Every February, You'll Be My Valentine.

Ah! Love is totally in the air! Sabi nga nila, ang Valentine's day daw ay para lang sa mga nagmamahalan. ANO DAW?? Excuse me. 22 years (Pati infancy years isasali?) na akong walang girlfriend pero I can say that Valentine's Day would stay on my list as one of my most anticipated events of the year.

Araw ng mga puso - iyan ang Tagalized version ng Valentine's day. Ang lalim no? Parang ang gandang pakinggan at ang sarap sa tenga. Sadly, this music to our ears are often masked by different actions that make the whole idea of the event in complete disarray with what really is the true meaning of Valentine's Day.

What exactly am I driving at? Yung iba kasi diyan, ang inaantay na araw ay Valentine's Day para maka-score sa mga girlfriends nila. Yung iba, ginagawang araw ng modus operandi ang Valentine's Day para mangikil at mandaya ng couples. Last year, it was in this season that free condoms were given to couples para makapag-promote ng Family Planning at safe sex. WTH right?

I think it's all about how time flies so fast and how we evolve so quickly. Masyado na tayong in pace with what has been happening with the world that we improvise too much. I mean, improvisation during events isn't bad. It becomes bad when you mask the event with too much improvising. I hate to say this, but, masyado na tayong maraming alam. I think it's time we went back to the basics.

Our Grandma would tell us, "Noong kapanahunan namin, hindi uso yang ligawan sa tec tec na yan (tec = text), pati yang Pesbuk (Facebook) na yan, ano ba yan?? Iyang Lolo niyo, inaakyat pa ko niyan sa Papa ko para lang ako bigyan ng bulaklak!" And then we would answer, "Lolaaaaa, noon pa yun! Iba na ngayon, HIGH TECH!"

Look at that. Baluktot na pangangatwiran. Sumagot ka na nga nang pabalang, mali pa yung sinagot mo. Your Grandma was right about what she said. Facebook and SMS courtships would probably kill the essence of courtship per se. It diminishes ounces of respect and admiration you once have for the person you court. Boys, advice lang, wag sa text, wag sa Facebook. Walang sincerity diyan e. Kahit ilang beses ka pa mag-I Love You Baby Mwah Mwah! diyan, wa-epek kasi hindi mo naman siya nakikita o nakakasama. Kung ako sayo, makinig ka sa Lola mong nanermon sayo once in your life about your Lolo courting her, making akyat to their house and giving her flowers. Corny? Try mo lang. Kesa magkandahilo-hilo ka maghanap ng picture ng rose sa Google at isend sa kanya sa Facebook. Tssss.

Sana, isaisip natin na ang Valentine's Day ay hindi araw para umiskor. Hindi siya araw para mamigay ng libreng condoms. Hindi siya araw para magtaas ng presyo. Hindi siya araw para magcheck in sa motel. At lalong hindi siya araw para magluksa ang mga single.

Let me finish this entry with two pieces of advice:

FOR BF/GF's:
Don't take each other for granted. Love each other everyday as if you're at your courting stage. And please, for the guys, stop thinking about scoring on your girls. It's unhealthy in a relationship to think about it.

FOR MARRIED COUPLES:
If you have kids, share Valentine's Day with them. Let them feel the love! After all, love isn't always about two people sharing it. It's about having the heart to give it to everyone! :)

FOR SINGLES:
Mga pare at mare, wag kayong mag-alala! I might sound like a broken record, but the time will surely come for your prince and princesses to come into your life. Don't fret! Ako nga oh, 22 years old na, wala parin. But still, I feel the love every year!



Let us remember that LOVE is best experienced by a sincere and generous heart. Like food, it is best enjoyed when shared. Like a car, it is best driven when you have company. And like LIFE, it is best offered first and foremost to its equal, GOD.


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE! :)

It Ain't the End of the World!

It's New Year's Day, which pretty much marks the start of 2012 for our good old calendar. The year that was made so much fuss, not only in our country, but also in the world. I can only re-imagine how much has happened in the course of 2011 - earthquakes, fires, deaths, and so much more.

This brought me back to 2010's end, when people would post statuses on Facebook saying "please be good to me, 2011. much love. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!". I would also see status posts saying "2011 was full of shit, i hope 2012 would be better." And look what the year brought us...

I think New Year is not about having all the good things in life. We should learn that in starting anew, we first deal with struggles, face adversities, and experience defeats. It is in these contexts that we become stronger persons every year, and we become more and more contented with what we have, no matter how small or how big it is. It's also not about the New Year being good to you. It's a year - a series of months where you get to live one day at a time. It does not owe any goodness to you - YOU should be good to it all throughout, for you to feel that 2012 has been so light or so exciting for you. Getting a job, winning something, having a girlfriend or a boyfriend - they're all part of the year, but it is not the year's doing, it is yours'.

We are our own year.

I guess what I'm saying is that the New Year should be faced by a realistic mind, not by an idealistic one. I'm not destroying dreams here, but I'm trying to put things in perspective for everyone. Let's all accept that 2012 will still be a year of imperfections - there will still be some glitches here and there, but hey, there's nothing to it to a person who's equipped with everything right?

The Mayan calendar might have told us that this will be our last year on earth, that this will be the end of everything, but we say that we have a greater God who can even make them doubt their calendar. Heck, Mayan even has the word "may" on it. It has doubt written all over its name.

Two-Zero-One-Two. You can't really tell what it holds for all of us. But one thing is for sure - with a positive, enthusiastic mind, we will be able to get over all obstacles this year has prepared for us. With God on our side, and with perseverance and hope, I'm sure we'll end all speculations and live through every day of 2012 as if it was a party! :)



HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!