Looking Forward ...

I know. I am weird.

I am actually looking forward to my second year in law school. Sounds like a geek, right?

Actually, I am not yet bored. I wasn't actually bored the whole summer. Ok, maybe sometimes when I'm at my dad's office and there is literally nothing to do. There are still some stuff that I planned to do but wasn't able to do.

What did I do this summer? Here are the top 5 things I did this summer (but nothing amazing):

1. Movies - Good thing that SM offered a buy 1, 50% off on the second ticket up until last May 23. So I got to watch Eight Below, D'Lucky Ones (jologs jud!), MI:3, The Da Vinci Code, The Wild, X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

2. TV - American Idol Season 5, The Amazing Race, Survivor:Exile Island, Lost, CSI:Las Vegas, CSI:New York, Supernatural, PBB - Teen Edition, Game Ka Na Ba, Star Circle Summer Kid Quest, Law and Order:SVU. And it's true! I refer to the shows I watched in case I get confused what day it is ... hehe .. weird jud! Actually, these past two weeks, PBB messed up my TV schedule. 10 pm is AXN time. But then PBB decided to move its time slot that I could not see the beginning of the my favorite AXN shows. So lately, it has been a compromise. I got to watch Lost at 10 but I have to catch the CSIs on Sunday. Good thing patapos na ang PBB and it would be months pa before they start with the second edition. Yehey! Walang kalaban! And yes, I still do watch TV on school night!

3. Computer Games - Big Money, Bookworm, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Hangaroo ... yup! I still get hooked on these stuff.

4. Scrapbook - I got busy with my Australian photos. I am about to be finished ... just in time!

5. Read - But not law books, not yet anyway! I got to read King of Torts, A Civil Action and a couple of novels by Mary Clark Higgins. Who says I'm a bookworm?

So basically, that's what I did so as not to get bored. Nevertheless, with all these stuff I was busy with during summer (career!), I am looking forward to school. The thrill of something different I guess, with a dose of familiarity :)

X-Men

tenenententen ... tenenententen ... tenenen!

X-Men: The Last stand rocks! It was gripping for me. And it was totally great to have such a fantastic hoard of mutants. I didn't even know a number of them. But watching X-Men was truly a thrill. Of all the movies I have watched this summer, X-Men stands out.

How great was it for me? After watching the film, I found myself doing a Wolverine (releasing his claws), an Iceman(freeze) and Pyro(burn baby!). I wish I could act it out in front of you ... hehe.

As usual, there will always be flaws. But rather than pointing it out, I'd rather share my favorite parts (spoiler ... watch out!). I love the Fast Ball against Magneto (Wolverine and Beast rocks!). I also love the Iceman and Pyro showdown ... astig! And the Juggernaut and Shadowcat marathon ... that was funny! I was thinking that it would be a Colossus-Juggernaut showdown.

I was happy that Beast is in this sequel. And I only found out that Kelsey Grammer of Frasier played Beast the day before it was shown. He looks good as Furball .. hehe .. but never imagined it.

As it was on the previous X-men movies, I am frustrated that Jubilee has no great part. She just exists, just like before! Jubilee is my favorite mutant. I know, she reallys is not that powerful. But eversince I watched X-men before, I could totally relate to her. She's Asian. She has short hair. She is youthful. She is spunky. I could be Jubilee. I used to kid around that I wasn't able to play Jubilee on the first X-men movie because I was reviewing for the CPA Board exam ... yeah right!

Another thing, no Gambit! This is another character I was looking forward to. Keanu could play this one ... I imagined him to be Gambit. But then he is already Neo and Constantine. Oh well, I'll look out for him in The Lake House.

To sum it all up, X-Men:The Last Stand is one fantastic film for me and making me wish I was an X-men!

Fever ...

I still got the American Idol fever ...

I don't know but I am still not over American Idol. I still dream about it. I watched the finale 4 times on Star World (not the whole show, just some parts). The songs that were sang during the finale are still in my head. I tried to sing Somewhere over the Rainbow and In the Ghetto via the videoke. I played A House is not A Home on ITunes.

My Tuesdays and Wednesdays will never be the same (O.A.)

