While checking some posts on the CSB subforums at Pinoy Exchange, I came across a post there saying that Jenny From The Taft had passed away. Several news coming into my facebook feed also confirmed what I feared is true. My reaction: Shocked, surprised, bewildered, saddened. It’s hard to believe that what many Benildeans, Lasallians and Scholasticans consider an institution in Taft Avenue, Manila.

For those who don’t Jenny, he (is he a she?) is a beggar who roams around Taft Avenue and is befriend by a generation of students coming from several Taft-based schools. His origins remain a mystery many, some believing she had siblings who studied in Ateneo, others say she came from Laguna but got lost and eventually ended up in Manila. When she isn’t in Taft, she is most likely roaming around Moonwalk doing odd jobs there.

Many are amazed of her incredible knowledge of the comings and going of every school in that side of Taft, he knows every school’s pre-enrollment, enlistment, school holidays, everything! They say that he even knows the day of your graduation. She cares about the students, even sharing them an umbrella with him. We return the favor by chatting with him and giving him alms. It’s a mortal sin that when you don’t give him alms, Jenny will punish you by kissing you smack into your face! LOL

It saddens me that the friend of every Lasallian, the brother/sister of every Benildean, and the gossiper of every Scholastican no longer lives in the land of the living but we know that he/she is now in a better place.

As I write this, there’s an ongoing wake happening right now at his place in Bacoor, Cavite. Anyone interested on attending and say their goodbye to Jenny can go to his tribute fanpage in Facebook to see the details.

Wherever he may be, he will always remain in our heart, FOREVER!

The past couple of weeks I’ve been doing some double checking over some small details in preparation for my upcoming trip to Singapore. I’m just so excited that finally, I’m going out of the country for the first time in 8 years and I’m crossing my fingers that nothing will jinx my trip to happiness!

Right now, I’m looking at some final details with regards to transport and hotel accomdation. Lance informed me not too long ago that he and some peeps booked a reservation for 8 at a hostel and they need just one more to share the cost altogether. It’s an opportunity that I have to take knowing that for the past few days, me and my mom have been searching for good hotels with value-for-value rates. There’s a couple of good ones but according to some online hotel booking websites, there’s no room available. There are those with good locations but have quite a bad reputation, if you know what I mean. There’s even a hotel that despite the good online reviews it got from some past visitors, we were concerned on some reviews saying that this certain place serves as a haven for prostitutes where they lurk at night.

Sure enough, I’m also in the look-out for some good shops that sell second-hand dSLR cameras that are Calle Hidalgo-cheap and not SM Megamall-cheap. The laptop and I-Pod nano will have to wait as I’m hell-bent on buying one before I could take my photography electives in my final two trimesters.

Ha, Singapore…I will love you if you love me back. Just bend me into your will!

As summer draws to a close, the school year opens with much anticipation that it won’t suck the way last year was for the Benildean student body. For some, it is the start of another year of academic pressure and long nights staring in front of the computer while for others, it’s a make-or-break call as they start spending the first of their final days in the academe.

Senior year, here I come.

Looking back, it’s hard to imagine that 4 years ago, I was merely starting out as a little boy fresh out of high school, trying to adjust commuting between home and school, and taking chances by signing up on one too many student orgs while trying to tame my DV1 blockmates as we wait for a class to start inside Room M506.

Fast forward to now, a new generation of froshes are taking center-stage as upperclassmen watch them over repeating history over and over again. I was lucky not being caught up on the freshmen frenzy as I only had one class for the entirety of the first day of school, NATSCA2/Environmental Factors in Design, at 6pm.

For the first three days of the school week, I basically have a 3-hour class set in the evening while the remaining 2 have one set in the afternoon and in the morning respectively. Despite the seemingly-not-so-hectic looking schedule I got for the first trimester, I expect hell to break loose as midterms fever kicks in in less than 7 weeks.

One thing that I should consider doing is time-management. As last term had already proven, whatever free time you have can only be spent doing projects nonstop given the limited resources I have to produce works and giving my full commitment on each and every one of whatever material is given to me.

But because this is already my senior year, I should really give my all on making sure that I finish the journey I started from the moment I first stepped into the halls of the College last May 28, 2007 until I walk out of the school graduating in 2011. I can’t give assurance that by the end of the current school (SY 2010-2011), I’m finally let loose.

But no matter what, I will end what I started and from there, I will start anew.

The coming school year is a make-or-break year for me. Not only is there the possibility that I might graduate in three trimesters’ time, I also have to make use of time to finally achieve my goals I have long set yet never tried to achieved years ago. Among them is trying to make myself fit and healthy.

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I must say, this summer had been the most productive for me in terms of actually doing something outside of my usual summer bumness at this time of the year (redundant use of words, I know). No matter how short my actual summer vacation has been, I could safely say that I really made most of the 20+ days of academic freedom I have as I was able to widen my horizons, broaden my scope and limitations, and last but not least, met and made a lot of friends.

