WHY PRINSESANG PALAKA?

A lot of people has been asking me the same question ever since. Why frog princess? Well, it goes like this.

Do you remember the story of the Frog Prince? The one cursed to become a frog until a princess would kiss him and break the spell?

I always believed that the story of the frog prince is more than a story of love. I always believed that there is more to the frog prince than a story of two people who are destined to be with each other.

The frog prince (or princess) symbolizes somebody who wants to be his own person. Maybe the prince was never really cursed at all and became a frog. The curse is a symbol of a stereotype. So the Frog prince is like living in a world of stereotypes who only wanted to break free and become who he really is.

And so am I. I am living in a world of preconceptions, a world full of ideas of what people should do and how they should act. Like the frog prince I am trapped in a body that is not mine. What people see in me is the frog, the big bulgy frog whose ugliness repels everything. Maybe not really but almost like that. Or in a sense people just see in me what they want to see. And like the frog prince I want to break free.

There is more to me than my physical appearance. There is more to me than what people wants to see. Maybe there is a princess slumbering inside me. Maybe there is a lady waiting for her prince. Or maybe there is just me wanting to be accepted--unconditionally.

So yes, I am a frog princess and slowly I am breaking free from the curse

TEE-SHIRT

Did I ever tell you how much I love slogan shirts? Particularly those witty one liners that never fail to make me shake my head, chuckle and put a smile in my face.

I always wanted to have a slogan shirt with the lines, "Lord, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the Courage to change those that I can and the Wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill because they pissed me off".

Of course it's not the most intellectual thing I could put in a shirt but I found the line so cool that I will definitely wear the shirt its written on. The line, is of course, the bastardized prayer of some saint whose name I couldn't remember (either St. Francis or St. Augustine).

Here are some more designs I find cute...

Of course, these were all taken in the internet. I just Googled it and copied the links.

Aside from these prints I would love to have the following slogans printed in my shirt:

♦ sic giorgiamus allos subjectatus nunc, "we feast on those who would subdue us."--- Addams Family Creed.

♦ I am officially ANNOYED.

♦ Dare to be YOU.

♦ I'm an optical illusion not a froglet in disguise.

♦ (of course) FROG PRINCESS

♦ when the going gets tough, only the ARMY survives.

and many others. I just can't remember some of them. I have a list actually. Not as lame as the ones here. Unfortunately I left the list in one of my notebooks and I can't seem to remember where exactly I threw the notebook during my latest attempt to clean my side of the room.

PHENOMENOLOGY

 JOYCE / TOMO :

...a writer.
...a procastinator.
...a dreamer.
...a reluctant leader.
...a friend who will always be there.
...a lady trapped in a child's body.
...a daughter who wants her parents proud.
...a sinner saved by grace.
...a lost soul.


She wants to...
...have a baby brother.
...adopt a child when she's 25.
...fix her life.
...be accepted.
...find herself.
...work for the United Nations.
...join the army.
...live and die with dignity.



She's happy because...
=>she has friends who love her.
=>she had parents who unconditionally supports her.
=>she's slowly understanding why out of the millions of sperms she was the one chosen to live.
=>she's growing up.
=>she has the freedom to express herself.
=>she found people who unconditionally accepted her.
=>she's learning to live one day at a time.
=>she could finally find happiness in simple things.
=>she's earning (a little).
=>she deserves to be.



But she's sad because...
= she messed up her life.
= somebody broke her heart.
= people raise their eyebrows when she cries.
= she got lost and can't find her way back.
= she feels alone.
= she misses her friends.
= she wants to turn back the time but can't.



But she still hopes to...
++ find the way back.
++ get over all this.
++ remain strong.
++ see the finish line.
++ fight till the end.
++ live up to the expectations of her family.
++ fix her broken battered heart.
++ find what she lost.
++ finally find real happiness.

WHAT TURNS ME OFF---

there are a lot of things about guys my age (and even those not my age) that turns me off. As in like, totally turns me off.

First, immaturity. A lot of guys my age are just so immature "acting" like their all grown-ups and invincible. And when I say acting, I mean ACTING. Like they are trying to appear matured but only managed to look like they're children in grown up clothes.

I don't like guys who doesn't seem to know what they really want in life; no sense of direction, no sense of who or what they are. I don't like those who cannot decide for themselves and those who cannot take responsibility of their actions.

Matured people are responsible. A lot of guys my age are not. They only think of the present and never of the future; a lot of them never consider the consequences of their actions and are therefore often caught unprepared when it finally catch up with them.

Second, Smokers. One word: YUCKY. Two words: Totally Irritating. No matter how handsome or attractive the guy is, if I see him smoking he is instantly cross-off the list.

I don't see the need of even considering seeing myself with a man who seemed to be bent on damaging his lungs. If he wants to die now then what is the point getting attracted to him? Besides, second hand smoke is more dangerous right? So who wouldn't be turned off with somebody who wants to kill you with his every breath?

Third, the just-because attitude. I hate guys who would only court girls just because they find them beautiful and has the potential to be a good decoration. I hate it when their only reason for courting the girl is because she is physically attractive or just because they feel like they like to. Most of all, I hate it when you ask them "what do you like most about her?" and they would only say, "She's beautiful".

A girl should be loved not for her physical attributes alone. Love a girl as a person and not only because you think having somebody as beautiful as her is a bargain. Beauty is not everything you know.

Fourth, the every-girl-in-the-world-likes-me attitude. One of the many things that guys should learn is that, it is so rude, not to mention stupid and improper, to ask for a girl's number before asking for her name. No decent person with decent intentions would ask for somebody's number without knowing the person first. Girls, any guy who asks for your number first without bothering to ask for your name is a jerk.

Guys like these think that every girl in the world likes them and so would be dying to give their numbers to them. What a bunch of jerks!

