living is easy with eyes closed

Has this happened to you?

2010-04-14T17:10:00.002+08:00

The type of conversation below happens quite frequently, at least in my experience. Here's a sample:

James: Bumili na 'ko ng toyo kanina sa tindahan. [tricycle passes by]

Jane: Ha?

James: Toyo. [the dog barks]

Jane: Ano?

James: Bumili ako

Jane: Ng alin?

James: Wala, sabi ko ang ganda mo.

And Jane will never ever know what James bought from the store. True story.

Long time, no see

2010-04-14T16:47:00.006+08:00

Ang tagal na pala akong hindi nagsusulat sa blog na 'to. At wala pala akong inhibitions magsulat dati. Ngayon daig ko pa MTRCB sa pagsecensor.

This blog was once called "Las Piñas Tales" then it became "Living is easy with eyes closed." I've always enjoyed the entries in the former a lot more. I was a lot more spontaneous. And a bit embarrassing and strange. Maybe I should start maintaining a blog again.

But now, should I write about "Quezon City Tales"? Or college life?

Or do a Las Piñas Tales 2?

I doubt if anyone will be interested enough to read about the suburbs, traffic, cold spaghetti, music, the internet, pets, sidewalks, grumpy waiters, and other randomly picked fragments of daily life.

Probably no will be, but I'll type away, anyway.

If ideas arrive.

P.S. I'll stick with "living is easy with eyes closed." I mean, sure, John Lennon is right: it is easy. But it's no fun either. Maybe we got to open our eyes most of the time, no matter how difficult that can be.

Good bye for now, Las Piñas

2007-06-23T12:52:00.000+08:00

"Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner. Sometimes I feel like my only friend, is the city I live in..." - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Under the Bridge

Las Piñas is a friend of mine. When all else fails, I find consolation in its littered sidewalks, dirty streets, dim skies and graffiti walls. Yes, Las Piñas has a gloomy face, yet being born in it 16 years ago makes it beautiful to me.

As much as Las Piñas looks cheerless to most people, that is what I, as an individual, have seemed to be too. Have I been too thoughtful of life that I've forgotten to look at the bright side? Have I been too serious of daily living that I've failed to make other people really happy? Maybe this mere entry is a proof of my usual brooding self.

Still, one thing is for sure: Las Piñas and I have a thing in common. We fail to radiate the real joy that has always existed and that will still exist within us. Our inner bliss has already entered our hearts but it fails to exit to our faces. Yet I assure you, kind reader: Las Piñas and I are happy and we shall strive to share it with and show it to you. We have never ever wanted to seem somber almost the time.

And with that, I bid farewell to the Las Piñas series. I'll think of another topic in two-three weeks' time. For now, just enjoy commenting on my blog. Haha! Thank you.

Pawnshopper's guide to Las Piñas

2007-06-01T21:26:00.000+08:00

"Success cannot be achieved through pure luck...you have to work for it."
- Mayor Nene Aguilar (http://www.geocities.com/laspinascity/?20071)

This is why Las Piñas City has something for those BOTH out of LUCK and, sadly, out of WORK:
Pawnshops!

I can't really guide you through the pawnshop business in the city; however, I can incoherently comment about the pawnshops in this blog.

Of all the pawnshop-names I tried to recall, I think the only two I can remember are: Cebuana Lhullier and Tambunting. Lovely names, I think. They sound luxurious and EXOTIC. "Loo-wee-leeyay" or "Loo-leeyay" or "Lul-yer" (I think that's how different caucasians (or white people) pronounce it. How do I pronounce it? maybe "Lu-wi-yerr/Lu-li-yerr". Extra r's are intended); "Tahm-Buhn-Ting" or "Tahm-Boon-ting".

I honestly don't really know how pawnshops work. I think it is something like this:

1. A person needs money. Let's name the person Brownie. (so that there will be no gender discrimination)
2. Brownie doesn't have money but has a golden Seiko Diamond Wristwatch from Saudi.
3. Brownie lets a pawnshop woman/man "borrow" or "take care" of the Arabian Watch first.
4. Brownie receives amount of money according to the "careful" calculations of the pawnshop man/woman.

*Now here comes my question on how they know "the amount of money they'll give to Brownie". Do you know how? haha. Maybe they study it in college. *

5. Brownie promises to pay, with an agreed upon interest, to get the watch back.
6. Brownie finally pays after marrying and having 2 children.
7. At gunpoint, Brownie gets the watch back from the enraged pawnshop woman/man.
Summary: Brownie loses watch for a time and tries to find work/more money to get the watch back. Pawnshop makes money. (yehey!)

I really look up to the one who first thought of the pawnshop business. It's slick, Pinoy, shiny and legal sometimes.

Yet, I think the multitude of pawnshops in Las Piñas are the manifestation of SLOW employment, LACK of employment, or even LAZINESS for employment. I have no research to back this up.

Got no job? Got no watch or anything to pawn? Got no money? Oh well, someday the answer would be "No-- I've got a job. I've got a watch I can pawn or not. I've got money. Why? Because of Mayor Nene's beautiful words!"

"Success cannot be achieved through pure luck...you have to work for it."
- Mayor Nene Aguilar (http://www.geocities.com/laspinascity/?20071)

Yup. If jobs and money become scarcer, pawnshops would be as common as SEVEN-ELEVENs. They'll start selling hotdogs and slurpies too. Sarap!

