Eternal Dreams: Memoirs of a falling dreamer

Finally, this is the end of it all.

After six and a half years, I can now say that I am a graduate of the University of the Philippines, Diliman. Those years seemed so damn long; words cannot describe how great and relieving it feels like to be able to finally finish the chapter of my life called college.

This last semester may be the saddest of all. A severe degree of loneliness clouded upon me as almost all of my close friends have already graduated, and the never-ending pressure and reminders that I needed to graduate soon were always given to me by my parents. It felt like each additional day spent in UP was a sin that I had to pay for.  Truth be told, this has been one of the most economically-low situations that my family has experienced. Because of this, I had to adopt a very serious mentality: focus on finishing your studies and nothing else. The pain of this predicament was so scorching, I might have not have been able to spend my last semester as enjoyable as most people do.

I had only 12 units of academic load for my last semester. It was composed of my thesis class, a major subject in development economics, my Statistics 101, and an additional PE subject in stretching, and my last GE subject called European Languages 50. To be honest, the drive for academic excellence had diminished, especially because I was disappointed with the way my thesis adviser graded us despite my thesis group being the most hard-working and the only one that passes on time last semester. But I knew that I had to be dead serious in these last subjects, and give all my efforts in meeting all their requirements, however stressing some may be. I have to commend my Statistics 101 professor, Joyce Punzalan, who I sincerely believe is one of the best teachers in UP Diliman. It was a huge disappointment that my EL 50 professor and my PE instructor missed almost half of their classes, especially because I really insisted in getting their slots. My EL 50 professor, however, was very bright, and I really learned much from him. By the grace of God, my thesis group was able to finish our thesis – Prisoner Rehabilitation: Combating Recividism in the New Bilibid Prison, despite the many setbacks and manifestations of lack of commitment of some people along the way. Of course, it was also a blessing to see the professionalism of some people, especially my long Public Administration group-mate Ishmael Bahjin.  My hats off to you, man.

Of course, I would not be able to live through academics alone. My interests and passion must have saved me from becoming too engulfed and lifeless. I made a promise never to waver in my passion for fitness and sports. There was the additional PE subject of stretching, because I so wanted to increase my flexibility, the thrice-a-week weight training workouts were still there, I got engaged in running, I joined the annual Bulabugan or sports fest of the UP Industrial Engineering Club, and I committed to the PSHS Batch 2005 Basketball Team and joined the annual PSHS Alumni Basketball League where a heartbreaking loss was rendered to us in the quarterfinals by the idiotic officials that supervised that game.

I renewed for the last time my membership in the UP Anime Manga Enthusiasts, my first college organization. I have to admit that I wasn’t that active in my committee, and I really have to apologize to our committee head because of my working commitments. However, I believe I was able to help in a lot of other ways for this semester, like the conventions that UP AME had to be part of.  It was also a pleasure to be able to get to know the Batch 2011 applicants, the last batch of applicants that I’ll be seeing as a member. A buddy was also given to me, this time a girl, which I have placed my high hopes that she will become a very deserving member next semester. I love this organization so much, and I do hope that these new applicants will pave the way for a good future for the organization.

This semester also marked my foray to different kinds of part-time work. Because of the so many anime and cosplay conventions held during this semester, I almost always find my weekends attending them to man the My Little Prince Wig Shop.  There was also the Social Watch Global Assembly, a four-day international event that I became part of as an usher. I also tried my hand in tutoring English to Korean children, although only as a substitute tutor. But the most defining one was my student assistant job at the CAL Library, where I really argued with my parents that I wanted to be able to work inside UP. My class schedules were only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I had vacant Wednesdays and Fridays, which I thought would be better used constructively instead of me just hanging around the house doing nothing. This meant my parents giving me added allowance that they could have saved for the whole semester, but I had this resolved by returning the amount after each payday which was always one month delayed. The pay was really low, but it was a job that wasn’t too stressful and would let me study for my exams while working. It was a good decision because so far these additional job experiences have helped increase the stuff I placed in my resumes.

Many of the interviewers in the job applications I experienced asked these questions: What do I see myself five years from now? What do you want to be in the future? My answer can be judged as vague by some, but it definitely summarizes what my goals are: I want to make a lasting legacy or name in this world, and try to redeem myself.

College ends here, but my road to redemption starts here.

