My Broken Self-Belief

I made the same mistake twice today... It's frustrating... Especially when you're trying to redeem yourself... I wish I could scream out loud... But I guess this is why I'm writing at this moment... This is how I'll do it, instead...

I've lost faith in myself...

I've come to that realization sometime in the middle of this journey... My med school journey... I've fallen so many times on this path, and the fall just gets harder and more painful each time. But today was such an affirmation. Like I said, I made the same mistake twice today... It's like I've lost trust in what I know too much... And THAT kept leading me into committing more mistakes. Yes... This journey made me into such a broken person... 

Lesson of the Day:

FOLLOW YOUR GUT INSTINCTS!

Today, I may have affirmed the fact that I don't believe in myself anymore... BUT... 

IT ALL ENDS TODAY!!!

I will stop trusting what other people say.

I will stop doubting what I know.

I will start relying on ME, MYSELF and I...!

Okay... That's it... I'll stop screaming now...

The Way You Look At Me

DISCLAIMER: Do not be fooled by the title of this entry...

That phrase usually signifies something sweet... It might even remind you of local artist Christian Bautista's first hit record... Yes, it's a good song. Yes, it's a love song.

But NOT in my case...

By this time you already know that if I write something, there are things that MUST be said. And today's just one of those days that just triggered me to do so. I'm actually in the middle of studying Cardiology but my mind just can't stop thinking about what happened today. Though my day started out pretty well because I got to saw this guy (who my friends are rooting for), the events as the day progressed got me feeling giddy, disappointed, frustrated and paranoid (yet again) all at the same time.

I was about to finish another blog entry about today when I realized... I need not go into details... Which was pretty much what that other entry had... What I really want is to just get these feelings off my chest so that I could get back to what I should be doing...

WHAT THE HECK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?

I do not mean that in an argumentative, yes-I-am-angry sort of way. I'm not mad... I don't even want to argue. I just want to know what happened... I tweeted this moments before starting this entry:

"You look at me as if you didn't start our first conversation... As if I didn't give you what you asked of me... As if we were strangers..."

Is that what we've become? STRANGERS? I mean, The Chosen One and I were never close, I know... But with the very few encounters (a couple, to be exact) we had since I got back in school, I've been getting this vibe like we were never classmates for a whole year, like he never drank the water I was drinking during our Christmas party just so he could give me a swig of his beer, like we didn't have our own moment a few minutes before a major exam... Like he never knew me...

COME ON, MAN!

What happened? Was I the only one keeping track last December? Because, honestly, I felt like I was the only one... Okay, let's not count my friends here... But... That was my month with him...

DECEMBER WAS MY MONTH WITH YOU...

I'm still not mad... Seriously, I'm not. I'm just trying to figure out why he looked at me that way at lunch... It was somewhere in between a sharp gaze and a blank stare. So damn cold... It pierced right through me as if its only purpose was to make me bleed... And then this afternoon, why can't he look at me when I asked him something? Yes, I get that my friend started the conversation but, excuse me, I was also there.

Looking back at those encounters, I can't help but conclude that he has read my previous entries and that he's mad at me for telling the truth. Sometimes I wish we could bump into each when we're both alone just to see if he'd say something... But from how I see things right now, I feel like he won't.

Yes, I felt giddy after seeing him today... I was so giddy that I posted that as my Facebook status as soon as I got back here in my dorm room. But after more than an hour of sleep, that feeling went away as if my senses were knocked right back into me and all that was left was nothing but unanswered questions.

To TCO... Again, if you stumble upon this... PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME... I know you don't like the serious stuff but I'm hoping you could make an exception... Even if I know I don't deserve being your exception. It's not that I'm getting tired of wondering what happened. I just want to start a friendship with you, if that's possible. Based on the few conversations we've had, I know we could be good friends. I think I've said that before in my letter addressed to you... And deserves to be said again. The friendship is a possibility... It's what I'm hoping for...

You are in control... Since the beginning... It has never left your hands...

