Suwat

Sa akong mga Higala:

Hayag ang buwan, bugnaw ang hoyohoy sa hangin nga misulod niining bintana sa akong kwarto.
Lawom na ang gabii sa dihang namatngunan ko ang makabungol nga kahilom. Kanindot na ba lang gyud diay hinumduman ang daw miaging kagahapon; mga adlaw diin ako nagmalipayon sa akong linghod nga pangidaron. Sa kasingkasing og hunahuna ang tanang panghitabo magpabilin sama niining dan-ag sa buwan nga malipayon ko karong gisud-og. Apan, mahimo ko pa ba kahang mahinumduman ang sinugdanan niining tanan? Sugdan ko nalang ining estorya sa hayskul.
Ingon nila, ang pinakalisod sa pag eskwela kanang magsugod ka nga walay kaila o higala. Ang kabalaka, kauwaw, kahadlok og ang mga pangutanang"kinsa kaha akong ma classmate sa?, "Asa diay akong room?, "Kinsa man akong maestra?" mao ang magpatigbabaw sa unang adlaw nga ikaw mosulod  sa upat ka suok sa classroom. Sa pagtikang pa lang gani nimo pasulod sa room, naglibog naka og kinsay taparan og kinsay tagdun. Sa paglingkod na sab sa lingkuranan, ikaw maglingilingi na, hinayhinay nga mubungat og pulong sama sa "Kinsa diay pangalan nimo migo...miga?" Hala ka, kalain naman lang gyud  sa paminaw kong ikaw ma deadma, muingon paka dayon sa imong kaugalingon nga"Hala oi, kamaldito...kamaldita ani nya, maypag wa' nako tagda". Tsk, Pagkapaita! Didto dayon magsugod ang estorya sa mga "first impression". Ang mga nagkandaiyang pamati sa pinakaunang higayon. Naay mga hilumon apan maldita tan-awon, naay buotan apan paminaw nimo  artehon, naay nagkatawa apan walay kaestorya, naay sabaan nga makasapot paminawon, naay gwapuhon apan hanginon, naay gwapahon apan murag tangaon, og ang pinaka grabe sa tanan kanang naa ra apan murag wala sa iyang hunahuna. Dili ko nalang siguro hisgutan ang mga pangalan kay ako nasayod na nga kamo ang labawng nakahibaw tungod inyo na kining naagian.Apan, bisan pa niini sa hinayhinay kini nausab og sila atong giisip nga mga bag-ong higala.Nidagan ang mga adlaw, semana og tuig og didto nalig-on ang pisi sa panaghigalaay. Sa pagsawp sa adlaw, atong namatngunan ang kagawasan sa pagpakita sa tinuod natong kinaiya. Nag umol kita og mga maayong buhat og dala sa pagkabatan-on ang pagkamabuluyagon sab sa makapilang higayon.  Kinsa may malimot sa kaugtas ni Maam Conception Dayon sa dihang kita nagsaba-saba; pagkalingawa naman lang gyud sa tanan sa dihang mubungat siya nga kitang tanan pagawason. Dili sab ikalimod ang mapuslanong tuig nga namaestro nato si Sir Leonardo Baroman. Ang iyang mga linyang "... wala kay kamatayon" "...ikaw na ang anak sa Ginoo" mao gyud mupasakit sa atong tagsa-tagsa ka mga tiyan. Usa pa ang pagpasag-ulo og ang chorus reading sa " The Passionate Sheperd of His Love" puli-puli ang mga laki og babaye sugod sa linya ni Amana og Alegada.
Kay buwan man karon sa gugma, sa hayskul sab buwan kini sa JS PROM. Kapila man kita gipahinumduman ni Maam Lifejeana Jesusa Longakit sa tinuod nga kahulugan sa "prominade" di ba gipahimangnuan kitang maghinayhinay og lakaw? Apan og nganong daghan ang gadali-dali, gibunlot pa ang bukton sa partner og nidagan. Duha lang siguro ang rason: nauwaw kay ambungan ra kaayo ang partner o nauwaw kay wa kauyon sa dagway sa partner. Buwan pud kini diin nagpanikad kitang mugamit sa napulo ka computer set dinala sa pangamot sa batan-ong maesta nga si Maam Sheila Gay Adlawan. Makahimuot pamalandungon nga tulo o upat ka estudyante ang mugamit sa computer og dili pa gyud kita kapasulabi kay basin maguba; dili 'Microsoft' apan didto nailhan nato ang 'Lenoux.' sumpayan pa gyud sa pangutanang "unsa na sya?"
Human ini, misulod ang katapusang tuig sa hayskul. Kurog-kurog ang tingog og ang tuhod sa unang adlaw sa panagkita natong tanan sa maestra nga si Maam Edita Candilada og didto nausa kita dala ang pangalang "section Cattleya". Ingon nila, mga pinili og hinashasan lang ang madawat adtong klaseha mao nang kinto kaayo ta "literally" og "metaphorically". Katawa ka!
Kinsay makaikyas sa Gospel Write-Up ni Maam Candilada? Simba sa dominggo kay sa Monday 'learning insights' ang iyang tirada. Gisapot pa ang uban kay gitawag napud ilang pangalan; duko-duko kay lagi late nasad sayo sa kabuntagon. Kumusta na kaha ang garden diin ka na assign? Imo na bang nasilhigan? Hakot og tubig og iluganay sa galloon, aron lang gyud makit-an ni maam nga nabisbisan ang mga tanom.
Haaayyy... mao to ang panahon! Lagi ingon ani kung mamunit nata sa tipaka sa kagahapon. Magkatawa kang maghilak og maghilak kang magkatawa.
Alas tres naman diay sa kaadlawon , nawala napud ang dan-ag sa buwan apan siga ang mga bituon. Sama ra sab sa mga higala nako sa hayskul- padayong magsiga og maghatag sa mainitong gugma alang lamang sa isig-usa.

