A Poem For The 21st Century

Think positively, and good things will happen. Stop worrying about the negative and start appreciating the good ; for you don't know how much beauty in this world if you're blinded with hatred and wrath.

Always speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Words can hurt or words can inspire,
be guided with the words you say; for your character will be defined on it.

Let them love you for yourself. Do not sway to other's pattern of perfection. Love yourself, bind yourself, create yourself and they will transpire.

Be contended on who you are, not what you are. Do not follow greed and its foolish ways. Be careful of the evil things in this world. Be intelligent with the things you do and follow excellence and let it shape you.

Do not judge people by their stories; for they are right in their own perspective. Listen and understand them; for the mindless, ignorant and lazy are heroes in there own stories.

Respect other beliefs and they will respect you back. Do not taunt their Gods and culture but let it change your view in this world; for you have your own perspective and they have theirs, see the world differently by respect and you will gain wisdom in return.

Always remember that life will change you. You will be broken and you will fix yourself repeatedly but the more times you fix yourself, the more you are unbreakable. So let life break you, destroy you, swallow you, hurt you, and betray you.

Make an effort to make peace with everyone. Your soul deserves peace because peace eradicates the noises of life. Understand that this world is full of sins and broken things, but this world is still beautiful. With everything this world has to offer, find happiness.

Inspired by Max Ehrmann's Desiderata. 

Why Men Love Good Girls

The world is weird. We like something we can't have and we crave them while they're not ours. But in the end, the things you crave are what destroys you. Men in general like bad girls but the girls that we fall in love with are the good girls. We commit ourselves to them because they feel like love.

Men love good girls because they're rare. While we swim in the narrowest sea full of fishes, the good girls are always at the bottom. They're like a legendary Pokemon where they're hard to find and hard to catch. She's always under pressure to compete against other women who flirt around with different men. They're just different because even though they're in pressure, they have the patience and faith to wait for the right guy to chase them. 

Men love good girls because they're sweet. When he hears her angelic name, the devil inside him will always be silent. The world is a horrible place but her face will always remind him how iridescent the world is. Her sweetness will affect him every day until he wants to make her feel protected when she's around. Seeing her hurt will hurt him too. 

Men love good girls because they care. Men will always be in trouble or be hurt physically or mentally. Guys will always feel down about the problems that life gives us. A good girl is always there to listen to us on everything. She will nurture you with positivity and she will listen to you without criticism. She will support you in everything you say and she will make you laugh even if you're mad or just tired.

Men love good girls because they inspire. When you share your dreams and goals to her, she will flower it with love and motivation. She will push you to your limit and you will love her for that. But the most important thing that a good girl will do is that she will push you to be a better man. 

If you have a good girl with you, treat her with your 100 percent best. Treat her with the love that she deserves because let's face the fact that good girls are hard to find these days. Don't take the advantage that she's kind and she's forgiving. There are a lot of girls who lack principles and respect these days. If you have a good girl by your side, don't screw it up. You have someone that people would give up everything to have. 

Questions on Filipino Ghosts and Monsters

Tayong mga Pilipino ay madikit sa mga bagay na punung puno ng mysteryo. Maraming tao ang nagsisimba at nilalagay ang lahat ng bagay sa kamay ng Diyos ngunit meron ring mga bagay bagay sa ating kultura kung saan tayo'y naniniwala sa mga bagay na gawa ng lupa, hangin at tubig. Ito ang mga tanong ko sa kanila.

1. Kapre 

Ang kapre ay isang malaking higante na nahahanap raw sa mga malalaking puno. Sila ay daw ay may tobacco na parang nagyoyosi lang sa labas ng Starbucks. Makikitaw raw sila sa mga puno puno na malalaki at malulusog ang mga dahon. Ngunit, ang tanong ko lang: 

- Saan kumukuha ng tobacco yung Kapre? Bumababa ba siya sa puno niya para bumili ng yosi sa mga nagbebenta sa mga side walks? At kung bumibili man siya, saan siya kumukuha ng pera? o Gumagawa ba siya ng sarili niyang tobacco gamit ang sangay at dahon ng puno na tinitirahan niya? Kung gumagawa man siya, saan siya natuto? Sino nagturo sa mga kapre gumawa ng tobacco? 

