iPod Flip Flops

Reblogging from Unbox.Ph:   

The iPod is undeniably a revolutionary product. Aside from the fact that almost every kid (or anyone with disposable income) has one, it paved the way for Apple’s post PC devices like the iPhone and the iPad. Ever wanted iSlippers? Well here’s the closest we’ll get to one! Oh, this one is Filipino made too! A group of Pinoy entrepreneurs came together and put up Sole Flip Flops. They have a great line of well designed slippers including one inspired by the iconic iPod.

Sole iPod-themed Flip Flops

Here’s the official product description from the website:

You’re a fan. But no matter how many times you send in your suggestions, Apple still refuses to produce iSlippers. You don’t understand. You’re not asking for anything special, just a pair of slippers that can charge your ref, update you on celebrity gossip, and make toast.

I couldn’t resist the brilliant marketing so I ended up getting a pair! Had some fun taking photos of them too!

On Colin: Sole iPod Flip Flops and Audio Technica Headphones

On Colin: Sole iPod Flip Flops and Audio Technica SJ11 Headphones

Tugs-tugs-tugs-tugs-tugs with my iPod Slippers!

See even my friend, Alcs Porras, renowned rave-wear and eclectic fashion designer had fun with them! After all music is a great unifier!

Booyah. ^^

Sole sells their Flip Flops for Php450. They’re made from excellent material and they employ Filipino workforce. Yes people, these babies aren’t made in China. That’s the reason why Unbox highly recommends their products. If ever you’re in the market for witty, well-built, and Filipino-made slippers, try out Sole Flip Flops.

Update: They just opened their concept store in Cubao Expo. Drop by if you guys want a pair!

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ZUPERMIA: TOO BAD I NEVER WANT TO GO TO CUBAO AGAIN.

Love, now and always,

Mia        

McDo Pulls out its controversial "BF-GF commercial"

From SPOT.ph:

McDonald's has pulled out its ad dubbed by some as the "BF-GF commercial," after the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called for them to stop airing the ad, reports Inquirer.net. 

The giant fast food chain decided to pull out the 30-second ad from major television networks yesterday after some Catholic Church officials said it could send the wrong message to children. In the commercial, a little girl asks a boy if she was already his girlfriend. The boy says no, claiming girlfriends are too demanding. However, he seemingly changes his mind when the girl says all she wants is the P25 French fries at McDonald's.

McDonald's Philippines Vice President for Marketing Margot Torres told Radio Veritas that they have pulled out the ad because they respect the call of Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez. "So by (Wednesday), a different McDonald's ad should be seen on TV," Torres said.

In response, Iñiguez told Radio Veritas, "We are very happy that McDonald's listened to our plea, (and) that it agrees with the sentiment and the reflection of the church on the commercial spot."

Earlier, Fr. Melvin Castro said the commercial is "very shallow" and "cheapens human relationships," reports Inquirer.net. The executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life said, "If the ad attempted to teach commitment, (it failed) because it was too superficial to point to a packet of French fries as the basis of a relationship."

Iñiguez also said earlier, "The two children are not even at the right age for this kind of relationship... It (the ad) might also pave the way for us to lose sight of the good ways of shaping the values of our children."

love, now and always, 

Just for Laughs

Laughter's still the best medicine. 

The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.

IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS, YOU ARE NOT A TAGALOG SPEAKING FILIPINO. 

1 )Use DEDUCT, DEFENSE, DEFEAT, and DETAIL in a sentence.

-----DEDUCT jumped over DEFENSE, first DEFEAT and then DETAIL.

2 )Use DEPOSIT in a sentence.

-----I hear dripping in the sink. I think DEPOSIT is leaking.

3) Use DEVASTATION in a sentence.

----Every morning I wait for the bus at DEVASTATION.

4) Use PAUL four times in a sentence.

----PAUL, be carePAUL, you might PAUL in the swimming PAUL.

5) Use CUISINE in a sentence.

----I hope you studied last night because our teacher might give a CUISINE 

math.

6) Use PAMPERS and PAPERS in a sentence.

---At the gas station, some people PAMPERS and some PAPERS.

7) Use SCHOOLING in a sentence.

----(phone rings).....Hello? Who SCHOOLING?

8) Use AFFECT in a sentence.

----Maria is wearing AFFECT diamond ring.

9) Use ADIEU in a sentence.

----If you are ADIEU, the Arabs will kill you.

10) Use DECANTER in a sentence.

----You can order that medicine over DECANTER.

11) Use DEFLATE in a sentence.

----Can you please wash DEFLATE for me?

12) Use DELETION in a sentence.

----The balat of DELETION is crispy.

13) Use DESPISE in a sentence.

----Who baked all DESPISE?

14) Use DIFFERENT and DIFFERENTIAL in a sentence.

