In between Cups of Coffee and Tea

I've been spending days in a particular coffee shop to finish work that I need to do. Luckily, I am surrounded by people who are working on their own goals, making this whole ordeal easier than it actually is. The baristas already know us by our names and we know them by theirs. It has turned into a sort of home.

In between my work and the failed attempts to keep myself off the internet, I find myself looking around me. I've memorized some of the posters and the artworks that envelope us. More than that, I've built relationships with these new friends who will soon become doctors and lawyers. We do share stories in between studying and working but more often than not, it's a quiet kind of camaraderie as every single one of us wants to hit a particular goal. Even if I sometimes feel all alone here, their mere presence calms me.

Yesterday, I spent time alone in a whole new area where I saw new sets of people. Some had their business meetings while others were spending time with family. But I remember two girls sitting right next to me, sharing stories in hushed voices while sipping their tea. I liked it.

It's good to just sit and talk with someone. I miss that the most. I know I'll go back to that kind of life soon. As of now, this is what I have -- quiet people buried in thick books or typing away on their laptops as screens glow on their serious faces. I'm one of them now.

It's just me, my laptop, my orange highlighter, and copies of my interviews with 45 women. They're all I have right now. And I'm making the most out of what I have.

"When you realize there's nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." - Lao Tzu

Soul Mix - Move Your Soul

SOUL MIX is a one-hour show featuring inspiring music and issues relevant to the youth of today. Alternating hosts are Rizza Diaz, Lala Jara, PJ Lanot, and Mikee Lee. Catch Soul Mix every Saturday at 8am on TV 5. :)

Tick, Tock. Sweet 26 will Rock

Tomorrow means a lot to me.

It's bidding farewell to my 25th year which has been the most colorful year of my life by far. It had hues seemingly darker than black and colors of the most vivid rainbows put together. In the rush of things, I caught a sliding door to ride a train and it has been one fast roller coaster ride since then.

While work and visions of my career may be falling into place, a major change has occurred in my life and the very observant ones were able to take note of it. I have not written about it because I decided to take in the pleasure of privacy, enjoying my right to keep certain things to myself. I have not spoken much of it either because of the same reason that I want it quiet and peaceful just as how it was when it happened. Since the start of the year, there have been good days and there have been bad ones. But it's a choice already made and everything else just follows. I take in both the good and bad because that is what life is about. Having said that, the rest of the world has been generally good and wonderful, of which I am very much thankful for.

On a lighter note, I find it funny how people annually ask me about my age a few days before my birthday, as if I have this birthday radar flashing before me. Knowing me, maybe I do have that twinkling excitement in my eyes whenever my birthday is about to come up. Let's blame it on my fantastic family and friends who have pampered me with surprises since adolescence.

Last week, it was an adorable Grade 2 student who approached me in the middle of Spanish class. I sensed her presence as she stood beside me to whisper:
"How old are you, Ms. Lala?"
I whispered back, "Today I'm 25. Next week, I'll be 26."
Her beautiful eyes opened wide, "It's your birthday next week?"
I laughed and said, "Yes."
She replied with even more glee, "Happy birthday! Are you excited to be 26?"

"Are you excited to be 26?" was a question that I never really expected from a seven-year old. It was a very pleasant surprise. I answered her with all honesty, absorbing her excitement and mixing it with mine, "Oh yes, I am!"

And to myself, I say it again. Yes, I am.

If I were to write about this in the way one of my favorite authors would, I'd say:

Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.
There goes the alarm clock.
It's time to rock in my own sweet way.
As tomorrow becomes today.

And if I have any birthday wish, it's just to receive heartfelt written words. Make me laugh or make me cry as long as you move me with sincerity. :)

Planet Zips on Inquirer.net

Lawrence Casiraya of Inquirer.net interviewed members of Planet Zips Philippines: Regie Tongol, Doran Sordo, Lala Jara, Jamie Jarabejo, & Ramir Recinto

Fire Performance by Planet Zips Team at Bel Air 3!

