Petiks

Pasensya na kung konti lang ang makaka-relate sa post na ‘to but my OCD is really compelling me to make this list just to remind myself of all the tasks I needed to accomplish and go through before the end of the semester. Steps must be taken, as I have noticed lately how nonchalant I’ve become to my academic toxicity which I normally give a big dipshit about. Anyhow, here’s a raw peek on the planner of an architecture student:

• Organize data collected about the province of Tarlac for our feasibility study in Regional Planning.
• Start making arrangements for the interview and preliminary studies about existing socialized housing projects for our subject in Approved Specialization 1.
• Midterms in Approved Specialization next Wednesday scoping the RA 7279: Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, Housing Agencies and RA 7718 which is an amendment to RA 6957.
• Midterms in Intro to Philosophy scoping Pre-Socratic, Greek and Medieval philosophers.
• Start collecting data and doing case studies for our baby thesis (tertiary hospital and medical tourism) in Architectural Design 8.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to start moderating my blogging time :( Let's all have a productive weekend everyone :) 

Creative Juice #023: AJ's Sketch Blog

A friend recommended this link to me and I've been following and back-reading some of its post ever since. It is a haven of creative outputs fresh from the pages of a moleskin and truly a source of inspiration when wedged in a designer's block. I could drool over this sketchy eye-candy all day and soak up all its inspired goodness :) Check out some of his posts below...

MadMusic #024: Vienna - Billy Joel

Image borrowed here

Here's a great cover of the song. I've been listening to it since yesterday. Keeps my mind off all that drama in school. ugh. I would like to personally thank citybuoy for sharing :)

Brainiacs: My 25 Favourite Bloggers

Grateful ako kay SuperJaid for giving me my first award. Ahaha. Speechless pa rin. Wala ako masabi. It is truly an honour to be bestowed upon by an adjective such as 'stylish'. Superjaid together with another friend, Theo, just to remind you were the first bloggers I ever get to meet offline. The memories of them are still so fresh I think I might vote for that second meet-up on SuperJaid's super birthday bash this coming February :) Hmmm. We'll see... Again, a thousand thanks to SuperJaid for that uber award :)

So here are the seven things you ought to know about me:

• I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic. I go from heaven above down here on earth whenever I take a bite in that luscious sugary treat of nature. From little truffles to chockfull bars of Toblerone and from rocky road-flavoured brownies to black forest cakes in Red Ribbon – I give no preference to a specific type because I treat all as manna of mouth-watering goodness.
• Long before my spotlight singing church hymns as tenor in a parish choir, my first exposure in the field of melody that ultimately honed my musical interests, was in grade school playing various plectrum-plucked chordophones in a Rondalla. I play the banduria (Philipine mandolin), octavina (guitar-shaped lute) and laud (Spanish for lute) with a bit of basics in guitar and bajo de arko (contrabass). I haven’t been playing since 6th grade but there are some pieces – medleys, serenades, and marches – that my fingers know by heart.
• I have a faux obsessive-compulsive disorder on keeping things neat and clutter-free.
• I am frequently told to shut up by my friends when I start to freak them out with terms I’ve unearthed from our good old reverse dictionary. And because of that, I piss them intentionally with my quasi-verbosity even if what goes out of my mouth does not make sense anymore.
• I’ve pondered once on being a priest due to my deep interests in theological studies and apologetics. Questions of religion and matters about my faith prompted this contemplation.
• Cloud-watching, afternoon walks and bookstores pacify me.
• I drool over vintage photographs and design and architectural magazines.

Paying it forward, the award goes to... well, I was supposed to pass on the Stylish Blogger Award to 15 souls of my choice. But apparently, I am having a very hard time deciding so I'm going to break the chain (and the rules!) and instead give away these goodies to my 25 favourite bloggers whom with their interesting posts provided nourishment to my brain cells :) If your name's included in the list below (ampf. sana wala akong nakalimutan), please feel free to grab one! There are no rules. This is just my simple way of giving the love back and saying that your blog has been one of my favourites!

Xander of A Boy Named Xander

RJ of Boy Acads

Sir Nielz of Mad World

Will of me likes art

ʎonqʎʇıɔ of city buoy

T.R. Aurelius of Theo's Casanova

Claudiopoi of me thinks.

Doc Ced of My-So-Called-Quest

Bino of Damuhan

Keatondrunk of KeatoNDrunK

Kyle of This is Me, Talaga?!

