...And Knowing Is Half the Battle

Ah, yes. GI Joe. It was recently the most anticipated movie. Like Transformers, it was extremely adorned with a lot of special effects and advanced computer animation. But I'm not here to talk about the film. I'm want to focus more on the cartoon series of GI Joe.

I've been a big fan of the series ever since I was a kid. I watched every episode and even collected action figures and toys. Even though the cartoon gave a clear message of violence by revolving the plot around the war of good and evil, it still redeemed itself as a show worth watching. This is because at the end of every episode, the GI Joe heroes would deliver brief public service announcements and lessons beneficial to their young viewers. It's too bad that I didn't learn much from them because every time I saw this portion, I knew that the credits would soon start rolling afterwards so I tend to turn off the TV or change channels.

On the case of violence, I guess the GI Joe series back then was not as violent compared to the shows we see today. Have you seen anyone bleeding profusely or actually dying a gory death in any episode? It's a shame that networks today are too and don't uphold the same values as their counterparts in the past did.

Anyway, with that aside, the GI Joe cartoon series made it to the 10 Life Lesson from Cartoon Characters of Beliefnet. Here is the article below by Paul Asay. [Read Full Article]

"G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" actually never aired on Saturday morning. Indeed, syndicated shows like "Joe" spelled the end of cartoon-centric Saturday morning TV as we knew it. But while the time slot was different, the vibe was still the same. These soldiers were all about teaching lessons, all right: teaching America's enemies a lesson in respect. Yo, Joe!

But for a show based on a series of action figures, "G.I. Joe" did have some redeeming qualities. After each episode, soldiers would offer a brief public service lesson for its young viewers—what to do if you get lost, what to do if your house is on fire—most of which would invariably end with the tagline, "And knowing is half the battle."

And you thought this show was all about selling toys.

Final Fantasy 6 Hooray!!

Since I was a kid I've been a big fan of video games. I could play nonstop for more than five hours and not get tired. Ever since Sony has released it's new CD and DVD games console, I've been addicted to playing PlayStation. This radical switch to disk games with 3D graphics and realistic environments was such a mind-blowing experience. It was so overwhelming that I forgot how good the classic 2D games were. And I only realized this when I started playing the "Lost" Final Fantasy series revived on the GBA SP console.

Just 3 weeks ago I bought a Final Fantasy VI Advance for GBA. I was really choosing between Dawn of Souls (FF I & II) and FF Tactics Advance. Like any self-respecting gamer, I consult online reviews to help me make my decision. Tactics had poor feedback from consumers while the price of Dawn of Souls was too steep for my budget. I made a sudden decision and bought FF VI. It was cheaper by P150 but when I played it, it was worth more than what I paid for. The review I read on this game was right. The whole game is worth more than 50 hours of play time. And with the many twists on its plot and unlockable secrets, you will surely want to replay the game. I can say that FF VI Advance is one of the games that kept me from putting down my GBA SP. I'm not an authority when it comes to video games but I highly recommend this game to those who would like to get their money's worth. For a 2D game, FF IV really blew me away.

Now I wonder how the other Final Fantasy series would measure up? I sure would like to collect them all!

Still Curious About the Micro

I never really possessed a gameboy until the arrival of the SP. That old bulky unit that runs on AA batteries, plays limited games, gives pixelated resolution and black and white graphics seemed like a very costly commodity to maintain. Buying a unit for myself seemed like a real waste of money. But now, thanks to the advances in computer technology, Nintendo gave the aging console brand a new life. The GBA SP is a leap in innovation from it's predecessors. It has a rechargeable battery to extend game play and reduce costs in maintaining it. The LCD gave a clearer, more colorful and richer graphics. Nintendo also added shoulder buttons to add more functions and complexity in the games. What I like best is that the game cartridges are half the size of their old counterparts. The more compact the unit and parts are, the more portable they are. Nintendo even went further in making the GBA more compact when they released GBA Micro.

