Breakeven

I feel sad…



It has been a couple of months now, still, I wonder why I feel the occasional sorrow whenever I see subtle hints that bring about a flashback of  memories. It is sad, not to mention, frustrating. A moment ago I was ok but here comes a whiff of resemblance with the past and suddenly everything becomes a struggle. It’s hard to put on a smile when I really want to cry my heart out with every ache it felt the first time I learned he was gone. I already built a sturdy façade only to find out how it turned into a pile of rubble just because I saw or heard something about him.

It is overwhelmingly tiring that I have to experience this over and over again – a cycle that only God knows when it would all end. I badly want to forget, to heal. I am growing weary and anxious as to when it would stop because it’s consuming the life out of me. I blab about it and it seems that my friends are also getting tired of hearing it. Who would listen to a damsel rant and rave about her broken heart anyway?

There are so many good and happy things to write about and God even graced me with overflowing blessings that I can’t even count. I think this experience had been draining for me but I consider it a gift from God because had I not experience this; I would never have realize a number of things.

I realized that friends are the best investments we have in this world. When I was in dismay, slightly deaf (because when I was hurt, I became a selective listener – I only listen to the things I wanted to hear), my friends never gave up on annoying me. Relentless in their efforts, they annoyed me all throughout the day about how I should not have acted in a mean way when my special friend, without warning, decided to start a love story of his own (without me in it). They told me that the least I could do was to control my emotions because chances are, my emotions will control me. They became my eyes and ears when I refused to listen and see the reality in front of me.

Annoying, but I still love them! (From L: Sheina, Trishia, Me)

With the gloomy feeling I had, I also began to appreciate The Script. Their music was famous for their melancholic theme of heartbreaks. Before I used to hate cheesy quotes on love and heartbreaks, now I find myself making them. Gross, I know. I even posted some of them in my Facebook account.

I also had the urge to drink liters of liquor, hoping to savor the momentum of cussing and blaming a guy for causing me the heartache, but I was able to suppress my insatiable lust for alcohol because I know it won’t do me any good. Drowning myself with Redhorse isn’t a solution, it is just a medium of escape from reality.  An anti-depressant, I say. It will never heal a broken heart, though it will make me forget it for a while, it will still never be good enough for me. Plus, I don't want to be alcoholic because of a problem over a guy, that would be unbecoming of a Paulinian.

Another thing about my heartbreak is that I couldn’t stop myself from sulking. The most trivial things or places would always leave me moping and thinking about him. A restaurant, boutique, and even people wearing shirts that says they study in Lasalle (he is a Lasallian by the way). Jokingly, I even create a makeshift gun using my hands pretending to shoot the people wearing green and Lasalle shirts in the malls and other places I go. I even throw an imaginary grenade at DLSU whenever I pass by on the way home.

It is disturbing and a bit funny because I tend to do crazy things out of sheer bitterness. I also find myself sighing over a random love song on the radio (forgive me for this!).

Honestly, I don’t know what to do. It’s easy to give an advice to someone but to walk the talk is another story. All I know is that, it will all get better in time as how Leona Lewis puts it.

Hall of Famer: Kelly Slater

A Living Legend

World-renowned surfing legend Kelly Slater bags his tenth ASP World Cup Title. Staring at Kelly Slater’s deep blue eyes during one of his exclusive interviews with David Stanfield shows no hint that this guy in a simple white shirt is actually what the surfing world boasts of as the ten time world champion. An athletic giant in the modern times and currently ranking as the first worldwide, Slater has garnered himself a total of 10,000 points in some recent events such as the Quicksilver Pro and the Gold Coast which were held in Snapper Rocks, Australia.

Personal Background

Born on Feb. 11, 1972, Slater grew near the sandy shores of Cocoa Beach in Florida wherein he spent most of his young life surfing along with his  two brothers - older Sean Slater and younger Stephen Slater. Currently a father to his 10-year old girl, Taylor, he lets his daughter engage in the sport that he was best known for – surfing.

Different investments

Being a successful and overwhelmingly rich athlete, Slater was able to build himself houses in different countries and places across the United States namely Hawaii, Australia, Florida and California.  Leaving the public confused as to where the athlete lives, he answers straightforwardly, “I still have a home in Florida, but I spend probably equal amount of time in California, Hawaii, Australia throughout the year.”

Earning Millions

In his 18 years in the surfing arena, psyching the minds of the people as Stanfield puts it, Slater has earned himself $1,462,005 US Dollars(which amounts to Php 63,414,466.87!) . With the huge sum of money in his hands, he shares his fortune in charitable institutions and has even founded one himself known as the Kelly Slater Foundation. The foundation supports it's efforts by hosting specialty fundraising events and through donations from corporate organizations and individual philanthropists. This enables it to launch its programs and events on raising the awareness and providing financial support for existing social and environmentally conscious charities.

