My Thoughts

    Two days ago, I had a terrific time! Many of my good friends in Cebu were everywhere. One of the nice things I love about Cebu is how small the island is and how close the people are in here. If you’re in Ayala, you’ll probably bump into at least five people before you leave the place!

    The first thing I did that day was play Cashflow (trust me, it’s an awesome game) with a few people from PALS at City Sports. Before the game ended, I had to leave though. The Southcrest people were in Ayala! The walk going there was pretty useless because we wound up at the same place I came from: City Sports!

    The first thing we did was bowling. It was fun! You can ask the guy in charge of bowling (Wendell) to turn the black lights on. The place looks really great because the light makes everything glow. =P The table, our shirts, and teeth glow as well. One of the best parts was that I was with the girl I like. Also, Nicole brought her cool touch-screen camera. It’s a tradition that whenever we laag, we cam whore!

    After having a great time bowling, we went upstairs for dinner. It was around 7 o’ clock. We were going to order something. I wanted to talk to the girl I like, the problem was that I didn’t want everyone else to know it (feels awkward for some reason =/ ). The best thing I thought of was to text her, and I did! XD

    Texting didn’t work though, so I had to be more forthright. I had to ask her. We went to playground area to talk. By the way, this is one of my favourite places to think (especially when I’m being picked up late). After expressing my feelings and views on a particular topic, it was her time to talk. She wanted to talk about something else.

    The topic she wanted to talk about wasn’t very much something to be excited about. It was the topic most of us dread the most. She wanted us to be just friends! Although I respected her decision, I had trouble understanding the reasons why?

    The weird thing is that what I found most surprising wasn’t her request. I was in fact ready to and open to it. Being ready and open to this possibiltiy was what I found surprising.

****** Still writing.. Will be in Mass first! ******

I’ve made some letters for my penpals from Germany and the U.S. Since it doesn’t take much effort to blog it, here’s the draft of the letters. I finally found a post office in Manila, so I’ll be sending ‘em soon! =D
———————————–
To my penpal in Germany:

Hey Aqsa!

Sorry for the late reply. I’m in university already, and it takes some time to prepare for it. I’m in another city away from my family and friends. The flight to my hometwon is only an hour away, but it’s amazing how much a difference an hour can make. It takes only one hour to see my friends, family, and many things familiar to me. Now I am in different place having to meet new friends, learn a different language, and learn how to live independently. The experience is indescribable.

How are you already? =D I’m very sorry for not replying earlier, I hope it is okay. =[ You've been doing what lately? Do you have any new interests? How is school and the renovation because of those cancer causing materials? =P I'm very glad that you liked the guitar I sent you. For some reason, I did not receive the chocolate you gave sent. I do not care though, because I'm already happy you sending a letter. =)

I entered a cultural exchange program in Japan under a full scholarship! It was amazing, you will really love the culture, the food, and the people. Everyone there is very polite and cooperative. =) You will also meet people from different countries and cultures. I have a lot of friends from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Australia, and New Zealand. =D

My birthday is April 9, but we had a party on April 8. It was amazing! There were more than a hundred people at the venue, and we played with waterballoons and everything else. =P For a moment, all of us were like children. And we definitely enjoyed. =)

Because I was leaving for University, my friends made a "despidida." It's a farewell party for the person leaving. It was really nice because a person made a song for me; my close friends signed a shirt for me as well. =) I like this girl, and it was really nice that she attended (hopefully it's not just another teenage crush that we all have).

So you play what kinds of sports? What do you find interesting about Germany? Do you have any news about life? I'd really love to read what you'll say. =D

Ciao!
Keith
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To my penpal in the states:

Hey Heather!

Sorry for the late reply. And wow, everything's moving so fast! It was only last year when we met, and now I'm in college. Who knew that a 3 day encounter in an Alaskan cruise ship would lead this? XD How's your ballroom dancing going? Did you manage to find a new partner? =)

Everything's been great so far. I left my city three weeks ago, and now I'm in Manila! Manila's the capital of the Philippines. Ever since my arrival, I've been homesick though. People seem friendlier in Cebu. And I have a lot more friends there. =[

My birthday is April 9, but we celebrated it at April 8. =P It was awesome! The place was filled with a hundred or more people, and some of these people I haven't seen since childhood. We had a water balloon fight, and played some kiddy games (for some reason we managed to make teenagers have fun playing them! XD ). The last party I made was like 2nd grade. =P

A week later, a few friends made me a "despidida." It's a party made for someone who's leaving -- in other words, a farewell party! =D It wasn't as big as my birthday party, but that was the way I wanted it. I only wanted my close friends to be there. They made a signature shirt for me! =') I called up the girl I like, but she said, "I'll be out of town." We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and ordered some sashimi. =D A friend of mine said that she'll be out to get something for a while. When she returned... It was the girl I like!

