DFA, OWWA, and the Saga of a Dead OFW

    It's almost close to a week yet the painful wait for my father's remains is far from being over. The holiday season and the painstaking processes that my father's dead and already freezing body are just two of the culprits why my family's agony still remains at its peak. My aunt, who is in U.A.E. working as a radiologic technologist, is likewise having a hard time finding a sponsor who will help her travel directly to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where my father's body seems to be waiting in vain. The stressful days and nights we are experiencing are yet to meet a final conclusion. For the record, my daddy died ofcardiac arrest last December 23, 2010 and since then, we are completely lost if his recruiter or employer are doing their jobs to repatriate my father's human remains the soonest time possible. I mean, with all the news I've been reading regarding OFW repatriation (I once read of a case wherein an OFW corpse took almost 2 or 3 months before finally returning back to the Philippines due to issues concerning the Philippine Embassy and the employer) I don't feel anything but apprehension and anxiety towards the possible time period it will actually take before we can get back our father's dead body. As recommended, we tried to contact an employee from the Department of Foreign Affairs (who we will meet by tomorrow morning) to help us hasten our father's repatriation. Together with my mother, we are praying and crossing our fingers at the same time that our appointment tomorrow at DFA will soon be proven productive and will help us connect with the Philippine Embassy at Saudi Arabia.

      We are set to go to OWWA as well by tomorrow to enlighten ourselves regarding the requirements and procedures that we need to claim the death benefits from their office. According to my research, natural death and accidental death will be covered by OWWA and the dependents will receive 100,000 and 200, 000 pesos, respectively. However, before anything else, the family should verify first if the deceased OFW is an active member of OWWA at the time of his death. You can do the verification and other inquiries through the OWWA 24/7 Operation Center or by going directly to their website. Here is the lik: http://www.owwa.gov.ph/.

    On the other hand, one should remember that DFA is the first destination to ensure the swift and smooth repatriation of the deceased OFW's body. If you're under the same situation as mine, maybe you can also check your relative's status on the Social Security System to receive death benefits, if there's any. Perhaps also check his/her contract regarding issues like repatriation fees and death benefits. On the other hand, I'm quite positive that God and Daddy are always with us and will definitely help us in every step of the way. OFWs, like my father, are living heroes who deserve the final respect and love upon their deaths. It's one hell of a process but in one way or another, I know we can make it and survive this ordeal as a united family. Please continue to pray for my father and my family. May God be with us always!

"Christmas Mourning: Death of A Father, A Friend, and My Dearest Inspiration"

My beloved father, Luisito A. Batongbakal Sr. (January 25, 1959-December 23, 2010)

Nothing on earth could compare to the agonizing pain and shock that the news of my father's death has brought to our household two days before Christmas celebration. At first, the numbing sensation creeped all over my body and left me verbally and physically weak, so to speak. But when everything started to sank in slowly- - my father died yesterday afternoon in Saudi Arabia (night time in the Philippines) while on sleep due to heart attack that is yet to be verified- - -my only instinct at that moment  suddenly pushed me to hug and kiss my mother and older sister, who are both crying in despair for the excruciating loss of our father and the uncertainty that the future has started to beckon. I've been reviewing in advance for the July 2011 nursing board exam but after the horrible news took over our household, I'm quite lost and doesn't know where, when, and how to start again realizing that my father's death is quintessential of an untimely one: a life taken almost 3 months before I could finally march the stage for graduation and amidst the merry-making activities that is of Christmas.
For the record, my father and I have had a not so smooth relationship and it's actually just few years back that my father slowly changed for the better. He was a bonafide cigarette smoker and alcohol drinker since God knows when. But inspite of his past mistakes, I know that my daddy just wanted the best for us that's why he used all means to seek greener pasture in a desert country to fulfill my dreams of becoming a nurse and hopefully, a competent physician. My father was an engineer but he's more than that to me. He is my life and inspiration along with my now broken-hearted mother. His loss is by far the most tragic event that has ever happened to me not just on Christmas time but on any part of the year.
The morning after the news, numerous calls from my friends and classmates seemed to be not enough to comfort me or at least alleviate the flesh-tearing pain that I'm experiencing now. In addition to that, the long process of waiting for the repatriation of my father's remains from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines only adds up to the long list of worries that have been disturbing the sanity out of me. I love my father and I learned the importance of not taking things/people for granted the hardest and painful way.
Daddy, I love you and I promise you that from now on until eternity, I will protect and love my mother and sister to the best of my ability and we will finish our studies and turn out victorious in the end. I promise this from the bottom of my heart, which is drowning now with so much pain and anguish while the rest of the world are singing joyful Christmas songs. God has plans for us and your departure is a crucial part of it. Rest assured that you will never be forgotten, together with the lessons you had inculcated to us. I love you and I will sorely miss you.
I hope that you're already one with God and whoever is reading this article, I hope that you won't mind setting aside some of your time to pray for my father's soul and my family's strength.

Daddy, farewell to you and see you soon!I love you!

And for all the people who lost their father, may this music video of a personal favourite song remind us all that no matter who our fathers are, they all deserve to be loved and not taken for granted. The pain that comes from a father's death is just beyond words or adjectives for me to describe it. But the comfort of God's promise of a reunion in eternity is what I keep holding on to. May our faith in God finally bring us peace that will see us through our grieving process and to the life that awaits us after this agonizing period of mourning. God bless us all!

Inside 'Inception'





Inception Movie Poster (2010)

  

            Oreinology is the scientific study of dreams. Not that I heard of it before but the mere notion of semi-fantasy world of dreams being studied is far too bizaare and mysterious in an ordinary person's point of view. Even more striking is how the 'Inception', which was hailed by IMDb and other pertinent movie review websites as the crème de la crème among the movies shown so far in 2010, twisted reality and added another level of comlplexity to the idea we hold about dreams. A colleague of mine told me that the movie will bring the 'nerd' out of any movie-goers mainly due to the fact that it possesses a storyline that will not appeal to any dumb chick-flick or action-flick lovers. To assess if this Christopher Nolan film really deserves the buzz, I watched it myself and by solely basing it on how my jaws dropped and my head ached just before the movie credits sarted rolling, I could say that the uniqueness of this movie is incomparable and even goes beyond the impact that 'Memento', 'The Dark Knight', and 'The Prestige' had brought to me.

