School Pub Article

LOVE ACCORDING TO THE MASS MEDIA: Does it always have to be like that?

"It's us against the world!" Oh, the ever-popular line of teleserye protagonists! True to that statement, they are always bombarded with problems, with life-threatening events, and with people so determined to plot against their lives. These scenarios may be exciting on the silver screen and on the tube but should love always be like that?

Filipinos love drama. Honestly, without twists in a teleserye, will it ever be considered exciting? Some people (author included) who aren't thrilled and attracted to "Pinoy twists" -- which consists of "My family hates you", "We are Romeo and Juliet", "Bad-girl-gets-the-good-guy-through-her-michievous-actions", and the classic "You are adopted!" -- cannot anymore count the times they have screamed "What?! THAT plot again?! Okay, I had enough!" A viewer has the choice of turning off the TV when he/she thinks that the show is senseless. However, those who are really into "super dramatic" teleseryes can be affected by the themes shown on the shows.

One concept that is most often misrepresented on Philippine television is the idea of a love story. It's as if television shows relay the message that your relationship is not that strong once you and your special someone did not have the opportunity to survive from a hostage situation or escape from a building where a bomb was planted. It's funny and irritating at the same time. Here are other skewed ideas injected by script writers on love stories:

1.) It does not matter how old you are as long as you are in love. You are wise enough and people find it cute when they see young teen couples.

As I was browsing Facebook one day, I saw a post from a 12 year old girl that says "Baby, I love you and I'll never let you go. #You'remyeverything #Iloveyou #18forever". My first reaction was "Uhhhh..." Nowadays, it seems as though even young kids are starting to enter into romantic relationships thinking it is okay and it will not hurt them. I associate this effect on tweens to TVseryes that show what is popularly known as "young love". Take Princess and I, Luv U, and Tween Hearts as an example. In these shows, the young protagonists already have their own love stories and they are portrayed as blissfully happy, without problems, and without concern. They look like they are already going down the road of their "happy ever after". This fairy-tale idea influences kids' minds and they begin to think that having a premature love lives at a very early age would give them all the happiness in the world -- which, unfortunately, is not true.

2.) There will always be people plotting against you and the one you love. They are on a corner just waiting for a perfect time to prance at you.

This ingredient is ever present on primetime shows. The bitter antagonist could be a jealous ex-girlfriend, a possessive best friend, a relative who wants to bring you unhappiness. Whoever that is, a love story is always in for a surprise; evil is always lurking. Sometimes these scenes can make me ponder "Can a love story just be peaceful? Can it just be harmonious where there are no threats like this and where the couple can have the chance to be happy and where no one dies?" It is undeniable, the Romeo and Juliet element is still a huge hit to modern day stories but it's not healthy to be seen over and over again.

3.) "Affairs" are now "beautiful".

I'm sure it's not only me who noticed how love stories with "affairs" on their titles have graced the big screen and the local televisions. Scriptwriters have screamed "Eureka!" because they have finally found a plot that catches watcher's attentions. This is one of the most heartbreaking realities. The mass media has a great influence on citizens and what they show could influence those who see them. Instead of brainstorming for shows with positive topics to strengthen family, they expose the complete opposite: you can have an affair and you can be happy while you're in it, you can have sex before marriage and can be completely happy the morning after. These are sensitive topics that harm the whole concept of love. They should shun it and hate it. However, for the love of money, they do nothing about it.

Love is a beautiful thing. It is splendid and if respected, treated wisely and righteously, can bring complete bliss and felicity. Love gives hope despite of the problems. Love, in a right way, can bring a solution to a problem and not the problem itself. God is love, and love should mean happiness. In this world, the factors that contribute to the misconception of love is many and you can see them everyday on your television screens.

Although there are shows that carry with them a negative message, there are also shows that relay a comforting plot. Awful plots will always be there but we should be wise enough to know what to believe in and what to allow to get into our heads. Love is not created to be a means for sadness. It always brings hope. And there will always be a hope within my heart that the mass media won't completely forget it.

I'm not bored, just distracted, and I can learn to write again...

Hola, my long ignored blog.

