Jostein Gaarders's SOPHIE'S WORLD

For months now (yes, months), I have been struggling with Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World. For the longest time, I have wanted to read this book, because people say it has a great condensation of Philosophy. I got the book last January 1. And I started reading it right away.

But... it has been disappointing so far. I am now on The Postcards (page 118) . The book is terribly boring, unlike The Solitaire Mystery which I loved, love and will continue to love. This, however, seems more like a textbook. All the info is very helpful, but somehow I got the feeling that Gaarder is not as creative as I thought her to be.

I read this book in the hopes that it would be like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Sadly, that is not the case. Both of Dan Brown's books were exciting and provided a good, page-turning plot which also included some bits of information and trivia. This, on the other hand, contains, pages and pages, and more pages of outright Philosophy lessons. ARGH!!!

As of the moment, I am trying not to let my disappointment impede me from reading the book.

Christmas Party 2004

Here are some pics from our HS Batch (Legends '99) Christmas Party last December 30, 2004 at my house:

PGF Girls: EJ, Weng, Niña, Baby, Ria, Joie and Angie

(Chie and Grace, we MISS YOU!)

The Tech People (Rosal/Calcium/Electron):
Et, Ria, Tiani, Masol, JJ, Patrick, Bbboy and PJ

Pearl People: Joie, Angie, Ria, Weng, EJ, Niña, JR, Baby
seated: Ronald and Alvin

Attendance:
standing: Kittyn, Donnah, Joie, Bess, Niña, Baby, Kate, Angie, Patrick, JJ, Bbboy, Rene, PJ, Anna, Ellen, JR
seated on chairs: Chiqui, Mae, Ria, Catet, Neil (Siawee), Nened, Alvin, EJ
squatting: Masol, Tiani, Et, Ariz, Weng, Ronald

The partey ended at about 4 am, hehe... Til this December guys!!! Sana mas maraming pumunta this December. ;)

For more pictures, please visit riajose2's multiply site.

First time at the Cinema

Do you remember the first movie you watched? I don't but I do remember the first time I ever watched one in an actual cinema.

It was a Saturday afternoon. I was with my cousins and my uncle. We were supposed to pick up my cousin's friend coz they were going somewhere. But as it turns out, my cousin's friend wasn't available, so we ended up going somewhere together. We went to some cinema and watched King Kong. I don't remember most of the movie or the experience but I do remember one scene where King Kong was being examined by doctors.

So that was my fist cinema experience. Forgettable.

New Me Update #2

It's a Tuesday night. And I don't have anything to do. Because I already finished yesterday everything due for tomorrow. HURRAY! ;)

First Day (Phunk) in HS

First Day (Phunk) in HS

It was June 1, 1995, a Thursday. I arrived in school, way before everybody did. I was there by about 6:45 am. Assembly and flag ceremony was supposed to be at 7:30 am. I was wearing a blue (vertical) striped Giordano shirt with a sort of string at the collar part, baggy jeans and denim Giordano sneakers. (Giordano was the fad those days.)

I hang out, leaned on a post at the Administration Office in front of the assembly area. Then, minutes after, dormers started to arrive wearing their uniform. Apparently, they were upperclassmen. Freshies also started arriving, also wearing their civilian clothes. (We got to wear civilian clothes to school for weeks because the manufacturer making the material used for our skirt.) I practically didn't know anybody. I only knew another girl and only because she was from the same elementary school. She didn't arrive until a few minutes before the assembly.

Then, at about 7:30 we experienced our first flag ceremony there. After which, welcomes and speeches about being the "cream of the crop" and the "best of the best" deafened and scared us.

After which, all freshmen were told to go to the Social Hall which also doubled as classrooms. Then, the first year advisers/moderators introduced themselves. There was Ms. Gonzaga for Diamond, Ms. Remollo for Gold and Ms. Aballe for Pearl. For no reason whatsoever, I wished I would be in section Pearl. After the introductions, the class list for diamond was read and students from this section went out of the room. Then, students belonging to gold were called and went out. The rest of us left, remained in the room and now composed section Pearl. There were 30 of us.

I was sooo happy that the girl (Vicky/Baby) who came from the same elementary school as I did was also in the same section. Vicky and I sat together on the front row. But we were separated because Ms. Aballe wanted us to seat in an alternating sex pattern. So Vicky was seated at the rightmost part of the first row, in between us was Ronald, then me, then Joey.