KikoMaxxx of Kaepalan ni Batman

ISTAMBAY of ISTAMBAY

Mich Holstein of Ang Wala Kwenta Kong Buhay

Sean of Sean's Dirty Laundry

Superjaid of SuperJaid

Sir Mots of teacher's pwet

Anthony Carlo of Supladong Office Boy

Axl of AXL Powerhouse Production Inc.

Ate Gladys of It's the Thought that Counts

Roy of Abdul Hakeem

Sam Guison of Cigarettes and Tainted Poetry

Uno of Sa Mata ni Uno

Arvin Erick of ARchieVINer's Venture

zeb of ablogslifezeb

Natatanga

Image borrowed here

May meeting na naman kami sa konseho mamaya. Pang-apat na linggo na ito pero nananatili pa rin akong nangangapa. Hindi maiwasang kumulubot ang aking nguso sa panglaw na aking nadarama kapag iniisip ko ang aking katungkulan. Sa lahat ng aspeto ng buhay ko ngayon ay dito lang talaga ako palaging natatanga...

Naalala ko nung isang gabi na naka-chat ko si Feisty Feline. Ayus ang usap namin ng walang anu't-anong kinamusta niya yung konseho. Pagkatapos nun ay namalayan ko na lang na bumilis ang pag-takatak ng mga tunog sa keyboard ng laptop. Nagra-rant na naman ako sa kanya. Sya lang ang tanging may kakayahan na ilabas ang aking tunay na nararamdaman.

Katapusan nung Disyembre nang matanggap ko ang aming unang katas. Nalungkot ako na ganun na lang kabilis dumating ang salapi sa aking mga palad. Nagnilay ng malalim kung karapat-dapat ko nga ba tanggapin ang ganoong halaga. Nagtatanong kung may nagawa na nga ba akong tunay na serbisyo para sa aking bayan.

Hindi magmamaliw ang aking paniniwala na si Lordy ang naglagay sa kung san man ako nakatungtong ngayun. Pero ngayong nandito na ako sa harapan ng laban, bakit ako natatanga? Paano ako maglilingkod ng may diwang nabahiran ng putik ng pulitika? Paano kikilos sa gera ng mga salitang umaaliw sa nagbibingi-bingihang taynga? Paano lalaban sa gitna ng mga mapanlinlang na pagpapakahuluganng nagkukubli sa likod ng matatamis na mga ngiti't dila?

Nalalapit na naman ang katapusan. Mararamdaman ko na naman ang pamilyar na panlulumong lumulukob sa aking pagkatao't isipan... Kailan kaya mababasag ang aking pagkatanga?

ArchInspire #016: Habi House

My friend, Jonah (Banking and Finance Major) came up to me to ask help for their feasibility study. This time it's about a proposed business venture selling woven handbags made out of recycled materials which will be located at Tiendesitas. I've been accepting this kind of 'projects' lately kahit walang bayad kasi nae-exercise rin naman at the same time yung mga neurons ko pagdating sa conceptualization at pagii-sketchup. 

So here's a peek of what I've been up to lately. Ahaha. Working draft pa lang kaya subject pa sya for revisions :)

7 Sensible Reasons Why I Am to Remain Single

Image borrowed here

The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. – Eric Hoffer

Is there a posting trend nowadays regarding love and relationships? Nadadalas ata ang pagbabasa ko sa mga blog ng parekoy tungkol sa paghahanap ng kapareha, hinde man tungkol sa pag-aasawa babaling dyan ang mga sulatin ukol sa ka-emohan pagdating sa pagkakaroon slash hindi pagkakaroon slash pagkakawala ng gelpren (achuchuchu!).

After going over my list of bitter remarks regarding online dating (disasters!) that resulted from my abrupt and unwarranted craving for emotional reciprocation just months ago, I’m going to counter the ‘all-things-mushy’ feeling I’ve established from my previous post Torpe No More on showing how stylish a design stud can be in making his sweet affection known. While it is true that I’ve become a bitter better, bolder and braver guy after having my heart broken thrice and still not having a girlfriend for the record (sige na ipa-raffle nyo na ko!), and while most of the commentaries I’ve gained from my last post expressed a lot of high hopes regarding Ms. Sketchpad, I’ve come up with seven sensible reasons why I must remain single:

• Divided attention in work and studies. Hindi ka mapakali. Laging sya ang nasa isip mo. Hindi ka makapag-concentrate ng buo sa lessons. Apektado ang neurons at creative juice production lalo na kung malakas ang tama sa kanya.
• No Money, No Honey: Chaka naman kung magde-date or lalabas kayu tapos magda-Dutch treat kayo ng bonggang-bongga. Nariyan ang araw-araw na paglo-load in case kamustahin mo sya or yung maya’t-mayang pagpunta sa kanila or pagsundo sa kanya. Isama po dyan yung porma. At kung uso pa ang chocolates and flowers, dapat may sariling income ka. Kanino ka hihingi ng panggastos? Sa www.cod.com? As in Cash Of Daddy and Cash Of Mommy? Eeeewww...
• Time Investments: Hindi lang nga sa kanya umiikot ang mundo mo, pero hinde maikakaila na nangangailangan rin ng marami-rami oras ang dapat gugulin nio sa isa’t-isa, that is, if you really want things to work out properly. Kelangan ng walang patid na communication which again translates to sky-rocketing expenses on constant dates and phone bills.
• It sucks feeling broken-hearted: Being in a relationship is not a bed of roses. While you are all happy and sunshine drinking in all that sweet nectar of mushiness, you might get drowned when it starts to drizzle. Mas malala pa ang epekto nito sa creative juice production dahil andami-dami ring tanong ang gumugulo sa isipan: Sure ba ako na may gusto pa rin sya sa’kin? Anu na namang ginawa kong mali? Gusto ko syang maka-usap... haist. Before you know it eh parang kinahig na ng manok ang mga drawings mo na ang due submission ay kinabukasan.
• I’m a Romanticist at Heart: It runs in the line of modern Filipino thinking how the universe will conspire to make you and your partner meet in a fateful moment at a destined time and place no matter what. Baduy na kung baduy. Isa ako sa mga naniniwalang mokong dun.
• I’m turning Fifth Year next sem: Super senior year means dealing with my thesis and working all my neurons full blast. I just can’t risk dealing with all those drama effin’ up the pinnacle and final bout of my year as a student. No effin’ way. No way.
• I have an Abnormality: I’ll leave this one hanging for my beloved readers to speculate. Ahaha. Hulaan niyo kung ano. Basta abnormal ako. Tuldok. Bwahahaha!

I guess the story behind me and Ms. Sketchpad has to wait muna. Ahaha. Kinontra ko talaga yung last post ko. Pasensya na po sa inyong lahat :)

Torpe No More

Image retrieved from Google

Dalawa lang kami nun sa loob ng silid. Isang ordinaryong araw na kasama sya. Nag-usap kami ng mga iniisip namin ukol sa eskwela. At habang dumadaldal sya ay napansin ko ang nakabukas niyang bag na naglalahad ng isang sketchpad. Binuksan ko iyon (pakialamero). Walang masyadong laman. Isang pahina lang ang may guhit at mangilan-ngilan ang may mga aralin sa isang subject.

Tuloy lang ang kanyang pagsasalita at gayon rin naman ang aking pakikinig. Ngunit ng ilipat ko sa sumunod na pahina ay kumislap ang aking mga mata. Tumigil ang aking mundo at waring naging bingi sa anumang uri ng ingay at aliw-iw sa kapaligiran. Aking napagtanto - isang blangkong pahina; isang bagong pag-asa. Tumibok muli ang aking puso. Nagpaunlak sa pagkakataon na ipinapangako ng panibagong simula.

Nang bumalik ang aking diwa, kumuha ako ng lapis at unti-unting iginuhit ang kanyang mukha. ‘Ayusin mo yang itsura ko ah,’ natigilan; yung lang ang nasabi niya. Sumunod naman ako sa kanyang bukambibig. Dahan-dahan ay binuo ko ang kanyang imahe - ang kanyang salamin, ang ngiti, ang buhok, ang suot na damit. Bawat diin, bawat linya, bawat bura ay kakaibang pagtangi ang ibinuhos ko sa pagguhit sa kanya. Nang matapos ako ay namalayan kong iba na pala ang kanyang inaasikaso. Windang na tinatapos ang isang homework sa engineering subject.

Pumikit saglit, bumalik ako sa aking pagninilay. Pinagmasdan ang obra. At napansing nag-iisa lang sya. Gumalaw ng kusa ang aking mga kamay. Dahan-dahang bumuo ng isang imaheng pamilyar katabi nung nauna. Pamilyar na ngiti, pamilyar na buhok, pamilyar na damit – waring isang salamin ng aking anyo’t itsura. Dalawa na sila ngayon. Magkahawak ng kamay at masaya.