I'm pretty happy with my current SP. Although it satisfies my gaming needs, I'm still curious about the experience GBA Micro has to offer. I'm really intrigued about its size but I'm concerned about the screen size. Some say its not really a problem while others say the difference is significant. And compared to the clam shell design of the SP, the screen is relatively more vulnerable to damages and scratches since the Micro cannot fold up. I used to love the headphone jack of the Micro but since I turn off the sounds (to conserve battery) when I play, it's not anymore a concern. Price is not anymore an issue since they now have similar selling prices in the market. I guess the SP is still a better choice. With my big thumbs, I need a more durable unit and the bigger screen of the SP just might save me from more eye strains.

Philosophical Journey: Kant

The thing I like about Philosophy is that you can predict the style of writing by the nationality or cultural background of their respective authors. Americans are known to be organized and always conclude their works by repeating and summarizing what they've said. The French are notorious for being messy and seemingly having no direction at all (as in the case of Levinas). German philosophers write in a very systematic and straightforward manner. Sometimes, the work becomes too systematic that one can get overwhelmed by the degree of organization the author has invested in it (but I'll take the German philosophers over the French any day). This is exactly what I encountered when I studied Kant.

I'll tell you right away that reading Immanuel Kant was no walk in the park. That's because he kept mentioning terms like universalizability, Kingdom of Ends and categorical, which were all alien to me (I then realized that "categorical" meant "unconditional" and not used as a function of enumeration). It was only then later when I encountered his philosophy multiple times in other subjects that I was able to grasp his message, which turned out to be very simple. Immanuel Kant essentially advocates the rule of law, or more specifically, following your maxims. The core message of his philosophy can be summarized by the "Golden Rule": do to others what you would like to be done to you. And it is this maxim or rule that should be followed out of moral duty.

Despite the criticisms on Kant's philosophy for being very vague, his ideas on moral duty is what appealed to me the most. It is still my dominant guiding principle up to this day. It really makes a lot of sense because our duties give direction and meaning to our lives. It is what gives us reason to exist on this planet in the first place. More importantly, it is that sense of duty that drives us to get things done. It is the initiator and catalyst for a person's accomplishments. We do certain things in the name of fulfilling our duties.

Kant's ideas are very noble and chivalrous like that of medieval knights but they once again hit a snag. We now know that fulfilling our duties is a must but our duties are linked to our roles. And it is these roles or careers that we must find for ourselves first before we can determine our moral obligations. What are we called to do? Where do we fit in society? Are we called to be doctors, politicians, lawyers? These are the questions that I continuously struggle with and what helped me answer them came two semesters later when I studied Eastern Philosophy.

Going After Apple?

Apple is known for the sleek design and compact structure of its computers. This is evident not only in their Macbook laptops but also on their iMac desktops. The company created a one-stop desktop in which usual peripherals like LCD monitors, optical drives and web cameras are built into the entire unit. The only things sticking out are the keyboard and mouse. They wanted to make the desktop free of loose cables as much as possible and the experience as clean and compact as possible. The idea is really great for those who want to save space but the catch here is the really steep price for this innovative technology. An Apple iMac can cost as much as, or more than, a Macbook.

This type of all-in-one desktop became a luxury commodity until the arrival of the Intel Atom processor. Apple's competitors finally had the chance to answer the iMac with more affordable substitutes. Acer had the EZ1601, MSI with the Wind Top AE 1900 and Asus with the Eee Top. They are equipped with optical drives, card readers, web cameras and USB drives. As an added bonus, some of their monitors have a touch-screen feature, meaning they can be operated without a keyboard or mouse!

All of these all-in-one desktop contenders are a fraction of the regular selling price of the iMac. Thanks to the Intel Atom processor, costs are kept low and manufacturers are able to add more features to their products. Not only are they affordable, they also consume less electricity. All these features look very attractive but one question still remains. Are these systems up to the regular rigors of computer tasks?

The main difference between iMac and its competitors is the processor. While the others run on Intel Atom, iMac has Intel Core 2 Duo, which is obviously more superior in terms of performance. Atom is a processor known for its portability and not its performance. It is not recommended for heavy tasks like video editing, games and Photoshop. Could this difference compromise all of the features of these low-cost desktops? Maybe they are all just filled with unnecessary bells and whistles. Maybe they are only meant for light tasks.

I wonder why Asus, Acer and MSI used Atom as their processor of choice (aside from lowering costs). Maybe they haven't figured out a way to install a fan unit to cool the extreme heat generated by the dual core processors without destroying the compact design of the desktop.

