The Extraordinary Introvert

Last Sunday, January 20 th , I had one of the scariest falls of my life. As I was walking down from the stairs, I awkwardly slipped on a wet spot I had not seen, thus causing me to nearly do a full-split of sorts. Luckily, no joints were fractured and no legs were broken. Unfortunately, the kneecap area was badly bruised, thus making my entire left leg virtually injured. A lot of questions and anxiety-provoking feelings were felt after that fateful crash from the staircase. It had to happen the night before my very last first day of school of MY ENTIRE LIFE (unless I do masters of course). I was months away from marching, and with thesis and school requirements flooding my anxious self, this injury of mine had to compound my this seemingly long and heavy list of anxieties. It seemed that it was a pre-cursor to how screwed I was or could possibly be this coming semester. It’s as if the accident was a preview of what’s to come for my final ride in College. Applying Ice Pac...

2019 is still very young, and these few weeks have been mostly consisted of rest days for me. However, this down time is much needed, because as we continue on with the year, I will soon be undergoing my own “Birdbox Challenge”. (DISCLAIMER: This is not a movie review and you do not need to put on a blindfold while reading) I’m sure most of you have seen or at least heard of the hit Netflix movie “Birdbox”, starring Sandra Bullock. Honestly, I haven’t been able to watch the film, but after viewing the trailer and glancing over some summaries and movie reviews, I do know that Malorie (Bullock) had to overcome demons, which came  in various forms such as one’s worst fears, deepest sadness and greatest loss.   Now that I think of it, we all experience these. It’s what makes us human, raw and innocent. I understand that we all have our ways to cope with these daily life struggles. However, for me, I picture myself wearing that same blindfold Malorie used to fend off t...

Hey guys. I'm finally back in the Philippines, which means that I'm able to write again in my laptop after publishing the last 2 blog posts in that teeny tiny cellphone screen. As promised, here's Part 2 of my New Year blog series. If the Part 1 served as a recall of sorts to the year that was (2018), this new post will focus on what's in it for me and you this coming 2019. I will look ahead to our 2019 in the form of "Notes to Self" (aka the thing you put in your diaries). By this token, hopefully I am able to talk to you guys as well cos who knows, you may just be able to relate and use some of the self-taught advice I'm about to give myself right about now. Note to Self 1: Soo, Anuna ?  For Filipinos,  anuna is a millenial term for "ano na", or "what now". A perfect word to kickstart the year, diba? We're already a week into the new year, and yet most of us are pretty much at a blank clean slate pa rin. I don't blame...

 Happy New Year y'all!! 🎊🎆 Before we all plunge in to a new set of 365 days, allow me to recap to you guys what 2018 was for me.  To make things easier, my 2018 recap will come in the form of words. Hehe Rejection Ohh yes, you just know I was gonna go there.  There was a whole lot of this nung 2018. That girl that I was crushin' on for about a year, REJECTED. That one sem where I was about to dean's list but didn't cos of one D (I was 3.33, and the required grade to meet for DL is 3.35. So close yet so far), REJECTED. Topics and ideas for my history paper, REJECTED. When I try to reach out to a group of friends but can't seem to fit in well cause I'm an introvert or they don't even know I'm around, REJECTED nanaman ako diyan.  Even when I play basketball at our local courts, my shots would always be emphatically REJECTED.  Doubt With all these rejections coming at my way left and right, doubt crept in a lot. They say that your enemy...

As I have mentioned in my previous blogpost,  we normally think of Christmas as a season of gifts, food,  decors, and for some, travel.  I also noted on that previous post the importance of not forgetting the people we tend to neglect (security guards, librarians, etc.). Now, as we are just a few days away from everyone's favorite holiday, and since I assume that most of us are with our families in time for the 25th, that is exaclty what I wanna talk about.  The Family that Celebrates Together, is Happy Together  Now I'm sure y'all have heard of the saying "The Family that prays together,  stays together. " However, my growing up years have shown that there are different types of families all over our society.  From kids with OFW parents, to those whose families aren't intact (for various reasons), I understand that some of you may not have the luxury of spending everyday of your lives with your loved ones.  Which is why once y...

Parol and Belen at Bellarmine Field, Ateneo De Manila University IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS Ahh, it’s that time of the year. We’ve officially entered the “12 days of Christmas” stretch. We’re down to the “LAST TWO MINUTES” of our Christmas shopping, parties and get-together. Ika nga ni Doctor Strange, “We’re in the ENDGAME now”. Indeed, mid-December can be such a beautiful yet chaotic part of the month. Chaotic in a sense that heavy traffic annoys the heck out of impatient millennials as well as grumpy titos and titas coming from the South to head to that grand Christmas party in QC (and vice versa). The long lines at every Ayala or SM Mall I’ve seen thus far surely adds to the chaos. The 2-week period before Christmas is truly one of the busiest and most festive period of the year in my book. SO PANO NA PO KAYO TUWING PASKO? Yet, amidst all that, have you ever ask yourself “Kamusta naman sina kuya guard, manong at manang tuwing Pasko? Paano ...

Sup y'all!! As a novice in the blogging industry, I honestly don't know what my first post should be about. However, I figured introducing to you guys the only way Del Ro can. You see, my name's really Jake (Fun Fact: My full name's Jose Joaquin Carmelo P. Del Rosario, so it really takes rocket science to figure out how in da heck I got Jake as a nickname). It was not until high school when peeps started calling me "Del Ro", short for Del Rosario (my family name). I thought it was just a nice cool moniker that I could use during mini-reunions, casual events, and if God makes it happen, rap gigs (yes, I love rap y'all). However, as I'm about to end my College life in a few months, I figured going back to this dope nickname I introduced myself to 5 years ago. I had wanted to come up with an awesome statement that fits the "DEL RO". Here are just a couple of failed attempts "Don't Envy the Lord, Respect Only" "Dreams...