Blog 12: Unlimited Travel - Anywhere and Everywhere

If someone was to give me a plane ticket for anywhere in the world and unlimited money for a good three months, I would most likely spend it on many things such as buying numerous souvenirs, traveling to different destinations in different countries. and eating loads of food that I have never tried before. Though at the same time, I would spend the money wisely.

I envision myself traveling around the world instead of staying in the same country, but I have always wanted to visit the countries in Europe and Asia the most. European and Asian cultures just fascinate me so much. It’s not that other cultures other than the two don’t fascinate me, but I have always been more interested at Europe and Asia as well as the culture behind it.  If I was in Europe, I would love to visit Spain, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, and Portugal; just to name a few. Europe itself is just very mind-boggling in my opinion just because of the rich history that surrounds the continent. I always enjoyed watching and learning about ancient times like the Greeks and Romans. I would love to be able to see all the famous landmarks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Colosseum in Italy, the Eiffel Tower of France, visit the Buckingham Palace or the Stonehenge found in United Kingdom, visiting the sites of where the Greek empires once stood such as the site of the Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartans defended and died, and the infamous concentration camps in Germany. There’s just so many places that I would love to visit in Europe

My reasons for wanting to travel around Asia also shares the same reasons with my reasons for wanting to travel around Europe. I am very much fascinated with Asian culture because of the rich culture and all the traditions. Perhaps, it is also because I’m Asian myself or my “Asianess” kicking in, in which I find a certain connection whenever I’m talking or learning about anything Asian-related. The countries I would love to step foot on beside my home country, the Philippines, are South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, just to name a few once more. Once again, I would definitely visit famous landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, check out the fast life and vibrant lights of Tokyo in Japan, travel in a boat in Bangkok through the waters of Thailand, etc.

In terms of a place to stay, I would probably stay in a luxurious hotel, just to see how it feels like to stay at a fancy hotel. However, I wouldn’t pour all the money into a fancy hotel. I am more concerned about spending my money on traveling to other places. Moreover, when it comes to food and trying new foods, I will most definitely willing to try new foods. I love exotic food so much, well not too exotic to be exact like cow eyeballs or something way out of this world. But most of the time I will try new food, it all depends whether my stomach can hold what I am eating and if it doesn’t gross me out, which is very rare to happen to me anyways. And to add to that, I am not a picky eater to start with. Also, who doesn’t love Asian food?! Thus, trying new food wouldn’t be a problem for me at all.

Blog 16: Keeping Nature Balanced

What does "Keeping nature balanced" exactly mean? In my opinion, the balance of nature is a relationship between organisms --- plants, animals, humans, and other living organisms to be able to co-exist with one another. That is just the natural community our planet provides. These are kept in balanced by all the interactions made by the organisms in specific areas and also their interactions with the non-living factors that surround them. There are many factors that keeps and affects the balance of nature such as population growth of one species. Predators are present for a reason; if a certain specie or, rather prey, happens to grow rapidly without the presence of predators, the flow of the food chain would be affected. In addition, another factor would be keeping stress out between organisms. Animal tend to be very aggressive and fight with each other due to environments being overly crowded. So it is quite important that the flow of the food chain and the population of species not be disturbed in order to keep nature in balance. Other factors that might affect the balance of nature are changes that are deemed to be unnatural especially when humans interrupts the flow of nature.

I would say that the natural world is strutting the borderline in terms of being balanced. If you were to compare the world centuries ago and now, there has been obvious changes that has occurred and the natural world has become less and less balanced. Many living organisms have now become extinct and are on the brink of extinction. The natural environment as well as habitats are being destroyed every single day by the ongoing advancements we, humans, make. We are obliterating forests, in which are home to thousands of species, for industrialization and emerging developments. Moreover, global warming is another factor that interrupts the balance of nature and one of the causes to global warming is pollution that are caused by humans. It will only be a matter of time before all these nature that we take for granted will be gone. Doomsday may very well be near if such disruptions are made in the balance of nature.

However, humans are not always at fault when it comes to nature's balance. As a matter of fact, we are part of that balance. What are we anyway? Are we not part of the world? Are we not also living organisms? We are indeed part of nature's balance and just as much as we tend to take something out of nature's balance, we also give something back. We are at the top of the food chain, therefore we are responsible to keeping order in nature. We are the ones who track and repair what is off balanced in nature. That, in my opinion, is our purpose in nature. That is what we contribute to nature's balance. Although, we are not always in control. There will be factors in nature that we will not be able to control and thus, we will just have to learn to accept it and adapt to it. Sometime, it is better to just leave it to mother nature.

Guilty or Not Guilty

I do believe that those people who have committed a crime should be punished. However, I do not believe that people who choose to do things that society may deem "wrong" should be punished. Excluding the things that society point out to be "wrong" such as to murder, steal, etc.. I don't think that people should be punished for choosing to do things differently In today's world, society does not really have any clue what is really right or wrong anymore. We, as a society, have somehow lost our judgement of what is actually wrong and what is right. We tend to find it rather difficult to affectionate what is wrong from what is right or from what is really wrong to what we think is "wrong". One example would be politics; in the world of politics, there will always be corruption within a government - big or small.