Exercises (2pts.)

Problems: Show complete solutions. Label final answers.

1. Ruby has a toy puppy. She pawns it for 300 pesos. The pawnperson gives her 5-peso coins, 1-peso coins, and 2-peso coins. The pawnperson, being a kind gentleman, informed her that the ratio of the 5,1 and 2-peso coins are 18:7:5, respectively. Should Ruby believe the pawnperson or confirm the ratio by computing herself? Why? Prove your answer. (1pt.)

2. Totoy is crying. He pawned his girlfriend's necklace for 5000php and got dumped afterwards because 5000php is not the true value of the necklace. His girlfriend received the necklace from her grandmother when she (girlfriend) was just 5 years old. The original value was 3000php. The antique value of the necklace increased 55 php per month. Totoy's girlfriend will be 43% the age of her grandmother 76 years from now. What should be the value of the necklace now? (1pt.)

Try to solve it on your own before looking at the answers! (c:
Answers:

for # 1
Proof:

statements; reasons

1. 2-peso coins are obsolete; 1. Philippine Law

2. The pawnperson is a scammer; 2. Because he used obsolete coins

3. Ruby shouldn't believe him; 3. Because he is a scammer

for #2

Why should he bother solving? Totoy got dumped by his girl already. :(

*Please type your score with your comment. haha!

Bus Talk

2007-05-31T12:56:00.000+08:00

There was a time I was alone in a bus. It was a Sunday afternoon, and literally, no one else was inside the Tas Trans Bus I was riding.

I quietly sat in front and listenned to the drayber and konduktor talk with each other.

May I share their conversation with you?

What? Is that a yes? Okay then! (hahaha, no one seems to be visiting this blog, except for "anonymous" anyway, I'll keep typing to myself. I haven't been keeping count of the counter if numbers are being added.. hahahaha)

Here it is with parenthetical translations for foreigners who got lost in this blog. This is not the exact conversation. It's the ideas that stay.

Konduktor : "Natikman mo na ba yung bayawak?" ("Have you tried eating a monitor lizard?")

Drayber: "Oo. Masarap yun pag inihaw" (Yeah. It's good if grilled")
" Sa amin, ilalabas ng mga kapitbahay yung mga aso, tapos pupunta sila sa gubat. Aamuyin lang nila, makakahuli sila ng marami ta's iihawin sa gabi." ("In our place, my neighbors would let their dogs sniff for those lizards and they'd have barbeque that night.")

Wow, I thought. Dogs looking for monitor lizards so that the owners would have a barbeque party during the night. What a unique way to have dinner.

Then, some passengers went inside, and I wasn't alone anymore. But, I still felt alone while looking at the gloomy Las Piñas landscape of pawnshops and wet gutters. Sigh. I was happier while I was listenning to conversations that really don't mean much to me. Las Piñas doesn't really mean much to anyone I guess. Even to those who live in it. It is the little meaningless things that make a city meaningful-- that make any life meaningful.

Meaningless stuff lead to a meaningful life? Sounds stupid to me too, but by "meaningless things" I mean "things with meaning, only, they have less amounts of meaning" and by "meaning" I mean "a thing that needs a good reason for happening/ existing/ being done". But put meaningless things all together, they make one heck of a happy life.

Examples of "meaningless" elements in the world: funny conversations, new animal-ceramic-figurines from lolo or lola, corny text jokes, pimples, C2, Sprite, Ford, Tambunting Pawnshop, old erasers, lost ballpens, stickers, faulty internet connections, pretty girls who turn heads, good looking guys who always turn their heads, average-looking people who never turn heads but always turn their heads, dinosaurs in the Philippines (there are none discovered yet I think...), cooking shows that make your mouth water...too bad you can't taste the TV screen, korean actresses and actors who portray korean princesses and business heirs, etc.

Individually , they will never give World Peace. But what the heck, meaningless things/circumstances/whatever make us smile sometimes. Right? Is that a yes? haha I'm typing to myself again. Thanks for reading!!!

7 ways to get off a jeep

2007-05-24T21:30:00.000+08:00

I am fortunate to experience riding in a Las Piñas jeepney. Or jeep. Whatever you like to call them. Let me randomly blabber for a while.
Jeep routes:

Alabang-Zapote-Baclaran; Alabang-Moonwalk; Alabang-TSCruz (I don't know if these are accurate)
Jeep destinations posted on windows:
Alabang
Metropolis

SM
Southmall

And lots more.

Wow, those red, yellow, black and blue painted letterings are beyond compare.

There are different ways on how to get off a jeep.
One way is the “Para” way.
There are variations: “Para”, “para bosing” “para po” “para ho” “para daw (if another passenger can’t be heard by the driver, another nearer passenger says it.)”
Another is “Sa tabi lang” “Sa tabi lang po” “Tabi lang” "Tabi lang po".
The third way is by compressing the lips muscles and letting air barely go through producing a loud squeaking sound. (my personal favorite, although I don’t do it.)
The fourth way is by clapping.
Getting off without saying anything is what most SM Southmall-goers like me do.
The second to the last way is by tapping the jeepney's "ceiling" once, twice, thrice/ whichever.
The last and seventh way is the newbie way. Those who haven’t ridden jeeps before.
This last manner of getting off has infinite variations:

“Hinto niyo na po!”
“Eto na po ba yung Burgos street?”
“Bababa na po ako.”
“Ops! Ops! Ops! Teka lang.”
"Ay! Di pa pala ako nakapagbayad!"
"Hanggang dito lang biyahe niyo?...Ah, lilipat nalang po ako sa ibang dyip."