One Hello From Paranoia

Writing that previous post, I thought I'd be ready for what might happen just in case he reads it...

I thought wrong...

This afternoon... A friend of mine and I were walking outside the school, talking about him... The Chosen One... My friend was telling me that she preferred The Other Guy (to refresh your memory, I'm referring to the barista) because she thought he looked better than TCO. I told her I already forgot about him since he already made his "in-a-relationship" status official on Facebook and I felt like I had no future with him since he's WAY younger than me. But my friend kept on insisting, defending her side with the "looks" argument. Of course, I defended TCO. But just before the words escaped my mouth...

Lo and behold!

From afar... A few meters from us... Crossing the street... There he was... I suddenly felt my chest tightening with this burning and aching sensation as if all the air escaped out of my lungs... I quickly started thinking, "Oh my gosh... I've pictured this scenario in my head many times since classes started... This is it...!" Another student was walking in front of us so he blocked him from my view as he reached our side of the street but when he passed by that student... I looked at him and gave him a smile and a wave hello. He said, or more like what I heard from him was, "Aix..." He waved but he didn't smile.

I think it took a few steps from that moment before I was able to take a deep breath... I didn't know what to think of that encounter, whether I should be ecstatic or be disappointed... Well, being emotionally chaotic, I felt both... I was ecstatic that I was able to say (or wave) hello to him... But disappointed at how he greeted me... I've greeted quite a number of our former classmates before and they all didn't hold their smiles back. But him... Wow... And that's when I started thinking...

Did he read my blog?

Having a mind prone to overthinking things, it's natural for me to become paranoid... I just might be jumping to conclusions that he DID read it... But getting that reaction from him just led me to assume he did. My friend and I did nothing but talk about that encounter when we got to this cafe we were headed to when we saw him. I told her that he might be thinking, "The nerve of this girl to greet me after what she wrote about me!" Maybe he just acknowledged me because I greeted him first and he felt obliged to say hello back at me. Is that it? Is that what he did? Oh... No...

My friend asked me about the last blog I posted so I let her read it just so I could get her opinion... What if he read it? How would he feel? Will he be mad? Will he be sad? Will he feeling nothing? Will it boost his ego? After she read it, she told me that if she was him, she'd feel like she's at a loss not being able to know that I had those feelings... I wanted to believe her... But then again, she's my friend...

If I were true to my words, this post would never exist... But when it comes to matters of the heart, I can't seem to keep the promises I make to myself.... So, the last post about him? That's my bullsh*t... I'm not yet over... This will never be over... And I don't know when all THIS will finally be over...

Oh, by the way... That moment when I was about to defend TCO's looks to my friend? What I was about to tell her was...

I love his smile...

All Boxed Up

2nd of June 2014, 23:18H

This is long overdue. I've been wanting to write this... My supposed final post about The Chosen One... I guess my mind wandered off, trying to move on from my tragic fall. I intentionally kept my mind off things that could remind me of my failure... Including him. I, somehow, succeeded. I drowned myself in things I wanted to do in the time I was given. I even shifted my attention onto somebody else... But that's another story to tell...

A few weeks into my summer vacation, I dropped by the school to give presents from our family R&R to a couple of my friends. But that wasn't the only reason... There's an unopened gift left in my locker. It's been there since the beginning of the year. At that time, two and a half months have already passed... It's high time I got it out of there. 

A reminder of what was never expressed.

After catching up with my friends, I went to my locker to get that gift. As I opened the door, it was, like, things started spilling over... I guess they're more like feelings... Feelings I let out but was forced to push back in because I was led to believe that they were worth letting go of. I stared at the box for a couple of seconds thinking, "This is it. This gift will never serve its purpose."

It's a sad thought, really. Gifts are meant to be opened so that the receiver could feel how special he/she is to the giver. They're supposed to give happiness to both of them. But since the present remained tied up, all those feelings will also stay in there all boxed up... Just like the feelings I felt (and, maybe, still feeling) for him.

