No need for pressure; it’s a guilty pleasure; Gone is the sore because we’ve done it before; We’re expert already so no need to practice to be steady; Don’t worry honey, if this is a job we’ll make lots of money; We will be dreaming, dancing, singing, and swimming, In the pool of suffering and happiness, we’ll be limitless; Our think tank is empty; refill our bottles that are plenty; But before that, let’s stop somewhere and chat; I know it will be our fault, but we can heal the wound with salt; Whatever, it’s going to be worth it forever; We are too young to get old but too old to be told; I’ll say our love for idleness will stay.

Labels: idle, idle thoughts, poem, thoughts

Freedom of expression doesn't always mean that you can say what you want, wear what you want, and do what you want. Freedom of expression is saying what people NEED to hear and see so as to promote individual growth, peaceful communication, and advancement of knowledge.

Labels: advice, freedom, quote, speech, thoughts

In my North American Studies class, our professor asked us students to make a reflection paper about the relevance of freedom of speech to the virtual world. I would like to share you my reflection paper for you to be aware of what is freedom in the virtual world.

When we talk with one another, we say words we want the others to hear but most of the time we hide words that needs to be heard. Why is that? I think it is because we are afraid of what the others might think of our say. We are scared that their criticisms might violate our freedom of speech and so we escape reality to enter the virtual world and pour our minds’ content there because we know that in the virtual world, we are free and unstoppable.

As Thomas Jefferson (1776) stated in his Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. We have rights naturally given to us by God and with these rights; it is men’s duty to use them wisely. If they are not happy with what is happening around them then it is their own rights to voice out their opinion. In relation to the virtual world, we are free to say what we have in mind because persuasion is not as difficult as it could be in person because all we need are meaningful and powerful words; no need to confront the people who go against our opinions. Another reason is that there are users in the internet who have the same opinion as ours and so we are not alone. Lastly, there is no physical discrimination because in the internet we are all equal.

In order to understand the advance world today, we have to be vocal of our thoughts. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1941) in his speech to the members of the Congress gave us one point on pursuing our goal and that is freedom of speech. He did not exactly state it but I know that what he meant by it is we have to speak up to satisfy ourselves and that is one of internet’s goals. In the Constitution of the United States (Bill of Rights, Amendment 1), freedom to speak up is highly recommended because it promotes the development of the person. We understand the world better even if we are just sitting in front of the computer; we get to experience the world in just one click and our knowledge advances too because of the internet. That is why freedom of speech is very relevant to the virtual world. It allows us to know information or ideas that we cannot reach within our grasp.

Despite the pros of being liberated in the virtual world, there will always be a con. There is nothing wrong with freedom of speech in the virtual world but what made it look wrong is the abusive use of the word freedom. We are very liberated that we forget the limitations. We want people to hear our opinion but we do not think if it is said in a right way or time. All we care is our voices to be heard. We do not care if the content is explicitly dangerous or agonizing as long as we show our opinion to the world. The reason why Twitter has a 140 characters limitation is to remind us that it is okay to tell the world what is in our mind but we have to keep in mind that our status do not violate human dignity. Having limitations do not violate the law of freedom of speech; rather it protects freedom of speech from abuse.

The virtual world is a world of information and when I mean by information, these are ideas that will help us develop our growth as a human. Communication is important but we need to communicate with human beings to be human. Freedom of speech should not only be limited to the virtual world; in fact, the virtual world is merely just a short cut to the other side of the world. There is so much to learn if we turn our computers off and experience the world personally.

Labels: advice, Franklin D. Roosevelt, freedom, quote, school, story, Thomas Jefferson, thoughts

I would like to greet the most awesome person I've ever met a happy, happy birthday!!!

Happy 20th birthday, kiddo-oh wait, you're not a kid anymore. Wow! You're now in an adult age and one more year, you'll be in a legal age for the crazy Vegas life! Hahaha! So I have a few reminders, though, some of them are old-fashioned already but the older it is, the wiser it is. One reminder is that age is just a number. I don't know why I'm saying this but just in case you feel old already, remind yourself of this. *wink* Then second,enjoy life! Twenty is a nice age so let yourself free from doubts and do things that will enrich your life. Third, enjoy college! I won't explain further for the third reminder because it is always up to you on how you'll enjoy it. Fourth, always pray for guidance, strength, knowledge, happiness, safety, gratitude, and the list goes on. In short, pray for everything to God. And last but not the least (which I doubt will be the last because this might be a really long list of reminders.), believe in yourself. :)

So happy birthday again and have a nice day! Enjoy your special day!

--JAQ--

Labels: birthday, greetings, happy, quote, strength, thoughts, twenty

Do you know how much we hate goodbyes? We hate it so much that we could fill a thousand pails of it. We lose people that we love. I lost some but I won’t enumerate them because that is something i do not have to point it out here. There are two types of goodbyes, one is leaving without a note and another one is leaving with a note. Leaving without any words or note left hurts. You know that person was having fun with you then the next day he/she left with no reasons at all. That is like witnessing a falling star, no news of coming then no stopping for leaving. If that hurts, what’s worse is knowing that someone will leave. I witnessed this kind of moment, saying goodbye, hugging, then watching that person walk away with his/her back on me, daring not to look to avoid a tear from falling down. Seeing that person walkaway with his/her last words echoing in your head hurts the most. In fact, goodbye is a really painful word because you have to let things go even when you’re not yet ready. Let’s say, like you’re forced to give your favorite blanket to someone who needs it the most. No one can really handle goodbyes, not even the strongest one.