               'Inception' tells the story of Dominic Cobbs (played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who also did great in 'Shutter Island' earlier this year), who, after failing his attempt to steal secrets from the subconscious dream of a Japanese businessman named Saito, was employed by the latter to a mission that will make use of 'inception' or as how the movie defined it, the process of 'planting' ideas in a person's subconscious mind by penetrating into his dreams without him knowing it. Their main goal is to break Saito's corporate rival's empire by using the latter's son as the target. The team, which is composed of a 'dream architect' who will build the 'dream', a forger who will copy somebody else's identity, a sedative chemist who will be responsible for creating a 'three-layered' dream, will accomplish the mission by breaking into the target's subconscious dream and 'plant' the necessary idea that will change the future of  their company and of his own forever. The main conflict arise when the team realizes that the target's mind is trained to defend unnecessary intrusions, thus making their mission quite more taxing, in addition to Cobb's unresolved conflict with his deceased wife, who keeps on interrupting their mission by consistently pestering his mind of guilt and remorse.

            The movie itself is a puzzle that worth one's full attention. It's a collage of different elements: there are some fast-paced scenes that will make you scratch your head in confusion but mostly, it will thrill you with its awe-inspiring special effects and unforgettable original story.You will never get what the movie is all about unless you digest it slowly (I'm talking about the story and not the pop corn that you munch). The story is multi-layered, complex, and cryptic, which is especially true if we are to talk about the movie's ending, an ambiguous conclusion that is the best of its kind. I couldn't help but be amazed of Nolan's genius and for creating an all-original script that will define a decade of movie-going. Although mind-blowing and complicated in its purest form, this is a sci-fi movie that will definitely leave a mark in anybody's heart and mind. The whole cast was perfectly assembled; they made the unbelievable sci-fi story believable. Two thumbs up for Nolan, DiCaprio, Page, and the rest of the cast for giving the audience a performance of a lifetime and for changing the way I perceive dreams.  




A scene from the movie 'Inception'

 

"Apocalypse and Beyond"

Imagine yourself alone in a nameless city perfectly resembling a post-war portrait. Towering rubbles and decaying bodies scattered everywhere you go; a harrowing scene that would best describe what a nightmare is. Imagine that this is real. In a blink of an eye, the world as you know it is now an ash land devoid of its flora and fauna, leaving you and other few survivors the choice to either live or die, to survive or to perish, to go on or to lose hope. The choice is yours. And with all the integrity left of your humanity amidst the harshest of all human conditions, what will you choose?

This is a hypothetical question that has been haunting me ever since I learned of Nostradamus, the Mayan prophecies, the four horsemen of Revelations, and all the events that will lead to the "end-of-the-world" phenomenon. They call it the 'Apocalypse'.

It was during my senior year in high school when the subject first tickled my imagination. I remember watching the movie Left Behind and witnessed how the "believers" of Jesus Christ suddenly vanished without a single trace, leaving the "nonbelievers" behind. Then came the biblical prophecies: the parable of ten virgins, the “rapture”, the “second coming”, the satanic 666, and the symbolical two beasts: the “beast of the sea” and the “beast of the earth”, which will turn out to be the "antichrist" couple at the end of times. I can still recall how it shook my spirituality and left me sleepless for some nights.

Fast forward to the present time, I'm still in awe on how stories from this specific genre still capture my interest. It makes me wonder about the fate that awaits our world in the future. But no matter how rich the literature is, only few fictional stories really moulded my perception about the 'Apocalypse' and the ‘life’ beyond it.

Every once in a while, a book changes how a person views his world. The Road did that to me.

It was a chance encounter. The cover shows a man hugging his child in a very dark and heart-breaking backdrop. Upon reading its back cover, I found out that the book has a post-apocalyptic theme so I grabbed it right away. Unbeknownst to me, The Road is actually Cormac McCarthy's magnum opus and was even awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 2006. I fell in love with this heart-wrenching masterpiece not because of its 'goodness' but of the 'darkness' which deeply engulfed my imagination and left me emotionally disturbed for quite some time. I even watched its movie adaptation which stars Lord of the Ring's Viggo Mortensen and was equally surprised by its compelling power and substance.

Using a cryptic but clear style of writing uniquely of his own, McCarthy tells the story of a father and his son who has survived an unknown cataclysm that left the world shattered and almost lifeless. Bringing only a grocery cart containing all of their belongings, they took the road and started travelling towards the south with hopes of finding safe haven in the end. Their profound journey continues as they struggle to survive in a world that is now dominated by cannibalism, hunger, death, and hopelessness. And as they come face-to-face with death every day, they would learn that keeping the "fire" within them still proves to be the best way to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and still be "human" after all.

"You remember what you want to forget and you forget what you want to remember" is the novel's battle cry which speaks for the bleak and gloomy mood that the story has to offer. It is not the 'bad dreams' that one should be worried about because that means you're still fighting, as said by the father. Pain is a key to survival. It reminds me of my fellow countrymen under extreme conditions yet still manages to survive on a daily basis. Perhaps the pain of hunger is the main catalyst why most poverty-stricken Filipinos are able to think of ways to survive or, if they’re lucky enough, come out of it and make “rags-to-riches” stories out of their own lives.

But by just reading between the lines, I fully captured what The Road intends to impart.

Our planet is a "ticking time bomb". Some scientists might say that the end is yet to come because its expiration date may still be billion years away. But times have changed and our planet's irreversible extinction may be sooner than we actually thought. Beyond the unconditional fatherly love that the book portrays is a lesson that human civilization has been struggling to learn for ages. We've been warned about the green house effect, the hole in the ozone layer, the continuous threats of the global warming, and all the man-made phenomena here and there. They are the anatomy of every natural disaster that shook the whole world. And if we don't start changing our ways, the world as we know it will gradually turn into the dark ash land just like in The Road. Who knows? It could be ten or twenty years from now.

Without a doubt, The Road is a haunting tale of survival, love, and most importantly, life. If history taught me one thing, it would be the reality that life is all about choices. I've always been fascinated about the 'Apocalypse' but to tell you the truth, it is the darkest parts of our past that thrills me the most. From the dark Holocaust of WWII to the horrendous 9/11 attacks in the U.S., all of these human tragedies have proven how futile a single human life can be once the universe conspires to take such a huge quantity of casualties. These are the ‘signs’ that we ought to take heed of and behind all these is our power to live our lives to the fullest while it’s not too late. No one really knows how much time is left for us but The Road gives us two choices: We can either take the road of creedless comfort or the road to painful survival, with our own integrity still intact. Two roads. Two destinations. The choice is ours.