After the seating arrangement was set, we were asked to introduce ourselves. We were supposed to say our name, our nickname, where we come from, the school we came from, our rank/title upon elementary graduation (valedictorian, salutatorian, honorable mention, etc) and our "expectations." HAHA! I was sooo intimidated to hear the ranks/academic achievement of my classmates. Most graduated valedictorian or salutatorian. I think it was at that point when I decided that exerting effort to be on the honor roll wasn't just worth it considering practically everybody else was competition.

And so began my high school life...

{This is is random topic #2.}

ANTI-Homophobia

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.

I am one of the lucky ones, I guess. I survived the attack that left me in a coma for three weeks, and in another year I will probably be able to walk again.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the man who died when the paramedics stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn?t have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

Repost this if you believe homophobia is wrong.

Source: from various LJ friends

Death of a Nice Guy...

from untitledalmost's LJ

Death of a Nice Guy by Azrael...

Women are always saying how they want a nice guy... someone who will open up to them, spend time with them, do nice things for them, in general, be there for them.

Bullshit.

Next time I hear that from a woman, I will say exactly that. Bullshit. Because you don't want the nice guys. Sure, you can say you do all you want, and maybe you can trick yourself into believing it too. But the truth is - you want the jerks. You want the guys who show an interest in you, then back off for no apparent reason. You want the guys who don't call you for two weeks, and when they do they swear up and down they're committed to you. You want the ones who don't talk to you, don't open up at all (and you want to change them to boot!) If you do find a nice guy, you make sure he's unattainable. He has a girlfriend, or he's gay, or he doesn't want a relationship at all. Basically, you want what you can't have.

You know how I know this? I used to be a nice guy. Yeah, I'm the one you always come running to when the jerks screw you over. I listen to your problems, I offer advice. Like all nice guys before me, and the countless ones after, I'm always there to back you up. I tell you how pretty you are. I tell you how fun it is to spend time with you, how cool you are, how you deserve great things. You say thanks, briefly, and then continue to rant about Jerk #2873.

I tell you over and over that you deserve a better guy, and there's always that "but...". Then you call me up at 1 in the morning some night just to tell me how he finally called you after two weeks, and how happy it's made you. You make excuses for why he's been ignoring you. You make more plans to change him. "If." And, do you know what the worst part is? This is the guy you're attracted to. This is the guy you're willing to get physical with. This is the guy you're willing to lose your virginity to. You make a big deal about how you're not a slut, and you won't just kiss any guy. But you admit that you would go all the way with this guy. Or you want to. Or, you already have.

No, you don't want a nice guy. And don't give me that bullshit about "a good man is hard to find." There are millions of them out there. Probably hundreds around where you live. And I'm willing to bet you know a few. You know that guy you call at any hour at night to talk about your relationship triumphs/problems? The one who always compliments you, makes you feel better about yourself? Is always willing to drop whatever he's doing to satisfy your needs? What about him? No, of course not him. He's not enough of a jerk for you. And the worst part? You don't want him now... but you will. When you get older, oh, say 30, and the ticking of your biological clock gets louder and louder, and you realize you can't play these bullshit games anymore, you stop going for the jerks and find the closest nice guy you can find. Wait, I take that back, the absolute worst part is that we let you do it. We've been starved for your attention since puberty, and now we're all too happy to get it. We're nice guys too, so we accept you when you come around, instead of giving you the cold shoulder in return you've been giving us for 15 years.

I used to be a nice guy. Fuck that. I took the phone calls, I dished out the compliments, I listened, I gave so much advice, shit, I should have a doctorate in psychology conferred to me right this instant. I used to be a nice guy, and I figured that I didn't need to actively look for a girl - that if I just got to know people, some girl would get to know me and really like me and develop an interest in me. I thought that I would make for an ideal partner, I'd open up with you, and be there as much or as little as you wanted me to.

I used to be a nice guy. What did that get me? 21 years of my right hand and softcore porn on Showtime. So, fuck it. Fuck it entirely. I'm not going to try to meet women and get to know them, and to hell with the phone calls at one in the morning. Next time you start bitching to me over the fact that he hasn't called in a week, I'm just going to smile at you and say "Ok." In fact, maybe, I'll tell you to call him. Better yet, go over to his house, and drop your pants for him right this moment. Save us all some time. I feel the desire to be that good, dependable, caring friend slipping rapidly away.

