Be stupid. Be fun.

Mistakes are exactly what teaches you. I’m not saying you should live your live recklessly but rather that you should take some risks every now and then. Usually it’s the craziest things that we do that make the best and most memorable memories we have. Do something that you wouldn’t expect yourself to do today and see just how the funniest stories come in crazy packages :)

If you aren’t sure about what you feel don’t make any person feel like you’re about to spend your eternity with them. It’s unfair for that person to be left clueless as to how the person he might eventually love actually feels for him. Moreover if that person is your friend, would you really want to him to expect so readily for something that even you are unsure of? Maybe it’s just me, you know. I don’t like risking anything when it comes to commitments. When I’m not feeling like I have a strong connection with someone, I don’t want to lead him on and make him think that my feelings are as deep as his. If things fell through, I might just lose an amazing friend. and I don’t want that. 

When I finally really like someone, I wan’t to be 100% ready to commit. I don’t want to be unsure. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I don’t want to keep repeating them. It might appear now that I’m constantly pushing people away but I do it for their own good. It’s not like I don’t want affection because in truth, I also want to be loved but not at the expense of someone else’s feelings. 

There’s a specific person I’m hoping who would understand why I had to turn him down that’s why I’m writing all of this. I don’t think I can reciprocate properly how he feels for me and I don’t want him to expect that there would be something more.  If it happens, then we’ll just see but right now, all I can say is that he’s better off with someone else and if he meets someone, he has my full support. He’s a good friend and I honestly hope that he gets to meet someone who’ll love and support him.

As for me, well I’ve learned to be patient. I’m so busy with school that I hardly remember that I’m single. I’m happy right now and when I finally commit to a guy, I want to remain happy and not feel like I’m being forced into something I don’t like. And by the looks of it, I still have to wait for a very long time.

My vacation started yesterday and it’s going to end in just about a week, so hurray for me!

I just needed to share that I have had a Finals-free semester! Despite dragging myself half-alive this semester I managed to swim through each hurdle UP throws at me. Every boring weekend spent for studying has been all worth it so far.

I have no idea what to do with my week’s worth of freedom. I’ll most probably laze around my room and never wake up earlier than 12 pm. People are headed off to their provinces and I’m here stuck in Manila, doing nothing for a week. Mang invite naman kayo so I could do somthing fun.

So if any of you wants to adopt me for a week, mesage me, okay? Hahahaha.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,

Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,…

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few,we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother…

-from Henry V, William Shakespeare

[Cue Background Music: Marching On - OneRepublic]

UP is not easy— as if you didn’t already know.

UP can be a seemingly cold and cruel institution someti— er, scratch that—often. Many times it feels as if UP is determined to break us down,tear us to pieces and push us right over the edge of sanity.Sometimes it feels like we can’t make it to the end of the week, but somehow we do- except we have no idea how we made it.

No, UP is anything but easy— but we already knew that coming in.

If we wanted easy we would have gone elsewhere— where they spoonfeed their students, where they give exams that don’t make your noses bleed,where “sleep” is not an alien concept. And if graduation and the diploma was all we wanted, we would have gone to Recto and simply have one made.

But,we did not come to UP because it’s easy.

Still,the better question is: why in the world do we stay? What sort of insanity keeps driving us to constantly put ourselves through allthis pain, suffering and misery? I mean, seriously, what person in his right mind would actually choose this?

Well,the truth is every UP student knows the answer to that. Yes, we can fight it and deny it all we want, but we will always know it to be true in our hearts: It’s worth it.

Because we know that there will come a day when we will stand proud and boast to the world of every scratch, bruise and scar we get in UP. Because we understand that the only people who don’t deserve to be here are the people who don’t treasure what it means to be here.

It’s what we call “Tatak UP”—and it manifests itself in true excellence.

But this excellence is not always external as others may think. It is not an excellence that can always be reflected in the front of your bluebooks or your classcards. It cannot be quantified and measured by numbers. It is an excellence far greater— and it is what defines us as UP students.

It is that courage that gets us through the most constantly unforgiving adversities.

It is that spirit that keeps you fighting when the odds are stacked against you and the world has declared your failure inevitable.

