Attention all busy people!

"While you're ignoring her, another guy is giving her attention, while you're giving her problems, another guy is listening to her problems, while you're too busy for her another guy is making time for her."

A friend of mine quoted this in the middle of our conversation. He claims this is what happens to busy guys in a relationship. yeah. Guys like me. He claims that a girlfriend/wife of a busy guy almost always ends up this way.

Frankly I think this quote is bullcrap. Not because I think it's untrue nor I think women are more loyal than men, but solely because I think this quote is unfair - as it implicitly puts the blame on the busy guys. Yeah, I'll now speak on behalf of all busy guys. Heck, make it speaking on behalf of all busy people in a relationship.

I believe we, busy people, shouldn't be blamed when our mates suddenly fall out of love and find comfort in the arms of another. Not at all.

First, we're busy for a reason. In my case I have to grapple with academics and some necessary extra-curricular activities then I get midnight calls in the middle of grueling schoolwork or 1pm lunch invites that disrupt time for group projects. In others' cases it might be work. It may even be extra work to make ends meet in their family. If the opposite sex wants time and all that, here's a shoutout to you: you're not our top priority and for good reason. Academics are more important. Time for the family is more important. Children are more important. Prioritize as well. Our world does not revolve around you. Because unlike you, we can't break up with academics and most certainly we can't ditch responsibility for taking care of our family members.

Second, given we're busy, of all pastimes, why do you have to date/hang-out/chat/txt with a single particular person of the opposite sex all the time? geez. isn't that weird? that's a sure sign of infidelity in the future. You may label the person as a "friend" (as if that lessens the glaring sign of "I like this him/her so i'm hanging out with him/her!" in neon lights super-glued to your forehead).

Third, given the above above situation is true (that your mate is constantly hanging out/chatting/texting another even within a relationship), all the quotes claims would of course apply. But if your mate is not the type who flirts with the opposite sex and gawks at them, the quote won't make any sense. Let's take it line-by-line.

*While your ignoring her, another guy is giving her attention- If the person is not an infidel, would he/she entertain the guy/chick? NO. furthermore would he/she SEEK that person's attention? NO. If he/she does, he/she's an infidel.

*While your giving her problems, another guy is listening to her problem- Why does it have to be a person of the opposite sex? Like the person from the opposite sex could give sensible advice regarding what the person should do? it's idiocy.

*While you're too busy for her another guy is making time for her.- Again, a loyal person would not agree to this w/o permission from her man. But an infidel however,would not only spend time with another guy/girl e.g. lunch and dinner dates, but would ask the guy/girl to go with him/her to malls.

Last, a person who truly loves you will understand the nature and urgency of your priorities. Clearly, he/she's not that person. He/she is a clear example of a man/woman who truly loves himself/herself. Better ditch him/her.

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Through all this, busy people, don't fret. Let me tell you all why breaking up with the likes of an infidel may very well be the best choice of your life (if you didn't break up with her yet, do it now! fast!) and is not at all a reason to be depressed but a reason to celebrate!

1. Being busy is something that happens to all of us. Regardless of status, gender or whatever. It also occurs as early as student life to as late as adult life. If your mate can't handle you being busy as a student, chances are he/she won't be able to as an adult either. If he/she seeks that other guy/girl now, he/she'd seek guys in the adult stage of your relationship as well!

2. With the likes of him/her, breaking up is still the same logical thing you'd do after some time (who'd want to live in constant fear as you look at his/her inbox and see messages from the other guy/girl, and as people tell you he/she's always around with the other guy/girl?) and by that moment, you'd wish you've done it a lot sooner! so good thing you already did. There should be no regrets at all.

3. He/She left you not because the other person was the better choice. He/She left because the other option is gullible enough to spend time with him/her at his/her expense and give in to his/her nags. You're clearly the better, more sensible person.

Busy people, don't look at what happened as a failure. It's a success actually. It's part of a successful mechanism to find that mate who understands every part of you. Even your essential activities. An understanding mate would even suggest to put himself/herself below your obvious priorities. Because at the end of the day, your activities are essential and are not dates with single people from the opposite sex. He/She would definitely understand.

