Bus conversations

Bus. Yes it's a public transport. It's also the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop on people's heavy drama series.

Yesterday, as I hopped on the bus and sat in the front..there began a dragged-out conversation between a first year business student and a second year hospitality student.

Although their thick accents were the only sounds you could hear in the bus, there was something huge and emotional in their conversation that really hit me hard.

Here it is:

Boy: I wanna move to New York.

Girl: Why? Is it because she's there?

Boy: No, not that. I've always wanted to go to New York and live there.

Girl: Wow, really? That's ace, man.

Boy: Yeah. Coz (insert location here) will always be me home. I've lived here all my life and I've stopped appreciating it. So I wanna move away for a bit then come back and appreciate it all again.. And be like, oh (insert location here) is so awesome. Why did I ever leave?

The last statement is true. Believe it or not.

I know what he meant because I saw it when I visited my hometown about 2 months ago. 

Philippines is so awesome. Why did I ever leave?

I took a trip down memory lane and remembered how I never, not once in my younger years, appreciated my life back then. I kinda took it for granted. I always thought that everything would stay the same forever. 

But then again, isn't that what most kids think? That they think the world is theirs forever..?!

Anyway, my point is. I guess you gotta go away from home to appreciate it more. 

It's like saying, you gotta have the bad days so you can appreciate the good ones even more.

May the fourth be with me.

Yes, today is the 4th of May and it is Star Wars Day (insert John William's opening music here).

Today wasn't my day, though. Firstly, I woke up and drove to Uni early in an attempt to finish my essay. The first three hours were pretty good and I managed to pen down a fraction of my thoughts.

However, when the clock struck one (like, literally -- our building was right next to the clock tower), that was when everything kinda went downhill.

I had a meeting with my fellow journalism classmates about our upcoming presentation. There were three of us in the group and only two had turned up, which wasn't that bad. But still, it wasn't complete. Thus, I had to endure a ten-minute conversation with a guy who showed no interest in our assignment. With his grumpy looks, it was pretty hard for me to get him up on the boat. Plus, he expressed how he hated our lecturer and how he was struggling to find the motivation to finish this semester. That, I can kinda agree with him.

STRIKE: 1

Anyway, moving on..

So after the meeting, I went back to the computer lab, sat down and opened up my essay. I realized that my essay was nowhere to be found. A tight voice echoed in my ear, telling me that I may have accidentally deleted it after I left for my group meeting. I didn't want to believe it at first. But after what seemed like a century of rummaging through folders and documents, I finally come to realize that I did lose it. A mini heart attack stab through my chest and I almost had to plan my funeral for I had just spent three hours writing it.

Luckily, I was able to recover it through the Downloads list.

STRIKE: 2

After my mini heart attack, I went to my PR lecture. It wasn't a huge turnout.

I sat next to my only Filipino friends (Yes, they deserve that label for they are the only ones) and "May the Fourth be with you" was the first thing they uttered as soon as they saw me.

This was our conversation:

---Start---

Friend 1: "May the Fourth be with you, Jodie."

Me: "Ha! It's just a line from a movie. There's nothing special about it."

Friend 1: "Do not underestimate the power for something special is about to happen to you."

Me: Churrr, bro.

---End---

The lecture was painstakingly long. So afterwards, I ran to the bus stop in an attempt to catch the early bus. Nevertheless, with the icy wind and people bobbing and weaving in and out on the street, the notion of running was a challenge. So after I missed the bus, I sat on the park bench and waited for the next one.

Okay, let's cut to the chase.

My longtime crush came and stood beside me. You could never imagine how fast my heart was beating; it was faster than a lightning.

STRIKE: 3

There is something weird and eerie about these things, whatever you call it. Love? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? I don't know. To be honest, I am inexperienced when it comes to things like this one. I don't know what to do. So, it's best I don't do anything because I know I might make a fool of myself, and I would never know what I would do should I end up in that stage.

The bus came and I quickly hopped on it. I chose the back seat in an attempt to avoid him. Turned out, he sat down onto the one opposite me.

We got to the next stop and this girl hopped on next to me. Thank Goodness because at least there was someone who acted as a wall between us.

The next bus stop, the woman in front of me hopped out. Thus, the girl sitting next to me opted to sit in front of me, leaving the two of us behind.

Damn it.

The whole trip was silent and intense.

I had butterflies throughout the bus trip and it sucked. I hated that moment. Yes, I do have a massive crush on him but I am afraid, no, intimidated. No scratch that, frightened of everything!!

So, in the end..I let the the scenery wooshed past me and chose not to budge an inch.

The fourth wasn't with me as I didn't have enough guts to say hi.

So next year,for whatever reason, may the fourth be with me.

++++

What about you guys? What would you do if your longtime crush sits next to you on the bus?

Mayweather - a runner, not a fighter.

The title says it all..I need not explain it to you, guys. Everybody knows Mayweather won by running away from Pacquiao. Err, dude. It's called boxing, not running.

Just like what Ross McCall tweeted:

"Booed in your own city. Speaks volumes."

Despite his loss, I am still proud of Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao. He did his best and I couldn't be more happier. After all, his fights are what unite us Filipinos in the Philippines and across the globe.

