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Showing posts from 2014

Things a Matandang Dalaga Should Have

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Don't let your years go to waste. Whether you are single by choice or by circumstance, you need to make something of your life, you need to achieve something, be something and fulfill some of the dreams you have set out for yourself. Below are the things you should ALREADY HAVE when you reach 30. A Cause to Support Some will argue that they are already helping their relatives, maybe putting a niece or sister to school or helping in relative's hospitalization or whatever, and that is no less great but you should also think about other people who may not have relatives like you, not even in the 5th degree. You should also think about things that may not necessarily be a matter of life or death but is impotant to you like the arts or research to get cure for some very rare disease. 10 Things You should Never Do for a Man. Click here.  I am putting a child to school through World Vision. It's not much because I don't have enough but I have a soft spot for childre

She Takes Pride in Making Men Cry

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She said she never had a boyfriend. She's almost 30. She said it's by choice. She said she's dated men but nothing serious. She said there has never been anyone that has made her fall in love... but many have fallen in love with her. She said she's makes men cry and it's she feels empowered because so many men make women cry. I don't understand why at 30, she still doesn't know that hurting anyone isn't something you should be proud off. I don't wish her the pain but I hope she will soon realize that nobody deserves to feel pain and nobody has the right to inflict it. Do you know what hurts the most when you are cheated on? Click here. I know because I've been hurt and let me tell you, it made me feel like a piece of sh!t. It hurts being abandoned and rejected. It hurts knowing that the person you love didn't just not love you back but hurt you.

Minimum Tolerance

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When you reach your 30s, make something of yourself, achieve some sort of independence and remain single, you really start to develop a higher level of impatience. You start looking back at the choices you made in your 20s and you could actually shudder at how stupid you were. I know I do. I don't know how I lasted more than five years in a relationship with a guy who had no dreams. I constantly had to drive him to think about his future. I literally made his resume and looked for a job for him. I had to tell him to save (he didn't) and help his family in some way. I don't know how stayed friends with a pathological liar, leach from a swamp, backstabber and hypocrite. I don't know why I lasted more than six months with a boss who constantly took credit for my work. I don't know how I lasted a year with a guy who wouldn't call for weeks and constantly compared me to his ex. Do you like "bad boys"?  and do you even know why? It may be b

Stop Explaining. Stop Convincing Other People

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They won't understand why you are still single. Especially those who already found someone they want to spend the rest of their life with. After all, we are all social species. We are not designed to be alone. Even the most introverted person, still longs for companionship at times. If I had a nickel for every time I get asked why I am still single... There was a time I tried to explain why. There was a time when held back the truth and just told them what I could bear for them to know. I told them I wanted to first finish my first movie. When that was over, I told them I wanted to finish my first novel. After all, how could I tell them I was in a relationship with a man I didn't love and see no future with and was just keeping him because I was scared to find no one else. There was a time when I twisted the truth. I told them he cheated or that I was planning on moving to the U.S. and he didn't want to. After all, how could I tell them my boyfriend cancelle

My Crazy Family

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Of all the people I know, I don't know anyone with a family as weird as mine. Some families have one or a couple crazy family members who have been to jail or has 4 wives or has many tattoos but I have never seen a family that has almost all kinds of characters. Click here and read about my cousin who decided to reconcile with her husband who didn't tell her he was already married before he married her. I have mentioned how weird my family members are but I don't think I have really enumerated the characters in my clan. Let's see: more than 10 people in my family have been addicted to drugs and those aren't just in my generation, that also includes one or two of my uncles at least two are child abusers one male cousin refused to be with a woman that is single a drug pusher (nope not a drug lord, just your regular small time neighborhood friendly drug pusher) several murderers

10 Questions of a Matandang Dalaga

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No matter how badass and cool I try to be about being a matandang dalaga, there are still those d@mn moments when things creep on me. This thousands of years of tradition that dictates a woman should be married and bear a child could still pound strong enough to break the walls I've have worked so hard my entire life to build. It's not easy to admit either. After all, I have pride. Doubts and questions still get into my head. I try to push them away as hard as I could. It doesn't help me to dwell on them but I realize that denial is never a solution to anything. I am obviously scared of these questions or the possible answers to them. I know because I have come to realize that I tend to ignore things I am scared of and I don't like being scared. As Nerd Stark said, it is only when you scared can you be brave. If I am crazy enough to have these thoughts, I might as well be crazy enough to say it loud. Maybe dwelling with these questions a bit longer will Time to

