Ecstasy from Dark “My Path to Healing, Happiness, and Peace”

For so many years of residing in this excruciating world, many hitches have come my way. Though the outside portrays a gleeful icon, but inside is a heart that bleeds. At times or should I say most of the time, I am that kind of person. Problems and predicaments have never been absent. In any aspect of circumstances, it is always present. For a college freshman student like me, PRESSURE, STRESS, LONGING FOR LOVED ONES, POOR HEALTH, CROWD EXPECTATIONS are just some basic conflicts; basic as it is but is hard to tackle. One thing I’m afraid most is REJECTION. People can’t be what they are for they are afraid that they might be rejected and their so called “friends” can’t accept them for who they really are. I’ve also encountered INFIDELITY in a relationship not only on the other but on both sides. For some cost, it brought too much pain. For this problem, what matters most I guess is ‘understanding.’ For if both of you know the insights of each other, you will be free to express what you really feel and bridge all the gaps and lapses.

For the matter of REJECTION, yes! That word might sound agonistic for because of that word, I’m forcing myself to do what I don’t want to do just for the sake of ‘good impression.’ Just can’t imagine how painful it is to my being. I learned to cope with this problem by trying to express my true emotions process by process still considering other people’s opinion. As time goes by, I just realize that whoever I am, there are still those who can stand by my side till the end. As I can say now, ‘fear of rejection’ is just a psychological problem. To solve this, the answer is just within us.

In school, PRESSURE, STRESS and CROWD EXPECTATIONS can be handled by learning to balance ‘time.’ I guess this is the most important. If I got limited time, I make sure that before the deadline, I’ve done working on the most important things, but still, there are times in which I don’t know what to do first and just stay at one side and let my brain function- to my own bump, I’ve realized that I’ve done nothing. I guess I have to do more reflections on this to reach a better and more peaceful mind.

CROWD EXPECTATION is also just a psychological problem. There was a time where all I did was to make other people happy, impress them and do what pleases them. At one point I came to ask myself, “Am I happy for making others happy?” one side of me says yes but the other is imposing no. Yes because I feel like I’m paying back their efforts and satisfying their suppositions. No because I know I can do more for myself if not because of them but then I tried to balance both. I got some bad and good feedbacks. Though some are negative but I’m happy. I feel like I did something great for myself.

POOR HEALTH. I just can’t escape from this tiny thing. Tiny for some reasons that there’s something worst than this. I guess this was brought by my own recklessness- staying up late at night, and stressing myself by thinking so much of my failures. Then again, I believe that this would heal if I handle things accordingly and properly my way so I can be happier.

LONGING FOR LOVED ONES. Studying here in SPUI was not just an easy endeavor for it is a choice that made me separate from my loved ones especially my parents and my grandma. Though it’s hard to find time going home, I still give effort to visit every week for I know it isn’t just me longing for them but them longing for me too. Seeing them happy makes me happier.

Being free from ailment, sickness, evil, ending conflicts, reconciling and having a pure soul is being HEALED. Upon healing, a person experiences the state of heaven and is exposed to PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT giving that person all the reasons to be totally HAPPY!

I Can Ba Journalist

My hand can sway to the rhythm of music life brings. It can touch souls enveloped by angst of deprivation. Yes, I can be a journalist!

This present world is so messed up with untidy political issues and we people still, is in great innocence of what’s happening around us. Journalism is a great instrument to reach out the real world. By this essence, we were able to get to be aware of the darkness lurking in the reality of this crucial cosmos. We get to be in touch with the everyday revealing scenarios that without seeing the news, we cannot believe are possible.

Our society is bombarded with a lot of different problems. Given that its problem is our problem too for we are in it and if we know nothing, then there’s nothing we can do about it. For us to be knowledgeable, we have to read a lot. Thanks to these writers who were able to share their wisdoms and insights to the hungry public. They are the instruments for awakening the sleeping minds of the society. They were the one treating the craving for knowledge of these innocent crowds. The defiance they are facing is not a tongue-in-cheek but then, because of love, they were even willing to surrender their own lives for the job that makes them happy and gave them the real meaning of life. With the thought that they have once made contribution to benefit and uplift the comprehension of the population is more than enough payment for the struggles and sufferings they have made. Indeed, journalism is one great way to change the world.

