Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

It's movie time, but where's the popcorn!?

Our deepest fear is not that
we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

Above is a nice quotation from a scene in AKEELAH AND THE BEE, a film about an 11 year old girl named Akeelah Anderson who has a talent in spelling English words. At first, her coach is Dr. Larabee, but when she had the chance to compete for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in her first try, she needs more assistance to prepare for it.  She was given flashcards to learn 50,000 tough words to memorize and spell correctly for a month, which she did by the help of proud residents of her neighborhood as her coaches. And to spoil the ending, she made it to the championship despite the doubts she had before to herself and fear of not winning. It's a nice family movie that may inspire not only students involved in school competitions but I think in general, all those aspiring achievers. It's a movie about believing in all your potentials and then doing your best to reach that goal.

Darwinism, WTF?!

(This is a blog post related to Popoy's comment on "I'm a Bachelor")

Darwinism, What's the fact?!

Darwinism maybe given contradicting definitions by many. They've invented this term from the theories made by Charles Darwin, and that may depend on their biases, or misinformation, or whatever.

And Evolution Theory has been a controversy among three groups of people: (1) advocates, (2) opposers, and (3) neutral.

I'm not here to cite all those references, but you can use Google, Wikipedia, or any search engine to balance each of their points to arrive to a certain truth. Many have done their own research and also many have stopped caring to think about it. They've started to believe the way it was presented by those philosophical views of many.

If some people were taught that it was scientifically correct, then they've just believed it. And if others were taught that it was faithfully wrong, then they've just believed it. And while others chose what those two sides, there are still people who regard Darwinism in a neutral way for the educational or historical purposes.

But whatever the case for you, I just want to add some FACTS about this controversial issue.

First, the Darwinian Advocates are perhaps people in the fields of Philosophy or Biology. Then, the Darwinian Opposers are Christians or Bible believers who'll naturally deny this because of its Atheistic or Agnostic approach, as they call it. Lastly, the neutral people are perhaps those who just don't care much really. Those who might call themselves "Freethinkers" and regard this only as a reference. I don't feel the need to specifically broaden this much. I just want to fill a small space here in my blog about something Darwinism, and not about everything about Darwinism, Ok.

I'm not an authority to forcefully inject my personal opinion to you. We both have two sides of the brain, intended for use. (I just don't know if there's a person who don't want to maximize the use his brain rationally or ideologically, and only allows his brain to fill the space of his skull just for the sake of it. I really don't know.)

"Our mind is like a parachute. It works only when it is open." — Anonymous

What I believe is, the word EVOLUTION in it's simple meaning is development, progression, or growth. It can be applied in all areas as long as the real meaning will not be perverted. In Science, particularly in Biology, it is generally accepted. Other scientific application of this can be seen in the fields of Genetics, (i.e. GMO or genetically modified organism). There maybe alot of things that I don't know on their scientific basis, and I'm not a scientist to delve deeper into that. And because SCIENCE, in it's general definition is a systematized study of knowledge derived from experimentation, observation, and research based on facts, with that simple understanding that I know, I just can't accept the ideas of Charles Darwin on his Evolution Theory applied to human!

Because it's STILL a THEORY and NOT PROVEN as a FACT! Although, the concept of evolution applied to animals, plants or other organisms has been a known fact — i.e. hybrid animals like liger (lion + tiger), zebronkey (zebra + donkey), or genetically modified rice grains and fruits like square-shaped watermelons — but Darwinism is excluded to that.

It should not be considered as something to be taught in primary or secondary level of teaching in schools, cloaked as part of SCIENCE where students are suppose to learn facts and not just theoretical philosophies that states human ancestors were apes. I just can't believe that governments permits that kind of crap in the educational institutions.

I was also taught that way in my early education in elementary and high school. And I'm glad to say that I'm only a "HS grad.", although I entered a 1st semester in college, but then dropped out. I was lucky not to hear it from my professors & instructors, despite the fact that it's still being taught even in universities. During those times, I was forced to memorize all those Latinic names of the Hominaide family, and drew them in full color from the grandfather ape upto the modern ape. It's because of that "partial fulfillment of the requirement" thingy.

I also know, etomologically speaking, "homo sapiens" mean human beings, derived from "homo" = man plus "sapien" = wise or sapient. Darwin's naming convention is as illogical as his idea. Here's why:

homo erectus, homo neantherthalensis, homo australopithecus, upto his so called homo sapien or "modern man" — are all erroneous names. If I were to translate it in Tagalog language, it will be like this:

• "taong nakatayo" (kasi merong daw mga nakahukot na unggoy gaya ng oranggutan na nakasayad sa lupa ang mahahabang kamay, at hindi tuwid ang pagkakatayo)

• "taong neandertal" (dahil nahukay ng mga anthropologist sa bandang Europe)

• "taong australo" (dahil nahukay naman yata sa australia)

Did it sound sane to you? I just hope they do not add "homo sexual" to that absurdity. That would be too much! Because human beings are far more intelligent than apes, and all other creatures on earth.

(Ah, ewan! I'd be more happy to see a Pokèmon to evolve than to see "Monkey Morphine Power Ape-rs")

In Pokèmon, PIKACHU when evolved becomes RAICHU

If that's true, how come we can still see unevolved monkeys? Did the supposedly continuous and gradual growth process of evolution, suddenly stopped? And after reaching the stage of "homo sapiens", what's the next level? Will humans grow a pair of wings then fly like eagles? And what happened to the "missing link", have they found it? How come that there are some people who look like a horse more than hairy chimpanzees? And you can cite more variations of people's faces in different places that are not "ape-like" as Darwin insists to be.

I just hope you'll be able to satisfy yourselves with obvious answers. If you still can't decide what to believe, trust your common sense. Even though, common sense may not be very common to all nowadays. I still believe in the importance of sharing this topic. If you also feel like sharing this to your friends, that would be great.

Let them also know what's the fact.

Jesus Alone Saves?