It's been a long time since my last inspired entry and it quite frustrates me to realize that I am depriving myself of happiness that can only be derived from doing the things I love; writing being one of them. It's not that I don't allot a time in my day that is specially dedicated to writing -- I really want to post some blog entries as often as I want-- but every time I try to sit down in front of our computer, nothing worthy comes to mind. I don't want to call it writer's block, rather, I shall call it "writer's distraction". Because of the too many activities that I have to do (I am currently self-reviewing for the CPA Board Exams}, I would often say "I can't stay long here, I have to study Taxation!" or "This idea is great, but, it would take so much of my time. I  can't write this..." 

I know, I know. If I want to write, I should put my heart into it and devote some really serious piece of my 24-hours to type down some of my two cents. Gaaaah, I wish I can have a day where I'm free from any worries or responsibilities so I can have the luxury of writing anything I want any time of the day.

A Little Girl Enters the Gate

"Dressed in white once more, making promises to follow in God's way. So much lies in store for the little girl who enters at the gates..."

This year marked my saying goodbye to my lovely, intelligent, and ever-active primary students under the 3-7 years-old age group. Just this afternoon, Dane, my smartest Primary student, got baptized.

I spent the entire afternoon mourning over (this is an understatement) the bitter and unexpected loss of the San Antonio Spurs to the Miami heat. While I was trying hard to concentrate on my Accounting review materials, something kept telling me "You are forgetting something..." I tried to remember an important thing I was about to do but I couldn't recall any.

However, after giving up on trying to put my heart into studying, the remembrance of Dane's baptism struck my mind like thunder. I exclaimed "OH MY GOOOOOSH!!! Ma, ano oras gani baptism ni Dane?" My mom reminded me not to worry because the baptism's set to start at 5 PM. Fortunately, I was able to attend the ordinance and give a talk.

I am so thrilled of what lies ahead of Dane. She is such a sweet spirit and a very smart girl. I'm sure there's so much in store for her. I can remember the line from the song "What Heaven Sees in You" that goes "Do you understand who you are? Part of the Father lives in you. And if you continue on this path, every promise God has given will come true..." I am confident she will be able to stick to her standards and grow up to be a beautiful and virtuous young woman.

It's just amazing to know that despite of the fact that temptations and challenges among the youth today are getting scarier and subtler, the Lord never fails to provide the necessary things we need to combat them all. :)

The Guy in a Green Shirt

My dear friend, Bambi, often tells us "I still haven't met the person who can make my world stop". Although I know it happens in the movies, I am not really a believer of the claim that it happens in real life as well......................until this afternoon.

I'm not the kind of girl who's easily attracted to good-looking guys. I pride myself as someone who is a "substance over form" kind of person or, to be elaborate, someone who values a person's over all personality over mere physical beauty. I guess this afternoon kinda challenged me with that stand. :).

This afternoon, my best friend and I went to one of the snack-houses here in Binalbagan to treat ourselves with some siomai. There were already a number of people who were waiting for their orders when we came, so, we waited for quite a while for our turn. While waiting, I happened to turn my attention to the street and to the passing vehicles when Lo! A really-good looking guy in a green shirt and riding on a red bike (or motorcycle) passed by! Ladies and gentlemen, I absolutely don't have any idea what happened but it's as if I was starstruck and my eyes followed him till he was out of sight. Surprised with my self's reaction, I hurriedly asked my best friend "Did you see that guy? The one who passed by just now?!" Unfortunately, she was unable to spot the demi-god that I saw. But dang, I can't explain all the feels that hit me. I turned giddy and excited, and I was sad that I don't even know who he was. The guy who caught 100% of my attention; the guy, let us say, who made my world stop for 3 seconds. 

I don't know who he is; whether he is single, married, working, or still a student. I don't know if he's a local, or he's from the next town who just happened to pass by Binalbagan. Isn't it funny how a complete stranger can make someone feel like that? Though its an unfortunate fact that I won't meet him ever again (or maybe if i do meet him again in the future I'm not sure if I will still be able to recognize him), I am just thankful he made me realize that Bambi's claim that a certain person can make your world stop is indeed, after all, true. :)

It's More Fun To Teach!

I don't blame people when they give a semi "freaked out" reaction when I tell them I want to be a teacher once I pass the CPA Board exam. I can surely understand why.

Of course, most of them might be thinking "You can earn more by working in an auditing firm than in the academe!" Uhhhm, well, that is a fact that is completely undeniable but despite of the voracious saver that I am, I'm not always after the money. :).

