I brought luck, but spilled curse instead...

"No matter how good your intentions are, the outcome might be worst depending on who made the interpretation."

Being an achiever in my own field of examination, I had often see myself as a bringer of luck to my friends who are to take a licensure examination in their respective profession. I often feel excited when it's their time to take the life turning exam and feel pressured when the wait for the results take its toll.

But just recently, that excitement turns to doubts and questions. A friend had just been struck by the worst news, failure from the examination. Though his failure might have been due to many factors, can't help asking how much my presence have been a factor. Might be a little paranoid but, this what happens when you experience it more than once, and not even twice but more.

My work usually gives me a lot of time to wander especially during weekends, so I usually visit friends when I get bored at home. Being far from home, my friends here are usually those that are here to review. Thus, I usually end up in their place and have a little time to chat. Yes some spent on asking their question but most of the time, catch up with the events. As a result, I end up taking of their review time.

And when the time for their exam is coming, I find it a habit to visit them a night before the exam, supposedly, to bring luck. Spend 30 minutes or more to talk to them about the exam. I don't know if it would help, or make things worse, but the intension is always good. I remember someone saying, "No matter how good your intentions are, the outcome might be worst depending on who made the interpretation."

And so I went home, feeling excited for their exam, wait for their result, and for the 4th time, been gifted by bad news.

This makes me wonder, is my desire to bring good luck brings curse instead?

And now that my brother is about to take the exam the in next few months, shall I change my habit and let them be?

Perhaps no one can tell, and perhaps I'll never know, but as long as I have the good intention, I'll continue to wish them luck, may it be in different way I used to do.

MisadVentures of Inday (Time to Laugh)

sorry for the repost, but having it so long seems to bore the reader instead of making them laugh. So Im giving it by parts. So enjoy. Relax. Carpe Deim.

Mag-o-outing ang barkada

Apr 24th, 2008 by Inday

Habang nagwawalis sa harap ng bakuran si Inday, ay napadaan si Ethan sa kanyang tricycle.

Ethan: Hi Inday. Tuloy ba yung outing naten sa Pagudpud?

Inday: Hey Ethan. I’m not sure, who’s planning anyway? Do the others already know?

Habang nag-gugupit ng mga damo si Dodong at narinig nya ang kanilang usapan.

Dodong: Mga pre, game ako dyan. Ilang araw ba tayo doon?

Inday: Well, the most suitable would be at least 2 nights but it depends on how long you guys are allowed for a furlough.

Ethan: Teka sasama ba si Manang? Hehehe, baka matangay ng alon yun.

Narinig ni Manang galing sa loob ng bakuran habang sya’y naglalaba. Huminto ito at lumapit sa kanila.

Manang: Hoi!! If you must know, I was a varsity swimmer when I was in high school so don’t underestimate my aquatic capabilities (banat nya kay Ethan). And of course, you can count me in.

Dodong: Teka si Ederlyn, text ko lang. (Ei sma b u outng pgdpud? Ksma laht)

Ethan: Wag!!! Wag na naten isama si Ederlyn, natandaan mo last time? Nag-inarte. Tapos di pa tumutulong sa paghahanda ng pagkain o kahit paglinis lang ng kinainan.

Inday: Yeah, let’s not bring any dead weight this time.

Manang: I agree!

Dodong: Ngek na text ko na!

Tumunog ang cellphone ni Dodong, galing kay Ederlyn ang message… “K! Sli aku!! May bago rn akung bikni“.

Nag-text kaagad si Dodong… “Sry wrng send“.

Dodong: Whew!

Inday: Well, let’s just discuss this over our Yahoo Groups. I have to go prepare our supper.

Ethan: Okay! Sa Yahoo Groups na lang.

Sa di kalayuan ay naririnig pala ng pulubi ang kanilang diskusyon at lumapit ito sa kanila.

Pulubi: Can I join your outing too guys? Pa-add na lang e-mail ko on your Yahoo Groups. It’s babangonako@duduruginkita.com

Painful experiences
Mar 1st, 2008 by Inday



Isang hapon ay nagkwekwentuhan ang magbarkada sa may isawan sa kanto habang nag-memerienda.

Ederlyn: Eto, I have a question para sa inyo ga. Ano ang pinakamasakit na experience ang naranasan na ninyu?

Napaisip ang iba.

