Random Thoughts

The Purpose of Existence

- Why are we here? Why am I alive? These are questions that all of us think of. What is our purpose? We have no destiny. We make our life. Life is full of choices and it’s our job to find out what choice will fit to us. That’s why we have our own will to make our decisions. Everyday we make decisions. This decision shapes our future.
- The ultimate goal of our existence is to be happy. What is then happiness? Happiness is contentment, making your life worth living for. Happiness is hard to achieve; many never attained it until their death. The reason they were afraid to make choices. They are afraid to fail. But failing is normal if we don’t fail we will not be successful. You must experience to be at the bottom to appreciate fully being on top. God does not set us to a planned life but he is just there to guide us it is up to us if we follow its way.
- In order to succeed we must work on it. We could not just sit down there waiting for luck to come. It will depend on us to make our life better. Success in life has a wider scope, it is not limited to economic status only. You could be rich but not successful. How could it happen? We are not born in a world where success is waiting in the door. You could be lucky that you will be born into a family that is wealthy yet as you grow you will not feel contented thus making you unhappy then you will seek for the thing that will make you fulfilled. To achieve success you must first encounter troubles since this obstacles will test your patience and will to achieve success. There is no short cut for success. If you take the easy way in you can not claim that you are successful.

Relating with the others

- Treat others with respect since you don’t want people to disrespect you. You should have friends since from them you will learn. There are things in life that you will learn on based on your friends’ experiences. When your friend commit a mistake you tend not to follow it, when he does something exemplary you will be inspired to emulate it. It is normal that you will encounter people that you will have disagreement on since we are all unique thus we all have different ideals, don’t complete shut your mind off if you hear someone say negative things to you examine yourself who knows he might be true. But if he is wrong the best way to deal with him is to ignore it. You should avoid having enemies even if you dislike someone just ignore it. Ignoring it will make it go away. We could not force someone to like you but do your best to prove him that you are not worthy of his disgust if it does not work its not your problem. But don’t be a martyr you should know if someone has cross the line and you must stand up for yourself. Standing up for yourself does not mean picking a fight but letting them know that you are not their slave.
- Don’t worry that sometimes you feel you want to be alone, its normal since there are things that you want to do by yourself. It does not mean that you are alienating yourself but you just value your privacy.

God
- There is a God who created us. For us to be here someone greater than us must have started it all. But we cannot see him in a person form. He is neither a man nor a woman. It is normal to doubt if he really exist for it is the first step to know him. Questioning his existence is the quest to know who he really is. When we doubt him we resolve to do things that will satisfy our curiosity. Consequently we will stumble to the answer we have been looking for.

Things I learned from my Subic trip

Last weekend my father had a company outing at Subic, we came along (my mother,older brother and me). Well how was it? I will summarize it by enumerating you what I have learned from that trip:

1.People don't know the meaning of assembly time.
The assembly time was supposed to be 5:30 am but when we arrived there there are only a few people. They started arriving around 6:30am. And these are professionals and they don't know the value of time.

2.Traffic makes me more dizzy than a moving bus.

3.It's okay not to bring your own snacks since my father's co workers provided us already with food.
We came home still our bags almost untoched since our food was mildly consumed.

4. Videoke inside a bus is a no-no

5.The reason why there are spoiled brats because there are parents that are too cool.
I noticed my father's co worker who is so lenient with her kids to the point of disrespecting her but she only laughed. I know she wanted a good relationship with her son but she gotta let him know who is the authority.

6. Either me or my brother & father have a urinary problem
My father & brother urinate every stop of the bus and i constantly hear them that nature is calling them again. While i only had two each of the two day trip. So who has the problem?

7.Dolphins are amazing animals.
Our first stop was OCEAN ADVENTURE, an open water marine park and it had a show and oh boy i was impressed. It is a shame that we forgot to bring a camera but the memory is inside of me forever.

