LUST.

 (This photo is from an Aerosmith Album called Young Lust.)

 

The round bosom of a woman, the plump ass of a man, the physique of both genders, and the body language that transcends through the highly sexualized character of contemporary culture all clothe the deadly sin known to be as lust. 

Different views and definitions have been expressed, and some vindictive pundits still admit that their ideas on the subject are still half-baked. But needless to say, people have formulated their own dictionary on LUST.

Some say it is often mistaken for love wherein enticement is usually paired with. Some say it is the desire, the intense craving of the flesh in a raunchy manner. 

Simon Blackburn, a philosopher, defines lust as “the enthusiastic desire, the desire that infuses the body, for sexual activity and its pleasures for their own sake.” 

It may be through direct contact or perceptions developed through vivid imagination. A man or a woman may engage in intercourse, not out of love, but only to satisfy their pleasure of meeting the peak of their “excitement” that seem to fluctuate every now and then. Or they may find pleasure through erotic images they may visualize everywhere — from the media to their current location while reading this. 

Lust is furtive, usually lacking self-control and discipline. Now, sex drives much of our entertainment, advertising, and cultural conversation. 

People often sing songs with connotative meaning, suggesting acts not usually accepted by the used-to-be conservative world. 

Furthermore, we believe that necessity is the mother of invention and we now see advertisements on Viagra, virginity restoration, bust and nipple cream, adult toys for men and women, the stimulating vibrator, the enlarger, and the sex ring that seem to belong to the basic needs right now, and all of these enthuse most to please the unnatural desire. 

Lastly, sex just seems to be an over-a-cup-of-coffee topic that anyone can discuss, may he or she be young or old. 

It was said that temperance was designed to limit lust, but lust appears to have gained the upper hand now. Lust is sinful precisely to the extent that sexual desire and passion are stripped from this moral context. It is in contrast with love, which uses compassion over passion. It is the satisfied emotion unassociated with love. Finally, it is the term that is now analogous with the modern sketch of just being horny

 

Where Art Thou Adam?

 (An SSP2 assignment that drove me berserk!)

       

The thought of coming from apes was not, after all, the end of the shocking discoveries science could make in its mind-boggling search for the creation of man. Now, it brings us back to the story of the Garden of Eden to find the father of all human beings — Adam.

          So do we share the same ancestor? Three of the greatest religions on Earth —Christianity, Islam, and Judaism — believe that society started with one man. So science wants to create a “genetic time machine” to prove this stupendous claim, and that is through the DNA. This genetic material is said to consist of ancestral identity, saying that it stays almost constant in all with a virtually unchanged Y-chromosome, which all sons inherit from their fathers.

          The process of actually tracing the family tree seems almost impossible! With the world population estimated to be 6, 602, 224, 175, would this experiment be feasible? What are the chances that we are really related now that family trees have probably entangled due to “cross breeding”?

          As science continues to branch into further specific studies, knowledge has become more complex, sometimes almost difficult to understand and believe. But somehow, this attempt bridges the layman’s comprehension and the scientists’.

           To start the Genographic Project, Spencer Wells began with a simple methodology of traversing the world to get people to be used as “human specimens”. Wells and his group would swab cotton in the mouth to get cheek cells, and then bring back the samples to the laboratory to be studied and traced if they really do have a common ancestry.

           Amazingly, when this experiment was performed in San Francisco, USA, two out of four people, who are Mongolians, really do have a common ancestor— Genghis Khan. But why do most Mongolians believe that they came from this infamous warrior? History says that during the Khan dynasty, he dominated vast lands and took women as captives, and therefore might have taken them as sex slaves and they reproduced. And since then, scientists have gone to different places to trace the Scientific Adam.

            Adam has probably fathered billions, but the Bible gives no descriptions of what he looks like, even Eve. The Bible is a book of faith, not of forensics, so why waste time? Moreover, what are the chances that he is one of those “apes” linking man to the monkeys?

          Aside from the Mongolians believing that they are descendants of Genghis Khan, an Ethiopian Royal family also believes that they came from the bloodline of King Solomon, another descendant of Adam. A family member agreed to be part of the experiment, but wanted to remain anonymous. His result mapped out a Middle Eastern lineage.

