Here, here, and... oh, THERE!

Hi guys! I've migrated to my new playground HERE.

See, I really love my blogspot account and it breaks my heart that I have to leave it; but unfortunately, I have to move. I've devoted a post explaining about this in my new blog but in case you're wondering why, here's a snippet from that post.

So anyway, this short, and hopefully precise, post is for those asking why I created another blog account…

Granting that you are a close friend, you probably know by now that I’m a thousand nautical miles away from the archipelago of the Philippines. And, being in the quasi-fourth-world nation that cradled the Saffron Revolution, the generous government decided that it would be for the greater good (of their kind) that they ban blogspot. Not to mention Flickr, YouTube, Friendster Messages, YahooMail, and a thousand other sites. (YAY! FAIL!) Thus, I can’t access my beloved site and was then coerced to create another avenue for my raging thoughts. (Nevertheless, blogspot users can leave their blog links for my bloglist. I would really appreciate it if you mention your RSS Feed, too.)

*sigh* So that's basically it. Sad. I only get to visit Blogspot, Yahoo, and YouTube when I visit Bangkok. And I tell you that's not a very nice thought.

Um, soooo, I'll be meeting you there then. See yah! =))

Proven and Tested Street Food *bow*

Proven. Pruben. Proben. Provent.

Matagal nang palaisipan sa akin kung ano ang tamang spelling at kung saang parte ba talaga ng ng manok makikita ang proven/pruben/proben. Basta ang alam ko, hindi ito balat tulad ng pagaakala ng nakararami.

At malamang, hindi lang ako ang nagtataka. Minsan ay natanong yan sa akin ni Tere.
Tere: Ate Bam, ano tawag dito?
Ako: Proven. Chicken Proven.
Tere: Ha? Bakit?
Ako: Kasi Proven and Tested Dirty.

Oo, nagjoke ako pero hindi dun natapos ang lahat. Hindi mapapalagay ang loob ko kung hindi ko malalaman ang tamang kasagutan. Kung kaya ako ay nagresearch kung ano ba talaga ang kasaysayan ng street food na yan.

At ayon nga sa aking pananaliksik, ang chicken proven/pruben/provent ay piniritong proventriculus. Ang proventriculus ay pre-requisite para masali sa tropa ng mga Avian (birds). In short, kung wala kang proventriculus, hindi ka papasang ibon/manok/pato/gansa blah blah blah. Maihahawig sa stomach ng mga mammals ang proventriculus. Ang proventriculus (tawagin na nating proven dahil napapagod na akong itype ang buong pangalan nito) ay ang glandular na bahagi ng digestive system ng ibon. Meron itong mga cells na siyang lumilikha ng hydrochloric acid, pepsin, mucus at iba pang digestive enzymes na siyang tutunaw sa pagkain.

Ang proventriculus ang nag-uugnay sa balunbalunan (gizzard) at esophagus ng mga ibon.

Makakatulong ang mga links na ito kung mayroon pa kayong mga nais hanapin na kasagutan ukol sa katawan ng mga ibon:

http://fsc.fernbank.edu/birding/digestion.htm
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/caring_for_wildlife/carers_kit/birds/biology/?

Haha! Chuy noh? :p

What’s wrong with the TWILIGHT FAD and why?

I’ve read a few chapters of the book and I’ve watched the movie. So I think it’s fair that I give my opinions about this Twilight fad.

I only have to scan the whole book to know what it’s all about. It’s a friggin’ love story! It’s a love story with vampire characters. Not the other way around. I’m not into the love stories genre so you can say that I’m biased against Meyer’s book. Hehehe. But then again, taken from the opinion of people who’ve read the book, I can say that Twilight, basically, is a light read. A LIGHT READ. So it’s quite obvious how it gathered such a large fan base. Love at first sight, happily ever-afters, “I can’t live without you” lines, and damsel in perennial distress. Haha. Sounds like FAIRY TALE to me.

It’s a sad fact that a lot of people are in love with the notion of being in love. An even sadder fact is that most girls dream about princes (or in this case, vampires) who would sweep them off their feet and proclaim undying love for them amidst all the odds they have to face. It’s sad. Unbelievably and irrevocably sad. It’s as if getting hitched is a be-all-end-all situation.

