preparing for a long awaited March

For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

-The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Song of the Day: Me (by Paula Cole)

I am carrying my voice

I am carrying my heart

I am carrying my rhythmn

I am carrying my prayers

But you can`t kill my spirit

It`s soaring and it`s strong

Like a mountain I`ll go on and on

We're singing the same song, Claire. When will it end?

30th

of lib affairs and codals...
countless stolen looks across the room...
a sheet of paper for a quiz...
christmas movies and tearjerkers...
folders and legal documents...
a pat on the shoulder...
a coveted kate spade bag
and five years of bittersweet memories.

happy birthday, kenshin.

Song of the Day: Use Somebody (by Kings of Leon)

I've been roaming around always lookin down at all I see.

Painted faces fill the places I can't reach.

You know that I could use somebody

Somebody like you.

What work gave me...

The Death Star Canteen (a Lego Animation of Eddie Izzard's comedy act)
WARNING: Contains strong language. Parental guidance is a must.

warning: scammed by writers.ph

i have been proud that i am the most difficult person to scam. until now.

during my period of unemployment, a friend recommended that i sign up for writers.ph. they advertised themselves as an organization looking for freelance and office writers. i checked out the website and it looked like a legitimate company. i wrote speeches for my uncle while i was employed as his staff member so i thought that this would be a good way to earn while looking for a new job.

i made three papers for the site before realizing that the papers i made were for students asking the company to hire somebody to do their homework for them. i have always done my own homework and i have always believed in learning rather than passing so i was very disappointed with the website (hopefully some wise professor will read my blog and check his/her students' projects more carefully).

then, there was the issue of payment. when payment for my first order was delayed, i said it was because of the long holiday. then, i googled the site and there it was, flashing on my screen: several complaints about the site regarding payment. i am experiencing those complaints first-hand.

i am not saying that i am a superb writer, nor that i have reached the Pulitzer level but i believe that i deserve to be credited for my work, whether they say i wrote it or compensate me for the same. and if i will be writing for someone else, i want them to tell me up front that i'll be a ghost writer...and certainly not for a spoiled, rich kid too lazy to do his/her own homework. if only i could find a way to contact the professors of those students whose papers i have unwittingly written, maybe it could bring the organization down and stop other writers from getting scammed. believe me, i will find a way.

the "company" has taken advantage of people's love for writing. they have capitalized on the overrated notion that love IS blind. i was blinded by my passion. hopefully, others will read the warning labels before their passion consumes them too.

bright lights, big city

the big city is mean, particularly ayala avenue... it always has been. it kicks your ass at least once a week but you find yourself standing up to survive more abuse.

while waiting for a bus home last night, i decided that majority of the city population are not nice people. there are those who literally push you off the sidewalk just to get a seat on that solitary bus. there are those who look at you in a weird way, like they think you're going to mug them any second. then, there are those who actually mug you or pick your pocket. but then, i saw this old lady, holding on to a post for dear life, afraid of getting pushed around by the crowd. i was deciding if her helplessness was real or a set-up to get some idiot's wallet. apparently, the man beside me did not take time to think and immediately helped the old lady catch a bus. he didn't board a bus until she was safely in one. then i thought, there are still angels walking among us-- even in ayala avenue.

makati has thrown sand in my face at least twice this week but i never find myself hating it. the city always finds ways to redeem my faith in people. in this city, i would never feel dateless. like carrie bradshaw's relationship with new york, this city is my great love. yes, it bleeds my bank accounts dry, i find myself arguing with sales clerks who are oblivious to the line that goes around the block, standing at a bus stop for half an hour and trying to avoid getting hit by a car every six hours. but this is where i grew up. i may need to get away for a while but i know i would always come back.

i believe dorothy when she said "there's no place like home."

Song of the Day: City (by Sara Bareilles)
In these deep city lights
Girl could get lost tonight
I'm finding every reason to be gone
There's nothing here to hold on to
Could I hold on to you?