Filling Up The Vacuum

There's only one word to sum up my sem break: MONOTONOUS. Once in our lives, we all experience the weakening feeling of emptiness; the vacuum phenomenon that seems to remind us that there are some aspects of our existence that need to be satisfied and filled in. Inordinate brooding, in the end, will leave us exhausted and depressed, especially if the thoughts than run inside our minds are conflicting ones. I experience this ordeal on a daily basis, especially now that I have empty times to fill in with thoughts that eventually makes me feel empty even more. Being a hermit is a status that breeds paranoia because you don't have friends to hang out with and you don't have anyone sensible to talk to but yourself. For the first few weeks that I'm confined within the four corners of our house, I just do things repetitively on a daily basis without realizing that isolation has been robbing me of energy and purpose in life. I have realized that drowning yourself with multiple downloaded movies or keeping yourself sane by sharing your thoughts on your blog won't give you any help in filling up the vacuum within you. I feel more and more empty as time goes by. I need a companion - -a person that will bring back my sanity to the place where it rightly belongs. These feelings of uneasiness also make me realize that my pen has been my loyal best friend from the get-go; that I don't want to be a nurse anymore, a frustrating revelation that makes me wonder about my life after graduation. I've always longed to write professionally; it's something that fuels me up and gives me something to look forward to. However, it clashes with the fact that my parents want me to be a doctor. I've dreamed of becoming a doctor before but like nursing, it's a vocation that I have superficial desire for. I hate myself for being so fickle-minded but no matter how I supress and deny this, it just keeps on resurfacing every now and then. I guess my life is supposed to be this way; a puzzle that keeps on changing its pieces every once in a while. I'm about to embark on my last semester as a nursing student but the emptiness within me intensifies every time I ruminate about it. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed right now because I don't have the slightest idea what lies ahead of me. I will draw my future but this time, using a pencil so it won't be permanent. While I'm writing this, you can just imagine how the vacuum keeps on creeping within me. I don't give a damn because I know that when I arrive at the right time and at the right place, I will be man enough to decide what's the best path to take. Although I hate being alone most of the time, it makes me discover things within me more than what I've expected. Have you ever felt empty? You just have to listen carefully and once you hear the faintest sound within that vacum, you might get an epiphany that could change your life forever.

Spirit Day : A Call To Stop Homophobia

It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase and Billy Lucas. You are loved. (Source: Manila Gay Guy).

Today is the Spirit Day. And just to make things clear, this is not an early pre-halloween celebration but a special day to mourn and ruminate the death of 6 gay boys who recently committed suicide due to the harsh ripple effect of homophobia. When will this cruelty finally take its bow and just make this world a better place? Perhaps most people don't have the slightest idea of how unfair life is for the LGBT community. Discrimination is their daily breakfast and verbal abuse is their ticket for societal tolerance most of the time. Is this the right way to condemn gays for their 'lifestyle choice'? Well, let me tell you something: being gay is not a choice. If I had my choice then maybe I already conditioned myself to be straight even before I was born. This is the reality where we live in: a idealistic society which always favors straight men over intelligent and hard-working faggots. No wonder many gays are taking their own lives nowadays because of the unfavorable environment that surrounds them. Have you experienced how to be alone in the dark while your heart is savoring the bitter taste of isolation and rejection? Maybe not, because you're not gay. But if you try to put your feet in our own shoes for just a couple of minutes, you will realize that homosexuality is more of a curse than a blessing; more of a burden than a pleasure. I've experienced depression and suicidal ideations before because of the recurring conflicts in my sexuality. Being gay is not a crime but societal norms dictate people that homosexuality is this and that. And this phenomenon only breeds one thing: inequality. It pains me a lot that gay people should die first to earn respect and love from the society. This is not the way it's supposed to be. We all deserve to love and be loved regardless of our race or sexual orientation. I hope that this day will not only awaken the LGBT about their place in society but also those straight people who are concerned about this issue. We have to spread love because it is through love that we can find the path for a better world and a better tomorrow. For the thousands of gay people who committed suicide due to the crippling effects of discrimination and homophobia, may your souls rest in peace.

"Kill Bill: The Saga"

       The battle for the RH bill is yet to meet its final conclusion. From Carlos Celdran's picketing at the Manila Cathedral to the Church's alleged threat of ex-communication against P-Noy, the public is left wondering what the next chapter will be for this seemingly endless saga of the year, aptly coined by others as the "Kill Bill" controversy. But as massive media attention continue to pour on the issue now, concerned citizens like me demands more resolutions than debates. The continuous clash of opinions between the pro-RH bill legislators and the Church is becoming more and more exhausting to watch, prompting me to wonder if all the fuss about this law really deserves the magnification made to it by the mass media. As far as its scope is concerned, I know that this law will concern Filipinos from all walks of life, but having our President ex-communicated for an issue that involves condoms and informed choices means that there is something left untouched. As I have discovered lately, the crucial issue now is not on whether we are a pro- or an anti-, but if our understanding of the arguments from the two parties concerned is enough for us to make a logical and reasonable conclusion. On my own vantage point, each side of the card reveals its own gray areas and corresponding strengths. All we need to do is to dig deeper on the issue to fully grasp what RH bill is all about and make a compromise for the conflicts that has been arising between the two opposing forces.

A woman holds a placard protesting Church opposition to the promotion of artificial birth control during a rally at the CBCP office in Manila yesterday. Courtesy of EDD GUMBAN

 

Pro-life vs. Pro-abortion?

Much of the clamour made by the bishops against the bill is largely based on the sanctity of life; they are adamant regarding their stand that the newly revised RH bill might promote abortion by intervening in the natural process of procreation. But what is the real thing about abortion? I think the problem here is our lack of concrete definition of 'abortion', which is basically the termination of life within the first 12 weeks of gestation. When does life really starts? Is it as early as conception like what the Church believes or during implantation like what majority of the medical profession are accustomed to? Obviously, there's no point about opposing the RH bill on the basis of morality if it's not clear to everybody whether it is a law for the legalization of abortion or not. Church's involvement on this matter is clearly understandable due to the moral dimensions that the bill contains. However, will it be more "pro-life" if the Church or the government just focus on the existing issues of malnutrition, homelessness, joblessness, and environmental degradation rather than searching for an elusive answer for a long-standing question?

‘Sex for Procreation’ vs. ‘Sex for Recreation’?

What bothers me the most is the fact that the two parties are arguing regarding the legalization of contraceptive use when in the first place, we already know that condoms are part of a modern man’s sex life and no one gets to jail by using it nowadays. It is completely 'legal' if you are to look at it in the context of our present society. Yes, sex is for procreation and that is how God wants it to be, but as long as people have the freedom of choice, sex for recreation will always be an option regardless if the RH bill will be passed or not. I'm not into premarital or extramarital sex but the point is, people don't need a law that will dictate them on what kind of sexual lifestyle they are supposed to have. Killing the RH bill will not promote "sex for procreation" in the same way that passing it will not promote "sex for recreation" due to the simple reason that we are humans, not puppets, entitled to have the freedom to choose what we want in our lives.

