=)

today i have come to conclusion that girls are evil!
well.. i have already come to conclusion about this before.
I kind of just wanted to share it with this equation. ahah'

My philosophy: Plato's Story of a Cave

This is a story told by the Greek philosopher, Plato:

Some prisoners have been held in a cave since childhood.They are all chained in such a manner as they can only stare straight ahead at the cave wall.A fire burns in the centre of the cave behind them,which casts shadows onto the walls.The shadows they can see are cast by various animals and plants that the jailers carry along a raised walkway on the other side of the fire.The prisoners play a games,naming the shadows, and when the jailers respond,the prisoners believe it is actually the shadows who are speaking.The prisoners,being unable to more or turn around,mistake the shadows and the voices for the only reality.What would happen, asks Plato, if one of the prisoners was forced to stand up and turn around?He would be blinded by the fire,which he would at first take to be less real than the shadows to which he's been accustomed to for so long.And what if then the hapless prisoner were to be taken outside the cave altogether?The sunlight would have an even greater disorientating effect upon him.Eventually, once the prisoner has realised the enormity of what he has experienced,he will understand that the world he has lived in for so long was unreal, with the greater, true reality being above and beyond him. It is a reality to which he can gain access, but first he must be freed from his confinement. The prisoner then goes back into the cave and tells the other prisoners about what he's seen and found out. But they believe they are better than him because he can no longer see the fine details in the shadows and they have not seen this "outer world" for themselves.That's basically the gist of the story.



The sad thing about today is that most people are prisoners in the shadows, just like in the story.
Reality pertains to something that is permanent, something that is unchanging... We all know that all the things that we see around us are not permanent. Therefore, all the material things that we see are just illusions. Even our life here on earth is an illusion... (our life is not permanent, we're all gonna die, death is inevitable...)

People have become attached to material things and the temporary "happiness" that they bring not knowing that these things are merely illusions. These people will not even begin to believe anything they have not seen or experienced for themselves.

The only way to escape this world and become free is to know our purpose of living, and to know who and what we are.

What's so unhealthy about McDonald's food?

What's so unhealthy about McDonald's food?

McDonald's try to show in their "Nutrition Guide" (which is full of impressive-looking but really quite irrelevant facts & figures) that mass-produced hamburgers, french fries , colas, etc., are useful and nutritious parts of any diet.



What they don't make clear is that a diet high in fat, sugar, animal products and salt (sodium), and low in fiber, vitamins and minerals - which describes an average McDonald's meal - is linked with cancers of the breast and bowel, and heart disease. This is an accepted medical fact, not a cranky theory. Every year in Britain, heart disease alone causes about 180,000 deaths.


FAST = JUNK



Even if they like eating them, most people recognise that processed burgers and synthetic chips, served up in paper and plastic containers, is junk-food. McDonald's prefer the name "fast-food". This is not just because it is manufactured and serve up as quickly as possible - it has to be eaten quickly too. It's sign of the junk-quality of Big Macs that people actually hold competitions to see who can eat one in the shortest time.



PAYING FOR THE HABIT

Chewing is essential for good health, as it promotes the flow of digestive juices which break down the food and send nutrients into the blood. McDonald's food is so lacking in bulk it is hardly possible to chew it. Even their own figures show that a "quarter-pounder" is 48% water. This sort of fake food encourages over-eating, and the high sugar and sodium content can make people develop a kind of addiction - a 'craving'. That means more profit for McDonald's, but constipation, clogged arteries and heart attacks for many customers.



WHAT'S YOUR POISON?


MEAT is responsible for 70% of all food-poisoning incidents, with chicken and minced meat (as used in burgers) being the worst offenders. When animals are slaughtered, meat can be contaminated with gut contents, feces and urine, leading to bacterial infection. In an attempt to counteract infection in their animals, farmers routinely inject them with doses of antibiotics. These, in addition to growth-promoting hormone drugs and pesticide residues in their feed, build up in the animals' tissues and can further damage the health of people on a meat-based diet.

Source: http://www.mcspotlight.org/case/pretrial/factsheet.html

..Inspiration..

