In three weeks I will be standing in the middle of Times Square on our way to see Koylie.  I am guessing it will be surreal.

Got this from Ching.

Words of Affirmation
Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”  Verbal appreciation speaks powerfully to persons whose primary Love Language is “Words of Affirmation.”  Simple statements, such as, “You look great in that suit,” or “You must be the best baker in the world! I love your oatmeal cookies,” are sometimes all a person needs to hear to feel loved.

Aside from verbal compliments, another way to communicate through “Words of Affirmation” is to offer encouragement.  Here are some examples: reinforcing a difficult decision; calling attention to progress made on a current project; acknowledging a person’s unique perspective on an important topic. If a loved one listens for “Words of Affirmation,” offering encouragement will help him or her to overcome insecurities and develop greater confidence.

Quality Time
Quality time is more than mere proximity. It’s about focusing all your energy on your mate. A husband watching sports while talking to his wife is NOT quality time. Unless all of your attention is focused on your mate, even an intimate dinner for two can come and go without a minute of quality time being shared.

Quality conversation is very important in a healthy relationship. It involves sharing experiences, thoughts, feelings and desires in a friendly, uninterrupted context. A good mate will not only listen, but offer advice and respond to assure their mate they are truly listening. Many mates don’t expect you to solve their problems. They need a sympathetic listener.

An important aspect of quality conversation is self-revelation. In order for you to communicate with your mate, you must also be in tune with your inner emotions. It is only when you understand your emotions and inner feelings will you then be able to share quality conversation, and quality time with your mate.

Quality activities are a very important part of quality time. Many mates feel most loved when they spend physical time together, doing activities that they love to do. Spending time together will bring a couple closer, and, in the years to come, will fill up a memory bank that you can reminisce about in the future.
Whether it’s sitting on the couch and having a brief conversation or playing together in a tennis league, quality time is a love language that is shared by many. Setting aside focused time with your mate will ensure a happy marriage.

Receiving Gifts
Some mates respond well to visual symbols of love. If you speak this love language, you are more likely to treasure any gift as an expression of love and devotion. People who speak this love language often feel that a lack of gifts represents a lack of love from their mate. Luckily, this love language is one of the easiest to learn.

If you want to become an effective gift giver, many mates will have to learn to change their attitude about money. If you are naturally a spender, you will have no trouble buying gifts for your mate. However, a person who is used to investing and saving their money may have a tough time adjusting to the concept of spending money as an expression of love. These people must understand that you are investing the money not in gifts, but in deepening your relationship with your mate.

The gift of self is an important symbol of love. Sometimes all your mate desires is for someone to be there for them, going through the same trials and experiencing the same things. Your body can become a very powerful physical symbol of love.

These gifts need not to come every day, or even every week. They don’t even need to cost a lot of money. Free, frequent, expensive, or rare, if your mate relates to the language of receiving gifts, any visible sign of your love will leave them feeling happy and secure in your relationship.

Acts of Service
Sometimes simple chores around the house can be an undeniable expression of love. Even simple things like laundry and taking out the trash require some form of planning, time, effort, and energy. Just as Jesus demonstrated when he washed the feet of his disciples, doing humble chores can be a very powerful expression of love and devotion to your mate.

Very often, both pairs in a couple will speak to the Acts of Service Language. However, it is very important to understand what acts of service your mate most appreciates. Even though couples are helping each other around the house, couples will still fight because the are unknowingly communicating with each other in two different dialects. For example, a wife may spend her day washing the cars and walking to dog, but if her husband feels that laundry and dishes are a superior necessity, he may feel unloved, despite the fact that his wife did many other chores throughout the day. It is important to learn your mate’s dialect and work hard to understand what acts of service will show your love.

It is important to do these acts of service out of love and not obligation. A mate who does chores and helps out around the house out of guilt or fear will inevitably not be speaking a language of love, but a language of resentment. It’s important to perform these acts out of the kindness of your heart.

Demonstrating the acts of service can mean stepping out of the stereotypes. Acts of service require both mates to humble themselves into doing some chores and services that aren’t usually expected from their gender. However, these little sacrifices will mean the world to your mate, and will ensure a happy relationship.

