Excursus on Love.

No. This is not me not getting over Valentine's. This is me in Socio10 mode. We're discussing the Sociology of Loooove tomorrow, and we're required to read and write a paper about it. Slumbook much? Hmm. You decide.

SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY APPLIED
Excursus on Love

Love is the polar case of intrinsic attraction. Love appears to make human beings unselfish because they enjoy giving pleasure to people they love. Generally, this devotion actually rests on the aim to maintain the other person's love. Exchange processes occur in love relations. It differs from social associations of extrinsic significance in that rewards are exchanged because they are means to produce the ultimate reward of intrinsic attraction. In other social association, exchange of specific rewards is its very objective. In love relations, rewarding the partner is due to the need to express and to confirm commitment to the association, not the expectation of rewards.

During the early stages of falling in love, each partner hides his/her true feelings due to fears of rejection and dependence. This concealment, together with increasing dependence on each other, causes frustration. Here, dependence on each other is tested. This threatens the survival of the relationship. Individuals are compelled to express sufficient commitment in order to save the relationship. When one of them is not yet ready to commit, the conflict may terminate the relationship.

Human beings derive pleasure from sacrificing for those they love. After having sacrificed for a loved one and repeatedly rewarded for it by increased attachment from the other, giving pleasure eventually seems to be intrinsically gratifying. Favors and presents, being signs of love may stimulate one's affection for the other and vice versa.One may encourage more gifts and favors not because of the material benefits themselves but because of the need to foster the other's love for him/her.

This is just the first page. It actually is quite interesting to read about love in a non-romantic kind of way. The whole idea of cheesy, cringe-worthy love is so overrated, it's refreshing to see an analytical and sociological perspective. Well, for me at least.

Now I have to go and finish my paper. Describe your ideal romantic partner. Define Love. What do you think are the prerequisites of a long-lasting relationship? Wowww. Admittedly this is difficult. Sure I may have my types (ehem ehem Nathan Scott, Chris Tiu.. the likes. Haha) but they're just feast for the eyes. Ideally they may be perfect, but who knows if our personalities will mesh well? Can I handle being the girlfriend of a major basketball star? And am I capable of being in a real, mature, long-lasting relationship? NGHHH. Things like this make me realize how much I DON'T know about life. Haha. Maybe I'm just not old enough to know what love is yet. Maybe. So how am I supposed to answer this?

I think I know enough about love to understand that it's more than just an overwhelming wave of emotion. It encompasses so many things on so many levels. It makes everything a couple of shades brighter and darker at the same time. It makes you sensible but also a bit stupid. It wounds but it also heals. It's too complex.

But then again, I'm just 17. Maybe I shouldn't try too hard to demystify love.






(The little voice inside my head)
Karla, it's just a paper. Let's not get too carried away.

Let's get these teen hearts beating faster, faster!

Whatever your status is today, I hope you had fun. Valentine's isn't supposed to be this dreaded holiday, instead it should make you realize that at the end of the day, love (and not necessarily romantic) will always get you through.

I sound so.. cheesy. Eww. Minsan lang 'to. HAHA! :))

Happy Churchur Day, everyone! :)

Of growing up, and life imitating art.

Has it really been that long?

I'm having this very meaningful trip down to memory lane with my very dear friend, Cathe-slash-Cars. We just came from our friend Kaila's 18th birthday party. After getting our caffeine fix at Starbucks and reaching home, we started talking over YM about how unfortunate and difficult it is to not have water supply here in Paranaque, then we ended up reminiscing about our friendship. From our bondings at leadership trainings, to our first blogging years.. we have so many memories together and yet all the moments we shared feel like it was only yesterday.

In fact, everything feels like it was only yesterday.

These days, I try to avoid nostalgia. Because it brings back memories both good and bad. And I'm not good at dealing with unpleasant memories. But mostly because I really don't want to get stuck in the past anymore. I've gotten myself stuck in a rut for the past few months because I could not get over unfinished business in high school. I could not settle things not just with other people, but with myself as well. It was as if I was in a mess I could not and would not get out of.

