Sugar Rush

NDC may be over but this is just the beginning of everything.

Just got back from Baguio City. Major weather adjustment.

Anyway, I’m back to reality. But I’m not complaining here. I had fun during the NDC. =)

–Baguio was lovely. I love the weather and I hope that I could bring
it with me wherever I go. I just didn’t have enough time to really
explore the place. I’d have to come back someday.

–PMA is the most beautiful campus I had ever been to. Words are not enough to describe it. Definitely.

–And of course, being in PMA allowed the NDC participants to meet
some cadets and actually take a peek at their everyday lives. After one
week in PMA, I now fully appreciate everything that soldiers do just to
protect the citizens. They may look stiff in their uniforms and their
expressions may tell everyone that they are tough but one week was
enough to make me understand that they are human, too. Human beings who
make big sacrifices to answer their calling and serve the country. It
was fun seeing them laugh, talk excitedly, and all that. Even if they
still walk stiffly. =)

–This tournament made me appreciate debate as more than just debate.
This tournament showed me that debate is a delicate art that needs time
and patience and perseverance for one to succeed and bask in the sense
of fulfillment and satisfaction it can give. I met different debaters
from all over the country and saw varying degrees of commitment to the
craft. And it’s all beautiful.

–My fellow debaters from the SU Debsoc. You guys are super fun to be
with. I can never forget all the laughter, late-night to early morning
chicka sessions, shopping, eating out, and basically, just being
together and being one big happy family. I’ll never ever forget you
guys. You made my life even more beautiful. I’m looking forward to more
debates and fun in the future. =)

After all that, one question still remains unanswered. What next?
I’d have to say that this is just the beginning of everything. After
meeting people who are dedicated enough to suffer for our country,
people who love debate and value freedom of expression, people who
laugh despite the pain, it just made me see life in a different
perspective. It made me see that life is indeed beautiful and there’s
more to what you have now if you just look in the right place.

I guess I just have to go with the flow. Life will take me to where
I’m supposed to be. And while I’m on my way there, I’ll just sit back
and enjoy the journey. =)

It’s finals and I still procrastinate.
I’ve been fighting this disease for so long now. Actually, when the sem
started I made it a goal to do everything as soon as it was given and
not wait ’till the last minute (I hope I learned my lesson after the
BC25 first draft episode). But no matter how hard I try, it is
unavoidable. You see, if I do it immediately, as in after a
stressful day in school, I’d feel drained and that’s not good for the
quality of my work as the state of mind of a person can affect the
output greatly. And second, if all I do is related to schoolwork that
means I don’t have time to read newspapers or magazines and catch up
with what’s happening around the world and that’s just terrible.  I don’t want to live under a rock!

You see? I have a LOT of excuses to not strike when the iron is hot.
So how do I avoid procrastination for good? Before I go to the solution
of this ever-present problem, let’s take a good look at the cause.

Procrastination is the act or habit of
procrastinating, or putting off to a future time; delay; dilatoriness.
Okay. So we all know that. But what do we do when we delay doing an
important thing?

Case study:

There was a college girl who took up Mass Communication because she
said she loved writing, talking, curious about advertising and
marketing and all the things masscom students are supposed to do.
Anyway, on a Saturday morning her alarm clock rang at 7:15. Although
she would usually sleep until 11am on weekends, she woke up early that
day to do everything she has to do. She reached for her dark blue
planner and took a look at what she’s supposed to do that day (she has
carefully written everything in detail the night before so that she
won’t waste her precious time in thinking of what to do the next
morning.) Quite proud of herself, she picked up her bible and prayed.
After praying, she took a quick shower and prepared coffee to start her
day. While sipping her favorite mug of hot coffee, she picked up a copy
of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and turned to chapter 15, sat
down on an uncomfortable plastic chair and started reading. After one
chapter, the coffee mug was still half full so she decided to read
another chapter. An hour and a half later, she closed the book, picked
up the mug and washed it. She decided it was time to start reading her
Com21 photocopies. Plopping down on a chair, photocopy and yellow
highlighter in hand, she read the first paragraph. As she was about to
start reading the second paragraph, a thought popped up and she decided
to write about it. So she picked up her purple hard-bound journal and
black Pilot pen and started scribbling. An hour later and six pages
filled-up, she decided to continue her readings. Halfway through the
second paragraph, her cellphone beeped. It was a text message from her
friend inviting her out to an early lunch. She then decided to bring
her photocopied readings so she could read while waiting for the food.
Dressed in a tank top and jeans with a black and white headband secured
neatly and white ballet flats on her feet, she picked up her black
backpack and left confident the day is still long enough. After lunch,
at exactly 2pm, she decided to go the library and study there in peace.
Boy, was she wrong! The first floor was crowded so she went to the
second floor but it was also crowded. With no choice left, she headed
to the third floor sans air conditioning. She placed her things on a
table and took a newspaper for matter loading purposes. After reading
almost every article, she decided to go to the first floor and study in
the ASRC. It was 3pm. In the ASRC, she sat on her favorite corner and
took out her readings. Then she saw a copy of The Best American Travel
Stories 2002. She took it from the shelf and read it instead. Time flew
fast and it was 5:30pm. Time for the library to close. Outside the
library, she decided to go back to the boarding house and study foe
real. Her cellphone beeped and the message was from a fellow debater.
She decided that she wanted to casebuild after all and went, completely
forgetting about the photocopied readings folded inside her bag,
waiting to be read. At 9pm, after casebuilding, everyone decided to go
out for dinner. At 11pm, she was back in her boarding house, tired. She
only had enough energy to change into her sleeping clothes, brush her
teeth, crawl to bed, and pray. As she lay down, she felt extremely
guilty but decided that she could do it tomorrow.