Etcetera.

Try it, the Las Piñas jeep. It isn't any different with other city-jeeps. It’s just in Las Piñas. And that's what makes it GOOD.

Taong Grasa

2007-05-10T15:15:00.000+08:00

Tagalong naman gagawin kong entry, kasi mukhang wala namang di marunong magtagalog na bisita rito. (mukhang wala nga talaga e, hahaha)

Wala pa akong nakausap na taong grasa sa buong buhay ko. Lagi ko lang siguro sila nalalampasan pag naglalakad ako mula kanto ng Marcos Alvarez hanggang SM kapag gustong kong makatipid sa barya.

Nakarinig kasi ako ng dalawang nagkukuwentuhan tungkol doon sa taong grasang nakita nila sa lugawan. O gotohan yata ‘yon. Basta ganoon.

Humingi siya ng pagkain sa may-ari, pero tinaboy siya, at sinigawan niya rin yung may-ari. Ewan ko kung ano nang nangyari pagkatapos no’n. Kung nakakuha ba siya ng lugaw/goto/ anuman iyon. Pero, nakapagtataka lang, parang walang may pakialam doon sa taong grasang ‘yon. Kahit ako walang pakialam sa kanya, baka suntukin pa ‘ko noon pag kinausap ko. Hanggang pagtatayp lang ng kwento niya kaya kong gawin.

Pero huli kong kita sa kanya e mukhang hindi naman siya masyado malungkot. Pero ako, kaunting kibo, malungkot na. Ayos pala si taong grasa. Gutom lagi, marumi, magulo buhok, walang tsinelas, walang cellphone, walang bahay, pero mukhang naturuan na niya sarili niya kung paano maging masaya. Siguro lang. Baka walang nakakaalam kung masaya talaga siya o hindi. Wala namang may paki roon e.

kung may kakilala kayong tagaDSWD, sabihin niyo may taong grasa sa may alabang-zapote road, sa pagitan ng SM at corner-marcos alvarez. haha. salamat. hanggang sa muli.

Las Piñas Dogs

2007-04-26T14:54:00.001+08:00

One thing I can tell about Las Piñas are its stray dogs. I have no idea if it has a dog pound or anything like that.

I was walking in our neighborhood at around 6:30 am this morning, and I saw two puppies and (maybe) their parents (a dog and a bitch) lying in the middle of the street. They literally occupy the whole width of the said street. They're like the "dog mafia", like the ones in 'Godfather' -- gangsters of rabies, mobs of "galis", henchmen of "kuto"- I realized if you write "g-o-d" backwards you get "d-o-g"- heck they could make a movie "Dogfather". I tried to ignore them as much as possible by walking at a moderate pace and not looking at them in the eye.

Then, one of the puppies stood up, lazily walked to the middle, yawned, and barked at me, signalling an ambush by its sibling and parents. I still walked for about two seconds, but they were getting closer and closer so I made a run for it.

Nakakatakot. And now, I'm back at home, safe and sound.

So much for a safe walk outside. I think it's about time Las Piñas had a dog pound (does it have one?). Stray dogs are everywhere-- chasing and biting dozens of people in our village, Manila Doctors, maybe even in Moonwalk (accdg. to my classmate who is terrified by rottweilers), under cars, motorcycles, on streets, alleys, in front of sari-sari stores, around tricycle terminals, vacant lots, even BF Resort Village-- everywhere!

Please, officials and dog-owners, don't let them take many more lives. (If you are reading this, and know anyone who has a rabid ferocious stray dog, please tell them that it's illegal to leave one's dogs outside. No one's looking to apprehend them, but com'on! They can hurt people, right? Talian nila, ikulong o kaya pabaitin kamo.)

*img URL= http://static.flickr.com/67/169672362_530e0324dc_o.jpg

Introduction

2007-04-25T17:05:00.000+08:00

I was born in Las Piñas almost 16 years ago. Amazingly, a lot remain the same. Like the pictures of the Aguilars on their campaign posters. And the Jeepneys with "Chicks Idol" or "God Knows Hudas Not Pay" yelling from signs hanging on them.

It still has only one main road-- the Alabang-Zapote Road, or "Real St."-- where all the cars in the world seem to get stuck in.

Wow. What a great place.

Punta na!

Las Piñas

*image URL: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42138000/jpg/_42138860_flood203ap.jpg

Announcement

2007-04-25T17:01:00.000+08:00

This blog will now be dedicated to Las Piñas, the city known for its traffic jams, lamp posts, Bamboo Organ, SM Southmall, and escalator-powered overpasses, and "bawal umihi dito" walls.

H-e-l-l-o-w-there

2007-03-18T17:26:00.000+08:00

It's been a while, reader, since I've posted something. I'm still thinking of something to write about. I might end up typing sentences like, "Life just sucks!!!" although it doesn't. See you very soon! Good luck!