Making the Most Out of What You Have

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We went 1500 feet but it was a good work out and it also made me realize just how out of shape I am. Need to do something about that. One of the things I've learned to do whenever I hike is to appreciate the beauty of what surrounds me. Nature is beautiful especially in its purest form. There is something about the abundance of green that can magically transform you into a new dimension of you. It's just incredibly peaceful and really the closest thing you will ever get to heaven on Earth. What I noticed, however, is just how more beautiful the mountains in the Philippines is than the mountain in the U.S. It's the same thing with beaches, U.S. doesn't even come close. The reason I have come to love hiking is the beauty that Philippine mountains reward me with beauty I never thought is possible on Earth. Nature has just a different way of creating beauty, man can never measure up to it. A single sweep of nature's airbrush and it produces roses of different colors

10 Responses to "Why Aren't You Married Yet?" I wish I Could Say

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I would love to just have the chance to put some people in their place and make them realize that my civil status is really none of their business. It's just that I am supposed to know better and responding how I really want to respond would only make me go down to their level, sound defensive or a plain old b!tch. Oh well... 1. Because I figured it is better than being married to a womanizing minimum-wage earner guy like your husband. 2. Because I am smart enough to know that I have this habit of bearing with stupid men. Now you know why I'm still talking with you. 3. I don't want to end up like your wife. 10 Things You Should Never Do For A Man. Click here. 4. Why haven't you graduated from college yet? 5. Why do you keep on borrowing money from me?

Maturity Sucks, Big Time!

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I miss the days when I take things simply because I wanted it. It didn't matter who it belonged to. I just took it because having it would make me happy. I miss the days when I ask for things and it didn't really occur to me that people will have to go out of their way to get it for me. Maybe they had to stand up from a well-deserved rest after 8 hours of bearing with me in the mall. They just had to get off their @ss to get it for me. I miss the days when I could sit or play all day and just know that someone will bring me food or if someone doesn't, I will simply cry and someone will. I miss the days when all I had to do is go to school and know that someone will pay for me and give me money so "I" could learn something. I miss the days when all I cared about was my happiness, my time, my stuff, my sh!t. The one scary thing about maturity is the obligation to live what you know. Ignorance is bliss. Not knowing how to act and feel the right way shield

The Inner Demi Moore

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If I had gotten pregnant at 15, I will already have a daughter or son that's old enough to get married. Of course I didn't. Otherwise, I'd be naming my blog matandangina.com However, I don't really go around my life thinking "I'm 34, I'm 34, I'm 34" with every step that I make. In fact, I often forget I am old enough to be a grandmother... damn it, I am a grandmother... but you get the point. So... there are times when I see a guy in his mid 20s and find him attractive. I check him out and I continue to do so before something happens that forces me to realize that I am 10 damn years older than he is like not being asked for an ID when I buy wine or beer or feeling some back pain I used to hear from my grand mother, may she rest peace. Letter to my future son.  Last week, a friend who is 23 at best called me 'baby'. I didn't pay attention to it the same way I didn't pay attention to his passes since I met him. He is very,

It's Final, They are Separated... or Not

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He left her on Christmas Day, when he knew everyone would gather in the eldest auntie's huge house to share the midnight meals together.  He didn't even tell my cousin he was leaving her, he just did.  Imma let you catch up on this story.  She met him in college and "married" him without knowing he was already married and had a kid. So, there wasn't actually marriage but she still insisted on changing her name to his and event tried to get National Statistics Office marriage certificate as if, by some sheer chance, the government depart in charged of keeping the social status of a person will somehow miss the name of her husband the woman he actually married.  She went on to use the guy's name in every official document she has.  Time passed and we noticed the guy is lazy. Not, in that 'I don't want to throw the thrash' lazy but just plain 'ol lazy. The only job he can every do is teaching people how to buff up their muscle

10 Signs You are Desperate for Men

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There are some who don't mind admitting they don't want to be matandang dalaga, those that are embarrassed to admit they failed to find the one man they will spend the rest of their lives with, those who don't mind being matandang dalaga and those who don't realize that they are desperately wanting to get married but is in total denial. This post is for the last one and this is meant to pull you out of your cocoon and recognize that you are indeed desperate for a man. Then you can decide what you want to do. #1 - Wherever you go, you consider the chances of meeting a guy. You get invited to a party and you consider what kind of people are most likely going to be there. You lose interest when you realize that they will all most likely going to be married to your friends, gay or still underage. You start wondering why your friends aren't inviting other single men when in fact, you know very well that they are all just your age and, not that it needs to be

Gardens, Galleries and Solitude

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We all need it to get to that point  when we still know and  like ourselves even  when we are alone.  Click for 10 tips on how to be a happy matandang dalaga. Photos taken at the Hungtington Museum with Iphone 4S.  Huntington Museum is located in San Marino, California. 

