Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from

 Aloha,

As I reflected, I have not been a good keeper of lasting relationships especially when one is far away. Unlike my husband, I am not one to just message someone in a whim. I caught myself thinking of messaging some joke to a friend, only to overthink it and not sending anyone anything. It sucks. 

So this is for every friend I have drifted away from. Know that you are in my thoughts and you can reach me at Messenger. I will reply, albeit not fast enough for this day and age. 

Let's have some coffee and talk like before.

Day 13 — Someone you wish could forgive you

To those whom I have wronged, Apologies for hurting you with my big mouth. Sometimes, my mouth is faster than my brain. I didn't mean it, truly. Hoping this can simmer down things - when I talk, I am talking for myself. I am not villifying anyone, I just wish everything is right for myself, and with this selfish thinking, I did not contemplate that I was offending people, not until now. Sorry. Apologies for my anger bursts. I could not handle the stress and pressure then, and I'm sorry you had to deal with me. I am striving to be better now, anger-wise.

Day 12 — The person you hate most/caused you a lot of pain

 After n years, I continue this challenge with day 12. 

It's not easy to think about this person, because we need a therapy session to be able to be honest about it.

For now, let's try the safe answer: myself for letting go of healthy habits.

When I started trailing off the 'right path', I thought that because I was married already, I did not need to be as fit. Well, it happened; fitness went straight out of the building. Now that I know this is not a good way of looking at things, it's so hard to lose the fats away! Damn, so hard unlike before. 

That's why I hate myself. 

Time to bring my old fit self back because I rely heavily on it, apparently.

Dates at San Pablo every week: Pre-ECQ

I'm from Batangas, my boyfriend's from Cavite, so every week, we're meeting half way for dates. One of the best towns that we've visited is San Pablo. From its nature spots to coffee shops to restaurants, the place is worth the drive (also because I'm not the one who's driving hehe).



Sampaloc Lake

For one, Johnny's in love with Sampaloc Lake. I mean, look at these unfiltered shots:

It's calm, it's designed to be a tourist spot, and most especially, it's an alive lake. We saw a turtle twice, birds were always a flying around, and there were fishermen. It's lovely in the morning and romantic during sunsets.



Casa San Pablo

I will be rebirthed as a rich kid and I will have my wedding here.

Or we could just have coffee during this lifetime. 

I've fallen to another full cycle of procrastination and escaping reality again.

A glimpse of a college instructor's Christmas

Starting December 1, most people were already preparing for Christmas. Malls were getting busier, traffic was becoming heavier as the spirit of giving became mandatory for some.

Example of this events where giving is required are the Kris Kringle and Exchange Gifts. As adults, most exchange gifts are accompanied by a wish list - we don't want to receive any useless stuff. 

My wish list contained things that I want to buy but I don't have time to do so:

• foot socks
• flash drive
• mini SD
• BB cream

Those things are for personal use. I was thinking about what I want, what I can use. That's why I was surprised when I saw what my other co-instructors listed. 

At least 3 of them listed whiteboard markers and ink.

They asked for the supplies that should be given by the company.


What does that say about the Philippine education?

1. Supplies are not enough, or are not distributed well. 2/3 of those who wished for markers were lecturers: term for part-time instructors. They only work during the weekends, thus they cannot ask for markers in the Dean's office because of its office hours. This can be easily remedied by allocating at least 2 markers for every lecturer per week. But they don't. That's why I initially concluded that supplies aren't enough.


* I'm a full-time instructor and I ask for 2 markers a week. However, I bought refiilable markers and ink because most of the time, 2 isn't enough. I taught Math and a marker can be used up in one session only. In my opinion, 5 markers per instructor is a good conservative estimate for a smooth and interactive Math class.

2. Most of the instructors are passionate about teaching, that they even wish to receive things that they can use to further improve their way of educating student. It's good to have this burning passion, and I plead the higher ups anywhere, to please not exploit it. Please do not put their flames out by not giving them proper incentives, working conditions, and at the very least, supplies.

Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to

Day 10!

To myself,

I haven't talk to you lately. We're not meeting eye-to-eye. I think we don't even have the same goals anymore. I'm missing the true you. When can you clear your schedule, sit down, have a coffee and just reconnect our goals to our daily activities?