2. Aswang

Ang aswang ay parang werewolves ng mga bansa sa Europa. Ang pinagkaiba nga lang ay nagiging tao sila at normal na itim na aso lamang. Sabi nila, mahilig daw sila na kumain ng mga bata. Napapatay daw ang aswang gamit ang asin, bawang at mga bagay na nagpapakita ni Ama, Anak at Espirito Santo. Ito ang mga tanong ko:

- Kapag hinimas himas ko ba ang buhok ng isang aswang pag ito'y nasa katawang tao mag aasta rin ba tong parang aso na hihiga o gagalaw ang kanang binti? At bakit bawang ang panlaban sa asin? Bawal ba silang magkabadbreath at baka humina ang kanilang pangil sa mga bacteria na nasa bungabunga nila? Bakit rin asin ang pwedeng makapatay sa kanila? May sakit ba sila sa bato kay bawal?

3. White Lady

Ang mga white lady ay ang mga babaeng namatay ng walang hustisya. Sila yung nirape, sinalvage at kung ano ano mang katarantaduhan ang ginawa sa kanila. Sila ay ang mga muntong naghahanap ng hustisya. Ngunit, meron akong mga katanungan...

- Bakit ang puti ng kanilang mga damit? Sa sobrang puti magtataka ka kung naglalaba ba sila o hindi. At kung naglalaba sila, saan at anong detergent ang ginagamit nila na talo pa ang Tide at Ariel. Bakit wala pa akong nakikitang white lady na may boy cut? Bakit parating mahahahaba at maayos ang buhok nila? Anong shampoo kaya ang ginagamit kaya nila? 

If You're Feeling Down Read This

There was a professor in a college in Manila that started his class one day holding a 1000 peso bill in a room of 40 students. He asked them. “Anyone of you who would like this 1000 peso bill?”

Everyone raised their hands. They were shouting at the prof and they were rowdy. Then he said. “Alright, class. I will give this 1000 peso bill to someone in this class but first…”

He crumpled the money numerous times and after that he raised it again. He asked again the students. “Who still wants the crumpled money?” Still, the students were still raising their hands like crazy. 

The professor said. “Okay, class. What if I do this?” he crumpled the bill again and he tossed it to the garbage can. Again he asked the class. “Who still wants the money?” Again, the students raised their hands.  

“You all learned a valuable lesson in life today, class. Didn’t you see that no matter how I crumpled or thew the money you still wanted it not because it was beautiful but because of the value of it? No matter how I crumpled it or threw it, its worth is still the same. “ he explained. 

“In life, you will be crumpled a lot of times and you will be thrown in the garbage by other people, your decisions and the circumstances along the way. You will feel that you are worthless but like this 1000 pesos, you will never lose your value. 

Dirty or crumpled the people who loves you know that you are priceless and your value will never be substituted. Our worth doesn’t depend on the things that we are doing or the people we know, it’s always on who we are. 

10 Bible Verses For Your Everyday Life

1. If you’re upset - John 14

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.”

2. If you’re scared - Psalm 23

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,
 for you are with Me.”

3. If you’re depressed - Psalm 27: 13-14

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”

4. If you’re lacking faith - Exodus 14

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

5. If you think everyone hates you  - John 15:18-19

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

6.  When you’re suffering - Romans 5:3

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.”

7. When you need the sense of purpose - Psalm 138:8

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.”

8. When you’re broken hearted - Psalm 34:18

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

9. When you want peace - Matthew 11: 28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

10. For your loved one - Genesis 29:20 

“Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.”

10 Commandments of Taft

For 3 to 4 years or more, students will have to live with the traffic, people and the claustophobic environment that Taft has to offer. I developed rules from observation around my environment also from my upper years. Here they are:

  

  

  1. Thou shall not waste money.

Do not spend beyond your needs. Money is important in Taft because if you're a college student you will need money for your projects and stuff for school. Also, you will need the money for three things: Barn, Beach and Sherwood. 