This was captured from EDSA Road, Quezon City. And I don't know why it seems that a word was just inserted there. I know that the name Jesus means "Savior". And I also read my copy of The Bible. But I haven't seen any instance or even a single mention from the apostles that states, "JESUS ALONE SAVES". Please correct me if I'm wrong, or tell me the particular biblical citation if you find one.

I believe that no man should ever limit the truth by his lack of understanding. Especially if it's a vital fact for the people to know, be certain of what to say. Because a small amount of uncertainty may lead someone to a wrong direction, or even worse.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 — "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor."

I do believe, Jesus saves. And God, the Father saves, too. So if the person behind the idea of putting it there is unsure and confused to insert the word "alone", it's better to be kept for themselves alone, and don't confuse others.

Carelessness is inexcusable. Bold correction is better than empty compliments.

Proverbs 27:5 — "Open rebuke is better than secret love."

Animè Escape

Oo nga pala, mapapansin niyong inalis ko na sa "About Me" o yung tinatawag kong "Sinubaku?" section, yung orange kong mukha na natatakpan ng Apple's PowerBook G4 laptop. May nagtatanong kasi sa'ken ng presyo at kung saan daw makakabili. waah, mukha ba akong can afford? hindi yata.

Kaya ang ipinalit ko ay ang animated gif na version ng 'Prison Break' at 'The Great Escape'. Kung mapagkatuwaan niyo at balak 'yang kunin at ilagay din sa site niyo, ok lang naman, kayo'ng bahala.  Kung gusto mo rin namang magpaalam, ok lang din. Kung gusto mo akong i-linked sa blog mo, lalo sigurong ok 'yun. 

Prison Break: My Brother is Innocent

These are the 8 escapees of the Fox River State Penitentiary, also known as the most wanted and dangerous men, the Fox River 8. And this is of course, not real. It's from one of the most watched primetime TV show by millions, today. Although, Prison Break was not yet aired on any local TV network here in the Philippines, I just discovered this show when I was in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan via a Cable Channel. And at that time, I'm looking for anything to watch just to tire my eyes and initiate my body to rest until 3 or 4 am of dawn.

Actually, I'm hearing this popular show from my acquaintances, and I was not really interested then. But when I've seen those late night episodes and that time they've managed to escape the prison, led by Michael Scofield's brilliant mind and his body tattoos designed as blueprints. He used his ingenuity to save the life of his innocent brother from the scheduled execution of death penalty.

The eight escapees pictured above (from left to right) were Benjamin Miles Franklin, Theodore Bagwell alias 'T-Bag', Fernando Sucre, Lincoln Burrows and his brother Michael Scofield, John Abruzzi (dead), David Apolskis (dead), and the one missing in the photo was Charles Patoshik alias 'Haywire' (also dead). [see the biodata of the main cast here]

Prison Break: Season 1 which started airing on 2005 has ended. The latest episode I've watched was Episode 17 of Season 2.

I don't have plans to translate into writing all those live actions and thrill of the show. It's better seen on TV (but for me, it's on the PC) than reading synopsis.

I've also seen a similar plot of breaking out from prison in the 1963 World War II movie, "The Great Escape".  It was a blockbuster movie based on a true story and also one of my favorite classic film. My friend had a DVD copy, and it's a nice film that can also be enjoyed by younger kids together with their family because of some humorous scenes in it. And you know what, the number of escapees here was not only eight, but 78!

*******

Now I'm wondering how do people get overly excited and interested on stories like this. I know it does not necessarily mean we sympathize the guilty convicts and wanting them to escape. And also, not only because we want to feel the thrill not being caught on our offenses, as we watch their cunningly planned strategies. But maybe somehow, we sometimes see ourselves in situations where we wrestle against biased human laws and don't want to conform in their standards and rules. So we breakout! — some ran away from homes, some ran away from their society, doing unlawful acts of rebellion, or some even to the extent of thinking to escape by attempting suicide! These may not be all applicable to Filipino behaviors, but it's true to other nations.

What I am saying is, anybody may think and feel as prisoners in various aspects of life. But my one simple question is this: "How did you know?"

What I know is, I've been a prisoner of sin before. "Gusto ko mang bumait, pero di ko magawa" — because I am cuffed and chained by many evil acts and I am constrained from doing the things that I naturally know good, which are just practically and logically right. But do you know, how did I managed to escape, huh?

Well, I didn't. With my own wits and abilities, I did not. Because I can't.

If someone is imprisoned, theoretically he can not free himself alone. Especially when you are imprisoned within your self.

But I thank God for saving me that time. And until now, I'm living my life to its fullest with His help and guidance. Without His love and mercy, I guess I'll just be as filthy as I can be, together with my co-prisoners of sin.

That's why I'm now here blogging. Being as desperate as Michael Schofield who wants to save my brothers that I believe were innocent — trapped by unwanted circumstances and cruel environment. And just like Lincoln Burrows, there are some innocent convicts of sin that has only been framed-up by an association of people greedy in power, money, and fame. Willing to do anything only for their own belly's sake to satisfy their gluttony and lust — forsaking anybody, even their family and friends.

Whew, I can't believed I've said all these (plus the wrong grammar)!

At first, I just want to blog a little about my recently watched episode of Prison Break TV series, but I ended up with this long post. At ang madrama, ay sa English pa!

Sana tagalog naman sa susunod. Baka maubusan agad ako ng bokabularyong-kano, na baon ko sa tabo.

Me, fail english? That's unpossible

 
Ralph Wiggum (The Simpsons)

I’m a Bachelor

I am 23 years old. And still a bachelor.

I am not against marriage or afraid of being tied to obligations. And I don't think it's the worst thing in the world, which some bachelor probably thinks so, that's why they're having fun to any girls (flirting, playing, f**king, whatever!)

Teenage marriage and pre-marital sex become norms to 'some' countries. And it seems, that culture will soon be embraced by 'all' countries, even in my homeland - Philippines.

I got the idea that "people can evolve together", so I thought, maybe …

Yeah, John Lennon & his wife Yoko did. They get closer and closer as the years went by. And at the end, they even had the same face!

