My Intellectual fling

Music to make you ponder

2008-05-02T20:10:00.000+08:00

Croatian Rhapsody as rendered by Maksim Mrvica

I usually enjoy Trance, Dance, Techno and Gym(those that get you going in the gym) music... I find these types of music really uplifting and often times i get a certain drive from listening to this stuff.

I enjoy FOB, MCR etc during commutes because of the profound yet not too disturbing way (at least according to my standards) they deliver their message - Perhaps this is because is share their pains. (I don't eve know what genre their music belongs to- I'ts a casual thing)

However, I also am a fan of some Classical renditions (yeah particularly this one). This type of music on the other hand gives me the subtle change of mood to start reflecting and realizing day to day or even chronologically remote events that have transpired.

This particular post is dedicated to the Classical sideof my "musical taste". This particular piece is one of the more influential mp3 files that gets my brain on its feet especially when thinking about philosophy and life as I've lived it and will live it in general.

I feel like I'm in a roller coaster gliding over memories of me from way back to far in the future. I imagine myself as that particular sperm cell that got in that particular egg cell, I imagine the cell division, the forming of limbs etc, I imagine my birth, my upbringing as a little boy, our old neighborhood where I frequently ran and play - where I frequently wounded my knee because of bad falls.

I imagine the first day I went to school, the way my mom hid behind the corner just to give me the impression that I was alone. I remember my teachers, my classmates albeit no longer their full names but their warm or otherwise mean remarks... I remember High school, my friends, my graduation....

I remember my first day in college, my friends my subjects,

Then I come to realize the point where I am now..... Then I imagine things about the future. Graduation, Work, relationships, family, retirement, growing old, travelling, My internment, decomposition and ultimately being food to those belonging to the lower levels of the food chain...

Haha, I am beginning to doubt myself about these thoughts and I wonder.... Am i eccentric for having thought of these things? :D

For those of you who have time to listen, do download it and try to listen to it.

Try to listen... and tell me what you think.. :)

Friends vs Homies

2008-04-21T17:11:00.000+08:00

From Urban Dictionary

Friends: Never asks for anything to eat or drink
Homies: Help themselves and are the reason why I have no food
Friends: Would bail you out of jail
Homies: would be sitting next to you sayin' "THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!! Lets do it again!"
Friends: Won't laugh at you.
Homies: Will embarrass your Ass when everyone is around!
Friends: Has never seen you cry
Homies: Won't tell everyone else you cried...just laugh about it with you in privately when your not still down.
Friends: Asks you to write down your number.
Homies: Have you on speed dial
Friends: Borrows your stuff for a few days then gives it back.
Homies: Loses your shit and tells you, "My bad...here's a tissue."
Friends: Only knows a few things about you
Homies: Could write a very embarrassing biography on your life story...
Friends: Will leave you behind if that is what the crowd is doing
Homies: Will kick the ASS of the enitre crowd that left you.
Friends: Would knock on your front door
Homies: Walk right in and say "I'M HOME"
Friends: Know some of your embarrassing moments...
Homies: Are next to you making them!
Friends: You have to tell them not to tell anyone
Homies: They already know not to tell...
Friends: Are only through highschool
Homies: They are for life
Friends: Will be there to take your drink away from you when they think you've had enough
Homies: Will look at you stumbling all over the place & say "Bitch drink the rest of that you know we don't waste good shit!"
Friends: Will leave you in a ditch
Homies: Will drag you out of the ditch and laugh at your ASS later!

-.- (non intellectual) hehe

2008-03-15T21:57:00.000+08:00

Me: Weird ah. I feel that this is not our usual.
Person: Usual kaya to.
Me: I feel na wala na ung affinity
...
Me: Not one drop of warm friendship left?
Person: Nope.

-.- sad. What do you make of that people?

Evrything is one...

2006-12-22T00:34:00.000+08:00

This may not make sense at first but after careful consideration of flowing thoughts in my mind, I have arrived at a belief that evrything we do, say, is one.

Take this for an example.

The color black is defined to be the absence of all colors while the color white is defined to be the presence of all colors. (forgive the "facts" for purposes of illustration) If not for the comparison between colors, woud there have been any color to judge at all? Imagine a world filled with just "blackness"... Without the white to actually differentiate the black as a distinct state, then the color of interest ceases to exist.

What this entails is that there is only one reality with different contexts wherein it may be interpreted.

