Dreams be dreams

I was going through my past blog entries (as what I usually do after posting a new entry), and I just have to place this here right now. I will, in the future, eventually go back to my old entries once again. When that time comes, I want my future self to be reminded of the lyrics to this Jack Johnson song:

(I have better retention when there is melody involved!)

A dream's a dream
And all this living's so much harder than it seems
But girl don't let your dreams be dreams

Don't put your life on hold. That goes out for everyone.

"I don't want to be that girl from high school"

Pardon the unintented hiatus. I know I haven't written a real entry for quite some time now. I've actually got loads on my mind lately, but for some reason, I just haven't made much effort in pulling myself together so I can write 'em down! I have tried sitting down and staring at the blinking cursor. I have tried responding to its challenge, but I just can't live with giving you an uninteresting read (hmm, well, not more than 10 uninteresting reads!).

I spent Monday morning reading the commencement address of a certain Dr. Antonio Dans to the 2007 graduates of the Ateneo High School. It was quite interesting as it didn't take on the angle that most speakers bore high school students with. None of that mumbo-jumbo of how blessed we are with a private education, the best that our parents (and our geographical location) can provide. I think everyone knows this, and appreciates this, even if only to a certain degree. Anyway, the title of his speech is Don't believe your report cards. His address amusingly reminisces on all the mischief that he and his classmates did back in high school: the stuff of legends. Seriously.

Well, aside from all the inspirational blahs he injected somewhere in that entire speech, he shares the preparation process he went through while preparing for the speech. He made a general survey of his classmates on the most important lesson they had in high school. It made me stop for a moment and actually think about it. And the first thing that came in mind really involved people. Friends. Enemies. Strangers. Teachers (crazy and prosaic ones). Everything I remember from high school involves specific experiences and the feelings tied to those specific moments. And this is probably true for a lot of things that go beyond high school, but the intensity just isn't the same. At least, for me it isn't. Everything else really pales in comparison. My memories of college are still very vivid, as I've only been free from it for one year, but for some reason, all the feelings felt during high school just seems to be more magnified. Credit it to vulnerability and the lack of knowing better, but it was a period that consisted of a lot of firsts. And seconds, thirds, and so on, no matter how great, can not compare to the first. Even if the first was bad, you will remember it.

It's crazy that I'm walking down Southville memory lane right now because a few years ago, I told myself that I am not going back there. The happy counterparts sure have a lot of drastic ones as well. And I think that part of my "problem" (pardon the lack of a better term) right now is that I have tried so hard, and exerted so much effort, to leave a large chunk of my high school self behind. Perhaps much too quickly, much too soon.

It's funny how some mistakes just sort of affect us this way.

At the same time, it's also great to still be able to have a set of friends that has grown with you. We may not have always grown at the same time, in the same way, and even in the same direction, but we manage to find common ground somehow. Going through critical firsts sure has that effect.

Let me just leave you with this--

So savor this last moment of HS and look around you. Look at the wonderful friends you found. You don't know this yet – your HS friends are unlike any. They will last forever. You may be parting ways now, but your paths will cross again like ours has, regardless of the profession you have chosen.

How many of you plan to be doctors? Remember them. They will take care of you when you're sick, and they will not charge you.

And how many are leaving the country? Remember them as well. You are going to live in their homes when you travel. Free! (Haha, this is so true!!!)

There might even be a priest in here somewhere. He will preside at your wedding, baptize your child. I'm not sure you would want to confess to them. What a horrible thought.

There will be politicians amongst you too – governors, mayors, cabinet members, maybe even a president? Even they will seek refuge in your reunions, because it is only there that they can be themselves, with people they truly trust.

It doesn't matter what they do, when you are down and out, your classmates will get together to pull you up. They will chip in for your hospital expenses, or help send your kids abroad, even when they themselves are in need.

I can spend the entire day with you talking about high school friends. My main difficulty preparing for this talk was choosing which anecdotes to share just to show how close we were 32 years ago, and how much closer we've become since then.

The point is this - I, am immensely proud of the people I grew up with in high school.

When I hear stories of principles they have had to stand up for in their life, I can see the same principles we nurtured together as classmates. Our futures have diversified us, but our values remain one and the same.

Today, we remain comrades in the same rebellion, fighting the battle in different zones.

Savor this moment. Say your goodbyes for now… but know that your paths WILL cross again. With graduation, your friendship has become more binding than marriage. Remember, you cannot divorce a HS classmate, even if it is ordered by the Vatican. It's illegal.