Pagkatapos pirmahan ang obra, mabilis na isinara ko ang sketchpad at aligagang ibinalik sa bag niya. Busy pa rin sya sa pagsolve at pagdutdot ng calculator. Ano kayang sasabihin niya kapag nakita nyang hinde lang pala sya sa larawa'y nag-iisa? Ano kayang magiging reaksyon niya kapag napansing hawak ang kanyang kamay, ako pala ang nasa tabi nya?

Never Give Up

'In life, we know that giving up is a luxury very few can afford. It is too much to quit, too life-paralyzing to surrender. We all might be facing hard-hitting situations and our options are not many, but we also know that "throwing in the towel" is not an option, especially for those who believe in tomorrow, in hope, in Easter. Even when we are clueless about getting ourselves out of spiritual quagmire, we must keep on trying and not lose hope. In hope, we dream dreams; in hope, we find joy in faith. In hope, we do not give up.' Fr. Sisoy Cella, SVD

Of Cancers and Second Chances

Pangatlong araw na itong gumigising ako, kumakain, sumasakay sa LRT, nakikinig sa professor, umuuwi sa bahay, nabubuhay, humihinga... sa isang mapagnilay na tindig. Nung Sunday pa bumi-bingo sa’kin si Lordy. Hindi nga ako nakakanta ng maayos dahil bumara na sa ilong ko ang mga pigil na luhang nagbabadyang tumulo hindi pa man din nag-uumpisa ang Misa. Isang oras akong ganun. Dyahe naman ako sa dalawa kong kapatid (kasama ko rin sa choir) na marahil nawiwirduhan sa’kin the whole time kung anong drama ko. The truth is hindi ko rin naman alam. All I remember was the moment I set foot on the steps of our parish; I was weighed down by this unexplainable immense feeling, something so powerful and colossal, that all I wanted to do right then was fall unto my knees and cry.

At yung nga ang ginawa ko (crying part) dahil hinde ko naman talaga kayang pigilan. Punas-punas na lang ng luha sa panyo para hinde masyadong halata at agaw-pansin.

Strike two pa nung nabasa ko nitong Lunes yung blog post ni Supladong Office Boy. Dame kong natutunan after reading his post. I remember pausing for a minute to pray for the child who died of leukemia right there in front of the laptop screen. The same happened after seeing the status of a friend in Facebook that his bestfriend in highschool finally passed away after months of enduring the same illness. Nabanggit nya lang yun sa’kin once. He keeps another sim card nun para lang may makausap yung bestfriend niya na nababagot sa hospital. Malungkot, kasi san ka nakarinig na nung mismong araw na pumasa sya sa nursing board exam eh tinaningan ng mga doctor yung buhay niya dahil nga dun sa sakit :( Sobrang naiyak aku nun pinag-pray ko na lang ulit kay Lordy.

I barely know these people. But the thing I realized is that though I’m not directly acquainted to them, nakakarating pa rin sa’kin yung ripple effect ng mga istorya nila sa buhay. Somehow malapit ang puso ko sa kanilang mga nahihirapan sa ganitong uri ng sakit.

I should know as I have suffered once from such frailty. I was dying when I was baptized for the first time. He gave me another chance when I was baptized the second.

Becky University: Nowitzki Meets Theofratus and Superjaid

1.00AM. Just got home and am starting to feel a warm sensation slowly engulfing every bone and muscle of my body. Perhaps it was the XXX Cocktail Tower Theofratus Roussalier Aurelius, SuperJaid and I consumed as we sat in one corner at Padis Point Bar and Restaurant - Sky Garden SM North Edsa. It took long for the drink to take its effect on me proving how my body's becoming more tolerant at such beverages. The stenching smell of  lit cigarettes, the loud live band playing a mixed genre of pop, RnB and disco beat downstairs and the blinding LCD screen flashing commercials and movie trailers attached above SM Annex garnering much attention became our witnesses for this one very gracious night.

Padis Point - Sky Garden SM North Edsa.