Let me also give you uncalled for advises, since we're already here.


Please read self-help books again. Finish Anger Management for Dummies - you badly need it now imho.

Manage your time and money again. You were ~~good when you were in younger. Revive it.

Restart doing the things you want. You'll be happier.



Lastly, be more useful, thus, happier this 2019.


And, let's talk.

Communication DOES NOT Matter in Poon's Relationship Matters

Being an interpet personality is not so easy. You must always think of the audience. If you have a PG content, you must not curse, or else, criticisms will pour. 

That's why when I watched Relationship Matters' video about long distance relationship (LDR), I immediately messaged them. 

Why?

Because they're spreading ideas that when accumulated in the heads of young people, it will come out as misogynistic. Also, it's belittling men's capability to control themselves. 

Transcript:

Maricar: And this is the need that women might not understand fully kasi hindi tayo lalaki e. Iba talaga ang need nila for that.

Poon: 99.99... % ng LDR nagloloko one of the partners, or both. ...

Pero I'll be honest, alam ng mga lalaking nakatune in. Baka di na ever namin aminin yung mga sexual escapades namin.

Maricar: Dito mas lalamang ng onti ang babae kasi mas matiisin by nature...

We're in the 21st century. Everyone has the means to satisfy oneself. Hindi lang mga lalaki ang gumagawa nito. And when we're still pushing the agenda that men are more sexually active than women, which is busted by many researchers already (read here, here, here, and here), we're trying to still hinder women to satisfy their needs. It might not be evident now, but in the long run, it will be. 

(Fun challenge: Ask women how well they know their vaginas and boobs. Then, ask men how well they know their penises. Marvel in how they answer.)

So, how did they reply? Behold.

Firstly, they did not address the problem. If based on statistics, what they were addressing is true, go on and proclaim the word of LDR. But that's not what I was pointing out. I pointed out that the way they presented it felt like women's lust aren't valid. THERE LIES THE PROBLEM. The fact that you have 17 years in counseling doesn't answer the way you mishandled the information.
Dismissing the question is not a valid answer.
It's comparable to Imee Marcos' video on whether she's a Princeton graduate. See the spectacle here.

For the second point, here's the 2nd part of their answer:

Check, out the last part. 
This is why I think that they don't value communication.
I reached out; what did they do?
They condemned me for having other opinion, and closed the conversation.
They tried to win.
They did not even hear what I was saying.


It's an immature move. Parang nasa comments section lang ako. So disappointing, coming from them.

PLDT Letter of Request for Termination of Account

So, I was tasked to write a letter of request for termination for our internet because, as we all know, PLDT's services plummeted down when they terminated their contractual employees instead of regularizing them because they're greedy ass MFs.

Here's the important details that must be in the letter that I got from this helpful blog:

1. date
2. account number
3. landline number
4. reason for the request for termination (let's pretend that they don't know what this is all about haha)

Here's what I made:

October 26, 2018  

To whom it may concern,

  I, NAME, current subscriber PDLT Home DSL with account number [00000000] and landline number [00000000], is requesting for termination of the said account. This is due to intermittent Wi-Fi service with occurrence of days without Wi-Fi, and poor telephone service of having no dial tone from September 24 to date.

Thank you,
 
NAME and signature

I also made a simple letter of authorization because my mom would go instead of my dad; here it is:

October 26, 2018  

To whom it may concern,

  I, NAME, is authorizing my wife, (Name), to send the letter of request for termination on my behalf.

 Thank you,

 NAME and signature

We just opt to use CATV internet with the same price instead of waiting for PLDT to stabilize. 

Good luck with your first steps to comfort, reader. Letès boycott those suckers haha.

Cheers,

Sasa.

Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet

Dear Chester,

I'm again experiencing the inevitable bad days of my life. They're not the worst, but I just wish it's 12 am already so I can sleep at peace. I'm angry about all the little things, and even though I have my pupper Twinkle and my boyfriend J, it's like they're not enough to go through those days. So just like the old days, I run back to you and your band. Just hearing you release your feelings through your songs helps. You just know what to say; you know how to put words for these better than me. I know what you felt was way way worse than this, we're sorry we didn't listen.

If there's a place where dead people go, I hope to meet you there, some day.

Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend

 Back to the challenge  that I'm trying to finish, I would love to write these letters to my 2 online friends.


Dear bookish internet friend,
I miss you. I hope you'll be active in Messenger again. When was the last time we chatted anyway?
(checked)
Wow, it's been years! I hope you're doing well. Have you read interesting books lately? Well, for me,  I was soo behind my book challenge for this year. I've just read 2 books and it's already September! Ughhh.
But really, I'm glad you faced your demons already. I can still chat with you even though you're still facing them currently, you know? I can be your ears/shoulder to cry on. You can even ask my second internet friend, he'll tell you I'm a good listener hehe.

Let's chat again soon,
Book friend



Dear curious internet friend,
I love your stories. It's like you're living my dream(s) for me. I hope you'll stay curious, but safe. Moreover, in terms of your current endavors, I believe you can do it. You can chat with me any time for moral support :). Let's please don't stay out of touch.

Please say hi to sir for me hehe,
Curious-without-action friend

Day 7 — Your Ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/love/crush

Continuing with the challenge that's running for n years now, here's a letter for a never-my-ex but an equally important person that's been a part of my life for about 10 effing years (~1/3 of my fucking life). 

I just don't know what to say to my exes but congratulations on having their cute families. There are no hangups whatsoever. It'll be a boring 2-sentence letter. On the other hand, I'm too old to have crushes, so I picked this guy to write to. 

PS. You are the only exception, my lovely boyfriend. You are my home and my bliss. I wish to be with you forever. I love you, sweet.


Hey, you,

Don't you miss writing online? I've never erased our e-mails; once in a while I check on them and brood about why we can never be friends now. Haha, typical.

On that note, I know we are never for each other. Thinking back, I'm relieved that we did not have a chance to be together as an official couple. We would destroy each other. I want a handful of things in a relationship that I know you won't give, and of course it's the same for you. I remembered when we tried to show our feelings to each other - I told you I liked you; you responded with a "Thank you". You were always just a text away - you were practically my diary, but I did not see the value of time then. I did not responded well with your love language and I guess neither did you with mine. We both felt rejected even though it's not the case at all.

Plus, time's a bitch for both of us. I was almost always ready to have a man in my life, and you never were. I don't want to call you my rebound, but we were always in touch during my 'breaks'. Anyway I was also there when you had your first break up, so. 

Still, it's sad knowing that 1/3 of my life, you were a constant, and now you're not.

Anyway, congratulations for us on finding our perfect partners! I'm so happy we're both happy.

You will always be the kindest, most saintly person I have ever met.

Love,
Your asymptote

Failures and stuff - Wikimedia Commons photo contest

I recently joined Wikimedia commons' photo contest entitled Wiki Loves Earth 2018. The theme is natural heritage sites, and thanks to J the boyfriend, I had a photo for the contest. I had entered, won and lost contests before but this one hit me hard. Take a look:

Here's my entry - Sampaloc Lake and Mt. Banahaw

I believed in that photo so much that I thought it would make the top 20 cut. Oh well, at least I have a new cellphone wallpaper.

Day 6 — A stranger

I've been sitting on this letter challenge for ever now, & I think I'll be able to finish it this year! Hahaha hurray!

Ok, so now I'm Day 6 and it's for a stranger. Here goes...


Dear stranger,

I imagine you're from the Philippines. I hope we'll both be alive when the Probinsyano ends. I hope we won't be living the Marcos' copycat's dream anytime soon. 

Anyhoo, I've been dying to tell someone everything that's good in the world, so you'll have a handful of stuff from me. :)

1. Life is not fair. It's not a fairy tale. Everyone dies at the end. But, as my favorite author Neil Gaiman eloquently wrote here (please read it because I could not do justice in summarizing his words), if faced between two evils, and there's a good thing in the middle, just enjoy the good thing. 

2. Live your true self. I can't do this all the time so I want to always be with myself or with my boyfriend, but if you still can change your life to be who you want to be, do it. It's just one take, you know. There's no next chance. 

