When God Writes Your Love Story

One thing I have to deal with every time I am inside the campus is the fact that there are just so many couples around. And although you would like to move on with your life because acads take precedence over personal emotions, there are times that you would want to experience that loving feeling - let alone wonder, when can I fall in love?

Jealous? Jaded? Too bitter much to even consider going out on a loving spree?

Yes.

Why?

Because everyone of us is looking for love! And though I wouldn't be rapt to say things against lovely couples, let me say that my hormones still do the talking every now and then.

But seriously, have you ever considered wondering what makes your love story bloom like a thousand flowers?

To tell you the truth, it irritates me when some people try to tell me to "Go for the kill!" as if  the girl I set my eyes with is just a piece of meat worthy of being devoured and ravished. I personally hate it too when people chastise me for reading books about love and then go on raving about their personal love-scapades as if to emphasize that "Love is not head knowledge but pure action". This is not to say that love is about head knowledge and no action. No, it will never be. But let us just say that love stories do play a part in how you should approach love... humanly. Ultimately, it is the person who read that book, watched that movie, or heard that story who will decide how to approach the man/woman of his/her dreams.

Single as I am, I'm still susceptible of the moments when I feel I am so alone, that people cannot seem to like me because I'm fat, because I'm too serious for my own worth. That a beautiful love story is lightyears away from me, things like that. True, I brood over it. And I'm entitled to that. I even envy my classmates who seem to 'snag' partners like it was a simple matchmaking game. Although they'll be quick to say it wasn't easy, their fast pace is something I cannot really do.

Guys and girls really have differing opinions when it comes to love, and usually I prefer the girls' opinion because it's more straightforward. Sometimes (just sometimes), guy opinions tend to be egotistic and self-proclamatory - like an insecure guy who drapes his arm on 'his girl' seen talking to her guy best friend. Possession is romantic in bits and pieces; but when it spirals out to obsession, you're on the road to doom.

Too many times, our preoccupation with 'looking for love' tends to make things complicated. And admittedly, I am experiencing that. I 'consciously' look for 'eye candies', and from that set of eye candies I select which one to pursue. I hate it actually, but I ended up doing it. I kept on saying 'I hate those who collect and select, they're treating people like over-the-counter commodities', but I ended up doing just that. Sometimes, in the search for love the battle becomes short of commitment; and it actually leaves me hollow - wanting for more of that loving feeling.

"Love is not a feeling; it is a decision to commit,". as M. Scott Peck will tell you. Eric and Leslie Ludy will say, the mushy aspect of love is a natural thing (you know, the 'I drown when I look into your eyes' type of thing); but when you anchor it on simply feeling, then you're walking down the road to doom as well.

Far too many times we have claimed love as our doing. My conquest. My crush. My lovelife. Puro 'my', 'my', 'my'. And it's an ego thing. But when we rely on our own 'me-ness', we realize that man can only do so much and that he cannot give everything versus what he felt to be everything. When Augustine of Hippo was out there satisfying his worldly desires, he claims to have felt this loneliness at living a pointless life. That there was no drive nor resolve to see the end of the tunnel. Ultimately, in his moment of agony he said in his Confessions the classic quote: "You have made us for yourself, o Lord, and our hearts are restless until it rests in You."

God is the Author of Romance. He wouldn't be 'deus caritas est' (God is Love) if he wasn't. And though it is definitely hard to pull off a single day for a single person just like me, I pray for the grace that God will help me go through it because I know that one day He will lead me to my future wife - the one person who will satisfy my longing for deep, committed love in ways only God can tell me how.

So does this serious person still think of love? Of course, I do! Agonizingly... sometimes.

I really need to reformat my social life, because if I don't... I'll not make it to my dream of a happy family (with a white picket fence).

"Inggit ka lang!"

"Asawa ko naman ito eh!"

"Mahal naman namin ang isa't isa eh. So anong masama doon?"

