Late nights at work

It's 10:39 p.m. here and we're still in the office. We're finishing our magazine tonight and turning over the pages to our Production Department for proofing. We're all tired, yes, but none of us are grumpy. In fact, we still have the energy to laugh whenever one of us says something crazy. We're like this every time we finish our monthly issues.

Staying late at night working in the office is stressful, but it becomes fun when you have co-workers who are pleasant to work with. We usually finish around midnight and go home at around that time. And when we come to work the next day (or on Monday when we turn over on a Friday), we're just relieved that the issue is over, and it's time to start a new one.

Working in a magazine is difficult but enjoyable. Creative juices just keep on flowing, and there isn't a day when I don't smile. With all the creative outputs I see everyday and with the wonderful people I meet and work with, there's always a reason for me to smile. :)

Lovin' These Old Songs

Since I've added new songs to my phone last weekend, I thought of sharing them with you here in my blog. I love old songs, and I love listening to different versions of them. Here's a list of what I'm playing this week while in transit, either on the way to work or on the way home:

1. Can't Help Falling In Love
Love songs never fail to put a smile on my face, being the romantic that I am. I love ATeens' version of this song because it is young and lively. Its upbeat tempo makes you feel that falling in love is indeed a happy experience. But the original slow version is beautiful, too. It's one of those songs you can slow dance to at a wedding.

2. Someone To Watch Over Me
This Gershwin classic tops my list of favorite songs. The lyrics and melody are simple yet sweet and full of meaning - they speak of one's longing for someone special, may he or she be a close friend, a significant other, or somebody you haven't found yet. I love Monique Wilson's version of the song because of the simplicity and innocence in the way she sang it - without all those vocal exhibitions which sometimes destroys the meaning of the song. But since I can't find an audio streaming thingy of Wilson's version to embed in my blog, I'm sharing you Allison Iraheta's instead. It's also a beautiful rendition you wouldn't want to miss.

3. Walking On Sunshine
Like "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Walking on Sunshine" exudes that happy, you're-on-cloud-nine feeling about being in love. Indeed, I can say that when you're in love, you feel like you're "walking on sunshine." Haha! Add to that is this song's energy that will surely paint a smile on your face even as you step inside a crowded train.

4. Somebody to Love
I love this Queen original, as well "Bohemian Rhapsody", because it speaks about living and life in general. It's just so easy to relate to. And the Glee cast made an awesome rendition of song. All I can say is... I love it!

5. When I Fall in Love
The list of old songs that I love is not complete without this beautiful love song. It's been sung by so many singers at so many occasions, but it still hasn't lost its appeal to me. My favorite version is the Philippine Madrigal Singers'. It's so majestic but doesn't fail to sing straight to the heart.

My Life As A Musical

Being a music lover, I always have a tune or two playing in my head. When I was in college and it's the -ber months already, I hum, either literally or just in my head, the Christmas carols we practice in our org's choir as I walk from one class to another, from one building to another. And whenever I have a severe case of the so-called last song syndrome (LSS) of whatever song, expect me to burst into a tune any moment.

When I was in college, my friends and I labeled Legally Blonde the Musical as the musical that put us through college. Almost all, if not all, the LBTM songs were applicable to whatever we were facing or feeling at the moment - whether we are stressed because of our never ending academic requirements, pissed at a certain professor, or nursing a broken heart because of unrequited love.

Until now, LBTM songs are still my songs. But since March, when I had the chance to watch the re-staging of Avenue Q, new songs were added to my list of songs that describe my life. The main character int he musical is an idealistic fresh graduate who brims with optimism as he faces life, and he lands on Avenue Q, where everyone's life "sucks." Being a recent college graduate working in her first job, I can't help but relate to the lyrics of the songs in the musical.

One such song is "I Wish I Could Go Back to College." All of us, I believe, have been in college, not just the university sense of the word but more so a phase in our lives when we were so sure of who we are and what we want to do in life. And when we step out into the real world, we find ourselves throwing out certain plans out the window because what's out there is not exactly what we imagined. I wish I could go back to college / In college you know who you are, so goes a couple of verses in the song.

I wish I could go back to college. No, I don't want a second round of my thesis and the exams I failed and the other things that caused me so much stress. :) But I wish I could relive the moments when my friends and I were so idealistic, hanging out at our building's parking lot, walking under the shade of the trees lining up the Academic Oval, being in my org's spot and exchanging jokes, singing, or simply having fun with my orgmates. Those were the days when I felt I'm ready to take on the world. That I'm prepared for everything. But when I graduated and started working, some things were just... different.

But don't get me wrong. I'm so thankful for where I am right now. I'm happy with what I'm experiencing. And I get to reflect on this almost everyday as I play Avenue Q's "For Now" in my cellphone. As the song goes, "Life may be scary / But it's only temporary." Sure. My life is just beginning. So much lies ahead. And I'm facing them with a big smile on my face. :D

Ultimate love (again)

How I wish I could play like those women in the video. They're so good. I find this video inspiring and motivating. Practice, practice, and consistent practice - that's what I need to do before I could throw long and do those dives to catch the approaching disc. Last Monday, I discovered that my backhand throw is now messed up. Maybe because since I know that forehand throw is more difficult, I've worked on it so much that I wasn't able to give enough practice to my backhand throw. Tsk tsk. Oh well. Time to "resurrect" my backhand throw.