I had the honor of volunteering to become part of the organizing team of the Social Watch Global Assembly that was held at the Sulo Riviera Hotel this past July 12-15, 2011. It was the first time for me to become part of an international event, and the experience was quite awesome. The event felt like a formal affair for diplomats, and diplomats they were in some way in their interest of watching over their respective governments’ methods on solving social problems. I was assigned to do various tasks: ushering guests and VIPs (I got to usher Vice President Binay and Senator TG III), man the sign-up desks, be Ms. Erica Valerio and Mrs. Raquiza’s personal assistant, be the volunteer for various break-out groups, become security, fetch things, buy food, you know the drill, and it was definitely worth it. Quite a good amount of cash plus the experience of a handling an international event was a pleasant compensation, don’t you think?

I am also taking EL 50 this semester and it was discussed in our class that international conventions are done with three languages (Spanish, English, and French) being used for everyone to understand each other. It was definitely amusing that I actually got to see how translations are being used in such a convention.

It was somewhat a reassurance for me that our situation is not that unique knowing that other countries actually experience some of the problems that the Philippines face was. Other countries are actually trying to combat their own problems with corruption, inequality, and social injustices. Events such as this Global Assembly uphold the commitments of certain people and organizations in trying to solve these global complications. In the break-out groups that I was assigned to like the talk about gender justice, road to Rio, etc, the delegates that were there actually talked about their experiences in their respective countries. These international fellows were always eager to share the problems that they faced in their nations as well as what the governments are doing there and what Social Watch affiliated organizations’ roles are in ensuring their governments involvement. It was interesting to see how these international delegates interact with one another and say their situations to everyone present. Now that is indeed the definition of an open forum.

But perhaps the best thing to note about the experience is getting to experience how passionate and driven these people from Social Watch are in their drive for true development, eradicate the causes of poverty, end all forms of racism and discrimination, defend human rights, and fight for gender justice. Being able to meet and work with these strong-willed people from Social Watch Philippines as well as meeting a lot of international delegates re-kindled the hope in me that some of the problems that the world are already trying to be solved by these fine fellows.

As I check my Facebook account for any updates on the New Year, I find people posting things like "2 years to go till 2012" or "Will 2012 really happen?" Of course, they are just saying this in a light manner. But still, I think 2011 should be seen as a good year, and look forward with enthusiasm and optimism.

2010 has been a blast, with its ups and downs of emotions. I believe the year has been one of the most eventful years in my life. This year I’ve done things like trying out boxing/MMA, poll watching, sports and article writing, drinking sessions that I did not refuse, playing basketball and computer games, suddenly going to clubs, coffee shop sessions, randomly going to parks, visits to provinces, attending cosplay and anime conventions, trying out clubbing, lots of night outs with my college friends, overnights with high school friends, saying goodbyes to loved ones, reconnecting with pasts, and so on. I like to think that I was able to spend lots of time to people that matter to me this past year.

But I’d also like to think that this year was also spent with lots of deep thoughts, and valuable alone time: such stuff that makes one reminisce and examine the moments that passed, do evaluation, and try to constantly improve and become better, hence the sometimes disappearing acts.

So now that 2011 has finally come, what could be in store for me? Well, one thing to look forward to this year for me is hopefully graduation. But before that lay loads of academic work that’s waiting to strangle me: thesis work, feasibility studies, summer’s OJT, other heavy subjects, and so on. If only you guys know how badly I want to graduate already. Being left behind by most of my peers and friends has just made me sterner in my desire to focus on the goal, even sometimes becoming more distant to others. Of course there are extra-curricular activities to be involved, say my last activities in my organizations, basketball teams, anime community-related stuff, etc.

I was convinced one year ago that most New Year Resolutions aren’t really fulfilled. A good friend once told me that if people really wanted to radically change something, then any day of the year would be good enough for that. But in light of the occasion, there are things that I would like to try doing consistently: like my fitness routines and hopefully my academic momentum.

So before the year ended, I did my best to make the most out of the vacation. Tried to enjoy life and hop to one place and another. Because I know it’s going to be serious mode from here on. So here’s to 2011 and I look forward to facing the next challenges and enjoying the experiences ahead!

God bless everyone and a Happy New Year!

