#L.O.L

      (Laughing Out Loud)

   Ngiti... 

   Tawa... 

   Hagikhik... 

   Bungisngis... 

   Hagalpak...

   Mga gawaing pinapangarap nating ma-experience kahit man lang minsan sa'ting buhay. Ang sarap kayang tumawa, di ba? Pakiramdam mo, malayo ka sa mundo kung saan ka nag-e-exist. Yung feeling na you're almost touching the clouds and you're wandering all over the azure boundless sky. The feeling is ecstatic kumbaga. 

                                       

   Oo, masarap tumawa na para bang wala ng makakapigil pa sa'yo. Ni wala nga tayong pakialam kahit pa magmukha na tayong baliw sa paningin ng iba, dahil sa ating walang-kamatayang pagtawa. Ang mahalaga ay 'yung sense of joviality prevailing within our system. Wag lang naman sana umabot sa point na malalagutan ka na ng hininga dahil sa kakatawa. Pero aminin mo, gusto mo na kung sakali mang lilisan ka sa mundong ito, masaya't nakangiti ka sa huling sandali ng iyong buhay, di ba? Ganundin ako pati na 'yung mga taong nasa paligid mo. 

                                           

   Pero, beyond all of these is the fact that genuine happiness is not that easy to achieve. Di ito gaya ng mga panindang junk foods at Beefies hotdog na nabibili ng piso-piso o natitingi. Di rin naman ito nabibili ng wholesale sa Divisoria. Kahit pa nga makipag-barter ka ng mamahaling porselana, walang makikipagkalakal sa'yo nito. Kasi, marami ang handang gumawa ng kahit anong paraan na naiisip nila para lang matikman ang ligayang hinahanap-hanap ng kanilang damdaming pukaw ng kalungkutan. It's priceless. To earn happiness, we have to work for it. Besides, nakasalalay ang lahat ng possibilities sa ating sarili. Some are happy because they choose to be happy. The choices are on our hands. E, ikaw? Ano bang choice mo? 

   Masarap maging masaya lalo na kung may ginagawa kang hakbang para sumaya ka. Pero kung wala ka namang ginagawa, pa'no ka kaya sasaya, di ba? Para kang naghihintay ng pagputi ng uwak at pag-itim ng tagak.      

   You know what, sa isang simpleng ngiti, makaka-attract na tayo ng good vibes at positive things. Sabi nga ni Mother Theresa of Calcutta, "Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other---it doesn't matter who it is---and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other." Biruin mo, di lang pala simple ang naidudulot ng isang payak na ngiti. Smile has the power to caress hearts and souls of those mournfuls. Nakatulong ka na, lumago pa ang iyong kaganapan bilang isang indibidwal. Sa tanong na kung pa'no ka sasaya, wala akong masasagot diyan. It depends on our own approaches, e. Pero may ilan akong alam na mga paraan para maging worth-engaging ang bawat araw. From there, malamang masusumpungan mo rin si happiness.

                                     

1. Always start and end your day with a smile. Sabi nga sa isang statement shirt ng Coca-Cola: "A smile a day keeps the badtrip away."

2. Indulge. Try to engage on activities na sa tingin mo ay malilibang ka. Shopping, writing, reading, watching films, or cooking will do.

3. Do things that you never experience to try. In this case, we have to undergo on a trial and error method. The outcome might bring fulfillment or frustration, but we have to be ready on such resulting consequences. If you never experienced mountaineering, then do it. Besides, there's no harm on trying.

4. Involve yourself in "life-saving" organizations. Life-saving in the sense na 'yung org na sasalihan mo ay worth-engaging. Life is too short to waste opportunities and time. Bakit di mo subukang sumali sa mga samahang tumutulong sa mga out-of-school youths o kaya ay sa mga campus-based organizations concerning göod works. Kaysa naman sa tumambay o magmukmok tayo sa isang tabi.

5. Give value to those persons around you. With that, pahahalagahan ka rin nila which might effectuate good relationship between the members of the group. Good relationship leads to happiness.

6. Affirm one's identity. Napapansin ko kasi na may ilang napu-frustrate dahil sa mga kahinaang tinataglay nila. Alam niyo, hindi sasaya 'yung mga taong walang kakuntentuhan kasi they will try to do worst things just to best their opponents or colleagues. Sabi nga ng pilosopong si Lao-Tzu: "When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."

