Ahhh...Tama ka dyan Bob!

Ayon kay Bob Ong;

1. "Kung hindi mo mahal ang isang tao, wag ka nang magpakita ng motibo para mahalin ka nya.."

2. "Huwag mong bitawan ang bagay na hindi mo kayang makitang hawak ng iba."

3. "Huwag mong hawakan kung alam mong bibitawan mo lang."

4. "Huwag na huwag ka hahawak kapag alam mong may hawak ka na."

5. "Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo pagsisiksikan ung sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sayo. Eh meron naman hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin."

6. "Kung maghihintay ka nang lalandi sayo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo.. Dapat lumandi ka din."

7. "Pag may mahal ka at ayaw sayo, hayaan mo. Malay mo sa mga susunod na araw ayaw mo na din sa kanya, naunahan ka lang."

8. "Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa."

9. "Pag hindi ka mahal ng mahal mo wag ka magreklamo. Kasi may mga tao rin na di mo mahal pero mahal ka.. Kaya quits lang."

10. "Kung dalawa ang mahal mo, piliin mo yung pangalawa. Kasi hindi ka naman magmamahal ng iba kung mahal mo talaga yung una."

11. "Hindi porke't madalas mong ka-chat, kausap sa telepono, kasama sa mga lakad o ka-text ng wantusawa eh may gusto sayo at magkakatuluyan kayo. Meron lang talagang mga taong sadyang friendly, sweet, flirt, malandi, pa-fall o paasa."

12. "Huwag magmadali sa babae o lalaki. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon, mag-iiba ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong hindi pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang maganda o nakakalibog ito. Totong mas mahalaga ang kalooban ng tao higit sa anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan nagmumukha ding pandesal, maniwala ka."

13. "Minsan kahit ikaw ang nakaschedule, kailangan mo pa rin maghintay, kasi hindi ikaw ang priority."

14. "Mahirap pumapel sa buhay ng tao. Lalo na kung hindi ikaw yung bida sa script na pinili nya."

15. "Alam mo ba kung gaano kalayo ang pagitan ng dalawang tao pag nagtalikuran na sila? Kailangan mong libutin ang buong mundo para lang makaharap ulit ang taong tinalikuran mo."

16. “Mas mabuting mabigo sa paggawa ng isang bagay kesa magtagumpay sa paggawa ng wala”

17. “Hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohan, at hindi lahat ng hindi mo kayang intindihin ay kasinungalingan”

18. "Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lng yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sama ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sayo, kundi IKAW mismo!"

19. "Pakawalan mo yung mga bagay na nakakasakit sa iyo kahit na pinasasaya ka nito. Wag mong hintayin ang araw na sakit na lang ang nararamdaman mo at iniwan ka na ng kasiyahan mo."

20. "Gamitin ang puso para alagaan ang mga taong malalapit sa iyo. Gamitin ang utak para alagaan ang sarili mo."

21. "Ang pag-ibig parang imburnal...nakakatakot mahulog...at kapag nahulog ka, it's either by accident or talagang tanga ka.."

22. "Lahat naman ng tao sumeseryoso pag tinamaan ng pagmamahal. Yun nga lang, hindi lahat matibay para sa temptasyon."

23. "Bakit ba ayaw matulog ng mga bata sa tanghali? Alam ba nilang pag natuto silang umibig eh hindi na sila makakatulog kahit gusto nila?"

24. "Hindi lungkot o takot ang mahirap sa pag-iisa kungdi ang pagtanggap na sa bilyon-bilyong tao sa mundo, wala man lang nakipaglaban upang makasama ka."

credits go to "PJ, Noel's cousin"

Being Elementary

I've been browsing through one of my bff's blog entries and I came upon her entry about her memories of grade school. We've actually had a couple of conversations about this (me and her posting a blog about what we remember most in grade school) over bbq sa kanto, chicken mcdo at macapagal and while we travel the long-short road (depending on the traffic along coastal) home. We'd always end up roflmao-ing (figuratively of course, hard to imagine us doing that in the car while she was handling the wheel). So to give in her to prodding and to keep my word, I'm posting what I remember most about grade school...

I remember the boy, but I don't remember the feelings anymore...

One memory or should I say person that sticks out in my elementary memories would have to be "J" (of course, I wont be dropping names here!). He, for reasons I now cannot fathom why, was such a heart throb back in the day. I, along with every other female in our batch, admittedly wasn't immune to his charms and cute, boy next-door looks. His "effect" on us was so much that it reached to a level that they (I'm talking about those girls whose "crushing" on him already go to the point of being possessive) had an "sex-in-the-city like conversation in the girl's comfort room one day that goes a little something like this, if my memory serves me right:

G1: (entering the almost packed girl's c.r.) Hoy! (addressing no one in particular) Akin si *toot*

G2: Excuse me, na una ako sa'yo sa kanya!