Philosophical Journey: Levinas

Emmanuel Levinas was probably the first and most difficult ethics philosopher I encountered. I remember taking up his philosophy right after studying Heidegger. My instructor, Ms Jacinto, said that Levinas' works were born out of his experience during the second world war as a P.O.W. They were also responses to Heidegger's philosophy. Unfortunately, it took me a while before I could appreciate his works since he's French and the French are notorious for being messy and chaotic with their compositions. I'm not joking on this one. The directions of his sentences were all over the place that I could not get the message of his articles.

In a nutshell, Levinas talks about responsibility and the other as an enigma. His concept of the human being as an enigma, or as a puzzle shatters the fatalistic image of Dasein in Heidegger's works. We are not simply beings going towards death. Humans are like puzzles or mysteries whom one cannot fully determine or reduce as an object. In other words human beings, or the others, are full of surprises. And this enigmatic characteristic of the other is the basis of his advocacy of responsibility. Being responsible for the other is a sign of respect. It is how an individual recognizes the other's subjecivity and the limitlessness of their possibilities. This sense of inexhaustible potential does not only lift the limits of what the other can do but also what the other can become. It gives a sense of chance, hope and belief in the growth of an individual. It recognizes the possibility that a criminal can change for the better or that a corrupt leader can be convinced to work for the prosperity of a nation. We have no right to objectify and box-in an individual because we simply cannot have a hundred percent certainty on what they are capable of. Unfortunately, Levinas is silent on how long before these changes could take place. It is not question of when but how.

The philosophy of Levinas is truly an attempt to criticize the works of Heidegger. Despite our common destiny of dying, it is not an excuse for us to disregard our relationship with the others and their personhood. Well, that finally restored my confidence in humanity but Levinas wasn't enough to repair the damage Heidegger did. It was just a shame that he said nothing about religion... at least, not in our lectures.

Philosophical Journey: Heidegger

Among the first philosophers I met was Martin Heidegger. I can immediately say that my encounter with his philosophy was very unpleasant. Sure, I learned a lot of life's truths from him. Like how we are alone, how we are thrown into this world, how dependent we are on time and how we are given life only to lose it in the end. I became more aware about these inescapable facts. Unfortunately, these truths were so depressing that it awakened the emo in me.

Heidegger's discussions on death made me realize how limited my time is on this planet. What's worse is that all the things I do here would amount to nothing since I'm going to die in the end with a hundred percent certainty. If that is the case, then what is the point of living? What is there to hope for? It is so tempting to sit in a corner and wallow in depression since death is going to waste us all anyway.

Death is the ultimate mystery and I can't deny that Heidegger came up with many good points about it. First is about how one's death really shows the individuality of a being. He argued that each person's end is really their own experience because they cannot share it with someone in anyway. This pointed out to the fact that we really are alone.

Second is about how people try to make the most out of what they can in life. They pursue happiness whether it may be earning material wealth, gaining knowledge or deepening their faiths in an almighty Being. He said that people engage in these activities only because they want to distract themselves from the anxiety brought about by the fact of death. This was the point that got me thinking about my faith. What if Heidegger is right all along? What if people are simply engaging in religious activities because they want salvation? Doesn't that self-serving drive degrade the value of faith? And that's not all. What if religion was merely another creation of mankind (Dasein) to distract themselves from death. After all most, if not all, religious teachings preach about an eternal afterlife. There is no empirical proof about an afterlife. All we hold on to is our faith.

It's no wonder I got depressed after every PH 101 class. Heidegger created a big dent in my faith and almost made me throw it away. His discussion of individuality and death made me feel very alone. It made me lose all purpose in life and extinguished all hope I had. Life became a curse because all people are forced to face the great unknown of death.

Damn you Heidegger.

Philosophical Journey: The Introduction

Philosophy was a subject that used to be so alien to me. I never understood its purpose and objectives. I used to think that it's another academic hurdle that I need to overcome since unfortunately, my school was one of the few, if not the only university in the country, that made the subject compulsory. Whenever I entered Ms. Jacinto's class, I had this feeling of isolation from everything else as if I'm encased inside a shell. It felt like the lessons are disagreeing with me and that my brain is refusing to process the lectures. I felt no progress and spent most of the class time staring blankly into space since I could not keep up with the pace. I kept trying my best to review the lessons on my own but to no avail. Everything seemed absolute gibberish.