Citizens for Truth

An invitation.
SPREAD THE LIGHT. BANISH THE DARKNESS
August 20, 2005 at exactly 6:00 pm.

When an ordinary citizen steals, would an “I am sorry” be enough? When an ordinary citizen lies, would an “I am sorry” be enough? When an ordinary citizen cheats, would an “I am sorry” be enough?

Ask yourself: If you are an employee and your employer catches you cheating, lying and stealing — will an “I am sorry” be sufficient or a “lapse of judgment” be accepted? Or would you stand to lose your job?

What is our country coming to if we hold ordinary Filipinos to higher and stricter standards than we hold the highest official of the land?

This is not to say that the President of the Philippines is guilty of all that she is being accused of. It is only to say two different standards of rules - one for the powerful and one for the powerless — cannot exist if ours is to be a truly democratic and pluralistic society.

This is not the country we want. And so perhaps it is time we do something about it.

If you believe, as we do, that it is time for ordinary Filipinos to stand up and be counted in the fight for TRUTH — as well as for Transparency, for Responsibility, for Unity, for Trust and for Hope — then join us in a simple demonstration of our collective sentiments.

On August 20, Saturday, at exactly 6pm, take a few moments to light a candle in demonstration of our collective effort to take this country back from all who have not been true to it and to all of us ordinary citizens - and to be the first step in bringing about the light that will banish the darkness that hovers over our land!

Spread the light. Banish the darkness. August 20, 2005 at exactly 6:00pm.

CITIZENS FOR TRUTH
Transparency. Responsibility. Unity. Trust. Hope.

sourced from: Manuel Quezon III's blog

I cried for the dying of the light

Yesterday, I read two articles on Raul Roco, one by Conrado de Quiros, and the other by Manuel Quezon III. And I couldn't help but cry.

He was and still is my idol.

Last year, a day before the elections, he bought airtime on ABS-CBN and Studio 23 and repeatedly played his innovative campaign ads. I cried while watching it. I cried not because he appealed to my emotions, but because I knew that although most people know he will make a good president, he will never win, unless if God himself came down from the heavens and forced people into voting for him. I cried because, although I did not share and approve the view of those who chose to support Arroyo, I understood why they did so. I cried because here was a man who so clearly deserves to be president but did not compromise his ideals and principles just to be president. I cried because Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo betrayed the country and ran again for president. I cried because, Raul Roco represented the little hope left in the country and people easily dismissed him because it was not practical to support him.

This year I cry again. I cry because he died. I cry because he would no longer be able to personally share his convictions. I cry because, a good man died. But most of all I cried becauseone of the few true public servants this country has ever seen has died and with him, died too a part of the little hope lingering within me that this country can still rise from the ashes at which we are in right now.

It is indeed sad and tragic but only for us, not for the man who lived a life with his ideals and values intact. It is indeed sad and tragic but only for those who refused to see Raul Roco for what he trully was. Because it was and will never be sad and tragic for Raul Roco who died with his dignity intact. Who, even in his death, continues to inspire.

Links: Alleba Politics

The New Me Update #1

It's 10 am. And although I have an assignment to submit and a quiz later, I am not doing anything. Why? Because I finished studying and doing my homework last night.

I also managed to read a chapter for another class. And I was able to proofread and edit three papers which are not due til next week.

Hopefully, this will not be just another case of ningas cogon.

The New Me

I've been a student since I was six years old. I am now twenty-three. Two things have not changed since, my thirst for knowledge and sadly, my propensity for procrastination.

We only continue to live, I believe, if we learn. Learn from our mistakes and be better for it.

So, in quest of a better me, I have decided to let go of my precious procrastinating skills.

No more late nights spent writing an essay due in a few hours time. No more delaying making projects. No more putting off studying for a quiz or an exam just to watch a TV show, not even if it's my favorite show and it's the season finale. No more lying bored wishing something exciting would happen when school books are waiting to be read and researches waiting to be done. No more waking up one hour earlier than required for the opportunity to scan my notes right before I hurry to school. No more.

My education is for nobody else but myself. And, I believe, I owe it to myself to exert the proper effort and spend the proper time towards educating myself. After all, life is all about learning.