Because I am a wreck, sometimes I need to just write...

But when I sit down and stare at the blank piece of paper [or keyboard, of course].... nothing.

Sometimes, I'll just talk about my day, but to be honest, nothing interesting is going on in my life right now. Talking about school is a big NO because I'd rather not have to think about anything school related more than I already have to. [And even if I did write about school, it would mostly be complaints, and who wants to listen to anyone whine?]

So what can I say? I read all these other people's blogs and they are all so inspired. I wish I could be as inspired as they are. Where does their inspiration come from?

I can attempt to write about classic things. Love and life and time and beauty and death and pain. But what can I say that hasn't already been said by thousands of people before me? Even opinions are supposed to be unique, but more than one person can have the same opninion! In the thousands of years mankind has existed, is there anything at all that hasn't already been done or thought or said or felt?

Am I just boxing myself in by trying to be inspired by groundbreaking, deeply profound things?


Maybe inspiration comes naturally and simply, and precisely when you're not looking for it at all....

"If you're living like there is no God, you'd better be right!"

A couple of months ago, I remember seeing a T-shirt design on the internet that said, "If you're living like there is no God, you'd better be right!"

I got the message, but sometimes I wonder to myself what we would be like if we all knew that God didn't exist. Humor me, if you will, but what if tomorrow you woke up and without a shadow of a doubt knew that this life was the only one we're getting, and once you die, that's it? I know a lot of you are probably thinking "But that can't be! I can't possibly imagine life without God!" Like I said, I'm not asking you to believe it, I'm just asking you to play with the idea a little. You might think it's dangerous, but I think it might do some good.

I've heard a lot of people say things indicating that the world would go to hell in a hand basket if everyone just stopped believing in a higher power. For now, we'll just consider an individual's behavior on the micro scale and leave the macro scale alone. So, how about it? You've woken up and there is no God. Everything you ever knew about religion is gone. The Buddha and Jesus were only great men, not deities, the prophet Mohammad and the prophet Joseph Smith were only common men, and the gods of the ancients are merely legends, nothing more. Now, what do you do? Are you still a law-abiding citizen, or do you take the law into your own hands? What guides you now? You become aware of your actions now.There are no demons tempting you to do works of evil, and there are no angels to protect you from wickedness. It is you and only you making your own decisions and marking your own path. You interact with the earth just like you used to - the sun still feels warm on your skin, the cold winds from the north still bite the tips of your ears in the winter, cool green moss underneath your feet still feels inexplicably amazing, and a hot spring bath feels just as relaxing as it did when you sang the songs of your old gods.

In the back of your mind, you realize that this is all you're getting. As you're sitting out on the banks of a lake nestled in the mountains, you marvel at the beauty of it all, but you can't escape that feeling of knowing that in a set number of years from now, even if you do everything perfectly, you will still grow old and eventually, you will die. You might hope for something else after this life, but you have to remember our agreement - in this fantasy, there is no God. How do you feel with this realization? Which path do you choose? Do you choose one of fear and outrage, or do you accept this fate and make the best of it.

I understand what that T-shirt was trying to say, but sometimes I wonder how humanity would turn out if we all pretended that there wasn't a God...

...

There are only two relationships that can significantly impact your life: the first, and the last.

The first relationship you enter into is one of discovery and excitement. You map out uncharted territories, you sail into tunnels of love and you discover what it means to truly care for another person. It is magical, it fills you to the brim with joy... and then like all tragic romance novels, it shatters your heart into a million little pieces.

Your optimism is destroyed, your ideology changed, you realize that love takes hard work and commitment...and even though you end up sobbing in your pillow at night, you eventually lift your head back up and begin the journey of finding the next suitable partner.

The first relationship opens the door for future relationships, it is like a gateway drug, getting you addicted to the taste of love and passion keeping you wanting more. The first relationship is also a learning experience as all relationships eventually become until you reach your last relationship.