Every session, I kept wondering if there was something wrong with me. I just found it so difficult to understand why those philosophers could not construct formal paragraphs and sentences to express what they want to say. Why do they invent their own words and add "ness" to those nouns and adjectives? Why do they keep on asking questions and leaving them unanswered? What made things worse was the feeling that I'm alone in this struggle. The rest of my peers seemed to have no trouble absorbing the lectures. I still remember my classmates who kept looking down at their notebooks and writing feverishly as if they are taking down every single word the teacher was saying. Nobody had any questions and if they did, it would be so advanced and insightful that I could not grasp it.

I hated philosophy at that time. Like all of my other minor subjects, I never saw its importance in my life after graduation. I really felt that this subject was going to be my downfall. Philosophy felt like a ticking time bomb since the semester was half way done and I still could not understand anything. Fortunately, Ms. Jacinto was lenient enough with my performance and my grades. I can say that I was just really lucky for surpassing that ordeal but it will take two whole semesters before I really learned to appreciate the discipline.

Which Lolcat Am I? (I just had to take this test!)

Your result for The Which Lolcat Are You? Test...

Serious Cat

43% Affectionate, 27% Excitable, 58% Hungry

Hungry for knowledge in any internet forum, you demand decorum. Any off-topic remarks, absurd statements, or tomfoolery on the interweb is deeply frowned upon by you. Truth has no room for drollery.



To see all possible results, checka dis.

Take The Which Lolcat Are You? Test at HelloQuizzy

Are Dreams Pursued or Do They Find Us?

When we were kids, we were told to always follow our dreams. We were taught to be persistent and ever let anything get in your way. It is just like what Aristotle said that the goal of mankind is to be happy. We work for good health, wealth and knowledge because these resources are our avenues to happiness - avenues to our dreams. But do we really pursue these dreams or do they find us? To restate the question more clearly, are we really going after the right kind of happiness?

Some people are fortunate enough to know what they really want and be able to pursue it. Galileo wanted to prove the copernican theory so much that even on his grave, he did not let the church authorities stand between him and his dream. Some individuals find their dreams by accident. Take Isaac Newton for example. He wanted to show that he is better than his other classmates. He studied to hard that he was able to unlock his genius in mathematics and became the father of calculus. Not only did he do well in those fields but he thrived and became one of the most respected scientists in history. There is, however, there are unfortunate (and probably common) instances that people sacrifice their dreams for something else. It could be because of a realization that they are really happier and better in doing something else. Or worse, they are forced to abandon their dreams because of circumstances beyond their control. A person cannot fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor because of financial concerns. A worker gives up pursuing his dream job and tries to go after any job because of an unemployment crisis. I myself cannot anymore fulfill my dream of working in a lab because of serious health issues. To summarize this entry, here are just some questions I leave for you:

1. Does everything really fall into place as if to fulfill a "greater plan"? Do you believe that people can stumble upon their happiness by accident? Do dreams find us?

2. With so many things to do and to try out, how do you find your happiness when your time on this planet is limited?

3. Is your duty (to family, to God, to society, etc) enough reason to give up your dreams? Is it right to give up your happiness to serve a higher purpose? This is just like what the church teaches us about sacrificing our personal wants and taking the "road less traveled"

With so much possibilities that a person can take at this age of his life and the fact that his every action affects others, the pressure to make the right decisions is overwhelming. Just thinking about it makes it very tempting to hide and shut oneself away from the world. Unfortunately, one can only run but cannot hide forever...

Right to Education: An Unconstitutional Ateneo Policy?