After having some crunchy and savoury Japanese food, we left for the arcade. If you didn't know, you're reading the letter of the worst Dance Revo player in history. Guess what we played? Dance Revolution! =P It was with the girl I like, so it was really fun. We then walked to Starbucks and had some drinks before our despidida came to a close.

A few days before my departure, the girl I like went to my friends to write messages for me. She even wrote me a really nice letter. =]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Japan trip! I’ll save it for the next letter.

Now it’s your turn to share your experiences. How was your Mexico cruise? Your dancing? Life? Etcetera! =D

Au revoir,
Keith
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Hopefully I’ll be able to blog more, and ciao!

The past few days were one of the most memorable days in life I have had. Tomorrow I will be leaving for Manila to study. A few days ago and until now, my day consisted of two things: staffing the PALS seminar, and meeting my friends from the Japan scholarship program I took last December.

On the 23rd of April, it was my despidida! Kara, Nicole, and a few other people planned the event. And of course, I’m really grateful for it. =] I arrived half an hour late; unfortunately, because my dad arrived late so we had to wait for our turn to use the car. Being late did not spoil the fun at all! I was glad to see many of my close and some newly met friends. People from Sacred Hijas, Southcrest, and CIS were there. Matt, from my Japan scholarship program occupied the table as well. Because CIS is an international school, the people from there still had classes that day. I was really happy that they took their time to go and even stay for just a short period. =P What was wonderful was that Juella (a friend) made five songs that were inspired from me. Her beautiful voice and well made melodies accompanied her meaningful lyrics. These songs only took a day to make, and her reason behind it was that I inspired her. =) Of course, I was very happy she was. After the rather expensive meal at Rai Rai Ken, we went off to Timezone to play a few games. DDR was awesome! Although I was horrible, Jamie and I both had fun. =) After a few rounds dancing, I found myself extremely hot. DDR should be in a gym! We left for Starbucks for a drink (and because it was air-conditioned). I bought a cup of tea, my sis bought some chai, and Jamie bought a frap. Izzy kept sipping my tea. =P As we drove home, we found out that the remaining money we had was the exact amount to pay for the parking area in Ayala. I was aghast and disappointed at myself. My sister and I spent 700 pesos in one night. That was like 350 a person. I do not like spending to much, especially on things that will only keep us happy for the short term. 350 pesos is almost a hundred pesos more than the minimum wage in Cebu. Of course I had to be gentle with myself and see this as a lesson. =)

At the next day, I closed my bank account because I’m leaving for Manila. I read a book in Power Books; but I was told to stop reading after they found out that I was done with more than half the book and taking down notes. I was supposed to have lunch with my friends from the Japan trip, but unfortunately there was not time to do so. =[ After that we left for the PALS meeting at 5 p.m. at the same afternoon. This was where I met Joey's (the PALS speaker) son -- Kevin.

Today was the day of the seminar. We, the staff, had to arrive an hour and a half before when the seminar actually starts. The preparations were fun and time seemed to fly by. I wanted to improve my social and motivational skills so my job was to be the microbuddy leader. It was a blast meeting new people, you see things from a different perspective and learn new things when talking to people. =]

There were many important things that I’ve learned by being a part of the staff. There was a point when Joey asked "Who is not good in math??" I was about to raise my hand, but then I overheard Monica (my first micro-buddy) saying that these perceptions are actually programs that limit us from improving ourselves. And she was right. I was grateful to her for that. At the night we left Parklane to go visit my Japan buddies at Crown Regency. My mom bought a few boxes of pizza for us and the Manila people had dozens of Krispy Kreme boxes. It was heaven! =D After a few hours spent there, Kevin insisted that I sleep over at his hotel room at the venue. Apparently I was extremely reluctant to do so. I will be sleeping in the same room of the speaker. But after some reassurance, I was persuaded to go.

At the next morning, we had a really nice buffet breakfast at the hotel. We then went to the seminar which was just a floor above the restaurant.