Hello Again

2007-02-24T12:08:00.000+08:00

It’s been 21 days since the last time I’ve been in here. So what happened between Feb 3 and Feb 24? Why did it take me so long to put another post? A lot happened. I didn’t have the luxury of time and the spark of creativity to rip something up.
I’m getting tired of everyday. I get angry more easily than before. I don’t like my personality. More and more people say I’m weird. “Weird”-A word that says you’re doing something that most people don’t. I don’t have a problem with people calling me that. I do have a problem when it’s too often that they imply it with their actions. I hate being weird. Did I choose to be? No, of course not. That’s just who I am. Do I need to make myself fit in? I don’t know, but it sure is starting to get lonely down here.
I’m starting to get tired of myself. Almost everyone thinks I’m too serious on stuff and that I’m easily displeased or irritated by petty mistakes. In consequence, almost everyone’s afraid to make a mistake or to make a fool of him/herself in front of me. Frankly, I DON’T GIVE A DAMN. Go ahead, make a mistake in front of me. The more human you are, the more I’ll like you.
I’m disappointed with seeing people doing things that they don’t really love doing. Before I wasn’t one of them. Maybe passion for doing stuff is a seasonal feeling too. Currently, I’m sick of a lot of things. I’m sorry if I sound conceited or down right mad or “emo”. I just couldn’t think of anything to write on this blog. Enjoy your day. No hard feelings now. The world’s supposed to be a happy place.

Questions

2007-02-03T22:32:00.000+08:00

by Rev. John A. Shepherd

Keep holding on, keep smiling.

Everyone’s still safe and sound....don’t worry. And if they’re not?

They’ll all be...eventually. Why?

Because God’s on your side...no matter how silent He is sometimes. How can you know?

He takes time to listen ‘cause He wants to make sure
that you have the best time of your life. But why is everything not going your way?

Because the best time of your life
comes right after the worst. Why?

Because
love,
time,
and other people
keep us holding on...
and keep us smiling.

If they don't, what would they all be for?

She Is Like the Storm

2007-01-06T18:52:00.000+08:00

by Carlos Clement

FANBOYS (she is, is she) like the storm
The storm is like an angry cat
But she is like the storm
Therefore she is an angry cat
Of no hair is she born

on dark alleys there i met
A wise visayan man
Filled with regret, his body wet
And very very well tanned

He spoke to me in parables
His words were quite profound
Yet i have failed to understand
It's meaning could not be found

For visayan men do speak
in ways foreign to my eyes
and they shall dream of better days,
days shall i despise

Bridge:Merry Christmas and a happy new yearMy daddy smokes and drinks a lot of beer

My 20 reflections normally conceived in traffic while watching the Meralco (electric) wires sort of dance when the car moves fast/ while blogging

2006-12-27T23:12:00.000+08:00

1. Why was I born in this body/country/gender/etc.? Coincidence?
2. How can I remember someone’s face, yet at the same time, get confused when I try to take his/her face part by part in my imagination/ try to draw him/her? (hmmm...pretty weird question...)
3. What is life for? (cliché...)
4. Will I ever get married? If yes where could she (‘he’ for ladies) be now? Could she be thinking about this too?
5. What did it feel like before I was born?
6. Why does water taste so good? (I think Sir PJ, our science teacher answered this already. He said something about sugar compounds produced by some reaction. Still, savor water in your mouth, doesn’t really taste sweet...but it has that appeal....yummy.)
7. How did I learn to move my body parts just by thinking about it?
8. What’s IT like the VERY MOMENT I fall asleep?
9. Why CAN’T sleeping be the same as moving my body parts?—just thinking about doesn’t work (I hope I’m not freaking you out)
10. How can I hear the voice in my head even though it doesn’t have a real voice anyway?
11. What if I had a different name/gender? Would life be more difficult? (e.g. I’m Anthony, a boy. If I changed into a girl, and had the name “Connie” or Consolacion... things would be a LOT different>> source: Robert)
12. How can colors/plants/body parts/ animals/ earth, space look the way it is, as though there was a rule that they should end up looking, smelling, feeling, sounding like that? (kinda like a question a bible or science journal can answer)
13. Why can’t affection or admiration be just like sleeping?— can’t fall into it and rise up from it overnight.
14. Why do dreams come in color? Or do they? Where do the sights and sounds come from? I really can’t remember!!!!
15. Why do dreams sometimes not make sense...yet I was pretty sure they do while I WAS in the dream itself?
16. Should all the things I do, including typing all these, matter?
17. Why am I typing/reading this blog entry?
18. Why am I still wasting my time on thinking about these?
19. How many souls did God make? Are they pre-made for bodies, or are they in one package? Are there really souls anyway? Can plants feel/perceive any sensation? Is it all pitch black for 'em?
20. Why am I wasting my time on this? Why did I type this again? I should have slept earlier or something...

Isn't It Ironic? by LWP

2006-12-27T22:14:00.000+08:00

Here's my hopeless romantic poetic mushy secretive el livin da liva loca friend LWP making his non-poetic debut...enjoy!

One night, I was walking home from a friend’s house. As I was crossing a street maybe about 5-10 tricycles signaled one after the other if I would ride. I denied them all since I was near my house that time. Then I thought... it’s ironic I didn’t need a tricycle that time, but when I urgently needed one to go to somewhere... none comes, they already have a passenger or they are having siesta time. Well, that’s ironic indeed, it gave me a sign though or I just realized something that “what if I got mauled by a dog” if I didn’t ride a tricycle home and I saw those guys trying to give me a ride… Then my life would suck…

Maybe because sometimes, these alternatives of going home may help you end up getting hurt or something like that. Here is another example, since the New Year is near, there are a lot of fireworks and other stuff that might scare the heck out of you when something explodes or you hear a large cracking boom. Well that happened to me because one firework boomed from the sky and maybe turned my wits inside out…. Hehe. But what if that was a firecracker that would hit me on my way walking home then I would get hurt? Well that might not have happened if I took a tricycle. Well, my point is that the tricycle alternative is an easier way to getting home but I took the hard way because I wanted it and no one could stop me.

