Saturday, December 27, 2008

 

Change Is Happening

According to the website, this is my 260th blog entry in this forgotten website and while that doesn't require any celebration, it's a cool fact. I've taken this blogsite in another direction, with other social network sites being more public and more well-known. While I've posted some things on those websites, they do not entirely define what yours truly is made of (I will no longer post my name to avoid being Googled). I am back to being the king! Here in this site, I will relay thoughts and opinions that are quite intimate and downright opposite the facade that I usually show these days. There's only so much that maturity and personal growth can take you, but when you lean on the art of writing, it can be your personal haven. This may be some dumb rip-off of One Tree Hill, but nevertheless, it's quite helpful. Yes, having your personal life plastered in the internet can be okay, as long as you have a bit of privacy.

The last time I wrote something here was last May. That time, I was just a regular student trying to finish his studies, preparing for the next part of my life, and somewhat living a decent life. As of right now, I've just finished with my studies and just using the holidays as a relaxation period before plunging into the world of work. In short, I'm currently a bum. Hopefully, I'll get a good job by next year. So to all business companies out there, give me a holler. ;)

As of yesterday, I was ready for the "real" world next year. Why? Because despite of how the world has been this year, I'm actually doing okay. I have a proper education with no disciplinary precautions to take note of. By the grace of God, my family is doing well both financially and emotionally, which I am lucky. I have friends who were raised well and whom I can trust, except when money is at stake. Joke. Most importantly, I am ready, or so I thought. After all, I display a decent work ethic, a nimble and logical mind, a tough skin, and what a wrestler in WWE would call an indestructible soul. Heck, I've also been active in organizations in school, I have talent in writing and I'm pretty cultured as well. To the naked eye, that's a ready person. But what's wrong? Well, it's funny how a pointless website like Facebook can give you a harsh dose of reality. If you watched the movie Transformers, which is one of the coolest movies ever, notice the part when the soldiers in the city were about to fight Blackout (the helicopter of the Decepticons). What one of the soldiers said was that the weak part of the robots was the chest. That applies also to yours truly.

While it's quite evident that my pectoral muscles aren't ripped or hard, what's worse is what it covers, and I don't mean the rib cage. We can all agree that as young adults, we live somewhat of a busy life, whether it's school or at work. But when we get home and we look at ourselves at the mirror, that little amount of time can be beneficial in seeing what we are made of. When I look at myself, I could barely see a heart. It's not that I don't have a passion in life, nor I am a cold guy, it's just that I cannot forget or ignore things that I should. Somehow, I can't accept change well for the days of yesterday were somewhat great and a safe zone to myself. I try so hard to bring back the days of the past, to the point that I hold back and refuse what's been given in front of me. I am haunted by past experiences, past failures, past hardships. What I do to battle these things is well, the good things in the past. I prefer going to the movies because that's what me and my friends would regularly do when we were young. I enjoy 90's music more because they remind me of my childhood. And yes, the same applies to my personal life. This has to stop now and I can't believe some damn website gave me a reality check.

For next year, the king will no longer hold back. The king will accept change gracefully, as if the past never happened. This is a different ballgame, a different mindset. When I can't find the answers to my previous questions, I'll just change what I'm gonna ask. This is a second chance for Joppy V., a second coming. Things will be different, I gurantee it. PEACE! - rJv

The King at 12:42 AM

Monday, May 19, 2008

 

Empty

I've noticed that the last time I wrote "something", it was a long, long time ago. What I mean by that is that that's the last time I wrote something meaningful, which both I felt my mind and my heart wanted to say. Perhaps my pride wouldn't let me admit, but I feel no longer inspired to make a meaningful paragraph, let alone a blog entry. In fact, just ask the people in our Batch Assembly about it, with their constant heckling and reminding for me to finish the article, which I didn't. Sorry guys.=p I don't know, especially here in my blog, I feel restricted to write something, in fear of getting a bad reaction and unneeded doses of controversies from society. I guess society isn't ready yet to hear what's on my mind. That realization came to me a few years ago, which is a result of my bland story telling about my uninteresting life. Maybe someday, I'll be able to regain my bravado and swagger as the wizard of words and the king of the blogs, but for now, my life is currently in cruise control as my years as a teenager rapidly dwindle away. And yes, I still won't use Multiply as a blog.

