Months have passed and I’m in college now. Long overdue blog, but well-deserving of one. 

We all have our ways of spending summer, yeah? Some might go to beach-each let’s go get away este go out of town, some even out of the country. 

Being the lousy un-traveller I am, I decided to send resumes to not more than 20 companies. Yes, hindi ka bulag. 20 COMPANIES, BES. 

REASONS:  1. Sense of responsibility 2. Training for the future ahead 3. Be passionately involved in our economic cycle 4. Involved in the Philippines’ financial growth through labor and service 5. 

Hahahahaha! Moving on!  From the 20 e-mails I sent, only 5 unnamed companies replied. 

One of them was NuWorks Interactive Labs, Inc.

Highlighted and in bold, you will see why this single sentence made all the difference. And this, my friends, is where the story starts.

A few days before my birthday, I got an e-mail-- and a professional one at that. 

“We actually do need some extra hands...” was the line that I thought would land me this internship, and it did. After a few interviews with Joe and Neah (two of my bosses), and might I add the brilliance of my answers to your Miss (Mister) Universe questions, Joe. :P :P

But anywho, if you’re wondering what I did in the span of 3 months... well, let’s put it in a list, shall we?  1. Pile. Paper. A lot. Of. Papers. 2. Record overtimes and leaves. 3. Update overtime and leave tracker manually 4. Try not to play the arcade. 5. Fail number 4... miserably. Shoutout to Gian, talo ka parin sa SF x Capcom! 6. SCOOTER. (If you want videos of me scootering, hmu. HAHA) 7. BOBOL! Basketball basketball laaaang. Every Wednesday, guys! 8. Drink and drink some mo’ 

And last, but definitely not the least--

Number 9. Make family.

These people, they became like the brothers, sisters, moms and dads God forgot to give me. Some are, well, a tad-bit serious-- while some are outrageously fun to be with. 

I expected work to be work, and while sometimes that was the case, I still got to be myself. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the most essential part of establishing your future. 

From them did I learn that excellence is to be delivered in a positive light-- that not every short-comings are depressing, but rather knowledgable. Success is but a failure if it is not done with a smile. 

So to cut it all short, I’d just like to thank the people of NuWorks. From Joe to Sir Jeff, to the engagement, creatives, accounts/BD, IT, QA and the developers team.

You guys are the freaking bomb. 

To end this off, here’s our RUNNING MAN video during one of our BOBOL sessions. 

A video posted by NuWorks Interactive Labs, Inc. (@nuworksph) on May 17, 2016 at 5:52am PDT

Out of all the things I can write about, I write about a barbershop. But lo and behold, your typical “pa-2 by 3 lang kuya.” Mac is looong gone. ;)

For months and months, I worked hard for my beautiful 90270124 inch hair. And I could not have had a better place to have it cut from me. 

Of course, just like any place here in Manila that wants to take their reputation to the next level, this barbershop’s settled at BGCs Eight Forbestown Road, Forbestown Center.

The Village Barber and Supply Shop, everybody!

It felt so welcoming to come inside of its simple log house-esque palette that stood out from all the walk-ins in the building. It wasn’t the biggest of barbershops and compared to Bruno’s in Shang - well, it doesn’t really stand much of a chance. 

But I assure you that the feeling of being confined, limited and enclosed are the last things you’ll feel when you’re here. :)

When I sat down, I was greeted with the kindest of handshakes from Kuya Ray, my now-proclaimed-barber.  *Convo between kuya Ray and I* “Ano gupit natin, sir?” “Yun nga po eh.” “Dibale, marami namang ganyan. Ano ba gusto mo?” “Basta po maretain natin kahit ng konti yung pinaghirapan kong buhok for 5 months. Hahaha!” “5 MONTHS? Halata nga naman! Hahaha!” “Sayong-sayo na buhok ko, kuya. :((” “Sige, ako na bahala dito sir.”

And just like that...

A couple of hot towels to the face

A KILLER MASSAGE (They’ll actually have it done to you while you’re laying on your back. What’s funny is that I came from the gym before having the haircut and I swear that massage couldn’t have come in a much better time.) 

A cut there, a cut here, a trim on that side and a couple of shaves on the other and voila!

Wag kayo magalala! Makikita niyo rin ako sa pictures. Wag lang ngayon. HAHAHA <3 

Anyway, I think I just found my new favorite barbershop. Though pricey, I do think they’re worth the try. Who knows? Maybe one day we get to see each other! :P

The ambiance is just perfect and if you’re with somebody, they don’t just sit there. They sit there... AND READ MAGAZINES WITH AN AMAZING VIEW!

(Hindi po ako yung view. Gabi na po kasi. BOOM FEELER)

Overall, I can now finally see why women visit their suking salons every month or two for their haircuts, manicures and pedicures. The freedom of wanting to look clean may have been one of the manliest choices I’ve done - and that’s all because of this barbershop.

Here are the prices:

(Just read everything. Winner yung description ng Shave.)

Oh! They also have drinks to serve for the more expensive packages like:

And if ever you do want to try this out and schedule, here are the details you’ll need:

Contact number: (+63) 906 451 4554 Address: 2/F Eight Forbestown Road, Forbestown Center, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines

Right off the bat, the expectation of what’s known to be a serious industry has turned heads YET AGAIN. 

The SM Supermalls application for both Apple and Android provide you the updates you need for your day-by-day shopping or your weekly movie scheds with the family.

The fun thing about this app is it actually gives you the list of the shops and restaurants inside a branch. I, personally, go to SM Aura every week and still find out about shops I didn’t even know existed inside. (Apparently, there’s Merry Moo inside. MERRY MOO)

Not only does it have it’s INFO-PROWESS-- they also have their collaboration with Krispy Kreme! 

Ever wondered how to get free doughnuts?

Step 1: Download the SM Supermalls app from the App store Step 2: Scratch the card in the app Step 3: Voila. A box of 3 glazed doughnuts! Goodbyeeee summer bod! </3

So act fast! This’ll only be up to JUNE 28, 2016. 

What you see is what you get, they said.

Rewind to March 5, 2016 -- Silaw, the night everybody waited for since the day it was announced.

Guests included DJ Katsy Lee (@katsilly) and DJ Jessica Milner (@jessmilner)

I wasn’t able to watch the whole of it, but I got there when the heart started to beat. And by beat-- we’re talking basses, drops and lights (kaya nga Silaw, diba Mac?)

The party was like... it was like your normal, day-by-day roller coaster in that part of the carnival. Believe me when I tell you it had a lot of highs, a lot of those moments when all you can do is let the ride take control of you and enjoy.

BUT WHYYY? WHY DOES THE HYPE HAVE TO FAAADE? When does a party lose momentum, man? :( 

Of course, as a graduating student, this was my last high school night. My last night where I’d be able to go crazy as hell. And seeing the crowd fade WAS NOT and WILL NOT be the definition of my last high school night.

