Are You Happy?

So lately, I've been hooked on Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I bought it on a whim last week, and though I've heard a lot of rave reviews about it, I wasn't expecting to love it, much less find the energy to get up and blog about it.

Read it. I will hunt you down and climb up your window if you don't.

I'm a sucker for books with bright, heartwarming covers. I'm also a sucker for writers who have an uncanny ability of making you laugh while simultaneously questioning your purpose in life (hello, John Green). The Happiness Project chronicles the adventures of Gretchen Rubin as she attempts to become happy - or at least as happy as she should be. It all starts on a bus ride in New York City. Rubin comes to an epiphany that though she is considerably blessed - loving husband, adorable kids and a wonderful job which she loves doing - she still doesn't feel fulfilled. She's almost there, but not-quite-yet-so. There's something missing, and she was set on spending a year trying to discover that final ingredient to achieving self-actualization.

Healthy Dose of Competition

Sibling rivalry, Kardashian style 

For as long as I can remember, people have always told to stop. Comparing. Myself. To. Others.

"You are your own person. Just because you want the same things as him/her doesn't mean you have to beat yourself up when you lose. Just do your best, and you'll eventually find success on your own."

Um. I beg to differ.

We live in a world that thrives on competition. Man has evolved through the centuries, but that inherent need to be the best remains unchanged. Our early ancestors fought each other for food, shelter and other tools essential for survival. In the same way, we now measure our rivals as potential threats ready to snatch the things that should belong to us. It doesn't matter if the stakes are high or low. Once our minds register the possibility of losing to another, instincts kick in and we immediately attack the source of our unease.

To put this in a better context (i.e., one that doesn't ostensibly reduce us to a bunch of dogs drooling over a piece of meat), let me give an example. Say you were in your favorite clothing store, and they just marked down their items as part of a clearance sale. You sift through racks of forgotten dresses and overlooked shirts, hoping to find a piece that would make the perfect addition to your closet. You glance absentmindedly to your left, and lo and behold: said piece of clothing has manifested itself in the form of a cozy-looking knit cardigan. Your mind already begins to race with different wardrobe combinations until you realize that there's someone else who had probably been thinking the same thing. What's worse? That someone already held the answer to your prayers in her hands. Literally.

5 Things I Learned From Watching Bb. Pilipinas

Hooray for self-explanatory titles!

I watched the live - well, as live as any telecast with commercials could be - airing of Bb. Pilipinas 2013 last Sunday. My sister and I knew we had to wake up at seven the next morning, but it would be a crime to miss BP's Q&A portion -- a  crime that would sentence me to a night's worth of Twitter-induced curiosity and self-inflicted ignorance. Yes, it's that serious.

1) There are just some people in this world who are too beautiful for their own good. 

Pia Wurtzbach - Bb. Pilipinas 2013 first runner-up

The inflection contained in the aforementioned statement indicates no envy on the writer's part whatsoever. Nor does it clearly  imply her descent into a void of self-esteem issues and woe-is-me griping. 

2) As if being blessed with perfect genetic combinations wasn't enough, they have to fit too?! 

                         

3) Because pageant candidates seem to have the two B's (beauty and brawn) down pat already, we tend to amplify their flaws in the area which they seem to lack in the most: brains.

I remember Twitter blowing up into a frenzy during the Q&A portion. The top 15 had finally been announced. Meanwhile, I thought I'd get a glimpse at what was lying beneath those pretty faces and gorgeous bods once and for all.

I didn't know what to feel after hearing answers such as: 

“Do you think you could be a good Catholic if you believe in the RH bill?”

“I believe that believing in the RH bill is a good… especially for us educated people, we should know how to be a… we should know how to… understand the RH bill itself. So it’s really important, especially for the kids right now. Thank you very much.”

“Which country in the world, aside from the Philippines, fascinates you and why?”

“Nais ko po sanang sagutin ang iyong katanungan sa wikang Filipino. Sa totoo po, kung ako’y papipiliin, ayoko po sanang bitiwan ang Pilipinas dahil mahal ko po ito. Pero kung bibigyan ako ng chance, nais ko pong maka… sa Amerika po. Dahil sa tingin ko ito ‘yung pinaka… para sa akin, maunlad na bansa at andoon sa President Obama na siyang matatag na president natin. Thank you.”