Ok so whether or not you'd liken your current mate to the examples i've been talking about negatively is up to you. Compromising your obvious top priorities to satisfy his/her whims is your choice as well. Stay gullible or get out of the ongoing foolery.

I just did and I'm quite convinced it's the most sensible thing I've done in my life. :) because right after, I was enlightened as to how she frequently gawks at other guys, stalks and shares photos of these guys, have lunches with a single guy, request dates at malls etc. ALL DURING THE CONFINES OF THE RELATIONSHIP.

I stopped the foolery and it's awesome.

-reposted from a reklamador draft by an anonymous author 3 years ago. THE DRAFTS ARE FULL OF EPIC STUFF!!!

Why I prefer listening to Classical Music performed in concert halls than Rock/Pop concerts.

1. People are rowdy in Rock/Pop concerts. Some would even walk around, run around, yell, boo, worst of all, they stand up and block your view of the performance. In concert halls people are remain quite civil even in the most virtuosic of performances and reserve their applause at the end of every performance. In rock concerts, simple guitar riffs would necessitate you having to protect yourself from every angle while covering your ears. Santana solos? prepare for a stampede.

2. Talent. In Concert Halls, you see talented people exposing themselves to every bit of criticism as they go without any auto-tuners/lipsyncing/extras and all the onstage foolery and gimmicks that most rock/pop concerts have. They don't have fancy lights and pyrotechnics that conceal lack of practice. So it's really quite easy to spot mistakes in Concert halls but the appreciation for the talent and dedication makes up for them since classical music audiences generally judge you for your tone, vibrato, phrasing and not by how many mistakes you committed (yeah so better read up on sheet music prior to attending a concert).

3. You can develop deafness in Rock/Pop concerts. Seriously. I have to bring earplugs every time I practice with a rock/pop band or attend a rock/pop concert. in the case of concert halls, there is minimal amplification or no amplification at all and everything is audible mainly because the crowd is pin-drop silent in during performances.

4. Visibility. Rock concerts pack in people in thousands in a single venue. Concert halls only have barely 500 people inside. So even when you pay for cheap tickets, you still get a seat, you can see the performers well and you won't be distracted by anyone.

5. promptness. pop concerts tell you they'd start at 6pm. and they'd start as late as 8pm, with all the minor bands playing then you get to see the major act by 9:30pm and it ends by 10pm then all the backstage heckling to secure a pic and an autograph would make you go home by 12am. concert hall performances start on time, end on time (yeah, despite an encore) and don't fret about your photo/autograph. meet the performers as they socialize with the audiences before and (usually) after performances.


So there you have it Rock/pop concerts vs. concert hall performances. Don't argue about the price by the way. It's subjective. of course people have to pay more for a visiting orchestra than a solo pianist same way people have to pay more for santana than for their local bands.

harry potter draws to a close

i practically grew up with the potter installments and i am not prepared for it to finally end.

okay, i'm lying. haha i'm not even a diehard fan. yes, i had watched the series but only because everyone watched it. i never really figured the intricacies of the potter universe. if it were not because of an invite from my new minions i would not have thought of watching the final installment. yet why am i writing about it u might ask, well, after watching the movie mr. young asked me to write what i thought of it.

so let me humor him with this. harry potter saga is a typical fairy tale movie about an orphaned boy raised by his wicked aunt and uncle (so cliché right?, i mean isn't it so Cinderella, rapunzel, or mara clara? ahaha). predictably, he would realize his real parents loved him so much and he would defeat the bad guys. couldn't it be more pathetic? hahaha just kidding. Seriously, all the installments never fail to entertain me. cliché alright but it's one great story of love, friendship, family, and hope. in fact its grand finale kind of delivered where it counts.

the last installment picks up from the rather abrupt ending of deathly hollows 1. It has progressively became darker literally and figuratively, i was even joking with the one seated next to me when i asked why did everyone in the film have to only wear black, they could have worn rainbow colors and could have made the set brighter, after all, wasn't it a kid film? hahaha, but i know such was essential, i mean it was meant to be a frightening showdown between the three wizards and Lord Voldemort. No better way of providing spectacle on a story that's been ten years in the telling.

anyway, i don't plan to spoil the story for those who are yet to watch. let me just share the nuggets of insights i got from it.