So in my opinion, getting married is not something to rush. I'll just let time take its course. Allowing destiny and that lucky girl find me on the rightful time. Until one morning, I will hear a sweet voice mixed in the cold morning breeze waking me up saying, "Gising na hon, nakahanda na almusal. Sabay tayo."

It's just like when Adam was sleeping, and when he woke up, a gorgeous Eve was beside him as his wife.

Bye, I have to sleep. (I still have to dream on, mga 'tol!) 

Multiple Personality

 Oh really, you think I have multiple personalities?

Fine, no big deal and don't worry.

'Coz I'm pretty confident that at any rate,

I might be one of me.

Jehovah’s Witness Against Blood Transfusion

Isa ito sa mga doktrina o aral na sinasampalatayanan ng mga Saksi ni Jehova, isang samahang relihiyon na nagpasimula sa Amerika na itinayo ni Charles Taze Russel.

Maging sa Pilipinas ay nakarating ang pananampalatayang ito na naniniwalang sagrado ang dugo at bawal kainin, kaya raw bawal sa kanila ang blood transfusion.

Hindi ko maintindihan kung paano sila nakarating sa ganoong konklusyon, na ang pagsasalin ng dugo upang magligtas ng buhay ng tao ay katulad na rin ng direktang pagkain nito mula sa bibig.

At noong January 31, 2007, ay may nabalitang kaso ng sextuplet birth mula sa isang pamilyang mananampalataya na Saksi ni Jehovah. Ang kasong ito ay umabot sa korte ng makialam ang B.C. government sa Canada upang iutos ang pagsasalin ng dugo sa mga sanggol makaraang dalawa sa sextuplets ay namatay na dahil sa pagtutol ng pamilya. Ito raw ay paglabag sa kanilang karapatan kontra sa kanilang pananampalataya.

Bagaman isa ang relihiyong ito sa masigasig na magimprenta ng mga Biblia at mag-alok ng iba pa nilang publikasyon at magasin upang ibenta sa bahay-bahay, marami pa ring kakaibang paniniwala ang samahang ito na kumukontra di lamang sa gobyerno at medisina, kundi wala pang sapat na batayang syientipiko o bibliko man.

Narito ang istorya ni Joy Castro, na nalathala sa iba’t ibang publikasyon at maging sa kanyang libro na The Truth Book tungkol sa kanyang karanasan bilang dating kasapi sa Saksi ni Jehovah. [read the full story]

The Story of Joy Castro

 A TRUE STORY 

    There were problematic things in my particular situation growing up, aside from issues of blood transfusion, which were not necessarily related to our religion. I realized my family was different beginning when I went to preschool in England. I was three years old then, and my understanding of the difference between me and other students just continued to grow as I continued on in school.

    There were particular activities that I was not permitted by my mother to take part in, such as birthdays for the other children. If someone brought birthday cake or cupcakes, I was not allowed to partake. If the children made decorations for different holidays I did not celebrate, I would go sit in the hall or another room away from the class. Jehovah’s Witnesses at that time, and I believe still, did not celebrate Christmas or birthdays, Halloween or Easter. There were numerous occasions during the year when other children would hold celebrations and I would not participate.

    When we returned to the United States, I was six years old. I attended first grade in the U.S., and of course then there was the Pledge of Allegiance. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t pledge their allegiance to any nation, sitting still and silent in my chair was a daily reminder of the fact that I was different.

In my particular household, we prayed at least twice a day, attended “meetings” (which is what we called church services) at the Kingdom Hall or at the home of another member three times a week: two hours on Sunday, one hour on Tuesday evening and two hours on Thursday evening. Each of these meetings required a certain amount of preparation, so we would read texts published by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society in advance.

    Participation, in my experience, simply meant that when the brother, or the man in charge, would ask the pre-printed questions in the text, one of us would volunteer to answer. As much time as possible was spent going door-to-door preaching or ‘out in service,’ sharing principles of the Jehovah’s Witness faith with other people, whom we called ‘worldly people,’ with the intention of saving, helping and converting them.

    Because I was doing this from an extremely early age, it just seemed normal. I thought it was right; I thought it was for God. I was a believer, I think the way almost anyone born into a religion is a believer. But I was also kind of shy and didn’t really enjoy going up to the doors of perfect strangers and knocking and telling them stuff I was trained to tell them. There’s a lot of preparation and coaching for that. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have what they call a Theocratic Ministry School, and they give practice presentations so that people of all ages can learn how to present materials at the doors of worldly people. I had been trained in that from the age of five. It was uncomfortable, but I thought I was doing a kind thing for worldly people.

    I ran away from home at 14 years old and continued to go to the Kingdom Hall on my own for about a year afterwards. I had started to have questions about the belief system starting at about 11 or 12, and when I finally did run away, I was able to pursue those questions more vigorously. For me, the religion just didn’t hold up logically, and it didn’t feel like a compassionate religion. And so at 15 years old, I ceased going.

    I had been expected to become baptized, which is what Jehovah’s Witnesses encourage children to do when they are at the age of reason. For most, this is during the early teens, and that had been the expectation for me, but I quit before I went through baptism.

    When I was a younger child, my mother was certainly aware I had questions, because I asked some of them of her. I think I was a frustrating child for her in some ways because of that. During the period when I was 12 to 14 years old, she was remarried to an extremely abusive man, so the three of us – my mother, brother and I - were basically in survival mode, and my questioning was pretty dormant. But before that, I had bothered her with questions about various beliefs we held.

    My parents had been divorced for two years at that point, and my father had been disfellowshipped by the religion, which is comparable to being excommunicated. He was expelled for smoking cigarettes, and when my mother remarried, we were forbidden to see him at all, and that was represented to us by our new stepfather, a Jehovah’s Witness, as being based in scripture. I had not seen my real father for over a year, and so when I ran away, I ran away to his house, which was an hour away in West Virginia. He was worldly and disfellowshipped, which meant he was considered an ‘apostate.’ An apostate is one who has known Jehovah and the ‘true faith’ and who has turned their back. It was really quite heretical for me to go to my father’s home.

    My brother is five years younger than me and was the biological child of my father and mother.

