Paper Bug

Aftereffects: The Threepenny Opera

2010-03-12T11:55:00.000+08:00

The play centers on an unethical, antiheroic criminal Macheath (Mack the Knife) who marries Polly Peachum, the only daughter of the big boss of the beggars who runs the streets of London. Disappointed of her daughter’s sudden decision, he plans to condemn Macheath of his doings and have him executed publicly by hanging; however, his attempts to entrap and pull down Macheath are hindered by the fact that Tiger Brown, the Chief of Police, is Macheath’s old pal. Still, Peachum asserts his influence and eventually leads Macheath to his arrest and death sentence. Macheath avoids his fate through a deux ex machina (a theatrical device), wherein an unexpected character is inserted to intervene with or resolve the protagonist’s situation. His remarkable end is stopped by the surprising declaration coming from the messenger of the Queen relaying Her Majesty’s message to grant Macheath Royal pardon. Despite all his doings, he escapes the finale usually described by the part wherein the bad guy becomes prosecuted and imprisoned. Here, Macheath unique dark character is the axis of the story’s revolution.

The Three Penny Opera written by Bertolt Brecht and Elizabeth Haputmannn

Three Penny Opera could be a ridiculed reflection of the status quo of a society influenced by the politics used in London which theater-wisely mimics what is actually happening in the Philippines. It is a portrayal of the actual past occurrences in the British system which later repeats itself as an expose of the condition of politics in the Philippines. It tackles different aspects of the society and the connections that mesh within, directly affecting the courses of people’s lives. It’s like a butterfly effect; one small move can cause a lot of fragile consequences. A single corrupt leader can make more of what he/she is. However, the interference of the ones seated at the highest administrative positions in the system can change the pace of Filipino karma, the thought of payback at the right time.

Personally, the play’s theatrical theme made me enjoy it more. The melodies blended with the sets of dialogue suit its interpretation. The costume and props such as the signboards, the extended sidecar, the stairway to the upper exit, the bed set, and all others, create a British atmosphere similar yet a bit contrasting to the Philippine setting; similar in a manner by which it entails the type of poverty both countries have and how the impoverished life was assisted by some stereotypes such as that of bar girls (as entertainers), of policemen (as unkind, fed-up, owner-loyal pigs), and of street children (as disabled, displaced family children), while different in a sense that it tackles country-based concerns inserted in a British setting.

Also, captions are flashed on the back screen and in the beginning, characters carry with them picket-signs showing quotes conceivably generalized to be true. It slams the question: “Who is the greater criminal: he who robs a bank or he who founds one?” It is also a particular representation of modern comical musicale, mainly mixed up with jazz. Other than that, it promotes awareness of the current affairs among Filipinos.

Moreover, the actors successfully grabbed the audience’s attention, and somehow managed to mask their mistakes onstage. Other than that, they were able to justify their characters in such a way that in my favorites list I elevated its rank next to my top favorite, Hinabing Pakpak ng Ating mga Anak. What interests me most is how the play tackles the different scenarios of the “dirty” living, which seems like an adaptation from London’s past. What I mean of “dirty” living is one which is used to the banging sound of an arbitrary gunshot or passive to the ongoing connivance of the authority in the continuous presence of heinous crimes and other unlawful acts.

Basically, I love the play for the reason that I felt the call to be more vigilant of what’s happening around me. Art is not just used to attract attention; it is also created to better understand why it deserves that attention. In every work of art lies a perception which may vary from viewer to viewer, and this defines its significance.

Article Review: Disassembling Toys

2010-03-12T11:53:00.000+08:00

The dominance of French toys representing a miniature copy of the adult world is being countered and overtaken by the existence of toys patterned from famed fictional characters generated by the powerful imagination to out-of-this-world ones, literally. We see more of sci-fi/ anime action figures like Clone Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel characters, assembly types Gundam Wing and Zoids, Star Wars, GI Joe, the ideal Barbie, Disney collectibles, and many more.

Gundam Wing, written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa

This unquestionable presence disprove Barthes’ claims that toys commonly reflect on the occurrences in the adult world, wherein one, through toys, is trained and prepared for adult responsibilities. Thus, toys nowadays signify the exhibition of wide ranges of ideas for toys to be delighted more by children. I believe that toy makers design their craft works in a way to make children enjoy their innocence and have fun in the world, instead of forcing them to absorb the liability of the old. Moreover, the attention-grabbing force of the media has changed the environment, presenting toys as wonderful objects which would bring happiness to any of the ones who will receive it.

I actually did not have so many toys to think about. It is either I have forgotten them because I had memory loss or I just did not like my toys, or probably I only had a few and went bitter, haha. However, I could still remember my favorite toy, the beyblade set. Choosing among the prototype, the metal blade, and the other spare parts, I would primarily consider the type of blade it has, when purchasing. I want more sparks and when in search for battle, it is easy to find duelers since I have two brothers who are also hooked up to these things. Finding ourselves ready for battle, we’d all place our beyblades near the battle stadium and altogether pull the releaser, and then the battle begins. Sparks fly, and cheers go by. Sometimes my beyblade gets kicked out of the arena, and I would talk to it like what Kai and Ray (anime characters in Beyblade) do. They speak to them as if they have life. Cool, huh?

This plaything contradicts Barthes claims. A beyblade does not exemplify the “microcosm of the adult world”; instead, it gives the child brand new thoughts away, bestowing in him the power to exploit his imagination. He may want to use the beyblade for fun, or maybe to seek challenge, or just simply play with siblings. Barthes may be right in saying that toys were made for users, not creators, but during my own childplay I was used to modifying my beyblade. For once, I tried cross-breeding the parts (metal gears, base case) of two different beyblades, and it was gratifying since I was able to reproduce a new beyblade derived from old ones. With this effect, the beyblade grants its user the chance to reinvent itself, and achieve satisfying results.

Even with its artificiality, happiness is still brought about in any child who owns a toy. There would be little difference in feelings induces whether one object is artificial, detached from reality and nature, or the other way around. The toy’s functionality and inner purpose do not solely rely on its type of material. However, some toys would only work with a specific kind of material composition. One of which, I mentioned, is the beyblade. If it is made of wood, it won’t produce sparks nor cause enough collision. It would be harder for a child to release it and make it turn like the default one. The intended effect of the toy on the child will be more likely hindered. Despite the unnatural composition, more toys become defined and achieve a certain sense of accomplishment, even without eliminating the sense of touch which only nature can give. They still serve their purpose, to make a child happy, and define the essence of playing.

A Coca-Cola Product Review: Coke-aholic Much?

2010-03-12T11:34:00.001+08:00

The 1955 Coco-Cola infomercial, “Pearl of the Orient”, showcases Coke both as a valued commodity and as part of the Filipino lifestyle. For decades, Coca-Cola has, and still, continued to reign in the consumers market stunning other companies with their artistic and viewer-friendly commercials. It has also succeeded in introducing Coke to every Filipino family, regarding Coke as a member whose absence would mean a lot of loss. The infomercial also opens the gateway to the Philippines at that time, presenting Filipino people and culture.

