[REVIEW] I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max

 "My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole. I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging dickhead. But, I do contribute to humanity in one very important way: I share my adventures with the world."

I first learned about "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" while looking through the vast collection of books in Fullybooked. I have this habit of hanging out in bookstores whenever I go to the mall and just spend a couple of hours going through as much books as I can and noting down on my phone's memo the books that I want to read. Some people might find it boring but I don't mind. I love reading it's something I can do forever and not get bored. In fact if stalking reading was a profession that paid killer dough I'd take it as a career path. Hahaha... 

So I was really stoked when I accidentally stumbled upon a pdf copy of this book online while I was looking for a pdf copy of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I downloaded it right away and ended up reading half of the book the whole afternoon. To be honest, I didn't have much of an idea what the book was really all about except that it's a non-fiction and it was all about the life adventures of Tucker Max. Saying that this guy lived life to the fullest is an understatement. Spending every day drinking, hooking up with random women wherever he went and literally letting each day pass terribly drunk, it was THE LIFE for him. Even waking up with a massive hangover, suffering from a severe case of diarrhea or vomiting his guts out-as terrible as it may seems-he never stops living the life of the ultimate drunkard. One day he'd end up sh*tting all over the hotel lobby, clogging the hotel room's toilet bowl and the rest of the toilet bowls in the public restroom in some hotel or sh*tting on himself but who cares? He will never give up booze and women for his dignity and hygene. 

I was really shocked that someone can be this much of a bummer. All the more for someone who wasn't just any ordinary guy at the peak of his youth. Just so you know, while living a happy-go-lucky lifestyle, Max Tucker was a law student. Yep, and despite all the time he threw away drinking beers and hooking up with women he graduated with a Law Degree in 2001. I have mixed emotions after reading this book. I thought it was great of Tucker Max to have been able to savour every moment of his life. I wish I could do the same. I don't want to go to that level though. He may have slept with more than a hundred women (and still counting) and wake up the next day without any memory of what happened the night before or why he's lying down in some park with vomit all over his face. But I'm sure though that when he's grey and old he won't have to worry about regretting not living life to the fullest. I think one of the most important things in life is that every person gets to live life by his/her own rules and realize his/her dream. That's what Tucker Max did. His life may not be the ideal life for most of us, but it was the direction he chose to take and he seems pretty damn happy and contented with it. He may not be the best example for someone who wants a positive life but look, despite his being a drunkard and a total ass he was able to turn something positive out of his wretched lifestyle. He shared his out-of-the-world insane adventures to the world through a mere reading material then later on became a New York Times Bestselling Author and even had his book signed up for a movie deal. Now, he just continues to live his kind of life and keeps on sharing to the world about it. He wasn't simply a no-life guy who drank his heart away, had sex to as much hot women as possible or harshly criticized women. This guy didn't seek for perfection. He just took what's there on the table. For him life was simple. He found contentment in the company of alcohol and hoes. It may not be the most ideal choice but for someone like him, it was the life he preferred. Hopefully not for good though.

I highly recommend this book to bookworms who are VERY open-minded, mature and someone who can look beyond what's written on the surface. I think it's a good book. It may be an R-Rated read but it makes you realize a lot of things too. In some moments you'd laugh about Tucker's antics, randomness and weird ideas yet it will never cross your mind not even for once-strangely though-that this guy is dumb. With every stupid thing he does comes really good realizations which he shares to the world. It'll make you just naturally agree to whatever he is saying simply because he's right in one way or another. To quote him, 

“There is no such thing as "deserving" respect; you get what you demand from people.. if you demand respect, he will either respect you or he won't associate with you. It really is that simple.”