Then 2009 happened. And yes, I'm proud to say I've grown up a lot already. I know it sounds impossible to "grow up" in a month or so, but I really felt like I did. I started talking to some friends again, I stopped being angry at certain people, I learned to let go of things that I held on to. I started to realize that there was no point in holding any more grudges. Looking back, I still feel a pang of pain. But now it's as if I've begun seeing the bigger picture. I've started connecting the dots, and now everything is making sense. I guess feeling sad over things that ended is natural -- but I don't feel regretful anymore. And maybe that's a good thing. Because it's only when we start accepting things that the healing can actually begin.

"There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave
You were what I wanted
I gave what I gave
I'm not sorry I met you
I'm not sorry it's over
I'm not sorry there's nothing to save."
-- Your Ex-Lover Is Dead; Stars

(Sometimes, it's easy to believe that life imitates art. Thanks for recommending this song, Cathe-slash-Cars!)



I did not mean to sound morose tonight -- err, this morning. The rude awakening just happened unexpectedly :P

I'm still on a caffeine high! Woooh, thank you very much White Mocha. Now I can't sleep. Good thing I have Cathe-slash-Cars to keep me company in my sabaw-ness. We're planning our future joint venture. Let's just say it probably won't get us to Santa's Nice Kids list this year! Haha.


Ciao, mi amici :)

Live through this and you won't look back.

A little something to explain my absence.

Yes, yes I knowwww. School is eating up my time -- all of it. I hope you get it. But just in case you don't, here's a little something for you:

THIS IS COLLEGE!

Every New Semester:

After First Week:

After Second Week:

Before the Mid-Term Test:

During the Mid-Term Test:

After the Mid-Term Test:

Before the Final Exams:

Once Get to Know the Final Exam Schedule:

7 Days Before the Final Exam:

6 Days Before the Final Exam:

5 Days Before the Final Exam:

4 Days Before the Final Exam:

3 Days Before the Final Exam:

2 Days Before the Final Exam:

1 Day Before the Final Exam:

The Night Before the Final Exam:

1 Hour Before the Final Exam:

During the Final Exam:

Once Walk Out From the Examination Hall:

After the Final Exam, During the Holiday:

It's February! I think I hear sneers and see some eye-rolling. Haha. I don't really want to be such a Valentine Grinch, so I'm gonna share with you what keeps me all perky and hyped up these days. I got myself a chur-chur! :P :P So go ahead, why don't you just go ahead and get yourself a crush if you're single? TRUST ME (and all of us from CrEngg), it's the beeeeest way to keep you awake and excited! Crushes give you a natural high -- kapag binati ka, woooh kilig levels go beyond the roof! :"> Masarap chumur-chur! Yeah, let's feel the.. love? :P

Happy Churchur Month! :)

Back is Bombastarr.

I'm back! You better have missed me, online world.

The last day of one's hell week is always one of the happiest ever. Despite the uncertainty brought upon by the difficult examinations or papers, there will always be a sense of relief in the end. And right now, I'm basking myself in this relief. So.. I will not talk about academic-related stuff. I refuse to comment on my exams in fear of jinxing them or overreacting toward them. "Past is past," is my current motto after my tests. So don't ask.



I suddenly remembered I don't have anything interesting going on right now other than studies. I am sooo lame. Haha. I'll blog over the weekend probably when I have more coherent things to say :P Arrivederci! :)

Bombastarr's Guide to Finishing Senior Year

It is once again that time of the year when doors have been opened, dreams have been fulfilled, and the future has been made real: yes, it's College Entrance Exam Results month. (If you can give me a cooler name for it, that would be great :P)

Has it already been a year ago when every weekend, I would wait oh-so-patiently for the websites to load, and type my name in absolute precision, then to jump out of extreme delight five blissful minutes later because I found out I passed all the major universities I applied in? I can think of no other idiom to describe it: Time slips by so quickly. I can still almost feel the euphoria of knowing that I'm thisclose to going to college and finally living out my dream. And that euphoria extends to days, weeks, and yes even months. Unknown to many, it evolves and becomes this lame excuse to not get anything done, all because you know your future is already secure. "What's the point of studying? I already got into my dream school anyway," will surely keep ringing in your head. And trust me, if you let this little voice in your head take over, well let's just say it's not such a great idea to leave high school with failing marks.

Trust me, I know exactly how that feels. It's tempting to be all petix and relaxed this time of year, but somehow I got around it. So here are some tips that hopefully will make things a little bit easier for all you seniors out there. They may not work for you the way they did for me, but they're worth a try :)

1. Make a countdown.
   I swear to God, nothing motivated me more than the calendar Mikka and I made on the back of our Calculus notebooks. Just the idea of crossing out a day and taking one step closer to Graduation made me want to do better every time. It also help made me look forward to Calculus, because we made a pact to cross out a day only in Math class, so at least, I have an excuse to be excited for the period!
   


