thank you jackie

you don't know how much you helping means to me. and i dunno what i did to deserve that kind of help. you are kindness personified and may the Goddess bless you. =)

Fancy an ORGY? =P

On CHIKININIS and Filipinos

For a school project, we were tasked by our Philosophy teacher to write a poem about a dozen different topics which confront our ethical views. One of these topics was “sexuality”. I was told a long time ago that there are only two topics which can most likely produce really great poetry—love and sex. I took the risk and wrote something “sexual”. (Or so I think.)

The title of my poem was “Chikinini”. In English, a Chikinini is a kiss mark or a hickey. When I told my friends about it, they were both thrilled and slightly disgusted by the thought. I wondered why. Then I realized quite a couple of things.

Although (I think) a hickey is fun to discuss, I realized that there are a lot of things about sex that we, Filipinos, are afraid to tackle just because we are too concerned of what others will think or say about us. Take note, a hickey is even on the “more wholesome” side of the world of sex. Are Filipinos more wary about discussing the other not-so-wholesome-but-recurring topics about sex? Surely. Due to our apprehensions towards the world of sex and its trappings, we are always in danger of being misinformed. I strongly believe this is the reason for a lot of unwanted pregnancies, sexual intercourse with poor consent, rape and even nymphomania.

See, when we don’t talk about sex, we try to find out about it on our own. If you’re one of the smarter ones, you would scour for academic literature and read about sex. However if you find the academic boring and the non-academic better, you might get the wrong notions and build a more risky impression towards sex. There’s a flood of wrong information about sex in different media. And there are peers who can “offer” you pieces of “advice” about their sexual experiences. (Believe me, you will find them amusing and before you know it, you will get overly curious.)

I realized that a hickey can actually ignite one of the strongest sexual curiosities because of its air of mystery. Plus the Filipino backdrop covering the mystery of sex, which has already set uncontrolled curiosities on fire. The truth is, whenever I see a hickey, I’d think “Who gave that hickey? Is it a legitimate lover or otherwise? What did they do before and after the hickey? Was the hickey given a hickey back? How many hickeys are hidden beneath his/her clothing? Which hickey felt the most blissful? Which is more fulfilling, to give or receive one? Could I give a better one? Could I receive a better one? How about a better looking one?” See, my mind wanders at the simple sight of a lover’s I-was-here mark. And even though I am itching to say my thoughts aloud, I’d still crumple them together and throw them away. After all, I am a Filipina, I have Filipinos around me, and we know how Filipinos are. However, surprisingly, when I was writing Chikinini, I did not feel any form of embarrassment. Maybe it’s because I’ve always felt at home with my poetry. I have known my poetry for so long that I don’t know who I am without it anymore. Poetry is my way of expressing myself, but since not all Filipinos are poets or can write about hickeys (and other sexually-charged topics) freely, I still worry about the shoulder-shaking threat of misinformation.

Are you worried too? Tell me about it.

Got Time, Bitch?

While the floodgates of technology are still swung open, there are a lot of things at hand for the normal day-in-day-out career person (slash) all-around biatch. For most family-oriented *cough cough* people, there is the burden of juggling work, career, family and the other parts of one’s social life. What’s a Busybee supposed to do?

The answer is Time Management. If you ask just about any person whom you greatly admire for different diverse achievements, you may have asked him how he did it. Sure he’ll answer “time management”. Your initial response is a half-assured nod and then you wonder “What exactly is time management?”

Time management is simply the proper allocation of time for certain priorities. First, the priorities have to be arranged in a certain way where it is clustered into sectors and divided into a hierarchy. (Wow, big words.) For example, the important parts of your life are career, your son, your home, your art and your family. You have to know which one to drop first whenever you need to.

After that, you will need help from some time management tools designed to aid you in the correct process of prioritization AND remembering that order.

Quick-and-Easy Reminders

There are a lot of people who need more than one nudging to remember those little important things. If you are one of them, buy some quick-and-easy reminders. What’s good about technology is you can probably put a reminder just about everywhere! Cellular phones nowadays have built-in organizers, post-its are available in different variants and even the good old refrigerator door magnets have come in a lot of forms.

What is important is that the frequency of the reminding is now being increased. This is good for time management because it keeps you aware of the things which you have to do especially if they’re urgent.

The Organizer + Watch Tandem

I love this tandem. I've lived with this tandem for more than five years now. These are staples for just about every busybody; from the college beadle to the corporate leader. The organizer is something that holds your appointments and it’s also a tiny little space for some writing. Busybodies usually have contact numbers of random people they’ve met, gifts for a not-so-relevant birthday party that he has to go to or some sudden brilliant ideas which haunt them at night. For these and more, you will need an organizer. It has to be a little notebook, just enough to fit in a handbag, and should be made of durable material. This organizer is something that you are expected to bring with you every day.

Moreover, the perfect complement to an organizer is a high-quality watch. You may have experienced running late for an appointment just because your watch didn’t work well. What’s worse is that the person you’re meeting wouldn’t even believe you. This blunder can easily be avoided. Just get a high quality watch. Having a good sense of time is practically the first step in time management.

The Perfect I-am-Important Mindset

It’s pressuring to know that you have a lot of things in your hand and it seems like you can‘t even do anything about it. Don’t tip over.

Moreover, keep a “be on your toes” kind of mindset as you maneuver your way into your busy life. Sure, there are times when you distance yourself from your organizer; you hate yourself for being such a workaholic. It’s perfectly alright to feel some form of eternal urgency but take some time off once in a while. In your list of priorities, insert yourself in it. Remember that. Every bitch needs some me time once in a while. Go to the spa, watch the chick flick everybody smirks about but secretly love. Read a good book. Sip tea slowly. Sleep all day.

Ya know what they say. All work and no play. . .keeps the libido at bay. LOL. =)

What the Bitch is Made Of

You Scored as English/Journalism/Comm You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in Communication, English, Film, Journalism, Literature, or Writing. It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didnt think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it. Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. Please post your results in your myspace/blog/journal. English/Journalism/Comm 100% Visual&PerformingArts 94% Education/Counseling 81% HR/BusinessManagement 75% PoliticalScience/Philosophy 69% Psychology/Sociology 69% French/Spanish/OtherLanguage 69% Physics/Engineering/Computer 63% Accounting/Finance/Marketing 63% Religion/Theology 63% History/Anthropology/LiberalArts 56% Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health 44% Biology/Chemistry/Geology 31% Mathematics/Statistics 0%

Said the Teenager to Her Parents

We know what to do, just let us be.

We are self-correcting. We go home when we're already too drunk and we know how many cups of coffee we need to finish that due-tomorrow-though-assigned-a-month-ago paper.

We are very concerned with fashion, so stop telling us what to wear and what not to wear. We've read too many articles about how to look good. They better pay off.

We are not very good with handling money, but then again, we are self-correcting. Eventually, we will learn to save, or not really, just have enough for enough.

We know what to do with our bodies. So unless it's cutting a limb off or selling our kidneys, please do not make a big deal out of it. (And stop asking how much my haircut or pedicure costs.)

It doesn't mean that because we idolize the once-innocent-now-slutty Disney stars we will eventually turn out to be like them. We (usually) know better. We idolize them because we can never be like them. If we can be like them then there's no use idolizing them, correct?

It doesn't mean that because we want to live away from you, we hate you. We just want to be independent.

You may question our values but don't judge us if you think they're wrong. For example, it doesn't automatically mean that because we're pro-live in, pro-abortion, agnostics, we're immoral. All those years in Catholic schools finally took their toll. Haha.