The girls (and if you want, boys) drooling/wanting/yearning/dreaming/screaming for an Edward Cullen remind me of girls who still dreams about a prince that would carry them on his palace and make her happy for the rest of her life. GAWD. Though Meyer had the twist better as EC is portrayed as a "monster" who is willing to give up his "monstrosity" for the girl "he wants to be with forever". And that's popping two dream bubbles with one stick: girls dreaming of turning a BAD GUY into a HERO and of course the highly-glorified happy ever after.

And though I may be over-analyzing things a bit, this “I-should-have-my-own-prince” mentality subconsciously creates a stigma of discrimination against women who opt to be single. It's as if they're the most pitiful creatures on earth. Very Anti-Feminist, bah.

Also, I think that Twilight's expanding fangirls base has been detrimental to the credibility of the book in itself. The idea that a book meant for "light reading" has been sensationally-acclaimed and tagged by some highly-appreciative people as "better than Rice!" and "the best vampire book they've ever read!" has caused raised eyebrows within the elite circle of intellectual readers. I mean, you can (and you should) NEVER compare Meyer's books with Anne Rice's. That would be scandalous.

In a way, Twilight reminds me of the Tagalog Precious Hearts Romance "Novels" my high school classmates used to read devour. Thus, it is a sappy, mushy, corny, and cheesy story for readers like me. Me, mE, ME. [Emphasis needed to highlight the concept of OPINION.]

But then again, we shouldn't expect ALL people to enjoy reading the likes of Hemingway, Golding, Thoreau, Hawthorne, or Tolstoy. We would always, ALWAYS have our own preferences. In as much that renowned novelists deserve respect for their books, we should also give Meyer the respect that she deserves.

Now, will you fangirls stop babbling about your Cullen obsession? It's been getting on everybody's nerves in case you haven't noticed.

I love six girls >:)

And they are studying in Ateneo de Davao. One of them is a Philosophy major. Another is a Political Science student. And the other four are future Economists.

Last night, one of them celebrated her birthday. Even if she was born November 22.

I can't wait for our graduation. I'm counting that one of them would deliver our batch's valedictory address. Five of them would snatch either cum laude or magna cum laude. But I put my bets on the latter. What do I know, they might even get summa cum laude.

We've been together for four years. And those four years are all I need to compensate for all the things I've gone through way back in grade school and high school.

Four great years...

And counting. :)

Proper YM manners YOU ought to know

1. Never add people whom you don’t have any intentions to talk with. DUH. It’s a waste of time, a waste of space, and a waste of memory for the Yahoo Messenger Application.

2. Stop whining if I haven’t accepted your invitation. Seriously, I don’t add people I don’t know in my YM. What do I know you’re just another lonely Arab looking for someone he can share his webcam fantasies with.

3. Do not PM people about irrelevant things if you see that their status icon is BUSY paired with a message that says THESIS/PROJECT/RESEARCH. Duh. Have some brains, will you?

4. Never start a conversation with a BUZZ especially if you are not friends with the person. By friends, I mean those people whom you have shared your worst moments with, those you can share one straw with, those who have smelled your fart more than five times, those whom you passed paper messages with about the unbearable burden of having a toenail-looking professor, those who know you PERSONALLY and those you consider your GOOD FRIEND. You get the picture. People who start conversations with a buzz are BASTOS. Nag-aral ka ba?

5. Say goodbye properly to someone you are talking with if you plan to log-out. I think this is rather self-explanatory. For goodness sake! You are not Kindergarten pupils!

To the Lit gods...

There are crumpled papers on the wastebasket. Tattered pages scattered all over the floor. The pen waits. And I'm sitting here, staring blankly across space. The monotonous creaking of the ceiling fan are jumbled notes that adds up to the disheveled feel of my messy room.

The clock's hand completed its route for the seventy-seventh time. See? I've been counting. I've been waiting...

Waiting for the words to come.

I remember before, they would come to me on unearthly hours. Crooning me to sleep. Or sometimes, jerking me awake from the comforts of my slumber. Time and time again, they would wait until early dawn. When the spilt ink of the night sky streams back to the impalpable flask where it came from. Sometimes, they ride along the back of golden sunbeams and would come knocking on my window pane.

They've been doing that for fifteen summers. Where are they now?

I'm wondering...