2. Go to the website of your future school, and know more about your course.
   I basically had two career choices after the results were released: Accouting/Legal Management or Creative Writing. It sparked something inside me that made me want to study more in our Accounting and English classes. I mean, just think: the next four or five years of your life will be centered on this field. And what a better timing to start than now. It may be difficult to really "love" (like Accounting), but trust me this will be like the pull that will set you flying in the next months or so. Up to now this still works for me. I chose English of course, my first love. And to some it is relatively easy (compared to say, Engineering), but every so often the idea of shifting (to Econ or BAA) would come swinging in my mind. Going to the CAL website makes me realize why I chose Creative Writing in the first place.


3. Talk to your friends about the future.
   Let's put behind all the drama first: you will be separated from the friends you've had since you were in diapers. I still haven't heard of barkadas with all the members going to just one school. This really is one of the saddest facts about college. But think of all the great possibilities too: you can visit each other's campuses and meet new people, venture out to new malls and tambayans (nakakasawa ang Courtyard, Paulinians. Aminin niyo na. Haha) and know your way around Metro Manila. Then, think of all your future careers. I remember our long and seemingly never-ending discussions of the future during recess and lunch: how in ten years we would all be successful and rich but still the best of friends. I would be a successful editor or columnist and corporate lawyer, Trixie would be a diplomat or ambassador, Nica would be big-time in an advertising agency, Mikka and Inna would be filthy rich engineers, Hope would be busy travelling and making the Philippines a major tourist destination, Tin would own a very successful restaurant or chain of hotels, Kassey and Kaila would be sought-after accountants and ITs. And trust me, it puts everything into a whole different perspective. It really made us want to prove our worth. Our fourth quarter grades were proof of that determination :)


4. Buy a book related to your course.
   Being the geek that I am, I bought one book, The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writing from Book Sale. Like the previous tips, reading it just made me want to excel more, especially in English. I mean, it would suck to get such a low grade on the subject you would major in, right? And of course, this book would be a great use in the future (it is to me now), so it won't hurt. I suggest you go buy in Book Sale or stores selling used books because they're cheaper and the selections are more diverse.


5. Relish every last bit of high school.
   Accept it, people, these are the last three months of high school -- ever! Don't you at least want to leave an impressive mark? Nobody wants to be known as the alumni who rocked all her years in school, but sucked big time in the last three months. It's your last time to shine, impress teachers, do good, make everything perfect. I suggest you lie low on provoking teachers or collecting reprimands, and focus more on being a really good student. At least try to make your teachers feel that they were able to mold you in some way, and that they made you a better person one way or another. After all, they did make you who you are, regardless of how much you loved or loathed them. You owe it to your school and your teachers to be at the very least, a good (not perfect) student. It's just three months to go after all, how hard would it be?
   

When you come right down to it, it's all just about making that extreme bliss into something positive and productive that will help you make it through the last of your senior year. But I guess the most important thing to remember is to ENJOY! I'm sure your family, friends, and teachers are all very proud of you. Brag all you want -- I really think with passing comes bragging rights, even for just a few weeks. Haha. Just make the most out of it because five months from now, you will embark on one of the most exciting adventures of your life: College.

To the future Ateneans, La Sallians, Thomasians, and of course future Iskolars ng Bayan,
CONGRATULATIONS! :)

As for me, I might have to go and find a way to motivate myself to study this weekend. The coming two weeks are packed with tests -- Comm3, Socio10, and NatSci2 exams plus Ital10 orals. Good luck na laaaang sakin. My life depends on my colored index cards and pens -- I hope they will do their job in making my reviewers more interesting and exciting. :|

Weber, Marx, and Durkheim, I'm all yours for the next two weeks.
(Yes, this is me announcing I will be on a short hiatus)



(P.S. Advanced Happy Birthday, Ayiene Silvestre! :* I am so lucky to have you as an offline and online friend. Labyu, classmate!)

I know I still love you.

(photo courtesy of this site)

OHMYGOD. I seriously cannot wait.
*hyperventilates*



I still really do love the books better than the show.