3. Likewise, there's this classic song that spoke right through me on a different level this midlife crisis of mine, and it's 
<drumroll>

This is my favorite part:

Didn't make sense not to live for fun

Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb

Who cares if you're not a lawyer, or a doctor, or an engineer? If you don't want to be one, don't want to be one. We can take the not-yet-built path and it's alright. We may not have plans for our future yet - still fine. If you want to have fun, and you have the means, go for it. If you don't have the means, work hard, then party harder after. (Debts are deadly, don't do it.) The song's message is all about breaking the mold. No one should care about the mold. It's made by a society that doesn't consider one's feelings. 

4. Own a dog. They're the best companions ever. If the humans keep failing you, just go to your dog and everything will be lighter to handle. 

Our dog, Twinkle!

5. Own your body. It's not the state's, your religion's or your boyfriend's. It's yours. Do what you want with it. Know every corner and detail of your beautiful body, because it's a sad sad thought that many of my acquaintances won't touch certain parts of their bodies on an ordinary day unless they have to! It's crazy. 

6. Your moral code is only yours. If you have a religion as your basis, and I have none, it's none of your business. And vice versa,as long as you're not hurting anyone. Most especially as long as you're not imposing it to everyone. It's disgusting. You may coat it as discipleship, but no one's been fooled by bigotry. 
Ekkk, I'm preaching already. Let's just love one another, just as the Fab5 does.

Yep, let's make world a better and cleaner place, shall we? 

   Love, 
Stranger 2






 

From "when thoughts become this random" to "Sasa's bloggity blog"

Omg hello again, blog! It's been n years! So much has happened, and I did not have the time to add musings in here, but I missed this, so I'm baaaack~!

The truth is, I really want to post photos and adventures in FB but I don't want to look social-climber-y , that's why I'm here. I feel that this is a safer place.

Right, about the 'rebranding'. I feel like "when thoughts..." is too 2000. I will not even go here if I saw the title. But well the new name's not so much of an improvement, but it sounds more fun, right? I hope to be more fun from this point forward, anyway. :)

So... yeah. Let's have some fun again and I hope to enjoy the no-judgment venting in this "rebranded" space :)

I'm back with my camera and ready to vent again oh yeah!

Climate Reality: First Act of Leadership

It's been a long while! I've been very busy with my job that I haven't had the time to blog in ages, but here we are again, yay!

For the last 1.5 years, I've been teaching engineering subjects in college, and it's the perfect opportunity to share my passion - environment-hugging. 

Last Feb 2016, I attended VP Al Gore's Climate reality here in the Philippines, and it was an exhilarating experience. 

After the seminar, we were required to have 10 Acts of Leadership, and I was very happy to do my first act so I shared my new earned knowledge to my students (6 sections, about 40 students each), as I was teaching Environmental Engineering.

The most important part of the lecture I gave them is the effects of CO2 to our climate, and what we can do to avoid them. It's especially relatable because during that time, we were experiencing El Nino. Included in the lecture were some of the ways we can do to reduce carbon emission. 

So one of their final requirements in class was to reduce 50kg of carbon emission per group (with 3 members). I taught them calculations and directed them to some sites where carbon emissions can be computed so that they would know if their activities can reduce 50gk CO2 or if they need to do more activities.

Most groups did what I included in the lectures as examples. They changed their diet from eating beef to having a vegetarian diet. Some switched their lights and other appliances off when not in use.

One example of their activities

Moreover, I was surprised and awed by their creativity. One group amazed me because instead of personally reducing their carbon emissions, they wrote a letter of request to their dean for the whole building to participate. It was requested to switch off air conditioners and lights after 5pm, because most classes are until 5pm only. 

Another group went house to house to introduce their neighborhood to carbon emission reduction, and they made them pledge to reduce the usage of their lights and electricity.

Of course, while they were doing those carbon reduction activities, I also did my part. I use organic detergents, shampoo and conditioner, unplug unused appliances, and make sure to reduce the use of plastics.

Overall, I hope I made them realize what they can do to prevent climate change, and that they will reduce cabon emission even if they were not required.

JENESYS Japan: Day 1

Day 1: September 29, 2014

Arrival

Upon arriving at Narita Airport and after fixing problems regarding immigration, we were fetched by Mr. Kei Nakayama, our Japanese coordinator. While some of my co-delegates were exchanging pesos to yen, I observed the airport.

Chiba mascot welcoming us to Chiba, Japan.

My first time to see trash cans with good segregation.