Mayweather may have won the fight but Pacquiao won our hearts.

And don't worry, Pacquiao. 'Undefeated' is just a title. You still are a great person and fighter than Mayweather.

However, the only thing that I really despised about the game was the media coverage. Yes, I do know stuff about the media; I'm a media student.

It was beyond belief.

Let's take the commentators and the man who interviewed Pacman and his rude questions. There was undoubtedly huge money behind it.

Sad to say but I think Mayweather just killed boxing tonight. It's no longer a sport. It's become a money-making machine.

The presence of nothing and the absence of everything.

I spend the day doing everything, 

And nothing.

Its presence silently devours my inner core

Yet, I let it eat me anyway,

But its absence is what I long for.

Tell me, friend, how do I shoot this lethargy away?

++++

Something I unintentionally scribbled at 3 in the morning.

The cruise continues.

After almost nine months in hiatus, I am glad to be writing again to express my life and the stuff going on around me. Last July, I wrote a short piece about the 2014 FIFA World Cup and how it kept me entertained throughout my semester break. That was, perhaps, the biggest highlight of last year. In fact, it was probably the only exhilarating thing in my eight years of life in (insert location here). And the reason why, I can only tell you privately.

Moving on from the previous page, let's now move to the current page and ask 'What have I been up to lately?'

Well, apart from the spine-breaking Uni assignments, I have been thinking - no scratch that - contemplating whether or not I should go back to the Philippines to start anew. Don't get me wrong, I kind of like living in (insert location here), but as a girl hailing from a fun-filled country like the Philippines, I have always been the kind who's fond of adventures -- Be it climbing an Aratilis tree, or riding a bike around the neighbourhood. I have always been that kind of girl. Sadly, (insert location here) does not offer such adventurous things for an adventurous girl like me. One might say that (insert location here) is rather boring and dull.

Though, one might say that I am shallow. Well, call me what you will but I hate being bored. I feel like I am ruining time if I just stay put and don't do anything. And I feel like I am missing out on something so awesome! Let's face it, nobody likes being bored.

Anyway, the interesting thing about my contemplation is that I told my friends about it. And through this, I was able to see who my true friends are. Some completely supported my pondering, indicating that I should do whatever I think will be best for me. Nonetheless, others were against it and said Philippines is a hopeless place. When I asked the person, 'What do you mean by hopeless?'. The person then started criticising the Philippine government, the crime rate, the weather, you name it.

The damn sad thing about it was that the remark came from a Filipino national.

Well, before anything else... A person who thinks Philippines is a hopeless country is pure evil. Sure, the Philippines has been badly governed since independence. Yes, the crimes in the Philippines could not be more unpleasant. Yes, the politicians are just, I'm not gonna even say it.

Well, kid, I'm not gonna lie either, but the Philippines may seem barbaric to you, but it's home. Call it what you will, but it's my home.

IT'S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES.

2014 FIFA World Cup

What an exceptional journey it has been. 32 days, 64 matches and 171 goals later, the Germans are leaping for joy as they raise the 18-carat golden trophy. This event has truly made my 5-week semester break enjoyable and kept me entertained, which I will treasure until the next tournament in Russia in four years’ time.

This tournament has also witnessed some quite awe-inspiring stories, from those underdog stories to Luis Suarez’s inhumane bite, Arjen Robben’s amazing performances that helped the Oranje reach the semi-finals to Germany’s total annihilation of Brazil.

All in all, I think all the teams that participated in this event have done an exceptional job and should be proud of themselves despite the losses they’ve experienced. Just like in Louis Van Gaal’s opinion, losing is just as important as winning. It’s what binds a team together, their spirit, everything.

And of course, it would be silly of me if I didn’t mention the team I was rooting for. Although I’m not a Dutch nor do I live in Holland, but the one thing I enjoyed the most was supporting the Netherlands. Finishing in the third place is a great way for the Dutch to end their campaign and I wish them all good health in the future so that I’ll be able to see them all fit and in good shape in Russia in 2018.

So, in honour of my favourite team, let’s take a walk down memory lane and relive some of their best moments.

The Oranje played 7 matches in total.

• Their opening match thumped World Cup holders Spain 5-1 in Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador.
• Five days later, they crushed the Australians 2-3 in Estadio Beira-Rio, which enabled them to determine a place in the Round 16.
• Nearly a week later in Estadio Castelao Forteleza, they once again defeated Chile 2-1, which sent them off to play in the Round 16…
• …to play against Mexico. The Dutch cheered as two goals during the final minute qualified them through to the quarter-finals and left many crying Mexicans in Estadio Castelao Fortaleza.
• On the 5^th day of July, the Oranje played against Costa Rica in Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, in which the famous Tim Krul replaced Jasper Cillessen and was able to win the Netherlands to a 4-3 victory over Costa Rica on penalties, which sent them through to the semi-finals.
• Four days later, they were beaten (not literally) in Arena de Sao Paulo by the Argentines on penalties (2-4).
• Then, the Oranje secured third place in Estadio Nacional, Brasilia as they crushed the host country, Brazil with a 3-0 victory.

TRULY EXCEPTIONAL.