Today was the most significant day of PALS so far. I learned a lot. I already knew that I was confident with talking to a few people. But what I realised, and I didn’t know about it, was that I was not comfortable speaking with large audiences. I also realised that I need to improve my skills in influencing people and motivating people to do things. I have to realise that my wants are different from theirs; and that if I want to change people I have to genuinely welcome their wants if we even recognise that their wants are different from ours. I’m pushing myself outside my comfort zone right now. I definitely have made mistakes in guiding people; but it’s from mistakes that we learn (everyone says this, and it’s true). I asked to read a journal of a friend, she tells me that I can only read the first entry. It’s amazing how much insecurity and low confidence the journal revealed this person had. It’s even more amazing this person now confident and extremely prudent today. It’s amazing that you can do so much in one year that can change your life.

Today I’ve made such a great point of realisation. The girl that I like (and the feeling’s mutual) hardly approaches me. I have to approach her first. She seems to always hang out with a friend. If you would ask me what I would do when something like this happens, you would hear me say that I wouldn’t mind. I was surprised that the opposite happened. A feeling… a very familiar feeling… struck me. This feeling was in my chest area. Could it be my heart? I asked myself, "What kind of feeling could this be?" It was a small taste of what I felt in a breakup — a breakup that took me two months of tears to recover from. Of course, I did not feel that amount of pain. If you’d compare the feeling I felt today and my breakup, it would be like a grain of sand in the desert. How small this grain may be, it stung. "Why should I be feeling this way?" I asked. My logical side tells me that I shouldn’t. But still… the feeling was there.

It was perhaps jealousy.

"Why the hell should I be feeling jealous?" I asked myself again. The wonderful thing about being human is that we can separate our thoughts from emotions. Animals cannot. Although doing this can be very hard (I find it hard myself sometimes), at least we still can do so. This is what I did, I separated my thoughts from my emotions.

"Why should this matter? I’m leaving for Manila anyway."

I did know that we had no possibility or potential for a relationship together. And I definitely knew that I would find another person there. This was my greatest point of realisation. I discovered that I was heading for my downfall. I realised that I shouldn’t centre myself on relationships. I remember talking to the school nurse. He mentioned that from the age of adolescence to 18, we find our identity. This is the stage of finding who you really are. And from the age of 18 to throughout college, we experience the stage of "relation isolation." At this stage we feel left out when we aren’t in a relationship. When we are in one, and when we break up; it becomes very difficult to cope with the emotions, especially under the heavy demands of college.

According to the "7 Habits," there are many possible centers in life. One is being "friend centered." It’s very nice to have friends, in fact I tend to have as many as I can. =] The thing is, I don’t think we shouldn’t centre our lives on friends. Friends come and go, and they have to potential to stab you in the back. What happens when they desert you? You would feel miserable. Another centre is being "stuff centered." We shouldn’t base our confidence and esteem on our phones, money, clothes and the Ferrari we have in our garage. What happens if they’re gone? You can answer that. One of my favourite quotes is: "If who I am is what I have, then who am I?" This explains it very succinctly. =] There are also other centers that we may find surprising: "school centered," "parent centered." One of the centers with a very languid foundation is being "relationship centered." We should not let relationships affect the important things we do. It’s okay to have as many boyfriends and girlfriends as we went (one at a time!), but we shouldn’t have our well-being dependent on our relationships.

What this person, the person I like, made me realise is that I my emotions were clouding my judgement. Oh yeah, the centre that we should be in is on our principles. Principles are values and virtues that include: Honesty, Hard-work, Confidence, Honour, Humility etc… Principles never leave you or stab you in the back. And because she made me feel these feelings now, I realised how much pain you can go through being in a relationship. And I have to thank her for that. =) How can I cope up with these feelings in college? I have the rest of my life with me. Why rush? =P

This person is still significant in my life, and I still like her. Although she might still like me or not anymore, and I might do the same; she would still be a significant part of my life. =]

The past few days have probably been the best, the worst, and the most unique this month. I felt a lot of happiness and a lot of sadness as well.

Exactly one week ago was the evening before Valentines. I was so excited! And I knew exactly who to ask. =P I asked Nicole, a good friend, if that person had any valentine and if it’s alright to ask her. She that is was probably alright. In excitement, I called her up. After a few seconds of calling, she says, "I’ll think about it." At that time, my brother Chuck was rushing me to help him buy some ingredients. I wanted to make chocolate truffles as well. We took the car to Rustan’s to buy some chocolate chips and other ingredients. Nicole then called up to say that she liked chocolates. =) As we drove home, the car acted funnily and the engine started to die down. Chuck started the engine again, but the engine died down again. We were out of gas! We both agreed that I go to the gas station and get some fuel. After arriving, the attendant said there was no fuel! I called up dad, and he said that he will call the maid to send a container from home. One hour later, I started to grow impatient. I called up dad but was only returned by annoyance of impatience, "She’s coming!" I just went home myself with a jeepney. As soon as I arrived, she was there at the gate. My dad forgot to tell the guard to let her through! We took some gas, and brought it to the car. A problem was that the container was to wide to fit the gas opening. Fortunately, a passerby generously offered a makeshift funnel (by cutting a plastic bottle halfway). We managed to get home after some time. Unfortunately, it was really late and I still have to finish my English research. Mom finally arrived at around 10 o’ clock. Although she told me to buy flowers and chocolates after she arrived, she decided to do it tomorrow. "There’s no time though", "I’ll just buy them for you in the morning." I just asked her to write a letter to excuse me from school at lunch, then I slept.

