From the monthly archives: February 2010
The thing with enjoying my time by myself is that it can only go so far. Sure, I’m having a lot of fun going to places on my own, doing things by myself and even watching movies by my lonesome (it’s not as sad as it sounds), but there are certain things that I just can’t do alone without looking and feeling like a total loser.
Like watching concerts, for example.
I know I said I was determined to watch Backstreet Boys in concert this year, but I kept on putting off buying tickets because my original companions weren’t so sure if they want to watch either. It came to a point that I finally decided not to watch, partly because of my dwindling funds (the Upper A to Patron tickets are kind of too expensive — leveling up to the price of treatment for hemorrhoids, I think), and partly because I have no one to watch it yet. I could watch it alone…but it’s just not fun belting out songs you know since you’re 10/11 years old alone.
So I was set to just skip the concert and instead, spend time with great friends by watching the newest John Lloyd movie and good conversations. It’s okay, the boys may still come back.
Then one of my officemates tweeted last Thursday that she’ll be watching the Backstreet boys concert with another colleague. A couple of tweets later, and an update of schedule, I decided: I’m watching the Backstreet boys concert.
Once I decided, I felt the familiar thrill that I get whenever I’m excited for something. I told myself not to be too excited because I don’t have the ticket in my hands yet — but still! The fact of hearing them live and seeing them (even if they’re really small and faraway) in person gave me flutters in my stomach. They were the first band I ever really liked, and I did have the most humongous crush on Nick Carter back then.
Funny thing was, I almost didn’t get to watch the concert! I meant to get my ticket on Friday at Eastwood Mall, but their Ticketnet station seemed to be from the 90′s — it runs on Windows 98 and is connected through dial-up that disconnected on us thrice and then finally crashed on us before I could see how many tickets are still there for Upper B. I didn’t panic yet — I figured that Upper B tickets couldn’t possibly be sold out yet. Are they still that popular?
Well apparently, they were. I got to Podium the next day to get my ticket, but behold — no more Upper B tickets! :( Oh no!
However, having organized concerts before, I know that tickets aren’t always out until they’re really out. Okay, that may not make sense, but I know that Ticketnet may release Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets before the show starts. I called, but they told me there’s no guarantee that they would release SRO tickets…but I can hope, right?
If not, I wondered if I can sneak into Upper B by having General Admission tickets. (I thought it was possible, turns out it was harder than I thought — GenAd tickets enter from a separate gate).
So I watched Miss You Like Crazy with some friends, and after the movie, I called Ticketnet again. And praise God, there were SRO tickets! I flew to Cubao — ignoring the MRT because there were so many people there, and instead getting a cab to bring me to Araneta. I must get a ticket — I can’t miss this show, I just can’t!
And then…tadaaaaa:
YES, I MADE IT. When Anj and Catz arrived, we went in, found seats and told tales of our teenybopper days (ranging from our Backstreet love, to other boybands, to writing fanfiction, to Sweet Valley!) while we waited for the show to start. Because once the show started, so did our screaming.
And how was the concert? It was awesome. I can’t describe each and every bit of it, but my heart was pumping at every song, and we can’t stop screaming! How long have I waited to catch them in concert? How many times have I played their tapes (yes, tapes!) over and over again? How many hours did I spend trying to catch their music videos on MTV? How many stories did I write with them in it? The boys were a HUGE part of my teen years, and watching them live is like, the fulfillment of ALL my eleven-year-old, teenybopper dreams. ♥
I kind of wished there were widescreens in the concert, like the ones in Lifehouse, so we could’ve seen the boys “closer”, even if it’s just on the screen. But it’s okay. The boys still looked hot even if I was all the way up in Upper B. :P It’s amazing to see all the fans there too — most, if not all are from my generation. Go 90′s!
I took a lot of videos that night, but this one is the clearest one I can get — well, at least before I uploaded it. Plus it’s also my favorite performance of all, because of Nick and Brian’s antics (classic Frick and Frack :p). Oh, and excuse the background singing.