Journalists take great deal of risks and as the job calls, I would be very willing to do so too. Entering the world of journalism is a decision I made out of compassion, serenity and bliss. I am aware that this would require so much of my time. Before, I usually spend my time doing things that would fulfill my happiness but then again, I came into realization that my status is real different now. I am already a grown- up, more mature and my eyes are very wide open with the veracity of restrictions life is constantly endowed with. I guess this is the right time for me to put some more character in my being. This essence that I am looking for will probably be served by my passion for writing. Through this, I can change the world. It is a noble profession and beyond the obscurity concealing its name, I know there’s still grandeur and allurement on the flip side. I know I can. I can write therefore I can say, I … can be a journalist!

Concealed Reality (critical essay about the Movie American Dreamz)

Media has invaded the world with its captivating grandeurs and mesmerizing proposals. It renders too much allurement that no one can resist! It gives us every information we need to the point that we already entrusted our everyday lifestyle to it. Leisure time is usually spent outdoors playing different interesting games but now, majority prefers to just stay inside their houses, seat in their comfortable couch, serve themselves with some chips, turn on the televisions and give full attention to their favorite shows.

People usually start their day reading the latest news in periodicals. In the movie “American Dreamz,” for the re-elect President Joseph Stanton (Dennis Quaid), it is tormenting to open the newspaper after four years of being uncorrupted by negative contents of broadsheets. Political and issues on terrorism confronted him causing to his nervous breakdown. In this situation exemplified, it is visibly shown how media affects our whole realities and by it being covered up makes us persons aboveboard.

American Dreamz is a fantastic movie written by Paul Weitz. In this movie, it was shown how the show is being manipulated, designed to the viewer’s appetite. Things that are exposed are only those that are interesting to people. They even change details to make it more appealing. For entertainment, it is very well appreciated but for the sense of reality, to those who are not aware, it might seem to be real but for those who know, it’s on the contrary. The crowd gets confused on what to believe in. Another strikithing is that, even their personal lives get to be edited.

Reality in its essence means resemblance to what is real. People usually get hysterical in everything they’ve seen that they can relate to their own experiences. There are so many shows produced to be shown on televisions and their primary aim is to hook advertisers. Nowadays, numerous reality shows have invaded the international small screen. Story writers try to come up with something that would interest majority of the audience. As time goes by, they were also able to adapt with advancements of society and to the variations of their viewer’s tastes. Reality shows came up successfully that meets the purpose of their contractors- to sell. Back to the meaning of “reality show,” it is something that is unscripted and the whole views should happen unpretentiously, but, does reality shows really depict reality or somewhat, it’s just kind of scripted like any other stories? In the movie, Sally (Mandy Moore) was one of the few who were chosen to be the contestants in American Dreamz, a wildly popular singing contest in which private details of the contestant’s lives were revealed. She has this ex- boyfriend William (Chris Klein) who is madly in- love with her and to get the crowd’s sympathy, she made them believe that she too loves her boyfriend. They might be able to win the viewer’s preference but then again, the truth there is, they are not the same real persons that the crowd learned to love. In the last part wherein William proposed to Sally, her mother even suggested to make it on the finals to catch more the audiences’ sympathy. They were making this for Sally to get the sure win. The sincerity of this meaningful event was degraded. Worst is that, Sally really don’t like the idea of getting married but for the sake of winning, she’s doing it.