If you readers noticed, it's summer time. Kinda. It's gonna end in a few days for me so I'm pretty much gonna hit the books for the final academic time this upcoming term. To some, that's a bummer, but for me, it's a relief. For me, this summer vacation is miles away as fun as my previous breaks. Though I've had a couple breaks in which majority of the days sucked, there was at least one or two moments of that break in which you would remember your summer vacation because of that. Like last summer, my summer sucked but because of our trip to Boracay, that summer was pretty memorable. I'll probably gonna go down in history as the only college student who went to Boracay who had fun without drinking a lot. In fact, I only drank a cup of the blue alcoholic thing and that's that. As for this summer, there's no memorable moment like that. I guess the most memorable time this summer is when me and the Ayala Boys went on a "spontanious" trip to Tagaytay last Saturday after a movie and a bottle of beer.=) Arriving at 5:30 in the morning, that is one experience that I'll always look back and my mother will freak out if she found out that we went there without her permission. Finally, for me, I've had the happiest memories that even the most painful ones. And being stuck at home doesn't help either since the mind still ticks and if it isn't active, it tends to remember parts in life that you want to forget and get over. So here's to next summer that it will be a fun one despite me being a graduate and having to get a job. Yeahboi. ;)

Because I didn't do much this summer, my television has been having a workout with me since I've spent countless hours on the boob tube watching the stupidest events. I've watched how the Orlando Magic squabble a potential winnable game to a boring, washed out team whose point guard was injured and was led by an inexperienced rookie named Rodney Stuckey. In one of my favorite addictions this summer, which is American Idol, I've been a witness to one of the lamest renditions of a good song originally sung by Chris Brown, courtesy of David Archuleta. While I'm rooting for David Cook in the finals, I must admit, the other David is a pretty good singer, despite his mumbly, goody-goody, doubtful if he's gay personality. However, that was the lamest cover and good thing he has talent or that would've been it for him. Finally, as one my guiltiest and probably the worst guilty pleasures this summer, when I have nothing to do at night, I pondered upon following the teen edition of PBB. If you ask me, ABS-CBN dropped the ball in making the show more profitable than it is right now, with an annoying host (Mariel Rodriguez should be completely banned from entering the PBB house speaking to anyone related to PBB personally), lame new concepts (having guardians kills the suspense), and cry baby contestants for it's quite clear this year's batch are very immature for their age and they didn't think of the consequences before entering. And what's stupid about this season? Despite the whiny contestants who didn't notice that that they had a once-in-a-million chance to earn a lot of money, fame and a better life for their family and instead opted to give up, I'll give the award to the flirtatious dude who has (well, HAD) a girlfriend upon entering the house and studies in the rival school of my high school. I'm not hating on him because he studies in the green, but because he gives love and manhood a bad name. Had he used his mind to think rather than his dick, he would've lasted longer than he did and he would've saved his ex from all the emotional burden that she'll be facing, as soon as the "other" girl leaves the house. This dude is as egotistical, as he is transparent. He obviously wants to be famous so what does he do? He goes to a show that gurantees fame to its cast and what's next? Seeing as the public digs love teams, he goes for the prettiest girl in the house, neglecting everything in his life outside the house. Upon eviction, he goes to The Buzz (another guilty pleasure) and explains that he couldn't control his emotions and that is why romance happened. He uses his suave and acclaimed fame and at the end, he washed his hands from the wrongness in the world and ended up looking like a nice guy. A real classy dude I might say. Anyhow, it's a show, it's a business and it's a way to take an hour off each day of my boring summer.=)

