Of Gossips and Exaggerations

Andami kong kakilalang mahilig at magaling sa ganito. Hindi naman sa nagmamataas ako or what, pero inaamin ko na minsan ganito rin ako. Ngunit hindi sa mga kritikal o importanteng bagay. Lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat, ginagamit ko ang utak ko. (Opo. May utak ako.)

Ang problema sa ating mga Pilipino, mahilig tayong mag-exaggerate. Yung tipong muntikan lang mahagip ng isang motorsiklo ang isang pedestrian, maaari nang makarating sa iba na, natumba siya, nahagip, nabangga, at ngayon, kritikal na sa ICU.

Naaalala ko noong nag-volunteer ako sa Red Cross. Noong eleksyon, naatasan akong mapalagay sa isang paaralan para sa First-Aid Station. Dalawa pa lang kami ng kasama ko noon. Payapa naman ang mga tao kahit siksikan at naiinitan. Wala pang isang oras na nandoon kami ay may sumigaw na ng tulong.

Meron daw hinimatay na babae sa 3rd floor ng isang gusali. Agad akong tumakbo dala ang isang malaking spine board. Habang papalapit ako sa hagdanan, may nagsabi na buntis pa raw yung nahimatay. Habang umaakyat pa ako, may nagsabi na parang manganganak na raw. At pagdating ko sa ikalawang palapag, dinudugo na raw. Worst case scenario ang naiisip ko. Baka doon pa manganak at ako pa ang magpa-anak. Malayo. Imposible. Mahirap.

Pagpasok ko sa silid, hanap agad ako ng babaeng dinudugo. Ng babaeng malaki ang tiyan. Ng babaeng in distress. Langya. WALA.

As in kalmado lang ang mga botante sa pagkakaupo nila. At merong isang babae na mukhang nahihilo. Tiningnan ko ang kanyang maong na pantalon at hindi ito basa. Walang senyales na may pumutok na panubigan o may dugong lumabas. At hindi siya buntis. Siya pala ang "hinimatay" na "buntis" na "dinudugo" at "manganganak" na.

Aminado rin ako na minsan ako ay may pagka-exaggerated. Minsan, sinasabi ko na sobrang congested ang traffic sa kalsada kahit meron pang-mas congested dun. Minsan din, sinasabi ko na buong biyahe sa bus, nakatayo ako, kahit hindi naman. O kaya, naligo ako sa ulan kahit naambunan lang naman.

May kanya-kanya tayong exaggerations sa buhay. Tanggap ko yun at dapat tanggap din ng lahat. Pero merong iba na over over to the highest level todo na to kung mag-exaggerate.

Nakakairita kapag alam mo ang tunay na kwento at binahiran ito ng tsismis at eksaherasyon. Natural sa tao na depensahan ang sarili nya o ang kaibigan nya kahit kailangang gumawa na ng kwento o mag-edit ng ilan man sa bahagi ng storya.

Nakakainis lang dahil kung sino pa ang nagsasabi ng totoo minsan, siya pa ang nagiging mali dahil mas marami ang naniniwala sa baluktot na katotohanan.

The only person that I can actually trust in this world is myself.

If I revoke my own words, then it may repeat.

My record will be tarnished and I will never trust myself again.

Of Owning Books

Kahit nung Elementary pa lang ako, mahilig na akong magbasa ng libro. Ang weird lang dahil advanced ako magbasa. Halimbawa, yung pang-grade 6 na mga libro ang binabasa ko noong nasa Grade 5 pa ako. Pero di ko binabasa yung pang-Grade 5. Adik lang no?

Nung nag-Highschool ako, ganun din. Nagbabasa na ako ng Chemistry at World History, First Year pa lang ako.

Nung nag-College, ilang Semesters pa bago ang isang subject, nabasa ko na yung librong gagamitin. Pero in certain cases lang ito. Hindi ako nahilig magbasa ng libro tungkol sa kursong tinapos ko.

Habang tumatagal ang panahon, napansin ko na mas gusto ko ang mga librong Fiction ang genre. Ayaw ko masyado ng mga romance. Ang corny kasi. Ako na walang lovelife.