...pero fine, I did buy some stuff and kinda left the crowd too. Pero mag move on na tayo diyan mga kaibigan.

What happened next changed my life for a little while-- or for a long one.

When I was buying some drinks (Four Seasons lang, ‘ma.), I saw some of my batchmates seating SOOO far away from the crowd. I decided to join them, had a little chit-chat and all.

Batchmate: Nakakapagod kasi eh. Saka wala nang tao. Yours truly: Tara na! Sa harap tayong lahat promise. Batchmate: Sige, sunod kami maya-maya pahinga lang. “Sige, sunod kami maya-maya” is Filipino for “Di na kami babalik.” HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Then I heard a voice. “YOOO Y’ALL BETTER COME RIGHT IN FRONT”

Well, whaddya know? It’s the legend himself.

So the crowd went coming back and when I say coming back, they came back HARD. Just like the first hour... then disappeared the next half-hour. Again.

Then someone held my shoulder from the back, 

“Mac, akyat na.”

“Nakakahiya... pero sigeeeeeeeeeeeeee tanong natin si Gino.”

Short intro to Gino: He’s the SG President..... and my best friend.

Well, to make it short sabi ni Gino “Sige basta wag ka magmumura ha? Akyat!!!”

Then there. It went by all too fast. But here:

Yup. That’s Katsy Lee right there. 

WAAAAY WAY TOO FAST.

I’m only blogging about this because I haven’t moved on from that day. It was the best, morning to evening. :)

And because I’m cherishing every second I have with this beautiful, partying (?) batchmates of mine. 

MISS YOU, BOYS! SOL ‘16.

Cheers to one hell’uva night, boys! Way to go Student Gov. 

I’ve had my fair share of browsing through the web for the perfect white sneakers and the most and finely checkered of long sleeves and I’m telling you-- online shopping is the bomb. 

But before (and after) all these summer apparels and vacation-themed items are sold and bought, we know for a fact that they are not and SHOULD NOT be wasted and luckily, just like the superman it is, OLX comes in at the perfect time.

From the 7th of March to the 8th of April, OLX will be giving you a chance to win a trip to Boracay, Cebu, Palawan or Batanes plus up to a P100,000 worth of shopping on OLX! If any of you guys win, I’m sure a pair of Stan Smiths would be nice for the one who inspired you to post and win.

Weekly Draw: Two (2) winners of a Php 50,000.00 buying spree on OLX Philippines each Grand Draw: One (1) winner of a Php 100,000.00 buying spree on OLX Philippines and a trip for 4 to places like Boracay, Cebu, Palawan, Batanes  

And if you’re reading this, how perfect does the combination of letters P, A, L, A, W, A and N sound right now? I’m coming for you.

Steps for the promo:

Register at http://naksperience.com with their complete name, mobile number associated with their OLX Philippines account, mailing address, email address, and birthdate.

Download the OLX Philippines application, which is available both on Android and iOS.

Post an ad or sell an item through the mobile appAdd the hashtag #Naksperience on the product description. Items posted for selling must be of good quality and AT LEAST be of one hundred pesos (Php100.00) in value and price.

Here are the cut-off dates! :)

I could have 400 fingers and I still wouldn’t be able to count the things that my Alma Mater has shown me through the years.

I could have 10 brains and still not store the overflowing knowledge my school’s taught me.

I could have a million hearts and still not be able to contain all the values this community has taught me.

Believe me, 12 years? Quota na yan. But it’s not enough. As seniors, we’re not ready to leave the dried grass of the very worn-out football field or the beautiful view when everyone’s gone and home and you’re left to admire how graceful the sun will go down in between the buildings. 

But then, there it goes. 

There goes the comfort of laughing after a long day of getting scolded by Coach Chris. 

There goes the seatmates who would either sleep the whole subject off or you can copy notes from-- but in most occasions, you’re probably stuck with two of your seatmates sleeping. 

There goes the unnecessary screams, the impromptu Shangri-la, the logbook marks which say “______ saying bad words.” 

There goes the familiarity of the each campus or let me rephrase, which bathrooms have the bidets.

There goes the moments you wait for your friends outside their classrooms so you can take recess or lunch together...... o kaya maningil ng utang. Langhiya

There goes the uniform you wore for four years and you’d always stain with ink or with Super Jeff’s oily food. 

There goes our last graduation ball, boys. Our last exams, our last three-point bucket on the court, and... and the goodbyes.

Because not only will we embark on new experiences, not only will we go to our new schools, but we will also be saying farewell for just a little while. But this time, it’ll be an exciting goodbye but don’t take it for granted. Konting kapit lang ‘to, guys. 

We will finally know and understand why they say “Kapag tumanda ka na...” It will all finally make sense why they said to pour out every single effort for senior year. It will finally make sense why they said to high-five your friend a little harder, because someday you’ll miss it. You’ll miss the abnormal handshakes. It will finally make sense why they told you to talk to the classmates you haven’t talked to too much. 

It will finally make sense why all of your teachers are asking you the age-old question of where you’re going to college. 

And most especially, why your respective advisers are scolding your noisy, screaming class. Haha! Yes, that too will make sense. 

The school’s been preparing you for becoming a stranger to everything you used to know and learned to love.

Because schoolmates, when you get to college, there will be a part of you that will love it. Love it to the extent that you’ll forget what highschool meant to you. But let me be the one to tell you that there will always be a little piece of home you will NEVER EVER fill. 

Maybe it’ll sink in when you complain about college exams, wishing you could just go back to highschool quizzes because it will be WAAAAY easier. Yata. Minsan mahirap pero kinakaya naman.

Maybe it’ll all sink in when you lay in bed, after all the homeworks and studying, and feel like a stranger on your own bed because you get less sleep now. 

It will sink in when you’re too overwhelmed from all the schoolwork and you would want some encouragement from sir Badz, or hear Ms. Lumanog’s voice on the PA system, or even the super corny jokes from your seatmate. 

It will sink in, all of these things. And you will hate it. You will hate it because you can’t go back to the moments where everything is familiar.

So to my fellow seniors, don’t just make the best of your senior year. Go out there and get the best out of everyday you have before you pack your bags and begin your beautiful life.

There is so many things in fast-forward and with that comes the things you look towards to. But remember to slow down because before you know it, everything you are will become who you once were and who you will become--

will make all the difference.

:)

I’ll miss you, SOL ‘16. No goodbyes, brothers. 

Here you are. The 10 best “Lourdesiano ka kung…” lines I’ve encountered during my 12 years inside this place I call second home. 

Now please, I’m graduating together with my batch. It’s not supposed to be sad nor depressing. So give me the chance to lighten your senioritis up and come with me as we laugh at our adventures. :)

LET’S START. 

COMING IN AT NUMBER 10:

“Lourdesiano ka kung si Jeff yung bayani mo tuwing recess at lunch.” 