----I am looking for DIFFERENT of this boy to get DIFFERENTIAL consent so he can go to the picnic.

AND NOW FOR THE FILIPINOS WHO CAN READ AND UNDERSTAND TAGALOG

15) Use BORROW in a sentence.

----Ang dumi naman ng BORROW mo.

16) Use CAESAREAN in a sentence.

----Anak, mag-ingat ka, CAESAREAN mo iyang laruan mo.

17) Use CONTEMPLATE in a sentence.

----Pare, ang dami-daming pagkain, pero, CONTEMPLATE.

18) Use ARTESIA in a sentence (if you don't know what this is, it's a  city or street at the L.A. COUNTY in CALIFORNIA) 

-----Nako naman, ang ganda-ganda nang bebot na yun, pero, ma-ARTESIA.

19) CADET in a sentence.

-----CADET ko si Maria nung isang gabi. Ngayon, ikaw naman ang CADET niya.

20) Use CARDIAC in a sentence.

----Na CARDIAC yung kotse ni Pedro noong isang gabi.

21) Use CENTURION in a sentence.

----Na-CENTURION si Pedro ng tatay niya dahil sa kalokohan niya.

22) Use DEDICATE in a sentence.

-----Pag ginamitan ng glue, siguradong DEDICATE iyan.

23) Use DEFIED in a sentence.

----What is 2 + 3? Eh DEFIED, dali naman niyon.

24) Use DELICACY in a sentence.

----Bagal mo... DELICACY mahuhuli na tayo.

25) Use DEPRECIATE in a sentence.

----Sister, DEPRECIATE already, kaya pwede na tayong kumain.

26) DIFFUSION in a sentence.

-----Brownout...siguradong DIFFUSION pumutok.

27) Use LAITY in a sentence.

-----Taga "laity" si Imelda Marcos.

28) AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

Use MENTION in a sentence. Ang laki ng bahay nila, parang MENTION

love, now and always, 

Wake Me Up When October Ends

Have you ever fell in love with someone that’s in love with someone else?
Well, If you are... just enjoy the love. If you've been there, don't you feel good that it's over?

From my Sassy Girl [English Adaptation]

Jordan's Letter to Charlie:

Dear Charlie,

Hi, how was your year? Charlie, I have some things to tell you. When we first met, I said my fiancée had broken up with me. That was a lie. Truth is he passed away. All he said in his note was that he was sorry, but that there was too much pain. I was devastated. I couldn’t accept it. You know, I began to drink, which, as you’ve seen, I’m not very good at. Oh, and I was frequently brought home by strangers in taxi cabs, and that’s why my father acted the way he did towards you. Honestly, if you ever get to know him, he’s a very nice man. I was very close to my fiancée’s mother. I tried to go see her a little while after he died. She said she had a great guy she wanted to introduce me to. I couldn’t bear the thought of it. And then I met you. You reminded me of him. You were both strong and kind and confident… in your own way. You even look like him. And there were many other parallels. They were small, but they seemed important. He and I met on a subway platform. Just as you and I met. Like you, he carried a handkerchief. I was very sick at the time and he took care of me… like you did. As you and I got to know each other, I felt the cloud begin to lift a little bit. I thought this was because of the similarities between you and him. And so I decided that you and I would do everything he and I had done. That way, it would be almost like he had never died and the pain would stop. Because on our 33rd day together, he brought a rose to my class, I asked you to do the same. Because he and I planned our future under this tree, I chose it for you and me as well. Because he and I had a favourite restaurant… I brought you there. And because he died in the ocean, I pushed you to go in… and then saved you. All of this was crazy and selfish and wrong, I know. But grief can make us crazy. Anyway, it didn’t work. And at a certain point, I realized I didn’t like you because you were like him. I liked you because I liked you. But every time I started to be happy, I would stop myself. It felt wrong to be happy. It felt wrong to let go, to just forget about him, even for just a minute. I felt like I was betraying him. All I could do was hurt you, and that’s not me, Charlie. That’s not me at all. And someday, I hope I can show you as much. Something had to be done. In order for us to have a chance in the future, I had to make a break with the past. And for this, I needed time. I hope I’ve healed during our year apart. And that I’m sitting with you while you read this. But if I’m not… It’s not because I don’t love you. Because I do. And it’s not because I don’t miss you. Because I miss you already. It’ll just mean that I’m not better. And that the story isn’t over yet. Will you wait for me Charlie? Can you wait? With all my heart, I hope you can.

Love, Jordan.

love, now and always,

 

Love Changes You

In life, you don’t need to explain how much you love the person. It depends on them how they appreciate the efforts that you do for them to be contented. But what if it isn’t enough for him/her? Will you still be bother looking for the same person who never took the trouble to love you, the way you wanted him/her to move?