Last week I went to the ADAA office and inquired about the procedures on how a bachelors graduate like me can enroll again for a second degree. To my surprise the Ateneo's policy forbids their graduates to take a degree of the same level. They can only pursue a degree higher than the ones they already earned. But isn't that policy unconstitutional? All Filipino citizens are protected by the constitution by granting them a right to quality education. I know for a fact that there should be no restrictions in getting a second degree. The ADAA itself recognized that other universities are allowing this policy but the Ateneo DOES NOT. What gives them the power to deny education to their alumni? They said that if a student wants to get a second degree, he/she should have gone through the necessary procedures during his/her junior or senior year. But what about the alumni who just decided to take further studies a few years after graduating? Or an alumni who wants to take a new degree, which wasn't there yet during his/her time? Don't they realize that the additional applicants (alumni or not) translates to more revenues that they can use for projects and services? The university feverishly asks for sponsorships and donations for their projects and yet they turn down people who are willing to pay their expensive tuition fees. It's kind of like sailing in the direction away from a port during a storm.

I understand if the university needs to prioritize applicants who are high school graduates or if they want to place higher academic standards on to the alumni. But to completely restrict them from getting a second degree is something I find difficult to accept. This policy looks like, sounds like and smells like a complete and total violation of my right as a citizen of this Republic to quality education. I have already sent complaint letters to the office of the university president and the LS VP asking for an explanation but I doubt if I'll ever get a reply.

If I cannot exercise my right to education, then I will exercise my right to choose. From this moment on, I am withdrawing all my support from all the fund-raising and sponsorship projects of the Ateneo

What to do next... ?

I have to admit that graduating from college is one of the frightening things I'm going to encounter. What's worrying is not what's going to happen during graduation but what I'm about to face afterwards. I still consider myself very fortunate though because I have friends from high school and college who went ahead of me into the real world and I had the opportunity to ask advice from them. I'm not totally clueless as to what I would do though. I have a short list of possibilities although most of them are far-fetched...

1. Further studies: get another degree - to be honest, my supersenior year didn't end with a bang... more of a sad, silent fizz. I didn't get much of a chance to try out my business idea due to bad decisions (a lot on my part) and acting too slow on opportunities. I also didn't learn anything from my LS class since we were bombarded with lots of extra activities that didn't help in the learning process at all (estrat and company audit). Most of all, our prof decided to cancel our regular class sessions to make way for more field work and consultation periods - BIG MISTAKE! So I'm thinking of getting another degree in another school where they specialize in business... but that means taking off 2-3 years off my future.

2. Starting my own business.. immediately - Fat chance of this happening! But I'm not closed to this idea. Heck no! This is what I really want! Since getting a job is difficult at these times because of the economic recession, I might be forced to start a small (and I do mean small) business. But obviously, the risks are higher.

3. Find a job - this is self-explanatory. nuff said

4. Migrate abroad - Yes I have considered studying abroad and being a permanent resident. Of course it's nice to work instead but again, the recession is so bad that jobs are being lost instead. But being a student first and working my way to become a permanent resident is a more "systematic" and gradual way of earning a citizenship. I don't want to throw away my Filipino citizenship so I might go to a country that offers dual citizenship... But since I have such a strong attachment to home, thinking about migrating alone is already difficult enough. But I feel that I'm not doing much with my life. My friends are right. I don't have much "adventure" carved out in my personal history. Maybe it's time to take chances. Maybe it's time to step out of my comfort zone.

So many choices... so little time. Sometimes I'm tempted not to do a anything at all. But just like what the communications officer said in Valkyrie, "We can't be neutral anymore. We have to make a decision!"

Finals Aftermath

Words alone can't describe how good it feels to click the "send" button on my email to submit the last requirements for school. The finals week I had this semester probably was the most rattling one I ever had. Probably becasue the subjects were all rushed since we seniors had to finish early. I'm just glad that most of my final papers could be sent through email. It saved me the trouble of going back and forth to school. But despite the difficulties, it finally comes to an end. But there are things I still need to accomplish. My ordeal is far from over.

1. I still need to finish the clearance process

2. Attend the Pabaon

3. Have my post-semester clean up

4. Find a job

The post-semester clean up is the one I hate the most because it does not only involve cleaning up clutter like papers and books but it also includes cleaning up my hard drive, burning files into DVDs and organizing everything left behind from last semester. This is one major obstacle standing between me and my summer vacation.