I'm holding back tears as I write this, listening to the artist he recommended (which I also used as an excuse, a very lame one, to get a conversation going over the Christmas break... Such a failure, though.) It's torture... But I guess when it comes to these things, I can't help but let myself feel the sadness, the hurt, the disappointment as intense as possible so that, in one fell swoop, I can move on without JUST SAYING I can move on.

Now... The night of the first day back in school... I was trying hard NOT to write this because I know I have to focus on my academics... But I just can't help but think about what I thought of last night...

"There's a chance I might see him tomorrow."

He's already a semester ahead of me... But I remembered my brother telling us what rotation comes after what... So, in a non-"stalker" kind of way, I knew what rotation he's in now. Walking to school this afternoon, I was feeling a bit jittery... That's where my jitters came from... Not because it was the first day but because of the thought that I might see him... As I entered the building, I took a chance and decided to pass by the area where he might be staying, where I might see him. But I kept my eyes steady. I didn't look around. I was thinking, "If I see him even if I wasn't looking, then fine. If not, then it's fine, too." The latter happened, though. 

I was a bit disappointed, to be quite honest. Of course, I wanted to see him. It's been more than three months. Seeing him in photos posted by a former batchmate of mine who happened to be his groupmate wasn't enough. Seeing how he was doing through his own posts on this certain site (NOT Facebook... We're not Facebook friends... Yes, that's a clue.) wasn't enough. And because I wasn't able to see him this afternoon, I suddenly had the urge to check his account tonight especially since I haven't seen any of his posts lately. He had a few since his last post that I saw. But even that, giving in, indulging myself into something I was trying hard not to do, wasn't enough. That was the last straw. I already lost focus on what I was studying... Thus... This post. I had to let this all out... And after months of not being able to find the right words to write, they all came crashing down on me on that single moment of indulgence.

I told myself that I wanted to start this semester on a clean slate because I badly need to keep focused on my studies. That's what I plan to do. I don't think I'm failing at that plan. Maybe that slate is a new one... And I still have the old one in hand, stained by the past.

I'd like to close this chapter now... I'd like to take that final bow... I'd like to think this is the purpose of this post... I'm just not sure if I'll be able to keep my word. Tonight's sudden gush of emotions felt like an admonition. Come to think of it, not all endings are true endings... Some have cliffhangers... I'm not a fan of them, though. I don't like hanging onto something, not knowing what could lie ahead of me. But I guess it's time to get used to it. Maybe in the long run, I could forget how it feels to be left hanging.

I've said this a few times before... My friend/life adviser told me that he can easily pick things up... So, TO YOU... Just in case you decided to read what I have posted (nope, I'm not going to say "just in case you STUMBLE upon this..." since I posted this on every social networking account I have), this is what's going on in my head. That's what happened... THIS is how you made me feel... Whether you decide to take pride or take offense in what I've said, it's all up to you. I'm not starting any drama. I'm just telling the truth... The truth about how you made me feel.

I'm sorry...

Thank you...

Though the gift remains unopened, I guess my feelings aren't all boxed up anymore, huh? 

Mark This Day

I was at the dorm today... Again... I got more stuff, the important ones, that might help me recover from my situation... YES... I have decided that TODAY would be the first day of me moving on from what happened.

While waiting at the dorm, I was able to finish another blog entry... I wrote something about what happened while I was there... Something that made my heart quite happy... I wrote down almost every detail of what transpired while everything was still fresh. A few minutes after posting that entry, I removed it. It was supposed to be the very first post about this certain person. I, actually, felt bad after taking that post down because, being the sentimental person that I am, it was a "milestone" post. But I guess I still wasn't ready to post something about him... And after reading that post, I knew he deserved better writing than what I came up with.