Letter to My Future Son

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Dear Son, I don't know when you will read this letter. In fact, I am not even sure when I will have you. All I know is that I want to have you with absolute certainty. I don't know 'how' I will have you but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who gives birth to you, how you look like and what you're going to be. It doesn't matter to me. I will love you for all that you are and all that you are not. I hope that I will have you early enough so that I can see grow up and live your full life before I die and have the energy and strength to enjoy every moment of it. I want to see you fall in love for the first time, graduate, get a job for the first time, get married and have babies. Sometimes I wish I had you early. If I had you in my mid 20s, you will be old enough to become my travel buddy now. I will take you hiking, swimming and running. We will go to museums together and appreciate art together. We will do movie marathons together and study t

Realistic vs Idealistic

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It starts with those darn fairytales and movies, I guess. The prince that is set to rule a kingdom, tall, handsome and falls in love with the girl at first sight. One sight, that's all it takes for the prince to move hell and high water to be with you. As you transition from fairytale to teeny bopper movies, the kingdom disappears and it is replaced by the guy next door who got it all good, a good son, rich, good looking and desired by many women but he only desires you. As the Sweet Valley High is replaced by Hollywood, you start realizing that the boy next door can't be true. That the bad boy may actually be more... and hotter too. You want someone that has played the field, passionate but misunderstood and has gotten into one too many troubles but straightens his path for you. He turns everything around and get things together so he can deserve you. He walks the straight path but isn't afraid to turn all bad if it is for you. Then you realize that bad boy doesn

Matandang Dalaga on Marriage

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The Well-Meaning Hypocricy of Facebook Tagging

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The Ice Bucket Challenge was meant to raise awareness AND FUNDS for the research of disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease where the brain loses the ability to control muscles in the body. There is no known cure. Let us hope the the Ice Bucket Challenge contributed to the changing of that. When the Ice Bucket Challenge started slowing down on Facebook, new challenges came in. I got an average of 5 tags everyday asking me to do different things, from posting my top 10 favorite movie villains to bible verses. Abundance of Supply There is nothing wrong with the theme "challenge". It's not like it's harming people to post bible verses or posting things you are thankful for but everyone trying to start their own trends muddled up the whole spirit of tagging. When there is too much of something, the value depreciates. It also irritates the holy hell out of the people who are forced to deal with this everyday.

Maybe It is Us Who Got it Wrong

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My sister and I have never been close. When we were kids, we fought so often and it wasn't new for it to become physical. I have always thought she envies me. Not that I am smart (I have always bee open about my stupidity in this blog) but I am pretty sure I am smarter than she is, at least academically. I got into a better school, got better grades and got a better career, at least financially.  I often squirm at her life. She is drowning in debt, her husband cheated on her, she was physically abused and physically out of shape.  Decades of working and she has nothing to show for it. She has two kids and my mother fully support her eldest.  Lessons from Clooney. Click here.  She can't put her youngest through college and she is contented to live in a house that is actually owned by our father. She goes to work everyday only to have enough money to pay her debt. The only time she gets to travel is when someone else is paying for her. She doesn't Cook fo

10 Common Problems of Being a Matandang Dalaga

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Shit happens and shitty moments will continue to hound you whether you are single or not. It's just that being a matandang dalaga has a special set of irritatingly unique problems that not many will understand. Click here and read about the 10 Things You Must Do When you are a Matandang Dalaga. Below are 10 of those problems. Some are serious and some are just downright embarrassing. #1 Metabolism It swear it shifts gear the minute you turn 30. It’s like, it suddenly realizes it has been running for 30 years and it just wants to stop and it absolutely gives no fine eff about you. Suddenly, the pizza you used to chum like a starving Ninja turtle is starting to turn into fats that suddenly found a home in your belly.

Why Do We Want to Have Kids?