It’s too small, I know, but for your reference: Nick and Brian are the ones in black sando. OMG NICK CARTER IS IN A SANDO. *faints* I don’t care if you’re thirty already, you’re still hot!
It was an awesome night, and you can bet I’ll be listening to all their albums for the next week. I dug up my old 1997 concert VCD and played it earlier just to relive a concert experience somehow — but the real thing is still better. It was super worth it, even if Kevin wasn’t there anymore.
I’m really, really glad I went, and I’m glad to have awesome friends who loved the boys as much as I do. Wohoo. The Backstreet pride is alive, alright. :P
Up next: Paramore! Time for my adult music dreams (one of them, anyway) to come true. :D
February 21, 2010 marked the fulfillment of one of my declarations for 2010: I will run at least 5k in a marathon this year. Yep, I’m one of the 11,000+ people who joined the Century Tuna Superbods Run at Fort Bonifacio Global City.
I have to make it clear, though: 5k is not a marathon, so I should change that word. But it sounds cooler and more impressive…right? Then again, who’s impressing who?
But anyway. Last Sunday, some of my friends and I joined this humongous event, as seen in the photo above (that was actually after the run already). Originally, it was only me, Toni and Noel who was supposed to go there, but Gel joined in a few weeks later. I was kind of nervous about the race, especially the day before (when the four of us were also together to watch Rent) because I didn’t know what to expect. True, I’ve been practicing on the treadmill a lot, and once at the UP Oval, and I knew I could do 5k easily (or not so easily, but you know what I mean), but I still couldn’t help but feel the jitters. What if something happens, you know?
I shouldn’t have worried, really, because the race went by smoothly, at least for me. I didn’t have much expectations since it was my first race ever, plus I wasn’t really running to win or to beat a specific time — I was running to have some kind of record to break, eventually.
So there. It was a fun race, but there were so. many. racers. In 5k, specifically, which I heard were about 4,000 runners all in all? Wow. I was already on my way back when I saw some people still on their way at the half of the 5k route — man that’s a lot of runners. It was also kind of hard to really run because there were so many people around. It was kind of funny being at the start line at the gun start: everyone were just jogging up and down in their place until the person in front of them finally moved. Heh.
Sometime in the middle of the race, I started feeling some fatigue in my legs. That’s when I slowed down and just let people run by me. However, by the time I started running, the people in front of me were now walking, so hello elbows and cutting and all that!
I also wanted to have a “running finish”, but everyone in front of me were walking already so I walked too. I could have had a shorter time if I managed to run there…but I don’t mind.
All in all, I finished 5k in 43:50, according to the race results at the website. It’s not so bad, since I clocked around 39:27 at the treadmill when I tried 5k for the first time. At least I’m under 50 minutes, and I now have a personal record to beat. :D
And my overall ranking isn’t so shabby either: I’m #550 for the Female Division for 5k (out of 1711 runners) and #1729 for the overall 5k (out of 3706 runners). I’m still in the upper half, so it isn’t so bad. :)
Will I run again? Yes, I definitely will. I don’t know if I’ll really take this thing seriously, and invest in shoes and other stuff, but I will definitely join another race again. :) It’s fun, and it’s another way to exercise and be healthy (which reduces stress and hair loss), plus it’s a great experience. :D Who knows, I may be able to run 10k by the end of the year. :P I’m not closing any doors on that.
Oh and the best part about Sunday?
Oh yeah. I’ll definitely run again. :P
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes – how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes – how do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love?
Measure in love. Seasons of love.
I thought I’d go all cliche with the start of this post and quote the most popular song (is it?) from the musical to start this post. I’ve heard this song so much for how many years but I never knew where it came from until my best friend told me about it. Yes, I’ve been hiding under a rock.
