my friend claudette and her boyfriend randi set up a cool store called "EXIT" gallery. it's a new store, they only opened november of last year. they sell funky clothes and accessories personally designed by the owners ( you could have them customized ), cd's of indie bands, stuff handpicked from ikea, ufo in addition hills, and other places. it's located at the second floor of 109 pag-asa street, brgy. caniogan, pasig city, in case you want to visit. i only got to visit the store last night, with joy.
Labels: high school, plug
sorry for the not-so-perfect quality; i just took these using my phone
this is my nephew toby. well, it was supposed to be toby. he looks a lot cuter and younger in the picture i copied this from. argh. i'm not very good at portrait sketching.
Labels: artsy fartsy, toby
[ aside from my perpetual mild narcolepsy and my introvert inclinations ] is how i want to be everything and everyone all at the same time. right now, i want to be an artist, be a freelance graphic designer, write/draw for children's books, teach art to children, be a successful lawyer, do something about the corruption in the country [ inspired by the headlines today, which reads that the philippines is the second most corrupt country in the world ], do a lot of probono, but first i should overcome my lack of confidence when speaking, be a webdesigner, work in/write for a magazine, newspaper or any publication, set up my own beach-themed boutique with clothes/accessories i buy all over the world, be a photographer, display my works in exhibits, work in films, be good in dancing, be physically fit, be good in wallclimbing/badminton/disc/boxing, be a tutor, get a manageable job, be active in church, travel all over, be an interior designer [ think knock first, ], make handmade books, decorate venues for parties [ inspired by patti's halloween-themed 9th birthday party ], decorate invitations, make restaurant write ups [ hehe ], and the list goes on.
i don't know where all this sprang from; when i was in high school and college, i was resigned to the thought that "i'm going to study hard, finish school, become a lawyer, earn big, and live happily ever after". i always felt too old to do anything else. at age 12, i was thinking it was too late to learn/try anything new, that people my age are successful in something because of talent so there's no point in taking up classes/exploring new activities. [ although i did take up an acting class back when i was 13. but that didn't end well. i realized afterwards that i just don't react, even in real life ]
so far i've thought of several causes on why i'm like this:
a.) being twentysomething. i've reached that point in life when my interests can't be dismissed by my parents anymore as unsubstantial or unreasonable and so they have no choice but to support me and just let me be; this is the point in my life when i want to do everything while i'm still young and full of energy; and this is the point in my life where there's less stereotyping and more freedom to move in any direction i want. back in high school and even until college, people were confined in their little "niches". i was classified as the "creative, quiet, studious one", and so i didn't depart from that impression. taking up a dancing class back then would've been unimaginable, since "i just wasn't the type who would do it".
b.) i'm only taking up 12 units in law school. which simply means, i have a lot of free time and i don't know what to do with it.
c.) meeting new people and gaining more experiences as i grow older. we learned back in philo class that meeting others/conversing with someone is like delving into a different world. and i believe this concept so much. we gain a lot of insight/wisdom from others, and in a way, they become a part of us. they inspire us to do things which we would never think of doing. and also, experience is the best teacher. i used to be limited with a lot of things during my adolescent-teenage years, but i've learned, in time, to overcome them and to do just do the things i want to do. there is a whole world out there to explore, and we only have little time. so go seize the day.
if only i have the money [ and time ] to do everything i want. hay. i want a good-paying part-time job.
happy thoughts
recently, i've been interested in bookbinding/handmade books. i tried looking for instructions on the net, but i wasn't able to find a comprehensive site on bookbinding, so i searched for books in amazon.com. i added this book in my wishlist, thinking that i wouldn't get it soon; worse, that i won't be able to buy a copy anyway. but lo and behold, i saw it at powerbooks greenbelt! i grabbed it immediately and paid for it, in spite of my promise to myself not to be an impulsive shopper anymore. wala lang. ang babaw ng kaligayahan ko. hehe. if i get to make a really nice book, i'll upload the pics in my blog.
by the way, i have a lot of other things in my
wishlist. wala lang. hehe. :D
I got this from the lomomanila e-group. wow i can't believe they're coming here!! jars of clay is my favorite christian band [ at least until switchfoot stepped in ]. i've been listening to their songs since i was 14. it's such an inspiring group and they just play really well.
i like the way the e-mail sender had to explain how popular the band is, at least in our generation. hehe. we really are getting old.