Image Courtesy: Coca-Cola

The product Coke is represented here as Coca-Cola’s colonial effort to assert its influence in Philippine culture and establish business imperialism within the country. Coke production is viewed here as the force which offers employment to a lot of Filipinos, and its continuous stay and utilization of resources, sand, sugar cane and even cheap labor, tell the viewers of the Philippines’s richness in resources which is imminent in its decades-long prevalence in the country. The Philippines is then described as a large supplier of Coca-Cola, while the Filipino people are seen as the labor force and, at the same time, as the consumers of the outcome of their labor. Also, the Filipinos and the Philippines are well-represented by the undying patronage of Coke, affecting the Philippine culture as society and Coke meet. Coke actually serves as an icon of foreign intrusion and commercial monopoly.

Video Courtesy: Youtube channel Jeff Quitney

In the infomercial, we can hear how the narrator reiterates Coke’s presence as one which cannot be detached from Philippine culture; it has turned to an irremovable stain on the nation’s economic cloth. The infomercial also promotes Filipino taste as something eternally favored and internationally trusted, basically addressed by the idea of Coke’s high-quality and fineness. In the introduction, the characters in Pearl of the Orient are real Filipinos dressed in their national costume, Baro’t Saya, presenting the national dance Tinikling, giving the viewers that certain comical notion that Coke might be our national drink – which is hilarious.

Looking through its historical context, the Philippines’s position as second wealthiest nation in Asia next to Japan encouraged an investments-boom and trade development in the country. This gave large growing companies like Coca-Cola the benefit to broaden its reach in 1912 since it is financially stable enough to build branches in the Philippines, which was heavily influenced by the United States. The strong relationship between the Philippines and the US induced Coca-Cola’s decision to build and manage a business empire in the nation. Unlike Coca-Cola’s other rivals like Pepsi-Cola which also distributes non-beverage products such as Frito Lays and Quaker Oats, Coca-Cola never had the need to produce non-beverage products since their own products provide enough stability to keep the company growing and secured.

It can also be perceived that the production line in the video shows the company’s orientation towards Filipino values like cleanliness, professionalism, timeliness, organization and excellence. Trained workers, however, seemed to look unfulfilled and dissatisfied, which may somehow be due to the low wages they were earning since the Philippines offered cheap labor during the 50’s. Bearing in mind the Filipinos’ hard-working attitude and family-dedicated personality, it may be seen that the primary factor which stimulates motivation among the workers is labor price and other additional incentives.

With the injection of traditional Filipino music, like Tinikling and Paru-Parong Bukid, it may be assumed that Coca-Cola and the Philippines have been constant “partners in progress” through the good and the bad. This affiliation has caused an increase in employment rate, therefore raising Coca-Cola’s credibility with existence as a trademark of influence and economic improvement. Heightened employment dealt an advantage for sugar cane factory workers and owners due to demand for labor and sugar as well. This symbolic mutualism, expressed by the fact that industries help one another in order to yield the same, “friendly Coke” Filipinos wanted, is now seen getting along with active globalization in a lot of countries nowadays.

Coca-Cola also defined pleasure (or consumerism) in terms of refreshment, as it is the “closeness to one’s desire” - as part of university life, fiesta celebrations, family outings, etc. However, a drawback may be regarded in the infomercial when it endorsed Coke’s belongingness to patients in hospitals, which actually raised concerns regarding health problems. With too much caffeine in it, at that time, no doctor would allow any patient to take it as part of medication. The voice over’s saying of “old things are best” also caught my attention, for it delivered the thought that Coke has been incorporated in the Filipino way of living through time, which seems ironic since not everyone in rural areas had easy access to Coke or any of Coca-Cola’s products. In contrast, I can certainly apply the adage in one’s university life. It may be true, the fact that the organization I am currently into has been flowing with the wind for 55 years, and still continues to be one of the best (no bias, haha) and recognized organizations in the college.

The infomercial has somehow succeeded in integrating its product and the country’s heritage as well. This effected to the rising number of consumers, which later led Coca-Cola to its inclusion in international brands competition. Up till now, Coca-Cola still prevails in promoting its products as well as the Filipino moral values which were then preserved from time to time; however, it has deflected away from introducing the Philippines outside, mainly due to the nation’s unexpected fall from the bountiful past. Today, Coca-Cola still manages to amaze and attract consumers by using digital technology to arrive at ingenious and light commercials such as Ang Sarap Dito (Angel commercial), Vice City (GTA style) – themed commercial, Happiness Factory and the latest, Coke “Mismo”.

Revealing the Two Fridas: Frida Kahlo

2010-03-12T11:30:00.000+08:00

Painted in 1939 at the time of her divorce with famous muralist Diego Rivera, The Two Fridas is said to be one of the products of the mixed emotions evoked by Mexican nonconformist artist Frida Kahlo during her 47 years of painful living. Frida Kahlo lived in a society which allowed her to aspire to be a listening wife and ideal mother. She used her weak points, her realizations in life, to gather more strength, stand up from every fall and produce one of the most valuable, feminist paintings I have ever seen.

After the Mexican Revolution, Mexico stood up for its highly patriarchal system of society, wherein women were viewed inferior to man. They were forced to take the role of subservience, other than the acceptance of being role models to their sons. Respect was less of a concern to deal with since mothers were only able to earn it from their sons, indicating that there narrow possibility of achieving respect when it comes to single women. Other than that, Catholic dominance shaped Mexican culture therefore imposing the ban on abortions, the use of birth control pills and the filings of annulment. This somehow filled up a portion of Frida’s vessel of dreams. But to such distress, fate became an obstacle to her from getting this kind of life.

Frida Kahlo by Diego Rivera

At six years old, she got inflicted of polio tracing off in her self-identity an Achilles’ heel - a shortened, weak right leg. To hide it, she wore long, flowing native Mexican dress as perceived in the left Frida of the painting, depicting the conventional Frida. Although schooling was uncommon for women in Mexico at that time, Frida got admitted to the well-known National Preparatory School, wherein she was one of only 35 females in a 2,000-packed student body. Supported by her boyfriend Alejandro Arias, she co-led the Cachucas, a prominent, left wing movement.

However, the life-changing experience was yet to happen. While riding on their way home, their bus was struck by an uncontrollable speeding vehicle. She suffered a lot of injuries, such as broken collarbone and ribs, a fractured and crushed right foot, eleven fractures on her right leg, a dislocated shoulder, a destructed spine (artistically presented in her The Broken Column), and the most severe, a broken pelvis when a pole pierced through her body, shattering her pelvis, and out of her vagina losing her virginity. Alejandro never came back after visiting her once in the hospital. It was as if he began to doubt of his love when he saw her physical stature and bore the fact of lost virginity.