The last relationship is your final destination. It is no longer about perfection, but one of compatibility. You've learned to love and appreciate all that comes with it, and you've decided to commit and put all the years of learning and hard work into a single person. She must be special in the sense that she offers what your previous relationships couldn't. She becomes a conglomeration of everything you've learned about what you want in a significant other, and though she might not be perfect, she is perfection in your eyes. The last relationship is also unique in that both sides agree to give up all future relationships. It is almost like a graduation ceremony after years of schooling...the real thing for which all other relationships strove to be.

I want to be independent...

I have never lived on my own... There was always somebody here with me in our house..
Somebody who would wake me up in the morning...
Somebody who would cook my breakfast...
Somebody who would prepare the clothes that I would wear...
Somebody who would fix my bed after waking up in the morning...
Somebody who would prepare the food that I would eat after arriving from school...
Somebody who would clean my room...
Somebody who would fix my things...
In short, there would always be somebody who would do all the things that I can do on my own...
All the simple things that I'm supposed to do all by myself...
I've become so dependent... I rely only on their decisions... their orders..


I was really pampered especially by my grandma ever since I was a child...
They didn't allow me to play outside with the other kids for they were afraid that I would get hurt... I wasn't allowed to play under the rain like the other kids. I wasn't allowed to eat sorbetes and other street foods. Although I was provided with all kinds of toys, I still didn't enjoy my childhood. Material things are just temporary, so is the "happiness" they bring.


I want to be independent...

I want to live alone...

Move out... Rent an apartment, a dorm or something...

... Because they are treating me like a child..

... Because my cousins don't live with their parents anymore..

... Because... My God! I'm turning 16, I think I can handle myself...


And because... I think,, I'll be who I want to be, in my own little space...

...MARBLES!.. =D

I remember when I was in Grade 4, boys and even girls always play marbles during recess or free time. I was really fascinated by those little balls they play with so I asked my grandma to buy me some. I was pampered (EXCESSIVELY) by my grandma so she bought me about 40 to 50 pieces.



The next day, I brought all my marbles even though I know that toys are strictly prohibited. I put them inside my bag and some are hidden inside my pencil case . When it was time for recess, I excitedly joined my classmates and asked them to teach me how to play(I wasn't allowed to play those kind of games when I was a kid). So, we played together and I was really happy because I won the game.



And after a few minutes, the bell rang and recess was over. We went inside our room and sat on our proper seats (I was seated at the back of the room because I was one of the tallest in class). It was time for our English subject, our teacher asked us to write the lecture written on the board while she is checking our seat work.



So, everyone got their notebooks and pencil case, including me (I write lectures when I was in elementary.. ☺). As we copied the lecture, my seat mate accidentally hit my pencil case and all the marbles hidden inside came bouncing off noisily! And what's more annoying than that is, as soon as my classmates heard the bouncing marbles, they ran at the back of the room where I was seated and started to pick up all my marbles and hid them inside their pockets. Because of the noise created by my marbles (and my classmates), my teacher stood up angrily and asked whose marbles are those. I was really scared because that would be my first time to be reprimanded by my teacher.(Basically, I was a good student when I was in elementary. ☺)
I even wished to disappear at that moment because of embarrassment.



After I mustered the courage to speak, I raised my hand and told my teacher that the marbles are mine. And as I approached her, tears suddenly came rushing down my cheeks. I have only two things in my mind, the marbles (my marbles) hidden inside my classmates' pockets, and the principal's office... As I walked down the aisle, I felt like a prisoner that is about to be hanged (HAHAH! ☺)



As I looked at my teacher with tears rushing from my eyes, I saw the look on my teacher's face, she felt sorry for me... So instead of sending me to the principal's office, she ordered my classmates to return all the marbles they got from me. HAHAH! That was an easy way out! ☺




So after that incident, I swear, I NEVER EVER brought any toy in school again...



(Uhm... by the way, my teacher seem to forget all about the "MARBLE STORY" easily, because at the end of the school year, I even got the "MOST DISCIPLINED STUDENT" award..HAHAHAH! ☺)

...depths of me

I'm a young teenager, embarrassed by my awkwardness , horrified of puberty and frustrated with life.