The morning was the same routine. Dandan was really happy though. She gave home-baked pastries and Magic cards to Nicole accompanied with a poem. I really admired him for that. He gave it with his heart! Magic cards is one of his passions, and he gave his favourite poem as well. He had the intention to say it, but the guard (soon my favourite guard=P) denied him entry to the school. =( I left for Southcrest on lunchtime to give the flowers and chocolate this lunchtime. In surprise, the flowers and chocolates weren’t there! In a rush, I had to find a place to buy flowers, and chocolates. I managed to find some, but the problem is that they weren’t really personalised and not as good if I probably bought them yesterday. =( Of course I was happy to give flowers and chocolates to my valentine. =) My favourite card didn’t let me in though, so I had to let her give them to my valentine. After returning to school the teacher was late! And that means I’m not late. =D When I started having some lunch, the teacher just arrived! =P After school, I got picked up at 6:30. This happens everyday. I was so frustrated at my parents. It started with unpleasant exchanges of words, then I walked to my room crying (yes, I can cry). At that time, I felt as if my parents really don’t care about my school. I study every night, but I told them how difficult it is when you arrive at seven and really exhausted. They haven’t even read my report card! I was very upset. Then I started to remember studying at my sister’s school. I worked really hard, and finished first year months earlier. I did not receive any allowance; and if I did, it was only enough to take a jeepney home. My sister’s studying there now, and she doesn’t study that much, gets allowance, and leaves school anytime. Probably you can see how upset I was. I talked to Chuck, and he talked to mom and dad. He came back and said that they saw my side of the picture and they’ll talk to me when I calm down. I ate a lot of chocolate and some tea. My valentine sent a text message to thank me for the flowers and chocolate. I felt a lot happier. I don’t know why, but when you give to others, you really do feel happy! =) I calmed down till I slept.

The next day, I started to feel better. On the afternoon, I heard something from a classmate that really upset me. I don’t know why, but this really brought me down. I felt like my life was falling to pieces. I felt betrayed. All the memories of people betraying me began to be relived in my mind: The person that upset me was rejected by his group a year ago, and his group told me not to be close to him. Another person really upset me a lot as well that I cried about what he did days before that. He was a person people told me not to be friends with to be in the "cool" group. The worst memory was when a friend of mine used me to make more friends with other people for a year, then destroyed my confidence and self esteem. I started to think about building walls around myself. But then I read that the walls that protect you can isolate you as well. All my values and principles seemed useless. I didn’t know what this feeling was it sadness? Confusion? A five-letter word described it perfectly: angst. This dreaded word completely described how I felt that time. And I was enshrouded by it. I turned to Dandan for advice. I’ve told him everything about how I felt and what happened. Talking and being listened to by Dandan made me feel better until this feeling gradually went away! The Seven Habits tells me to listen genuinely to people. After doing my best to listen to other people, I realised that I forgot to listen to someone important — myself. It felt as a huge weight was on my shoulders, and having dandan listening really helped. There are only a few people in this world who listen to you and are honest. I’m glad Dandan is one of them. As I write this down, I feel as if every letter that I type removes a piece of the world on my shoulders. Classes ended. I knew that my parents would pick me up late so I decided to hitch with my classmate. As soon as I arrived home, I opened my folder and studied. I was still frustrated at my mom. She told me to park the car. As soon as I went back to my table, she called me up. She showed me a copy of my report card, she did her best to show talk about my grades. I had to rush outside the to contain my tears. I went downstairs to study, but I couldn’t think. It was as if I have tasted all the happiness the world could offer. I took a shower in the bathroom for more than 30 minutes thinking about what happened and to let all my tears run dry before leaving.