I can't believe I talked about that type of sh*t in my blog. Anyway, I'll try to find something to do here in my house. Later. PEACE!-rJv

The King at 1:21 AM

Saturday, March 08, 2008

 

Politics, Can't Live Without It

Good evening everyone. Yours truly is currently is bored, ignored, tired and unfocused. It's been a rough week and well, I could really use a bit of relaxation. My grades are taking a dip and ironically, I expected that to happen. It's campaign time again and well, that's one of the disadvantages in being active in such things. It was my choice to choose this kind of life again and I guess I have to accept the consequences if there are any. All I know is that I'm glad I have something good to fight for.

As you all know, I am a loyal member of Santugon, a political party in DLSU. Now, many would think that politics and yours truly aren't exactly a match made in heaven. I thought of the same way too before. Eventually, I did enjoy the thrill of campaigns and RTRs and I realized the value of having a non-partisan political perspective. Honestly, I was tempted to write something in Multiply since almost everyone has done that for the last few days. However, if ever I wanted to write my thoughts on politics, I wanted to do it in a comfortable environment, which is my blog. Now, I am a different type of Santugon member, in that I don't follow the abbreviated values which are written in their brochures and SPOAs. Instead, I rely on telling things of as they are. Brochures can't tell me what I see. And for three years, I've sticked with Santugon because of one thing: family values. I firmly believe that society can be more effective and efficient if there is a sense of unity and friendship among the members, and not a governmental hierarchy. That is how my batch won Best Batch Assembly last year. While I haven't ran ever for any position and I don't have a big position in Santugon, I continue to support Santugon because it has given me more that I could every repay it. Trust me, right now, I could've refused to help out now since I don't have a lot to gain. But I know fighting for your beliefs doesn't end when you don't benefit from it anymore. Some people will find it silly that I still lend a hand, but hey, unlike a lot of people, I chose to do something that would not do me any good, but would benefit other people when I'm gone.

For my batch, please vote for Steph Yu, Gillian Flores, Tere Pangilinan and Jean Alaba. For our College Assembly President, vote Charm Tan. As for the Executive Board, please vote for Nadia Ong, Jessa Rena, Christine Lacson, Sars Santos, Aimee Chua and Agnes De Castro.

The hardest part sometimes in campaigns is when your candidates are against one of your close friends and this year turns out to be that moment for me. For me, politics and friendship are like water and oil for me, so I have no trouble voting against my friend. Why? Because I don't need to prove my friendship by voting for him. It's just like basketball: if you're my friend and you're my opponent, I'm not gonna let you win. If you're my friend, you're running against my candidates and I don't think you should win, then that's simple for me: I won't vote for you. If you don't like it, tough luck. That doesn't mean that you're not my friend, it just means I think you won't make a good Batch Representative. Oops, I think I gave too much information there. My criteria for friendship isn't all that high. However, my criteria for politics is the opposite. I want a batch representative who is competent, has experience in the work and has the same beliefs as mine. I don't want someone who runs just because someone forces him to do so. I don't want someone who banks on getting votes by his popularity. That's just plain cheap politics. But hey, that's why Erap became our country's president. If I'm getting a bit too informative with what I'm writing right now, I would gladly entertain questions.

Anyway, it's getting late so I better sleep. Once again, DERECHO SANTUGON! PEACE!-rJv

The King at 7:28 AM

Monday, February 25, 2008

 

2 Cents And Extra Change

I'm supposed to study for my midterms in my Service Marketing class but infortunately, I suddenly had a slight case of writer's adrenaline. Sure, a marketing communication mix is nice to study, but my urge to drop some extra statements following my previous entry overcame my need to hit the books (or handouts in my case). Now all of a sudden, this page's life has once again been revived, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess we'll see in the future of what the outcome is.

