Romance is Dead
A friend of mine told me a rather interesting story. His best friend, a very successful and intelligent man, has just told him that he's now engaged. What's interesting about this piece of news is that his friend had just met his now-fiancee over the last weekend. JUST this past weekend. So, they met, fell in love, and decided to spend the rest of their lives together within double-digit hours. If I got the story right, they met at a bar where the woman works as a waitress. So, in spite of their disparate backgrounds, and the brevity of their acquaintance, they have decided to tie the knot.
Now, I know a lot of romantics out there will ooh and ahh over how love at first sight is once again proven to exist, and how love really conquers all. And what do I say to these developments? "Bah, humbug!" I can't even begin to imagine how someone sane could do something like that. Maybe I am too cynical (I actually prefer to call myself a "realist") to see how thrilling whirlwind romances can be. All I could think of is, "another divorce statistic waiting to happen".
Is there something wrong with my way of thinking? I honestly don't think so. Love is such a difficult thing to deal with. I believe that using your head along with your heart (or other parts of your anatomy) is simply the best way to go. Relying on your smarts obviously does not automatically ensure the success of your relationship. I just think that the odds are already naturally stacked against relationships working, because the chances that two people will mate (happily) for life are very slim to begin with. Thinking your way through it, I believe, just increases the probability that things will work out.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
I'm a Master!
So... I just want to share the happy news that I successfully defended my project before my committee. I was so nervous before going to the room to meet them. I had rehearsed my presentation while I was still at home (actually, in the shower), but I felt I was losing my nerve as the time to meet them got closer. The defense lasted about an hour, during which they asked me questions about my paper and about my work for the past semester. After the Q&A, they sent me out of the room as they discussed my fate. Then one of them, Prof. Stephanie Craft, went out to look for me. She said "Congratulations!", and with a sigh of relief, I knew they had all signed the document that committee members needed to sign before I could graduate.
I was so happy as they shook my hand to congratulate me. I actually felt like crying, but thankfully didn't. So, even though I still need to log in a few more weeks working on the website of Global Journalist, I am assured of getting my diploma, and after all these years... a Master's degree.
So... I just want to share the happy news that I successfully defended my project before my committee. I was so nervous before going to the room to meet them. I had rehearsed my presentation while I was still at home (actually, in the shower), but I felt I was losing my nerve as the time to meet them got closer. The defense lasted about an hour, during which they asked me questions about my paper and about my work for the past semester. After the Q&A, they sent me out of the room as they discussed my fate. Then one of them, Prof. Stephanie Craft, went out to look for me. She said "Congratulations!", and with a sigh of relief, I knew they had all signed the document that committee members needed to sign before I could graduate.
I was so happy as they shook my hand to congratulate me. I actually felt like crying, but thankfully didn't. So, even though I still need to log in a few more weeks working on the website of Global Journalist, I am assured of getting my diploma, and after all these years... a Master's degree.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
A bundle of nerves
This weekend, after recovering from the excesses of Friday night, I didn't really do much. I stayed home, and the only time I left my apartment was to have dinner tonight at Taco Bell, which is just a short walk away. They have a new item on the menu- the 7-layer crunch wrap- and I was eager to try it since I only eat two things there; the cheesy bean and rice burrito, and the 7-layer burrito. Pretty much everything else has meat in it.
But the thought of food makes me digress. Back to the unproductivity of the weekend... The reason why I have been feeling antsy and unable to do anything of importance (aside from the fact that I can't overcome my natural sloth), is that I am going to defend my project (the 70-page paper mentioned in an earlier post) before my committee tomorrow. I have four committee members, and they are all very, very nice. However, collectively, they strike terror into my heart because they have the power to decide whether I graduate.
I've been told that the defense process goes like this- you give them a short roundup of what your paper is about (though I had given them the paper last week, there is always that chance that one of them has not read it), then they ask you questions about it. When they're done with their questions, they ask you to leave the room as they decide whether you pass or fail, and therefore also whether you graduate or not. Then they call you back in to tell you your fate.
That is what I'll be going through tomorrow, and it is really making me nervous. My friends have been telling me that I'll be fine. But I guess it's very hard for anyone to relax when you're about to face a group of people who will decide whether you make the grade.
This weekend, after recovering from the excesses of Friday night, I didn't really do much. I stayed home, and the only time I left my apartment was to have dinner tonight at Taco Bell, which is just a short walk away. They have a new item on the menu- the 7-layer crunch wrap- and I was eager to try it since I only eat two things there; the cheesy bean and rice burrito, and the 7-layer burrito. Pretty much everything else has meat in it.
But the thought of food makes me digress. Back to the unproductivity of the weekend... The reason why I have been feeling antsy and unable to do anything of importance (aside from the fact that I can't overcome my natural sloth), is that I am going to defend my project (the 70-page paper mentioned in an earlier post) before my committee tomorrow. I have four committee members, and they are all very, very nice. However, collectively, they strike terror into my heart because they have the power to decide whether I graduate.
I've been told that the defense process goes like this- you give them a short roundup of what your paper is about (though I had given them the paper last week, there is always that chance that one of them has not read it), then they ask you questions about it. When they're done with their questions, they ask you to leave the room as they decide whether you pass or fail, and therefore also whether you graduate or not. Then they call you back in to tell you your fate.