Tomorrow, it's UP DUO Beginner's Hat Tournament, and I'm excited! I hope it doesn't rain (although Ultimate is a rain-or-shine sport), because I still don't have a pair of cleats. Haha. My friends in Ultimate are gonna be there, too. So tomorrow, I hope nothing goes wrong and the day gets filled with fun, fun, and fun on the field. :D

Cute little things

Working in a home magazine for now a year has taught me to have an eye for beautiful things. Young as I am, I'm drawn to colorful and quirky things, whether in fashion or things for the home (well, for my room at least). Let me share with you some of my colorful finds:

This pair of girly, checkered flats was my sister's gift for me last Christmas. We got it from Black Sheep for P599. It never fails to elicit an "it's so cute!" reaction from anyone who see it.

This dog coin bank is from our art director in the magazine I work for. She said it's one of the things she's trying to get rid of, and asked if I wanted it. It's too cute to be gotten rid of, so I took it. It's now on my bedside table.

So there. I'll share more of my cute finds in my future posts. I'm bound to encounter them because of the nature of my job. And you know what? The pretty things that I see make work fun because they always put a smile on my face. :)

My Ultimate Things

Now that the Heads Up Summer Clinic has ended, I have nothing to do tomorrow. I'm looking back at the past four Fridays when I was looking forward to the next day's Ultimate event. I miss packing my things the night before and thinking about how the drills were going to be the following day.

Heads Up made my summer a blast. I didn't go (or haven't gone) to the beach (But there's still a chance! There are still three weeks before summer ends. Hehe), but I had my own share of fun in the sun. And here are my fun-in-the-sun tools, my Ultimate paraphernalia:

[caption id="attachment_108" align="aligncenter" width="296" caption="The Heads Up disc, which was included in the player's kit. This is my very first disc, which I got in the very first non-Meralco field, Ultimate event I joined. Hence, this is a treasure. "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_109" align="aligncenter" width="296" caption="My Heads Up jersey and my sporty shorts, which I use alternately with a pink one. "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_111" align="aligncenter" width="296" caption="A pair of long sleeves, which protected my arms from the blazing sun. When I took it off... voila! My hands were darker than my arms. Hehe. "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_112" align="aligncenter" width="296" caption="My running shoes. I'm looking for a pair of cleats. My friend, Micah, suggested that I buy one in Sports Warehouse. "][/caption]

And before I end this post, let me share with you another photo of my team:

[caption id="attachment_113" align="aligncenter" width="369" caption="Team Kinse Mil. From Isha's cam. Whoever shot this photo, again, thank you.  "][/caption]

Can't wait for May 17 - Beginners' Night at the Meralco Field. :)

This is it! Ultimate love!

So here I am again, blogging about Ultimate Disc (a.k.a Frisbee), the sport I love. And here I am, about to share some good news.

The Heads Up Summer Clinic concluded last weekend (May 1 and 2) with a tournament. I belonged to the beginners' division, with a lot of other beginners. And boy! I had so much fun! I loved the sport even more.

It's my first ever tournament, and yeah, our team won 3rd Place. There were eight teams for the beginners' division, and our Team Kinse Mil (our team) won 3rd Place. How's that for my first tournament? :) And yes, I love my teammates even if it was my first time to play with them. Our rapport was remarkable. And our coach.. he's just so great. Coach Mark Navarra was so encouraging and supportive of our team. He was like a kuya (older brother) to us. He was such a leader in assigning roles to each of us, in teaching us what to do, in coaching us while on the field.

I also got my very first Ultimate medal (each member of the winning teams got one, with the first placer receiving medals plus a trophy). And I'm also happy with how I've improved in the sport. I was able to catch the disc at the end zone, thus scoring a point for my team. There were times when I heard Coach Mark say, "Nice cut, Kat" (I hope he really said that and it wasn't just in my head! Hehe). There was an instance when I was able to defend and prevent the girl I was guarding from catching the disc (on which our team captain said, "Nice D"). I had a foul though. I didn't intend that. I didn't see that the girl I was guarding (this is a different instance from the one I mentioned earlier) already had the disc. The disc was high up. We both jumped - she to catch it and I to knock it down. I knocked it down, but apparently, she already touched it. Or did I touch her? Either way, it's a foul. But what's good in Ultimate is that disputes are easily settled. No more arguments. It's called the spirit of the game. The disc was given again to the thrower and we went on with the game.

Now, I'm looking forward to Beginners' Nights at Meralco Field even more. I hope I could also play in more tournaments which are suited for my skill level. But I need to practice more before I could do that. So off to Meralco field on Monday nights and do my best to learn from and enjoy the drills and practice games. If my friends could join me in this sport, that would be more fun. But if not, it's okay. I'm loving Ultimate, and I hope Ultimate and I wouldn't break up soon. :)

Here are photos from Heads Up:

[caption id="attachment_100" align="aligncenter" width="370" caption="The Field. Ateneo De Manila University High School Field "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_91" align="aligncenter" width="369" caption="Team Kinse Mil during the awarding "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_93" align="aligncenter" width="369" caption="Team Kinse Mil after a game, wacky pose"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_92" align="aligncenter" width="369" caption="Team Kinse Mil after a game"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_95" align="aligncenter" width="370" caption="Yours truly with teammate, Isha"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_98" align="aligncenter" width="370" caption="With teammates, Isha and Bryan"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99" align="aligncenter" width="370" caption="With teammate Ina, who was awarded as one of the Mythical 7. I learned a lot from this girl. "][/caption]

Team photos taken by somebody from Heads Up. Whoever you are, thank you. :)