    2. Thou shall not give anything to beggars.

I don’t understand why you see such  depressing environment, where you can see naked kids who beg for food outside big universities specifically DLSU and CSB, that gives quality education and promotes good morals to improve lives. For me, giving money to the less fortunate is great! But the thing is that the beggars in Taft abuse it. I remember one time when a kid asked us for money. My friend gave 5 pesos to the kid and I gave 20 and the kid was like "ayoko niyan" and he grabbed my 20 peso bill and ran away. Also, it's a hassle when you buy a drink then they harass you into giving it to them. As mean as this sounds but don't give anything to beggars but I would advise you to talk to them about life and motivate them to find long term solutions over temporary ones. 



    3. Thou shall not landi anyone with a    boyfriend/girlfriend.

This is basic. Don’t destroy a relationship just because you can’t have one. Be a butterfly that people would actually want to see not a higad that people would want to kill.



    4. Thou shall focus on my study more than fun.

Another basic instruction for being a student. Focus on your education more than fun. Do it for your future self. If you’re tired of studying, then probably your parents are tired of paying for your education more.


    5. Thou shall meet new friends.
In real life, you will need friends to survive. Your college life won’t be complete if you don’t have wacky friends. Also, extend your hand to other people! There's nothing wrong in meeting new people in life.



    6. Thou shall not use any branded things that are   expensive enough to feed 20 children.


The thing is, you don’t need your expensive Louis Vuitton bag while walking in Taft. Manila is a dangerous place for you to show off your 50k bag.

   7. Thou shall leave early when it rains hard.
There are only two situations in Manila: Either it’s hot or it’s flooded. Get out of there as fast as you can when it rains because it’s either you'll get stuck in there or you’ll get stuck in traffic.

   8. Thou shall not walk around Taft after 10 pm alone.
Do you want to get raped? Because this is how you get raped. Do not go out and walk in Taft alone. You might get in danger. I’m not stereotyping but I think it’s better for you to know the dangers rather than you experiencing it. So do not walk around Taft after 10 alone. 

   9. Thou shall not judge a person.  
In college, you will meet a lot of different people. There will be unique and different people that you will meet along the 3-4 year road. You will work with them and you will be with them. Their uniqueness and your uniqueness will create an unusual bond that you will remember forever. So never judge them and always remember that the cover doesn’t make the book, it’s the chapters inside of it.

10. Thou shall have fun.
Have fun! Make memories with your block mates and people. Always remember that college is the stepping stone to real life. So have fun and cheers to the 4 years of building yourself.

Why Should Move On

6,000,000,000 people around the word. 6 billion. And you think you can't live without them? Ridiculous. I will give you 3 reasons why you should stop thinking that they're irreplaceable well they're not! The love of your life will come one day but right now, you need to know why you should have to endure and wait.

You're wasting your time. 

The more you're being sad on the things that doesnt matter, the more you're wasting your time. Instead you hanging out with your friends and living your life to the fullest, you're in your house crying over useless things that won't matter after 20 years. You're completely wasting your time over being sad. You should use your sadness as motivation to yourself that you can be better and you will better and they'll regret losing you. In that way, you can attract gentlemen that would care and love you more than them. There is nothing time can fix, including of course a broken heart. 

It's just a phrase.

Like what i've said earlier, it won't matter after 20 years. You are in love with the memories not the person. You should know that you're just hurt and you just want to fill the gap that they left inside of you. It's just a phrase and you will look back one day and you will just laugh while you're holding the hand of the love of your life. You will meet them one day but in the process, life will give you the things you need including you getting hurt, confused, cared and loved for you to become the person that you're meant to become. So endure the pain and move on.

When a door closes, a window opens. 

When they leave, they're giving the opportunity for someone to take care of you better. Patience is what you need here. You should have the patience to wait for someone that will treat you correspondence with your worth; which is priceless. You need someone to make effort and to be consistent and not just someone that gives you mixed signals. They'll give another person your smile, your annoying jokes and your quirks and they will not just endure them but they will love them. So wait for what you deserve. 

You don't need a "someone" for you to be complete. You don't need a relationship to be complete. You are complete because of who you are, and not because of who you with. So always remind yourself that you are priceless and you deserve someone that is willing to get you by consistency because people can say that they love you but a special someone will stay and be consistent in showing how much they love you. 

Realizations of A Blind Man

 You can't make her happy like before and it's killing you like poison even if you're happy with her. It's hard to make someone happy when they think that you'll screw up  again but it's harder to feel that she is not like before. 