          As of the findings scientists have made, there are three birthplaces of humankind, namely Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Although it has been narrowed down into three, these pieces of land are still too vast to actually dig pieces to fit the puzzle of human ancestry. Although the possibilities that we all came from the same lineage are big, the potentials of tracing it up to Adam gives an air of implausibility. Moreover, cultures have intermingled through history. For example, some of the traders who had navigated their way to almost all the directions of the map have had sex with the natives, and later on gave birth to their children. True enough, family trees have become so complicated, branching out to marriages between different nationalities, and bearing children of mixed backgrounds.

          But would people agree that somehow they are linked to the “deadliest person alive”? That would seem a better and more favorable linkage than having something to do with the apes! Would “mortal enemies” also agree that they are related? That perhaps would make Earth as peaceful as Eden once we have already found out that we are actually brothers and sisters. But then again, with the modern caste system evident in present the society, some might still refuse to believe that they are connected to the lower caste.

          With something as complicated as this, religion and science ironically seem to have converged in search for the Scientific Adam. It would be interesting to see Christians and Muslims at peace, but that would not probably happen until hell freezes over! 

The Advice, Ritual, and Drama for Math

Studying away from my hometown gives me the feeling of “homesickness”. Constantly, I think of my family and my friends, and that they are the primary reasons why I want to go back every now and then. Well, that is just the case for most freshmen in college. I am three hours away from home and sometimes I just cannot go because of many reasons and one of them is what most students dread: exam.

I must admit that I am not as good as others in my high school most especially when it comes to mathematics. I not only feared the numbers that I try to solve, but I cringe at the thought of what my score would be. I mean, it was probably the sole reason why I could not budge the lady who owned the top honor in class. Her average was way beyond mine, and with that, I accepted my fate as the second best in the batch. In addition to that, I always thought that I was procrastinating! And I do not know why. Every time there was a math exam, I come as if unprepared despite hours spent, studying. Numbers were really bugging me day in, day out. I did not have as much a problem with my other subjects and I considered math as my number one enemy, wondering what the purposes (of line graphs, variables, and numbers that can increase or decrease exponentially) could be in life.

But now that I am in college, I appreciated my high school for bombarding me with math lessons concerning basic and advance algebra, statistics, trigonometry, geometry, accounting, and even calculus! It is as if math came to me as a review now, especially in my first semester as a freshman. And I am now happy because finally, I constantly held the top position during math exams. What an achievement!

But then, the down side of this is that I usually cannot go home, because its exam is always scheduled late in the afternoon, and I do not travel by night because I think it is too dangerous. But my accomplishments in the subject felt like being able to breathe after a long time of keeping air in. It is as if I finally inhaled oxygen! Or the feeling is tantamount to eating the best of Chinese cuisine, and being able to savor the different flavors in the dish after a long period of suffering from fever and colds, which disabled the function of my taste buds. 

A lot of people asked me what I did, but I really am not the type of person who is too keen to give pieces of advice or tips, but due to my “unrelenting success”, I thought of it twice and decided to give it a go. I must say that there is a technique that I try to do when it comes to Algebra and a series of steps may help others too to improve their problem on numbers. 

First, it is a must for a student to memorize not only various formulas and steps, but also the multiplication table. Calculators may be banned in the exam, and solving manually may take time! Everything must start from here because without knowing this, one may have difficulty in answering Algebra as it involves a lot of multiplication.

Second, learn how to copy what the teacher says or writes on the board, especially examples he uses and steps shown on how to arrive to the correct answer. These shall be useful as one study for an exam. Therefore, he or she must from now on, listen in class. This is important because learning from other sources can be mind-boggling! 

And third, your notes would be useless if you are not going to utilize it. Practice can prepare anyone for the exam. It can be done by trying to solve examples on your own through the problems you have taken down. Do not cheat. Go through all your lessons, and do not skip. Concentrate. When one has finally understood the flow of solutions, I must say that he or she is already prepared for the big E.

But all of these will go to waste if one is not relaxed before the big day. In order for this not to happen, I follow a sort of ritual before I take the math exam. It starts the day before the test.  

It is a prerequisite for me to be able to sleep at least eight hours a day so that I will not fall asleep, as it is my prevention against mental block! I just close my eyes until I yawn and situate myself in my most comfortable sleeping position. 

After waking up from slumber, I must take a good breakfast, but I go slowly on carbohydrates as science has proven that they can make one’s mind not alert and may fall asleep. I do not want that to happen while I am taking my exam! Instead, I munch more on proteins. 

After eating, I do the usual stuff in the bathroom. And then, when I am about to leave, I do not forget to bring with me menthol candies, and a calculator just in case my professor permits us to use it. And oh, I also bring my own writing instruments as borrowing from others could take a lot of time. 