No, I’m no longer an Engineering student. But yes, I am still part of an Engineering organization. And so with that in mind, I chose to still partake in some of the events of the 2010 Engineering Week. This year’s Engineering Week would be my last as a student, and I wanted to join in the fun, competitive, and thrilling scenes and activities. But because of my hectic schedule, recuperation from a dental extraction, and my unwillingness to compromise my fitness routines, I was only able to take part on only two events.

The first was the Wall Climbing competition organized by UP ERG. Last year, I signed up for IE Club’s team. This year, I wanted to play again and try to improve on my climbs. Teams from different organizations compete for the maximum height that their members can climb. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish my walls this year. I easily got exhausted in the middle of my climbs and my forearms wore out just as quick. Oh well, at least I got to climb for free, right?

The second event is the Fantasy Cosplay Event that was organized by UP CURSOR. Different organizations were required to submit cosplay teams that feature students with magical powers. Our cosplay event team chose to field teams from the anime series Code Geass, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Sailor Moon. To be honest, I thought that I would just lend the Zero costume that was in my possession to the team, and just lend a little help with the conceptualization of the performances. I didn’t know that I was getting counted on to create the skits for the performances and direct them.

The competition was divided into an eliminations stage and a finals stage. In the eliminations, the teams have a maximum of five minutes to deliver their skit. In the finals stage, a minute was given to each team to deliver a recap of their eliminations performance, and then a maximum of three minutes for a continuation skit. Only in the competition itself did I know that there was supposed to be a finals skit, and so I had to suddenly come up with skits for each of our teams there.

But thank God, all our efforts paid off. Two of the three teams that we fielded got into the top three. The Cardcaptor Sakura team bagged first place while the Code Geass team finished second. It should have been a shutout, but the Sailor Moon team got deductions due to some missing personnel, despite their heavily applauded and vividly entertaining performance. (They were supposed to be the top team, if not for the deductions). The skits that I wrote really made the audience laugh, and to this moment I am still surprised that I have the ability to create written works of comedic nature.

I am so proud of our cosplay models for being able to act the skits well and capture the crowd. I’m also so damn proud to the cosplay team that spent numerous days stitching and creating the costumes, as well as the props used in the performances. They really did their best in making the costumes as accurate and as visually captivating as possible.

It was such a damn good feeling to finally hear CURSOR announce us as the winners. It was an even greater feeling to take part in the oh-so-deafening and passionate cheer of “IE CLUB, WIN!” after our event.

P.S.
IE Club won the Engineering Week Overall Championship this year. Again. :D

Gusto ko talagang magpakalbo sana, ilang buwan na ang nakakaraan. Masasabi mo mang gasgas na ang rasong ito, pero tuwing may sobrang nakakalungkot na pangyayari ang naganap sa buhay ko ay nagkakaroon ako ng kagustuhang magpagupit. Ilang ulit kong sinabi sa mga kaibigan ko na balak ko nang magkakalbo talaga. Pero biglang nagbago yung gusto kong mangyari.

Palaging maiksi kasi ang buhok ko. Ito’y sa dahilang kapag humahaba kasi ang buhok ko ay nagiging kulot ito. Lahat sa pamilya namin ay walang natural na tuwid ang buhok, kaya nalilimitahan ang puwedeng gawin sa buhok ko. Kailangan pagupitan agad kapag nagkakaroon na ng senyales, at hanggang gel at wax lang ang puwedeng ilagay. Ang pinakamahaba na ata na nangyari sa buhok ko ay yung naging semi-afro siya noong unang taon ko pa lang sa UP Los Baños, at natatawa pa din ako sa itsura ko noon kapag nakakakita ako ng mga litrato niyan.

Kaya naisip ko bigla na gusto ko talagang pahabain ang buhok ko, at saka ipapatuwid. Kaya nagtiis ako na kahit sobrang sagwa na ng ayos nitong buhok ko nitong mga nakaraang buwan. At sakto, may Fantasy Cosplay Event sa Engineering Week na kailangan na tuwid ang buhok ko. Kaya ayun, paalam sa kulot na buhok ng tatlong buwan (iyon ang sabi sa akin ng bading na nagayos ng buhok ko sa Reyes Haircutters sa Philcoa). Mababaw man, pero sobrang naaaliw ako sa bagong estilo ng buhok ko. Masakit lang pala minsan sa mata kapag dumadapo ang matulis na buhok sa mga mata ko.

Panibagong estilo, panibagong pananaw. Minsan talaga ay may malalim na rason ang tila mabababaw lang na mga gawain.

