Happy New Year, Everyone!

Yun lang. ;-)

A sure winner!

I was reading Jessica Zafra's blog (http://jessicarulestheuniverse.com/twisted/re-lay-shun-ships/) when I came across this article (which she first came across and now I'm copying) from (http://howardlindzon.com/?p=2725) :

Craigslist Meets WallStreet…Classic

What a classic answer…..

THIS APPEARED ON CRAIG’S LIST

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy.
I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 432279810

THE ANSWER
Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful”
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.
Classic “pump and dump.”
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

____________________________________________________________________________

Panalo, hindi ba? It's a reaffirmation: Human worth is not evaluated in terms of looks (and not even money, though in this particular case money trumps looks by a couple of notches), kaya mag-isip-isip na tayo, people! Madaling maging tao, pero mahirap magpakatao. Amen.

The mood these days...

The mood these days has largely been a very contemplative and laid-back one. I haven't been able to write anything serious because of two things: first, I lack the requisite sadness and moroseness which I need to fuel me whenever I attempt to delve into the mysteries of this life, and second, I've just been really busy catching up on sleep (so much that I've taken other events for granted, but what the heck). As regards the first tenet, it's not that there isn't anything to be sad about in my life these days; I'm just choosing to not be sad about certain things and people. Life is short, and if the number of hours I spent awake were to be wasted on mulling over the substandard lives of cretins around me, then it would also be miserable.

Christmas was the best Christmas ever (or at least the best one in a long time). I loved it that our family was together again, complete, for the first time in years (it's been so long since we have been complete because Diko always spends the holidays in some distant parish, and we always have to make do with calls in the middle of the night just to greet each other and say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year".) We had Christmas dinner about an hour early, but it was cool. The food was very satisfying, but what appealed to me more were: 1) I wasn't wasted from cooking so I was able to enjoy a hearty meal, and 2) it's been so long since I felt any semblance of the Christmas spirit in our domicile.

My brother dragged me (yes, you read it right: dragged is the operative term) to hear Mass on Christmas day, and the circumstances leading to the climactic event went something like so:

Diko: have you heard Mass, Carlo?
RC: Later. Six-thirty.
Diko: Okay. Have you heard Mass, Arpee?
RP: Err...later. Six-thirty.
Diko: Get dressed. You're coming with me. NOW.

And I gave in because it's Chritsmas, for Pete's sake.

And then somewhere in between getting dressed and leaving for Church:

RP: I guess my religion is one area of my life where we will always be at odds, isn't it?
Diko: You are choosing it to be that way, it seems, so yes. Why so?
RP: Because religion is different from spirituality, and I consider myself more spiritual than religious. They are just rites anyway, and rites are constructs.
Diko: Yes, but you were initiated into the Roman Catholic faith, so beofre you are able to claim any semblance of a personal God, you have to show me first that you are capable of the basics of faith.
RP: But rituals compound faith by attempting to express something intangible in the realm of human affairs.
Diko: True enough, but still...show me. Tell me honestly: are you abandoning the faith?
RP: No. On the contrary, I feel like I'm growing more into it, which is why I no longer see the necessity for such extravagant displays of fealty. You know, the last time I went to confession, the confessor told me that he was appalled at my sins because my brother is a priest and my mother is a very religious person.
Diko: My being a priest has always been accidental to you.
RP: Is that a sarcastic remark, or a declarative comment?
Diko: You interpret it however you may wish. The thing about it is, I never asked you to attend to the rituals of the faith as a priest, but as your brother.
RP: Precisely, and I appreciate that, and the thing about it is why should other people pressure me into something I'd rather not do wholeheartedly when you yourself don't make any such demand on me?

And then I forgot. But this really happened, and I was really happy, because I love talking to my brother about things like these (he's the only person I'd readily make concessions to). That, and the fact that Carlo and Ditse kept joking all the while that their noses were bleeding. Ahaha.

Anyhow, what else?

