7 Wonders of Nature

Hay, what can I say so happy sa itinatakbo ng online voting for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Ba’t ng aba hindi, e last time na nag-check ako, #2 na ang Tubbataha and #3 and Chocolate Hills, #5 and Puerto Pincesa Subterranean Park and #9 ang Mt. Mayon. Super love ko talga lahat ng nag-vote! I mean God made this country a paradise so we better show the world that it’s true!We could actually offer more…Sabi nga sa isang patriotic WOW Philippines-sponsored commercial :

“God enjoyed creating the island of the Philippines so He created 7, 106 more!”

Continue to vote! Let’s promote eco-tourism kasabay ng medical tourism campaign. I know one day we’d reap what we sow today!

More info on our entries :

http://ourphil.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-7-wonders-of-nature.html

Live ranking :

http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking/

“Forget him, girl. He’s gone!” a friend of mine said.
“Yup, move on…Come to think of it, he was never yours. Never. Yours.” another friend of mine whose “wow” as in words of wisdom kept reveberating in my head like a beat that won’t go away. Last song syndrome? Perhaps.

I sighed and inspite of me, I smiled. Funny, as I’ve told myself those same,exact words but to no avail. Maybe I’m just being stubborn but I dunno. I just can’t forget him. No freakin’ way I could afford to forget him. No freakin’ way!!!

There were one too many times I convinced myself I’m soooo over him. Tried every single step I know just so I ‘d get over him, every singe step with utmost care and certainty. I tried as hard as I can to just forget the whole thing but the ghost of him continued to haunt me and I keep coming back to where I started — loving and longing more and more of him each day. Most of my friends think I’m a bit deranged. And this whole thing, this whole concept of loving him incedulous. I’m deranged, yes, maybe I am. Well, maybe not at all. If there’s anyone in this world who’d succeeded to forget the one special person who consumed and occupied his entire being, pray tell me so he could share his two cents worth regarding forgetting and moving on. Then perhaps I will be “healed”!

But how does one really let go? How does one really forget? Is there a science to it? Or perhaps an art? What if I really don’t wanna let go? But, what if I’m just being plain stubborn? Perhaps I’m still hopeful, falsely and desperately hoping that there’s an ending to all of these — a happy-ever-after kinda ending — that’s why I am enjoying this “limbo-himbo” parade that’s raining on me.

Do I really wanna let go? Maybe not at all! Do I really wanna forget him? No! For there isn’t a thing as forgetting, for when a relationship ends, the two parties aren’t totally indifferent of each other — one would hate too much or would continue loving. You see, you can never forget someone! Because the opposite of love is not hate but according to Leo Buscaglia it is indifference, it’s apathy. Once you love someone, that’s already a point of no return, there’s no crossing back. It would be there in your heart somewhere and would leave no more. It’s gonna stay there. When you love someone, it doesn’t go away, thus becomes an intergral part of you, Lest, it becomes you. Then it forces you to care, to love more, to give, to share…

Yes, I could begin a new life, a life that most of my friends have ever intended me to have. But that life would still be a never ending weaving of dreams, of him and me, and love and life. There’s so much joy, surprisingly despite the pain, the heartaches, there’s something undeniably forcing me to ba happy, to be hopeful, to feel joy. There’s so much joy loving him so why depart from it? I may have gone crazy. But love is crazy, isn’t it? And anyone who’s in love is crazy. For it is craziness loving someone without being loved in return. If you get hurt in the process of loving, if you cry a river of tears, that isn’t pain. It’s simply something that reminds you that you sincerely, truly love someone.

Still they say time heals all wounds. I say it doesn’t. It’s gonna leave a scar. They say time makes hearts a little number not to feel pain. I don’t wanna be numb or my heart to get number. I only want love, not time, to heal me. What I want is for time to allow me to hope — to hope that someday, somewhere, someone would be there. What I want is for time to prepare me to love again if he’s not coming back. Still, I don’t believe that love dies. It doesn’t die, for when you say you’re over someone, that doesn’t mean you stop loving but realize that you’ve given that person the love you’re supposed to give and that you have to find another with whom you could give all the love you have in you. That’s what the quest, the search for “The One” is all about.