It might be the same as loving a person. The many tricycles would be a change in me... changing my lovelife (anthony: oh, you mean already have one, lwp? Haha...just kidding) or something but I would still like to do stuff my way but all of the sudden a dog might attack you or a firecracker explodes on you. Well… doesn’t it suck to be like that? Your love for someone might end up with you walking a dark road with an unsuspecting trap to spring up on you and hurt you… But that’s life right? If you get hurt you just heal your wounds and go on… on and on, until you may have had enough. Well, I don’t know with you guys but I’d go on, even if I had a dog munching on my leg or something. Hehe.

Let’s see it in a broader aspect of life. For example, I pray to the Lord for this and that, but he might not give me what I wanted and I get mad at Him. Well, aren’t I unfair to Him? Why? Because there are many people having bigger problems than I do and some don’t complain but some do (but righteously so). My prayers for some petty things might give me happiness if God grants it, but other people like the one affected by typhoons and etc. pray for their families, friends, livelihood and etc. still suffer. Does God answer their prayers? Well, I for one don’t know. But I know that most of the things that people pray about is for material possessions and other stuff. Then, if God didn’t grant them, then they would be angry but isn’t it ironic if people are like that. Then what kind of world would this be? But sure there are some people who pray for others(maybe the less fortunate?) and that stuff and if some of there material prayers were not answered they would not be angry then God bless them. Here’s another example, you help somebody, a charity or something like that then you end up experiencing bad luck for the rest of the day… then that would demoralize that person from believing in hope of good karma, well, then that would suck, but it’s ok for as the saying “What goes around comes around” (or something like that) something would end up good in the long run.

Well, that’s it. Well, don’t bother reading this crap. (anthony: I already did! Haha.. you shoud’ve put this at the first paragraph! Just kidding...) Hehe, well if you did. Thank you. Hehe. But isn’t it ironic that when you bring an umbrella thinking that it would rain then it wouldn’t; if you didn’t bring an umbrella then it would be pouring? Well, then that would just suck, “BIGtime”. But sometimes you just don’t care about all the bad things around or the powerful storm, oh well… I don’t know about you but, I know I do most of the time. I think what will happen after this storm? A beautiful rainbow? Blooming flowers? Well, we will all see in due time.

After you think all the ironies end, that is the time you realize that its just one big irony for you to think that it has all ended and you just get slapped in the face again by it.

©LWP2006

Of Hormones and Hoaxes

2006-12-24T08:36:00.000+08:00

It’s kind of sad how most of us teens run on hormones. Everyone’s growing up fast and thinking about things that we once set aside, laughed at or were disgusted of. That concept most of us have first seen/heard in movies, TV shows, books, or from our parents’ stories—“romantic love”. I’m not going to write about my sentiments regarding my feelings for someone I won’t disclose who (ha!); rather, I will quote information on people who are just coming of age get tangled up in feelings that make ‘em “tingly inside”. You may skip the next two paragraphs if you don’t feel like reading something from a science journal.

Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that a consistent number of chemicals are present in the brain when people testify to feeling love. These chemicals include; Testosterone, Oestrogen, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Vasopressin. More specifically, higher levels of Testosterone and Oestrogen are present during the lustful phase of a relationship. Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Serotonin are more commonly found during the attraction phase of a relationship. Oxytocin, and Vasopressin seemed to be more closely linked to long term bonding and relationships characterized by strong attachments.

In 2005, Italian scientists at Pavia University found that a protein molecule known as the nerve growth factor (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these levels return to as they were after one year. Specifically, four neurotrophin levels, i.e. NGF, BDNF, NT-3, and NT-4, of 58 subjects who had recently fallen in love were compared with levels in a control group who were either single or already engaged in a long-term relationship. The results showed that NGF levels were significantly higher in the subjects in love than as compared to the either of the control groups.

Okay, back to English. So the scientists have pointed out that “falling in love” is because of hormones! Come on... isn’t that a shame? No magic, no cupid, no nothing. Is romantic love of the flesh, and not of the spirit? Is it all just a hoax? Well, maybe not all do fall in love because of ‘em hormones. But even if some do fall in love because of chemicals in their bodies, they need more than just Oxytocin and Vasopressin to make them stay “in love”. Hormones can’t make two people stay in love for more than three decades, I think. It's all too sad if hormones are all we need to love. There are no hormone-refills sold in your nearest Mercury Drugstores. There are stuff that trigger hormone production, like exercise, chocolate, bodily glands, etc, yet, still, I believe there’s no substitute for good old real raw abstract unexplaianable unfathomable eternal honest cool warm twisting turning dizzying mind-boggling breathtaking God-given romantic love.

Do teenagers have that kind of love? I think real romantic love is like a sport. You need practice. I’m not saying you should hook up with a guy or a girl to practice on him/her. You need to go through different rounds of love. I don’t remember their scientific/psychological terms, but there is that “love” for teen idols, for celebrities for money, fame, power, etc.; LOVE for family, for parents, for siblings, for friends, for fellowmen, and for God.