So yesterday, my friends and I glammed up and headed to Carlos P. Romulo theater in RCBC Plaza in Makati to watch 9works Theatrical’s staging of Rent. Okay, so I glammed up — I just felt like being girly because I was at the theater. It’s just right to wear a dress for the theater, right? :P
But anyway, that’s not the point of this review.
I’m not exactly a longtime fan of Rent, so I went to watch the play with no expectations. I didn’t even read about the story, and all I knew about it was there was a group of people renting an apartment. I didn’t know who the characters were. All I know what that song up there. Because of these known facts, I don’t really think I can give a full-theater review of Rent (then again, I’m no theater expert anyway), so I’ll just write them all down in bullets for easier reading:
- The Story. Rent is definitely not a play for kids, with all the serious issues that it discusses within the musical. I had a hard time digesting/processing what the story was about at the first half of the play because I had no idea what it was about, but as the second act came, I started to understand the story. Lots of issues came up: AIDS/HIV, homosexuality, drugs, relationships, and ultimately, love.I remember my mom telling me that the only cure for AIDS was love. Back then, I thought love could be bottled up and be given to the people with AIDS to drink (like paracetamols or colon cleansing pills) — I know it’s kind of cheesy — and be healed, as in be rid of AIDS forever. Of course love couldn’t be bottled, but until now I believe that people with AIDS need love first and foremost. I think that’s what the story of Rent tells us: that these people need love. Hence the song, right?Although the story wasn’t as lighthearted as Avenue Q, I enjoyed the story of Rent. My heart broke for Angel, and I got frustrated with Roger and Mimi, and overall, the ending gave me a good and positive feeling inside.
Favorite scenes/songs: Another Day, La Vie Bohème, Seasons of Love, Without You
- The Characters. Rent showcases a colorful cast of characters — from the preppy observer Mark to the rocker Roger, to the prim and strict Joanne to the wild Maureen and Mimi, to the somewhat inconsistent Benny. It’s the first musical I ever watched that had both gay and lesbian couples, and “parents” on answering machines.I really liked the character of Mark, who acted as the narrator/observer among the cast of characters. Mark may seem like an outsider as he films/comments on things, and it may seem like he has no issues in life until his roommate Roger brings it up. However, I kind of like that he didn’t seem to have too many hang-ups, especially about romance, even if his ex Maureen did leave him for a woman.
But the favorite character there? Hands down, it was Angel. He/she is the character that is everyone’s friend, which makes him/her more important and his/her absence feels more poignant over the other characters.
- The Manila Cast. I’m always in awe of theater actors because acting onstage is not as easy as it looks. It always amazes me how much effort comes with every performance, which is always fresh and on the spot, unlike for movie/TV actors. That said, I think the entire cast of Rent in Manila did a great job with their performances. Granted, there could still be things to improve on — like maybe the chemistry of some of the cast with one another, or maybe a way for some of the cast to “rise” above the others so they wouldn’t be overshadowed by the other characters — but it’s still a good show, nonetheless. I would still urge you to catch its last run this weekend. I’m not exactly raving about it like I did the Altar Boyz, but the fact that I actually took the time to blog about it means I liked it a lot. :)
So yeah. Rent was good. :) Watch it — there are still shows this weekend. I’m serious, don’t miss it.
Up next on the shows to watch list: Avenue Q (another run whee!), and possibly Legally Blonde on June. See where my money is going? Heh.
I’ve been stalling on posting this post because I feel like it’s a vain one, but I guess vanity finally won me over the weekend because I saw some recent pics of myself and I was surprised at how different I was a year ago. Plus the fact that I wore a dress for the first time in ages last Saturday — it felt really nice to be girly again and have the confidence to be one, you know?
And this is no secret anymore because it’s going to be posted at my home branch, so…yeah. I guess I’ve got to face the music.
So friends, I present to you my weight loss story/testimonial. Heh.
