rags to riches rumble

One of the few advantages of learning six units of French in my school is to recognize simple french terms. That’s why when I first saw the title Nouveau Riche, I automatically knew that it translates as “new rich” or in other words “new ways of being rich” perhaps. In this article I read through my little expeditions in the net, new opportunities for booming business were featured.

It nearly took me off my seat when the methodology and the experiences of the persons involved were discussed. I realized that with proper education and careful planning matched with a good opportunity you can actually land into a very successful business. I’ll give you a sneak peak.

suffering from the delusion

I am a Creative Writing student in the University of the Philippines Mindanao. That’s plain fact. Whenever someone asks me what course I’m taking in college, instead of answering Bachelor of Arts in English, I’ll simply say Creative Writing. I’ll tell you why.

People go loco whenever we mention our being English Majors. My classmates also has the same dilemma. People tend to be over critical to our english. Some people tend to be conscious with how they speak english when we’re around. They seem to be suffering to the delusion that we’re great experts of the language.

Though we tend to study the complex world of grammar and syntax, that’s not the craft we are really trying to master. We are being trained in the realm of Creative Writing. We may qualify in journalism, editorials, speeches and research work all in english, our forte mainly lies on literature, poems, prose, short stories and plays.

i am the batman!

I remember that the first character I ever drew in my entire life is a whole-body image of Batman. Since I was just a little kid, Batman has been my hero, next to my dad of course. I didn’t like Superman and I definitely didn’t like Wonder Woman. Bob Kane and Bill Finger should really be in the list of my most favorite people in the world. Thanks to them, there’s Batman in this world!

I suppose everybody knows who Batman is. Who doesn’t right? But if you’re one of those aliens visiting the earth and don’t know a spec about the Dark Knight, I’ll tell you who he is. He’s the greatest superhero ever! Yaaaaay!

Bruce Wayne witnessed the horrible murder of his parents when he was very young. Traumatized by the unfortunate event, Bruce decides to train himself. He became master of martial arts. He’s a fluent speaker of a God knows how many languages. He’s also studied theatrics and other useful crafts to prepare himself to his self-proclaimed role as protector of the weak in all of Gotham City!

So by day he’s Bruce Wayne the philanthropist, playboy and owner of the prestigious Wayne Enterprises and by night he is the Caped Crusader Batman patrolling the streets of Gotham fighting crime and what not. What I like about Batman is that he’s not like the rest of the other superheroes. He’s not flashy and he’s not really gentle to look at. He’s headstrong, brooding and sometimes sinister. You’d actually feel that he’s one of the good villains, if there is such thing.

On my opinion, he’s the best member the Justice League ever has. He doesn’t have any powers but he’s actually better than the rest of them. Even Superman. Of course, it’s quite debatable but you don’t expect me taking it back. I’m a stubborn Batman fan!

iron man’s biceps preview?

I recently watched Step Up 2 and it was such a blast! The story was a little so-so. Not as amazing as that of the first Step Up but it was quite nice. The dance steps however, was more than fantastic! They actually took it up the next level. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything on you. Believe me, it’s awfully great! I’d rather shut up than tell you what happens in the story. It’s better to see the movie in your own eyes than someone else’s. But if you want my opinion, I’m going to tell you to watch it! Catch it before it’s gone, then again, there’s always the DVDs.

does age matter?

It might be a cliche question but really, I won’t go all Lolita on you.

The question goes to all different challenges an individual is faced in his life. Lately I’ve been thinking how old I’m getting. Hold up! I’m still eighteen. But as look through my eighteen-year-old eyes to the different changes in the world, I’m starting to think how oddly mature and immature I could be.

Does age matter?

I wouldn’t know. Perhaps. The world is govern by laws and the laws says that there is a distinction between the old and the young. The term “of age” is considered highly important in the society. Birthday celebrations are held and anniversaries are upheld by cultures and communities as a wonderful tradition.

the world is yours now

Being in the so-called “Cyber Age”, people from all over the world has started to cope up with the different innovation of modern technology. Let’s face it, the world is changing and if you want to make the best out of it, then you’ve got to get along with everyone else.

