Productivity Meter

So the blog title sounds too technical for a laid-back blog such as what you're in right now. Well, the truth is that productivity has been the theme for the day - right from waking up in the morning up until I find myself here jotting down another post, many things were, should we say, accomplished as the day progressed.

First and foremost, I'd like to give a shoutout to the weather for being good today (though a little rain wouldn't hurt). It's the cool, serene kind of weather I've learned to take solace in, and believe me, right now I need all the consolation I can get.

Boredom takes me to different places. As you may have known me to be, I'm rarely the type that stays idle for too long - which brings me to the conclusion that lazy days can be the most productive days I can have. And today might just have been one of those days. After waking up and eating breakfast with the family, I decided to take time and explore my laptop and see what I could do. 'Twas then that I noticed I had barely two weeks before my avast! Anti-virus would expire, so I made sure to take care of that first. Next up was cleaning up the registry and other useless files - mostly temporary and dump files. Get this - all the garbage files found in the system totaled to more than 3.0GB of space. That's a lot of space for dump files alone, and because of that I was able to give my laptop somehow some breathing room.

After all the maintenance was done and over with, I lulled around the system for something to do. That's when I remembered that I planned on making shirt designs for CSG and other concepts I had in mind. That's when the work started. I first started out by 'pirate'-ing brushes, fonts, and styles from cyberspace - there's really a good load of free stuff you can get from the net for Photoshop. And so without further ado, I went to work. As of this writing, I've made 3 shirt designs for CSG, one for NKE, and another for myself. I guess I'll be posting my works here soon, so stay tuned ^_^

Another good thing I achieved for today was that I found a sort of a fall-back OJT assignment, should Alliance disallow work for only the summer months. I got called up by the owner of a medical website, and told me what I needed for the OJT position. That call made me feel a lot less heavier than I have been for the past days.

This blog post shall end here, I guess. I'll be off to Alcoy tomorrow morning, my family and I will be spending the weekend over at our resthouse there. It's a serene place, so the timing of Holy Week couldn't have been any better. 'Til my next post! Ciao!

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she brings me back down to earth.

Expectations Can Be a Female Dog

There are certain events in life where one aims to achieve something. That something may be an honor, an award, a friend, or even a material possession of personal value. People then do things so as to garner that something, and whatever that may be, the effort put into it is something that's worth looking back at. You see, people have this innate characteristic to expect an outcome when they feel enough effort has been put into doing something. Hence comes the problem - expectations can be a bitch.

Throughout my life, there have been many things I've aspired for - academic honors way back in my elementary days, the joys of life found only in the company of friends when I was in secondary school, and a sense of fulfillment lately, in my college days. Yet despite the change in priority that comes with the change of times, there are always these little things that never do. Happiness, success, and all the other things a child only dreams of are things we all want - that ever-elusive sense of having accomplished something for yourself in life. This can be manifested in a good number of ways, such as securing your future, being in love, living a comfortable life, or even leading a life that will make others enjoy theirs more. Truth is, the technicalities of how you should aim life towards isn't really that important. What's important is that once you do have an idea of what you really want, you should really couple it up with an even greater effort, something greater than the resolve you made when the concept of that goal first entered in your head.

Which brings me to the title again - I'm pretty sure a lot of you reading this post will agree with me that expectations can be a bitch. And by that I don't mean a word would magically transform into a female dog and give us humans another best friend - no, what I meant was that expectations are more than capable of draining us of our energy when we look forward to something so bad yet fall short in eventually gaining it. We "expect" things to happen because we "expect" that the things we did were more than enough to gain what we intend to have. Yet, there have been many a time where our "expectations" don't even come close to the reality - and expectations then leave us with our heads down thinking about what could have gone wrong. However, the damage has been done, and it leaves us wondering whether there should be a ban on expectations, because as much as how endearing the word may sound to our ears, the truth that not all expectations can be achieved still remains.

For the past year, there have been many expectations that never materialized, but none more than what I could feel right now. But what the heck, there's always this alter ego of expectations that makes me smile at the end of the day - and it's not a cigarette stick. Yep, they name it "hope," and it is this one thing that keeps me going on, expecting that things will be what my mind sees them as. It is hope that tells me that "hey! you're not dead yet, things will always have a chance of being alright", and eventually we then find the strength to pick ourselves up after a long, dramatic time of reflection and continue on working for what we will eventually gain - a personal success of hope over demoralizing expectations.

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speaking of cigarettes, i have never tried one.