But perhaps if I did believe that all those that have done things that society considered "wrong" should be punished, I would punish them according to how extreme, as well as how morally wrong their crimes are. If I were to punish a murderer, I wouldn't murder he/she right away. Depending on what their motives are at first, I wouldn't murder them right away. It's because there are those who have committed murder, not because their intentionI would at least give them a second chance -  a chance for them to reflect on what they have done and whether they feel any feeling of remorse or regret for what they have done, I don't think they should be murdered.The same would go for other criminals who have committed other crimes. I would have some kind of a therapy for criminals who are willing to change for the better.

Punishment is still punishment, thus I believe that prisons are necessary. The time served in prison will vary depending on how serious the crime is.Obviously, the person that murdered a person will serve a much longer time compared to someone who has been caught driving under the influence. Just because prisoners are getting second chances doesn't necessarily mean that they are free to go.  and are able to do what they want again. They are required to serve jail time. If not, then what kind of a punishment would that be?

Also, I don't necessarily believe that a person who has committed a number of crimes should serve a lifetime term in prison. What I would do is each person will get 3 strikes; after the 3 warning, I think that they should serve a much longer time than the one they've served before. The more that they commit crimes, the more they jail time they'll receive. Though I do believe that a person who has committed a number of murders should be in person for a lifetime. I don't think prisoners should be released earlier than their original release date because i think if you choose to do criminal acts and get caught, you should be ready to face whatever consequences will be given to you . There are no easy way out in life, there are certainly no easy way out in prison.

Wildcard: The Heart and Mind

Which is more powerful -- the mind or the heart? A lot of people ask this question many times; and sometimes, they cannot even differentiate the difference between the heart and the mind. To me, I believe that the heart is much, much more powerful than the mind. Why? Well, it’s really easy to change a mind as if I were to change a one’s heart. The thing that many people don’t realize is that the mind is constantly changing every single day, every hour, every second. The thoughts that we process into our minds goes through some kind of change like if we were to make a decision - we usually ask ourselves, “Should I go choose A or choose B.” Everytime we make a decision, people are always biased to one of the choices they’re given and that is most like because their heart tells them to.  Sure, some decision that we make in our everyday lives are not that important like what kind of breakfast to eat in the morning.  But then there are those decisions that we make in life that requires to use our heart, not to be cliche, but an example would be which person do love more when you’re stuck between two people that you love...

This somehow reminds me of music in a way. What I mean is that anyone and everyone can learn how to play an instrument, but if you don;t have the passion for it, it can only take so far. Not even the mind can improve a person’s ability to play the best they can and be the best that they can be. With passion that comes from the heart, if you have the passion for music, only you can truly improve and become the best at it.

I also believe that the heart is a lot stronger and powerful than the mind because of experiences that I’ve come through. There have been numerous times where I have fallen and failed at things that I love to do like dancing and playing tennis. I remember the time when I went and danced at an audition site. I was so nervous then. I kept telling myself to calm down. And when it was my turn to dance, all I could do was to do my very best. Though iin the end, I wasn’t able to go through the next round. However, it was my passion for dancing that keeps me motivated to be better -- to be the best and try my hardest next time around. It was my love for dancing that keeps me striving. No matter how many countless times my mind told me that i can’t do it, to just give up, and throw everything away; I didn’t listen cause I knew my heart wouldn’t. My heart didn’t want to give up and throw everything that I’ve worked hard for. My heart knew how important dancing is to me. And in the end, I chose to listen to my heart, it had a much powerful, positive impact on me than my mind did. To me, the heart has more control of someone than the mind does. Although there will be times in our life where we must decide to close out our hear and listen to what our minds are telling us. And I do applaud those who listens to their minds because they are able to push aside their heart and not let their emotions get in the way too much...

i like to pig out on...

when i think of it, i actually do have a comfort food that i love to eat. Peanut butter and jelly with a glass of milk is like the best thing ever. i can eat it almost every single day and i will never ever get tired of it. i know it's such a simple food, but that's what i love about it. whenever i'm feeling stressed about something, i start to crave some peanut butter and jelly; and of course, what's a pb&j without milk right? well for me, milk is a must when it comes to eating my pb&j sandwich. i refuse to eat it without milk, with the exception of Sunny D as a substitute. it just doesn't feel right or feel complete without milk. it's just one of my unusual habits i guess.

