Spare me a piece of bread.

Okay, I have finally finished reading The Hunger Games thoroughly.

The buzz of the movie adaptation finally induced me to read it. I was actually surprised that it is good. It had the same vibe as Battle Royale, in which all the morbidity and gore are the things that get me hooked.

The story takes place in this dystopic, post-apocalyptic country called Panem. The Capitol controls everything, hence the name 'The Capitol.' Citizens of Panem are mandated where they would live in the 12 districts, they would be very lucky if they get in The Capitol. Why? Because it's the sole city where there is no poverty, no starvation and it is where The Hunger Games takes place.

Each year, 2 representatives, aging 12-18 years old, 1 boy and 1 girl from each of the 12 districts are picked to participate in The Hunger Games. They are called Tributes. They are to kill each other until only one survives the whole ordeal. And fight they will, for the Capitol will manipulate everything in the arena so that the Hunger Games will commence as planned and only one victor will stand. And so the battle starts with the sound of a gong and every kid was fighting for dear life. "May the odds be ever in your favor" is one the favorite things that the characters in the book like to say.

Several plot twists make the whole story quite interesting, but I will not be posting that because I might be spoiling the story for some of you.

After reading the whole book, I found out why the book is popular with kids. First, the main characters are 'tweens,' very much like the readers. The underlying theme of poverty and oppression also stirs up that rebellious nature inside of them. There's also a very cliche romantic twist a midst all the brutal killing, which I think kids these days will gobble up almost instantly. Suzanne Collins did a really good job making a story that could almost be at par with the Harry Potter series.

I like it because it's fairly easy to read. The narratives weren't vague and fragmented. It was a simple first person point of view, which is good. But even if it is, the story has depth and the "back-stories" have a certain amount of 'thickness' to it, so to speak. It will keep you reading on for more. The pacing is also very good too. Certain twists are not that predictable, but I find it cheesy and overused sometimes. Parts of the book really hits a nerve, I got depressed when one of the characters died. Pathetic as it may sound, but I just felt how Suzanne Collins want me to feel on that part of that book, in which I applaud her. She's done her job, or maybe I just became too emotionally attached to a fictional character. Haha.

All-in-all, I think people of all ages would read the series. I would very much want to see the movie now.

P.S. I would definitely die of starvation first before any of the tributes could have killed me.

The Prancing People at Eastwood.

I have met up with a few friends last night. Went to a fancy hotspot in the metro to dine and drink and chat all night. I had a nice time with them. Exchanged ideas about everything under the sun actually; blogging, celebrities, blogging celebrities, twitter wars, anthropology and so on and so forth. Our group is subtly gaining members which is a good thing. More points of views, more topics to discuss, more chika, more fun! I just don't have the audacity to list them down on my blog, I don't do that. And as far as I know, I think they can read this anyways. So, if you guys are reading this, LET'S DO IT AGAIN!

Speaking of which, one question from last night's tete-a-tete just lingered in my thoughts hours after we already parted our ways.


"Why do you keep on blogging?"


I started blogging when I was still in high school. I wanted to write down whatever what was on my mind. I didn't mind if no one was reading. I just wanted an avenue to be heard without shouting.

I write on 2 different platforms, Tumblr and Blogspot.

Like I said in my previous posts, I love Tumblr because it's where I can be hipster and post-modern, being an artsy fartsy person myself. I can post anything actually. And Tumblr is somehow turned into a social networking site due to its features, I can easily connect to my followers and make friends with them. The trends in Tumblr diminishes the "seriousness" of writing in blogs, which makes it really easy and relevant, because I still find it hard to express myself with beautifully written paragraphs or poems at times. I just post a picture, write a caption and voila! It's perfect. It may be petty at sometimes, but you'll be amazed at how some of the kids write things on their Tumblogs.

I write on Blogspot because it's where I can find a more mature audience. Bloggers I follow have this depth and substance that I really admire. They don't just post because of impulse, they write with structure. I seriously have to learn how to do that. When I compare my entries to some of the bloggers here, I get scared. I get intimated by their impeccable grammar and perfectly organized thoughts and wonderfully crafted poems. I rarely get to post something at par with theirs, which makes me want to write more. I may have a good grasp of the English language, but I honestly admit, I don't write as well as them. But, I like writing in Blogspot because it's where my ideas are silent but not unheard.

To simply put it, I think I just enjoy the best of both worlds.

P.S. I think I know what I want for summer, I want to become the next David Guison. HAHAHAHAHA

Love On Top

I want to become the only giant orb with the universe in it for you. A warm fuzzy feeling when you’re feeling down. To see all your dreams coming true would be eternally blissful for me.

Finally, you put my love on top.

Make up your mind fool!

Sometimes, saying “okay lang” is not so right. It feels lackluster and mediocre. Especially when you give someone choices and they reply “okay lang,” it’s like a big gray zone. You don’t really know what is in their mind and its annoying. What’s more annoying is that they blame you for making their decision for them.

In the English language ‘okay’ is used as an affirmation; in the more colloquial usage of ‘okay’ putting ‘lang’ after it makes it indefinite. Which is fucking annoying. If you use “okay lang” as an answer if you get asked “how are you doing?” then that is forgivable. But when you are given choices, its only answerable by yes or no or pick the one that you want.