Though he generally was disrespectful to women and treated them as an object of pleasure at least he was very honest about it. He was right when he said people treat you the way you want to be treated. This guy managed to sleep with a hundred something women not because he forced these women to do so, it was a choice that these women took. They clearly knew how disrespectful he was to women yet they still willingly and happily threw themselves to him and strip them off their own dignity. They get what they deserve, be seen and treated like a hoe. He may most of the time be insensitive about women but I know deep within this man has still got some soft spot and respect for women. In the latter part of the book, he was dancing around, drunk as usual and he saw this image of a woman he said he could finally fall in love with. Someone, who he sees as the one he can grow old with. There was this feeling of comfort and delight to have finally found the one he's been waiting for so long that you can feel and read through in that moment he was speaking about that woman which later on he finds out is just his illusion, one of the many side effects of getting drunk. At that moment I knew that this guy was not hopeless after all. He knows the kind of women who deserves his respect and those who don't.

I'm not really shocked that he's still single until now. Though I don't think he's a hopeless case I mean anything can happen. What do you expect from a man who can't handle his alcohol intake and addiction to sex? Better be single this way than married and addicted to both alcohol and women right? I like him. He's very honest that he's a douche and he doesn't hide it. He's being honest about it and is definitely being responsible about it, in his own way. For someone who's a stranger to Tucker Max's life reading his experiences will open you to a lot of things unknown to you. Though most of it are crazy, it'll make you understand the idea that life has no boundaries. All it takes is a fearless step towards the blind side. Also, it tells that it's okay to break free from everything and do what makes you happy, live life and not let life pass you by.This book will make you feel like laughing your ass off in Tucker Max's series of adventures, shocked of his wildness, hate him for being the biggest douchebag and wanting to murder him for disrespecting women, think again how men view women, take a trip to the wildest cities and later on even if there will be times you'd want to stop reading because you feel that there's no point finishing Tucker Max's book, you'll find yourself coming back to experience the rush of adventure and being a part of his crazy life.

#NowListening to"Between" by Courrier
Album: A Violent Flame

What Has Been (The Yearender)-Photos

Since my entry for my 2011 recap is probably the longest blog entry I've written ever since I started blogging. I've decided to create a post for the photos instead. 

CA3 starting off senior year. 

Graduation day with close friends from other block.
(L-R): Me, Katrina, Cerina(bottom), Fatima, Dang, Ali, Bianca  and Jam.

I remember I went home this day due to a massive migraine from stress and I was suffering from an on and off fever which I thought was dengue  (it was dengue season that time) and I panicked because I was thinking I'd never graduate if I contracted dengue. I'll be way behind everything. I was already thinking of working on my thesis while confined in the hospital and submitting everything online. Thankfully though it was just a false alarm.

(Clockwise L-R): Cerina, me, Fae, Bianca, Kikx, Fatima and Ria.

Incomplete class photo during graduation practice.

CA3's class photo. I really miss all of them.

ADHOC II with twin, Katrina and Bianca. 

Twin and I at Blue Wave in the wee hours of the morning after ADHOC II.

These people are so sweet. They even made an effort to drop by Room 201 to greet me a Belated happy birthday. (L-R): Ina, Hyunah, Me, Meiyee, "Bakra" and Hikaru. 

"Bakra" is a Japanese guy who are friends with Meiyee and Hikaru, both exchange students at MC and came over from Australia for an activity in MC.

Room 201: Where I lived. Meiyee busy playing with Angela's ipad. The bed on the middle is mine. I'm not always that messy. There was just a lot going on that time. 

Friday Night. I still remember this was taken on a late friday night. I was studying for Mass Media Laws the next day and got extremely bored after doing nothing since the afternoon but studying. Angela on the other hand was bumming around. What I love the most about being in our dorm room is when all the lights are dim just like the one in the photo then Angela and I would just talk the night away or play around before hitting the sack. :) The good old days.

This is the pantry. Everybody knows that this is my territory. I always do my homeworks and reviewing here because it's so quiet and it's not cold. I can't focus as much whenever I am reviewing in our room because it's super cold and it makes me feel sleepy plus it's too tempting to chat with Angela. Before, the pantry was all for mine to use but then came second semester and Hyunah came in so we both shared the pantry. I didn't mind it at all because we both enjoy each other's company so much and we had the same approach towards studying. It was really nice having Hyunah around whom I can talk to about serious matters that people the same age as mine could only understand. She was a deep person and I enjoyed talking to her even if it means talking in straight english the whole time I did not mind.


Blog entry for this is: HERE!

