Organized Mess

Ever heard of the Free Association technique? Well, it’s a very simple activity of spontaneously expressing our thoughts or ideas, in which each one is allowed to lead to or suggest the next. We usually do it with single words (e.g., Red --> Apple --> Fuji--> Japan, and so on), but mine’s a longer version. It’s a really fun psychological exercise. It allows one to explore the unconscious, and at the same, it’s a good way of working out those brain cells. By the way, thanks to Encarta Encyclopedia for that definition. Now lemme start from that…

1. I love Encarta. I can’t get enough of it. I’ve always been a scavenger of all sorts of information, and Encarta is just one of those that can appease that vicious hunger of mine. Unfortunately, it doesn’t contain everything I need to know. Thank goodness there’s Wikipedia.

2. I’m proud to announce that I contributed something for Wikipedia! Haha! So I was leisurely reading through some information about my school and I noticed that the list of publications in the institution is incomplete. The missing link happened to be my department’s periodical. So like an overexcited imp, I immediately clicked on the “Edit” button and started typing. Sounds superficial, but it was a great feeling for me. You only have a few chances in life and once you had one, just embrace it fully.

3. I’ve not totally liked the film One More Chance and I don’t know why. They say it’s the best John Lloyd-Bea movie to date, but for me, Close To You remains as my favorite. And I hate to admit that I’m considering watching I Miss You Like Crazy. Fudge. Do I have an unconscious obsession for JL and Bea? And I thought I despise JL, for some reason. Insecure? LOL. But I like him when he performs with the Kanto Boys, though.

4. I love the Backstreet Boys. They’re simply the BEST. BOY. BAND. EVER. I remember I was first year high school when one of my friends ridiculed me in front of another friend just because I enjoy listening to boy bands. Then yesterday while I was checking on my Facebook account, I saw a wall post from him saying, “BSB hangover! I’m currently listening to their old songs, hehe.” Friggin’ hypocrite.

5. I believe I’ve already flayed Jejomar Binay for his hypocrisy. That bastard, criticizing Bayani Fernando’s posters late last year, saying it was a form of premature campaigning. But look who’s got his TV ads running way before the campaign period starts. Seriously, that guy doesn’t deserve to win.

6. Talk about winning, I’m suddenly reminded of Ana Ivanovic. Thanks to those who voted and for those who haven’t yet, kindly check out my previous post. Your efforts will be well appreciated. Hope she does well not only in FHM but in her professional competitions as well.

7. Another competition that I’m so absorbed is American Idol. Some say that this season is the weakest but it doesn’t matter. I love Didi Benami! Her style reminds me so much of Megan Corkrey’s. I wonder what’s up with her lately. Need to check on her.

8. I’m currently cyber-stalking Kim Yu-Na, that lovely figure skater from South Korea who won the gold medal in this year’s Winter Olympics. I love skating! I love winter! I love ice! I love South Korea! But I hate K-Pop. To death. Seriously, I am so fed up listening to them it makes me wanna barf.

9. Same thing with cakes. For the past six days, I had four more-than-enough servings of cake. Last Wednesday and Thursday, my good friends and I gorged over a half-roll cake from Goldilocks. And for the record, I did it with a different set of friends. And then yesterday, we celebrated my aunt’s birthday. And you guessed it right, more servings of cake for me. The fourth was today at breakfast. What a life.

10. Life is beautiful, don’t you agree?

How Facebook Enhances Self-Esteem

Now allow me talk about this whole new frenzy in the World Wide Web — Facebook. In the beginning, it appeared to be just one of those ubiquitous social networking sites teenagers addictively talk about. But apparently, FB serves more than just finding long lost friends or playing games or answering unbelievably stupid personality quizzes. Moreover, it boosts one’s self-esteem!

Friends For Sale

“I feel self-actualized because of Facebook, specifically with FFS,” says Jake, one of my friends.

One FB application I really don’t grasp the essence of at first is Friends For Sale (FFS). Now the idea is to buy your contacts and make them your ‘pets’. Doing so, it will increase their worth and at the same time, when another person buys your pet, your money will be returned with added bonus. It’s a win-win situation for both the owner and the pet, if you’re going to think of it.

So how does it enhance your self-esteem? you ask.

Take a look at the explanation above. When someone purchases you as his/her pet, your worth increases. So the more you get bought, the more you get a higher value. The more you feel you’re appreciated, accepted by many. The more you feel you’re popular. Sense of belongingness magnified.

I actually know a lot of people (which includes moi, hehe), who impose on others to buy them as a pet. And why not? If it satisfies their self-image. Their virtual self-image.

We live in a virtual world. Some live in a virtual life. Someday we will all be robots.

***

Honestly, I still don’t get FFS. And as of this writing, my worth is $22M. Shameful compared to my $400M friend. So does that mean I’m unpopular? I don’t think so. I’m priceless simply. My real worth cannot be translated to numbers.

Anyone who wants to add this friggin’ bastard on Facebook? It’s orleans.joel@yahoo.com. And oh, I almost forgot. Buy me as your pet.

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 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.