Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hi! I'm sorry if I haven't been able to really reply to all the readers' comments, but I want you all to know that I am reading them, and I feel very blessed to know that there really are people like you who also have strong opinions about the different things that happen from day to day. Kahit simpleng alimango lang, nakukunan pa rin natin ng aral 'di ba? Thank you for all your comments. They inspire me to write about more relevant things. I know I haven't been able to post regularly (I have lots of ideas, but sometimes I just can't seem to follow them up with a good essay), so I am asking for your help to suggest, through the comments section, some topics you may want to appear in this blog, that we can discuss and possibly learn from. I've been writing and writing and writing without actually really responding to what others think (in my writing, at least), and I plan to change that. Keep reading, and feel free to comment, and suggest. Thank you so much for the help. By the way, to answer most of the questions in the comments section, I'd like to give a little update on what I've been doing (which isn't really characteristic of this blog, but I'll do it). I just recently graduated from the Ateneo High School, and yes, Robi Domingo is my batchmate (Support him ah.). I did not graduate valedictorian (My classmate Viko Fumar was the vale.), but I was luckily able to graduate with First Honors. I am an incoming college freshman now in the Ateneo, and I will be taking up Management Engineering (think Math in business). I was luckily able to pass some schools in the States (just like what Tito Edu announced), namely Georgetown and Fordham universities, but I chose to stay in the Philippines for very personal reasons. But don't worry, any decision would have been a fun-filled one anyway. So there. Read on.

Give and Take (Praning, Don't Read)

Minsan ba ay pumasok na sa isip mo na baka ang tao, nilalapitan ka lang dahil may kailangan siya sa'yo, o dahil may nabibigay ka sa tao? Ang dalawang nag-iibigan naman napaglalapit ng pag-ibig 'di ba? Ang pag-ibig ay isang bagay na binibigay ng isa sa isa kaya nagkakaganoon. Kung masama kang tao na social climber, lalapitan mo lang naman siguro ang isang taong mayaman at sikat na hindi mo naman lubos na kilala dahil kailangan mo makilalang katabi noong sikat na iyon. Ang pari, pinapakinggan at dinarayo dahil nabibigay niya ang Diyos (o karanasan ng Diyos, at iba pang mga aral) sa mga tao. Kahit sa negosyo, kaya mayroong mga business organizations ay 'di lang para mapadali ang pagsasagawa ng mga transaksiyon at proyekto, kundi para makapagbuo rin ng mga 'pagkakaibigan' o koneksiyon na magagamit para sa kabutihan ng negosyo. Kung may kailangan mula sa kumpanya mong gumagawa ng semento ang taong gumagawa ng gusali, baka ibigay mo pa sa kaniya ng mas mura ang semento 'di ba, dahil magkasama kayo sa organisasyon? Ganoon 'din sa fraternity. Brad mo ko, brad kita. Kailangan mo ko, kailangan kita. Mahal mo ko, mahal kita. Kung mapahamak ka, sabit ako pero tutulungan kita at tutulungan mo ko 'pag kailangan ko. Kahit sa mga taong mahilig magbigay, puwedeng isipin (kahit baka makasakit ng damdamin), na kaya siya naghahanap ng mga natutulungan kasi kailangan niya ng pakiramdam na mapagbigay siya, at 'di niya yun makukuha kung di siya makabigay.
Sa totoo lang puwedeng tignan sa mabuti o masamang paraan itong ganitong pag-iisip eh. Masama siguro siya dahil nakakalungkot na kaya lang tayo lalapitan ng isang tao ay dahil sa mga kaya nating ibigay, pero mabuti rin siya dahil alam mong may malalapitan kang mga tao sa oras ng kagipitan, o kahit kailan mo trip.
Pero 'di ba? Nakakayanig isipin 'di ba? Isipin mo kaya 'yong mga nakaraang karanasan mo na may lumapit sa'yo, nakangiti, tapos may hiningi sa'yo. Tingin mo lalapitan ka niya kung wala kang ganoon? Tingin mo friends kayo? Hmmm...
Hoy, huwag mapapraning ng sobra ah.. 'Di naman masama ang mundo eh. May mga masama lang, pero 'di lahat. Pero maganda rin siguro na paminsan-minsan may ganitong gumugulo sa ating isipan, para 'di rin tayo maloko. Basta, peksman, walang todohang praningan ah?