8.Of the whole sem i took up Swimming i only learned 50% of it.
Oh well at least i did learned and i still applied it when we went swimming. The best thing i coiuld do was floating

9.I want to have a cable.
Our room had a television on it and it has cable! We never had cable in our home so I was ecstatic so i surf the tv till midnight

10.Tigers have talent fee.
The next day we went to ZOOBIC SAFARI and i was surprised when the staff there said that you couldn't take a picture on one of the tigers there unless you pay its talent fee.

11.There is Jollibee everywhere
On our way home i noticed that every town we came across I saw a branch of jollibee

12.Metro Manila is flooded with billboards
Another thing i notice on our way home are the large billboards that you could see practically everywhere. Left or right you will see and they are huge.

it's unFARE

Last night the headline of the news "Fare Hike Approved" I said to myself "Not again" Last year (in time of my freshman year) they had a fare increase and after a year right exactly at this month (May) they did it again. I want to hate the jeepney drivers but i realized that they dont want it also but circumstances lead them to do that. we have one enemy: The Greedy Oil companies. They increase oil prices like every week. When i first hear it "Oh it is just for 50 cents it wont hurt" but I realized it happens every week and the 50 cent increase is for every liter (i think) and of course the jeep needs a lot. Oh I so hate the situation. I imagined how much do these drivers earned? i think majority of their earnings will be spent to oil plus if they don't own the jeep they have to pay a daily rental fee (boundary), So how much do they bring home, I believe not much. As much as I'm hurt to say this the fare hike is really needed. So hwo will be the new minimum fare, will it be 7 pesos? I remember the fare from our town to Alabang costed 9 pesos then 12 pesos then 15 pesos then 18 pesos and last year 22 pesos. So how will it be this time, 25 pesos? I f you imagine before the 25 pesos will cover two people's fare but now it is only for one. And im only 17 how much will the fare be when i reach 27 ( 50 pesos?). What sad is that these fare hike will consequently lead to price increase of basic commodities. The only solution I think to this oil problem is that we should have alternatives for this oil, i remember years ago a guy invented a water fueled car, whatever happened to that? If only his invention became succesful we wont have any "oily" problems (we are surrounded of water anyways). But i guess we can't do anything about it. Who is to blame? Tell me...

Gilmore Guy

If you ask me what is my favorite television show I will quickly say "Gilmore Girls". This show might be classified as a chick flick but I don't care. Honestly I don't know any other guy (straight ones) that watches this show. Maybe since the lead are females boys are scared to be typecasted as gay if they watch this show. Too bad since they are missing a good show. I like how the shows flow. Here in the Philippines we are nearing the end of season 4 and I'm really hook on it. Since season 2 I have never missed an episode of Gilmore Girls. Too bad I had an irregular viewing habits during it's first season but I'm planning to buy its DVD (once the original copy hits Philippine shores). What do Gilmore Girls have that I enjoy watching it so much?As I have said earlier I like the story, it is not draggy. The script is so witty and delivered excellently. I don't get tired watching every week. It has a Good Cast

From the leads to the supporting cast and even the very small players that have brief screen time are fantastic. I love lorelai she is a cool mom, her one liners are so funny. I always laugh when she chats with rory,Emily,Luke,Michel etc. The younger Gilmore, Lorelai II or Rory is the perfect combination of beauty and brains. I will admit that the first reason why i decided to watch this show is because of her. I love her,she is my dream girl
She is smart,nice and adorable. I like the fact that she loves reading and writing. I also love how she helps her Korean bestfriend Laine and her control freak classmate Paris.
I have to admit that I also love the love stories of this girls (by the way guys are also capable of the "kilig" feeling so don't be too shocked on the following thoughts) I find lorelai's love life interesting she really has this chemistry to the men of his lives. First off Christopher, rory's father. The two really look good together. I also have this sentimental feeling to them since I want their family to be together again but it wasn't really meant a lot of a events tore them apart.
Lorelai' s other guy Luke is I think the guy for him. Since the beginning of the show sparks had been flying all over. The writers are really good in teasing it's viewers. We really cant wait to see them to be together ( the latest episode shown here "Luke can see her face" are showing Luke finally making a move to Lorelai, Oh God I will not miss the succeeding episodes)

Rory's love life on the other hand is more complicated and emotional. At first he was torn between Tristan and dean but he chose the latter. But when we Luke's nephew,Jesse came to the picture she was again torned between him and Dean and he chooses Jesse. Unfortunately they broke up. For me I still believe that Tristan is still the guy for rory but I don't see them reuniting anytime soon ( The actor who plays Tristan now have its own show One Tree Hill)

I forgot to mention my favorite character,Kurt he is Stars Hollow eccentric guy. He seems to do all kinds of job. I love that guy coz he is really funny although he is really weird.