                                             Mahigugmaong naghunahuna,

                                             Lovely Ann Limoran

A Short Valentine Story

Humans seldom take risk for things that might cause pain and despair. Pride and fear always come first in every attempt to express emotions. Most suppressed emotions happened beyond those unspoken words about love. Eventually, everyone has his or her own definition of love.  I am not in the position to ask what it should be to love. Of course, love grows in everyone’s heart. The best thing to say when we realize that we know what is love is when we keep on doing the things that made us happy though at some point it is too hard reaching for it. Love is sacrifice and through sacrificing we earn love. Have you settled for any regrets because you have loved? I hope you never had any, because love doesn’t count back a love in return. You just have to love with no “ifs” and no “buts” for love is beyond the context of reason.  
Minsan isang araw, may nagtanong sa akin anong meron sa lugar na iyon bakit ko palaging binabalikbalikan. Natigilan ako, wala akong naisagot.Tumingin lang ako sa kanya sabay ngiti.  Ang totoo nun marami akong gustong i kwento sa taong nagtanong. Mga kwento na siguro kahit ipaliwanang ko, di nya maiintindihan. Kaya, eto ang naging tugon ko sa kanyang tanong...
" Sana kaya ko.  Sana kaya kong iwan ang lugar na ito. Sana nagawa ko ring sagutin ang tanong nang taong dahilan kung bakit binabalikbalikan ko ang lugar na ito. Sana sa ganitong oras ko rin siya natingnan at nangitian. Sana alam nya kung  gaano ko ka gustong magkwento sa  kanya  ng lahat ng  mga nangyayari  sa buhay ko ngayon. Sana nagawa kong  magpaliwanag para naintindihan nya. Sana nangyari ang dapat mangyari sa lugar na ito. Sana ngayon, di ko na pinapaasa ang sarili ko sa lahat ng mga sana. "
Habang lumalakad papalayo sa akin ang taong nagtanong, lumingon siya sa akin sabay sabing...  Parang may pagkakahawig ang mga salitang binitiwan mo sa mga salitang narinig ko galing sa isang taong palagi ring bumabalik sa lugar na ito! ?…
Was it really hard to hope…to wait…to feel for what they call not seemingly perfect but a right love to keep? 

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! 