At the start of the video is Desiree Uy's HOT fire performance whose birthday happens to be TODAY! :)

Kate: Not Single and More Fabulous

There are particular individuals in high school who simply stand out from the batch because while most are in awkward transition from girlhood to womanhood, they effortlessly glide through it all. They're just cool like that.

One of them is a dear friend named Kate.



She not only has that X-factor but she has it with an extra UMPH. Others may attribute her incredible hotness of being to her flair for fashion but she simply is hot even when she's wearing a shirt, a pair of jogging pants, and rubber shoes. With that, I think that if you got it, you got it.



But more than all these first impressions, she's a much deeper person who makes life lighter for many. She listens intently and understands completely. Her positive vibes draw people toward her. She also has the ability to adapt to any situation. Whether she finds herself in a very important occasion or just hanging out in a laid back place, she holds herself well.

And then once you think you already know her at first glance, you'd get surprised if not shocked at how funny she can be, which seems to be one of the trademarks of the women she hangs out with. Hers is a kind of humor that's unexpected.

All by herself, she has her very own Katie antics. Once those eyes begin to twinkle, unpredictable mischief looms around the corner and others are no longer sure what to expect a second after.



It's like watching a Queen sit on her throne, then suddenly jump up and say a joke out loud to the court, and sit on her throne again as if nothing happened. She's regal with a hint of play. And if poise could be likened to a baton, Kate would be the master baton twirler. She would hold it in her hands, tip it a bit with a little tease, throw it in the air, then catch it and take a bow.

If she believes in something, she works hard for it and gives it ample time. This includes her love, family, friends, career, and her crowning glory -- her hairstyle. If there's anything that is expected to constantly change in her life, it would be this last aspect. And because of her, I could attest that a beautiful woman remains as such whether her hair is short, long, with bangs, without bangs, layered, straight, curly, semi-curly, and the list goes on.

As a friend, what makes her even more endearing is her ability to listen to woes without prying. Rather, she allows you to share only as much as you'd want. But then you end up sharing more anyway because you'd feel her strong empathy and open-mindedness about life. She has her own takes on particular matters but allows you to be who you are.

Now that we're already young adults, with most of us living through the so-called crisis of quarter life, she has once again already gone past through all that. In fact, she has answered one of the major questions women of our age usually think about.


She took the jump to the ultimate commitment of forever, which may be sad news for other men but the best news for her and the man of her life.

And that's Kate. She may not be posted on a billboard (just yet) but she walks, breathes, and reminds us that being married is as fabulous as being single. :)

Adapendability

If there is that single person you would want to drive you home safely when you've had a long night out and all you can possibly do is crawl to your bed, you'd want that person to be her. Yes, that particular designated driver happens to be a she.



She's known as Ada to her family and friends, which would be the root word of the new term I coined for her: Adapendability. Simply put, she's the person you can depend on for so many things. Driving you home safely is just one of them.

If you feel down and just need to get out of a rut, she’d do the following for you: pick you up from your house, drive you to wherever time will permit, and just let you be. She'd let you talk, cry, or be silent if you want to. But if she can’t be there in person, she’d give you a call to make sure you're A-ok.

She's the youngest among her girlfriends in terms of biological age but she's not the type who needs any babying. In the contrary, she's the one who makes sure everybody's all right. It's amazing how she's genuinely happy when others around her are happy. If everyone could learn to be happy like that then we’d fill the world with happiness instead of keeping on pursuing it.

As the eldest of four kids in her family, she is the epitome of the Filipino concept of "Ate". She enjoys hanging out or just hanging in their home with all her cute little siblings. She runs errands with or for them without any complaints. I should actually take note that "these cute little siblings" of hers are all starting to grow bigger and taller by the minute and they're no longer the little kids that they used to be.

