the art of doing nothing

These past weeks, or should I say months, the idea of the importance of social value has been boggling me ever since. What is social value? What does it really take for someone to have that so-called social value? Or is it really a must to begin with? I've been discerning about that subject for quite some time, that I just can't stop myself from spitting everything I wanna blab about.

Social Value is one's value in the social context. The QUANTITY AND QUALITY of friends you have, the PLACES you HANG-OUT, the kind of LIFESTYLE you live, the INFLUENCE of your clan as a whole, the IMAGE you project, and simply your unsaid VALUE and WORTH as an individual in the social venue you belong to.

So is it really important? Who are these people who are genuinely a part of it, and who are those people who try so hard to be a part of it? Why do people take great measures just to acquire it? And how could one actually possess those certain values and skills that would easily bolster up his/her social value? So let's tackle all these questions and more as we probe deeper on the topic of social value.

So is social value really important?

• As what has been said, the greatest hunger that man experience right now, isn't the hunger for food, shelter, or all those basic necessities; what man really hunger for is the ACCEPTANCE, APPROVAL, and SENSE OF BELONGING in his/her society. Basically, this connotes, that everyone of us, directly or indirectly, subtly or clearly-- we all are working our asses up just so we would have that social value that would be the ingredient for us to have the thing we most hunger for. It gives us an edge among all others, and let other people perceive us to be someone of worth and dignity that they can look up to. Naturally, these people who know that they have social value, are able to do more and much more than those people who don't; simply because they possess the CONFIDENCE, CHARISMA, REPUTATION, PERSONALITY-- that measures up who they are as a person.

• People born with silver spoons in their mouth. The altas de ciudad. The academic achievers. The elites; might be the old money rich, or the new money rich. The socialites who know the ins and outs of society, and is always a part of the social scene. The celebrities (models, actors, designers, media men, sociophiles, successful entrepreneurs, etc.). The ones who got wads of cash in their pockets, myriads of credit cards, gargantuan bank accounts, superb mansions, and those who are known simply because they are rich, popular, socialite, or just visible.

• Posers. Social climbers. Insecure people. People who always follow the styles shown from pages of magazines. The ones who try to emulate the higher ones' styles, attitude, lifestyle and all. The ones who are always visible in party scenes but end up looking like they absolutely have no idea about what is going on or what to do with these situations. The people who try to get it done successfully, but ends up a failure just because they couldn't keep up with the pressure that the image they are trying to project and live entails. The ones who would burn all their cash just so they could live up to the standards of it all-- in the end, they also end up faking everybody, even themselves.

• The natural ability to mingle with all sorts of people.
• The right timing, lifestyle, and reputation to make yourself known.
• The right mix of attitude that would prove your ingenuity and edge among all others.
• Positive and outgoing look on life.
• Sky-high confidence and self-esteem; but do make sure that you don't come off as arrogant; it would definitely ruin it all.
• Before you try to look for it, you need to have: cash. knowledge. intellect. networking skills. reputation. sense of individuality.
• Knowledge of the do's and dont's, ins and outs, etiquette, tactics that would back you up in every situation.
  
• Ability to make things happen. Ability to keep the party going. Ability to keep things sane and fun.
• Loads of guts, spirit, passion, and of course your individuality.
• etc. etc. etc.
  

1. These is where a lot of individuals fail to take note of on their quest for social value. They keep on doing things they think would give them an edge, not knowing that all of these would actually backfire. A lot of wannabes always pretend and risk their individuality thinking that it is the right way to achieve the ends, not knowing that they got it all wrong.

• You might opt to follow new styles, but do make sure, that you still have that one trademark that would identify you as you, and would never ever make you lose the person that you are.
• Never ever compromise your principles. Whatever you do, think, decide; always always stick to what you believe is right.
• Experimentation and Spontaneity is the key to triumph. Be open to new possibilities, experiences, situations-- just gobble it all up for all it's worth. Years would pass, you'd be in your 20's; and you'd basically be back to your small group of friends rather than blend in with the party scene. So be what you can be-- enjoy and live it up.
• Never ever forget where you came from. Always always be grounded back to reality. Not all that shimmer now will shimmer forever.
• You can shine wherever you may be as long as you are happy with what you're doing, you believe in your strengths, and you remain true with who you are and what you want. One doesn't need to undergo dolling themselves up or spending loads of cash for things that would be superficial in the end, to be able to have that social value. You just need to know your strengths, work on your skills, use it to your advantage, and you'd definitely win in this game. Not everyone has that attitude and mentality, so it'll make you differ from among the rest. So make sure that you'd shine wherever you may be. :)
  
