God really blessed humans with a great brain. Man is excellent at coming up with marvelous ideas for the benefit and convenience of his kind. It is amazing how creative and capable us humans can be, to come up with such genius contraptions such as this:

The Aquarium Toilet

Now you don’t have to worry about that expensive aquarium you originally planned to place in your living room. How neat!

P.S.

I wonder how it really works. I mean, wont the goldfishes be flushed out of the tank when you pull the lever?

It’s been so long since I last posted anything on this blog. I don’t really know the reason behind my break; but never mind that. The point is, here I am again (so please don’t stop following!). Anyhoo, I’d just like to update you on what’s been going on with my life this past month.

For starters, I celebrated my 19th birthday last January 22. I didn’t really do anything special during that day, but I was happy nonetheless. I was a bit cranky, but tell me, who isn’t happy on their birthday? Scrooge probably. Haa haa. I slay me sometimes.

Second, I’ve been keeping myself busy with school and reading Don Quixote. Or just with school rather, because my reading Don Quixote is school related. I’ll start doing a paper on the classic soon as a requirement for my World Literature class, and I’m really excited. I’m already deciding what literary approaches to use to critique it. Psychological, Philosophical, Freudian, Jungian, Feminist?

By Picasso: A painting of Don Quixote with his squire, Sancho

Then I’ve been playing a lot of basketball. I even joined a team for the sports Fest my college is holding. And guess what, the team that recruited me is the defending champion. No pressure right (I now hold up my sarcasm sign).

Also, I started watching the anime series Code Geass. I really liked it because of its plot; it actually has some similarities with the novel I’ve been trying to write. You know, with going against the oppressive super power and putting an end to the chain of hatred. Great story, really. I actually just finished it today, and I want more! I hope a third season would be released…

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

To be honest, Code Geass gave me a lot of new ideas that would help me improve on my pseudo novel. But that’s on hold right now, because I haven’t had enough time to write, obviously.

So that’s basically it. Well, the busy schedule is probably just an excuse for my not updating. I guess the real reason is that I just, for a while, lost interest in writing. It just suddenly became boring. I guess most writers go through that phase, right? At any rate, here I am again, trying to be consistent. So please, like I said already, don’t stop supporting and following this blog (if you do. If not, then…whatever)! Okay?

Last November, a company invested three million U.S. dollars in Tiger Woods. They asked him to participate in a golf tournament. This stunt multiplied their three million ten times to 31 million. See how bankable Tiger is?

Right after this, Tiger’s life became a mess. He allegedly involved himself in potentially scandalous affairs with four(?) women that soon BECAME scandalous. Two of these alleged affairs looked to have played a role in his, quote now-infamous unquote, recent car crash, and the evidence piled up continually. Later, he posted a statement of apology on his official website:

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”

“I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.”

Now, after the news of Tiger’s car accident, mistresses, his wife divorcing him and more news sprouting out about his private life like his alleged sex tape, people have become so curious about the latest Tiger Woods news scoop. Imagine what that might be like for the living legend of golf. All his sponsors even scratched him out of their lists. Tough. The more interesting question though is: WHY DID HE DO ALL THAT?

I had a girlfriend. I broke up. Don’t ask why. She…mourned. I was apathetic. She was immature. Eventually she got another boyfriend. Ask me if he’s dashing. He’s…rich. A year later(2009) he sent me an SMS telling me to lay off and that he and his girlfriend don’t give a damn about me and I should stop bugging her. I pondered. When did i ever bother her? Them? I didn’t recall. So I responded. I said I couldn’t remember when I bothered either of them. His SMS was out of the blue. I added that when he texts me in English, I expected him to have good grammar. He didn’t. I was frustrated. He kept bugging me with lame comebacks. That had ‘mali mali’ grammar. He actually started an argument with me without enough ammunition in his arsenal. At some point I lost my patience and called him an idiot. I called an idiot an idiot. It was mean. He deserved it. He kept pestering me after. I told him to act his age(he’s about 5 years older than I am). He shut up. Finally. I wasn’t pleased with my self. I was annoyed. I wasted my time on him. But Why did I? I’ll find out soon. In my Sociology Class. Social Structures. Interesting.

For the past few days I’ve had peculiar dreams of being in a parlor getting my head shampooed by someone else, having my back massaged for a few minutes and finally, engaging in a conversation with the stylist while she snipped and snapped at my hair with a pair of professional scissors. So this afternoon I did.

The unruly, layered hair I’ve been growing and just trimming every three months was cut into a short faugh hawk in a matter of minutes. The hair I loved so dearly was cut with callous disregard by the wonderful hair stylist and landed on the floor with as much effect as a rabbit’s footsteps while I silently read Maximum Ride.

At first I didn’t care but when I got home and looked myself in the mirror, I started to miss the hair that went into my ears and made them itch. I was so used to seeing bangs over my forehead that seeing it ‘clean’ made me feel weird. And I know that’s weird.

In the same quick manner as changing hair styles, the 18 years of my life swept by in a jiff. 18 days from now, I will be a year closer to 20, a number I believe is one of the ages one must prepare for most. Ages 18 and 21 I suppose, are merely milestones that will allow you to apply for and GET a driver’s license, get married legally and of course, to be sent to prison, amongst other law related things.

However, a person’s 20th birthday signifies the end of his teens; the supposed end of his childishness and is the beginning of real responsibility. When a person turns 20, it is expected that more is expected of him, since it is his entry to adulthood. It is, supposedly, the start of his stability.

In 18 days I will be exactly one year/step closer to major responsibilities and I will have one year left to prepare for them. I might as well get started.