“Lose weight” has always been a part of my New Year’s resolutions for the longest time, and it always finds itself there year after year. Ever since I started working, I also started to gain more weight because of the semi-sedentary lifestyle I adapted. Every year, I tell myself to start getting serious at losing weight, but I never seemed to have enough motivation to see things through.
I love this song. Seriously, seriously love this song. This song can bring a smile to my face, eliminating the need for any of the best face cream. It’s such a cheerful song, but means a lot deeper — something I can relate too, as well. :P Thank you, Jana, for telling me about this. :D
Love Song
Sara Bareilles (Little Voice)Head under water
And you tell me to breathe easy for a while
The breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me but it’s too soon to see
If I’m happy in your handsI’m unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me
I’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you seeI’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it’s
Make or break in this
If you’re on your way
I’m not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I’m gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song todayI learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and
Your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry
Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I’m trying to let you hear me as I amI’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you see
I’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it’s
Make or break in this
If you’re on your way
I’m not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I’m gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song todayPromise me that you’ll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
’cause I believe there’s a way you can love me
Because I say
I won’t write you a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you seeI’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it’s make or break in this
Is that why you wanted a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you see
I’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it’s make or break in this
If you’re on your way
I’m not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don’t want it for a minute
Babe, I’ll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There’s a reason to
Write you a love song today
Happy weekend, everyone. :)
My planner told me Ash Wednesday occurs twice this year…but of course that’s just a misprint. I had to double check when Ash Wednesday really was so I won’t forget to hear mass on that day. And yes, it was yesterday, a month exactly before my birthday.
It’s been crazy the past two weeks — work and extra curricular ate up all my time and I had to sacrifice work out days and sleep just to finish everything that I need to do. I even did some work at home and on a weekend just to get rid of some backlog. I know it’s really bad when I can’t even enjoy doing the things I do because I keep on thinking of the things I still have to do. Like I can’t enjoy dancing because work is on the way, or my mind keeps on wandering off during mass because I have to work. Sigh.
I know that one thing has been missing in my life a bit, and it’s praying. I’m trying I don’t think I am even trying too hard to get my prayer time back. I used to knock on God’s door everyday, now I don’t think I can do that, much less ring His doorbell. It’s been annoying, especially since I know I should do it, but every morning, I don’t pray. I don’t take the time off on my own to talk to God. I don’t even open my Bible now, and it’s getting dusty on my shelf.
That’s why yesterday’s celebration of Ash Wednesday felt a bit foreign. Like it was some kind of thing that I used to do but don’t anymore. I still believe in it, I believe in God, and I know He’s listening, but I felt like I was far, far away, so out of reach.
I want this Lent to be different. I want this to mean something.
Dear Father, please help me get to You this season. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see You.
I was thinking of what my Lenten sacrifice is for this year, since I didn’t really do anything last year (and no, no boys this year). There’s the computer and Internet fast on Holy Week, and abstaining from meat from Fridays, but for the other days, what do I give up? I was thinking of giving up chocolate (as with the other Catholics all over the world do, I heard), but ever since I followed my diet, I hardly eat a lot of chocolates anyway. It hit me last night what I will fast from this Lent:
BOOKSTORES. And buying books.
It’s no secret that I love books, and I can’t possibly stop reading (besides, that’s just wrong). I love going to book stores too and just wandering around, and maybe buying something before I go out. I kind of spend a bit too much on books that I don’t even have that much time to read, and my TBR list is just growing and growing…and well, buying books can be like a drug to me sometimes (or…maybe not. That is kind of extreme).
But it’s something I really like doing, and sacrifice isn’t sacrifice if it’s not self-denial. So…this lent, I’m sacrificing my book store visits and book buys. I did a book ban for more than five months before, I can do this again. It stops me from doing impulse buys, too. And while I’m at it, I can use the time I save to do more meaningful things, like pray, and pray for the people who have no access to book stores and proper education. And maybe, at the end of Lent, I can finally get to give the books I don’t read to a charity or a library, and maybe even sponsor another kid so they can study.