On Saturday, I was fully recovered and happy. =) After playing badminton with Facundo, we went to Jan’s house to play some PS2 and play with the new potato cannon I built! Before that Jan treated us to Rai Rai Ken for lunch. I and I love Japanese food! =D The cannon didn’t work though regardless of the dozen fuels we used. =P I went home early to change and to get ready for Ridge’s birthday. I drove to City Sports (free parking!) then went to Don Henrico’s to see a table filled with table and the celebrant. We had some pizza, then I excused myself to leave. We went down to Red Ribbon, and bought a birthday cake. We walked back to Don Henrico’s  and sang the "happy birthday" song! I had to leave early unfortunately to to go to OJ’s birthday as well.It was fun!! We played PS2, some poker (no money involved), and had some beer. We left the party, and I drove facundo and Neil down the mountain. After dropping Neil off at 460, we left for Paseo to drink. It was pretty fun! I met some new people from Sacred Heart as well. Sensing that it was getting late, I urged Chuck and Facu to leave. Chuck left half an hour later, facu left much much later. His foster mom was mad at him. =P

The Southcrest Family Day was the next day. After buying groceries for my mom, dropping off Nicole (another Nicole) to her house, and then going back to Fooda again (forgot an ingredient), I left for Southcrest. They Day is incredibly fun! The first person I saw was my valentine. =) My classmates were there as well! A friend from my Japan trip was also there. I introduced him to the group, and he also had a lot of fun! We played this game where we passed around a calamansi fruit with a spoon on our mouths. I was in the blue team. At around three Dandan bought some quesadillas for me (which I truly appreciate =)  ). At the end of the Family Day was the final judgment on which team will win. The red team won by ONE POINT!! =O After that we decided to play inn the "jump and bounce" slide. It was really fun!! It might seem kiddy at first, but it definitely isn’t. =) I went home and had mass before sleep.

The next day, I bought brownies for my sister’s birthday the next day and a Reader’s Digest magazine (along with an RD planner!). =D And the day after that, we had some dinner at Lemon Grass before sleep. =)

So that’s my week!

Alright, I’m actually making a blog twice this week! Hahaha And that’s really weird. =P

After going through the PALs seminar. I decided to read the Seven Habits book again. This is one of the few books you guys should read in your life. It really changes you. It’s really like PALs. Haha I like learning things by reading, so I actually learned more from this book than the seminar!

I realised that I didn’t complete Habit 2. I should make a Mission Statement. A mission statement is something that you live up to — especially through problems in life. Here’s how Sean Covey (the author) explains it:

    A personal mission statement is like a tree with deep roots. It is stable and it isn’t going anywhere, but it is also alive and continually growing.
    You need a tree with deep roots to help you survive all of the storms of life that beat you up. As you’ve probably noticed already, life is anything but stable. Think about it. People are fickle. Your boyfriend loves you one minute and then dumps you the next. You’re someone’s best friend one day, and they’re talking behind your back the next.
    Think about all of the events you can’t control. You have to move. you lose your job. The country is at war. Your parents are getting divorced.
    Fads come and go. Sweaters are popular one year and on their way out the next. Rap music is the thing. Rap music stinks.
    While everything about you changes, a personal mission statement can be your deep-rooted tree that never moves. You can deal with change if yo have an immovable trunk to hang on to.

I’m going to make a mission statement tonight, and here it is! (Well, it’s still a draft.):

• Be friendly
• Never back-bite
• Be confident, and make people feel the same way.
• Study Hard
• Make your goals, and stick to them
• "Never look down on anybody, unless your helping him up!"
• Be genuine
• Don’t let people’s negative comments ruin your day, ignore them.
• Find positive things about people
• Let them know about it
• Do not do things just because everybody else does
• Be honest

Et c’est voila! This is my mission statement so far. So if you see me do anything that doesn’t agree with any of these, go ahead and slap me. =P

I also have some goals this school-year:

• First Quarter: Get passing grades
• Second Quarter: Get good grades
• Third Quarter: Be in Director’s List
• Fourth Quarter: Be an honor student

These were my goals since the start of the school-year. But since a goal that isn’t written’s only a wish, I’d better write it down.

So far I’m on the write track. And I found out that I’m actually smart. =P I hardly study for physics and chemistry and still get good grades in them. I get higher grades in some subjects than most of the smart people in class. And what a rush it is!It’s not because my grades are higher then theirs, but because I realised that actually can have grades on par with the people who have good grades. Today, I’ve had the highest grade in Economics (99) while the class average was in the 80’s. Doing that test, I felt kinda’ stupid because the rest of the guys were finished with their test while I wasn’t. Seeing the results was such a boost of motivation, that I really needed to write it down!

