This year will be all about...

So I haven’t really moved on from the jumpstart phase of this year yet.  And I’m not about to leave that phase on a low altitude just because every freaking school day makes me rethink why I’m in where I’m in.  Just so you know, I just had one of the most blah exams ever. Plus the weather wasn’t cooperating so I had to at least work with it by ditching the Ikot ride and walk my way to the dorm instead.  It gave me time to try to take it all in, the sudden surge of sentiments that’s probably cooped up in the dustbin until circumstances spill ‘em with disrespect.

But even when circumstances hit all-time low, my heart still goes fluttery flutter.  This year, as my leader put it, will be all about love – conquering by it and being conquered by it. You’re probably too smart to guess already that the L word is not confined to the mush, but to everything under the sun that can receive it.

I want this blog to come alive.  That means staying clear from negativity.  I will try to write more as I love more. I will endeavor to write it and live it.  It’s great how blogging can be so cathartic, but let’s try to be more open to life this time.  I’ll try to write my personal reality and by writing it, hope to share it to the world – even when chances of people actually reading my posts are imaginably marginal.

This year I’ll try to be more transparent and by that I mean sharing what I feel, not filtering it to make it sound safe and unintentionally ho-hum.  Away with the fear of being read and consequently being caught off guard.  But I need to loosen up not just to my close knit circle, but probably to the rest of the world out there.  And find some awe-ing pricelessness in each one.

This year I will write experiences, not just opinions. I will not cower in fear of you seeing through.  I guess that’s the point.  That we see pass the trivialities of each other and actually feel the depth, the soul, the core.  That to appreciate, one must at least understand. That to understand, one must at the very least, see.

This year I will make things happen and not just write them down on a piece of paper.  I didn’t make any resolutions except one: to smile more often.  I’m totally banking on you to nudge me when I fail to do so.  Sometimes you need others to play alarm clock. <3

So Anyways.  I started this day pretty messily.  It got worse after the midterms. I was thinking over and over while walking home, There’s no use crying over what’s not meant for you.  But it didn’t feel like it was totally not for me. I’m not about to end this day in dejection.  Because it IS possible that even after going through crap, you’d still find yourself left with love – and lots of it.



P.S.
Credits to my kaduper sister for the pic edits. She’s awesomesauce beyond compare.

"Fullybooked"

...is what I want to be for the year.

I really want to buy these on my own, but since it seems most unlikely at present, a little shameless plugging won't hurt.

If you want to bless me on my birthday but have no idea how, you could never go wrong with kind words.  But if you have the budget, you could
never go wrong with these books:

*Crazy Love by Francis Chan
*Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge
*Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick
*Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado
*Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer
*Live to Make a Difference by Max Lucado
*So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore
*Forgotten God by Francis Chan, David Cook
*The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman (haha this may not seem appropriately
timely, but I'm just forward-looking you know)
*Surviving in an Angry World by Charles Stanley
*The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
*Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
*Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
*Living in Love by James Robison and Betty Robison
*Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado
*Facing your Giants by Max Lucado
*Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur
*Lord, teach me how to pray by John MacArthur
*Terrorism, Jihad, and the Bible by John MacArthur
*Hard to Believe by John MacArthur
*Wide Awake by Erwin McManus
*Uprising by Erwin McManus

G12 books except Win, Dream and You will Win the World, Successful Leadership, iLove

Secular:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Wuthering Heights (I forget the author!)
Great Expectatioons by Charles Dickens
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (but an e-copy of this would do)
Super Freakonomics by Steven Levitt
Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

Law-related:

Shadow of Doubt by Maritess Vitug
Rules of Court (the latest version)
a handy copy of the 1987 Philippine Constitution ('coz I just printed mine and stapled the pages so it's now tattered)

or any book you could recommend...because I trust your taste! ;p

But if you prefer to bless me bigtime because you're so amazing I love you, just see previous blog post. Thank you. And a happy 2011 to all!

23 for 2011

Christmas ain't over but here's to looking forward to everything new, and I don't mean literally.  My 2010 moi would probably be a bit diffident to post a wish list but then hey, what are wishes for if not taking that leap of faith? And why 23? Because I'm turning toowentyyythreee at para may "konek" lang, ano?

Shallow and deep, negotiable (i.e., subject to change, won't cry over not getting it) and non-negotiable (i.e., do-or-die) and a bit pushy, but this is 2011, baby.

1. 12. Solid.
2. Joshua 24:15
3. 144
4. Breakthrough in my academics
6. to get published
7. fruit in j12
8. a new Bible (MSG)
9. family vacay in a place across the ocean :)
10. house completion or a new family vehicle. Or both, why not.
11. favorable resolution in family's civil case
12. successful sale of Bata lot
13. a simple digital camera (you know, the handy one 'coz i won't try to compete with my bro's wish for a DSLR)
14. Stargazer
15. my own printer
16. a bookstand
17. to relearn driving. In my case, yes.
18. a ticket to a Ballet Philippines production or to a Dulaang UP play (or any good play) or to a concert of one of my fave bands/music artist(s)
19. amusement park adventure
20. an Omega watch (Constellation collection) - this is moooost wishful thinking but allow me
21. new running shoes
22. just one more cute little addition to our dog haven :)
23. absolute healing

Oh and there's prolly one more, but this one's strictly between me and God ;)

I want to look back at this post years from now, have a good laugh about it, and still praise God - for the things He granted and for those He did not (if any).