Apparently, these are the three classic responses to PDA couples caught redhanded. Thing is, one of two things would happen: either they heed it or they don't.

Just a few minutes ago, I encountered a blog post which put a little light on the PDA issue - something I'd call the other side of the coin. Allow me to quote some parts of this post:

dati nandidiri ako sa mga ganyan. Iniisip ko agad kapag may mga babaeng pumapayag na mkipaghalikan sa bf sa gitna ng madaming tao, malandi na xa agad, blah blah blah..

but then i realized, i was wrong.

it's not that gusto nilang mkipaglandian,
and it's not for fun either.

it's because wala silang pakealam kung ano pa man ang sabihin sa kanila ng ibang tao... as long as they have each other. as long as they're together.. and as long as they're not hurting anyone.

im not saying that other couples should also do that in public places..but my point is... we can't blame others for showing this kind of behavior.

i guess that's one thing to expect when you fall in love --- you can be surrounded by a sea of people, but still, feel that the one you love is the only person there.. : b l u s h :

Totoo nama't may basis yung argument ng sumulat. Niromanticize niya ang pagpi-PDA bilang isang act of devotion and submission, isang bagay na ikinatuwa at ikinainis ko. Kasi, by siding with this argument, feeling ko kino-compromise na natin ang decency and sobriety inside a relationship. Kung magiging leftist naman ako, ipagbabawal ko naman ang lahat ng halik at yakap kasi nakaka-eskandalo. Iyan naman yata ang hindi ko pa kayang gawin.

Ang PDA ay parang isang continuum. A scale of 1 to 10. Mayroong hiyang-hiyang hawakan ang kamay ni honeybunch, pero meron din namang kulang na lang ay ililis ang brief at panty at mag-bayuhan na. Totoo. I guess iyang 10th degree na iyan ang dapat ipagbawal kahit saan. Kung maaari nga ipahuli sa pulis for indecent exposure. Kasi, kahit na ang paghahalikan, o yakapan sa dilim ay isang interpersonal action, the mere fact that the couple situates it in public becomes not so interpersonal any longer.

Masakit sabihin pero karaniwang mga lalaki raw ang pasimuno ng mga PDA sprees. Kung isusuot ko ang aking mga lalaking lenses at sapatos, ganito ko siguro i-aargue kung bakit gustung-gusto kong laplapin si honeybunch sa gitna ng campus:

• Paki mo? Girlfriend ko naman siya eh!
• E gusto ko eh! Tingnan mo, sarap na sarap siya!
• Proud ako sa GF ko eh, kaya hinahalikan ko in public.
• Para malaman niyo na may GF na ako.

...at higit sa lahat...

"Para ipakitang mas magaling pa rin akong kumuha ng girlfriend. "

Sometimes, although hindi siya 100% generalizable, pinapasimunuan ng lalaki ang PDA kasi pride booster iyan eh. Media has built in us this thought na the more partners you have, the more sleek and suave you are. Na parang everything is just about ego, na talaga namang nakakainis. I'm a great nonconformist; and contrary to popular guy stereotypes, ako talaga yung tipo ng lalaki na hindi brash, at makikitaan ng dalawang girls na naka-flank sa akin (tulad nung Japanese guy sa Tokyo Drift). Minsan nga, sa pagiging nonconformist ko, tinatanong ko sarili ko: Lalaki pa ba ako?

I'm not saying na may identity crisis ako. Pero it's this individuality that really sets me apart. I hate guy egos because it's indicative of their insecurity. That doesn't mean, however, na magpaka-doormat na tayong lahat. No! It'll be the end of the world pag nagkataon. Hindi lang talaga ako kumporme sa mga ma-PDA na, well, mahalay.

The definition of 'mahalay' differs, actually. But I guess we agree (at least for Filipinos) that being 'mahalay' entails heavenly hands in heavenly places... you know what I mean.

Basta, I'm just fighting for decency and sobriety. Walang masama sa PDA. It's in the way it is expressed that things get complicated.