Take two course cards for exmaple. One bearing a 4.0 and another carrying a 0.0 . If we are not keen enough to actually examine the articulations of these two course cards, we may be led into believing that what they carry are two disparate grades showing edges and contrasting each other when in fact, they may be showing the same amount of effort by two distinct students.

The 4.0 may have been effected by just the same effort to effect the 0.0 thi smay be due to the professor, emotional, financial and whatever constraints that may have influenced the duratrion of the earning of these particular grades.

After these (in)appropriate examples.. All i wanna say is that whether we say yes, no, maybe in whatever degree we can possibly do, we mean the same thing. This however is yet to be known. Lol... perhaps after a lifetime of fruitless pursuit for the unknown, i'll be able to at least share a speck of knwledge to you peers :)

tc till my next post... (Looooooooooong time... ) LOL

Not so Intellectual...

2006-12-22T00:16:00.000+08:00

When people try to impress others/(me) with words, the least I could do is shrug a cold sholder and try to appease myself against the thought of walking right out of his speech. I wonder what fecundity these creatures have been blessed with that they/(we) seem to have proliferated the entire earth.

If it is just for the heat of the moment that these people/(I) use this seemingly effective interjection of blurting out unthought of remarks, I really feel that they/(I) should just refrain and restrain myself from crapping noob conversationlalists of the associated disappointments.

Trust

2006-09-01T22:45:00.000+08:00

I believe that one of the most basic building blocks of humanity is trust, trust that is ever evolving, trust that is susceptible to the harsh elements of reality.

When one is taken out of his mother’s womb, the instinct is that for the infant to trust the mother because of the protection and nurture it gets from her. This is what I like to call trust attributed to instinct. This type of trust is of course helpful to the infant but not to the mother (a speculation). It is primarily a one way trust wherein one is trusted because of the benefits the other avails from that person.

Another type of trust is a trust between good friends. I like to call this mutual trust. This type of trust in contrast to the aforementioned is a two way relationship. A concrete example may be the trust person A has for person B in a group wherein A is confident that B won’t do anything to embarrass or derogate him. This can also be observed between friends wherein one watches over the other and keeps the other’s ass out of trouble. This trust is beneficial to both parties and is healthy (a speculation) in the process of becoming a better person.

Yet another type of trust is observed between a God (in today’s sense) and a believer. This I like to call, Blind trust. Some argue that this type of trust is just a pacifier for man’s insecurities. Some say that this is the superior type because of certain unconditional aspects of such a relationship.

Trust is also one of the most basic needs of man. He needs to be secure in his peer group, society and in his own self. Deprive him on one of the aspects of this need and he falls like a crying baby to the abyss of grave insecurity.

As this entry comes to a close, I would like to extend my hand to those who are deprived of the privilege of having type 2 and 3(I can’t do much with a lack of type 1). I’ve been a frequent “shoulder-to-lean-on-seeker” myself and I find that this can be very frustrating, draining and degrading.

As for those on the other side of the fence, you “trust-breakers” … I’d rather keep my mouth shut :)

Current thoughts... an hour put to waste

2006-08-05T21:46:00.000+08:00

Just felt like writing...

Grant me O Lord whatever you please

Impart on me O Lord enough acumen to advance my thinking
but not to an extent that i will go blinking

Provide me shelter to ensure my well being
but not so that I may brag a single thing

Grant me O God enough material wealth so that I may live a decent and dignified life
but let me not accumulate more than what I can slave

Shower me with your providence in every aspect
but not to the point that You'd loose my respect

Bless me with a number of loyal, grateful friends
but grant that I may not find any one of them a mortal fiend

Bestow on me the gift of reasoning, the gift of logic to easy my mundane brain's misery
but leave space for your mighty tonic of mystery

Most importantly...

Make me understand Lord what I do not.
Allow me to discern your real purpose in bringing me into this seemingly bland existence...
else cease my thirst for an answer and settle me into nihilism instead...

*God/Lord references no particular supreme being.

What is real?

2006-07-25T00:24:00.000+08:00

Take for instance the computer screen you use to view this very write-up. How do you know that it is in fact real? How do you ascertain whether an event, a being, a feeling is real? Is it physical presence? Or perhaps logical soundness for the more intellectually conscious of us.

What is it that differentiates our imagination from reality? If one answers a particular phrase or quotes a particular definition, that very same person will surely be able to supply a counter argument if only he’d open up his views regarding the matter.