• Social value isn't just a matter of being with the right friends and being in the right party place. It's basically just a matter of perspective. I mean, if you've got a set of friends, no matter how "baduy or jologs" they can be-- if you know that the friendship is genuine, and you know that you are having fun with their company: stick with it. Quality would always hold more value than quantity. Not everyone that surrounds you would be just as real or accepting; there surely would be a lot of hypocrites, critics, and insecure people that would pull you down.
• Just keep the balance whenever, wherever, whatever, with whoever-- it'll surely be helpful in all aspects. :)

So with laziness in tow, I dragged myself out of bed, and began to rummage around the kitchen looking for something with no sense of direction and purpose. @_@ That’s the thing, I like to fumble around, and whatever I uncover, would then be the main point on what activity I’d be doing. This time, I was able to unearth: oil painting set, brushes, chipboard, black cartolina. (fact: those oil painting set have survived for 3 years. I basically bought that back when I was still in 2nd year high school and so was the brush! ^^)

You guessed it right, I became a Picasso, and started doodling on the black cartolina which I propped on the chipboard to stop it from tearing apart due to the paint. I started off with nothing in mind really, just the need to vent out. And I formed shapes. Shapes that really look like nothing, but shapes. Indifferently-shaped shapes. Oh well, enough with the shape words. I then filled it up with colors which define my emotions at that moment: RED, YELLOW, WHITE which denotes: Aggressiveness, Optimism, and Innocence. LOL! I really just thought about the meaning of those colors now. And I also would like to share that my brush proved to be useless in the end, maybe because It had been worn out with age and uselessness, so I opted to use COTTON BUDS as an alternative to finish my work. Really, it was good, because I was able to make the colors more concentrated and defined with it. :)

Sheesh.. the craving for something so luscious yet so unattainable, something I've been hoping for, but didn't have enough guts to actually really pull it off for real. Now, I’m back on it again. That need for the feeling of being so light and flexible, and that want for that image of being such a goodness gracious H-O-T goddess!!!

STEPS for that dream tummy:

• Eat breakfast. Take small meals to quench my hunger for the rest of the day.
• No to junkfood, sodas, and fastfoods. Oh and candy too, except for those that are sugar-free. Ugh.. I need to say my last words to Ronald, Jabee, and Pizzie. @_@
• Wear my ever reliable binder.
• Enroll myself at Holiday Spa, and take some belly dancing sessions too.
• Play badminton, if possible, daily.
• Practice driving. (I don’t know what is the connection, but I’d still do these for the sake of burning those unwanted baby fats!)
• SLEEP EARLY!! 10:00 would be good. :D so as to wake up early, and walk for a while.
• Stop myself from gluttony, and chew on my food longer than usual. Don’t let my brain tell me to keep on eating, even if my tummy says, It had enough.
• DO HOUSEHOLD CHORES to keep myself busy! :D
• JOG! BRISK WALK. Anything and everything.

a photo by bong aportadera of his wife at bali resort in samal:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2600866608_87e717724b.jpg?v=0

Hey Sexy Lady Remix

Wolkenmeerbeisturm

Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to sit upon the clouds, and let the winds cradle me to sleep. I can just imagine it's fleeciness and the humidity of its surface. Its coldness and warmness all rolled into one. Which is why, even since then, especially when I'm off to school, I look up into the skies, and just imagine drifting off into far-off places atop a gargantuan cloud, with little birds perching onto my hands, and people waving at me from planes. OOOOH. @_@ Cottony and fleecy.. gee. I want to really, really just touch and feel it all. I love how the clouds keep on moving and turning into various shapes.. one minute it’s a pig, then a minute, it became a fetus, then a stroller bag, then a dinosaur. My mind can’t just stop thinking about the various patterns made up by this clouds. It really is a great way to do when you’ve got nothing to do: you increase your knowledge on psychology, by affirming the truth about Gestalt psychology. You would also decrease your stress level, heighten up your imagination skills, and even get in touch with your inner kid. Truly, truly.. nature is one of the best escapes to get rid of all the stressors and just clear your mind off of everything there is. ^_^

have learned at least 3 languages: French, Spanish, Nihonggo

• -- after college, instead of directly looking for a job, I will enroll myself in lots of self-developing courses: like cooking, baking, photography, writing, painting, new languages, movie editing, etc.
  
• --I will really focus on upgrading my value, so as to give me edge over other applicants.

• --while in Manila, I would also be doing other freelance jobs. I would also be giving out articles to magazines, and do writing works. To give me more experience, I would also be joining several workshops to enhance my skills. 
• --I would never ever say die!
• --I would have my own condo unit there. I would really really save up for one.

• I so love kids, and if I could do anything to show my appreciation and love for them; it would be these.
• I would be doing these not for the income, but more on my passion.

• --I would learn new techniques with regards to this craft.
• --I would be really working hard to find and do something that would give my site an edge over the rest.
• --I would always give a share of what I will be earning in philanthropic institutions

• --land, earth, water, and fire; I'm out to conquer the highest of highs up to the lowest of the depths.. :p