I’m sure there are days when you wonder “Sana may sizzling si Jep” and what do you know? He’s like Superman. But without the tights and the ability to fly but let me tell you his superpower though, he bathes your rice with gravy. 

Yup. You heard me right. WHERE YOU AT NOW SUPERMAN?!

NUMBER 9:

“Lourdesiano ka kung mahal na mahal mo yung Wednesday schedule (except if you have P.E. Harsh.)”

Oh how I love Wednesdays. There’s always a feeling that Wednesdays are half-days, even if it’s been 4 years since I’ve had the same schedule. The sensation of knowing that you’re commuting against no one– just you, some other Lourdesians and a whole lot of sun. 

This is the only day when you’re completely confident that you can go to Shang with your friends. Or sorry, do homeworks. ;) Hahaha! 

Kidding aside, P.E + Wednesday = worst schedule. That’s an hour and 40 minutes of basketball using a volleyball or sleeping on the bleachers compared to your normal 2-hour-P.E. Swear. Worst schedule. 

NUMBER 8:

“Lourdesiano ka kung ibang klase yung pagmamahal mo kay Sir Badz dahil ibang klase rin pagmamahal niya sayo.”

The man, the myth, the LEGEND. SIR BERDON “BADZ” MANLUTAC.

Let me give you a brief description about this saint of a man–

He teaches CLEd. His hair color doesn’t reflect much on his capability to either teach or play an AND-1 or shoot the sniper with the class. Gaya nga ng sinabi ko, alamat yang si Sir Badz. 

Whenever he makes the class laugh, but none of my classmates laugh because they’re either:

Taking a ride to dreamland 

Already in dreamland

Taking notes

He’d tell the class “Sabi nga ni Master Montoya, magturo nalang ako.” I MEANT IT AS A JOKE LAST YEAR. LAST YEAR. 

Pinamumukha akong masama ni sir eh.

But I thank God for letting him teach us. And I’m not talking about how to differentiate heaven from hell, but teach us about how faith and prayer play the bigger parts in our lives. I have no words for Sir Badz. He’s a true hero and I’m not joking about that. 

We love you, sir! :)   

Number 7:

“Lourdesiano ka kung mahilig kang magbasketball gamit chalk at chalk ledge. BASKETCHALK.”

Now this I cannot emphasize enough. The love for the game can’t only be expressed inside the court with your full Under Armour apparel because here, you can also express it inside the classroom. You just need chalk and a whole set of spin moves and crossovers. 

If you got both requirements, prepare yourself for the greatest sport in classroom history, my friend. See you in the court.

Number 6:

“Lourdesiano ka kung first day of classes palang inuuna niyo na lineup niyo sa intrams, pero ang layo-layo pa ng intrams.”

The moment you’re done with your enrollment, you always wish for that one varsity player who can carry a specific sport. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get a varsity for each sport. 

But when most of the varsity players are in one section, just… don’t even bother. Because from personal experience, they will hop from playing basketball to being a substitute for volleyball while they drip sweat in the gymnasium floor. Some even insisted playing volleyball while they’re in their cleats. #warrior #dugas

Number 5:

“Lourdesiano ka kung yung binili mong Panda ballpen sa canteen di tumatagal ng isang araw sayo.”

It’s simple. You drop your ballpen and if you don’t look for it 2 seconds after it fell, consider it chilling with Houdini, man. IT’S GONE and you’re probably going to borrow from your classmate and you’re going to lose that one as well. 

This is why Panda ballpens are cheap, because the demand is real. HAHAHA

Number 4:

“Lourdesiano ka kung Juma-John Lloyd ka sa clinic”

Either you’re really sick or you took classes from Leonardo Dicaprio. The art of having intentional headaches is sacred for only those who wish to survive the reality of headaches. I hate headaches. 

Pakiusap naman. Tama na pacute kay nurse Jonnie. Mabilis makahalata yan. HAHAHA ++++ additional information: Clinics have NBA scores and if you’re a die-hard fan of AlDub, I know you know what to do. HAHA

Number 3:

“Lourdesiano ka kung yung intrams shirt mo noong nagsimula ka hanggang nag tapos ka sa Lourdes nasayo pa.”

Personally, I still have my first grade intrams shirt. And it fits. I wonder what I looked in them. Was I Westside enough? We’ll never know. HAHA Anyways, this one shows true devotion for your Alma Mater. It gives you very big pride to have at least 8 to 10 intrams shirts. 

Plus it makes for a good going-to-neighbor’s-house shirt. Or a malapit-lang-naman shirt. Just… just not for casual wear, okay? You don’t have to let everyone know your Grade 6 Diligence with the number 31 shirt still fits you. :/

Number 2:

“Lourdesiano ka kung naging bayani mo si Ate Roxy-ng nag phophotocopy.”

Dear Ate Roxy,

We Lourdesians cannot explain how important of a role you have played in our school lives. You have saved us whenever we lacked a page of our HRP, or when we lost our copy of the reply slip. You were there ready to xerox for us for not even 2 pesos. 

AND you sold siomai and empanda. Personally, your 12-peso Empanadas are the best… probably because they’re the only empanadas in school BUT COME ON. 

You the real MVP, ate. 

And finally…

Number 1:

“Lourdesiano ka kung third home mo na yung Shang.”

I think this one came unanimously. Oh, Shangrila. From the days of playing Modern Warfare 2 in Blueskies to window shopping in Topman. You were always our go-to mall. You’ve basically seen us grow up to be the men we are today and we couldn’t have done it without choosing whether we enter the Mercury Drug side, or the spinning door thing-a-majig contraption side. 

You’re the place where we’d get picked up from. The place we’d always say “Shang nalang” for a meet-up. The place where my friends and I would go to to review or do homeworks and this time, for real. 

You’re always going to be our third home, Shangrila. Don’t worry about Megamall. It’s always been you. HAHAHA 

Disclaimer: The people in the pictures ARE Lourdesians. They’re just G to have a pictorial, not knowing what they got their selves into. Love you, boys. Hahahaha! 

OH AND PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. Maybe some of you might find this post offensive but you know I’m just kidding around. :) 

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. The 10 best Lourdesiano ka kung… lines I’ve heard and seen. Some coming from my batchmates, some coming from the graduates. 

The only thing that inspired me to write this is the general idea of my breathing. The whys of my ever so dear creation.

Hi, I’m Mac. 

As you may currently know, I am studying at Lourdes School of Mandaluyong-- the one beside Shangrila. I do academically well in school, or at least I think I do. I love English and Economics, sometimes I like Math too. I HATE PHYSICS. I’m president of the class so I get to approve on people who want to take a quick “break”. I also portrayed Aphrodite, yeah, the Goddess of sex love? Yeah, her. 

Aaaaaaaaaaand you probably don’t care. 