When the Calendar Strikes 12

February is one of my most favorite months for very obvious reasons (if you happen to be a stranger passing by this blog, no it’s not because of Valentine’s) but it comes only as a close second to December.  Yes, only a close second. I came to this conclusion when I was taking my undergraduate degree in UP.  There’s just something about December. It always makes the atmosphere cool and thick, amplifying the Christmas feel around the campus whose buildings throw on colorful lights and holiday furnishings.  I always find strolls along the academic oval a delight and a breather from a hard day’s worth of studying.  The cool breeze and the sound of the Carillon bells soothe and calm effortlessly.  But especially, I love the merry month because of the merry celebration it brings.  I love Christmas! I love it for the revelry, for the giving and receiving, for the food, the songs, the merry and the cheer. I love Christmas for the family gatherings and the memories made out of the occasion.  But most exceptionally, I love the season for its very reason.  I love it for Jesus.  It marks the humble birth of my Savior, of Him I owe every Christmas I’ve ever had.  It’s not just a feel-good month , ya know.  December marks the life of the most important person in my life - heck in all people's lives, as it should be!  It’s the time I am reminded that my God has been born into this world like everyone else. But it’s more than just a simple reminder. If I have one general wish this season for the rest of the world (because world peace is so passé), it’d be that Christmas be celebrated everyday – not with the gifts and sparkles, but with the heart that recognizes its real meaning.  We should celebrate it not just to remember.  We don’t usually celebrate birthdays without the celebrator, right? Just the same, Christmas is a birthday celebration.  So we should celebrate it like the birthday boy is here with us, because He really is! Without His presence, Christmas will cease to be. 

photo taken from sfgate.com

So this time, may Christmas be for the rest of the year and may it stay in our hearts for every month there is - and not just when the calendar tells us so. MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL! :)

My Kind of Outrageous

Because I feel like random today. And it's one of those moments you feel like you just want to jump into a crazy adventure. These are the things I think I want to try if money and time (and fear, maybe) weren’t so big a factor.

1)    Go on a Missions trip in South Africa or Burma.  - I’m not trying to do an Angelina.  I think I may just have the heart.  Besides this is no UN volunteerism, though I would also love to do just that.
2)    Ride a hot-air balloon on a date. – It’s really not that extreme but at least you’ll find me starry-eyed up there. If it's too fancy, a theme/amusement park would do just fine.
3)    Skydive and bungee jump – I would love to do both.For the thrill and the feel of freedom.
4)    Learn a foreign language, seriously this time.  – I took 6 units of French, 3 units of Russian and 3 units of Italian back in undergrad.  Sounds impressive, eh?  Ha! Spell S-A-B-O-G.
5)    Dance ballet - I know, I know, what's so outrageous about ballet? But understand me: it exceeds my kind of moderation. If I could turn back time, I’d probably have chosen to continue.  But then again, it’s only wishful thinking. Masaya na din ako watching ballet performances every now and then.
6)    Climb a snowy mountain. – Okay, well maybe not so snowy. I’m thinking the Himalayans.
7)    Go backpacking around the world. – Cambodia – the Andes– the Bahamas – Israel – Bogota - Russia – EUROPE (that’s a whole continent right there ‘coz there’s just too many too mention)  – and the list goes on. Don't fret, I am quite aware that I need to build up my stamina if I'm this ambitious. =)
8)    Don a pixie cut. – Or the UP Pep look.But first I need to muster the guts.
9)    Dye my hair platinum white. – Or buy a wig, if proposing the idea would freak my parents out.
10)  Scuba dive. – Because I'm aqua girl. Heck swimming is the only sport I feel I could be competitive in if I had serious training.  Plus I'm sure it's a wonderful world down there, I mean under the sea!
11) Dance in the rain on a summer dress. – Inspired by Taylor Swift’s Fearless. You should listen to the song. It totally gave me the idea.
12)   Play the drums or the violin. – I wonder why my parents never enrolled me in any musical instruments class.  They enrolled me in voice twice, in ballet for four years, in swimming for a summer, in an acting workshop but never found it in their soul to make me learn how to play even just one musical instrument.  I had to learn to play the guitar in class instead and it was only then that my dad decided to buy one.
13)    Speak in front of a large audience. – Large as in Big Dome large.
14)    Pass a law that is malum prohibitum. – Something less pathetic than punishing spitting on public spaces, which I actually proposed on a Criminal Law exam because nothing else came to mind. Pffft.
15)    Fly to outer space. – If not with Superman, at least in an uber cool space craft. If this sounds too outrageous, then maybe witnessing a meteor shower would do.
16)    Eat something weird. – Or not. Bleeech.
17)    Sleep outdoors (not camp, mind you)– Like in a beach or a football field or a cemetery (I may be kidding here but who knows)
18)    Fly a plane. And see the sunset from above.
19)    Telekinesis ala Matilda.  Aaaah, the power of the mind.
20)    Give birth sans anaesthesia. I'm no masochist, okay? But then again and hence, the title of this blog.