As of the moment, I am content loving him, even from afar, even if I’m hurting. I don’t care one bit if he can’t love me back, if I can’t take my heart back. For as Roland Barthes said :
“I know no end to desiring you. But why would I seek an end to it? I carry a picture of you in my head like some precious object. I was happy for days. So why would I seek to end this when what makes me happy rests solely on you?”

Don’t ever say it’s pathetic. No! It really isn’t easy to get over a person and move on, especially if that one person, if that one love was the only love you ever wanted.

Have you seen the Amercian Idol finale? Grabe as in grabe talga, nagulat ako sa performance ni George Michael!!! I mean, uber! OA na kung OA pero super na-hit talaga ako, bull’s eye! Kung tutuusin, hindi naman siya super powerful mag-perform, but I think that because he really sang from his heart and with so much emotion, naiyak talaga ako! Grabe! Super tahimik din ang audience while he was performing as if mourning with him, praying and crying with him! Ang galing! And whattasong! What a super beautiful, meaningful song! It hit me home, big time! I could feel his soul, his heart crying!

I enjoyed watching the show because of his performance, hell, I know David Cook’s gonna make it! Hello, sumakit ang ulo ko dahil sa LSS syndrome ng version niya ng Always be my Baby ni Mariah! Having that voice and that look would bring him places, give him the ability to write his own songs and play a certain instrument would surely make one-man-bands a run for their money!

I gotta give it to you George Michael, super love kita talaga. Hindi ko madalas aminin pero I really love “Careless Whisper”, kasama yan sa list ng fave songs ko!

Here’s the lyrics of “Praying for time”

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars
And the choosers

So you scream from behind your door
Say whats mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much
But Ill take my chances
Because God stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things
They sold you
Did you cover your eyes when
They told you
That he cant come back
Because he has no children
To come back for

‘Tis a bit disappointing that none of our country’s many entries in the New 7 Wonders of Nature couldn’t afford to be on the top 7! I think we’re slacking off, I mean, aren’t we the ones pestering Michael’s Smith friendster resources everyday and yet we couldn’t spare 5 min of our time to vote??? I mean, what are we doing? Aren’t we proud that the Philippines is gifted with 7,107 beautific and enigmatic Islands?!

Ang hirap sa Pinoy, puro talangka ang mentalidad. Ayaw umunlad, ayaw umusad. Hellooo???!!! Dito tayo nakatira sa Pilipinas pero parang wala tayong pakialam! Pilipino tayo pero hindi natin mahal ang pagiging Pilipino at ikinahihiya pa ito. More, ayaw nating nalalamangan ng kapwa natin Pinoy! Ano ba naman yan!? I mean ako, ha, super proud ako kay Charice Pempengco, hello! Tapos nagyong buong mundo ang sumasayaw ng Papaya, hindi ka ba matuwa?! And eto, my golly gow gow naman! Holy cow talaga! Bakit ba hindi natin mapa-akyat ang Pinas sa 7 wonders…e kung maka-pag internet nga tayo at makapag blog e napahaba ng oras natin!? Bakit na hindi natin buhatin ang isa’t isa paangat!?

Tingnan ninyo ung number one sa list, ung Halong Bay na kung tutuusin e puwedeng tapat ng El Nido ng Palawan, a, pero hindi matinag tinag!

Halong Bay, Vietnam                                             

El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Manila Bay, Philippines

 Mt Fuji, Japan

Mayon Volcano, Philippines

Hello, may panapat tayo sa lahat ng nasa top 7, noh! (Except Mt Everest and sa mga rivers…)!

VOTE NA KAYO, PLS!

http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking/

THE DIFFERENCE

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country:

This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt , that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.

On the other hand, Canada , Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.

The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland , which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soilduring 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world’s strongest, safest place.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle
2. Integrity
3. Responsibility
4. Respect for the laws & rules
5. Respect for the rights of other citizens
6. Work loving
7. Strive for savings & investment
8. Will of super action
9. Punctuality
10. and of course…Discipline

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.