SuperJaid and Theofratus Roussalier Aurelius :)

Theofratus was especially interesting in a way that we share a rather reserved personality (wari ko'y mapagnilay rin syang bata). I am glad to have met someone from my generation who grew up as well in the big QC, give a damn about books and writing as much as I do and with an odd predilection for all things Greek and mythological (Hehe. I was 10 when I started devouring every encyclopaedic article on Classical Greek mythology while making my own charts and family trees of divinities, heroes and monsters which I still keep to this day). It was fun as we started loosening our tied tongues sharing random musings about school, thesis, the city, and services (go tenors!) at our local parishes. Truly a worthy warm exchange I was craving for all night.

SuperJaid was super late (ahihi!) but nonetheless super warm and super inviting. The party hasn't even started when she came. With a spitting image of a close friend, I was the whole time wandering if she may have been a long lost twin sister of Jen. She was never awkward though we have only met and I loved how she shamefully lambasted Theo (which I suspect their way of exchanging terms of endearment) with a seasoned vocabulary that frankly blows my mind sending me guffawing all over the place.

(Update: Hindi rin nagpahuli si Theo sa pagpapakitang gilas! Mei talent syang out-of-this-world na pedeng pang-Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not. Imagine a giraffe sticking his tongue right up his nasal cavity. ahahah!)


Ito nga pala yung mga nilafang namin :)

XXX Cocktail Tower. Hindi ko na na-jot down yung mga drinks na kasama dito. Basta ang alam ko parang sa gummy bears yung colors niya :) I liked the blue one (middle) that tasted like bubble gum with a pinch of tequila/vodka/ewan.

Club Sandwich na may French Fries and mayo-ketchup na dip :)

Popping Mushrooms. Spicy mushroom with garlic. Masarap na pamulutan :)

5 sticks ng Home-style Barbecue na may vinegar condiment :)

Highlight of the night was how I felt being with them was synonymous to attending Becky University applying for a crash course subject on 'becky linguistics and other-worldly terminologies.' I learned quite a handful of 'em (many I've heard for the first time in my life) that will send my friend, Feisty Feline a.k.a. Lady G wanna-be begging for tender mercy! I mean where on earth will you ever find a civilization that uses the following terms? Ahaha. Only in the Philippines.

• Potahkels! (used in a loving cursing manner. an instant personal favorite. hihi XD)
• Lech! / Liche! (a variation of the more popular Letse! / Leche!)
• Chor-chor (an addition to the wide array of sentence-enhancers slash word-replacers: Chorva, Chorvs, Chorvalu, Char, Charness, etc.)
• Papalicious (synonymous to the stereotypically attractive and admirable genus of the male specimen)
• Jabongga (ahm...)
• Boset! (another term for Bwiset!)
• At marami pang iba. (Juice koh. Sa sobrang dami ay nakalimutan ko na. hehe)

And yes, how can I ever forget the more explicit expressions of Theo's wordplay completely 'devoid' of any sexual entailments. *wink wink* Haha. Am not even sure I've the guts to write about them here that's why I highly recommend to my dear readers to watch out for Theofratus' blog entry on the subject.

Mga monsters sa kailaliman ng gabi XD

Gusto ko yung blurred effect. Ahaha. Parang sinadya lang :)

I was struggling at first to think of the right words to say but sooner when the liquor starts to kick in, I figured there really were no right words to think or say. It may be the last time I'm going to enjoy blogging before all my academic toxicity for this semester starts to butt in. Right then was the perfect time to unwind, hangout and savour in a couple glass of drinks with some good old bloggers. 

I am hoping it won't be our last :) Thank you again, Theo and Jaid, for satisfying my hunger for small intimate get-togethers :)

ArchInspire #015: Puso de Bola

Christmas Holiday has just ended (why!? o, why!?) kaya back to regular programming, ika nga ni Doc. Balik trabaho na ang mga working forces ng blogosphere. At yung mga students naman na katulad ko, subsob na naman sa mga ginagawa sa eskwela. Lalo na yung mga may tinatapos na thesis, feasibility studies and performances as their final bout para maka-graduate, I feel your pain.

I still have one year left before making the stage. All I am pondering now are the prospective architectural problems I’ll be proposing for my thesis next semester. Pero habang unang week pa lang naman uli ng klase at wala pang masyadong inaatupag, to the rescue muna ako sa close friendships na nagpapatulong sa feasib.