I think you can’t truly romantically love anyone right now if you haven’t performed well in the second set of love rounds. Maybe. I don’t know if you agree with me, I’m not always right you know. It’s just that now, I think youngsters are still running on hormones. Seeking for serious reciprocation in a young age isn’t really bad. It is just that it seems unnecessary for now. It may all end up in vain. If the hormones run out, that’s the time something real kicks in and if you’re lucky enough, you’ll end up with her or him. (yehey!)

For the meantime, I advice ya’ll keep yourselves busy with God, family, friends, studies, wholesome hobbies, and Manny Pacquiao. As for “teen love”, take it easy, just enjoy the feeling, and listen to what most grown ups say, “It’s just a phase your going through”. Just let the universe conspire to God’s plan for you.

I don’t want a cliché ending for my entry that’s why I typed this sentence.

Oo nga pala... advanced MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sources:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#Chemical_basis
2. original authors: Emanuele, E. Polliti, P, Bianchi, M. Minoretti, P. Bertona, M., & Geroldi, D. (2005). “Raised plasma nerve growth factor levels associated with early-stage romantic love.” Abstract. Psychoneuroendocrinology, Nov. 09.
3. Clement, Carlos
4. Majul, Ms. Mary Ann
5. Sison, Eirish
6. Suyom, Robert

IF YOU LIKE stupid punk songs (I don’t mean ALL punk songs are stupid), please do not take this article against me.

2006-12-22T15:05:00.000+08:00

I don’t remember why but I do remember I felt really bad that day. Watching the raindrops gradually roll on the windows, I was sitting uncomfortably in the car during that rainy evening after school. Do you know those cheesy moments you want to escape from where you are? To escape from “reality”—pretty much the theme of most stupid punk songs these days.

Well, anyway, there I was feeling like I’m inside a stupid punk song. I wanted to get out, to at least turn down the volume of that punk song in my head. I didn’t want to work that hard that night I guess. I wanted to laze around, maybe. I wanted to have fun that night I think. But I was stuck in traffic, about to do ceremonial and almost sacred homeworks and other hoo-hah's for the rituals called school subjects! I didn’t get along with everyone. I was irritable most of the time. I made people feel unappreciated. I felt I WAS the stupid punk song ITSELF! And, there, I saw a sight which did turn off that stupid punk song in my head.

A ten-year-old boy was riding a bike with his younger brother clinging to his back. It was raining. They were soaking wet. They had a plastic bag of junk in their hands. Was it for supper? I didn’t have a clue. I was sure of one thing though. There are a lot more people with stupid punk songs in their heads. And as if that weren’t enough, they have empty stomachs and hypothermia to worry about.

Life’s a stupid punk song, I guess. We’re all living to turn down the volume.... But then again, as what one comment below argued...maybe life was once that great ballad, that radical and cool rock song, that symphony...that mankind has transformed into a mediocre punk song! Then, I now say, life's a playlist... we chose, choose, and will choose the tracks to listen to. And all of us only have one pair of speakers to listen to 'cause "we're one but we're not the same (U2)".

So please... you should all BUY April Boy's latest album, " ' Pag Pagod na ang Puso", out next January.

Enjoy!

If you need advice, comfort, and inspiration... click me!

Galaxy of Tears

2006-12-21T21:14:00.001+08:00

Come on child
Go to your friend
Meet her by the backdoor
Don’t leave her crying
In the galaxy of tears

Dad’s been telling you
To make your bed
Every morning
You left the pillows piled up
The sheets undone
His heart left breaking
In the galaxy of tears

You wanted to go to outer-space
You wanted to become an astronaut
You had your spaceship already
You just didn’t know it
It’s parked right there
In the galaxy of tears

Come on
Go to your friend
Meet her by the backdoor
You’ll be flying
In and out the galaxy of tears.

**for Angel, Roman, Robbie, Marc and all the shyboys in the galaxy

This is Not a Poem!

2006-12-21T20:59:00.000+08:00

I was sitting.
I was sitting there...
There on that seat.
I was sitting on that seat...
With four legs...I think....
Yes, it had four legs.
There I was...sitting on that seat with four legs...looking at my watch...
With two hands...I think....
Yes, it had two hands.
There I was...sitting on that seat with four legs...looking at my watch with two hands...thinking of a word...
With your name on it...I think....
Yes, it had your name on it.
There I was...sitting on that seat with four legs...looking at my watch with two hands...thinking of a word with your name on it...writing a poem...
With you in it...I think....
Yes, it had you in it.
There I was...sitting on that seat with four legs...looking at my watch with two hands...thinking of a word with your name on it...writing a poem with you in it.

Fragile

2006-12-21T09:34:00.000+08:00

by LWP (a hopeless romantic friend of mine)

I tried to give you my heart,
Yet you shattered it like a mirror
The reflections of you are broken...
Into thousands shards they lie on the ground...

Will I just let them be?
Will I forget you that easily?
No, I will pick up the pieces
And put them together
For when I look into that mirror, my heart...
I see myself...
I see you...

When you broke my heart...
Destroyed it...
I picked up the pieces,
Now look into this mirror...
What do you see...
It is you,
The one who holds my heart...

©LWP2006

C.O.S.T. P.O.O.

2006-12-18T21:16:00.000+08:00

After many days and nights of daily routines and blah blahs with people I’ve realized Corny Obvious Stuff That People Often Overlook (C.O.S.T. P.O.O.).