First of the last

    

Today wasn't the usual scorching and irritating sunny weather. It was cloudy, gloomy and the temperature dropped to a comfortable 28C. A perfect way to start the first day of the last semester... My schedule is great and I think the professors are terrific. I finally got the T-TH schedule I've been wanting for so long. I've always wanted to experience going to class for only 2 times a week. I can sleep through Monday and celebrate my long weekend on Thursday. As for the remaining classes, it seems that my workload for my Philo minor course will be relatively lighter than last time. However, this will balanced out by my LS class, which will bombard us with tons of papers, reports and field work.... CRAP. It's the final stretch to the finish line... I hope I don't f*ck this one up.

[I got left behind by one year, yet it feels like I lost five]

After Four Years...

After waiting four years, which seemed like an eternity, our Ateneo High School yearbook is finally out. To be honest, I actually forgot the existence of this book since it took so long for it to be published. And I find it unfair that some alumni who went abroad won't be able to claim the item that they PAID for.

So... is all that wait worth it? I really can't tell. Why? Check out the photo below. No, I didn't make a mistake of taking a picture of the book upside down. I want you to pay attention to the small label on the cover...

3 days? WTF?!?

When I finally open the book and benefit from its contents, I have actually waited 4 years + 3 days. Is this a way of having a last laugh on us after making us wait for so long? What the hell? Will the pages disintegrate when the book is taken out of its plastic cover within 3 days? Maybe they are hiding some subversive material printed on the book and it will take 3 days for that content to disappear. It sounds crazy, but I don't want to take any chances. My damn imagination is getting the better of me again...

It was an experiment after all...

Remember that Honesty Store I mentioned in the past? My question was answered. It doesn't work after all. After one month of operations, the store lost nearly 20% of its expected earnings. That's Php12K+! Now the store is forced to close in a few weeks.

Here's something new in school...

Situated in a corner on the ground floor of the MVP is a curious cabinet called the Honesty Store. The name alone should give away its purpose for existence. The cabinet is filled with all sorts of snacks labeled with corresponding prices and there is also a small tin box where you place your payment. Whoever owns the Honesty Store trusts that its customers will pay the exact amount, will not steal any inventory and especially will not take the cash box (I think the box is not even chained to the cabinet). Its purpose is to cultivate and instill the said value on the customers. But I wonder if it actually works?











I must say the store is quite popular to the students. Some of them get a kick out of the fact that there is no salesperson guarding the store. So far there are no known incidents occurring yet... and for good reasons. The store is located on one of the most populated and high-traffic areas of the University. If you have any evil intentions on the defenseless store, you'll certainly consider theft a suicide because you have this many people who can testify against you.

(The picture may show only a few people but when I was there, there were really a lot more than that)

If you really have an evil bone in your body or a kleptomania disorder, the Honesty store seems more and more of a trap, don't you think? =P

Aphrodisiac Anonymous: Is Love Selfish?

Probably the most difficult question to answer is, "Why do you like her?" or "Why are you so attracted to him?" And at least once in our lifetime we encounter that question with no immediate and clear answer.

If you notice a lot, if not all, of our answers have to do with something that benefits us. We often say, "I like him because he's popular", "I like her because she's drop dead gorgeous." No matter how emotional or non-materialistic our answers might be, it always seem to point back to ourselves and our preferences. "I want to be with her because she makes me feel complete", "I don't want to see him getting hurt."

We can't deny that a lot of us have ideals and "templates" of the perfect person we want to be with. Humans often fail to realize that we fall into the trap of being fixated on that ideal. When a person does not fit our template, that unfortunate individual is immediately scrapped like garbage. People fail to see the true identity or "spirit" of a person. What I'm saying is summed up, in a shallow way, in the maxim, "Do not judge a book by its cover" Some like popular people thinking that the fame will rub off on them. Some like people with good looks simply because they don't want their eyes to burn. These examples of shallow, inauthentic love is easy to understand. But what about the not-so-shallow ones?

There are those relationships that were born out of authentic emotions and serious deliberations. But can we say that the reasons behind those commitments are ultimately selfish even if the two people are not aware of it? "I committed myself to her because my heart yearns for her." "I want to be with him because he makes me feel complete." Aren't these typical answers simply tell us that people only love to satisfy the emotional emptiness that they feel? Again, there is this element of going back to the self. Even the heroic phrase, "I will die for you because you are special to me," is nothing more than an acknowledgement of a personal preference, right?

