Oh How I Wish!

Three posts that I wish I didn’t post online:

“Dear Lord, i-exempt niyo muna po ako sa brown-out kase po mano-mano akong nagtatabulate. Pag namatay kuryente, magugulo yung bilang baka po maglaslas na lang ako pag ganun. Amen!”

This post was put into Facebook last September 19, 2013. I regret that I posted this because my prayer sounds like sarcasm. It’s like I’m not a Christian. One of my friends commented on this post and she said that it’s cute and I doubt her intention telling me that it’s cute. I was thinking if she’s pertaining to my post or to the fact that there’s a suicide attempt. I think she doesn’t like me.

              “Ganda mo eh! Ni like lang nila pictures mo umikot na pwet mo? Feeling mo crush ka na din nila? What if kaya malaman nila na assumera ka, ilalike pa kaya nila? #feelingera #simplengmalandi #pacute #dibagay”

This post was also from Facebook. I don’t know if I have the right to post this because I am the president of my course. I should be a good example to my fellow organization members, but this post might decrease their respect for me. I was really angry when I posted this. A friend of mine once again betrayed me for stealing the guy that I love. I’m not perfect and I thought that this is the only way to release my  anger and hatred instead  of confronting her or pulling her long black hair.

“I love gecko! #50ThingsAboutMe”

                I said to myself that he wouldn’t know that I love him but this post on Twitter has leaked. I am so embarrassed because I thought there’s no way for him to read this. Sadly, his friend has a Twitter account and they have read it, what‘s worse is they make fun of it. When I discovered it, I cried so hard, they were insensitive and I was careless.

Three posts that I wish I did post online:

                “I want to say sorry to those people that I hurt physically and emotionally.”

                If I’ll be able to post this I think I am going to be sick but it’s fulfilling to do a public apology so that people will know that I’m accepting my mistake and I know how to say sorry. I’m not perfect but I’m aware that there are times that I am insensitive.

                “I’m so blessed to have a family!”

               
                I’m always posting about my negative feelings about them but I never brag about them. I remember a quote telling that friEND, boyfriEND and bestfriEND have an END except for the word famILY because it has an ILY for I LOVE YOU. It makes sense.

                “I LOVE MYSELF!”

Self worth, I think I don’t posses this, that’s why others don’t respect me or make fun of me. They think that it’s fine with me if they’ll hurt me or say something that will degrade my personality. I want to be in love with myself, but not to the point that I’ll be a conceited bitch. I believe that women who love themselves and are confident are better able to thrive and have a lasting impact on the communities around them. Women who feel good about who they are and are able to express their truths are less likely to fall between the cracks in society and are more resilient in creating positive futures for them to enjoy. By learning how to love myself, I’ll be able to make good decisions and command respect from others.

Rights or Limitations for Journalists

Senator Jinggoy Estrada filed a bill for the journalist. It is popularly known as Senate Bill 380 (An Act providing for a Magna Carta for Journalists). However, the said bill is considered as unconstitutional because it contradicts the Section 4, Article III of the Philippine Constitution: “NO LAW SHALL BE PASSED ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, OF SPEECH, AND OF THE PRESS.”

According to PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal), the bill also includes that reporters, editors and photographers must take professional journalism examination. Senator Jinggoy said in his explanatory note that It is necessary for the enactment of a law that will ensure a living wage, an atmosphere conducive to productive journalism work, reiterate value of ethics, provide for development programs that will deepen the practice of their profession, and promote the defense and protection of freedom and human rights of journalists and their organizations. It is also stated in this bill the making of the Philippine Council for Journalist who will conduct “Professional Journalist Examination” and will give accreditation for the journalists. Those who will go against this bill “shall be ground for appropriate sanctions as may be determined by the PCJ after due process.” “Accredited journalist shall be entitled to all benefits and privileges that may be accorded to them by law, by their employers, and by the PCJ” however “they shall enjoy only those benefits and privileges accorded to them by their employers.”

