Ramblings and Brain farts

Sarah Kay and Spoken Word Poetry

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Cathy Zielske in her recent blog said it right, The Internet is Amazing. Without the Internet, I never would have heard of Sarah Kay. She is a young woman who travels to different schools performing and teaching open word poetry. She also writes plays/musicals and shoots documentaries.

I want to be her. She’s someone I could have been. Watch:

 

Isn’t she something? She co-heads Project VOICE with her friend Phil Kaye (you also have to watch their video “An Origin Story”), they envision to use Spoken Word to entertain, educate, and inspire. In this short talk, she certainly accomplished all three for me.

Once upon a time, I wrote poems. I was a fairly good writer. I tried short story writing too. Until now I still believe that, given time and the proper environment, I can still be a good writer. Or a poet. And I loved performing on stage. I may have been good too. So Spoken Word Poetry? It could totally have been my thing. Had I known there was such a thing.

What’s more important though is that I totally get how Spoken Word Poetry could be what many young people need. I’ve never had problems speaking out or finding ways to get myself heard. But I know it isn’t true for all young people. I hope they reach more audiences, even Filipino kids, and create opportunities for them too to engage with their environment, with the world. And this medium can be totally taken to the streets. Oh how fun and amazing that would be.

What inspires me from this talk isn’t the idea that I could be doing what she does, but the understanding that it’s not too late to be whatever that I want to be. Or whatever I wanted to be. The three steps she mentioned in her speech? Totally applicable to anything you want to do, not just being in Spoken Word.

First step: I Can.

It begins with the realization that I can do something. Or even that I am onto something magical and it is worth my time, and some people may be interested in what I can do.

Second step: I will.

Commitment. Willing to continue, to do it over and over until you find your voice. Until you find what makes something truly yours, or until you put your own stamp onto that something that you do.

Third step: Put all the things that you know so far into what you do.

This, Sarah says, is the step that never ends. And I realize that this is true not just for creative pursuits, but for anything that we do really. So I could decide that I could be the best boss, the best OM at work. It means having to put all my past experiences and all that I know into what I have to do at work. I can totally see how what I know about blogging or my experiences in theater could help me take my team to success.

When I hear about young women like Sarah Kay who are sharing their talents to the world, and helping change the world, I am overwhelmed with a feeling that I had my chance and didn’t take it. But I can’t reconcile that feeling with my conviction that I don’t regret any of the choices I have made in my life. So seeing this quote has recently given me hope –

 

 

It’s never too late to be who you might have been – George Eliot.

No, it is not too late for me. Thanks to Sarah’s three steps, I can still make things happen.

After all, local actor Richard Yap, popularly known as his characters Papa Chen and Sir Chief rose to fame at 44!

Back to Work!

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back to work2010

This week is all about being BACK.

Back to work.

Everything’s gone smoothly so far. I’d like to think I was welcomed back warmly by colleagues and friends at work. Still feel a little bit out of place sometimes, much like when you’re just starting anew. Three weeks of not doing much of anything does that to you, I guess. Smile

Been doing pretty much the same things as before. Except I try not to walk around as much because my back starts hurting after awhile. Walking all the way from my station to the parking lot isn’t a good idea, so I break that walk by finding somewhere to sit along the way. Coming in to work though, maybe because I still have all my energy, I don’t mind walking all the way thru.

I also try not to drink too much water so I won’t have to go to walk to the ladies room too much. This will have to change though because I really should actually hydrate more.

Before I started going to the office again on Monday night, I finished my first round of therapy on Thursday. Saw my doctor on Saturday and he recommended another 12 sessions of therapy. It’s been almost a week now since my last session and I think I’m feeling its toll.

