How About Tossing A Coin? Nah.

Bah. I'm confused.

The mock interview for our practicum (internship, on-the-job training) will be on December 16. In this interview, we will be asked on what firm we would like to be assigned who we would like to be our practicum mates. It's a toss between Blacksmith Institute and Pilipinas Shell for me on the practicum firm. I chose Shell before but Blacksmith Institute has a pretty interesting project going on right now.

With Pilipinas Shell, I'll probably doing corporate social responsibility work for them. Roughly, what I'll do here is come up with programs and projects for communities in and near the vicinity of Shell oil sites and other facilities. Communities near Shell facilities (or any other oil facilities for that matter) are affected by its presence as these facilities produce pollution in many forms. I'll be involved from brainstorming to implementation and maybe until post evaluation of programs and projects.

On the other hand, I'll most probably be involved in the Global Inventory Project of Blacksmith Institute. This is a worldwide project where pollution sites in a country are identified and assessed in order to help institutions (government, non government or private organizations) and the local communities solve the pollution problem. You can read more about it here.

I find both firms and the jobs they offer interesting. I must admit they're both good firms but Pilipinas Shell is flashier, and that would give a big plus in my resume. But Blacksmith offers a project that would benefit not just one community but, if you look at it a bigger perspective, the whole country and even the world. Didn't that just sound very beauty queen-ish? Haha.

And that's just problem number one.

I'm also confused who to choose as my practicum mates. I have four friends in mind but I'm more inclined to the other two. And I'm 99.99% sure that they want me as their practicum mate too. Now here's the catch. Aside from me, these two will also be choosing another person as their preferred practicum mate. Now this other person they like is someone I wouldn't want to be working with. To put it bluntly, I don't like that person. In effect of choosing the two people I like, I'll also be choosing the one that I don't like. Bah.

I have until December 15 to think. Would appreciate your opinions though.

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listening to:  From the Start

Gimme My Baby, Santa

The other day I asked a couple of my friends what they want for Christmas.

Not that I have the intention of being their Santa this year or any other year in the future but I just wanted to know what they yearn for this Christmas. Ok. Honestly, I was thinking that maybe if I can afford what they want maybe I'll try to get it for them. I just love the high I get whenever I'm able to give something to my friends.

Not more than a minute passed and my phone started beeping. In my mind I was already expecting a general answer to my question: material things. Not that I consider my friends to be materialistic, but come on, I'm not exactly expecting a beauty contest material answer from them either.

• a John Grisham book
• Stitch (the Disney character) earrings
• yoga mat
• pair of shoes from Artwork or Happy Feet
• red rose
• pants
• anything I want to give them
• a bonggang bonggang party in Bora

Methinks I can prolly afford these...if I don't get a gift for myself. Lol. But these things weren't the top answer. In fact, the top answer wasn't things at all but people. Yes, people. Apparently, my friends yearn for somebody not for something.

Half of my friends answered they want me for Christmas. I'm surrounded with retards you see. But the sane ones, luckily majority of them still belong to this category, said they want someone to spend their Christmas with. And they weren't referring to their family.

Funny that I can't recall myself wanting a relationship so bad that it's on my Christmas wish list. I mean, I never really yearned or wished for someone to come and sweep me off my feet. They just came and the next thing I knew I was already in a relationship. Not necessarily in love though.

I don't believe in courting. I date but no courting please (either you or me). I find courting pretentious and a complete waste of time. If I like someone and that someone likes me (he/she has to explicitly say this though, subtle cues are not entertained), then I immediately suggest that we go try to be together. Why beat around the bush?

Courting, at least for me, is pretentious because one will always try to put his best foot forward. And this works both for the courter (is there such a word?) and the one being courted (courtee?) assuming that they like each other. They both try to project only their cute, cuddly, lovable and doable (pun) sides so as not to turn off or disappoint each other. But in the end of the day, meaning when they're already together, they realize that everything is not as colourful as it seems which, of course, will later lead to a bigger disappoint.

I've been in this philosophy for my past two relationships and I can say that this works for me well. I enter a relationship, try to be happy, enjoy and try to make things work. Everything one day at a time. Of course not all people subscribe to this idea so I only try this with someone who's willing to try or if I'm lucky, someone who has the same thinking.

However, and as I've mentioned, I'm not necessarily in love yet when I enter a relationship. The only thing I'm certain of is that I like the person enough for me to want to have a relationship with him/her. Love, if it happens, is very much welcome. If not, then it's time for me to go back into the sea. Lol.

But with all due respect to those who believe in courting, well, whatever floats your boat.

Ah. I remember the days when I was the president a group called Singles' Society which every December would assume the alias of  Samahan ng mga Malamig ang Pasko. Haha.

***

Look what I saw in Facebook

Vampire + Wolf = Volf. Hot.

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listening to : Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown)

The Sun Smiled At Me Today

Today I went out of my cave and:

• gave Iyabear, the president of one of the organizations I am a member, a copy of my form 5 (registration form) and 1x1 picture

• watched some of the presentations in the 35th foundation day celebration of my college

• bought a bottle of 400 IU vitamin E

• bought vitamin C and E serum at HBC

• bought some toiletries at Robinson's

• was tempted to buy a new copy of Avatar anime series

• got a new energy saving flourescent light (I busted the old one with a pillow last night, very mature I know)

• saw a hot young skinhead daddy-o. And he kept smiling at me. Kidding.