Here’s my TOP TEN HIT LIST! of “C.OS.T. P.O.O.’s”:

10.
Jokes are half-meant half the time.

9.
Keeping your mouth shut saves you from trouble most of the time.

8.
First impressions last, but they shouldn’t.

7.
Everyone’s smart, one way or another.

6.
“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” isn’t really true most of the time since a lot of "beholders" have the same preference.

5.
Making a fool of yourself is good for you in the long run.

4.
No one can make him/herself happy but everyone can make anyone happy.

3.
No one can please everyone. Even God can’t. (If he did, there wouldn’t be Satan.)

2.
No one can be blamed for anything since you should’ve been there to keep it from happening.

1. (this is the corniest)
Everyone’s lovable but not everyone chooses to love.

Doorbell

2006-11-23T21:20:00.000+08:00

The world’s a mental hospital.
People are in straight jackets
Talking about
Who’s gonna be at their door.

They keep on waiting,
Peeking through window curtains
Asking them, “Who’s gonna be...
At your door?”

“Ding Dong!”

There’s someone
At my door
Tonight.

“Ding Dong!”

Still, I’m not sure
If I’ll let that person
See me inside.

Not whom I’m waiting for?
Maybe. Maybe not.

“Ding Dong!”

People are listening...

To every doorbell ring.
To every news ‘bout
Who’s on everyone’s door.
I won’t let you in...

Yet.
Give a minute.
Maybe the doorbell ring’s
Just in my head.

Dark skies, Red rivers

2006-11-11T21:30:00.000+08:00

by LWP (a novelist, philosopher, preacher, patriot, friend, loverboy)

A decaying corpse here.
Dying trees there.
Is this a nightmare?
Or is this the reality that we must bear?

The skies have grown dark
Ravenous beasts have left their mark
The air has grown foul
And here comes the dark black fowl.

The red rivers have run out of fish
The wrath of chaos and disorder have spread
Claiming everyman's house and bread
Not leaving anything even a pauper's dish.

Is this the price to pay?
For warring each other day by day
And leaving destroyed trees and men on the road
Surely, this is Death's abode
And man's heavy load.

©LWP2006

Fertilizer

2006-11-10T21:46:00.000+08:00

On the sixth day
God created us all
Like garden soil
Big and small.

We thought we’re better off
With sun, water and rocks
But they’re too bright
Too fresh
Too strong

Then life sucks.

But God gives us loads of shit,
Soft, sticky, dry or wet.
Although it smells bad
We shouldn’t be raving mad.

Since no rose would grow.
No tree will show
No tulips will hap'ly dance
No plants would've had any chance!

In our lives, we’d just better let
God give us loads of shit.

***
Chinese Proverb:
If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime,
Help somebody.

reference: quotations.about.com

Right after the Rain

2006-11-10T21:14:00.000+08:00

I remember minutes ago
The roof was the cloud’s drum set
Beating it with rain drops
Leaving it wet.

Now the show’s over.
The shouts of the trees die down.
There’s a new song playing
With a shivering sound.

Birds start to sing along
Picking up their guitars
Strumming the lonely wind
Plucking away the hours.

I whistle along,

I don’t know why,
It still sounds sad,
No matter how hard I try
To make my melody glad

Right after the rain.

The song keeps playing
Until it reaches your ears.
Just hoping when you whistle
You won’t end up in tears.

You may want to sing your day away
But no two notes are the same.
You’ll hear the blue’s louder than the gray
But not right after the rain.

The Song of the Lamps

2006-11-03T23:09:00.000+08:00

They shout to me to turn them on
I gladly comply, pulling a stool to get on
So I can reach ‘em up there
Up there where no one could hold me.

I turn the switch on in that dim-lit room
I see the fluorescent lamps flash their glow
One by one by one
By one they hum us a song.

I don’t know about you
But I still see their friendly shapes
After I close my eyes
My eyes are still burning.

I slip on my little chair
I wake up from my dream
I see the lamps aren’t flashing anymore
Flashing anymore for me.

I find out someone turned them off
I hear that song they hummed to us before
But the lamps are silent this time
This time it's you humming for me.

I still see you after I close my eyes
My eyes don’t burn anymore.

Traffic Light

2006-11-03T22:27:00.000+08:00

Stuck in my seat,
Seeing the red turn to orange turn to green,
Telling me to stop, to slow down, to keep going.
I don’t see the lights tonight.

Give me an accident, old friend,
Although it’ll hurt me.
Maybe pain’s the safest route
To the best destination.

The reds, oranges and greens
They’re all flickering at the same time.
Don’t know which to follow, old friend.
Help me close my eyes.

Give me a detour to the right things.
Maybe it’ll change my mind.
Save me your coolant.
My head’s overheating.

‘Cause the lights are teasing me,
All flickering at the same time.
Telling me to stop, to slow down, to keep going.
I don’t want to see ‘em tonight.

Burn the map you bought yesterday
It's gonna make things harder for me
The river of lights flowing on the dashboard
Won't show me the way there.

Close my eyes, old friend.
Give me an accident.
Give me a detour, burn the map.
No reds, oranges and greens please.

Your light will do.

Soar

2006-11-01T20:27:00.000+08:00

by L.W.P. (a scholarly-poet-smooth-player friend of mine)

From afar, you can see a mighty hawk
Flying high and cannot be mocked

But if captured and caged
It will be left to cry and age

Not to soar
Not anymore...

