Of ending 2012 with a bang!

2012 was the Year of the Dragon indeed, as all the luck has been with me this year. And for everything, I am thankful. I keep thinking that this cloud-9 feeling makes me want to stay here forever, but we all have to move on, and keep on dreaming for the future. And with that, thank you 2012. You have been very good, too good, for me. Cheers to the next year ahead, and the next, and the next :)

JANUARY: Birthday celebration with family and friends. Thank you for the surprises! :)

FEBRUARY: A time to connect and bond with old and new friends. Thank you guys for the wonderful times!

MARCH/APRIL: Being in 4 US states in three weeks! Thank you to my family and newly found friends, and to Cocoy :*

MARCH/APRIL: Being in 4 US states in three weeks! Plus, a chance to scratch off from my list one of the most beautiful places in the world. Thank you to my family and newly found friends, and to Cocoy :*

APRIL: Graduation, with lots of twists. Thank you to my classmates, professors and all my mentors who inspired me all the way to the end.

MAY: Start of review for the board exams. Thank you, God, for the energy and determination, and to my reviewmates as well for all the encouragement to continue studying :)

JUNE: The NKOTBSB concert. Though this time, I was far, it was still the most enjoyable night for me! Cannot wait for BSB's new album next year :)

JULY: Our little girl's 18th birthday! Thanks for the great party and the chance to unwind a little bit from review, Nics!

AUGUST: PASSING THE BOARD EXAMS! Need I say more? I'LL BE FOREVER THANKFUL :)

AUGUST: First getaway to Butuan and Cantilan, Surigao del Sur with the college friends. Thank you for the good times! :)

SEPTEMBER: Oathtaking and passing the TOEFL exam. Another big thing to be thankful for :)

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: Cagayan de Oro/Bukidnon/Camiguin trip with the family. Thank you for the chance to bond with each other! :)

DECEMBER: Get together with the best friends in the world! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, guys! Thanks for the enduring friendship throughout the years! :)

Happy New Year everyone! I pray for more blessings to be showered upon you and your family for 2013. God bless you all! :)

-E

Of being in the season to be (insert adjective here)...

Well hello! Disclaimer: this post may be too self-centered aaaaand uninteresting, thank you very much.

Lots of things uncalled for (in a good way) has happened in the past two months that I have been on hiatus on this blog, but may I just say that I am quite satisfied (except for the fact that I'm totally bankrupt now) with everything. As days during December passed by and since it's only three days before Christmas, I've come to realize that I've already reached a point in my life where I would be obligated to do certain things that are related to this important month of the year. With that, let me just share with you a list that I have produced in my mind these past few days:

Eryka's signs that it is, indeed, Christmas (adult/newly baptized working girl version):

1. Christmas lights and sounds in and around malls
2. People not interested in malls and instead just go to bazaars (which have different names and dates but sell the same stuff anyway)
3. Marks & Spencer paper bags (if you know what I mean)
4. The fact that you are expected to give gifts to EVERYONE because you are 'earning' now
5. Everyday Christmas parties (party with the company, department, high school friends, college friends, other friends, family, other relatives - it just goes on!)
6. Gangnam Style (just because I've been hearing the same song for the past hour from the neighbor's party)
7. Traffic... EVERYWHERE AND ANY TIME OF THE DAY (wastes my gas, money, and time)
8. Bankruptcy

The last two things I wrote, I believe, has what made people not feel the Christmas spirit this year. I've been hearing from my co-workers, family members, and friends, that this is the year that they don't feel the season at all. It is true, anyway, as I even don't feel it that much anymore - in a physical way, that is. I don't think we've been experiencing the December breeze and the heat is just overwhelming! I know that it just irritates all of us that the heat has been combined with traffic, that we don't want to go out of the house anymore. I also believe that the people were more focused on this 'end of the world' phenomenon as it happens before Christmas, and that they were too caught up on what to do or where to go on that day. Plus, there are the national issues such as the RH Bill, Sin Tax Bill, and the Typhoon Pablo. I believe there's been so much negativity around lately...

...except for me!