    Our mother, for reasons that I do not know or understand, was not a particularly attentive mother, and my brother was a particularly curious child. So, he would get into trouble physically and put himself in risky situations. I was worried about him and tried hard to protect him and keep him from danger. We lived in a very remote rural area, so I was concerned about the fact that if one of us was badly injured, it would take an hour or more to get to the hospital, and blood transfusions were not an option for us because of our faith. But, having been raised that way, I did believe that was morally right. It was just a chronic, low-grade fear – just something in the back of my mind.

    I’ve heard of instances where parents refuse their children certain treatments based on the faith, such as the case of the sextuplets born in Vancouver, Canada. I’m relieved for the sake of the children that the state stepped in to allow the blood transfusions. There are many religious systems around the world that feel it’s okay to physically damage children in the name of God or faith, and that’s a concern for me. Children don’t have autonomy yet; they can’t speak their choice, and the parents are making it for them. Of course, I understand that parents make most choices for their children, but when we see a parent abusing a child or starving a child, we intervene. I think it’s appropriate and humane for us to do that.

    However, if children have already been given blood transfusions, I believe that most Jehovah’s Witnesses are compassionate and kind enough to not hold that against the children. It was not an act of the children’s will either way.

    If the children grow up to be Jehovah’s Witnesses, presumably they’ll be treated well in a warm and friendly environment.

    I formed a lot of insights about hypocrisy growing up. So much so, that I had to write a book about it! (laughs) I learned that sometimes the idea of love is absent in religion, that systems of belief can have logical inconsistencies and that people are perfectly willing to be hypocritical when it serves their needs. I learned that someone who holds a position of religious and moral authority isn’t necessarily a good person. It was surprising to me as a young person that violence could be employed in the name of God and of love.

    That happened in my family. My mother’s husband was physically violent with her, my brother and me to a severe extent, in the name of the faith. He quoted scripture and made sure we got to every meeting, but he was also emotionally, physically and sexually abusive, and he ritually underfed us; I ran away because I feared being raped by him. (Not long after I left home, he was arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for molesting a nine-year-old girl.) I don’t blame the Jehovah’s Witnesses for my experience. Abusers can exist in any kind of organization. Most of the Witnesses I knew were kind, gentle people who meant well and whom I liked and respected.

    For me, the source of strength and hope in my life has always been connected to love of people and treating them compassionately. Today, I meditate and pray, though I do not belong to an organized religious structure. I’d be one of those spiritual, not religious box-checkers. I studied religion in college, trying to get an objective handle on it.

    I’m interested in the essences of world religions, and I try to live by the Golden Rule of treating others with as much love and respect as you want to be treated.

    I think my mother felt very betrayed that I ran away and that I would choose to leave her religion. We did try over the years, sporadically and with good intentions, to have some kind of relationship. But then we’d go through long fallow periods where it was too difficult for one or both of us to communicate. At this point, after the publication of my piece in the New York Times Magazine (and the subsequent publication of my book), she does not communicate with me at all. She’s now a nurse and hospital administrator specializing in ‘bloodless options,’ which are alternatives to blood transfusions. I don’t have a clear sense of what those medical options are, but I think they have to do with plasma. I could be wrong.

    My brother and I are very close. About six months after I ran away, we were able to have him removed by the police from my mother and stepfather because of my testimony. He went to the Kingdom Hall with me for a little while and then stopped when I stopped. He is now not a member of an organized religion and is a happy, productive working adult with a family.

    I’ve moved on, too. Writing a book that allowed me to process, re-live and deal with it all has made it less painful to talk about now. Writing a memoir is cathartic and puts some kind of order into the chaos of a life. But the scars don’t just disappear. Because of the violence in my childhood, I struggled for years with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

    I’ve been helped with that by some great therapists.

    But it’s also been lonely. If you grow up very abnormally and then decide to join mainstream society, there are just all kinds of gaps and absences, and you have to go back and fill in a lifetime of feeling odd, strange, outcast, excluded, et cetera. Jehovah’s Witnesses are very socially exclusive in that they hang out mostly with each other. That was my whole social life growing up, and when I left, I left behind the only friends I had, the only social norms I knew.

    Growing up in such an isolated, exclusive way damaged my social skills as a kid, which is probably why I became an academic. (laughs) You feel very alone in the world, and then when you join that world, you don’t necessarily have the skills to integrate. And then there’s the pain of losing family. I miss my mother. I know she meant well and was motivated by love, but she loved her religion more than she loved me and my brother. That’s painful. It’s a very demanding faith system.

    When Jehovah’s Witnesses approach me now, I tell them I’m an apostate, and that ends the conversation quickly. I don’t know if it’s a polite way to end the conversation, but it’s certainly effective.

[Read Related Post]

1000+ Popular Pinoy Text Messages (Part 8 of 8)

DISCLAIMER

Ang bawat text message na ito ay walang kaugnayan sa personal kong pananaw at pag-uugali. Ang koleksyong ito ay mahigit 1,000 mga text message at maaaring ilan dito ay naglalaman ng mga pananalitang hindi angkop sa inyong panlasa.

Hindi ibig sabihing ito ay angkop naman sa akin, at hindi po ako ang kumatha ng mga ito. Ito ay pawang kathang Pinoy na natanggap mo na rin sa message inbox ng iyong mobile phone na maaaring natuwa ka ring i-forward sa iba o kaya'y na-badtrip sa kung ano mang kadahilanan.

Ang mga ito ay maaaring sumalamin sa pagiging masayahin ng mga Pinoy sa kabila ng mga problemang kinakaharap (txt jokes), o pagiging mapagmahal (txt love) at maalalahanin (txt friend, txt greetings, txt quotes, txtcetra) sa pamilya, kaibigan, o sa kaya’y sa sinisinta.

Siguro naman, kung mabasa ninyo na ito at ipabasa din sa iba, hindi na ito ikagugulat. Kung nais niyo namang gawin itong reperensya o archive na mapagkukunan ng mga text message na muling maipapasa, kayo na ang bahala, labas na ako sa usapang iyon at hindi ako promoter ng mga ito at sponsoran ang sinoman sa kanyang e-load.