Recently though, my seatmate in school did tell me these exact words and I kind of uh, memorized it because my brain exploded.

Me: Talent ko? Di ko rin alam eh. 

Seatmate: May talent ka kaya! You get to be awesome without even trying. 

Let’s linger on the idea that some people actually find me for even just a little bit, awesome. Or baka si Reyes lang yun. HAHA

But anyways, naglaro talaga ako sa idea. I’m actually doing things right. Maybe not everything, but it’s enough to let me know that I do this world the good it deserves. Pero aaminin ko, nagkakamali rin ako. Not everyday’s a sunshine. I don’t expect rainbows and butterflies to come flying around each day letting me know that by the end of the day, I’ll get my pot of gold. But that’s enough of the gloom. :)

Not for once did I want to write something this personal. (I mean, the first blog post I did was personal, wasn’t it? You win this round.) That’s at least, not until now. 

2015 has been one of the biggest rides I’ve ever been on. From starting my last high school year, to making the most out of this keyboard that I’m typing on. 

I met people who think like me, who envisions like me-- people who make fantasies and dreams real. And trust me, I love those people with every bit of my heart. 

I’ve been with so much non-biological families to know that people will inevitably love you for who you are and if you’re lucky enough, for who you once were. And trust me, I love those people just as much as I love myself. 

I’m proud of myself too. I mean, the second I laid my eyes on my name on the list. I COULD IMAGINE THE NEIGHBORS RINGING THE DOOR BELL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. Basta. Salamat po, Lord. Thank you po for the grace. I couldn’t have done it without you. :) 

Which brings me to another point. This year, I’ve grown much closer with God. I like to have this... idea that God speaks just like me. He cracks puns and jokes around about how I simultaneously fail at studying for Physics. I like to think that He’s just like me because in that way, I get to talk more comfortably. 

He’s seen me crawl in times of despair. He’s seen me jump through hurdles and obstacles that he himself put in front of me. I bet somewhere up there, someone’s been watching me through all this. But I question him sometimes too. Why’d this happen?-esque type of questions but I guess that’s out of context.

I learned that you’ll have to work for what you want. If you want a 90, you have to work hard for it. If you want something, CRAVE it. Don’t just want it. It’s too basic. I bet you went through shops and told yourself that “Hey, I want that sweater.” and just walked it off. YOU DON’T JUST WALK OFF SOMETHING YOU SUPPOSEDLY WANT. 

Welp, there goes my steam. HAHAHA! Another thing I learned is that not everything in nature will bloom for the rest of the year. Not one flower will bloom forever. And so will you. There won’t be pots of gold waiting for you everyday. So if you’re having a bad day, know that you’ll bloom again. And again. And again after that. :)

So here I am, writing you this post as of 12/29 at 9:00 in the evening. I’m eternally grateful for the people who have spent their time with me this year. Thank you for making such a beautiful year and I must say, just as beautiful of a being as you. :)

Here’s my best of 2015! 

As a kid, when I heard the words “Smile!” or “Cheese!” or any word in the dictionary that apparently stated that you should smile in 3 seconds, my lips would come in full stress and panic. I always thought my two front teeth were rabbit-sized so I NEVER bothered to show my teeth for, I don’t know, 15-16 YEARS.

Not until recently that I discovered that I could actually smile WITH teeth. Yes, you heard that right. Weird enough as it is, I take pride in showing off my teeth now in pictures compared to my.. weird, creepy history of smirks and lip shapings. Oh and you thought a 16 year old would only look for good schools-- WRONG. 

This one has been looking for a good, quality smile that could last for a lifetime.

We live inside a country where a smile can be the most charitable and welcoming action you can hand over. This is why it’s always a good idea that a set of chompers would always look in tip-top shape. 

I, for one, am actually an avid fan of believing certain placards and how they could, would and should function. How they’ll give you a brighter smile, a fresher breath or just an all-around spa for your mouth-- I like to believe those are all true. 

Because when was the last time you thought to yourself, “Now that’s one good looking toothbrush I’d love to use!” Instead, we buy toothbrushes because we have to, not because there’s any strong motivation or want.

Unfortunately for you, Santa. You’re not the only one coming to town. Christmas came early with Oral B Pro-Health Cross Action toothbrush!

I love the sound of squeaking teeth when I rub my fingers onto it and I will not stop at nothing until I achieve that, even if it calls for a second round of toothpaste. Although, second rounds are VERY unnecessary with this masterpiece. 

Once you’re teeth are squeaking and you’re confident to go out into the world and give ‘em your best smile, that’s when you’ll know how important having good tools are just as important as having good commodity aka toothpastes.

“We are indestructible as we believe ourselves to be.”

Knowing myself, I never read outside Geronimo Stilton and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. So taking a step into the John Green experience was definitely a first.

I don’t know what came up to me which led me to writing about this 221 paged beast. Maybe it was the endless mystery between the Before and the After. Maybe it was just the “New York Times Bestseller” written all over it, which I swear to hell is present in every book you can find inside the Young-Adult section of National Bookstore.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the journey for this “Great Perhaps” in the story that hooked me into reading this even when I’m supposed to be listening during my oh-so-dreaded Physics class.

When I first started reading the book, it kind of uh, took a while to sink in that I was actually reading a tangible, solid and/or concrete material. =)) I thought that, going by instinct, it’ll just be another love story between two college teenagers trying to find their way out of labyrinths. 

Oh was I thankful I was wrong. When I did really get into the story, I was aMAZED. Yes, mazed. I lost myself in it. As a first timer, I thought I’d be going all.. 

1. “OH mY goShhHh john green you r THE man!!“ 

2. "I’LL BE A BOOK NERD AFTER THIS” (which was probably 40% of the case.) 

3. “MARRY ME JOHN GREEN”

I was amazed. I forgot everything around me – even sines and cosines. It was a slow progression, but after that, it went uphill from there.

There comes a time in a book when you question about certain parts. The book was divided into two– the before and the after.

So I was wondering what “Before” actually meant. I had brilliant ideas of what it could’ve been, or what it was supposed to be…. but then Before happened. And I lie to you not it was least what I expected or wanted Before to be. When Before happened, I found myself grieving during Calculus.

I know there are ways to avoid spoilers while giving an in-depth, personal view and experience BUT my brain is just too tired to explain the rationality between this book and my feelings. 

Considering I read the book 82773 years late, I’ll be the one doing the catching up and the roaming in that part of Fully Booked.

I greatly encourage you to read this specific John Green masterpiece. You could literally be in front of the Mona Lisa and you’d still choose to read this book otherwise. Orrr maybe that’s just me and my weird infatuation with this literary piece. 

If there’s one thing this book has taught me, it’ll be the one telling me that I’m indestructible. Invincible towards the greater perhaps of my life. All I have to do is to believe because what is there more to do than to hope and move for your life’s perhaps. 

