CHAIN(ED) LETTERS
POSTED AT 10:32 PM

hephaestus

"If you don't finish reading this entry, your favorite pet will die!" or "If you will not internalize the message of this post, a child dressed in white gown with bloodshot eyes will crawl from under your bed and stare at you while you sleep!"

Relax, those are not curses.  No!  I am not good with curses or spells or any magical incantation.  It's just something I made up to catch your attention.

Even with my aching head right now and enlarged tonsils, I made a decision to write something about chain letters.  Only one word can describe chain letters --- ANNOYING!  The same goes to the people who are very fond of forwarding chain letters through text messages, e-mails, and bulletin posts.

When I was in elementary, chain letters were personalized.  They were handwritten or typewritten on a white bond paper and the usual message was an enumeration of people who became lucky because they sent the same letter to a certain number of people before a deadline.  There were also lists of people who got sick, died, or became severely unlucky because they failed to send the letters before the deadline.  In college, chain letters were sent through e-mail.  The technology allowed multiple recipients saving the sender from calloused hands.  There was an addition to the 'punishment' that the recipient shall receive if the letter was not forwarded to a certain number of people.  It got a lot scarier.  These versions were inspired by 'The Ring'.  Ghosts and restless malevolent spirits shall come to the recipients if they failed to send the letters.  Then came the era of mobile phones and text messaging.  Chain letters are now sent as text messages and the 'punishment' just got worse.  Someone we love so much or we hold dear shall suffer the wrath of the deadly curses.  And this is the part where it became really annoying!

I know that we fear death and we fear that someone or something could really harm our loved ones but if you really, really believe that there is an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent power guiding you in your daily lives, then why in the world would you worry about something that a certain psychotic wrote on a piece of paper, an e-mail or a text message.

I have been receiving (and deleting) chain letters since college.  And thank God, I am still alive, my family is doing well and not a single bloody ghost ever crept up to my bed.  It would be hyprocrisy if I will tell you that I deleted those messages calmly.  Of course I was nervous and afraid; but I believe that there is a power protecting me from all these and I am very thankful.

Also, one of the reasons why I do not forward chain messages is because I don't want other people to go through the same fear and annoyance that I go through whenever I receive those kind of messages.  Receiving messages telling you that your parents will be killed or a malevolent spirit shall try to scare you to death is traumatic and I don't think a lot of people can have the sanity to handle that kind of stress, or share the same faith as mine.  If you forward a letter like that, the curse is not the killer; it's actually the sender... you!

So, if I were you I would stop forwarding messages like that or posting them in bulletin boards.  You're just making things worse, maybe not for you but for other people.  They don't call it chain letter for nothing.  It does chain you and incapacitates you to use your free will.  And there is only one way to break free, break it!  Stop sending them.  It all ends with you!

BELO AND ABUNDA UNDER SCRUTINY
POSTED AT 11:58 PM

hephaestus

Just a few minutes ago, I was watching Mo Twister's interview with Vicky Belo simply because I wanted to know where the Belo-Abunda feud all began.  The following are just my opinion regarding the issue.  I hope this would provide a different perspective on things.

Let me start by quoting what Vicky Belo said on TV.  "If you want to look like Boy Abunda, go to Dr. Calayan.  But if you want to look like Dingdong Dantes and Piolo Pascual, come to Belo."

Personally, I do not see any offensive remarks in what Belo said.  It's all a case of misinterpretation.  She did not say, "Dr. Calayan's works will make you look like Boy Abunda, who pales in comparison to Dingdong Dantes and Piolo Pascual in terms of aesthetic value."  Her quote simply implies that if you like how Boy Abunda looks like (in terms of skin tone, pore size, etc.) go to Dr. Calayan, but if you like the radiance of Dingdong and Piolo's skin, come to Belo.  There was no implication that Boy Abunda is ugly, disfigured or visually unappealing.  Boy Abunda just happens to be Calayan's main endorser and so she used Boy Abunda to reperesent Calayan.

In the said interview, after Vicky Belo mentioned those infamous lines, Mo Twister cracked in laughter saying, "Well said, well said!"  After that, probably realizing the possibility of a misinterpretation (and it did happen and spread like Australian bushfire), Belo said, "Joke lang 'yun ha?"  But it's too late!

I can't blame Boy Abunda for reacting that way on SNN.  What he did and said was just a normal reaction from someone who was 'insulted' on national TV.  But if there is another person insulted in all this commotion, it's Dr. Calayan.  I mean, why would people think that Boy Abunda is visually unappealing?  Is he unappealing from the start?  Or is it because of his clinic's name?  "If you want to look like Boy Abunda, go to Dr. Calayan..."  Is he that bad in his medical profession that people will think that he caused Boy Abunda to become unappealing (in comparison to Dingdong and Piolo)?  If I am going to switch the names, would it still have that same effect?  "If you want to look like Dingdong Dantes and Piolo Pascual, go to Dr. Calayan.  But if you want to look like Boy Abunda, come to Belo."  Think again.