After many nights of seemingly futile work, I finally get to taste the fruit of my labor . =)

Last week Monday the coolest seminar in the world was about to start. At that morning we just came from the beach fully relaxed. It was 12:15, and most of us weren’t ready; at 12:30, we all were (well mostly)…

Our seminar starts at 1 o’ clock. We were on our way there at 12:45, and my heart was kinda thumping out of excitement. What will I expect? What do I say? And those other things… My feelings were a subtle mixture of reluctancy and eagerness.

We finally arrived at the Marcelo Fernan Press Centre. This was where we had our seminar. To be honest, the place looked really cool. It was both simple and modern. It was 12:50, and the first floor was almost empty. We went upstairs, and the first thing I saw was a table and tita Marget. We signed the form then went to the room beside us.

Chuck, me, Abigail, and Hannah found our seats in the back to watch the seminar. Our charismatic speaker was none other than Joey Reyes! =P The firs thing we did was to introduce ourselves to five new people, and ask these:

1. Your name
2. Your school/work
3. Your greatest dreams & what you wanna’ learn in the seminar.

And it was pretty fun! It’s always nice to meet someone new. =) Haha

Our first activity was where we formed "micro-groups." We choose five people we don’t know and form a group. These guys are the best people you’ll ever meet! One is an aspiring fashion designer (you can already tell by the clothes she’s wearing, and khaki’s a pretty cool color!), another is an aspiring doctor who plans to study — and have a scholarship — in Johns Hopkins University. Not only that, she’s planning to be a brain or heart surgeon! Another person in our group is a nice "perdy" person taking ballet. She wants to start a  have five-star hotel. The last person, but not the least, is Miko! I already know him, but who cares? Haha He wants to start a ramen shop. ^^
Each of us in the micro-group had to find a positive aspect of another person’s. And here’s mine =D :

• lookin’ fine
• friendly
• sporty
• gentlemen
• intelligent
• sincere
• joyful
• very sweet
• caring
• awesome
• optimistic
• confident
• talented
• brave
• hot
• sexy
• and… "sexy mama!!!"

ROTFLMAO! I really cracked up at the last part. =P Not a bad set of words to be associated with, don’t you think? There are so many positive aspects of a person, but all we do is focus on their negative sides. Do you know what the average number negative comments we have to put up each day? It’s 2,000. Guess how many for the positive. It’s 20. We get 2,000 negative comments each day, and only 40 positive comments to make up for it. How do you think we’d feel? There’s a theory that, "People will keep up to the expectations you set." What I’ve learned is that we should change the ratio. =)

Can you guess what group of people who are:

• confident
• hardworking
• positive
• responsible
• imaginative
• determined
• honest
• patient
• trusting
• creative
• and smart?

The answer is… BABIES! Think about it. Many of us had these traits a child, but the rigors of life stole these from us. >=( This is our true self. But sometimes, we are programed to act otherwise. These programs shape our attitude towards life. And our attitude affects our behavior in life.

On the same evening, Joey told us to organize ourselves into four groups. Each of us had to classify ourselves into these groups:

1. Dominant, Formal
2. Dominant, Informal
3. Flow With, Formal
4. Flow With, Informal

The "dominant" person asserts himself. The "flow with" person goes with the flow and is very agreeable. The "formal" person is systematic and organized. The "informal" person isn’t systematic and unorganized. I classified myself int he "dominant, formal" group. All of us were given the choice to join any one of these groups. What’s surprising’s that all the groups were divided all into equal parts. The people in each group were asked to share their: Major likes, Major dislikes, Strengths, and Motivations. We were then asked whether we were "buyers" or "sellers." "Sellers" are people who propose ideas, and buyers are the opposite. Then we were asked whether we are "task" or "relationship" oriented. What’s surprising is that many of the people in the dominant-formal group had the same interests, motivations and other similarities with me! There really probably are four different general personalities in the world. And according to the speaker, it’s the leader who adjusts to these differences. =)

**** Under Construction ****

Alright, this article’s meant to be written for the school newspaper. But why not hit two birds with one stone (cliche’ moment)? I have an essay and an article at the same time! It’s also a lot easier to think making a blog than on Word or something. Weird eh? Oh yeah this one’s still a draft, so please don’t mind the grammar and structure too much.

French is way cool, that’s why I chose the title! It means, "Our Camp Out".

After a party and late night drinking, I woke up four hours later at seven in the morning. My things were all packed, and I was all set to go. We all met at the club headquarters — Sugbu Study Center. The first people I saw were the two usual people, JR and [Michelle]. And also as usual, they were on the computers the whole time!Many some people were afraid to go because of the fear of the NPA. After Raymond, Jake (and his huge tactical knife), Laurenz, and Sam arrived, we left.