Oh, yeah. Sex. The act. I was thinking about it yesterday (because some things in life tend to repeat themselves until a lesson is learned), and here now is my final say on the matter: Virgins don't gain anything from sex, but they don't lose anything either. It's more like stasis, a state of equilibrium. So I guess it was wrong of me to think that virgins are above others , but it's also wrong of non-virgins to think that they're better off (this because I really find it uncomfortable whenever I find myself confronted by talks of sex and the like...I just feel really harrassed).

What else, what else?

Oh. And relationships: friendships, romantic ones, what-have-yous: A true relationship, in my honest opinion, is one where neither one has to make concessions, but both are able to compromise. I was mulling about this earlier on in the day because someone made me feel like I was making too many concessions, and for what I don't really know. What we have is not even romantic, so why the hell should I feel this way? More importantly, why the hell should that person make me feel this way? Too many secrets, I think, though the lies are too blatant. And I see through lies very easily. Blame it on my byakugan. I'm not angry or anything, just pondering and evaluative.

I guess that's that. I just finished uploading a new playlist. That's that for now.

Sasori Dono

Sketched this one myself. Maganda ba? I haven't sketched in the longest time.

Wishlist, wishlist!

'Cause you never know if some thoughtful soul might be reading this. That, and it's Christmas, for Pete's sake (who's Pete anyway?!).

1. The latest Robert Fulghum book. I don't know the title, but I know it's been out since last September.
2. A canister of whipped cream. I heart whipped cream.
3. A whip. To make whipped cream with. Seriously. A real whip.
4. A cookbook, preferably one about desserts.
5. A new pair of shoes. Kahit Greenhills lang, my feet have blades, anyway.
6. A micro SD card.1 gigabyte, please.
7. Any Calvin and Hobbes book. Para masaya.
8. Sleeping pills. An entire JAR of them. Pwede ding SAKO ng SLEEPING PILLS.
9. A basket of green apples, or a truckload of pineapples and oranges and pears.
10. A shirt. Any shirt. Basta galing sa ibang tao at hindi ko binili.
11. For people to attend the KAPPP Christmas Party.
12. Happiness, peace, and prosperity for all humans, especially kids. Kahit isang araw lang. Naman!

Stepping out of my comfort zone: the WATUSI experience

I finally, FINALLY, after twenty-two long years, got myself to play with these sticks of incendiary chemicals. You see, when I was younger, we had watusis and firecrackers all the time every Christmas season, but my younger brother and I always had to have someone else (my cousins or anyone within three feet) light up the things for us. Simply put, we were scaredy-cats. We had a weird and unusual childhood, what can I say?!

Anyhow, I chanced upon a couple of these while on one of my tutorial sessions with Tim. He gave some to me (oh, joy!), and I immediately used them up went I got home to Bulacan (I couldn't afford having people see twenty-something me playing around with toys for children in the metro, could I?!) Anyhow, I got so worked up that I had one of the local kids my nephew hangs around with to get me some from the local store (couldn't afford having local tindera see twenty-something me buying toys meant for children, could I?!). These cost P2 each. Really cheap; I was expecting something more along the lines of P5 up, considering how inflation has gone up. Anyhow, turns out these watusis were duds. They didn't come in foil packing unlike those sold in the metro, so they kind of sponged up the ambient humidity. I had a hard time rubbing them on concrete surfaces before I got them to light up. I broke a nail in the process, but I keep forgetting that I shouldn't be concerned about that, hahaha. That's so queer. Sorry. Anyhow, when I got fed up, I just stacked them up in a pile and threw a rock on top of them. BAD IDEA. The whole pile went PRIKKIIEETTTTT (and that's really loud), and sent flaming wads of death in every direction. My two-year old nephew got hit by one such wad in the forehead; thankfully, he did not cry, for I would have really seen firecrackers then.

Anyhow, it feels good to be doing things I haven't done or tried before. The next item on my list is eating oysters. Actually, it should be surfing lessons in Zambales during the Christmas break, but my perforated eardrum still hasn't healed yet.

A word of advice: Don't play with watusis. They're not very fun to play with. And you might break a nail. Haha.