No Longer

We all grow and the best time to realize that we are growing is when we have come to recall the best memories. Likewise, our childhood  made us reminisce the days where we have spent it joyfully with our peers, friends and even siblings- brother or sister. There is no more naive thing  than realizing that once in our lives we became children in our young world. When was the time you have realized that you're no longer compounded with your childhood? when have you realized that life is no longer a play?  When have you realized that your peers, your friends, your brother and your sister is no longer... a kid?
I have spent my entire childhood days together with my sister. I was seven and she was six then. Every time we indulge ourselves into a restless play, my mother always directs me to take heed of my little sister probably because, I am the eldest. Young as we are, we have been prompted by our parents that for whatever one has, she must share it to the other. I couls still remember how I have asked my mother  why is that so. she would then replied that its because "we are sisters" . Her answer never satisfied my intrusiveness and that even leads me to hate the fact that from the toys we used to play, from the food we used to eat, from the dress we used to wear my little sister and I practically shared the same thing. Then I turned ten and she was nine. Still, I am given the responsibility to look after her in school. Every recess, my sister would imediately went on and look for me in my classroom and there both of us will take our snacks. I could still think back how she have cried out loud from that point that she could not hardly answer her science and math assignments. She would then asked my help to solve all of those. From school, as most children rushed  to have their way home, I would never forget how I have told  her this line " Come with me, we're on our way , you might get lost"( ari diri, manguli nata, mawala nya ka!) She would then be of my side and she would answered back " I won't get lost" (di' lage komawala!). These were the familiar words and deeds that became our routine. Until I reached the aged fourteen and her, thirteen. Ridiculous as it may be, but we still enjoy playing like we still let ourselves indulged in a heavy rain while we go on running to and fro. I never wanted to end our childhood days. I still want to look at my sister as young as she could be. Like the sunrise and sunset, I quite knew that I've already turned eighteen and she was seventeen. Time became so swift for us in same manner she became out of control. With all the decisions she have made, I am there to oppose her. She have drawn ideas and principles that were so different from what I have believed to be totally upright and good for her. She quit schooling and she became the pain in the neck for my parents. I thought it would be the worst thing she could have done towards us not until she turned nineteen years old. She is now nineteen years old and she have made the worst thing that I could never imagined. My sister is pregnant. I was entirely taken aback from the moment I learned about what happened to her. I never even uttered a single word. Tears rolled down in my cheeks and I felt like I was plunged in a deep body of water.  Where have my sister arrived?
My mind has been eaten by my alter ego. I wanted to hate and disowned her. That was then the time that I have realized that my sister is no longer a kid. Yes! she's no longer a kid. Her life will no longer be a series of restless play. She have let her hands off of my grip. She's lost already for she have rushed the time of her life. I am out of hint If I could still lead her home because probably she have built a home of her own away from us. How long will I take heed of her? How much pain will my parents embraced because of her? Will she be able to gain solutions to the problems that she might encounter? She could not run; she could not run like the way we did during the pouring rains. 
I wanted to hate her but I just hated the fact that in my subconscious mind a voice of a mother would  say " She is still your sister". I don't want to see her but every time I fall asleep I am waken up myself realizing that she's still part of my dreams. I hate her for I cannot hate her that much. It was not because she is my sister, nor she is my parents daughter, even not that both of us shared the same blood relation but because despite how she have caused our hearts to be in deep hurtful feeling I still end up loving her. 
If I could only wish that we never have grown; if I could only wish she never aged up. However, the reality keeps slapping me that just in front of my very eyes, my sister's no longer a kid  and we're no longer in our childhood. ;(

The Memories Before Bidding Goodbye

I am quite happy and sad. I am happy in a way because this would be the last day of the Sinulog event and sad for the same reason again. I always find the difficulty to write my final journal for I am always tied up with the good memories that are seemingly unforgettable. At that night in SM City Cebu where the Awarding Ceremonies is held I have gone taking my full grasp of everyday details we have shared with our supervisor, my co-interns and some staffs in the office. The laughter’s we have shared that caused us so much pain in the stomach, the dramatic stories we have created just to kill the boredom in the workplace, the serious reflections about our career description as interns and that getting well relationship with the staffs that we have thought we couldn’t get along with came into my conscious mind.

I always ask myself why is that internship always ends this way? After we have made lots of adjustment, then we have learned to adopt with the working environment then eventually we are reminded to let go of those things and here we are left with memories. Ending the internship is like waiting for an event to end. I am with no control of the time as it unfolds. All I could do is to be happy that the event was made successful and again it saddened me afterwards knowing that it was finally over.

The truth is that everything in life and internship in particular is passing that one would never know its significance until it is finally over. As I end my internship I know I made some marks; a blot that would also be a part of their life’s history and those are the memories we have come to share with each other. The last event would serve as my final goodbye to all the people who made my second internship a noteworthy one.