Are we real? Or are we simply products of our very own imagination. Is God real? How do we know? We have never seen him nor talked to him amongst other things. Love, Friendship, Hope, are all these emotions really existent? How do we know?

In a world of arbitrary proportions, no one can actually define reality. We settle for a primitive, closed minded approach to reality. That is, we take for granted those beyond our league and simply dismiss the fact that there is actuality beyond what we think is actual.

Bottom Line: Think outside the box! Think Big! Just because they say so doesn’t make their saying a saying unless you kiss their asses.

I hope you guys understood my point :D I just want to share my thoughts with you peers :D

Big things start small (not that intellectual after all haha!)

2006-07-04T23:32:00.000+08:00

No matter what argument one contends with the one above, No matter the human experience and expectation one might put forth in justifying otherwise, it is a well-known yet unproved assertion that Big things do start small. Now let me just share a few lines of thought regarding this matter incited by a close friend of mine.

Take for instance a big-time fraud syndicate leader. It is believed that such persons developed their habit not in one big blow but in comparatively small and gradual increments over time.

A liar being able to evade the techniques employed by a lie detector sure didn’t learn that on one sitting. The person should’ve gone intensive training in that practice or may have had real life experiences leading him into a position worthy of being called “Master-Liar”.

Another example is a friendship. One would not pour out all his trust and care to an acquaintance in their first meeting. This would be done over time, little by little knowing the friend a bit better. One would be imprudent to suddenly jump into a conclusion that a being is trustworthy or an entity is a good place to invest money in without considering the ins and outs of such a relationship.

All these have to be built little by little until such a point that one has built enough confidence to finally expend hard earned trust into fruits of friendship or fruits of investment.

Man didn’t have giant skyscrapers and towers before. All he had were primitive scout towers giving him a limited range of sight. Gargantuan hard drives that now populate our desktops didn’t come in those sizes back then! They actually had drives with capacities of 512 MB or less! (I owned a 512 MB HDD before myself!)

No wonder that Big things actually come from small things, things we often take for granted and shrug off our shoulders.

Deadly Combination 1

2006-06-22T10:56:00.000+08:00

Some claim that a certain god is both omniscient and omnipotent. Some even go the the extent of proclaiming that this god has has both free will and knows whatever will be happening in the future.

I dare refute this belief with the bounds of logic considering that mine is more limited than extensive.

How can one be omniscient and yet omnipotent?

Being omniscient entails being able to know evrything. Being omnipotent on the other hand means being able to do anything.

How can one who knows what will happen in the future do things that will possibly contradict with the things he knows that will happen in the future.

This is a limitation to his omnipotence....

null....

Quoting ....

2006-06-16T21:39:00.000+08:00

A Literary piece is not merely a work of an author based entirely on an arbitrary choice. It is the reflection of whatever trials and human frailty[ies] the author is experiencing in his own period.

-Joanne Pegina
(My junior literature teacher in HS)

...and this is a piece...

Vague

2006-06-16T21:38:00.000+08:00

It does suck when things don’t go as we expect them to. However, it is all the more annoying when we truly and faithfully expect something and fail to get it either because of our own shortcomings or others’ mislaying. Perhaps even more disappointing is the feeling we get when this occurs in our relationships with friends and loved ones.

Understanding and weighing in Human emotion has never been an easy task for psychologists and mind science professionals for it can not be easily known if it is the emotion or the impulse behind it fuelling more impulsive behavior.

The world is subtly filled with ambiguities and vagueness. Take the word play for example. It can be used in a multitude of situations with meanings sometimes varying immensely yet in other times morphing subtly into a form not readily apparent to the non expectant.

This is true to every perceivable aspect of our human life. The question now is whose fault is it? Is it the expectant Joe’s? Or is it of the Abominable end unworthy of expectation?

(this post is vague in itself) ;)

Arbitrary

2006-06-09T23:59:00.000+08:00

Life as we know is pronounced with rules and standards. School, relationships, politics, and morality, good and evil… all else… Related to this issue is the issue regarding the existence of norms… Now let me bring this to a totally new level…

What if our very existence was brought forth by arbitrary choices made by some arbitrary arbiter… haha Life would totally have no meaning… (to those who think it has one at least) Take for example the concept of being right or being logically sound. If these were to be viewed as arbitrary choices and not as universal truths, our very conception of the universe will surely change.