Kung nais naman ninyong kumuha ng mga sipi sa anomang partikular na text message o kaya kopyahin ito ng buo mula dito sa aking blog, ay magagawa ninyo ito ng may kalayaan. Pero mas maiging ilagay na lamang ninyo ang mga orihinal na links mula dito kung saan ninyo nakuhang pahina. Ito'y bilang kortesiya sa mas malayang pakikipagpalitan ng impormasyon.

O sya, sapat na siguro yun para sa pormalidad. Banat na!

(Part 8 ) Karugtong …

TXT LOVE / MISS U

• Loving is not what we see but what we feel, not how we listen but how we understand, not how we forget but how we forgive. Loving is holding on even when the pain dares you to let go.

• Boy: I saw her. Still pretty and she looks so happy. Girl: I saw him. I felt like crying but I won't let him notice that. Boy: I wonder if she's now taken, maybe, she is. Girl: I'm still single, can't seem to find someone who could take his place. Boy: I know she's angry. Girl: After all he's done, I couldn't get angry. Boy: I'm coward not to choose her. Girl: He was brave enough to choose the one he truly loves. Boy: I regret it. Girl: Wish he never left. Boy: I love her but it's too late, she doesn't love me anymore. Girl: I love him still but I should move on. =(

• Learn to love with all your heart and accept the unlovable side of others. For anyone can love a rose, but only a great heart can include the thorns.

• Here is a sweet truth: "Someday, someone will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else." Here is the bitter catch: "When you kept on waiting but nobody came, it means that you've already let that one pass you by."

• Sometimes, when you love someone very much, you have to go thru every tear, every heartache, every pain. Because in the end, it's not how you suffered, but how much you loved!

• Once, I asked myself, "Is love a multiple choice test or is it true or false?" Out of nowhere, a voice answered, "Sorry to tell you this, but love is a thousand word essay."

• In the maze of love, try not to lose yourself, so that when love is no longer willing to stay, you still have the greatest possession and gift that no one could take away… yourself.

• Joey said to Dawson in Dawson's Creek, "I fell in love twice, first was with you, second was the person you became when you're already mine…" Sweet noh?

• We don't look for love because it's lonely to be watching movies alone, because it's sad to eat meals on your own, because it's nice to cuddle up with someone on rainy days. We look for love because we want to be accepted, for the sloppy ways we dress, for the clumsy way we eat our meals, for bad hair days and for the simplicity in us. Love is an act of acceptance, that with all our imperfections, we are accepted and loved.

• A cute love story: There was a little boy whose first love was a young girl in a picture which he found and picked from the street. As time went by, he got married, but still kept it. One day, the wife found it and asked, "Where did you get this?" The man said, "I kept that since I was a child, why?" The girl replied, "I lost this picture when I was 9…"

• Walang pinipili ang pag-ibig, kahit mahirap ka pa o mayaman. Pero paano kung minahal ka ng isang mahirap at isang mayaman, sino ang pipiliin mo? The one who has everything or the one who has nothing but willing to give everything?

• What's the hardest part in ending a relationship? Not the feeling of letting go, not the part of goodbye, but going through every damn day and having to remember it.

• Two dilemma that rattle my mind: How do I get rid of someone who won't go and how do I hang on to someone who won't stay. Sakit sa ulo!

• You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

• No man is worth a woman's tears. And the one who is, will never make her cry.

• Don’t love the person that you think is right. Instead love the person you think is true. It’s easier to think what is right than to see what is true.

• Hindi mo raw agad malalamang mahal mo na ang isang tao, madalas kasi bulag ka sa totoo at akala mo iba ang gusto mo. Pero sa huli, mararamdaman mong mahal mo na pala sya, kapag nalaman mong… iba na ang mahal niya.

• The moment you found someone that makes your heart beat, stop the search and take the risk. Remember that the world is a big place that if you lost the one you love, you have to search the world again.

• Masarap magmahal kung ikaw lang ang mahal nya. Masarap magmahal kung talagang seryoso sya. Pero wala nang mas sasarap pa kung sasabihin nya, "Alam mo, kuntento na ko sayo…"

• I can never say how my life would go and how long I'd stay alive. All I know is that even we're miles apart, you'd always be one of the sweetest piece of puzzle completing my life.

• What if you love the wrong person? Are you going to give up or hold on? Maybe you need to do nothing, just continue loving. Who knows? Maybe that love might be enough to make that person the right one.

• True love covers the eyes to see no wrong. True love darkens reason to consider every situation. True love loves more when it hurts much. True love is still true even to the point of letting go. =(

• Let go of the hand of the person you love, but don't let go of God's hand for when you hold His hand, He might be holding the person you love on His other hand to let you hold each other in time.

• Ang love, parang work. Mahirap pero masaya, maraming kakumpetensya, pero kinakaya. May dayoff at overtime, tapos, minsan, may bonus pa. Eh paano kung pagod ka na? Magreresign ka na lang ba??

• Three people you will meet in life: First is the one you love most, second is the one who loves you most and the third is the one you spend the rest of your life with. Sadly, in real life, these three people are usually not the same person. The one you love most doesn't love you. The one who loves you the most is never the one you love the most, and the one you spend your life with, is neither the one you love nor the one who loves you the most. He/she is just the person who happens to be a the right place at the right time.

• Love is like a war, easy to begin but hard to end. So when you fall in love, choose the one who is willing to fight the war with you until the end.

• I believe in everything, love at first sight, happy endings, destiny, fairy tales and even magic. Pero nasaktan ako, tama nga sila, ano? No words can ever define love, kundi "katangahan".

• Love is not blind. It sees but it does not mind.

• One night the moon said "If he makes you cry then why don't you leave him?" I paused for awhile then looked back at the moon and said "Moon, would you ever leave your sky?"

• I love you so much but you said we're better off as friends. I cried but it didn't help much coz' you love someone new and because of her, you forgot that you once said you love me too. =(

• In love, never put yourself on a situation where you're not sure where you stand in a person's life. Never assume, never expect, so that if they choose to drop you, you have enough strength to move on.

