“And why are YOU still single?”

Yeah, that question! 
Sometimes when I hear it, it's either I'll be pissed off or just laugh at how stupid that certain someone is. Recently, just this summer someone popped that question. Now this is the scenario.
Summer is my season. Summer time means reorganizing my life, general cleaning, traveling, beaches, review, plans for improvement and doing lots of adventures. C'est la vie as they say it! What struck me today was a conversation I had with a friend in pre-school. He asked me if why didn't I have a boyfriend at this age, why I am still single or haven't settled down yet. He was so baffled to find out that I AM STILL SINGLE. The usual reaction would be me being pissed off, but sorry to say this, it's because I am not at all pissed. Haha! I just laugh it out loud. I thought, does society really wants us to follow a specific line of events? That at this age we should be with someone, get married, have kids? Blah! Blah! College.Internship.Job.Married.Babies. I don't wanna fall into this layout that society has planned out for me just yet. What I wanna do first is to lust after life with a courageous soul and an adventurous heart before I even decide to have a boyfriend or perhaps to tie the knot. I want to enjoy my being an individual first and do things on my own rules before I am ready to be in a serious relationship. I mean, hello! This is my choice. This is my life. Can I not love myself first before being ready to commit to someone who truly loves me too in return? This isn't a race my friend. I am not in a hurry and I am so happy being like this, seriously & honestly. I don't want to force myself just because society tells me so. Sure, some of my family members, close friends & suitors have asked me the same question which before it had quite pressured me a lot. But I say, only time can tell when I am ready and everything is ironed out well accordingly to God's plans and my family's blessings. While I think that loving someone else is a necessity in life, I think that we need to love ourselves before we can even consider to love anything or anyone else in our lives. I am going to embrace being me and love every single second of it. I am going to love my emotional state of mind, my soccer thighs, my quirky way of sleeping, my hate for pineapples and my inability to whistle. I am gonna soak up every little inch of myself, appreciate who I am and love it! I am at peace with my relationship status and so leave me be. 

For now, I want to be like this because I don't settle for a question mark relationship just because I am pressured of what society dictates. I wanna hold out for an exclamation point relationship where I am certain that I can have the best future with that right person with playfulness and bliss to incandescent love. I just need to decide which piece I feel the safest holding when I fall. I think I may have found the piece I was looking for. Someone who invades my thoughts at times and makes me smile all of a sudden like crazy. Just the mere thought of that someone creates a tidal riot of butterflies in the pit of my stomach, but in a good way of course. Someone who scares me, challenges me and still makes me happier than I’ve ever been. But I'll just have to enjoy the feeling of being in-love and see to it if this feeling will last up to the moment when I'll be ready for a relationship. Things & people change, we can never be certain of what the future holds. These feelings might change per se or maybe not. Indeed, only time can tell. ♥ :)

The Single Woman’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge

It has been a long time since I get to update my blog. I have been quite busy at school and work and the fact that this busy-ness has stressed spelled all over my face, I still have time to take the challenge posted by one of my favorite authors which I discovered online via twitter, Ms. Mandy Hale. Oh yes! I have been single for 24 years already and I still have no luck in the love department. I believe I am beautiful and awesome in my own way and I treat people right. I've been a good daughter to my folks and I have never brought any disgrace to them (such as getting myself impregnated or taking drugs, etc.). Yes, I have suitors too but there's something that I am looking for in them. I think I have also found what people usually refer to as "the one" but sad thing is, in his eyes he doesn't find me that appealing. But oh well, we gotta carry on and live with it. This is one of the givens in life, you get hurt, broken but there is always hope and I am a firm believer of that. You just can't please everybody and I still have lots of things to do and awesome people to meet. Who knows, the real thing is really out there just waiting for me. He could be within reach and so I have to super-size my instincts. Haha! But seriously, at times, I thought I was "malas" (ill-fortune) in the love department but I realized, patience is a virtue and everything happens for a reason. I need not wait for someones validation of my being a woman, I only need myself and I've gotta enjoy the ride while I still live in this beautifully-messed-up-world. I have got to fix myself first before I try to decide on committing in a really deeply-committed-relationship with what they call "the one". 

Oprah was right when she said that we gotta find that special someone not for supplementary but for complementary reasons. A relationship with someone other than yourself takes a whole lot of challenge but the differences should not tear you both apart, rather you gotta complement each other and love shouldn't fade away most specially in times where you feel like the world is against you. This is the reason why despite my crazy schedule and a week bombarded with exams and deadlines, I decided to be up for this 30-day blogging challenge. This is gonna be interesting and I am looking forward for my single friends too to take this challenge especially when writing down everything you feel and reflect on gives you this release, this therapeutic feeling that we need out of the hustle and bustle of City life. If you are up for it, click this link and have fun, ladies! :)

http://thesinglewoman.net/2013/10/04/the-single-womans-30-day-blogging-challenge/

MU KAPPAN SISTERS

It's been a long time since we had this gathering and serious conversation with my MKP sisters, Glenice and Zamia. It's so nice strolling with you guys, looking for that perfect sexy shoe and having to spend siesta time with you both. In moments when one of us feels like the world is against us, who do you call? Ghost busters?  Haha! Nah-ah! Siempre your God-given, soro sisters. Naman! Although we may have had rough times, confused of what the future holds and feels as if we are still in the cross-roads, always remember that through thick and thin, in joy and tribulation, we will always remain MU KAPPAN sisters forever. I love you both :)

Paying it Forward

While enjoying our weekend at the night market with some good old friends, my MKP sister Zam bought this for me. (Thanks, sis!) As always, you are the malambing (sweetest) ever! I may not understand you in some ways but friendship, no matter what, accepts you for who you are and for what you want to become. I may not understand some of your decisions but as a friend and a sorority sister, I will support you so long as you will not hurt yourself. Hehe! Oh well, you know that I love you, right? Sister for keeps! :)

Well, this pretty bracelet is made from coconut leaves, dried & made to last for years just like us, we stay sisters though not biologically. You will be that sister that Mama Almarita will willingly adopt aside from Glenice and Ching of course. Haha! This one of a kind bracelet, represents our bond. It was sold to us for 10php by an IP woman from Matigsalug tribe. We befriended her & helped her sell her master - pieces. #payingitforward 

For you, Pops!

