When Bamboos Shoot

This is another feature I wrote in 2006 or 2007. I’m not sure what form of literary piece this is, but I just wrote it. It happened in real life when I was a sophomore in high school, and it’s quite traumatizing I should say.

I hope you enjoy it.

The Einstein Plot: A Book Review

I found a copy of a book review I wrote in 2007. The book is entitled The Einstein Plot by Basil Heatter. Published in 1982, I admit it has tons of sections and information that almost had my brain circuits breaking down. I survived 384 of it though.

It's really worth the read. 

The Einstein Plot was first published in 1982.
It's a classic that never was.

Five Best Ways to Pass Your College Admission Essay

Finding your dream school means nothing if you will be denied admission. Thousands of aspiring freshmen send their applications to colleges, but most of them will be turned down for different reasons.

In Ivy League bigwigs like Harvard and Yale alone, not more than 10% of applicants go home with a slot. These are the students who stand out in a throng of fresh high school graduates with impressive records and personality.

Fond Memories Made Special By Silly Songs

Songs are memories swayed by verses while dancing in rhymes and melodies. For singers and composers, they are emotions immortalized into words and tones. While most of us can relate to certain songs that depict our past or current emotions—if not trigger us into reminiscing—some of us still connect to songs even if they say none at all of our lives.

That includes me. Certain emotions and memories rush through the back of my eyes upon hearing familiar tunes, not necessarily lyrics. Some of them are understandably relatable as conveyed by the words, but some of them I also find peculiar and funny at times.

Proudly Singing the Nueva Ecija March

1994. I clearly remember Ma’am Alba, my first grade teacher, teaching the entire class the Nueva Ecija March as a way of showing our pride as Novo Ecijanos. At first, I thought it was a mere school requirement as part of our music subject, but as I grew up, I learned that there are indeed gazillions of reasons why being a Novo Ecijano is worth boasting about.

Firsts. In elementary, we learned that Nueva Ecija was one of the first eight provinces in the country to fight the Spaniards into a revolution. We’re on the Philippine flag, symbolized by one of the eight rays of the sun!

Solving Uncertainties

I found a copy of an old poem I wrote in high school. The topic was about math, but I couldn't understand why poem writing needed to be a part of the subject.

Anyway, here it is. All lines have 10 syllables, so that's all I could come up with.

It's entitled Solving Uncertainties.

18 Effective Tips in Writing College Admission Essays

1. The first three sentences will make the admission officer read the rest of the essay.

2. Make the first paragraph the best because admission officers spend only a few minutes per essay.
3. Open the essay with something unexpected and unique.

4. Never, ever beg for admission. You will look desperate.

5. Be proud, but don’t boast.  You are making an essay, not a resume.

6. Be honest, be yourself.

7. Don’t write about your skills; make writing your skill.

8. Always include something you learned from one particular experience.

9. Your topic can be as shallow as baking a cookie for as long as you can reach an important point.

More Teeth to Environmental Laws

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales is taking leniency behind and gives more teeth to environmental laws with the appointment of Deputy Ombudsman (DO) Gerard Mosquera as the new Environmental Ombudsman.

In pursuant to a 2004 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between then Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), around 26 lawyers from the Office of the Ombudsman will serve as the resurrected environmental team to investigate and prosecute violators of covered laws, as well as non-implementation of Philippine environmental standards. Also designated to support the team is Atty. Raquel Rosario Cunanan-Marayag as Assistant Environmental Ombudsman and Officer-in-Charge of the Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Bureau.

FusionExcel Quantum Pendant: Fake or Real?

I’m wearing my Fusion Excel quantum pendant with pride not because I had it for free while it was sold outside for a little more than P10,000,  but because it’s a precious memento from my mom who returned to Him last 2011. Honestly, I find mine ugly and unfashionable since it belonged to the first releases which were very basic in look (as in agimat-meets-jejemon look). The subsequent models were more gaudy and plushy, though. Thanks to the embossed Swarovski crystals and various sizes and designs they incorporated.

Photo courtesy of Quantum Science

Where were you at 25?

I have lots of insecurities as I turn 25, probably because I had high hopes and dreams when I was younger. In other words, I failed to attain my visions for myself at this age. Inappropriately, as a result, I tend to see myself as piteous as my entire frustrations blow out of proportion. These frustrations clout my judgment and darken my acceptance for blessings I've been given.

Guiltily, I feel good self-pitying sometimes. It boils the dormant motivations hidden within me and makes me burst with fighting spirit just to end up wallowing in self-pity once again. It’s a vicious cycle, a tempting loop that no one should enter.

Expectations are the best set of personal standards if they stay on the realms of reality. But what if even realistic expectations turn out to be as implausible as wild dreams? It certainly is subjective and although other people regard me the other way around, my insecurities still pull me down to dampen, rotten spirit.

I’m bitter, but I think I have valid reasons. Let me enumerate the “before and after” of my one score and half a decade of existence.

Bangladesh: The Gateway to Cultural Paradise

While most tourists favor destinations outside the USA that boast of world-class shopping experience, royal accommodations and breathtaking architectural wonders, it’s undeniable that simplicity and authenticity still matter for those wanting to experience something far from the exploits of human development and illusions of man-made grandeur. Defying the first world artificiality and commerciality is Bangladesh with her pristine destinations and warm culture. What she lacks in economic competitiveness, she compensates with fulfilled promises of travel experience of a lifetime. Culture and nature lovers will surely find the tourist attractions in Bangladesh a paradise worth topping any itinerary.

Bashundhara - the largest mall in the country*

I Won! FHM Story of the Month, November 2008

Okay, this is not recent. But since I decided to publish my written articles here, I'm adding this one as well.

I submitted an entry to FHM Philippines' because I wanted to have a special prize package. For that month, the prize was a gift bag of an expensive beauty product for men. Sadly, I wasn't able to claim it. Too bad. It's not that I really wanted to use the product, but that was my souvenir for crying out loud!

Note: On November 2008, three of my submissions were published – Story of the Month (winner), Ladies’ Confessions (using a female cousin’s name; published) and Bar Room Jokes (published). I know, I was that desperate to have a prize. But it paid off!

All submitted entries were fictitious anecdotes and written with creative intent and not actual confessions. Only the latter contained my real name while the Story of the Month used my nickname.

Knowing Me By Numbers

I was doodling one boring early evening in the office (I don’t remember why I stayed late to begin with) when I started scribbling numbers out of my numerically incapable brain. It was refreshing to see myself play with numbers especially that numbers are my worst enemies. I loved them before and I thought I did well in math subjects (I once competed in statistics quiz bee in college), but somehow, I find computation unnecessarily toilsome (scientific calculator, hello?). I was best in math several times in elementary, but English and science had always been my babies (until Ma’am Notarte made me hate science so much; Ma’am Ladignon revived it though). Formulae and undecipherable symbols (to me, at least) amused me.

As a writer, it makes me wonder if I can do the same thing with numbers as I do to words and punctuations. That is, tell a story.

I’m starting with myself. May I present to you, the numbers in my life!