• I want my eyes to be your eyes so you could see how wonderful you are, I want my heart to be your heart so you could feel how much you mean to me, and I want my ear to be your ear so you could hear me whisper "I love you."

• People like you are found only once in a lifetime. I want to be sure that I'm not going to spend that lifetime looking for another you! I'm happy I met you!

• You told me you miss me, but you don't. You told me you care for me but you don't. You told me I'm special but I'm not. Then you told me the truth that you don't love me, I smiled and said, "I know."

• I wish I was a tear in your eyes so that I can roll down on your cheeks, touch lips and die happy but if you were a tear in my eyes, I will try hard not to cry coz I'm afraid to lose you.

• You may have someone in your heart and in your mind, you may have someone in your dreams and someone in your life but I am your someone when you have no one.

• Do you know why God created gaps between fingers? So that someday, the one who is made by God for you will come and fill those gaps by holding your hands forever.

• Saying goodbye makes you realize how much you love, how much you will miss and how much loss you had… knowing that the person will never be yours at all.

• It is really painful to say goodbye to someone you don't want to let go, but it is even more painful to ask the person to stay even if you can never make it work out the way it should be.

• To love someone is supposed to be the most wonderful feeling. It should inspire you ang give you joy and strength, but sometimes the things that give you joy can also hurt you in the end.

• The best part of loving is not wishing that the person loves you as much as you do, but in the feeling that you love the person for more than you thought you could.

• People seldom say 'I love you' and when they do, it's either too late or the love is gone. But when I say 'I love you' it doesn't mean you have to stay, but I wish you'd never go away.

• How would you know if he really loves you? It's when you scream, he's calm. When you slap him, he kisses you. When you cry, he hugs you. When you tell him you hate him, he tells you he loves you!

• Falling in love with you is the second best thing in the world… Finding you is the first!

• I'll lend you my shoulder for you to cry on, my ears to listen to, my hand for you to hold, my feet to walk with you, but I can't lend you my heart coz it already belongs to you.

• 50 years from now, I'd be so old, I might forget you. I might not remember ever knowing you, or might forget I once cared for you. I might… But I won't.

• I've always wanted to be free, to fly away and never return… but then, somewhere beyond that, I wish to be owned, to be held, and never be let go.

• When you find faults from someone you love, hold on, don't judge nor doubt but trust and understand that someone is doing best to love you more. Remember, love has nothing to explain.

• Nagkamali ka na ba sa isang taong akala mo kaibigan mo lang? Na kapag nakuha ng iba, balewala lang, kaso, nung nawala na sya, nasabi mo na lang, "Tanga ko, mahal ko pala sya!"

• Ako? Ako yung "nothing", as in, nothing para sa 'yo, kasi, alam ko na meron ka nang "your everything." Pero sana, alam mo na kapag nawala si "everything", dyan lang si "nothing" to give you "everything."

• Days can be so tough and at times cruel, too much for one to be alone, when you feel that you can't hold on any longer, I'll take your hand and we'll go thru with it together. I'll be here and that's forever.

• In my dreams you gave me your heart. In my dreams we were never apart. In my dreams you kept me close. In my dreams you loved me the most. In my dreams we're always together… might as well be dreaming forever…

• When the time comes I can't smile anymore, don't worry about me, I know what to do. I'll just stare at one corner and think of you. No one else could make me happy like the way you do.

• If you could choose between life and death you would almost rather die, love is fun but hurts so much the price you pay is high. And so I say don't fall in love, you will get hurt before you're through. You see my friend, I ought to know, I fell in love with you.

• If someone would ask me what a beautiful life means, I would lean my head on your shoulder and hold you close to me and answer with a smile: "Like this!"

• Kapag naiisip kita, napapangiti ako. Kapag namimiss kita, kinikilig ako. Kapag sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na mahal kita, nasasaktan ako. Kasi, tinatanong ko sa sarili ko, "Ako kaya, mahal mo?"

• X - bansag sa mga past lovers natin. But don't you know na sa Math, X stands for unknown? Talaga bang kinalimutan mo na sya? O talagang hindi na kinikilala kahit mahal mo pa? =(

• Minsan, itinutulak mo ang isang tao palayo sa iyo, kasi, alam mong babalik din sya. Pero mag-ingat ka sa pagtulak mo. Kasi, baka kapag narealize mong mahalaga sya sa iyo, hindi mo na sya mahila pabalik sa iyo.

• Minsan, pasaway talaga ang tao, hindi mo naman inaaya, darating at sasali sa mundo mo. Ang masakit, kung kelan apektado ka na sa kanya, saka pa sya aalis tangay ang mundong dating sa iyo lang. =(

• Love is like handling someone a gun, having them point it at your heart, and trusting them to never pull the trigger. - Spongebob.

• Don't be afraid to take chances even if it might get you hurt. Just be strong and take it because you might miss that single chance that would change your life and make you really happy.

• When you know things are not meant for you, learn to let go. It doesn't mean you are weak but you are strong. Strong enough to fight the urge of wanting something you are not supposed to have.

• Sometimes, two people decide to be just friends even if they still love each other and I often wonder why? I suppose it's not the love that's so hard to sustain, but the commitment that complicates everything.

• Love is complex, it can hurt, it can be great. But never ask anyone to define love because love was never meant to be explained, it is supposed to be felt.

• Pinilit kong huwag magtext dahil alam kong istorbo lang ako. Pero talagang hindi ko matiis na hindi ka kumustahin! Magalit ka na, pero miss lang talaga kita!

• Gusto mo bang malaman kung gaano ka kahalaga? Hindi ako sasagot, hahawakan ko na lang ang kamay mo at ilulublob sa kumukulong tubig at sasabihing, "Masakit, di ba? Ganyan kapag nawala ka." =)

• Kung andito ka siguro sa tabi ko, wala siguro akong magagawa kundi titigan ka, tumingin sa mga mata mo, pero sabay ng pagtitig ko sa iyo ang dalanging sana, hindi ka mawala sa buhay ko.