In the limelight

Endowed with the athletic surfing prowess, Slater was not hard on the eyes. In fact, recognized by numerous people in their blogging sites, he was even given the title as the “hottest athlete of 2010”. He starred on several films and he had television appearances such as Baywatch and Surf’s Up.

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Brief Thoughts about life

“Your life is as good as you make it in your mind.” -- A simple phrase that eventually summed up the entirety of his lengthy response to Stanfield’s question, “Do you have the perfect life?” Slater, being the most successful surfer in the history of sport (as described by a blog dedicated to the athlete), still remains modest amidst his innumerable victories, viewing life more of a spiritual thing than merely having money at one’s hands. With a mountain of achievements to brag about, Slater boasts nothing of it. Nevertheless, waking up and being happy was what he stressed of what a great life should constitute of.

Greatest Victory

Caught offguard in the interview as he was asked by Stanfield about his greatest victory, Slater answers, “Maybe the year… two years ago, the muddy water with Chris Ward.” Answering with ease to the question that seemingly struck the sports icon, he said that he felt no pressure and that he just enjoyed the whole experience.

Disclosed Weakness

A person untainted of conceitedness, he boldly disclosed his weakness of having lack of confidence at times. Though a living legend in the surfing scene for almost two decades, he still admits that there are given times that he suffers from anxiety.

A Kelly Slater Interview with David Stanfield 2010

FEATURE LEAD: Mt. Pinatubo in the year 1991

Jun 15, 1991 will always be remembered as the day when Mt. Pinatubo’s wrath took its toll on Luzon’s inhabitants as hundreds of people were killed and over 100, 000 people were left homeless.

STORY: Mt. Pinatubo’s rage unleashed

On Jun. 15, 1991, the Philippine archipelago shook  with terror as Mt. Pinatubo erupted which led to the death of approximately 350 inhabitants and leaving 100, 000 people homeless.

The geographic catastrophe lasted for nine hours which enveloped the atmosphere with 15 and 30 million tons of sulfur dioxide gas that reached the height of 34 kilometers (21 miles) high and 400 km (250 miles) wide within the two hours. Incidentally, with the deadly lash of Mt. Pinatubo, a tropical storm Yunya was passing 75 km (47 miles) to the northeast of Mount Pinatubo.

The ash that came from the volcano was mixed with the water vapor in the air causing a rainfall of tephra over almost the entire island of Luzon. This may have been attributed to the increase in death toll since most of the deaths recorded were caused by the weight of the ash and rubble collapsing roofs on the victims.

Damaging 75, 236 houses over five provinces, 200, 000 people were forced to evacuate their homes and move to settle down in twenty resettlement sites provided by the government. According to Mercado et al, “Damage to crops, infrastructure, and personal property totaled at least 10.1 billion pesos ($US 374 million) in 1991, and an additional 1.9 billion pesos ($US 69 million) in 1992. In addition, an estimated 454 million pesos ($US 17 million) of business was foregone in 1991, as was an additional 37 million pesos ($US 1.4 million) of business in 1992. The costs of caring for evacuees (including construction of evacuation camps and relocation centers) was at least 2.5billion pesos ($US 93 million) in 1991-92, and an additional 4.2 billion pesos ($US 154 million) was spent during the same period on dikes and dams to control lahars (1996: 1063).”

The eruption wreaked its havoc worldwide with longterm damages it induced in aircraft and engines due to the sulfate deposit accumulation.

There were also climate changes reported, lessening the quantity of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, lowering temperatures in the troposphere, and changing atmospheric circulation patterns as reported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).

Sources:

 “The 1991 Pinatubo eruptions and their effects on aircraft operations,” 1999 study by United States Geological Survey (USGS), United States of America; “The Volcanic Mount Pinatubo Eruption of 1991 that Cooled the Planet” in http://geography.about.com/ ; “” in http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/pinatubo.htm; “The Cataclysmic 1991 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines” in U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 113-97

I LOVE...

I love myself. There are so many things, people, or places to fall in love with and be crazy about but I would first like to start off with myself. Personally pondering over the phrase, I initially thought of it as narcissistic (but I guess it should first cross a boundary before you consider it as a psychiatric condition). I would like to say that I love myself because I want to claim it that way, not that I have a strong sense of insecurity rather, I would like to embrace the things that I have, those that I possess, my strengths and weaknesses. 

"...we can only be humane to ourselves when we are capable to love and accept who we are, what we were made to be."

 I cannot say that I have reached the peak of self-actualization but I can say that I am in the process of accepting my imperfections. It is ironic though, and I think it has been a human nature to instinctively love and accept the things you are good at compared to those that you suck at doing. And I think this poses  a challenge to everyone because how can you overcome your weaknesses when you focus more on your strengths?

