The Elevator Groupie

We are all made to believe that we should be headed in the same direction, inside a seemingly restrictive box that gives us free will and enough room to either interact with or isolate ourselves from everything that is pre-conceived in this makeshift world.

 Some of us choose to look sideways, but once in a while, one person looks up, sees the bigger picture as reflected by the discerning sky and understands that if you choose to, you can step out of that box and linger for a bit.

 Do not, even for a second, think that stepping out of that box means being left behind.

 After all, people may instinctively come and go but you can be the person that decides to stay.

 Even for a bit.

 Even for that brief moment when the next box can be worthy enough to give you a meaningful lift.

-"The Elevator Groupie" @LegallyBlunt #thoughtbubbling #realityeverafter #Photords #introvertmindextrovertheart #LegallyBlunt #Photography #blackandwhitephotography #BlackAndWhite #photooftheday #digital #digitalphotography #monochrome #photoart #Poetry #TheStalkerPicsSeries #LegallyBlunt #LegallyGrunt #RealityEverAfter #writersofinstagram #fastfoodfiction #buttonpoetry #listen #findyourvoice #instapoet #shortform #instapoetry

The Awkward Dancers

One can learn a lot from the #HowToTrainYourDragon series, like how sometimes, you have to do the #facepalm and let the dragon come voluntarily to you. Or even if you look ridiculous seductively dancing, you will find someone equally ridiculous who'll be more than willing to awkwardly dance with you. -

"The Awkward Dancers"
@legallyblunt

 #thoughtbubbling #realityeverafter #Photords #introvertmindextrovertheart #LegallyBlunt #Photography #blackandwhitephotography #BlackAndWhite #photooftheday #digital #digitalphotography #monochrome #photoart #Poetry #TheStalkerPicsSeries #LegallyBlunt #LegallyGrunt #RealityEverAfter #writersofinstagram #fastfoodfiction #buttonpoetry #listen #findyourvoice #instapoet #shortform #instapoetry #Disney

The Running List

I'm running
 out of words to write,
of stories to tell,
of moments to remember,
of emotions to feel,
of tears to shed,
of hope to hold on to,
of the passion to continue,
of love to smile about,
of happiness to look forward to,
of everything that matters through and through.

But I am running towards you.
Never away from you.

You are the list that I come home to.

 You are the source of things that I need to come through.

-"The Running List" 

@legallyblunt #thoughtbubbling #realityeverafter #Photords #introvertmindextrovertheart #LegallyBlunt #Photography #blackandwhitephotography #BlackAndWhite #photooftheday #digital #digitalphotography #monochrome #photoart #Poetry #TheStalkerPicsSeries #LegallyBlunt #LegallyGrunt #RealityEverAfter #writersofinstagram #fastfoodfiction #buttonpoetry #listen #findyourvoice #instapoet #shortform #instapoetry

The Idio(ma)tic

Loving you is "like riding a bike" --- I look straight ahead and pedal like crazy, all the while fully knowing that I don't know how to ride one.

 Choosing you is like "bringing home the bacon" --- and not being able to devour it.

Being with you is like "a walk in the park" --- at twelve noon, with the scorching heat of the sun from above, and the unforgiving wind carrying dust
Being with you is like "a walk in the park" --- at twelve noon, with the scorching heat of the sun from above, and the unforgiving wind carrying dust from the ground.

People say, "Break a leg.", for good luck and I wonder, "What luck do I get when, instead, I break a heart?"

What luck do I get when, instead, I have mine voluntarily torn apart? -

@legallyblunt
"The Idio(ma)tic"
2 March 2019

#thoughtbubbling
#realityeverafter
#Photords
#introvertmindextrovertheart
#LegallyBlunt
#Photography
#blackandwhitephotography
#BlackAndWhite
#photooftheday
#digital
#digitalphotography
#monochrome

#Poetry
#TheStalkerPicsSeries
#LegallyBlunt
#LegallyGrunt
#RealityEverAfter
#writersofinstagram
#fastfoodfiction

#buttonpoetry
#listen
#findyourvoice
#instapoet
#shortform
#instapoetry the ground. People say, "Break a leg.", for good luck and I wonder, "What luck do I get when, instead, I break a heart?" What luck do I get when, instead, I have mine voluntarily torn apart? -@legallyblunt "The Idio(ma)tic" 2 March 2019 #thoughtbubbling #realityeverafter #Photords #introvertmindextrovertheart #LegallyBlunt #Photography #blackandwhitephotography #BlackAndWhite #photooftheday #digital #digitalphotography #monochrome #Poetry #TheStalkerPicsSeries #LegallyBlunt #LegallyGrunt #RealityEverAfter #writersofinstagram #fastfoodfiction #buttonpoetry #listen #findyourvoice #instapoet #shortform #instapoetry