My first love. My Hero. My Critique. My Motivation. 
To my Tatay Domingo, Happy Father's Day!
No matter where I go and what I do in life, who I get married to (someday, if it's ever possible. Haha!), or how much time I spend with that special man whom I chose to be with for forever, you know deep within that you will always be the number "1" man in my life. I will always be your lil girl.  

Farewell, LRC!

Today will be my last day with my LRC, Balaod Mindanaw, Kaisahan, Saligan & ADMU Human Rights Center family. We shall soon meet again, if by God's grace we are all blessed to see each other years from now and call ourselves Panyeros & Panyeras in the legal profession all leaning to try to become alternative lawyers just like our awesome seniors.#toalwaysdreambig 

The Alternative Lawyering Internship Experience

The Alternative  Lawyering

                A month ago I have had a lot of first times in the internship program. I’ve had my first time being exposed in the immersion process, to be engaged in paralegal stuffs, to travel to different places concerning environmental issues which also involves my IP brothers and sisters and other than that, it was my very first time to have heard the word “alternative lawyering.” Right to its very core, indeed it is proper to say that the highest form of alternative lawyering is realized when the poor and marginalized become lawyers themselves and engage in the practice of law in its original and noble sense as aptly stated in an article written by Atty. Marlon J. Manuel. From the field exposure I had, I felt the administration of justice towards our unfortunate IP siblings in their fight for their ancestral domain. These issues that I have directly experienced during the internship were not common issues in the typical lawyering world. I’ve learned so much from my seniors and from the community people themselves who were direct parties to a pending case against mining. The legal knowledge and skills employed based on my observation during our actual experience of what it really feels like to become an alternative lawyer is something to look up to. It is totally quite different when you are in the field mingling with the concerned parties and being able to stand in the very place where conflicting parties have struggled over conflicting interests.

                I am amazed at how people like Sir Cocoi and the rest of the team of the ALG are able to make use of their skills and passion to eliminate deeply rooted injustices in communities that need legal aid and in the process attain what is called “social justice”.

                Alternative lawyering is not just lawyering for the poor but WITH the poor. It’s a collaborative effort between law advocates and the marginalized people. It teaches them not to be dependent but to make them realize that they need to learn by heart what the laws are in order for them to stand independently and fight for their rights. If they are able to do so, alternative lawyers will be with them hand in hand, together, to be empowered and to make use of the law as a tool for achieving justice and fairness.

My Host Institution

                The LRC-CDO has become an extended family of mine. 

When Sir Cocoi chose me to be one of his interns, I didn’t know what to expect and it is a good thing because I never thought that I would be so lucky to have a mentor like him. Honestly, I am really grateful that I was assigned at LRC because I am well taken cared of and it feels as if I really belong in the group. Reporting to the office on a mundane basis for a span of almost two months made it harder for me to say goodbye because I have learned to treasure these people even for a short span of time. The bond that we formed with Sir Cocoi, my fellow interns Choco and Rejee, DJ, Sir Erwin, Ate Tetchie and the ladies from Samdhana Institute is priceless. I’ve learned so much from them be it in work or in any facet of my life. Given the conducive working place, the airconditioned offices, wi-fi connections, foods, travels, learnings and laughters are things I will never forget being an intern in the LRC.

Working with Co-interns and Staff

      I have to say from the first time we met, we have already connected. There was never a moment that we have had serious conflicts; in fact we were all smiling. I can never remember a dull moment with Sir Cocoi, my co-interns or with the Samdhana ladies. We have this give and take relationship, respect, understanding and a maturity that we all share of the same wavelength. Our relationship with each other goes beyond co-interns/boss for we work not just a team but more like a family. 

Not only did I get to work with the awesome people of LRC and Samdhana Institute but I also got the chance to mingle with my fellow interns from CDO and Davao wherein they too were assigned in different ALG's like Balaod Mindanaw, Kaisahan and Saligan. Definitely it was a great experience together with my close friend Ching and best friend Glenice, we have had the chance of widening our circle of friends in the person of Choco, Rejee, Yahoo, DJ, Zed, JJ, Maia, Alfie, Mark, Ian and Onyot. I pray that one day, these fellow law students of mine from XU, Liceo, CU, FEU, ADMU and ADDU will soon be our panyeros and panyeras in the legal profession, God-willing. Memories of you guys always flash back every now and then. I've missed you already.

Highlights

      For me, meeting people from different organizations and traveling from Cantilan, Anislagan and Bayanga, every road trip we took, every encounter we had, every picture we captured and every community discussion we initiated were all highlights to me as an LRC intern. The discussion on AMMB, meeting with IP chieftains who were on the hit list, to study abruptly about EO 79 for a community discussion, being tailed and pictured by mining company employees were all of the same weight as important as the other field exposures I had in the entire internship program.

Recommendation

                It has been my observation that a job like this being taken by a strong and dedicated man like Sir Cocoi is still quite a risky profession. Since I would always look into the security issues whenever I travel to some other unknown territory, I believe it is wise to employ people who have the skills in arms and weaponry for protection against unforeseen attacks of any kind, be it enemies in a case or the other way around.