Dodong: Siguro sa akin ay yung pagpili sa isang babae pero parehong mahal mo ang dalawa. Para talagang nahahati ang puso ko. (sabay kagat sa isaw)

Ederlyn: Ay yung sa akin yung binuhos mo ang pagmamahal mo sa isang lalaki pero kulang pa rin at iniwan ka. (sabay lagok sa softdrink)

Ethan: Wala pa ko masyadong experience pagdating sa sa pagmamahal eh. Siguro masakit na sa’ken yung binati mo ng good morning pero di ka pinansin. Hehehe. (sabay kagat sa bananacue)

Inday: I guess mine would be not showing my affection to someone and by the time that I realize that he’s the one I love, he’s slowly pulling away. (sabay subo sa baon nyang blanched green and white asparagus with lemon thyme and Parmesan vinaigrette)

Pulubi: Sa akin naman yung bihis na bihis ka na pero di ka pala kasama sa lakad. Sakit nun. Hirap kaya ako maghanap ng maisusuot tapos di rin pala ako kasama. Tsk. (hihingi pa sa kinakain ni Inday)

Napatingin na lang sila Inday sa pulubing nakiki-merienda.


Pesteng caller
Sep 6th, 2008 by manager

Isang hapon, habang nagpapahinga si Mrs. Montemayor sa sala at nanonood ng TV na tila parang bored ay biglang nag-ring ang phone. Dali-dalian nya itong sinagot…

Mrs. Montemayor: Hello?

Caller: Hello, may I please speak to Ms. Inocencia Binayubay?

Mrs. Montemayor: Sino kamo?

Caller: Ahh Inocencia Binayubay, is she there?

Mrs. Montemayor: Inoce… walang ganun dito… ay teka.. (naisip nyang bigla si Inday).

Mrs. Montemayor: Ahh si Inday… teka lang! (halatang may pagkainis dahil may tumatawag sa kanilang katulong).

Sumigaw sya sa kusina para tawagin si Inday.

Mrs. Montemayor: INDAY!!!!!!!! Telepon! Wag matagal ha!

Tumigil saglit si Inday sa pag-gagawa ng blueberry muffins para sagutin ang phone.

Inday: Hello?

Caller: Inocencia Binayubay?

Inday: Speaking… ahh hold on.

Sumigaw si Inday sa sala…

Inday: You can hang up now madam! I’m on the cordless!

Binaba ni Mrs. Montemayor ang telepono at napaisip sa sarili, “Aba pinagsabihan pa ako. The nerve!” Hinayaan nya na lang at nagpatuloy sa panonood ng TV.

Makalipas ang ilang minuto ay narinig nya si Inday na tinataasan na ng boses ang kausap. Pagkatapos ay lumabas sa kusina si Inday at pumunta sa sala para magpahangin sa tapat electric fan. Tila mainit ang ulo.

Na-curious si Misis.

Mrs. Montemayor: Oh sino ba yun? Inglisera mong nanay na nanghihingi na naman ng pera?

Inday: Not at all. It’s those pesky credit card telemarketers offering me a new credit line that I certainly don’t require anymore. I don’t care about their 0% credit transfers, double reward points, loans and all those things. Why can’t they take no for an answer?

Di makasagot si Mrs. Montemayor at natulala.

Napaisip na lang sya sa sarili, “Buti pa si Inday, inoofferan ng credit card… samantalang ako, ATM card lang ang meron ako… ba’t ganun ang buhay?”.

Inday: Madam, are you okay?

Siomai
Jul 19th, 2008 by manager

Habang nagmemerienda ang magbabarkada sa may sari-sari store, nabanggit ni Ethan na hindi na lang sya bibili ng pedicab.

Ethan: Guys, di na lang ako magpepedicab. Inday, mahal pala yung mga piyesa na ni-recommend mo… yung iba di raw available dito sa pinas.

Inday: Awww, sorry to hear that Ethan. So what do you intend to do with your assets now?

Ethan: Di ko pa alam eh… food business kaya?

Dodong: Pwede yan pards. Food stall lang. Yung di malaki at di gumagamit ng gas. (sabay kagat sa bananacue)

Ethan: Hmm pwede. Anong klase kaya? Donut? Fruit shake?

Manang: Dimsum na lang iho. Pwedeng ulamin ng mga tao, di kailangan ng gas at dalawang tao lang ang kailangang magbantay. Maliit ng pwesto pa ang kailangan. (sabay subo ng pandesal na isinawsaw sa kape)

Ederlyn: Oo nga Ethan. May naisip na akong pangalan para sa siopawan at syomayan mo. Code Name: Asado! Hahahaha. O diba? Napapanahon. (habang patuloy ngumunguya ng Chippy)

Dodong: Corny. (sabay bato ng stick ng bananacue kay Ederlyn)

Inday: Pathetic.