G3: At kailan nangyari yun?

Me: ?!?!?!?! (^_-)

Mind you, this conversation happened we were just in grade one and were just a bunch of seven year-olds.

Competition? Bring it On 'Tudes

To say that our batch was competitive would be an understatement. We had rivalries from things as mundane as headbands, shoes, socks, pencil cases, stroller bags and colognes to who passes the activity cards ("term paper" like papers we had to do on a monthly basis) the fastest, who was able to memorize the prayers the quickest, who does the best projects and what not. i remember having this science project ones that dealt with the solar system. The best project gets to be displayed in the library. Our group, fearing that our take on the solar system (yeah, yeah, I know, how many takes can you have on one solar system, right? Well, our 9 year old brains only had so much foresight) had our solar system covered in clothe when we brought it to school and kept it under wraps until it was time to bring it to the library for "judgment."

Our paranoia paid off. My groups solar system got displayed in the library along with the rest of the others. Wala talagang gustong magpatalo. Lolz!

Fun and Games

We were kids. So fun and games was definitely part of our vocabulary. A major part of it actually. We played to our hearts content not minding how sweaty or smelly we got. We played during recess, lunch break and even during class hours. We even had a patintero competition complete with play offs and championship rounds. We played board games, paper games, and even boggle right under our teachers noses. How we were we able to do it? We simply would slip under our tables and conduct our business there. I wonder now if our teachers just looked the other way cause how could they miss a row of empty chairs?!

We made sure we had our money's worth over our playground equipment. Keber na kung magka-kalyo sa kaka-monkey bar. When our hands ached from too much bar handling, we learned to walk on them. At first it was just the boys for the obvious reason that they were wearing short/pants and we were stuck with skirts. But thank god for cycling shorts! With those under our skirts, we walked the money bars as fast as our male counterparts.

One particular recess during 5th grade, the bell rung in the middle of our game of Marco Polo (a version of tag where the blinded folded "it" has to find the "frozen" players after the end of a chant) along the monkey bars. All of us unfroze from our spot and made a mad dash back to the classroom before the doors were closed as per policy of our homeroom teacher to deter people from coming in late from recess. It was a bit too late for "A", the "it" for the that game, when he realized that that the bell has rung as the blind fold also covered a good part of his ears. Seeing that the doors were about to be closed on him, he shouted across the playground "WAG NIYONG ISIRA! HINTAY!" for everyone to hear, including our teacher for the next class, which was Christian Living Experience. After we all settled down, Ms. "M" called "A" up front and told him to shout like what he did a few moment back or else step out. At first, "A" didn't want to but seeing the stern look on Ms. "M's" face had him shouting like a banshee. My bff and her seatmate couldn't help but chuckle which earned her a snarl and a warning from Ms. "M" that if they didn't stop laughing, she'd have them up front with "A" and laughing the whole period. That vanished all thoughts of laughing from everyone's mind.

Skits and Role Playing

Our school "prides" itself in providing "holistic" education hence part of their teaching curriculum was interspersed with activities that would "hone" our creativity. Thus, we had skits and role playing galore.

I remember playing "Ninang" when we were learning about the Sacraments. We did a literal version of the Creation when we turned on the lights (in broad daylight, mind you) to recreate the part when the Lord said, "Let there be light". And how can I forget playing one of the children of Fatima who showed up late for her interview on Christian talk show.

My being in front of the crowd was out of necessity for I liked it better when I was behind the scene, either "directing" or doing the "script". I did a historical romance for our history class and a Catholic-themed sex education plot, complete with bed scenes for our religion class. Come grade 6, we were blowing condom balloons as part of our report for sex education. I guess the nuns running our school weren't as frigid as I thought them to be.

Cliques

They were the ones you have your lunch with and hang out with after class, playing tag or chinese garter/10-20. They also defined if you were part of the "in" crowd or not. But unlike in High School were these cliques have a sense of permanency, during elementary, it was just a passing phase.

Case in point is the "achy breaky heart group". Remember the song, "don't break my heart, my achy breaky heart, just don't break understood, ohh weeehhh!"? Well, that was what bonded them. By them, I'm referring to a combination of boys and girls from grade 6 two sections that were cut off from the rest of the elementary block for being housed in a separate building. During lunch, while waiting for the bell to ring, they would sit on the bench and sing that silly song to anyone who happens to pass by. If that person happens to get confused by their actions, they'd increase their volume and exaggerate the "ohhh weeeehh" in the end of the line and then laugh amongst themselves after.