P.S.

Pasensya na sa tila malungkot na kasulatang ito. Nagdaan kasi ang Lantern Parade noong Biyernes ng gabi, ang huling edisyon nito na mapupuntahan ko na estudyante pa ako. Naalala lang kita, na kasama pala kita noong huling taon. At sa ilang buwan na akong nakakalimot sa iyo ay bigla kong naisip ang katayuan ko ng gabing iyon.

I'm just in the mood to write about my favorite sports teams. Ever since I discovered the wonders of sports blogs, I've been avidly following some of the NBA teams that I like. For this season, I am still cheering for the back-to-back defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. So let me try doing my own version of a sports analysis for writing practice's sake. After winning the 2009-2010 season, the Los Angeles Lakers did not cease on trying to improve their roster. They let stubborn point guard Jordan Farmar go to New Jersey. Reserve big men Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga were also let go, with Powell going to Atlanta and Mbenga to New Orleans. Adam Morrison also had his contract expired, and so far he still does not have any team yet. The Lakers then re-signed clutchman Derek Fisher, and highlight dunker Shannon Brown. Using free agency, the Lakers were also able to acquire swinger Matt Barnes, veteran Theo Ratliff, and former Clipper guard Steve Blake. The 2010 NBA Draft was also utilized by the Lakers, grabbing some would say second-round draft steals in the athletic Devin Ebanks (43^rd pick) and Derrick Caracter (58^th pick).

As of press time, the Lakers are third in the Western Conference with a 17 win 7 loss mark, just behind the surprising leaders in San Antonio and Dallas. The Lakers had been lucky enough to play their early games against low-ranking teams. Kobe Bryant still posted up decent numbers, and had the luxury of logging in fewer minutes due to the emergence of Shannon Brown. Lamar Odom was still as versatile and as potent as ever. Fisher showed that he could still be the clutchman, having a highlight lay-up as a game winner this season. Ron Artest had been disappointing so far this tournament in terms of scoring and other stats. Luke Walton is back, but so far he still hasn't been a factor.

For twenty four games, the Lakers have been playing with a lack in post presence, having missing Andrew Bynum with his knee injury. Bynum chose to delay his surgery to watch the FIFA World Cup after his admirable willingness to play in the 2010 NBA Finals. As a result, Pau Gasol had to log in so much minutes, and was visibly tired in a lot of games and declined in his production despite his early MVP-caliber performances. Back-up center Theo Ratliff also went down with an injury, leaving the 58^th round pick rookie Derrick Caracter to log-on minutes at the 5 spot, despite being undersized.

What was exceptional so far this season is the re-emergence of the Bench Mob for the defending champions. The 2007-2008 season had a good bench line-up, but this season has more potent and deadly back-ups in the monicker of “The Killer Bs”: Shannon Brown, Steve Blake, and Matt Barnes. Shannon Brown has been one of the most improved three-point shooters in the league right now, putting up huge shots from beyond the arc that got us fans not just wanting him to dunk but to shoot the lights out. He could be a solid candidate for the Most Improved Player award this year. Steve Blake has been a better version of Jordan Farmar, possessing excellent court vision and awareness, even putting highlight passes for alley-hoops early this season. Matt Barnes has been a solid back-up to Ron Artest, and you can sure of his hustle plays, his offensive rebounds, and his adequate defense. The Killer Bs have made life easier for Kobe Bryant so far.

The Lakers may have lost a surprising amount of games this start of the season due to the absence of Bynum and a lack of front court depth, but what could be a good thing for this team is the exposure that the two rookies Ebanks and Caracter had as relievers. Both did not expect to play this much minutes this season, but they had to be tapped by Phil Jackson in numerous situations. Caracter notably put up decent post minutes, and Ebanks did show a lot of atheliticism despite experiencing a logjam at the small forward position with Artest, Barnes, and Walton being in front of him.

With the amount of talent and the desire to win still burning in this team, the Laker fans can only look forward to better performances with the return of Bynum in the line-up, as he returned for today's game against Washington. Hopefully there would be no more injuries in the key men of the line-up.

Oh, and I just received news that the disappointing shooter Sasha Vujacic would be traded to New Jersey for another veteran big man in Joe Smith. Looks like the Lakers want to solidify their frontcourt depth, just as Boston and Miami had with their four-center lineups.

