Feeling old for your age? Well you're not alone...

Is it just me or are all twenty-plus people under the same amount of stress?
Really now; when just like me you too are in that age group of twenty-one to twenty-nine, then you’ll probably be able to relate to what I’m about to say. I mean we are so young, but gosh, the stress we have to endure at such young an age is just totally unbelievable! Seriously! And I’m not even working yet so I couldn’t just imagine what my contemporaries in the labor market are dealing with. But hey, I’m not exactly in a bed of roses either. Maybe a bed of thorns? Or nails? Or road spikes? Whatever, you get the point .
I don’t know about those who have, at least at this moment, chosen the lifestyle called “bumming,” but whether you’re working at some multinational capitalist company, or competing with your way-older classmates while earning your masters degree, or giving it all out for law school albeit it all seems for naught, being at this age is surprisingly stressful. Tough work, inhumane law school, competitive and gossip-loving colleagues, classmates with whom you have apparently irreconcilable personality differences…whatever it is, you have to admit: there’s just so much sh*t in life, and it seems as the sh*t just piles up and up, until it’s so high that giving up and running away appears to be the easy solution.
Yes, we’re young, but who could have thought that we’d age so fast in a matter of months?
I’m not sure if anyone else can relate to it, but sometimes, when I talk with other people about the fatigue and the stress of being at this age, I can’t help but theorize as to why we’re enduing so much (or at least why we feel we’re enduring so much). You might think, “Oh there he goes again with all those actually meaningless rationalizations…etc.”, but hey, can I help it? Social Science major-duh! And besides, you probably will relate to this.
Upon graduating from college, it seems as though the world is ours to conquer. Suddenly we’re independent, suddenly we’re making our own decisions. We don’t have to deal with curfews (at least most of us do), we can travel to anywhere we want (on its face something patently false), club all we want, and basically do everything without anyone having to watch over our every move. Freedom!
But the party is cut short.
Then comes the rather late (but should have been obvious anyway) realization that with greater independence comes so much responsibility. We’re set “free,” we’re out there in the world “deciding for ourselves,” when really, we carry with us the heavy load of expectations of…well, everyone! You do realize that it’s not just you banking in on your future, or what’s set to happen in your life right? That alone creates such a heavy burden-but wait, there’s more!
Then there’s that odd internal own age ambivalence phenomenon; if it’s an ugly, unscientific-sounding name, then you try coming up with a name! (Though it really is an ugly, unscientific-sounding name…) What I’ve realized about being at this age is that it’s so easy for us to accept the independence and the positive features of (hold on to your seats-) adulthood, but there are just so many things about being nine or thirteen or sixteen or eighteen that, upon entering “grown-upness” (yet another ugly invented term), we inevitably have to give up. And usually, these are the things that provide for us comfort, that protect us from stress or tension or whatever negative it is out there. Especially if you’re away from home (i.e. working or studying in Manila, away from the “province” [Yes, everyone in Manila is still convinced that only their city is urban and the rest of the Philippines doesn’t have electricity yet…let’s save that for another entry]), then you’ll know how difficult it is to be away from all that’s comfortable and familiar.
But hey, we're still young right? At the end of the day, nothing can get more youthful than a twenty-one year old drooling over a bottle of Red Horse and dancing all over club!

Yes, I'm gonna part-teey! Haha!

Girl, dump the guy!

It's harsh but someone has to say it.
One of the most fascinating phenomena in life (as fascinating as the fact that sea cucumbers expel their internal organs when they get threatened) is that phenomena called: great-girl-falls-for-the-biggest-loser-in-the-whole-world. Before YOU get all paranoid, can I just say that I'm writing this without any particular person in mind; in fact, I want it to reach all those girls out there who thrive on the hope that they could salvage a single ounce of dignity and honor in those entities otherwise called losers.
I never really got this. When I talk to some of these unfortunate girls I hear some of the funniest reasons: like, "Yeah I'm sure he'll want to do something in life." or "You just don't get him." or "Give him some time." or "She's just his friend!", and the bestseller, "But I love him!"
Open your eyes girl, he's not worth it!
Seriously, why this happens is totally beyond my understanding. Sometimes, after having the aforementioned two or three hours endure with some lady friend talking about her (in)significant other, I try to come up with rational explanations behind such occurrence. When I say rational, I mean that which a person of common sense can accept as valid and highly-probable. Could it be that these girls just can't help but pity these guys, and mistake that pity for love? Or could it be that these girls simply want a raise of self-esteem so they'd constantly surround themselves with persons who, when they see, make them feel good about themselves? Or maybe it's just that these girls actually suffer from some sort of a semi-messianic complex, believing that it's their mission in life to save certain guys from total loserdom? I don't know about you, but there could be some truth behind these theories. Or are you just too blind to see it, or too defensive that you don't even want to open your eyes?
Girl, trite as it may seem, it's true: there are a lot of fish in the ocean (or lakes, or rivers, or seas).
Seriously, why settle? The other thing I don't understand is the unusually high level of permanency these girls have put into these relationships. No, I am not advocating casual relationships, but neither am I saying that you guys must get married (If I wanted to ruin your life, this is what I'd tell you...), all I'm saying is that there's absolutely no reason for you to invest so much time and emotions into a person who you yourself are not sure of! If you, the girlfriend, actually think the guy's a bit of a loser, imagine what the rest of the world thinks!? It's not that it's what other people think that should matter...well, who are we kidding? It does matter.
Definitely, my authority to dish out advice to people about relationships is questionable. Let me clarify this: in no way do I represent myself as someone knowledgeable, more so, an expert on relationships! But then, first, this is more of about me taking pre-emptive measures to prevent the eventual deterioration of your self-respect and dignity thanks to Mr.Wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with thinking about yourself. If the guy can't even make an effort to make things better for him, how far do you think would he go for you? Beyond the bedroom, I hope-but I doubt. You will not be put in a better situation with that guy; and isn't that what we strive for: better things and conditions? It's about YOU!
And second, my ears are practically bleeding from all those stories! (So yes, it's really still about ME!)
Girl, wake up! YOu can do better than that!
(Yes, I feel the need to put this into writing, so the next time someone asks me about it, I could just refer her [or him, if you know what I mean] to my blog, so as to save us both a couple or three hours of our precious time. Still, this is not the last you'll hear from me about this issue. Trust me.)