We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.
____________ ___
What now?  If you do not forward this message nothing will happen to you.  Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have badluck for seven years, and also, you will not get sick or go hungry.

But those may happen because of your lack of discipline & laziness, your love for intrigue and politics, your indifference to saving for the future, your stubborn attitude.

If you love your country, let this message circulate so that many Filipinos could reflect about this, AND CHANGE, ACT!
 

Mga simpleng bagay na nakakainis :

May mga mumunting bagay na nakakapagpa-high blood sa ‘tin. In my case, minsan iniiyakan ko pa! Ito ang ilan sa mahaba-haba kong listahan…

- sa tuwing magbabalot ako ng set of books, kailangan maski isa, may kailangang magkaroon ng buhok sa plastic cover na kinatatamaran kong tanggalin. Madalas mangyari ito kahit anong walis ang gawin ko sa floor.  Like na like ko pa namang mag-cover ng books nang nakasalampak sa floor.

- bakit ba kahit anong sinop sa gamit, mawawala at mawawala isa man lang sa mga takip ng ballpens mo. Eh nabubuwisit pa naman ako pag wala ng takip ung pen, gusto ko na lang itapon.

- sa tuwing may ibibigay sa’kin na number na nakasulat sa kapirasong papel or tissue at iipit ko sa isa sa mga books or notebooks ko, hindi ko na mahanap kung saang page ko inipit.

- lagi akong may dala-dalang payong sa bag, say it again, as in araw araw, pero sa tuwing magpapalit ako ng bag at makakalimutan kong dalhin ang payong,  saka naman uulan.

- kapag nahuhumaling ako sa isang song, inaabangan ko talaga sa radio, tapos dahil nainip ka nang kahihintay sa station na tinutukan mo, try mo hanapin sa iba. Tapos pag ibinalik mo sa radio station na tinutukan mo earlier, nasa bridge na. Kainis!

- minsan may mga bagay na hindi mo pinapansin or hindi mo pinagkakaabalahang itago, tapos kapag kailangan mo na, saka hindi mo makita. Tapos pag hindi mo na kailangan, saka naman magpapakita.

- mga babaing may long hair na ayaw hawakan ang kanilang hair habang sakay ng jeep at katabi mo. Kulang na lang ipalunok sa’yo ang kanilang buhok! D-U-H!

- mga taong nakasakay sa elevator na laging nakadikit sa control panel ng elevator na hindi mo mapindot ung floor number na destination mo,  tapos pag nakisuyo ka ng floor number, iismiran ka at ang sama ng loob!! Haller! Tapos malalaman mo sila ung huling lalabas ng elevator!! Nak ng&*%$#!

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Sabi ko nga, ilan lang to sa mahaba-haba list…on top of my head.

I tuned in to NBN 4 by accident. Got bored with all non-sense TV show. Then napanood ko si Joey Velasco. Super duper astig ng artist na ito! Kudos to you! Sana mas marami pang kagaya mo… Our country badly needs someone like you!