The 5th and 6th of November marked my last Intramurals as a Lourdesian. As emotional as I should get, this year’s Intrams was definitely one for the record books. Not only did we accomplish things as a section, but we ignored differences and rivalries as a batch.

NOVEMBER 5, 2015: HALF FUN GAMES, HALF BALL GAMES

Let me be honest in telling you that “fun” games will most of the time be half fun, and half competitive.. even if competitive is an understatement on how serious winning is to a section. HAHAHA People will kill to tell the referee who really won first or who in the right mind in hell would consider cheating the food relay. The little mistakes, man. I swear. There are like, 187515 staring blankly at you, not missing a detail on how you jump during Luksong Baka.

My section won 1st in Luksong Baka though, but nothing else after that. Maybe a couple of 2nd places and a 3rd. But hey, it was actually kind of fun to run around when your section gets on the get-go and go ramming speed on the games. It was just a matter of pride and shame after the events. :p

Oh here we are, THE BALL GAMES.

I’m going to tell this in my perspective– Football and all the other games I’ve watched.

First game of football went to hell. We lost 2 to nil. Of darn course, we were the nil. (Nil is 0 if you’re wondering) My heart broke. It was a hard loss. It was the first game. It was just a down setter if anything. I did my best but hey, it was well worth for the love for the game.

OH! And I also played in Volleyball just because they were lacking players. I still had my cleats so I had to borrow shoes from someone. Talk about impromptu. HAHA Pinilit lang ako, okay? Pero naisip ko, “Last intrams na ‘to. Ge. Laro nalang.” AND LARO NALANG INDEED. WE WOOON! But apparently the volleyball team won one already, so standing was 2-0. 

But let’s talk about the volleyball game first. I went to the court not knowing where to stand or what to do but my mates were helping. Then I went on to serve. I crushed like, 5 or 6. FLAUNT IT, BOY. FLAUNT IT. I wasn’t the star though, we had like 2 varsities from the school’s volleyball team. hehe

Once a year, a gym will be filled with drum sounds, sweat, screams and most especially people. And there’s only one reason for that: FOURTH YEAR BASKETBALL.

There comes a time when varsities of the school get blocked by players training in their homes. There comes a time when these players come up to the table and give it all they’ve got. 

I know, because I’ve played most of my games in the sport I once loved. When you’re inside that court, all you’ll feel are the stomps, the squeaks of your shoe and the fire of every single player ready to receive the ball.

Our team lost though with a buzzer-beater. It was harsh.

After that day, a notification buzzed my phone. My classmate posted something in our class page. 

“Bawi tayo bukas! Laban lang.”

NOVEMBER 6, 2015: BALL GAMES

I don’t know how to start explaining this day. It was too good a day to remember every part. Section flags raised high, leggings on fleek, high socks high enough to cover the face and cracked voices from screaming. Nothing can get any better than that.

That morning… that one November 6, Friday morning. We had a football game. But let’s back up first and rewind. We were practicing for the game and I was playing goalkeeper since no one wanted to roll with it. I had a couple of lessons up my sleeves from YouTube. :p 

Long story short, everyone was kicking towards me and it was either: 

Ball would go wide, won’t even go near the goal post or anything

Ball would go slow, saved

Ball would go on target, but straight at my face, saved

Ball would go on target, goal. Mac gets ashamed. HAHA

I’d actually say I did a pretty good job as keeper, but I was still expecting to play center mid for the team but nope. I PLAYED KEEPER DURING THE GAME. 

The game went on to be 0-0 with one kick almost going past me oh my goodness my life flashed before my very eyes when it hit the post. Anyways, ON TO PENALTIES! 

Warning: Major yabang-ness on the way. Skip if willing. HIHI

So I was the keeper and every time the opponents were kicking I was hearing their adviser yelling “Montoya tingin ka sakin!” But it all came to a peace when I hear chants like “Go Mac!! Focus lang dude.” “TAPUSIN MO NA ‘TO MAAAC MAHAL KITA” Then my adviser was all like “Montoyaaaa galingan mo naman hay nako!!” HOY GINAGAWA KO NA LAHAT KO MATUWA KA NAMAN SAKIN. 

Time came when I had to kick. Nobody scored yet. It’s true, when you’re in front of the ball you won’t be able to hear anything but yourself and your heart. “Concentrate”, I told myself. I kicked it… time stopped as I saw it go up, go left with speed. It went in. I REPEAT, IT WENT IN. AS I AM WRITING THIS I AM RELIVING THE MOMENT AND OH MY GOSH WAS IT GREAT. 

I ran and I ran and I ran until I stopped and felt about 5 people on my back cheering me on and hugging me. It will forever be the best intrams moment of my life. Then soon after, they scored against me. Well, it was a good minute of bliss. HAHAHA

We lost in the championships though, but it was okay. We did everything. We tried. It was okay.

I went to the gym to watch the basketball game, not knowing I was getting called again for volleyball. Soooo there I was finding people who can lend me their shoes BECAUSE I had cleats. I am not a peasant. To a surprise, we won. We were champions in swimming and volleyball now. 

We won a basketball game that day but we lost championships yet again. It was difficult to see players literally and figuratively down and out. It’s like they lost the biggest games of their life.

So there it was, everything was done. We just had to wait for the results… apparently for 3 hours. We had to kill time by playing frisbee and eating– mostly eating.

Here we go. Results came in. All of us were in the assembly area, tense and nervous for whoever’ll get the trophy. Well, lost story short, we lost. =)) Second place isn’t too bad I guess. 

But you know what, we celebrated like we were all champions. I guess that’s what the Intramurals is for. To be proud of what you’ve done for the team, and to show how much support you are willing to give for your second family. 

We lost, but I’ve never felt such victory inside myself. From scoring that penalty goal to coming up as silver. 

I’m your normal day-by-day student. I get driven to school by my dad and commute the time dismissal comes. Aaaaand no, there’s nothing special about being a student other than actually learning things that’ll eventually go past your ear after a few hours. I spend time reading this El Filibusterismo book, The Iliad at some points. I write words on the back of my notebook to check if my spelling skills are still on flow. And from my 12 years of staying inside this second home we speak of, I can tell you that 10 notebooks and a ballpen is decent enough to get you through a day out of five more. But I’m sure you’re not here to read about my adhesive ranting about school.

I have this thing called “B'lue Live to feel stories” and let me tell you that this isn’t much of your El Fili where Crisostomo Ibarra aka Simoun gets all the money. This book, judging by my low-budget Jansport bookmark, is totally a good read.

You’ll see athletes and nurses to foodies and dancers and everything, as their first sentence stated. But as my eyes went by their stories, what I saw was not their occupations and mediocrity. What I saw were voyagers– voyagers living in their own life adventures. How beautiful.