The 2018 NYE Promise

#DearYou,

 In 2018, I made things happen because I was ready. When we find each other, I want to personally tell you about 2018 because it taught me the importance of readiness in the context of getting what I wholeheartedly want. Although last year was about getting the answers to some questions, this year was about accepting that there will be questions that need to be left unanswered and some desires that need to remain unfulfilled because I, myself, was not ready. You see, this year, I have surprised myself with how I was able to step out of my comfort zone and break the limits that I have imposed on myself. This year, I learned to let go of some fears and have begun to fully understand that my fears are not meant to limit me but to give me courage when I am absolutely ready. This year, I have finally grasped the concept of enjoying the moment, of giving in to what I once thought was a silly desire that turned out to be refiner's fire.

 "The heart wants what it wants." , I said, when a friend asked for advice on how to move forward.

 "The heart wants what it wants." , I said, when a friend asked me why I just can't seem to move forward.

 "The heart wants what it wants." , I said, when my mind cannot seem to comprehend what my heart had chosen to put forward.

 "My heart wants what it wants." , I said, when their hearts did not sync with the future, to which, I was looking forward. It is what it is, and let me tell you why.

 A few years ago, a nun whom I met in a ship during one of my solo adventures asked me, "Why aren't you in a relationship? Can you picture yourself married, with a husband who loves you, and children who mean the world to you?"

 I did not know what to say, and so I shocked myself with an answer that led her to give, probably, one of the best one liners that I have heard in my life.

 "I just want to love someone who will allow me to give all the love that I have been receiving my whole life, Sister. I have so much love to give. I hope, someday, I will be given the opportunity to be the best cheerleader that I know I can be. People will probably laugh when I say this out loud but I have been so accustomed with being the "fighter" that I wish someday, I can be in the sidelines, supporting a partner who does not need me to control the fire within me but wants me to use that fire so I can complement the fire within him, too."

 "God will not put this desire in your heart if He doesn't want you to fulfill it.", she commented. I believe her. Hey, You.

 I don't know if you believe in God, and if you don't, I'll probably tell you that God can be replaced with "your mind" and the nun's words will still make sense with some tweaking. "Your mind will not put this desire in your heart if it honestly believes that you can't fulfill it."

 I have never believed it when people say that "Everything happens for a reason." It just doesn't make sense. A very good friend of mine opined, and I agree, that the cause might be the "reason" that the line was referring to. Yeah, that makes sense. Everything happens for a reason, and the reason is some cause in the past. Nothing ever happens for a future reason. To me, things happen because of some cause and the reason, after it happened, is what we tell ourselves so we can find meaning in our suffering. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be looking for life lessons in our experiences. What I am saying is that when we encounter seemingly uncontrollable circumstances, we have to recognize that these are results of things that were either within or outside of our control IN THE PAST. What we couldn't have controlled, we must accept. What we could have controlled, we must be accountable for.

How we react to these circumstances is what gives us the reason. We can either react as victims of fate or as warriors of free will. We can either continuously ask God, or the Universe for some explanation or accept the adventure and choose to react based on our own character and guided by principles that we adhere to.

In 2018, I have re-learned to continue fighting for my desire to find You. In 2018, I acknowledge that I am the cause and reason for when I find You.

 In 2019, I promise that the "everything" that will happen for this reason will be You.

 In 2019, I will continue to be the best damn reason that You will ever bump into.

 Happy New Year, Everything.

 May 2019 be a year filled with pure desire and a fire that burns through the test of party-pooper time.

 Your future reason,
Me

The Book Club

#DearYou,

Everytime I read a book, I see my whole world expand a bit and feel my heart gain a new way to love you. Every word leads me to understanding a love that has not happened yet. Every chapter makes me believe again.

One day, these books will introduce me to you.

Your book club co-founder,

Me

The Sign Off

Dear You,

I have been meaning to tell you. I have been meaning to say that my heart has fallen prey to the hunt that was unintended, a beginning that could not be mended...

Your resolve that can't be bended.

I have been meaning to tell you, that when we laugh and share and stay, my only question is "why can't you find your way?"

Why won't you know that it was not my intention to lead you on because you lead me

and behind you, I chose to weigh?