• Kapag in love, ang sarap ng feeling. Kapag nasaktan, ang hirap tanggapin. Hindi mo alam kung biro, hindi mo alam kung totoo. Pero isa lang ang totoo. Love ko yung nagbabasa nito na kapag nawala sa buhay ko, mababaliw ako! =)

• Happy lunch time! Simpleng salita, simpleng bati, pero para sa akin, malalim dahil sa simpleng salitang yun, nasabi kong naalala kita bago ako kumain. =)

• Masaya lang tayo kapag may mga messages, minsan kahit na walang kwenta, basta galing sa mahal mo, masaya ka na! Kapag galing ba sa akin, masaya ka ba? Kahit wala akong kwenta?

• Ano ba ang pagmamahal? Yun bang pinaiyak ka na, pinatawad mo pa? Yun bang binabalewala ka na, hinahanap mo pa? Yun bang nagmamahal na ng iba, minamahal mo pa? O yun bang kinalimutan ka na, umaasa ka pa?

• Mahirap para sa akin ang hindi ka makita, mahirap para sa akin ang hindi ka makasama. Mahirap para sa akin ang mawala ka. Pero mas mahirap para sa akin ang ibigay mo ako sa iba kahit alam mong mahal kita.

• Galing ni God no? Alam Nya kung san magiging masaya ang tao, kung saan pwede magmahal at mahalin ng totoo. Kung saan yung langit dito sa mundo. Kaya pala nilagay niya ako malapit sa 'yo

• Kung mahal mo ang isang tao, hindi mo sya hahayaang mawala sa iyo. Hindi sasaktan, hindi paglalaruan, hindi paaasahin, hindi babalewalain kundi iingatan at ipaglalaban. At higit sa lahat, hindi mo papalitan!

• Heart and brain were fighting. Heart said, "Idelete mo na sya! Stupid!" Mind replied, "Nagmamarunong ka pa dyan, how would I discard if I see you bleed every time I try?"

• Bakit yung iba, ang bilis kong palitan. Bakit sila, hindi ko iniiyakan. Bakit kapag iba, wala akong pakialam. Pero bakit kapag ikaw na, ang hirap mong kalimutan. =(

• Minsan, nakakatakot nang magmahal, hindi mo alam, baka masaktan ka lang ulit. Pero ganun naman talaga ang love di ba? Magsasayang ka muna ng maraming luha bago mo matagpuan ang taong kailanman ay hindi ka na iiwan pa.

• Don't be afraid to put your trust to someone who will love you completely, because not all fears are right and love doesn't always end in pain. Who knows? The one you've been waiting for has always been with you.

• What if the person you love sacrifice you just to have another love? Would you fight and never give up? Ako? Lalayo na lang. Why? Isinuko nya ako eh, tapos ipaglalaban ko sya? Kalokohan!

• If you make talikod to me, I will not be galit. I will just panood you lakad, but if suddenly you dapa, I'll say, You kasi eh, not making ingat. Come here nga, I'll make you yakap!

• Minsan, naiisip ko, bakit ba kita nakilala? Para saan at dumating ka? Pero napapatahimik na lang ako tapos napapangiti. Baka kasi akalain ni Lord, nagrereklamo ako! Mahirap na. Baka bawiin ka nya. Ayoko nga!

• What if I tell you to forget me, would you? If I ask you to go, would you obey? If I tell you to leave me alone, will you? Sana, matigas ang ulo mo at hindi mo hayaang mawala ako.

• Kinatok mo ang puso ko, pinatuloy kita. Pero tumigil ka sa pinto, nag-isip ka pa yata! Tanong ko lang, tutuloy ka pa ba? Kasi, hindi na ako magpapapasok pa ng iba kapag nasa loob ka na.

• Kapag may bagay na mawawala sa akin, pwedeng huwag ikaw? Kung may taong lalayo sa akin, sana, hindi ikaw. Kung may taong makakasama ako habambuhay, favor naman o. Pwede, ikaw na lang?

• Sagutin mo ito ha. Kung mahal mo talaga ang isang tao, maaayos mo itong letters na ito in 3 words. "ETYEFSUEOR" Kapag hindi mo nasagot, means, hindi ka marunong magmahal. Hintayin ko ang sagot ha!

• My heart says I have to take care of you. I should make sure that no one will harm you. But I just can't always be there for you, so please, konting ingat naman. Alam mo naman na mahal na mahal kita.

• Love isn't about luxurious things in the world. It isn't about driving a BMW, nor living in New York. Love is about that someday, you two will be able to reach your dreams, helping out each other. Love is about trust, even if everything falters. Love is about giving without expecting anything. Love is about sharing happiness and pain as well. Love is about accepting that person even if others can't. Love is about holding on, even if all else fail.

• Love is a noble act of self-giving. The more you love, the more you lose a part of you. Yet you do not become less of who you are, but you end up being complete.

• Simple lang akong tao, simple manamit, simple pumorma, simple magmahal at simple mahalin. Pero kahit simple lang ako, namimili din ng special na mamahalin.

• God puts certain person in our lives for a reason, and whatever God had in mind for bringing you into mine, I don't really mind. I'm just thankful He did! =)

• You may never see how much I care for you. You may never hear how much I treasure you. You may never feel how much I miss you. Coz only here in my heart can you see them true.

• I have you! If you hate me, shoot me with an arrow, but please not on the heart coz that's where you are!

• Someone misses you so much, its not your family nor your relatives. Its not even your bestfriend nor your closests pal. Its just the simple ordinary me, who misses the extraordinary.

• If I never met you, I wouldn't like you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't love you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't miss you. But I did, I do and I will.

• Never doubt someone's love for you. If you find some imperfections, let it be. If you survived the pain, the happiness is satisfying. Never find the perfect love, because love without pain is impossible.

• The fate of love is that it is always too little or too much. Don’t live your life with someone you want to live with; live it with someone you can’t live without.

• You might find it easy to fall in love with someone, the hard thing is how to keep that someone forever. But that is the challenge of love, fighting, without knowing how to win!

• We are all a little weird and life's a little weird and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

• A great love? It's when you shed tears and still you care for him, it's when he ignores you and still you long for him. It's when he begins to love another and yet you still smile and say I'm happy for you.