But like my dad used to say, “There’s always an opportunity!” and indeed, opportunity it is. A man is measured on how many opportunity he finds on every change. And heck! I actually need an opportunity to earn a few bucks. Who doesn’t need money anyway? Thanks to helpful sources and wonderful blogs such as The World Is Yours Now blog, we now actually have impressive gateways or shortcuts into earning money through the internet, be it petty cash or a huge fortune!

my pokerface

Bluff. It’s this game using a whole deck of playing cards (minus the two jokers). It’s actually more like poker with some differences. I’m not sure if it’s the same with the Bluff you already know but this perhaps is a version of it.

It’s a game where the phrase “the more, the merrier” is very applicable. I really am after the fun of it. I don’t exactly know why gambling and playing cards has its effect to people. Perhaps it’s the idea of getting to win and lose money in just a few seconds in playing the game. You win some, you lose some. Every decision is based on luck and a few tricks.

Maybe gambling and playing cards isn’t that far from real life. Actually, it’s really more like real life. You’ll never know what’s coming. All you have to do is to play the game and accept the consequences. Of course, I’m not saying you have to gamble and risk everything but in life it’s more or less like that.

I’m not really a gambling guy. I’ve been on a casino to see people bet on numbers and colors hanging on to dear old luck. There’s a lot of casinos even in the net. It’s best to read reviews to see how the different casinos are like. Try to be picky and choosy sometimes, you know.

behold, my empire

I want to build my empire. Yey!

Of course, I’ve watched too many Star Wars movies over and over again and yes, I’m also a big fan of the many Dark Lords of the different fantasy series I’ve seen (eg. Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Lord Voldemort, etc.). However, the empire I’m talking about isn’t exactly the empire you have in your heads right now. It’s more like a Bruce Wayne Enterprises empire. Yes, I’m a big fan of the Batman.

Anyway, I really am looking forward to have my own business empire. Honestly! Like so many ambitious little boys, I too started to ask my parents about how to make a lot of money that I wouldn’t even need to work my butt out. They answered me with the usual sentence: “Study hard and land on a good job.”

But that I suppose is not the answer. I don’t want to get employed, I want to be my own boss! I read Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Yes, I’m quoting that good ol’ book again, you really should have a copy, you know) and it say’s that you shouldn’t work for money! You should let the money work for you!

huge crush on andrea corr

When it comes to music, I’ve got a gender preference. Haha. No, I don’t know why. No, I don’t mean to offend or anything. I don’t even know if it’s offending to some people.

I love music. Who doesn’t right? I learned in one of my classes in criticism that music is regarded to be the best of all art forms. It could be debatable to a lot of artists out there but the reason given to me was quite satisfactory in my standards.

Music was considered the best of all art forms because of its nature. No medium was needed in comprehending music. Paintings needed to be interpreted from its canvas to be appreciated. Literary texts need to be analyzed from the paper. Music, however, is simply to be experienced. We no longer need to analyze or criticize music anymore. We simply let it flow into our ears. That’s it!

Going back to the gender issue at hand. Well, I don’t know if I’m offending anybody about my preference. Most likely not. I’m far from being a misogynist or a chauvinist, believe me. I like women of course. As a matter of fact, that’s the reason why I prefer women vocalist than men.

I mean it.

In my eighteen years of existence in this world, I have developed a “taste” towards female singers. Their different from male singers, of course. That alone could be reason why male and female are divided into alto, soprano, tenor and base. Don’t ask me any technicalities there, I’m not really good at Music back in my elementary years.

I just like the way women sing. The sound is just so beautiful to my hearing. I like the Corrs. They’re like the

of redwall abbey and upside-down reading

It’s been quite some time since I last wrote a piece of literature. If literature it be. The point is I think I’m starting to slack from writing poems, short stories and flash fictions.

On the other hand, I still haven’t slacked in my favorite hobby–reading!

I’ve aquired some cheap paperbacks on Bookshop outlets in malls. I’ve noticed Brian Jacques work called the Redwall. I was quite fascinated of how he used ordinary animals as characters in his story. He used mice, badgers, voles, rats, etc. Jetcetera! hehe. It’s quite new to me though the work was copyrighted long ago.

Along with Redwall, there are other works of Jacques that are also connected as a sequel or prequel to the Redwall novel. Mossflower, Pearls of Lutra and Salamandastron were the title of the books I’ve bought along with the Redwall paperback. And I’ve only spent 65 pesos for each one of them.

I’m still searching for other books to add up to my starting collection. hehe. If you want to learn more the Redwall series, try visiting their website.

