LIGHT. SHADE. AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
It amazes me how things can change in just a matter of days…or hours. Monday last week, I thought I had to wait until the end of that week before I could get hold of my thesis manuscript again. But then, just a few hours after my last post, I received word from my adviser that I could retrieve my manuscript for the final pre-defense revisions. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! The best thing about it was that the revisions weren’t as major as I expected. In fact, whereas I thought my adviser and I did not have the same writing style, she said that my thesis was well-written. Whew! Huge sigh of relief there! Also, whereas I previously thought it’d take me a week to complete my revisions, I was able to do it overnight. By Tuesday, I showed my revised manuscript to my adviser and got her approval. By Wednesday, I submitted it to the Psychology Department, with all the requisite style and format according to APA standards. So yeah, right now, all I can do is sit and wait for our Department Chairperson’s 'go ahead' for my defense.
Except that these past few days, I haven’t really just been sitting and waiting. I figured that I could really use the break, so I’ve been kind of just enjoying my days, doing all the “nothing” I couldn’t do ever since the month began.
Mane idea. For one, I got myself a long-overdue haircut (which I said I would get right after Tintin and John’s wedding). Only, the haircut didn’t turn out as I envisioned it to be. The style is too layered, which isn’t very suitable for my hair type. It just makes my hair fly away at the back, and is thus, unmanageable. Since my purpose for cutting my hair is to keep it “low maintenance,” that just won’t work for me. So, I’m actually thinking of getting another haircut—a really short one, similar to my “do” four or five years ago. But I don’t know which salon to go to now, since all the salons I’ve been going to in the past years have either closed down, or have lost my trust when it comes to executing the look that I want for my hair. So I kinda have to re-evaluate which salon is worth going to. So maybe, I’ll wait for a few more days before I get that follow-up haircut. Or maybe not.
UAAP fever. The latter part of last week also saw me watching two UAAP games live (one of which, incidentally, landed both Maita and me on TV again...harhar). I must say, I’m getting “high” on collegiate basketball again. And that’s not just because Ateneo is on a winning streak after a really bad start this season, but more so because they are, now more than ever, playing as a team. Their success so far is not just due to the efforts of the Ateneo Five’s touted stars, but due to the improved performance of the second-stringers as well. More than talent, it is the team’s collective effort that’s making them win games this season, and which makes supporters like me want to come back for more. In fact, after last Saturday’s win against UE (one of the really strong contenders this year), Maits, Carmen, Reg and I—all die-hard Blue Eagle supporters—vowed to attend all the remaining ADMU games and cheer our hearts out. Call us groupies, I don’t care. This is one of the very few instances that I wouldn’t mind being called that. Because it’s true.:)
Family day. To cap the week, I spent the entire day yesterday with family. We attended the 1st birthday celebration of a family friend’s kid in Intramuros. Then, my mom, my cousin Rona and I spent the rest of the afternoon in Greenhills, shopping for pasalubongs for Rona’s family in the US. I must say that shopping (and in a crowded tiangge at that) isn’t my kind of thing. But I did survive it. I guess the company made it worth while.:)
Aside from these, there were other developments that I found worth cheering about:
Immersion into the Filipino way of life. I am so happy for my cousin Rona who spent the past two months learning about Philippine history and culture through the Tagalog On-Site (TOS) Program. Not only did she come back with a better grasp of Tagalog, but she now has a new-found appreciation of her Filipino heritage. She also got to visit different places (i.e. Banaue, Sagada, Zambales, Olongapo, Subic, Pampanga, Laguna, Banahaw, Batangas), and met all sorts of people (i.e. Filipino scholars/academicians, journalists, Ifugaos, T’bolis, Aetas, abused children, women prostitutes, NPAs). On top of that, she seems to have immensely enjoyed herself as well. I’m glad she’ll have so much of the Philippines to take back with her to the US.:)
Debut single. Jay was finally able to release his very own composition (“Ikaw Forever”) through Brownman Revival’s new album “Steady Lang.” I’d have to admit that while Dino (the lead singer of the band) is my friend, and while I enjoy Brownman’s music, I bought their album primarily 'coz of Jay’s request. I kinda have to because I’m sort of privy to the history behind the song. Hehe. But anyway, the album turned out to be really good. It has, in fact, never left my CD rotation in the past two weeks. I hope people will buy it as well.:)
Hope for RP. In these times of socio-political and economic turmoil, it is sooo heartening to hear positive news about our country. Here’s one: The Philippine Coconet Project makes it as one of the finalists of BBC's and Newsweek's The World Challenge. Vote now and spread the word!
With all these things that have been holding my interest lately, how could I just sit and wait? Rather than waiting in suspended animation, I feel more like cheering and jumping for joy for all these people and groups around me who are doing well in their own little endeavors. Who knows? Some of their good fortune might rub off on me too, such that when my waiting time is over, the outcome of my efforts would be something that I’d be able to cheer about as well.