I have been meaning to tell you of the infinitely many times that I have decided to walk away.

Of the nights that I look at you and my heart won't let me be okay.

That for years I've had my share of romantic foreplay, and with you, I have mastered the play.

A play that leaves me astray.

A strategy that allows me to define "come what may".

It did not come, and today, what "may" has become "what may not" but hey,

We're okay.

I'm sorry that I didn't get to say.

Maybe tomorrow but definitely not today.

I love you,  and I'm sorry that you probably do, too.

But our differently executed love failed to pull through.

They were not in the same way that most lovers' love do.

I love you.

I'm sorry for not telling you,

For now, Merry Christmas and a Happy New You.

Me

Pagpapaalam ng Paalam

Ikaw,

Ipinaglaban kita, paulit-ulit na pumusta. Araw-araw na nangamusta, ngunit ang tapang ay paubos na.

Panahon na yatang maghiwalay. Manatiling naghihintay o kumaway na lamang na pang-habambuhay.

Patuloy na tatakbo ang ating buhay. Lalaban ang pusong pinilit na mamahay.

Patawad, sinta, ako'y napagod nang mabalot ng lumbay. Ang dating malakas na tibok ng puso  ay kailangan nang patahimikin nang hinay-hinay.

Ito na ang katapusan ng umpisang hindi naumpisahan.

Ito na ang paglisan ng lihim na pangakong naging kalabisan.

Patawad kung wala nang mananatili, kahit ang pagkakaibigan na noong unang panahon ay sabay nating napili.

Aalalahanin ang ngiti, kakalimutan ang pighati.

Kay tagal rin na ako'y nagtimpi.

Ito na ang aking huling bati.

Ang dating permanenteng oo ay papalitan na ng siguradong hindi.

Ang babaeng hindi mo napili,
Ako

Of Promising Things

#DearYou,

Today, a promising thing was broken because "I deserve a good man." I know I have been writing to you about kindness, about how I am trying to be the best that I can be so when I finally find you, we can be the best that we can be together.

Today, I feel tired, defeated and unworthy. I don't need compliments, I don't need false admiration. I need someone who stays when things are difficult. I need someone who will allow me to be there for him when the only solution in his head is parting.

Today, I write to plead. When you find me, don't ever think that I need you to be the best to be with me. When you find me, believe that all I want is to let you be... with me.

Today, I will keep fighting when the person I was banking on just chose to set me free.

Today, I will fight for me.

Forever, I will fight for thee.

Let me be yours,
and yours, I will be.

Me

The Layers of Prayers

When God answers our prayers, He does not follow the normal FAQ template. What He gives us is a bonus question that tests our ability to think outside of our perceived scope and reminds us that we may not have solved that challenging mathematical equation yet but there is always hope.

The answer may not be clear at present but if we spend more time really thinking about it, we will find the solution , sometimes on our own but most of the time with a little help from God-sent angels that roam the Earth.

So, cheer up, lovers and friends.

We only fail when we stop trying and we only pass when we insist to keep on going.

After all, although our prayers can keep us grounded, it is real faith that enlightens us after the countless times when we feel that we've been blind-sided. 🤗

#EssayWritingContestPostGinebraChampionshipEdition

#DearYou,

Someday, I will talk to you about kindness and how there were a lot of times in my life when it felt like it has become a weakness.

Today, like some other days, kindness hurts, not because there is hatred but because there is love.

You know how you start with the best of intentions and end up giving too much that you feel empty? That's how I sometimes feel, and as much as I want it to stop, a part of me wishes that it doesn't because the feeling of not caring enough for that seed of emptiness is worse than being blind.

A few weeks ago, I had a very rare conversation with a stranger that was created in the likeness of you, and in the rawest of moments, he talked about loneliness. How we all are, even in a world where everyone seems connected, a bit lonely.

I held his hand, hoping that at that particular point in time, he knows that he is not alone, that I was there for him and with him because we all deserve to have someone who cares through and through.  He held my hand back and I thought, it can finally be true.

Yet, now, I feel a bit blue.

It is easy to be strong and hardest to allow yourself to be weak. Even when you are alone and you know that you will get through the loneliness, admitting that you might not is one of the most difficult for one's wellness.

I don't know where you are or if you sometimes feel lonely, too, but I want you to remember that you have to remain to be kind even when you are disappointed by what you thought you knew.

When you are kind, you become the silver lining to the saddest soul. When you are kind, you become the a soul that finds comfort in being true.

