Rock City Life


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Wednesday, 17 July 2013

IN MY WORLD: South Africa is..






Life, like a road that seems to be a never-ending journey. Life, filled with lights and never-ending possibilities. We take them despite how dark and narrow roads we have to take, sometimes, we don't even know where to go from where we are.

South Africa, my home. I grew up in the Philippines yet I have come to know the beauty and culture of South Africa where my dreams lay and now, I considered HOME. While some people think it is where the lions and cheetahs running around, I say this is where the sun rises and come to rest.  Its glorious beauty, its nature that has surpassed what their imaginations expected how South Africa should be, its nature and its modern flare.


This is my home. This is where my dreams were molded, where my eyes witnessed those possibilities I have been wanting to grasp. THIS IS MY REALITY.

My reality consist of many different things. Some people say, you are what you eat... Well, my version is kind of  different. You are what you eat, go to and doing your own definition of adventure! As far as adventure is concern, my kind of adventure is not skydiving or mountain climbing. My kind of adventure is experiencing new cuisine, places I've never been to, MEDIA and share these experiences with the people I love. Welcome to MY WORLD.







Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Monday, 20 May 2013

I'm here at Virgin Active Gym in Boksburg... I didn't really work out that much as my body feels so heavy still. It's been quite a while since the last time I went to gym. Well, I really really need to take fitness seriously, hopefully i can commit to this one so I can blog about the transformation ;) If you know what I mean. :D

Done editing a video and I can't wait to share my journey and how Cape Town really changed my perception about things in life. It's not like I wasn't confident before... but Cape Town just did me good with "TURBO-ING" my self-confidence. Although I can never get TOO confident, I'm a very considerate person. Anyhow, to my readers, wait for the vid :)

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Why do we give up on our dreams?

It is true what they say,

"High aspirations breeds frustrations,
Frustrations breeds motivations...
and Motivation puts you into action.
but our Action determines SUCCESS."

I guess in my case, all those sort of happened that pushed me to write this article. We all know what we want in life. We all have dreams to follow but there is no guarantee of when, where and how it will happen. We all have dreams but there are circumstances in our lives that took place or is currently taking place that leads us to a decision, "Let me pause dreaming for now because reality is kicking in".

Reality is, we make our own reality. We can determine what is real or not base on how we think. How we think as an individual plays a major factor on how we react towards certain situations. I remember when I was about 15 years old, I hated my parents. Basically, I hated my life in some extent. I revolved my "thinking" to assumptions that everybody hates me and the world is out to get me. In return, no matter how good the opportunity was, or how good people were towards me, I kept on resenting everybody and possibilities as I only saw life as unfair and unworthy of trying. I gave up on life like a boat staying afloat, waiting for the wind to drag me to the shore.

We all have those moments in our lives. We tend to make excuses for ourselves and just blame it on everything... yet, sometimes blame it to someone else. How about we take responsibility of our decisions and our actions? Nobody has surely done those bad things to us if we did not let it happen or take control of our lives. How do we take control of our lives? By how we think, react and act.

"Surely your life is easier than mine. Try walking in my shoes and you will know how it feels like. Surely you would also be giving up on your dreams because your reality is different than my reality". First of all, lose all the excuses and face the reality of life. All of us have been placed on this planet with a given purpose. Our uniqueness, our different desirability, character and circumstances are what make our stories different from one another. We cannot change the home we were brought in, or parents that raised us up or that specific bad memories in our childhood that shaped our behaviour on others and about life. The good news is, we have all been given choices.

Many people do not live out their dreams because they think they have to live out the life that was set up for them. Many people gives up because they feel obligated to carry the baggage for other people. Many people gives up because they tend to believe that not all opportunities are presented to them. I feel sorry for you because you yourself feel sorry for yourself when you should be the one lifting yourself up. Why would you just accept the life that was set up for you? Shouldn't it fire you up to lead your life rather than accepting how it is? Just because you do not have the money to become who you would like to be, you are already giving up? Have you heard about successful people that grew up in an unfortunate background? Instead of feeling down because you can never be like those successful people, how about be inspired and motivated to be one. It is true that if some people would be given a chance to choose another life, another being, they would choose a different life, simply because all the good things in life are not presented to them. Guess what? All those good things you see on other people's lives, all the luxuries, the travelling-around-the-world, the expensive brands they purchase from the different corners of the world, THEY EARNED IT. They worked hard for it. I am not saying I am one of those but oh yes, I would like to be one. One of the reasons why I am sharing the power of thoughts, the power of visualization and by the time I become successful, I would like to share it with you. But for now, let us all dream together.

