vanillakia

Time flies when you need it the most. The week passed me just as fast as the wind blows sand away. Hmm.

A lot of things have been lurking in my mind lately but I admit I have been avoiding it. Now it's two in the morning and I am forced to think about it. Crap.

What do you do when your mind tells you one thing, and so does your heart?

The heart has its reasons, which the mind knows not.

What if you remember why you did something in the first place? But then you realize that sometimes some things are better left the way they are? They are no longer as precious as they used to be.

What about when you know you've changed over time, and that you've grown for the better.. But you left something behind? It's like having left your shadow at the hands of another.

Geez. Why am I at a loss for words? There are just so many emotions that I am feeling right at this moment that I have grown numb. Trying desperately to regain what it is that I have left in me. I sought the guidance of higher power, and I hope that some piece of mind shall dawn on me before the week breaks and is at its final hour.

Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.

Where were you?
When I said I loved you?
And where were you when I cried that night?
I was waiting up, couldn't sleep without you by my side
Thinking of all the times we shared.

I remember when my heart broke.
I remember when I gave up loving you.
I was sad and lonely.
I remember when I walked out, I remember when I screamed I hated you.
But somehow deep inside, I still love you.

I remember when my heart broke.
I remember when I gave up loving you.
I was sad and lonely.

I think I have forgotten a lot about my thoughts lately. When I do something, I act on it without even thinking. Maybe its the fact that everything is just so uniform that I have nothing to say about it. Many times I find myself thinking of nothing, like my mind is just blank. I don't know why this has been happening to me lately. I guess I'm worried because when I was younger I always had something on my mind. Is there a reason I should be worried? I am not so sure.

So just to get things going and to keep my mind "thinking", the Big Blue Run is this Sunday, and I was able to convince five people to join. Its amazing how you can all get together in one single event, although the past two days that is exactly what happened. I had a get together with some of the older players of the Ateneo Volleyball Team. It was great since most days I only get to see the younger batch of indoor volleybelles I often find myself lost in their conversation. I'm just no longer a part of their world.

But with the girls yesterday, its a whole different level of complacency. It was nice. Some wine was also a part of our evening.

I wish to do it again soon. With pictures this time.

I missed you guys,

1. WEALTH WITHOUT WORK
2. PLEASURE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE
3. KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT CHARACTER
4. COMMERCE WITHOUT MORALITY
5. SCIENCE WITHOUT HUMANITY
6. WORSHIP WITHOUT SACRIFICE
7. POLITICS WITHOUT PRINCIPLES

--- Mahatma Ghandi

Not much has happened at the start of this semester unlike that of last sem. Remember? All the things we had to go through because of swine flu... And then afterwards, it ended with a bang because of Ondoy.

Its a good thing that this semester started as normal as it possibly could. But ofcourse there are others whose lives have changed after Ondoy.

We have to be thankful that this semester started better than the last and we must no longer invite any negative energy. :)

School is officially back. In less than eight hours I will be back in the classroom working my brain out again. I had a long semesteral break that started with the university games at Iloilo city and ended in San Carlos City that was full of Beach volleyball games and track events!


Kicking off our trip with training at the Sports Complex.

There is nothing like exercise to get the adrenaline pumping. Haha. But this trip I had turned out to be some kind of backpacking adventure. I cannot believe I actually loved it! To no avail, I partied all night and slept all day (in buses, planes, or anything that moved)! Hahaha!





In the University Games, I had the pleasure of coaching my teammates, Jes and Sharah. It was my first time coaching them and sitting out during a game. They were great together and they were able to grab 3rd place for Ateneo. :)



On the other hand our track team was able to grab 2nd in men's and 3rd in womens. :)



We took a short trip to Boracay and stayed there for less than 24 hours. We partied all night!



I was able to bond with Jes before San Carlos City. :)

We dropped by Bacolod where a lot of people took care of us. This includes the Laborte family, the Jalandoni family, and Father Cachero. :)


This is the sunset on the way to San Carlos city. :)

We had another invitational tournament here for the Pintaflores Festival. It was a wonderful experience because San Carlos is such a young city that it felt like you stepped into the old age when you walked around their beautiful streets.