Can't argue with that last one there. Just can't. :)

My Visual DNA

This is such a fun exercise! :)

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Rethinking blogs

It's Day 2 of the "comeback" -- the return from the 5-day holiday caused by Holy Week and Bataan Day. It was definitely a welcome respite from work, but I'm having a bit of trouble getting my rhythm back. I took an unintended blogging break that lasted for almost a month, not because I ran out of ideas of what to blog about (I had many, really!), but for some other reason I'm not entirely sure of. Anyway, I'm blogging via e-mail at work right now. I just need to take a short break. I actually do get a lot of writing exercises, from my work and my freelance gig, but blogging is just an altogether different kind of indulgent writing exercise for me.

I've been going through some pretty interesting Filipino blogs -- those that won in this year's Philippine Blog Awards. It actually made me rethink blogging, the purpose of my blogs, and everything else blog-related. Like, originally, this blog was intended for my thoughts. You see, I've finally realized some months ago that I am able to track my growth and maturity through my thought process--that growing up is really felt in the way we think about certain things, actions, etc. But then, it became another mix of all things in my life. Mostly, it's just my outlet for gravanity (Google this to find out what it means!), but I want a blog that's so much more than that. Going through other people's blogs made me think of blog projects I can pursue, whether I should "abandon" my "travel blog-in-the-making (which is actually up already, despite only having around 5 entries)". Right now, I'm thinking of a general theme to it, it's still pretty bare and uncustomized, so we'll see how it goes. I'll make it "crawlable" by the engines once it's populated. :)

Gosh, I had so much ideas last night. I have to poof anyway, I've to get back to recovering my rhythm. Sigh.

Dressed up apples

My officemate and I played hooky this afternoon and took off for a late (and rather long) lunch out in Glorietta. I stumbled upon this new stall between Glorietta 3 and 4 called SanFo Treats. The glass panels showed a delectable row of round chocolate-covered/marshmallow-covered/sprinkles-covered (some with gummy bears on top) round objects on a stick. The fushia-colored stall was screaming out for me to do a double take as I walked past it. My curiosity got the better of me and found out that they were apples. Caramel apples. Apples soaked in caramel plus other sweet goodies from candy heaven. Ahhh. I feel really bad that I wasn't able to take a photo, but I will the next time I swing by (I'm not sure if that's allowed though).

So all the colorful, sexy dressed-up apples got the better of me, and I simply had to try one. I'm not a big fan of caramel, so I was pretty iffy about spending Php50-80 for one. But what the heck, it's just one. I asked the salesperson for their specialty, and she made me pay the highest price for the Choco Mallow Caramel Apple. It was the most expensive one of the bunch, priced at Php80, but the saleswoman promised me that it'd be worth every single Peso.

All the apples are dipped in caramel sauce then coated with a second (and third!) layer of either chocolate sauce, chocolate/rainbow sprinkles. Some are topped with gummy candies or fruits. My Choco Mallow is bathed in a second layer of melted marshmallow (the white outer covering), a third layer of chocolate syrup, and topped with broken pieces of Oreos. Other flavors include Triple Caramel (3 layers of caramel sweetness), Beagle (chocolate syrup with chocolate sprinkles), Black Forest (with a cherry on top), Gecko (with a gummy lizard as the topping), Cupid (chocolate syrup and red sprinkles) and many, many more (these are the only ones I remember).

Until a non-sticky version of caramel is invented, I think biting into this will never cease to be challenging. I am utterly thankful that my office table is not very visible to majority of my officemates. Biting into two layers of stickiness (caramel + melted marshmallow) is sure tricky! Not to mention the crumbly Oreo! But after getting past the sticky layer comes the crunch of a fresh and juicy apple. Delish!!! Without being overly sweet, the concoction is surprisingly just right--well, at least for my taste buds.

The verdict: as the saleswoman promised, it really was worth every Peso. With its 3" diameter (well, close to it), it's actually good enough to share. I couldn't wait to come back and try another flavor. This would make for a great gift too (they have special gift bags for it).

For the love of sweets, desserts, and apples, give these dressed-up darlings a try! They really should open a branch in Serendra! It'd be perfect alongside other dessert boutiques like Sonja's Cupcakes and Miss Desserts (all of which, btw, have very girlish architecture and design!). In the meantime, other branches can be found in Tiendesitas and SM Megamall. As for its location in Glorietta, it's near Cinderella and Nine West on the ground floor. Enjoy! :-)