Informed choice, Population control, Gender equality: Are these for real?

RH bill is becoming more of an issue of the "right to choose" than the "right to life". According to Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, we don't have to legislate population management when in fact, even without it, our people have always been free to do what they think is best for their family. RH bill, as what its proponents define it, is all about giving people informed choices about the family planning methods, be it natural or artificial, that they can use to determine their desired number of children and in the long run, to control the nation's population. Consequently, the Church has been protesting against the bill’s information dissemination aspect, which they fear might impose threat to our society’s suffering morality. Again, the Church seems unaware that health teaching is already one of health professionals' integral roles long before RH bill has started to receive massive media attention and that informed choice is already being received by couples when the need arises.

When it comes to the issue of RH bill being used as a population control, its proponents seem to be missing some points. Cutting down the national population is not the "cure-for-all" solution; eradicating corruption and appropriate allocation of our national budget could be a better strategy.

What about the so-called gender equality that RH bill promises to provide, especially to women? Well, at first it may sound good but if women will have greater control over their reproductive power, then they can choose when to have a child and men can copulate with them as often as they want without fear of being pregnant. Moreover, if women are provided new roles aside from being a mother and child-bearer due to the employment opportunities that not having a child provides, it also means less hard work and stress for their husbands who have been the sole breadwinner ever since. Now, do you think RH bill will really promote gender equality in the long run?

With the issue of RH bill continuously escalating to the national consciousness, some of us are still bewildered about the real importance and relevance of this issue in our own lives. We are all concerned about the children who are going to receive the sex education and the possible changes that might happen in our culture once the bill has been passed. But we have to listen to both sides in order for us to have a clearer picture of the story. This is a national concern and it involves virtually all of us. The Church and the RH bill supporters have their own say of the issue but it doesn't mean that one should always end up being better and more influential than the other. We have a president and P-Noy is a leader for all Filipinos, not just for the Church or Catholics but also to those who have different religious ideologies. The RH bill issue reminds us all that our spirituality and morality should always take part in every major decision that we make for ourselves and our country. But as Jim Paredes underscored in one of his blog entries, the "Kill Bill" controversy makes one thing clear: there is great wisdom in the principle of the separation of Church and State.

"Farewell, My Friend"

          You were there when I'm weary and need someone to talk to. You were there during my lowest point and always reminds me that life is not all about accolades and distinctions; that there is more to life than petty anxieties and useless apprehensions about the future. You've taught me how to be patient, to love unconditionally, to look past the imperfections and see the inner beauty of someone you love, and above all, you've made me realize that genuine happiness is beyond fancy cars, designer clothes, or any material things in this world; that happiness and love are inseparable. You are an angel in disguise, sent by God to bring us back to reality that simple things , indeed, make people happy beyond compare. For some people you are just a dumb four-legged creature but for me, you are like my little brother who knows how to feel loved and give love to those people who really care for you. During those 10 precious months that we were together, I have felt that being single is totally fine as long as I'm with compassionate companions like you.

        We have seen you grow, stayed by your side when you are weak and need some care, provided you with food, shelter, and genuine love yet, all of these seem to be not enough to show you how much our family loves you. I thought that our friendship story will last longer but life is so short and unpredictable, we never really know what God has in store for us. You left us last night, bewildered and devastated for a loss as intense as a death of a beloved blood relative. You died in my arms while we're on our way to the vet but during those two days that you battled with death, I know that you wanted to live longer because you love us and you are a natural-born fighter. It's causing us so much pain, far from being describable because you're more than a pet to us....you are the light of our lives. Although I'm a bit frustrated that God took you earlier than I expected, I'm thanking Him because He used you to teach us lessons, to strengthen ourselves, to touch our inner souls, and to emphasize that every aspects of life is not worth taking for granted. This blog entry is dedicated especially for you to show you how much I value a great soul like you.

          Once again, though words are not enough to express what my bleeding heart feels, I want to say I LOVE YOU my angel, my friend, my little brother, my loving dog. I hope you're in His safe arms right now, doing what a loving dog is supposed to do. I LOVE YOU but we know life is short and yours is borrowed also like the rest of us. I LOVE YOU but God has a Divine Purpose for your death. I LOVE YOU but you need to leave, at least just for now because somewhere in the future, I know we'll meet again. I LOVE YOU but death is an inevitable existence. Farewell, MOJACKO! Farewell, my friend! I will miss you! 'Til we meet again!

Lessons from a Jejemon

“mUzta nA pOw u. jEjEm0n aQ, kAy0w?”

We witnessed history unfolds as P-Noy (President Noynoy Aquino ) finally responded to the nation's call for change during his inaugural address. But none of the yellow confettis and sweet promises will eradicate the controversial existence and ubiquitous influence of the so-called Jejemonism, a rising subculture with its own mind-twisting language which almost rob P-Noy's popularity through the mass media. As defined by Urban Dictionary, Jejemons are those who have managed to subvert the English/Tagalog language to the point of incomprehensibility and online lynch squads; take the italicized statement above as an example. And like other non-conformists, jejemons' rise to fame has been receiving criticisms from language purists called jejebusters (jejemon haters) almost consistently. Most of us hate them because we view a jejemon as a potential threat to our already dilapidated educational system. Moreover, social networking sites like Facebook has become a breeding ground as well for groups who bluntly condemns jejemons like “!f yUh t!yP3 Lyk3 DihS Don’t talk to me!” ( a Facebook group with a staggering 824,267 fans). On the other hand, if we really want to understand both sides of the story, this jejemon phenomenon really deserves a spotlight for an impartial analysis. Criticisms are no good to reveal what's behind the weird combinations of numbers and letters unique of the jejemons. On my own vantage point, jejemonism is an issue worthy of contemplation because believe it or not, jejemons bring with them a number of valuable lessons and eye-opening realities, not just nuisances to our society.

Although the jejemon vocabulary is a bit off, I have observed that they demonstrate both respect and creativity. As you can notice, unlike any other distorted languages (e.g. Gay lingo), the word "po", as in "mUzta Na pOw?"(kamusta na po?) or "Okie lNg f0e"(ok lang po) , was retained in their vocabulary, a sign of respect that is a trademark of the Filipino and jejemon culture as well. In addition to that, building a diverse vocabulary by including numerical characters and some rarely used alphabets (q,z,x) is a strong indication of their creativity. And by saying that, it also strengthens the fact that jejemons are not silly people promoting pure stupidity. Apparently, they should know first the right spelling of words before they can change it to their own language, which takes creativity and good level of education.