• If love fails, set yourself free, let your heart spread its wings and fly again. Remember you may find love and lose it, but when love dies, you never have to die with it.

• Loving is not how you forget but how you forgive, not how you listen but how you understand, not what you see but how you feel, and not how you let go but how you hold on.

• In love, very rarely do we win but when love is true, even if you lose, you still win just for having the tingle of loving someone more than you love yourself.

• There comes a time when we have to stop loving someone not because that person has stopped loving us but because we have found out that they'd be happier if we let go.

• If you really love someone never let go, don't believe that letting go means that you love best, instead fight for your love, that's what true love is.

• It's best to wait for the one you want than settle for one that's available. Best to wait for the one you love than one who is around. Best to wait for the right one because life is too short to waste on just someone.

• Sometimes the one you love turns out to be the one who hurts you the most, and sometimes the friend who takes you into his arms and cries when you cry turns out to be the love you never knew you wanted.

• Relationships are like traffic signs, 1-way, 2-way, do not enter, no U turn, no left turn. But the best so far is give way and keep right.

• Many believe that love is forever, that love never dies, only to be disillusioned in the end when we find our hands empty and our hearts longing. We mistakenly have looked at love as a need to be fulfilled, but love is only a gift given to us. We should not hold it in our hands, for we may never find the strength to let it go when it decides to leave. We should only embrace its warmth and glow while it lasts and freely open our arms when it's time to say goodbye.

• Don't tie your heart to a person who has nothing to offer you. You may say you're in love, you might even say he/she is your soulmate. But is that enough to fill your need for love? Let go. It might hurt for a while, but when you get over it, you'll find it's for the better.

• You deserve to be happy not in the arms of someone who keeps you waiting, but in the arms of someone who will take you now, love you forever, and leave you never, right?

• If you really love someone, you wouldn't have the heart to hurt that person no matter what it takes. You will always find a way to make her happy, because that is what constitutes love among people. You are overjoyed when you see her happy. That's true love. Seeing happiness in her eyes is enough to prove what love is.

• Sometimes in life, we ask and seek for someone we can have and keep, but there's nothing much you can really do but to wait for the right person whose quest in life is nothing else but to find you too!

• Everything in life is temporary, because everything changes. That's why it takes great courage to love someone knowing it might end anytime.

• People have different outlooks in love. But whatever are those, there's a single truth behind everyone's heartache. "Love hurts when God knows we deserve someone else."

• If you are trapped between your feelings and what other people think is right, always go for whatever makes you happy. Unless you want everybody to be happy for you except you being happy for yourself.

• Be happy when God answers your prayer. But be more thankful when God makes you the answer to someone else's. "Ikaw yun for me!"

• If you're falling for someone pero natatakot kang masaktan, makinig ka. If you're into it, why not? Huwag mong isipin kung saan ka babagsak, malay mo, yung makasalo sa iyo ay yung taong para sa iyo talaga!

• Never let go of anyone that you couldn't go a day without thinking about. There just might be a very good reason why they're always on your mind. Sometimes, it's the brain that knows too well what the heart tries so hard to deny.

• If you find yourself in love with someone else who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just did not choose to rest in the other person's heart. Let it go. There's a reason and a meaning. You will know in time.

• Don't rush into falling in love, for love never runs out. Even if they mock you because you are single, just tell them this: "God is just busy writing the best love story that will swipe me off my feet!"

• Love changes you. The way you act, the way you think, the way you decide. Sometimes, you even go against your principles and beliefs in life. Loving doesn't always mean you'll be happy. But you will soon realize that it is better if the person you love would be happy with someone else, than lonely with you. That's what you call sacrifice.

• If one star will fall everytime I miss you, all stars will be out of the sky now. So, if ever there be no more stars tonight, it's all your fault, you make me miss you so much.

• Great minds contain ideas, solutions and reasons; scientific minds contain formulas, theories and figures; my mind contains only you.

• If I get takot, would you hawak me tight? If I gawa something mali, would you make it right? If I build an apoy, would you bantay the flame? If I sabi I miss you, would you ramdam the same?

• Why do I miss you? Because you make me smile. You are so kind. You are so sweet. You are funny. And most of all, because you are not texting me anymore. That's why.

• Ayoko sana ikaw itext, kasi, gusto kong mamiss mo rin ako at maisip mo na mahalaga rin ako sa 'yo. Yun nga lang, sensya na, hindi ako kasing tibay mo, na masaya kahit wala ako.

• Day and night are linked in a way that few things are; there cannot be one without the other, yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel to be always together yet forever apart?

• I've tried the water company, the electric company, the telephone company, but what I miss most is your company. Take care!

• In my life, I learned to love, to smile, to be happy, to be strong, to work hard. But I did not learn how to forget a nice person like you!

• Why do I text you? It's my choice. It's my way of saying I remember you. Why do I remember you? It's my choice. It proves that I care. Why do I care? I don't know, it's not my choice but my heart's.

• Alam ko, namimiss mo na ako. Ayaw mo lang ipaalam, kaya ako na ang magtetext sa 'yo. You miss me!

• Masakit isiping di mo man lang ako maalalang i-text. Kunsabagay ganyan ka naman eh, don't text back, wag ka ng magpaliwanag dahil damang dama ko wala kang LOAD.

• Lagi kitang kinukumusta, tinatanong kung ok ka. Inaalala kahit malayo ka, pero pinakagusto kong sabihin, "Sana, kasama kita para masaya." Kasi, alam mo, "Iba kapag andito ka!" I miss you!

• Gusto ko sanang kasama ka, kasi, espesyal ka sa akin. Gusto ko sanang katabi ka, kasi, love kita. Gusto ko sanang yakapin ka, kasi, miss na kita. Pero gustuhin ko man lahat yun, hindi pwede kasi malayo ka.

• Kailangan pa ba kitang itext para maalala mo ako? Kailangan bang lagi akong nauunang magparamdam? Bakit ka ganyan? Wala kang load? Busy ka? Magpapapansin pa ba ako sa iyo para maramdaman mong nagtatampo na ako.