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My love for kids is a recent development, relatively recent. I never had the natural appeal that other people have that makes children gravitate towards them. I love kids. I like their innocence and their purity. However, I have to “work” to gain their trust. I have fairly been successful but there are still some kids that I just can’t seem to be friends with. That’s fine though. Even if they don’t like me, I am content to watch them from afar. Click here and read about how many times I get asked when I am getting married.  I have been specifically surrounded by children nowadays. After all, this is the age when friends my age have children that are starting to grow up. I would like to have one or two someday. I take that back. I WILL have one or two someday. Whether it is biological or otherwise is still up in the air. However, it does make me wonder where this desire is coming from. I’ve always known I want to have a kid. I just never quite figure out why. I do have

It’s About Being Human not About Being a Woman

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When you get to this age and still be single with no prospect in sight, it is but natural to lean towards being a feminist and devote your time and effort becoming a fulfilled woman. It’s great. After all, if only for the sheer act of respecting the history of women, women should continuously make an effort to live a life that leaves lasting impact. What you shouldn’t do, however, is to continuously try and prove yourself to be a woman of quality or worthy of adulations to anyone but yourself. There is one more thing. Stop being a feminist and start being a humanist. It’s not about being a fulfilled woman but a fulfilled human. The only time you know there is equality is when people don’t pay attention to the difference anymore and see people as people, not through their sex organs. If you’re still single and way in your 30s with no prospect in sight , it’s about being unattractive to men, it’s about having all the time in your hand, with nothing to distract you, so you c

10 Things You Should Never Do For A Man

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At 34, it is but expected for you to know yourself a bit more. There are some people who know who they are early on but I am not one of them. I am still a work in progress and sometimes, just as when I think I am getting to know myself, I change. It's exhausting. I have decided to just let myself surprise me BUT there are things I also know about myself by now and there are 10 things I know by now. I wish I knew it sooner... well, maybe I did but chose to not put it in practice because it would have spoiled the "youthful happiness". I should have realized that I should stuck to it. What's done is done, right? I know better, I can do better. I suggest you do to. My next relationship checklist. Click here. 1. Never Give Up Your Dreams Fulfillment of or failure to reach a dream is what makes us complete. It is the the journey that we take that allows us to know who we are, who we can be and where we want to be when we finally become the person we envision t

Advice I Would Have Given The Highschool Me

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Those people who says they wouldn't change a thing in their past, I am not like them. There's like tons of I would rather not have done or have done. Yeah, I do believe that everything I am now is a product of the decisions I've made in the past but I have to admit that I screwed up some people in the past big time. I hurt some people that I love and treated other people in a way they absolutely don't deserve. I held back when I should have given more and I stayed when I should have left. Yes, everything I am now is a product of the decisions I've made but I sure would have saved so many people some pain and trouble had I known better. I also would have made things easier for me or would have avoided passing up on some dreams had I known better. If only I could have met the younger me, here are the things I'll advise her to do. Sometimes, pain is inevitable. It's just a matter of hurting now or hurting later. Choose 'now'. You will ge

Alcatraz and Unrequited Love

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Alcatraz, before it became a popular tourist spot, was a maximum security prison. They call it the prison of prisoners. When prisoners in other prisons commit crimes while inside the prison may be sent here. Rumors has it that prisoners in Alcatraz were used for questionable medical experiments. Others talk about guards torturing prisoners. There are also talks about inhumane conditions. Those are the supposed reasons prisoners are trying to escape and the Great Escape of 1946, where 25 prison guards got hurt, happened. None of those are true. In fact, the prison cells are better than my childhood home (I didn't have my own room growing up). They got enough food that's approved by a nutritionist. They get proper medical attention and educational privileges. However, It is true that Alcatraz is the the most cruel prison the US because of the location. It is located one mile away from the shore of San Francisco. From almost any point of the prison, the prisoners can see S

Fucked Up Thought for the Day

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“Admit it, You Wish You are Married.”

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That was delivered with unbelievable amount of certainty and undeniable intention to insult my status and age. The message was clear – don’t be a hypocrite, you want to get married and you’re not and you’re not happy because you don’t have that one thing that will complete you. I used to lie a lot but I already made a promise that I will avoid doing it as much as I can. So no, I won’t lie and I certainly won’t be a hypocrite. Sure, I wish I am married. All my cousins are married and they all have children. I look at their children sometimes and am amazed at how they were able to raise such beautiful children considering how fucked up we all are. I am not kidding. My nieces and nephews all look beautiful and most of the time, they are beautiful inside too. Some of them are probably breaking hearts already. I hear their stories about their marital problems and the clarity that comes once they solve it. I look at their photos with their family and the pride of my uncles