Internet Maniac

I'm tired as hell and my eyes are so strained yet here I am can't stop surfing the net. Sometimes I wonder what's it about internet that makes it so...addicting. When people get hooked into surfing online and even at the back of their mind they know that they have to stop and do whatever that needs to be done sometimes we can't help but fall on this obsession trap. Wherein, we can't help but keep on doing what we're doing online and postpone all the other things that we're SUPPOSED to work on. We act like it's as if internet will be gone tomorrow and we savour every second spent online visiting as much websites as we can and exploring new things to do online. It's really strange to think how engaged we can get when it comes to internet and when you think about it 90% of the time you spend online you're doing the most pointless things ever. We visit pages or engage in online activities that were actually made to kill boredom. This is what we're all so busy about most of the time. Other people can stay online the entire day and do nothing but surf online or update minute by minute their social networking accounts like it's their professional career. Funny right? No matter how lame it is, we just can't stop. That's who we are, slaves for technology and we're loving it.

What Has Been (The Yearender)

I hail 2011 as the most important year in my entire life to date. So many important things happened in this year. So many "first times" and probably "last times".

After more than 40 years of our whole clan residing in our Quezon City compound where our family business is also located, it was this year that the whole family decided to part ways. Too bad though that our family parted ways in bad terms. Despite that my family has been dysfunctional ever since, this time it's ruined for good and what contributed more to its ruin was nothing but the root of all evil called MONEY. Until now I still cannot believe how something that's just made out of paper can ruin relationships and turn people numb. I consider this one of the toughest moments of my year 2011 and of course my entire life. I was on my final year in college and the least that I wanted to witness or experience at this most crucial journey of my student life is a wretched household. Like I always tell my closest friends, this is something I never thought would happen this soon. Though I knew it really does happen in real life I never thought this was how it really felt like and that it'd happen to me in a blink of an eye. Everything was so fast. One moment I had everything and the next I had nothing but a broken family. When my mother decided to let me reside in Miriam College Residence Hall, the school's dorm, whenever I'd come home during the weekends I felt so sad knowing that everytime I come home something that was once a part of our home disappeared. One weekend it was the encyclopedia collection the next weekend would be the sofa in the receiving area then one by one the appliances. The whole sight was so depressing. Looking at the place where my mom was raised, where I was raised, my sister, cousins and where everyone who's worked for us built their dreams and futures I hated the idea that I'd be all gone too soon after all those years and memories. I cannot even put into words how I was able to put myself together during those moments. Every night I remembered crying about this and praying so hard for this not to happen. However, it did and that's when I stopped praying. My friends have been there for me and I told them what I was going through but everytime I open my mouth it felt like I was not getting to my point. When I try to express my feelings it just suddenly feels empty. I was extremely sad yet I smiled a lot just like any other day. Nobody  understood what I had to go through even if I explained nor did they understood the hate I had towards the people around me. They'd say that it'll pass or to just understand the person because they'll change someday. It was so frustrating yet I know that whatever I do these people will never understand because I am different from all of them just as how I'd never understand how other Filipino families can manage to keep their family so intact through good or hard times.