The Scent of a Woman: PDA Boulevard

Starting today, I will be naming my posts that have something to do with the opposite sex as "The Scent of a Woman". This is to delineate my any ordinary posts from those that I am very much familiar with (if not passionate about). It can range a lot of topics as far as girls are concerned. But trust me that it will have something to do with them (at least most of the time).

When you're inside Ateneo, one thing that you cannot escape from is the probability of chancing upon two fellows in their intimate indulgences. I leave it up to your teenage imagination how steamy or how bland that indulgence is; but I trust that you are familiar with the term PDA. And yes, I'm not talking about the Philippine Dental Association or Pinoy Dream Academy, but Public Display of Affection.

Times are changing, and so do I. Gone are the days when the mention of nakedness was a scandalous event. The Victorian Era was eventually replaced with a wide sexual revolution. Here in the Philippines, we still believe that we are a conservative country. But as time goes by, the definition of conservative is changing bit by bit. What may be racy before is not as racy now as it seems. What may be bad now, is not bad before.

Personally, I don't have anything against PDA's. Occassionally, yes, I do get irritated with couples PDA-ing here, there, and everywhere like there is no tomorrow. It's not easy saying anything about PDA because it's really a matter of choice and taste. If I want to do it, then I will do it. And if I do it, I [practically] sympathize with the many people doing the same deed as I am. So I'm a bit biased. But what irritates me with PDA couples who almost have dry sex in public is their lack of decency and sobriety.

Just recently, I browsed through some blogs and discussion boards by Filipinos talking about PDA. In their responses, the two top grossing responses were this: "That's disgusting!" and "I don't care..." Much as I want to sympathize with their cause of love, my personal convictions cry out "That's disgusting!"

Little PDA's are tolerable. Occassional kisses on the cheek and hands, hands twined during a bus ride, head over shoulders, that's pretty much fine for me. In fact, I look at it like a father lulling his daughter to sleep. That's how sweet I find acceptable PDA's. But there were times wherein I would find myself in front of an insatiable couple. Relentless kisses, playful pinches, and creative hands that know where to touch. Good thing I've never heard the girl moan in public, or else I'll send them out of the jeepney for goodness' sake.

What I'm more concerned, however, is how certain people react to these instances: employing the I don't care approach. This was specifically the case I entangled myself into. A jeep with an impassioned couple, hands reaching heavenly places, guy liplocks wetly, and girl pinches the guy's nipple. Feels scandalous and irritating, actually. It's easy to say, "Jem, you're just jealous. Mind your business because they have theirs." But if that is the case, then why are we even studying values education (or worse, social responsibility)?

The area of apathy is the thing that alarms me in here. And apathy has a series of levels. Apathy exists because no one wants to get involved ("I don't want the couple - especially the guy - to snap back at me"), no one finds it alarming ("It's... fine. They're lovers, so they're entitled to that!"), or for voyeuristic reasons ("Ooooh.... free show! I'm watching it because they might do the deed anytime now...").

The theme of PDA is actually about self-respect. Again, occasional kisses, hugs, and hand-holding are not really bad as it sounds. Roger Sternberg says it must be part of that three-pronged love pyramid. But we believe that anything too much is actually bad. So I have to say that PDA's are good as long as it's in the right amounts.

After all, isn't it more fun to drill the PDA when you're in a dark, cold room where only the two of you can indulge in each other's beings? For all you know, you might be in for a better treat.

PDA's, then, for me, must be taken with moderation and total decency.

Unwell

Rare is the time when I feel that the world is turning on a different perspective. That instead of making you feel a part of the world, you tend to feel that you're not a part of it. There are times when the people that you care most are having the time of their lives while you wonder why weren't you even a part of it.