Mighty hawk, mighty hawk
What has come to you?
Has your freedom become long overdue?

But freedom is an unbreakable bond
Someday you shall break your chains
And fly up and soar high leaving behind your pains.

©LWP2006

5 poems

2006-11-01T11:33:00.000+08:00

What it says to you at the catwalk.

Come on,
walker on the catwalk.
Walk with it.
It ain’t nothing else but you.
Talk with it.
It ain’t talking to no one but you.
Live with it.
It ain’t leaving you ‘till you do.
Go on,
walker on the catwalk.
You gonna walk talk live
till it leaves you
walkin’ talkin’ livin’
with no one but you.

Middle-teen crisis

Thought I had
Something to show ‘em.
Something to carry.
Nothing to say to
Nothing to give to
Thought I had
Someone to look at
Someone to laugh at
No one to like me
No one to help me
Thought I still had
My freakin’ me
Thought I’m still mad
At you and me.

Runnin’ to nowhere
Livin’ it in somewhere
Doin’ anything
Sayin’ all ‘somethings’
Givin’ it somehow
Killin’ I know how

Then I stopped
Till I thought
I’ve lost
you and me.

Thought I’m still gone.
Thought I’m with no one.

Letter to the teacher

Don’t shake the bottle and rinse it clean.
Don’t spit on your face and say I’m mean
Don’t take what you can’t get and what you’ve seen
Don’t live your life like you’re in a movie scene.

Do make something out of your doing.
Do break something you can’t stand staying.
Do say something you ought keeping.
Do stay in there but shackle up loving.

‘Cause you’re dying in here you man
‘Cause you don’t know how to stand
‘Cause you don’t care to lend a hand
‘Cause you don’t have another chance.

Then say I’m your keeper
Then say you’re my teacher
Then say I’m your brother
Then say you’re my sister.

If nothing’s gonna come out
If nothing’s gonna reach me
If nothing’s gonna speak out
Then you better well teach me.

To the Chapel-goer

Locked gates.

Couldn’t get in
you.
Couldn’t see
you.
Couldn’t make
it
on My own.

Then
shiver on my bench,
for
I was there
but
you weren’t.
Child,
you weren’t.

Lunch-break

Bell rings.
Ears not hearing.
The beat’s too loud
And keeps going and going

And going.
Stomach aches.
I’m not feeling.
The beat hurts more
And does for so long.

For so long.
Mouth eats.
I’m not filling.
The beat’s hungry too,
And taking it all.

Taking it all.
Bell rings.
Mind’s not thinking.
The beat thinks too
And keeps faking it

Keeps faking it.
The beat stops.
I’m not beginning.
The beat’s stopped me too.

Stopped me too.

Ang Pag-idlip ng Tula

2006-11-01T11:31:00.000+08:00

Namumula na ang mga mata.
Kahit Visine di ata tatalab.
Nanluluha na sa kaiisip
Ng damdaming ipag-aalab.

Gawa ng pindot ng mga daliri
Ang musikang humihimig
Mula sa keyboard na maalikabok--
Walang kaluluwang nakaririnig.

‘Pagkat wala nang kaluluwang
Natira sa kwartong ‘to,
Kundi ang mga titik na tinatayp
Binubuo’t inihahandog,

Sa kamay ng di nagbabasa,
Ng di nakikinig,
Ng may nanlalabo nang matang,
Di makita ang pag-ibig.

Pag namatay na ang manunulat,
Buhay pa sana ang mambabasa.
Pag tulog na ang mundo
Gising pa sana ang pag-asa...

...Sa gabing pinaidlip ang Tula.

Ang mga hakbang upang mabuhay-burgis sa Pilipinas

2006-11-01T11:29:00.000+08:00

Silang.

Laki.

Aral.

Trabaho.

Kasal.

Silang.

Anak.

Laki.

Aral.

Abroad.

Bakasyon.

Pag-unlad?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Siyempre.

Wala.

Patay.

Kabaong.

Libing.

Luha.

Ulit-ulitin blg. 1-19 hanggang magsawa sa kahirapan ang mga natirang burgis sa Pilipinas.

LITERATURE CORNER

2006-11-01T11:23:00.000+08:00

Most if not all the succeeding entries would be poems/short stories (if I have time to write them) since I realized it's too hard for me to disclose my thoughts on everyday life in "casual-conversational-manner (CCM)". So enjoy. Maybe from time to time I'll do that in CCM. For the meantime, indulge in literature. God bless.

Pilosopiyang Tae

2006-10-21T09:32:00.000+08:00

Oo, alam kong medyo bastos ang tunog, pero totoo, may Pilosopiyang Tae.
Sinabi 'to minsan ng katabi ko sa classroom, si Harvey, isa kong matalik na kaibigan. Kahit ga'no pa man kalagkit, tigas, basa o ka-kaunti iyon...mahuhugasa't mahuhugasan din, at malilimutan mo ang karanasan ng pagtae. Minsan nga, maaalala mo na lamang, "Ay! Tumae na nga pala ako!" Salamat, Harvey, sa napakaganda mong pananaw.

Nais ko rin itong maging bahagi ng inyo-inyong buhay.

My very first entry

2006-10-17T20:38:00.000+08:00

I have lots to do today. This is all I can write in my first entry, since I have lots to do. See you next time, dear reader.