There are occasions in life that I dreaded and wished just pass by, like today! I am turning 27, oh, no, I am already 27 and I hate it. Not that I hate aging, I believe that it’s something inevitable, I just don’t find any reason at all to celebrate it, after all , 27 years had gone by without much significance and happenings.
        Ice made a peck on my right check as she beamingly yelled “Happy 27th birthday!” She needed not emphasize on the 27th, did she? Nevertheless, I managed to utter a casual and cold, “Thanks” as I grabbed my gift from her. Then I told myself, “Birthdays aren’t bad afterall, as I would be getting” I started counting the people around me “twelve gifts” from my college friends alone. I still gave a weak and fake smile as everyone ushered me towards the table to blow my birthday cake. I really couldn’t figure out the matter with me, I just didn’t feel like celebrating my birthday. I just didn’t feel like watching the calendar as my age gradually reaching the close end of being “dalaga” and be tagged as “matandang dalaga”. Don’t get me wrong, though, to think that I was one of those measly singles wanting to hit coupledom for the sake of “coupledom”, because they are afraid either to grow old alone or feel insecure having no one to hold during cold nights. Read : I AM NOT ONE OF THEM! And puh-lease, don’t get my signals crossed, thinking that I was one of those bitter fools who had never found the “The One”! I was no bitter. Not finding “The One”? Hello? So what?! “Well, am I just” I couldn’t even utter the word “bitter and perhaps insecure?”.
         Insecure? Now, where did that come from? How could I be insecure? How could I be insecure of — say, Shelley, my college bestfriend, who’s sweetly holding hands with her husband of three months who looked like they’re alone in their own world; Cesz, who’s lovey-dovey wih her fiancee of two years; and of my niece, Jonah who’s just nineteen and pregnant and set to wed her boyfriend come December of the current year? I definitely wasn’t insecure and jealous of their good fate in love, was I? I definitely didn’t mind going home to this small and hollow apartment, sleeping and waking up alone, did I? I-AM-NOT-FRIGGIN’-INSECURE! I. AM. NOT.INSECURE!!!
        “Wish muna, Karrie” they all beamed at me. I closed my eyes as if really wishing, but little did they know that my head started aching, and into wishing I pretended. The moment I opened my eyes, everyone applauded as if I’ve given a nice performance onstage. I looked around and saw sincere and pristine smiles plastered on everyone’s faces that I couldn’t help but smile back. For one, this day’s supposed to be happy as it’s my birthday and second, I was surrounded by friends, who stuck with me through thick and thin. Kumbaga, “Tibay Standard!” I divided the cake into slices which signalled that it’s time for us to ravage the table. “Kainan na!” Everyone began busy getting served food on the table when I heard the doorbell.
        “Mukhang may humabol pa” Ice commented as she sipped on her champagne glass.
        “Well, another set of well-wishers” I supposed as I shrugged my shoulders. I went to the door and opened it.
        “Surprise!” I am looking at a pretty face whom I vaguely recognized. I frowned as if that would help remember who this stranger happened to be.  
        “Hey, hindi sinisimangutan ang isang magandang babaeng kagaya ko”, indeed she’s pretty, no, to say she’s pretty won’t be enough to decribe her. And her accent, there’s a thing in it that only Southerners in America have. “Karrie, this is Jessie, remember. You elementary bestfriend.” She hugged me even before I could react. Could this really be Jessica?
        “How did you know…”
        “Hey of course I know that today’s your birthday” she waived a hand to everyone as if she already knew them. “and you did give me your address.”
        “I did?”
        She nodded.
        “Come on in. Tamang-tama, kainan na.”
        “Wait, I have company. I’m going to introduce my fiancee.” and that was the only time I noticed she indeed, had company, who was just standing at her back. The guy must be over 5′10″ as I was forced to loook up just to see him face to face. I first encountered his eyes, I noticed that though they’re expressive, there’s a sudden coldness in it as it bored on me. That was before he smiled, flashing perfect, white teeth. But still, no matter how sweet and intoxicating that smile was, never reached his cold, sad eyes. I was stunned. This guy looked familiar, no, he just didn’t look familiar, because I knew this guy, knew him so well. He couldn’t be…
        “Karrie, he’s Yussof, boyfriend ko,” Jessie introduced him to me — to us.” and she’s Karrie, she’s the one I was talking about the whole time, my very bestfriend in the Philippines.”
        I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed. To be dead would be better than to be in this situation. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be Yussof, he could be a different Yussof, not the Yussof I know, I knew.”
        Yussof smiled again, then Yussof started walking towards me. Then he kissed my right cheek as he whispered “Happy birthday! It’s ages since we last saw each other.” he gave me his gift- their gift- Jessie and his’ gift. “Musta?”
        I tried to focus on everything he said, he asked. But I just coudln’t react. Everything was too bizzare for me. I know that birthday celebrants were normally given surprises, but the surprises given to me were too much.
        I was shock to the core and if the universe conspired to surprise me then indeed I was surprised…Truly surprised…