It is ideal that we live in a world with purpose, with order and with a clear direction. However dedicated we are to such a precarious idea, it is never safe to just shut ourselves in this realm of a seemingly illustrious illusion. However, no readily conceivable evidence proves or disproves that dream or its contrary.

I wonder why MS word tells me to change “its” into “it’s” in the previous sentence… Seems like it has an arbitrary way of detecting wrong grammar… Well is this thought in itself arbitrary? We may never know… But what we know of today is in the world where we exist, certain things can’t be answered and to our judgment rests these things’ fate.

Random Thoughts...

2006-06-07T18:38:00.000+08:00

Imagine this… You’re lying in a hospital bed. Terribly sick and possibly dying… In Need of a lot of cash! Because of your kindness and fame, donors flock to help you with your finances…

One of them is your millionaire boss. He readily offers you a hefty amount of money.. More than enough to cover your bills in fact! He shakes your hand and says… “Get well J we still have many things to discuss in the office.” He then hands you a blank cheque ..

On the other side is your ever loyal best friend. He comes to your side and says, “Hey bro, here’s my allowance for the week, hope It helps you… even just slightly…” He gives you a tap on the shoulder and a L face… He then hands you a thousand pesos.

The question is… which of these two would you rather have? We often think about the amount of money in every endeavor we get our asses wet with… Seldom do we realize that most of us are not after the money by itself. We want the money and the sense of security… A rich boss? A loyal best friend? You decide!

Economics of Reality

2006-06-02T15:11:00.000+08:00

”It is not from the benevolence of the butcher the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.”

- Adam Smith from his book Wealth of Nations

thanks Greggy C. ;)

In today's grueling and chaotic atmosphere, there is often little genuine good will to be seen at most. However, there is no question that the intrinsic goodness in each person’s heart remains. Adam Smith may have been right in saying that it is not because people want to be good that they do their tasks. It must be fear of punishment or love of some reward.

What interests me in this particular text is the fact that Adam Smith used dinner, something the least wealthy and the most well off have in common. I think that with that example, Smith was effectively telling us that his belief was not to be confined in any social class, he was actually saying that no matter how high or low you are in the eyes of others.

I was preliminarily thinking of reflecting on this as a RELSTRI (Christian Morality) thing but I thought that it would be better if I share my thoughts with the few whoe read this journal.

As animals, we have the intrinsic desire to survive. We've been around for a couple thousand of years and this is because of the constant advancements in our civilization that enable us to adapt to changes that would otherwise wipe us off the face of the planet. As humans, we are also capable of love and affection. This not only explains romance between individuals but also tells us why we have compassion for out fellowmen.

Smith has spoken for the majority of the Human Population. Why would you work for womeone you have no affinity with? Why do every tiring task to benefit not your own but another man's?

This is the challenge we face. To a certain extent I think that Smith was just being practical. And we need to be practical these days. However, a part of me says that if all of us are to do their part in society just to get their share, then we might not be living up o the ideals we set for ourselves. What good is a life where you exist to survive? exist to work and be exhausted, be exploited. Would it not be much better if we were to veneer ourselves in a veil of sophistry?

Not evryone will agree! The path to go is to be decided by each man alone. He has to balance being practical and ideal to arrive in a compromise that would propel him the way he wishes till his expiration...

Pathway to heaven... or hell

2006-05-30T20:27:00.000+08:00

For majority of us, life as we know it will not be as it is without the notion of a final destination – that is heaven, hell, whatever, whichever. My junior and senior years in high school were especially memorable because of the fondness my classmates and I shared in discussing issues about the Church’s teachings and other “intellectual” issues.

Mrs. Rebecca Pia was my teacher in my Religion class when I was in my third year. She first introduced me to the figure you see below.

(Pardon the illustration! haha was trying out Sketchup!) :D

When I studied in DLSU, the figure was again discussed by Dr. Ricardo Puno showing me some variations in the original figure i.e. combinations formed by having two of the sides of the triangle while missing out on one. Just this morning Mr. Evert Gementiza tackled this figure in our lesson so I though I’d share my thoughts on the topic.

First let me define each of the terms found of each side of the triangle by virtue of their root words.

Dogmatism

A Dogma is a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof . (src)

Ritualism

A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. The set of actions that comprise a ritual often include, but are not limited to, such things as recitation, singing, group processions, repetitive dance, manipulation of sacred objects, etc. ... (src)

Activism

This is where you make things happen!