You see, hardwork is not enough to pursue our dreams alone. If hardwork can make us billionaires, all the maids, carpenters, farmers, etc. would have been super rich by now while those people that are sitting on top signing cheques would have been the broke ones. But unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Even if we go back to the message I was trying to come across earlier (that your thoughts are powerful), these successful people do not just work hard, they work smart. There is a difference. Working hard is simply working hard physically, but working smart involves mentally. How do we work smart if we just accept things how it is, how do we work smart if we are physically drained everyday and do not give ourselves a chance to relax, cast that negative energy away in order to work hand in hand with hardwork and working smart? Always ask yourself, "Is it really worth working this hard for other people while I have neglected my own needs and wants?" While you work, think smart. Secure your future. Ask yourself a question, "But how about my dream?"

Your passion is what determines your dream. Your passion is what usually brings happiness and light up your face. What is life without happiness? Make sure that whatever it is you are doing is what you love. The true meaning of success is being be able to bring happiness in your life. It could be your idealistic dreams, the way the world would be if you were in charge; destination dreams, that dream of a certain position, entitlement or award you have been dreaming about; or material dreams of wealth and possessions. All of those dreams bring about happiness. do not just sit there and accept life how it is. Thrive for success. Be that little kid you were who were thrived by imaginations and be whatever you want to be.

Why do we give up on our dreams? because of that little voice inside you that says "You Can't". How about you believe in yourself and say, "Oh I can....and I WILL".




"Dreams come a size too big so that we can grow into them" - Josie Bisset


Monday, 6 May 2013

How to decide when you feel like quitting...

I personally love this pic, taken by my fiance
last November 2012 in CampsBay, Cape Town
It's 12:45 in the morning, I probably should sleep as my mind had been clouded with questions the whole day. I have been asking myself questions wether I am making the right decisions. My fiance and I went to apply in AFDA, African Film and Drama Academy located in Melville, Johannesburg. I am thinking or considering of transferring over there, but there are quite certain things that bugs me. Yet, maybe that is the direction I should go to in order to achieve greatness that I want to become as a person, or maybe someday as a leader. First off, it is way more expensive to study there, BUT the quality of education is topnotch AND they have good facilities for students. I might as well get my degree in Filmmaking, that's my plan! Focus on TV Production and produce my own in a long run. Maybe a little bit of Film Productions as well. Why the hell not? It's been my passion and I'm working hard at it to get there.

Before I get completely offtrack my subject because of my excitement from this afternoon's interview, there are few things that I have to consider and make sacrifices with before I could do such things. Awkwardly enough, I couldn't help myself but daydream about the good possibilities my decision could bring. But before anything else, these are the few factors I have considered into making such drastic decisions.
  • When is the right time to quit? 
  • Will it guarantee me a good future? 
  • Who will be affected in this process? 
  • Is this what gonna make you happy? 
  • Is this going to help me GROW as a person? 
Those are the factors that really helps me in decision-making. I am not an expert myself nor have a degree in Psychology, but sometimes speaking from the heart and experiences help a lot than reading phrases from textbooks. In making decisions, we have to ask ourselves 9 times, if not more.

 Before I doze off, I'd like to share the lesson that I have learned from this experience...


GOODNIGHT :)

Those who mind don't matter.....just conquer the world with both hands! OWN the Runway!

I had been quite in a bad mood lately. I let negative comments got into me. I hardly slept at night as the voice in my head, "that negative voice" kept on repeating over and over. I let it sunk inside me until I believed that it could be true. That went on for  3 days, and it isn't right! How could someone else tell you that you are not worthy otherwise? How could you make yourself believe that "you are not good enough"? What makes them special and give them rights to make you feel inferior? No one should. Our imperfections are what make us PERFECT.