Upon near recovery, she began pursuing away from medicine and intended to take the arts. At the age of 20, she fell in love with 40-year old muralist Diego Rivera, an acquaintance she had captivated way back school days. Hoping to satisfy her aspiration to be a perfect wife but no longer into being a mother, she married Diego in 1929. However, Diego’s manhood didn’t stop him from getting what he wanted, and so he flirted behind Frida’s back. Her faulty relationship with Diego, the continuous painstaking corrections in her body, and the saddening fact of not bearing a child, led her to take a shift of outlook in life.

She sparked her likeness in politics, and retained her membership in the Communist Party. Later, she arranged financial independency with her husband Dieg, remarrying one another once more. This anew personality is described in the painting’s right Frida, the strong-looking one. After an amputation of her right leg due to an infection she still insisted to join a Communist rally, granting her no immunity to pneumonia with a weak, deteriorating body. On the 13th of July 1954, she had her last breath.

Looking through this context, we can arrive at two different characters as portrayed in her work. The traditional Frida (left), with an intention to hide the bruise of her past life experiences, wears a tattered and blood-stained Mexican dress with her broken heart seen. This may indicate a person’s response when she is trapped in a life designated according to her status of living (cultural background, economic position). The traditional Frida is the reflection of a person held out by the life she was expected to live. As soon as she realized the need to adjust, she reinvents herself in a more positive way, unearthing in her the strong Frida at the right side.

Just like tabula rasa, one empty-minded person acquires knowledge from experience and perception in life. Frida’s response to the circumstances of failure lead to the ongoing strength of her evolved character, the right Frida – the epitome of strong will and determination in spite of hindrances which came along the way. She is the embodiment of the person who wisely decides for herself whom she wants to be, and not live accordingly with the influx of society’s culture and traditions.

In her artwork, we can see many symbols just waiting to be unveiled by the reader. One is the clouded-sky background, showing no penetration of sunlight through it, which denotes the dark agonizing past she had wherein she was able to cope with the stress of the feeling that she carried the world all by herself – a reason why some say that she painted two different personalities in order to forget the loneliness she felt. The artery connecting both Fridas and the holding of hands may signify the connection between the socially relying human and the independent fighting one – a strategy used by Kahlo to escape from reality and heal internally. Traditional Frida’s exposed, shattered heart may represent her longing – the bleeding love, which is still shared by both Fridas through the linking artery. The surgical scissors/pincers stop the blood from dripping out, which may indicate that she still knows her passions (love, career and family). It may also mean her craving to bear a child, which did not happen during her lifetime all blamed to an accident.

The stain of blood in her white dress may convey the physical aspects of pain, reminding her of the unwanted incident of miscarriages, of abortions, of surgeries, of her life. The small pendant, displaying a miniature picture of Diego, is connected to her by a cord. In her other works like 1949 The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Me, Diego and Mr. Xolotl, which may show that Diego wasn’t just her lover, but also, her son as well.

Color was used to provide distinction between the two Fridas. Historical context helped in unveiling the semiotics lying within the artwork. The premises of art were all inscribed in a circle of real-life experiences, stating that this artwork is the outcome of the feelings evoked by an unfortunate woman who only dreamed of becoming a wonderful person in her lifetime – which she later achieved on her death. Frida Kahlo herself is considered by many as a symbol of strong will, headship and rough individuality.

Disguise: Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan

2010-03-12T11:25:00.002+08:00

Delotavo’s interesting visual artwork reflects on the negative effects the Coca-Cola Company has brought about to a Third World country, the Philippines. Antipas Delotavo is a social realist who only considers things as they are and whose works reveal much about exploited workers. The painting shows the response of Mang Juan, a typical Filipino worker, to the upsurge of foreign colonialism and the aggressive injection of Western influence. Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan is a feedback on the negative impacts of globalization or commercialization in the Philippines. As perceived, a dagger-like tail of the letter C in the company’s title is pointed at the heart of Mang Juan. This exposes the struggle of an average Filipino worker, the embodiment of the Filipino public or the masa, against the agonizing monopoly and economic control of international corporations, most of which are offering products and services that entice consumers to live life according to “wants”, and not “needs”.

Artwork Courtesy: Antipas Delotavo

In his work, it may be seen that he emanated the natural colors of existing entities to instill on viewers that keen sense of familiarity over the subject and sequentially, to elicit points of view from different Filipino backgrounds. As for me, belonging to a financially unstable family, the big picture suggested here is that Coca-Cola’s presence in the country grants it the power to manipulate the economy, and eventually, the people’s lives – then centered on basic needs like food, shelter and water, being faced with or dueled by the company’s products like Coke, Royal and Sprite. Thus, it draws out the idea that art is an excavation of the artist’s imagination and that it comes along with the progression of society and history. Moreover, a connection becomes established between the viewer and the viewed since the latter signifies things Filipinos are accustomed to: the physical attributes of Mang Juan (skin and hair colors, façade, and dress code), the company’s title Coca-Cola, and the artwork’s identity (work label and author).

Mang Juan’s posture and stance, described by a side view, 45°-angled bowing head, an anxious and disturbed face, a passive slouching back, and a seemingly-weak right-hand holding his left elbow through his back, suggests his complete submission to the rules enforced by the dominion of the influential and selected few in this game of survival. One obeys his master, as the saying goes. The emergence of imperial tycoons and political dynasties strengthened economic ties whereby its effects seemed detrimental for most of the Filipino people.

The sparkles and flash of light observed in the painting symbolize the glamour associated with forgoing one thing for Coca-Cola. The artwork itself reflects market deception homogenized with the company’s bargain of introducing its satirically “commendable” products to the Filipino people. The company’s primal objective, to grant everyone access to self-fulfillment, manifests itself in the hazy “cloud-nine-like” feature in the work, as witnessed by character Mang Juan and the viewer.

Filipino artists like Delotavo and Habulan applied on their artworks the concept of déjà vu, where history kept on repeating itself, captured through preservation by art, depicting outrageous elite power-grabs and manipulations which dumped the larger bulk of burdens on the lowest sectors of the society, the labor force, pulling them down below the poverty line. Profit-oriented control of prices of goods, falsified media exposure of stocks downfall, irrational downgrade of wages, elevation of additional tax, and workers pullout, all followed a cyclic path still existing up to now. The artwork figuratively encases itself as an effect of continuous, unchanged processes caused by man himself, which then inspired more artists to use brushes, paint, and canvass to portray happenings in their time that would be history in time.

Review Contest: Repost and Win!

2010-02-05T20:20:00.005+08:00

This contest is open for everyone that owns a blog. This contest is a boon especially to online entrepreneurs that wish to have fascinating web templates for their websites. While these high quality web products cost hundreds of dollars, here’s a chance for you to win professionally designed web templates and banners by taking part in this contest. The highlight of the contest is that you need not necessarily be a top scorer to get prizes, even mere participation in the contest entitles you for a fabulous prize.

Your mission is to post the entire review given below including the in-content links along with the rules and prize list in your blog sites. All you have to do is copy the entire description and paste it in your blog and publish it. The top three participants that score maximum number of credits will be declared the winners of first, second and third prizes. When there are number of contestants with equal credits winners will be selected by random.org.