Physical Touch
Many mates feel the most loved when they receive physical contact from their partner. For a mate who speaks this love language loudly, physical touch can make or break the relationship.

Sexual intercourse makes many mates feel secure and loved in a marriage. However, it is only one dialect of physical touch. Many parts of the body are extremely sensitive to stimulation. It is important to discover how your partner not only physically responds but also psychologically responds to these touches.

It is important to learn how your mate speaks the physical touch language. Some touches are irritating and uncomfortable for your mate. Take the time to learn the touches your mate likes. They can be big acts, such as back massages or lovemaking, or little acts such as touches on the cheek or a hand on the shoulder. It’s important to learn how your mate responds to touch. That is how you will make the most of this love language.

All marriages will experience crisis. In these cases, physical touch is very important. In a crisis situation, a hug can communicate an immense amount of love for that person. A person whose primary love language is physical touch would much rather have you hold them and be silent than offer any advice.

It is important to remember that this love language is different for everyone. What type of touch makes you feel secure is not necessarily what will make your partner happy. It is important to learn each other’s dialects. That way you can make the most of your hugging, kissing, and other physical contacts.

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This was very enlightening to read.  Something which you can always refer to whenever you feel that love fades or are unsure about love.  I think this idea is universal in that it doesn't only apply to romantic relationships but also to family, friends, and even acts of love to people you don't know.  Some people may manifest their love using all these five languages, some may only use one or a couple. It really doesn't matter whether you manifest all or just a few, what matters is that you are capable of showing love.

But doesn't it arouse your curiousity if you or the one you love uses these five languages or not?

If only they made life-size attachments! XD

Now this got me thinking, what if a third party game developer creates a Playgirl or a Playboy Mansion game?  OMFG. 

I came across this article about the status of  manufacturing companies and the plight of its workers in Manila. The article is very enlightening in the sense that not much has changed over the past few years in terms of the value of highly-skilled workers.  The ideas presented in it also gave me a breath of fresh air as I was slowly being sucked into the gaping void of the corporate world here in Vietnam.  It made me remember my design roots where everything I did was people-centered: design and manufacturing worked hand in hand in order to further improve the product and not worrying if manufacturing would compromise the integrity of my design.

I have an idea of what differentiates Philippine design from Western design:  Filipino design, being people-centered, has soul. That is something that no mass-produced machine-made product can replicate.

Demented, I know. LELZ. Happy birthday pa rin pamangkEEn! XD

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.
- Rainer Maria Rilke, Letter Four (1903)

During times when my head is filled with questions, I look back to this quote introduced to me by a very close friend.

I was browsing through an ad blog when I came across Oliviero Toscani's latest work in a campaign for the Milan Fashion Week.  The billboard features an anorexic woman in an effort to warn the public about the effects of the disease.

















It was blatant and shocking. But really effective.  I quickly searched for Toscani's other works and found out that he was the man behind the shocking Benetton ads.  I love his style.  Another person to look up to.

Just want to rant at the sloth-like speed and unreliability of my workstation. Death to you PC!!! DEATH TO YOU!!!!

Yup, let us all help the research that aims to understand the psychology behind what people find attractive.

Help humanity. Help yourself.

LELZ!

I just realized that I haven't been home for 1 year, 5 months, and 5 days.

Never thought I'd last this long. Before, a few months here in Saigon was already hell.  Now I wonder if I would feel different when I do get back in Manila.  What I dread the most is wanting to get back here in Saigon once I step out of the plane in NAIA.

...mag-blog or even mag-saleta k2lad ng nkkta ko sa mga kids today...as in grabeh, sumaket tlga yung head ko kkaicp kung pano i-construct yung first phrase pa lang...tapos ayun, natapos ko na ren sha...tapos yun...sinabe ko nga sa younger sister ko n never kng mag-email saken ng txtspeek huh...kase di ko talaga sha babasahen...no, no, no talaga...ssbihin ko na lang na she shud spell all d words correctly diba...para basahen ko sha...or never na shang mkkuha ng email from me...wat the fack shumashaket na talaga head koh...dapat na cguro i-ban yng gn2ng pagtype...pro im thinking na bka somethin gud wil come out of ds...kc cguro dhil shortcut n lhat ng words...less tym 2 typ n less space consumed...pti paper consumpshun na ren mbbwasan...hihihi galeng-galeng nman...sna ganeto na lang magsalita lhat ng tao no...naisep koh lang...

