One Star Worth Reaching For

Basketball have always been one of the sports most loved by the Filipinos. For most people, it is just a game being played on the street sides. For some, it is a profession and a source of income. While for others, it could be a dream. But not for me. I believe that basketball is not just a hobby, a dream or even a job. It is definitely much more than that.

I am a dreamer seeking to make a mark upon the world. After being in the BS Mathematics and Science Teaching degree program at University of the Philippines Los Baños for three years, I shifted to BS Development Communication. For me, this one big move seemed impossible. So many things to consider. So many things to lose. But even if shifting almost required me to move heaven and earth, for me, it's worth a try, I am proud to say that I did it.

Switching roads was never easy. There's the fear and anxiety, then there's the pressure. But more than anything else, all I ever wanted is just to be one step closer to my dream... a dream that I turned my back against, as i went on pretending to be something that I am not. For me, my three years lost being some place else may have been too long, but it was never a three years of regret, of pain, or of bitterness. In fact, I will be forever thankful because if not for those three years, I would have never realized just how much I wanted to be in a different path, and I would not be brave enough to go through anything just to be there.

Being a sports fan, it has been my long time dream to become a sports caster. To me, sports is not just a game but a passion and a lifestyle. I have this one sports team that I have been cheering on for over nine years already, and I just fell in love with their never say die brand of play. This team would definitely make one believe, even if seeing them play for the first time, that this team is definitely above the rest. Others may say that it is just a useless addiction, but to me and to the legions of fans of the squad, there is just this unbelievable magic that no one can't resist.

No one believed in me when I said that I want to enter the broadcasting field because of her passion for the game. Some thought that it is just a short term plan, but to me, it is so much deeper. That is one of the reasons why I decided to prove to everybody else and of course, to my self as well, how dedication, passion, and determination can bring you to some place special.

There are many people who give up their dreams just because they thought of fulfilling it is impossible. There are also some who would go for it only to fail in the end. For me, failure could happen to anyone, but to fail without even trying is the worst regret that I could ever have.One prominent sports personality once said that it is better to fall on the roof than not trying to reach for the stars. This is true. Because at the end of the day, all you have to do is to believe that your dreams are worth chasing after, and that there is always that one star worth reaching for.

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This is an edited version of an on-the-spot article I wrote for my Journalism class.

On the Internet

The Internet is the most accessible broadcast medium for me as of today. Since I could connect to the Internet from my mobile phone, I could be updated with whatever is going on wherever I am. Even during the weekends, I still choose to go online at home rather than to watch the television. Unfortunately, we do not have a radio at home and so I still get access to the radio through some live streaming sites online. I have been an Internet addict for years now and I could say that this broadcast medium is indeed very important in my everyday life. I regularly check on my Facebook, Twitter and E-mail which make me connected to other people. It has also become my habit to check on a few sports sites for updates on sports development. yahoo.com, inquirer.net, philstar.com and gmanews.tv are also some of the sites that I check for updates on current events. There is also my blog which has become my avenue to express myself. And of course, my news-based multiply.com site dedicated to my all-time favorite sports team which has given me so many sports-related opportunities. So yes, the Internet is really important to me because of so many reasons. And I could also affirm that utilizing the Internet as a broadcast medium has been very effective, at least to me and to the most people I know. 

Having access to the Internet for almost every day, I could say that it still needs improvement. Although it has been my version of a companion medium, there is still its negative side that should be addressed for it to become a better broadcasting medium. One thing is the reliability of the information that we see online. Since almost everyone has an access to it and could change its contents, there should be something that could be done for the users to assure the validity of the available information. I hope for the total eradication of malicious sites and contents that could also be harmful to our computers, laptops and mobile phones. Another is to improve the network connections so that the Internet could be accessible wherever we are… even in far away kingdoms. Since it could be beneficial to people, provided that we access the Internet responsibly, it would be great of these benefits will also reach places far from the main cities. After all, the Internet could be a perfect way to bridge gaps between people separated by space and time. 