A review on the fascinating trio—Buytemplates.net, Brochuremoster.com, and Templatewind.com

Buytemplates.net is one of the most preferred membership websites in the internet, when it comes to purchasing website templates. The reputed online store for website templates has thousands of high-quality hand coded web templates that comply with the latest W3C standards. The web design company that owns the online store is also a well-known for its SEO services. This is why the company has tuned every one of the template in display for the best results when it comes to search engine optimization. The awesome collection of web templates forms not only an eye candy for the viewers but also offers a wide choice for lovers of perfection.

One can find almost all kinds of templates ranging from simple WordPress templates for blogging to highly complicated CMS templates for full-fledged online stores here. Not only does the website contain high quality website templates in various web technologies but there is also plethora of templates categorized industry wise. Those who wish to launch websites in a jiffy can do it so with minimal customization of the templates and still get a fantastic website in a short span. Unlike other template providers that let you alone to struggle with templates, buytemplates.net provides complete customer support. The website also offers various other web related services required to make your website live at highly competitive rates.

For those who are on the lookout for cheap membership programs, templatewind.com is the best option. The website comprises premium quality web templates that run on various web technologies and has a good collection of templates and themes on a wide range of industries. If you are on the lookout for flash templates this website is a good option. A membership with templatewind.com gives you access to all the sister sites that contain various other products for free download, such as brochures, icons, logos, banners, and illustrations. No where can you find so much of free stuff for such a low membership fee in the internet. Within a short period of launch the group of websites that function under memberwind.com has acquired a large number of loyal customers from all over the globe.

Brochuremonster.com is a dedicated website that has hundreds of high quality brochure templates. The brochure templates in display are nothing but instant brochures, which could be printed with slight customization immediately after download. The expertly designs can escalate the image of businesses and form a strong marketing collateral when it comes to conventional marketing. The colors, images, and lay out of every brochure template in the brochuremonster.com reveal the amount of dedication, research, and hard work put in to create these tools. Apart from brochures the site also offers flyer designs, tri-folders, posters, post cards, and even folders of very high quality. Each one of the products can be purchased either individually or downloaded free of cost upon becoming a member of the website. A membership with the website is the wisest way to download multiple brochures for free. People that require multiple brochures and professional brochure printers can make use of the lucrative membership programs offered by the website.

Prize details for winners are as follows:

First prize:

1. Custom banner design from bannerwind.com worth $ 149

2. Windows7 social media icons from icongalore.com worth $ 73

3. Text link ad from icongalore.com worth $ 50 (one month)

Note: Only web design related websites

4. Cash Prize of $20 From Make Money Online

Second prize:

1. Custom Twitter theme worth $ 99

2. Two Joomla templates from buytemplates.net worth $ 58

3. Banner ad from tutorialspalace.com (one month)

4. Cash Prize of $ 15 From Information on the Web

Third prize:

1. One year membership with memberwind.com through which you can access 6 product sites that offer free download of various products, such as web templates, brochures, banners, icons, logos, and illustrations.

2. Banner ad in abouteverything.blogspot.com (One month)

3. Text link ad in favourite hobbies (Two months)

4. Cash Prize of $ 10 From Make Money Online

Prizes for participants

Every participant will receive a professionally designed web template from the sponsors.

Rules:

• Read the ‘Terms and Conditions’ before you enter the contest. Your participation in the contest implies that you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions of the sponsors regarding this contest.

• The contest starts on ------ and ends on ------ credits earned after the closing date will not be included.

• To participate in this contest your blog should be at least 3 months old.

• Participants can post this review article in any number of blogs and only one post per blog will be accepted.

• Post this review along with sponsors’ ad banners, rules, and prizes. Care should be taken that the hyperlinks in the review are “do-follow” links and are live.

• You can follow us on twitter and earn credits as well.

• You can also post reviews about the contest on different social media sites to gain credits

• You can get the maximum credits if you write a review of your own about any of the sponsors’ websites buytemplates.net, brochuremonster.com, or templatewind.com.

• Submit your entry URL by posting a comment beneath this review article

Credit values are as follows:

1. For blog post - 3 credits

2. For twitter followers - 2 credits

3. For social media bookmarks - 1 credit each (e.g. digg, stumbleupon, etc.)

4. Writing a short review about any of the three sites on your own and posting it on your blogs would get you an additional 10 credits

Terms & Conditions

• All of the entries will be judged by a panel of experts based strictly on the prescribed rules and persons with highest credit scores will be declared winners.

• As far as the prizes are concerned the decision of expert panel appointed by the sponsors are final and binding.

• Sponsors reserve the right: to substitute a prize for any item specified in the list in the event of non-availability of the specified prize; to end the contest earlier or extend it further than the date specified; and to withhold the results in the event of a dispute.

• Prizes are awarded without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied without limitation.

• Use of the prizes is at your own discretion and risk and sponsors will not be liable for any damages resulting from the use of the prizes awarded.

• Winners of the contest will be notified by email only.

• The winner that does respond within 15 days after the notification will forfeit his/her prize.

• In the event of panel discovering any fraudulent practices, such as cheating, deception, or other unfair practices the winner will be disqualified from the contest even after the announcement of the results.

The Realm

2009-10-07T11:55:00.001+08:00

Blogger is a portal for writers to publish their works online and for readers to see what's going on with other people. Through this, writers can express their feelings without making a draft on a piece of paper. With the boom of the blogging industry, blogger is one of the pioneering websites. This can also be a source of income for freelance writers.

in reference to: Blogger: Dashboard (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Dot And the Line: The Romance in Lower Mathematics

2009-10-06T17:44:00.004+08:00

In The Dot and the Line: The Romance in Lower Mathematics, Norton Juster narrates a fictitious yet enthusing story of love between two geometric symbols, the line and the dot. At first, the line courts the dot, but she only had eyes for squiggle, who seems to be wild and unkempt. She and the squiggle are everywhere together, singing, dancing, and having much fun. She often compares both of them, and the squiggle always arrives triumphant. The line begs for chances, but it gives no effect ‘til his worried friends try to cheer him up. They tell him to love someone else; but in his eyes, she’s perfect, and that, she really is the one. And so, he spends his time dreaming of her and imagining himself as someone she is sure to admire. He is really that determined to fight for love.

Soon, he grows tired of self-deception, and inquires the squiggly line of the answers he’s looking for. Result? He always ends up the same way. He continues trying and fails and tries again, discovering later that due to great concentration and self-control, he’s able to change direction and bend wherever he chooses. Sacrificing his time to practice, he fully makes different shapes from simple to complex ones. Bringing with him old love and new confidence, he seeks the dot once again. She is impressed, while the squiggle did his best. In the end, she realizes that she is wrong in deciding who’s right for her. They live for a reason – to love each other and build a clan of their own.