Jejemons are also living examples of people who are living within the bounds of democracy. Freedom of expression is what they uphold, showing people that they can be whatever they want as long as it doesn't hurt the majority of the population. It's better to do that than use democracy to destroy democracy itself like what the rebels of the South do. And with freedom comes the power to change, which is particularly appropriate to language, a medium for subgroups like jejemons to express themselves and is always subject to change to cater their distinct needs. Change is the only constant thing in this world; tolerance and respect for each other is the key towards peace, not resistance and harsh prejudice.

Jejemons also have their own ways of expressing themselves aside from their creative vocabulary. Their fashion statement, albeit awkward or inappropriate most of the time, consists of colorful clothes, eye-catching accessories, and the all-famous jejecap. Although it hurts the eyes of every fashion expert, we can never doubt the fact that these group of people knows how to stand out, be different, and bring an impact to our society. P-Noy, together with his iconic parents, also has brought the same intensity of influence to the Filipino people by bringing the symbolic "yellow ribbon" and "eyeglasses" to a higher level of importance, which eventually found their ways to T-shirts, mugs, accessories, car stickers and everything under the sun, much to the satisfaction of stores selling these merchandise. However, like the jejemons who manifest their principles both in words and actions, patriotism should go beyond wearing T-shirts imprinted with the Philippine map. We are all responsible to prove to the whole world that it's never too late to make a big change. Let’s move forward propelled by sheer nationalism and determination to achieve progress. And that big move should start now.

According to Dean Rolando Tolentino of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication says the rise of the jejemons is a symptom of the partitioning of society into sub-classes. For linguist Alex Maximo,the phenomenon is linked to hegemony: who has power, who doesn’t, and how the conflicts that arise from the concomitant societal stresses are expressed. These findings just indicate that the growing number of jejemons, which mostly came from lower socio-economic status, is a way for them to express their feelings, establish a unique identity, and demonstrate how the clash between them, the "jologs" and the "sosyal" (middle- to upper-class jejebusters) becomes a complete representation of how wide the gap is between the two social classes in the Philippines; a reality that the current president should take into consideration.

There are positive aspects of jejemonism that I admire but it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm a true-blue jejemon and that I promote their principles. I personally hate the way they clog the internet and texting world with seemingly nonsense messages but we always have to remember that what's really important is the message behind their distorted language and the hidden lessons that they can impart. This is who they are and robbing them of their freedom to express is tantamount to human rights violation. It would be better if the Department of Education will focus more on developing strategies on how to alleviate the ongoing deterioration of Philippine education due to inadequate facilities and teachers than waste their time eliminating the fast-growing jejemons who continuously evolve with time. We are all entitled to our own opinions but at the end of the day, respect for each other's differences will prevail. This is the real essence of freedom. aNowh? aY0wZ p0w bAh?

"I am an Introvert"

If my memory serves me right, it's been two or three months now since I completely changed the name written on my blog header: from luiseestrue, which is apparently a combination of my nickname and the title of my old article in a college schoolpaper, to introvinstincts, which is introversion and instincts mixed. I still can't grasp the real reason why I did the transformation but the name concisely describes my personality and unique temperament. I believe that each and every one of us possesses a distinct quality that renders us our own individuality. As human beings, we all need socialization and the ability to communicate or mingle with others of our kind. However, having different personalities also entails different ways of socializing. We can either be introvert or extrovert, that's the rule of the thumb. Basically, we classify those who are more gregarious as extroverts while leaving those who are reserved, shy, and loners under the introversion classification. However, it's not that easy to classify yourself as either extrovert or introvert so I personally searched for an 'introversion test' on the net to back up my suspicions regarding my long-time tendencies to be alone and outside any group contact. Here's is the copy of the results that I got from a simple introversion test:

Introversion Test (Source: http://behavioural-psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/am_i_an_introvert )

As you can see, based on this test, I'm classified as one of the 'highly introverted' individuals upon getting 21 'true' answers out of the 23 possible questions. Whether this test is accurate or not is not an issue for me already because I've long been aware that there's something different about me and it's only lately that I have proven the fact that I possess introversive qualities. I've been in a love/hate relationship with my introvert side because normally, we are expected to mingle with other people and show pakikisama to each people regardless of their social status or personality traits. But for an introvert like me, it's a different story. More often than not, I always prefer to be alone in a calm environment, not because I hate making friends or I'm bad with socializing but being with an overly boisterous and enthusiastic group of people robs me of my inner energy and I end up feeling tired and in extreme need of an ample time alone. In addition to that, I've always been labelled as 'mysterious', 'shy', 'overly reserved', and other names that other introverts like me can relate with. I have few friends, people who are the closest to me and I'm extremely comfortable with, so I'm not a 'human-hater'. It's a personal choice for me not to collect a myriad of friends because I have always believed that only few genuine friends will stick with you through thick and thin, and this is a proven fact based on my experience. People always think I'm 'mysterious' because I'm not the type who is open to everybody, so I think we should learn how to respect diversity in terms of personality. Moreover, being an introvert doesn't necessarily mean that you should be shy and not show any hint of confidence because personally, I have the confidence to speak in front of many people like those other introverts who seem to be extroverts on the outside but have the same 'introversion instincts' as I do. Being alone with myself sometimes give me inner peace but too much introversion, I must admit, sometimes give me an intense feeling of isolation, especially when I don't have any contact with my friends and I'm just alone brooding for something that makes me feel anxious. I think that's one of the downsides of being an introvert. But nothing will happen if I just hate myself and think that it could have been better had I not became an introvert. It's a total waste of energy and time. Perhaps there's a good reason why I turned out to be this way. I have more time to grow as a writer, as a human being, and understand the workings of the world around me. And at this point in time, I'm confident and glad to say that I love being myself and that 'I am an INTROVERT!'