What happened to the list she made? What happened to her promise?
That’s how powerful procrastination can be. And it’s sad. Very sad.

Active avoidance. That’s how to describe
procrastination best. Active may be a good word but not when the next
word is avoidance. It sounds pretty nasty.

So what do you think should that girl do in order to avoid doing that again? FOCUS.

Yeah right. It’s easier said (or written) than done. *sigh*

This is going to be just plain ranting. I
need to de-stress myself before starting on my Com21 homework. Okay. So
my ranting time starts now…

What have I been doing for the whole afternoon? Doing my BC25 stuff.
I’m drained. No. Wait. I shouldn’t be drained. Kuya Noel did all the
work this afternoon. I guess thinking about something too much
(particularly something that has a deadline) makes one drained. All my
creative juices are squeezed out of my head because of all the formal
stuff that BC25 requires (wordiness is a no-no). I feel so…uninspired.

My only source of inspiration at the moment is my copy of Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows which I won’t be having much time to
read. Waaaaaaaah!! I’m getting at the good chapters. No. Let me restate
that. Every chapter is a good one. That’s why I am so eager to read it.
I woke up early for the past two days just to read Harry Potter 7 with
a cup of hot coffee and enjoy the cool mornings we’ve been having these
past few days. Reading Harry Potter 7 is…heaven. I feel like I am
drinking the yummiest coffee in the whole wide world everytime I read
it. But I want to take my time and savor every word, sentence,
paragraph, chapter, in short, the whole book! I want to savor the
giddiness I feel because this will be the last time that I will feel
giddy over a Harry Potter book. All the waiting is over. No more Harry
Potter book to wait for. No more eagerness in reading the whole Harry
Potter book. I’ve read almost everything. =(
Even though I have waited for the seventh book ever since the I
finished reading the sixth book (which was two years ago, I guess), I
feel really sad that the series has ended.

Anyway, have to stop this. I still have tons of homework waiting for
me and a Filipino13 exam to study for. Harry Potter can wait. But I
think I’ll wake up early again tomorrow and read a chapter with a cup
of hot coffee. =) Just something to wake me up in time for my 7am class.

Everyone is aware of the standards society put to beauty. There is a standard that everyone should conform to. Aesthetic beauty and economic class seems to count most in this world.  It might not be an issue to someone who is already blessed with good looks and a good life, but I still want to share this to you and I want the world to know how much I loath society’s ”standards”.

This afternoon, I was at Dunkin’ Donuts, enjoying my cup of coffee and doughnuts after lunch while crafting my talumpati for Filipino13 class. I heard the security guard talking to somebody outside the store so I looked up and saw an old woman who looked dirty and unkempt. The guard was asking her what she wanted and the old lady said that she wanted to buy something. The guard obviously did not believe her because she looked so poor that he found it unbelievable. Fortunately, the ladies behind the counter told the guard to open the door and let her in. She had a huge smile on her face when she was finally let in and walked to the counter saying, “Mupalit ko. Naa ko’y kwarta.” while waving her folded money in the air. After purchasing a box of doughnuts,  she gleefully told the guard, “Nipalit ko noh? naa lagi ko kwarta.” Then, she was out of the store.

This is a perfect example of how harsh society is, especially to poor people. Economic class plays a big role in how the people treat you. To think the the old lady’s mere appearance played a big role in the guard’s decision not to let her in the store! How discriminating! But then, if we look at the ladies behind the counter and incorporate them into the context of the real world, I’m glad to know that some people still care and that these people exist. I wish we could have more of these people in society. 

Economic class and appearance play a big role in society today. It determines how kind or how harsh people woul treat a human being. But we don’t have to conform to these “standards”. Knowing that this is wrong and undesirable, we can still change this perception in our own little way. I’m encouraging you to break away from the mold society has set on everyone. Hopefully, we can slowly change the way the world thinks and sees.