At times, dignity of the person is being exchanged with money. Some think that being chosen to be in that program is a real great thing and so, they make themselves as the director’s little puppet and follow everything to the extent that they are changing the real person in them. Because of the prize, they forgot who they really are and pretend to be someone who is actually not them. For the big guns behind all these, in times of scouting for talents, which is one of the earliest steps, they already have their qualifications. They match people who were of different personalities that seem to add spice on the program they are on. Of course, given that it is well needed for the programs to become more interesting and appealing to the eyes. Because of the “behind the scene realities” revealed by the movie “American Dreamz,” watchers get to be a little confuse on what the real thing is, but then most of the crowd doesn’t really care at all as long as the entertainment goes on.

Different people got different perspectives and that is another reality that we have to boldly accept. Each of us lives our own lives. What is incomprehensible is that, technically we are given individual life to live but why do people keep on getting through with other’s business? That’s a real cancer of the society that is hard to escape from. With these interventions, there are times wherein we get to be more involved and be carried away with others and we forget to tackle our own struggles first. By these examples, we were able to visibly see how we allow media to get into our lives and affect the whole being of each and everyone of us. This is a clear media invasion. It has brought so much influence with us and will be bringing a lot more in the days, weeks, months and years to come. The modern world revolves around it… and so do we.

Happy Ending Realities

Why do we love happy endings? Since we were young we are exposed to a lot of fairytales like Cinderella, Barbie, Snow White, Rapunzel, and etc., and we know that fairytales aren’t fairytales until they come up with happy endings.

Every man wishes to have their princesses and every ladies wants to meet their prince charmings. Seems like a perfect enchantment when you found the person you will spend the rest of your life with, right? But, does this requires magic or a fairy godmother who would turn a pauper into a stunning fabulous princess to make the man of her dreams fall in love with her?

Well, as we know “avada cadabra,” “bibbidi babbidi boo,” “magic magic…” do not exist in real life. Don’t lose hope cause even without our magic wands, still we can come up with our own magic. Putting smiles on others faces by making good things for them is magic. Eating great and delicious foods cooked by our special someone is magic. Being able to open your eyes after a long night sleep is magic, so making someone fall for us is never impossible. We never know, he/she might be just the person behind us.

Why do we cry at happy endings? Lies! “Tears of happiness” are just made up by our illusions. We weep not because we are upset, but because dreadful feelings are stirred up inside us at the moment of a happy ending. We cry at the endings of happy movies because they conjure up an idealized world of kindness and love that we once, as children, believed possible. Children do not usually cry because they are not yet disillusioned about their own possibilities. For grownups, well that’s actually really depressing!

Wait! So much with that… Novels. On televisions, Koreanovelas, Asianovelas and other foreign novelas are popular specially in some specific regions in Asia. Televiewers keep eyes and updates on them and missing just one episode makes them go crazy. Why? Because they are after the thrills brought by these so called “antagonists”. They add spices to the story but then again, happy endings prevail. Without happy endings, people won’t be interested in tragical endings.

“If we’re not after happiness, what exactly are we striving for? "

Cell Phone Madness!

"To be happy in this world, first you need a cell phone and then you need an airplane. Then you're truly wireless."
- Ted Turner

Existence of cellular phones brought so much indulgence and addiction to our whole beings.

Fact! I myself can't live without my cellphone. We are in the world of modern technologies with new fashioned facilities. Everyone is dying to get the latest trendy stuffs to get the impression of being "in" and not being outdated that can make one feel obsolete.

Cellphone is a very suitable example. Majority of the population have cellphones and just here in the Philippines, studies shown that we are spending so much for our phone expenses practically on loads. Not only that, Philippine population as of July 2009 reached 97, 976, 603 and just by getting more or less 50 million Filipino phone subscribers, in a day, they were able to send a remarkable 1.39 billion text messages that made the Philippines get the title of being the "Text Messaging Capital of the World." Isn't that great?! Well, I don't think so. I noticed that a lot of people trade the money intended to buy food for load and that makes them suffer from hunger. Now, is it right to put all the blames on our corrupt government officials when actually, in some instance, we are the one doing the crimes on ourselves? Ponder on that.