My theology professor says that you need all three to be a good Christian. However, I believe that there should be greater weight attributed to activism. Why? If you look at things at the practical sense, you would not need to ask that question.

We take the first two aspects first and see their relevance.

First we look at Dogmatism. Knowing all the Dogmas of the Church is a good thing! You get to enjoy yourself discussing all there is to these doctrines. You can grow your reasoning prowess by trying to evaluate and compare your understanding to those of other people.

As for Ritualism, knowing all the details of a service won’t hurt either! Some may even think that you know all the arcane details that they will be so impressed! ;) (Nothing’s wrong as long as impressing them is not your purpose!) You can even help your brethren if they do not know their way in these services. You can be an Acolyte, an extraordinary minister of the Holy Eucharist, a Lector, Commentator or whatever role you choose. You help your community by being of service to them and God.

For Activism, you put into action Christ’s commands. Perhaps you’d not only know the beatitudes but live up to them as well. You wouldn’t just memorize the Ten Commandments but you’d also be an apotheosis of a God-given law abiding believer.

Here’s one of my friendly notes again.. I do believe that the three aspects are essential to an integral Christian life. (Duh. Is that not the definition?) However if I am forced to side with only one of these aspects of Christian life, I’d have to say that I’ll choose Activism. This is because of my belief that this is the most applicable in our condition today. Say for example you were to choose a politician. Would you rather choose one that is priest-like in his knowledge about the Scriptures yet doesn’t live up to what his Scriptures teach him or would you choose the one who knows little or nothing at all about “holy things” but is able to exercise his judgment in a fair and just manner?

As we all make our way in this journey called life, we choose between diverging paths everyday. Each of us may choose his or another’s way to our final destination, i.e. heaven or for some hell. We all have our weaknesses, our strengths. Most importantly, we have our free will to guide us. (At least in our perspective… ) With all these in our disposal, we can surely choose our path to heaven… or hell…

On Man's purpose

2006-05-29T12:30:00.000+08:00

My Highschool Literature teacher taught us that whatever we find in the written works of those before us are probably reflections of the author's time. There was of course purpose in their efforts.

This question has long bothered me. Until today however, no one has been able to give me a concrete and realistic answer.

Religious people may argue that our absolute purpose is to glorify our Creator - I've got no problem with them believing that! What would bother me is the existence of a higher being creating inferiors only for his or her self gratification. (He or She wouldn't be a good role model right?)

Others (myself included) may argue that we exist merely to help our brethren. However, do we not see that without our brethren we wouldn;t have that responsibility? In simple terms, man is reducible to NULL. If we are to exist just to help ourselves, then we might as well cease to exist.

Still others may claim that we exist solely to exist and there is no other thing to life. -same argument applies. ><

Let's try it on a grander scale....

What can be the purpose of a god? To rule over something you say? But without the god, there wouldn't be the world he would be governing...

On a smaller scale...

What's the purpose of a cat? to catch mice? >< Would we need the cat if it served us no purpose?

Perhaps... Perhaps not...

This question may never be answered. Still it serves as a good exercise for out rusty intellectual engines! :D

What The Da Vinci Code has done...

2006-05-25T22:31:00.000+08:00

The Da Vinci Code has spurred many issues in the light of our integrity as a Catholic Nation. Needless to stress is the undue weight it has put on the faithful.

Yeah Yeah so i thought....

I felt ashamed of our country's apparent inability to comprehend the word FICTION. I think i saw a representative from the City of Manila trying to enter the office office of the MTRCB chairperson. He was actually pushing the door while the guard stood helplessly by the door.

>< I dont think that being a congressman gives you the right to barge in at someone else's office. Damn! The next thought that occurred to me was being the representative of his constituents, the people he had with him must have really trusted him. But don't they think that this may be considered an insult to their intelligence when somebody tries to block off a film fearing that you might believe the afforementioned when it's clearly marked as fiction.

Afterwards, I also realized that the good congressman may have a point. He may just be concerned with the welfare of those belonging in his district. He may have considered that not all people aged 18 and older have the ability to clearly distinguish the difference between fiction and reality.

However, I maintain my point that there is such a thing such as a proper venue for everything. The lower house perhaps?

On an Educated Life...

2006-05-25T05:01:00.000+08:00

Majortiy of people today spend 1/3 of their lives trying to do well in school - even more if you aspire for post graduate degrees. This trend has got me wondering if what were doing is worth it.