When you are kind, you don't need to mind and when you don't mind, it is also kindness that you will aim to find.

I will find you.

I will wait for you.

I will take care of my heart so I can be kindest when I'm with you.

I will pray for you so you can be kindest when you find me, too.

Love,
Me

#DearYou, 

Today, I keep playing memories from the past in my head, desperately trying to understand what I did or did not do to deserve a life that repeatedly fails in finding you. 

There were so many instances when I thought I was finally going to to make a breakthrough but they abruptly ended and I willed myself to make it through.

It doesn't matter how many times I fail. 

The tears I shed produce a clearer trail.

A trail that hopes to guide you when you are most frail.

When it finally happens, my love, our hearts will sail. 

We got this. 

Love,
Me

Fall's Alarm

a.k.a. Hindsight 20/20
a.k.a. Charge it to Experience
a.k.a. Subject Matter Expert Advice

1. Bago ka mag-fall, dapat konting abiso sa inaasahan mo na sasalo sa'yo. Baka gusto ka naman saluhin, hindi lang siya na-inform.

2. At kung meron ka nang naabisuhan na sumalo, huwag ka na mag-notify ng iba. Kasi yung dalawa na sinabihan mong sumalo sa'yo malamang-lamang magkakabanggaan lang habang pabagsak ka at ang ending, babagsak ka mag-isa.

3. Huwag kang pa-fall.

Una, baka risk-taker siya, biglang tumalon nang hindi ka pa handang sumalo (assuming na may intensyon kang sumalo).

Pangalawa, kung wala ka palang intensyon, tantanan mo siya. Mahabag ka.

Pangatlo, kung last minute kang nagdesisyon na sumalo, mag-sorry ka. Chances are na-realize na niyang mali ang bagsak niya.

Pang-apat, hindi ito basketball, hindi naga-apply ang fakes. Hindi pwedeng ipapahiwatig mo na magd-drive ka, magkasabay kayong aariba tapos biglang aatras ka pala habang siya lumundag na.

4. Ikaw na pa-fall, kung na-misinterpret ka (or so you claim) huwag mong sasabihin na hindi mo sinadya. Ok, baka hindi mo talaga sinadya.  Huwag mo nang i-attempt na maintindihan niya. Nahulog na nga yung tao ipagduduldulan mo pa. Sige na. Friendly ka na. Good job. Wooohoo. Hangout hangout. Yes. PBB Teens.

5. Ikaw namang pala-fall, matuto kang mag-fall with caution. Minsan, akala mo may sasalo sa baba kaya mega lundag ka. Eh wala. All systems go ka nga pero radio silence naman siya. Matutong alamin ang terrain, maglagay ng safety net kung posible o kaya ay magsuot ng parachute para matanggap ang truth.

6. At pinakaimportante, tanggapin ang resulta. Dalawa lang yan, sinalo ka ba o hindi? Kung sinalo ka, tuloy ang storya.

Kung pinabayaan kang mahulog mag-isa, tumayo ka nang mag-isa.

The Chase

#DearYou,

I'm sorry that I am taking so long to get to where you are.

Sometimes, I imagine us to be running around in circles, with me barely catching up with the you that have been trying to catch up with me, too. From afar, while the universe watches us with disbelief, the silliness of this cycle will hit us and what used to be a chase will be a kind of stillness that laughs at our inability to stay.

Someday, you will be smart enough to look my way when I am smart enough not to look away.

One day, we will not be too afraid. Instead, we will regret that with our feelings, we played, when we could have sat together under love's shade.

Today may not be that day but I promise a kind of promise that whatever happens will not fade.

Until our future romantic trade. Until we recognize that for each other, we are made.

Wait for us,
Me

#EssayWritingContest2017 - Ep. 3

#DearYou,

This year, I learned that the best way to get the answers to your questions is to ask them yourself - even if the answer is the scariest probability that you can think of.

I learned that imagined realities are worse than painful realities and that assumptions can fail you when you've built them on your own.

This year, I've hoped that I might have finally found you, in between awkward silences, moments of vulnerabilities and rationalized certainties when, truly, I ended up just finding the desire again to be with you.

I got a bit impatient, tried to force what wasn't meant. Bumped my heart, and broke it, now it's left with some fresh dent.

All I did was keep quiet even if what I wanted was to tell the universe how beautiful things turned out to be just for rent.

This year, I got my heart a bit skewed again.

This year, thrice, I believed, felt relieved, lost my heart and had it retrieved, gave it away again only to be deceived, and finally found the courage to say 'enough' and leave.