The first stage is becoming honest. Goodbyes are something that makes us honest with our feelings.That’s why we breakdown after losing something because we realized how much it actually means and this will lead to the second stage which is regretting. You regret that you didn’t stay longer; you regret that you didn’t do something to make him/her stay; you regret that you didn’t say your feelings; you regret, that’s it. Regretting will go on forever. We regret things we didn’t do more than things we did, most especially if it’s about a special person. While the scar of regretting is still there, the next stage, which is emptiness, will occur. There are days when you don’t want anything, you just want to sit in one corner and think of nothing else. There’s nothing much to say about emptiness because this is like the break time for moping around. After that comes longing, the fourth stage. You longs for that person’s touch, voice, face, smile, laugh, and every little things you noticed. You want no one else but him/her. After the longing state, comes the fifth stage, the illusional part. You start imagining moments with him/her that will never happen. There are days where you would talk to him/her when actually you are only talking to the empty space beside you. Then there are times when you would hear his/her voice when actually it is just in your head. This stage is really depressing because you cannot quite distinguish reality and fantasy. You made your own world to escape pain. Then after that depressing stage, I hope you now found yourself but if not yet, it’ll go back to the first stage. It will go on and on until time slows it down and fixes you. It’s a long process but if you try to help yourself, then it might be shorter.

I really hate goodbyes because it always haunt me. The images of the person kept on playing in my mind as if the replay button got jammed. Goodbyes are like multiplication table that you have to memorize over and over again until you can say spontaneously. It is as if it’s telling us something, like a lesson. To conclude this, I think what goodbye is trying to tell us is to be strong. Life is really messy but it want us to leave it with a wise mind and a brave heart. It wants us to close the door and choose the right one. Goodbye is telling us, “it was nice knowing you, now i have to leave,” but is actually whispering, “be brave.”

Labels: advice, quote, speech, thoughts

A pretty cherry blossom in the park,

Sat a neko under the bench mark,

Its fur is as black as the night,

Its eyes are as blue as it might.

It meowed and pawed to those who sat;

It begged and begged for a pat;

It meowed very loud to some;

For food and a warm home.

The scene breaks my heart,

And so I showed the neko a picture of my hearth,

And I said, ‘I’ll keep you safe and warm,

Because I love you, I will keep you away from harm.’

The neko meowed under the sakura;

I smiled under the sakura;

I picked it up and wrapped it in my coat,

And ran on the way home with my tote.

Labels: cat, poem, thoughts

it was not what i expected;

it was not what you expected;

it was not what they expected,

but above earth, it was expected.

the sun tried to shine but the clouds poured salty tears;

the birds tried to fly but the day dragged them to their nests;

the wind tried to cool me down but the feeling was gloomy;

boisterous laughter would rise up but the next minute, it died;

the day changed and it changed our plans.

tragedy, always so surprising.

he never leave any warning nor message;

he never knock on the door nor ring the bell;

he never write a name in advance;

tragedy, he love surprises.

alas, hades! how could you steal the candle of life?

it is too early for you to send your messenger;

it is too early for you to put her under your duties;

it is too early for she still have missions to accomplish;

i despise you for you took the light!

her playful light vanished with the cold air,

now i have no light to accompany me;

life is unfair but not you,

all is fair with you;

her duties on earth is done,

now it is her time to accomplish her duties with you;

wherever you ought to shelter her;

may she be safe and sound with you.

ihre erinnerungen werden für immer nicht vergessen;

das ist für sie, das ist für sie;

sie sind für imm

er in unseren herzen.

Labels: poem, sadness, thoughts, tragedy

You know, sometimes I think "hello" is more painful than "goodbye". There are times that you wished you never met a certain person so that you would not feel down in the end. Then sometimes you wished goodbye never existed because you want a certain moment to last forever. Sometimes you just wished hello and goodbye never existed at all.

In "hello", life will introduce you to the most beautiful and exciting moments then later on, life will throw you the biggest and painful rocks on you. It's up to you on how you will take it. Will you catch it or avoid it? The beginning is always difficult. You have to suffer and sacrifice a lot even if it means sacrificing something important to you but this is also the most exciting part. You may experience some bad things on the way but hey, that's the thrill. Without it, life would be boring. No thrill at all.

"Goodbye", in the other hand, is both painful and beautiful. It's painful because the memories created will be left behind and it's beautiful because all the burden you carried on the way is gone. You get the best thing in the end and that is a reward. A reward is something that boost you up when you slow down and inspire you to continue what you started.