Assuming that we have 60 years to live in Earth, Pre school education would take 2 years, basic would take 6 to 7 and secondary would take 4. Earning an undergraduate degree would require 3 to 5 years, add 5 or more for a Ph D ....

02 (preschool)
06 (primary)
04 (secondary)
04 (tertiary)
___

16 years total

16 years of studying... is it all worth it?

Perhaps the world is so industrialized that we need to work for what was previously free. Perhaps we are beating the heck out of our asses for a few men who made the world as it is. I can just imagine how simple the lives of our forefathers were. They didn't have to attend a university to be able to bring food to their families. All they had to have was perseverance and dedication to their cause.

However, as time went on, the interests of some greedy men grew in power. This I believe is the reason why most of us, specially those in the working class are suffering from the pain of wasting a approximately a third of our lives trying to be good enough to the standards set forth by others.

Note: I'm not against the acquisition of knowledge! I actually am an advocate of this grace. However, knowledge should be made available to those who seek it. It is not to be made a passport to a good life. A perfect example is the pursuit of the Ancient Greeks for Knowledge. They did it because of the love of the aforementioned. This is precisely the reason why their pursuit had impressive results.

On Deviance and Social Norms...

2006-05-20T03:40:00.000+08:00

The creation of social norms has indeed brought our civilization at it's peak. But will we let it be the same thing that would hinder its development?

We owe the world we k now of today to the laws our forefathers had imposed upon themselves since the beginning of all time. (at least the time they existed) From the barbaric laws of yesterday to the "humane" provisions of today's constitutions, all laws, no matter the scope and geographic location should supposedly subscribe to the common interest of mankind. Different people define the purpose or laws and norms differently. Some outright, some a little subtle and some abstractly vague. However, I wish to share with you one that caught my attention.

On the fourth line of a length document about the purpose of law it states:

"The purpose of law is to protect and expand freedom."

The purpose of law by Hugh Gibbons

It struck me when I read it for the second time. If the mere purpose of law was to protect and expand freedom, then the existence of law would have been more of the existence of the antimatter.

Yes! Law has built things imperceivable without its existence. But do we not realize the implications of having laws? These may well be the end of what humankind (at least as i know it) has endeavored to do for the past millenia - .

Deviance. What is it that makes a thing normal and what is it that makes it defiant? Purpose? Effect? The Bible? I dare say no! Man has found numerous and surely clever ways to find loopholes in laws. The only real thing differentiating a norm from whatever is the number of people backing its being a "norm".

For me, Norms are non existent. This is because the very first norm , if you choose to believe there are real "norms" violated the norm of the non - existence of norms in the first place. (Did you get that? Tag me na lang sa mga nde nakagets ;) )

Does that seem biased? If bias didn't cross your mind... then It's the end of the entry for you! Thanks for reading.

For those who thought that given that Deviance was put on the same spot, it would also have failed that particular test, there's one point you're missing (at least in my point of view). The absence of deviance is deviance itself. Defiance of Natural Law that is.

On Stereotyping...

2006-05-15T23:11:00.000+08:00

I was casually sitting on the couch watching PBB when something caught my attention and eventually enraged me. It was Mikee saddened by his housemates’ reason for nominating him.

Because he was an “atenista”, his housemates thought that he was so well off and even assumed that he was living a “buhay prinsipe”. People often associate a certain class’s attributes to the members of that particular class.

I can only share mikee’s sentiments regarding that matter. It sucks.

Here are some examples i wanna show you.

Speaking in Taglish doesn’t mean na maarte at coño ka na.
Wearing pink and carry girly items doesn’t make you a homosexual.
Joining another religion doesn’t mean na your going to hell in the afterlife.
Kissing or engaging in sexual intercourse doesn’t mean na patapon na ang life mo at wala ka nang future.
Having multiple 0.0’s in yout transcript doesn’t mean na thos who have 4.0’s all over are better than you are!
Being an “Atenista” or “Lasallista” or “Assumptionista” doesn’t mean na mayaman ka at wala ka nang pangangailangan sa buhay.