It’s 2010 friends and not so oddly, 2009 came to an end faster than a speeding Lambo. Usually, bloggers would take the opportunity to reflect on their lives during the past year. But is that at all productive?

An old song says, ‘count your blessings, name them one by one’. Text quotes dictate, ‘forget the past and keep your eyes on the future. What’s done is done.’ Which exactly do we adhere to? Well, since I’ve more to be thankful for than not, let’s begin counting.

I don’t mean counting as in listing all my blessings on this post per se, because that would take forever. What I do mean is taking the time to think back to the beginning of 2009 and remembering the things we can be and should be thankful for.

Five minutes later…

Okay, I guess this is more difficult than it seems. We often tend to live in the moment and looking back can be quite a task. Wouldn’t it be a whole lot easier if we could access the data stored in our brains at will? Sort of like accessing the local disk of your computer.

And yet another five minutes later…

I presume we’ve all remembered one or two things minimum to be thankful for. Let’s not list. Let’s just keep in mind that God’s given us(you, me, him, her, them, etc) much to be thankful for last year and thank Him for it. Then let’s do well this 2010. Godspeed. Cheers!

Happy 23rd wedding anniversary Ma and Pa. Love you both. :)

Did you know that dolphins and bonobos(pygmy chimpanzees) are the only two mammals other than humans who engage in sex for pleasure? This means that they’re the only mammals aside from us humans who copulate even if such activity is completely separate from the purpose of reproduction.

The females of most mammals and animals in general give off detectible signs of their fertility: a change in appearance, a distinct smell, sound, and other specific signaling behavior. This is because engaging in sex can be precarious for them due to some factors, and mating can be done only seasonally when females ovulate.

*Males need precious energy to produce sperm, attract females, defeat rivals and complete the mating – process.

*The mating process takes away time from other vital activities such as hunting for food or caring for the previous offspring.

*Mating pairs are vulnerable to predators and enemy attacks.

*Competition for females can sometimes be harmful or even deadly to the males, and sometimes the females too.

Because of these factors, most mammals and animals in general can’t afford to waste precious energy engaging in sex when there is no possibility that their genes will be passed on to a possible next generation. Reproduction may not be possible if the female is:

*not yet sexually mature
*not ovulating
*already pregnant
*still caring fr previous offspring
*beyond the age of reproduction

So, to avoid the risks of mating when reproduction is not possible, it is essential that the females, like said earlier, indicate signs of their fertility and ovulation.

Human females, however, go through what we call concealed ovulation, and there is no reliable way for the male to discern when the female is fertile(without medical technology, the females too can’t be sure). This allows physically mature humans to engage in sex any time without complete certainty that the female will be impregnated. The same is true with dolphins and bonobos, who are receptive to sex all year round!

However, this is not the reason why dolphins and bonobos are claimed to be the only mammals other than humans who have sex for pleasure. Other animals are completely unaware that their sexual activities are elated to reproduction; they engage in sex because they are biologically programmed to do so, in order to satisfy an urge. Some birds also, invite males to mate even after laying eggs, but there is an ascribed purpose to this behavior. It is a biological trick to fool males into caring for their hatchlings.

Sex for pleasure involves willingness and regularity. Aside from humans, dolphins and bonobos are the only mammals who engage in sex willingly and regularly(even there is no possibility of reproduction), and with multiple partners! There may be another reason for this, but it has not yet been discovered. So as of now, it is a fact that dolphins and bonobos are the only two mammals aside from humans who engage in sex for pleasure.

Now you know. You’ve just been educated. Thanks to Wikipedia and other online sources.

Last night I felt down and practically in despair. Why? Because this year our family is doing some belt tightening and we won’t be going down to Manila to celebrate Christmas with our relatives. I was so disappointed I didn’t want to have noche buena altogether. That’s when my Mama knocked some sense into me. You don’t need to know how exactly, she just did. Like I said before, mothers have their own indescribable ways of dealing and doing things. Quite neat, no?

I realized that I’ve been selfish and self centered. I’ve been acting like a girl during her period just because I can’t make it to the family reunion this Christmas when the fact is a lot more Filipinos have lost their homes in a fire, but they are still happy because the reason for celebrating Christmas is not the material and temporal things it brings forth, but rather the person who is the essence of the occasion. The man nailed on the cross for our behalf: Jesus Christ. Now I don’t want to be preachy and force my convictions on anyone who disagrees with me, but I believe I should at least get it out there that when I celebrate Christmas, I celebrate my salvation. I celebrate Christ.

I guess I can end this post with the last three words of the previous paragraph. So ciao dear readers. Merry Christmas! Share the love, share Christ.

Why does she smoke? I asked myself as I observed her standing by a 7Eleven, holding a cig between her forefinger and middle finger like a pro, early this morning on my way to school. She’s probably only sixteen but she seems used to it, I said to nobody in particular aside from myself. Is it because of sophistication?

“Look at me. I’m a young and independent woman. I smoke; I’m extremely sophisticated…”

I doubt it. There is no sophistication in smoking tobacco. There is only breath that reeks of charcoal, lurid gums and discolored teeth. Also, there is the possible cancer and other diseases entirely unfamiliar to me. So, why does she smoke? Is it because of the warmth the cigarette smoke brings her body on a chilly morning, so cold it feels like frost bite? Or maybe she practices this vice because she was influenced by her peers. Probably; girls her age (and teens in general) are often easily swayed by their friends. They want to fit in, be one of the “cool” ones.

So what’s the deal? If that’s the case then why are you [James] dwelling on this? Oh, this is just me pondering over everyday stuff. Don’t mind me.