The Dot and the Line by Norton Juster

The narrator personifies the symbols on how people fight, decide, struggle, fail, and win for love’s sake; that is, a saga in lower mathematics. There is character-building. As for the line, he starts from a pitied loser and ends up a deserving victor. Also, as the story gets nearer to an end, the dot gradually adjusts to her prospect of love, as something she would want to feel forever. The tempo of events changes when she finds out how blind she is, in quest of a bottomless love. The presence of the squiggle deters the main character’s move, but later, an inverse of events will happen.

The mathematical symbols appear to relay deeper meanings. The dot is important in forming a line. Thus, the story embraces the point wherein two lovers meet for such a reason. The line looks for someone whom he can be with, neither justifying lust nor perhaps a love at first sight, as the main grounds, but because without her, his life won’t be complete.

The central theme of the story is: In the struggle for love, what counts is the way of fighting onward through the sacrifice and concentration carded up and winning for that purpose, than cheating at the tiptoes of the test but triumphing badly.

Juster’s means of slapping mathematical symbols for steady motion of events and colliding the quenches of the main character emphasizes that even two unlike people can love each other. He also used sensory impressions, such as “You’re the beginning and the end, the hub, the core and the quintessence” (page 225), and “I’m dependable. I know where I’m going. I’ve got dignity!” (page 226), which appeal to the senses, emotions, and imaginations of the readers.

These elements, along with other techniques, combine to make The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics a mesmeric story, and an exemplar of an undoubtful willpower towards love. As time pass by, love binds two people destined for each other, and the audacity, vigor and guts are a must, for these are the backbones of an exultant courtship.

Grain, Wine and Gods: All about Demeter and Dionysus

2009-10-06T17:31:00.005+08:00

In Greek mythology, twelve major gods, or Olympians, stand out among the others. But there are those whom we call lesser gods. One of which, is the goddess of grain and harvest, Demeter, daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Her legend centers on her daughter Persephone, who is stolen by Hades and taken to live in the underworld. Being distressed by Persephone’s disappearance, she loses interest in the harvest, and as a result, there is widespread famine. Dismayed at this situation, Zeus, the ruler of the universe, demands that his brother Hades return Persephone to her mother. Hades agrees, but before he releases the girl, he makes her eat some pomegranate seeds that would force her to return to him for four months each year. When Apollo travels on the Earth, he sees Persephone in the underworld. Each year when her daughter returns, Demeter makes the Earth bloom (miracle of spring).

After Persephone’s return to Hades in the fall, winter arrives. Another one is the god of wine, Dionysus, who is a nature god of fruitfulness and vegetation, the only god said to have a mortal parent, the son of Zeus and Semele. He shows mortals how to cultivate grapevines and make wine. He’s also characterized as a deity whose mysteries inspired ecstatic, orgiastic worship, usually done by the maenads, or bacchantes, that wear fawn skins and are believed to possess occult powers. Lavish festivals called Dionysia are being held in his honor. He comes to represent the irrational side of human nature, while Apollo represented order and reason. His attendants are the satyrs, minor gods representing the forces of nature. Dionysus learns to make wine and journeys across the world to give it to the mortals. The god enjoys many adventures on his travels. He finally goes into the infernal regions to find his mother and bring her back. He renames her Thyone and brings her with him to Mount Olympus, the grandiose home of the gods.

Image Courtesy: Christopher Campbell

Both Demeter and Dionysus portray the promise of the spring-winter occurrences (accompanied by the seasonal renewal of the fruits of the earth), and the resurrection or return of the gloom, or rebirth. And also, they connive with each other in a sense that, what happens to one, is equivalently happening to the other. Dionysus dies each winter (like a vine) and is reborn in the spring, so as spring turns to winter in a certain lot of time. Simultaneously occurring, defining it wholly. Moreover, both of them embark in a parent-child relationship. Demeter longs for her daughter, while Dionysus searches for his mother. Thus, they overcome the stresses within them, by making the normal things they do. Furthermore, they bring out the good and bad, dual in nature, convergent on one hand, divergent on the other. Both swim into the lakes of grief, wandering for the reason to why their souls shrivel in the mourning essence of winter.

Image Courtesy: Christopher Campbell

Conversely, one differs from the other, in such a way, of how their festivals are done. The Eleusinian mysteries, are commemorated every five years, while the Bacchanalia, festival of Bacchus (Dionysus), is celebrated every third year. Also, Demeter has both parents, as gods; while Dionysus has a mortal mother, and an everlasting, powerful father. Other than that, Dionysus is represented in works of art and drama, making him much significant than the odds, especially Demeter.

Well, gods simply carry the flow of the seasons, the beliefs of resurrection and wildlife adaptation, the use of taupe skins, the representational meanings hidden within the gods’ identities, and even at that time, the parent-child ambience was already considered as one of the basic principles of emblematic, immortal love.

Pearl Buck's The Good Earth

2009-10-06T17:07:00.001+08:00

Pearl Sydenstricker Buck became famous throughout the world for her second novel, The Good Earth, which basically tackles about the struggles of a peasant farmer in China, 100 to 200 years ago. The said novel narrates how Wang Lung (the main character) and his family rise from poverty to unimaginable wealth. It has many key morals. However, the most important is that money can’t buy happiness. Wang Lung and his family had a good sense of values. They were down-to-earth kind of people, and loved each other and their land. On the other hand, when a Chinese palace was raided, and Wang Lung stumbles across a large amount of gold, the table starts to turn. It all begins with additions to their room, a three-room house rather. Then he starts buying more land and before long, he owns hundreds of acres of land, has hundreds of servants, and lives in a palace. Soon, the wealth spreads discord among the family members. Wang Lung’s children (now grown-ups) start fighting for money and inheritance. Wang Lung falls in love with another woman and pays her to come live with him at his house. Surpassing clashes and sudden twists, tired old Wang Lung returns to the earthen house of his land to die. Material prosperity brings him superficial social satisfaction, but only his land can provide peace and security. Even in his final days he felt troubled, when he overhears his two older sons planning to sell the land as soon as he dies. Thus, the book presents the moving story of the joys and tragedies, and the ups and downs, of the Chinese peasant farmer and his family. The novel’s film version, released in 1937, was seen by over twenty million people around the world. It really deserves to win the Pulitzer Prize and the William Dean Howells medal.

Authored by Pearl S. Buck

The Good Earth takes place in a small earthen brick house in Northern China between 1900’s and 1920’s. Wang Lung is really a poor farmer who has just married O-lan. To support the family, they work extremely hard in the fields under the fiery hot sun. But then, his luck changes. One day, he is swept along by a mob that breaks into a rich man’s house. He suddenly comes face to face with the owner, and when the man offers him money to spare his life, he gets everything the man has. Our main character eventually climbs from poverty to paradise. He also changes from a nice, hardworking man to a man of bad personality. His life becomes miserable after his helpful and diligent spouse, O-lan, dies.

Buck’s novel doesn’t just have a strong, interesting and fascinating plot; it also centers on Chinese literature. Though she is American, her masterpiece gives a better understanding for readers. It gives us an idea of what the Chinese do during weddings, birth of a new child and certain holidays. I strongly recommend it to people interested in Chinese literature and traditions.

