I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU A STORY

     One of the coolest things (not just only in college but) in life, generally, are those Profs that don't require a final exam before the semester ends, they'll just require their students to accomplish or do a certain activity that is related to the subject for them to weigh the knowledge that you have acquired, and for them to measure how far can you go with the lessons that they had shared with you throughout the whole semester.

      Just like our Writing for TV professor. Our oh-so-cool-prof informed us right at the very beginning of the sem, that he will not conduct a final written examination, but he will divide our class into groups for us to make a news production team! And the whole class was like, "Hell! yeah!" mode. Of course, it's something that we really look forward to. We really want to experience on how we get to produce our own story on TV! YEY!

       So, after several meetings, my team leader assigned my group with the feature story. Which really made me happy because there are a ton of stories out there that can be featured. Our lives are already made easier, and then this! It's definitely going to be easier in a whole new level now! But there's one problem, there are so many choices and I can't get to choose what story to feature. And then it hit me. As my groupmate suggested that i should feature this shop on a mall just one jeepney ride away from our school. And of course, I agreed. 

       Why? It's simply because, everytime I go to that mall, there's not a single chance that I don't get to visit that store (though I can't buy the things that they are selling) but the environment of the store simply gives me a certain-feeling of amusement.

       And I would really like to highlight some important things that define us on how Filipinos live on a day-to-day basis with an astounding smile every single time. Filipinos are known because of their talent in singing and dancing, and it's a part of their daily routine. But of course, without music, that won;t be possible. Filipinos fall in love with music beyond genre, language, the artist and even beyond the message that it conveys.

       And of course, who would hate coffee?

       So... I went to SATCHMI MUSIC&LIFETYLE

             If you're going to visit Megamall in Ortigas. At the Mega Fashion Hall C, there's a vinyl store there that put the A in AWESOME! It's no ordinary vinyl and turn-table shop, for it offers and gives you a hint on what it feels like to have an Old Classic American Lifestyle. (Though the owners came from Canada) A lot of vinyl, turntables and coffee! A very good combination huh?

       Here are some photos that I took when we were shooting for our TV Prod, let the photos do the talking! hahaha!

Look at that Art! Ooh lala! Coffee anyone?

So here's the coffee-shop-part of Satchmi

And here's the cool part! Aside from the vinyls that they are playing in the store, you can also have a Me-time inside the Listening room where you can choose a vinyl that you would like to play and listen to! And the best part is, no one's going to bother you! And the best-est part, its for FREE! yeah!

While enjoying your coffee and the good music that surrounds the room, you can always take your time to read whether you have your own book, or you can always read Satchmi's books.

Hey, the turntable right there, it's playing! They may be playing the classic songs, but if it's playing from a vinyl, ooohhhh... it never gets old. Good music plus nice art. Well. 

I don't know why, but this part of Satchmi is my favorite part. It's only a design though, but it adds up to the mood of the place. It's awesome!

Old School is cool right? :)

You will! Automatically! I'm telling you this!

Coffee again. Cappuccino. 

Who wouldn't want to wear these HAPPY SOCKS? 

You can easily feel the HAPPINESS flowing within you by juts looking at them.

Yes. Definitely, you'll feel that you've reached NIRVANA, within the music that they are playing.

ALFRED EISENSTAEDT... me too!

MORE BOOKS!

Can we like make this possible? hahahaha!

          So you might be thinking that they're only selling vintage vinyls or the old records of the classic artists... NO! They also sell, the modern artists and they all have the genre and artists. You just have to ask and it will be given to you.

          If you have time, and you can drop by... go ahead! You will not regret it. It's definitely worth it!

    Uhhh, if you're going to ask for the output of our tv prod... you better not! But I'll tell you this. We did great! Hahahaha!

SUMMARY

All my life I have waited
Love that will never come
You turned my whole world upside down
Saw myself drift at the sea and drown
Sought for you, but you sailed through apathy
Are you going to catch me?