It has been said many times that time flies fast because it really does. I’ve actually met her when we were little kids ourselves, playing patintero and touch-ball during lunch break in grade school. And I've seen her bloom in college and at the big world of work. A person who stands and lives by her principles, her continuous blooming is a certainty.

While many of her girlfriends eventually mastered the art of talking seventy thousand words per minute, she has mastered listening and absorbing stories of the same speed. She remains to speak in her own manner when it's her turn to talk -- calmly, chronologically, and thoughtfully. Her belief is that if nobody kept quiet to listen, we’d all end up not understanding one another. She's a listener as much as she is a giver.

She may come off a little shy for some but that’s just apparent in the beginning of friendship. I could attest that she is highly expressive of herself and her feelings when it comes to her close friends and family. Or when a bit of alcohol enters the equation.

Currently, she balances her time with corporate work, MBA studies, family, friends, and her own businesses on the side. Whether that list grows longer soon or not, she remains to be happy little miss Adapendent.

From her, I witnessed how a dreamer can still be very pragmatic. She fulfills her dreams by setting a big goal and targeting smaller goals along the road. And sometimes she literally targets things seen on the road and hits that bull's eye at a young age.

Being the private person that she is, you’d have to break into her shell to see the beautiful soul within. I’ve been doing it for the past years and just like any other shell, I’ve seen how breaking it makes my friend even more real and endearing.

Sarah Amelyn and Her Beautiful World

I am blessed to have a dear friend whom I first met in 4th grade and have kept through high school, college, and beyond. If there's a single line that I could use to describe her, it would be this: The Woman with the Purest Soul.


She is dedicated to her passions. She lives up to them in a weekly manner by spending time with children in various communities. She loves deeply. She loves her family, her friends, her country, humanity, and the man of her silent dreams. For those who have just heard of the term silent dreams, they work just like silent television shows where you simply watch and understand everything. No questions asked.




Sincerity is part of her charm. Upon arriving in a party, she once candidly said to one of our friends, “You have the same dress as Lala!” and it didn’t sound a bit mean. And even if the dress actually belonged to me, the entire ordeal came out as hilarious primarily because the comment came from her. You should meet her to feel that particular vibe. She's funny without trying.

If you find yourself in a large but comfortable group with her, she can figuratively kill you with her semi-harmful jokes and out-of-this-world comments. And this mannerism of hers sometimes merits a famous response: “That’s not very nice.” She would laugh that off and make even more jokes. She does not stop when she’s on a roll so her friends prepare themselves from falling off their seats or gagging from laughter.



This does not remove the fact however that when you get to talk to her on a more personal level, she will listen to you without judgment and make you recognize for yourself what it was that you needed to discover in the first place. If you get to talk to her in a one-on-one conversation, you are bound to feel light and positive about yourself and about the world.

She has clearly delineated ignorance from innocence – that you need not have the former to be innocent. From her, I witnessed how a person can be exposed to the multiplicity of reality and still remain intact with her core. That is why she’s the purest.

And also because she’s the purest soul I know, it does not make sense that vanity is the devil’s favorite sin. I think that the devil’s favorite sin ought to be greed, of which she does not possess a single drop in her blood. She gives everything she can give – her time, her thoughts, and all her efforts if there is a need for all those.

She loves photos as much as she loves flowers, strawberries, and looking at gorgeous legs of women. Yes, of women. It’s a pastime that I think is much better than making fun of other people.

She loves beautiful places and faces. At most, she loves gazing at them. Again, there are times that she would verbalize her admiration for faces of women. I would like to point out however that she does not have any inkling or desire to be with a woman other than shop, talk, dine, or go to the beach with her.

If there is a reason big enough to move her, she writes about her reflections and sends them to people whose reaction is nothing less than awe and gratefulness. She gets published when she wants to and touches more lives in that way. But more than that, she touches lives of those immediate to her. The people she has worked with, has lived with, and has grown with can all attest to this.

Since I cannot write everything about her, I will just let her be. And that’s the entire point of her beauty and purity. She simply is.