Description from presurfer.blogspot.com:

" The box says: What's yours like? Mine is tight. It's hot when I wear mine. The game that tells it like it is.

But it's not what you think it is. Or maybe you didn't think what I thought it was. Anyway, it's actually a fun party game which is explained on the back of the box:

Be clever, be witty, or be outrageous when describing your swimsuit, neighbor, closet, hair, or whatever Guess Word is picked. But, best of all, be creative so you don't reveal the word to the player in the Hot Seat. Get ready for some side-splitting laughs as players answer What's Yours Like?

The game was a winner of Bernie DeKoven's 2007 Major Fun Award in the category Party Games. You can read a full description of the game at my friend Bernie's site."

Tried this using the Real Age Calculator.  I just wish that my supposedly 'real age' would reflect in the way I look. I look older than I seem.

...people publish their posts en masse that you have to scroll through 20 or so pages of blog posts coming from the same person just because you happen to be in their network?

Just thinking out loud.  Not singling anyone out.

Heehee :D

It's just sad to realize how lonely you really are even amongst friends and family.  Makes you think that although man is a social being, all that sense of belonging is just superficial.  That when you look at things on the microscopic level, we are basically just alone.

Maybe meant to be alone.

I've always known that color somehow affects mood, but it's only now that I have been converted into a true believer of this.  I wore a deep-colored pink shirt today, T-Mobile Magenta, to be exact.  The depressed me of last night was gone today.  Somehow this shirt made me feel more tranquil but full of energy and hope :)

I definitely need to experiment with more colors and add them to my wardrobe.  So hello to Razzle Dazzle Rose and Coral Orange!!! :D

paran naman akong phallic symbol sa items 2,3,6 & 10 xp

La lang. This song accurately depicts my emotions over the last weekend.  One of those rare songs that makes you feel overflowing love.

...

Okay tama na emo.  Penge lyrics!!!! XD

For the nth time.

So I was over at Yer Sin Market after lunch to buy some hardware. After buying what I needed, I took a xe om back to the office.  As my xe om was crossing the roundabout in front of Benh Thanh Market, I noticed it was getting faster but didn't mind it.  Only when I heard the xe om driver say something in a panicked voice did I look up to see that we were about to crash head on to the side of a small truck.  And then it happened.  Not like a blinding flash you usually see in the movies.  It was more like a collection of thoughts so dense that you don't have enough time to process it all.  After that split-second that these thoughts course through your brain cells you somehow come to an understanding and a question.  I am about to die with an unfulfilled life was the last thought in my mind.  Luckily the xe om swerved to the right to avoid the truck and I was jolted back to reality.  I calmly told the driver to slow down but he couldn't.  Apparently the brakes weren't working and the gear chain got loose.  The motorbike traffic that we were traversing was flowing again so we had to avoid the incoming traffic to our right while we try to slow our xe om down.  I saw the xe om driver slam both of his feet on the pavement to slow us down, so I did the same while concocting a plan on how to safely disembark from the motorbike when it came to a manageable speed.  The only problem I had after that was making sure that no motorbikes or cars would hit me once I hop off the motorbike as we were in the middle of the street.  We finally managed to slow down as we approached the nearest sidewalk.  I got off and paid the xe om and took another one to go back to the office.

On the ride back, I've sort of proven to myself that a negative disposition really attracts negative energy.  Maybe that's why I have been so unlucky this past month.  Or not. From another perspective, I am still lucky. Lucky that I am alive and uninjured apart from a sore ankle and a bit of shock.

My thoughts for the rest of the day: "Jollibee Happy!" and "Eh video naman yan, eh!"