There’s this one story, page 60, that got me. (I’ll make sure to include a picture :p) I'm not much of a writer mainly because I wasn’t chosen to be the competitor for our essay writing contest. You know, I got killed inside when the teacher didn't say my name. HAHAHAHA..haha..ha…ha..hay. That aside, it's true that writing does oppose every bad feeling there is. I mean, I don't blog that much anymore BUT PLEASE CAN YOU NOT TAKE THAT AGAINST ME.

Back to the story, I remembered my teacher asking me what I wanted to be. Told him I wanted to inspire, not politically or in showbiz. Just, you know, inspire those who need just a bit more digging to find their own diamonds.

"Edi galingan mo anak! Wala sa mukha mo maginspire pero susuportahan kita diyan. It's nice to know that you won't be spending time to wave at people, surrounded by other people holding banners saying to vote for you. Galingan mo ha”

If that wasn't enough to change my first two paragraphs then I have no idea what will.

But first of all, you’re probably wondering why in the world am I not telling you about the drink inside the box or why do I have something lychee related touching the outskirts of my skin.

Why is a blue bottle included in this box, you ask? Well, for all I know, it comes with the inspirational package. But B’lue here is a water-based drink that made me feel a little bit more expressive than what I usually am. That explains this whole thing-- inspired by this blue bottle of B’Lue.

If you're my schoolmate, you'll probably know how much I DESPISE lychee and all of its existing ancestors. But oh my gosh lo and behold this drink– it IS lychee but.. am I seriously supposed to say this here? Fine.

IT ACTUALLY TASTED GENUINELY GREAT.

I'm going to be honest and tell you that my only plan was to take a sip and continue on, just have a bit of taste. Weeeell, little tweak with the plan. Now it's with me as if it's my companion in writing this.

Here goes everything --

Hi! I’m your normal day-by-day student. I get drove to school by my dad and commute the time dismissal comes. Aaaaand yes, there’s something special about being a student that I can’t get my finger on but it does have its pluses.

I spend time writing essays on how one day I’ll be able to visit the libraries of London and to one day have a sip of caffeine in the coffee shops of France. I daydream about myself finally becoming an inspiration, even for just a brief second because I helped them with their sine and cosine exercises. I want to write beautifully. I want to shine. I want to achieve. I want to voyage too. But I’m sure you’re here to hear about my adhesive wants in life because at the end of it all,

This is my Live to Feel story and I will forever live and feel inspired.

Retreats were supposed to be for the improvement of my spiritual vocation, but sadly enough it turned out to be the best three-day vacation. LOL

Anyways, before the beach kinda vibe scene thing, we had a lot to go through. This includes:

1. Traffic  

Thank you, SLEX. Heads up on the construction sites, yeah?

2. Immersion

I’m going to be real honest and tell you that this one’s pretty emotional so let me put it in it’s separate paragraph.

3. And of course, the Retreat itself

Again, a separate paragraph

The Immersion

    I was grouped with my good friend, Monti. I COMPLETELY forgot about the Immersion because I thought we were going to teach kids and just that. Apparently, we needed to help some members of the community settle in our affirmations as students.

One of the activities was to cook.

God knows how much I suck at cooking.

This is where the struggle comes in… the family we were assigned to DIDN’T really want to socialize with us.

They were quiet and well, they minded their own business. :( They’d just help us clean the plates and stoves and yeah, you get the point. So there we were– getting ready to cook when Monti accidentally dropped the raw chicken. LOL (course we cleaned it, come on.)

From then on we would say:

“Secret ingredient talaga natin yung mga lupain dito.”

Successfully cooking the chicken, it was time for the fish. Yet again, Monti being Monti, he dropped the tail-half of the fish…. HAHAHAHAHAHA

“Out of bounds nanaman!!!! Di ko marebound, Mac.”

…. I couldn’t speak. I was still laughing my butt off. LOL

We cleaned it FYI.

Then we ate, but the family told us that they already ate. We were pretty sure they haven’t that’s why we left A LOT of food.

So, the nightmare that was cooking and socializing was finally done! It was time to clean-up. (Hence the picture below!)

As the lupa I am, I love watching the waves. I could’ve literally stayed there just watching the waves crash into the dirty sand.

After all that staring-into-the-waves moment, it was time to teach the kids what the Beatitudes were.

Now, believe me when I say you would NOT want to see me play Teacher Mac teaching kids why becoming peacemakers could transition them into becoming children of God.

FINALLY!

THE RETREAT PROPER

For starters, it was a 3-day retreat so we had to spend 2 nights there.

So,

First day

Woke up at 4, excited and sleepy. Not the best of combinations.

Bus ride

Immersion (Main)

Then went to the Capuchin Retreat Center to take a godly bath

Cry.

Sleep

    2.   Second day

Eat (Main)

Hearing the word “siesta” and knowing that it’s R&R in Lourdesiano language or something.

Cry some more

CONFESSION

Class picture taking so, polos are a good choice. (and your wackies, organize ‘em ASAP.)

    3.   Third day

MORE CRYING. I COULD NOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH.

More eating too.

It was definitely not my normal Thursday-Saturday schedule. It was much more than that. It was finding myself within clean-up drives and hating on that pumpkin soup.

I can’t keep myself from being happy because at the back of my mind, my brain’s telling me “Hey, it’s your last retreat.” Oddly enough, I knew it wasn’t. I knew it wasn’t the last time I’d find myself wanting to do good things for my vocation and even for the the community. I wanted to believe that it wasn’t.

..but it was.

It was the last time I’d carry my Lourdesian name inside an immersion. It was the last time I’d hear and see, with my eyes and ears, my friends cry because they’ve had too much..

It was the last time. It was.

Point is, I will hold this event ever so dearly close to my heart. Everything! From dropping that chicken piece to crying because of personal reasons

surprises

stuff.

Okay, enough of the spoiling Mr. Montoya. But here goes nothing, right? Here’s to growing up? To leaving, maybe? Nothing’s going to prevent us from going to college and separating or having to work. Nothing.

Anyways! I hope you guys have an awesome retreat! One as awesome and memorable as mine! :)

No, I do not watch the Lifestyle Network. I do not watch those shows in TV where they completely make-up a house.... 

Okay, maybe I did kind of watch Selling Houses AU on the Lifestyle Network when I was a kid. But please, be my guest on not being ashamed of not knowing whatever that weird show is. Believe me, I should be the one ashamed here. LOL 

As a breathing human, I should be aware that the market’s been an up and down on the graphs lately. And since we’re talking about Maslow’s Hierarchy here and the Lifestyle Network there, let’s talk about my unwavering long for my valued dream houses. 

Yes I just gave the word “valued” an underline and that’s because Property24 here’s got the best properties for sale. May it be under 50 square meters or over-- 50 meters tall or even more, you name it! Property24′s checking your boxes bit by bit. 

Check it out here!