If love means offering yourself to another, is there a way to do it that does not involve you benefiting from it (or at least going back to you)? Is it possible to love with no selfish reason? Is it possible to love with no reason at all?

Probably it's time to recognize the true spirit of another. The only love that I can think of with no selfish reason is to simply love an individual for who he/she really is.

Soul of a City

Last Sunday, I went to Manila with my family to buy some textiles in Divisoria. It's not everyday I get the chance to visit that city. Even if you say I live in Metro Manila, I still don't get to go to the actual city often. In fact, Quezon City is pretty far from the capital. The travel time from Diliman to Divisoria can take from an hour and a half to two hours. And that is if you travel on a Sunday when traffic is relatively light. On any other ordinary day, you would be better off walking on the hot dusty streets than riding a vehicle. The streets are so narrow and congested that the traffic is worse than a New York gridlock.





























When we left Quezon City, we traveled on a four-lane highway known as Quezon Avenue. When the streets were reduced to three lanes and then two, I knew I was in Manila already. I always wondered what makes this city different from the rest of the big metropolis all over the world. What is it that Tokyo, London and New York have that Manila doesn't? Is it a subway system? Wider avenues? Sidewalks? All of these are valid guesses but probably the most immediate answer is that Manila has too many neglected buildings.

You may notice that as the economic superpowers across the globe changed the architectural standards of buildings to glass and steel, many of the structures in Manila are still made of concrete. They looked like forgotten ruins of the war after the Americans bombed it in an attempt to reclaim the city. It was as if everyone just forgot to clean up afterwards. Those structures are continuously being consumed by the corrosive air pollution. They are not a hundred percent habitable anymore and most of them are probably even classified as "Fire Hazard Structures". Buildings with shattered windows and stained concrete experience a slow and painful death as their usefulness slowly dwindle away.

Buildings, towers and skyscrapers are one of the defining elements of a great city. Not only do they make the skyline look great but their very function of sheltering residents and organizing businesses is a significant force that pushes the community to progress. Without good structures, organizations would easily collapse like... well.. the poorly engineered building they stayed in the first place. I'm tempted to say that these three dimensional products architecture and engineering born out of a two dimensional blueprint make up the very soul of a metropolis. If the buildings on this side of the city are not cleaned up soon, Manila will eventually die along with them.

Aphrodisiacs Anonymous: Introduction

It's the topic not everyone is willing to talk about openly. It's difficult to put it into words since it's the heart that rules the body and not the mind. Many have fallen in but few were able to get out. Yes, it's the ambivalent "L" word that is creating lives as well as destroying them.

Many, if not all, would rather talk about love vaguely and metapohorically rather than literally and up close. The reason being is that love is considered as something transcendental. It is even beyond emotions that simple words, rules and logic cannot fully comprehend this unique, yet strange, human characteristic. This is why love is expressed through poems and songs. If one tries to discover the true essence of love, he would probably not find any concrete conclusion or would go insane trying. After all, it's all about emotions, so why get the brain involved? Others would see love as a very personal affair. They would refuse to engage with the lives of others for the fear of being labeled as a meddler. This is why many would rather sit back and let it be - let love take over the mind and see what would happen next.

However, I refuse to be complacent to love because it is more than a feeling of emotional intoxication. I admit that love is transcendental but the problems that go along with it are not. There are more things that happen beyond that first kiss and beyond that engagement ring. Love doesn't always translate to a happy ending. If you believe that, you might as well live in a fairytale. Some hapless souls only see its addictive part making them vulnerable and unprepared to face its harsh reality. I want to ask questions about the various problems of love and relationships. I want to ask what brings two people together and what separates them. I am not trying to prove a point nor am I trying to reach a compromise. I'm not even assuming I'm correct with the tings I say here. I've had my share of bad relationships but I could still be wrong. But as I enumerate and criticize them, I hope to draw out some useful insights that may help people make the proper choices in dealing with these relationship problems. Relying solely on emotions can lead to your own demise. You need to ask and think once in a while.

*I don't intend Aphrodisiacs Anonymous to be a static post, so constructive replies from readers that will make the topic more meaningful are greatly appreciated*