(Quick Note: My IPOD is down and out again. Something is definitely wrong with it but I pray it goes back to the way it was)

American Idol Rocks!

I so love American Idol - Season 5. This is definitely my favorite season!

You can't blame me! This was the season I closely watched, starting from the auditions. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

The 12 finalists were a smorgasbord of talents. They were different in their own way. It was hard choosing a favorite. Some of them just grew on me.

The sultry Melissa, Mandiva, Kevin the Chicken Little, Sweet Lisa, Country Boy Bucky, Naive Kelly, Rockin' Chris, Falsetto Ace, Young Paris, Soulful Elliot, Amazing Katharine, and the Silver Fox Taylor.

The finals were two wonderful nights. I so loved the Results night. I really love the production numbers. My favorite is the Dionne number ... the medley was so nice ... as in! (Hay napaisip tuloy ako nagwish na sana I could be a part of a production number like that ... haha!).

I even liked the Clay Aiken and the Brokenote numbers. Ka-suwerte naman ng mga taong iyon .. kahit talunan ... they were able to sing on stage ... sa Kodak theatre pa!

Taylor and Kat were great. Honestly, I like Kat more. However, she's not that consistent, if you get what I mean. And Taylor is more unique than her. Taylor looked and felt more like an American Idol than Kat. I like Taylor, too. But he was no favorite of mine. I just liked him to stay each week because he was a unique soul.

So if you were to ask me who is my favorite, my answer would be Elliot. I just love his voice. I wanted him to stay each week because I want to listen to his voice. Kahit hindi ko alam ang kanta, nagiging familiar when he sings it .... I don't know, I don't know. I know he lacks some personality and he doesn't look like a celebrity. Heck, he could even be one of Frodo's companions. But he is so good! As in! Mabuang ako ... although buang na talaga ako! Aside from that, he is 90% deaf on his right ear and I think he has diabetes. In addition, he did not have any formal voice training yet he sounds so good. (Yehey! May pag-asa pa pala ako) I hope, by some weird stroke of luck, he'll do a show in the Philippines. And if he does, I hope he also sings here in Davao. And if he just stays in Manila, I would probably fly ... hehe .. over!

Anyhow, American Idol truly rocks! It brings out the idol in me! (Huwaat?)

Hirit

Hirit # 1

My dad went to Butuan to attend an IBP Sports Convention. They took the bus and some songs were played.

Dad: Kasabay namin mga medyo batan-on pa na lawyers. Lingaw kaayo mi sa bus. Gitugtog mga kanta sa barangay. Kana ganing barangay Edgar?

Jazzie: Barangay?

Johanna: Anong Barangay?

Dad: Kana gud barangay ni Edgar?

Jazzie & Johanna: Aah! Parokya ni Edgar!

Hirit # 2

Mom and JJ were watching TV Patrol world.

TV PATROL: 20,000 skilled workers kelangan sa Australia

JJ: Mom, 19,999 na lang ang kelangan ng Australia kung hindi nag-resign si Ate Ja noh?

Hirit # 3

This was some years back. I was still working in Manila. My dad was in Manila to attend to some cases. He sent me a text message while he was in Rockwell.

Dad: D2 ako Rockwell. Nood heavy damage?

Jazzie: (sa isip) Anong heavy damage? May Heavy Damage ba daw na pelikula?

After a few minutes:

Jazzie: (na-realize) Aaah .. Collateral Damage?

toynk!

Unexplained

There are things in life that we could not just explain.

One of those things is my IPOD.

Why? Well, it's up and about again. After 3 days of being dead, it resurrected (hmmm ... sounds familiar). As usual, I did nothing. But I am not complaining either. Why should I? My IPOD is working ... I do hope it lasts until kingdom come (hehehe ....)

Back to singing (and rainy days)

And then it was Aras ...

Aras who?

Well, for those who are Survivor fans, you know who I'm referring to. Yup, it's no less than Aras .. the ultimate Survivor of Survivor Exile Island.

The first time I knew Aras, I knew I would like him. Let's admit it. He has the looks. He even looks a bit like Ryan Seacrest. In short, he is artistahin ... hehe.