We went to APA Hotel in Chiba by bus. Upon arriving at the hotel, room assignments were distributed and the dinner place and time was announced.

During the dinner, Mrs. Hitomi Yamada was introduced to us as our interpreter. Then, after the dinner, we discussed about our cultural presentation.

After a number of suggestions by my active co-delegates, it was decided that we group ourselves into the three main islands, Luzon (my group), Visayas and Mindanao. We were given limited time to discuss, so the Luzon group had a finalized the idea to perform a Panagbenga dance.

Between Lenses Bloghop: Reflection

This month's theme: Reflection. This bloghop is initiated by Tara Victoria and of trees and hues.

For this month's Between Lenses, I need to reflect on my ways on reflecting.

I realize that because I am now without a prayer every night, I gave too little time to reflect on life in general. That's why every time I spent on that task is very fruitful, indeed. There were times when reflecting is necessary because they are turning points of life, like during birthdays and December 31. Also, there are times that there's no way that I could not reflect on life and how beautiful it is to live, e.g. when I'm in museums and art galleries, whenever I hear a song that pierces my heart with its lyrics and melody (witnessing art), when I'm swimming at a beach, or when I see a huge, glorious tree (with nature).

This photo, taken from Gulugod Baboy, Batangas, Philippines, is one of the examples where I felt that I can truly be alone with my thoughts and just enjoy life as it is. Being with the greenery definitely calms my soul down. Moreover, living near a beach when I was younger, bodies of water feel like home to me. Adding them up, it's the best place for me to reflect on my journey as a human being.

P.S. This bloghop reminds me to take note on how I live my life everyday. Thank you for a wonderful theme, Tara Victoria and of trees and hues. :D

Introduction: JENESYS 2.0: Disaster Prevention Course

One of the most sought for travel destinations today is Japan. Many travellers want to experience the rich historic culture as seen in their festivals, temples and pagodas, traditional wear and of course, traditional Japanese food. Moreover, some enthusiasts want to buy merchandise from their favorite anime, manga, or Jpop, and thus the reason to go to this country.

Last September 29 - October 7, I was privileged to be one of the delegates who passed the application to JENESYS Program.
(From over 300 applications, my 34 co-delegates and I made it to the cut.)


Japan-East Asia Network of Students and Youth Program 2.0 (JENESYS 2.0: Disaster Prevention Course) was  initiated Japan Overseas Cooperative Agency (JOCA) and the Japan Information Cultural Center (JICC) of the Japanese Embassy, in partnership with National Youth Commission (NYC), having these objectives:
 (1) to disseminate knowledge regarding disaster prevention and risk mitigation actions in which Japan operates since Japan is one of the countries that is most hit by calamities, and
(2) to deepen the delegates’ knowledge and interest in Japan and its culture and traditions through the COOL Japan brand.

To sum up, here's what we've done:
We visited Tokyo to observe the cutting-edge technology that the Panasonic Center caters, to visit Honjo Life Safety Learning Center to experience calamity simulations, and to experience Japanese culture in Asakusa and Akihabara. Then, on the third day, delegates went to Shizuoka Prefecture to visit some of the infrastructures built or being built after they were hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. We went to Hamamatsu City Coastal Levee, tsunami evacuation tower, and in The Forest of Hope. Also, for cultural experience and exchange, we went to Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, Toumon Homeland, Green Tea Field and Factory and undergone homestay program for 3 nights and 2 days.


And because we had a packed schedule from Day 1 to Day 9, I will blog the detailed version of this unforgettable journey. Stay tuned!

Batangas Foodtrip: Barako (Coffee) Jelly

Original post at Batangas Foodtrip: Barako (Coffee) Jelly: It's Christmas season once again! Christmas parties will start filling up our schedules, and food will overflow like crazy! Good thing I have something new for you on your Christmas party menu! 

Try my very own barako-coffee jelly! 

Yummy dessert! Wine glasses for pictorial purposes only XD

The darkness of barako coffee mixed with choco chips and creamy milk is so good, one serving will not be enough. :) [I used black gulaman here, thus the darker-colored milk.]

Aside from being delicious, it's cheap too! Only 35php per 250ml! How cool is that?

Contact me at 0922-24-25-334 for orders. 

Hope to turn your party one level higher with these yummy desserts! :D