Despite being too busy balancing life and work (naks!), this is actually the first year that I'm not worried about how I'm not going to be able to give gifts to my loved ones, about how I can't afford to go to parties all the time, and about how I could just go on staring at stuff that I can't buy. Too materialistic? Yeah, I know. But that is the reality of life, and I know I'm not the only one experiencing that. However, this year is a totally different thing. I was happy buying and wrapping gifts to my loved ones and took pride in giving those to them. I just can't explain the joy I'll feel when my mom says "wow" when she sees my gift, because it just ain't any other gift. It's THE GIFT.

Ahh, now I can't wait! Yes, I am excited. And yes, I am positive and happy! 2012 has been a great year for me (but I'll save this one for my end-of-the-year post), and I am optimistic about the coming year! A merry, merry, merry Christmas to all of you!

Of crazy glowsticks, wild dancing and Mark Foster's perfection...

Before I rant about what would probably be the best concert of 2012 (yes, sadly beating my beloved NKOTBSB), I would just like to apologize for not devoting much time to this little nest of mine. Maybe I was still devouring the feeling of being free after months of being jailed in my textbooks and notes. For the weeks that I haven't been showing up here, I was just finishing off my backlogs. namely, all my series. Plus, I have two jobs already, and on to my third (GYEAH!).

Anyway, on that Saturday (I hardly remember what date that was), me and my cousin arrived really early since we only got free seating Upper Box tickets. And yep, we waited that long in sacrifice for good seats. It was a gruesome 3 hours sitting there talking about everything until we talked about nothing, just staring at the stage, waiting for the lights to go out. And out the lights went... but only for the front act. Don't get me wrong, that group did really good, but personally, I think front acts really weren't necessary unless you were that popular. People came to see the group printed on the ticket, with the expected time on it to start as well.

When finally the three most awaited people finally went up the stage, the crowd suddenly rose on their feet, and all those expensive glowsticks being sold inside the coliseum lit up. It was a feast in my eyes, in everyone's eyes.

The stage was simple. It had a tombstone painted on a black backdrop, and there weren't any other fancy stuff aside from the instruments and the light. I wasn't able to memorize the complete order of the setlist, but man, from the time they did their first song all the way to the last, the crowd was one with each other. The first one they performed was Miss You, and when we all saw Mark Foster almost knocking off his piano because of pure awesomeness, we all knew that  it was a night we would never forget. Never have I seen a band so dynamic. The stage was literally filled with all instruments you could never imagine they'll play and experiment with. From the DJ set to the pianos to the maracas - everything was there, and they played them all so nicely! But nicely sure was an understatement. It was more than wild.

Another moment that maybe surprised me was how Mark was going to sing. At first, I was hesitant to attend the concert since being the album was wholly digitalized, I wondered how they were going to perform live. When I heard them the first time at that moment, my view totally changed. They were really good! Mark had the perfect voice, and the others changed the arrangement that was fit for live performance.

While dancing my heart out to every beat they had, at the back of my head I knew that it was going to be a short concert. Their album lasted for an hour, so I thought that night wouldn't even last for two. As my brother recognized the slow melodic intro of Pumped Up Kicks, we knew that we reached the last leg. Everyone was really up on their feet, singing and whistling their hearts out. I think the band made the song last for about six to seven minutes, but still we didn't want to let go of them when they ended. As we went outside the coliseum, people were still going crazy over what just happened. I myself kept saying that it was one hell of a (short) night!

Foster the People was a band. THE BAND. I never imagined I would like a techno-pop-rock band as much as I did for them. I marveled well at what they did in their album, and marveled more when I saw them live. They knew everything about pleasing their audience. Again, pleasing was an understatement. They knew everything to make us all go bonkers with our bodies.

I wish they'd release a new album that would be as great or even greater than Torches. If I would describe that night in one word, I'd say it was definitely cathartic. I literally forgot everything I was thinking about and poured all my emotions into dancing and singing! I sure would like to experience watching them again!

Me (very left), my brother (next to me), and my cousins

Now, did I make up for the lost time? Heeee.

Yup.

Yes, my life is kind of a drag right now. Yes, I'm that bored. And yes, my mind is surely elsewhere.

With job, no patients, no money.
Sucks.

But here's something nice to look forward to, and hopefully to blog about soon:

Stoked!

Of becoming a professional...

It's really official! God is good!