Of course, if one would look at the whole game (yes, Survivor is just a game), Ryan is only second to Terry, the fighter pilot, when it comes to who deserves it more. But then, Terry, was not in the final two. Having won almost all the immunity challenges, Terry was most definitely the most deserving. But since he lost the last immunity challenge, Danielle had the power in her hands. Choosing Aras was the better choice. She had better chances. But just the same, I knew she would still lose.

Aras was definitely determined. The competition between him and Terry was always something to look forward to. They were fiercely competitive, making the competition definitely exciting.

Anyhow, I am happy that Aras won. Until the next Survivor!

Ay, Ambot!

In Tagalog: Ay, Ewan!

In English: Oh, Whatever! (Tama ba to na translation?)

My IPOD is down and out again. I did all the things I did before. I even did not touch it for 24 hours. Just the same, nothing happened.

I am not sure but I asked the guys from Apple in Chimes if there is already an Apple/Service around here. He said probably next month. I do hope it gets fixed ... manually or spiritually, if you know what I mean.

Oh, well :(

It's Alive!

I am not sure what happened. My IPOD is back from the dead ... no kidding!

I called up Apple's 1800 number just this morning. They asked me for my IPOD's serial number. As I was about to end the call, I just happened to click on the Menu. Voila! It showed me the menu. What the? And so I checked on the songs. All 1361 songs were there. What the again?

I am not sure what happened. I tried everything I could do. I searched the internet for some help and did what was instructed. Nothing happened yesterday.

One thing though. There was a quick note on one of the sites saying let the IPOD rest for 24 hours and see how it works. Maybe some IPOD would work after. Mine just did.

I am not sure what to call it. Divine intervention perhaps?

Whatever it may be, I'm thankful my IPOD seems okay. Now, I'm not sure though if I'm ready to connect it to our computer ... hehe.

Back to School

I just went to my former school this morning for the enrollment of my brother.

I was happy to be back in my alma mater, just for the sake of being back. Of course, there were a lot of changes. Just last year, I sort of lost my way because the location of the offices have been changed. What can you expect? I have graduated from my school 9 years ago.

Anyhow, it was nice to see that there was this big tarpaulin announcing High School graduates of 2001 and 2002 who graduated from college (Ateneo de Manila, Ateneo de Davao, San Pedro College, etc.) with honors. We did not have something like that for our batch. Sure, it was sort of an advertisement. But it was still nice.

It was also nice to see some of my former teachers. There was Ma'am Luntao, Ma'am Francisco, Ma'am Bertulfo, Ma'am Buco, Ma'am Barriga (I still call her by her maiden name) and Ma'am Echavez. Of course, I say the same thing to them considering that they ask almost the same questions. I told them that I worked for 3 years but resigned to study Law. It was nice to hear them say that I've grown considering that I was quite small back in high school ... hehe. Small but terrible no more! Of course, there was those comments about love life (huwaat?). One of them told me not to get married just yet (as if!). Another one told me that if that's the case, then I would be part of the asosasyon (yup, there are still a number of teachers who are still happily single!).

Being back to school was quite nice indeed :)

Crash and Burn

My IPOD just crashed!

I am not sure if it is the right term. Nevertheless, it just means that my IPOD is dead, not functioning, totally no use.

Something went wrong when I was about to disconnect it yesterday. It would not disable. After I shut down the computer, I just pulled the plug. I forgot about the "do not disconnect" thing. Last night, I was ready to listen to those MP3s. Then, I found out that there were no songs. Huwaat? Ok, I'm cool. I had 1,361 songs. I just have to copy new MP3s then. I can accept that.

And so this morning, I tried to copy the new songs. But the computer was not able to read my IPOD. Huwaat again? And now, there's nothing on my IPOD. Nothing as in nothing! There is no indication that there is life in my IPOD.

I have to have this fixed. I have to find someone who can fix this. I think it still can be fixed. I hope it can still be fixed. I am not sure though if there is an Apple service center around here.

My 1 year and 7 months IPOD gone kaput! I will not cry though. But I will have this fixed ... soon!

Nasaan na ang Narnia?

Nasan na nga ba ang Narnia?