The people I care about the most, are actually the people I am most distant from. I have been with them for a considerable amount of time; yet my only presence there were those times that necessity called for. I was never a part of anything social, I was never a part of anything happy. To them, I may just be their acquaintance; just a person worthy of little 'hi' and not for small talk. Or maybe someone just fit for necessity, and not for enjoyment.

I feel so unappreciated, and that sometimes seeing them day after day is just for the sake of routine. I miss the days when I would actually laugh with them, when I could talk with them without a thing for the world. I miss the bonding moments that they so love doing. And admittedly, I want to go back to that day.

I hate to say this, but...

...i

miss

you...



(this is so not me!)

Friday Night Syndrome

Gusto ko na talaga mawirduhan sa sarili ko. Buhat pa yata Grade School, pag tuwing sinusundo ako ni mama pag Friday night from school, lagi akong may sense of melancholy/pagiging pensive tuwing Friday night. I really don't know if it's just the thought of going home on a Friday night and seeing all the cars lined up to the nearest mall. Katipunan Avenue is a bustling business district, and traffic is commonplace there.

The only times na nakararamdam ako nitong "Friday Night Syndrome" (FNS) is tuwing may organization activity sa school. Dahil 4:30-6:00 PM ang activity hours sa Ateneo, expected ko na makalalabas na ako around 6:30 ng gabi. At dahil nag-aabang pa ako ng sasakyang jeep pauwi, nakikita ko yung string of vehicles na papunta't pabalik from Cubao or some place beyond that. Admittedly, mas 'less' ang intensity (although  mas frequent) ang mga FNS ko ngayon; pero noong High School, matindi-tindi ang tama ng mga FNS na iyan kasi nakasakay ako mismo sa sasakyan.

Pag nagkaka-FNS ako, nade-depress ako ng konti while on the road. Parang, in a sense, iniisip ko saan papunta yung string of cars na iyan? Sa mall ba? Sa bazaar ba? Ganoon. Ni ako mismo hindi ma-pinpoint kung saan nanggagaling ang depression ko; pero may pakiramdam ako na nanggagaling ito sa isang desire for companionship. True, faithful, and loyal companionship na alam kong maaasahan ko in good times and in bad. Whether good mood or bad mood ako.

Mystery pa rin sa akin kung bakit may Friday Night Syndrome ang lolo mo. Gusto ko lang bang lumabas with a couple of friends or what?

Live from Journalism Boulevard...

When I first read the uproar regarding the Varsitarian editorial, here's what I told my upperclassman (over Multiply):

Hi! I'm a Communication Major in the Journalism Track, and even though we haven't discussed this in great detail...

... I believe the RH editorial is a serious breach of journalism ethics.

I don't think we need a serious and thorough discussion of media ethics just to make sense out of everything that is happening. Common law dictates that one's ideology should remain to be that person's ideology and it should not be placed in the context of maligning the reputation of an esteemed people - namely, our teachers.

I have been under Ray Aguas, Ph.D., one of the signatories of the "Catholics Can Support the RH Bill in Good Conscience" and I can see where he's coming from. In fact, this debate on Church and State (or how should our faith be related to our politics) is his [successfully-defended] Ph.D. dissertation in the United States. How then were these editors capable of releasing a statement that our professors, in a sense, do not know what they are talking about? Implicit journalism ethics dictate that balance and fairness must be the ultimate norm of reportage. Sweeping generalizations, as per En11 and Symbolic Logic, have no room in journalism.

It's somehow ironic that the University of Santo Tomas, like the Ateneo, is a forefront of philosophy and yet these writers had the nerve to forget what is supposed to be the foundations of all philosophy - logic.

While the Varsitarian was technically true in citing the Ateneo as the 'other' Catholic University, its use of the language has a distinct connotation of cliquish-ness; a rash judgment of the whole rather than the parts. They claim to be practitioners of philosophy, but why did they forget an important Levinasian concept called "Other-ing"? By citing Ateneo as the 'other' Catholic University, they have reduced the institution to a miserable set of misfits. Something not even Emmanuel Levinas could be happy about.