Noong College ako, kadalasan akong humihingi ng pera sa aking kuya o mami para ipambili ng librong hindi naman magagamit sa pag-aaral. Or panggala. The thing is, I only asked for money twice para ipambili ng librong gagamitin sa pag-aaral - una ay noong binili ko ang Fundamentals of Nursing at Medical Dictionary at ang pangalawa ay noong binili ko ang White Book ng Community na maraming grammatical and typographical errors.

Masaya ako na napapaloob sa mundo ng mga librong binabasa ko. Iniisip ko minsan, sana, isa na lang akong tauhan sa isang kwento. Sa isang kwentong Fiction na Fantasy. Yung tipong may kapangyarihan ako. Basta. Oo. Isip-bata pa rin ako. Haha.

Ang di ko lang gusto sa pagkakaroon ng mga libro ay ang kawalan nito ng saysay matapos mong basahin. As in nakatambak na lang sila at hihintayin mo na lang na maluma o may manghiram at hindi na isoli.

(Wag pansinin ang MTG Cards na nakasingit jan. hahaha.)

Regarding that, naiinis ako. Andami kong librong hindi pa naisosoli sa akin. As in. Sa dami ng libro ko, di ko na alam kung sino ang pinahiram ko at kung ano ang pinahiram ko. Mahirap na namang mambintang.

Ang pinakamalaki ko namang problema sa mga libro ko eh kung paano ko sila ilalabas kapag nagkaroon ng sunog.

Alam ko na. Pag nagkasunog, hahakutin ko na lang sila dito sa bag na to:

Original lahat yan. Hahaha. O diba, pwede nang itinda after masunugan? LOL.

P.S. Mukhang hindi sila magkakasya lahat. Tsk tsk.

Of Blogging Again

Masarap mag-blog. Normal naman sating mga tao ang dumaldal at magkwento. Pero siyempre, namimili tayo ng isasa-publiko. Hindi lahat ng bagay dapat nalalaman ng iba. Hindi rin lahat dapat sinasabi basta-basta. Dapat maging maingat sa lahat ng sinasabi. You'll never know when anything that you say may be used against you.

Oo. Kontrabida ako. Kaya alam ko yang mga bagay na yan. haha.

Anyway, if ever may kakilala akong makakabasa nito, baka maitanong nya sa sarili nya na actually eh para sakin, ok lang ba kay Edward na nagpopost nga siya dito na halos wala namang nagbabasa?Or for me, tanong ko na sa sarili ko kung wala talagang nakakabasa nito, ok lang ba sa akin na magpost dito ng alam ko namang walang nagbabasa?

By all means, yes. Masaya ako na nakakapagtype ako at nakakapagpost dito regardless if there is any one who can actually read my posts. Mas maganda nga yun eh. Walang issue, walang pakialamero/a, walang epal, wala lahat.

Wala ring magdidikta kung paano nga ba ang tamang pagbblog. Walang magdidikta kung ano ang dapat kong ilagay dito. Wala. Wala. Wala.

Dahil jan, eto ang "Ako ang daigdig" ni Alejandro G. Abadilla. Nearly only writers can relate to this. Hahaha. Hindi ko na ito ipapaliwanag. Bahala ka na kung naiintindihan mo. Basta ako naiintindihan ko siya. And this is what this blog is all about.

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Of Death in the Family

Death.

It's something that we Filipinos usually tend to not discuss seriously. We live and love life the way it is and like the majority of the population, with regards to our traditions and norms, we focus on the present. We Filipinos usually "cross the bridge when we get there." But, what if, when you reach the bridge, you don't have anyone with you? What if the people you are supposed to be with when you cross the bridge died one-by-one throughout the journey? How will you cross that bridge?

Many times already have I seen people die. Whether by disease or by accident, the essence of a death in the family is still the same. Tears will be shed. Regrets will unfold. Memories will be reminisced. Time will stop. For only a few days.

I have often stressed to nearly everyone I know that I am ready to die anytime. That I have accepted Death even before it came. I have no choice. If I'm dead, I am and there's nothing I can actually do about it. Hell I won't even be able to resuscitate myself.

