GraZy's Wedding

Grace's Wedding, a set on Flickr.

Here are some of the photos taken on Grace and Zyross' Wedding over the weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to upload more stuff and maybe even write blog about it... hopefully! Hehehe...

Why I'm Leaving Facebook

Several years ago, I was working on a paper for a class in grad school when I noticed the website on my friend's computer screen. She was commenting on a common friend's status and I thought it was pretty funny so I asked her what she was doing. She said she was on Facebook. I asked what it was and she said that it's a social networking site. I was already familiar with Friendster so I knew what social networking meant even if I didn't own a Friendster account.

The thing is, I've never really been one to do something just because it's what's currently popular. In fact, I'm the total opposite of it. I didn't read the Harry Potter books nor even seen the Harry Potter movies until the 2nd movie came out, I didn't watch Meteor Garden until the last episode showed on ABS-CBN, I didn't join friendster until 2005 and that was after I joined facebook. See, at that point, facebook wasn't at all yet popular. I joined facebook on September 26, 2005 so I've been on this thing for a while now.

One thing I've noticed was how facebook became so integrated in people's lives. We've all so gotten used to checking our facebook accounts several times a day just to make sure we didn't miss a comment or the chance to comment on someone's status. Microblogging as twitter calls it, facebook has become pieces of what we know of our friends. "I'm hungry", "...running late...", "singing mode." are just examples of statuses we see on a daily basis. We comment on these statuses feeling we're connected to the owner of the statement and while that's not a bad thing, it's just not good enough.

This isn't a rant against facebook. I think facebook is a wonderful tool to keep in touch with friends and family all over the world. But the truth is, I've spent and wasted a lot of time on facebook. It's just another excuse to go online. Truth be told, how many of us are truly productive when we go on facebook? Probably not a whole lot right?

And it's not like I have so much to do now that I no longer have time to waste, but honestly, I'm looking forward to discovering/rediscovering things that I can spend my time on instead. Of course I'll miss facebook. Don't even get me started on the "Like" button. I'm already having "Like" withdrawals as it is.

So why am I leaving facebook? Facebook is a good tool to "keep in touch" with people. But I know that there are better ways to do that. I'd rather spend time with them if I could and know what they're up to when I see them in person. And if I can't then that's okay. I believe that God sends people our way in opportune times because it's His perfect time. He doesn't need facebook for that.

Musika

I really enjoy how things happen. One thing leads to another and then another and then another and you just see how things unfold. Today I ran across a tweet from someone I follow talking about how Tuesday night's American Idol was a really great episode and I happen to catch it this afternoon. This led to a series of big surprises on the show which were a lot of fun. But one thing that I wasn't expecting was to hear a song that I am currently enjoying a whole lot right now, Sugarland's Stuck Like Glue.

Earlier this afternoon I finally watched the much buzzed about song by Rebecca Black. I can absolutely understand how people find it funny and interesting just cause the lyrics are so inane. It's almost like Rachel Berry's song about her headband. Well, she is young and when she gets older she'll probably be embarrassed about all the hoopla the song has caused. But I can't blame her for trying. Someone once said to write about what you know and that's what she knows.

But I am writing about all of this because I feel like music has changed so much over the years. People used to be more romantic and mushy. Music used to be more elegant, beautiful, sophisticated. There was a sort of pride in the swells and it felt more emotional. Now I'm not trying to discount today's music but come one, is Friday's, "We-we-we so excited!" really something to get excited about? Okay, granted she's only 13 years old and she is writing to her audience but I just feel so sad that this is what popular music has become.

I'm not going to continue anymore as my intention for this blog wasn't really to hate on Rebecca Black's song. I just miss what music used to be.

Video

Okay, so I have been slacking off for the past couple of weeks. It started off innocently when I couldn't find time to write since I went home to Davao for the weekend and it was one thing after another. Then a week later, I just wasn't feeling up to it. But, I know that I shouldn't add another day in my procrastination streak or else I'd just end up not writing again and this time out of sheer laziness... unacceptable. So, take that procrastination!

Anyway, what have I been up to the past few weeks? Well, I have been busy making this office video for Monday. See, dad demanded that host groups during the flag ceremony ought to have a presentation of sorts for the agency. It can be a game or an activity or in our case, a music video. I was really happy when my officemates said yes to my proposition. Not only was I going to not have to perform live in public, it was going to give me an opportunity to be more flexible in creativity, something which I didn't realize I was sorely missing.

So, this coming Monday (21 March 2011), Dedet and the EA's will be debuting their first ever music video :) I'm actually looking forward to it. I had a dry run of sorts this past Friday when I showed the video to Mother (dad's secretary) and Marie, one of the other EA's. Plus a bunch of other people started watching and to be honest while I wished they waited for Monday, their reactions to the video made it worth it. I at least got what I needed to know, that the video is indeed okay.