We took the road south to Carcar; before that, we stopped by UP to grab a guitar for our trip (seriously, what is a camp-out without a guitar?). The new SRP road cut our time by half an hour.We finally arrived in Carcar. We had the traditional Carcar lunch. It’s a must for every tourist passing by Carcar to have a meal of lechon, atsara, and other native dishes. I bought some Tanduay rum for the trip. One of the people, Jun Barte, gave an idea, "Let’s make poor man’s Bailey’s!" he exclaimed. "What is that?", I asked. He explained it’s a cheap imitation of Bailey’s, and surprisingly they’re both almost identical! It’s a mixture of a small bottle of Tanduay, a can of condensed milk, and instant coffee according to taste. We left for our next destination.

On our way, we sang sing alongs with the guitar brought with us. And finally, we were close! This was when the sign, "Vegetable Basket of Cebu" appeared. This was when my quest for tuba (fermented coconut wine) started. I have never tried it yet, but I was soon captivated by this intoxicating brew. We stopped by a store to buy some water, coffee, and some condensed milk. I asked for Tuba. As soon as we left, BANG! our car hit a pothole. Within five seconds, a crowd started to assemble around the car. Within another five seconds, the people started push and carry the van from the hole. The people surely fitted the description of the NPA, "nice people around, with no permanent address!", in the words of Mr. Langahin.

Our van steadily climbed up the steep dirt road up the mountain. We parked our car beside the Church and began our treck.

We passed by the image of the Virgin Mary at a shrine. Many things were so different than it is in the city. These people carry 150 kilogram loads up and down the mountain everyday! Water, at most places, is a quarter hour walk away. I asked for tuba at the last available sari-sari store. The road ended, we started to walk through paths. Sometimes we made our own paths, and we paid for it highly. We passed through paddies and mud. By the time we reached a house, all of our feet were full of mud! We were offered spring water drink, and we went on.

We were close to the peak. I have to say that the view was completely breathtaking! Most of us who weren’t wearing pants started to accumulate scratches on their legs. Half an hour later we finally arrived. We were stopped by a man with a sign, " P15 entrance fee". Most of us were ready to camp somewhere else but we decided to take a look. "La vue c’est magnifique!" Hey it’s my blog, I can write anything I want. Lol Although the view definitely was magnificent. It was getting foggy, soon it started to rain. We decided to give in to our pride and pay P15 pesos. We set up camp. Mr. Langahin borrowed Jake’s tactical knife and started hammering the thin knife on the the hard wood and grass.

By the time camp was set, dinner was ready. The menu was left over lechon, rice, ampao, and chicharon. For dessert poor man’s bailey’s was on it. I have to tell you it was delicious! Mr. Langahin, Jake, Raymond, Laurenz and everybody else had some. We then slept.

At one in the morning, most of us started to wake up. Not because of an animal sound or because we were scared, but because we slept on wood and rocks! Mr. Langahin and Jun Barte slept soundly. I began singing La Bomba in the tent, the other tent sang as well.

Time flew very quickly. Soon, the sun began to rise. I ventured up the mountain accompanied with the other people. We took a myriad of pictures on the scenery. It was really cold that morning for a tropical country. As soon as Mr. Langahin and Jun Barte woke up, we started packing. We took a few more pictures then had breakfast. The menu was chili, bread corned beef, tuna, and some left overs.

We went back down and stopped by one of the wells to resupply on some water. Jun Barte went ahead to fetch the car for us. We finally reached the car. We had a long mass afterwards. Unfortunately some of us including me, because of the lack of sleep, took a nap (I was already hallucinating!). We left and headed for the beach.

We reached the beach! I went to stop by the nearest sari-sari store, "Nakay tuba?", in my best Visayan (which is moderately horrible). We had some salmon, bread, some coke, chicharon and the other remaining food we have left. As soon as we finished, we decided to go back to Cebu. What a great weekend!

* Hey, I’ll post some pics soon.

Here are my college essays for Ateneo and UA&P. They were just hanging around my folder, I might as well post em! =) Something’s wrong with the freakin’ blog, it’s adding a space after every time I name a country! =S

Ateneo:
—————————————————————————————-

Vincent
Keith Lim Aquino July
31, 2007

Writing Mr. Cabahug

What Events
Have Had a Profound Effect on You?

I was strongly influenced by a book. I was looking
for something to read at a Barnes and Noble store. The book: 7 Habits of Highly
Effective Teens. It caught my eye and I bought it. It teaches so much bout
life: how to manage time, peer pressure, making friends & listening to
people genuinely. These examples are just a drop in the ocean of information
you can learn from this book. This book persuaded me to study harder and push
myself outside my comfort zone.