Maybe they grew tired. They grew tired from our little trysts. Sudden trysts. Over cups of coffee and sprawled pillows. They grew tired of the rainy afternoons, boring Sundays, faked smiles, and teardrops. Maybe they are tired of being etched emotions. Mostly of frustrations and melancholy.

I'm still waiting...

Tell them I would change the color of my pillowcase. I would play happy tunes on my guitar. I would keep the windows open. I'll be waiting for them to come back. Tell them I'd be happy. Or at least, I'll try.

Tell them, I'll wait. Please.

Of Candles and Courage

August 20-22, 2008
Senior's retreat
In St. Charles Borromeo Retreat House

This reading is taken from my journal notebook.

"As a child, I was trained to be happy and contented. Given stones or diamonds, both way, I'd be happy. I was taught to write all the things I like in a notebook. Then, I would crash out those things that I have lost liking to. Usually, at the end of the month, the pages of the notebook wold be tattered from all the scratching out and erasures. It was only now that I realized that my grandmother has taught me the notion of "dwindling marginal utility" way before my first Economics subject in college.

Yes, I grew up learning that virtue. Something only few people could ever learn and LIVE WITH. Learning that YOU CAN NEVER have all that you want. And that, you MUST NOT GET all that you want because there are a lot of people who NEED it more than you can WANT it.

Maybe I am just providing reasons for my laxity, but then again, maybe not. I cried while throwing away the "coins" for "excelling in school" because truth be known, I miss walking on the stage, receiving medals, and topping the class. I want to excel. But I am happy and contented with my grades. I know, I know. I do not lift a finger to study, I cut shred class, I'm freezing my eyebrows, and I'm living the Juan Tamad life, but I still get good grades. Maybe not the pre-defined "good" that my parents used to get. But it's not bad. And I'm happy with that. Until, of course, today.

I realized that, yes, I'm happy. But I CAN BE HAPPIER. There are things I want that I do not pursue. Actually, if I only WANT to DO SO, I can do EVERYTHING. It's just that, I'm afraid to take risks. Especially for myself.

I do not give myself the chance to be happier. Because I am scared.

Courage. I don't have it. And it's funny how I endured nineteen years of existence without having that up my sleeve. Or maybe, the safety and security that my family and friends provide me compensate for my lack of courage.

But then again, I realized that I have to make myself move. I have to learn how to be HAPPIER. I have to STEP OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. Because I know, even if I'm a foot away from them, they would always watch for me and help me stand up in case I trip on my own feet.

Fear is what hinders people in achieving their dreams. Fear of failing. Fear of not being good enough. There are those brave enough to chase after their ambitions, but some of them give up even before attaining their dreams. They stumble, they trip, they fall down. And then, they get scared of standing up again. Some are afraid of settling for less than what they wanted that's why they set the parameters that are easier to reach. They are scared to be "ambitious".

As I look at it, there are no such thing as "being ambitious". After all, it is normal to desire or want something. Dreams can be fulfilled. Dreams are meant to be fulfilled. As Kokoi puts it, dreams come to us. Stars fall. Maybe not now, but eventually, they will. All we have to do is wait patiently and be prepared to catch them when they fall.

Waiting for the stars to fall is not easy. The night is dark and the wind is cold. We have to fight back the fear so as to last until morning. We have to fill up our heart with courage. Like a dank room being lit up by one small candle.

Speaking of candles. Have you ever wondered why candles exist? Even with today's age of light bulbs and neon lights, there would always be candles for people. Isn't it amazing how a little candle could give a sense of comfort and warmth?

Seeing this room, with the lights turned off and candles scattered all across the floor, gives an unexplainable feeling of calmness and joy. I see Kim staring at the candle instead of writing. Maybe Justin is finished with his journal because he is playing with the candle. And as I look at my candle, candlewax sprawled over the rim of the glass and flames flickering against the dark, I knew.

We enjoy looking at candles because it reflects the gentleness of our souls. The meekness and humility of our spirit.

The candle melts not because it is on fire. But rather, because it holds the fire. It melts as it gives out light. It melts as it fulfills its purpose. A candle is not a candle if it would stay the same amidst burning throughout the night.

In its melting and giving of itself for the help of others, its value and essence is shown."

Thanks for reading, my precious candle. =)