Top of my list is being a part of this year’s Frosh Orientation Program where my goal since day 1 was to give myself a “sense of fulfillment” and as “my way to give back to the school”. Sounds corny but it’s true. And boy did I make the right choice. Now I wonder how I would react once my face is seen by the next batch of students in the school come Monday for laughing out loud! Sessionista forever! :))

Second and most certainly as important as the first, me being part of 99.5RT’s The Farm has been quite the tremendous experience. It’s certainly made me realize of how far I could go to realizing what I want to do after graduation. Although there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to continue my working relationship with station once The Farm airs its final curtain in June, the past-half year being in RT is enough for me to be satisfied.

But of course, we’re planning two big events before we call it quits, one is a final adieu to the summer before the start of the school year, “OMG IT’S OVER!” to be held in June 11 at Manor Superclub in Eastwood City while another is something we’re still in the process of putting it together so better watch out for it.

As I close off this series chronicling my summer experience, I look forward to what the year has in store for what could be my final “CSB Experience“.

Goodbye, Adieu, Adios, and Paalam to THE SUMMER EXPERIENCE 3!

When I was conceiving the idea of writing an umbrella series of blogs for summer as an extension of my still-continuing blog series about my continuing college life, it was under the assumption that I won’t exactly going to have a normal summer vacation in my college years.

Up to now, its purpose of existence remains largely the same, save for last year when I had my first and so far only normal vacation with no academic strings attached. But this year, well let’s just say that I’m sorta-kinda-vacationing-while-working-and-studying at the same time.

Gets?

Since the end of junior year, I’ve kept myself occupied with a couple of school-related activities. One was participating on CSB’s frosh orientation program (which I recently found out that I’ll be in the sec committee instead of logistics) which I want to join since my freshman year but circumstances prevented me on joining until now. The other is being part of 99.5RT’s The Farm where I’ve recently transferred my internship from RT30, the station’s flagship chart show.

Working while in the middle of a month-long vacation doesn’t seem to be all that bad, at least not yet. As far as I know, the next few days will be critical as me and the rest of the FOP guys will be orienting freshmen in preparation of the new school year while on the other side f the spectrum, members of The Farm are busy planning this really big thing next month. Can’t say the exact details just yet but we hope we get the green-light to do this.

People are asking me why I try to make things tedious for me, why I’m making myself so busy when I should be resting. Because I want to engage myself on things that could shape me as a person. It’s a learning experience that will teach me a lot of things, getting prepared with the harsh reality that is life as well as passing the torch of wisdom to the new crop of naive students coming into the school very soon.

Here’s to wishing I could have a decent summer vacation next year, that is if by then I’ll be done with school. Cheers to that!

Scorching hot outside and inside the house, I don’t know how I could possibly make my summer’s worth if I just laze and bum around the house. Fortunately I got to signed up into The Farm and that other thing I’ve been dying to try, being an freshman orientor in CSB.

Joining the Frosh Orientation Program is something I’ve been wanting to do since first year college but because of unforeseen circumstance, it’s only now that I’m able to do the deed finally. Me being  a part of FOP is my little way of giving back to the very people who welcomed me and my batchmates when we were naive little froshes.

The actual workshop/seminar lasted only two days, the last of which was yesterday as I write this. Short as it may be, never have I expected to be this fun all-throughout. I got to meet a lot of new people, many of them at least 2 batches below me (ID’s 109 and 108).

Gosh, I feel so old! LOL

It’s been a while since I’ve met new people from the other courses outside SDA. Considering I have spent my whole junior year in the SDA building I have completely lost touch with what’s going on in Main and in AKIC. Just recently, I got the opportunity to visit AKIC again. Once there, I was surprised to see that the lobby was undergoing an extensive rehabilitation. Surprised but necessarily unexpected since the campus was under renovation for quite sometime already the last time I was there.

Back to the topic, I met people, many of them 109 people, coming mostly from the BS-Information Systems program, several others being AB-CDA, SHRIM, and SDA students. I find some to be lively, others mysterious, while some are loud, and others literally loud. Interesting mix indeed.

Right now, I’m assigned to the logistics committee, the people who will make sure everything in the five days the FOP will run throughout, is going to be smooth sailing or at the very least minimize any unexpected twists.  But of course, me and some of my new found friends are preparing for something really special for the incoming freshmen and I can’t exactly tell nor do I want to what it is willingly.

In two weeks, they will find out.

Finally, many of us here in CSB are now free from the bondage that is the seemingly unending school year 2009-2010. Junior year has been a drag and yet, despite the odds, we all persevered no matter what the circumstances were thrown at us for each term.

At this point, you know that there’s definitely no turning back. I’m at this point when I know that the end is right in front of me but unfortunately, there are a few spikes scattered around the floor that I still have to passed on carefully or else I’ll end up stepping on one by accident.