Bottom line of this post is, be very careful with what comes out of our mouth because hungry souls are waiting to fish for words that might cause us to self-destruct.  People are fond of feasting on our mistakes and misery.  Note to self: be very careful with words!

A LITTLE TOO NOT OVER YOU
POSTED AT 01:20 AM

hephaestus

Regrets.  Just regrets.

Out of the hundreds of ways that I tried to forget you over the past ten months, none worked so far.  I can't say I did not try because I really did.  And yet you still linger in my memory.  I decided to view your pictures because I wanted to find out for myself if I am completely over you.  Big mistake; my eyes welled up.  I still miss you.  After all these months of trying, I am a complete failure.

Dawn is nearing.  Though I am exhausted from a hard day's work, I can't fall asleep.  At least not yet.  I can still remember how you would send me a late night slash very early in the morning message just to let me know that you're with your friends, enjoying life, tasting the fruits of your five years of academic labor.  I can still remember how none of us would give up sending messages until the other person falls asleep from sheer exhaustion.

Regrets.  Just regrets.

In my efforts to forget you, I just realized that I will never get over you.  If it took me this long to shake you out of my head, and still fail, nothing can ever get you out now.  Your image will fade away, but there will always be something that will bring you back.

No matter how hard I try, I can never get over you.

Efforts are useless, because though my head says I should forget you, my heart says no.  I can't.  I won't.  Why?  Because in my twenty-something years of existence, you are one of the best things that ever happened in my life.  And I would always cherish that day we met and became friends, and that one afternoon we shared that frozen dessert.  If I could go back in time, I would freeze that moment and won't even let the sun rise again.

Regrets.  Just regrets.  I should have told you when I had the chance.  I should have never left without saying goodbye.  The dawn is not the same without you.  Who would have thought that that was our last sunset together.  I still miss you!

THAT WORD, COMPROMISE
POSTED AT 07:59 AM

hephaestus

What does it take to not become 'single' and retain that 'in a relationship' status.  Commitment.

I think a lot of young people nowadays enter a relationship blind-folded.  Relationships are not just about flowers, dates and chocolates.  It goes further than good looks, giggles and kindness.  Not even the kindest person can keep a relationship if he doesn't know how to really make a commitment.

To commit yourself to someone goes beyond finding time for each other, remembering anniversaries, or informing each other about your whereabouts.  For me, it equates to surrendering yourself to that person and learning how to compromise and coexist without much struggle.

Compromise is such a big word yet it always gets neglected or misinterpreted.  For most people, to compromise is to sacrifice and to sacrifice is to suffer, and thus to compromise is to suffer.  This idea is wrong.  I mean, the reason why most couples nowadays are separating is because of this wrong idea, and because of pride.  To compromise, in my opinion, means that one should learn to open his mind and listen to ideas that are different from his own.  It involves assessment and further evaluation of the existing situation, and making a decision not based on emotion but on logic.  And I dare say, this takes great maturity, which not all people are capable of acquiring.

Of course like all aspects of the relationship, learning how to compromise should be mutual, a give-and-take relationship.  If only one person involved in a relationship knows how to make a compromise, one becomes the aggressor and the other has to submit.  Compromise is now equated with sacrifice.  In order for this to work smoothly, both must learn to communicate with and listen to each other.

HAPPY HEARTS DAY!!! 

CANTON GENERATION
POSTED AT 12:40 AM

hephaestus

Aside from the current issues on the global financial crisis, I think there is another issue that must be addressed by our administrators... education!

Four years ago, I would dare say that college students or students in general are more intellectually gifted.  Professors can give them tons of reading materials, volumes of problem sets and frequent pop quizzes and still, more than half of the class will pass.  And when I say pass, it's not 3.00 but 2.50 or better on the average.  Students four years ago know how to use the card catalog; rarely will you find a students browsing the internet for 'instant answers'.

But now?  Disaster!  Give them a surprise quiz and most of them will submit a blank paper.  Ask them to do an assignment and they would automatically consult Wikipedia which, by the way, is not a very reliable source of information since almost anyone can edit its contents.  Some can't even spell 'crystal', 'test tube rack' or 'phosphorus' right!  It's annoying and heart breaking to know that these are the people who will eventually face the challenges of the economically challenged world.  How would they survive if they would rather memorize the lyrics of all High School Musical songs instead of the meanings of the words printed in boldface in their textbooks.

I have a theory in mind.  The attenuation of intellectual ability might be due to the fact that these children were fed with too much pancit canton during their growing years.  If my memory serves me right, instant pancit canton were made available in the market fifteen years ago.  I think there was even an instant spaghetti.  Then came the various 'pansit ulam' flavors.  And realizing that these noodles were becoming the modern staple food at that time, DOH requested that these noodles be fortified with vitamins A, D and E et cetera.  Until now, these college students are eating pancit canton in the morning not realizing that they are denying their bodies and brains with the proper nutrition that they really need for proper mental functions.

