Pieta

Everyday is an exceptional day, isn't it?

This day seemed to be ending in a mediocre fashion already. I was on my way home, riding a Jurassic old jeepney. I was thinking how lackluster this day is when an unexpected sight caught my attention.

In front of me was a mother carrying her sleeping child on her lap. All is looking perfectly normal between them. Then at the drop of a hat, she started weeping silently while gently caressing her child’s forehead. I don’t know who they are. I have no speck of idea what their story is. But that plain and unforeseen sight moved me big time.

For some reason, mothers have always had some special connection to me. I could watch a girl or a child whimper and still be apathetic about it but not with a mother. Laging may kurot sa puso. If it was somebody else I saw my mind would’ve run haywire surmising the reasons for her weeping. But at that moment, no presumptions entered my mind. Just the thought of how powerful and unrestricted the love of a mother to her child is.

So why am I writing this? Mother’s Day is way behind the calendar and there’s still two months to go before my mom’s natal day. But do we really have to wait for a special day to tell our parents and make them feel how we value them?

Everyday is an exceptional day, so don’t waste it.

Bagyo, Baha, Buhol

[Note: Kagabi pa talaga tong post nato kaso dahil sa nawalan kami ng Internet connection, ngayon ko lang siya na-publish.]


Saktong uwian na namin nang parang on cue na bumuhos ang napakalakas na ulan. Dahil atat nang umuwi, lakas-loob naming sinuong ang nangangalit na kalikasan, walang kamalay-malay na may bagyo na pala. Wala pang 5 mminuto at nandyan na ang ka-tandem niyang baha. At kapag nagsama na sila, isa lang ang kalalabasan – trapik.

Magta-tatlong oras na kong nakasakay sa dyip pero malayo pa ko sa dapat kong babaan. Wala naman akong reklamo sa trapik, pero nung nagsimula na kong murahin ng pwet ko, parang bigla kong ginustong maging chairman ng MMDA.

At para naman maibsan ang pagkabagot at para masabi kong worthwhile ang biyahe ko, sari-saring mga bagay na ang nagawa ko:

1. Matulog.

2. Picturan ang mga kasamahan kong tulog.

3. Maki-sing along kay Akon at Cris Brown na pinapatugtog ni Manong Drayber.

4. Gumawa ng mga sentences base sa mg plate number (ex. ILY = ‘I Love You’; UMD = Ur so Maarte, Duh).

5. Wag isiping baka hindi na mapanood ang Boys Over Flowers.

6. Wag isiping naje-jebs na (torture to).

7. Mag-isip kung paano isusulat ang article na to.

Pero sa huli, nauwi rin ako sa paglalakad.*buntong hininga*

So what did I learn today? One word: PATIENCE.

Naalala ko tuloy yung passage na natutunan ko nung high school: “…I asked for patience and God put into situations wherein I have to wait…”

At least ngayon masasabi ko na, patience is finally one of my virtues.

On Having Mild ADHD

So now I’m diagnosing myself.

No legitimate Psychologist has ever diagnosed me but ever since the term ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder’ (ADD for adults) lodged into my understanding, I hadn’t stopped thinking that I might have the disorder. For one thing, I manifest most of its symptoms, only less prominent. Besides, isn’t it grand to know that you are in the same boat as Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Phelps, Tom Cruise and all them others who have the same affliction?

Here are just some of the telltale signs of ADHD/ADD and the reasons behind this suspicion. Take note of them; you might have it as well. :

1. Inattention/ Lack of focus
You cannot place me at the back or beside the window of the classroom for I tend to forget that there’s an authority figure in front. Time limits are my worst enemy, ‘coz I have this inclination to shift my attention every 10 minutes or so (guess how long it took me to finish this article). I cannot seem to settle on whether I’ll finish the task I’m doing or watch TV or do another task or do yoga or sketch pictures or play badminton inside my room. I call it multi-tasking, though.

2. Impulsiveness
I am the most unassuming person you’d probably meet. I do unexpected and clearly unprompted acts in the most unexpected situations, e.g., slightly pulling the hair or clothes of whoever’s walking in front of me. Even I do not know why the hell I do that. Giving nasty side comments while someone —whoever that someone is— is voicing out his thoughts or opinions is an equally nasty trait that I have, something that I’m really working on.

3. Difficulty following instructions
This is the part that I hate most: when people think I’m fat-witted whenever I find it hard to follow a certain instruction that has been repeated for several times. For the record, I am far from being stupid. Only on certain occasions, though.

4. Being unorganized and Forgetfulness
My room is close to looking like Ground Zero whenever I’m working on something like a school project or even writing an article for this blog. I also mastered the art of cramming for assignments, minor projects, and even reviewing for short quizzes; things like these, for some reason, easily escape my mind (except for instances that I really feel slothful doing them). I remember buying an organizer once but it didn’t work for long. I always forget that I have it in my bag.

5. Restlessness/ Fidgetiness
If Devon Sawa has Idle Hands, then I have Idle Feet. If my parents have no love for me, they might have amputated me a long time ago. It’s either because I can’t seem to stay firm on one place or I can’t seem to help my feet from doing…things. And seriously, I’m really, really worried that I might have ADHD/ADD…

Paranoid.

Face-Off: Promil Vs Nido

Have you ever wished you were gifted?

Just recently, news spread about this boy who already managed to graduate college at the tender age of 11. Amazing kid, but then I started wondering how his college life went. At 11, I was still playing patintero on the streets and anticipating every Batibot episode on TV, but this kid was already studying about astrophysics and others that I might not even know how to pronounce. Surely his college mates wouldn’t want to play hide-and-seek with him? I just felt that his childhood was taken away by his intelligence.