Ethan: Pero ok nga talaga yung dimsum lang para di mahirap. Wag na siguro yung mga siopao pa. siomai at gulaman lang.

Inday: I agree You just have to get a good location and I would suggest a spot where it could easily cater to call-center employees. Why? Their break time is really limited so they need to consume their food quick and this is where your dimsum comes in. And if you operate 24 hours daily, you’ll rack up those sales in no time. All you need now is a catchy name.

Ethan: Hmm… ano kaya magandang pangalan?

Biglang sumingit ang pulubing nakikinig at naghahakot ng mga boteng itinapon

Pulubi: Ipangalan mong Master Siomai - Walang Tulugan! O diba? Open 24 hours a day kamo eh.

Ethan, Dodong, Ederlyn, Manang: PWEDE!!!

Inday: I don’t get it.

The Lost Symbol

Have you watched the Da Vinci Code or The Angels and Demons? Much better if you have read it... Then you know Dan Brown's upcoming novel would surely be a hit!

Watch for it, on Sept. 15, 2009, its first copy will be sold. :)

Is Love just a State of Mind? Make your mind speak or make your heart do the talking...

A friend of mine wrote this article but was forced to keep it to himself after her girlfriend freaked out on the article and almost broke up with him after reading it. As a result, a great idea was burried in ruins and never saw the day of light...until now. After careful exploration (nice term for snooping around), I saw it and took the liberty to solicit your idea about it. Let your voice be heard. :)

Love is just a state of mind. Simply putting it, the mind makes you feel. It was never the other way around. The feeling is there because your mind tells you to feel that way. Now, I know many of you will contest…that feelings are not governed by our mind and that everything we feel is based on what our "hearts feel" and not what we think. Before anyone contest...let me explain why I believe that love is just a state of mind.

How would you know if you love someone? Some would say "I know it because I feel it" or "I love her and there's no explanation why". One would say "I know it because there's magic" or "I don't know. Love is so mysterious".
Does this answer why you love somebody or would it just lead to more questions like "If I feel it, then, is the feeling real?" or "If the magic is gone, did I fall out of love?" So on and so forth...

Now let me answer the question! You know you love someone when your definition of love is realized. Everyone has his own definition of love somewhere in his head. We may not realize it, but we are all somehow influenced with those definitions. We pick up these definitions almost everyday. We see it in movies, hear it from stories, and read it from books. It is everywhere. It is our choice. We choose to love and feel the way we want to.

Our choice of what to believe is the real difference with each and every one of us. Why does love evolve every time our age mature? The explanation is simple. Our definition of love becomes more complex as we absorb more definitions from time to time. How many of you hoped that you’ll be Cinderella or Prince Charming someday? I know everyone did. Who can’t hope for that? Everyone has read it. Everyone has seen it. Our society made us to think that way. Our society made us to “feel” that way.

To prove my point, even at this very moment, after reading my thoughts, you are face with a dilemma. Do you believe it or not. Do you absorb or reject it. This is how we feel. Every feeling that we have is based on what we believe in. If you believe in what I say then you’ll be glad. If not, then you’ll be outraged. This is also true for love.

Now, I ask you again. How would you know if you love someone? The answer is simple. It depends. It depends on who you are right now. It depends on where you live, how old you are, who you are with and what you believe. Love is just a state of mind. I don’t believe that love is just a random thing…that it just happens for some reason we can’t explain why. I believe that love is a choice. I believe that love is hard to explain but never mysterious. I believe that there is no right and wrong when it comes to love. I believe that love is just a state of mind.

Love depends on your perspective. It depends on your capability to accept what your subconscious mind is telling you. Falling in love is not something one can not control. Falling in love is giving in to your subconscious mind. Magic moments are not really as magical as it seems. Actually, magic moments are imitations of what is already in our minds. Our minds are so adjusted to those definitions that we react to it as if it was secondary to us.

Why is it that when we were young, we are more interested in making friends rather than attracted in having a relationship? Innocence! Our mind is not accustomed to needing someone of the opposite sex at that time. We just need someone to play. Whether boy or girl, it’s just the same. But as we grew older, we are exposed to the common thinking of a “normal world”. You now dream of a lovely wife or a good husband just like what this “normal world” suggests. Our whole life is actually controlled by what our society dictates it should be. Yes, even love!

Love is just a state of mind.