In this tournament we were not able to beat the prevailing Visayan teams who have been playing in Nestea for the past years. Although we lost we gained a lot of new techniques and insights. Personally I think I gained more respect for placed shots rather than power plays. I tried to power play but it made points 3 out of 5 times, unlike the times when I do smart plays.

I would certainly like to do this again and I am crossing my fingers for next years Beach Volleyball month!

It is almost that time of the year, and my father is already asking me to think about what I want for Christmas from him. To be honest, I have a lot more than I need, and can live without anything else right now. But since my father asked me to think about it, here are some of the things I "think" I may need in the future, and in my future endeavors.

1. Video Camera - to record our beach volleyball games and special occasions. 
2. Nikon D60 Accessories - to name a few: fisheye lens, extra battery, filter, 20-35mm lens (for super close-up shots of things like bugs), collapsible lens hood, petal lens hood (http://madmax168.multiply.com/photos/album/62/Petal_Lens_Hood) or any Lens hood for that matter, maybe some close up filters (http://madmax168.multiply.com/photos/album/67/10_Close-Up_Filter).
3. An iPhone or an iTouch - I just love the accessibility of the internet through wifi, music, my calendar, and games!
4. Desktop Computer - Don't get me wrong, I super love my laptop, but desktop computers are ideal for editing pictures, making cards, and doing anything that requires heavy work and memory load from the computer. It can also work faster with some applications.
5. GapScent's "So Pink" - I love this scent. I had one but I finished it already. 
6. Turtle Star Lamp - Its located in true value, and is a lamp that emits stars on the ceiling. I super just want this, but I don't need it. I have a thing for nice lamps. I have a lava lamp. Haha.

So yeah, that's it. I don't expect to get any of these. I'm just saying that this is what I would like. Haha. :) The occasional dress and pair of shoes is nice too. Tee hee. 

4am

I woke up to very strong rain and thought, "I wonder if training will push through this 6am? Papa was right, there is a storm"

6am

I get up, open the tv and watch the local news so that I have an idea as to what kind of rain it is that I will be facing during the day. I texted my teammates, and asked them if they thought we should train. I texted my Coach and Dad to ask if it was a good idea to train.

6:30am

The rain slowed down. Only the wind was strong this time around. We decided to train since we only had two weeks left to the competition. My mind said "sleep pa" but my body said, "train, you need it!"

7am

Its barely raining now. I picked up Karla at her house and Jessica at mcdo.

8am

We arrived at Cantada, Bicutan where our training is held. Not much rain now, but it was a cold morning. We decided to sleep more since Sharah hasn't arrived yet.

820am

Sharah arrived so we went into Cantada, changed and started training.

9am

Papa arrived to look at the court.

10am

The rain started getting stronger, we continued playing since Beach volleyball is a "rain or shine" sport.

1020am

The guard told us that we should leave soon because its starting to flood already.

1030

We showered and were getting ready to leave.

1030-11

Flood was rising quickly. My car was too small, and Papa and I were afraid that the flood was going to get in the car. Sharah and my teammates left in a bigger car.

11am

Flood was getting higher and higher. We were afraid of leaving. The rain was fierce. It was getting stronger as the hours passed. The flood kept getting higher and higher.

We thought that it was only flooding in our area. We found out that Shara, Karla, and Jessica were stranded also just in the other road because the highway was flooded and full of cars.

1pm

After standing for hours at a time, we asked the guard if we could enter the basketball court so that we could hide away from the rain. My dad and I were soaking wet. I watched as the water rose above the beach volleyball court.

2pm - 3 pm

The rain wasn't so strong anymore. The flood slowly receded.

4 pm

The moment the rain was at our knees. We ran out so that we could leave. We found our cars with water up to the chairs and the the windows.

5pm

We found ourselves in the midst of the traffic. C5 was flooded from the waist down. We took a U turn and found that the road going to EDSA was super traffic. We decided to counter flow so that we could get to the Fort where we were headed.

7pm

Finally arrived in my Tito's condominium where we watched in distraught as news of the flood was everywhere!

We were lucky because if we got out before the flood, we would have been in the middle of the traffic in C5 when the flood from Katipunan drained into Eastwood. I was also very lucky because Papa was with me.

We must remember to thank God for our blessings and to pray for those who lost their lives to Ketsana.