The Birthday Experiment.

My REAL birthday is on November 17. On my Facebook page it says February 29. (Yes, I wrote that I was a leap year baby.) Now, people lie about their online information all the time, but I wanted to know just how far people would believe anything that was on the internet.

Last year, I changed my birthday on my profile. On my actual birthday, I got about 40 ish birthday greetings spread throughout the day. Some of which were from my family, my block mates and team mates whom I spent everyday in school with, and a few close friends from high school and other organizations. Today, the 29th of February, I got about 50 birthday greetings in the first hour and a half alone. Only 12 people contradicted this and knew it wasn't my real birthday.

Now, I know it's a bit of a stupid experiment (and some of you probably feel fooled after finding out it isn't really my birthday), but come on, don't you think that technology has made us lazy? We can't compute without calculators, can't read without eBooks downloaded onto our Kindles and iPads, or even greet people without Facebook reminding us. And it's not because we've forgotten, but it's because we've become lazy to think. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, not live our lives for us.

And I will admit, there are times when I'm out that I sometimes find myself favoring social media sites like twitter and Facebook over socializing in person, but then it hits me.. Nothing will ever compare to standing in front of someone, looking them in the eye, and speaking to their soul.

Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for technology. But I don't think it's an excuse for us to stop using our minds or making our own decisions. Technology can only calculate so much. If you ask me, a gut feeling, or a personal connection can only be truly felt if we allow ourselves to be human. Just a thought.

Happy FB birthday to me! & I am thankful for the birthday greetings though. I know you all mean well. :)

Give and take? Why not give and give?

People always ask me why I give for free. My time, my efforts, (and cheesy as it sounds) my love. I always only respond the same thing: Because I can.

I'm thankful that it was never really embedded into my mind that I should always get something in return. Yeah, in this day and age, it does suck sometimes 'cause everyone thinks that way. It's like a 'you-get-what-you-give' mentality. And honestly, I hate that. I don't understand why people think they can only give what they expect to get back. "I'll only love him this much because that's only how much he'll love me." or "I'll only put this much effort into my work because my boss will only credit me by this much." or "I'll only talk to her when she needs me 'cause I know that's the only time she'll actually talk to me." I just don't get it.

And what's worse is, people tell other people NOT to give. They tell you, "Don't invest in him, he'll only hurt you." or "Stop doing things for free, start charging money for it." or "Don't give her advice, she won't even take it." I mean, come on people! The world is selfish enough as it is, do we need to add to the problem?

First of all, to truly love someone should be unconditional. No other motives. Whether he'll love you back or not; Whether he'll hurt you or not. Second, your time is YOUR time, but know that it is better spent with others. Life is short. Spending it all on your own is not as wonderful (and beneficial) as spending it with people. And lastly, what is so wrong with helping other people? So what if they don't take your advice? Sometimes, all they need is someone who will listen. And with the hustle and bustle of the city life, that's not easy to find.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that I wished people gave more. And if you understood me correctly, which I hope you did, obviously I didn't mean material things. (We've got enough charitable rich folks for that.)

And from what my best friend once shared with me: 'Sic transit gloria mundi,' which translates to 'Thus passes worldly glories,' I changed my perspective from give-and-take to give-and-give. In the end, none of our earthly possessions will matter. We need to start setting our priorities straight.

Pre-Love Jitters

I can't wait to fall in love. To give a part of me away that I might never get back. To become illogical and not think straight. To fight over small things that have big impacts. To just take a risk and hope it lasts forever. To be hurt and feel pain. To feel lost, and yet found.

I can't wait to fall in love. For unlimited hugs and kisses. For the infinite support and security. For the back rubs and shoulders to cry on. For words unspoken and unawkward silences. For consistency. For fingers entwined and soft touches. For happy endings.

I can't wait to fall in love. Love, love, love, love, love. I can't wait.

Pre-Valentines Rant

This will be easier said than done, but when I do (finally) have someone to call my own, I will try my very best to tell him this:

"I'll make a deal with you. The moment you become unhappy with me, you can go. I won't stop you, I won't fight you, I won't even take it against you. Or at the very least, I won't show it.

I will, though, be sad. Maybe even a little miserable. But I will not hate you for feeling what you're feeling.

But until that day comes, you have to promise me that you'll try. That you will love me unconditionally, faults and all. And I will promise to keep you happy.

And if we wake up one day, side by side, old and gray, we'll know that we both did something right."


Maybe that's why relationships don't work out in the first place. Because people are selfish. We expect them to love us forever and we won't let them go when they start to feel otherwise. Or we expect them to fight for us and try to stay in relationships that are doomed and destructive, when we could just let them be happy.

Some people are meant to fall in love with each other, but not be together. And by not being together is probably one of the greatest ways they will ever love each other.

Happy Valentines. :)