Jokes are always half-meant
Or you're just too numb to feel it?
Across the highways of uncertainty, I'll go
Never really knowing if I'll go with the flow
No, I won't stop loving you
Endlessly, my heart will beat for you

Sorrow kept me waiting
Early in the morning
V is for Vendetta
I won't do that to you
Love is all I have for you
Longing may be number two
Arce is always here for you

Thank you John Green!

"Whenever I'm asked what advice I have for young writers, I always say that the first thing is to read, and to read a lot. The second thing is to write. And the third thing, which I think is absolutely vital, is to tell stories and listen closely to the stories you're being told."

John Green mentioned this on an interview that can be read on his book An Abundance of Katherines.

I am not here laying out a book review and the likes. It's just that while I'm enjoying every single word that I'm reading on that said book even before the story has started, until my eyes laid on these words and my life came through a sudden epiphany.

Yes. I am not book-reviewing! I am just about to make myself a Selfie Article. I don't know if there's an exact term about this, about an article made by a certain just definitely for or completely about himself! Pathetic. But yes. I can live with it!

I am a journalism student and I'm half-way through till I can call myself a graduate. Since 4th grade I've been writing and writing and writing and writing stuffs that I don't even have an idea if what I'm writing totally makes sense at all-just like this article. But ever since I learned how to talk and God knows when, I never stopped talking at all-and just like the history of my writing journey, I just kept on talking even if I'm talking nonsense all along.

The problem is, I never really loved reading. And for a fact, by just doing it or by thinking of myself doing it really makes me sleepy. But, that was before! Before… when I thought reading is so boring. Especially if what I'm reading are textbooks or just a vast and thick pages of highfalutin words and undecipherable terminologies. As a kid, I had a fear that this will consume my time, my efforts, my youth and it might also consume me. Comics and Children's books, and Bob Ong's. Those are kinds of books that passed my standards. They have pictures- they are understandable.

But I guess, Bob Ong didn't really make it through until the very end. But let's leave it there for a bit. I'm still working on my back-story and I'll explain you why he didn’t last for long.

My first year in high school for me, is definitely the golden age of my writing triumph. I joined contests and I get to win some of them. It may not be as much as big than I expected, but it can still be considered as a magnanimous victory. But after that year, I laid low. I don't know. The passion faded. My screws got rusted and suddenly I realized I ran out of ink… and I can’t write the way I write back then.

I got busy for other school works and even to other extra-curricular activities. With all those things coming up on me like an avalanche of workloads, I set aside writing. Knowing that it's like riding a bike-you can never forget how to do it. But I was wrong. By the time I tried to write again, things become as blurry as blur. I ruined everything. That's when it hit me that when you love something, you should never set it aside. you should always find some time to work with it. (This also can be applied on a person, just so you know)

Thinking about the time I wasted instead of sharpening myself and giving all of my calories into writing instead of things that has nothing better to do with me than to kill my time into a landfill of total waste-as in waste, I decided to take journalism in college. Knowing that it'll require me to write and write till I drop dead. And yeah, it didn't disappoint me. It made me write and made me waste thousands of pages of paper and megawatts of electricity trying to write something. I'm so frustrated to myself. I can't barely write a single-paged article about the things that you want to write about. (That's what my professor told us to do. Write something about anything we want to write about)

This can't be happening to me. I know I am better than this. I know that I can give more. So, I made this blog site. So that instead of me-being so talkative and thinking about so many random thoughts all the time or posting a lot of nonsense at my Facebook account and bother my friends, I think I should be here-practice my writing or do something to wake it again from inside.

But as you can see, it’s not successful. Until this moment, I am not able to revive my dying passion. But I know that I can still do it. If my passion faded, I know there's something out there that will give a new and more brighter shade for it. If my screws got rusted, I know there's a hardware in town where I can buy new ones. And I don't really give a damn if I ran out of ink, the hell of it! We're in the new age now! Computers baby!

Last year my Classmate 1 lend may Classmate 2 a book, and while Classmate 2 reads it on our way home, I oversee something. I saw a quote. A quote from Classmate 1. And according to him, if you can't be a great writer, at least, be a good reader.

