Final Goodbyes

I’ve posted a blog about saying goodbye to Sec Jess last Saturday. Today, the final rites and departure honors are over. I don’t know what to say, except that there is a lingering sadness. I pray that this moment will at least fuel the need for more public servants like him. Let us drag down the useless posters promoting traditional politicians. Let us report blatant corruption. Let us not vote for people who are not seeking to serve the country but to fill their pockets and to grab the fame. Let us learn from example. Why do we condemn people one day and then coddle them the next? Politicians who have been hunted down and even imprisoned can come back into the arms of the Filipinos, all innocent-like. On the other hand, public servants who did well are only offered awards and confirmation after death.

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Entering a New Chapter… Again!

Today, I have to visit a company that I applied to recently. I will be working for them as a regular home-based blogger starting this September. I am required to visit the office at least twice a month, for bonding and reporting. I do hope that this new job will not negatively affect my thesis writing. I am also working regularly for another company, which I have been writing for since 2008. I rate English oral exams part-time, and have other freelance jobs. However, I do like to keep busy. The extra income is also most welcome. 🙂

Farewell, Secretary Ninong Jess!

Last night, my husband and I were not able to visit the good secretary Jesse Robredo’s wake. It was raining, my husband was still working, and our toddler expected me to lie next to him whenever he had to go to sleep.

This morning, we decided to go very early. We arrived at Malacañang Palace at around 7:30 am, which is not really that big a feat considering that we live nearby. There were already two long queues waiting, but they were manageable compared to last night’s, which reached even Nagtahan Bridge.

The queues moved pretty quickly to our surprise, and although the public viewing was set to start at 8 am, there was marked movement before that said time. Before getting into the gates, the queues were separated into  two, by gender. I was both happy and nostalgic to hear a flurry of Bicolano voices in the queues. Some even talked to my husband and me, asking about surnames, and how we knew the secretary. “Mga inaanak kami sa kasal (we’re his godchildren by way of marriage),” my husband explained. It turned out that we were talking to men and women who knew Ninong Jess when he was still in Ateneo de Naga high school.

Inside, my husband and I had to wait a little bit as our bouquet of flowers was checked by a sniffing K9. I know that Atty. Leni requested people to send donations to Sec. Jesse’s favorite charities, instead, but I still felt like we should bring at least a bouquet and a mass card.

It was still early in the morning. The palace grounds felt solemn and peaceful.

We headed to the closed coffin to say our final goodbyes, placing the bouquet on the carpeted floor, the yellows, pale pinks, and browns contrasting with the pure white flowers that gathered below. It was all so quiet.

We left the place without taking a paperbag of snacks. We were not there for the food. We were just there to say goodbye. It would have been a more satisfying goodbye if we could go home to Naga City for the burial (I remember being part of the funeral parade-to-burial for the late Senator Roco when I was still student council president for Ateneo de Naga), but other responsibilities prevent us from doing so.

Thesis Preparations

Today, I consulted with the department’s chairperson about my MFA thesis. I have not written a thesis before because I had to create an animation portfolio for my college senior project (I am a graduate of BS-Digital Illustration and Animation). We talked about my possible adviser and readers. Thankfully, the professor I wanted to help me out agreed to be my adviser.

What is my thesis about? Well, I am thinking of a memoir with science elements. I don’t know if my adviser will like the idea because we have not talked about it yet. I am reading Hawking, Einstein, Kaku and some memoirs (one on anxiety and one on cancer): Monkey Mind and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Ecopywriters.com: An Initial Review

I have been applying to all sorts of online writing jobs lately just to see which ones are genuine, and which ones are bogus. I have been getting tired of finding out about writers getting scammed or paid pennies for their hard work.  I applied to Ecopywriters.com because a former office-mate recommended it. She said that the site is genuine,  but work can be pretty scarce.

I applied and got accepted after I submitted a short writing sample. I was asked to choose from among three topics, and had to write so-and-so number of words on it. After my writing sample was approved, I had to go through a grammar exam. I passed the grammar exam, but I’d like to think that it was the distraction of taking it while eating my dinner was what made me score below 80%. Anyway, it was probably the impatience of going through really long sentences and figuring out which ones are written using perfect -flawless! – grammar that did me in.

As of the moment, I am a level 1 writer. There are no available jobs yet, but it looks like the site is for real. You may have to endure lower pay when you are still at a lower level. I do wonder when I will get to level 5 if work is so scarce that it is practically not available all the time.

Don’t worry about me: I have two regular home-based jobs and two part-time ones. 🙂

Wake Schedule for DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo

I only got hold of the information from Facebook. This is Secretary Jess’s daughter’s FB status last night:

“Very grateful for all the prayers and love. Fyi for those who are asking abt wake schedule, Wed/Thurs – Archbishops Palace (Naga City); Fri(starting 12nn)/Sat – Malacanang (Kalayaan Hall, open to public); Sun/Mon – Naga City (no final venue yet)”.

Edit:

Retweet @aikarobredo:

Malacanang Public Viewing Schedule (Kalayaan Hall):
Friday – 7pm to 11pm
Saturday – 8am to 530pm.

My OCD is Acting Up…

When I have nothing much lined up to do, my mind wanders to other things that I could possibly accomplish during the day. For example, today I have to proofread 5000 words of a medical article. I know I will be finished before 1 pm, though it is still due on Friday. Then, I can buy the weekly groceries. Now, what to do afterwards? I can get my much-needed mani-pedi, hopefully will remember not to get a foot spa because my feet are smoother without people trying to scrape off my skin. I will probably end up reading Hawking or Einstein while getting my feet done. I need to read lots of stuff for my upcoming thesis.

I am currently working regularly for two companies, part-time for one, and freelance for another (I have actual contracts for three home-based jobs), and still scouring the net for other jobs. There are lots of suspicious offers that I would like to prove as scams, but I would be, of course, happier if they turn out to be genuine home-based job opportunities.

Hopefully, I will get to write about these various sites and offers later on, to help other web content writers.

Updates:

submitted article, bought groceries but now too lazy to get that mani-pedi. would rather stay home to read, write and update statuses

A Little Ray of Sunshine

CRW 660	Lit. Theory and Crit	High Pass
CRW 730	Phil. Lit. Hist. and Tradition	High Pass
CRW 658	Creative Writing I	Pass
CRW 662	Creative writing II	Pass

Today, I got answers to questions in my head.

The earlier bad news just made it more difficult to celebrate the good news.

Just to record this day’s little bit of joy. I passed my MFA comprehensive exams and will soon be moving on to my thesis.

Remembering a Happy Day During a Day of Mourning

Farewell, Ninong Jess. You are truly loved by your country, especially by the people of Naga City who know more about who you really are and what you are about – servant leadership, integrity and humility.

Here’s a photo of happier times, when you personally (not by proxy!), and officially became our godfather. You simply took a bus on the way from Manila to Naga City to get to our early morning wedding on time. My brother was on that bus, also on the way home for the wedding. We used to joke about how the bus operator did not play one of his usual pirated DVDs knowing that you were on board.

Thank you for taking your time to come to our special day, five years ago.

TIMELINE: #MasbateCrash

TIMELINE: #MasbateCrash.