Our very own Dr. Cuyegkeng said that one of the reasons why Ateneans stand is our ability to carry on conversations of pure substance. Much as I don't want to say that the editorial is full of nonsense, its pattern of development states its irrelevance and irreverence. It might not even be worth of a reply from Ma'am Cuyegkeng or Fr. Ben.

But I agree that the Varsitarian committed a serious breach of journalistic ethics.

Let me discard the lenses of media theory in here, because this time, it's about journalism - the thing that matters to me the most.

First things first. The Varsitarian is the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas. It is, in common parlance, the school newspaper. It subscribes to Republic Act 7079, or the Campus Journalism Act, and is technically free from impingement towards the articles they write. It is also part of the College Editors' Guild of the Philippines, an institution put up to uphold campus journalism in colleges and universities around the country. So in all respects, nobody can malign them for coming up with an article like we know.

But that does not spare them from what I call the zeroth rule of journalism (or the thing that takes precedence over all codes of journalistic ethics): Journalism is an act of telling the truth, of qualifying each and every statement that requires coverage and contention, of impartiality rather than blind objectivity, and a sense of compassion towards the plight of the Other.

The article in intense question is called the editorial. As an opinion article, it necessarily has a standpoint on a particular issue. I don't know (and I don't care) how The Varsitarian arrives at their opinion articles, and we believe in their right to free speech. But perhaps it doesn't take an extreme genius or a constitutionalist like Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, SJ to say that the editorial made a complete breach of implicit journalism ethics.

Rule number one in making an article is making a stand. And in making a stand, the writer has to show all possible bones of contention and revolve the discussion on those merits. Questions of emotion and personal conviction, though allowed in an editorial, should be qualified by reasonable evidence to establish credibility and not credulity. In journalism, substance is the name of the game. You don't go out in the field, gather your sources, and report a half-baked article full of fallacious and even contentious positions. You don't write an article based on personal gut-feels alone. And you don't write an article for the simple reason that you want to bash someone or something. You write an article simply because you want to inform, mobilize, and educate.

Rule number two: In making an attacking article, you don't just go out picking the facts that will benefit your stand. This is impartiality in motion, kids. Nobody can attain pure objectivity because your choosing of the story reflects the implicit bias you placed on that story. But the least you can do to strive for that objectivity is to remain neutral, impartial, and free to be open-minded.

The entire RH debacle has triggered an intellectual debate among theologians throughout the world. And it's pleasing to see a lively discourse on what is thought to be an issue of zero acceptance. It would have been nice if The Varsitarian at least showed hard reasons why the 14 Ateneo professors maligned Catholic Social Teaching by positing compelling arguments just like what our fellow alumni did. Opposition was one thing our professorsbraced themselves, and they were indeed met with it. But the good thing beyond that opposition is our ability to remain open to dialogue and [possible] dissemination. Of critical analysis of a sensitive issue at hand. Knowledge wasn't meant to be stored in leaves as old as time. It was meant to be used for a purpose; and even though this esteemed Pontifical and Royal University thought it was for evil, I still believe that our professors used what they know to help the country in such a perilous situation.

The term "mediocrity" is a statement of pure generalization. This does NOT have a room in hardline journalism. The American Media may be capable of bashing systems in the Land of the Free, but this does not make them any better or any less. The duty of any journalist is to seek the truth unblemished as it is. Journalism, unfortunately, is not literary writing and I hope Creative Writing professors would attest to this divide. Journalism employs a different style of reporting, and it cannot be equated to whimsical writing. Journalism is reporting with a purpose. A purpose that is neutral, a purpose that is clear, a purpose that aims to enlighten rather than dishearten.

