Ria Jose 2014

31 and Single

Nobody really asked for this topic but I'm a bit intoxicated and I can't sleep so what the hell, right? After all, love and relationships are the easiest and hardest things to talk about. Easy because we can all relate to it somehow. Or at least, the lack of it. And hard because it all really doesn't make sense. So here I am. 31 and single. One of things I often get asked (luckily, not so much by my relatives) is why I'm single. The answer? I don't know. I'd like to think there's really nothing wrong with me. So let's examine my past relationships, instead. My first boyfriend (who was not my first love, by the way) was one huge mistake. I'd rather not talk about the guy since we're friends but let's just say I went into the relationship just because. It was a long distance relationship and I felt like it was really not a big investment. While I did mourn the breaking up part, the relationship and the break up didn't really take much of my time or emotions. Our usual nights would go like this... BF: What you doing? Ria: Playing DotA. DND. or this...…

Photography by Eight Espino, Hair and Make Up by Envy Me Salon

My 29th Year Part Deux

Despite the illness, the challenges of my house arrest, and the extra safety and health precautions I have to take, I am very grateful to be alive. There was a change in me. and people noticed. I gained a ton of weight, around 20 lbs. And then there was less drinking, less night outs, less stress, and less work. While I was sick, I had to skip a lot of events and was given less workload. While resting, I pondered on a lot of things like love and relationships, forgiveness, letting go and moving on, and many other things about life and dealing with its challenges. This was when I accepted that I couldn't control a lot of things in my life and I accepted it, not quite wholeheartedly, but there was acceptance. I realized that there was really nothing else I'd like to do more than to write. And I told myself I was going to be ok as long as I can write and share my crazy thoughts to the world. I was allowed to go to Metro Manila with the Avatar Media Team for WordCamp Philippines 2010. I delivered the opening remarks to the event and was…

Riaity Bites: Of Rules and Exceptions

This is my article for my Riality Bites column on SunStar Davao's Lifetsyle section, published on September 22, 2010. Since it premiered on the cable channel, the romantic comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You” (HJNTIY) has been played and re-played over and over again on the HBO Channel. I first heard about “He’s Just Not That Into You” the when it was mentioned in the hit TV show Sex and the City. The book from which the film was adapted from was actually a self-help book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. It was published in 2004 and was even featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2009, a film adaptation of the book was made an all-star ensemble cast which included Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansonn, Ben Affleck, and Justin Long. It featured multiple storylines of guys meeting girls, guys breaking up with girls, and various permutations and combinations of romantic entanglements. Guys and girls alike were equally amused and annoyed by the characters and their stories. Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), the narrator probably earned the most thumbs downs. She was dumb and stupid about love and relationships. And even when she was made aware of…

Ria Jose

Living Life

My FB Status Message, July 6, 2010: "I think life is not to be understood but lived. I have tried hard to make sense of things, but I have realized that smarts and logic only get me so far. The rest of it, like love, destiny, stupidity... those I cannot fully comprehend. The best way to deal with life is to let things be. I choose to let things go and let life be. Hopefully, this will make me a better and happier person. LIVE. LOVE. LEARN. ♥" Yes, I have decided to let things be, let things go, let life take it's course. Most of my life, when I wasn't being stupid or too emo, I took life seriously and thought that my a would lead to b. That every action has a consequence proportionate to the action. If I do something good, good things will happen to me. If I study hard and get good grades, I will get rewards. If I do well, I'll be praised. If I behave, I'll be given a pat on the back. If I am a good friend or girlfriend, the relationship will last. If I do bad things, bad things will…

Podcast 6: Being Friends with the Ex

This is the podcast where I bash all my exes. NOT! Are you friends with your ex? I am. Find out how I manage to be friends with the cause of the biggest heartbreaks in my life. I talk about being friends, how to be friends, and other subtopics that were asked or suggested by different people. This is my longest and most stressful podcast yet. I wasn't stressed out by the topic but by the editing I had to do. LOL! Listen as I talk about being friends with my exes and how you can maybe also be friends with yours... Apologies for the looong recording. Hope you were able to finish it. Agree? Disagree? Post your comments below. :) Credits to the exes who gave me ammunition for this podcast. :P Thank you to the people who contributed: Ate Joanna, Reissa, Ate Dominique, Poyty, Orman, Jesse, Donna, Steph M, Tiara, Massa P, Rastapopulous, Sparkeh, and anonymous! :) Sound clips from Star Cinema's One More Chance and Phil Collins' Separate Lives.

Why Do You Love?

I saw two trailers of Muli (The Affair) by awarded indie filmmaker, Adolf Alix featuring Sid Lucero and Cogie Domingo. It's about two men falling in love and about how their love story transpires through time. I have not seen the film, and some people might be iffy to watch it. But the first scene of this trailer spoke to me... Sid: Bakit kasi tayo naghahanap ng pareha? Eh kaya natin mag-isa? Para may mag-aalaga sa atin? Cogie: Naghahanap tayo ng kapareha para mahalin natin. Para hindi natin maramdaman ang lungkot. English Translation: Sid: Why do we look for a partner when we can survive even when we're alone? So that there would be somebody to take care of us? Cogie: We look for a partner so we could love him So we won't feel the loneliness. Through all the frustrations, pains of heartbreaks and heartaches, dating the wrong people, investing emotions on the wrong people, crushed hopes and dreams, jaded views of love and marriage, there's still a part of me that yearns for a partner. And it's not because I want to be kilig all the time. Relationships are hardwork, I tell you. But because through all the…