In my opinion based from the above information given by PEP, this bill is not a privilege for the journalist but a limitation. It’s so ironic to file this kind of bill. No wonder Senator Jinggoy received lots of criticisms, it looks like he and his staffs didn't’ scrutinize it well. He said he was hurt by the barrage of criticisms because his purpose is to upgrade the level of media practice in the Philippines. If I am going to analyze his bill, I think it’s not for the betterment of the living of the journalists but for the politician’s sake. They wanted to control the population of the press and to earn profit from qualifying examinations, official accreditation card, required seminars and even the exemption interviews.

My point here is we don’t need to undergo in this process because we have the freedom of expression bill. Citizen doesn't  need a license  to  exercise  the  freedom of  speech  and  the  press  guaranteed  in  the  Constitution.

What's With Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo?

Have you read the book “Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo? Written by the famous internet action star Ramon Bautista? This famous book was turned into movie last July 31, 2013. I am not a fan of this best seller book but the poster of the movie with KimXi (Kim Chiu and Xian Lim) convinced me to watch it. The poster made me curious about the real content of the movie. I don’t know if it’s like a typical damsel in distress movie with a happy ending or an ugly protagonist turned into a chic.

So here it goes, when I was watching the movie, it made me laugh 100x, in love for 200x and it breaks my heart 300x. When it comes to love everyone can relate, because no one is exempted in this category. Thanks to Kim Chiu’s hilarious performance because she really did well in playing the role of Sandy Veloso. Sandy (Kim Chiu) just got dumped by her boyfriend while Alex (Xian Lim) returns to the Philippines after calling his wedding off. The two cross paths when Alex was assigned to save the family's record company which is on the brink of bankruptcy. One of the solutions is lay people off which include Sandy. Alex finds out that the only person who knows the company really well is Sandy, so he hires her back but they soon discover that the record company is not the only thing that needs to be saved.

This movie is not just about relationships but also how you value your self worth when you’re in love. It also tackles about family, the importance of the attention of the parents to their children that even though they have grown up, parents are still obliged to guide and protect their children from physical and emotional attack of the society.

Some said that there were shortcomings of the script because most of the viewers already read the book before they watch the movie. My advantage is I didn’t read the book so I didn’t expect too much. As what I learned from the movie, don’t expect too much from others so that you won’t get hurt in the end.  It’s also applicable in reviewing a movie. Still, the movie succeeds because of the engaging performance of the lead stars and effective chemistry that made the romance work.

Social Media as Our Daily Bread

As one of the individuals of this present generation, can you live without social networking sites? Or, can you pass a day without spending an hour logging in on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Of course not, as long as technology is there and gadgets are everywhere, online life is continuous.

In 2006, Time Magazine made an interesting choice for person of the year. The person was “you” meaning more specifically, people who use the Internet to write articles, post videos or blogs, and contribute to different Internet groups. Essentially, the “you” referred to another word that has become more frequently used in the past few years, “netizen.” The word comes from the combination of the terms Internet and citizen.

 Cyber world, the world of computers and communications begets online life. How people can live without this life if it keeps you connected and updated?

Social networking sites increase social interaction and connections. In just a snap of your finger, you can easily send your message with the helping hand of the internet. You can chat without actually going places and learn things that are happening today. We actually express our feelings when we respond on these types of networking sites and interact in every way. Also it will help you find people you haven’t seen for so many years. Impossible can be possible and distant places will no longer be distant if with just one click you can witness a video or a photo of it.

The anonymous can be famous. People who are afraid to be judge by others, or those who are introvert can hide their identity and post whatever they want to. They can also give comments and join debates without hesitations. They can express their point of view and have it challenged in a way they might not have seen it before. They get to have their own stance on issues.

There is no age limit. As long as you have the capacity to use it or you’re a computer literate, age doesn’t matter. Even a 4 year old boy can have his online life as long as he knows how to navigate computers or gadgets.

However, this type of life is more than tools for narcissists. Social networking sites are increasing in popularity but are really destroying natural and healthy interpersonal relationships and foster ignorance of the human condition. It has also its down fall. Sites like these can cause people to come passive and complacent without true social skills.