So last Sunday, September 9, we finally had the oathtaking for the newly licensed physical and occupational therapists in Manila Hotel. This was one of the occasions where one gets giddy because of course, who doesn't want to finally get hold of their professional license after almost a month of passing? Well, I was giddy, but I was technically late, which really sucked. Good thing there was one parking slot left just in front of the hotel.

Seeing more than a thousand people inside the ballroom got me confused where to go, and knowing that we were only 10 from our school made it harder for me to look for my other colleagues (oh yes!). Thankfully, I found them right away. Our guest speaker was renowned comedian Ai Ai delas Alas. At first I thought that her speech would be all comedy, and we even wondered why she was the guest of honor. It was also funny that she thought of that herself. During the whole speech though, she invited the parents of the board passers to stand up and us to cheer for them, for they were the reason we were in this phase in life. It also turned out that she was a patient advocate and supported charities that had therapists. It wasn't the best speech, but it was a speech where we were able to relate to, and that was good for me. Finally, we were able to take our oath right after!

Yay!

While the board topnotchers were being called and presented their awards, food was finally being served. We didn't really expect much since the former oath takers gave bad reviews about it. Lo and behold! As it was being given, we gave the 'meh' looks on each other. We were hungry anyway.

Worth it... NOT!
Photo by: Steph Paragas

Unfortunately, my camera died on me... again (I think I'm really unlucky with cameras). so I borrowed my classmates' cameras and went around the venue for a little while and took pictures with some of my friends.

Here's me with Shayne Tee (unofficial Top 1) and Guia Morales

Sir Marfin! Lol.

Proud Prime Movers! :)

EAC PT/OT represent!
Photo by: Giselle Cruz

Towards the end of the program, we didn't really know what was happening already since we were busy taking pictures of each other and going outside the hall to pick up our licenses. We didn't really care anymore anyway; furthermore, I had to go as soon as it was finished because I had to catch up with my cousin's first birthday celebration.

It wasn't really the prestigious event we had hoped for, but the essence was what we were after. When I held my license card, it got me thinking: This is really it! I'm holding a card, and not just any card, but my professional card! This would really be one of my most accomplished days ever (having received another good news later at night), and as I said somewhere, I couldn't help but think of what I have exactly done to receive blessings upon blessing. But I am definitely thankful to the Guy above, and of course, to my family and friends, and especially to Cocoy, who sticked with me through the high and especially through the low times. I promise to take care of this precious thing and would not do anything to lose it.

And so, a new chapter begins for me and for my new colleagues! I'm thankful I found employment easily. I do hope I get to stay long enough with it. Haha! Sorry this was such a crappy blog post. I have been bored out of my wits for these past few days. Or maybe this is just the effect of my 'no rice diet?' Hmm.

Of devotions, government hassles, and getting employed...

The other night, I posted on my Twitter account about how I would embark on an adventure the following day. I sure did, but I couldn't figure out if it did end up with some productivity. I had the exact plan of what I was going to do for that day.

My day started at seven o'clock in the morning when I attended a mass and novena at the National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus. In case you didn't know, St. Jude Thaddeus is the patron saint of hopeless cases. I just actually started my devotion to St. Jude during the first week of reviewing for the board exams. I made a promise to myself that whatever the results were, I would still come and continue praying to him. Since I passed the boards just a few weeks back (time flies too fast!), going there every Thursday was more special for me. After the mass, I met up with a family friend, Tita Pebbles, for a while and took some pictures of the shrine and the people before going to my next destination.

Here's a view of the shrine from the outside

Here's a shot of the inside. What made me like this place is its simplicity.

Thank you, St. Jude!

Churchgoers outside lighting candles after the mass

I then went to the Manila branch of SSS, supposedly to get my SS ID since I already had my number. A few days back I had already inquired at another branch and they said that I had to pay my contribution to get my ID. So for this day, I prepared myself for long lines and long waits, and wait I did. I was in line for about an hour, and when I finally reached the information desk, they told me I was DISQUALIFIED to get an ID. I told them I would pay in voluntary contribution, but they still insisted that I wasn't allowed to. I was sure I could pay for myself but the person at the desk told me I should talk to my employer/s about it. I was so pissed off I wasn't able to take pictures of the area. A piece of advice, though, if you are going to the main branches of SSS, you have to be there as early as you can. In my case, I arrived only past eight, but the end of the line was already at the back of the building. Another suggestion: there are SSS kiosks available at different major malls in the Metro, so check if your transactions can be made at those places to avoid further hassles. Lastly, BE PREPARED, and make sure you won't go out of the place empty-handed. Here's a nice site I found last night about basic information regarding SSS: Social Security Basics: 10 Answers to Your SSS Concerns