Another unexpected thing that happened to me this year was when I resided in a dorm. My mother being the ultra over protective parent she is, to the point that it has become unreasonable even for a single parent, made me live in a dorm for my final year in college. WHOA!!! WHAT A FREAKIN' MIRACLE THAT IS. She knew how stressful and demanding my final year would be so she decided to put me in the school's dorm. Despite everything that was happening at home this was a silver lining to the dark cloud that surrounded my entire life during that time. Finally, an escape from the depression at home, a time for myself and FREEDOM!!! Something I have sought after for such a long time. All of the students who lived in the dorm were either freshmen or sophomores which makes me the eldest in the dorm. I lived with two freshmen, Meiyee and Angela in Room 201. I was excited but at the same time worried that my roommates and I won't click since they're years younger. These two kiddos are the cutest ever. I love them to bits and pieces. They were the little sisters I never had in reality. It was the first time I felt like a real adult. At home I was the one being attended to by everyone but in the dorm I was the big sister who looked after my little roommates. Aside from that, I was a confidant to my other younger dormmates. They would approach me sometimes and seek for my advice regarding school, life, love (though I'm not really qualified for this one), OJT or just simply anything under the sun. I loved each and every one of them. But the two that I loved the most were my roomies Meiyee and Angela. Living with them made me feel so responsible and dependable. I helped them with some of their homeworks, gave them college advices, provided them food and did what a big sister was expected to do to her younger siblings. It was an amazing experience. However, after the first half of the year Meiyee left and it was just me and Angela. I was quite worried at first that we'd get bored with each other  since back then Meiyee was the source of all kinds of stories and laughter. As much as I wanted to join them all the time, I can't because most of the time I was working on my thesis, assignments or studying for a test at the pantry, my haven. Angela is the shyest person ever. If there's someone else who can put a delivery order for her she'd let that person do it and all the time I'm that person. I really loved the times we'd goof around, watch the corniest, weirdest or tear jerker films, do groceries, tell our secrets to each other, share our life stories and bumping into each other along the hallways of the school and act like it's as if we haven't seen each other in such a long time. This time of being a dorm girl, I have turned into a truly independent young lady. I did my groceries by myself though every weekend my mom and I would head to the grocery to replenish my stocks in the dorm but sometimes I have to do additional groceries especially when I can't come home for the weekend. I have to budget, if I even budget at all. ;p. Actually, most of the time I just can't skimp on food. This is just something I can never say no to. However, whenever I do my own groceries I can't believe how I just budget like it's natural to me and make sure that I only get the essentials and don't get tempted to exceed on my budget and resort to my credit card. Every temptation was right there in front of me and within my grasp but I stayed responsible and focused on what I must and must not do. I never partied til' the morning nor came back in the dorm drunk in the wee hours of the morning. I was an good example to all of my dormmates and the dorm coordinators and lady guards loved me. Then there was also my heart-to-heart late night talks with Hyunah. The sweetest Korean girl who used to live right across Angela and my room but who later on transferred to the 4th floor. Regardless though, she still spent most of the time on the second floor and join me in my sleepless night sessions as she was that studious herself. I ealways enjoyed her company because we're almost the same age and we're each other's escape from every kind of stress possible. She's the only person I'm willing to sit down and talk to in straight english language the whole day. Also, being a 21 year old, I'm didn't really expected a huge birthday celebration. I'm used to having small dinner celebrations with my family but that time, my entire dorm family threw me a birthday party and the best part was that I was able to blow my own birthday candles! :) I miss them all so much that if I'm given a chance to go back to my college days, one of the moments I'd go back to would be the time I lived in the dorm. Until now, I can't get over the life I left behind there and the people who I've lived with. Even though Angela's back in Saudi now where she originally resides, I still miss the dorm so much especially Room 201.