My friends find it/me weird whenever they learn that somewhere in this online charade, I published my Last Will. I regularly update it. Mind you, please do not even go looking for it since my things are actually junk. Lol.

My family on the other hand does not even give a damn to what I say. Why? Because like me, they also have accepted their deaths and I have seen it by the way we converse. Everytime we go out, one of us will say, "Pag tayo nabangga ng truck, ubos tayo." Someone will reply like, "Nako, pano na yung mga aso natin?" Another one will blurt out, "O, kung sinong matirang buhay, kanya lahat!" (pertaining to whatever assets/properties we have, if we actually have any)

When my older brother posted in Facebook that his head is aching and that he implied that he speculates that it is a tumor, his officemate replied with a, "Uy that's not a good joke..pacheck ka.." after which, my younger brother replied with a, "SAKIN ANG KOTSE!!!" to which my older brother replied, "Nyahahaha leche!!! ♥" After seeing the conversation hours later, I replied, "Car goes to the eldest alive. HAHAHA."

So much for him dying. Still healthy and alive and one of his properties is already being eyed upon.

When the three of us, me and my two brothers were about to depart for Singapore last April, my mother said that should our plane crash, wala na raw siyang matitirang anak. How comforting for me and my younger brother who'll be experiencing our first plane ride.

My mother has diabetes and hypertension stage I. She is not getting any younger. That is why I always tell her to spend her money for herself. Live her own life while she still can because she may die any moment. True. I always tell her that.

You may think that I am a worthless son for telling his mother that she may die any moment but hey, it is but the truth. I have seen in our Emergency Room innumerable cases where people just die of Stroke or Heart Attack. By the time they are brought for us to intervene medically, their souls were already as far as Siberia.

Another thing, our family, by unanimous decision, has decreed that we will all be cremated after a few days of wake. We also discussed that in the event that an accident or disease debilitates any of us to the point that there is a very minimal chance of survival, no Intensive Care will be asked to be rendered. It's economical that way.

Family member stays in ICU for weeks, expenses soar, family is in despair, member dies, debts continue to increase, family mourns, still with debts. Now, who suffers the most? He/She who died or he/she who were left behind?

Not only do the living feel the loss, they will also feel the impact of financial instability. And this is a unanimous decision and rationalization of my family.

Yeah. I guess I'm not the only one eccentric in the family.

Dreams

It's been nearly a year since I first laid my eyes on you. Twice have I dreamed about you. Today was the third. Though I sometimes try to bridge connections, it is you who always turn me down - without any direct answer though.

Funny how I dreamed of a friend who has a new boyfriend - the boyfriend of another friend of ours. Oh well. Be it a prophetic dream or not, it isn't impossible nor improbable. Malalandi naman sila. hahaha.

Last dream.

I was called by our high school alma mater to host an event. This is more probable than what I have actually dreamed in the first paragraph.

Oh well.

Good morning humans and zombies.

Today I will annihilate a doctor with the powers of a Red Planeswalker. lol.

The Rules of Blogging

Time and time again, the rules of blogging have plagued the internet. Bloggers left and right accuse one another of posting nonsensical stuff. Right from the day I started blogging sometime in 2003, I never even thought that there will be rules. Nor that one day, people of such mediocre thinking will rise to fame and dictate which is which and what is what.

This blog writer made his own set of rules and stated not 6, not 10, but 11! Eleven!

Eleven NON-EXISTENT rules of blogging.

I find it very much weird that the very people I know who said, "Blog to Express, not to Impress," will be the same people who would say how this other blogger suck for expressing what he/she feels/thinks.

Crazy world we live in.

Grammar Nazis are everywhere and they state that they are but Masters of Themselves yet can't seem to master their own grammar.

I also find it weird that these people, who would say that this blogger posts senseless stuff, are actually reading his/her blog from beginning to end, verbatim!

Talk about an unconsciously obsessed fan.

Oh well. I said I'm back to Blogging yet it seems, I'm back to Ranting.

In other news, here's a link for a legit-looking post about the 10 Rules for Responsible Blogging.