And that gave me a light-bulb moment right then and there.

I pushed myself to read. Because that's what my Dad, my profs, my Classmate 1 and as well as John Green says. If you're going to be a writer, be a wide reader. And that's how I met John Green as well as his fellow writers.

Now, I can’t imagine myself not reading a book. Until this moment, my writing skills aren’t completely revived and I don't have any idea if I can revive it anymore. But that's fine with me, as long as I get to feel every surreal feeling every time I get to read a story. I never knew the-more-you-hate-the-more-you-love-belief is real. I'm pretty sure it is, now.

Oh, I forgot about Bob Ong. But I guess, I have to write another article about it, as well as about the FEELS I feel everytime I read. More Selfie Articles to come. Maybe this will help me. Maybe, this is just the start. But I know that it's just asleep and or in a coma, but I know someday it will open its ayes again and help me see the world in kind of black and white feeling again. Help me see the world better, help me explain the world better, and help me live in this world better through my own words and sentences.

Maybe I should now work on LISTENING. Because that's one of the major things that a communication student should learn and master before graduation. And I should start immediately, not only for my degree, but also because John Green said so. So I really need to thank him if my writing skills came back to me one night and say to me, "I miss you, please have me back."

My Cellphone Cameras to the rescue!!!

It's not everyday I get to bring my Camera, because of long travelling hours and the uncertainty of my safety. So everytime I see something that takes my breath away, and unfortunately, all I can do is make my cellphone work beyond it's capacity.

I am not a PRO photographer. I am just a student that really loves to take pictures and practice the things I learned in our photography class. Some pictures may be pixelated because my phone's camera is 3.2MP only, and my android phone's camera is set to 6-8MP. (I am adjusting.)

I am not saying that these shots are beautiful. It's the view itself which I find so breath-taking. I just banked on what I have and make it work. Still, I am hoping that I can produce great photos using my phones even if I am not that skilled and I lack on equipment. As they say, camera is just a tool, and the efficiency of this tool depends on its user.

So I am open for criticisms and suggestions because that would really help me on my improvement no matter how hard it may seem.

Took this photo at some posts at Gateway, near the Cinemas and TimeZone.
NOKIA C2 (3.2MP)

Gateway. The geometry really amazed me.
NOKIA C2 (3.2MP)

PUP TANGLAW RUN. The combination of the building and the grass with the white stuff I don't know what they call it, but this is something that you rarely see when you're at the city.
Lenovo P780 (6MP)

DISPURSE! People dispursing after the run. It's a good feeling to see how a crowded place slowly returning to it's usual state.
Lenovo P780 (6MP)

Natural Filters. Honestly. I didn't put any filters in this photp. The perfect combination of Pink and Blue. Sun starts to rise! This also shows how crowded the place was before we started to run.
Lenovo P780 (6MP)

The new Gasoline Station in our town. Sorry for the grains, I am on a moving bus while I took that photo.
NOKIA C2 (3.2MP)

This photo makes me really happy. That's it.
Lenovo P780 (8MP)

UP AYALAND TECHNOHUB. This is the first time that I was able to enter TechnoHub. I need a remembrance.
Lenovo P780 (8MP)

Silhouette. I'm so proud of my phone! I didn't know it was able to produce such kind of picture.
Lenovo P780 (6MP) 

Yeah, you're right. Starbucks. Want a coffee?
Lenovo P780 (8MP)

UP. The alignment of the trees is just perfect.
Lenovo P780 (8MP)

it's raining and if you have no umbrella, WAITING SHED to the rescue! yes, I'm at the bus.
NOKIA C2 (3.2MP)

While I'm at the bus, it felt like I'm witnessing a sunset at Africa.
NOKIA C2 (3.2MP)

SInister

Sinister.

One of the best horror films that I've ever watched. Directed by Scott Derrickson and starred by Ethan Hawke.

This film will make us realize that Family should be our priority especially when we talk about our safety. It's the most important to consider other than considering how much will you earn or how beautiful the place is. And listening to your loved ones on matters that bothers them won't hurt your wallet.