In this world, no life is perfect. It has always its ups and downs. But as a responsible individual, you must use it in a proper way that you won’t harm your fellows. Online life is actually a blessing if you don’t take it for granted. Everything has a limit. You can’t escape laws and rules. If you don’t abide it, the real world that created the cyber world will let you pay for your irresponsibility.

Why Should Mama Liberia Sink into Poverty?

Liberia is a country in West Africa bordered by Sierra Leone to its west, Guinea to its north and Côte d'Ivoire to its east. It covers an area of 111,369 km² (43,000 sq mi) and is a home to about 3.7 million people. English is the official language and over thirty indigenous languages are also spoken within the country.  It is considered as a third world country.

According to a documentary made by a Canadian group of journalist in 2012, Liberia is the 4^th poorest country in the World. There are 70% of rape cases, 80% who are unemployed and 50% are cannibals. Yes you read it right! “Cannibals!” Due to poverty and drug usage such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin, people tend to eat dead human bodies. Sex workers and brothels are also abounding in this place. Mothers feed their children through this kind of work. Some of them are widowed because their husbands died in war battles. If you’ll go in this place, the first thing that you want to do is to get the hell out of it. Chaos, pissed, shit and trash are everywhere. It’s not the right place for the tourists. They’ll just get trauma instead of relaxation.

Malaria, infections and aids are also occurring in this place. It’s not really conducive to live in here. It’s tough to find potable water that’s why the residents drink from filthy swamps. Their condition is very bad but they chose it. If the youth is the hope of the nation, their ambassador of war believes that “more youth, more muscles, more bad things will happen.”

But for Joshua Blahyi, popularly known for his pseudonym “General Butt Naked”, there is still heaven in this place. I’m not talking about the people who are longing for sex workers but for the place of worship. You can’t imagine that these people who went on a war before and ate the flesh of their own kind will still believe in God. If the Lord will shine His light upon a man, there is purpose, like what happened to General Butt Naked who was once a top serial killer. He saw a light and heard a voice that asked him to repent and live or refuse and die. One thing that I learned from him is “go back and see how you can repair things.” We might think that Liberia is exempted from the word “change”. But, I see hope in this country. If the United Nations will be eager to help Liberia like what Blahyi is doing as a preacher and if they’ll give enough security to the visitors so that they won’t be afraid to go there and help the Liberian people, things will get better. I hope that if other netizens would read this, they will disseminate it to pay attention to the poor condition of the Liberian.  We can be the change, we can make difference.

"My Husband's Lover", The First Whimsical Gay-themed Series

       GMA 7 is really brave enough to produce a gay-themed story such as MHL. In a Christian country like here in the Philippines, same sex relationship is still unaccepted. Our nation tries to hide this kind of issue but you can't escape the fact that third sex community exists. They can be a part of your family, friends or co-workers. But this issue that they tried to hide will happen to be one of the most successful teleseryes of this generation.

"From Twitter @DirekJoey: Kudos should be given to GMA-7 for taking a risk & giving a fresh take on the tired templates of the telenovelas for something new."

        Netizens rare over this especially during its pilot episode. It has trended on Twitter 'Philippines' with a hashtag, #MyHusbandsLoverPilot. It was very overwhelming that the Filipinos love watching it. No wonder because this is the first time that a teleserye will feature a gay couple in the main story. GMA 7 went out of the box and really experimented with this.

      "My Husbands Lover shows that love exists in myriad forms."
     
        Lally Agatep - Soriano played by the most sought actress Carla Abellana is the loving wife of Vincent played by Tom Rodriguez. Lally has been married for ten years and she tried to be a perfect wife but Eric played by Dennis Trillo came out of the seen. He is Vincent's first love and happens to be the architect of their dream house. How will Lally accept the fact that she's not the only one in her husband's heart and her rival is a guy?

        This teleserye also shows gender equality, that true love really exists between same sex. They convey a message to the audience that it's just a matter of openness and respect.

         As a viewer of MHL, I recommend you guys to watch this especially if you want to see different and unique drama. There are still more revelations to come. Will Lally give up on Vincent? Who will Vincent choose? Find out by watching My Husband’s Lover on GMA Telebabad.