ME AT T.G.I. FRIDAY

The following video is for personal souvenir only.  The background music is not owned.

ME AT STARBUCKS

The following video is for personal souvenir only.  Background music is not owned.

Experiencing the coffee of the famous Starbucks, I recorded this to keep my memory of the things that I had. 

ANG MGA TAONG MAGAGALING

Sa una o pangalawa, hinahayaan mo lamang siya sa kanyang mga sinasabi.  Kapag siya ay nagsalita at nagpaliwanag tungkol sa kanyang saloobin ay pinagbibigyan mo siya dahil nasa una at bago pa lang naman ang pagkakataon ninyong magka-usap.  Dahil kadalasan,ang karaniwang pag-uugali ng isang matuwid na tao ay mapagbigay sa una, bilang respeto na rin sa kanilang pagkakadaupang-palad.  Kung sa pangatlong pagkakataon o higit pa na binibigyan niya ng katwiran ang kanyang mga dahilan kung bakit tama siya at ikaw ang mali ay unti-unti mong mararamdaman ang pagmamagaling ng isang tao.  Maaaring mapansin mong tila ang taong ito ay maalam at laging mayroong dahilan at sagot.  Lalo na kung ang pamamaraan ng kanyang pagpapaliwanag ay lumalabas na nangingibabaw ang kawastuan ng kanyang paniniwala.

Kahit mapagpasensiya kang tao ngunit kung ang kausap mo ay iyung tao na palaging may katwiran, iyung ayaw magpatalo sa kanyang katwiran, at iyung mayroon dahilan kung siya man ay may pagkakamali, na parang nagkamali man siya ay tama pa rin siy dahil nabigyan niya ng dahilan kung bakit siya nagkamali – pasensiyoso ka mang tao ngunit kahit papaano ay makakaramdam ka rin ng pagkasagad ng iyong pasensiya.  Kasi, totoo naman na ang taong hindi magpapatalo na para bang laging siya ang tama ay talagang nakakainis.  Para bang isang malaking kapintasan ang kung hindi siya magsalita ng kanyang panig upang malaman na siya ang tama.  Para bang napakahirap bale-walain muna niya ang pagkakasalungat sa kanyang paniniwala ng isang tao.  Tuloy ay para siyang laging ipinagtatanggol ang kanyang sarili at laging pinapatunayang siya ay tama.

Ang nangyayari nito ay hindi na siya tumatanggap ng katwiran ng iba dahil naniniwala siya na siya ang magaling, iyung parang hindi nagkakamali.  Nagiging mapagmataas na siya.  Kung sasabihin niyang wala siyang magagawa dahil iyun ang kanyang paniniwala na pinaninidigan lamang niya na magunaw man ang mundo ay iyun talaga ang kanyang paniniwala, at pinahahalagahan lamang niya ang kanyang mga sinasabi – wala siyang malasakit sa damdamin ng ibang tao.  May kanya-kanya man tayong opinyon at ang kailangan lang ay ang respetuhan, pero paano mo irerespeto ang kanyang paninindigan kung sa ganun na ang kanyang paniniwala’t katwiran ay nakikita mo na hindi siya marunong magrespeto sa paniniwala ng iba?  Lumalabas lamang ang kanyang pagiging makasarili dahil wala na siyang pagsasaalang-alang sa sitwasyon ng ibang tao o pangyayari.  Parang isang kabayo na isang panig lang ang nakikita.

Hindi paninindigan kundi kataasan ng ugali na lang ang umiiral sa puso ng taong ayaw magpatalo.  Sila ang mga taong magagaling na ayaw tumanggap ng kanyang pagkakamali at mataas ang tingin sa sarili. Kung pakakaisipin, maaari namang hindi na natin kailangan na laging ipaalam ang ating paniniwala kahit nasa tamang panig tayo.  Kung may naka-krus tayo ng landas at mali siya – hindi laging kailangan na sabihin mo ang alam mong nararapat.  Kung minsan, may mga bagay na dapat ay hinahayaan mong matuto ang ibang tao sa kanilang pamamaraan nang hindi masasagasaan ang kanilang damdamin.  Hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay kailangang ipaglaban mo ang iyong paniniwala, dahil minsan ang labis na pagtatanggol mo sa iyong idelohiya ay sumusugat sa pagkatao ng iba.