This movie really intrigued me because Ellison Oswalt (Hawke) is a writer. (Now you know why.) Well, he writes stories about unsolved crimes, mysterious cases and the likes. Because of his desire to give his family a brighter and much better life, since his previous books (I guess) isn't a hit like unlike his book Kentucky Blood... he decided to move into another house with his family to start his new book. This time, he's very enthusiastic that he'll hit it big time!

I'm trying not to spoil the excitement especially for those people who's still looking forward on watching this movie. But there's a part where police officers particularly the Sheriff tried to warn Oswalt to leave the house and never go back. But of course, the famous writer decided to stay.

And problems started to take over him by the time he found the box containing a Super 8 films with several videos and watched it.

Well, you know what? I guess you better watch it. Because you know, I, remembering those spine-tingling scenes makes me feel that Mr. Boogie is around watching me. There! There's your hint. 

Ikaw ang buhay ko

Dying for the one you love.

Napaka selfless. Napakasarap pakinggan, pero syempre pag nandun na sa puntong iyon, ayaw mo rin namang ikaw ang maging dahilan ng pagkawala ng tanong nagmamahal sa'yo. Tama na siguro yung alam mong handa siyang ibigay lahat. Hindi mo na kailangang literal na mapatunayan 'yon sa sarili mo dahil sa mga kilos palang niya sapat na at makuntento ka na doon.

Pero ibang istorya naman yung nagpapakamatay o nagtatangkang magapakamatay dahil sa pag-ibig.

Well, hati ang opinyon ng tao diyan... dahil sasabihin ng mga romantiko, wagas lang talagang magmahal ang isang tao kaya niya naiisipan ito. Para bang mas okay nang mamamatay kaysa sa mabuhay siya ng hindi hindi niya kasama ang taong minamahal niya. Pangalawa, may ilang magsasabi na marami pang ibang babae o lalaki sa mundo at hindi niya dapat sayangin ang buhay niya para sa iisang tao lamang. Pangatlo, sasabihin ng mga nagmamatalino, baka may sira ang ulo. Pang-apat, naduduwag.

Sino nga naman ba tayo para manghusga? Ewan ko. Sa apat na iyan sumasang-ayon naman ako... na pwedeng baka ayun nga ang dahilan, pero hindi buong-buo. Dahil naman alam ko, na ang mga yan ay biglaang konklusyon lamang. Enthymeme ata ang tawag dun base sa napag-aralan ko sa Retorika. Pagbibigay ng kongklusyon base sa kung anong impormasyon ang nakita nila. Hindi na nasundan ng pag-aaral pa o paghahanap pa ng ibang detalye.

Una, wagas na pagmamahal? Eto yung puntong sinasabi natin na "Ikaw ang buhay ko". Sweet pakinggan... hanggang dumating nalang sa puntong nasasakal na ang taong minamahal natin kasi sinasabi natin na ikamamatay natin ang pagkawala niya. Out of guilt and fear na baka nga mamatay o magpakamatay ka... syempre hindi ka niya iiwan. Pero darating sa puntong awa nalang at walang nang pagmamahal ang nararamdaman sa'yo ng partner mo. At iyon ang mahirap. Lalong nagkakagulo... gumugulo ang sitwasyon.

Pangalawa, sana iniisip mo na marami pang tao sa mundo at hindi naman worth it ang pagpapakamatay mo para lang sa taong nakatakda lang na dumaan lang talaga sa buhay mo. Pero kung tutuusin, kung talaga ngang wagas kang magmahal, yun at yun lang talaga ang maiisip mong paraan. Para bang ang sarap sabihan nung mga taong nagsasabi na, 'marami pang iba jan!' ng, 'Palibhasa kasi hindi niyo naman nararamdaman ko!'

Ano nga naman ba kasi ang alam nila? Although, nakikiramay sila pero pinagmumukha kang tanga in the same way. OO! Alam namin na marami pang iba jan, pero wala naman nang ibang "SIYA" eh! Siya lang talaga.

