A reflection on the year that was.

Time check: 9:30 p.m. September 21, 2005.

In a few hours time I'll be a year older. It will be that time of the year when I look back and see what I have done in the past year. So what did happen for a year? Well, it was mostly good things to be frank about it. There were some downhill moments but it was generally good. I can say that this year has been a blessing for me.

For starters I had a talk with my mom sometime in November. After so many years, I finally told her my angsts. My feelings when I was in Manila. What really happened. After that, it was as if a burden was really lifted of my back.

I also started on my first formal job and have just been regularized. I met some cool people in the office that I consider as friends. More importantly, I'm enjoying my work.

I also had a new girlfriend. Most people kid me because she's a whole lot younger than me. So what did I like about her? She likes to read books.

Well, that's about it. The main points really.

So what will I do tomorrow? I'm going to renew my driver's license. After that I'll probably go home and sleep. Or maybe finish the book I'm reading. I'm really not into this birthday celebration thing. Yes, birthdays should be happy. And yes, it should be enjoyed. For me though, it's more of a reflection. Most people just count their age during their birthdays and plan what to do next. Most of us rarely look back at the past.

Birthdays. Date of birth. This is the day that we were brought into this world. Whether you believe in destiny or not, we have a purpose for being here. A birthday is a day when we should ask ourselves what we were meant do. And if we know the answer to that, look inside and see if we have served that purpose.

So why am I here? Well after 28 years, I still have no idea. But it doesn't bother me. The fun is in the adventure in looking for that purpose. And during that journey, I get to met new people. I get to help people.

So what lies ahead for me? I'll just have to find that out for myself.

So to Pilosopong Tasyo, to Squidballs, to Diceman, to Jolens. to Jazzindahaws, to Toton...

Happy Birthday.

Big Brother's Enlightenment

Since my last post, I've been having a hard time deciding on what to write about next. With so many events happening, I was at a loss at what to write. I knew that if I didn't start again, it would probably be a while before I do so.

To give you a brief background on this post, I arrived home at around 7 PM. Slept immediately. I woke up at around 3 AM and realized I couldn't go back to sleep. So I decided to log-on to the net, which brings us to the first paragraph.

So what do I write about? One of the questions that I kept asking myself was, "what's the latest thing in the country right now?". And as if a light bulb flashed over my head, I had it. Pinoy Big Brother. Now before I continue, I rarely watch TV. If ever I get the chance, I get bored easily. So I'm basing this on what I've just heard from people around.

Pinoy Big Brother is the latest reality series to hit Philippine television. I won't say what the rules are or what it is really all about. All I know is that you have a group of people and eventually one emerges as the winner. The only reality series I have ever watched are "Survivor" and "Amazing Race". I didn't even watch one whole season. Just excerpts.

When I first heard about this Big Brother thing, the first thing that came into mind was George Orwell's 1984. With the help of Mr. Google, I found out that the original show's title and concept, from Netherlands, was loosely based on the novel.

Well, the Big Brother reality shows, including Pinoy Big Brother, can be aptly described in seven words: soft porn with a lot of foreplay.

You'll probably say that it's not so. Or maybe you just won't admit it. You really don't expect to put a bunch of people in a house and expect them to be just friends now are you? If I had to guess, every viewer of this show has these little questions at the back of their minds: "will they fall in love?", "will they become lovers?", "when are they gonna do it?".

This reality show just proves that people do have a voyeuristic tendency. We love to watch other people's misery but are afraid to admit our own. We love to watch people make fools of themselves but we do not know that we sometimes make ourselves look like fools. We like to watch people cry or bring out their frustrations but we prefer to hide our own. Simply put, and possibly because of our religious background, we want to know what it feels to be God. Personally, I prefer to be human. Life is more fun that way.

So in ending I want to say, "thank you Pinoy Big Brother." You have given me proof that television will always be what it really is, an idiot box.