I have observed that there is something special about teaching. Our Technical writing teacher once told us that though educators may have lesser compensation compared to those who work in the office, they have a much greater "salary" that is intangible: the love and respect of the students. I can attest to that. No amount of monetary rewards can overpower the "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" of the students every time they begin to understand what you are teaching them. Big dollar signs can make you proud for a short time but teaching can give you that lasting pure pride you take on yourself because you know you have inspired others and you have given to them a knowledge that is really useful in their lives.

Don't get me wrong; I am not, in any way, detesting the work in the office. When I will one day be a CPA, I will accept any job given to me that is connected with my field may it be in the office or the academe. And if I will not have the opportunity to teach students in my young days as a professional, I am sure I will one day return to the four corners of the classroom. For seriously, I am in love with the "ooohs" and "ahhhs" of enlightened students. :)

Les Miz Afternoon ♥

If you were my friend on Facebook, you might have observed that my recent posts are about this lovely, wonderful, extraordinary musical. This afternoon, my dream to watch this breathtaking creation on the silver screen came true! :)

Mama, Chini and I went to Bacolod to watch the movie adaptation of Les Miserables. The novel was absolutely beautiful and the movie did it justice. Les Miserables made me feel what it should make me feel. :).

I don't want to spoil you, guys, but I'm telling you! Your money will all be worth it. A friendly suggestion, though. Please bring some tissues with you. I bawled my eyes out throughout the duration of the movie.

Purple Shimmah!

We always have that one thing we own but we don't know what to do with it. That lip gloss that was forgotten when another one was bought; the 10,000 pens inside your bag; that alcohol you always miss to use because the food's too tempting to mind. In my case, it would be an eye shadow duo with shades of purple and sky blue.

It's Tata's birthday gift to me and it has been sitting on my kit for 8 months already. I cannot find a special occasion where I can use those colors because I'm afraid it might not complement the color of my skin very well (you see, I'm morena).

Had I known I'm wrong, I would have used it often.

This day I decided to give those shades a try. I told myself "They're bold colors but they can still be useful". I decided to create a simple evening look. Here's what I did:

I believe this look is appropriate to wear during the evening. If you have some parties to attend, some get together, or maybe a formal dinner-date, this look is good to go. (Sorry, the quality of the camera ruins the colors). Here's how I did it.

Okay, so, first of all, you need to have a clean face prepped with foundation and powder. After you're done with that, start with the eyes.

For this look, I opted for this light shimmery eyeshadow (the lightest one). It's cream-based, by the way, so, it's really pretty to use. :). This is a product of Sansan Cosmetics. (I use really cheap products. Not much of a Mac girl, hehe)

After I applied this color all over my lids, I decided to use the purple eyeshadow. 

It may not be that obvious but this color is really pretty intense. Too much of it can make your eyes look like you can compete with a zombie. Using a brush, I applied the purple color all over my crease. To intensify the  look, I applied a dark brown color on the outer corner of my eyes to give them a 3d-effect. Plus, I really am a sucker for dark brown eyeshadows, so, forgive me. :)

(The other dark color fell off just this morning. *pout*)

Don't forget to add some liquid eyeliner and dark mascara to add more effect to your eyes.

Also, since this look is appropriate for evening use, your eyes need to look big, bright, and still alive. :). The secret?

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

White eyeliner, Ladies and Gents! Applying this on your lower lash lines will pop up those eyes. :)

As for the face

I always like to contour my face when I need to attend formal afternoon/evening events. Contouring highlights the face and creates an illusion that you have hollow cheeks (and for someone who's got a chubby face, that sounds good news, hahaha). That shade encircled yellow is what I use for contouring. If you don't have a bronzer, choose a blush that's two times darker than your skin. I will post a blog next time on how I contour my face. :)

After contouring, it's time for the blush. Again, since you want your eyes to be the star, you need to keep the blush on your face to a minimum. Choose a light color that will complement your eyes. :)

Last, but not the least, don't forget to play with lipstick. For this look, I chose a light pink lip shade. 

Purple and Light pink does sound very Barbie, right? :)

So, there you have it, folks. :). This is just a proof that you shouldn't let that little eye shadow color scare you. You can find ways to make that little fear your ultimate weapon. Just like in life! :)