Nagpapa-design si Ate Jay-Lo (Banking and Finance major) ng isang mini kiosk fast-food chain para sa itatayo nilang bagong business. ‘Puso de Bola’ is their working name that will primarily offer ‘meatballs’ made out of ‘puso ng saging’. It will be located alongside the bus bay of SM North complex under the Sky Garden. Wala naman syang particular theme na sinabi kaya I had the liberty of designing whatever I want. As usual, I headed on for the minimalistic and uncluttered look. I also used vibrant colours to catch attention and shades of orange known to trigger appetite among customers.

Draft pa lang yung pictures sa baba. Baka marami pa syang ipabago. I’m glad because I was able to perform cardio on my dozing creative neurons to produce the much needed and wanted creative juices :)

draft 1 - plan

draft 1 - Perspective

draft 1 - Itsura sa loob 3

draft 1 - Itsura sa loob 4

final draft and rendering

Creative Juice #022: Photoscape v.3.5

It takes no genius to edit photographs nowadays. With the dawn of various programs like the many versions of Adobe Photoshop and other free dowloadable photo-editing tools, it only takes just a minute or two to execute that magic touch to make one's profile pic skin perfectly toned and blemish-free - truly a prerequisite before clicking that 'Upload' button in social networking sites. 

It takes no genius to edit photographs nowadays. But I'd have to admit I am still a lowly pheasant (Filipino: pulubi!) when it comes down to it. Hehe. Photoscape v.3.5 is a fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to enhance photos na pindut-pindot lang. It's the drug that has been giving me my fix of pure vintage visual goodness :)

Check out how I vintage up these lovely photo of a close friend below. Haha. It's her impersonating none other than Lady Gaga, which I just sneaked out without permission. Sasakalin ako nun when she founds out! 

Original photo (left); Brightness adjusted to High and Backlight adjusted to 75% (right)

Using Film Effect Filter: Cross Process - High  (left); with Region (Out of Focus) - Reverse Sepia and Vignetting #1 (right)

Using Film Effect Filter: Cross Process - High (left); with Darkness adjusted to Middle, Deepness adjusted to Low, Film Effect Filter: Cinema - Low twice and Vignetting #1 for the second time (left) - the finished product :)

January Effect

Napatunayan ng aking pagbabasa sa mga blogs ang frustrations regarding New Year's resolutions. That's why this year, I resolve not to make any resolutions at all. Haha. Just kidding. The truth is never naman ako gumawa ng mga resolutions tuwing sasapit ang Bagong Taon. Even before I was completely aware na that all these resolution-making wave ay dala lamang ng popular tradition na hindi naman talaga natutupad or nasusunod pagkatapos ng January. I think the term that was coined for this was January Effect. Hindi lang ako masyadong sure. 

Anyways, hindi maikakaila na marami pa ngang dapat baguhin at ayusin sa buhay ko. Pero sa halip na gumawa ako ng list of resolutions, I think I'd rather make a list instead of the things I'm being hopeful for this coming year. Na-inspire (read: nainggit. haha.) ako sa title ng post ni Nielz (whooh! special mention) kaya gaya-gaya puto-mayang gumawa rin ako ng akin. Haha. Here goes:

• Sa council: Well, medyo natututo na ako. I believe hindi ko na kakailanganin ng honeymoon period para magsink-in ang katungkulan na aking ginagampan. I'd go with the flow, ipagdadasal ng mas mataimtim ang mga kasama ko at pag-aaralan ng mabuti ang mga dapat kong gawin. Gabayan nawa ako ni Bro sa marungis na mundo na aking pinasok. 
• Sa studies: Kelangang lumebel na ako this year dahil sobrang magti-thesis na ako  next sem. It would help na masuyod ko na ang hundreds and piles of articles  that I've accumulated in order to look for a prospective architectural design problem. Makatutulong rin kung babalikan ko ang mga past subjects ko na magsisilbing building blocks ng integration ng lahat ng aking natutunan sa loob ng limang taon. Gabayan nawa ako ni Bro sa kursong aking napisil. Kelangan ko po ng isang palangganang creative juices!
• Sa lovelife: Ewan. Haha. I might wanna learn the 'how-tos' of courtship. Torpe pa rin ako eh. Haha. In learning so, magiging handa ako sa kung sinoman ang dadating para maging wagas na kapareha ng aking wagas na pag-iirog. Aw! Hehe. Truth is, I'm done searching for the right one. I'll keep my aim straight ahead kay Bro. Kung sino makikita kong katabi ko na naghahabol din kay Bro... sya! Sya na marahil ang bukod tanging inalaan para sa akin :) wuju!
• Sa connections: Open ako in meeting new people just for the heck of it. Yung matino syempre like yung mga nami-meet ko ngayon sa blogosphere. Again, since 2007 pa ko nagba-blog (ng mga walang kwentang posts) pero ngayon lang ako nakaharbat ng mga readers. That's why am so so thankful and hopeful na maging malalapit na friends ko rin sila offline :)
  