happy happy joy

Hey, have you ever felt sad for no apparent reason at all? You just feel sad and down all of a sudden, and then you try to think of reasons for your sadness, but you just cannot pinpoint which event or person is responsible? This has probably happened to us a lot of times, especially when we're staying home, and doing almost nothing productive. We tend to sometimes be too reflective about things that we end up with so much clutter in our minds.

However, don't you think that it really is in those quiet times that we really get to sort out what we are thinking? We have often been advised by our friends to always find quiet time for ourselves, to sort out things and to really know what is going on both around and within us.

If in those quiet times, we can either sort out our thoughts, or mess them up even more, what does this tell us? I guess it all boils down to what we decide to think. It all boils down to our decisions. With this little conclusion, I'm thinking that maybe we don't even need quiet time to help us out. We can help ourselves out by choosing what to think for ourselves, and letting our emotions follow. But we are mere humans almost perpetually affected by nature. Maybe we still have to choose the right environment for our thoughts.

I'm trying to discover what's the best way to make ourselves happy. Happiness may be thought of as a thought, but it really is what we strive for in life. Knowing that happiness is a thought can make us happier people by choosing to simply be happy, by thinking of the right things, and doing whatever makes us happy.

I guess the challenge now is to find what really makes us happy. Believe me, even if happiness is a simple thought, different things really make us tick, and despite our efforts to try, we cannot force ourselves to be happy with things we do not like. Therefore, we need the proper guidance through prayer. If you cannot pray due to some belief, think of praying as an exercise of thought. I would not choose to though. But if you choose to, beware of probable mind cluttering.

RED CROSS YOUTH NEEDS YOUR HELP!

The Red Cross Youth is the youth program of the Philippine National Red Cross, and is one of the leading youth organizations in the country. It aims to educate children and the youth with the goal of providing opportunities for the harnessing of skills and talents through worthwhile activities within the organization.

I recently received an e-mail from Lyn Garcia, President of the National Youth Council, and a member of the Board of Governors:

"Good day!

The Philippine National Red Cross - National Headquarters takes a distinctive approach in giving the opportunities to every Red Cross Youth to be pride of the premier organization.

In line with this, we are encouraging RCY volunteers to apply as national field representative for the following services:

2 for disaster management service

2 for fund generation

1 for safety service

For further information, don't hesitate to contact the undersigned or our officer in-charge, Mr. Carlos Benigno S. Gallardo.

Thank you."

It asks us to join their cause, and to make the world a better place (in our own way). We just have to take that one big first step towards helping others. I think that this is one great avenue to help out. Ano, game?

If you're interested, please contact Lyn Garcia through +639276967388 , or go to the Red Cross Youth site (http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/RCY/Home.aspx) and apply to be a member and/or volunteer. Applying is easy!

Tara!