Still deciding to try my luck, I went to Pag-Ibig Fund to pick up my ID and hopefully to make my first contribution. As I approached the office, I heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of a clear entrance and knew I wasn't going to be toasted under the heat of the sun. Located at Lawton in Manila, the building was actually nice and organized. Even the security guards were coordinated and knew the basics of the transactions.

Fast-moving lines in the main office

Also, what made it easier for the people to finish their business there was that there were at least five lines for each transaction. I got my ID in less than 10 minutes, but when I asked if I could already pay my first voluntary contribution, they said I had to submit an affidavit of income, so yeah, dead end again for me. But at least I already had my ID.

It was already nearing lunch time when I got out of the office, so I decided to grab some lunch before heading for school. Since I was already on Day 4 of my diet (mwahahaha), I just had a salad and a bottle of water (you can never go wrong with H2O!). I then walked to school to talk to the Dean to finalize my documents for, wait for it, employment! Since I was just doing part-time, I had to discuss some more things before going down to the Human Resource Department. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but since I decided to just hang out thereafter, I got out at five o'clock in the afternoon already.

And this is what welcomed me:

What's new, Taft?

Poor pants and shoes (and clothes and bag...) of mine :(

I called my mom and told her I couldn't cross Taft Avenue, and guess what, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO PICK ME UP BECAUSE SHE HAD OTHER PLANS! I literally begged her until she finally did, and we just agreed to drop me off at a terminal where I could peacefully go home. It really wasn't peaceful where I got off, but I don't want to divulge on it anymore. I got home at around six-thirty in the evening, took a warm bath because the flood really got me itching all over, had my little (yes, little) dinner, then succumbed to my nightly series marathon. I'm on American Horror Story now by the way!

This is already becoming too long of a blog post, and I'm sorry about that. Well, I just wanted to point out that life now is too different from before. What happened to me on this day was something really new, and it did test my patience and my capacity to continue. I started to miss my friends more, because I realized that we're really on different paths now, and we weren't going to do most stuff together again. I've also got to rely less on my mom or my older relatives, and do things on my own now. It's nice I still got out alive, but this is only the beginning. I'm still wondering what lies ahead of all these :)

Of firsts...

Howdy!

I never thought I would make another blog in my life, but here I am! It has been six or seven years, I think, since I've last written on my Xanga, and I think three or four years since on my Multiply. I actually thought of continuing my blog on either, but seeing the posts of a high school teeny bopper scared the hell out of me. So yes, this is my new one, and I've never been more inspired to write again.

Why 'Life in the Quarter-life?'

Because it sounded nice? And relevant? I initally opted for 'Oath of an OT' but it sounded too cheesy and biased to my profession (FYI, I love being an occupational therapist), but that would mean I would only get to post stuff about being an OT, and I didn't want that. I would also post about my profession, but I still wanted to share with you (yes, if there is someone out there reading this) some other stuff that I, a person who is almost, if not in, the quarter-life period, experience regularly. Admittedly, I won't be the extraordinary or popular person who will post blogs on constant travelling, or restaurant-hopping, or weekly shopping, and most definitely on political reviews but I've also had my share of those things that I would want to share here as well.

And since I just passed my boards for being an occupational therapist (yay!), I would now embark on a new adventure in my life - that is, employment. Dun dun dun. Soooo, in advance, I'm sorry for some of the negative would-be posts that would be signs of a 'quarter-life crisis.' Har har!

So there. Caught your attention yet? I must warn you about a few things though. I could be a fangirl sometimes, so I hope you don't mind me constantly posting stuff on my favorite artists, or movies, or songs. Sometimes I can get to be sarcastic as well so I hope nobody gets to take me too seriously. Hehe. To whoever gets to read this, I hope I get your interests hehe! Here's to the next posts to come! *insert clinging of wine glasses here*