Some Things About Life I Would Tell My Future Kid (Part 3)

1) Smile At Your Biggest Critics, They Usually Don't Know Better

After seeing the latest installment of the Wolverine movie, I knew right away that people would start bashing Hugh Jackman for his physique.  Instead of applauding his dedication to give health conscious individuals an ideal body to strive for, them "internet experts" started criticizing him saying "Wolverine forgot to do leg-day."  ...Yes, coz one of the most famous action stars in the world who can hire the best personal trainers, hired one that doesn't believe in "leg-day." Really???  I daresay that these internet experts forgot to do something too, and that's to keep their ignorant criticisms to themselves. 

What these "internet experts" failed to understand is that Hugh Jackman, like all human beings, is affected by something called genetics.  In fact, there's a picture of him deadlifting so much weight that the olympic bar he was using was actually bending. Any trainer worth his salt knows that you can't do a perfect deadlift without using your legs because it's an overall body exercise. I bet that if any of these "internet experts" actually tried lifting the same weight, they would split in half and die. 

In today's technological advancement, it's easy to feel like an expert, but learn to recognize that you're only an expert in Google-ing. You've done it, I've done it, we've all done it. Heeyay, we have something in common.  Anyway, the problem starts when people let things get to their heads and pass judgment on things they know not much about after google-ing or reading an article of another opinionated ignoramous.  Usually, there's a logical reason why someone's the way they are(either it be physical, mental, or emotional), and no amount of Google-ing can give you a 360 degree view on the matter. 

So son, face your biggest critics, give a beauty-pageant wave, and smile.  You know better.

2) One Secret to Happiness Is Learning To Make Fun of Yourself

Back in grade school, I was one of the most tempermental persons ever.  It came to a point where I would be so angry that I could almost blackout.  Looking back, the some of the reasons for my hulk-like rage were because... Tinawag akong "Siokoy"(due to my last name) or "baboy", (due to my weight.)   I didn't realize that my ultra-senstivity was just a form of insecurity and my fits actually attracted more insults than repelled them. 

I remember, during one of the school-fairs by ICA(an all-girl school), I decided to make "paporma" by wearing an all-white outfit. I wore a white shirt with a pair of white jeans, and white sneakers... I looked like a rolled-up table napkin. It's safe to conclude that I didn't get any phone numbers. In my defense, si Nick Carter naman kasi eh, sinuot niya yun dati. (Kaya malaki galit ko dun eh.) No one told me that my face actually needed to look like Nick Carter's before I could pull it off. Wala eh, Ronaldo Sioco lang.

Why am I divulging this embarrassment? Well I learned to make fun of myself and removed most, if not all of my insecurities.  So what if I looked like an extra-long piece of cotton bud? No one gets it right the first time, and it also makes for a good "Remember When" story. All of the idiosyncrasies you'll ever commit are things that will teach you lessons, give you something to chuckle about when you're making "muni-muni", and are basically small parts of the sum that makes you who you are. 

Make silly mistakes, breathe it in, and learn to laugh about it.

3)  Rejections and Break-Ups Are Stepping Stones

Let me tell you a story about a girl. The first girl I ever decided to feebly court.  She was a cute athletic mestiza girl that I met through a friend. I was in Lala land when I thought about her face, and dreamt of HHWW('Holding Hands While Walking', usong term dati) It was the purest form of puppy love. I saved up my daily allowance of Php 50 pesos, not eating anything the whole day, just so I could buy her a pendant and an apple shaped picture frame because she was the "Apple of my eye."... Okay, that apple part was one of my biggest regrets in life.

I had my gift sent through a friend, and the little boy in me started fantasizing of the dates that were to come.  When I had an opportunity to see her again... pucha, di pala niya ako natatandaan. I was crushed.  I thought about her everyday, day and night, and the only thing she knew about me was zilch. I think I actually destroyed my cassette tape of 98 Degrees from repetitive listening to "Invisible Man." I thought that I would never love again.

What's the point of this? Rejections and break-ups are a part of life. No matter how critical they may seem at the moment, it does not make it the end of the world when they happen.  In fact, they are stepping stones to a better and a more 'certain' you.  What I mean by that is they mold you to improve on yourself because it teaches you what you lack as a partner, and unearths issues that need fixing for any relationship to eventually survive.  It leads to a more 'certain' you as well because each relationship is an experience that will lead you to narrow down on what you really want in your significant other. 

Finding what you really want in your special someone is like a sculpture that you chip away at, bit by bit.  A "work in progress" to which you have a slight idea of what you eventually want it to be, but never certain of it until you actually get there.  It's not going to be easy.  You will sweat, cry, bleed and feel pain for it, but guess what? In the end, it's going to be beautiful.