One Beat, One Dance, One Vision : The Sinulog Mardi Gras Fever

The heavy rain is pouring but the flare of the beating drums keeps everyone moving. The atmosphere at that time was indeed unimaginable. Early than 3 o’clock in the morning I went on duty. I have seen even dancers and performers taking their final practice. Everyone was so busy that I cannot even have a pause for a break. The situation even got tougher when we were reminded that President P-Noy is coming to attend the Sinulog. We went on walking to and fro. The same feeling we had during the Sinulog sa Kabataan. But, the difference for this affair is that everyone was starting to give their total eye in the event. It was indeed the agenda for the organizers, spectators, performers, dancers, city officials, and media as well.

My feet became numb for so many hours taken for the standing mode. I made myself available for I am on call of our supervisor for an immediate giving of tasks. I suppose everyone at that time were so pre-occupied of the thought that it was the last hurrah for what they call "Sinulog". Though my body was seriously depleted, I never drew into my mind some excuses for me to take a rest. Spiritually to say, I am mesmerized of that grand event for our dear Child Jesus.

It was indeed an annual event and Sinulog 2011 for me was just so remarkable that I would never regret the day that I chose to be an intern in the Company. My great pride to experience and enjoy the One Beat, One Dance, One Vision: The Grand Mardi Gras Fever.

How was it to work as a Group?

It was quite ridiculous when we call ourselves "part-time student/full-time intern" in Sinulog Foundation. The supervisor as well as the Sinulog Staffs really gave us the indisputable trust and we have gained the respect out of doing the small yet fulfilling task in the working area. It made my heart so grateful every time I heard some compliments that we (interns) are indeed can be relied upon. Though at times I felt like what we’re doing is beyond the context of the job we wanted to do as event organizing is concerned. It’s just that they tend to forget that we are also students and we couldn’t hinder ourselves from attending school just to finish what job has been given to us.

But then again, we still value and respect the higher persons who were the reason of our knowledge and practical inputs. We made it to a point to tell the staffs and our supervisor that in case we declined to a task it’s because of the conflict of internship and class schedules. Anyhow, I know for sure that the negligence of the thought that we are also students is because they (staffs) have seen within us that we are that responsible to accomplish a task or activity.

After school in this day, I decided to assist my co-intern with the pre-pageant night of the Festival Queen held in SM City Cebu. It was my pleasure to lend a hand to my co-intern who also did well for his Festival Queen 2011 event. Also, I learned to acquire patience especially when your teammate was not in good mood because he or she is at the middle of stress and pressure. Attitude issues inevitably occur especially when we are working in groups. There are times when I felt offended by their words uttered, actions taken that are so annoying and even cracking jokes that are not already amusing. Still everything we do and perform always boils down to professionalism. That is why I always see to it that I am acting in accordance to what must be a true professional should act. It was then a matter of telling ourselves that we are not just students but interns who are in practice of the practical job that awaits us after college.

Despite that I had this feeling very often however I give regards to it as a normal scenario, in fact it was a trouble-free situation to handle because we value the teamwork and much have been given to the importance of friendship. What matters most to me is that together we have made our names with integrity and we became mature individuals in our own simple ways.

Marks of a Noble Intern

"There was never been an overwhelming feeling than to be on the grandstand taking the bird’s eye view of the event. I had my goose bumps and a teary eyed."

In my four years of stay here in Cebu City, this was my first time to witness Sinulog sa Kabataan. I was tired then accomplishing the tasks given by our supervisor. My co-interns as well as I went here and there, so busy preparing for the necessary things for that event. I took the event as something so usual for it happened every January. What was I up to for that very moment was to have my long hours of stay on duty be credited on my daily time record.

I had the idea that as soon as the event would start, I and my co-interns will have our break. True enough, we were given some minutes to rest. But it was a little bit strange when the beat of the drums tried to hit our ears. We became lively and cheerful that we all went out and went on the VIP area of the grandstand. There was never been an overwhelming feeling than to be on the grandstand taking the bird’s eye view of the event. I had my goose bumps and a teary eyed. More than being so delighted on how the performers crafted the enthusiastic dance in honor of our dear Sto. Nino it was my great pride to be part of the making of that annual festivity. Even in my little ways, the event was made possible because of the true and noble pursuance of the tasks handed upon our palms.

I always see to it that I would never be a liability in the workplace specially that event organizing is a tough job to handle. Taking the initiative to accomplish a task is what I really learned about in my working area. It then enables the supervisor and the rest of the staff to draw positive thoughts on what we truly do and of course, the genuine trust always follows.

At the end of the day, though we were in so much exhaustion, taking this great chance to be part of this grandest celebration perhaps bare into our minds how professionalism works within us- to perform the best of us in the right place at the right time.