There is Hope After All

It is with great sorrow when I say that I don't trust people, and with even greater sorrow when I say that I know I'm not alone. We've seen it all. The lying between friends, stealing between neighbors, trafficking of our children, and killing of our brothers. All these are enough reasons to be lackadaisical when it comes to the human race. However, something happened today that made me question my cynic ideation.

Like any normal day, I took the first step to reaching my favorite destination (home!) by riding a jeepney along the road of Gen. Maxilom Ave. With only a one-hundred-peso bill and four one-peso coins in my wallet, it never crossed my mind that I might have any trouble in paying the ride's fare. But when I handed over my one hundred peso bill (since, of course, four pesos isn't enough to pay for the ride), the jeepney driver told me he had no change. I didn't know what to do then but to take out all my coins and show it to the driver, clueless as to what would be the best thing to do at the situation. The driver barely even noticed that he was giving me the hard time making it my responsibility to look for loose change just so that he could get paid. I mean c'mon, it's not my fault he has no change! Bugger.

Anyway, as I was showing the driver my four coins with (tired) puppy-eyes, I didn't realize that I had caught the attention of the lady sitting right across me. I was about to tell the driver about having only four pesos when she stepped in and offered to help. She wanted to help both me and the driver, so she told me not to worry and handed me a five peso coin. I was shocked, needless to say. Why would a stranger want to help me and the driver out? It wasn't even any of her business. So imagine how dumbfounded I was as I cracked a meek smile and said "thank you".

In the crazy world that we're in, it's so rare to find a genuinely kind heart. Much less when you're caught in a sticky situation. So whenever you meet one, never fail to express appreciation and thank the heavens for letting you encounter such an angel. It doesn't matter how small or how big that person has helped, as long as you felt that it was done out of goodwill. And after experiencing the privilege of meeting such a person, don't forget to pay the kindness forward. Because such an act isn't supposed to stop with you. It's meant to be shared. Be an angel yourself. Be a blessing to others.

After today, I can't really say that the human race has regained my trust. I still doubt other people's sincerity, and I still stand by my cynic ideation. But something has changed though. Something has made me feel a little better about people. And that something has made me believe that there may be hope left for humanity after all.

Christmas Party - Burkes-Style

Stupid things don't feel so stupid when you're doing it with good friends.

Last night, my friends and I came together for a little tradition - our annual Christmas Party. We had food, games, and tons of fun. Although it may sound very cliche to say that it was a party like no other, it's actually true. It was a party like no other. Because being the eccentric group of friends that we are, we didn't do a traditional Christmas Party where everyone just comes in and bring gifts and chat around the Christmas table. No. We're far too creative and far too child-like to do just that. We did something out of the ordinary. A little immature, yes, but way more fun than doing it the old way. We did away with tradition and had a themed-costume party.

Costume parties are usually associated with Halloween, yes, but the gang and I thought that it would be fun to do things differently this year. With all the changes that had transpired throughout the year, we felt it was quite appropriate to blow the winds of change to our party's direction as well. And since most of us are frustrated travelers who can't afford plane tickets to our dream destinations, we decided to bring the world to us. We decided to party as representatives of varying nations. And I would be representing Greece.

But wearing costumes for a Christmas party is just the tip of the iceberg. We did another thing that we could only dare to do in front of each other. Something that we only did out of respect for our friend who cooked up the idea. The highlight, if I may say so, of the year's most awaited event. We did a Christmas Talent show. My God, the thought alone makes me laugh my ass off. It was something so embarrassing, yet highly entertaining at the same time. It was an I-hope-no-one-sees-this kind of thing, but you just can't help but laugh at the thought of seemingly mature people doing something so immature. I'm not sure if it's the right thing to say, but I'm sort of glad in a but-it-still would-have-been-fine-without-it kind of way that Jdin thought of something as stupid as that. It sort of made my year. Ha!

So yeah, I had a great time last night. Inspite of all the day's challenges like stitching up a greek costume, being sick and sleepy, Abi's headache, Marah's pancit, Nicole's wallet, Margy's absence. Somehow, the company of the best friends anyone could ever have made up for all of it.

Parkmall. I Love You Goodbye. Sylvanas. Sean's Ice Cream. The Jingle Sluts. Bottom 3 Costumes (Sean, Marah, Karen). Manito-Manita. Personal Item Raffle. I can only sum it up in three words: I love it.