I hope that by posting here, it keeps me accountable, and would help me find God and make this Lent more meaningful, and hopefully jump start my prayer life again.
Jesus, please help me get to You this season. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see You.
Twenty minutes till today ends. I should be sleeping, but I couldn’t let the day end without blogging today, so hello.
And yeah, it’s still Valentine’s Day. Or Chinese New Year, if you’d prefer that.
I’ve always exerted extra effort to be cheerful during Valentine’s Day for the past years, mostly because I’m tired of being bitter. I know I haven’t really got a lot to be bitter about, but when everyone else makes plans with their special someones during the 14th of February, it’s hard to stay happy while I wish for the same thing to happen to me.
I’ve been feeling some kind of angst for the past few days for some reason. I have an idea why, but since this blog is a bit too public, I’d really rather not divulge the reasons. But let me talk about something I learned in the past few days.
I have always tried to convince myself to be happy at the state of my heart, and my love life, or lack thereof. I’ve always tried to be happy about my singlehood, but I know I fail at it a lot. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I find myself wishing that there’s someone who I can always talk to, someone who can be a constant companion and all that. Like every single girl out there, I dream of having a prince charming who will sweep me off my feet and bring me to happily ever after. I feel envious of people who seem to get their own princes so easily, while I always get into “almost there”s and suffer the “what-ifs” and “what-could-have-beens.” It’s frustrating, and when I get hit by those emo spells, it’s hard to get out of the rut. Why can’t I find someone to watch a movie with? Why do I eat alone? Why do I settle for being a third wheel? Sigh. I find myself praying, asking, even begging God to give me the guy now, because I’m lonely and I don’t know if I can wait any longer.
But you know what’s really, really funny? Whenever I try to think about it, as in really think about it, I’m not even ready to settle down. When my friends and I talk about getting married and having kids, I always say, “Ask me again in five years.” I can’t imagine myself saying “forever” just yet, and yet, I am looking for forever, too. How inconsistent can I be?
I guess it just goes to show how much I can be a hypocrite with what I say. Single life rocks? Yeah, right. It’s easier to find a job than to find a good guy in my world.
A couple of weeks ago, I listened to the newest episode of Lifeteen’s Love Life podcast (you should listen to this too, seriously), and they were talking about how to get noticed. One of them said something about being confident, and one thing stuck me the most: “Be okay with being alone by yourself.” Be okay with being alone — that’s something new. How is that supposed to be okay? And I think I already had enough practice of that, so it’s really not new advice, you know? I have that down, pat.
But…how many times have I complained that I wanted a guy who can drive me anywhere when I’m being inconvenienced by commuting. How many times have I complained that I have no movie buddy to watch a movie anytime? How many times have I looked at other people in the mall and wish that I had the same relationship as they have with others? How many times have I envied my friends who have blooming love lives?
Maybe…I’m not really used to me being alone and being okay with me being alone. I just tolerated it, but I never really took the time to appreciate my being alone.
As a Valentine’s Day resolution (yes, I invented this term), I’m going to learn to be okay with being by myself. Having someone is a plus, but I believe it’s not a requirement for me to have fun and enjoy myself. :) I think I need to learn to be my own person before whoever that is comes along.
I leave you with this quote I got from Lifeteen.com again — there’s a lot of truth in this. :)
…remember that you have a God who is madly in love with you. You have a God who knows you intimately and will never leave you. You have a God whose love makes you someone.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. ♥
I’m a bit too busy to actually write something for Valentine’s Day right now so I’ll reserve that this weekend. For now, I’ll share with you an article I co-wrote with a couple of friends at work, so here! :D Enjoy reading!
Single on Heart’s Day?
It’s that time of the year again. Love songs play on the radio, flower and chocolate sales are at an all time high, and red is the color of the season.
Yes, friends, it’s time for Valentine’s Day.