I have this group of friends that I’ve known way back from my days playing Ragnarok Online, and despite the fact that it’s been so many years since we outgrew the game, our friendships remained and grew stronger. A lot of us were still as enthusiastic as ever in watching anime, playing video games, reading manga, and going to cosplay conventions. Some of these online friends of mine decided to put up a website called Otakultura, a new site that featured everything that’s related to the otaku culture: whether it be anime, manga, games, music, and movies. The site also perennially features the different otaku-related events that are held in the Metro, and covers them through photographs, videos, write-ups, and interviews. Check out the website at http://www.otakultura.com or like the official Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/otakultura. 

Last Saturday night, Otakultura became part of a J-rock musical event called JCrunch 2010, which was held in Guerilla Radio Bar and Restaurant in Pasig City. Otakultura was to cover the event, which showcased performances from different J-rock cover bands. My friends that comprised the Otakultura team asked if there were people in our group that were available to help in their coverage of the event. I really wanted to try and experience event covering, so I signed up. I didn’t know that I was to take part in the interviews that the site will post, and be in front of the camera to promote the website. It was a cool experience to play the role similar to what VJs do: interviewing the different bands that performed, covering their performances, and talking to the people who attended the event. And although the event was quite lengthy and our team had to fend off drowsiness, it was worth it.

Congratulations to the organizers of JCrunch 2010, and to us the Otakultura team! I’m looking forward to cover future events again with these friends of mine. Gosh, I do need to improve on my skills in front of the camera though: interviewing people, smiling and looking enthusiastic for two or more minutes, and positioning and presenting myself. And I should have already had my hair rebonded.

Anyone who knows me well can testify to the fact that I absolutely hate the idea of smoking. There would be times that I tend to stay away from a smoking group of people, even if conversing with them would seem to be enjoyable. Sure, I may be able to have a good conversation with these people, but I’d rather not risk inhaling too much second-hand smoke. If there’s a stupid jerk that’d carelessly exhale their smoke directly at me, I would often cough and then proceed with a stare-down, a verbal lashing, or maybe a punch thrown. 

So, why is it that I absolutely hate smoking? First is the fact that I once had this complication called primary complex. This is the precursor to developing the dreaded disease called tuberculosis. This has been attributed to my weak health back when I was a child fueled by second-hand smoke that comes from my previously chain-smoking father. That primary complex paved the way for a childhood with physical health and the necessity to take medications for nine months straight without a day being missed. That period of medication happened twice during my childhood, and I was best recommended not to engage in too much physical activity or sports.

Second, isn’t it obvious that smoking is completely bad for one’s health? Almost all parts of the body are at risk of disease developing from that vice, as seen in the health warnings of hospitals and health centers. Is smoking worth risking having those dreaded complications? Someone like me whose physical fitness goals have been dominant as of late definitely should disdain this habit. Even in sports, I could observe that smokers have lesser cardio than non-smoking athletes. 

I perennially have debates with my friends who are smokers about the advantages and disadvantages of this habit. It’s obvious that the disadvantages completely outweigh its benefits. But what the hell are the benefits? Is it the temporal feeling of the riddance of stress? But that same feeling could be obtained from healthier, much more constructive means. Is it the social activity generated by it? Damn, I’d rather be anti-social. This is my opinion, and you may differ, but I find it so lame that people turn to smoking to relieve themselves of problems, worries, and stress. 

Most recently, my father developed a mild stroke which left him physically weaker than before. His breathing became harder and walked slowly nowadays. He’s now the one taking those nine-month medications. This has happened because he began smoking again before that stroke occurred. Prior to that, he was able to stop on his stupid habit for long periods of time, but it recurred again. Now we have this added cost of purchasing medicines for him. 

My group paper in my policy analysis class that was conducted this recently concluded semester talks about the possibility of implementing a higher amount of tax to be placed on sin products such as tobacco and alcohol. I passionately agree to such a policy proposal, as the added tax burden on these goods would force the companies that produce them to increase their selling prices to counteract the added costs. This in turn would have the theoretical effect of forcing current consumers to lessen their consumption, or stop their stupid habits completely, as they would have to deal with the rising prices of their vices. At the same time, it would lessen the chances of previous non-smokers to try the habit for the first time, and dissuade them from getting addicted to it. Along with that proposal, I also agree to another proposal that seeks to implement picture-based government warnings on all cigarette packs. This would require tobacco companies to place photographs of different human organs afflicted by dangerous diseases like cancer onto the packs of cigarettes, and hopefully scare the wits out of both consumers and non-smokers. The current government warnings on cigarette packs seem to have little effect on the consumption of these goods.