Sometimes I wonder whether there’s such a thing as a full recovery from this without surgery. I hold on to the idea that there will be. After all, three weeks later I can stand straight and walk almost as well as I used to.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about finances lately. I guess having to pay for my next round of therapy really forces me to think about how much money that’s going to cost me (but nowhere nearly as what it would cost to go for surgery, so not complaining). Also, I’ve been spending unnecessarily, over compensating for saving food and gas money thanks to my three-week sick leave. With perfect timing, Pesos and Sense posts an ad for Module 2 of their seminar series: Time Value of Money. I attended Module 1: Make Your Money Grow, and I’m interested enough to consider paying the higher registration fee for this second class. If you want to learn about immediate annuity interest rates, or want to know enough to determine if Mutual Funds or Stocks are the right investments for you, the Pesos and Sense team is likely to have the answer you need.

 

*About the image used on this post: it’s not mine, I got it from this site after a Google search of ‘back to work’ images. All credit goes to the image owner.

UP Pep Squad–#UAAPCDC2012 champs!

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UP PEP SQUAD UAAP CHEERDANCE CHAMPS 2012 Collage by Verabear | Image credits: InterAKTV/Roy Afable and Spin.Ph/Jerome Ascano

Collage by Verabear | Image credits: InterAKTV/Roy Afable and Spin.Ph/Jerome Ascano

The University of the Philippines Pep Squad has defended its championship title for the UAAP Cheerdance Competition held Saturday, 9/22/2012 at the Mall of Asia Arena. They were bold and semi-bald as they executed their routines and stunts in front of a crowd 19,000-strong.

This year, as in years before, UP sets trends. They had moves that no other squad used, showing that they are still a step ahead of their toughest competitors. Last year it was pixie blondes and Madonna; this year, they WOWed us by strutting to the floor with their androgynous look and semi-kalbo hairstyle. From afar, there was no distinguishing between male and female performers.

FREEDOM. The squad’s routine celebrates the freedom we have in the University to be what we want to be, look how we want to look like. Even the freedom to break gender barriers. The Oblation was also a symbol they used: standing tall and proud, free. Truly free, to truly serve.

In 1998 we were Freshman Iskas who screamed our lungs out cheering for the UP Pep Squad. We were so happy then with a 3rd place finish. Of course, they went back to Araneta to claim the top spot the next year, and the year after that… And every year since then, I remained a fan.

You don’t have to be from UP to be a fan. Just look the young men and women of the UP Pep Squad and tell me what you see. Athletes in their own right. Experts. They aren’t just out there to dance and tumble on the floor. They are passionate. They are skilled. This is what sets the UP Pep Squad apart from everyone else. This is also why we, the fans, are so confident that every year they will not disappoint.

So once again, thank you UP Pep Squad for bringing the UP community together (young and old, black and white). Thank you for once again making us proud. What’s next? Smile

 

I tried posting the video from ANCAlerts of the winning routine, but somehow even copying directly from Youtube renders the Ateneo vid, so here’s the link instead: http://adf.ly/D5H0u

My Trollbeads

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That investment I took home with me from Robinson’s Magnolia? Well I got myself a Trollbeads bracelet Starter kit:

trollbeads starter_thumb[1]

I got it as a way to celebrate my first time to go out malling in 3 weeks. I have been off work for three weeks while I get my herniated disc treated. When I go out, it’s only to the hospital for therapy. I’ve been to pick up my mom at the office too, but that’s just about it. This first outing was bittersweet. I learned that I still can’t go malling. My back would hurt after very few minutes of walking. Maybe if I can bring a stool wherever I go I can make it work. Maybe not.

Unintentionally, I chose a Murano glass bead that was the same as the one featured in their above ad. The Purple Stripes. The starter kit normally comes with the chain, a basic lock, and one Sterling silver bead. For this promotional, they threw in a glass bead for free (additional bead costs 1595 PHP).

Here’s mine (but it looks so much nicer in person):

It costs more than I’ve ever spent on any piece of jewelry. That’s probably because all I have are costume jewelry and very few are of gold, silver, or with real precious stones. No heirloom material, until now.