Pertaining to the topic I talked about last time, I truly believe love is a good thing, but when it's too much, it's just unbearable. What does the king mean? Well, my Joppy-holics, I'm going to tackle the subject of PDA. In my conspiring mind, there are two types of PDA. The first one is the obvious one, which is the physical type. You know it well, like holding hands in public, sometimes even making out for the whole world to see. A stimulating visual, but an improper one nonetheless. The thing is, I've already accepted this type of public affection. As conservative as I am, I've already understood that society isn't as prim and proper as it was during the old times. We're heading towards a more liberating type of social community and while it's odd to me, I guess it's normal to the present world. However, what creeps me more is the second type of PDA. People won't consider it as PDA but I'll call it what it is. This is the less physical type of PDA and more of the verbal type. You know, the ones you see in Multiply, Friendster, YM, and other means of social communication. Some of which are blog entries confessing about their love for a certain someone and letting the whole world read about it, that type of sh*t. It's cute and all, but not my cup of tea. It's quite funny when you see strangers do it, it's a bit weird if your close friends do it, and its just downright uncomfortable when the people close to you like your siblings and ex-girlfriends do it. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that type of stuff. In fact, I'm sure God would rather see that than the frequent headlines all over the world talking about war, death, poverty and malice. To this all-Atenean reject, stuff like that just makes me queezy. Again, it's just another opinion. ;)

Let's move on to another worthless topic. Yesterday, while I was watching The Buzz (yes, i watch that show), Mariel Rodriguez was interviewed. Before, I would react normally. Now, after Pinoy Big Brother, I can no longer stand her exaggerated and plastic attitude that makes me wanna get a gun and shoot myself, everytime I hear her annoying voice. It's a shame since before, she had a better image, since she has that intelectual beauty and vibrant aura. Now, I just can't stand her. That is the results of overexposure. This thought is nothing of great importance, but I just want to vent out my hatred for an annoying TV personality.

Anyway, I better start studying since time is of the essence. Tomorrow is again the start of the week and as usual, I want to start the week right. Hopefully in the NBA, players like Caron Butler and Jermaine O'neal could play again since I'm currently getting killed in my Fantasy Leagues. Keep safe everyone. PEACE!-rJv

The King at 4:17 AM

Friday, February 22, 2008

 

The Spectator

Good afternoon my peers and colleagues of the outside world. Now, I feel that this is more of a newsletter than a blog since the last time I posted something was last month. Anyway, I'm back, I'm great, I'm sleepy and I'm on cruise control when it comes to my current life. As once a tormentor of souls in the world of blogging, I now take a backseat in that aspect of my life and just spectate the different journal entries of society, particularly in Multiply. What can I say, I tried to advertise this website but to no avail. Society prefers a product that has more than one benefit. In regard to those entries, it seems there's no more purpose for me in the world of words for there are a LOT of people who cause quite a stir with what they write! It's amazing how writing can be a unique way of letting go of such rage and anger, with the usual topic being boy-girl relationships and surprising stories of betrayal and deceit of former friends. Normally, I wouldn't post things like that if I had a girlfriend or if a friend stabs me in the back, but then again, a lot of people used to hate me for what I wrote before so I guess my opinion isn't worth anything. Nonetheless, I'm just glad I have something interesting to read when I'm browsing the Internet. To the ones who have written those things, I applaud you guys for your interesting choice of topics to write about and I mean no harm.=D

Moving on, since this is the February, we have to talk about Valentines! You see, not only is Valentines Day one of the most cheesiest, most overrated days in the calendar, it's one of the most profitable. As couples do their corny deeds, giving such expensive gifts to each other and declaring their love in such absurd manners, they're handing out a ton of money to the business world and I guess that's a good thing. Anyway, for me, spreading the love, despite overdoing in on that day, is better than spreading hate. And I must admit, I was a wee bit envious of those couples roaming around the campus that day, but all in all, that wasn't a big deal for me and I'm just glad that that week was a cheerful one. Now this is what I think of Valentines: it's just so f*cking overrated and I applaud all those businesses who earned a lot of money during February 14. They used their business savvy and took advantage of people's emotions, and as a result, they are swimming in a pool of money. Now, pardon to those couples out there who had a great Valentines despite such expenses, I just think of things differently. You see, if I were in a situation in which I am emotionally attached with someone, I wouldn't let a stupid day control what I do! I'm going to do something nice to someone mainly because I want to, not because it's traditional for me to do so. Besides that, doing something during Valentines is downright predictable! Instead of having 365 days to surprise her, you only have at the most, 24 hours. That kills the anticipation. But then again, I'm the one who's single so who am I to say such things right?=D