That was pretty much my day today. Bah.

And oh, take a look at this

via twibbon

Somebody tell these people that the massacre already happened and we can't oppose much more stop it.

Publish Post

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listening to: Limang Dipang Tao

The Bum

This pretty much sums of my life now.

Bah. I've been doing nothing for almost a month now. And no, it's not that fun.

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listening to: Little Miss Obsessive

Summer Sunshine

It was one fateful April when I first saw you. You were standing in the eternally green grass of Freedom Park. Your hands were in your waist, your body soaked in sweat and you  were catching breath. You weren't special. You were just like any other sports enthusiasts who enjoy their hearts out playing in the field. I couldn't care less about you. I hated sports. I hated standing under the scorching heat of the sun. I hated sweat. But then you looked at me. Everything was changed.

**

It was one fateful June when our paths crossed again. I was at my favorite fast food in Vega. I just wanted to eat. And so I went to the counter. There was nothing special in the menu. Same old meals. Same old drinks. Same old crew. But when I looked behind me, I saw you. You were right behind me and we were only an inch apart. You weren't special. Shorts. Shirt. Sneakers. Anyone can go out with that look. I couldn't care less about you. But you smiled at me. Everything was changed.

**

It was one fateful month of September. I was in the classroom waiting for my professor to arrive. There was nothing special that day. I'm in the same old room, doing the same old things I do while waiting. I was chatting with my same old friends. I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary. I just wanted to see my professor so as to know what the special meeting is is all about. Our professor arrived explaining stuffs that I failed to understand. I felt like dozing off. But then the door opened.  There were unfamiliar faces coming in. I didn't care about them. But I saw your face. You were with them. Really, I couldn't care less. But you looked at me and smiled. Then you sat beside me. Everything was changed. I was changed.

**

It is one fateful day that is today. Today marks exactly a week from now when we decided to do something new, something we both haven’t done together before. We exchanged messages, good mornings, goodnights, hellos and how are yous. We talked, we went out, and we had fun. We silently sneaked out when everyone was busy. We spent seven exhilarating days. Seven days of bliss. But we both knew that this has to end. And the best day to end this is now. I tried to say goodbye in person but you wouldn’t let me. I mustered all my courage to break the news but I lost it all the moment you hugged me. I started to melt. I wanted to cry. But I have to this if I really care. Now, longing will be made flesh. We will grow, but we will grow part. No promises will be broken for no promises will be made.*

**

It is one fateful day that is today.

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*Louie Cano

Justice for the Victims of Maguindanao Massacre

via Professional Heckler

image by petiburges

UPLB Babaylan, Ang Ladlad and COMELEC

Click the image to enlarge.

I am a member of UPLB Babaylan.

From the Top

If I believed in an outside force that we wanted to call God,and I believe that there is one, I think God would appreciate what I say, because I can't see God wanting to create a world full of idiots.

- Marilyn Manson

Pipo is a part time blogger, part time bum and a full time Human Ecology student who dreams of being either a public relations officer, communications officer or training and development specialist of a corporate company. He then plans to quit the job after three to five years of being hired and apply in a firm that gives him a job on a per project basis thus allowing him to have long healthy breaks from work.

Before becoming a human ecology student, he was a computer science major but decided to shift course because he thought the latter course is for unhappy people. He almost became a development communications major but he decided not to pursue it despite the warm reception he received from the Dean of the college offering that course. Yet he considers that action the wisest decision he made in his whole life so far. He's now a proud human ecology, environmental, and sustainable development advocate.

He went to New Era University for his primary education not because he's a non-practicing catholic but because it is the nearest non-sectarian private school in his home. He attended his first year in secondary education in the same school but decided to transfer to a public school in far-flung yet uber nice town called Alfonso in Cavite. During his stay in that public school, he received tons of medals enough for him to have osteoporosis if only his bones were on weak side. He used to be proud to have graduated as class valedictorian until he went to the University of the Philippines and met dozens of people who graduated with the same title.

In his 22 years of existence, he discovered several things about himself. He discovered in the fourth grade that he's not an alpha male when he melted after a bully classmate defended him from the bully in the other class. He started to question the Catholic church when he was in second year high school but still continues to have faith in the Creator. In his first few years in college, he discovered that he doesn't want to get rich because of the uncertainty that he will be able to give back what he will receive. Yes, he believes in karma but he doesn't do good things because he wants good karma - he does it because it feels good inside. Other things he likes you to know are the following:

• He's not a morning person
  
• He's not emo and will never be one
  
• He loves music.
  
• He dips french fries in sundae
  
• He's impulsive
  
• He sleeps talk
  
• He loves iced tea
  
• He doesn't like sweating (on the second thought...)
  
• He's lazy
  
• He's a chocoholic
• He judges people (but keeps it to himself)
  
• He (sometimes) worries too much
  
• He easily gets stressed
  
• He doesn't like travel and travelling
  
• He has peter pan syndrome
• He loves reading
  
• He's good in lying
  

He recently joined UP Babaylan Los Baños.