It is that inborn stubbornness to never ever stay down no matter how well-acquainted we become with the dust in our face.

It is the determination to rise everytime you fall, a constant defiance of the odds, to never let other people’s perceptions or expectations of you stop you from finding success.

It is an unwavering belief in a 1% chance of victory because we know that that 1% is worth all the sweat and the tears and the bloodshed.

It is the audacity to look the world in the eye and declare, “I will not let you dictate what can or cannot be done.” It is an unyielding hope that the impossible is in fact possible, and that we will be the ones to make it so.

It is perseverance. It is resilience. It is fearlessness.

It’s what makes us UP. This spirit is what defines us. And it is one that reveals itself no matter where the UP student goes or what uniform he or she wears.

So go tell the other schools they can keep their UAAP titles or fancy buildings and facilities or centuries-old traditions. We will keep our spirit. To paraphrase Rudy Tomjanovich, you simply cannot underestimate the heart of a UP student.

To be “Tatak UP” means to never fold, never break, never give in. To never quit no matter how hard the world tries to make us do so.

More importantly, it is not about always being the best, but rather NEVER giving less than your best— never one iota less.

It is about always working hard and never having anything just handed to you. It is about finding a way where there is none.

It is about pouring your heart and soul into a dream that will be worth the wounds and scars— a dream worth fighting and suffering for.

It means never letting any opportunity go wasted because you know no matter how difficult it may get, there will always be someone out there willing to walk in your shoes so they can face the adversity IN UP.

Being“Tatak UP” is not about getting high grades and graduating with honors. Rather, it is graduatingwithout honors and still breaking down when you finally move that sablay from one shoulder to the other, and in that moment being overcome with the realization that yes, indeed, it is worth it.

So this one’s for you. For all of you. Words to drag you through hell week and beyond.

Para sa lahat ng mga hirap na hirap na sa mga lesson.

Para sa lahat ng pagod at puyat sa pag-aaral.

Para sa mga pinoproblema pa ang pambayad sa tuition.

Para sa lahat ng ayaw na sa course nila pero hindi na maka-shift.

Para sa lahat ng nakabagsak na, o may mababagsak pa na exam.

Para sa lahat ng nag-drop, na-kwatro, at nagka-singko na sa isa o higit pang subject.

Para sa repeaters at nth takers.

Para sa mga delayed, made-delay, at approaching infinity.

Para sa college scholars, university scholars, graduating, at running for honors.

Para sa magna cum laude, summa cum laude, magna-nine years at suma-sampung taon.

For the ones exhausted, on your hands and knees, seemingly drained of all you can give but still crawling inch by inch towards that finish line.

For every heart hardened by a seemingly endless stream of disappointments, defeats and disillusionment.

For those still pouring their heart and soul out into every difficult and impossible endeavour.

For those who never give in.

For dreamers.

For fighters.

This one’s for you.

Taga-UP ka. Tatak UP ka.

Ano ngayon kung mahirap? Bangon. Laban.

Then go out there and make us proud.

-Sir Ji

IF YOU MUST DIE…

I feel quite uninspired to write recently. It’s like, I want to write something but nothing won’t come out. Anyway, I accepted the position of the Batch Representative for our college newspaper, so I’m really excited for the incoming new academic year. Hurray for me!

On a totally different note, I went to the gym  awhile ago to sweat out the Krispy kremes I ate earlier today. Yes, Krispy kremes is my guilty pleasure. And as if the gods were in my favor, I saw my crush. Hahahaha. This sounds pretty lame, but he looks so good even when he sweats. Thank God I wore something not so lame to the gym. 

Also, I finally had the chance to read the novels I bought earlier this year that I haven’t had the chance to even lay a finger on because of my hectic schedule. I’m currently reading, State of fear by Michael Crichton. I’ll tell you more about it when I finish reading. I’m halfway through! 

My mind’s pretty empty right now, so till then, Sayonara!

Don’t be upset when your friend has something he or she dislikes about you. It only means that they know you well enough to see that you have your shortcomings but still accept you for who you are even if it comes in annoying little packages.

Buti pa relasyon namin ng eyebags ko lumalalim, tayo hindi pa rin.
written by Nat