Pinoy Commentaries

May nagemail sa akin,  Hindi ko alam kung sino nagbigay sa kanya ng email-ad ko. Ito ang unang hurit niya.

"Sir ... pwede ba mangutang ng 5 kiyaw ... babayaran kita  pag magkaluwag."

Una, ang term na magkaluwag ay walang kasiguradohan. Ikaw ba naman sasabihan niyan ... will ask himself ... kailan kaya yon? It oozes uncertainty ... distrust and suspicion.

Ikalawa ... hindi ako ATM na isang katok mo lang bubukas agad at magbigay ng pera.

Nor isa akong Indian Pana ... or banking services provider or a lending company that grants loans or lends money.

And lastly... where did you get enough courage to borrow money thru emails or texts ... at hindi mo magawa ng personal. Ganoon na lang ba yon?

Pag tumindig sa China, di ibig sabihin gusto ng giyera #TruthBombs

PH Coast Guard vessel tinutukan ng laser ng China

Idioms Of The Day

Let's start using idioms or idiomatic expressions when we write. When idioms are used, it adds color and texture to language by creating images that convey meanings beyond those of the individual words that make them up. An idiom can be very colorful and make a 'picture' in our minds. It also shows the writer's familiarity with English. When you want to make your writing sound more conversational, including idioms can give your writing a more relaxed tone.

Idioms allow us to say a lot with few words. Idioms amplify your messages in a way that draws your readers in and helps awaken their senses. It adds dynamism and character to otherwise stale writing. They make your writing less monotonous and your readers will think that you are smart and knowledgeable. All the while ... you only clothe your writing with elaborate idioms to create an impact... saying too much with less. 

To perfect your English, you really need to become confident in using idioms and knowing the difference between breaking a leg and pulling someone's leg. So the idiom of the day is:

IDIOM: Standing up to

MEANING: To resist somebody; to not accept bad treatment from somebody without complaining; to defend or support yourself or somebody who is being criticized or attacked.

ORIGIN: There are many "folksy" origins for it, by which I mean cutesy stories claiming to be the origin of the phrase which are likely untrue. 

USING IT IN A SENTENCE: It doesn't mean that if we stand up to China ... we want war.  We are only standing up for our rights ... and what is right!

Short Circuit

There are people who always think they are right. Even if they make boo-boos left and right ... you will never see them owning responsibility or accepting the fact that what they did was wrong. They can't afford to be the subject of ridicule and contempt even if the criticism is true.

Grow up, little man!  Stop blaming others for your failures and insecurities. Take a stand ... and own the blame!

Definition

False pride definition. (referring to the above situation)

It is an exaggeratedly high or pretentious opinion of oneself, one's abilities, or one's circumstance that is not based on real achievement or success. If somebody offers you a hand when you actually need it, and you refused the offer because you think you knew or you can do better makes you this type of person.

If someone reacts quickly, and intensely just because you told her, "Maghanap ka ng trabaho ... " and she resorts to rage attacks or verbally assaulting you with mean and cruel words, and instead of taking accountability she instead recited a litany of her negative impressions of the person offering the critique to downplay the hurt she felt just because somebody suggests she needs to find a job.

Watch Out

Where does false pride lead us?

False pride leads to a sense of arrogance, of entitlement and in the end, opens the window and the potential for violence. False pride does not allow us to learn and correct our faults. It just goads us to run when the truth is being slammed at our faces. It offers us a freeway for more cover-ups of our flaws, more conceit, and more deception.

False pride dims and blinds us to see objectively what we have been doing all this time.  They cloud our judgment and they don't give us a 20-20 vision of what we need to see. They don't give us anything except perhaps wallowing ourselves in self-love and self-promotion. Pride creates an ego that likes to be bottle-fed and babied as we create our own prison cell ... as we decided to create more self-betrayal ... more lies & falsehoods coming our way.

You know what ... we should be proud of ourselves and learn to accept our flaws and weaknesses. Only when we accept our weaknesses can we improve ourselves. If we seriously want to make some positive changes in our lives, then start accepting ourselves just the way we are.