The Varsitarian, I believe, should not have the nerve to call our professors as the 14 "Horsemen", "Wolf-criers", "" in order to elevate their own meaning. This is, again, another violation of everyday logic - hasty generalization. It doesn't necessarily mean that our professors who chose to turn the tide are idiots in their own way. They, scientific as they are, should have been aware that Albert Einstein was once branded an idiot before becoming decorated for his discovery of the Theory of Relativity. They claim to be a science-oriented school, but yet they forgot the attitudes of a good scientist - attitudes taught as early as Grade One.

It's the professors' prerogative to call themselves 'Catholic educators' because that is how they do their job. We respect differences in opinion, but there is no room for unsubstantiated ranting, let alone in a official student publication. If the name of the game is just simply attack and attack, then we really would not get anywhere. We would just only tire ourselves of this wild goose chase.

But perhaps the most irritating of these paragraphs is its retracting closing:

"We enjoin Thomasians, Ateneans, and all Catholics to be truly themselves—discerning and critical of issues, always seeking the light amid the darkness foisted on them by shadowy figures that include those who call themselves Catholics, educated, and educators. Let us all fight the grand deception of the population-control complex and reject RH bill 5043."

But isn't that what the Ateneo is doing already? Critically discerning the issue by being a second opinion? What is 'light amid the darkness'? Inflexible doctrine? Why did this Royal and Pontifical University had the nerve to call themselves as such if they failed to realize that doctrines change due to cultural considerations? What you retain in a Church teaching is the meat; but the way you express it is something that works over time. You cannot say slavery is good now because the Bible says so. The law does not interpret for itself. It has to be explained in order to be understood. And it is in the multiplicity of human opinion can one truly discern what is right from what is wrong, and not what is impassioned from what is a big flak.

May The Varsitarian show that true professionalism in what we call as free, responsible , and unbiased journalism.

 

From Highland to Lowland

Hindi madali ang lumipat from Multiply to LiveJournal. Graduating yata ako noon: Febraury 25, so to speak, nang una akong magtayo ng Multiply account. Una, inosente lang ang dahilan - I want to be connected, that's all. Pero nang naglaon, dumami na ng dumami ang reasons. Nandyan na yung blog na super kinagiliwan ko kasi may audience akong naghihintay. Kesehodang nakatanggap ako zero replies sa blog posts, tuloy pa rin ang pagba-blog ko, kasi alam ko na nakabubulabog pa rin akong ng inner sphere ng ibang tao. At kapag nabulabog mo ang sphere ng ibang tao, halos assured ka nang nag-e-exist ka nga sa mundo nila.

Isa sa prime features ng Multiply yung photo album. Iyon yata ang hinabol ko kaya ang nagka-Multiply. Saya kasi ng photo album doon. Centralized, kumbaga. Hindi ko na kailangang mag-Flickr, Snapshots, or what. It's simply one, big, fat chunk of services in one sitting. E dahil mahilig tayo sa mabilisan, ganyan na lang kapatok ang Multiply.

Alam niyo bang may shares na ang ABS-CBN sa Multiply? Oo, meron na. Actually, matagal na. Pero ang reason daw kung bakit may tie-up ang Multiply and ABS is because of the former's fascination with Filipino culture. Ayon mismo sa kanila, the day na halos mag-exceed ng bandwidth ang server nila ay noong December 26 - a day after Christmas dito sa Pilipinas. And ang pinaka-gamit na feature was the Photo Album. And guess what the photos are: family reunions.

It is at this prospect of the family that Filipinos subscribed to when posting in Multiply. May kanya-kanyang reasons to have that; sentral lang siguro dito ang connectivity. Oo't kailangan nang maging "connected 24-ever", pero may concerns din na kailangang i-consider like, yun nga, identity performance. Kasi, ang pinakamahirap na torture na puwedeng gawin sa isang tao is to act according to what people dictate of him and not what he wants to be.

Sanay ako sa Multiply. So mahirap ang move na ito. Pero dahil maganda naman ang 'bahay' ko (see my layout?), siguro oras na para lubus-lubusin ko ito. Tutal, minsan lang naman ako mag-blog nang prolific na prolific.