Sasabihin pa nilang "There's a ton of Fish in the Ocean!" eh di sila kaya mag-asawa ng isda. Pero seriously, wala silang karapatang manghusga ng taong nagmamahal lang naman ng wagas.

Pangatlo, sira ang ulo. Baka nga. Kaya dapat hindi sila husgahan. Dapat iniintindi pero hindi tinotolerate.

Pang-apat, naduduwag. OO. naduduwag. Naduduwag silang harapin ang bukas ng mag-isa. Lahat naman tayo takot mag-isa. Kaya dapat iparamdam natin sa kanila na hindi sila nag-iisa pagdating ng bukas kahit na wala na sila ng taong mahal niya.

Contrasting di ba? Ganun talaga. Kaya dapat malawak na pang-unawa ang kailangan mo.

Sinasabi sa myoclinic.com na ang suicidal tendencies ay maraming dahilan. Pressure, stress, depression, broken-heart etc. kaya naman dapat hindi ito dinadaan sa biro. Minsan kasi sa dami ng problema, hindi na natin naiinternalize ang mga nangyayari sa atin kaya ang ending, imbes na naayos ang problema, lalong lumalala. Actually, hindi lang naman sa relationship ang nagiging dahilan ng suicide pero, isa iyon sa mga maraming dahilan kung bakit may mga taong mas pinipiling mawala nalang

Mahirap makipag deal sa ganitong sitwasyon lalo na't konsensya mo ang babagabag sa'yo tuwing gabi. Pero siguro ang pinaka magandang paraan lang naman na magagawa mo ay ipakita sa kanya kung gaano kasarap mabuhay kahit na wala ka na at maraming mga bagay at tao ang makakapagpasaya sa kanya.

Turuan mo siyang ma-appreciate ang mga bagay na hindi niya napapansin noon. At sabihin mong relasyon niyo lang naman ang nagtapos pero hindi ang ugnayan ninyo bilang mga tao.

Bakit Laging Kulang?

Standards. Requirements. Demands.

Lakas makabuhay eskuwela ano? Parang ang dami-dami mo nang ginawa, ginastos at sinakripisyo para lang mapunan ang mga blanko pero wala pa rin.

Yung tipong tinatanong mo na ang sarili mo kung ano ba ang kulang, ano ba ang problema, ikaw ba ang may problema, o siya ang may problema, o baka naman IKAW mismo ang problema niya?

Darating pa sa puntong gusto mo nang manumbat... pero hindi naman pwede kasi alam mo sa sarili mo na ito ang gusto mo-ang maghirap. Bakit nga naman ba kasi may mga taong kahit na ialay mo ang buong kalawakan sa kanya, tila hindi pa rin naman ito yung tunay na magpapasaya sa kanya.

Para sa akin, sign lang iyon ng pagiging tao niya. Tao siya, kaya't maghahanap at maghahanap talaga siya ng mga bagay na ikaliligaya niya. Kung baga, kahit na latagan mo siya ng sandamukal na tag-iisang libong pera kung hindi naman salapi ang hinahanap niyang magpapasaya sa kanya niya, hindi mo talaga siya mapapaligaya. Tao siya. Tao siya sa lagay na iyan.

At ikaw naman na nagbibigay ng mga bagay na hindi naman niya hinihingi, o nagbibigay ng sobra sa kung ano man ang hinihingi niya sa'yo, senyales lang din yan na isa kang tao. Tao na marunong magpahalaga. Kahit na may mga eksenang nasasayang lang ang mga pinagpaguran mo, napupunta sa wala yung perang inipon mo sa loob ng tatlong taon, o kaya hindi naman napapansin lahat ng mga pagbabagong ginagawa mo para sa kanya...  pinipilit mo pa rin na maibigay ang langit at lupa sa taong tinatapon lang lahat ng mga iyon... sa taong halos ang kulang nalang ay itapon ka. IKAW MISMO, bilang isang tao.

