Without divulging too much information about my work, let me say my aching back muscles, cramped fingers, fuzzled brain, and general state of disorientedness accounts for my first week with RN. Now this is not yet final, but I might entertain plans to leave the show for a less demanding work, given that family pressures compel me to spend more time attending to my recuperating dad.

All in all, the segment Rona and I religiously worked on and zealously guarded (I experienced being stuck in the office from 7AM to 9PM just to make the story stand) will air this Tuesday. Please do watch, it's after Saksi. The story is on election-related fraud and the experiences of the whistleblowers who are now under threat, and among their ranks those who were either abducted or murdered.

Believe me, trying to establish contact with a witness in hiding might sound impossible, but try hearing their experience and the security measures they have to go through in order to survive and the appreciation of just how much the story matters actually comes full circle.

I'll indulge in name dropping, as I'm the type who can talk to Bush without even flinching. Among the people I've contacted (texted or called, mostly called) for this story are:

1. Benjamin Abalos

2.COMELEC's James Jimenez

3. Commissioner Sarmiento and Ferrer

4. Adel Tamano (he asked me to send him my businesscard, blush!)

5. Ping Lacson (who was sooooper nice, he remembers my name everytime)

6. Nikki Coseteng (whose opening line after I've introduced myself over the phone was: "Oh, hi Glenn. How are you?" Sweet.)

7. Christian Monsod.

8. Raul Gonzales.

Despite a taxing workload, I still have a social life. And yeah, I'm in between rakets too and I'm out on a date later. This from someone who got only about three hours of sleep each night after regaling my ailing dad with animated anecdotes of the day, just to assure him network job is still glamorous.

I can still handle them all. The question is, for how long?

My blogdrive hits announced 6,000 today. Thanks everyone!

Doing some raket for a pal.

Will start at GMA 7's Reporter's Notebook this week.

Inquirer 2bU's Bench Photoshoot available at my multiply account:

http://supladongmanyak.multiply.com

Have fun, everyone!!!

Last week was simply mind-boggling. I went through a series of highs and lows that I can't even begin to muster a particular 'emo' state right now, so I'll play numb.

Highlights: Took exams in GMA7 news and public affairs and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission before May ended. Got interviewed by ABSCBN news and current affiars and GMA last week. Yesterday, I made it to Reporter's Notebook, as one of the team researchers. On the side, I modeled for Bianca in one of her Inquirer 2bU stories. This time it's a Bench fashion story. The story appears tomorrow, Wednesday.

So I got hired and became a pseudo-model in a span of one week. Yey!!!

My dad suffered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital last Sunday, after a family outing. Big boo-boo. He's still not okay as of press time. Your prayers will help.

I'm off to complete requirements for GMA. I haven't experienced a decent sleep since Thursday. My body's screaming stop, my mind experiences dull moments, and my soul refused to care if the day turns out to be happy or sad.

The only source of strength these days is knowing I can still get away with what I want. Remember "Painting the Music"? Turns out he was painting with me all the while...

Zzzzzzz.... 

I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be blogging about a book – a book, for Pete’s sake – but I am now. The book is titled Boy Meets Boy written by David Levithan and its content or genre couldn’t be more obvious.

The last time a romantic teeny-bopper book has got me curled up in bed in a fit of giggles was way back elementary days when I discovered Sweet Valley High; and as I grew up I realized the reason I got tired of kilig-literature was simple enough: heterosexual romance barely interests me nowadays. So last night I found myself feeling the good-ole kilig factor reading about two high school boys finding each other.

I won’t deal with synopsis or critiques here: it’s enough to say that I’ve finally come across a gay story that does not end in one party getting killed or one where the romantic parts got buried under chapters of vivid sex and violence. For the first time, I’ve come across material that echoes every weak, intense, confusing and blinding moment, and found to my surprise, nakaka-relate pala ko (shudder, gasps, nose-bleed).