Last year Gilmore Girls won an Emmy for outstanding Make up, they deserve it anyway coz the make up for that episode where they played"Live Paintings" was magnificent
to prove you take a look at these:






After reading this you probably think that I'm a Gilmore Girls addict, well you're right!

note:
if you like to post a comment pls. Don't include spoilers. Remember that the latest episode I have seen is Luke Can See her Face of season 4.

Romance isn't part of my vocabulary

There are a lot of things which I find myself weird. One is that I never felt my heart "beat". Don't get me wrong I'm not a love grinch it is just that it is the truth. Strangely I could honestly say that I never had any crushes to the people I knew personally (classmates,friends). I only had crushes on celebrities. And I realized this queer phenomena since I was a kid. When my classmates started having crushes I felt left out. So when they ask me who my crush it I will tell that she is from the province. When my family ask me I will tell someone from school but not in my grade I will tell that she is from a higher grade. I lied a lot. As I grew older I did not change, I also convice myself that maybe I really have a crush on someone I'm just in denial but after years of self examination I'm really sure I did not have any crushes ever. I really feel like a freak , there is no one I know that never had any crushes. I'm 17 I should be going gaga over a girl but no. Honestly I do want to get married someday but I don't think that I could be a good husband or even a boyfriend. I'm too insecure and selfish to be one Maybe that it is, I'm destined to be alone. My brain had stopped my heart (or hypothalamus) to love since I knew for a fact that I'm not really capable of loving in a romantic way. It saves me from heartaches. Maybe there are really people that are better off alone. Maybe that includes me.

Student Politics makes me sick

I'm so disgusted with the student politics here in my school. Since I'm a freshman I had high hopes for these so called student leaders. But heck during the campaign period I already sense the animosity between the two political parties. It is not just simple competition its deeper. I have learned that the political clashes here in my school has a bad history. The opposing parties really have personal grudges with each other. They accuse each other of cheating, corruption blah!blah! Now this election the losing party filed a petition against the winning party. Then the latter was disqualified and the circus began. The disqualified party retaliated bad they are accusing the commit on elections as being biased and even the school organ they diss it too for being partisan. I'm really sick with these students for God's sake we are in one school we should be united. When I entered this school I have heard that one of the problems is that majority of the student population are passive meaning to say they don't care about the school'events, issues and other matters. I promised myself that I wont be part of that group. I joined one interest organization and I also practiced my write to vote. But now I can't blame the students if they really don't care, The student leaders the ones that we should look up to are bad examples. They are unreachable plus look at the election how did it turn out? Chaos! How would the students be interested in participating if they don't see something that could boost them. Its a dirty system and it really disappoints that this small school community has too much politicking that makes me want to vomit.....

Gone.....

I was shocked to hear the news that 3o children from Bohol was killed by eating a deadly cassava during recess. I even got depressed when i saw a kid screaming "mamatay na ako" ( I'm going to die) and sadly he really died. Reports says that main cause of this food poisoning was the homemade cassava being sold outside the school. The vendor was nugget by parents and as to prove it is not the source she have eaten the cassava but she too also got infected. So it really was the cassava who caused it. I felt pity fore the vendor because it was unexpected. She just want to earn money to live but disaster struck. Could you imagine how she is feeling right now, 30 young lives is now gone and its because of her? She will have that burden for the rest of her life? Plus 4 of the casualties are her own grandchildren.
I felt crying when I saw the parents crying so hard to the lifeless body of their beloved kid. Losing a child is painful adding to the fact that it is a child, young and innocent. I also thought of how the teachers feel seeing majority of its class suffering. Losing one is hard but they have lost a lot.
To the kids who died may they rest in peace.

