough with good friends loading up at my house beforehand. Our age foolishly makes us believe that we can do anything and everything. So we tend to push ourselves until we break. After all, we’re only young once and we can still afford to be wild, reckless, make stupid mistakes and suffer all kinds of hang overs in the morning. It’s the consciousness of our youth that’s both naive yet true.

Our friends are our partners in crime. We’ll always have each others backs, especially when things get a little bit crazy, which it did.

Meet my girl Keena from Singapore lah! We have the coolest friendship story. We  met in an international conference a couple years ago and now she’s here to stay. I have a feeling our Manila chapter is just beginning. Given our similar backgrounds we get each other in ways only other third culture kids can.

I wish this was the last shot of the night. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Because once you’re in, it’s every man and woman for themselves.

Because anything can happen.

***

“Alcohol really does crappy things, and once we’re under the influence, it makes us consume more, which makes us doeven crappier things. We’ve all had days like that and in the future, we’ll have even more days that are just absolutely fucked up. But it’s not the end of the world.”

And as fucked up as it was, life did move on. No more flirting with the unforeseeable future where playing with the what if’s of your past (and present) fucks you up just as easily as a shot of bacardi does to your head. The detox is done. And I promise you there will be no more relapses.

You live. You learn. And you let go. So that we can live to party another day. But hopefully this time with a little bit more restraint.

She handled her charm with time and slight of hand, and oh…

2 weekends ago I went to Matabungkay with my blockmates.  In a span of two years we’ve grown into different people with conflicting schedules and tracks of study. We don’t hang out as much as we used to but we make it a point to find occasion’s to see each other from time to time.  No matter how distant everyone’s lives have become, in the end it’s the effort that keeps it from getting lost at sea.

We didn’t do much swimming , drinking (or picture taking, surprisingly.) Rather we talked, and talked, and talked about our dreams (among other things) and their seemingly infinite horizons which are actually not as far off as it seems. Who knew the universe could ever feel so tangible?

Anyways, asides from the obvious catch up, an a3 outing is the perfect excuse for this:

Meet the girls:

Anaelle, potential photog.

Karen, inner hipster even if she tries to deny it.

Roxy, fuckyeahskinny bitch, but still gorgeous

Me, whose glasses have become an extension of who i am.

Gio, whose path uncannily crosses mine at times, especially this summer.  Fellow STATUS interns

Roxy and Jio, our man whose mostly behind the cam. Current workhalolic and future billionaire.

Do you want to go to the seaside? I’m not trying to say that everybody wants to go.

But surprisingly that wasn’t the dynamic this summer, partly because I’ve been so busy with work,  seeing friends and going out of town. Being constantly on the go means that there isn’t enough time for anything to settle but allows for new exciting things to (temporarily) take its place. A relatively fast pace keeps the particles of my life suspended in the air, charged with all kinds of energy, fueling the drive of my days, weeks, and months.

It’s the last week of my internship and  less than 3 weeks till school officially starts. As exciting as a summer filled with working days, partying nights, and out of town weekends is, I’m kinda glad that the days  have been slowing down and so have I.  Everything is catching up with me. I actually need and want some time to let everything that has happened this summer settle because it’s been one hell of an experience for it not to.

I can’t wait for this 2 week break from my summer!

Its been a long, tiring day. 7am mornings and 12 (maybe even later nights). A taste of what’s in store come June. School is less than a month away! But these people is one of the reasons why I don’t mind going back because I’m most likely to run into them every day (like today!) I love chance encounters that turn into awesome chillage especially along Katipunan.

Anyways, in order to beat the heat after last week’s hot seat and this week’s summer heat, we went swimming last Thursday in Vale Verde courtesy of Keena. It may have been wholesome bonding but it was fun nonetheless complete with awkward tension, shameless stalking, car conversations and dislocated shoulders. I’ve missed them terribly! Since I’m tired, I still have to write an article and sleep early for work and Tagaytay tomorrow, I’ll let the pictures do the talking instead.

Summer attire: Bikini? Check. Dress? Check. Boylette? Check.

Real women have curves.

Game time bro!

Summer glare.

If gabe was my boyfriend, this would totally be our profile pic. Cutie!

———

I love questions. I love their open ended nature; their probing gestures maneuvering its way into the inner workings of ones mind and being able to divulge pieces of knowledge, wisdom and stories for the bearer to gain from. Asking a question is not an act of ignorance. Rather it’s an act of inquiry from an open mind that’s raring to learn. Most of all it’s your best defense when you really know nothing at all, especially during an interview!

“Who ever is interviewing Mr.X* better know her shit because he knows everything.“

I knew my shit, but I wasn’t exactly sure just how much shit there is to know. Not exactly comforting words of reassurance from my editor-in-chief (EIC) just moments before my first big interview for STATUS. As if I wasn’t already feeling nervous after my editor shared her own past “horror” stories.

Plus it didn’t help that my EIC would be watching the whole time, observing me for her own personal assessment of my value as an intern and whether it’s worth being given the tremendous opportunity to write a FULL PAGE article with my own BY-LINE on print for the August issue. . I’m assuming that isn’t usually the case for interns whose responsibilities mostly include writing reviews for the STATUSPHERE section and blogs for the site.

The guy is pretty legit since he we was featured on Hypebeast and all. If you’re a fashionista or a hipster you know that’s pretty much a big deal – well, for me at least. So if he’s legit then I better be too!

40 minutes later the interview is done and I can’t help but breathe a more than satisfactory sigh of relief as my editor gives me a congratulatory hidden low-5 underneath the table. Despite my initial pre-interview anxiety, which is expected when you’re doing something for the first time, once I started I knew that I never ever wanted to stop. This is something I see myself doing after college.

Mr. X is an extremely cool guy and it was my pleasure to pop my interview cherry with him. Although a stranger it really felt like I was talking to a friend, questioning him so that I could hear all the stories and insights he could share which honestly is how most of my conversations with people go. I ask these questions not just for my job and to make small talk, but for my own personal sake.

More than ever I am confident that this is the kind of industry I want to be in because it’s teeming with some of the most creative minds entwined in some of the most interesting professions and life stories. Maybe not publishing perse but a place where my questions can roam free and bump into some pretty awesome people along the way.

*Name was changed due to secrecy. It will be unveiled when the article comes out!

** You can see my STATUS blogs here