Multiply is the city, and the rest are the provinces. Nawa'y itong paglipat ko ng bahay e makalanghap naman ako ng sariwang hangin at konting katahimikan.

(Syempre, masakit din naman sa tenga ang puro ingay ano?)

Mommy and Me

The Great "Mommy and Me" Tandem
(David P. Peralta and Achoot Cuyegkeng, Ph.D.)

"Actually, that blogs is what we older people would like to understand. Kasi in a sense, a blog is like a diary that you keep. Eh in blogs, you post that diary online for everybody to see. So, yeah, it's a bit invasion of privacy..."

- Ma'am Cuyegkeng

 

It actually makes sense, that thing about blogs becoming an invasion of privacy. You post something, and people see it online - whether you are popular or not. Although you can set privacy settings to contain visitors and viewer content, may ilan ring pagkakataon wherein you'd want to keep all information open. Kasi admittedly, nakaka-boost ng morale ang maraming visitors at audience. Alam mong hindi ka nag-iisa, at alam mong may sumusubaybay sa buhay mo.

But I love what Ma'am Cuyegkeng said. It actually captures the sentiment of people who decide to flit from social networking site to another social networking site in hopes of finding a true 'home' in the cyberspace. I, for example, decided to move to LiveJournal because I see that my Multiply site is getting too much attention. In more ways than one, I can't be myself in my Multiply site because there's this silent rule that you have to please fellow Multiply users lest you lose audience and/or suffer ostracism...online.

The world of social networking is a very complex thing. It actually started (at least from me) when Friendster became a hit. I remember it was a Christmas day when I first opened my Friendster account. And from a measly 10 contacts, it grew to 65++. When Multiply became the hit, I hopped in its bandwagon. Now I have 165 contacts in Multiply - pretty low if you'd ask me. In this changing world, however, if you don't make your presence felt, you're as good as being air.

I am a Communication major. I just became interested in Chemistry because of its centrality in everyday life. And as a Comm major, part of what we deal with is New Media - or the changes interfaces of communication in the modern world. Social Networking sites are part of this phenomenon, and somehow somewhere I want to ask: does identity performance happen in places such as Facebook and MySpace? Why are they doing this? It seems like a question unworthy of an answer, but research shows that it does happen in more ways than one.

That's why I 'left' Multiply. To establish my own personal space characterized by those who really care and would not scorn me for posting negativity online. Because even as we say that the marks of personal space is the good and bad, we really can't shrug the fact that we don't want the bad stuff. Kasi nga, sometimes, in the race for audience popularity, naga-identity performance na yung iba. Mahirap siyang i-explain, pero nangyayari talaga.

So in a sense, blogs can really be dangerous along the way. But all these things naman are taken in consideration before plunging to the blogosphere. After all, economics still proves that competition yields better products. Kaya nandyan yung race for the best blogging site which is... [I don't know!]

Mayroong mga risks talaga na involved in today's technology. And we all have to be pretty aware of that. The only question talaga to consider is this: are we ready to face the question of technology as identity stealer?

A New Home in Cyberspace

When I was in Multiply, I believe I had the supreme audience. I can go up my stage and say my piece and be critiqued by a lot of people. It's the objective of social networking sites, anyway - to connect you to the real world of cyberspace - so I really shouldn't be suprised.

But one thing or another is this. Sometimes, taking an audience to yourself is actually a bad thing. When I blog in Multiply, everybody sees it. Yes, there are privacy settings; but somehow, somewhere you aren't as happy blogging things when you're not opening it for everyone (or maybe it's just me).

So that's the reason why I'm in LJ right now. To establish my new personal space while growing my network in this, hopefully, intimate site. I may not truly eradicate the notion of an audience-less blog; but at least, I believe, I have a control over who I want to invite in this personal space. A space one can't truly violate (except me).

Thank you. May you find your stay in this blog worth your while.

Welcome to LiveJournal