I went through my weekends with a heavy baggage inside me. In my heart, I know I have done what more than what I was asked for as a Producer of the project film we were working on. I went out of my way to produce things that are necessary for the film to operate smoothly within those 2 nights of shooting, just like the rest of the people in my crew. I am not a type of person that counts whatever it is that I do, but it got me questioned myself, "So what I have done does not mean anything to them?" "So the filming just happened because they are good with camera, recording sounds, etc?" "So the chair that's been used just happened to rock up there, the food they ate, the transportation of the equipment including the Director's and the Camera Man's lift, the casting and the rental for the car used for the film, paid with my own money!...... So it just so happened that those aren't counted as a Producer's task??! I have been told that I have an easy job because all I did was write things down. I think it has been forgotten that "paperwork" is also part of my job, not the lightings, not the sounds, not directing. I was there to perform my duties.

But I guess, at the end of the day, some people will always watch you, criticize you. I say, take those criticisms honey and put it to your advantage. It is okay to dwell with it but analyze it, learn from it, prove them wrong and it should make you THINK.. rather than just ACCEPTING it. That is not you. That is what they want you to believe you are. Always believe and know your worth, your VALUE. In any industry, in every company, school and colleges, there will always be some people who will tell you otherwise. They will make you feel inferior, point out your wrongs instead of theirs and some people would walk all over you because they see you are kind, soft-hearted human being. They see an opportunity but you shouldn't let them. It is true, criticisms are healthy. We need that! That is what would make us STRONGER. That is what would make us TOUGHER and ofcourse, next time it should make us WISER in all aspects.

Of who do we surround ourselves with?
...does it challenge us to do better?
...who is fake and who isn't?
...what do we learn from that incident?
Those are the few questions we need to ask ourselves to move forward. And remember, we should focus on what supposed to do instead of minding the negative comments MADE by other people because we went there with a purpose....and not to please everybody. I emphasized the word "made" because that shouldn't make us. Just be YOU. Do your thing and conquer the world with your both hands. Own it! Life is too short to worry about other people who do not believe in your capability. You just have to believe in YOU. Show them what you are made of and embrace those people who believe and look up on you. Like the famous saying goes,

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

In life, we all have different PLOT points set up for us... but we control the SCRIPT!

Laying on my bed...with my fiance laying next to me, sleeping. It's 6 o'oclock in the evening. All I could see from the slightly open curtains is the view from the outside, as if the sky turned into purple and there are my neighbours starting to swith their lights on one by one. . . it's a lovely neighbourhood.

Today is the day that I have proven to myself that you can do ANYTHING if you just put your mind to it. I have pushed myself to the extreme where the amount of work is no longer my enemy, but TIME.

It was a shit load of work. I would just stand up, make coffee....type out, research, listen to music at the same time, just to keep myself awake and not fall asleep. I have been working on that project for so long, if I don't manage to finish it and meet the deadline by 10 o'clock next thing in the morning, I'M DEAD! Meaning all the hardwork and burning midnight oil would just all be a WASTE OF TIME. "I can do it... if I would just plan my timing properly I will manage. Yes that's right". I kept on motivating myself like I was a basketball player and the cheerleader at the same time. I have to. I divided my tasks into sections allocated with the "estimated time" it would take to finish the task. Sometimes I would took faster...but most of the time, it did not happen according to plan. "Whatttt??? Really? You gotta be kidding me!". I looked up and checked the time and my eyes turned red as if I was about to cry when I saw its was 8:00 in the morning. It means I only have 2 hours left to meet deadline. "What now?"....

If I didn't change my attitude from "I'm running out of time' to "I still have plenty"...
If I just have given up and told myself, "Screw this!" and went to sleep instead...
If I just sat there and blame the world, nothing would I have accomplished.

The look in my face when I clicked on ghat PRINT button! It is finally done! I quickly checked the time and the clock smiled at me, "Wow... I'm 15 minutes behind". I still did it! I still completed the almost unimaginable workloads of tasks. I still printed it out and put them in a nice transparent folder. Did I complain? No! I did it... That's how I felt at the time. If I could just be so dedicated like that all the time, I wonder what else I could accomplish in life.....and so could you. We might be dreaming of changing the world we live in. The bad news is, we are stuck in it. The good news? We all have choices.

