Talking Seriously

She’s walking towards me

| Don Normantico

I can still vividly remember this. I was excited, nervous, anxious, experiencing a plethora of emotions. It was intense. Then she entered slowly through the lace curtains. She was glowing. She seemed like a radiating star. Her elegant gown added to her overflowing aura that filled the room, and everyone was looking at her. I was looking at her. Everyone was smitten by her, and so was I. I was speechless. I felt every single heartbeat.

This time, I do not need to chase her. She is walking toward me.

His Vows

| Don Normantico

Lenn, our love story started with emojis on Skype, books, and morning kwentuhans. Our colleagues, friends, and some not-so-important people tried to stop us, but they couldn’t. We fought and proved them wrong. Nobody can stop us.

I just want you to be here by my side forever. To talk about the stars, to be my co-marites, to eat in every restaurant, to taste every cocktail, to visit all the libraries, to swim in every ocean, and to conquer the world together.

You defended me from everyone, ready to fight anyone for our love. You held my hand and trusted me with all your heart, and you did not ask for anything in return. I know it wasn’t easy. I will be forever grateful. You’re kind and sweet, smart and beautiful. As I told you before, no one can ignore your brilliance.

You’re more than enough. You are you. You are my love, my one and only, my ultimate crush, and my forever love.

Lenn, I promise you this, with God, family, and friends as our witnesses. I will be there at your weakest to gain the right to stay by your side at your strongest.

I vow to inspire you and to love you forever.

I vow to be your Chiron, who will support, guide, and motivate you.

I vow to be your Grover, a best friend and a protector.

I vow to be your Leo, to make you laugh and to adore you.

I vow to be your Percy, a partner in every adventure, to annoy you in every possible way, and to fight alongside you.

And lastly, I vow to be a loving and faithful husband, and I will honor you for all the days of my life.

I love you.

Anxiety

| Don Normantico

If you have anxiety, depression, or if you are suicidal, you need to know that being in a relationship will not save you from yourself. Worse, you will just hurt your partner emotionally. Love yourself first before looking for someone to love you. You do not want to hurt your partner. You might have the best, most understanding, and most patient partner, but if you are broken, you will just ruin your relationship. That becomes a hurtful experience for both of you. You do not want to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of your own doubts and lack of self-confidence. A lack of self-esteem will turn into jealousy. Late replies will turn into arguments. No one can endure a stressful environment for long.

Do not wait for a knight in shining armor or Prince Charming. Most likely, you will just tarnish his shield and turn his sword against yourself.

That kid

| Don Normantico

I want to be like a kid again. I want to be innocent of financial responsibilities, stressful young adult issues, unfair politics, and an unjust world. I want to be that kid who silently read his favorite science articles saved on his Symbian mobile phone and downloaded from his Netscape browser. A kid who downloaded cheat codes from cheatplanet.com to sell to his peers. An introvert who listened to Parokya ni Edgar and read Pugad Baboy comics. Teachers hated him for being carefree. He was silent. He was shy. They thought he was stupid. But he was a fucking dreamer.

PS: Happy birthday to me.

Lord, hear our plea

| Don Normantico

Forgive me for not following the words of His highness. I heard too many whispers in this world. It seems that every path has its darkness and light cannot be found. We are not seeing well enough, not well enough to see His bountiful grace. God, be our guest and lead us in the right direction of Your worthiness. Even if I am not worthy of Your healing salve, please help me, Oh Lord. Tell these people to defy the call of Lucifer scattered across this temporary world. Too many heroes are dead, and too many slaves are waiting to be saved. Unworthy as we are, with undeserved forgiveness and unearned mercy, we are waiting to be saved. Bring us home to Your kingdom. Lord, hear our plea.

War Cry

| Don Normantico

It is not about how good you are. It is about how far you can go to get better. The intense desire to learn is a far superior attitude compared to those who just want to succeed. My ambition far exceeds my talent. This fact does not make me frail. Instead, this simple truth pushes me and inspires me to constantly challenge myself. It inspires me to seek and defeat my own limits. I am not an unrewarded genius. People cannot see that I am working all alone, day and night. I am not the kind of person who strives for perfection, as I am willing to sacrifice whatever my heart desires. Failure is not an option, and when all else fails, I simply do not. Even if I fail, I can still hold my head high because I did everything I needed to do to the fullest extent, with no regrets.

You need to be conscious of your strengths and weaknesses, making yourself capable of attaining what you need, not just what you want. That is a powerful mindset. Additionally, diligence is the most important virtue for success. It is that steadfast and earnest effort to accomplish something, along with the ability to never give up. People like this are destined to succeed.

Be ambitious

| Don Normantico

Push your limits. Never be satisfied. Be ambitious. Do not conform to the norm. Threaten everyone who is on top. Work your ass off. Count every achievement and wear it with pride. Congratulate yourself. Thank everyone, but never let anyone drag you down. Leave the weak behind. Defeat the strong. Make yourself stronger. Be the strongest. Take your name to glory.

THESIS TIPS

| Don Normantico

Huwag masyadong mayabang sa thesis kasi lalo ka lang dudurugin. ‘Pag tinanong ang functions, huwag mong sabihin lahat (kung hindi ka naman grade conscious). ‘Pag binanggit mo lahat ng alam mo, yari ka kasi hindi na ‘yun ang itatanong sayo at mawawalan ka ng pang-change topic.

Tamang sagot lang. ‘Pag pina-elaborate, tsaka mo lang i-elaborate. Ang pag-e-elaborate ay parang programming: if ganito, ganyan. Again, huwag mong kukumpletuhin ang sagot mo—ikaw rin. :))

‘Pag nag-Tagalog ang panel, mag-Tagalog ka na. ‘Pag nag-English, Tagalog pa rin.

Eye contact. Kung hindi kaya, tumingin ka sa laptop at magturo-turo sa screen.

‘Pag hindi mo alam ang sagot, dapat may senyasan na kayo ng mga ka-grupo mo o pakiramdaman na lang.

‘Pag hindi ninyo alam ng mga kasama mo ang sagot, huwag kang mag-panic. Ibigay mo ang opinyon mo nang hindi straight to the point. Halimbawa: “Sa bandang ano po ‘yun,” “I think,” “I believe”—mga ganyan. Huwag siguraduhin. ‘Pag mali ang sagot mo, sorry ka na lang. More or less, sila na ang magtuturo sa ‘yo ng sagot.

ANG PINAKAHULING ALAS: “Sir/Ma’am, idadagdag na lang po namin sa recommendation.” Isang beses mo lang pwedeng gamitin ito; bawat sabi mo nito, -1 sa grade mo.

Hindi masyadong technical/codes ang mga tanong (sa panel namin at sa iba rin, maliban na lang sa #9). Ano ang kayang gawin ng admin at user? Ano ang pagkakaiba nila? Paano pumunta sa…? Ano ang mangyayari ‘pag…? Paano ‘pag…? In short, aralin ang UI, huwag masyado sa docu.

Si Sir L^ lang ang mahilig sa technical nung time namin.* Malas mo; mag-orasyon muna bago defense.

Magdasal. Dumaan muna sa chapel.

It is our choice

| Don Normantico

We cannot blame someone else for our past. It is our own choices and decisions that ruin our future. Maybe it was not a completely free choice, but handling that situation remains our responsibility. We can wake up every day regretting those choices. Instead, I prefer to wake up every sweet morning working to make things right. A perfect evening might not await me, but a peaceful night motivates me to wake up again for a brand new start tomorrow.