I also blame the misuse of technology and the lack of discipline.  Internet is good but too much facebook, multiply, friendster, youtube and other community sites can eat a lot of time best intended for browsing books and notes.  Online gaming can be very addicting and students must learn to control their craving for those bonus experience points, level ups and the urge to just hack and slash to victory.  Cellular phones are not much of a help either.  It's good for communication, but too much text messaging is bad... very bad.  It just amazes me how students can focus their eyes on the teacher and yet their right thumbs are busy tapping the keypads under the tables or inside their school bags.  Someone even asked me during an exam, "Sir, can I use my cellphone?"  I replied, "It is a communication device."  She said, "No sir, I will just use the calculator feature."  I immediately replied quite annoyed, "If it can perform logarithmic functions then yes, maybe you can use your phone."

I hope my students reading this post will not loathe me.  Take this as a challenge instead.  Study!  You are students.  Do you know the root word of 'students'?  I hope you do!

________________________________

By the way, in case you are wondering, I did not come from the 'canton generation'.  I am from the 'hotdog and processed meat generation'.  Forgive my grammar!

BLAME IT ON THE CONDOM
POSTED AT 12:04 AM

hephaestus

WARNING:  This post is not for the narrow-minded.

This is just my opinion.

Why would people, especially the religious leaders, blame the increase in sexual activities and promiscuity of this generation to the sale of condoms?  I mean, condoms are just condoms.  We can burn all the condoms in the world and still the world will bear witness to unwanted pregnancies, illicit sexual activities, and all sorts of sexually related moral disintegration.  Yes, I have to agree that the sale of condoms pushes an individual to commit immoral sexual activities, but still, I believe the issue is not actually the sale of the condom or the condom itself, the issue that should be addressed is — what pushes a person to buy that condom and commit what is called an immoral sexual activity.

The problem is not the condom, I think.  The problem lies in the inadequate guidance of parents, and proper control of printed materials.  Parents, nowadays, are too busy.  They cannot afford to sit down with their growing children and give them a more proper sex education.  Without proper guidance, teens get their knowledge on sex through friends, magazines, and websites.  And like a dry sponge, they would absorb everything that they learn, without even bothering to filter any unnecessary information.

But then again, I think sex is really not something that an average family would talk about.  It seems like the word itself is cursed.  We have a different suggested meaning for sex — it’s bad.  Sex is not bad.  It’s not an evil thing.  Without it, we won’t even be here.  The only thing ‘bad’ about sex is abusing it.  Teenagers (and some adults) equate love with sex, which I think should not be the case.  Although in cases of married couples (for a more moral perspective) sex implies love; it does not follow, however, that sex is love.

Another reason for the increased libido of this generation is because sex is actually a commodity.  It sells!  It’s everywhere!  Have you seen the ads these days?  People are always half-naked if not naked at all.  Products are sold through erotic images.  Magazines with sexual contexts are selling like hotcakes.  And since it is everywhere, it stimulates our mind in a way that we forget that there is actually a moral obligation attached to sex.

So what am I trying to point out in this post?  That people should not blame inanimate objects for the wrong and stupid things they have been doing, or what this generation is committing.  Humans are the ones doing the thinking, not some piece of lubricated latex.

DISSECTING FAIRY TALES
POSTED AT 11:19 PM

hephaestus

Fairy tales are not actually far from what is real.

‘Cinderella and the Glass Slipper’ is not actually a tale about a stepmother mistreating her stepchild, or how kindhearted women like Cinderella are rewarded for being good.  No!  I think it’s a story of how we can use love as a reason to mask our motives to find a lifetime partner who can almost give us the entire world.  I mean, do you really think Cinderella loved the prince because of that midnight dance?  Cinderella married the prince not because the slipper fits, but because he is rich.  He is financially stable.  He’ll be a good provider.  If we are going to put Cinderella in year 2008, I think she’ll be surfing the net, chatting with Westerners until midnight until she finds the one person who can give her a green card.

And what about ‘Beauty and the Beast’?  If you think it’s a very romantic story because it proves that love looks beneath the surface, you are dead wrong.  If I may recall, at the end of the story the beast was turned back to a handsome prince which means humans fall in love not because we really accepted the other person’s entire character including the flaws, but because we want to change something.  A lot of people these days go into relationships with shut eyes, praying and hoping their partners would eventually change and become better persons.  And maybe this is where divorce, annulment and legal separation comes in.

‘The Little Mermaid’ will not be crossed out from my list.  I am referring to the real story of the Little Mermaid, and not the Disney version.  In the original story, the mermaid traded her voice for feet hoping that she can finally be with her prince, but alas, despite her attempts the prince married another woman.  Her sisters decided to trade their hair for a dagger which she must use to kill the prince to get her fins back.  But because of her love, she decided to jump off the boat and was turned into sea foam.  This is a really tragic story.  In my opinion, the voice symbolizes something that is very valuable.  Mermaids are known for their great singing voices.  Imagine, trading something so special just for love.  If I am going to put this in a more modern and realistic context, I would say the voice is an object representing something that each woman treasures the most — her virginity.  A lot of teenager girls would commit premarital sex not because condoms are readily available in different flavors and textures but because they thought giving it to the man they love would make them stay.  Unfortunately, with our ever changing world becoming more liberal-minded and less traditional, virginity may not even get close to a mermaid’s singing voice.