1. family goes beyond blood. potter was far from being an orphan. he has the whole hogwarts on his side. the support he got from them was essential in facing an almost impossible task head on. well, this thought must have resonated more with me knowing im in a city with practically no blood relative at all, yet i still feel at home because of the warmth of the families i'm blessed to encounter in here.

2. sacrifices define us. potter showed superb skills in using his magical wand, but what truly defined him in the movie was his acceptance on the fact that he had to give up his own life to save everyone, nothing could have been more moving than the scene where he had to face Voldemort and embrace death. Well, of course, we know of a true story just like this that happened some 2000 years ago. the man only had a red robe for his possession and had no credentials attached to his name but because of his sacrifice he has become the most influential person ever to walk on earth, and his influence never stops.

3. hope is the last to die. this was best portrayed by neville longbottom, the dim-witted kid who stepped up to address everyone that Harry's death is not yet the end of hogward for potter still lives in their hearts. i mean, the scene was funny but it hit right through. hope should spring eternal. and this was best encapsulated by the last scene, the new generation of wizards. quite a perfect resolution for the finale.

i got out of the cinema feeling weird. mostly because my bladder was full. hahahaha, i had to run to the restroom to take a leak. hahahahahaha, so mr. young, how's this for a film review? ..

cold

It took a junkie to make me see how I have become a cold, heartless, bastard. well, I’m sure it was just his desperate attempt to shield himself from my ruthless and self-righteous judgments on how he wasted his life and how he ruined others in the process. but I tell you, when he told me that he feels more sorry for me than for himself; it pierced right through the very core of my being or whatever is left in it.

That line haunted me for days. It kept running in my mind over and over again like a broken record and every time it bothers me I would always try to convince myself that what I did was just called for. He showed no remorse for the poor choices he did so he had to be told how selfish he has become. What I did was tough love, but love nonetheless. Any true friend would do what I did.

And yet, it still eats me inside out. Have I become really cold? Heartless even? Here comes a friend, who ran away from his hell to take refuge in my friendship, and here I was, with all my righteous philosophies in life, could not even extend a warm hand. I mean of all people who knows how giving 2nd chances in life mean, I should be the 1st to attest how it changed mine. And yet, I was the first one to throw the stone. Doesn’t that put me into deeper sh*t than where he is? Sadly so.

I have always believed that compassion defines one’s character above all things. I just hope I still have a chance to redefine myself.

my first day high

I remembered waking up particularly early yesterday. Aside from the fact that it was the first day of class, I knew it was going be the first day of the rest of my life back in Cebu, a life that I am going to spend initiating school and community projects, implementing worthwhile programs, fighting battles for a cause, and inspiring young minds to dream big and live their lives with great passion.


As I jumped out of bed, I thought of how this would work out. I wondered what kind of students I would be working with this school year and whether they would be up for the challenge. While I was drinking my morning cup of coffee, I sat thinking about what was about to happen next. Questions started to pop out; will they like me? Are my expectations of them realistic? What if I don’t get good chemistry with them? What if I can’t see potentials? Can I still bring the best out of them? Doubts and fears clouded my morning. I suddenly felt like my guts were all tied up in tangles. I collected myself and finished my morning routine. I gave my new leather-ed shoes a quick brushing, checked to make sure I had everything in backpack; money, laptop, visual aids, and my power pen. Then I drove to my new school, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu.


As I waited for my advisory class to come in from the assembly area, my stomach tightened at the thought of things going wrong on the first meeting. But as each of them came in with much eagerness painted on their faces I was suddenly overwhelmed with an assuring confidence that this is going to be one heaven of a school year. Then I began to do what I do best.