7. Watch or read inspirational films or books bombarded with lesson. By simply doing this, we will be able to change our perspective about life. We'll have at least the guts to conquer our fears. There, we could attain the happiness we are yearning for. 

8. Communicate with God. Gusto mo ng happiness di ba? Pwes, makipag-ugnayan tayo kay God. He's the only one who can bestow us the authentic and eternal happiness. Let us pray thoroughly, then our wants and needs will be granted.

   Sabi nga sa isang kantang pambata na kinakanta ko nung kinder pa ako, "kung ikaw ay masaya, tumawa ka. Haha. Kung ikaw ay masaya, tumawa ka. Haha. Kung ikaw ay masaya, buhay mo ay sisigla. Kung ikaw ay masaya, tumawa ka. Haha." Kitams? Kaya naman wag nating ibaon ang ating sarili sa sentimentality. Minsan din tayong nagpakalugmok sa kalungkutan. I think, it's time for us to come out from our shells and shout "hahaha."  

   Laugh as if this day would be our last. Laugh as if everything won't stop...as if we don't care 'bout disturbances for we just want to laugh. :D 

#L.O.L

          Blitzkrieg*

The man who has no problems is out of the game.

               -Elbert Hubbard

   It is a formidable foe. When it takes an action, everything might be held back.
   A blitzkrieg. That is how I denominate the human problem. Even we invert the globe, it still exists. We can't reach the extreme end without enduring such problems. Thus, these make our lives tougher and more sophisticated. However, the intricacy of a problem depends largely to those who deal with it. One wrong move is equals to worst outcome. One sane move yields hope and chances to go steady. So, the ball is on our hands.
   Problems are just there beside us, waiting for the right time to deter our system. These possess the power of turning our cognition, emotion and behavior into chaos. As blitzkriegs, problems are silent killers. We don't even know the precise time of when we will be attacked by their battalion. They don't have swords nor spears, but they can kill. The worst thing is, what if we are not prepared at the moment of their coming? Probably, it would be a tragedy!
   Problems are definitely impediments. These are like silver chains rounded to our neck which can cause difficulty in our breathing. Then, unfavorable circumstances will come next. In fact, we can't eat and sleep well if we are experiencing a great trouble. These thoughts might be so exaggerated but possible to subsist when problems are almost there knocking at the door of our houses. Also, when we allow these problems ruin our positive outlook towards life.
         
   Always remember that everything happens for a reason. We realize such troubles in our lives as instruments of honing our character. No one can even negate that all of those successful men of today had undergone obstacles. After all, they are now prominent luminaries we admire because of their determination to move forward towards success.
   Let us take Thomas Edison as an exemplar of strong faith and outrageous courage.
   Thomas Edison was probably the greatest inventor in American history. When he first attended school in Port Huron, Michigan, his teachers complained that he was too slow and hard to handle. As a result, Edison's mother decided to take her son out of school and teach him at home. At the age of 10, he had already set up his first chemistry laboratory. Edison's inexhaustible energy and genius (which he reportedly defined as 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration) eventually produced in his lifetime more than 1,300 inventions. When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2,000 experiments before he got it to work.(Chicken Soup for the Soul, 1993)
   See how determined he was before? Well, that's the spirit!
   Thus, we can infer that life is a game consisting levels. Each level may be difficult to deal with but fulfilling as we proceed to another and more levels. We may fail but never lose hope. Continue what have just started. Instead of being badly tormented by problems, why don't we consider those as challenges that we can surpass. After all, we do have the chances and choices to do so. We are just being controlled by our emotions without even thinking first.
   Life is too short to be easily devastated by such problems. Nonetheless, we can always look for the better. If you feel blue, just pray and the burden you are carrying will be obliterated. For God may not be visually-existent but on our journey, he'll be always there by our side.
   As what Hellen Keller said, character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

*blitzkrieg--noun. sudden overwhelming attack with powerful force.

Dead Duck*

"A chair is still a chair

even there's no one sittin' there.

But a chair is not a house; and 

a house is not a home

when there's no one to hold you tight

and no one there you can kiss goodnight."

                         --House is not a Home

              Can you imagine how lonely one's life is without a home and family?