One of my goals last Christmas vacation was to read The Chronicles of Narnia. Unfortunately, I could not find copies of it that time. Around early February this year, it was available. But I didn't think of buying it since I would not have enough time to read it yet. And so, it was that such Christmas goal became a Summer Vacation goal.

Unfortunately, again, The Chronicles of Narnia is out of stock again. Why, oh, why? Just when I was all set to read it.

That's the irony in life, I guess. Just when you are looking for something, you could not find it. But when you are not on the look-out, it stares you right in the face. What a life!

Another thing ... I can't help but point out that if I were in Manila, I would already have The Chronicles of Narnia in my hand. I am pretty sure it is readily available with all the bookstores there. Back here in Davao, I have to settle for National Book Store. But I am ok. I have learned that here in Davao, choices would be limited compared to out there. But then again, I get to spend less compared to out there .. hehehe :)

Oh well, I have to settle in reading (again) Catcher in the Rye ... it's worth reading again:)

Just in case you're wondering, I haven't watched the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

Narnia is playing hard to get :)

A Purpose Driven Life - Delayed Reaction Part III

I read the book purposely during the Lenten Season. It was a great read :) It was as I expected. Not that my life or my perception about life really changed after reading it. It just sort of reinforced of what I have truly believed in.

Back when I worked in Australia, I have heard how great this book is. I looked for it but had difficulty in finding one. I saw a teenager reading it in a coffee shop. I saw another nice lady who also held it in a tram. She was with her significant other. Then, there was another man who seated right infront of them. I think he was from New Zealand. The man was definitely not from the city, if you get what I mean. They were behind me and so I just listened to their conversation. The New Zealand guy initiated the conversation. The couple was nice to him, even though he was a complete stranger. Then the New Zealand guy noticed the book and mentioned that he heard of that book and asked if it was nice. The lady said yes and asked the New Zealand guy if he had read it. The New Zealand guy said no but that he would love to. And that nice lady just gave to book to him, with all smiles. That was really nice :)

Anyway, here are my favorite lines from the book:

We worry when God seems silent on specific issues such as "What career should I choose?" The truth is, there are many different careers that could be in God's will for your life. What God cares about most is that whatever you do, you do in a Christlike manner. God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do. We are human beings, not human doings (This hit me - bull's eye! I can totally relate to this statement)

Your capacity to remember is a God-given gift. You may think you have a poor memory. But the truth is, you have millions of ideas, truths, facts and figures memorized. You remember what is important to you. (I have always believed in this. We choose what we memorize. Or sometimes, there are other factors we have to take note of such as time and interest.)

If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate. Worry is focused thinking on something negative. Meditation is doing the same thing, only focusing on God’s word instead of your problem. (I do have this capacity. I worry - a lot- but I usually keep it to myself. Most of the times, people around me don't notice it. Thatss where my optimism comes in.)

God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time. Great souls are grown through struggles and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process.

People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or feel passionate about. (I agree. But sometimes, we only get to realize that we are passionate about something once we get to experience it. Although, there may passions that are short-lived. You enjoy doing it for some time and then, you feel you have to move on.)

When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you or challenge you or check up on you. You do it for the sheer enjoyment. You don't need rewards or applause or payment, because you love serving in this way. (Blessed are the few who get to enjoy this.)

Don't waste your life in a job that doesn't express your heart. Remember, the greatest things in life are not things. Meaning is far more important than money.

Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others. There are two reasons why you should never compare your shape, ministry, or the results of your ministry with anyone else. First, you will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing a better job than you and you will become discouraged. Or you will always be able to find someone who doesn't seem as effective as you and you will get full of pride. (I have always believed in this)

When God's at the center of your life, you worship. When he's not, you worry. (Correct!)

Holy Week - Delayed Reaction Part II

It's been over a week since Easter Sunday. But I can't help to share my thoughts on the Lenten Season.

It has been four years of not having spent the Holy Week here in Davao. And I sure did look forward to it.

After 25 years, I had just realized that Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday is NOT 40 days. I am not sure why I was not aware of it all those years. I guess I just presumed. It was easy to count the Lenten season this year because Ash Wednesday fell on March 1. So I just presumed that Easter Sunday fell on April 9. I was wrong. The 40 day count ends on April 9, Palm Sunday. Oh, well.