The Relation Between Lying and Moving Along

Some of you might be asking as to what the title means, or if it does really mean anything at all. You see, there are happenings in one's life where connections are made from the most unsuspecting of sources. And last night was one such happening. Simply put, just allow me to dwell on that topic later on. :)

Starting off, yesterday was Kabataan Partylist Central Visayas Convention. You can read more about it on the most recent blog before this. To say that it was above average would be an understatement - there were loads of people, and majority of them came from the sector itself. There were grand performances from the different districts of the region, either song or dance numbers. I tell you, if you would have been there, you'd see that they could give You Got Served a run for their money. Seriously ;p. There was also a song number as well as games for the audience. After all the talks were given and performances were applauded, the rest of the time was given to bands. My favorite singer, Yach, performed a Paramore song and two Lady Gaga songs - watch out for them, they say that their next target will be UP Cookout '10.

I actually declined when someone asked me to be the technical director for the event, since I wasn't sure when I would be going home and I didn't want to jeopardize the technical aspects because I could not finish what I said I would be responsible for. But guess what? I still ended up being the technical director simply because the sight of that laptop drew me in so much I couldn't resist. If you opened my laptop flat, it would still be smaller than the keyboard area of that laptop. So yeah, you know what I mean.

Overall, it was a great event. I'm pretty sure the event's goals were reached, and everyone had a good time. Just thinking about, it was a pretty much fun event for me, yet I didn't quite bode well with how it ended. Due to privacy and respect matters, I shall keep the specific issues from being published here. But you could ask any of my close friends about a certain quote that said,"next time we meet, do me a favor and remind me not to trust you anymore," and you might just be given the direct answer.

I got home at around 12:30 AM, and before going to bed I took care of everything I had to take care of. After wishing a good night's sleep to the special people(family) and person of my life, I went to bed thinking of the early time I would be waking up the day after.

Come to think of it, the "event" that happened then wasn't really so bad at all - for all it's worth, I actually had great realizations that I feel would lead me to a better path. With all the b*llsh*t that went along with that happening, I realized that there isn't really anything good with being a gullible, stupid person, and that the best way to live life (as I should have learned a long time ago) is to think always about whats best for all persons concerned. This way, everyone wins. And if everyone wins, it makes up for a better overall outcome.

Before I end this post, allow me to give out special mentions to the following:

• Melanie Montaño - she left for Australia at around 1PM today, and she won't be back for two months. We'll miss you, kasama. Babalik ka pare, meron pa tayong SDT case. ;p

• Kristie Megan Cubero - I learned just yesterday that she'll be migrating over to another country. Which country though, I forgot. I wish you the best in all your journeys and undertakings Kim! I'll see you soon. :)

• Algeanne Paclijan - SHE'S COME BACK! I really missed this girl, most especially because she's one hell of a friend to have (and I mean that in the most positive sense of the phrase).

People! Stop leaving. I'm weird 'coz I hate goodbyes.

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never belittle the heaven inside your heart.

A Windy Day

And so this day comes.

For a good number of reasons, I have been quite looking forward for today to come. They're not the usual, I'm-getting-my-pay days, or even the monthly special day couples always look forward to (well, most couples). And yeah, even if they were I wouldn't be sitting in front of this gadget typing down this blog.

For everything that's happened in the past month, and perhaps including the past year, I value this day because it's the first Sunday of the summer season, and I'll be spending it attending the Kabataan Partylist Regional Assembly over at Day-as Gymnasium. It'll be a venue where members of Kabataan will be treated to bands and performances, as well as be informed about the current campaign of Kabataan. FYI, KP Secretary-General Vencer Crisostomo will be on hand, so this event won't lack starpower. I really hope people get to enjoy the event - as much as the effort put in to organize this event, it'll be a pleasant sight to see everyone having a good time.

Aside from that though, another reason for me looking forward to this day is because Algeanne Sun Paclijan will be coming back to Cebu! We last saw each other around December during the Christmas break, and today she'll be back home with us for a time. These people are the reason why I will always look forward to breaks and vacations - time spent with them will more than make up for all the stress accumulated throughout the school year.