Celebrity Atheists: Fame Without Faith

We all have something to be thankful about, regardless of our social status or situation in life. It is being grateful for our blessings that strengthens our faith towards the divine providence, who, as we believe, is the centrepiece of the universe worthy of all our praises and reverence. Surprisingly, some of the luckiest individuals ever set foot on earth doesn't believe the same notion. I was deeply flabbergasted when I came across an article about Hollywood's Top 10 Atheists, listing some of Tinseltown's famous non-believers. I don't know exactly what set of criteria the writer used to make the ranking but one thing is for sure, their names really ring a bell and have created a considerable impact in the world of show business. Here are the names who entered the list:

Celebrities Without Faith: (From left to right) Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves, Sir Ian McKellen, Jodie Foster
(Photo courtesy of http://current.com/entertainment/wtf/89523286_hollywoods-top-10-atheists.htm)

WOODY ALLEN: He told Reader's Digest, "If you actually have faith, if you believe that there's more to life in a positive sense, then of course it's a wonderful thing." Then he added, "I can't bring myself to do it. If I'm sitting next to a guy and he has true belief, I look at him and think, poor thing, you really are deluded".


JODIE FOSTER: She told Entertainment Weekly she's an atheist but added, "I absolutely love religions and the rituals. Even though I don't believe in God." And asked by E! Online whether she ever prays to God, she answered, "No, absolutely never." Foster says she celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah with her children and that she only has questions so far and no answers.


BILLY JOEL: The singer publicly broached the topic early in his career, saying during an interview that he is an atheist and positing that religion is a source of many of the world's problems. Then he told Billboard magazine in 1994, "I still feel very much like an atheist in the religious aspects of things," but added, "There are spiritual planes I'm aware of that I don't know anything about and that I can't explain."

 

ANGELINA JOLIE: The actress is making Atlas Shrugged, the 1957 novel by famous Libertarian-atheist Ayn Rand, into a movie. Asked during an interview with The Onion whether God exists, Jolie said, "For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesn't need to be a God for me."

 BILL MAHER: Maher co-wrote and starred in Religulous, a movie which mocked all religions, especially Christianity. On Larry King Live, Maher said that "all religious people have a neurological disorder" and that religion is "insanity by consensus."

 JOHN MALKOVICH: He has called himself an atheist but rarely expounds on the matter. Malkovich once said. "I believe in people, I believe in humans, I believe in a car, but I don't believe something I have absolutely no evidence of for millennia."

 IAN MCKELLAN: Tom Hanks' co-star in The Da Vinci Code said during a press tour promoting the film, "I've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying, ‘This is fiction.' I mean, walking on water?" The actor, an outspoken advocate for gay rights, refers to himself as an atheist.

 KEANU REEVES: He reportedly has called himself an atheist but told journalists abroad while promoting the 2005 supernatural thriller Constantine that he is less skeptical about the concept of heaven and hell. In Constantine, Reeves plays a man whose soul has been condemned.

 CARL REINER: The Emmy-winning writer and actor best known for his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show calls himself an atheist. On occasion, he has said that "man invented God, not the other way around." He jokingly said, "There are 15 things I know about God, and one is that he is allergic to shellfish." He also complains of too many commandments. "You only need one: Do not hurt anybody."

 BRUCE WILLIS: That's right. Even Hollywood's conservatives sometimes are hostile to religion (granted, Willis' conservative credentials often are exaggerated). In 1998, he told now-defunct George magazine that organized religions "are dying forms" and that "modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology."
Source: http://current.com/entertainment/wtf/89523286_hollywoods-top-10-atheists.htm



These are just some of the glittering names in Hollywood who are self-confessed atheists. We already know that Barry Manilow,Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Julianne Moore, and Daniel Radcliffe are also atheists but what is the main point I'm trying to emphasize? That religion is not really enough to answer all of humanity's questions and put direction to one's own existence. I've been very curious about atheism ever since I first encounter the word. There are some aspects of being an atheist that are both mind-boggling and mysterious like the very force and reason why these individuals turned out to be non-conformists. In the Philippine setting, all I know is that atheists are rare and can usually found in deep skirts of U.P. Most of theists classify atheism as a sign of 'unstable emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being' but I was never satisfied with this proposition. Honestly, there are some periods in my life that I consider the possibility of being an atheist. It's the lack of sufficient answers to my questions, the continuous injustice and inequality in our society, and hypocrisy of spiritual people that usually throw me into a deep search for genuine spiritual enlightenment. Moreover, you can't mock me for telling you that ironically, some atheists are better philanthropists and human rights advocates that those hypocritical and pretentious mainstream religious people. Is being an atheist evil? More often than not, we nod as a response to this question, believing that heretics are instruments by Satan to dupe the conformists. We harshly judge them as 'condemned', 'devilish', and 'will go straight to hell', and always think that believers are always better and principled than them. As what philippineatheists.org clearly stated, "Everyone is born an atheist, since no person has ever been quite well-indoctrinated before he or she was born". Atheists' principles are rooted from logic and common sense while for us believers, we have our faith to back up our arguments. Nevertheless, we are all entitled to give our own opinions and are created as human beings who are completely free to choose what we want to do and believe in life. For me, I have only one word to give those closed-minded people who are continuously rebuking and criticizing atheists and agnostics, and that is RESPECT. No one and nothing is perfect, be it theism or atheism, and we can't force everyone to believe what we do believe . Stop our own superiority complex and demonstrate RESPECT to everyone and this world will surely become a better place.

Summer Hiatus '10

Summer has just arrived and finding a soothing haven from the scorching heat of the sun is the best way to fill in the summer hiatus. It's a good thing I decided to join my group for a 2-day trip to Batangas, the only invitation I accepted, turned down the rest because of my tight budget for the impending start of another school year. It took us 4-5 hours before getting to the nearest resort, spending the first few hours with my groupmate's family, who prepared a mouth-watering lomi, a local delicacy that is a feast to the eyes.





Lomi Batangas

  

It's a satisfying meal albeit the sauce is thicker than the ordinary lomi. After that sumptuous meal, we trekked to the beach and spent the night there with few bottles of beer and a variety of grilled dishes that were equally satisfying. Nothing's special with the resort but I was thankful that I got the chance to open up with some of my groupmates regarding my sexuality that night, which was a great relief for me because I don't want to pretend anymore with this group whom I will spend my last year as a nursing student with. It's really nice to have a break every now and then, especially in my case, where stress is a normal part of daily life. I'm looking forward for this coming schoolyear, partly for the skills/knowledge that I will learn and relearn but mostly for the new faces and friends that I will meet. I feel that I'm about to start from scratch but with God on my side, I know that I can surpass all the challenges that this new chapter of my life will offer. I still hope that there's still light at the end of the tunnel, something  that I can look forward to, something that I will care for like my new friends that I met this summer, and something that is truly worth dying for.....'til next summer!