You screwed up. Restoring what is normal is like giving a blind man hope that he will see a rainbow again. I know you love her with everything you've got but ask yourself, does she love you like before? Did she change because she loves you or did she change because she's protecting herself from you? 

You screwed up. And I know that you are sorry for what you did. But can she see that? Can she forgive you with full extent and without add ons? Can she love you like before?

You can fix this. Even if she suspect things from you and even if she brings up the past, always remind yourself that you love the old her and you will wait for the old her to come back even if she doesn't. 

She

It was a surprise. I talked to her about the things I do everyday, the things I’ve been thinking and the things I want to do with my life. She was a serendipity and she was the best surprise ever. 

I fell in love with you. I didn’t expect that ever. I said that I won’t fall in love with you but I guess I did and I am currently in the deepest part, still falling. I love you if you think that I don’t sometimes. Even if you don’t feel it sometimes, it’s there. Just ask me and I’ll respond with love. 

I am currently writing this while waiting for you. But I am really glad that you are part of my life. If we don’t have the luxury of time or place, then we will find a way. I will make time and I will never stop finding time for you. You are the one thing that a lot of people are searching for. 

And I am glad that you are mine,

El

How I Met Your Mother

Kids, this is the story of how I met your mother.

Back in my time, I had an idea that love was fallacy. It's not real and it was for losers. But everything that I believed in was changed when I met your mother.

Kids, the Universe will stop you into going to a deep hole that would make your life miserable. The Universe has its ways in the world and I can't begin to explain on how it constantly moves. But what I know is that it's never wrong, never late, and always at the right place.


 It was a sunny day when I stepped out of the old apartment. I was craving  to eat at this local restaurant down 7th avenue but I turned left instead of going straight because I remembered that the old restaurant is close every Sunday and kids, up until now the old restaurant is still open. Anyways, I turned left because there was a hotdog stand near the flower shop. I was hungry and I needed a snack. After eating the hotdog, I came across this garage sale. The owner of the garage sale was a WWII veteran. He told me his war stories in Warsaw. He said that he fell in love with the city even though it was destroyed by Germany. "Even though everything is in ruins, beauty is seen" he said to me.  I saw an old picture of his regiment, an old picture of him and tanks, and a letter of his father to him when he was in Europe.

I checked out the things for sale in his garage sale. An old calendar, baseball cards and clocks were seen throughout the place. After checking out everything, I stumbled upon a WWII Zippo lighter for sale and surprisingly it doesnt have damage and still intact. I asked the wonderful old man how much is it but he gave it to me for free for being an awesome listener.

I parted ways with the old man and settled down to a coffee shop near his place. I entered the coffee shop and there she was, I saw her sitting down waiting for her coffee while holding a cigarette. Kids, I know that smoking is bad for your health but with coffee, you would think otherwise. Anyways, I saw her there as I was in line. Usually people wouldn't like long lines to get their order but that day when I saw your mother for the very first time, I could just stand there and just look at her sitting down with her unlit cigarette in her hand.

As the barista walked towards her to give her the coffee she ordered I started to panic because I thought she was leaving so I just ordered a bottled water and told the cashier to hurry. When the barista gave her the drink, she stood up and walked towards the smoking area. She checked her left and right pockets for a lighter. I walked towards her with the zippo that the old man gave me then I touched her left shoulder. As she turned around I smiled. When she looked at me, I knew that day that I will spend every waking moment with her.

Now kids, why is the little details important in the story? Because everything is connected. If I walked straight towards the old restaurant instead of going left, then the timing wouldn't be right.  There are millions of coffee shops in the city and if I haven't met the old man, I wouldn't be in that coffee shop and I've never met your mother. But instead, The Universe worked its mysterious ways and made everything right.

 That day when I stepped out of the apartment  I never knew that my life would change forever. Maybe one day that will happen to you too but let's not think about it. Because it will happen at a day when you least expect it.  Because maybe life isn't clear or maybe it's in ruins but, beauty is always seen.

And kids, that is the story of how I met your mother.