Staying at home has never been this relaxing, and personally I can't remember a time similar to this I'm in right now. Perhaps going through one whole school year doing what I did does that to people. I mean, things are either behaving differently, or I'm looking at them in a better way than I used to. First up would be how I handle chores in the household. Back then, they were what they literally said - a chore. But now, oftentimes its me that looks for things to fix or rooms to clean. Secondly, I don't feel too much weighted anxiety whenever something insignificant happens, like a simple text or received e-mail. Right now, there's this sense of security I'm enjoying so much that I have so much confidence that things are and will be alright, and if they aren't then they eventually will. Foremost of these is the fact that there's this girl I feel I've really fallen for, yet due to certain circumstances I am unallowed to be anything more than what we are right now. I enjoy her company a lot, and being with her just eases a lot of the burdens I am carrying. This time it's different, because then I would have actually done something stupid that would result in a "gubot", but now I just feel like happiness doesn't have to go through all the drama that life offers. I've learned that things should be taken one step at a time, and that the best outcomes come from being able to see the obvious. You see, this time there isn't any string attached, and because of that there is no negative sense of insecurity present. Perhaps this is what I got after going through what I did - that as much as life demands things from us, we should also take some time to sit back and be able to look at life, saying "you deserve to be free".

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snowbear candies never meant so much to me, until now.

And So It Ends

YEAH.

Today was the schedule for our CMSC127 Project Defense. And yes, we did it ^_^

I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet that with all the overnight sessions, all the shouts of triumph at mastering a line of code, all the money spent buying Samurai and Sting, all the BBQ dinner bought at Compostela, all the online conferences, all the "tambay sa AS lobby", all the red pentel pen marks found after sleeping, all the preparations, and all the work, IT IS FINALLY OVER.

What's made it better is because our professor gave us an above average assessment for our work, and we could really tell that she was impressed with the output. Though there were some amateur glitches committed, it was an impressive project over-all, and it couldn't have been done without the team effort from the group.

Once again, CONGRATULATIONS for a job well done.

Once again, we did it. \m/.eñego.lopez.almocera.heredia.arzadon.

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summer, here i come.

On Pathways and Sidewalks

Starting off, I have to say that today was one hell of a day - yes, it was one of those times where, like an action movie, the audience never seems to bore itself for even a split second. It's one of those days that you actually have to ask forgiveness from the muscles that run the beating of your heart because of the constant adrenaline rush you feel from the happenings of the day.

So what really happened? Here we go.

The day first started out with the anxious feeling of having to take the third long exam for Math 55. Heck, calculus really hates me, and yet it still wants me to be at the AS Building before 7:30 in the morning :|. As if that wasn't enough, I barely had time to study for that exam, since we were all busy finishing our DB project.

However, I did get a chance to plan for the name and nickname of a kid I hopefully will one day have. His nickname would be Ron, and if you ask him his real name, he'd flash you a wide smile and say "Hi, I'm Megatron". (yes, I am evil.)

This followed with the continuation of encoding our CMSC127 Project. I've been swimming in a pool of codes and syntax lately, I might as well make an ocean of programming lines and live in the deepest parts. However, we're close to 95% done on it, so all the burden and all the all-nighters seem to be more than worth it.

Then there was a break where we watched a movie whose title I barely remember. It starred Selena Gomez, and yeah, that was all that mattered. =P

Things got hotter though, when someone I didn't yet recognize came up to me and asked me if my name was Ruffy. I promptly said yes, we talked, and information came in rushes. Up to now, the thoughts are yet to sink-in, and once they do I most probably would be willing to share it here. Lets just give you a clue: 3 and counting. ^_^

However, what I'm really excited about was this phone call I got midday. It was from Alliance Software Inc., and they told me I could already take their examination and interview for OJT. Once accepted, we would work for 6 months in their company, and we could already start by the first week of April. There's a salary involved, so this offer rocks - big time.

I do hope this gig with Alliance pushes through. Words still can't express how badly I want this.

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nicknamed Tim, his name could also be "Optimus".

Early Beginnings

Hey there friend! As much as you think that the blog title was made because this will be my first post for this blog, you are wrong. (bleh.) I specifically chose that title because it's early morning at my house, and all my other groupmates are still fast asleep while I'm already on my laptop typing this out. So there :)

Anyways, I won't be spending too much time for this post. We're currently working on a Database project for one of our subjects at school, and we got the maximum of three days until our project defense. Yes, it's one of those times where one sometimes forgets that he/she actually still has a life, because they spend majority of it working on something for the future.

Actually, there's a lot of fun in doing this project, since this is already our nth time to have an overnight session coding the damned project. Hey, it pays to have special people in your home and be able to just lambast them without any fear of resentment. And yeah, those are some of the things you will never tire of. Seriously.

P.S. I'd like to give out a big CONGRATULATIONS to my two great friends, Paolo Bago and Gabby Vaño, for starting out on what will hopefully be a wonderful journey through life together. More power to you two!

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the picture on this post rocks.