Monday, May 25, 2009

Disclaimer

The author is aware that there have been many assumptions made about the work that has been presented through this outlet. Said work does not in any way represent anyone’s opinion but those of the writer. There were occasions when interviews/talks were indeed held in order to advance a certain degree of research on the subject presented, but said interviews/talks were not transcribed as such into any article. The author also recognizes the work presented might at times sound extremely sarcastic and cynic, perhaps even arrogant and narcissistic, but rest assure that it is always genuine. But rather than focusing on such superficial details, the reader is invited to be amused at minimalism in every aspect, which is somehow presented in this space. Nevertheless, the reader must not forget to thrive to find the complicated in every detail because there is certainly more than the previously mentioned superficial aspects to this work. In order to understand one must read between the lines and observe the world that surrounds the opinions expressed through them since there is so much more to these articles than what is written on them. Although many times the author failed to do so, there was an attempt to articulate the need for qualitative writing as opposed to quantitative in every aspect of the literary sphere especially when the issues discussed are of particular controversy.
The author does not seek approval for the thoughts here expressed because they are not aimed to conform but to challenge the norm. Furthermore, this is not an opportunity to flaunt the author through words or throw some candy-coated façade about the author’s opinions and thoughts. It is simply a space to express them.
Finally, please do note the Irish proverb that reads: “work like you don't need the money; dance like no one is watching; sing like no one is listening; love like you've never been hurt; and live life every day as if it were your last.”


xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009


p.s. This is, as it might be obvious, the last blog. It was a pleasure to have written all the articles.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Not Thy Shadow But Thyself

It is often said that the only guarantee one has in life is the fact that one will inevitably die one day, which is a mistake. There is another detail that life has guaranteed from the moment of one’s birth: pain in any of its varied forms. One is bound to be hurt and to suffer whoever one is and whatever one does. While such suffering is at times self-perpetrated, many others it is caused by those around. Yet, the only reason one is able to feel such pain is because one allows the feeling to overpower oneself. One must be able to differentiate between the trust one has on oneself and the trust one places on others, which is ultimately what makes the difference in feeling painful disappointments or dismissing such events as simple discontent. If one disregards others’ ability to account for one’s happiness, happiness will in fact be reached especially when it requires one to depend exclusively on oneself in order to be achieved.
As unnecessary as this might sound, one should know that life is not an easy task to experience despite the fact that the only architect of a life is the person who lives it. There will always be difficulties surrounding one’s every step since there is not anybody who can design a perfect life. One must be prepared to cope with the shortcomings of the design one makes. Regardless of those deficiencies, one must trust oneself to be strong enough to withstand the winds that will shake one to the roots and attempt to break one. One must remain solidly attached to the ground and in one piece. It will hurt, but one will be well if one so decides. One must also understand that pain is necessary for one to grow. One must comprehend the extent to which suffering plays a role in advancing potential as it is said, what does not kill will strengthen. It is inevitable to suffer. But the pain, whatever its source and however strong, is only temporary. The amount of time it remains depends on the kind of wound and who caused it. One should be able to discern the past of each wound so that one can surpass the pain. Whatever or whoever caused one to ache exists in a past that can only reach the present if one is not strong enough to leave it where it belongs. If said pain continues in the present, it will prevent satisfaction.
It is also important to realize that the only person one should trust is the one who can be observed in the mirror every morning. As one can guarantee people will harm one in one way or another, trust should be placed only on oneself; especially considering that the only person interested in someone’s personal well being is the person whose welfare is in question. Thus, trust should be a personal affair. Nevertheless, one should not by any means forgo relationships of any kind due to fear of being hurt. One must trust oneself enough to entertain those relationships and know that when and if they end, one will emerge perhaps with scars but well. One should, of course, trust the people who take part in one’s life. Yet, one should not trust them to the degree where one depends on them to be well. One should only trust them to a certain extent that will always allow one to be perfectly fine without ever having to depend on others’ actions.
Finally, one must be able to face that fact that one can also be the cause of the pain experienced. Perfection is not a quality enjoyed by anyone and as such one is bound to make mistakes. Hopefully, one makes many since that would mean one has actively participated in life as opposed to having remained inside watching life walk on the sidewalk from the window. Watching from the sidelines will not build the confidence necessary one needs to stand up after each mistake and continue the journey towards success. A success that means one will be well despite the flaws discovered, which is an important insight because the question is not about what is possible, the question is, what does one really want? Whatever the answer is, trust it can be done if one desires it enough to achieve it. That is the only way one can live a life in which one will truly live, learn and move on.


xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Implications: Theory Plus Practice 101

There is a dream held by many children around the world that in some cases materializes and in others it simply remains a dream that follows them everyday until it begins to haunt them if it is never reached. There are many other children, however, who have never heard of such dream. College is a dream that seems so far away when one starts school at a very early age; but which one learns is attainable, as one grows older. One must remain in school and earn good marks in order to be able to attend college. There is also the cost issue, but that does not seem to stop many if they really wish to attend an institution of higher education. Yet, it is a dream that many seek to achieve although for different motives. More than a dream, college is also a rollercoaster of enjoyment, an enlightening incident, a nightmare, an escalator of growth, and a safety net.
There are many who know about the dream and who choose to let it walk by. Their reasoning is perhaps based on past unjustifiable mistakes or in a different dream, which they hope will provide a better future than college would. Most of these people, however, do no realize that they are merely exchanging future stability for the ever-fleeing present delight. There are, of course, other options that vary according to the person since there are many who have accomplished their heart desires’ without necessarily attending college. Yet, the fact that it has happened does not mean it always will. It is an unreliable option.
One goes to college expecting to learn a life lesson and hoping that upon abandoning the institution one is fully prepared to engage in real life. Much to the contrary, once one is actually in college, one finds out that college will perhaps do as we hoped, but it will do so in its own twisted ways. College, one learns, is a time to enjoy life. One has many liberties that were not previously enjoyed and advantage of such is taken plenty. The joy is never ending because there is always something new and exciting to be discovered. Many of those things lead to positive paths; others lead to damnation where what has been lost will never be recuperated. But such mistakes and experiences are an important part of the college experience.
It is inevitable that college will be an enlightening incident as well. Despite the efforts to focus on the fun encountered during those years, one learns much more than one had expected the day one’s parents left one outside the dorm building. One learns not only the difficulty of acquiring all the responsibilities that one’s parents took care of at home, which included but are not limited to paying the bills, making sure one arrives home alive and well at night and feeding oneself. One learns that there is another world outside the bubble one had lived in. There are simple lessons to be learned such as complicated math and how to write a proper analytical essay among the hundreds of other available subjects, but there are other important lessons that are not directly addressed inside a classroom: everyday survival.
College is also dreadful due to the innumerable assignments, exams, readings, countless nights spent at the library and the like. But that is small price to pay. In that process, one also dismisses all the mistakes one has made while walking that path in the hopes that they’ll remain part of only a nightmare and thus unreal. Yet, the most terrifying bit is that one is mostly alone and independent. Along the way, one also grows or at least hopes to do so. One must mature and become a better person once all the pieces of the puzzle are properly arranged together.
Finally, college is a safety net. It will not matter how many times one fails attempting triumph, one can always rely on that college diploma as a flashlight to find new opportunities and a settee to rest when those opportunities do not produce the expected results.
Whether pleasant or painful, every single memory shall be greatly cherished. Additionally, if one falls while reaching for the stars, the fall, though frightening, will be amusing. In the process, a lesson must be learned so that the next time one tries, one arrives at the stars. In the meantime, however, the clouds will be there to hold one.


xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

Fishing Trip

There are many people who need help with life. In fact, everyone needs help at some point in life. The difference lies in how people deal with this need. Some people never attempt to seek said needed help and learn after difficult and long struggles, how to cope with their problems alone. Other people, however never learn and they need constant encouragement, which at times turns into a hand holding procedure whenever they encounter a problem that seems to be bigger than them which might not necessarily be the case. The dilemma raised by this situation is that there is a very thin line between encouraging someone in order to help them overcome their difficulties and holding their hands through as they walk through their problems on their way to defeating them.
There is a very small group of people who are self-sufficient. These people actually do not necessitate at any given time anyone to provide them help with anything. They tend to help others often, and in consequence people sometimes tend to feel as if they own them some help when they need. But that time for repayment never arrives. These people are very uncommon, yet they exist. They are also generally humble since they know there is not any need to swank their abilities. They are good at whatever they do, hence if any of them offers help one most definitely should accept it. There will not be a disappointment in doing so.
There are other people who as those who fall in the previous category also do not need help achieving their tasks. Yet, they require something a bit more drastic. They need to be encouraged in any endeavor they might choose to take. They need to be constantly reminded of how well they perform their job or any task that is given to them or which they choose to do. It is not that they are incapable of doing what they must; rather they need someone to remind them that they are capable to do so. They tend to forget their passed glories since more often than not these people are those have suffered a crisis that let them fall from the branch where those who are completely self-sufficient sit. They need to be simply encouraged, merely through words but not actual physical help or whichever kind of help is required for them to accomplish their tasks. Finally, there are those others who need to be walked through life whatever path they choose. These people do not only need to be continuously encouraged in any possible way that might provide them some confidence. They also need to have someone next to them at all moments in which they attempt to complete a task. Otherwise, they will not make an effort since they are afraid that they will fail and there will not be anybody to fix their mistakes. They persistently need to be taken care of and the support of those around them because they feel as though the world will end if that is not the case. They simply cannot do anything on their own. They always need a presence of someone whom they believe stronger and thus capable of holding them as they walk if the occasion might present itself when they stumble in order to prevent them from falling.
There is, however, a problem. The first category of people is so sure of their capabilities, that when they fail, they fall to the bottom. It is difficult for them to rise again. The last category of people is simply incapable of survival. They must constantly be nurtured. Helping them is rewarding because one feels accomplished since the task at hand that required help is done by the helper not the one who sought help. They are regularly given fish so they can eat, but they never learned and never will learn how to fish so they can feed themselves.
The second category of people is more practical. They will make their best effort to success, but they know they will need the help of those around them in the same the same way those around need from them. Although they might need to be reminded, they have longed learned how to fish in order to feed themselves. The key is to know the rules as if one had written them, but knowing that one is merely improving them.

xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009

Monday, April 27, 2009

The Mask

It is often said that beauty is costly. Being beautiful is expensive in every possible way. It is not only about the money invested on beauty products, but also in the time spent on trying to highlight one’s best features through the use of those products. There are many ways to reach such high standards of beauty that go from the seemingly simple, but rather complex make up kit running through facials and the perfect clothes to surgeries. The budget to which one has access is a decisive factor in choosing the products one will use to attempt beautification.
Make-up went from being a luxury to a requirement. In the present, considering the different prices there are in make-up options, most women have access to some kind of make-up. Hence, the important role it plays in the attempt to appear beautiful that many women engage in. Many women begin wearing make-up as teenagers whether through peer pressure or through home pressure, such women become so accustomed to make-up use to the point that by the time they come of age they already have the appearance of a thirty year old thanks to make-up. Others begin later in their adolescence or early adulthood, thus remaining truer to their age in appearance regardless of their level of maturity. Others simply choose not to wear make-up at all which seems to give them a childish look but their skin also ages at a slower rate. Make-up is thus a very sharp double-edged sword in every woman’s drawers. There is both a positive and a negative side to its use.
Make-up is not only a socially acceptable, but it has taken the proportions of something required for a woman to wear in order for her to be socially accepted. Make-up holds positive characteristics, which bestow on it its general public appeal. Women simply grow knowing that one day they will wear make-up. Even if they question said practice at any given time, most give in to the pressure. It becomes an addiction of sorts because once one begins wearing it; it is very difficult to stop. Women tend to be more confident when wearing make-up. As a result, they not only feel better about their physical appearance but also psychologically. They become more comfortable with every aspect of themselves; and, they tend to have a better attitude towards life because they like what they see in the mirror better. But the fact that make-up has the power to cause such level of comfort and confidence is rather problematic. It is precisely such consequences that condemn make-up also as negative and dangerous.
Make-up creates a façade. It does not only cover facial flaws, but it also conceals certain psychological predicaments. By endowing the women who wears it with a more confident self, make-up successfully hides insecurities, which in turn means it brings about the existence of two people within one body. Women who use make-up as a shield tend to become more reserved when they are not wearing it. They do not only hesitate in speaking but also in acting because they lack the confidence make-up allows them to have. A false confidence that is only as temporary as the time the make-up remains in the women’s faces. This practice is not only acceptable but somewhat required since it has become the norm. Although there is plenty of information and research on how the use of make-up alters a women’s skin in the long run, there does not seem to be, however, any concern with the psychological damage make-up can cause to those who wear it on a regular basis.
Society criticizes greatly those who dare walk outside their homes without a masquerade that in the best way possible hides those physical flaws that a woman observes everyday in the mirror. Make-up ensures that the low self-esteemed and physically unfit women do not show themselves to the world. It is the best solution to society’s obsessive attitude towards feminine beauty and lack of tolerance towards imperfection. Thus, women fill the aisles of the retails and the specialty make-up stores in an attempt to acquire the latest products that they hope will hand them over the keys to a more confident and beautiful version of themselves. Yet, there is only one truth: even though the doll might be dressed in a silk gown, it will remain only a simple doll. Unfortunately, the same policy is applicable to the doll’s make-up use.

xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009

Monday, April 20, 2009

Great Expectations

Prostitution has been known as the oldest profession for centuries. It is important to point out, however, that prostitution as commonly defined does not encompass the different kinds of prostitutions there are actually in existence in the world today. It is a harsh truth to accept that dating is one of those kinds of prostitution that are not recognized as such in the present time. There is a misunderstanding of the concept of payment, which is the basis for dating to be a kind of prostitution. A clarification is in order that although there is a widespread belief or tradition that requires men to pay whenever a couple goes out whether to dinner or to the movies and the like, it does not matter who pays because if it is not a fifty/fifty split of the costs, then it is prostitution. This is a situation that repeats itself in marriage as well.
As a couple in a prosperous relationship, people always want to do certain things together whether this means merely spending time with each other seating at a bench watching the sunset to having dinner, watching movies or even traveling. There are activities that do not involve a monetary transaction in which case the relationship is simply that: a couple of equal people spending time together in a romantic way. Conversely, if there is money involved, the situation changes. This problem begins when two people meet. For example, if they meet at a club and the man buys the woman a drink, then there is an underlying expectation for her to dance with him; and, in many occasions if she agrees to such and he continues to buy drinks, the expectation grows into believing the woman would go home with him that night. A situation otherwise known as one nightstand where through paying for the drinks, the man has paid for the woman to sleep with him. From meeting someone in such situation, one can understand why it is prostitution. It could perfectly function the other way as well because women are nowadays independent and able to earn their own money, which means they can also pay for the drinks.
When there is already a self-defined couple, they seem to be officially exempt from societies judging eyes. Although the same twisted belief, which says men should pay for everything, women sometimes take a stand and they decide to pay or at least to divide the cost in equal amounts. The problem here is that the situation remains the same as the one previously exposed when two people meet at a club or a bar. The difference is that in this case the couple does a lot more things together that might involve monetary transactions. But there is still the expectation that they will have sex at some point in the relationship whether right away or after a few weeks or a couple of months. It is not necessarily openly accepted that such event is all there is to wait for in the relationship, but it is an important stepping-stone in today’s society. Before people believed that one should wait until marriage, now everyone wants to take the car out for a drive before they buy it.
If marriage occurs, the situation does not change much. There are the extreme cases when it is very clear that the only reason the marriage took place was due to the economic interest of one party but the other one does not care. This is clearly a way to pay for a wife or a husband. There are other cases where the couple appears to divide the bills and the like as well as the payment for their outings and trips, but there is always a certain expectation that one of them will contribute more whether it is because said person earns more money or for other reasons. Provided they are already married and society is very accepting of these situations, if it not evenly divided, it is still prostitution. It can still be included because one way or another it still implies paying for sex; and, there are obviously complications when there are children.
There is not anybody allowed to hijack a Ferrari if they do not know how to drive. People must know what they step into. So, unless either party involved is ready to share in the good and the bad whether marriage is involved or not, they should not attempt to form a couple. Otherwise, a different label will be required.


xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009

Monday, April 13, 2009

Making History

It is a sad fact, but today’s youth fails to understand that the many years they spend learning inside a classroom will only deliver knowledge, never experience; and, without the latter, the former is not enough. A life is formed not only by the present, but also by the past and the future.
The past is represented by those days that have only left lessons from which one has to learn however painful they were since they have made one a better individual. It is as simple as the saying goes, “the devil knows better because he is old, not because he is the devil,” and it is precisely due to such saying that one should listen to the stories grandparents have to tell because the experience they have comes from the life they have lived. It is not for sale. Their stories appear to be taken out of a fiction novel because they reflect a life one can only imagine full of a richness that go beyond the material and seem impossible to obtain. Grandparents have all the experience one needs today in order not to commit the mistakes that will make one spend the future trying to amend them and repeating how many times one had the opportunity to listen and learn but did not. One is so accustomed to a life plagued by materialism which makes one forget how important it to learn from those who came before because their roots are deepest in the soil. Such deepness reflects the experience grandparents have acquired through out their lives, which one must take advantage of instead of dismissing them as simple ideas from times passed. It is true that many opportunities one can celebrate; they never had which is the reason why their roots are so important. As a tree does not fall held by the strength of its roots, one also remains standing. Without the many privileges one has today, grandparents built a life on a strong basis fed through their roots, a life that now extends itself to their offspring and grandchildren.
If the grandparents are the past, then the parents are the present. They represent the stability of the trunk, which the tree needs to continue its growth. They have also had an opportunity to add their corresponding part to history. Although they do not lack knowledge, they have not lived enough to have the wisdom grandparents have and so they remain strongly attached to the roots. As a basis one has had education and the love parents provide, in such way one has become the fruit of the struggle in which everyone has participated. Without parents, the tree would not have survived because a tree without branches is only a trunk that is near death. However, one remains, which can only mean the branches have protected the fruit held by a strong base. One must take complete advantage from the educational opportunities one has in order so the tree continues to flower and producing fruits. In the present one must learn what will allows one to continue in the future because giving up now would be equivalent to drowning at the shore after having swam for so long and such a long distance. If one allows the tree to die, it would only be the result of the failure of the fruit to absorb the nutrients, which it was provided with as well as its lack of seeds.
Today one has the future at hand as the fruit of the tree that represents the family. Family that is not only formed by blood ties but also by friends, teachers, coworkers who have helped to take care of the tree. The future will be the result of everything one has been able to intake through the roots; from what the present has provided as care, protection and love as courtesy of the parents; and, the educations one has acquired as a personal achievement resulting from the constant struggle to excel. Finally it will be a result especially of how one puts to practice the lessons one has learned. Now it is one’s turn to leave a mark in history, but one must be very careful how that mark will be left.
Life is not today. Life is tomorrow because tomorrow is when the effort will bring results. The road does not end today. The path merely begins day because success is found before work only in the dictionary.

xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009

Monday, April 6, 2009

Mutual Immunity

A well functioning immune system is a very important asset, which does not only carry the medical implications that it should prevent one from becoming ill or accelerate the process of recuperating from any illness one acquires. An immune system is also a support system created by the people one is surrounded by. The immune system is the body’s physical protective measure. The body needs the immune system functioning well in order to continue enjoying a healthy life in the same way being surrounded by the right people as a support system serves as an indirect preventive mental measure to remain sane.
The immune system has plenty of work with the body on a daily basis because there are many pathological agents wherever one goes that are invisible to the naked eye. The immune system has to fight them in order to prevent them from settling in the body and causing the disease to develop however severe or insignificant this might be. The observation here should be that the immune system never rests. When one is not sick, it is busy fighting off diseases one encounters so that one might not become one more victim; and, when such measure fails, it is busy fighting the disease off the body so that one may quickly recover and be healthy once again.
In the same way the immune system fights disease, the support system created by the people one is surrounded by also fights off other negative agents that one encounters. The first one of these systems is one’s family. They are there from the beginning not by choice though by choice they remain. Family does not only protect, but also provides until one is able to do it alone. Family is the first immune system that protects one from all the maladies that one finds outside one’s home, which are mostly irrelevant as one comes to find out. Yet, the family proves competent enough to deal with the many trivialities one encounters as a child then as a teenager and early adulthood.
The immune system becomes stronger as it fights off diseases because it can create immunity. Yet, it cannot create such immunity on its own. It often necessitates vaccines that will aid in its quest for permanent health. Though it is practically impossible to be one hundred percent healthy at any given time, with the help of vaccines and medicine the immune system has a better chance at performing a well done job. In that same way, the support system created by the family is complemented with friends, as one grows older.
Friends become a different type of support system. Friends not only help with the unimportant but also tend to have a better access to what one is living through since one tends to become distant from the family, as one grows older. Friends function then in a certain way as vaccines because they are able to directly prevent one from being in a bad situation whereas family is a more after the fact group. However, this does not mean that friends prevent one from unpleasant situations at all times. Sometimes friends are the cause one is in said situations.
But that is a personal choice.
The immune system is already part of the body when one is born, and although recommended, becoming vaccinated is a choice. Thus, there is a difference between the family support system and the support system created by friends. Though the support system is mutual in both cases, one tends to be obligated through family bonds to be part of that system for a family member whereas one is part of the other system by choice. The immune system’s job is to maintain one healthy though it sometimes fails because it cannot alone do its job. Equally, friends and family try to be supportive in any facet of one’s life, but there are times when there is so much work one gives them, which eventually causes them to also fail in their attempt.
In order to remain healthy, one must not leave all the work to the immune system. One must play the part that is correspondent by eating healthy and taking preventive measures. It has to be a complimentary job. In the same way, one has to be cooperative if friendships and family relations are to function because in the same way they are one’s support them one is also part of their support system. It is mutual.


xoxo,
Poison Drops


©Copyrighted 2009