It’s okay to say you mind. I have been able in recent months to try and humiliate smokers who are still trying to grab a smoke inside public vehicles, saying to them upfront and loudly that they’re violating the anti-smoking law inside such vehicles and telling them to throw away their cigarettes. People should do that and not allow themselves to risk getting diseases that they did not intend to have.

Caroling has been part of the culture of Filipinos during Christmas time, where kids would ask for money over a simple, often out-of-tune singing of yuletide songs. But kids doing rounds for trick-or-treat was somewhat new in our vicinity. All of a sudden, kids were wearing gory make-up and donning scary costumes, visiting every house in the neighborhood. Many households in our place found them amusing, and did give candies to the eager children. In fact, I believe that was the first time that I’ve seen groups of children put that kind of effort into celebrating Halloween.

So, has Halloween become part of the staple of holidays that the Filipino people celebrate each year? A Western tradition has now immersed itself in our cultures. Not that I mind it though, in fact if I was still a kid today, I might have found wearing costumes with my friends and knocking on doors of houses to be enjoyable. Halloween parties have also been a common sight these days, as even dancing clubs, companies, or even big families organize such a celebration.

But today is really about All Saints Day, a time where we remember and celebrate the lives of the people that have already departed this world, and when we offer our prayers for their souls. Seeing on television the multitudes of Filipinos going to the cemeteries just gives us the affirmation that our people still hold the tradition of paying respect to the dead.

My family could not go to the cemeteries of our relatives again this year, as the departed of our brethren are buried in cemeteries located in the Visayas. To be honest, I do envy the many families that are able to go to the cemeteries together. However, what we do instead, and have been for many years before, are to offer prayers, food, and candles for our deceased family members. My Mom often cooks food, most notably biko and places them into our altar. Candles are also lighted up in front of our house, symbolizing the souls of the family members that have already left us.

For some years now, a strange, brownish-gray moth often visited us during All Saints Day, or death anniversaries of some of our departed family members. These insects would stay in the house and be in the same spot for hours or sometimes even days, and then leave suddenly. You might find it skeptical, but we would like to think of those strange visits as a message from the world beyond, making us remember to offer prayers for their souls. Come to think of it, I remember that Japanese people do believe that butterflies visiting homes represent spirits of the departed. Today, however, no moths or strange insects visited us.

With that said, A Blessed All Saints Day to everyone.

You know that kind of feeling when you just want to try and immerse yourself in as many activities, events, and happenings that you can? It’s that feeling that drives one to put oneself to constant pre-occupation, bordering on both the maximization of time or energy, and the fear of idleness and boredom. You see, for some months now, I have been experiencing this surge of activity and drive to engage in different kinds of activities: whether trying out boxing/MMA, poll watching, sports and article writing, drinking sessions that I did not refuse, playing basketball and computer games, suddenly going to clubs, coffee shop sessions, a number of cosplay and anime conventions, etc. I can go on, but I guess I made my point already.

You see, whenever I become bored I tend to get irritated. Those workouts I’ve been doing these past few years definitely had an impact on my energy levels, and whenever I felt that I still have some energy left in the tank and had nothing to do, I tend to get annoyed by it. I feel like there’s so many things that one should do if opportunities finally come knocking down on them.

I also have this belief that if it’s really possible to try and see your friends, one should do so if it does not impede a task that is much more important. For someone like me who have already been delayed in his college graduation and see some of my friends on a very limited basis nowadays, I find the rare times spent with them to be precious.

But to be completely honest, a good portion of this drive is the fear that once all this engaging activity stops, I would suddenly remember one thing: I had been in the process of forgetting something. However, there’s no time to waste on lag time now, even during this semester break and the academic roller coaster momentarily stopped for a few weeks. Sadness should be set aside and be replaced by the energy and enthusiasm of engaging in activities, if not the stoic and serious face could sometimes mask that drive.

I plan to make the most of these remaining moments, days of less stress. It should be both constructive and enjoyable at the same time. So, let’s all just push on, turn on the music, and just dance our lives away.