When I arrive at the venue, I review formulas and important procedures I believe I am most likely to forget. And when the time comes for the exam, I whisper a prayer to God, to cast away all my anxieties before answering. 

Now the first thing I do after receiving the test paper is to take a deep breath, at least twice just to shove off the nervousness.  And then, I go over at the test paper; looking for items I may not understand or read. If ever I find one, I consult the teacher right away. 

After that, I start solving step by step, but as fast as I could. I first use a pencil when answering so I can still erase when I make a mistake and just rewrite them with a ballpoint pen after I am through. I seldom use shortcuts too because they might confuse me, unless I have really mastered the technique. But I do not force myself to answer a number I cannot solve. Instead, I skip and go back to it once I am through with the rest.

After solving the last problem and making sure that I have rewritten what I have to using a ball pen, I review by seeing to it that each item has an answer. After doing so, I try to check if I had the correct solution per item. If I am short of time, I only check the parts of the tests, which contain big points. 

After the exams are through, I celebrate! I treat myself with food, or just a fun day at the arcade. When the results have finally come out, you, like me, might want to follow a procedure when you saw that you topped math. This is what I call “the Drama for Math”.

First, to guarantee that I have really topped math (the next steps may not be applicable to you if you did not top the exam), I go to the room early, when nobody is still there to intrigue me about my success. 

After confirming, I go back to the dorm and dress appropriately for the applause I will hear later on in class. Well, that is aside from the congratulatory remarks I will get from my classmates. 

Then, as soon as I get back to the place, I act normal as if I did not know about the result. If you have plans on doing this drama, which I strongly suggest that most people do, do not show the slightest expression that you know the result. Be humble, even if you know you cannot! The teacher shall be the official one to say in class about my achievement. I do not believe what my classmates are saying. In fact, I treat them like liars. And when the result has finally been announced, this is the time I ask them for forgiveness like a sinner who repents for his sins and for not believing. 

But before I apologize, I make sure that I first had made an act. Sometimes I try to be crazy by laughing hard, or a dramatic actor by showing that tears are indeed falling from my eyes. But if I do not feel like doing any of those, I portray the show business personalities interviewed on television, and say “no comment.” But this actually depends on my mood, so make sure that when you do this, listen to what your frame of mind tells you to do. After all, it would be easier to dramatize. 

And finally, when everyone has received his or her test paper, I do not compare. Why? How would you feel if someone tries to recheck your exam, and if they are lucky enough, they may find mistakes that can be deducted from your score? I would be mad as a cow! Instead, when someone borrows, I make my reply more meaningful by first, bowing my head, to the right so it will look a little dramatic. Then, I raise my hand with my fist open, and slowly, I bring each finger close to the palm, except my index finger, which shall remain standing. And then, I move the said finger to the right, and then to the left. And say, “no way”.

It is but natural for the person to get angry, but I rather stay calm. They cannot force me if I do not want to!  A lot of people got mad at me because of this, but I did not care. I just do not want people to scrutinize my paper. Furthermore, I feel it is an invasion of privacy especially when someone reads your paper without permission. 

Well, after the exam and the results, usually, there is nothing left for me to do but to go home. This is what I cared more about anyway! After all, taking my math exam was always the reason why I could not leave the dormitory premises. I immediately pack my stuff, making sure I have not forgotten any. I always could not contain my excitement because I cannot wait to share to my family and friends the unbelievable success I just had had. Moreover, I am excited of what their expressions may be. After packing, I sleep early to prepare myself for a long travel going back home. Once, when I finally got home, I told them what I have accomplished. It was such a great feeling when I informed them that I was a “topnotcher”! I felt like the best comedian of the Oscars because they ridiculously laughed at me for doing a stint just for an exam result! And so I chuckled too, thinking that they were laughing as an expression of happiness for my achievement. 

A Harry Potter thing

 

(Shall I continue or not? A debate whether JK Rowling should continue the franchise is in hot debate after the release of the supposed seventh and final book of the series. So should she continue it?) 

Life does not end after schooling, thus, J.K. Rowling must continue casting her spell by continuing the Harry Potter Series. The people are more than willing to read more of Harry’s adventures. Moreover, her fans, whether or not they liked the ‘final installment’, are still hungry for more.