I won't be posting the video here if you were thinking I might. I don't want to post it online either. First off, the song we used isn't mine so I shouldn't post it online anyway, but for some reason I want to keep this to myself. I have all of these unexplained feelings I've been getting the past months. I'm not exactly sure what's happening.

Okay, so I must apologize for this post. It doesn't really make sense but I just wanted to write. I'll try to do better next time... until then...

Bits and Pieces

I wish I had the time and energy to write about how crazy this past weekend has been but since I don't have the luxury of either I will just give you a funny occurence between Ate Suzette and someone:

"Kaning kumintang ba, maayo baya ni sya sa cancer."
"Unya, ang para kang mam?"

Heehee :) Until next week folks!

EDSA

In time for the 25th Anniversary of the People Power in EDSA, I have decided to write this blog to take part in its history. I was young when EDSA happened - note how I'm avoiding dating myself :) But nevertheless, I have one extremely strong memory of February 25, 1986.

I was lying in bed playing beside my Auntie Beng who was listening to the radio. My mom says that we were apparently listening to Radio Veritas which at that time was the only radio station reporting anything at all as other stations were shut off by the then President Marcos. I don't really remember much of anything else except that at some point during play time, Auntie Beng started crying. I was so concerned about why she started crying so I said, "Auntie, why are you crying? Please stop crying Auntie." And I remember she hugged me and said, "I'm very happy anak that's why I'm crying." So I asked, "So why are you crying?" She then replied, "Because we have a new President. Her name is Corazon Aquino." I don't know why but even then I knew that that particular moment was historic which is probably why I remember it to this day.

However, like most kids at that time, the meaning of EDSA was only a vague memory. I mean we all knew that yellow was a meaningful color and that the L sign meant Laban. However, as to the gravity of the situation I don't think most of us really understood until maybe a few years later when we started learning about it in school. So what does EDSA really mean to me? I remember a decade ago when EDSA 2 happened and I only had a radio to listen to as I didn't have a tv where I was living and it felt like I was so invested in it as I felt strongly about what was happening. But then looking back what I felt was probably no where near what those who experienced EDSA 1 felt.

So what does it mean to be under a dictatorship? What does it mean not to be free to say things against your own government? What does it feel like to be afraid to go out at night because you don't know if you're going to be a target of some abusive PCs? I don't know. But what I do know is I am very blessed not to know. So can we be grateful for something we've never experienced? YES! We must! Those who fought during EDSA Revolution were not just heroes, they were patriots. If only we can have more of them today.

So, happy 25th EDSA Anniversary Pinoys!

Invictus

I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul - William Ernest Henley

When I was in first grade I had books that contained what a family looked like. It was usually made up of a dad, a mom, a son and a daughter. For years I thought that I missed out on having the perfect family because being the eldest I was supposed to be a boy. Of course years later this frustration translated to wishing I had an older brother.

But as life usually teaches us, things don't always turn out the way we want it to. But more importantly we learn that things don't always have to look a certain way to be correct. I later learned that families don't always have to have the oldest child as a boy or that a family can be a family even if there's no dad or a mom - I learned this through Sesame Street :)

So what does Invictus have to do with this? Invictus was a poem written by Henley about self-mastery. In Psychology this can be seen as self-actualization. In Marriage and Family Therapy this can be called, self-differentiation. No matter what it's called, a lot of us strive to achieve this which is why self-help books is big business.

I recently watched a film and a line really spoke to me, "We have the luxury to design our life." I feel that. I know I've been truly blessed to already actually understand what that means. I mean that's what I love about not being so young anymore is that I have the full confidence of knowing what I can or cannot do. I have had enough life experience to truly know what my strengths and weaknesses are. I have seen life testing me. I have seen myself survive challenges and learn from my mistakes. This doesn't mean that I am anywhere near being self-mastered but I think know enough to no longer be as afraid to fail or make mistakes.

Of course as a Christian, self-mastery looks different. We make a choice to no longer be masters of ourselves. We choose to let God take over our lives and lead us to how we ought to live it. But He still gave us free will and I think that part of that is being given the "luxury of designing" it.

A few years ago my mom said that Ethel and I were going to get new rooms in the house. She even told me that we get to design what our rooms would look like and so I did. I took things that I've liked from other people's rooms I've seen and integrated them into the perfect room. I think that that's how most of us live our lives anyway.

We all want to be good people and so we look around first to our parents then relatives then friends then other people and take what's good from them (and some bad) and integrate that in who we are. That's how we are molded into who we become which makes this gift very important. This means that we are the ones who decide who we become as people.

I believe that all of us are given two choices every single time. We either choose to do something or choose not to do something. We either choose to be something or choose not to be something. Even in situations where we think we don't have a choice, we can always choose to do otherwise. But as always, every choice has a consequence. I think most of us are thrown not by the choices but by the consequences, right? I pray that for this coming week you dear reader choose well. So, here's to becoming the best you!

Blessings! Gemma