Being in a vacation also reinforces what I’ve learned
from the book. Honestly, many people outside the country seem to be less
insecure than most people here; they also think win-win (e.g. The Great
Compromise, no corruption, obeying traffic laws). America and Canada has become my playground to employ what I’ve learned. Everybody seems to be
friendly there in North America. “Please and
thank you” have become a habit to them. All these little things have changed me
for the better. I’m trying to bring that culture to the Philippines. I
learn a lot about life and culture in my vacations. That’s why I treasure them.

In my vacations, I always meet so many fascinating
people. I’ve even grown a fondness for old people; they have so many stories
and a lot they can teach. I’ve met a World War II veteran who served in the Philippines.
I’ve also met this charming British lady. She’s been living in Canada and Mexico for most of her life. In
bewilderment, I asked, “Why Mexico?” She told me how much  she loved how
different it is there. We finally reached the subject of the Philippines. I
asked, “Many of my dad’s friends are British and I have no idea why they choose
to live here.” I viewed it as self-imposed exile. Then she remarked that
countries all have its problems, but they all have something special about them
too. She said that people can appreciate other cultures, but they should also
love their own. She was right! When I arrived back to the Philippines, I was surprised by how different it
is here (I knew it was the Philippines
when there were no paper towels in the bathroom). The Philippines did
have something special. The people vending in the streets, the traffic, and
everything else all contributed to its culture. I even found beauty in the
squatter area! I just remembered a quote, “Before you can place yourself in
someone else’s shoes, you have to take yours off first.”

————————————————————————————–
UA&P:

Vincent Keith Lim Aquino July
31, 2007

Why I
Choose UA&P

I want to study entrepreneurial management to have a
better understanding on how to run a business and how to manage the risks
associated with it. There are so many business opportunities and possible
investments in this country. I want to use and recognise them.

Business has always been interesting to me. At
childhood, I was already exposed to business. My brother and I bought and sold
Pokemon cards at school. We earned a profit of a thousand pesos a week. My
second business venture is a siomai stand. We earned a profit of P 1,500 a day.
UA&P courses are done more in practise than in theory. This matches my
beliefs

The book, 7 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens,
dramatically changed my life. Unfortunately, I was exposed to it at the last
year of high school. I can’t change the past; but I certainly can affect my
future. The book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, changed my outlook on some aspects about
money.

My weaknesses are based more in academics. Accounting
is something I should improve in. Marketing is my strong point. I advertise
products very well.

My interests are badminton, martial arts,
photography, videography, marathon running, gourmet cooking, and the arts. Even
after suffering from a broken nose in a Taekwondo tournament persisted. And
won. I believe that I am hardworking, driven and goal oriented. My belief is
that we shouldn’t work for money, but let money work for us.

————————————————————————————

Okay, okay. This might not be the best thing you’ve read, but at least I did my best. And for the first essay, I had no idea that our writing teacher was making us write it for Ateneo! =O

Whew! It’s been so long since I’ve last posted something here. I’m enjoying a glass of wine by the way. =)

I’ve just read something about sleep and it’s relation to internet use (weird eh?). If you didn’t know, I have a huge sleeping problem. I sleep at nine and wake up at seven the next day, and I still feel groggy! I also have trouble sleeping until 12.

There’s this research on the amount of PC and TV time before bed and sleep. Here’s the article, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_53918.html. The longer we use the PC or the TV before bed, the groggier we feel the next day. And that’s what I’m doing right now! =O

I’ll be sleeping soon. My blog desperately wanted to be updated though. Oh yeah, I can’t send that many testimonials or comments already. School’s been really annoying lately! >=( And I promised myself to be more "naning" this year. =P

Our cruise was terrific, but I’ll tell you more about it at the next blog. There’s one part of the cruise and my life that I won’t forget. I’ve met this girl in The Loft, it’s the teen hangout place in the ship. She’s not one of those flirty American girls, she’s an honor student and friendly (Chuck finds her too talkative). She’s completely fascinating. At the few days of us meeting every night, I started to like her. I decided to tell her the night before we leave. I tapped her on the shoulder and whispered to her ear "I like you". A look of contained excitement "I like you too!". We talked to each other for a while. At the end she told me to go to Baton Rouge next time we go back to the America. We met for the very last time at the Lido deck. Here’s a picture. Then we parted after.

I’ll talk more about the trip after I recover from this. Some things aren’t meant to be (or I’m just being to passionate right now!). When I’m back in the Philippines, I’ll do my best at this . Hope I can conquer Filipino!