This year, I learned that there is no need for me to bleed. This year, I realized that if it was love, we will heed. And if it isn't, it can't be a need.

Find comfort in knowing that when we finally see each other, the music that is the beating of our hearts will not be silenced by the love that can't help itself but be loud.

When I finally find you, I will know that it's you. Instead of having a kind of love that asks questions, ours will be the kind that will have learned from these lessons.

When I find you, you will say that it is you. You will hold my hand and I will recognize a connection that is true.

When you find me, you will know that it's me. I will hug you tightly and you'll finally feel that it is ok to be free.

Happy New Year, You.

It's another year, another chance to get here.

Until it happens, until we happen, let's make it happen.

------
Pakahirap mag-type sa phone. I THANK YOU.

#EssayWritingContest2017 - Ep. 2

Last night, amidst the "chaos", I told myself,

 "You are very lucky, Eunice. You have friendships that endure the test of distance (among other things) and remain to be relevant when the things that used to connect you have disappeared and all that remain are love, respect and the desire to protect each other no matter what."

As 2017 ends, I want to say thank you to friends that keep the fire of friendship burning and to people who stayed, even if they had the luxury to be very afraid.

Everyday, know that I choose to stay with you, too.  I choose to choose love and when things are sinking, I choose to rise above.

To group hugs that never end, to jokes that are meant to let broken hearts mend, and to silly banters that take other people forever to comprehend... cheers to the freaking yearend!

#EssayWritingContest2017 - Ep.1

Last Friday, I was told that probably one of the biggest reasons why things have not worked out in the romantic area of my life is because being with me is messy.

I have a life that includes everyone and that is published through my online posts. It really can get very overwhelming for new people to commit to.

The biggest irony is, and my real friends can attest to this, I am very private when it matters. I rarely share personal issues, never take pictures when I am (or I think I am - but that's a different matter altogether) on dates, and even take time before I feel comfortable talking about my feelings in relation with any situation.

I avoid emotional conversations, clothe my words with sarcasm and cope through humor to make things light.  The difference between my public persona and private persona, admittedly, can get quite confusing when someone takes the time to actually get to know me.

Today, I recognize this divide and my inability to change it for the following reasons:

1. I am generally a sucker for documentation. I have always been.

Ever since I started to write on my own journal in high school, until I created my blog in college, I have always believed in capturing moments and writing them down so I can look back and remember how I felt when they happened. My feelings are my own, the fear that I will start forgetting is real. Facebook is like a diary and although I don't exactly narrate everything, they are my memory aid for the future. I may not have said it when I posted a picture of me smiling with friends on this particular day but 20 years from now, I will see what we were wearing and remember that I cried my heart out because I got hurt and still decided to smile for a picture because I knew that I was going to be ok.

2. I don't believe in burdening people with my feelings before I am absolutely sure that I can trust them with it.

Don't get me wrong, I like listening to and being there for friends but it has never been always two-way. Sometimes, I listen to understand and get to know them so that one day, I can be secured enough to let them in. I have a big group of friends with a small group that has actually seen me at my worst. It takes sooo much time before I am comfortable enough to share how I feel because when I do that, I almost always cry for the most shallow reasons but mostly, out of disappointment.

3. The hardest thing for me is to turn my back on someone or something and say goodbye.

As a true blue sentimental person, I have always lived with a belief that people have inherent goodness and that the goal is to hold on to this goodness until it becomes dominant. Some see it as a messianic complex, I see it as a choice to remain hopeful. It is true, a lot of us will never really change but there will always be some who only need to hear that you believe in them so they can finally take that leap. I want to be that someone who encourages and remains when everyone has left. My ability to be calm in the most stressful of situations is just a manifestation of my belief that things do fall into their proper places and that's how I am with people, too. I have no problems with giving a friendship or relationship everything I have, to hurt myself to exhaustion until I can't anymore,  because I don't believe in a life that does not promise redemption.

And when I decide to go, I feel that my strength failed, too. This is my greatest flaw. I feel responsible for everything that I have been involved with. I feel that, somehow, I fail when people fail.

One of my favorite moments this year happened during a normal coffee break, this thoughtcatalog article on empathy came up and I told my friend, "Buti na lang hindi ako empath. Ayoko talaga ng emotional conversations." He said, "But you are. You don't know it but your empathy is overwhelming. That's why you are able to help me and why people come to you for advice." I wanted to hug him for saying it, instead, I said, "No. I'm not. I suck at these conversations. I never know the right words and I feel so awkward." He just smiled and let me be.