The novel’s theme makes me realize being rich is not that important, rather joy and the family around me, supporting what every step I take, are the most important necessities in life.

The characters being referred to in the novel are mostly on the 3rd person omniscient point of view. The main character resembles that of a Chinese farmer, about the decade of ages 20 to 30 years old, probably a long-lived adult. He is an ordinary person caught in events. He is hard-edged and mostly serious with occasional humor, with regards to its sense of humor. He is smarter than most other characters – having an average intelligence. And his physique may include bulging muscles – very athletic. The main adversary is a female at the age about 20 to 30. And Buck could have intended to make her a prostitute. What a terrific character!

The Good Earth is one big hit. A reader like me can give a hundred thousand folds for this award-winning novel. It’s so fabulous, that no reader can defy its inner core. It’s filled with lots of excitement, mistaken love, occasional romance, sudden deaths, and a lot more. The description of Pearl Buck is so exemplary, and it depicts the truth beyond having wealth and continuing the struggles in life with or without love. I can say that it’s an extremely good book and is really worth the time. Fantastic, so read it…

Saw’s Jigsaw: Wrath and Valuing Life

2009-10-06T12:26:00.006+08:00

-->

Jonathan Kramer, also known as Jigsaw, is a building engineer and toy designer at Standard Engineering Ltd. He lives a monotonous life out of laziness and contentment. Diagnosed of a fatal frontal lobe cancer, he embarks into a suicidal attempt and later, devotes himself to teaching the importance of life through acts of violence. A scientist, and not an actual serial killer, he initiates survival instincts by concealing his “subjects” into life-and-death situations.

Upset of his wife Jill’s miscarriage, his passion to help people change burns up. His main objective is to instill realizations on people regarding life’s worth, by putting them on situations that involve self-mutilation and psychological torture. He exposes his subjects on conditions that enliven the notion of survival.

Image Courtesy: Lions Gate Entertainment, Twisted Pictures

Jigsaw sets up deadly traps that figuratively mean the flaws in a person’s life. For instance, when Jigsaw seizes the person liable of Jill’s miscarriage, Jigsaw hands him a test that is to free his self from the seat equipped with blades and handcuffs. The man succeeds, but never learns. He thrusts himself towards Jigsaw, but slips into coils of barbed wires, which Jigsaw has planned earlier.

One of the traps he makes is the “Quadroon Shotgun Trap” which consists of four double-barreled shotguns suspended from a ceiling in a hallway, each connected by a tripwire strung across the hallway below. When the subject (in this case, Detective Sing) steps across the string, the wire would pull the triggers blowing the victim into pieces.

Image Courtesy: Lions Gate Entertainment, Twisted Pictures

Another trap in the series is the “Furnace” wherein the subject needs to crawl inside to retrieve two antidotes that would cure him of poison. One is placed with a chain attached to the furnace’s top that, when pulled down, would shut the door and ignite the furnace. Obi, the subjetc, burns to death due to negligence of Jigsaw's line, "Once you are in Hell, only the devil can help you out." In the scenario, a devil painting points to a knob that needs a twist in order to turn off the gas.

“Amanda’s Test” in Saw III involves Jigsaw’s selection of Amanda, a subject who succeeds in her test and becomes his apprentice, for the honor of carrying on his works. Instead of testing anyone’s will to live, Amanda takes away their only chance by making traps that have no possibility of escape. Soon, she realizes her traps would put her life to an end.

Another one is Saw IV’s “Waterbox Trap”. A clear box with tubes encases the subject’s head. The box begins to fill up with water. Strahm (subject) quickly pulls out his pen and stabs it into his throat in order to breathe. He manages to survive, until the authority arrives. The irony is that the trap has no means of escape, and yet the subject manages to survive.

Saw V’s “Hand Saws” include five saws designated for each of the five subjects, but after entering the “Guillotine Necktie”, wherein all five have to grab the keys on jars at the far end of the room to escape decapitation (from cables that pull them onto mounted razors) and survive the blast, only two subjects remain. Later, they realize that teamwork could have helped everyone survive. The remaining subjects then, have to insert their hands and lose blood to fill the ten-pint beaker, which would open the door and save them from planted nail bombs. If all five of them have worked as a team in the first test, each person would only need to lose two pints of blood, greatly increasing their chance of survival.

The most significant experiment is the trial of reconciliation in Saw IV wherein Jigsaw asks for forgiveness before he dies, but the subject slashes Jigsaw’s throat killing him, whereby Jigsaw’s life links to the fate of the subject’s wife Dr. Denlon through a devised bomb that would explode at the time Jigsaw dies. The subject fails the test.

Jigsaw creates these traps (or tests) to emphasize the consequences of making choices, and deeply stress the relevance of life. Victims either perform risky tasks, harm others to escape, or make a sacrifice. The missing puzzle piece of flesh in every victim connotes a person’s failure to value the gift of life. Video and cassette tapes serve as the media of informing the subjects of the rules of each game. Even though wrath is one of the deadly sins, here, it serves as a way for people to understand much better the essence of life and of making decisions.

Unearthed: Light of Thy Nation

2009-09-23T01:02:00.001+08:00

A candle

Lit by the matchsticks of ambition. A candle which brightens up the whole quarter, too dark for someone to find a way how to get out, without exhibition of one. Mysteries of the past still remain unsolved. This candle - a speck glowing amidst vengeful solitude.

Just a candle, with the luminescence of filthy cravings and of soaring dreams.

Seems near, yet a bit far ahead.

I thrived for what I wanted to clasp, through my own weakness. My deprivation - with the will of skepticism for things too hard to explain by practicality, rational thinking & technical illusions.

I longed to par for human intimacy, with acceptance of imperfection, urging for the limits of my existence...

an existence like that of a lit candle, with the fierce roar for profound truth & deliberate reasoning, and the indisputable quench for experience. I hold one, with the flames of opportunity.

Clumped together with everybody else, this candle burns in seeking my fate; its light creeping through the dooms of melancholy reality. Its rays crawling; reaching forth the ends of darkness, which led humans to sin.

Now, the walled corners of the quarter seems clear – an image of hope flocking towards the drifting nation, An upwelling of desperate vigilance & consolidated awareness.

A light of thy nation

.editedfor2010elections.

