Hmmm... quite an interesting day for me. I'll start with another Blind Item. I really don't want to post this, but it really irritates me when people show signs of cheating... especially when friends of mine cheat other friends of mine. This should be noted as part of my entries.

Blindfold Me!
I was selling a few Magic cards this morning, when a friend of ours Han Solo (not his real name)dropped by to join us. He's been spreading word that he already broke up with his girlfriend. I never believed a word he said, 'coz he once told me he couldn't make himself do that...because as he said: "How could I? Wala may sala ang babae sa ako." Truth is, he's quite tired of his GF and has been "flirting" around behind her back. I've been entertaining the thought that if he broke up with his GF, it would break my heart to see the girl cry, 'coz she's a friend of mine too, but part of me rejoices knowing that Mr. Han is just playing around for some game. I don't want to meddle, since I'm really not that close with the girl, but maybe close enough to care.

What happened is... tonight, I just realized that it was just one BIG FAT LIE! Typical of him to spread crap stuff. Next time Han says something, I know for sure it's all bull.

Sorcerer
I guess I could say I'm a sorcerer when I can convert pieces of paper into MONEY!!! It does grow on trees. When I was in high school, I collected Magic Cards. They were a hot item then and now the virus has once again spread. I invested some of my allowance on them, my time off school for trading cards, and all my efforts sure paid off. One pack of cards used to cost 80 pesos with 12 cards inside. If I sold it then on a per card basis, from a pack, I'd earn around 120 to 300+ pesos depending on the value of the cards. That's an income of 40+ and more! Since price of cards depend on dollar rate... and we know how strong the dollar is right now... selling them on current price would cost 30 to 200 pesos PER CARD. That is 30X12 = 360 to 200X12 = 2,400 per pack. It definitely is a booming business.

So now, the once idle pieces of paper in my closet are slowly converted to cash to add to savings. I'm no longer buying, but selling everything. I never knew these cards would appreciate nearly tenfold.

Reunion
I had lunch at Ila Puti. It was a long table full of... BLOGGERS!!! Among the bloggers present were Mitch (www.mitchdc.blogspot.com), Bill (www.chinitoeyes.blogspot.com), Vanessa (www.plum13v.blogspot.com), Gizelle a.k.a I-Pay (www.ipaypims.blogspot.com), Maia (www.maiatot.blogspot.com) and of course, yours truly.

Blanche and Mercy were there too and other 2nd year CompE classmates of Maia, Plum and I-Pay. Had lots of laughs about Mercy's shoes. She could set a new trend for shoes. Mercy, Blanche and I enjoyed a laughing session... about PENGUINS... which has something to do with Mercy's shoes and a Chinese teacher of ours in SHS-B. Bwahahaha...

Pay It Forwards... Just some thoughts for enlightenment...
I once had a friend in Ateneo who dramatically changed my outlook in life. I'm not sure if it's for the better or worse, but I guess I could say I'm what I am today because of him. He was more like my elder brother... a foster brother, since I'm the eldest in my family. Well, today, I repaid the favor by touching the life of another person. I hope I got my message through and I hope what I've shared with him would change his ways. When people commit errors, it's better not to make them our enemies. Talking peacefully to them is one way to change their bad habits/traits. A friend listens more attentively than an enemy does. Sometimes, punishment must be left in the hands of God Almighty. I believe that only He can judge and the right of punishment is not in man's hands, but in God's omniscient eye. What is important is remorse on the part of the sinner and making sure he does not err again. We are all human and there are times we sin and sin AGAIN. Sometimes, it is inevitable to commit the same faults, therefore vengeance is not the key in reconciling with those who have wronged us. What's best is to allow the person to say sorry, feel remorse and somehow let him do something as an act of penance. Sometimes erring folks are they themselves victims of circumstances. And we know how strong some pressures and urges are. So let's all acknowledge the fact that we are all sinners. We just happen to err at different degrees due to different circumstances. So as humans, we must learn to dialogue and try to meet half way. Squashing our enemies like an ant will only make matters worse. One small sin leads to another one. Evil begets evil. But good brings MORE good. We should all strive to help curb our own shortcomings and those of others, so we can bring about a more peaceful and just society... and leave God to do the rest. Let God be the judge, let him exact punishment, allow Him to return His lost sheep to the flock. Who knows... the person we have dialogued with could change for the better and who knows... he might try to bring others to the light. So pay it forwards.