That is what I'll be going through tomorrow, and it is really making me nervous. My friends have been telling me that I'll be fine. But I guess it's very hard for anyone to relax when you're about to face a group of people who will decide whether you make the grade.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
One Sign of Age
Yesterday, Felicity successfully defended her thesis before her committee for almost two hours. She said it was a nerve-wracking experience, but she passed and so is now a Master. To celebrate, she and Blaine (the boy she's going out with) came over to my house with a bottle of champagne, which we polished off quickly enough. After that, we went to Forge & Vine, a restaurant/bar to meet some other people from the journalism school. We had a few drinks, and because it's a Friday night, the J-School people then headed to Alley Bar.
(A brief background- Alley Bar is a tiny hole in the wall dance club which doesn't really have a name. It's just found in an alley off Ninth Street, and the door is between two dumpsters. Journalism people seem to gravitate to that place every Friday night.)
Alley Bar plays a lot of 80s songs, and all the J-School people sing along to some of them each time I've been there, including Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. Anyway, Felicity, Blaine, and I continued to drink while we danced.
Since all the bars close at 1:30 am in Columbia, we headed to the Hubbell House when we were shooed out of Alley Bar (over here, people actually shout at you if you don't leave their bar at 1:30 on the dot). The Hubbell House is a popular venue for J-School parties (four journalism students live there). It's also a place where a lot of hookups happen, a phenomenon I call the triple H or the Hubbell House Hookup. I didn't drink there anymore, mostly because there was no place to buy alcohol at that time (stores stop selling liquor at 1:30 am as well).
Around 2:30, we left the party, and Felicity and Blaine dropped me off at my apartment. At this point, my head was already reeling from the alcohol that I'd consumed. I drank a lot of water to try and counter its effects (too little, too late), then went to sleep.
I woke up at eight in the morning, drank some more water and some migraine medicine, then went back to bad. By the time I woke up again, it was 3 pm! I couldn't believe that I'd slept so long. That's when I was reminded that even though I hung out with very young people, I myself am not that young. When I was in college, alcohol didn't affect me very much- I was never hungover, and I didn't have to sleep the whole day for my body to recover from a night of boozing. I have to get in better drinking shape though, because there'll be a lot of post-school parties in my last few weeks here. My days as a carefree student are now numbered, and I fully intend to make the best use out of them.
Yesterday, Felicity successfully defended her thesis before her committee for almost two hours. She said it was a nerve-wracking experience, but she passed and so is now a Master. To celebrate, she and Blaine (the boy she's going out with) came over to my house with a bottle of champagne, which we polished off quickly enough. After that, we went to Forge & Vine, a restaurant/bar to meet some other people from the journalism school. We had a few drinks, and because it's a Friday night, the J-School people then headed to Alley Bar.
(A brief background- Alley Bar is a tiny hole in the wall dance club which doesn't really have a name. It's just found in an alley off Ninth Street, and the door is between two dumpsters. Journalism people seem to gravitate to that place every Friday night.)
Alley Bar plays a lot of 80s songs, and all the J-School people sing along to some of them each time I've been there, including Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. Anyway, Felicity, Blaine, and I continued to drink while we danced.
Since all the bars close at 1:30 am in Columbia, we headed to the Hubbell House when we were shooed out of Alley Bar (over here, people actually shout at you if you don't leave their bar at 1:30 on the dot). The Hubbell House is a popular venue for J-School parties (four journalism students live there). It's also a place where a lot of hookups happen, a phenomenon I call the triple H or the Hubbell House Hookup. I didn't drink there anymore, mostly because there was no place to buy alcohol at that time (stores stop selling liquor at 1:30 am as well).
Around 2:30, we left the party, and Felicity and Blaine dropped me off at my apartment. At this point, my head was already reeling from the alcohol that I'd consumed. I drank a lot of water to try and counter its effects (too little, too late), then went to sleep.
I woke up at eight in the morning, drank some more water and some migraine medicine, then went back to bad. By the time I woke up again, it was 3 pm! I couldn't believe that I'd slept so long. That's when I was reminded that even though I hung out with very young people, I myself am not that young. When I was in college, alcohol didn't affect me very much- I was never hungover, and I didn't have to sleep the whole day for my body to recover from a night of boozing. I have to get in better drinking shape though, because there'll be a lot of post-school parties in my last few weeks here. My days as a carefree student are now numbered, and I fully intend to make the best use out of them.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Consummatum est!
No, no, I have not developed a Messianic complex. I am just joyfully saying "it is finished!" and by "it" I mean my 70-page paper that I needed to submit so I can graduate. All I need to do now is defend it before my committee next week. (Now that's a whole new stresspoint.) They have to approve it before I become a "Master" (of what exactly, I'm not quite sure).
That's all I can write for now, my brain is practically dead as I have been cramming all last night and all day today. (Old habits don't die hard for me. They just cling on for dear life.) It was not the best work that I've ever done, but at least it's DONE.