As the afternoon came to a close, I was pretty sure I now got them at the palm of my hands. My first day set the mood of my school year. And just when I was ready to celebrate my little achievement with friends over our usual poison, I received an invitation from the Junior Chamber International to attend their meeting. I squeezed out what little energy I had left in my system as I drove to viena café for the said gathering. Exhausted and worn I shook hands with the young businessmen and politicians of Mandaue. They proceeded to explain what their organization is all about and why they invited me to be part of their civic-oriented fraternity. At that moment, I was in awe of how the forces of things under heaven connived to prepare the road for the task I would like to believe God wanted me to take.


As I drove back to my pad almost midnight, I started feeling so unworthy and at the same time so blessed to be invited to respond to such call to serve, to be LUX ORIENS; a bearer of light.


Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

Scriptures. we need interpreters. really.

All my life i'd been a catholic and i just knew this morning what "turning the other cheek", "giving your inner cloak", and "walking the extra mile" actually meant back in Jesus' time.

Just this morning, I attended a triduum seminar with a Jesuit as the main preacher. He mainly talked about the connection of our redemption and Christ's crucifixion. That's a pretty firm topic to have in a seminar because for me, I don't know what Christ's dying on the cross has got to do with our redemption. I think the statement "Christ died to save us" is a plain theological statement. In a simpler way, it's a second level of interpretation.

What's the first level then? the historical context which he discussed heavily on. Now this article won't go into explaining the connection of Christ's redemption and His crucifixion however, this article will explain the importance of interpretation in the HISTORICAL context. Meaning, an interpretation that's mostly (if not purely) fact and less (if not zero) opinion.

Hard time grappling with your faith? I do too. I'm especially disturbed with passages that seemingly make things more conducive to our oppressors.

Let's take a look at the statement "turn the other cheek". I've been a catholic all my life and I've never encountered a homily that taught me that it isn't about getting yourself slapped again on the other cheek or about offering more of yourself to abuse and/or injury. In historical context, it actually meant avoiding the secondary slap.

Historically, slaves in Jesus' time and culture were slapped with the left backhand (because the right was used for holier purposes e.g. lighting temple candles) while the left is used for slapping servants, etc. Now get someone near to you at right now at lets test this out. face each other and, pretending to be the master, raise your left hand, the backhand facing the face of the person you're facing (the slave). In slow-mo, slap the person. Ok so technically, his/her head moved to his right. "turning the other cheek" so the person will move his head facing his/her left now. now if you're a master in Jesus' time, you can't slap the person with your left anymore and if you did so with your right, you'll be making your right hand unholy or you treated your slave as an equal. If you beat each other up, or if you punch a slave, you'll be treating him/her as an equal and thus elevating his/her social status. So "turning the other cheek" means, to avoid getting slapped again or get slapped at the risk of your master.

Let's take another example. "Give your inner cloak". This doesn't mean we, at the present cultural norms, will give everything we have. i'll explain.

Almost every Jew in Jesus' time, wore two pieces of clothing no matter how poor they were. An outer cloak (usually quite expensive. Even Jesus' outer cloak was coveted by the Roman soldiers that they even gambled as to who will take it) and an inner cloak. Since poor people don't have properties and other valuables, they have their outer cloak to pay as collateral. However, it was customary for their time to lend back the outer cloak during nighttime (to protect the poor debtor from the cold) and be given back during daytime as an act of charity. Jesus told them to giver their inner cloaks as well because inner cloaks mean undergarments. Meaning, they will strip in front of their debtor. Seeing people nude in their time was taboo. You commit sin when you see someone naked. It isn't trouble for the person who's getting naked but taboo for the person seeing that person naked. So in doing so, they are shaming the debtor and causing him/her to sin. So "giving your inner cloak" isn't about mindlessly giving all you have to your oppressors but is actually a way to get the upper hand on these people.

