To the Next Girl I Will Love

Dear You,

This letter is for you in the future to read. This is for you to understand on what I will do to you. I learned a lot from my previous relationships and I learned the hard way. Now, I'm ready to meet you somewhere around the city or even the province. For short: Wherever you are, I will love you.

I will always be patient with you.

When you're taking too long to fix your make up in my car, I'll make sure to tell you how beautiful you are when you're done. When you're on your period and you started to be crazy as a baboon, I'll help you remember that you're my princess not an animal.

I will always treat you like a princess.

I'll never be tired of spoiling you. Even if you live at the far side of the world. You'll be my princess and what you want, you will get. I'll make you happier than anyone I've ever loved. You will always be my priority. You'll always be the number one on my list on what I will do everyday. There will never be a word busy whenever you want to be with me and I will never be lazy even if it's in the morning and the night.

Whenever we fight.

Pride will never be the answer ever again. I won't let you cool down your emotions because I'll make sure to fix the problem as soon as possible. I will always bring you food and when you get fat, we'll lose weight together. I'll make sure that the past will never be a conflict with us because I will bury it with all the happiness that you will give me.

I will fight for you.

I will never give up on you. I will always think positive with our future struggles together. As long as you're with me, it's you and me against the world. That's it. For better or worse, I will love the better and worse of you. With that, please accept me for who I am. I maybe loud and annoying, but accept me and I will love you even more.

Now, I just have to wait for time and place to bring us together. Maybe I'll meet you tomorrow or next year, but it's okay. If I have the patience to wait for you, I'll have the patience to deal with your mood swings. People don't believe in a forever but the truth is there is one. It's the consistency of everyday... And that's what I'm gonna give to you. With all the promises that I'll make, you'll see that a forever is an action for everyday that I'm with you.

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

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.