How? As I previously blogged that I’ve realized I’m on a one/two-date per week basis, always with a different person, it’s enough to say that no one has sparked my interest this summer. Truth is, there is someone, and the craziness this fella brings is enough for me to deduce that he’s bad news (read: heartbreaker), not to mention he's my freakin neighbor. What can be more blissful and depressing than daily contact?!

But see, the sparks and signals are there. It started flying and screaming when we first laid eyes on each other. And for three weeks now, I’m being continually distracted by his mere presence every night: most of his pals live near my house, and we share common friends. Thinking about this person is enough to drive me nuts; spending time with him until midnight locked in all sorts of conversation laced with the occasional sexy grins and mixed signals is enough to blow me away.

And yes, he knows. Still, he wants me to be there every night that he’s out there, in front of my house, hanging out with the neighborhood gang.

“Don’t you dare avoid me. Or else, I’ll never text or talk to you again,” was a warning he issued when he found out I was crushing him.

“Asan ka? Iniiwasan mo ba ko?” was another blaster when I was out doing org work one rainy night and he must’ve been hanging out on my street again.

The thing is, this series of confusion and mixed signals is something I thought I’ve long outgrown. But try hard as I deflect feelings for someone bound to be a disaster, serendipity just happens. Like reading one particularly mushy chapter in Boy Meets Boy titled Painting the Music, and suddenly thinking of him, and wishing. I’m sure it must have been my overworked escapism, but I was certain that right then I heard his voice, quietly calling out my name just outside my window.

My heart beating fast, the book flew from my hands, I scampered towards my window and found his back walking quietly away towards the gang assembled at the end of the street. I exhaled a longing, excited sigh. He was here. Again. And he called me at the exact moment I thought of him.

Not finding courage to go out again and invest too much moments and memories with a walking disaster, I opened my PC and began this entry. I threw the windows open where I can see them. I can hear his voice, know that he is looking at me directly through my windows while I type away, but I just could not turn my head. Those gorgeous eyes covered with spectacles, infectious laughter, and sexy smile are enough distraction, so I should avoid him.

But I just can’t. This is how I realized I’m painting the music without hearing the lyrics.

The couple of few weeks, I've taken the opportunity to maximize the remaining summer days to finish the required protocol of a Jaycee leader about to turn-over his presidency to the one next-in-line. Just a recap: I belong to a leadership socio-civic organization called the Junior Chamber, of which there exist a youth arm in Pasay called the Pasay Mulawin Junior Jaycees. End of story.

I'll indulge in a photo-blog entry instead (as I often do) and just show pics of how the org managed under my presidency. but first off, just a few trivia: the official org color is green, the org is composed of the wackiest bunch of youth leaders from top schools, UPD, UPM, DLSU, UST, AdMU- name it, we've got 'em- (yung tipong akala mo seryoso pero balahura din pala), and the Pasay is the most active chapter in Luzon. And I'm damn proud of that fact.

PS: If you see a lot of group pics with banners, bear with it. That's required for documentation, harhar.

Last year's Induction June 3, I was sworn in as the second president of the org.

L-R: Chi, Yel, me, Ron, Rey and Marj

Of course, our flagship project, the Journalism Summit. Oh gawd...

The banner, the heads

The organizers, the lecturers

The training, the competition

The food, the fun. Daw.

Here's one of the recruitment strategies: an Opportunity to Succeed Seminar

With Ate Laiden and Doc Sharkki

And another required thingy: A teambuilding activity. This was fun!

What game is this?!

Joseph and the powder; the organizers

One of the org's hobbies, aside from procastination and bitching, is lacing our supposedly formal meetings with videoke. Yebah!

At Providence...

Training for the Officers:

The tasks, the talks

And yeah, a livelihood project where we learned all about liquid-soap and dishwashing liquid making, favric conditioners and how to mix perfumes. Very small scale industries, very Jaycee.

The banner (again), the finished products

The girls and the formulas

The guys (plus Cathy)  with the measurements

So far, there goes my Jaycee life. Pics of this year's induction to follow. I'm Jaycee president no more. I can relax now, can I?

Cheers to thesis partner Kath, it's her birthday today.