I also started reading one of Bob Ong’s books called “Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino?” (”Why do Filipinos Read Books Upside-down?) As usual, it’s written in an informal manner. Ong writes as though he’s just talking. I’ve read some of his books and I genuinely like it. It’s straightforward and frank addressing the different issues of Filipinos. I guess he’s one of my inspiration in starting my other blog “simpleng pagong”.

At least I’m keeping myself busy. But I guess I’ll start writing later. And I do mean writing writing! I have to make a portfolio of my works. hehe.

ciao!

birthmark

Both of your shoulders

covered with light

brown skin

that I wish I did not

kiss

when we were alone

together.

They are like two

conquering hands

clutching you

always—

not

letting go.

It has been there years

before I came

to you.

When will I ever

rid of

the light brown

skin, I would like to

get a thin white

knife

and

pierce your

soft plump skin

down to its

firm flesh.

I envy the

mark

that has

rested

around your

shoulders since your

birth.

a hades mistake

CONDEMNED!!! to roll,

                              rroll, ro-oll,

                                           rrrrOwll…

a BIG boulderrrrrr up-up-up

heaving and sweating

and breeeeeeathing deeeeeeeep and

e x h a l i n g sssllooowwlllyyy…

                                           until

                                you

                   reach

         the

top

of the hill on the underworld—

then the task of sweat and tears

falls down to waste as

you let the

            big fat

                     rock

                          go—

                               roll,

                                 rrowwling..

                                     rolled down

fast(ittooklesstimethanwhenyourolledit)

beautifully and gracefully it

looked like a

drop

of the nectar in the

                       highest mountain

where gods live and bask

in immortality and you

live your sentence in hell

as a reward in punishment

as you

                         see

Persephone’s sad face

                        brighten up

smiling and laughing at the foolish wise you.

 

Note: Here’s one of my poems. It’s based on a Greek Myth. I’ve tried to experiment a lot here. I don’t know, it’s also some kind of legendizing the myth of Sisyphus. The man condemned to roll a rock to a hill in the underworld only to let it roll back down again.

not laughing yet

Gary Lising wrote in one of his books once, “Blessed are those who urinate on the ground because they spread piss on earth!”

Haha.

But seriously, I really am not in a mood of laughing at the moment. Actually, I’m really pissed. Call it being pig-headed and overreacting but it’s basically an issue–my issue–of being an obnoxious person with a superiority complex and a very resentive manner towards rejection. Yes, I was rejected. Damn it. But I’d rather not discuss more about it. It would just show how much of a sore loser I really am.

On the brighter side, I’ve created a new blog! Still in WordPress. I’m already comfortable with its system. My new blog is a humor blog. I’m actually inspired to do it because of the comical and amazing other humor blogs I’ve been encountering in the net. I call my new blog “simpleng pagong“.

In this blog I claim to be a simple turtle looking at the complexities of life and though I claim to be a very simple turtle, I tend to make things a bit complicated. Kind of ironic huh? I’ve already written about the sexual interpretation of the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill. I’ve even wrote something about my say on the overpricing of commodities and just recently, my list of dream jobs. I’ve also made my own interpretation of the Philippine folk story “Ang Pagong at Ang Matsing” (”The Turtle and The Monkey”). Click here to learn more about the blog.

The posts in the blog are written informally. With no capital letters, take note. Most of the times, I didn’t bother editing the post. It’s more like a “stream of conciousness”. It’s written in pure tagalog and I’ve obsessively tagalized English terms. I decided to write anything I want to write about in my own manner of writing. I did this blog just for fun. I’ve always wanted to have a humor blog. I also want to expand my identity in the cyber space.

Try visiting it sometimes. It’s still new and I’ve planned a lot of things for it. Since I really enjoy drawing, I may illustrate some drawings to place there. Hmm.. Yeah. I guess I would one of these days.

Have fun.

tips on handling her

So let’s say you’ve got her in your arms–yada, yada–now. But I’ve got to say it’s just half of the road. Once you’ve got her, you still have to think hard to keep her to you. You’ve got to guarantee her stay in your arms once she’s there.

Fine, I’m not the best person to give tips on this but I guess I have a couple of tricks in my sleeve in how to keep her on me. To all my close friends who have a hint or two about my love life, I guess they have a picture of how I handle my girl. I’m really proud to say that we’ve been going out for quite some time now. About three years.