I obviously am not part of the group and was among those who got a dose of their serenades. I just didn't get what was so cool about singing that song only to realize in the end that there was nothing to get anyway. They were just having fun and punking people like Ashton Kutcher.

Yellow Cab's Four Season and Macau

It was one of those laid back days in the office despite having deadlines to beat all because we only had one boss up stairs. I went upstairs looking for MLP to ask him the case folder of the case I was pitching in for him the next day and found him at the back of the 5th floor office with our only present boss. I was just hoovering along the sidelines, waiting for them to finish their conversation when our boss looked up and asked me out of the blue from what pizza place should we order from. Pizza Hut was out of the question considering that M's Palm card has already expired, I suggested Yellow Cab's 18-incher so that everyone in the office could have their share of the pie.

I dont know how the topic of traveling came up while we were chomping done on our slices of the 18-incher in the conference room but it did. Next thing we knew our boss was asking us were we wanted to go and when we wanted to go. He waved the privilege bar (travel privileges in the office starts after one year of service; M was the only who was eligible to travel amongst the associates). We (with little persuasion from our Boss) settled on Macau even before we all had our last slice of pizza. Since MCB handled our Christmas party, our Boss turned to me and told me to handle the details of the rest of the trip as he would be handling the details of our flight.

We encountered glitches here and there but last week, I was able to confirm our booking at the Venetian and our "chartered" plane is all set to go on Thursday morning. It going to be our (the associates with the exception of Mikie) first time in Macau. Given that we only have 3 days to explore the whole place, we all said that we'll hit the ground running to make the most of it. We also joked around that when we come, we should also hit the ground running as our calendar is full after the holy week. There really is no rest for the wicked, aint there?

p.s.
Sir, the next yellow cab four season is on us so long as we get to have another trip aboard at the end of our snacks. *winkz*

My Boss On Financial Planning

"...It pays to pay yourself..."

Ditto!

George Carlin's Views On Aging

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by t he moments that take our breath away.

Top of The Mind

1. Beer: SMB
2. Anorexic: Not Me
3. Relationships:the good ones are hard to come by...
4. Purple: periwinkle
5. Power Rangers:gogo power rangers!
6. Weed: SC
7. Steroids:Asthma
8. Cartoons: japanese anime

9. The President: of which country
10. Tupperware: container
11. Best Vacation: Beach
12. Santa Claus: Rudolph
13. Halloween: Trick o Treat
14. Bon Jovi: Steve Tyler
15. Grammar: Check
16. Facebook: Haven't tried
17. Worst fear: failure
18. Marriage: In my plans
19. Paris Hilton: Big Spender
21. Redhead: Archie
22. Blonde: Bombshell
23. Pass the time: www
24. One night stands: release
25. Donald Trump: ivanna trump
26. Neverland: tinkerbell
27. Pixie Sticks: Pick up sticks?
28. Vanilla ice cream: hot fudge!
29. High School: abakada!
30. Work: non routine
31. Pajamas: sleep
32. Woods: fresh air
33. Wet Sock:dryer
34. Alcohol: vodka!
35. Love: transcends boundaries

Pinoy to Address 2007 Harvard Law School Graduates (from Shy's email)

Like Wine in the River, Like Citizens of the World
Harvard Law School 2007 Student Commencement Address by Oscar Franklin Barcelona Tan (Philippines) .

Dean Kagan, Vice-Dean Alford, professors, classmates, families, and friends. Let me first thank our tireless graduate program staff. They were the first friendly faces who greeted me, told me which functions offered free food, and what to do if you faint during your final exams. Assistant Dean Jeanne Tai, Nancy Pinn, Heather Wallick, Curtis Morrow, Jane Bestor, Chris Nepple, April Stockfleet: This year would not have been possible without you.

But this goes to everyone: Thank you all for truly making us feel part of this community. We LLMs became your fellow students after your Salsa Party, Chinese and Korean New Year, African Night, and our International Party.

To honor you, we took Europe by storm, winning in the inaugural Negotiation Challenge, in the European Law Moot Court, and in the Willem Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court. Of course, you truly become part of Harvard Law School when you're featured in the Parody.

Not so long ago, Cambridge seemed a strange, unfriendly place especially when I first saw Gropius. I went to John Harvard's with the British, who began chittering in an alien language. I later discovered it was actually English -- the real English. I complained I was not used to cold, but a Saudi Arabian reminded me that you can fry eggs on a sidewalk in Riyadh. An
Italian gave me tips on women because Italian men are the world's greatest
lovers, with the disclaimer that their style does not work on American women. A Malaysian was asked to explain the religious significance of the color of her hijab, or headscarf. She would answer: It had to match her
blouse.