When I was still living in our QC home I was forbidden to not get any sleep. Tons of paperworks, projects and tests are no excuse. I had to train myself to be the best in terms of time management. I was really good at making the most out of the time I had. One of the things I was thankful for if there are even any that I can be so thankful for from my life back then, was teaching me to manage my time well. Some people wonder how I am able to quickly finish things I needed to do even beyond deadline when they can't seem to fit all tasks with the time they have. I never worked on my projects or did my research papers then stop every now and then to check on my social networking accounts. I used to be able to get by not checking them for a week or two and not get bothered at all. Nor did I wasted my extra time doing random things which people call "relaxation". Instead I kept myself busy by doing everything that needs to be done for school in advance. But when I reached my senior year, I was online almost 24/7. Aside from having to talk to my groupmates form various projects and thesis, I was Facebooking and Tweeting the night away while simultaneously working on my homeworks. Though I believe my FB and Twitter breaks contributed in my sleepless nights I knew that even if I did everything without doing those things I'd still be sleepless. With all the demands of senior year getting eight hours of sleep is a rare gift. I am already lucky to get five hours of sleep. I remember feeling so envious whenever I see Angela having a good night sleep on her bed and savoring the coldness of our room and just the sight of my bed already makes me want to drop everything and sleep. I never loved beds as much as I did during that time. I am such an OC when it comes to academics that I'd really be willing to go sleepless just for a single essay test (Rizal *ehem*). I remember my first Rizal essay. My professor there was once upon a time my professor back in first year college for Philippine History. He was the most impossible professor who demanded impossible tasks. I really read his 100+ pages of handouts numerous times just to prepare myself for a single essay quiz. I never wanted to suffer a mediocre grade from him again. Lord and behold my sleepless night paid off and I aced the test. Wait not just aced the test but I even exceeded the perfect score. It felt like a total victory that time. For me sacrificing sleep for a good grade is perfectly fine. I'd rather look like a zombie than get a low grade. Sometimes, I'd be working on my thesis or other papers and the next thing you know you'd already see the sun starting to shine. It was insane. I'd start working at night and then when I look up to the windows after some time it's already another day and I'm still not done working. I remember sometimes I won't get any sleep and then rush for my 8:30am class which happens to be Thesis class. One time I was so exhausted that I fell down the stairs and went down with a sprain on my right ankle. My right foot was sore for a month because I didn't want to use the bandage. Now I know what it feels like to be injured. So many nights my blockmates and I haven't been getting enough sleep or no sleep at all to the point that some of my friends (Twin, Kamu, Ara, Ali, Dylan and Bianca) and I already created this thing we call "Virtual sleepovers" which takes place on Twitter every week night. Though these are some of the fun yet exhausting moments of my senior year it's still one of the moments I always look back into and laugh about. Yipee for looking like druggies at night and zombies in the morning!!!

Next, one thing I used to obsess about for a short while back then was the Azkals. I cannot even describe how obsessed I was to them, their hot bods and handsome faces. Of course my partners in crime with this are my forever constant close friends Kamu, Cerina and Bianca but more on Kamu. I came to the point of begging them to make me the their top priority in the friends list if ever they get free tickets to an Azkals game. I particularly loved Simon Greatwitch though I'm not sure if he really is Manny Pacquiao's cousin as he claims to be. His mother is a spitting image of Aling Dionisia. I wasn't really amused when I saw a photo of her mother. Rather, I thought it was really hilarious. How can anybody look like Aling Dionisia? I mean I'm sorry I don't mean to be so judgemental but she's just someone I cannot take seriously. Kamu and I have this super long conversations which takes place usually at night time until the wee hours about Azkals and our hopeless aspirations with our mega Azkals crushes (just like high school). It was funny how those who fired hate comments on the Azkals or our beloved members received the worst of our wrath. We laughed about the social climber socialites/celebrities who kept on shoving themselves to the hottest members of the team and every hot local or foreign athlete around *ehem* sounds familiar... come on they're all over twitter it's a giveaway *ehem*. Since our conversations about the Azkals with occasional inserts of queries about our Theology and Dev Com final papers have been so hilarious, Kamu and I, being druggies and doing what druggies does best, decided to compile our conversation. Once, we thought about giving them a copy which thankfully we never really did (because that would have been the end of the world universe). It was a hundred plus worth of extremely funny conversations about the Azkals and I always laugh everytime I read our conversations. It's so long that I never really had a chance yet to sit down and finish the entire thing.


When I was in my final year, I thought I wanted to spend my senior year loosening up a bit. I've been too strict to myself for the past three years. I was just all academics. I never partied or did anything stupid. So when Cerina, Bianca and I was invited by Bea to the ADHOC college party organized by UP  held at the World Trade Center which also happens to be on our free day (when I say free day it means a not-so-busy day which doesn't usually happen alot), we thought it was a perfect opportunity. We had so much fun I cannot even imagine how happy I was that night. That was the very first college party the three of us ever went to. We were not the boring type of students just because we didn't go to college parties or get wasted on a weeknight/weekend. I know a lot of students in my batch who didn't do such things too. It kind of shocked me at first. I thought college crowd was more rowdy and big party freaks. It was a mistake. Anyway, Cerina, Bianca and I have always wanted to attend some party. We've always been sucker for parties we just never had the opportunity nor time to attend one. So ADHOC came and Cerina got so messed up that Bianca and I had to support her to the cab. After that night "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga has officially become Cerina's theme song :)). Then came ADHOC Part II again at the World Trade Center minus Bea plus Katrina. It wasn't as fun as the ADHOC I but nevertheless it was still enjoyable. We danced our hearts out until 3am. Then later on three guys approached us and joined. The three of us still stuck together though despite the presence of the three guys around us. Can I just say, that that was the most awkward encounter we've had with men ever. It just goes to show how ignorant we are about dealing with the opposite sex. We arrived at Bianca's home at 4am promising none of us will sleep. Cerina and I had to leave Bianca's place at 7am. However, in the end everybody passed out. But Cerina, Katrina and I still managed to leave Bianca's house at 7am and go back to our normal lives without "some" people (especially those who need not to know anything) knowing what went down the night before. Definitely one of my 2011 highlights. I don't regret attending ADHOC, non of us regret it at all. And whenever we talk about it today it's as if it just happened yesterday.