Unearthed: The Wounded

2009-09-23T00:53:00.000+08:00

Arrested sat I in a forbidden chair
By which death portrayed last hour of breath
Swayed did I in an entangled, shocking pulse?
A memoir of the idle times ago plugged me loose
A silhouette of a gorgeous dale, pricked by the moon's ambient light

Paraded in my eradicated, terrified mind
A chimaera flared me with dark, begotten love
And visionary rolls of yesterday winced up

Sweet, melancholic love retreated back to me
A dreadful illusion when trapped in the jungles of tragic infatuation
Mercilessly pushed me to wreck havoc
Love with reason, care with no decision at all

I placed my heart for the benefit of one
But not as expected of what I am to receive
The hunch for nothing to wait evaded my instincts
And that classical fear molested my views,
Of one thing which I call, a depressed facade

Wished did I possess the ability to lose memories?
As for what an amnesiac’s destiny seems to be
And of crying, I commanded myself to charge some cannons and fight with it
Just like embarking into plans for jailbreaks, or an escapade

Anxiously waiting for that retrieval to end
I found myself to stop, and forget
Booby traps embraced me as I set off
From that finale, for one story to thwart

And exploded from nowhere in the depths of my longing heart, as tear blades of anguish scratched my face, stormed by indisputable trouble

As I treated goodbyes to that slashed controversy, of reality towards strayed love
I beseeched my soul, "Must I love again?"
In just a split-second, my eyes pondered away from the past, that sanctuary of remembered lost dreams
And sailed through the sea of beginnings - a fresh start, of a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or nth time

Now is the era not to seek for vengeance
To fool like fools, nor look like one
But to accept the irresistible fact that we are victims - it's not yet time to find the right one
No one knows, she might just be waiting somewhere, some time
At that certain point of healing.

Fall of the States?

2009-09-20T19:14:00.000+08:00

News all over the world commonly point out the irresistible rise of threats to the international security of the mainland States and its allies. However, the question is that would they be united enough to counter such a terror attack or would they rattle and one-by-one disintegrate due to the name each state carries with her assuming her being part of the whole in the past?

In my opinion, I guess not. Each state, now in battle with world terrorism while trying to succumb its role as an active member, will not break away from the region the fact that, just like in building the foundation of a skyscraper, taking out one column would make the whole thing unstable and prone to disaster unless carefully planned by a sophisticated engineer. A state's decision would more likely be inclined to guaranteeing itself and the whole of the States the security she has to maintain being an obligation that could never be disregarded even from the start of its membership, unless she disowns it and strengthens her hostility with the other neighboring states.

Still, the fate of the States would rather be unknown with the reason that the whole world itself might just suffer again another untimely war - something truly imminent in the existence of nuclear and advanced technologies in other parts of the world. History might just be repeating itself again, now being softly masked by the double-pointed economic ties every nation offers and the years-long trademark of global financial crisis the world is experiencing.

If small disparities are not settled at present, the future will go to ruins. I just wish children know why they're still being counted on by their motherland, knowing that they themselves might just be involved again in another crisis the present is currently battling. This light critique ends up saying that a Utopian society can never exist unless we all die at the same time and reset the game of life.

[Paper Bug]

Hinintay Kita

2009-09-16T17:13:00.007+08:00

napapagod ako

di dahil pinaghihintay mo ako

ang masakit lang sa paghihintay sayo

wala ka palang planong bumalik

dun ako napagod!

kalokohan!

ikaw kaya paghintayin ko?

di ko alam

kung bakit kailangan ko pang magpigil

na ibuhos ang sama ng loob

at ihayag pa sa insektong ito

ang galit ko!

bakit kailangan ko pang maghintay?!

kung wala namang darating...

di ko na tuloy alam kung ano'ng gagawin ko...

ginawa mo akong tanga!

(habang naghihintay ng masasakyang Ikot jeep sa may University Theater)

[Paper Bug]

Usher - What's a Man to Do

2009-09-15T21:14:00.000+08:00

Ohh Ohh Ohhh Oohhh
Ohh Ohh Ohhh

Yeah
(Verse 1)
Listen
I'd be a liar if I told you
That I didn´t see it comin'
I'd be more of a liar if I said:
Hey, I didn't want it to be something.

You deserve much better
For the love that you have shared
I know u won't believe it
But girl I swear

(Hook)
That I got love for you,
Big love for you,
Even when I'm trippin',
The fact remains that you
Will always be my baby, my baby

But dig the truth,
Baby dig the truth
I can't hide my feelings
Especially when the whole world can see

(Chrous)
That my heart
Is in two different places:

I got you in my life
And I wanna do right
But it´s hard to let it go

When my love has two different faces
And I can't break ties
'cause they both look right.
Someone tell me

What's a man to do
When he's loving two.
And he don´t wanna lie
But he can´t tell the truth

What's a man to do
When he's loving two.
But he can´t keep his heart
In two different places
(in two different places)

(Verse 2)
I know you feel it
'Cause you stayed
There is much more to the story

But I'd be a fool to say
I trust that I´m always gonna love her

You know that you don't wanna hear
How I´m livin' on the edge, baby
So I just say "YEAH, BABY"

She ain´t nothing,
But she is real
But why I take her through it

(Hook)
When I still got love for you,
Big love for you
Even when I'm trippin',
The fact remains that you
Will always be my baby, my baby

But dig the truth,
Baby dig the truth
I can't hide my feelings
Especially when the whole world can see

(Chrous)
That my heart is in two different places:

I got you in my life
And I wanna do right
But it´s hard to let it go

When my love has two different faces
And I can't break ties cause they both look right.

Someone tell me

What's a man to do
When he's loving two.
And he don´t wanna lie
But he can´t tell the truth

What's a man to do
When he's loving two.
But he can't keep his heart
In two different places
(not in two different places)

(Bridge)
I wanna tell you it's over
And that I ain´t thinkin' of her
I wanna really mean it
And I want you to see it
That I really try to leave her behind
And I´m tryin' not to make you cry
I wanna tell you
That I ain't playin' games
And I´m dedicated
To receive a change but
When I look in the mirror
It´s the same old me

(Chrous)
That my heart
Is in two different places:

I got you in my life
And I wanna do right
But it´s hard to let it go

When my love has two different faces
And I can't break ties
Cause they both look right.
Someone tell me

What's a man to do
When he's loving two.
And he don´t wanna lie (wanna lie)
But he can´t tell the truth

What's a man to do
When he's loving two.
But he can't keep his heart
In two different places
(not in two different places)
Not in two different places.

A Tagalish Story

2009-09-15T20:47:00.001+08:00

Di ko aakalain na magagawa ko yung bagay na yun, the fact na di ko talaga alam kung ano ang gagawin because I wasn't able to prepare much for that situation. It was as if minutes were running out every time I hear the fast-paced pounding of the terrified heart; I was, at that moment, in the brink of breaking down. I didn't know what to do.

I will be next to speak in front of the class bringing with me just a few of the things I researched online. I actually didn't engage into information hunting regarding the subject.

It was time. I had to stand up, and report. I felt my cold hand shaking, but then narealize ko ginagawa ko to para sa Kanya, at nagawa ko na to dati; all I need to do is to connect with the viewers in order to catch their attention and prevent them from inducing that notion, that I have nothing to say about the topic. It's time for impromptu speech.

I started talking, and minded on interviewing my fellow classmates kung ano yung masasabi nila tungkol sa topic, parks and malls. Ayun, I got their taste naman. Hehe, they enjoyed naman my report, I guess. Siguro it was just a test, na in every problem that I will encounter, someone's watching over me. Someone is there to guide and hold me. This may sound mushy, but I really felt relief and His soulful embrace.