Fifth, the I-am-sweet-to-no-one-else-but-you type. Guys who are respectful, polite, helpful (and every other positive attributes in the world) to the girl they like but not to others. They carry your things for you but would not do it for others. They would offer you a sit but not others. They're good to you but not to others.

Guys like these are worst than jerks. Trying to impress the girl they like by showing how good they are and at the same time how shallow they can be. If you really want to impress a girl, show her that you are more than just pretending to be a good boy. But you really want to keep the girl forever, better show her your true colors---it could save you the effort of pretending and assure you that the girl really likes you as you are.

...and of course there are more but I am getting tired of typing it. Why don't you share the things that turns you off in a guy (or a girl) instead?...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOBELLE!

Jobelle! Jobelita, Jobelyn, Jobs....






:))




happy Happy Birthday! :))




I know happy ka ngayon. Hindi ko na kailangan magwish pa ng kung anu-ano sa'yo kasi alam ko super Bless ka. :) Naks.




Anyways, Ate Jobelle.. Haha. Alam ko naasar ka kapag tinatawag kang Ate. Haha.




Well. Ayoko naman maging public ang pageemote ko for you. Haha. I better send a message to you personally. Gusto ko lang maki-epal sa Wall mo. Para "in" ang dami kasing babati sayo for sure. At ayokong wala ako sa mga list na nag-greet sayo. Bwahaha.






Happy and Blessed birthday for you!




Miss na kita sobra. Wala ako maka-chikahan e. Haha. :D




Sana magustuhan mo 'yung gift ko sayo. Sayang di ko mabibigay sa mismong birthday mo. Tsk. Well, oks lang yun. Sana magustuhan mo talaga. Made by heart yun! Haha. Alam mo naman ako. Bakasyon kaya kailangan natin magtipid. Bwahaha.


O sige, tama na ang kalokohang ito. Haha.




Hope makapag get away tayo somewhere in Manila some time.. :')






happy Birthday :))












P.S.


*Sana nga pala maging Prsident's Lister ka. Para ma-treat mo kami nila Jomar at Junjun. Bwahaha. Remember our deal? :p








happy Birthday ulit. Ang kulit e nuh? Haha.. :)




-Joyce Jetomo *Froglet*
 

DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE?

That this country is hopeless? That it has no future and all of us are doomed?




Think about Europe in the days of Hitler. Think about how those Jews were treated in those times. Think about how hopeless their situation was. Relate it today. Think of how much more we can do today. Think of how much change we can accomplish. Think of how much power we have today.



We have hope. The moment all of us believes that this country is hopeless, everything becomes impossible. Being pessimistic is not the way to change this country. There is already a dark cloud in the horizon, discouraging the people around you will not make things any better.



Change should start within us. Before we demand change from our leaders, let us learn to change ourselves first.



What makes this country hopeless is not the fact that it is plagued by leaders who doesn't know how to lead. It is not even the fact that it is weakened by corruption, crime and what-nots. What makes the Philippines hopeless is the fact that we can never bring ourselves to cooperate with each other and do more for this country. We are hopeless because we think and act like one. We are hopeless because we never learn from the past. We are hopeless because we can never be the change we want. We are hopeless because we are cowards who can only demand for change but never step forward and become an agent of change. We are hopeless because we never see the light in the dark. We are hopeless because we never believed in hope.



So yes, we are hopeless; we are doomed. We have no future. We are hopeless because we choose to be.

Throwing Stones

People love throwing stones at each other. Being judgmental as we are, we love looking at the flaws of others, highlighting them and broadcasting them to the world in bold letters. Oftentimes we forget that the very same flaws exist in us and because we are too busy minding other people's business, we already forget to look within ourselves.

"Now, standing in a pile of shards where a glass house once stood, I can't remember who threw the first stone. Maybe it was me. Maybe not. It doesn't matter. The stone-throwing got so intense that I forgot why they were being thrown to begin with. Oh, yeah. I remember. I was pointing my finger at others and accusing them of things for which I was equally, if not more, guilty. For every stone I threw, a bigger one came back at me." (from: Goals of a Recovering Idiot)

Reading those lines from a web article I've read triggered some thoughts in my mind. Those lines were honest, bare and hits the heart.

Many times I have been guilty of the same thing. Throwing stones at others who also throw stones at me. At first we hurl pebbles to each other, smirking whenever the other speaks or laughing behind each others backs. Then we found bigger stones and started throwing them at each other, not necessarily minding who gets hit and what happens after that. The only thing we want is to get even, to hurt the others more than they hurt us, to prove who hits better. And then we found boulders of great sizes and we decided to hurl them at each other too. In the end, nobody won---we all end up wounded and tired.

Instead of taking direct actions and accepting our mistakes and respecting each others individuality we opted to act like a bunch of neanderthals and started throwing darts on each other. We could have save ourselves from pain if we only realized earlier that throwing stones at each other only makes life harder.

We are all idiots. At some point in our lives, we all become idiots. I guess I have to agree with whoever the author of that essay is when he said that the "things that annoy us about others are often characteristics we possess." True isn't it? I guess I understand why.

Oftentimes, we pretend that we are perfect, that we are free from flaws and that flaws only exist in others and not in us. So when somebody comes along who possess the characteristics we try so hard to ignore in ourselves, we start hating them. Why? Because its like facing a mirror and seeing a huge ugly scar on your face. Or I guess its more like facing a magnifier which emphasizes all the flaws you are so desperate to hide.

Instead of facing the fact that those scars exist and instead of focusing on healing the scars, we often opt to blame the scars, hate it and scratch it hoping that if we do it will go away. WRONG. The scar will of course stay and instead of making it better, you only made it look worst.

Throwing stones at each will not make a problem go away. Something that we should always remember.