Not So Clean and Clear

Random girls have been bugging me on Facebook chat since last week. With only a few weeks to go before the beginning of classes, I cannot quite comprehend why they send links that have something to do with Facebook Apps. By virtue of the way they interrupt the smooth flow of my web browsing, I have a valid reason to neglect their requests.

But, hell. OK. Curiosity got the better part of me. Finally, I decided to see under the mantelpiece, and undercover their motives accounting to their modus operandi. Not surprisingly, I found out that these girls joined an online contest. If I’m not mistaken, this contest has something to do with popularity and (you guessed it) vanity. FB users are given the option to vote for their favorites every 24 hours. And that’s it. Being an internet sensation is just a click away.

Though I have nothing against it, self advertisement is not a good idea. If you really have what it takes to win, people will flock to the Clean and Clear App and resurrect you to the top spot. Identifying “friendship” as the lone reason why you receive votes is like the sound of scraping finger nails down a blackboard: it’s bad. After all, isn’t it more overwhelming to see strangers vote for you than to know your friends support you?

You won. Now what?

NOYNOY got the sympathy votes, ERAP got the popularity votes, and GIBO/GORDON got the intelligent votes. Unfortunately, there are only few intelligent voters nowadays.

My greatest fear transpired yesterday. Noynoy snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to secure another Aquino slot in the list of Philippine presidents. Not that I’m an advocate of  ”Anti-Noynoy Campaign.” In fact, in the spirit of democratic centralism, I respect the decision of the majority of the Filipinos who voted for him.

I guess “skeptical” is the right term. I’m one of the Filipinos whose trusts have not yet won by Noynoy. It’s hard to hand things over to someone who hasn’t done anything yet. I quote, “Walang OJT sa Malacañang.” True enough, experience elicits trust and destroys qualms.

Sen. Aquino, this is not a discouragement; take this as a challenge. You have six years (or less) to prove us wrong. Good luck.

Happy 12th Birthday, Rosjon!

Ross Jonathan G. Nuguid

Happy 12th Birthday, Brother!

I miss you. It’s been five years since we last saw each other and a certain part of me yearns for your presence everyday. I’m going to see you “there” when my time comes.

If I Were to Vote

As much as I want to participate in the upcoming election, I cannot vote because of my age. I’m still a minor, all right. But that doesn’t mean that I cannot voice my opinions out. Though my one vote, supposedly, cannot be counted, I can still ride another vehicle to exercise my right to be heard. So, if I were 18, I would go for the following persons:

President: Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro

Vice President: Jejomar “Jojo” Binay

Senators:

• Adel Tamano
• Pia Cayetano
• Risa Hontiveros

I won’t justify the reasons why I’d go for them because  the reasons are very obvious, anyway.

Of Heroes and Horses

This is a little trivia I got from OMG Facts.

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.

A Statue of a Person who Died in Battle

If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died from battle wounds.

A Statue of a Person who Died from Battle Wounds

If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

A Statue of a Person who Died of Natural Causes

Memories on the Swing

Memories on the Swing

For every moment that is passing by*
I remember what we’ve been last July
I can’t forget, no matter how I try
“When will I move on?” I ask the sky.

We used to sit on this swing together
With our destinies bonded forever
And I said at the end of my tether:
“Please be my future children’s mother!”

But life is a wind we cannot direct
Full of challenges that we won’t detect
You got ill with something you can’t deflect
Just because cancer was the real suspect.

Yet you tried to fight the disease away
On this very swing, we faced doomsday
Our days turned from colorful into gray
And then two months later, you passed away.

A year passed since you entered God’s Mansion
Still, I’m on this swing in seclusion
And now, I promise with all my passion
Your memories won’t be in oblivion.

RJGN

* The first line is from “Long Lost Times” by Perilous Harpy.

Jejemon

Friendster Silhouette

In the not-so-olden days of Friendster, many of us fell victim to the hype of creating our very own public profiles. The thought was exciting, and the course of action easy. Sign up for 30 seconds, customize your profile, add friends, and presto! You’re now a member of the network equipped with a goal to build connections and for some, to stand out.

It’s a tacit rule that “popularity” was dictated by the number of your testimonials, comments, and friends (whether real-life or fake). And so, every public profile was prone to receiving odd, spam-like comments asking for a drop-by message to be posted on their pages. Here’s an example:

A Typical Testimonial

For a good while, these statements dominated the world of Friendster, which was quite forgivable. I was a member of this modus operandi, too. But what I can’t tolerate beyond extraordinary measures is the existence of  ”individuals with low IQs who spread around their idiocy on the web by tYpFing LyK diZS jejejeje, making all people viewing their profile raise their eyebrows out of annoyance.” (Urban Dictionary)

I’ve encountered some of these infuriating inDiVidUaLzS since the start of my online odyssey, and it’s a sad fact that their gang still continue to prevail up to now.

However irritating, I’d never come to delve further into their nature, let alone know what they’re called until yesterday. A tweet from my close friend informed me that these individuals are called “Jejemons.” Upon further research, I learned that they are taking up Bachelor of Arts in Jejetyping, and most of them are ardent devotees of their written posts.

Below is an example of a “Jejetyped” blog post.

CAUTION: For educational purposes only. If you’re having a bad day, don’t make it worse by clicking “Show” below. But if you still want to proceed, then let me warn you that 90% of individuals suffer from headache after reading this.

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Just a friendly reminder. They’re not just on Friendster. They’re everywhere. So, beware.

A Tweet Deicated to Jejemons