I'm so glad I got away from stage fright and eventually, embarrassment. Later, I realized that each day, our souls are granted the chance to grow and show people what we can do. Sa paniniwala ko sa Kanya at sa sarili ko, natutunan ko na I can overcome any obstacle that comes along my way. Alam kong marami pa akong magagawa, salamat Lord!

[Paper Bug]

Crumpled Document

2009-09-13T20:12:00.000+08:00

true as it may seem

i will always be the imperfect person i used to be

and my weakness becomes evident everyday

i think my imperfection seems to be of perfect misfortune

its imminence makes me think

that i'm not worthy of the happiness some have already attained in this world

i'm just saddened

of the fact that whatever i do to please you,

i will always be wrong,

i will always find your critique suffocating,

i guess i have never done something right for you, or anyone

let me include myself

i must be villainous enough

and worse, pitiful

i don't have the mask I used to carry with me all day long

to hide my sentiments 'cause i know sharing it would lead me nowhere,
i wish to aggressively tell someone how "damn you!" you are

or maybe "i love you" , this is true

i'm tired of letting silence pass me by

so from now on,

i'll make myself passible

of all the hurt and love

i miss myself,
the firm, jolly one.

The healing struggles,

and still retreats back

i'm dismantled,

piecemeal in this realm of stuffed reality,

scrunched in fist.

[Paper Bug]

Saloobin

2009-09-05T00:49:00.000+08:00

nakakainis ka.

masyado mo akong pinahihirapan eh.

di ko alam kung bakit kailangan ko pang titigan ka,

para malaman mong gusto kita.

tapos titingin ka lang,

tatawa.

ewan ko sayo.

nahihirapan na ako.

pero gusto kong sabihin sayo,

mahal na yata kita?

hindi ko alam kung bakit,

basta ang alam ko manhid ka lang.

napapangiti ako pag kasama kita,

gumagaan mga problema ko,

kaya kahit mahirap ang gawain,

tinutulungan kita, oks lang,

masaya naman ako pagkatapos.
ulol.

nakakainis ka,

masyado na ngang halata,

ipinamumukha mo pang wala kang nakikita.

ang masama pa dito, maya-maya,

malalaman ko na lang,

masyado palang mataas,

para umasang bagay tayo.
mahirap kang abutin, napaisip ako.
ang gusto mo, yung alams na,
ayoko nang banggitin,
basta yung may mukhang maihaharap sa pamilya mo.
wala ata akong ganun.
minus points.
lugi ako. pero hahabol ako para sayo.
hintayin mong maging katulad niya lang ako.
napaka-idealistic mo kasi.
oo, di ko lang talaga mameet requirements mo,

napapatahimik na lang tuloy ako,
kapag nagsasalita ka tungkol sa gusto mong bf.
cge, ilagay mo lang yan sa wishlist,
tutuparin ko yun, ako mismo haharap sayo with honor,
pero sa panaginip lang tayo magkikita ha.
fairy tale ata gusto mo eh.
sabagay existent nga pala siya,
anjan lang pala siya sa tabi-tabi.
ikaw na kaya manligaw para makita ko effort mo,
uso naman ngayon na babae na ang nagbubuhos nang lakas ng loob,

hayy....

nalulungkot ako kasi akala ko

pwede ako,

oo pwede, pwedeng maging kaibigan.
hanggang dun lang.

di ko naman kayang pilitin kang mahalin mo ako,

kaya mas magandang tumahimik na lang.

at ihayag sa insektong ito, oh paper bug, ang nararamdaman ko.

pagsusulat na lang ang magagawa ko,

di ko kayang gayumahin ka,

o mangompontra, dahil wala naman akong mapapala.
di ako karate-rate, o kacompetent versus sa crush mo.
marami siyang ikalalamang sakin,
ako ewan, nak ng ewan.
di naman daw kasi tayo match.

nalulungkot ako,

dahil in a way, umasa ako.

na baka pwedeng maging tayo, pero...

sa huli, isa lang pala ako sa mga kaibigan mong maituturing.

at hanggang dun na lang.

haha.

kung mababasa mo ito,

wag mo na akong kaawaan.
this may sound pathetic.

okay lang,

dito lang naman ako naglalagay ng mga saloobin ko,

tungkol sa mga bagay-bagay na di kayang i-explain ng physics o chemistry.
at dinadaan na lang sa mas demokratikong pamamaraan,
parang welga lang no, lol.

corny kaya kung didiretsuhin kita.

at ganun din kung didiretsuhin mo ako.

pero wag na, masasaktan lang ako sa maririnig ko.
(pangit ka)
(purita)
(walang sense of humour)
(weirdo)
lahat na.

pero isa lang maipagmamalaki ko,
pag mahal ko, mahal ko.

di ko kayang maging kung sinuman ang nasa puso mo ngayon

di ko magagawang pilitin kang mahalin ako,

di ko magagawang masikipan ka sa ginagalawan mo,
di ko makakayang guluhin pa buhay mo.

eto na naman ako,

nagmamahal,

nasasaktan,

nagsusulat.

matuldukan na nga to.

[Paper Bug]

Clean Trash

2009-08-27T12:45:00.000+08:00

Your responses seen by most.
Words kept tacked, hindered to prevent destructive overflow.
You know there's a limit,
Eyes watching, glaring over your every move,
Deeds aired by vigilant mouths,
All set and done, all known to man,
No one unaware of chaos haunting your past.
Your spirit stuck inside your weakness,
Strength buried in suffocating cement,
Overpowered by fear,
Treachery comes to spook you often,
Still, you try to hide in sarcasm,
Perceived as clean trash.

Reinvent.

[PaperBug]

Moving Memory

2009-08-27T12:20:00.000+08:00

Sitting amidst the praising crowd, I felt amazed on how these people cherish the life they live. Putting my sight towards a live picture where moving subjects portray the semiotics of an important unit of life, a family, I smiled with my heart overwhelmed.

Filipinos always make happy days better.

One motion which struck my heart I saw in SM North Edsa - an image of a mother and her son whose stains of poverty seen by everyone did not stop them from achieving simple happiness, substituting any extravagant purchase of commercial drinks. That extraordinary mirth is the same one I saw in the faces of a 3-packed barkada, indulging themselves in baby-pranking.

Even with the imminence of misfortune, happiness here was defined without material wealth being attached to its meaning. The daily motions we see in our lives prove that no one can buy someone's happiness.

[PaperBug]

Handcuffed

2009-08-27T12:04:00.000+08:00

I live in a world where every action I do needs revision, cuts and editing.

I thought I could stay as long I want, but no I erred, the beginning I thought might just be nearing its end. What typical hospitality I earned, turned upside down and betrayed my trust. Running within my veins is the feeling of loneliness, of desolation.

Barren. Cropped out of the big picture. Restricted of the happiness I deserve. I could have grabbed it from my sight. I almost on my way to it. Friendship was all I craved for, but still I was unfortunate enough.

I just don't fit in this world everyone's trying to own.

[PaperBug]