With that, I'm just gonna fix my lineup for tomorrow in Fantasy Basketball. I wish everyone a good day and a good night. Later. PEACE!-rJv

The King at 1:23 AM

Thursday, January 10, 2008

 

Long Breaks And Headaches

Hello there earthlings. The king is back from the States, and I had the time of my life. My family and I first stayed in Los Angeles and then in Las Vegas. Everything I expected for my trip was fulfilled and then some. First, the cold weather was a breath of fresh air, no pun intended. If you ask me, I'd rather be stuck in a place that's really chilly than somewhere that's quite scorching hot. Of course, when we talk about the United States of America, we're talking about shopping. Unlike in the Philippines, the stores in the USA are generous ones, handing out discounts that are quite hard to resist. A Joppy fact: I do my shopping in other countries, not because I wanna be a big shot, but because it's cheaper outside the country. Finally, of course seeing my relatives there and hanging out with them was the highlight of my trip. With three families living under one roof, imagine how fun was that for me. My Tito Sonny has a kick-ass house, complete with a swimming pool, pool table and the three top consoles today, the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360. We also went to a lot of places there, like the Strip, Hooters, and Magic Mountain and Universal Studios in LA. I managed to hang out also with my best friend Paje and I even got to sleep over his mansion. Spending Christmas and New Year there was quite different compared to the Philippines. It's more laid back there and well, it helps to have a big family reunion. Overall, I can't wait to go back there. I'll miss everything about my trip, especially my cousins Kyle, Ross, Jake and Alex. With me still being a minor, they were the ones whom I hung out with the most. It won't be soon before I'll be at their presence again.

After a killer (or sweet, as my cousin Kyle would usually say) trip in the US, I'm back in the real world, and the real world is school. If you're not a La Sallite, just to inform you, our scheduling is now a four-day school week. Yes people, we have the day off every Fridays. That may seem nice but it's not as cool as it seems. Classes are longer and they get boring quickly. What I hate the most is the long breaks that can take a toll on anyone. Everyday, I have a break of an average of five hours. Five hours! Based on my first week back from school, that type of break gets boring, tiring and extremely awkward. I don't even know if I can take this type of sh*t for one term. To kill the time, I need to find a hobby or at least someone to play basketball with. Somehow, I'm gonna find a good thing about this scheduling but it won't be easy.

Sometimes, I seem to forget that we're in a new year now, and there a ton of challenges awaiting for me in 2008. The obvious one is that hopefully, I'll be graduating soon. It's a thrilling feeling knowing that college will finally be over but at the same time, it's kinda scary as well. The REAL isn't as forgiving as the school world. There are no more restrictions and lifelines, and one mistake can be fatal. Papers and stress in both the mind and the heart are already tiring, what more if it's the open world? Anyway, with a new year, there's always our resolutions. Some don't even bother making one since they think they'll just break them but for the king, I will try my best to follow mine. So what's my first? Well, for 2008, I want to have stable relationships with at least most of the people I know. That way, awkward moments aren't as frequent as they are right now. My second one is to have a different approach when it comes to work. The life after college won't take laziness as well as college does so I need to work on that. Finally, I want to strengthen my faith in God. Often, during my glorious times, I seem to forget about Him. But when I falter, He is the one picks me up when I fall, and gives me strength and guidance during the hard times in my life. If 2008 becomes a good year for yours truly, it will be because of Him. So thank you God. =)