Somehow, no matter what I do, I always find myself surrounded by nothing but solitude.
I'm a loner, a rebel without a cause...
I enjoy the bounties of society but at the same time, wracked by guilt because all around me, I see oppression and exploitation.

I build impregnable walls around myself, and it is only in my dark, private world that I feel safe.
Ironically, that very same wall that keeps out intruders also prevents me from reaching out and getting the thing I want most in life-- ACCEPTANCE...

My First Book... =)

I started reading when I was 4 yrs. old... We have books of all kinds in the "mini-library" of our house and I enjoy reading at a very young age. My mom and dad didn't allow me to play with the other kids in our neighborhood that's why I spend most of my time in our library, reading and sometimes playing with computer games.


I can still remember the first book that I've read, its title is "Mr. Nobody." It's about a bird(who doesn't even know what kind of bird he is) who wanders everywhere trying to find it's own kind.
It's much like the story of "The Ugly Duckling." When I was a kid, I didn't pay much attention to the lesson of the story. I read just for entertainment and nothing else.


But now, I realized the lesson that the author of that book wants to impart to the readers. The wandering bird symbolizes the people in our present time. The human need to be accepted in a group. Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, or a sports team, humans have an inherent desire to belong and be an important part of something greater than themselves.


In social psychology, the need to belong is an intrinsic motivation to affiliate with others and be socially accepted. The motive to belong is the need for "strong, stable relationships with other people." In order to be accepted in a group, individuals may convey or conceal certain parts of their personalities to those whom they are trying to impress.


BELONGINGNESS implies a relationship that is greater than simple acquaintance or familiarity. The need to belong is the need to give and receive affection from others.



I ADMIT, IN SOME POINTS OF MY LIFE, I FEEL LIKE THE WANDERING BIRD, MR. NOBODY.

..Compliments.. =)

Today,we had a simple activity in one of our subjects which aims to evaluate each other's character or personality. Everyone was given the chance to write their comments or messages, it may be a compliment or a criticism.

As I read the messages of my classmates after the activity, somehow, I felt good about myself.
I like compliments; they make me feel good no matter who gives them to me. =)

All the compliments i got from my mates will serve as a morale booster... =)

the asterisk... * =)

I’ve written this piece for Teacher Ann…my prep teacher.
In my young mind then, she was somebody who would watch over me in school. I know back then that she will be my playmate for when I first enter the classroom, the first things that caught my attention are the toys.

But there’s one touching moment with her that I never fail to cherish up to this time… In one of our writing session, she noticed that I was doing the asterisk the hard way. I was trying to draw it line by line starting from the top. She sat beside me and patiently taught me how to write it the simpler way.

It used to be a meaningless symbol then but I realized now her patience to help me in my struggles to learn new things.

The lowly asterisk and Teacher Ann had left a special mark in my heart... =)

Mountain Story... =)

I just want to share this story I've read in the library which I think would inspire the readers of this blog. You can also find this story in the internet and I think, this story won the "Inspiring Story Of The Year" in a particular website.
So here's how it goes:

A son and his father were walking on the mountains.Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"He receives the answer: "Who are you?"And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"The voice answers: "I admire you!"Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"He receives the answer: "Coward!"He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"The voice answers: "You are a champion!"The boy is surprised, but does not understand.Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.It gives you back everything you say or do.Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;Life will give you back everything you have given to it."

LESSON: YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU...

I MADE IT... =)

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

WOW! After almost 5 months of waiting, the much awaited UPCAT results has finally come. It was considered as one of the most difficult entrance tests in the country... and I am one of the few who hurdled the College Admission Test.

What's more thrilling than that besides having something to be proud of is the look on my mom's face... When I told my mom about the great news, I can see in her eyes something I never felt in my entire life. Although she didn't say anything... I know... SHE IS PROUD OF ME.... I can feel it.. And I won't forget that feeling for the rest of my life... =)

...desolation

I hate this feeling. Where can I turn away to? This desolation has blatantly stalked me for a while but faking smiles had become my talent so people and even I barely noticed. False things, like my smiles become who I was. It was my defense mechanism-a good way to avoid all the things I fear. But everything that was chasing me become too real. Pain came crashing over my head and tears came rushing from my eyes. Life was catching up to me and I have nowhere to hide. It was almost as if I had been forced to give up on happiness by an outside force, but it's different this time. I refuse to believe that everythings gonna be alright because I know it's not. What if the breaths stop coming? Will the hurt finally go away?

