Our friends are holding a fundraiser for our dear friend, AJ Matela, who passed away weeks ago. The event is Thrilla for Matela, to be held this Saturday, September 24, 2011, 6 pm at Shift Bar. As my contribution for the 1000 Volunteers for AJ group, I will be auctioning an all-expense paid weekend here in Davao with me as your tour guide. Yes, you read that right. By sending the best bid, you will win a weekend in Davao package which includes: Manila-Davao-Manila round trip tickets courtesy of our generous friends from AirPhil Express; 3 days and two nights accommodations at a King Deluxe Room courtesy of Green Windows Dormitel; and 5 all-expense paid meals here in Davao City. The winning bidder may also request other Davao tours and adventures and I'll try to accommodate your requests. :) The bidding will starting now, September 22, 2011 and end at 11:59 pm on October 1, 2011. To get a chance to win this fabulous weekend here in Davao, follow these simple mechanics: Email me at riajose at gmail.com with the Subject: WEEKEND WITH RIA BID. In your email, include your Name, Contact Number, and Email Address. Indicate your bid and…
Category: Headline
Day 50
...and I'm still counting. I just finished watching "The Love Affair," and I am now in the middle of "First Love (A Crazy Thing Called Love)." These films are two of my most favorite romance films. I have been watching a lot of those lately because for 50 days, I have been trying to do everything there is to do to try to get over a break up. I have tried staying in for two days. I have tried going out and staying up late. I have tried watching cheesy Tagalog films. I have tried binge-ing and I have tried dieting. I have cried myself to sleep. I have tried drowning myself in work. I have posted emo messages and status updates. I have become addicted to Facebook games which I was so against before. Yes, I have tried almost everything there is to do when one is depressed or heartbroken. Kulang na lang mag-droga ako. Last weekend, we saw each other and it was then that I realized he was right. That we are not for each other. That while there is nothing fundamentally wrong with each one of us, it could have never worked out. I could have…
A Letter to My Love
Dear Love, I wanted to write this last night but the pain was just too raw. I randomly saw a link a few minutes ago and I know I had to write something. People are wondering why we broke up. While I didn't and don't want it to happen I understand why it happened. I accept your reasons. Thank you for being a great boyfriend! Even if it lasted just three months. Thank you for taking care of me, for being proud of me, for giving me reasons to be hopeful, for believing in me! Thank you for the memories! There is an endless list of reasons that I need to thank you for, most of all... I thank you for loving me and for telling the world that you do! Thank you for changing me without asking me to change! I will never regret everything we shared, I will never regret that I loved you. You have been very good and you deserve this chance to focus on you, your family, and your work. I support you and I will continue to support you for a long time. I know you'll do great. I survived Day 1 without you.…
Business Cards
There was a time when I didn't like bringing calling cards (or business cards) to events and meet ups. I tried to avoid giving away my contact information to random people to avoid being contacted by annoying or stalker-y people. But I have realized that having a business card handy is advisable for people who freelance like me, or who like networking with a lot of people. After all, I get a lot of opportunities just by giving away my card and making that distinct impression on people when I give away my card. My new set of calling cards is by April of Artisan Design Studio. I had her print a two-sided card for me. On one side are my credentials as a member of Junior Chamber International Davaoeña Daba Daba along with my relevant contact information, my photo, and our organization's website. It uses a generic JCI business card template. On the flip side, I have a bit of my credentials as a professional blogger, as a social media consultant and marketing officer, and as a lifestyle columnist. Under each specialization, I put in the organization where I am associated with and the link to that organization's blog…
My 29th Year Part Deux
Despite the illness, the challenges of my house arrest, and the extra safety and health precautions I have to take, I am very grateful to be alive. There was a change in me. and people noticed. I gained a ton of weight, around 20 lbs. And then there was less drinking, less night outs, less stress, and less work. While I was sick, I had to skip a lot of events and was given less workload. While resting, I pondered on a lot of things like love and relationships, forgiveness, letting go and moving on, and many other things about life and dealing with its challenges. This was when I accepted that I couldn't control a lot of things in my life and I accepted it, not quite wholeheartedly, but there was acceptance. I realized that there was really nothing else I'd like to do more than to write. And I told myself I was going to be ok as long as I can write and share my crazy thoughts to the world. I was allowed to go to Metro Manila with the Avatar Media Team for WordCamp Philippines 2010. I delivered the opening remarks to the event and was…
Exclusively Dating
I used to wonder what "Exclusively Dating" means. It's one of the relationship status options of some social networking sites. And some friends told me that's their relationship status. I found it stupid and illogical to exclusively date one person without committing to that person. Now I understand. I am currently "exclusively dating" somebody and I'm happy about it. It's been more than a month but we're not quite a couple yet. He's a stickler for details and dates and stuff so we're not yet committed. He wants to wait out a couple more months before we can say we're a couple. Every now and then I jokingly ask him when he's going to let him be my boyfriend. He say's on the third month. So I have a month or so of waiting to do before I can say he's my boyfriend. We're doing great. A few bumps and kinks here and there. I am not used to relationships and he has some expectations that I have not been able to deliver thus far. But we're both trying. And it's been good. I hope we reach the second and third month marks, maybe then sasagutin niya na ako. Then,…