More than the prayers, I also read A Purpose Drive Life, a 40-day read. It added to my realization that the 40th day of the Lenten Season is Palm Sunday.

For 43 days, I did not drink Coke. It was a little sacrifice. I know I'm a big Coke fan. I can drink a litre of Coke in one sitting. I can even say na if makapatay ang coke, malamang patay na ako .. hehe .. no kidding! Although, I admit that I drank Pepsi once and drank Sprite/7-up 5 times. But that’s about it. But I fought temptation really hard.

But the thing that struck me most is the less conservative approach to the recent Lenten season.

While I attended the Ash Wednesday Mass, the priest said that for Catholics, fasting is to be practiced on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. What? No more fasting on all Fridays on Lent. It seemed to be that way as it was also posted. A more liberal approach I guess.

Next one I noticed was the shows on TV. They were going to show movies, not necessarily religious, during Maundy Thursday, Good Fridays and Black Saturday. This is on free TV, not cable TV. Survivor was even shown on Studio 23. TV during these days is more than the movies on HBO and the 7th Heaven Marathon.

As to Bisita Iglesia, I guess we made it right after a number of years on doing it first on Black Saturday then on Good Friday a few years back. It should be on Maundy Thursdays pala.

On Good Friday, we did the Stations of the Cross at Shrine. I used to think a few years back na medyo commercialized na. Mas lalo na ngayon. Vendors were all over.

I didn't go to the mall on Black Saturday. But I heard that it was full. D' Lucky Ones even opened this day, but I did not watch it though (not yet .. hehe).

All in all, there were changes. Changing times indeed! But I do hope that more than what I saw and experienced on my environment, I guess what is important is that change for the better for the inside :)

Swimming Beach - Delayed Reaction Part 1

This is the first in a series of Delayed Reactions. I was supposed to blog these events days before but I never got to it until now. So here it is ...

Tayo na sa beach ... tayo na't mag-swimming

Parokya ni Edgar's Swimming Beach was swimming in my head for weeks after our class planned to have beach party. I was really excited ... as in! Although, a week before the beach party, I decided to lower my expectation ... mahirap na pag masyadong mataas ang expectation ... baka hindi ma-reach ... hehe

Tayo na nga ... sino pa ba ang hinihintay natin dito ... naiinip na ako

We were to meet at Street Cafe, 7:30 a.m. I got there a little after 8:00 a.m. I am late, guilty as charged. My excuse? No taxi available ... no kidding. But I was not the latest ... hehe.

Time to relax ... time to go slow

It was really a time to relax. Isla Reta was an hour's trip from Sta. Ana Pier. But it was ok since we just talked on and on. Nag-reminisce kumbaga sa kabuangan namin for the past 10 months in law school.

And so, we got to Isla Reta! Ah, the water was clear. Yippee! And no low tide na as in low tide. But of course, we have to prepare our food. The mountaineering guys prepared fire while I helped out in preparing the barbecue. We then had our sumptuous meal na super makabusog sa kadami. Then some went swimming. Afterwards, we played 1-2-3 pass. I think ako pinakamaraming lipstick sa face ... hehe ... luoy :) And then, we went swimming.

Unfortunately, 4 of the girls have to leave since they were not going to spend the night on Isla Reta. So only 11 of us were left ... but we had fun pa rin.

Pagsapit ng dilim, lumalamig na ang hangin ... Sindihan mo na ang bonfire natin

We had our concert. With guitar in hand, we sang to our heart's content. Sayang, walang producer na nakarinig sa amin. Baka inofferan na kami ng contract (joke!). But I really had fun singing with guitar ... mala-MYMP ... hehe.

We had our bonfire. Binaba lang namin iyong grill kasi hindi pwede magbonfire sa sand kasi mangitim daw. Pero in fairness, bonfire pa rin.

I think most of them were tired as they slept early. There were 4 of us who slept at around 3:00 am na.

Maupo ka na lang at panoorin ang mundo

Ah yes! Just before 5 a.m., we were awake and just basically look at the world. There was the sea, the mountain and the fishermen and then, us.