Come to think of it, it has become a worldwide phenomenon. From the book, it has been depicted to a movie. And still, most people buy it! Amazingly, people have not stopped supporting the franchise. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince topped the best-seller lists of Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, but when the seventh book came, 7,000 pre-ordered copies overshadowed it. Statistically speaking, the Daily Telegraph reported that 10% of the British population is buying and reading ‘Harry Potter’. The same as through with the movie version as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ruled the Box- Office worldwide, putting Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter in the movie), the richest kid in the world right now.

Clearly, the interest of people on ‘Harry Potter’ is still strong. People have embraced the series, thus, adding another book, a life after the Wizarding School, may be enough to satisfy the clamor of the people.

Reading has become a healthy habit for children and adults alike. The nine million record held by the sixth book in the UK and US was broken by the seventh installment with 11 million copies sold. Moreover, many are encouraged to read the book since it has been turned into a movie.

With problems on finding a job surging, the Harry Potter series may also contribute to employment. With the demand increasing, the need for workers to help in publishing houses that distribute HP, like Scholastic and Bloomsbury, may also increase. Moreover, experts may also be needed in the movie version, for example, the wand director hired in HP5.

Since the demand for ‘Harry Potter’ is still high, both the publishing and movie houses can benefit from it as their income can soar higher than they can imagine. In the US alone, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 560, 000 copies during the first hour of its release – that is more than 150 copies purchased per second!

Not only does JK Rowling please the Potter readers, she also thrills the moviegoers. Furthermore, she can provide employment and increase the income of other people.

The books are about Harry’s development into a young man. Life does not end with school. It goes beyond that; even beyond the adventures had during schooling. She has got nothing to lose if she continues to write Harry Potter books. She even admitted through an interview with TODAY that there are other details she decided not to include in the last book. In addition to that, she mentioned that she purposely made the epilogue vague. Perhaps there is a need to clear things up by adding another book? After all, her fans are more than willing to support her, more than willing to read and watch more of Harry Potter magic! Ending it now seems to kill all the characters they have learned to love. In turn, death may just be the strangest ending of all.

As Mitch Albom

           

            (Great. Inspiring. Unforgettable. This write-up was done in one of my classes in college.)

           

           

I would wake up every Tuesday and begin traipsing the steps to the house of my professor after breakfast. He taught “The Meaning of Life” as a subject and his name was Morrie. Everything he shared in class was based from his experiences. Moreover, no grades were given, but I had oral examinations and one long paper to write on what I learned throughout the curriculum.

 I was made aware of a lot of things because of him, like paying attention was more important than almost everything people taught us in college. I had so much respect of the man. I valued his teachings and thought he was the father everyone wished they had. 

I once gave him a tan briefcase and he told me I was one of the good ones. I credit him for the success I have achieved — all due to the teachings of having a meaningful existence. 

The last class of my old professor’s life had only one student. I was the student and my name is Mitch.

Opposition: Hope for Progress?

 

(This photo is from dennisrito.blogspot.com.) 

 

“Siya ang aming iboboto dahil tinulungan niya kami noong kinailangan talaga naming ng pera kaya’t iboto mo na rin siya” was the statement a family friends of ours kept repeating during the last senatorial elections. We do not know if she was paid for what she was doing, but her campaigning actually did help and persuade some who were undecided and fickle-minded. While all these people got influenced and remained hopeful even in candidates they do not really believe in, they are making a grave mistake: They are unsure of whom they gave their precious one vote to. If only those who ran for the senate had no records of being wicked, then it would not be much of a problem. Now that the eleven senators have been proclaimed, these questions arise: “Were they worthy? Would these people help alleviate the crises present in our country?” 

So far, seven from the opposition ticket were proclaimed, namely: Loren Legarda, Chiz Escudero, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Villar, Noynoy Aquino, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Antonio Trillanes. There were also two each from the administration and independent candidates: Joker Arroyo and Edgardo Angara, and Kiko Pangilinan and Gregorio Honasan. Of course, it would be too early to say if they were worthy of their position. But basing from these facts, it is clear that majority came from the Genuine Opposition party. Does this mean that change will happen? Perhaps, yes. 

There is no use doubting their educational attainments and their other achievements. After hearing various predicaments in different regions in the archipelago, I believe that they are smart enough to incur change — a good one that is. But they are also humans; capable of making mistakes. But whatever blunders they make, we must give them a chance, thus, feeling they were worth the ink of the pen in the ballot. Change does not happen in an instant. Let us all hope these new senators can alleviate our problems.