In addition, we are all aware how these so-called ‘gifted children’ can be exposed to a lot of stress and pressure. They are like magnets that attract the public eye. They are expected to perform well in everything that they do, for their intellect is deemed as ‘faultless’; trivial blunders are enough reasons for derision. Just the mere fact that you are ‘smart’ seems to separate you already from the rest, so what more for them? Ang hirap maging matalino.

Remember the times when there was so much hype on the emergence of these gifted children in the Philippines? Back then I also wanted to be a gifted child myself (at some point I felt that I am, he-he). Modesty aside, I know I am blessed with a good brain and a couple of talents to go with it (simpleng yabang), but I wanted it at a higher level. Yung pang-Promil commercial! But seeing this kid just made me think otherwise.

I remember my 5-year-old self asking my Mom what brand of milk was used to feed me. Without dithering, she replied, “Sorry anak, Nido lang kasi pinainom namin sa’yo.” When she saw the disappointment on my then-innocent face, she quickly retracted and admitted that I was breastfed all the way. But either way, it doesn’t really matter to me now. I am unique and gifted in my own way. Mas maganda yata yung napupuri ka dahil sa natural na talento mo at hindi dahil sa epekto ng gatas na pinainom sa’yo.

Besides, does Promil really work?

Mga Gawain Sa Dilim

Brown out.

Isa sa mga pinaka-ayaw ko sa lahat ay kapag brown-out. Pinaka-matinding dahilan ay dahil walang kuryente (obvious?), ibig sabihin, hindi ako makakapanood ng TV, hindi makakagamit ng electric fan, hindi makakapag-computer, hindi makakapag-radyo (buti na lang meron sa cellphone) at hindi makakapag-charge ng cellphone.

Kaya naman kapag mga bata, kanya-kanyang gawa ng paraan para maibsan ang pagka-bagot. Hindi syempre pwedeng mawala ang taguan. Da best yan lalo na ‘pag gabi at madilim! Syempre mas mahirp ang hanapan, kaso, kaso mas mahirap din ang maghanap ng tataguan.

At dahil nga madilim, kasama dyan ang kwentuhan ng nakakatakot. Mas nakaka-kilabot kasi ang ambience. At pagkatapos ng kwentuhan, tuloy naman sa ‘aswang-aswangan’ (wholesome an laro po ito!).

Nasubukan na rin namin ang maglibot sa buong village na para bang nagpi-People Power. Nag-karera na rin kami sa dilim. At kapag pagod na ang lahat, gagawa naman kami ng show mula sa mga anino ng kamay naming kinorteng mga hayop. At kapag wala pa ring kuryente, yung luha naman ng kandila yung pag-iinteresan. Hindi namin gusto ang brown out pero masaya kami.

Pero ngayon iba na. Mas boring na ang brown out. Ako, walang ginagawa kundi matulog. Yung mga dati kong kalaro naman, ayun nagtataguan pa rin kasabay ang pag-aaswangan’. Na-realize ko na kapag bata ka, mas naa-appreciate mo yung mga simpleng bagay sa mundo. *buntong hininga*

Pero hindi naman ako laging tulog kapag brown out (nakakapagod din kasi minsan matulog). Tulad ngayon, walang kuryente ¬¬¬(pesteng ulan yan), nakagawa tuloy ako ng post ng biglaan.

10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2009

One of my newest blogger friends, Snow of Dear Bloggery, courteously asked yours truly to nominate her blog as well as others in Ms. Janette Toral’s list of the Most Influential Blogs of 2009. I’ve been reading Bloggery for quite some time now and I deem it worthy of my vote, thus, this post was made. Sadly, as much as I want to nominate Bahay Ni Badong (hehe) and some friend bloggers’ blogs, circumstances don’t permit me, as one criterion for nomination is that a blog must be conceived between May of 2008 up to the present. Sorry! For more information, just follow this link.

Actually, I’m still on the verge of finishing the list since I’m carefully finding and sorting out the blogs that truly stand out according to my standards (may ganon?). So here’s my partial list of nominees:

1. Dear Bloggery
2. The Struggling Blogger
3. Barrio Siete
4. Leomar’s Den
5. Jologs na Yuppie
6. Palipasan
7. Isla de Nebz
8. I Am Xprosaic

Good luck guys!

Face-Off ver. 2 -- Bong VS Hayden

[Note: Nerdy portions ahead.]

Time for another head-to-head match-up! This time, between the honorable Bong Revilla Jr. and the 'perverted' Dr. Hayden Kho.

This is so ridiculous, seeing Revilla almost red-faced with anger, complaining about Kho's alleged disrespect for women. Bong Revilla -- the sublime womanizer. Funny. Allow me to use psychology on this one but I think Bong's in a compromise situation called 'reaction formation' -- disguising one's motivation and conflict by believing that the motive is exactly the opposite of his real motive (Gaerlan). In this case, it's Bong battling with Hayden's misconduct towards women because he, himself is trying to battle his own unconscious desires. Forgive me for the geeky-ness.

Here's my point, if Bong wants to cancel Haydens' license, then why is he not pleading for the lifetime banning of Ethel Booba. Criselda Volks, Mahal and all them others who have been in this sticky situation before? Why, because he's a doctor and he's supposed to be an educated and respected person? Ang mga artista ba hindi?

I also heard that Katrina Halili's got the support of the activist group Gabriella. OK, I get the point. Katrina is the wretched one. But isn't what she did morally unacceptable? She (flirted) with the doctor while he's still in a relationship, for crying out loud. And she must not dare say, "Tao lang po ako." She had her --here foes the nerdy part again-- superego at the back of her mind but she let her id impulses overwhelm her. Hope you got that.

Say hello Absurdity.