It’s annoying!!! Like when I went to McDonald’s with my sister because we were both hungry. There was nothing in the fridge so we decided to go out, I asked her if she wants Jollibee or McDonald’s, she answered “okay lang.” And when I asked my sister if it’s alright with her while I was ordering up already and then she just bluntly answers: I like Jollibee eh.

Rage.

She could have just told me in the first place. I could have saved time and effort and enjoyed a meal with her at Jollibee. If only she made up her mind before we even got to McDonald’s.

So instead, I didn’t get her anything because she wanted Jollibee in the first place. It’s like teaching her that she needs to assert herself more and just because I get annoyed by how indecisive people get.

And remember, if ever you said “okay” to accept a task or a choice, make sure you stick to it. Don’t ever say “okay” if you’re still unsure, just tell ‘em “I’m not sure or I haven’t made my mind up yet” that way people will know and won’t assume that it’s alright.

No, It's Not Okay.

Addressing me as “bakla” in public really isn’t a case with me, but for some, maybe it is. For one, most of us who are gay didn’t choose to be like this. People think as if sexuality and sexual orientation (for a lack of a better word) is optional. It’s not. Mahirap maging bading, teh. Or to put it more accurately, Mahirap tanggapin na maging bading. It’s not like we had the benefit to turn our backs against the “normality” of heterosexuality. It’s not like we had to choose loving our own kind. Technically, there’s a big difference between choosing sexuality and embracing it, otherwise, they’d be with similar spelling in the dictionary. It’s hard being gay since we are caught in between, in between the prejudice of a narrow-minded society and the self, religion and the self, friendship and the self, heck! even there is conflict between the self and the self.

Let me repeat. It’s hard being gay. Don’t regard gay men with such harsh labels so easily when in actuality, admitting it to themselves that they are indeed “bakla” is (or was) hard enough. No. We do not deserve it.

—

If anyone deserves to call a gay man “bakla”, it’s another fellow gay man. They understand each other’s ordeals and hardships. There is no intent to demoralize or diminish one’s identity in this matter. If ever diminishing an identity was the intention, he’d only be diminishing his own in the process.

Moral? Huwag mong tawagin ang isang bading na “bading” kung ikaw naman mismo e hindi bading! Kasi pre, lumalabas e mas bading ka pa sa bading sa ginagawa mo. Hindi mo kilala ang kabuuan ng katauhan at kwento niya, e kinukutya mo agad. Hindi ba ito katangahan at kaduwagan?

*had to repost from a friend's tumblr.

2 Broke Guys

Now, before you start thinking that this is a porn post, I suggest that you watch 2 Broke Girls first. It is a sitcom about 2 girls doing everything to chase their dream. Basically, Max is the real broke girl and Caroline is the rich upper east sider who got broke when her dad, who is a filthy rich mogul, got incarcerated.

Max is currently employed as a waitress at a diner when she bumped into Caroline. Caroline had nowhere to go since all their properties we're re-po'd by the government because her father was convicted with plunder. So Caroline had to move in with Max and they fused up the idea of making cupcakes for a business. And the sitcom just continues on with that.

Back to the topic: Me and my friend also have this uncanny familiarity with the whole plot of the sitcom. We're just 2 guys in the Metro who are dreaming big and doing anything to get what we want. Well, without the whole re-po and plunder stuff.

As you know, I just got fired. I have submitted my resumes to a couple of companies that can hire me. I also got a reply from the tutoring job that one of my acquaintances referred me to. Then my tita referred me to an advertising company. So yes, I basically get in industries where I am not really familiar with, but I'll do the best that I can. A job is still a job and I'm thankful that I get hired even for just a short span of time. *insert meme here*

As for my partner, he recently quit his job at a local TV network. He got robbed a couple of days ago. He was also trying to book jobs at his previous advertising company. We promised to help each other; whatever job comes first, we will go for it.

And did I mention that he was the one who went to JP Morgan with me? We walked the whole stretch of McKinley because we were dumb with directions. Very apt. We're like the real life version of Max and Caroline, if you guys ever watch 2 Broke Girls.

This!

We're broke, we're young and we're taking over the world.

The Wonderful Misadventures of Danforth Thackeray

My washing machine bailed out on me. It just stopped working and started spewing soap bubbles. Mom would prolly get mad at me for breaking it, but I don’t care. I’m having fun with these bubbles.

Such a show of bravery from a marked prey. I know mom would rip me to shreds later.

If only life was as easy as blowing bubbles.

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A week after my mom and I set up a new branch for our marketing group, we had to stop operations due to internal problems. Our business partner had issues with the leasing of the office space. So I basically moved 2 steel cabinets from our old office to this new one and then back again. I was also wondering how I was able to do it without getting squished by those heavy cabinets that was as big as me.

So yes, I'm back to being a bum again. Nothing new.

Hello dirty dishes and laundry, I have come back for you. We shall now be together forever.

And just in case you guys are wondering, Danforth Thackeray is my British alter-ego.