Where am I getting at here? Well, I guess you could say that what happened this afternoon made me realize that I should just focus on the good stuff to negate the bad ones. The following is an excerpt from the post I took down:

'The dorm... My school's vicinity... I just recently referred to this area as "ground zero" but I'd like to give new meaning to that label now... GROUND ZERO... The place where EVERYTHING happens. Yes... Everything... From the good times to the not-so-good times... But since I feel like I'm on the road to recovery, let's do "the good times." '

I'm gradually getting my groove back... Slowly going back to the old me... The me who sees things in a positive light... Yes, I might still feel that pinch... It's still inescapable at this point. But I guess the entry I wrote last night was the final release of the remnants. Plus, people seemed to have more positive words for me after they read what I shared which gave me a boost. Again, I heartily thank them for lifting my spirits.

This is it... There's no turning back... If ever I do turn back, I might actually be far along the road to my recovery... I'm excited... I look forward to the day I'll be back to my old self again.

By the way, the original "Mark This Day" entry is saved as a draft... But it might never see the light of day... Whatever happened today will forever be a mystery...

The Dust Is Yet To Settle

I went back to the dorm this morning to get some stuff. I always looked forward to the ride going there... It gave me time to do nothing but think... About random stuff... But this time, all I could think about was the upcoming post promotion board removal exams... Which I won't be taking... Which I wished I will be taking... It seemed like every thing I saw reminded me of my situation and how I wished it was different. The whole trip (well, almost) I kept thinking, "I wish I was studying for something right now."

Yesterday, out of impulse, I went to the Starbucks store where my some of my friends were studying for the post promo exam. It was the first time I saw them since my "disastrous downfall." It was really nice to see them... It's always nice to be with people who know and understand what you're going through... What I'm going through... What was supposed to be a quick visit turned into hours of chat and advice-giving (NOT academically-related advice, though). Gosh... I missed having carefree conversations...

So this morning when my bus passed by the street where that Starbucks store was, I wondered, "Are they studying there right now?" I wished I could see them again but I know I'd be bothering them so I resisted the urge to ask where they were. As the ride went on, it passed by another Starbucks store along the highway... I looked and tried to see if it was full or if there are any students studying there. My mind's really fixed on the upcoming exam... Then... One thought entered my mind... "I wish I was numb."

As I got off the bus, I started becoming conscious of my surroundings, especially when I started seeing students from my school... It's like one big affirmation... I am here... I am back...

When I got to the dorm, I didn't go straight to my room. I stopped by the laundry shop to pick up my clothes and pay for their service. I saw my uniforms hanging on the rack... There were three sets... One for each pre promotion board removal exam I took. I looked at them and started thinking of them differently... They were my armors during last week's battle. The blood has been washed off but the memory remains... I got defeated... I looked away after realizing I was going down that familiar slump again. I, somehow, regained my happiness after spending some time with my friends yesterday that I didn't want to go back to feeling down again... I had to fight the feeling... But it was just hard to fight it being at ground zero.

After getting the stuff I needed, I immediately left the dorm, not because I didn't want to be seen by my other friends who were still within the vicinity but because being there still gives me that tinge of pain. It's still fresh... But I have to face it... It's my reality... THIS is my new reality. Though it hurts, I have to deal with it. I've made my bed and now I have to lay in it...

"The harder I fall, the STRONGER I become."

I posted that last week on my Facebook page. Now, as I look back, I feel like saying to myself, "Ha! Talksh*t!" I don't feel strong at all... But this is what I want to believe... Maybe I'm not yet strong because I'm still recovering, trying to heal the wounds from my defeat. Maybe after this resting phase, that's when I'll be back... That's when I'll come out... Stronger than ever.

Left Behind: Words of a Wounded Soul

22nd of February 2014

I just came from a war... That was quite a war I fought. What was supposed to be only a week-long battle extended into two... Today was the last day... Some came out of it feeling like there's still hope... I, on the other hand, came out badly burnt, bruised, bloody and everything else in between, with no hope for me to hold on to...

I LOST...

I might be calling this too early but somehow, I've lost the will to hope for the best. Looking back, I knew this was going to be quite a semester. I was afraid of this semester... Because this semester last year was when I got held back. For the second time. I guess I was dismissing that feeling the whole time. I wanted to change my fate. But I kept giving in to what I wanted to do instead of doing what I needed to do. I have no one else to blame but myself. So... I am here... Again... Déjà vu... The one I didn't want to have...