Be strong in whatever you will meet and stay even stronger in whatever you will lose. Say hello with a smile and say goodbye as if you will see each other again. It's not the words exchanged matters but the memories created together.

Labels: advice, thoughts

Yay! College life... Stressful and busy but full of great experiences. Speaking of experiences, this new chapter of my life is eye opening for me. If my eyes were already opened when I was in High School, my eyes now are wider and vigilant. I feel like everything is in high definition and in high contrast. I feel like every tick of the clock is pure gold. Every day has a moral to tell and teach.

So what is expensive than diamonds and valuable than pearls? For me, it's the people around you, most especially the people you had when you were in your past chapter in your life. Not everyday you get to be with your loved ones. You meet new people and for a moment, while talking to these "new found friends", you forget what you had or have for a moment. You exchange the people you have for the new ones. You keep what you have in the back of your mind and give space for the new ones. You will not realize it until you see your loved ones fade slowly. Sometimes they disappear like a bubble, no warnings or whatsoever. When they disappear, there are times that nothing can have them back and that's pretty scary. Like it's too late to bring them back. Yeah, I learned how to value the people around me. As in LEARNED. I know that lesson before but I never gave much importance to it but now I can feel it burning brightly.

I don't want to keep this entry long but the bottom line is value the people around you. Live with them like there's no tomorrow. It doesn't matter if they make you cry or smile but what matters is your experiences with them. Being with the people you love teaches you greatest lessons in life.

Labels: advice, quote, thoughts

Okay... I just came back from a sunny trip to Lago de Oro. A place where everything is wet and wild. Actually, I think it's in Batangas... I'm not sure, I'm no good in geography. I finally tasted the true sweetness of the swimming pool (er, not literally). Then I wake boarded. It was epic fun! I kept on falling on my board and I got a rewards for that. I got bloody wounds and nightmarish bruises. I was also surprised because they blessed me with a muscles from swimming! My arms have tiny bulging muscles! Yay for that. I slept in my grandparents wonderful home in Tagaytay. It was cold but not as cold as the winter weather. You can still feel the summer heat. It's like drinking a hot juice with floating ice cubes. I had two nights and three days. It was a nice summer getaway for me and my family. Oh and that's how we spent our holy week. Don't worry, we still did the Station of the Cross. We prayed. And we had fun. *a wink and a thumbs up*

Labels: story, thoughts, vacation

Went "photo hunt" and these are the pictures I marveled:

Labels: pictures, thoughts

Yes... The title is true, I've finally saw the perfect template although it is "a little dark", it still worked for me.

Well, same old same old. My family and I went to my grandma's house to celebrate Mother's Day and it was simple yet charming. We were eating together, laughing and discussing about politics.

Tomorrow is the biggest event of the year. An event that will change the lives of the dear Filipinos. So vote very very very carefully and wisely. This time it's automated! *wink* Vote for the country's sake, people!

I think I have to end this now so I won't get in trouble. It's almost midnight and I can't sleep. Charna's guts! I already drank a very HOT milk and its power still won't work. I want to go to dreamland so bad! So... Good night. Sweet dreams and decide-slash-dream who will be the next... President of our country.

Labels: events, speech, thoughts

I was reading Cirque Du Freak: Killers Of The Dawn and I loved it!

I was really engrossed that I felt like I was in his shoes(although he, Darren Shan, is a guy, I can't help but enjoy his adventure.). The climax was... What the?! I wept. And mourn over..... Oops. I think I better not say the character's name(for not spoiling the thrill)who perished in the pit of stakes and fire. Anyway, I wept because he is Darren's mentor. He is like a father in his eighteen years of being a half-vampire. Darren can't really cry because his emotions are mixed with anger and sadness. I really felt sorry for him. *sniffs* I cried while he was mentioning his mentor's death and he even dreamed that he made it alive. Boy was I hoping too but the author still wrote that his mentor really is dead.

I can sometimes be emotional when I read a book I really feel and it showed me values. Most especially in goodbyes. This book may be grotesque and macabre but I wept because of the importance of friendship, the book's value, and how hard it may be to lose someone you love.

Labels: book, horror, story, thoughts

What is life with no mistakes? Even if I wanted it to be perfect. It's full of damn if it's okay. Hell I wanted to but it is not good. There will be lots of HIGH expectations and all eyes will be on you. But the pros? They will see you as a role model. But hey, life is dull with no mistakes to learn, laugh of and cry to. So I gotta say, enjoy your life. Even if it is full of mistakes because that makes life enjoyable. Full of lessons.

Look for future, enjoy present and cherish past.

Labels: advice, thoughts

Why is there insecurities?

People compliment us to change our look but they say it in the wrong way.

So that's why we feel conscious of ourselves.

Labels: advice, thoughts

Nowadays, my eyes-no, my mind-is full with these creatures. Thanks to my brother for playing Dead Rising, now I am dreaming.

I don't know why but I find them half-interesting aside from vampires. Maybe from those bloody facade. Ha!

Well, I'm thinking of writing a story about those creatures but I don't know what to say. I'll first think of it... Hmm... *shudders* Bloody zombies!

Labels: horror, thoughts

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