Equality Philippines

When I was having coffee and smoke in our balcony to start my morning today, I overheard one nasty exchange of minds from that group of cute young boys who hang out at the house next to where I live, which went as follows: Boy 1: Pare yang babaeng nagtatrabaho sa America priority yan. Boy 2: Pero mas maganda pa rin pare ung based sa America o Americana talaga. Boy 3: Bahala na kung ano yan Pare basta MAKAPAL ANG WALLET. Boy 4: Oo nga, BE PRACTICAL, Pare. The conversation left me clueless as to what to feel at the point of hearing it, but hell sure it raised a lot of questions from me. Well, yes, the looks of the members of this barkada is not a joke. They're one bunch of cute college boys. However, I don't see any reason for looks to be made a basis for assigning a corresponding value to one's self in looking for a mate. Such conversation only made me realize that, in these hard times, the word "practicality" is already overrated, and consequently, finding a ...

I could hardly believe my ears when, over lunch with a group of office mates one day, I heard a devastating conversation from the other end of the table regarding a friend who was known to regularly update his blogs. The conversation went something like, "Di ko pa nakikita un...baka naman late lang?" The sarcastic answer of this egoistic bastard was, "baka nagb-blog pa!" And there was a sudden burst of loud, insulting LAUGHTER. Contemplative as I am, I pondered on the scene and got to ask myself, is this how bad these people view and MOCK writers who find blogging as an avenue to express their thoughts and emotions? While we writers find it fulfilling to scribble our thoughts in the hopes of sharing it with the public and with readers who can relate with us, unknowingly, the majority of people MOCK US and seemingly find WRITING, BLOGGING, and READING BLOGS a waste of time, a ridiculous practice, or a PATHETIC recourse. This is VERY SAD to realize. Yes, we know there...

Just 2 days ago, I was so stressed out as my parents, after 31 years of marriage, made the decision to (finally) part ways. This was not easy in the eyes of a 31-year-old only child, but I let it be as I am too old to be taking sides. I maintained a neutral stand on the matter but promised my Mom that I'd support whatever decision she would make TO THE LAST LETTER. Moving back, Friday before this incident happened, I had my usual Skype chat with my niece, who happens to be my only 101% confidant. I don't know what grimness wrapped us both that day and I cannot anymore remember why, of all topics, we discussed my father's physical abuse on me when I was a kid. I was teary-eyed while chatting, as I related to my niece my most unforgettable beat-up day: It was a rainy afternoon. Merienda was ready -- purefoods hotdogs, tasty bread, and Anchor butter. That was summer after finishing 3rd grade (I was 9). That afternoon, no water was running from the faucet so we were skimping on...

OK, there it be. We're all gays here. However, some are lucky, some are not. Some are blessed, but some are unfortunate. The world is not so fair. Oh, we always know that. It has been a fact that being GAY is a million times more difficult than being STRAIGHT. When you're straight, you find yourself your queen, and off you marry. With the diminishing male/female ratio, finding your girl is as fast as finding a strand of grey hair on a 30-year-old scalp. Whereas in the gay scene, it takes a lot to find your mate. You drool over these hotties at Downelink/Manjam/GayRomeo, but as reality would have it, JUST HOW MANY GUYS YOU LIKE HERE DO YOU GET TO ACTUALLY TALK WITH? So I did come up with a list of painful facts that spell out being GAY, as follows: 1. It takes a lot to be saleable in the market. 2. Tall + slim + toned = HOT. Otherwise = TRASH. 3. Being CHUB and/or EFFEM is a total CURSE. 4. 99% of gays are TOTAL FLIRTS. 5. The words "love" and "trust" are a p...