Bobbet’s World

Lest I forget September 26, 2008

This is a way of reminding myself that there a lot of things (an understatement!) to do as the semester draws to a close. Here’s a miscellany:

1. PDM (Project Development and Management) Class final tasks (critiques etc.) due 18 October
2. CR 284 (Message Analysis) final paper (textual analysis of student CNFs <creative nonfiction texts>) due 09 October
3. AERS 281 (Theory Construction) class report (02 October), book review and final exam (23 October)
4. Editing works (for R&DD, Graduate School, and Sir Monb)
5. Last hurrah for my undergrad classes (papers to check, grades to compute as far back as prelim, and a lot more I couldn’t remember this moment)
6. Admin works (coming to terms with Post-Poetika: financial reports, evaluation, and more; AB Comm application for final level, among others)
7. New book in the offing (“Smarter English”?)

Given this plethora (my laundry list!) of things to do, funny I can still do asides (or on-the-side breathers). I must. This is the only way I can make myself sane. I musn’t bury myself completely in work. I know. There’s a life outside this burning shell. Soon, changes will bring me there.

Things that make me sane August 9, 2008

This is the time of the week when I need to reckon things that inspired me (that still do) in a time of unexpected events (accidents, sudden occurrences, witnessing tragedy in the street, among others). I love to share these beautiful things…

1. the plainly addictive Lost (I’m now moving on to the 13th episode of its first season): I begin to fall for the characters of John Locke (his philosohpy that borders aligned along the mystical, paranormal, and esoteric simply makes me think about his words, thoughts, and stance on things), Sayid (his depth and enigma simply excite and make me look forward to his next "competent" step), and, of course, Jack Shepard (the charming doctor whose charisma and leadership see all other survivors through the dangers and mystery of the jungle); <see the application I added yesterday in my friendster profile that confirms my addiction to this popular TV series >;
2. business, infotech, and lifestyle magazines (Real Living, Real Home Ideas, Country Living, Fast Company, Bloomberg Markets, Town and Country): they make me see dreamed-of places, gadgets, furniture; they transport me to ideal states, utopian designs, good life, and all;
3. native baskets (after finding out the good news about Mom’s no-finding skull x-ray, I jumped out of joy buying these from a nearby native-craft shop: they are now repositories of my thingies and knick-knacks; and
4. my and Owie’s (my nephew) pix (courtesy of my bro-in-law Chito) taken inside Kuya’s car during Lean’s first birthday: it’s now framed and displayed on my console table — it’s a happy moment (carefree, candid, stolen) captured from that rare moment I was with my family, right after ending the weekend tired attending to my grad classes <message analyze the shift in mood: from stress to relief>. 

I’m off to another exciting and busy week, guys. I’m about to construct my grand (literally!) to-do list spread out in my sketch pad that will span Monday-to-Monday breadth. That will see me through hectic days at Letran and frenetic moments preparing for my first commres exam at Diliman mid of this coming week.

Good luck to me. Good luck to us all. All the best for us!

What-I’ve-Done List August 3, 2008

I heard (maybe, read) a friend complaining about her to-do list. Maybe it’s not effective or it’s a waste of time. It’s better to do the work than to list it down. That could be a contention. Be that as it may, I’d like to propose something else, which I also read from a favorite author: it’s called "what-I’ve-done" list.

This past week, this is my what-I’ve-done list:

1. Barangay Letran article (I was able to beat the deadline, guys!)
2. Items for our department’s web updates
3. Collegium meeting that led us to the next step
4. Graduate classes that stimulated the cerebrum
5. First half of research journal I’m editing done (despite other pressures)
6. CASTLE’s general assembly which saw us sharing comm experiences
7. Grad class that took their first exam seriously
8. Parish newsletter workshop that brought us to the countryside
9. Finishing, to my delight, the fourth and fifth episodes of Lost
10. An art work I’ve done using the frame I got as a Christmas gift

May this listing be a weekly tradition. Help me, my creative, productive muse.

Gratitude Journal July 27, 2008

This weekend, though extra tiring, made me see a host of beautiful things, inspiring people, wonderful moments. Here are a few of them:

1. Happy grad class I handle every Saturday (they enjoy the freedom I give them: butting in during class reports to share org experiences and eating while the class is in progress);
2. Kind, polite Jollibee crew member who served me without a tinge of dismay or impatience;
3. The round mirror with native frame that surprised me when I entered my room last night (Dad was responsible for this);
4. Anticipated mass said by my grad school classmate Fr. Alex and his moving homily;
5. New arrangement we did for my thinking corner (we swapped tables);
6. The real Ferdz Recio adding me as friend (hehehe!);
7. Nice, long sleep this Sunday (to the point of leaving me aches in my head);
8. Messages, surreal and unpredictable and unimagined;
9. Food trip last night at Kuya Rolly’s birthday celeb;
10. Cool Sunday: literally, it’s drizzling; more time to watch TV, rest, take a nap, eat, worry less, think of beautiful people and old memories, look forward to another week of work and study.

I can’t ask for more.

Courting Creativity July 19, 2008

Saturday this semester is a hectic day for me. I’m hopping from one school to another, straddling lanes, reversing roles. I always lack sleep. I’m tired. I look forward to Sunday but dread the beginning of a new week when I need to row on again and repeat the cycle of stress and tension and uncertainty.

I’m getting predictable. I would wake up early practically the whole week. It’s a tiring routine. It’s an uncreative pursuit. I want to spend a day thinking nothing but things that could make me happy and different. When was the last time I did something new and novel? Let me check. This week, I could recall a few. Like…

1. dropping by Galleria Ethnika to buy cute bamboo poles that now adorn our antique pottery;
2. watching the classic fairy tale Cinderella as a requirement for message analysis;
3. buying back issues of foreign magazines I didn’t know before;
4. impulsively getting myself DVD copies of Lost and Grey’s Anatomy influenced by Pearl;
5. visiting Pantoja again after some weeks of lull;
6. giving in to the lure of taking a nap while killing the time at UPLB Lib this lunchtime;
7. walking at LB crossing this hot, hot afternoon carrying my loads to catch a jeepney ride amid traffic and all that mess; and
8. still discovering old friends thru friendster as far back as those I knew from elementary days.

Last-minute Check June 10, 2008

All systems go. Seemingly. Let me check. Here’s my laundry list.

1. UP Diliman Cross-enrollment.
2. UPLB 6-unit Registration.
3. Speech Lab and Speak Smart Orientation.
4. Letran Grad School Teaching Load.
5. Half of My New Thinking Corner.

Lest I forget, my to-do list:

1. Editing of 1 PH.D. Dissertation
2. Speech Lab Waiver and Guidelines
3. E-mail to Dr. Suva
4. SAS Web Updates
5. Org Comm Outline
6. Editing of a Journal Article

I still want to enjoy the weekend. Hope I’ll find the time. And the space, too, to sleep and savor the moments. Seize the day!