Of course, we’ve got our ups and downs. A lot of downs, really. But by the end of the day, she’s still with me and I’m quite thankful of this. Well, out of this gratitude, I decided to pay forward by sharing some of the many things I’ve been considering in keeping her. They may not be the best tips but I guess they’ve done me some good. I suppose it’s worth reading:

1. Stay Sweet. Very sweet. I guess girls have this tendency of remembering your “sweetness level”. Whenever it comes up! They swell with joy. But whenever it comes down, they panic. I guess this is where the small fights happen. They are really sensitive, these girls. So try matching up with their sensitivity and stay sweet!

2. Buy Her Things. If you can afford, try buying her cute things and stuff. If you can’t, still, try buying her cute things and stuff. Believe me when I say, she deserves the best! I’ve done some crazy budgeting once in a while for my girlfriend. I actually skipped meals just to buy her something. And you know what? Whenever I see her happy and appreciative about it, I can say that it’s worth every cent!

3. Notice The Small Details. It’s another case of sensitivity. The way she wears her hair, her clean hands, her new outfit, her stylish hairdo! Even her new little earrings! Surprise her with the fact that you actually care about how she looks and smells! Of course, you’ve got to be cool in surprising her. Don’t give her the impression of you being an obnoxious prick who notices her in every detail. Just keep it simple and cool.

4. Admire Her Smile. For me, her smile is the best cure to every depressing spell. It’s the one that brightens your days and silences your nights. It’s your sun, moon and stars. Seriously. If you don’t feel like this about her smile, then I can say there’s something odd about that.

5. Write Her Notes. Girls usually like it. Especially when she gets to keep the little love notes. Text messages are also good, but it’s better if you make it stick or in other words, make it memorable! On my experience, the cornier the better. The cheesier the worse. There’s a difference between corny and cheesy. On my dictionary, corny means cute and cheesy means annoying. I’m not really sure about that but that’s how I figure it out.

6. Greet Her At Least Twice A Day. Yup! One in the morning and one in the evening. But it’s better if you greet her more. Make her feel that you’re there and that you care. Don’t be annoying. Be cute, though.

7. Nod On The Right Times. Like I said, make her feel that you’re there. Listen to her and tell her that you do listen to her. Girls usually likes to talk and share stories. If you want to keep her, then you better start to be a good listener. Of course, you should also show that you’ve got some sensual feedbacks for her.

8. Keep Her In A Good Mood. Like my good cousin DaveNorth always say, “Keep her happy!” There is of course a simple logic to it. “Keep her happy to keep her!” It’s that simple, really. Of course, you can’t expect her to stay being in a good mood all the time. But, of course, being the caring and supporting partner, you’ve got to let her know that you’re always there no matter what. In good or bad times, you’re ready to accept her.

9. Steal A Kiss Or Two. It’s self-explanatory. You’ll both like it. I promise.

10. Remind Her. Remind her of the first time she said “yes”. Remind her of the first kiss you gave her. Remind her the first time she cried and how you made her feel okay. Remind her that you’ll always be there no matter how fat and ugly she could be within the next three years. Remind her of the promise you gave of how you’ll take care of her and protect her from every one who dares to offend her. Most importantly, remind her…

you love her.

isla reta expedition

No, it’s not really an expedition. But…

Summer’s definitely here! As expected from normal bloggers, I’m going to show some of my pictures in my trip this vacation. Of course, it’s all cliche and stuff but what are you gonna do about it?

Just the other day, my dad and some of his coleagues took their families in a whole-day trip in Talikod Island which is a separate island from Davao and Main Samal but still under IGACOS. The resort is none other than the famous Isla Reta! It’s actually my first time to be there. I think. I couldn’t recall being there before but, to be honest, it actually felt like I’ve been there before. Maybe when I was very young.

Yay! I hope you too have fun this summer! If you have time and money, try the place. It’s great there. The sand’s white, the water’s clear and the beach is awesome. Check out Isla Reta!

Of course, I’ve got pictures to show off. click on them to know the stories behind them:

me and my brother seeing the place for the first time

me getting buried in the sand by brothers

perverts!

here's us trying to get the croc shoes

look at us!

this is jasper buried by us

we took a barge. illegal. we've reached the limit. notice the people over the barge

carrying my sister

going home