Andiyan ka pa rin, kasi nga pinahahalagahan mo siya. Sa loob mo'y ninanais mong balang araw pahahalagahan ka rin niya sa parehong paraan kung paano mo siya pahalagahan. Pero bakit parang ang dami pa ring puwang? Tanungin mo ang sarili mo. Nanunuyo ka bang talaga o nanunuhol ka na? Sigurado ka bang nagpapakita ka lang ng pagmamahal o pagpapahalaga, o pinagsisiksikan mo na ang sarili mo sa taong naglagay na ng hangganan kung hanggang saan ka lang?

Mabuti nang malinaw sa iyong sarili na may hangganan din ang lahat. Nang sa gayon, maipakita o maiparamdam mo rin naman sa kanya na may hangganan rin mga bagay na iniaalay mo sa kanya. 

Okay lang naman magbigay ng magbigay basta't bukal ito sa puso mo... hindi yung pagdating ng araw ay isusumbat mo ito sa kanya dahil wala kang napala. Pangalawa, okay lang naman magbigay basta't may resources ka. Kung puro regalo ang gusto niyang ibigay mo sa kaniya, SIGE LANG! Basta may pangbili ka ng regalo. Hindi yung mangiistorbo ka pa ng ibang tao para masunod lang ang hinihingi sa'yo. At higit sa lahat ay tatandaan mong kapag magbibigay ka, wag sobra... dahil bukod sa nasasayang, baka wala nang matira para sa'yo. Kahit kailan hindi naging masama maging altruist, pero okay lang naman ding maging egoistic kung minsan.

Mahirap kasi makamit ang contentment sa buhay lalo na kung isa kang tao na maraming hinahangad. Mataas na standards, mahihirap na requirements at madaming demands. Lalo na't kung ang tingin mo sa sarili mo'y napaka taas. Parang nothing's too good for you. Kaya ang ending, maghahanap at maghahanap ka talaga ng mga bagay o tao na nababagay sa'yo. (Not necessarily sa relationship but in a general sense.)

Ganito lang yan eh. If you think that you're efforts or the things that you gave to someone, or you did for someone isn't enough eh dahil baka naman kasi talagang kulang... akala mo lang nagbibigay ka ng sapat pero in reality, hindi naman pala. O baka naman talagang wala kang halaga sa taong 'yon, kaya naman no matter how many or how hard you try to fit into that someone's life, you will never be enough. He or she will never find the satisfaction and contentment because you're not the perfect piece.

Tsaka, kung iisipin mo, kung mahalaga ka sa taong yun, IKAW lang sapat na. Palabok at disenyo nalang yang mga actions niyo sa bawat isa para mas lalong tumatag ang samahan niyo. Kaya kung marami siyang hinihingi o nirerequire na gawin mo, mag-isip ka muna bago ka gumawa ng aksyon.

Kung gusto mong ibigay ang lahat sa isang tao, siguro i-assure mo naman sa sarili mo na tatanggapin niya ito at hindi ipangsasampal sa mukha pag hindi niya tinanggap. Maawa ka sa sarili mo. Hindi ka supplier ng basura. Matuto kang tumingin at pag-aralan ang isang tao kung deserving ba siya sa mga bagay na iaalay mo.

Huwag ura-uradang nagsasakripisyo. Sa panahon kasi natin ngayon, hindi mo alam kung may patutunguhan ba ang mga sakripisyon iyon. Kaya dapat maingat ka. Pero kung ayan talaga ang napili mong gawi sa pang-araw-araw na basehan- ang maging donor ng kung ano-ano kahit kulang, o wala namang halaga ang mga yan para sa pagbibigyan mo... Bahala ka. Ang gusto ko lang naman ay mamulat ang mga mata mo sa katotohanang may ibang tao na mas nakikita ang tunay na halaga mo kesa dun sa taong binabasura ka lang naman.

Lagi mong tatandaan na, "It's better to give than to receive." Alam ko namang alam mo na iyan, pero di ba mas masarap sa pakiramdam na makikita mo yung pinagbigyan mo eh abot tenga ang ngiti sa sobrang saya at abot-langit ang pasasalamat kasi dumating ka sa buhay niya.