"The time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted."

I think I saw that quotation posted on my news feed by one of the pages I'm following on Facebook. Now that I'm at THIS point, I know I've wasted a lot of time... BUT I don't regret a single minute of my "wasted time". I spent them all with the people I want to be with, and doing things I never got to do when I was at the age when I was supposed to do them... I remember telling a friend of mine a couple of days ago, "My social life improved but my academic life suffered." Now, THAT'S the downside of it all... Whoops! Stop imagining nights out with friends and doing stuff I don't normally do... When I say "social life", I meant my world got a little bit bigger this semester. I had a lot of time on my hands and I took advantage of it in a different way... I met new people... Started doing THIS, blogging, once again, adding more entries here and starting a new blog inspired by "The Other Guy"... And, the one that affected me the most, "The Chosen One". I'm not placing blame on anyone, just to clarify things... It's still ME who has the problem. I guess my Instagram account would be the perfect reflection of what happened to me these past few months. I admit it... I LOST FOCUS... And it was already too late when I realized it. 

A couple of days before the week of our final exam, I was ranting to my friends because someone said some things to me that really got me down and made me feel like they've lost their faith in me. Then my really good friend/life adviser said something that really hit me hard, "I'm going to ask you this, Aix. What's the problem? Are you really doing and giving your best?" Just like that, he snapped me back to reality. Am I really doing my best? I did a quick flashback on my academic life. I never really did my best on anything but, somehow, and I say this with modesty, things just kept falling where they're supposed to... Until I entered med school. Four years into this and I feel like I'm still adjusting... It's so weird... I guess this is the consequence of NEVER having study habits.

My friend made me realize that I haven't been doing my best at all... I knew I wasn't pushing as hard as the others despite the fact that the competition was fierce. I was afraid I'd get burned out so early in the semester. It happened to me once during my 2nd semester in 2nd year. That time, I already got held back for one semester. I knew I had to hustle so I did. I thought I wasn't going to last. In the end, I took only one removal exam... 

I knew what I had to do... I told myself that I'd do what I did that semester in the succeeding ones... I knew I had to go through all that sacrifice again... Because I knew what the outcome would be... But I didn't do it. I easily gave in to my distractions and kept my mind busy with other things that shouldn't have taken up space in my head. Like I said, it's too late... And now I can't do anything about it.

I guess the only positive thing I can take from this heartbreaking situation is the overwhelming support I got/I've been getting from my friends. I told myself I won't cry over what happened to me because I knew I'd lose my strength, physically and mentally, if I did. I stayed strong. But on the first day of the pre-promotion board exam week, I posted something that got an unexpected response. Good thing I saw it after the exam because I broke down... I broke down hard... I knew I had a small chance of passing that exam... I was already believing I was going to fail it because I wanted to get ready for another subject that I had a feeling I was also going to take the removals in... But that post and the people who responded to it made me lose it. From that day onwards, I started losing my strength but it was them that kept me alive... 

As the week went on, I started realizing even more how lucky I am to have found people who knew what to say or do to keep me going. I just became friends with a group from the upper batch and, I must say, they just took my breath away. I felt a bit uneasy when I ran to them for comfort but they welcomed me with open arms. The kind of support they gave me when I'd already let go gave me that push to finish my tumultuous race. I am amazed... I am blessed...

Now that the end has come, I know I've taken a lot from the past semester. One sure thing is to not give in to my distractions... I know I might slip once or twice but I should give more time on what I should be doing. I am student. I am a medical student. I should be studying medicine. Like one of my good friends told me (and wrote down), "Eyes on the prize. Focus on your mark." There's an inside joke there but the idea coincides with what I should do to achieve the goal. Yes, FOCUS...! I'll make sure I won't lose it this time.