Lessons from Clooney

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The guy finally got married. Never thought that would happen. With all the beautiful women he passed on, George Cooney seemed content at dating the hottest women with potential Hollywood stardom in town but far from settling down. No one faulted him for it. After all, he is a hot guy who is successful in everything he does… and he knows how to take advantage of everything he has. Women preferred him being single. As long as he was available, every woman has a chance, no matter how remotely. He also expressed his contentment about being single, claiming he was happy in the relationships he keeps, those with his childhood friends and family. He didn’t say he was shutting down any possibility of marriage but he also said it wasn’t a “must” for him, not even a dream. He was happy to be single and the world was too. Then he married Amal Alamuddin, a British-Lebanese author and lawyer. The world was shocked but also in awe of the fact that the epitome of bachelor hotness didn’

10 Tips on How to be a Happy Matandang Dalaga

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It's 1:45 am, Saturday. The only noise I hear is the humming of my old laptop. It's 4 years old. I bought if for Php25,000 after I resigned from my advertising agency job. It has earned me hundreds of thousands. I don't want it to conk out just yet but I also won't take it against it if it does. After all, I think I've pretty much gotten my money back... and then some. It has been with me in the most important turning points in my life - when I quit my high paying advertising job to pursue writing full time and when I decided to leave the Philippines and move here in the U.S. This laptop knows my thoughts, the struggles I went through before I finally made this life altering decisions. No, this is not a post about my laptop. I'm just amazed at how such a seemingly insignificant thing can become so much a part of us. One of the things that I wrote about often is happiness. I think it really is the point of all these. At the end of the day, we do the t

Approaching My 1st Year in The U.S.

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I am approaching my first year in the US. As usual, muni muni ng mga naganap sa isang taon. Ano na ng aba? Parang ang bilis. I remember not being sure why I am moving to the US. I just decided to leave. When I went here and people started asking me why I left my relatively successful career in screenwriting and advertising, I told them I don’t know and I wasn’t lying. For months, I never attempted to answer the question. I just went with the flow. I never really planned on answering it. I wanted things to just happen. However, 365 days of being away from home has a way of forcing you back into a corner. It forces you in a place where you have no choice but to see everything for all that it is. Being in the middle of my 30s, alone and in a country that isn’t my own forces me to realize that maybe I always knew why I left. I was turning 34 then. The only other single cousin I had got married. I just found out my ex-boyfriend got married and my first boyfriend had a

10 Good Things About Being a Matandang Dalaga

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God gave me a great gift, the natural ability deal with the now and not dwell on the past or future. Maybe it is survival instincts. Maybe it is a defensive mechanism. Whatever it is, it is helping me survive the incredible loneliness that comes with being away from my family. For the most part, I get to coast through everyday pretty painlessly. Facebook helps. I get to talk with my family almost everyday and still get updated with their life even when they don't tell me every little detail. One of the things I need to learn, though, is really try and appreciate the advantages of being a matandang dalaga because I really have no choice. It's not like someone else can be miserable for me. It's not bad, when you think about it. Click here to read 10 things worse than a heartbreak. 1. You Get to Define Who You Are You are given the perfect excuse and perfect platform to know what really makes you happy without being dependent on someone else. You find the nitty g

"Ingat Ka Sa Mga Pilipino"

I haven't written in a while. It's not because of the lack of something to say. In fact, it's the opposite. Too many things are happening that I could have written here three times a day and still wouldn't be able to get get it all out. It has been a balance of good and bad but it was never short of lessons. However, most of the bad comes with with good and I've learned that it is always better to shut up when the things I want to say could damage other people's reputation and also mine. After all, it will be my words and my point of view. Most of the time, what people say about other people is the reflection of the character of the person talking not the person being talked about. So, I shut up. However, I am finally in that stage when I am able to practice some self restraint. I am also able to use my brain enough for me to know the consequences of what I will say. One thing I want to get out is my experience with my first job. Coming h

"Your Resume is a Joke" - Filipina to Me

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After almost two decades working for the creative industry, there are certain quirks that have become a part of me. Humor, for one, is a welcome thing in advertising agencies. It's both a defensive mechanism and a necessary first aid kit. When all hope is lost, when you realize you are surrounded by idiots who don't realize that they are idiots, when unreasonable demands are insisted, you have three options, kill someone, kill yourself or find the funny. Artistry and self expression is another. This is one industry where individuality is encouraged. After all, it is supposedly a creative industry. It's all about getting all the advantages you can. When all else are equal, what makes you unique? It worked for me until I moved here. When I applied for a job and was asked to send in a resume, I sent a creative one. I figured that with the low employment rate, I needed to get noticed and rise above the clutter. I got called for an interview the same day I submi

When Quitting May Not Be a Bad Thing

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I have a lot of bad habits but quitting is not one of them. I am not sure if it's something my parents taught me or something innate but I know that when I start something, I finish it. The end product may end up bad but I won't quit until it's done. That's probably how I ended up staying with my first boyfriend for almost 7 years . I just wanted to see it through, make sure every stone is turned and every option taken. Now, I know I should have quit the first time I realized and felt he wasn't the kind of guy I could spend the rest of my life with. I should have moved on because now I know there were lots of opportunities I let go, people I could have dated and things I could have done. However, I know that now only because I knew how it ended. That's what's bugging me now. When do you know when it's time to quit?

