They say competition occurs naturally between organisms in the same environment. Where survival is only for the fittest or something like that. Where individuals aim to get what they deem or think they deserve. Where certain species live or die just to compete.

Competition is everywhere. Whether in sports, entertainment, or work, laging may kasamang competition. Hindi siguro natin maiiwasan ang magkaroon ng ganyan. Lalo na kung ang isa ay hayok sa ganyang scenario. Where that individual acts that there’s no tomorrow and everything he [or she] does must be on his [or her] advantage. Dahil siguro parang mamatay na siya kung lilipas ang isang araw na hindi niya maramdaman sa sarili niya na nangunguna siya sa lahat ng bagay.

Is competition good or bad?

It is my birthday today and nothing special is happening. Though, I think, my wife is going to cook, I kinda feel that today is just a normal day. Aside from my colleagues broadcasting to everyone that today is my birthday, nothing is new. Everything is the same. And all I feel is dull and bored. I need something exciting. Something out of the ordinary activity. Something different from what I used to do every birthday I had – ang manlibre o kaya magpakain sa labas.

Since I was little, every birthday namin, my Father sees to it na may handa kami. Kahit konti basta may handa. Konting pansit, tinapay, isang litrong coke, cake, at ice cream. Tama na iyan para sa akin. But as years passed by, sometimes it gets you. You will feel the “is-there-anything-different” feeling because you used to experience this in a long time. So, I guess something different would not hurt.

I often hear change is good. That change makes the world move forward. That in life, change makes you into two different being. Either you become good or the opposite of it. Either you become something or you become nothing at all.

We can never hinder change. And most definitely we cannot prevent it. We live in this world where change is constant. Where change makes change.

Your name is important. It is what defines your existence. It is an evidence that you live or once lived. It is your identity. All people have one. Heck, even animals or things have names.

On a little side note of trivia, did you know that there is what we call the study of names? It is called “Onomastics” from the greek word “Onoma” which means name. According to behindthenames.com, onomastics is a field of study which touches on linguistics, history, anthropology, pyschology, sociology, philology and much more. Astig! May bago akong nalaman.

Most of the time when I meet someone, whether a new acquaintance, or an old friend or a schoolmate, and learned that I am already married with two kids, they’ll be shocked and ask me a lot of questions of why(s) or what happened or how did I became what I am now (or sometimes tease me and laugh). Well I guess, as far as I am concerned, I look young to be a family man.

I remember someone I know told me, “Ha?! May anak ka na? Ang bilis ah!“. Or, “Ayos ah, mukhang nadale ka agad ah“. Or, “Hindi namin ineexpect, ikaw pala mauuna sa batch natin…“. Another said, “(I’ll be safe) I learned from you…”. The last seems there something implied with his statement but I didn’t care.

A philosopher once said, “There’s no man in an island”. However, isn’t it that sometimes it is hard to deal with other people? Hindi ba’t ang hirap makisama sa madaming tao na may iba’t ibang ugali at iba’t ibang nararamdaman? I’m sure there’s someone that you find easy to be with but there are others that you find irritating or you don’t want any connections to be established. May magugustuhan ka pero mayroon din namang hinde.

There are a lot of things that you should consider. Their attitude, their opinion, their perception towards things and of course their “skin”.

Yes, skin. Balat. I think there are different kinds of skin and sometimes it does come in different forms. May magaspang o kaya naman may punong puno ng puzzle. Kung minsan may makinis. Na sa sobrang kinis kahit lamok madudulas. Pero meron din namang makapal. ‘Yun bang sa ubod ng kapal kahit sandamukal na karayom hindi bumabaon (baka nga kahit pako ayaw pa rin eh). Na kahit na anong sabihin mo walang epekto. Kahit siguro sunugin mo hindi niya mararamdaman.

It’s been a boring day today. It was so silent you can hear yourself breathing. Where the only loud things you can hear are the airconditioner’s roar and the non-stop clicks of the keyboard’s keys.

I’ve never been this silent before. Except during the days where I feel so sleepy even a gallon of coffee couldn’t help keep my eyes open.