                This is the very reason why I have come to realize that I should love myself and now, I am learning to do so. As how Lucille Ball quoted it, “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. ”

                I believe that as human beings, we can only be humane to ourselves when we are capable to love and accept who we are, what we were made to be. It wouldn’t be nice to torment yourself of your imperfections and complain relentlessly about them. That would be tiring and you would just feel sorry for yourself because you possess a certain characteristic that you don’t like. Instead of whining about them, why not see the beauty in them? There is a reason God made you that way, and it would be best to maximize whatever that may be. J

FEATURE: A Hearty Sunrise at the Heart of Ilocos Norte

The streaks of orange and yellow painted across the sky made the Pagudpod sunrise a very subtle one. This author's family, along with her friends stood in amazement as the picturesque view of the beach left us longing for a few more days in the beach shores.

It is unquestionable that Pagudpod is an ideal tourist destination for those in search of cozy beaches in the Northern part of the Philippines. Needless to say, the 15-hour travel we had was worth it.

The whole trip was planned for the 18^th birthday celebration of a family friend, Angeline Arana. Since her theme was a Luau, Pagudpod was an ideal place for her party. We arrived there at exactly 5 o’clock in the afternoon, tired and wornout from the long yet exciting journey, we decided to rest in preparation for the bash. The party was held at Panzian Hotel and Beach Resort wherein the merrymaking lasted for five hours.

NEWSTORY: Ilocos Norte's captivating jewel...

It was Apr. 24, 2010 when this author's family  went to Pagudpod, Ilocos Norte at the Panzian Hotel and Beach Resort to celebrate a family friend's 18th birthday.

My whole family and some of my closest friends tagged along as we ventured the 15-hour long drive from Manila to Pagudpod. We made a few pitstops in the gas stations along the road. We arrived at exactly 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The whole trip was planned for a friend’s birthday celebration, Angeline Arana, who was then turning 18. The celebration was held at a local beach resort. The celebration’s theme was Luau and all of the ladies wore their floral skirts and dresses while the men wore their board shorts. The party lasted for five hours which eventually ended two o’clock in the morning.

COPYCAT: What is it about Plagiarism?

The way I see it, Plagiarism, is the option that lazy people resort to.  It is a way of making life easier, a key to finishing a paper, requirement or thesis with no sweat. Surprisingly students are not only among those engaging in plagiarism, even professionals are guilty of doing so. An internet site (http://www.msd.k12.ny.us/district.cfm?subpage=359) gave a number of reasons as to why people do plagiarism. These are some of them:

1.      They plagiarize because they are uninterested in the material.

-      Now I understand why our research professors incessantly demanded us to work on something that sparks our interest regarding our thesis. Admit it, it’s hard to work on something that you are really not into. For a guy, it’s like courting a girl that you don’t like. In the first place, why would a guy court a girl they are not interested in? Let me give you another analogy, it’s like forcing yourself to eat vegetables when you really hate it. That is why before you write something; make sure that you know and understand the topic that you will write about.

2.      We live in the instant gratification age.

-      In our fast-paced world of technology, we are accustomed to get things quickly and instantly. We have the internet and the information we need is just one click away. We have efficiency and convenience as our loyal companions; however, we tend to abuse them. It is true that these things make life easier. Moreso, it even improves the quality of our work but to those carried away by the urge of getting things done fast, they tend to copy and paste.

3.      They are unaware of what constitutes actual plagiarism.

-      They say that money is the root of all evil but I say ignorance is.

a world without journalism

Personally, I am not even a bit interested in journalism. I see people in the news, I read today’s paper and I amuse myself with reading blogs and stuff but never have I dreamt of plunging in to the world of Journalism. I came here at this seminar since we were required to do so and being bummed at sitting all day doing nothing, I decided to venture another road. And that is, the road of a nerd hehe. The road of Journalism. Kidding aside, I fancied the term "nerd" because I was used to seeing my colleagues who excel in their academics as journalists, those who are active in the school paper and those who are visible in writing contests. I have been used to treating journalism as a delectable dish savoured by intellectual giants.

 But have you ever wondered what it would be like without Journalism? The world would be so barren I can tell because the way I see it, Journalism is an outlet of one’s inhibitions. You can’t say it? You can’t show it? Write it. Journalism has been existent since the ages. Though I am not a historian, I can tell, because if journalism were extinct then the civillization’s knowledge of the world today would have also died. We would wander aimlessly, and I imagined the people to be like Patrick Star of the Spongebob cartoon series. Picture the world deprived of knowledge... Personally, I can't even imagine the sight of it. The world would have been a wasteland by then, I can't even imagine its inhabitants.