Muntik na kaming maiwan. We were waiting for the boat at the wrong dock. Doon pa pala sa kabila. Good thing we made it on time :) So at around 6:30 a.m., we left Isla Reta.

Kalingaw mag-beach oi! I had fun ... no kidding! I hope my classmates had fun as well! Until the next gimik!

Jazzed Up

Need I say more?

This blog really did get jazzed up by no other than the princess of disguise (thanks jud kaayo ma! As in ... truly appreciate it ... I'll make bawi when we see each other ... hopefully soon!) What's really nice is that I just told the princess of disguise what I want generally, nothing specific ... and I liked it! She really read my mind!

The new look sort of reflects me ... childlike (in fairness, hindi childish). cartoonish (toynk ang dating) ... hehe ... hope you guys like it as well (if hindi, buot-buot, blog ko to ... joke!)

I think it's nice to get a new look every now and then ... just to awaken the senses kumbaga!

So, jazz it up!

**Raymart and Claudine's wedding is on TV right now .. hahai .. mukhang ang sarap ng food .. I'm hungry right now .. hehe

An Accident

Last Friday, my 4 classmates and I decided to have dinner at Jo's Inato in Quirino after studying for a number of hours in the library.

Our discussion ranged from kikiks to love life. When we were almost finished, we heard something like a slam! Then, there was a shout somewhere.

I was the last one who got up from the table. My classmate, Rex, quickly went down before I could see the whole scene.

There it was, a multi-cab which turned over. A number of guys were trying to lift it up. Somebody got out of the multi-cab. The guys were able to lift it. The driver came out apparently with injuries. Just beside the multi-cab was a lifeless woman. All I could do was look and pray, hoping that the girl was alright.

I was thinking why not one vehicle stopped to help out. They just passed by. There were a couple of people hovering around the victim. I was hoping that they were assessing the situation if they could really move the body without adding more injury. Good thing that a mobile patrol came along. Someone carried the body and off they went.

Looking at the situation, I was guessing that the driver moved fast. I heard that the multi-cab ran over the girl.

My classmate came back. He helped out in lifting the multi-cab. He called 911. I do hope that he was not the only one who called 911.

I do not know what happened to the girl. I did not see it in the news the next day. I do hope that she is doing fine wherever she is. I do pray for her family and friends. I also pray for the driver, reckless as he might be. I do pray for the other who helped and those who were given the opportunity to help.

The accident made me think over some stuff.

1. I am grateful that we have 911, of which the call is free of charge (walang bawas sa load ng classmate ko).

2. I am thinking of buying a new battery for 3210. I could not make nor receive calls because the battery is defective. With a new battery, my phone would have a better purpose.

3. I am hoping that I could think faster and wiser in times like that.

4. I am thinking of the skills I have which could save a life.

5. I am wishing that I could be a super hero.

Rent

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes...

Sounds familiar? Well, it's from the song Seasons of Love from the Broadway Musical Rent.

No, I haven't watched Rent the Movie nor the Broadyway Musical. But I would love to.

No, I don't have a clear idea what the story is all about.

I do know that someone gets inflicted with AIDS in Rent. And I think that Rent tells the stories of different artists in New York... I think.

I do know that I want to watch it, be it in Broadway or in a movie.

I do know that I love the song Seasons of Love (which I first heard when ABS-CBN Talent Center had their anniversary and their talents sang it... which includes Claudine Barretto, Rico Yan, Luis Alandy among others... hehe... astang ka-jologs ko na lang jud!)

I do agree with what Rent tells us...

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road. No other way. No day but today.

Life's Rules

Life's Rules: Assume nothing. Expect little. Do More. Smile Often. Dream big. Laugh a lot. Pray always and once in a while... cry, but continue living!

I got this text message a few weeks back and it has quite struck me. Nice siya di ba?

Assume nothing. I can't say I don't assume because I really do, so sue me... hehe! I think it's about judging others. Honestly, I can't help that there will always be preconceived notions. But I guess what is important is that we must always me open-minded. It's not really about assuming nothing. It might be better if we assume that there is a whole lot of possibilities out there. We can assume that things could really go either way. Let's just always hope for the best but expect for the worst.