            Recently, Super Typhoon Yolanda came into the territory of Philippines which left great sufferings within Filipinos. Several people died while others are still missing. I can feel the varied emotions of those affected. Some keep on hoping that they will find their loved ones that were flushed by the gruesome flood and covered by mass of rocks and earth. It's been a week that these are the episodes presented on Philippine TV. While watching, I realized how lucky I am to have a home and family. Yet, it also made me feel that my situation is not that different to theirs.

            No one loves me. Teardrops glide from my eyes while typing this article. I just can't resist the fact that I'm living in a family wherein no one appreciates my worth. I commit mistakes and I can't prevent those to happen. If only I could, then why not? At some point, I see myself as a robot that should be programmable to do everything they want, should be heartless to avoid being affected, and should be perfect all the time. Apparently, it's difficult for me because I can't be myself. But then, I have no choice for I love them. Yes. I love them despite of the idea that they can't love me the way I do. Perhaps, they love me too, especially in the times that they need my help or anything. And let me clarify one thing. I'm not mad and it is not my attitude to drill anger in my heart.

          I can still recall that day---the Deliberation Day of honors ( the day where top ten students of the batch are announced; this is usually done before the Graduation Day). I was the consistent top one in our class for three years, when I was a high school student. I used to pressure myself to strive hard, not for self-indulgence but to satisfy my mom's innumerable expectations. My mom wants nothing but the best from me; and she doesn't want me to disappoint her. Every time I lose the number one spot of the honor roll, she reprimands me and makes me feel that i'm a loser. Then the situation got even worst when I was hailed as salutatorian. After the Deliberation Day of honors, she left the room saying nothing. Probably, she's so disappointed for she wanted me to be Valedictorian and not as Salutatorian. I can't understand why she acted like that. Besides, to graduate as second of the bests is not that bad. At the deepest corner of the campus, I cried. During that time, I prayed and said: " Thank you God for the intelligence you gave yet I'm so sorry for I can't surpass all of these challenges I am facing right now. If I couldn't be happy, then terminate my breath so I won't be a robot forever."

          I came up with this realization for I believed that there was no reason for me to live. No one cares about me. My dad is so busy on other important things and my sibling is still young to be involved on my sentimentality. Withal, my friends do not know me so much. I demarcate their knowledge about me by simply narrating only the jovial stories of my life. Hence, there's no one whom I can count on. I try to smile although the pain is tormenting my heart into pieces. This is because I'm totally fed up on crying. I'm tired to be downcast.

         Somehow, there are still times that she's in good mood. During those, we tend to share jokes as if we're just friends. She says that she loves me so much. However, after a week showered of joy, Medusa will regain her system. That calls for a preparation. I know that she will be harsh on saying things.

       The frequent subsistence of this episode cultivated apathy on me. I learned how to deal with the attitudes exhibited by my mom. I'm just hoping that she can do the same thing. Utilizing these experiences while I am studying yields insuperable courage to move forward and to prove that I am not good-for-nothing.

*Dead Duck- noun. goner, one whose case is hopeless.

Hoaxer

Everyone in the park were gay,

while I was alone and weeping throughout the day.

Many passers-by witnessed me crying

yet no one cared about my feeling.

I wanted to create a commotion out there.

I wanted to slap their faces

and made them feel that I was on great despair.

But how? I didn't have the strength.

Who am I to be cared?

Who am I to be heard?

While I was so melancholic all the way through, 

everything on my surrounding turned in dark hue.

I stood up on the bench and shouted.

So, the lovers at the nearby benches got irritated.

They left me alone;

and for many times, I was forlorn.

That point, I didn't have a partner

whom I can put my head on his shoulder.

Because we broke up earlier, I felt better.

Ironic yet not bitter.

WHAT'S THE REAL SCORE?

Love is a convoluted thing to explain.

It is due to the fact that love exists out of somewhere.

Only four-letter word but the meaning of it is still limited.

What more if this simple word became a sentence----(I love you)?

According to a dictionary, "love is a strong affection, a warm attachment,

and an unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for others."

Maybe some of us are realizing these such signs,

but it's not enough to conclude that what we feel is already "love".

Love is nebulous.

It may attack you wherever and whenever it wants.

It is also extraordinary----

too magical that you are imagining yourself as a prince or a princess

in a fairy tale.

Aside from that, Love is diverse from crush.