Feeling giddy, I am excited that in the coming weeks, I’ll be stepping back into the shoes of a student for, hopefully, one more year before they kick me out and face the real world. AndI only have to wait til the final experience kicks off in less than 27 days from now.

Yup, you heard it right: Senior Year will start a few days late than usual as the school’s higher ups apparrently moved the opening of class from the original 25th May date to the 31st. This somehow gives a lot of the older students a lot of time to make most of their month-long and well-deserved vacation, having had to experience the hell out of the recent school year due to the AH1N1 scare and the Ondoy onslaught.

One question though is how the school intends to end the school year the way it should be and at the very least, prepare for unexpected events that might led history to repeat itself all over again.

Right now, I’m officially going to enjoy my summer vacation starting tomorrow and school might still be my “hang-out” this season. I just booked a job to be an orientor-to-be for the upcoming Frosh Orientation Program (FOP) that will be happening sometime this month and not to mention my internship on 99.5RT’s The Farm. Before heading off the road, taking a pit-stop seems like a good idea to do for the meantime.

And thus I officially end: THE CSB EXPERIENCE 3

Back when I was starting out in college, I wrote on one of my first entries under The CSB Experience a set of goals and ambitions which I hope I could achieve when I reached the end of my collegiate journey. Not only that the things that I want to change within myself and the change that I want to share with others.

Personality-wise, I haven’t seen much as happening on a grand-scale three years after but I feel that something within me have changed. A kind of “personal growth” as you may call it, I began to see things in a new perspective, a new viewpoint based from not just what other people see but from what I see it as I go on through life.

Not exactly wising up or anything but looking back, I think I have changed from the inside out.

 I may not be the same James/Jaime who first sat foot in M506 trying to impress people on the first day (gelled hair, contact lenses, fitting clothes, shades, etc) but I rediscovered myself, the kind of guy who admits that he’s not perfect but is willing to take the risk doing so in order to better himself.

I have taken steps and missteps but regained foothold. I got into some road bumps and detours but eventually found my way through. By the end of the tunnel comes in the light to guide me as I walk amidst the darkness.

An example was when I took up the courage of visiting the exhibit of a student who I looked up to as a role model recently. You can’t imagine how nervous I was into meeting him or actually being in his exhibit himself. I just never thought that I could actually do so for the sake of meeting him face-to-face, knowing he won’t be around the school for much longer.

Embarrassed and speechless, I was amazed as to how he humble he actually is. A colleauge of his asked me, “Why so nervous?”, and I answered with as much strength as I could gather and said, “I’m just like this, when I’m nervous I can’t seem to speak well…”.

Picking the pieces of my broken self (figuratively and literally), I knew that this is an action I will never regret having done so later in life.

I realized that in life, change does not mean having to change your personality entirely. Change comes from within, and change comes out slowly and unexpectedly than you could imagine.

Change does not mean having to wear a different set of clothes every fashion season that all the other people are wearing because it’s the fad or uso, nor does wearing those fancy accesories or get-ups to feel that you belong nor even trying to have a smoke out of a cigarette because it looked very appealing to do so with the rest of these young’uns.

Change is discovering that things you never knew you are good at. Change of seeing yourself on a new light. Change that never you knew will come unexpectedly.

Something for a change, walk into a path you are hesitant to take and see where it will take you. I know because I’m walking on one right now.

Kanina pag-uwi ko, wala siya. Bigla akong napaisip: Dahil wala siya ngayong gabi, mari kong tignan ang isa sa mga gamit niya sa kuwarto. Ewan ko ba pero pakiramdam ko kailangan kong makita ang gamit na iyon.

Isa lamang iyong litrato, hindi naman kalumaan pero tagal-tagal na rin nasa maliblib na lugar. Nakita ko ang lalagyan kung saan iyon matatagpuan at binuksan ko.

Bawat litrato ay aking inusisa: “Hindi ito”, “hindi rin iyon” ang aking iniisip. Hanggang sa matagpuan ko na nga ang aking hinahanap, ako ay nabigha. Hindi ito ang inakalang kong litrato sa huling beses na ito’y aking nakita. Gaya ng aking binanggit ay hindi ito masyadong kalumaan pero hindi ko inakala na malaki ang naging pagbabago, o mas mabuting sabihin ay “pinagkaiba”, sa kung ano ang itsura ng taong nasa litrato noon sa naging itsura niya ngayon.

Kagulat-gulat man,  mas nakakagulat nang aking binasa ang nakasulat sa tabi ng litrato, at ni isang salita na nabanggit dito ay malapit sa kung ano ang aking pagkilanlan sa kanya.

May ilang aspeto ng kanya naman ay totoo pa rin man ngayon, mayroong iba na hindi pumapantay sa kung ano siya ngayon. Marahil, sa kanyang naging bagong pagtahak, siya’y naging bagong nilalang.

Malayo muna ang naging pagbabago ng kanyang itsurang pangkalahatan nais ko pa ring isipin na siya pa rin ang taong nakilala ng mas nakararami, na siya ay kagaya namin noon.