Now, let’s see what my Selling Houses addiction got me into. HAHA

1. THE BATANGAS DREAM -  ₱ 3,618,650 

Its looks are only 30% of the Why I like this house equation -- 70%, on the other hand, is the fact that it’s in Batangas. LIPA, BATANGAS even.

As you can see, there’s not much color going on here. If there ever was, you could probably only name less than 8 colors. I like it that way-- simple. PLUS the balcony table and chairs gave it the big thumbs up from me! I love relaxing (weird coming from a student, but you know.) and just flat out chilling and I think that’s the beeeeest place to satisfy that.

We’re talking about dream houses here, hence my dream place to live in. A part of me promised that these things should NOT be in Manila because that’s where the capital is-- economically speaking of course. But then again, that’s just a part of me deciding.

Point being I’d love to live in the province, possibly making this my Batangas escape home since Batangas is really my go-to vacay spot.

2. THE APARTMENT-RO MANILA -  ₱ 4,540,000

If ever I did stay inside the city, which is most likely to happen, I’d love to stay inside what may be the busiest city here in the Metro-- Makati. CAN YOU SEE THIS HEAVEN? 

Imagine driving here from work... I swear I have no more words for this place. It feels like it has the best R&R potential out of all of my choices.

The view of the sky, the surrounding buildings, THE LIGHTS. OH DON’T GET ME STARTED ON MY LOVE FOR CITY LIGHTS. Heck, I could even just look at the chairs and say, “Damn. This is a hella fine chair” for goodness sake! 

I love how cozy the room looks -- shouting how standard colors could and should compliment themselves. Yes, I’m quite a simple-designed type of guy but I to be honest, I think that’s working well in my favor! LOL Anyways, the interior looks perfectly fine. The exteriors on the other hand, played it well -- from the trees to the the rooftop view and welcoming chairs. It was definitely played veeery well.

I’d love to call it home, even for just a while. I’d love it if I could take OOTD pictures between the trees of the swimming pool you can see in Picture numero tres. Let me tell you, this one’s majestic!

3. THE HIGHLANDS -  ₱ 9,133,510

Okay, I just noticed that the prices are getting out of hand. BUT NO MATTER, no matter! 

This....... this is Tagaytay my friend. The weekend dream, the summer hangout, the holiday venue -- yes, THAT Tagaytay.

When I was a kid, I used to go here at least 415715178 a year. I know, it’s a pretty low number which is a bummer. HAHA But I swear, we’ve been to Tagaytay (or at least passed by) a loooot of times. One time we just went there because you know why? Pancake House.

This one proves to be one of the roomiest and coziest houses I’ve seen in my life. Well, one thing’s it’s located in Tagaytay. But look at the spacious rooms! There’s nothing down there! You can literally put in anything there like billiard tables, a karaoke spot, maybe even an aquarium! 

As you can notice, I love picking white houses and I would not want any other house any other way. Although it doesn’t have the most luxurious of furniture, it still has a hint of creativity in it. Creativity in the sense of simplicity.

4. HOMELAND -  ₱ 3,281,000

Back to my Pasig roots!

As much as I want to live outside this city, it’s actually been home for me for... forever. HAHA Forever meaning my 16 years of existence here on Earth. A part of me just wants to stay here because well, this is where I grew up.

I grew up buying Yakult packs from the guy who strolls around with a Yakult cooler. I grew up playing basketball using walls as rings and sidewalks as the out-of-bounds. Heck, I grew up biking inside this city. OKAY THAT IS ENOUGH CHIT-CHAT OF MY HISTORY

Basically, I found this apartment really... polished! It doesn’t have much pictures inside but I bet you’re not blind to see the amenities! I MEAN LOOK AT THAT POOL. It’s like I can just bring a pillow ANYWHERE and poof, the spirit of slumber is within me.

The rooms are of my standards-- white, with a touch of grayscale and a little bit of wood-brown. Just my type’a room pleasure! 

5. CEBU MANSION -  ₱ 26,000,000

This is the last of my dream houses/apartments so I better make it really DREAMY. Like the price. :( 

IT’S CEBUUUUU! I haven’t gone to Cebu but I can tell how much Filipinos and foreigners love the place! I’ve seen sunsets and sunrises in Cebu and judging by the number of likes in Instagram -- yep, people love the place.

I’m not joining the I heart Cebu bandwagon, okay? I’m just here to casually fantasize on whatever I’ll do if ever I got this house. As you can see, it’s rocking the white x grayscale x wood-brown kind of style! Can you see how shallow my basis of liking houses are? 

Anyway, just like any of my reasons, I love how the colors were complimenting each other. The design is simple, yet decorative to my eyes. The simplicity of this design gave it away. It’s just too beautifully simple ooooor simply beautiful. Whatever floats your boat. HAHA

If you can notice, I’ve ran out of things to say when it kinda got to the latter part of the list. I’m not too much of a critique, honestly. =)) AND it took me a whopping 2 weeks (or just one week) to actually finish this entry! But I have to be honest here, I had a looooot of fun writing this. From the perfect destinations and locations, to finding just what the perfect color for a couch is. It’s here. 

I’d just like to give Property24 a HUGE shoutout for sponso--- KIDDING. But I promise, they’re doing a great job providing excellent, well-made and well-designed properties. 

...There I was, looking at my UPCAT answer sheet. “Bro, ito na future mo.” I whispered to myself approximately 830 times. 

OKAY, THAT WAS ALL TOO SERIOUS. Let’s rewind a bit. I woke up at 4 AM, like the good UPCAT taker I am; avoiding traffic and all sorts of father-road-rage. Man, I swear for a second there I was the tensest person alive. I couldn’t compose myself nor find my zen.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF A PROBLEM NOT FINDING MY INNER MAC IS? It’s bigger than EDSA traffic, bruh. LOL Anyways, I was the kind of guy who would believe a yoga instructor that inhaling and exhaling would actually and eventually help. 

Rewinding again, I’m telling you the tensest person alive part was more evident inside the car. It was like going to my grave. So I quickly turned to Spotify for advice and then he was like “Here’s a little bit of Kygo and Sara Bareilles for you.” I didn’t know what to do if it weren’t for Kygo, man. HAHAHA

Apart from music, you know what helps? Freaking “good lucks.” Like, prayers and messages and everything in between. It’ll eventually boost your morale. Well, the morale boosting part came in when I was already inside the room. No more shaky hands nor head crunches. I was ready for the biggest day of my life -- so far.

Okay, the let’s do this phase of the UPCAT. So, there I was looking blankly at my UPCAT answer sheet. I was touching my future, feeling its embrace and how it would make or break the future to come. It was right there! The dream, the pursuing of my 16 year old wishes! I WAS GRASPING IT. And all I had to do was shade each number their corresponding letter slash answers. How mighty the pencil felt, I will never know. 