No, no, I have not developed a Messianic complex. I am just joyfully saying "it is finished!" and by "it" I mean my 70-page paper that I needed to submit so I can graduate. All I need to do now is defend it before my committee next week. (Now that's a whole new stresspoint.) They have to approve it before I become a "Master" (of what exactly, I'm not quite sure).
That's all I can write for now, my brain is practically dead as I have been cramming all last night and all day today. (Old habits don't die hard for me. They just cling on for dear life.) It was not the best work that I've ever done, but at least it's DONE.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
The Homestretch
I've been in denial about the amount of work that needs to be done before I can graduate, but I think this time, reality has finally bitten. I just realized that I have only two weeks left to finish my mini-thesis/research paper before I have to send it off to my committee, before whom I will defend the paper and my activities for the whole semester. I've looked at some examples of such research papers done by students from previous semesters, and some of them looked encyclopedic. Meaning, their papers ended up very, VERY thick, much thicker than my paper can ever aspire to be.
Also, because I was foolish enough to enroll for two other classes other than my professional project (which is equivalent to three classes), I am also cramming to finish the requirements for them. As I write this entry, I realize that I probably sound saner than I feel. Sometimes I find myself sitting at home laughing hysterically at the thought of all I have to do just to finish my degree. I know I'll pull through. After a lifetime of cramming, I just know I will. It's just that I also know that at this point, it will take a minor miracle for me to do so.
And after weeks of being unable to sleep, I now find myself getting suspiciously sleepy early in the evening. Suddenly all I want to do is tuck myself in at 7pm. My body seems to know that I have tons of work to do, and is shutting down as a form of protest. My appetite has also made a comeback, in the form commonly known as stress-eating. Eating, after all, has always been one of the best ways to procrastinate.
Hopefully I will get my act together very soon. In the meantime, I think it's time for a nap.
I've been in denial about the amount of work that needs to be done before I can graduate, but I think this time, reality has finally bitten. I just realized that I have only two weeks left to finish my mini-thesis/research paper before I have to send it off to my committee, before whom I will defend the paper and my activities for the whole semester. I've looked at some examples of such research papers done by students from previous semesters, and some of them looked encyclopedic. Meaning, their papers ended up very, VERY thick, much thicker than my paper can ever aspire to be.
Also, because I was foolish enough to enroll for two other classes other than my professional project (which is equivalent to three classes), I am also cramming to finish the requirements for them. As I write this entry, I realize that I probably sound saner than I feel. Sometimes I find myself sitting at home laughing hysterically at the thought of all I have to do just to finish my degree. I know I'll pull through. After a lifetime of cramming, I just know I will. It's just that I also know that at this point, it will take a minor miracle for me to do so.
And after weeks of being unable to sleep, I now find myself getting suspiciously sleepy early in the evening. Suddenly all I want to do is tuck myself in at 7pm. My body seems to know that I have tons of work to do, and is shutting down as a form of protest. My appetite has also made a comeback, in the form commonly known as stress-eating. Eating, after all, has always been one of the best ways to procrastinate.
Hopefully I will get my act together very soon. In the meantime, I think it's time for a nap.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
A Portent of Things to Come
I've been checking my email on my ABS-CBN account, just to make sure I don't miss any important announcements at the office. I don't really like doing this, as this reminds me of the reality that I have to face when I get home. The past year or so, though, there were no earth-shattering memos, so I got complacent and started checking my email expecting only announcements regarding First Friday masses, holiday hours, badminton club schedules, and the like.
My bad. Just this week, two rather disturbing emails arrived at my inbox. The first was about how I owed x-amount of money for the insurance on my car, which I got through the company. The amount was totaled from December 2004 till the present. Weird how they decided to charge me for this NOW. Then, today, I saw an email regarding my accountability for video tapes issued to "F", the now-defunct show where I worked before leaving for the US. This one was even less amusing, since the total amount was nearly P300,000. How I'm going to return those tapes, or pay that amount for that matter, is a real mystery to me.
It's really strange how these matters have come up just now when they've apparently been an issue for a few years. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Just as I've adjusted to the thought of coming home, I now have to also adjust to the idea of a rather (financially) unpleasant homecoming.
I've been checking my email on my ABS-CBN account, just to make sure I don't miss any important announcements at the office. I don't really like doing this, as this reminds me of the reality that I have to face when I get home. The past year or so, though, there were no earth-shattering memos, so I got complacent and started checking my email expecting only announcements regarding First Friday masses, holiday hours, badminton club schedules, and the like.
My bad. Just this week, two rather disturbing emails arrived at my inbox. The first was about how I owed x-amount of money for the insurance on my car, which I got through the company. The amount was totaled from December 2004 till the present. Weird how they decided to charge me for this NOW. Then, today, I saw an email regarding my accountability for video tapes issued to "F", the now-defunct show where I worked before leaving for the US. This one was even less amusing, since the total amount was nearly P300,000. How I'm going to return those tapes, or pay that amount for that matter, is a real mystery to me.
It's really strange how these matters have come up just now when they've apparently been an issue for a few years. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Just as I've adjusted to the thought of coming home, I now have to also adjust to the idea of a rather (financially) unpleasant homecoming.
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