• Sa pamilya: Well, going strong naman kami. Pag talaga tumatanda ka na eh mas lalo mong na-appreciate ang iyong mga magulang at kapatid. Especially sa mga kapatid na parang kahapon lang eh nagbabatuhan pa kayo ng upuan at naghahampasan ng walis kapag may isang asar-talong umiyak at napikon. Ngayon, well, syempre hinde na ganun. But we have learned to accept unconsciously the greatest brotherly rule of all: Ang pang-aalaska ay pagmamahal. Parang terms of endearment lang. Kapag nagtagumpay ka sa pagbibitiw ng mga salitang ikapipikon niya (kuno) eh mahal na mahal mo syang tunay :) Wala na akong ibang mahihiling pa kundi ang patuloy na pagtibay ng aming pamilya.
• Sa sarili: Bawas-bawasan siguro ang pagiging naughty. Hinde naman ito maiiwasan sa pagiging lalake pero priorities straight pa rin dapat. Hwag masyadong x-rated ang mga iniisip. Hihi. At syempre, hmmm... Ipagpatuloy ang walang puknat na pagninilay. Kapag napapagod na at hinde na kaya, lumuhod lang para magdasal. Hehe. Apir!

Late Year Ender Post

Nakagawian na namin ng mga high school dudes ko na mag-get together tuwing patapos na ang taon. Sadly this year, pagkatapos ng mahaba-habang thread at discussion sa groups namin sa Facebook at isang padaan ng gm eh apat lang ang nagrespond. Magkagayunpaman, itinuloy pa rin namin ang isang araw ng maluwalhating pagsasama :) hehe.

I was with Andrei and Jerami the whole time sa SM Annex.

I ordered two set of meals for myself dahil sobrang nagutom ako. Suyurin daw ba ang Trinoma, The Block, SM North Main and SM North Annex. Year end sale sa SM kaya andameng clothing stores din ang pinuntahan namin. Nakakapagod pero sabi ko I'm gonna make the most of it by closely looking at each clothing and shops design. Then I remembered a friend na humihingi nga pala ng tulong sa pagpapadesign ng  food stall para sa feasibility study nila in business.

Snapshot lang. As an architecture student, kelangan talaga laging bukas ang diwa mo sa mga pang-araw araw na bagay na maaring maging source of inspiration. This time it's that spiral glass staircase clad in neon lights sa SM North Annex. Ito yung nasa top floor katabi ng glass facade overlooking the Sky Garden of the complex.

Hindi kami nakuntento kaya itinuloy namin sa malapit ang saya. Dapat coffee shop ang pupuntahan namin pero dahil choosy yung dalawa at pagkatapos suyurin ang Tomas Morato eh sa Timog kami napadpad. We were later joined by Jonah sa Merci Bar and Restaurant. Hehe. Uminom kami ni Jerami.

Mabilis lang naman kami dun kaya ito lang yung inorder namin - isang bucket ng 6 San Mig Light plus isang plate ng sizzling squid ewan. Maganda naman yung place. Kami lang yung customer. Naka-costume ng Christmas elves yung mga waiters and waitresses. Mas madami pa silang nakatanghod kaysa samin. Bwahaha!

Mukhang ewan lang. Buti hinde kami pinalayas at napagkamalang menor sa hitsura namin. That's Jonah and me. Yung nakasingit na malaking pisngi sa gilid ay kay Andrei.

Hindi pa uli nakuntento. At dahil nauna yung inom kesa hapunan we decided to have our late dinner at Mang Inasal sa Tomas Morato. Maganda ang night lights sa commercial district na ito, pero dahil sa magtatapos na ang taon eh mapapansing kakaunti rin lang ang mga customers na kumakain. 

After our gracious meal at Mang Inasal, we finally decided to call it a night. I am happy dahil na-satisfy naman ang craving ko for small intimate get-togethers. Masarap lumabas dahil nasa pang-araw araw talaga na senaryo ng buhay ang visual nspirasyon.  I swear I could do this more often for this coming year.