Fast forward to the post-test, I felt like a pirate -- searching for answers (NOT THE TEST ANSWERS OK) and results. Thing is, results will come February next year. THAT’S TOO LOOONG :( but overall, I feel so achieved and stuff but I can’t really go into more information, can’t I? I’m confident about my performance and that’s definitely better than feeling the other way around!

LET’S GIVE THIS DAY A QUICK RECAP:

Pre-UPCAT

UPCAT

Post-UPCAT

Pancake House (Yes, I ate the tears away)

Write this

Monsters - Time Flies, Katie Sky

Sympathize my “butas leggings” photo, which is actually pretty funny. (Posted it in my twitter if you want to see. Snapped it also -- macmontoya :P)

That’s basically my 30th of August, the biggest day of my life so far. One tip I want to give my batchmates though (or multiple ones, depending on the perspective): 

This might be a boring topic for you, but it actually made the cut-off in my “not so boring” list. 

This might be a post you’re not going to relate to, but this is what I put my passion into for the past couple of weeks. Bear with me.

I don’t know if I already told you that I’m practicing my creativity in various activities like writing but creating collaterals never occurred to me. I thought being creative was making the most out of your word-play. Period. 

Man I’ve never been so wrong in my life. 

Let me put my love into words for you. I create shapes - I write inside of ‘em - I do my magic -  I get it checked - Success. It’s a never ending cycle, except for the “I get it checked” part because that’s the point in the cycle I get judged. 

Okay, I forgot to tell you that I make collaterals for The Feast and here are my sample collatsssss! Feel free to judge ‘em LOL

(Photo credits: http://bit.ly/1Wt6eWv)

(This is Brother Randy, I’ll let you in on him if ever I have the chance.)

Believe me, these things actually take me at least 2 hours to make. I mean, I’m not saying that they’re hard to do. I just want to bend my brain a little bit and think of new concepts and other informative stuff you probably won’t listen to.

It wasn’t just the urge for creativity, it was always about the passion to create visions and illustrations that could possibly change a life.

The thing with Photoshop is it does actually need a creative brain. From what color blends best with this type of blue to what should and could pop-out in the picture. Believe me when I say you learn new techniques from every project you’ll do. LOL

Let’s see. People play basketball. People play DotA, NBA, FIFA and loads more. You think I’m just gonna casually sit here and Photoshop? Well you’re darn right I am. LOL See, that’s how I put it in actual guy language. What NBA is to you, is hands down Photoshop for me. Just without Lebron - sorry.

To close this brief post regarding my love for Photoshop, this is something I’d love to take with me until the day I die. Yes, until the day I die. I don’t know why, but it’s something I’m deeply inclined to. (No, being inclined to photoshop is not my first time being inclined to inanimate objects.) 

THE exams are fast approaching, my friends! Let me, the guy who does everything enlisted below, prepare you for this so-called doomsday. But of course, you have to prepare for yourself too... I mean, you are preparing, right?

BUT, with the exams coming and all, comes the deadline of 40-60% of your grade -- PERFORMANCE TASKS. Hassle, riiiight? Well, it’s your lucky day! Let me give you the things you NEED to avoid when weeks like these come to a par. And yes, I, the one who tries to avoid and then passionately fails, will walk you through this. <---- Just a heads up.

VOILA

 1. Cramming

Don’t worry. I am part of your daily crammers group. BUT, the things we cram, we could’ve done ages ago. Ages meaning weeks and even a month. It was just the natural instinct of being lazy and unproductive. Or maybe you were just busy with other works like memorizing the Sabayang Pagbigkas piece which I totally understand. 

Let me tell you that cramming decreases the level of creativity and ideas we could’ve given to the project. It’s like, let me speak in your language. 

Brain says: “Dude, finish that. You still have your English essay to finish... and your Filipino article...plus your Math draft.” 

You say: “Shh, let me finish myself from doing nothing.”

That’s at least how I’d imagine me and my brain talking to each other. Pretty accurate if you’d ask me.

2. Check your notifications

Of course, your phone will be bombarded with “Bro, ano homeworks?” & “Pano mo ginawa yung sa Calcu?” etc. 

Now here’s what I assume that will happen: You’ll answer them in which you would most probably fail in helping and assisting them. But here you are, thinking it was the thought that counts is the best mentality for this.

It’ll lead you into the evil that is distraction. Maybe the simple question of “Ano rereviewhin?” can lead you to telling a story or something. Can you just please story-tell yourself on how Xenophons helped the economic growth of Greece? HEHEHE

Also, checking for notifications will lead you to your social media which we’ll tackle in a second.

3. Social Media

If I had the chance to rank everything, this would’ve been number 1 but I’m too inclined to it to let it go from my daily essentials. 

Here you have:

Snapchat (macmontoya)

Facebook

Twitter (@macmontoya)

Spotify, sometimes. 

Instagram (macmontoya)

I swear these are the things I live for and by. I’m not saying I’m addicted to it, but it’s something that makes me calm and collected. Especially Spotify becauuuuuse here. As you can see, I am with no shame advertising my accounts. Please feel free to follow. LOL

Going back, these are your major distractions since you can’t help yourself into checking that one little buzz sound you heard 10 minutes ago while reviewing, losing your composure. 

Do yourself a favor and please don’t check whatever the buzz was for. Or if you ever did give in, well, we can’t do nothing about that. Social media is life. HAHA

4. Getting constrained

Pressure, man. Don’t let it come to you. It’s unavoidable, yes, but not uncontrollable. Let me enumerate the don’ts and only the don’ts. 

Don’t let the fear of getting low grades eat you. Make it your motivation to NOT get those kinds of grades. 

Don’t let the fear of making your parents disappointed overcome you. From what I know, they should be the people who will support you through your ups and downs. 

Don’t make time your enemy. It ticks a thousand times a day for a reason. It’s giving you chances to start early or schedule your tasks. 

5. Playing

Games, really? I’ve gone through that graceful life and I promise you it DOES NOT help one bit. I always use it as an excuse for rest and once I go back to reviewing it was like exploring a whole new world, a new map. “WHAT IS THIS?” and yet all I had to do was re-read.

Although it does give yourself your much deserved enjoyment, you shouldn’t stop reading your reviewers just for the sake of destroying the opponent’s Throne or shoot headshots here and there. 

6. The fact that you’re STILL reading this

Please don’t get me wrong. HAHA Anyways, I am in utter amazement you’ve gone up to this point. You are an amazing person. Whether we pass the exams or not, I guess we did try our best cramming in our tasks for the week. 

Here’s a good heads up for you:

Don’t believe that grades are just numbers. Believe that they are numbers that define your hard work and perseverance in one subject matter. ONE. SUBJECT. MATTER. Don’t look at grades as a whole. Look at it individually because we all have that one subject that we excel in more than anyone, or at least more than your barkada! 

Whatever the result may be, I’ll always be proud of the effort you scooched in even through the countless thinking of designs for your performance tasks.