I plan on adding more beads to mark special occasions or events in our lives. I’ll also probably upgrade the lock someday. I’m also hoping this won’t be the only bracelet I’ll have from Trollbeads. I could either move on to another one, or maybe even get a necklace too.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time on the Trollbeads Universe site last night. They have a catalogue of their past and present designs there. Videos from their recent World Tour promotion are also posted.

They also have a Jewellery Box feature for customers to put together the beads they own. One can also personalize the name and description of the beads once added to your jewellery box. What a way to truly say that every story has a bead.

I love my Trollbeads and Alfred and I will keep adding to it Smile

Just Another Friday

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Friday. In other parts of the world, they are already pre-ordering iPhone 5. As for me, well, it was just another day.

Or maybe it wasn’t.

Used the services of City Delivery to order lunch from The Chocolate Kiss Café.

Chicken Kiev w/ Mashed Potatoes for me, Hickory Smoked Spareribs for him. Eggplant Parmigiano to share. We washed it down with some orange juice, and iced coffee (cold brew).

Photo Sep 15, 2 08 06 AM

I went to therapy at 5PM, Alfred went with me. There’s some progress there, but no breakthroughs. Yet. The plan was to go malling after, so I could practice walking more. Dinner and scouting for a new wallet for Alfred was on the agenda.

It was our first time at the new Robinson’s Magnolia and we’ll definitely be back. There was a long queue at the parking entrance considering it was already 7PM when we got there. It wasn’t hard to get a slot near the mall entrance though.

We walked around for a bit, but it didn’t take too long before I felt like needing to rest. Up on the main floor, we asked a security guard if they had a wheel chair we could borrow, but there was none.

Inside the mall, Alfred looked around while I sat at the Nike/Adidas area. Saw a nice sporty tote bag that I would have bought if it was in a dark color. Near the escalators I saw racks of cellphone cases. Ended up getting a protective case for my iPhone. It’s much like the Otter cases (in principle) but the brand is Swisstech and a lot less expensive. I’ve dropped my phone so many times and probably will be dropped again, so a better case was definitely justified. And it’s in violet. Smile

As it happens, because I wanted so badly to find another seating area when we got up another floor, we went in to the Shoe Salon. On our way out, we had a paper bag containing a pair of shoes. Guess whose?

222731140_22241992970eefbb49d620b17b73c3e2e39103181719e8dd3

(image source: Sulit listing)

It’s really quite comfortable, and the only one in my size out of maybe 4 pairs I inquired about. And it’s not too high, no danger of damaging my back worse than it’s already been.

If I wasn’t aching to get seated again, I probably would have resisted the temptation of buying those sandals. Or, if the mall had more sofas and chairs available on every floor, that would have saved me a lot of trouble. Of course there’s no room for rustic furniture in a modern mall, but they had those black leatherette sofas in one floor, why couldn’t they put them everywhere else?

We went up yet another floor but didn’t find anything interesting for Alfred. We did note that there are plenty more shops waiting to open up. Then I saw a store I had not seen in any other mall before. We went in, joked around a bit (with each other, and with the staff), and walked out with what I’d like to call an investment. To find out what it is, you’ve got to come back some other day. Smile

I will show you what we had for dinner though, from the Adobo Connection at the food court:

Photo Sep 15, 2 58 49 AM

Looks good? I wish they tasted as good too, but they didn’t. We tried Kuya’s Fried Mix Adobo and Chicken Adobo sa Gata. Neither tasted right for me. It did taste better when you add more vinegar, but it still lacked a distinctive adobo taste for me. Funny, the Adobo Connection website claims that they were voted as the pinakamasarap na Adobo in the Metro by a show in GMA News TV.

At the end of the meal we agreed that we won’t be eating there again. But maybe we should give them another chance. I’d like to taste the Adobo Rice, or maybe even the Adobo Spaghetti. Hmm. We’ll see.

So do you think it was just another day? Perhaps not.

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