It's a sharp pain that cuts through my entire being and I've hit the breaking point. I'm a window that a baseball has been through and I can never be put back together. I'm shattered... I'm broken... This hurts so badly that I've lost all the desire to pretend that I'm okay. As if the tears that pierce my eyes as they roll down my cheeks aren't obvious enough. I'm lost and confused. I'm worth nothing like this. I am nothing like this, nothing but a shitload of nothing... And maybe that's all I ever was in the first place.


I am trying to understand how things came to be.. How I ended up this way.. I swear it'd never happen to me. I felt this coming but I thought I could stop it.WRONG! It's too powerful and controlling. Too much to carry alone, and I got knocked down because I'm by myself. So I'm lying here, waiting for someone to see me at this low. And maybe, just maybe, that person will help me get up again.... :-l

:-l

Sometimes, I wish to die under tragic circumstances while I'm still young...
So people will remember me for all the things that I could have been instead of getting older and failing to live up to the expectations set for me...

....

we change for people who tell us what’s cool, what’s not, what’s in and what’s out. I guess we think just because they appear to be so sure of themselves and the world, it makes whatever they say right. But by being so passive, we have only given them a sense of authority, and suddenly our own values and morals no longer matter. Even if we say it’s not us that changed but everything around us, we are only blinded by the fear that we did push away our past, in hopes of a better status in the future. Yet those that actually put forth an effort in an attempt to advise us for the better, we reply with silent actions, silent words. We acknowledge them as fools, for we think whatever they keep trying to embed in our lives is something we are already so certain of. Then we find ourselves at rock bottom, suddenly contradicting everything we so eagerly claimed we had already known. That’s the funny thing about life. We realize things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes, fools are a lot wiser than we have given them credit for.

....

Life is made up of years that mean nothing and moments that mean it all.

When it seems like there's no one left to run to in this empty world you can come to me. I'll be your shooting star. You can tell me your dreams. I can't promise to make them come true, but I'll be there to pick up the pieces of your broken heart if your dreams happen to fall through.

...

I have yet to fully understand the purpose and meaning of my existence but I intend to make a difference in the life of others.

I may not know where fate would lead me but I intend to make my own mark in this world..

Life may not be easy but i will struggle hard to face adversities that will come my way.

I realized that young as I may be now, I have to start building my foundation of self-worth, inner strength and character.

Ally Mcbeal,,,

here's something from Ally Mcbeal that touched me and I wanted to share...

"if you see me walking the road with someone else, it is not because I like that person's company, it is because, you were not brave enough to walk beside me.."

"if you hear me talking about that person all the time, it is not because that person pleases me, it is because you were too deaf to hear my heartbeats.."

"if you feel me falling for someone new, it is not because i love that person, it is because you were not there to catch me as I fall.."

Transcend...

In a world where changes and transformations happen overnight, we can look out to the horizon ahead of us and transcend our belief. We can set out a good example by the love we show inspite of the adversities of life. We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence, intelligence and skills. And from there, we can share what we've found and learned, limited by nothing at all...

Refusing to "SEE" or "HEAR" or "ACKNOWLEDGE" the truth

The world is falling apart with violence , suicide bombs,
and senseless murders. And yet mankind insists that
nothing in the world has changed.

Have we humans become so numb that we cannot see that
the world has taken a fatal turn for the worse? We are
spiraling downward in our dealings with each other.

Even the weather is exuding death-dealing blows to mankind.

THE WORLD IS IN DENIAL...

Much like an alcoholic that denies he has a
drinking problem - The world denies that it has
unprecedented troubles.

Have we become numb? or do we prefer ignorance?