I appreciated it and him because he let me be.

So, in 2017, I learned that people will misunderstand me all the time. I learned that I am like a schizophrenic package that brings people together but also pushes some away.

In 2018, I will learn to be clearer in my intent and actions but most importantly, I will learn to be more vocal and clearer about my feelings.

After all, I have all the friends that I need, and they have made it clear that I will always have them - no matter what.

There is nothing to be afraid of.

Time to win some and lose some.

#LetTheFeelingsBegin

The Façade

I will not Get my heart broken again.

I will not get my heart brOken again.

I will not geT my heart broken again.

I will not get My heart broken again.

I will not get mY heart broken again.

I will not get my Heart broken again.

I will not get my hEart broken again.

I will not get my heArt broken again.

I will not get my heaRt broken again.

I will not get my hearT broken again.

I wIll not get my heart Broken again.

I will not Get my heart bRoken again.

I will not gEt mY heart brOken again.

I will not get my heart broKen again.

I will not get mY heart brokEn again.

I will not get my heart brOkeN again.

AGAIN.

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Moves

 1. Wear your midriff-bearing top and do not maintain your inhale position.
 Bonus round: Scratch your stomach.
Expert round: Play with your navel.

 2. While waiting for food to be served and there is awkward silence, promptly blurt this out, “Hey, did you know that I make good animal sounds? You want me to demonstrate?”
a. If he says yes, demonstrate the ELEPHANT sound.
 b. If he says no, demonstrate the ELEPHANT sound.
Bonus round: Insist that he should do the sound himself.
 Expert round: Stand up and actually act like an elephant… for everyone to witness.

3. After the quite awkward elephant scenario, tell him. “Sorry ha, but promise, I’m really smart.”
Bonus round: Use the “Ako MABA” knock, knock joke.
Expert round: After he says, “Ako maba, who?” Laugh and tauntingly shout, “Wala ka pala eh! MABAHO! MABAHO! BAL! BAL!” While sticking your tongue out.

 4. “You know what I love to do? Wear wigs when I feel like it.”
Bonus round: Bring the wig out from your quite small clutch.
Expert round: Wear the wig.

 5. Emphasize every single point you make in the conversation with, “Woot woot!”
Bonus round: Do the “Suck it!” with hand gesture.
 Expert round: Do the “Woot woot!” – “Suck it!” combo. Oh, add “Boo yeah!”

 6. Nonchalantly say, “I want to get married soon.”
Bonus round: Instead of get married, say that “I think I might be pregnant.”
Expert round: Say “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

 7. On your way home, ask him if you can change your shoes because your feet hurt.
Bonus round: Wear Crocs.
Expert round: Wear socks with Crocs.

 8. While inside the car, put your feet on top of the dashboard.
 Bonus round: Adjust the side mirror using your foot.
Expert round: Adjust the aircon vent with your foot.

 9. Look him in the eye and ask, “What happened to you and your ex?”
Bonus round: Ask, “Did you love her?”
Expert round: Talk about your ex.

10. Divulge that you have either diarrhoea or dysmenorrhea.
Bonus round: Divulge that you actually need to go to the bathroom to poop or to fix your stain.
Expert round: Divulge that you have both and describe how you feel.

Bahaghari ng UP : UAAP Cheer Dance Competition 2014

The UP Pep Squad’s performance yesterday at the UAAP Cheerdance competition is worthy of the championship, if not for everything that is technical but for the much louder statement that was made. “Pantay-pantay” was UP’s battlecry along with the BAHAGHARI as its visual representation.

Everyone says that we are proud to be from UP and others assume that this is because of the alleged intellectual superiority that some, if not all, feel when they are able to pass the UPCAT - but for me, what makes me proudest to be an Iskolar ng Bayan is the community’s ability to embrace you, as an invidividual, without regard for who you are and what you have come to believe in. In UP, I learned to question my own faith, build it and make it stronger while acknowledging that how I choose to live my life is no better than how others choose to live theirs. In UP, you find yourself because no one will tell you who you are and who you should be. You can be you and UP will still welcome you with the Oblation’s open arms.

This is why being a part of Team Equality tugs our heartstrings. We know that to be a true blue Isko and Iska, you should practice what the campus teaches you – tolerance, acceptance and open-mindedness. We are a campus that does not impose. We are a campus that understands.  We are a community that celebrantes individuality and equality.