Expect little. I think connected ito sa assume nothing. And the hope for the best but expect for the worst statement can truly apply here. It's really good if we manage our expectations. Most heartaches are those that come from expecting too much. I am not saying that we should not hope. Hope will always be there. We just have to manage it.

Do More. Go the distance sabi nga sa Hercules! Do more than what is expected of you. As long as you believe that you have the capacity to do it, do it and give it with your best shot! I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't regret doing the extra mile because it would truly me worth the while!

Smile Often. A smile is like a ripple... believe me! Just as much a frown can bring a person down, a simple smile can uplift spirits. A smile can lighten up a room. Just observe and you'll see the domino effect. Sabi nga ni Sam, "Oh, why don't you smile my only star... shine on baby!"

Dream Big. Of course, to dream is free and you might as well dream big! Most people who succeed in life are those who dream big because they work harder to achieve such dreams. And even if you don't really reach your biggest dream, you'll still get to realize a big dream kahit papano di ba?

Laugh a lot. Laughter is truly the best medicine! As in! It's one great exercise. I always make sure that my sense of humor is always intact. There's nothing better than a good 'ol hearty laugh. Just like a smile, a laugh transcends into others as well. As long as you don't laugh at others!

Pray always. Of course! There's so much to thank for in this life that we live. Keep that constant conversation with God. In everything you do, say a small prayer. Pray not just to ask for something but to thank for something as well. There are a lot of things that we should be grateful for. Never take life for granted.

Cry. I don't usually stop others from crying because I really believe it cleanses the soul. I do feel that anyone who cries feels lighter after crying. I believe that there are a number of people out there that have not seen me cry. But I have, believe me I have … especially when I am away from my family.

Continue Living. After crying, continue to live for there is much more to experience in life. There are a lot of people to connect with, to listen to, to share stories with. There are a lot of experiences to cherish and moments to treasure. Live life to the fullest!

Have a great life!

Hollywood

It's been over a week since my last week. And so I really felt that this blog is truly due and demandable (murag true na law student!)

Anyhow, so much have happened over the past few week. I'm quite a lost on where to begin … not really … hehe!

Yesterday was the Academy Award's Day! I saw bits and pieces of the show and got the updates over the web. I'm happy with the win of George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon and Crash.

George (feeling close) is not really one of my favorites. But he sort of grew into me. He was part of E.R, one of my all time favorite shows. I felt sad when he left and made movies (From Dusk Till Dawn and Batman and Robin). I didn't even get it why he got to be the sexiest man alive in 1997! But then he made a special appearance in E.R. Then, came Ocean's 11 and 12. And there he was all over television making political statements! I think he is really nice.

As to Reese, I haven't watched Walk the Line though, but I know that she is a great actress. The thing is, she does not really have that Miss Universe look, but she seems to be endearing. And I like the characters she plays on screen... she can be quirky in one then be serious in another. And as I am a fan of couples, celebrities or otherwise, I was happy that she and Ryan are still together after all this rumors.

Crash! Of course, amongst the nominees for best films, this was the only film I got to watch. And deep in me, I wanted it to win because I really liked the film. I'm happy it won because it touched me (char lang!) I am not taking anything away from Brokeback Mountain because I do believe it’s one great film, although I haven't watched it yet. I guess it’s just the thought that Crash has such a great ensemble. While I was watching it, I don't think anybody upstaged anybody and for me, that was pretty nice.

I just have to mention that I got so thrilled to see Keanu Reeves at the Oscars! He came with Sandra Bullock. I know! Sandra is already married. And I guess what's nice is that after all these years, after Speed, these two people whom I truly admire are still friends! And of course, they do have an upcoming move, The Lake House ... I'm so excited!

And before I have to go, I just have to say that Lost still rocks! I got to watch the premiere of Season last night. I so love this series!

One more thing, it was quite sad that one of my favorites in the American Idol, David, got booted last week. He is one cute guy and he is a true crooner. I just love it when guys try to sing The Way You Look Tonight, just like he did! But then, he didn't get enough votes.

Oh well! That's Hollywood!