Oh well. These people only express their feelings as guaranteed by our constitution. All I can do is appeal to those concerned, that they may lessen if not totally remove their disturbing habit and pray to God to ask for perseverance in keeping myself from kicking these people’s asses. JK :D

Recursive thoughts

2006-05-15T20:47:00.000+08:00

Back in Compro2 I learned the concept of recursive code segments... To demonstrate this lemme show you this code segment...

func()
{
 //other statements here
 func();
}

I really didn't like that stuff. But now I've found a pattern in my thinking similar to recursion in programming..

Haha I often find myself off guard thinking recursively. Lemme give you an example.

When I see someone doing something wrong, the first thing that comes to my mind is 1 "poor kid, he doesn't know what he's doing..." the next is 2 "Look at yourself, you think you're so well mannered. By thinking like that, you make yourself no different to him." and still the next is.. 3 "Oh yeah, because thought 2 bothered me, I am a really good person" and the next is.. "Duh.. the mere existence of thought 3 proves that you are indeed bad"

The list of thoughts goes on and on.. Like two mirrors positioned facing each other...

I don't know if this is healthy haha.. Have you guys experienced this yourselves? :D

Subjectivity

2006-05-14T22:43:00.000+08:00

In my 18, arguably productive years of existence I’ve noticed that there are things which I just can’t grasp right. Among these things is Subjectivity. I just feel incessantly bothered by the fact that there are some, probably many things in this world that just have to be weighed and measured not by sheer well defined standards but by the apparent rapport a state/object has on a person’s taste / outlook on the matter at hand.

I wish to share my thoughts in this seemingly enigmatic scenario.

For one, is it not unfair when some people get better salaries/grades just because their bosses/professors think that they were exerting more on the job than their peers? Did he, the favored one really do better? We shall never know.

Overtime, I was also able to realize the importance of subjectivity… Subjectivity is used as the last resort when defined standards fail or is unable to arrive at a verdict. Hmm… This post is quickly turning pointless… All I really have to say is that I believe that people should use their subjectivity only when circumstances demand them to…

For All of us Hoping...

2006-05-14T15:06:00.000+08:00

Let me start of my entry and my Blog by sharing with you a story I read on another site- The tale of the three trees.

Once upon a mountaintop, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars twinkling like diamonds above him. "I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I will be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!" The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. "I want to be a strong sailing ship," he said. "I want to travel mighty waters and carry powerful kings. I will be the strongest ship in the world!" The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and busy women worked in a busy town. "I don't want to leave this mountaintop at all," she said. "I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me they will raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world!"
Years passed. The rains came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell. "Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest," thought the first tree. "I shall hold wonderful treasure." The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters," thought the second tree. "I shall be a strong ship fit for kings!" The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me," he muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought him to a carpenter's shop, but the busy carpenter was not thinking about treasure chests. Instead his work-worn hands fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold or filled with treasure. He was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took him to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ships were being made that day. Instead, the once-strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. Too small and too weak to sail an ocean or even a river, he was taken to a little lake. Every day he brought in loads of dead, smelly fish. The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in the lumberyard. "What happened?" the once tall tree wondered. "All I ever wanted to do was stay on the mountaintop and point to God."
Many, many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him," her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. "This manger is beautiful," she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveller and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveller fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuttered. He knew he did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through
the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it.

When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in
the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came
to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and
be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

Retold by Angela Etwell Hunt, Chariot Victor Publishing, copyright 1989.

All things in this world are up for grabs - except of course the wicked bachelor's dignity... in whatever way you want to interpret it. But mere grabbing does not guarantee us of anything - not even something less than a speck of space dust. The world is indeed full of wondrously wrought circumstances and possibilities. Believer or not, no one can deny that indeed something, whatever force, entity or being made the world as such.

Unfortunately, even man's most valiant efforts fail. His journey to a higher level of perfection has proved to be loathsome. Man has failed - miserably...

But what has kept him from being reduced to a mere decoration in the world's history? His intellect of course! He has demonstrated this in a multitude of fields, lotsa times.

However, man is fundamentally flawed. (at least in my opinion) His aspiration to do better and better has undeniably led to invaluable advances in fields he deems important. Don't get me wrong dude. I'm not saying that we should go back to Chaucer's time and accept that our fate as it is.

What I want to say is that All of us will never be able achieve everything that we ever aspire for. Each of the three trees had their own aspirations. NONE became reality but ALL THREE were blessed with even better stuff. :)

I welcome all of you guys to my renaissance into the blog world with this thought in mind. We may never get evrything... but we shall do anything to accomplish something worth noting! :D

You have one life, live it WELL :D