Another example? "walk the extra mile" let's go straight to the cultural norms at their time. Roman foot soldiers back then, weren't allowed to ride on horses unlike the centurions (duh, that's why they're called foot soldiers). So, it was decreed that they are able to get one male subject to carry their backpack (which contained their weapons, provisions, etc.) for the length of one mile (because the romans were worried that more than a mile is a heavy form of oppression that might just cause more uprisings). Jesus suggested that they "walk the extra mile" because in doing so, they'll put the romans soldiers in danger because if his superiors will catch his subordinate walking an extra mile, he'll be on the roman unemployment list in a jiffy.

Now if this is the message that Jesus' audience understood in their time and culture, isn't it better if we have the passages interpreted to us by people who know the culture of people in Jesus' time instead of misinterpreting Jesus' message by ourselves by applying the wrong context to what He said? The way I originally interpreted the above scriptures as "suffer more" is a polar opposite to that of the historical interpretation which is "make your oppressors suffer".

I hope that biblical scholars unearth more truths in the Gospels and expose us more to it. Maybe they can come up with a book that has a collection of the most accurate scripture interpretation or have it somewhere online for people to read and reflect about.

catholicism for me is not about believing everything that is simply said. It's been done in the past by those friars who abused our trust by twisting God's word to do their will on their followers. for me, being catholic is about being led more to the more accurate interpretation, the more meaningful message, the truth and let this truth guide me in my spiritual life.

i lived to tell the story! haha

guess what?! after a very nice week in manila, a weekend in dipolog, and a side-trip to dakak, i met an accident that could have been my.. u know.. haha, i would have been history already.

but i cheated death! the second time!

here's what happened...

yesterday morning, my brother borrowed my car (my dad's actually) because he had to do some errands. In exchange, he lent me his new motorcycle. l already had a bad feeling that time but we exchanged keys anyway. I was almost late for the Monday assembly so hurriedly hopped into my brother's bike, wore my sun-visor, and drove to school, or at least tried to.

while i was speeding up at masterson avenue i realized my right side mirror was not set well. so i decided to adjust it with my left hand. stupid call. just when i had it fixed i was already very close to the car in front of me,. so i squeezed the front brake and stepped on the back brake simultaneously. bad call again. i forgot that it was not my bike,. its brakes were set differently. before i knew it i was already airborne, my bike behind me, heading to the concrete road, head first! and a split second before the impact i just realized i was not wearing a helmet. BANG!

i was conscious after the impact. the van at my back managed not to hit me and the rest of the vehicles were then able to avoid me. I hurriedly stood up. a bystander helped me picked up my brother's deformed bike, i still i didn't know why it got destroyed that way . i then brought it to the side of the road. and then i started to feel pain; on my toes, my knees, my shoulder and my head... sounds like a song, hahaha, but seriously i got bruised on those parts. my new uniform got ripped, yet amazingly no bleeding of some sort. wait,. not a good sign ryt? internal something is more dangerous ryt? then i started to panic., good thing a co-teacher happened to pass by and pulled over to check on me. although she looked more scared and panicked than i was, seeing her made me relaxed. a familiar face. i called up my brother to pick me up. he was there in less that a minute, or longer, i don't know,. my head got bumped.

anyway, after checking that my injuries were superficial, i managed to drive my car back home leaving my bro with his deformed bike. i changed my uniform, disinfected my wounds and drove back to school to catch up for our morning assembly.

little did i know that the news of my accident already spread like wildfire. apparently a lot of students saw the accident. everyone was shocked to see me ok,. i was a celebrity for the whole day. people expressed their concern,. some were happy to see me fine, others were angry that i didn't wear helmet, only a few were indifferent. haha, yeah, there were. hahaha

our school doctor said if i wouldn't throw up within 24 hours then i'm fine. i'ts been 27 hours. so i'm okay,. haha! or so i hope.

and yeah i think I'm okay., i even managed to watch the last full show of TRON (nice movie by the way) and had few bottles of beer with my friends at the score grill before i called it a day. so yeah, i lived to tell the story! and it's nothing less than a miracle.

Thank God! Amen!