Graduation. What a bittersweet moment. I almost made it to the Latin Honors. So near yet so far. I never knew how close I was pre and during graduation but I knew I was close. Then when I got my transcript of records from the school around April of 2011, it was then that I found out I was 0.0081 shy from being a Cum Laude. Weeks before the graduation, I had a problem with one of my professors. I'm not going to go into details but I knew I was right and so I fought. I also didn't thought I'd ever have any problems with any professors because since the beginning I've had good relationships with my professors. I was a good student who followed instructions and studied very well. I veered away from any potential trouble and focused on my academic goals. It was only that incident wherein I knew I needed to stand up for myself. I was really shocked to find myself in that situation especially when it was so close to ruining my future and my entire college life. I cannot just let someone feed me whatever they want me to take in. Sometimes even if they're older it doesn't mean they're better. Especially, if all I hear about that person are complaints and disappointing remarks how can I depend on that person to provide me with all the necessary lessons I need to know? I may  have made a mistake I mean whatever but I still know I deserved a damn better grade especially that I know that I worked the hardest on his subject above the rest. Not that I am belittling others but they also know how much of a hardworker I am. I don't settle for less if I can do better and everybody who knows me in school knows that! I'm still bitter about it until now. It was that person that ruined everything for me. I still remember how much I cried days before graduation when I found out I didn't make it to the Latin Honors especially when I knew I was THAT close. It almost defined my whole student life. Graduation is a memory that I'm not as keen on going back to.

One thing that made college stress bearable and worth going through for four straight years is because of my blockmates, CA3. I love being a part of this block and if I'd be given a chance to transfer to another block I would just rather drop that opportunity instead. Though a lot of people would think that people studying at Miriam College are a bunch of elite spoiled brats who know nothing about real life, I say they are all wrong on all levels. What I really love about this block is how everyone's always happy even in the midst of the toughest adversities. It really amazes me seeing everybody just laughing off the stress and pressures of college which sometimes I don't understand how they're able to do so. When I first entered Miriam College, I was also a bit worried that I might not get along with anyone because of what I HEARD. Thankfully though it was the other way around. I loved every bit of my stay in my school but all the more being around my blockmates. These people are the ones you can drag along literally wherever or feed them anything from the strangest food to the most luxurious ones and they'd enjoy every bit of it. CA3 is about 80% Tomboys, 10% confused and 10% feminine. They have the corniest jokes and the funniest as well, the baddest creative skills and the smartest minds. They just don't say it rather, they show it. I love how each and everyone s confident in their own ways and never not even once have I heard one feel conscious about the way she looks or about her weight. Even if she already looks like someone who just came out of the shower and rushed her way to her first class or is sweating as hell like she has just finished a 10km run she'd still stand strong, proud and beautiful. This is what I also miss about being around my blockmates. Nobody care about what's on the outside of the person. They can be annoying as hell at times but at the end of the day you'd still be each other's confidant. I remember how heartbreaking it is whenever we check our schedules every beginning of semesters and find out how sometimes there's only two classes wherein we'd be together as a whole block. It was so saddening for all of us yet despite all the separations we remained close to each other. This is the group where I found the motivation to strive harder academically. Hearing their words of support, congratulating me and being happier than I am in all of my academic successes makes me feel teary eyed at times. I've never met anyone as supportive as these block. These bunch of people find happiness in the simplest things in life and who basically made college life bearable. To make it short, the girls of CA3 are the people I'm most thankful for in my entire life.