With that, I will conclude this awful entry. Take care ladies and gentlemen. PEACE!-rJv

The King at 6:21 AM

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

 

Clear Visions

Good evening avid (sarcasm) Joppy-holics. The great one has once again entered the blogging world to bring you another one of those entries that reeks of emotion, amusement and leisure. It's exam week in the world of Joppy, and my next and last exam for the term will be on Thursday. It will be for my finance class, the most boring mathematical subject in my college. At first, I thought economics was the most boring subject ever, but seeing how my professor made that subject quite fun this term, I guess finance took its throne. I should be studying right now, but seeing as though I'm currently sick and I had a bad day today, I'm gonna stick awhile here in the computer area of my house. To everyone who still has exams this week, good luck to you all.

Of course, I cannot that deny that Christmas is just around the corner. A few more days and the gifts will be piling on, the parties will start though I think the parties already started before, and the courageous will have visible eyebags when they attend the morning masses. As for me, I will spend the holidays in the United States with my relatives from my dad side. It's the first time my family will spend Christmas and New Year there and you may be wondering why we planned on doing this this year. Well basically, my dad just wanted to see some snow so I guess the USA is the most convenient place to see that since we have relatives there. Quirky as it may seem, I guess I'm down with that. As fun as it may seem, It's not the same when you're celebrating Christmas here. I may be living in a society with a corrupt government and an unpredictable weather, but nothing beats spending time with my friends and family here in the Philippines. It's just a jolly feeling being in cheerful mood hanging out with your friends and neighbors, with smiles on our faces because for at least one team in the year, we can just relax, enjoy the good times and celebrate the holidays for truly, it's a time for celebration. But with my ticket already booked, I guess I have to look at this in a positive way. It would be nice to see relatives of mind whom I've not seen in a very long time. Plus, there's shopping, the Howard Stern Show, Hooters, cold weather and jetlag so I guess that will do.=D

When it comes to my Christmas wish list, I have a lot. The simple ones being a PS3, a ticket to a Pacers game, a new iPod, basketball shoes, a pair of pants, Marvel action figures, a Prison Break 3 DVD, a laptop, a new cellphone, free McDo, and a ton of cash. For the meaningful ones, like any other person, I want eternal happiness and protection for my loved ones, and good grades for me. And for the REAL things I really want for Christmas, I hope the Lord gives them to me. First, I'd like to have the feeling of clarity. It's hard living when the smoke and fog just won't clear out. Life will simply be better if things become simple as they seem and problems can be easily solved by normal intellect. I also want answers to unanswered questions. While I must admit, sometimes, when you try to find answers to certain questions, life gives you answers that you regret asking for. You see things that you don't want to see, hear things that you don't want to hear, know things that you don't want to know, think about things that you don't want to think about, feel things you don't want to feel. While some answers are hard to swallow and some are not, they still are answers. Finally, I wish for the ability to make the right choices and make the right judgments. This does not mean I will be correct all the time. People still make mistakes and what matters is how you bounce back and react to them. Having these three will truly make my life content. If not, a PS3 will do!=D

I must admit, I had a rough year, with a lot of weird things happening at the last few months of the year. I expected my Christmas to happen in a different way while I have encountered sadness and the feeling of hopelessness, I still have a reason to enjoy the holidays. I'm grateful to have a kick-ass family, and of course, the Ayala boys and H2005. I was able to experience new things like go to Boracay and steal a ton of freebies in the Ad Congress, which I think fee was overpriced. I got to sell stuff for my major and make a profit along the way. I also got to go to Hong Kong where I saw more Chinese people than I usually see in school. This year is also the year my extremely obese nephew Rome was born. Finally, let's just say that this year is the most emotion-packed year I've had in a long time. I guess I'm okay with what I have. A lot of people aren't as fortunate as me.

With that, if this is the last time I'm gonna write here in my blog before I leave the country, I would like to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you! PEACE!-rJv

The King at 3:44 AM