Stupid, By Any Other Name Is Still Stupid

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Would you ever fall in love with someone who is stupid? Love, I have always believed, is something that grows. Love at first sight is actually just attraction. How you nurture that attraction will decide whether it will lead to love or not. Conversation is a huge part of that process. Even if two people are more inclined to do more physical activities like play sport, hike, bike, do extreme sports, or whatever, you still need to talk while, before and after doing those things, right? If you get someone who has nothing to say or say stupid things, how do you keep on spending time together? I am not after someone articulate. You can be articulate and still have nothing substantial to say. I am talking about actual substance in their brain cells. Click here to read "Is he worth the mistake? " Would you ever fall in love with someone who is intellectually way inferior than you are?

Things Worse Than a Heartbreak

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Heartbreaks suck especially if you are the one that got left behind. The thought of not having the bragging rights in the future that it was you who dumped your ex is scary but no matter how bad it may seem, there are things worse than a heartbreak. If people will only learn how to remember these things when they want to kill themselves after a breakup, this world will be a better place. #1. Dieting I have been on a diet since I arrived. It has been four months and I still look like a cupcake. My waistline is still nowhere to be found and the sides of my tummy still look like the silhouette of a cupcake when I wear jeans. Prior to that four months, I went on a fruit diet back home. I did it for one year and I still didn't lose weight. That is 16 months of dieting in total. Six freakin' teen months. I was over my last boyfriend after three months. The f! Click here for  "The Marketing of Religion".

How Important is Flirting?

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I learned how to ride the bike when I was in high school but I never really got to practice it. I can pretty much pedal but I have a long way to go to become an expert biker, the kind that would give me the right to join some of those biking groups that go to different places on weekends. I’ll get there, I know but it will take some time.  Right now, I practice every weekend. I try, as much as possible, to cycle for at least an hour on weekends. I can finally bike with one hand and I can also stand while pedalling. I still have control issues but I am happy to report that, at least, I can do it. I just need practice. Now, that has nothing to do with the main point of this entry. I said that because while I was biking last Saturday, I saw a woman walking and she had the sexiest walk in the history of civilization. If I was a guy, I’d pull over and ask for her number.   That brought me back to my college days. I had a friend named Pluto (not his real name) who told me that

There he is, the Kind of Pope WE ALL Need

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It doesn’t matter what your religion is, WE ALL need this Pope.  I came across an article that enumerated several declarations and actions that the Pope made in his still young run as the “infallible one”. I admire how he made a stance for the homosexuals. He didn’t categorically say that homosexuality is not a sin but he didn’t say it is either. He only stated what may be the ‘Godliest’ thing we can ever do towards those who seem different and that is to not judge. Our interpretations of God’s words, regardless of what scripture we refer to, are actually just that, interpretations. Anyone who claims to fully understand His words is arrogant and ultimately stupid. We will never have the certainty because our understand, comprehension and purity will never measure up to Gods’. And that’s why we should refer to love and hope and faith… not judgement.  Click here to read " Fortune Tellers, Faith, Destiny and Control."

10 Not-So Secrets of America

Three months. I have been here three months. It has been fun except on days when I miss my family and friends... and fish balls... and pirated DVDs. It has also been enlightening. This is the first time I actually get to "live like a local" and along with it are some discoveries about the American culture. #1 They don’t iron their clothes My mother irons everything ESPECIALLY underwear. It touches our most sensitive part, she wants to make sure those germs die before we put it on. She would puke at the barbaric habit of Americans wearing unironed clothes. Nope, that won’t fly with my Mom. #2 They need to be careful with their adverb of manner & adjectives I was in a car with my friends and they all started complaining about the horrible traffic in 101. We were moving, 10 miles per hour and they call it “horrible traffic.” I wanted to scream, ‘101 got nothing on EDSA boy!’ Click here to read about “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and shit like...”