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Original date of composition: 17 November 2011

Goodbye, SemBreak 2011

Today is officially the last day of the break. I will go back to school tomorrow, go to class at eight in the morning, and so on and so forth. You know the drill.

I was pretty much a bummer throughout this break. I have watched different television series, movies and all. I even spent the most of it here inside my room since I am not really used to going out, plus, I live really far away from the city. But being at home didn't make my vacation less exciting and less memorable than the others. I really had fun.

Now, I have already packed my things and about to leave the house in about an hour or two. I will really miss sleeping at seven in the morning and waking up at three in the afternoon. Yes, I am a vampire. I hate the sunlight. :)

Positivism is the key to a better lifestyle. You can quote me on that.

Cheers to the new semester! Bring it on, acads! I can take you!

Courage does not always roar. 

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 

"I will try again tomorrow.”

  

-Mary Anne Radmacher

BIG COMEBACK: Last 55 seconds of Ginebra-Powerade showdown

 

 (credit: GreatKD528)

Classic Barangay Ginebra finish. And this is why I am  always and forever a Ginebra fan.

#JUSTICEforGIVEN

REPOST from Ma’am Lynette  Carpio, UPLB

From Batong Malake Councilor Janos Lapiz (via Ma’am Pam Custodio, UPLB): 

Nahuli na yung isa nung wednesday pa ng gabi, pero may follow-up operations pa ang CIDG para hulihin yung isa pang kakutsaba. That’s why shadow reports pa lang ang inihahayag sa media. It was the result of a grassroots intelligence and probably luck or divine intervention. There was a third suspect who turned witness. Kasama dapat siya panghohold-up at pagpatay kay Given pero hindi siya sumama. The guy told what he knew to a tricycle driver, who happens to be a kumpare of one of our Barangay Tanods. Nakonsyensya rin yung driver at sinabi na rin sa Tanod. Problem is we cannot make an arrest dahil wala pa kaming ebidensya. 

We then nabbed the third guy and placed full surveillance dun sa suspect. Then comes the Divine intervention last wednesday evening. Nagkagulo sa FO Santos St. dahil may kaaway yung suspect, kinursunada niya ang isang autistic na bata. Kapitan Nilo made his move to arrest the suspect. Habang inaaresto yung suspect ay napadaan ang isang mataas na opisyales ng PNP-CIDG who has a child living in Umali Subd. Dinala namin sa barangay yung suspect at nang kapkapan ay nakita sa kanya ang I-phone na pag-aari ni Given. 

From there the pieces came together. Ikinanta lahat ng suspect ang kanilang ginawa. It was horrible while I listen to his testimony, I prefer not to tell it to you. It was really horrible. 

The PNP-CIDG is now handling the case. Pam, you can post this message to all your friends. Pwede mo rin itong i-kwento sa mga estudyante mo. PNP will get all the credits and promotions, pero I give much credit to our Tanods.

Fear.

I have always admitted that needles scare the hell out of me. But today, I had to win over my fear.

I was crying as I went to the laboratory of the Hospital of the Infant Jesus for the blood extraction thing. This was my first time to undergo that procedure, ever. I was really scared. I hate needles and I hate feeling pain the most. They say that it will just be like an ant bite. Well, here's the thing. I hate ant bites either.

I took my headset and mobile phone with me. I played this one song on maximum volume and had it on a loop. I was counting the times the song has been playing to divert my attention. My official count is four. It took me approximately twelve minutes to get through it... from the dreaded pain of waiting until the needle was finally out of my arm.

I felt the pain. I still hate it. I saw the needle. I still hate it. But I thank the song that was playing all throughout the experience. It's still on a loop and I still listen to it.

PS. ...and because I hate needles and blood extraction stuffs, I don't know my blood type. I wonder what my blood type is, but no, I won't undergo another encounter with needles just for that. Let it remain a mystery until the next super necessary blood extraction. I just hope it won't be anytime soon. Hindi pa ako nakakarecover.

Subscribe!

I was able to finally figure out how to make use of that feedburner thing. Anyone could subscribe to my thoughts and rants and whatever via email. Yay! Let's see if we could finally get this to work. =)