YOU'RE UGLY!

let's get one thing straight:
you're ugly.
your face is the landfill
of an AIDS-laden
third world country.
your breath is the smog
on my windshield
your skin is a snake's
hand-me-down
your body is the new planet
which Pluto envies--
a whirlwind of trash,
add a teaspoon of monstrosity
and a bucketful
of hopelessness.
and your forehead,
a helipad.
you are the surplus
of the surplus
of substandard pandesal
everytime I look at you
I feel like I don't have
enough middle fingers
and you actually look good
when I'm not looking.
you are a cuss word
I will never be able to say
though everything I say
that's profane
is a love letter
to you.
DIE.
(that was not a request.)

-I wrote this coz it was fun. This is not inspired by anyone. haha.

What's With the Haste?!

Young people nowadays love everything to be fast. The culprit I’m eyeing is the oh-so-mighty technology. If there’s one thing that made people more impatient, it’s nothing but technology.

Here’s the thing: people always have escalating expectations. “Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile”, so they say. In the cellular phone arena, when we’ve got texting going on, we asked for mp3. When it was done, we asked for a camera. When it was done, we asked for Internet. When it was done, we asked for touch screen. And today, we ask for all of them in one handy material. (Plus, we want it cheap.) See? We always have a way of outgrowing things easily. One of these things is waiting.

I’ve noticed that online shops are sprouting out of nowhere because a lot of people (yes, I’m guilty of this too) don’t like lining up at the counters or dressing rooms. In fact, in a recent market study, the “waiting for purchase” time is one of the biggest factors for determining store choices among consumers.

Also, a lot of business transactions, aside from those connected with shopping, are also done via the Internet. Because it’s faster. From kitchenware, to real estate, to gift items, everything can be bought online. I know at least 90% of the students in our school who would give up a pair of shoes just for online enrolment to be approved. Bah.

Another thing I feel sorry for is the growing apprehension among teenagers to read something that’s more than 500 words. I remember our literature class when we were tasked to read a short story, which was around 3000 words, 6 pages. All of my classmates whined and even joked about it not being “short” at all. The teacher succumbed to their mumbling and we ended up studying an 800-word excerpt. Sad. These kids didn’t mind having to read multiple blog entries but they were willing to filter something Nick Joaquin wrote.

Lastly, I feel sorry, and I apologize for being impatient now. I’m trying my best to be patient but sometimes, the speed I am used to, when it’s not the speed that I’m running, I just snap. I dare not touch dial-up internet anymore. I find myself riding the cab more than usual because I don’t like waiting for a jeepney. I take the stairs to the 7th floor because I don’t like lining up outside the elevator. I eat lunch-in-a-box because it’s fast and saucy. (But mostly because it’s fast.) I know a lot of people who feel just like this, even worse.

The ultimate result with all these hurrying is that people are now expected to do more in a day. And because people are hurrying always, people have less time to connect with one another. I think that’s the biggest thing that we should feel sorry for. After all, when we become annoyed with something we regard as slow, we are clothed with bad mood and people will think twice about approaching us. Moreover, people are also more sensitive about “taking one’s time” because it seems like everyone’s in a hurry.

And because we’re always running fast, let me ask you a question: what fuels us? What are we running for? Or running away from? Enlighten me.

Back in the Game

The thing about love is that it never gets too tiring, and it never gets old.
No matter how it wears your heart down,
how you swear you won't ever dip a toe in the pool,
you're back, plunging in it, taking in the stride.

The thing about love is that it changes you, moves your soul just a little bit and opens your eyes towards everything that you have to thank God for. It alters your beliefs and erases your education, writes over a brand new set of beliefs.

And even if it hurts so much you start trying to kill yourself, you lick your wounds, look for the next best thing, and before you know it, you're looking at another future heartache.

And you're back in the game, biatch.

When Technology Gets Too Personal

Yesterday, I saw the saddest technologically-induced sight: four friends eating together in one table but not talking. The culprit: mp3 players.

The thing about MP3 players is that they make one feel not alone and they create a bubble of companionship for the owner. What we don’t usually see and feel is that this bubble is slowly getting thicker and thicker until we lose contact of other human beings.

Today, the MP3 player is more than just an MP3 player. It may also come with videos, photos and other multimedia files. This makes this gadget all-mighty (in its truest sense) and it appeals to our senses very invasively. The newest headphones are even made with noise cancellators to make the experience of hearing music more “sensual”. Simply put, these players are designed to substitute what human beings can offer!

I’ve always been anti-MP3 so when these MP3 players have flooded the market and people have been using and buying those more frequently I’ve observed human behavior curiously. I found out that people who don’t know each other and happen to be in the same place lost—or immensely reduced-- eye contact. People in the jeepney, inside an elevator, lining up to pay bills…almost everywhere! Before, people try to chat each other up or exchange quick pleasantries. Today, they’re listening to God-knows-what.