Crush is being inspired with a foolish or extravagant admiration.

But love....it should be authentic,

pure and persistent.

It is also "OA".

Some of us tend to do something unusual or rare

just to impress and to catch the attention of someone we love,

without knowing that it's too much.

This kind of feeling is an astounding one.

We'll just be shocked that we are already in love.

How funny right?

But that's life.

But of all the attributes of love, 

being INFINITE is the greatest (according to some).

It could be similar with an infinity ring...

endless, boundless and eternal.

But then, behind the magical power of love 

is its painful effect to everyone.

We should always bear in our mind 

that in "love", we will realize to be hurt

and we can't except ourselves from that.

"GREAT LOVE COMES WITH A GREAT PAIN".

Don't love too much, so you won't have any regrets at the end.

It is because....THERE IS NO SUCH THING

AS FOR A LONG TIME even when it comes in love.

Now tell me, what's the real score between you and your "love"?

Mahika

Gayuma...ito ang naiisip kong paraan

para mapaibig ko ang aking hinahangaan.

Masasabi kong nasa kanya na ang lahat...

lahat ng magagandang katangian.

Batid ko ang panganib na dulot nito,

pero paano naman ang aking puso?

Taglay ang kapangyarihang sa aki'y ipinamana,

ang taong iyon ay mapapasaakin na.

Subalit naalala ko ang paalala ni ina

na hindi solusyon ang gayuma.

Sabi niya pa'y tunay dapat ang pag-ibig 

at hindi iyong nadala lamang ng itim na mahika.

Lumipas ang taon, nagkamabutihan kami ng loob.

Nalaman ko ang kanyang niloloob.

Sa mga oras na iyon, ligaya ang nadarama ko

lalo pa nang hingin niya ang kamay ko.

Lumipas pa ang ilang buwan 

at kami'y naging mag-asawa.

Doon ko napatunayan ang bilin ni ina

na tunay na pag-ibis ang pinakamakapangyarihang mahika.

When the Goddess of Discord fell in love.

      WHEN THE GODDESS OF DISCORD FELL IN LOVE

                                 

I am Eris, known to be the Goddess of Discord in Greek Mythology. But in reality, I am the contrast of what you think about this goddess. It was first day of school when I accidentally met Eros. What a nice name, right? Eros in Greek Mythology stands for love. He was also looking for his section at that time. Unexpected to the unexpected, I found out that we're classmates. I immediately entered the room and sat on the front row. I was shocked when he sat beside me. Deep inside, I was so happy for I was fortunate to have him as my seatmate. Several months passed and we became best friends. We were always partners when there were groupings and we ate lunch together. At that point, I learned to like him. Every time I see his charming face smiling at me, I got distracted. At the pit of my stomach, I felt butterflies fluttering about. Frightened and shy, I hid my feelings for him for almost three years.

                                   

It was when we were fourth year that I had the guts to confess. But it was also during this time when he was already linked by our classmates to Jane. Well, I couldn't blame my classmates. They were really a perfect match. They were like the prince and princess in the fairy-tales I am reading. Due to insisting public demand, they started to become partners every time there was a party to be held in school.

                                   
During that time, my guts turned to be frail. So I hid it for the fourth time. Then the most excruciating day turned to my life. Eros confessed that he loves Jane and he wanted me to help him. Although against to my will, I helped him. It was February 14 of 2003 when Eros surprised Jane through a serenade. Everyone in the campus witnessed that romantic scene, even me. That was hard for me. I ran. At the deepest corner of the campus, I cried.

Several weeks passed, and I found out that they were "on". While I was walking along the corridor, Eros talked to me. Eros expressed how happy he was to have Jane. At the middle of his stories, he opened up a shocking revelation--a revelation which turned my world to broken pieces of glass. He said that I was his first crush--that he was about to say it but he hesitated for he thought that I didn't like him even a little. I hugged him very tight and said, "You didn't even try so how will you know? But don't worry, you already have Jane." With a smile, I left him.

                                                     
How idiot I was that I did not sense his feelings for me. I cried all day but the pain remained so harsh, grating my heart evenly. My heart was totally tormented.

It was ten years ago when that happened yet I cannot move on. I am still motionless.

Editor's Note:  All the characters are just pieces of the writer's imagination

hi guys! im renz!