"Shelter" (2008): Movie Pick of the Month

Just to satisfy my craving for gay-themed movies, I pulled Shelter out of my growing torrent movie collection and gave it a try. Although a bit predictable, an opinion which I share with other bloggers who already put their eyes on this film, the story and the acting are both compelling and remarkable indeed. Set in Southern California, Shelter is the story of Zack (Trevor Wright), an artist who is torn between his family responsibilities and  his dream of entering an art school to hone his skills. After his mother died, he decided to take control of his family by supporting his ill father and her sister, who is a single mom to his nephew, Cody, financially through working on low-paying jobs. But everything changed when he was reunited with his bestfriend's gay brother, Shaun (Brad Rowe), who came in to find remedy to a witer's block. As the story goes, the two protagonists developed their relationship from surfing buddies to a romantic relationship that put Zack's predicament to a different level. He have to deal not only with his domestic anxieties but also to the reality that surrounds his sexuality. Compared to Brokeback Mountain's "gay cowboy lovers", Zack and Shaun left a different kind of impression to me: sweet yet compelling story of two gay lovers who have brought the audience the perpetual value of personal choice, liberty, family, independence, love, and happiness. Furthermore, the light and relaxing backdrop of the movie allows closet gays (like me) to come into terms with reality while watching the film and eventually realize that genuine happiness can really be achieved by following our hearts' desires no matter how absurd they are in the eyes of the public. This movie has provided a 'shelter' for those confused guys like me who feel as if the world, still in the bondage of homosexual discrimination, is not the best place to come out and show our real identity. Without a doubt, this is one of the most unforgettable and inspiring pink movies I have ever watched so far. To all Trevor Wright fans out there, count me in! I couldn't get enough of Shelter until now. Perhaps this is the "aftertaste" of a good movie but Shelter is not a flawless one. However, its simplicity is what strikes me the most and that is enough to give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

"Orosa-Nakpil, Malate: Gem of the Gay Subculture"

It was my first time to read a book that bravely touches one controversial aspect of our society. This book tells a story that deals with issues such as unconventional love, homosexuality, anal sex, and AIDS, all at the same time. But I didn't regret buying the book as far as the knowledge and eye-opening reality that I've gained from "Orosa-Nakpil, Malate" are concerned. Actually, the book's Tagalog version was first published last 2007 but it was only recently that I had the courage to take it out of the bookstore shelf, this time in it's new English version. I don't have the prerogative to make comparisons because I haven't read the Tagalog version yet, but based on Gangcuangco's recent version, I could say that his book can be regarded as a modern gem of pink literature. It's a story that will make you cry and will teach essential information about AIDS at the same time. I could say that the execution of the story was done in such a way that the readers will feel for the characters and eventually, will heed the author's call to stay safe against the infection which  has been linked to the BPO industry these days. Although some may sense a bit of predictability on the first few pages of the book, the story would eventually reveal certain twists and turns that makes "Orosa-Nakpil, Malate" a different kind of gay love story. This book has a captivating story that will make anyone cry and ask for more, regardless of sexual orientation. And like Brokeback Mountain, "Orosa-Nakpil, Malate" provides readers a simple glimpse to the bittersweet life of homosexuals, showing all the struggles, sorrows, and tragedies of a typical Filipino gay living within a harshly conservative society. For your convenience, I included some book infos from the author itself courtesy of one of my favorite Filipino blogs, Manila Gay Guy:


Synopsis: Dave is a young medical student who frequently goes to Malate. In Barn, a bar that houses a dark room, he meets the men who entangle him in a web of love, vengeance, and sex.

Louie Mar Gangcuangco, the author

        From the author, Louie Mar Gangcuangco: I wrote the story two years ago, when I was just seventeen. What inspired me to write the novel? It’s a monosyllabic word many people fail to understand – love.
         This is a tough confession. At sixteen, I have been splurging my extra  cash inside Malate’s premiere gay places. For more than half a year, I have had whirlwind love affairs that most lasted for barely two weeks. But things changed when I met him.
       We met at Bath. Ooh… I still remember how gorgeous he was. His eyes were hazelbrown. The way he looked at me was tempting. His physique was really sexy. But what hit me was his personality. His was unique. His was matchless wit. Best of all… He knows how to speak French.
       I loved him with all my heart. Twice we went out on dates that went more than the casual chitchat and dinner. We ate a lot. So much that even our souls took part in the banquet. I sacrificed so much for him, but after he grew tired of my youth, all he did was to brand me a “nuisance.
      That December afternoon, I cried over the phone, telling him how rude it was of him to treat me like trash. We met and he apologized. But the pain he caused me made me sit in front of my laptop. And words kept flowing on and on. The keyboard ticked… lagatakatak… for three long months until the third draft of the then-called “Orosa-Nakpil, Malate: Isang Kasaysayan ng Pag-Ibig, was created.
      Nine months seem like batting an eyelash. “Orosa-Nakpil, Malate:Isang Kasaysayan ng Pag-ibig matured into “Orosa-Nakpil,Malate Pagkagat ng Dilim and is finally released with a shorter title, “Orosa-Nakpil, Malate.
     “Orosa-Nakpil, Malate was evaluated by Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, the former Secretary of Health; Dr. Valenzuela from PGH; Prof Leano from UP College of Medicine; and Dr. Destura from the National Institues of Health.

"NMAT: The Verdict"

I just learned my NMAT result yesterday, earlier than I expected (CEM informed us during the exam that the electronic copy of the NMAT result would be posted 10 working days after the exam on their website), and up until now, I've been brooding about what the heck has happened to my score. I prepared so much for the exam to get an 85+ that might have given me a chance to receive a possible scholarship or if I was lucky enough, a 90+ percentile rank that might have pushed me one step closer to my dream of entering UPCM (UP College of Medicine), which is every aspiring doctor's dream, I suppose. However, things really happen for a reason and in my case, destiny betrayed my own plans and timing. I got a 72 percentile rank, which means that I belong to the upper 28% of those who took the test last April and 72% scored lower than me. Good enough for me to enter most of the medical schools in the metro but not good enough to get me a scholarship or enter my dream school.

           I've always been told that it's better to aim for perfection but miss it rather than aim for imperfection  and achieve it. It's one good proverb that has molded my attitude towards 'aiming high'. However, people often overlook the fact that 'aiming high' is also about taking risk, and more often than not, people become frustrated and devastated if they didn't meet their expectations. True enough, 'aiming high but expecting less' is one good strategy to avoid self-devastation from an unmet expectations. Perhaps God wants me to take a bird's eye view of the situation and find for myself the next step I'm going to take from here. Maybe Medicine is not for me or this is not yet the right time for me to pursue such profession. I'm currently planning to retake NMAT this April and take my review and preparation to a higher level. I'm really desperate to at least get a scholarship because I'm not an "anak ng Diyos" (rich kid) to just leave this as it is and not do anything to alleviate my parents' financial burden just in case I'm going to pursue Med right after my graduation. And if upon trying the second time and I stumble again, I will just take it as nature's way of telling me that I'm taking the wrong path in life. Maybe that's how life really goes. But for me, NMAT is just a requirement and will not define a person's real intelligence or wisdom. If I will base it on my own goal and expectation, there will be no doubt that I really failed the exam. But life is not about winning all the time. I will try my luck again and maybe next time, God will really give what my heart desires. As for now, I will stick to another essential maxim of life: Winners never quit, and quitters never win.