The reality after graduation... job hunting. It was a horrifying experience. As much as possible I never want to go back to that cycle again. Looking back into my job hunting days. I am just so glad to have finally left the army of the unemployed. One bad luck (graduation) to another (job hunting) it was such a painful time. I never hated summer as much before. I was sitting around waiting for a love call from companies the entire summer and taking in as much ultimatums as I can from my mother for months. I felt helpless and depressed.

I officially started working on September 5, 2011. This was the start of another new beginning. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but I never thought it was going to be THIS hard. I had to learn by making mistakes. I just didn't had anyone to show me the ways. Although I was given a brief introduction though but still I had to really work for real with zero knowledge about how they do things in that company I'm working in. I'm worried most of the time and feel that I may be not cut out for this kind of job. But I'm also having fun with my job despite the stress. This is something I can still see myself doing years from now. I know I can do well I just really need to get adjusted and get a clear view of how things are done. I've been there for four months already and I'm still adjusting and learning. I love my working environment. Everybody's just so friendly and happy. Though a lot of people kept on telling me that it's a battlefield in the Marketing arm, I defy. I love my workmates everybody's been so welcoming  and supportive.


Last August 2011, My thesis groupmates and I were awarded Best Thesis at the Gawad Miriam awards. I never thought that I'd get myself such an award. Especially when working on the thesis has once upon a time become one of my biggest fears before senior year. I never thought of myself as a good researcher. back in high school we did a mini-thesis and I never liked nor understood it at all so I thought since then that I suck on it. But along the way, will working on our thesis thought it could get so confusing at times, it felt good that I was working on such a huge project and doing pretty well on it. At first, I thought we were such a huge mess. Since during reporting there were so many things that needs to be edited and during the first defense which was around the first semester we almost had to revise the entire content of the first half of the thesis to pave way for a new  and more specific direction of our study. I never wanted to do that again. There were times I felt like I was the only one working on it because most of the time I had to re-edit the work of my groupmates which left me so frustrated and ultimately mad. I just got so moody and unapproachable at time due to stress and frustration. All the more though was when we found out that our defense panelist is a highly regarded researcher locally and internationally and someone who wouldn't settle for less. I got all the more worried and knew that if we wanted a good grade we had to really deliver well. This contributed to alot of my sleepless nights. Editing and editing EVERYTHING on our thesis. I was so happy though when we finally finished our final defense and when we were told by the panelist and our research adviser and professor that we really did well and what the method we used including the topic was a first in our department. I felt a huge sense of pride upon learning all of that. Then, for the first time ever, last August I stood on the Marian Auditorium to claim my Best Thesis certificate. I've been a Dean's Lister a number of times and everytime I become a Dean's Lister some event always happens and the Dean's Assembly gets cancelled. So I never got a chance to claim mg Dean's Lister certificate on stage. Once, it pushed through but I never got in because the guard said that the auditorium was already full and it was even that year wherein I was the Top one which left me beyond shocked. I never aimed to become the top I was satisfied enough to be included on the list.

A week ago, I got an email from the UP Communication Research Department's NCRC team and told me that our thesis have passed the panel analysis and we'll be presenting our thesis at the National Research Student Conference. It was such a huge honor to become a part of such a conference in the best university in the country. It has always been a dream of every high school student to be able to study at UP. Just being able to be honored an opportunity to share my thesis to the other students in a UP event is a huge accomplishment. I was never a UP student but here I am a Miriam College graduate invited to present my paper to college students from various colleges and universities around the country.


What a year really. Finally, after reminiscing about my 2011 for this post it has been such a great year. Probably my best and worst year yet. I just hope that 2012 would be a good,no, I mean BETTER year than what 2011 has been.