boobtube battle

The Philippines is not only divided by politics, religion & cultural diversity but by the TELEVISION. Haven't you been ask before if you are a kapuso or kapamilya? I dont know about the other countries but this network war is one of a kind. Personally i dont like the kapuso/kapamilya tags, i just find it absurd that despite the "positive" taglines they promote dispute. Competition is not bad but what we have now is not healthy anymore. the on air "parinigan" telling that they are "no.1", "the original" etc. makes me sick. Television is very influential so it really has great effects on its viewers. Case in point one of the forums I visit has an intense dispute between the "kapamilyas" & the "kapusos" to the point that they are starting to hit below the belt. Every day they fight over their favorite shows telling that they are the best, the original and no.1. They fight over ratings and some even post fraud stuff then the name calling starts. Whenever a new show from their hated channel is being launched they will already label it as a horrible show without even seeing it. The tabloids even worst things up. Some columnists are allies of a network and their main job is to criticize the show & stars of the other network. Constructive criticisms are rare but mostly destructive articles that has no direct connection to the show. The people are becaming fanatics of the networks NOT the shows. I really wonder why they have deep grudges over a network. What do they get out of it? I have read that somewhere two drunk guys had a heated argument over which channel is the best and it lead to stabbing each other. I was shocked by this news. Now is this what the networks want?

The Journey So Far

The Journey So Far.........

As the cliche goes how time flies, I can't believe that its been almost a year since I left highschool. I still rememeber the last few weeks of my senior year, I was feeling mix emotions of eagerness and uncertainty. I was excited to face a new world very different from what i was accustomed to but then again I questioned myself if am i really ready for it. But wheter I like it or not I have to move on.
Well, Im still here and i must say i have already adjusted to college life. Let me take you to a quick tour on how was my neophyte year.

Getting Started: The Orientation & Introduction Classes

My college life actually started as early as May with the orientation then a few weeks after followed by the three day intro classes. The orientation was for the entire college (in my case it is the College of Liberal Arts) so there were a lot of students. I was realy nervous in front of me was a sea of unfamiliar faces. I was hoping to see a batchmate who also took a course under the same college as I am but i didn't. Some students already made friends, well i really dont know if they are acquaintances or they already knew each other back in highschool. Then we were called to enter the auditorium. I had butterflies in my stomach. I really dont know why,its not that I'm going to be executed or somehthing to that effect I just felt nervous. When I was seated i felt a bit okay. My seatmate was friendly and good thing she is a future classmate so
we became instant friends. The program was basically told us some of the things we should know about DLSU-D. After that we were grouped and was taken into a tour. There I met another set of future classmates,good my list is getting bigger. The school tour was tiring, why? the campus is huge plus we were walking in a very sunny day. When we got back to the auditorium where we supposed to eat we were approached by upperclassmen giving us leaflets and sweettalking us to join their different organizations. They actually had booth which they use to promote themselves. My future classmates went to see it while I left to go home. At the jeepney I was trying to recall the names of my new friends but I could not.Well I said to myself I remember their faces anyway when we meet again come intro classes.

On the first day of the intro classes I was there early and so as some other students who were bored sitting on the kubos. The assigned room that the intro classes was supposed to be held was still closed. I waited for one hour in the kubo but I saw someone post something in the room. I went there and i learned that we were transfered to the library viewing rooms. When I went I was looking to the people i have met before but i couldnt find them. The intro classes started and as i've expected the first activity was the "Introducing Yourself".Since I have a unique name plus the fact that I talk fast Im not really sure if they could remember it. oh well as expected whennever someone approach me they wil ask me "ano nga ba ulit name mo?". I will say its Jecoup pronounced as je-kup but some will mistake it for jacob but mostly they pronounce it as jay-kuh. Well the etymology of my name came from coup d'etat (read as kuh-de-tah)so they assumed thats how my name is pronounced. I tried corrected them but they still keep pronouncing it the way they want. So I just let them be. The intro classes went well plus I love the fact that we were flooded with snacks. But the most importantly I have started to became comfortable with my new environment.