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

A Girl's Gotta Do What She's Gotta Do

 Life is a journey, not a destination, Heard that phrase before.Not just once but a lot of times...  It's like tackling a destination, but when you reach the finish line, you gotta think of something else and there you go! You are now ready heading to another journey. The journey  just never stops. Awhile ago, I was just looking through my mirror while brushing my hair, staring back at myself. I looked around me and it seemed like I have everything in life. I mean, some people out there could be dreaming the life I have at that point and yet there I was, trying to figure out what I gotta do to make my life living worthwhile. As if having a place to stay and food to eat ain't enough. Not just a place to stay, but a fabulous home. Not just food to eat, but hey, this girl has been going around places trying exquisite cuisines around towns. "Please tell me, you are happy". Yes I am and always been. But I have discovered that once you reached your goal, you must never stop right there and aim higher. We've stumbled and fallen in the past, we got to use them to our advantage and this time, make it right. Once we do it right the second time around, there is always a guarantee of SUCCESS. So I say, why the hell not?! Take a chance, take a risk... but there's always a lesson to learn each time. Life is a never-ending process of learning, a never-ending progress, a never-ending journey...


I am 27 years old now and I still go to college! I still hoped to further my education after having diploma in Media Studies/Journalism and TV Presenting. It's like a calling in my sleep, like a voice in my head that pointing me out to go to this direction... telling me fo continue as filming, editing and story-telling are my other passion. That same voice that tells me to continue. A girl's gotta do what she gotta do.....and persue! Now I'm loving the new course and I can't wait to tell my stories through motion pictures. To make others see how I see things through the screens, directing... producing and ASPIRE TO INSPIRE :)






That Girl is Me


It has been two months since I finished my TV Presenting course in Cape Town. And a lot of things happened after that too . Things uncontrollable. Some things I could say, went out of my hand. Some are bad, yet more good things appeared out of it. Cut my hair. I mean to say, cut it really short! And when I say it is short, trust me... it is SHORT. I don't know, is it a like a New Year's thing to chop one's hair off? Hmm, I don't know really. All I know, I didn't do it because it's a New-Year-Thing. I wanted to do something different, something new. Like Alicia Keys on her song, "Brand New Me".

"Don't take it personally
Don't be mad
It's just a brand new kinda me
That ain't bad
I found a brand new kinda free."

Haha. It is inspiring alright. And it takes inspiration for me to fire me up and get motivated. So what if Cape Town is more fun. But I make the best of what I got here in Jozi, I have my friends, my family and most of all... my Fiance. Yup, that is one of the uncontrollable, unexpected, spontaneous, awesome-st thing that happened to me after I got back from the Mother City! This babe right here is finally engaged. I am 26 years old, single and not getting any younger. I know how to make a living on my own since I left my mother's house at the age of 18. If there is anything I should be worry about is not getting a man that will compliment my life, day in and day out! I am content with my life right now. Renting a two-bedroom house with my fiance (Yes he moved in with me, it's not like we are living in 1800's. It's the 20th century. You gotta testdrive the car before you settle with one. Duh.) And, he's gonna marry me. I got everything I wanted in life. Or maybe not everything... but I got all I need. And that is more than enough for me. After all, Happiness is what we all seek for in life. No matter how we do, what we do... (who we do? Just kidding), we all look for happiness. And I found mine.


One and a half weeks to go, and I am pursuing another venture in life. New friends, new people, new experiences - NEW COURSE! Well, I did not come here to the City of Gold to not get what I came here for; To be in the in the Media Industry. I've done 3 music videos, I have studied Journalism and even did TV Presenting recently. Met quite a lot of Media Personalities in the past, and I am still gonna take that challenge to be that person I have always aspired to be. I am not gonna stop now. I will NEVER stop actually. So, here's to Film and TV Productions. I will be working behind the camera, but watch until I get into the front scene as I produce quality shows on TV and in the Film Industry. Dreaming much? Yes. And DREAMS DO COME TRUE. *wink*








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