Manila is on March 2 while Cebu is on February 28.
MANILA ticket prices (araneta)
Labels: gig
after 7 sundays of not attending art classes [ the first 4 i didn't attend because of schoolwork; but for the past 3 sundays we really didn't have classes due to the holidays ], i found myself this morning carrying my oversized sketchpad and my set of slightly used second set of craypas, on my way to v.luna, in mr. sena's art workshop. if i hadn't dropped civpro, i should've been in school from 8:30-12 in the afternoon, perspiring heavily as i move from one question to another, trying to finish ma'm avena's killer midterms. i've been getting not-so-good feedback about the exam from distressed blockmates [ as expected ], which makes me feel good, in a way, that i've dropped the class and that i can finally continue with art class. i think i only have two more sessions left, excluding this morning's class [ one for portrait and the other for watercolor ].
the venue seemed a little empty this morning; i think most of the students have graduated weeks ago. the amusing little boy with the eyeglasses who's taking up advanced classes wasn't there anymore, much to my disappointment. he's only half my size, yet he paints really well. but there are other equally interesting people in class earlier, like this quezon city court of appeals judge [ who i already saw before; the "hanging judge" as mr. sena called her ]. according to one of mr. sena's assistants, a retired justice is also taking up classes but he/she wasn't there this morning. i also saw a high school/grade school batchmate, who never became my classmate. but, we immediately recognized each other and talked like we're long lost friends, which is good. we're even taking the wednesday class together [ we don't have agency class on wednesday! woohoo ]. she told me she's taking up classes because she's applying for a fashion institute, and she was required to submit several artworks. when she found out i was in UP law, she gave the usual awed reaction. hay. maganda lang pakinggan. if she only knew how un-prestigious being in law school is and how drained we are with all the schoolwork. and that just because you're in UP law doesn't mean you outsmarted the hundreds who didn't make it. you can be mentally challenged and still end up in UP law [ case in point: me ]. and that and she has no idea that i find any art-related course more interesting than law and that i envy her for taking up a career in arts. but of course i'm bound to finish this course no matter what.
by the way, we watched kung fu hustle last night at greenbelt [ it's been a long time also since i last went to greenbelt; blame it on school ], which was a lot of fun. think kill bill + the matrix + shaolin soccer. the effects are great and the whole movie is just so damn funny. i didn't like the girl though, she reminds me of sandara park. watch it watch it!!
look ma, i have a lot of free time. heehee. the things i couldn't do while i was taking up civpro. if only we had only 12 units in law school, we would be happier and healthier individuals.
Labels: artsy fartsy, movies
bad news: i dropped civpro!
[ fyi, civil procedure is a 5 unit subject i'm supposedly taking with my block this sem. my reason for dropping is not because of the course per se, but because of the teacher. unfortunately for us, we got the worst teacher who teaches the subject. ]
during the first few weeks of class, i was determined to pursue the course til the very end, but given the unreasonable load and the stress i get every class, i don't think it's worth it. i've been contemplating to drop since last year though, since the number of casualties increase every meeting. [ so far i'm the 10th person who dropped already. it's like survivor, but you get to vote yourself out ] i finally decided to drop after the 6-9 make up class last friday [ that night i missed half of my mom's birthday dinner because of the class ], when she assigned three more rules of civil procedure to memorize. i haven't had a single good recitation yet, i've collected two singkos and two absences already, and i feel that i'm her probable target for recitation next meeting. and since i felt that i wouldn't be able to study, much more memorize, the assigned rules in a few hours without compromising my other subjects, i decided to just quit it. besides, i've accumulated pages and pages of backlog already; i don't know how i'll be able to memorize and study everything for midterms. and i've been intimidated at how conversant my blockmates [ the ones who didn't drop ] are with the law. i've conceded to the fact that i'm pretty much behind when it comes to schoolwork compared to my blockmates. i would die if i continue with the subject and then find out in the end that i'm the only one who didn't meet the passing mark.