First Sem

The one thing that shocked me is the Absolute Grading System. It was a tough one since I was used to the grading system we use in highschool. Before if you get 7 out of 10 items you will have an equivalent of 85 or something close to that but here you will get 70 and for me It feels like i've got a failing mark. But a profesor said to me thats an okay grade already.Because of that I became more conscious with every mistake that I make coz it really has a strong bearing. I had reach my highs with Literature and the lows with Social Science.But i could say I performed well,i did not have 0.0 mark or even close to that.

Second sem
If enrolling for my maiden sem is like driving in a traffic-less road it was the exact opposite for the following sem. "Now this is college" I said to myself. It was a very stressful one. I have waited for what it seems like an eternity just for the pre-registrations to be in my hands and another eternity for it to be processed to be a bonafide registration form. To make matters worst I have brought the wrong documents for my educational plan so I can't enroll on that day. So I have no choice but to go home. The following day I have prepared for what it seems to me like a battle but fortunately i had stress-free enrollment,

Another I have to encounter this sem is to overcome one of my fears.My PE subject is basic swimming. For crying out loud I never learned how to swim. I was really scared to this subject and also it came to the point that I have consider dropping it.But I did not, I realized I did want to learn how to swim. I t was no easy task it took me weeks just to perform a simple drill. I have to thank my instructor for being patient with me. Slowly I did learn quite a bit but whats important is i do not dread Wednesday mornings anymore in fact I always look forward for it.

Now....
Another school year is nearing its conclusion. Seniors are already busy with their thesis & other stuff they need to take care off before they make the march. I have also seen soon to be highschool graduates applying here in DLSU-D. Soon they will end a journey and face a new one. Me i have started a journey and I'm already near the end of the first level but i still have to face a lot and I am ready for it.

Opportunities

I have the habit of reading bulletin boards at school and one day In October I have seen this announcement telling that the student council official magazine is on the lookout for writers. I was excited "this is my chance" I said to myself. I had missed an opportunity before,I was supposed to apply for the official school paper of the university, I already got an application but I chickened out. I'm just not that confident that I will be accepted. I thought I have no chance on getting in since I have never been a campus journalist and for sure majority of the applicants had been writers or editors back in high school. I cant compete with them, so I dumped the application form and erased the idea of applying in my mind. But a friend told me that I should have tried coz I may never know. I thought of that and he was right I should have. But I cant turn back time. If only I wasn't so insecure about myself back then. I promised to myself that I will apply next year. Whatever the result will be I will do it.... From that episode of my life I learned a lesson;so that's why when I saw that announcement I did not hesitate to apply and luckily I passed!

Dreams,frustrations,inhibitions,decisions........

My dream to is to become a journalist that's why I took up Broadcast Journalism. But I'm afraid I lack the qualities to be one. First of all I never had any experience. Even highschool journalism, I never experienced. Well my high school did not have a school paper anyway. Why? I really don't know why our school administration did not want to have one. It really frustrates me whenever I think of all the things I missed out. I could have learn the basics IF I had the chance to be a campus scribe. For a while I thought of not taking this course because I'm so scared that I could not do it. But my long time aspiration prevailed so I decided to pursue it anyway. Then comes another dilemma, the school I want to enroll does not offer JOURNALISM ONLY instead a double major BROADCAST JOURNALISM. The "inhibition cell" of my brain worked again? I'm not good in speaking, I stutter and talk fast. Plus I'm a shy person. And lastly I'm not good looking; definitely not a TV type person. But I don't want to go to other schools that offer journalism only because they are far from home. So in the end I enrolled for the broadcast journalism program. I said to myself " Well there is still journalism and I could learn".

Well I'm still here already near the end of my first year and I must say I'm doing okay. But my subjects are still the minor ones, we will having major subjects by next sem. I'm looking forward for it, I know it will be hard but I do hope I could do it.