#NowListening to "You Picked Me" by A Fine Frenzy
Album: One Cell in the Sea

Romulo Cafe

Romulo Cafe is owned by Sandy Romulo Squillantini, granddaughter of the late Carlos P. Romulo.  It is a Filipino fine dining restaurant/museum. Plastered on the walls of the establishment are various photos of Carlos P. Romulo in black & white which narrates the tales of the former president's political career and personal life. The interiors are classic, simple and in black and white. Once you enter the restaurant it just exudes the feeling of being safe and home. I don't know why but I guess it's because the staffs are so welcoming and friendly that it wipes out the feeling of intimidation of dining in such a posh place. One of the first things I noticed upon entering Romulo Cafe aside from its gorgeous interiors is the award plaque from Asia Tatler dubbing Romulo Cafe as one of the Best Restarants in the Philippines for the year 2011. I haven't tried dinning in there but based from my mom and sister who ate there a few days ago, it's beyond superb.

Why am  I blogging about a restaurant? Well Romulo Cafe have placed a mark on my heart. Two days ago my mom together with my sister and I went to Romulo Cafe to pick up the Chicken Relleno my mom ordered which will be served on New Years Day. I was playing Snoopy Street Fair on my itouch while waiting for the Chicken Relleno. It was the only thing I was holding because I decided to leave all my other stuffs in the car. When I went to the comfort room I placed it on top of the toilet bowl. Everything was going fine until my sister came in telling me to hurry up because my forever impatient mother hates having to wait for anyone adding to my other worry that I might already have a stain on my outfit because it's the time of the month and I'm on my second day!!! So I went into full rush and panic mode and immediately left without checking whether I left something or not. My mind was just on my period and my VIP mother but this time more on my mother. Once I got home I decided to go to the mall and buy new jeans which I haven't done since senior year in college. That loooooong.  I  told my mom about it and she said she'd come with me since it's hot at home. While we were both walking on the way to the car, it hit me. I forgot my itouch at the comfort room in Romulo Cafe. I asked my sister to phone Cafe Romulo to check on it. Half of my heart wasn't expecting anymore that I'd still get it back. It's not just any gadget and in most cases when a gadget such as an Apple itouch is left behind chances are the person who finds it first will take it for him/her to use or sell for cash. However, Half of me also still believed that I might still get it back. Not that I'm being a hypocrite but Romulo Cafe is not just any restaurant. It is a fine dining place catering to middle to upper class. They can afford these things and wouldn't need to steal. But then I was leaning more towards the side wherein I'd never get it back anymore. It saddened me so much thinking how I wouldn't find my itouch anymore. It pained me knowing how much I loved my itouch and how I always seek comfort from my itouch in times of stress, sadness and even happiness. It placed a special part in me just like anyone who had an itouch and loved it as much as I did.

And then, my sister called while my mom and I were on our way to Romulo Cafe and told me the best news I have ever heard in months. They have it with them and I can claim it from the manager. Once I got to the store the store manager raised his hands to signal that he was the manager and he's got my itouch. I dashed towards the manager who for some reason knew instantly that I was the one he was waiting for. I thanked the restaurant staffs and left feeling light. I was so close to tears knowing that I got my itouch back. This thing has a sentimental value and that it served as my companion in times of distress and joy. It's been for me throughout my entire journey in my senior year in college and through all of my "first times". I can never lose this thing EVER.

Anyway, another point I am trying to tell is that through this experience, it made me believe that we still have hope. How many times in a day do we think or say out loud that the world is f*cked up and we're all hopeless or things will never get better because the damage done is already too deep. I guess, we don't have to look too deeply into things. Overanalysis ruins. We keep on focusing on the bad side of things that leads us to think that we can never rise from the ground anymore. All we have to do is to look on what's there and go along. Yes, we may have dropped to the ground but it doesn't mean that all the good things have stopped happening. We just have to allow our eyes to see things we don't bother to look at in most days.

Thank you to all of the staffs of Romulo Cafe, you will all be blessed. By the way, I highly recommend you to dine in there. I had their Chicken Relleno last night for New Year's Eve dinner and it's heavenly.

Links:

Romulo Cafe Facebook Page

Asia Tatler Article (Recommended)



#NowListening to "Romour Has It" by Adele
Album: 21