Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day, Kababayans!

It was all about freedom- freedom from the hands of the colonizers, freedom from bondage, freedom from oppression, freedom of expression. But to this day and age, some 111 years after that fateful day, it still is about freedom and we are still clamoring for it. It may seem like our freedom is no longer severely restricted or the appearance of our "imprisonment" may have changed over the years but freedom is still just but a dream- Freedom from poverty, freedom from corrupt officials, freedom from poor governance, freedom from unjust structures and freedom from ignorance, among others.

Like our heroes of the past, lets us speak up and fight for our rights and beliefs! Let's claim the Liberty that is rightfully ours, as a nation and as a people! Mabuhay and Pinoy! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

On a personal note, I would also like to celebrate and be grateful for the liberty that I have always enjoyed. the full dominion over my private life. I am just more than glad that I always have the liberty to be my own person, to exercise the freedom to choose what I want in life and to decide accordingly, the freedom to believe in something that is greater than Life and the Universe itself, the freedom to love, to laugh, to cry, to learn and to dream, the freedom to express myself and the freedom to improve and enhance my life as I would want it to be, not based on other people's whims, unreasonable rules and unfair demands and expectations.

Freedom is something that I can not live without for when in chains, what is there to live for?

Dubai Terminal 3 - A Destination in Itself

Happy Daddy's Day!

They say that any man can be a father but it takes a special person to be a dad. My dad is not perfect, but to me and to my two siblings, he is certainly special.

He and I have never been that close ever since but I know that he is greatly responsible for who I am and for what I have become.

I know that I took after him when it comes to vanity because like me, my dad is super vain. But aside from that, I know that I grew up with his values engraved deep in my heart. Like me, dad is also laid-back but he has provided well for his family, with the help of mom of course, and is generous to all us.

He never fails to make us feel protected and sheltered by his care and his love. He always makes sure to pass on words of wisdom to guide us through life. And even if we often disagree, he and I, he has never been controlling and has never made unfair and unreasonable demands from me.

That’s why I want to thank him for the love, support, guidance and the friendship. I thank him for being the rock that gives me a secure foundation and for being the wings that enable me to soar high.

I may seldom say this, but I am truly grateful that God has sent us a hero whom we call dad. And I pray that he will be blessed with more strength and faith to withstand the tests of life. I especially pray for good health and peace of mind. I pray the he will be blessed with a lot more time to be with us, his grandchildren and his friends!

We Love you, Daddy! Happy Father’s Day!

Getting Hit On

Women usually don't like getting hit on. Do I hear an objection? Well then, maybe there is an exception. I guess there are women, and am not saying all, who may have low self-esteem, are already attached to someone for years on end, are old or pregnant that might just actually feel flattered when a guy hits on them. And who wouldn't be if it has been a long time since she last got a compliment? But I guess its safe to assume that generally women don't like it. It is just so annoying, unless of course the guy is really irresistible and a Brad Pitt look-a-like. But even so I , personally would prefer that he would not hit on me. It's just so cheesy and sleazy. I would rather that he shows real interest in me first as a person and not as a woman whom he can get into bed with. Talk about respect. Well, that's just me.

So what exactly is a guy's intention when hitting on a girl? I don't think that he would hit on a girl with the primary aim and hope that she falls in love with him, right? In fact, I would say that it's the last thing on his mind. He usually would just want to have fun and if luck is on his side, he would also very gladly want to end up in her pants as well without going through the usual drama and commitment thing. That's why it's so sleazy and annoying! But how can you tell that a guy is already hitting on you? And how thin is the line between an honest compliment and plain flattery?

In my search for answers, I tried googling " How to tell if a guy is hitting on you" and this is what I got: well, it depends on the guy. Some will compliment you often, even if you think that what he's complimenting doesn't deserve a compliment. If you're with your friends, and he only focuses on you, then that's a perfect sign.

Whoa! That's it? That is taking it so lightly, if I may say so! It does not even sound so serious and definitive enough to me to warrant or justify this bothersome feeling of unease and discomfort. And it is highly likely that it can still easily be mistaken as just PURE and simple admiration and thus can be totally ignored and dismissed as such.

I had my fair share of a few guys hitting on me and they usually were very aggressive than that. There was even this crazy old guy, a senior citizen, much to my dismay, who once stalked me for like a year or so. How repulsive is that? And there was this one seemingly nice guy I met several times at gatherings, that at first I refused to admit that he was already hitting on me, for both our sakes. He seemed like someone whose company I would have enjoyed if only he was not coming on to me. Although I did not like it one bit, I also did not want to confront him. Its' not an easy thing after all and besides NO guy will ever welcome a rejection no matter how nicely you deliver it. And I did not want to risk the possibility of making an enemy out of him. So I just let things be and was in denial for a short while. I even offered myself some excuse of not being sure yet if he was just being too friendly or has already crossed beyond the line, although deep down I already knew that he was actually more than being friendly especially by my own standards. And then he started calling me names of endearment that made me cringe every time. And even during a very casual conversation, he would not let the chance of openly saying that he misses me slip off. And he would also drop compliments like I look HOT in a dress that is not even considered as revealing nor sexy. And to top it all off, he can't seemed to keep his hands off me! He even boldly asked if he could kiss me!!! That was the last straw. It was too much already. Enough of this trashy game. I had to tell him to stop or he would think that it's okay for me when it actually is not! But how do I tell him off and still allow him to save his face?

Some people might say that I am giving this too much thought than necessary or I am taking this whole thing too seriously or I am making a big fuss out of it. But I truly believe that it is just fitting for me to speak up and let the guy know how I feel lest he thinks that I enjoy his flirtation because I was allowing myeslf to take it. And besides if I don't say something as early as possible then he will keep on doing it and will certainly even expect me to give in soon and it would already be too late to say no. And he will then think I have led him on all along only to turn him down in the end. He will think that I am such a huge tease. But who wants to be called a tease? Not me!

Along with this resolve to tell him off as soon as possible, was the need to examine myself and try to re-evaluate my actions. Did I do something to invite him to flirt with me? Did I give him the impression that I am interested in him in the same way that he was interested in me? Maybe somewhere along the way he misunderstood something that I said or did and took it as more than what it truly is. I think that it is also important to observe and look into one's self rather than put the blame and judgment entirely on the guy. I think that it is the mature way of dealing with this kind of thing and it would also help me to understand the whole situation and perhaps come up with corrective actions and certainly it would also help me decide on how to deal and confront the guy. I realized I may have sounded too eager and too friendly perhaps. Maybe that was it. Sadly some guys will just take advantage of that.

It was not difficult to find the opportunity to tell him off since he did not waste time and was always flirting with me at every chance he got. But the actual telling him was not easy though. But I had to do it just the same. There was no other way. I told him that I find his advances bothersome and he makes me uncomfortable and I hope that he will stop doing so and asked him to try to understand my being straightforward. But unfortunately, no matter how politely and nicely you say it, they will always take offense. It's an ego thing after all. And most guys have pretty huge egos! As expected he was wounded and hurt and did not take it so nicely. So it's the price that I have to pay. But does it matter anymore? I realized that if he can not respect how I feel and can not accept a rejection then I should not feel sorry that I lost his friendship after all.


Tips on how to say NO to the guy who is hitting on you :

1. Make it clear that you are not interested or are not finding the comments flattering. Use this only with a co-worker. It may cause problems if you tell a customer off.
2. Thank the giver for the compliment and walk away. This sends the signal that you are not interested. Again, use this only with co-workers.