Every year, more and more singles dread the month of February, especially when it comes to the middle of the month. Even if the 14th means payday, it also means that everyone who’s got someone is out on a date with their significant others, while singles are at a loss to look for what to do on that night.
It’s time to change that notion. You can have fun on Valentine’s Day, even if you have no significant other. Here are some suggestions for you to enjoy the 14th of February and not be sad or bitter (or both), because yes, it is possible to enjoy the day even without a date.
I think I just survived my Friday. So yay. This deserves for a well-deserved rest. And a hair cut for tomorrow!
Anyway, it’s been a long day and I’m just glad I survived all. It’s going to be a long weekend too, and I’m passing up on a trip to do some writing and probably some work and just spend time at home because the next few weekends are going to be busy. I wish some tm-t88iv could help relieve the busy-ness…but it won’t. Oh well.
But before we go to the weekend…here’s a little something to boost my self-esteem. :P This has been going around Facebook and Tumblr, but I thought I’d post this here just because. So here are the instructions:
Go to urbandictionary.com, type in your first name, copy and paste this as a title, and put the first entry for your name as a text post.
I searched mine and the first answer was: “Slang for Crystal Meth.” Uh, okay. :| But then I found the entry that everyone else was copying for themselves, and here is mine:
Tina
The most beautiful girl you will ever lay eyes on. She has long pretty hair and big brown eyes. She will reel you in at hello, she is amazing in every way.
John: Oh gosh Bobby, I met Tina yesterday
Bobby: JOHN NOOO I CALLED DIBS REMEMBER
John: I’m sorry but no dibs on Tina, shes too perfect to be shottied by only one guy.
LOL. Oh my gosh, this just totally made my day. :)
Care to share what Urban Dictionary has to say about your name? :) Post them at the comments section!
Oh dear, where did January go?
Hello, February. We’re officially 2/12 into 2010, and how have you been?
I spent the last weekend of my January in Baguio — the first time I got back there since…wait, let me count…okay, 11 YEARS AGO. Wow. A lot has changed but I can’t remember what since my memory of my first visit in Baguio is fuzzy already. But it’s definitely very cold there, and it’s a feat to take a bath without a heater in the morning there. The food was amazing, and I’m happily eating strawberries everyday because of my stash. Yum.
On another note, February means another thing. And yes, I dare to write about it (even if my friends and I are saying that the only event on February 14 is Chinese New Year — and I’m not even Chinese), because…well, it’s my blog, and I can write what I want.
So there.
Wait, where was I?
Okay, again. February means another thing: VALENTINE’S DAY.
Ah. Valentine’s Day. Let me count the ways that this “holiday” means to me.
Or not.
Okay, perfectly honest moment? I’m not too excited about this coming February 14. Okay, I’ve never really been excited for Valentine’s Day ever, except maybe two years ago when we had an activity for that day. This year, aside from some plans with friends on the day before, there’s nothing. But then again, it’s not different from last year’s anyway.
I guess the real reason why I’m not too keen about February 14 because I have some leftover hang-ups/angst about…some stuff. I can’t really elaborate, but you probably know what I mean already, right?
It’s just hard to be happy-happy over Valentine’s when you don’t really feel like being happy. Especially when media is pressing it more to you — with TV shows, messages (no auto insurance quotes), gifts and anything to commercialize the holiday. It can get disheartening, especially when you know there’s nothing coming for you over the horizon.
Oh wait, that sounded bitter over there.
Sigh. But you probably know what I mean, right? I hate whining about my lack of love life because I believe it’s not something to whine about. Sometimes it’s just hard to keep on waiting.
Sigh (#2). But I will try. I told Cors that I’m still working on these leftover angst, and hopefully they’re gone by the 14th. I think there’s one thing I should do, and I really, really need to do that. Lord, I need to talk to You, soon. I need to stop being lazy with prayer and actually pray.
But right now…sigh.