Resbak

Sa kasalukuyan, pinapanood ko ang Harapan sa ABS-CBN na pinapakitang nagsasagutan sina Jun Lozada at si Benjamin Abalos, na sa sa aking personal na obserbasyon ay hindi kampante sa sasabihin niya. Bukod sa walang-hintong pananabat at sa paghinging huwag siyang sabatin, nagdala pa siya ng abogado para sa naturang debate, na hindi naman kasimbigat ng korte o ng senado, pero napapalabas din sa publiko. Kung sa suntukang hayskul, mano-mano sana ang labanan ng dalawang taong naghamunan, pero naduwag ang isa at tumawag pa ng resbak para tulungan siya. Nakakahiya. Hindi ko naman sinasabi na nagsisinungaling si Abalos (at hindi ko sinasabing naniniwala ako sa lahat ng sinasabi ni Lozada), pero sa pinapakita ni Abalos ngayon, parang mangungulelat siya kung haharap silang dalawa kay San Pedro na nakikita ang lahat ng bagay. Walang dalang dokumento si Lozada, pero basa naman nang basa nang kung anu-anong papeles si Abalos. Sa larangan ng pangungumbinsi (at debate), dapat mapamukha mo sa lahat ng nanonood na totoo at pinaniniwalaan mo ang sinasabi mo. Bagaman nagawa ito ng dalawang natatanyag na ginoo, huling-huli naman natin kung sino ang nagpapanggap na alam niya ang nangyayari. Puwedeng mukhang alam mo ang isang bagay, pero kasabay nito, puwedeng mukhang pinepeke mo pa rin. Yun ang mas nakakahiya. Mas nakita ko kay Lozada ang pagpapakatotoo (pagpapakatotoo, at 'di katotohanan). Kahit hindi ko mapapatunayan sa kasalukuyan na totoong-totoo ang sinasabi ni Lozada, malaking bagay na talaga na kitang-kita mo sa mata niya na may pinanggalingan nga ang sinasabi niya, at mukhang naranasan niya talaga ang mga kinuwento niya. Si Abalos, sa tanda niya, hindi pa rin siya natututong magmukhang kapani-paniwala, kaya kahit totoo man ang sinasabi niya, kailangan pa rin niya ng abogado para tulungan siya, na makasasama naman sa pagtingin sa kanya--duwag.

Ngayon naalala ko ang bandang simula ng kuwento-- Si Joey de Venecia. Bilib din ako sa tapang ng taong yun. Pero bakit kaya marami ang nagsasabi na ginagawa lang niya ang mga ginawa niya dahil talunan siya doon sa ZTE? Tsaka bakit pati ang ama niya, kung anu-ano na ang binunyag noong pababa na siya sa puwesto niya bilang Kinatawan ng Kamara? Puwede namang mas maaga 'di ba, lalo pa't may kapangyarihan siya noon? I will praise the president when she does good, and oppose when she's wrong. Ang huling pangungusap ay maganda pakinggan, pero isa sa pinakaginagamit ng mga plastik para magmukhang obhetibo. Ikaw na ang humusga, pero hindi ka ba naaaliw? Parang may pinagmanahan si Joey? Ang galing nilang mag-ama sa timing. Wow.

Ewan ko ba kung bakit ilang beses ko nang naririnig sa radyo ang "Pagod na ang mga tao. Oras na ng pagbabago." Nostalgia ang naramdaman ko noong narinig ko na naman sa radyo mula sa taong mahal daw ang bayan. Naalala ko noong Gr.4 ako, may nagsabi rin niyan sa radyo. At noong Prep, narinig ko rin 'yan. Napanood ko pa nga sa TV noong Gr.5, First Year, Gr. 3, Gr.1. Narinig ko sa maraming tao, pero bakit parang kaunti ang nagbabago, kahit parang marami ang may gusto? Baka sa limang taong may sabi noon, 1 lang ang naniwala sa sariling sinabi, at binugbog pa siya ng apat.

Kaya dalawang bagay 'yan. Timing at pagiging kapani-paniwala. Ibig mo bang yumaman? Maging public servant ka, at aralin mo nang maayos ang timing at pagiging kapani-paniwala. Iwasan mo lang ang pagkakamali ni Abalos, de Venecia, at de Veneciang mas matanda. Pero siyempre mas kailangan ng bayan ang katulad ni Lozada, na hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan mabubuhay sa lagay niya ngayon (sana walang masamang mangyari), pero magaling din mangumbinsi. Underdog technique naman siya, pero sana ang pagiging underdog niya, totoo, at makatutulong sa iba.

Kapag naging public servant ka, tandaan mo na ang tinuturo ng public ay lahat ng Pilipino, hindi lamang ang mga apo mo. Mamatay ka sana kung pagdating ng panahon, hindi mo magamit sa buhay ang tunay na ibig sabihin ng public, at constituents.

Hamon kay Lozada at Abalos (batay sa isang pakikiuso): Alam niyo 'yung pinagagawa sa showbiz talk shows? Magandang case study siguro kung magpa-lie-detector test kayo nang ganun. Sana wala nang dalahan ng resbak, okay Mr. Chair?