Καλά Χριστούγεννα!

That's Greek for Merry Christmas.

That's Why

Get Up and Go

From the moment God granted man the gift of rationality, the Homo sapiens have come to develop a curious knack for waiting for the right timing of things. Primarily because it has been proven that waiting for the right time brings about the sweetest fruit. So we reason, we calculate, we infer, and we no longer rely on basic instinct to just go ahead and do what we please. We delay doing things, believing that timing is everything. But the thing is we can’t always tell when the right time is. Not everything can be calculated or timed. Sometimes it’s all up to us.

Waiting can be rewarding, it’s true. But sometimes we keep on waiting for the right time to come, not knowing that we have the power to make any time the right one. So we end up waiting for something that may never come. Then time steps in to ebb our interest, wither our hope, and make us forget. And that’s when we realize that the right time might have just passed us by. Leaving us bitter with regret because we know there’s nothing we can do about it.

I have recently come upon things that helped me comprehend the importance of getting up and just doing things. You see, I’m the kind of person who would like to think of myself as an artist. But what is an artist if not someone who creates beautiful art? I have spent the past year setting aside my leisure pursuit for drawing and stuff, so I thought that maybe I was starting to lose the right of calling myself as one. I have been so busy and decided to let my art wait. Thinking that there would be a right time to get back to it. But after a year of art hiatus, I have realized that maybe there wasn’t any other time to do it but now. That I just had to take a leap of faith and trust that everything would turn out okay. And so I did. I’m glad I did.

As of the moment, I’m still struggling a little to regain my flair, but so far things are looking good. I’m so glad I did what I did, and oh boy, was it about time I did! I’ve been so close to forgetting how much I love drawing! Good call, huh? I could have let a part of me die without me knowing. Anyway, I am quite certain that this is just the first of many to come. There’s still a lot of things that I know couldn’t wait to happen. And I’m sure as hell going to do my best to make sure that they do.

So before you decide to wait for the right time, ask yourself: Can NOW be the right time for this? Don’t hurry. Take your time and think hard. Because if the answer is yes, then you are going to have to just do it. You give it your all and you don’t back down. Because there’s no day like today and this just might be the only time to do it.


Is it the right time for me to try something new? Is it the right time to speak up? Is it the right time to give back? Hmm. I think it is.

My Mom - The Perseverant Woman

One of my mom's best and worst qualities is that she never gives up - something you'd expect from any mother so as to keep her family afloat. And although it can get annoying in some situations (like in an argument), it's actually one of the qualities that endear her more to me.

Anyway, before this turns into a sappy declaration of love for my mother (which, for me, is the best mom by the way), let me share an incident that amuses me everytime its pops to my head. Something that happened yesterday on our way to church. A perfect example of my mom's persevering character.



On our way to church, my mom asks me about my brother.

Mama: Unsa na orasa nilakaw imong manghod?

Me: Ambot. Hapon na.

Mama: Mga unsa orasa sa hapon?

Me: Ambot. Natug man ko. Basta hapon.

Mama: Mga unsa orasa?

Me: Wa lagi ko kahibaw kay natug ko.

Mama: Aww.. Mga unsa man ka orasa natug?



That's it. Okay, so it's not as funny as it was when it happened. But it really was at that time. I mean I was not in the best mood at that time, but it really gave me a lift.

Anyway, what really amused me was how she tried to twist up her question at the end of the conversation just to get her answer. And somehow it didn't only make me laugh, but it also made me happy. Because that little encounter reminded me what my mom was really made of. How determined she really is. It made me think over the other times she didn't give up. The other times she "twisted" her way just to make things right for me and my family. And it just made me love her even more.

Cheers to the woman who never gives up! Cheers to my mom!

Yearning

The chilly breeze hits my skin,
Cooling every fraction of my being.
I can’t help but wonder,
Are you out there searching?

How I wish that you were near
To share with me your warmth
As our hands intertwine and hearts interlock
Staring at the fire and sitting by the hearth.

How I wish to feel your warm breath
As you whisper your avowal of affection
Allowing me to seek refuge in your arms
Not minding the world.

How I wish to feel your touch
As our lips meet in passionate bliss
Content in each other’s warmth
Even long after we break the kiss.

Oh, how I wish that you were here
Ending every wish and fulfilling every hope
Finding me patiently waiting
Waiting for you, my love, to come

The chilly breeze had long gone to waver.
But still I wonder.