Harry Potter Is "Evil" Daw

There's a site that says that Harry Potter movies and books are evil because, allegedly, it encourages witchcraft and wizardry. HAHA! And I thought the Dark Ages were over.

Vincent

This is one of my favorite old songs and I attempt (emphasis on attempt) to sing it everytime my cousins and I go to a videoke place.

It is by Don McLean who also sang American Pie (revived by Madonna). Most people think the title of this song is Starry, Starry Night simply because it's the song's first line. It is entitled Vincent as a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh.

VINCENT

Starry starry night
paint your palette blue and grey
look out on a summer's day
with eyes that know the
darkness in my soul.

Shadows on the hills
sketch the trees and the daffodils
catch the breeze and the winter chills
in colors on the snowy linen land.

And now I understand what you tried to say to me
how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free.

They would not listen
they did not know how
perhaps they'll listen now.

Starry starry night
flaming flo'rs that brightly blaze
swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in
Vincent's eyes of China blue.

Colors changing hue
morning fields of amber grain
weathered faces lined in pain
are soothed beneath the artist's
loving hand.

And now I understand what you tried to say to me
how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free.
perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you
but still your love was true
and when no hope was left in sight on that starry
starry night.

You took your life
as lovers often do;
But I could have told you
Vincent
this world was never
meant for one
as beautiful as you.

Starry
starry night
portraits hung in empty halls
frameless heads on nameless walls
with eyes that watch the world and can't forget.

Like the stranger that you've met
the ragged men in ragged clothes
the silver thorn of bloddy rose
lie crushed and broken
on the virgin snow.

And now I think I know what you tried to say to me
how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free.

They would not listen
they're not list'ning still
perhaps they never will.

I think that this song is a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh's genius which was not appreciated during his lifetime. During his career, he sold only one painting. He ended his life by shooting himself.

The first line of the song, pertains to one of Van Gogh's most famous paintings, The Starry Night.

Raul Roco died today

Raul Roco died today at about 9 am. I really admire the man. And I consider him more than just a politician, but a statesman. Unfortunately, he never had the machinery nor the money to successfully pursue the presidency.

Here are some news links:
Inq7.net
ABS-CBN News

New Blogging Mechanics

Since the title of this blog is Random Thoughts, I have decided to make choosing the topics more random using a lottery system. Twice a week, probably every Monday or Wednesday, I'll randomly pick a piece of paper from the hundred plus pieces of paper I have carefully cut up and folded in which various topics are written. Then, I will have to write about that specific topic. Currently, I have about 200 or so pieces of paper with topics written on them. Topics range from each book of the Chronicles of Narnia to pre-marital sex, from Lost (TV show) to my first day in school ever.

Here are some other mechanics I will be following:

1. I can only pick three topics for a day and I would have to write about at least one of those. If I do not write about a topic I have picked, it goes back to the pile.
2. I can only defer writing about a topic I have picked three times.
3. I will do the random picking at least twice a week unless a grave reason such as severe illness will impede me to do so.
4. I will have to write at least 100 words on the topic.

That's it. I'll add more mechanics as I go along.

Although I will do this random picking of topic process, I can and will still write about topics that suddenly interest me.

If you have any suggestions for any good topics, please feel free to comment. ;)

K???

Ode to Nice Guys

from my online friend, Dearth's LJ:

This rant was written for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal.

This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl's every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they're at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don't end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn't worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you'd ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn't have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing "serious" between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: "oh, but we're just friends!" And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you're nice like that.

The nice guys don't often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don't seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can't. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as "oh, he's too nice to date" or "he would be a good boyfriend but he's not for me" or "he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn't possibly ask him out!" or the most frustrating of all: "no, it would ruin our friendship." Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can't figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I'm going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn't last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you're sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

Panatang Makabayan

Here's the revised version of the Panatang Makabayan...

Revised Panatang Makabayan

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas,
aking lupang sinilangan,
tahanan ng aking lahi,
kinukupkop ako at tinutulungang
maging malakas, masipag at marangal.

Dahil mahal ko ang Pilipinas,
diringgin ko ang payo ng aking magulang,
susundin ko ang tuntunin ng paaralan,
tutuparin ko ang tungkulin
ng mamamayang makabayan:
naglilingkod, nag-aaral at nagdarasal
ng buong katapatan.

Iaalay ko ang aking buhay,
pangarap, pagsisikap
sa bansang Pilipinas.