Don't Take Her For Granted

She is perfect for you. She'll always be there for you to be your number one fan. She'll always be your source of inspiration and motivation, she'll always be the one that you can always call when you're feeling lonely. For the million lovely things that she had done for you, why are you taking her for granted?

Start treating her right and show her off. Always look at her like Flynn looks at Rapunzel. Hold her hand and kiss her in front of your friends. Be glad that you have her in your life because the littlest things you do mean to her a lot.

Love her with all your heart. Bury your heart to her and she will grow roses above it. She is different from all the girls you've met. You are lucky to have her because she controls you with her inner angel and tolerates your outer demons. You are lucky to hug her and kiss her every time you want. You have the secret to love, every time you hug her. Isn't it funny that the greatest secrets are hidden in unlikely places?

Treat her right. She is beautiful and angelic. A lot of guys want her and you should be aware of that. You have what they pray for at night: a diamond in the rough that you take for granted. It's time to love her with all your soul, it's time to treat her with love in the spaces that you have missed. Always make her feel loved, and you will never see her frown.

Imagine this: One day, you'll see her down the streets happy while holding another guy's hand. You'll see her treating him with the things she did to you before. She won't even notice you while you're staring at her because she's busy laughing with the jokes he makes. It will break your heart seeing her with him not because you aren't happy for her but because you were blind when she was happy with you. Seeing everything will make you realize that you are not the reason why she's happy anymore. And it will finally hit you like a truck that you need her more than she needs you; that it's her, it's always her.

Dear Future Girlfriend: Valentines

Dear Future Girlfriend,

February 14 is coming up. If only I can send you roses through a wormhole to the future. A lot of guys are preparing for Valentine's Day and somehow I tend to observe them. They buy roses, chocolates and other romantic stuff to give their girlfriends. I realized something and it's that a real man shouldn't just wait for one day of the year to show how much he loves his girl but he should always show it everyday to her that he loves her.

I can't wait to meet you. I wouldn't just shower you with chocolates and flowers, anyone can buy chocolates and anyone can buy flowers but love are those little things that I'll show you everyday someday. It's the little things that builds up real love. I'm not saying that big romantic gestures doesn't count but the little things count the most. Love is when you go out your way for someone to be happy and when they're happy, you'll sense a feeling of contentment and happiness.
I hope that all of these, I can do to you and with all patience, I will give everything that I've got to make you happy.

Wait a little longer if you're feeling lonely. When we meet one day, I will fill those gaps with the love that you deserve and with full extent, my love will reach your soul so that you will never feel lonely and you will feel loved.

There are 365 days in a year and I'm willing to make you happy every single day. I am willing to show you that everyday is Valentine's Day.

You are the reason why I wake up in the morning,
El

Secrets and Walls

Her heart was mysterious

It's covered with secrets and love

She hides it beneath the walls

And keeps it out on the rays of the sun

Even on the walls she built around her

My love for her grows everyday

Growing rapidly; fully of care and love

Hope that she can see it one day

She smiles as the walls erode

Brick by brick, I smashed the pieces

Destroying them with will and haste

And her heart is renewed and full of grace

Backpacks and Passports

I encourage everyone to travel. Maybe inside the country or even international. It doesn't matter. Grab your backpacks, passports  and an amount of money. Visit the romantic city of Paris, check out the mysterious temples in Malaysia and Cambodia, experience the sunset and sunrise in Greece, and  run in the beaches of Miami. There are a lot of things you can do in this world and I can't describe how it feels and how you can experience it one by one but I know that when you travel, you will fall in love. You will fall in love with places that you will see, with the people that you will meet, and the food that you will grasp. You will get this fascination with the different cultures, food and people. You will fall in love. The kind of love that grows in you that makes you a better human being. You will learn the things that schools and magazines only utter in words and pictures. You will see the difference between  how the media presents the places that you had seen and how you had seen it with your own eyes. You will trust a lot of people that are unknown to you and I know it's terrifying. But the journeys in this world isn't counted by the destination, but the people you meet along the way.  Life is short but always make sure that your experiences are bigger than life. You will get lost a lot in cities and streets but you will always leave a trail. A trail that your heart leaves every time you step from left to right. You will have an adventure that is worth writing every time you step out in every door.

And when you get back in your own house while you lay down in your bed while you're in your own room, you will see things differently.