See, with an MP3, if you are with a person you don’t know, it’s easier to put the headset on and remain a stranger. However, without an MP3, you are somehow forced to make do of whatever is there to entertain you or to eat your time. So you will get to know the person. For the side of that other person, an MP3 player makes one look “occupied”, therefore there is no motivation for that person to also get to know you if you’re glued to your MP3 player.

Also, the MP3 player has become the lifesaver for boredom. Throw in a boring teacher or a lousy speaker and the MP3 player will instantly wear a halo. Instead of trying to listen to other people and, perhaps, try to stretch one’s attention span, it’s more convenient to just whip out the headsets.

Don’t get me wrong; MP3 players can also serve people well. In fact, I believe that its ultimate use is to be the last resort to save one’s self from deafening silence or immense boredom (for example, waiting for plane-boarding or six-hours-and-longer bus rides). But aside from situations similar with those aforementioned, the MP3 player should be put away.

By the way, in my class, whenever we wait for the professor to arrive, my classmates almost don’t talk to each other because they’re glued to their MP3s (or cellular phones or PSPs). Technology has gone too personal! Whatever happened to “Connecting People”?!

Bring a handy book instead of an MP3 player. Have enough courage to talk and smile to strangers. Picture these scenes. Isn’t it a better-looking place to live in?


-published at Mindanao Times' "To Live Out Loud" Wednesdays; Opinion Page

Words Women Say

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument whenthey are right and you need to shut up.

FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour.Five minutes is only five minutes if you have justbeen given 5 more minutes to watch the game beforehelping around the house.

NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means"something," and you should be on your toes.Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in"Fine"

GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.

LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbalstatement often misunderstood by men. A "LoudSigh" means she thinks you are an idiot andwonders why she is wasting her time standing hereand arguing with you over "Nothing"

THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements thata woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" meansthat she wants to think long and hard beforedeciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it orfaint. Just say you're welcome.

When Casual Becomes Derogatory

Yesterday, I was moved (in a sad, bad way) by three different people who regarded homosexuals/ gays as people who are..lesser than human beings. Here are the different encounters:

Encounter # 1:

I was waiting for someone who purchased the gift items I sell online. My customer was a lesbian. She was running really late and someone who wanted to have dinner with me was getting pissed because I was also running late. And then my friend said, “Niabot na ang tomboy? Buang na tomboy dugayan kaayo, madamay ta.” (Did the dyke already arrive? Crazy dyke, she’s delaying us.)

Encounter # 2:

I haven’t heard from Carlisse* for a long time and when I ran into Bryan*, I asked how Carlisse was doing. (They’re childhood friends.)
Me: How is Carlisse? Is she using a new number? She didn’t reply to the Christmas greetings I SMS-ed her.
Bryan: Oh, nothing’s new about her. She’s still the same old tibo (lesbian) that she is.
And then Bryan snickered.

Encounter # 3:

We’ll this wasn’t an exchange really. I just heard a song from Katy Perry, a new artist, someone who’s tagged by most music reviewers as “sassy and cool”. The lines of the song are:

You don’t eat meat
And drive electrical cars
You’re so indie rock it’s almost an art
You need SPF 45 just to stay alive
You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys

For every encounter, I got startled. Disturbed, even. If you examine all the encounters, you will notice that the word “gay” or any other term that pertains to a homosexual was used a derogatory term. Well, it may not be intended, really, to malign a person or a subculture but it was derogatory. In fact, if you review the way the gay words were used, add a little angst to the tone and you’ve got something that stands at the same stage with “piece of sh*t” or “freak of nature”.

Something that’s casually derogatory is, for me, the worst form of discrimination. It is the kind of oppression that seeps through one’s bones and is being imprinted at the discriminator’s soul. Sure, it may not hurl hurting words in loud voices and finger-pointing but it hurts the minority all the more. The thing with this form of subtlety is that it defines the heart of discrimination—privilege presumption. Discrimination doesn’t really have a purpose; most people discriminate without intending to, without thought, without reason. Discrimination happens because people think they can get away with it. People think it’s a privilege and they know that it’s “acceptable”. And this mindset is dangerous, when it snowballs, because it normalizes discrimination.

It’s just like jaywalking in Davao. People don’t just wake up and tell themselves “Oh I feel like I want to jaywalk today!” People jaywalk because they know they can do it and subsequently get away with it.

See how far casual could go? And I thought “casual” was a fashion theme. Bah. Tell me what you think.

Bitches Celebrate Christmases Too

Dear Varsity,

Have a meaningful Christmas.

After all, what's merry without meaning? =)

I'm very busy. As usual, my calendar is packed. Where do I buy extra hours for the day? Extra days in a week? Extra weeks in a month? Bah. Let's enjoy the break for all it's worth...or not.

♥