because of that decision, i've gone through a moment of tranquil bliss to an episode of guilt and pressure in a matter of hours. upon deciding that i wanted to drop, i just felt a surge of inner peace descend upon me. i felt stupid smiling all by myself in my room, thinking of all the free time i could have and the reduced stress i'm entitled to [ daisy and i were talking about this feeling last week. di lang pala ako. hehe ]. it's like, as one of my blockmates ms. milla [ who's similarly situated ] termed it, pamaskong handog sa sarili. hehe. i felt free from the bondage of ma'm avena's class forever. but after having it signed, knowing it's irrevocable, i begin to think of all the consequences of what i've done. in a way, i feel guilty that i'm not there suffering in class with the rest of the block. plus, i feel pressured to do extremely well in all the other subjects; i have no more excuse to get bad grades after the burden of civpro has been taken off my back. and i also feel that i have too much time in my hands. some of my blockmates who have dropped admit that they've slacked off more since they dropped the subject. although i feel i'm not going to succumb to the same situation no matter how tempting it may be, i just feel that there's something wrong because i'm not doing anything much. while watching ocean's 12 and eating dinner last night at libis with neil, i felt something unsettling in my head, that i didn't have the right to enjoy the night, that i had to study. gawd. i didn't know dropping can effectuate such a cursed feeling.
now, with a lot of free time on my hands, i've been looking for things to keep me busy. somehow i think dropping was a wrong decision. having free time gives you a lot of room to complain and think about quitting law school altogether. i was reoriented with the interests i knew i wouldn't be able to pursue when i entered law school because of the lack of time or the absence thereof. i've been thinking about studying graphic design or art or photography classes or writing workshops or part time jobs - anything. despite all this, i promise - i swear - i won't let my grades suffer. the moment i think about dropping law school again, please contact my dad so he could give me a whack on the head. maybe i'd rather finish law school even if i'm not so passionate about it than quit right now and be left suspended in mid-air, with all the interests i want to pursue but i couldn't start doing anyway. i don't want to quit law school without the assurance that i'll get an equally stable future.
the holidays left as quickly as they came. it was probably the shortest christmas/new year season i've ever had.
for new year's eve, we had some close relatives [ from my dad's side ] over. i'm glad that they spent new year with us this time. back in the 90's, we used to spend new year together with almost all my cousins from my dad's side. now some of them are in the states while others are in distant provinces. some have families already. some needed to move out due to hard times. well, wherever they are, i only have this to tell them: inggit kayo sa'min no?? hehe. joke. but seriously, we miss them. and i hope they can fly home next year or the year after that to spend holidays here. really, no matter how hard times are in this third world country, iba pa rin ang christmas/new year sa pinas.
we still had firecrackers this year, the usual fountains and roman candles. but mostly, we enjoyed the really nice fireworks of the next door neighbors and some neighbors two blocks away. it rained for a short while[ it was the first time it rained on new year's eve ], which was good, to lessen the heavy pollution caused by the fireworks a bit. we had the usual arroz caldo + christmas ham + baked mac + hot chocolate. there was the traditional coin pasabog by my mom, although we had to do it indoors because of the wet floor out. my cousins brought their "magic sing", which kept us busy the rest of the night. we didn't have the games anymore. i didn't want to be the one to initiate the games because i don't want to be teased about it - when i was little, there was one new year's eve when i cried because we didn't have any games. and so i woke everyone up after eating, and we had parlor games outside the house. i still feel stupid thinking about it.
some pictures from new year:
bubbles was too scared of the noise to get off the couch
neil spent new year with us also
and these are some pictures that always turn up every new year:
other [ feeling artsy ] pictures:
i'm not making a long list of new year's resolutions anymore. i make one every two weeks anyway. and the lists almost always consist of the same things. honestly, if you read my list, or anyone's list for that matter, no matter how long it is, it only boils down to one resolution:
no wonder my new year's resolutions don't get accomplished. tsk.
agh. school starts tomorrow. time to store away the digicam, clear the study table for space, make the digests. ARGH. i always have a hard time changing my mindset for school after a long, stress-free vacation. vacations always cause me to think about dropping out of law school because there are a hundred other places/fields i can be in which are not as taxing on the soul. anyway, this is no time to complain. i'll be studying in a while. pfft.
anyway, i hope this year would be a great one for all of us, despite law school, despite the feng shui prophecies that this year wouldn't be a prosperous one, despite the recent tsunamis in south asia.
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brushes for the banner from echoica, encre and trashion art.