"NMAT: The Aftermath"

De La Salle University: the NMAT site

I couldn't describe the intensity of my emotions the moment I woke up the morning of April 11, 2010 and suddenly realized that I was about to take NMAT, which I spent more or less a month to have a good grasp of. However, the anxiety didn't rob me of my sanity and I was able to tread forward to Dela Salle-Taft with so much excitement that almost overshadowed my apprehensions, thanks to the mantras I had used to kick off any tendencies of anxiety attack like "I can do this", "I'm good enough to make it", and "God is with me all the time". With confidence and faith on my pocket, I went straight to the testing site 30 minutes ahead of the 7:00 A.M. start time. As expected, the proctors didn't comply to the start time and left me along with the other examinees ample time to prepare our morale for the inevitable battle of the brains. On my part, I took it as an opportunity to relax and survey the scene around me. There were a lot of students and graduates from all over the country who went there for the sole purpose of finding if they will make or break it on the NMAT, which one of the major requirements that medical schools require from students/graduates who dream of becoming a doctor. Until then, I hadn't realized that I was really not alone in this predicament of RN-to-MD transition. Maybe it's just so rare in my case to find someone who shares the same interests as I have. Going back on the NMAT, we started it with so much vigor and enthusiasm and ended feeling exhausted, and overly drained of brain glucose. Part 1 was quite confusing and amusing at the same time (especially the perceptual acuity part) although I ended up randomly shading most of the items of the quantitative part due to the time constraint. I remember how most of the people who already took the exam emphasized about time management especially on the first part which has an allotted time of 3 hours for the 200-item exam. True enough, time is of the enemy especially if you're not a fast reader and a quick thinker. For the Part 2 of the exam, which we took after lunch, I consider Biology and Sociology as the easiest while Physics and Chemistry the hardest, which caused me stiff neck after straining my neck muscles trying to solve items I haven't encounter either from my classes in college or during my intensive self-review. In general, NMAT is an exam that highlights the basics but will not assure you a good place in the medical school of your interest. There is still the interview process that is school-specific that you have to overcome and of course, your GPA really matters a lot. However, NMAT is not the end-of-it-all exam that will promise you a successful career both in medical school and on practice; resiliency is still the key. That's why after I took the exam, I took a deep breath to render comfort to myself and temporarily withdraw myself from the stresses of the exam, the results of which will be posted after 10 working days on their site: http://nmat.cem-inc.org.ph/cem_nmat/default.aspx. After all, NMAT is not the only gauge of one's knowledge or wisdom. I only view it as a preparation and a mere pre-requisite, no more, no less.

"The Alchemist" and the Success Formula

              "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."- -These are the words that immortalizes the power of dreams and of the supreme influence that "The Alchemist" has rendered to all of its readers around the globe. Lucky enough, I got the opportunity to plunge into the magic world of "The Alchemist" after I purchased it a week ago. I already read a lot of reviews regarding the book's content before I actually got hold of it, and most of them labelled the book as "inspiring" and "life-changing". Out of curiosity and an extreme need for inspiration, I bought the book and finished the whole thing within three days. In general, the flow and the theme of the story make the book quite engaging to read, not mentioning the lessons that one will digest after reading this Paulo Coelho masterpiece. It's the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreamed about a treasure hidden in the Pyramids of Egypt. He was encouraged to follow his dreams by a gypsy woman and an old man who claimed to be the king of Salem, and who eventually gave him the two crystal stones , Urim and Thummim that would help him make a decision during his journey. Along the way, he was robbed of all his belongings which forced him to work for a crystal merchant for a year, where he learned the values of patience, taking risks, and of not giving up on one's dreams. After deciding to continue pursuing his dream, he met an Englishman who had been dreaming of meeting the alchemist, a 200 year-old man who has the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher's Stone , which can turn lead into gold. Someone told the Englishman that the alchemist lives within the Al-Fayoum oasis, the reason why he, together with Santiago, headed to the place through the caravan. There, Santiago met Fatima, a girl who captured his heart and almost hindered him in his journey towards the Pyramids, and the alchemist, who taught him a lot of lessons that led him towards realizing his Personal Legend. Santiago finally reached the Pyramids of Egypt and learned that his treasures can be found by going back to where he came from.
               "The Alchemist" is more of a parable rather than a serious novel that used simple, easy-to-understand writing without sacrificing the essence of its contents. Anyone will be engaged to Santiago's story because any normal person with a dream in his heart can identify to the character's frustrations, misgivings, doubts, apprehensions, pain, sacrifices, and sufferings that are natural elements that one should face if he's ready to die to achieve his dreams. We all have our own Personal Legend but most of the time, we set them aside because we fear that we don't deserve fulfilling our dreams or the path leading to it entails sacrifices that might hurt our loved ones and ourselves. However, "The Alchemist" teaches every one to take risks, focus on our dreams amidst all frustrations, and live in our present unrestrained by our past and uncontrolled by our future. It doesn't offer a complicated version of a success formula but it gives every one an opportunity to assess his/her dreams whether hidden or already realized and reminds all of us to not quit on this dreams no matter what because this is the one and only way to satisfy our souls. God gives us omens to follow which leads to our Personal Legends; It could be employment termination, rejections, death of a loved one, accidents, or any negative events that are completely devastating to a normal person but for the Supreme Creator of all things, these are the events that will help us realize the real path that we should take in our life. These are the things that the book has taught to me. Thank God, I met "The Alchemist".
              As a tribute to this life-changing masterpiece, I have listed the most unforgettable and essential quotation I encountered while reading the book. I hope anyone who will read these will somehow experience spiritual uplift like what I have experienced from "The Alchemist".






• "It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."


• "It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them."


• "At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."


• "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."


• "We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand."


• "Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now."


• "God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees."


• If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve in the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves His children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity."


• "It's not what enters men's mouths that's evil, It's what comes out of their mouths that is."


• "Wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure."


• "People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."


• "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."


• "Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor's being severely tested."


• "When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed."


• "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."