I'm not really sure why or how peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the milk on the side became my comfort food. i used to not like it. as a matter of fact, i used to find as peanut butter and jelly rather weird when i was first introduced to it. pb&j wasn't really a common thing in the philippines. we eat plain peanut butter sandwiches. jelly did not really exist and crunchy peanut butters did not come into existence to us. it was just plain old peanut butter sandwich. then one day, i was forced to try it because that was all there is to eat at lunch. i sort of did not like what was being served to us at lunch, so i chose to have pb&j for lunch instead. it was not really what i wanted for lunch, but i had no other choice. however, with just a bite, i was hooked on it; and from then on i started craving it. everytime i'm feeling depressed or stressed, i have to have some of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich with milk on the side.

it's comfort food for me because first of all, it is very easy to make. i don't need to go out of my way and buy all these ridiculous amount of ingredients just to make it. all that's needed are bread, peanut butter, jelly, and milk. whenever i take a bite of the sandwich, i just start to calm down and helps me forget about the things i stress about or even my problems in life. usually, girls would eat ice cream when they're crying or depressed; but i eat pb&j with milk. i don't just eat pb&j whenever i'm stressed or feeling down, i actually it just out of nowhere. once my cravings for for food kicks in  when i'm at home doing particularly nothing, pb&j always comes to my mind first. of course, i don't always pick to eat since i have many other choices in my fridge such as pizza rolls. but not only is it good, but it's actually pretty healthy!

i wonder...?

Why is the sky blue? what does my life look like through other people’s eyes? how come they call it goodbye? how come the good die? is there really god? what really happens when we die? why can’t we all just get along? how come people judge each other so much? how does everything end? will the world really end in 2012? do i end up happy? is there really a happy-ending? why do girls cry over boys who never deserved them in the first place? why do boys treat girls the way they treat them? what is my purpose in life? why are people of all kinds not treated equally? why ca we not just accept one another? why is there so much hatred among us? why is saying “no” so hard to do? what is love? what is happiness? what would it be like if the internet never existed? how would it be like to live back in type? how does space really look like? why are there so much suffering in the world? why can we not help each other, instead of putting each other down? is there another dimension that’s different to the one we are living in now? is there really a god? what is love? is there such thing as impossible? where do babies come from? which is worse, failing or never bothering to try at all? If life is so shirt, then why do we do so many things we don’t like, yet like many thing things we don’t do? when all is said and done, will i have said more than i’ve done? to what degree have i actually controlled the course my life has taken? should i be worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? how come the things that makes me happy don’t make everyone else happy? am i holding onto something that i need to let go of? why take risks? what makes me, me? Is it actually possible to know the truth without challenging it in the first place? do the things we do today even matter tomorrow? what do i have to lose? what really is the difference between being alive and truly living? would you choose someone who completes you, or the one who loves you completely? if we learn from our mistakes, then why are we so afraid of making mistakes? what would i do differently if nobody would actually judge me? what do i want to change in the world? if people evolved from monkeys and apes, then why are there still monkeys and apes? is crying a sign of weakness or strength? should i ask more questions, or just settle for what i only know? if i could do everything all over again, would i have done anything differently? what makes me smile? am i the kind of friend that i would want as a friend? why do we chase after things that we can’t have?why do we do things that are not allowed? why are we born? why is it so difficult to move away from people and things that we really love? how do i know what i know?why do we let go of things we really love?

Where the WILD Things Are.

First of all, what is the exact definition of the word “wild”? The word wild means to live in a state of nature in which one is not tamed or domesticated. It could also mean uncultivated, uninhabited, uncivilized, or barbarous. The term “wild” can be taken in many various ways depending on how people perceive it as.

As for me, wild comes in two different meanings - there is that definition of being uncivilized and not being tamed like some sort of a wild animal or a person living in caves. And then I mostly view the word “wild” where someone is going crazy - or rather acting in a crazy manner. It just really depends on what situation we are talking about...but I am mostly leaning on the latter one.

Although with some little meditations, my true definition of “wild” comes alive. Somehow in my mind, I see people going crazy and are going out of control. When I say crazy and out of control, I don’t really mean people being all psycho and everything; what I mean is that I see people doing crazy things like partying, extreme stunts, etc. All the things that happens at a party is what I would consider wild especially if your young...like sex, drugs, alcohol. Perhaps alcohol and sex is a natural thing for humans and everybody goes through their “fun” stages in their life, when everything revolves around just having a good time, but when these three substances combines, people can be caught up into pretty wild situations. Such situations could be getting arrested for DUIs, violent acts when drunk, unexpected pregnancies, STDs, and obviously getting busted for doing drugs.

When i see the word “wild”, I also think of rebellious people who just really don’t care about anything at all. They do not give a care about the world and the thing that is happening around them unless it involves them. They’re pretty much the type of people who are most likely a trouble maker and ends up doing reckless, wild stunts that we would normally see on the news. Wild stunts could involve crimes like shootings, murder, kidnapping, etc. Or sometimes they are just stunts that would be regarded as complete stupidity and reckless - such an example would be performing a fancy, complicated bike trick and ending up inflicting an injury to oneself or trying to attempt a stunt that is impossible to do, yet still doing so regardless of all the hazardous warning that stunt brings to people.

In contrast of the negative things about the world “wild”, there are also situations in which it is not a negative factor. Being wild does not always necessarily have to be associated or labeled as bad thing. Have you ever heard of the saying, “...let your imaginations run wild..”? Well for me, it also gives me a sense of freedom where I can do anything without having to think about anything else; being able to do something without any limit whatsoever.