Magnilay-nilay tayo.  Tingnan natin ang ating sarili na baka naman sa paningin ng ibangtao ay nagiging magaling na ang pagkakapalagay natin sa ating sarili.  Isipin mo nang walang kinikilingan kung ang mga taong nasa paligid mo ay magiliw at totoo pa sa iyo.  Tingnan mong mabuti ang iyong sarili, kung maraming nagagalit sa iyo, kung ang sarili mong pamilya – maaaring asawa, magulang, mga kapatid, mga kamag-anak at ang pinaka-huli ay anak, kung mayroon dalawa sa kanila o higit pa ang hindi gusto ang iyong ugali…teka muna, baka naman ikaw na ang may diprensiya.  Mabigat ang dalahin sa buhay kung maraming tao ang may galit sa iyo dahil malamang na ipinagdarasal nila ang iyong paghihirap.

Alex V. Villamayor

October 24, 2012

UNDO OF DO’S AND DON’TS

The difficult thing to do is when you cannot do what you really most liked to do.  How will you feel when you cannot express what’s in your mind or you cannot speak the words that can please you?  It’s a pity.  Although you know it is for the good of something, things are still not that easily done.

It is not that you have disability but it goes for those who keep things undisclosed as conformity.  If for some reason you should not do anything that can disclose something, then taking the painful truth is the most possible you can do, but then again it’s still hurting when you cannot do what you want to do because of restrictions.

It’s a matter of holding on to your word of honour and valuing the importance of your conviction.  When you are proud of something to show, when you feel to touch other’s life, when you want to show your gratitude, concern and affection, and when you are about to do these but you are bounded with promise of not doing these, it hurts but you need to stand your conviction.

Because there are times you just need to go with the flow and just bear the pain of it as if it is the best for the rest, you’ll just give way for the sake of that majority.  There are good things that you don’t need to do if it can harm.    If why, it is because we are living not only for ourselves.  "Good for you" doesn’t mean good to your brothers and sisters.

You will feel the fury, losing, sadness and anguish in yourself but you can’t help it but to resist.  Folding your wings while you can stretch them and go fly locks you in the cage.  If the emotion in your heart is confined because of self-infliction then it will make your world to become smaller and most things will turn complicated.

While it is true that there is nothing sweeter than to be free, but there are times that you need to prefer unspoken to protect others rather than yourself.  Words are powerful ways of complementing others but if you cannot say it will be in vain.  If action speaks louder than voice, then the most that you can do is to say it through eyes.  Eyes are the windows of the soul, the persons’ thoughts can be ascertained by looking into their eyes.

Sometimes you have no choice but to undo what is needed to do.  If your responsibility is to keep yourself inside the six-side of the box, though the dark will wrap you whole but from there you can see the light from darkness.  There’s always way for everything.  Look at what the darkness can make for you.

It is better still you do what you feel to do because it is good to carry out what you want before it become too late.  There are many ways of expressing your thoughts and feeling other than words.  What you need to do is look intensely into your heart and let is speak for yourself.

By Alex V. Villamayor

October 18, 2012

SELF REFLECTION IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY

Life is made up of problems, trial and difficulties.  Without them will not be challenging, interesting and exciting.  Every surpassed challenge, the taste of victory is sweet and life is so good to live with.  But what if life is full of problems that do not end?

When we feel that our difficulties seem never end, when the sufferings in our life do not leave us, then it’s time for ourselves to have reflection.   If it seems there are hurdles in our dream, goal and courses of action, then maybe there is something wrong with us that we need to change. We need to do some self-check. 

Self-reflection is a careful thought about your own behavior and beliefs.  It is the time for us to evaluate and correct ourselves.  In our time of reflection, examine ourselves, analyze our persistence and the actions we’ve taken in beating our struggles.  Scrutinize, maybe our courses of action to achieve what we aimed to accomplish are still not enough and we need to push further ourselves.

