Thursday, April 10, 2008

A Hodgepodge

A pleasant summer so far. Freedom is bliss. I can freely sleep at sunrise and wake up well after lunch. I can go on movie and TV series marathons to my heart's delight. I can get lost in a book without worrying about anything concerning this world. I can get sucked into video games and just let its spell take over me. I can prowl the internet until it's dry of information. I can gorge on food until it hurts just to bend. I can play basketball until my knees buckle. I can stay overnight at friends' houses. I can go on mall-hopping and shopping sprees. I can sing and enjoy the company of music. I can, I can. And that's the problem, I can. I can use the time to take on more consequential endeavors but I choose to spoil myself. Amid these sweet little pleasures, that voice at the back of my head keeps reminding me that this could be the last summer I'll ever be this free. Heck, this is the last summer that I should ever be this free. Being carefree has a steep tradeoff, and that is the intensely guilty feeling of being bum and useless. Next summer, I hope to be productive for a change. =)

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I’ve been following American Idol religiously this season and I’m such a big fan of the Top 8 that I can’t choose a favorite anymore. Anyway, the “Idol Gives Back” episode tonight was especially heartwarming. It’s nice to see America’s biggest celebrities sharing their support for a worthy cause – helping out children in Africa. I hope that Americans and the rest of the world internalize and reflect on the pressing problems of the world. American Idol did its part in promoting awareness on Africa. It’s about time for the Americans to walk away from their overweight, self-centered, and over-consumptionist comfort zones and extend their affluence (because even amidst the impending US recession America is still the richest and most influential nation on Earth) to the needy in Africa. I believe that here is hope in this cause, since the change this time started at the top. The two richest men in the planet are directly involved, after all. I just wish that the assistance they give be not merely for publicity’s sake but real help that can effect change in Africa and other third-world countries. One small step for them, one giant leap for mankind. It would be great if the media can influence more people to take part in a worthy cause such as Idol Gives Back. If the world engages in a mentality of helping and giving, “Make the world a better place” won’t anymore be just an idealistic statement. It would become a realistic affirmation - backed by 6 billion people.

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It’s been a long, long school year. After going through the difficult (surviving a three hour long ordeal known as the departmental long exam), the impossible (cramming a paper minutes before submission time), the challenging (a 40-page statistics project that I practically did on my own), the new (managing an org project), the foolish (falling out of H after barely one month), the spine-tingling (a sinister cold sensation that fills the lungs in place of air whenever I fail to do my accounting homework and Ma’am Ibarra is about to pick her ‘color of the day’), the eye-opening (NSTP), the knowledge-filled (most of my classes), and of course, the fun and the friendship, I am proud to say that I finally staggered my way out of my second year in college. It’s been a trying year – my grades fell below par - but I am happy that I came out of it stronger and (hopefully) wiser.

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I am about to embark, on this very day, on a six-week exchange program in Guangdong, China. This will be my last post until I come back since, well, Multiply is banned in COMMUNIST China. I am gonna miss a lot… (in no particular order) family, friends, Sunday Mass, my lazy existence, Tagalog, English, NBA playoffs, movie marathons, DSL, democracy (? haha), American Idol, teleserye-worthy politics, extravagant meals, tears, laughter, and whatever else I love about this country. Oh well, I just hope that this program will at least be as fruitful and fun as the last six-week China summer program I took part in three years ago. Okay, that’s all, Bye! =)



1 comment:

Mark Andrew said...

Insighful and moving entry, Scott. Have fun in China! =)

Drew