Soon, we found that great substance that keeps any law school together: alcohol. On New Year's Eve, a Belarusian handed me a glass of vodka, but scolded me when I began to sip it. Sipping, he emphasized, was not the Slavic way. I shared a Frenchman's champagne, a Peruvian's pisco sour, a Costa Rican's pina colada, a Brazilian's caipirinha, a Mexican's tequila, and a Japanese's sake. And apologies to the Germans, but I learned how even weak American beer enlivens an evening when you drink it with the Irish.

We found greater common ground: The Swiss complained about American chocolate, the New Zealanders complained about American cheese, the Sri Lankans complained about American tea, the Indians complained about the lack of vegetarian food, and everyone complained that American food makes you fat. An Austrian made homemade apfelstrudel. A Nigerian made homemade fried plantains. The Pakistanis made a non spicy version of keema, and I only needed eight glasses of water during the meal. All the Americans had was Three Aces pizza.

As for me, I come from the Philippines, a former American colony best known for Imelda Marcos's shoe collection. I remember being a six-year old watching my parents walk out of our house to join the crowds gathering to depose the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and form human walls against tanks. I remember being a twenty-year old in a different crowd deposing a different but equally corrupt president.

It was liberating to hear how a Chilean danced with crowds in the streets when Pinochet was arrested. How the Chinese come to grips with Tiananmen Square, while convinced that one cannot transplant American-style government wholesale to Beijing. How life changed in the former Soviet Union; how it was like growing up in a fledgling Eastern European country. How a Pakistani discussed Musharraf's assault on judicial independence
with a South African worried about Mugabe's own acts in Zimbabwe.

It was even more liberating to hear from a Korean prosecutor how his country sent two former presidents to jail. How the Swiss have preserved their tradition of independence and referendum. How Ghana threw off
its colonial fetters and inspired a conscious African solidarity. How a Bhutanese wants to help shape her constitution after her king voluntarily gave up absolute power.

I cannot deny that our generation's issues will be complex, but I can guarantee that they will never be abstract, not after having a classmate who was an Israeli army drill sergeant, not after having a Chinese classmate with a Taiwanese girlfriend, nor after having a classmate chased by gunmen out of
Afghanistan. In fact, when George W. Bush's speechwriter visited, my Iranian classmate introduced himself, "Hi, I'm from an Axis of Evil country."

Friends, my most uplifting thought this year has been that the more we learn about each other, the more we realize that we are all alike, and the more we inspire each other to realize our most heartfelt yearnings. My single most memorable moment here came when I met South African Justice Albie Sachs, left with only one arm after an assassination attempt during apartheid.

My classmate stood up and said: "South Africa is the world's second most unequal country. I come from Brazil, the world's most unequal country, and I admire how the South African Constitutional Court has inspired the progress of human rights throughout the world."

And this is how Harvard has changed us. We recall struggling with English to keep pace with the world's most brilliant professors, especially with Elizabeth Warren's Socratic blitzkriegs, and we thank Harvard for raising our thinking to a higher, broader level.

But even the most powerful ideas demand passion to set them aflame. The passion we ignite today is fueled by a collage of vignettes that will remind us in this crucible of life that our peers in faraway lands face the same frustrations, the same nation building ordeals, the same sorrows, and ultimately, the same shared joys and triumphs.

How do a mere 700 change the world, even with overpriced Harvard diplomas? Before a great battle in China's Spring and Autumn Period, the legendary King Gou Jian of Yue was presented with fine wine. He
ordered his troops to stand beside a river, and poured the wine into it. He ordered them to drink from the river and share his gift. A bottle of wine cannot flavor a river, but the gesture so emboldened his army that they won a great victory. We of the Class of 2007 shall flavor this earth, whether we be vodka, wine, champagne, pisco sour, pina colada, caipirinha, tequila, sake, jagermeister, raki, Irish stout, Ugandan Warabi, or Philippine lambanog.

Thus, my friends --and this includes our American classmates who will soon lead the world's lone superpower -- let us transcend our individual
nationalities and affirm that we are citizens of the world. Maraming salamat po, at mabuhay kayong lahat.*Thank you and long live you all.*

Brain Tweaking!

Your Brain is 67% Female, 33% Male

http://images.blogthings.com/whatgenderisyourbrainquiz/brain.jpg" height="100" width="100"> Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you!

What'>What>http://www.blogthings.com/whatgenderisyourbrainquiz/">What Gender Is Your Brain?