Lastly... To all the people who showed their concern, and made me feel that I am truly cared for and that I am in their thoughts and prayers... You know who you are... First, I want to apologize if ever I've disappointed you for not making it. If I made you feel like your support went nowhere, I want you to know that it didn't. It helped me finish my battle when I've got no fight left in me. With that said... Words cannot express how truly thankful I am. You might think I'm being overly dramatic but for someone like me who's going through a really tough time, one simple act of support means the world to me. Thank you... Thank you... My heart is swelling with gratitude. Though I feel like my world is shattering, I've never felt so lucky and so loved. I thank God for every single one of you. Thank you. Thank you. You saved me in ways you cannot imagine.

The next few months are going to be rough... Recovering from what I've been through might take a while but I need to start somewhere... I'm going to take every single thing I've learned from the past few months to build my game plan. I'll make sure it'll work this time.

I'll see you guys on October 2014...

Relieved...

I can't believe I'm about to admit this, much less say this but... I miss him... The other guy... I'll call him BB from now on... BB... My go-to guy when I'm frustrated with TCO. Yesterday, I found ways to cope with my missing him:

1. I wrote an entry.
2. I sent him a message.
3. I watched our videos.
4. I checked his Facebook page after a few days of not checking it.
5. I uploaded a 15-second video of one of our videos on Instagram. - This one, I'm kind of worried about because he has no idea it's already out. He kind of told me before that he wanted to perfect it first before making it public. Sorry but I just couldn't hold it in much longer. It needed to be shared... At least 15 seconds out of the 5-minute video.

So... I did all that... I actually ended my day knowing how to play the song on that video because I was a little scared that we won't be able to meet again to finish it... The longing was still there but it gave me some kind of feeling of accomplishment... Maybe I could this whole thing without him... I fell sleep around past 2 in the morning.

My phone (I use it as my alarm) went off at 5:45 AM. Since it was the weekend, though I knew I had to get up and start studying, I decided to go back to sleep. Before doing that, I checked my phone... I have a message... And to my surprise, it's from him...! He sent it at 4:26 AM... I didn't open it so that I'd know I have an unread message. But... WOW...!!! Did I exude that strong of an energy? I feel like he felt how much I miss him... So he finally broke the silence...

I'm SO close to actually admitting I need him... Well, okay... I need him... To fill the void... I hate to admit that but it's true. Some people might think I'm using him... But, again, I'm not... I like him... I do... I liked him before TCO came along. It's just that there are certain points swaying me towards TCO. But since TCO's going dormant, I think BB deserves to get my attention... Again...

He wanted to do a jam session. That's what he told me in the message. I read it when I woke up, fully aware of what's happening... I looked at the time when he sent the message. I'm like, "WHAT?!? Why is he up THAT early? Did he just get off from work? Did he come from somewhere and 'drunk-texted' me?" Well, I know the drunk-text is impossible because an invite for a jam session won't be the content of that kind of a message. (Haha!) But, honestly, every time he suddenly texts me to do a jam session, I do feel like it's safe version of a booty call. I guess it's in the way he texts me. He usually wants to do it ASAP as if I will call his invite right then and there. Who am I to complain, though? At least I have someone to do stuff like this now.

Anyway, I replied a few hours after he sent the message. I didn't get a reply right away though. I sent my message this morning and got a reply just tonight because I sent him another message asking if he got annoyed with my previous text. He just laughed, told me he just got off from work and we started our exchange.

He really DID want to do our thing tonight! He asked me where I was and if I was busy tonight because he already had his guitar with him. I told him I wasn't at the dorm. My gosh! Maybe if I told him to go where I am right now, he'd probably be at my doorstep tonight. I imagined that... I let out a giddy laugh... It felt good...

Unfortunately, as much as I would want to do our thing and to see him and to spend time with him, I can't... I'm preparing for the finals... I wish I could really squeeze in some time with him, though... I miss him... Yes, I really do...

Well, now... At least I know he's still there... I guess he was never really gone... He never really left...

Thank God... He's back... I'm going to be more careful with him this time...