Despite of this, if we think we’ve done what we should do yet life is still seemingly a heavy burden to carry, then it might be something personal.  Maybe we need to change our behavior, personality and character.   Let us look at ourselves and carefully examine our character and personality towards social relationships.  Have a sincere meditation and thoroughly evaluate ourselves without being bias and subjective.  We have to be fair in our self-evaluation.  Reflect if our persona is good.  We may have bad behavior and wrong-doings that we put into our lives.  Karma will payback if we are living in the wrong way of social interaction.

If often we hurt, oppress and aggrieve some people with our unpleasant behavior, then no matter how hard we sincerely strive good karma will hardly land in our hands. The more we do these and the more people we hurt, the more people will wish us to suffer.  Maybe people hate us and their collective desires will make our life miserable.  We may notice the incessant suffering, be it financial difficulties and health condition, but what’s more saddening and hurting is its extension to our closest persons that are getting involved in difficulty because of our unpleasant behavior, until we realized the importance of social relationship.

I’d been in the certain point of battling the burden and did a thorough reflection.  Although I could say it was not about character and personality towards human relationships.  What I did was cleaning of conscience to lighten the burden, changed and started anew.  I freed all the negative emotions that homed in me for times like despair, pessimism, jinxed, and the most negative here was the grudge which I freed through forgiving those people whom I had ill feelings against.

What I’m trying to highlight is the importance of self-reflection.  If you did it with all your heart, you will feel the gratification instantly in yourself.  Life can be difficult still but hope lightens it because you don’t have carrying resentments.  Until you have used to it and end the suffering.

By Alex V. Villamayor 

 October 12, 2012

ON CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT

The Cybercrime Prevention Act or the RA 10175 aims to combat internet crimes such as hacking, identity theft, spamming and online pornography.  This is good because it is important and necessary to address the growing incidence of crimes through cyberspace.  However, it is blocked by the filed petitions from its critics from human rights groups, journalists, bloggers, lawyers, and academe arguing the legality of the law because it violates the freedom of the people – primarily the violations of freedom of expression.

Personally I like this cybercrime law because as a writer by heart, I’d like my original written stories that I have worked hard be safe from unauthorized and unknown copiers.  For a writer, there is no more painful than rob your idea, intellectual rights is a writers’ protection.  But in general, I believe cybercrime act is high time to protect the preys that have harassed, oppressed and bullied through internet.  It is timely because at this very moment, there are many netizens have been aggrieved, oppressed and persecuted in internet.

It is so easy to open up an account in different social networking such as  Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, Netlog, twitter, WAYN and YouTube to name a few.  And for many it is very easy to do irresponsible posts and comments in the social media because we are not face to face with our readers.  There are just people who have no confidence to speak in front of you and they can just show their courage through the power of social media.

And it is indeed very easy to create bogus account and use computer for rent in any downtown’s tacky internet cafe’ without being identified.  Although you may using your official account but technically you are still hiding on the shield of your account.  Words, pictures and videos are just a matter of one click.  And we need the cybercrime law to give lesson those who are irresponsible and abusive having the right to freedom of expression.

Internet is an indispensable tool in our present time.  But everyone must be careful to use the internet properly.  Let’s admit, people are taking advantage the freedom of speech to justify their act of excessive criticizing.  In cyber world one can easily upload defamatory, degrading and blatant video and pictures.  Everyone can freely express their opinion about anything and easily post foul and demeaning online attacks.  But we must keep in mind that included in democracy and freedom of expression is the responsibility.  Not because we’re in democratic country we can say whatever we want – we should be sensitive with others.

Netizens should not afraid if they know they are doing nothing wrong.  But then if you feel you did not do wrong yet if the approved law says it is wrong and it controls you for that, then this is how the opportunist can use the law to silence the critics.  One must know what is prescribed in our ethics, hurtful slurs, nasty, vile and vicious attacks.

we need the Cybercrime Act to protect us from online harassment, identity theft, hacking, cybersex and from those abusive who used freedom of expression and democracy as their excuse.   I think R.A. 10175 just needs to amend few provisions enclosed in there.  But overall, the very purpose of the act is good, just and right.

By Alex V. Villamayor

October 11, 2012