Contentment is not always the fulfilment of what you want. It’s the realization of how blessed you are for what you already have. When it comes to love don’t make any compromises, because you don’t know what next that would only make sense for the both of you. And better things left unsaid, for it is where everyone won’t get hurt and will be at peace.

It was a story of a guy who spend his life nothing but only with his friends around him. And met this pretty lady, that turns his normal life into an extraordinary one, but suddenly she breaks and turn again these guy’s extraordinary back to normal. As what normally happens with a two person romantically introduced, spend time to get to know each other, until their little sweet conversation turns into something sweeter than friends. Then they compromise with each other, things between them turns into higher level of love. And suddenly turns into complication.

All we have to do is understand that we’re all here for a reason and to commit ourselves to that. Then we can laugh at our sufferings, large and small, walk fearlessly aware that each step has a meaning. Things happen because we choose to. There may be regrets but blaming is not an option. We are where we are, because we brought ourselves to that. We get happy, we get sad, but most importantly, we learned.

Love conquers all, they say. So they try to fix their complication, and each day he tries and his way back is getting harder. He thinks of giving up, because he runs out of reasons to stay. He knows he needs to stop and let go. Then things turned back again, he win his girl’s love… But, this girl is still looking for something she can’t find with this guy, so she looks around.

The person you love the most has the best capacity to make you feel the happiest person in the world and may give you the worst feeling you can’t ever imagine. One very hard thing in life is when you know inside your heart that you love the person but you run out of reasons to fight for what you feel.

And love without knowledge wouldn’t be enough to have a long-lasting relationship, so the guy decided to let go his beloved girl. After 2 years of sweetness and 3 years of complication, he figured, his love wasn’t really meant for the girl he chooses to love. You can’t measure the love, the way you can measure the height of a building.

Love will just tire you down, until nothing is left with you. And will change you, until there is nothing left of the person you used to be. We have to live by our own rules, but if you fall in love and let it into your heart, then you have to live by his/her rules. You have to give up, control over your life for his/her. First, he will change the little things. Second your stuffs, clothes, and friends. And third, still it’s not enough. That is the reality, a sad reality, because we know nothing what true love is… Two people with a wrong mind set of love enters into a relationship, is a chaos. And I will show you the most excellent way…. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

love, now and always,

 

TREE, LEAF, WIND

Who should be blamed when a leaf fell from a tree? Is it the wind that blew it away? Or the tree that let it go? Or is it the leaf itself which never held tight?

A story of love in three perspectives…we could be the tree, the leaf or the wind once in our lives for all we know…a good read..

TREE

People call me "Tree".

I had dated 5 girls when I was in Pre-U. There's one girl who I love a lot but never dared to go after. She didn't have a pretty face, or good figure, nor an outstanding charm. She was just an ordinary girl. I liked her. I really liked her.I liked her innocence, her frankness, her intelligence and her fragility. Reason for not going after her was because I felt somebody so ordinary like her was not a good match for me. I was also afraid that after we were together, all the feelings would vanish. I was also afraid other's gossip would hurt her. I felt that if she were my girl, she'd be mine ultimately and I didn't have to give up everything just for her. The last reason, made her accompanying me for 3 years.She watched me chase other girls, and I have made her heart cry for 3 years. She was a good actress and me a demanding director. When I kissed my 2nd girlfriend, she bumped into us. She was embarrassed but smiled and said, "Go on!" before running off. The next day, her eyes were swollen like a walnut. I didn't want to know what caused her to cry. Later that day, I returned from soccer training to get something and watched her cry in the classroom for an hour or so.My 4th girlfriend didn't like her. There was once when both of them quarreled. I know that based on her character, she's not the type that will start off the quarrel. But I still sided my girlfriend. I shouted at her and ignored her feelings then walked off with my girlfriend.

The next day, she was laughing and joking with me like nothing happened. I know she was hurt but she didn't know deep down inside I was hurt too.When I broke up with my 5th girlfriend, I asked her out. Later that day, I told her I had something to tell her. I told her about my breakup.Coincidentally, she has something to tell me too, about her getting together. I knew who the guy was. His pursuit for her had been the talk of the school.I didn't show her my heartache, just smiles and best wishes. Once I reached home, I couldn't breathe. Tears rolled and I broke down. How many times have I seen her cry for the man who didn't acknowledge her presence? During graduation, I received a text message from her. It said,"Leaf's departure is because of Wind's pursuit. Or because the Tree didn't ask her to stay …"

LEAF

People call me "Leaf".

During the 3 years of Pre-U, I was on very close terms with a guy as buddy kind. But when he had his 1st girlfriend, I learned a feeling I never should've learned - jealousy. Sourness to the extreme limit. The were only together for 2 months. When they broke up, I hid my happiness.But after a month, he got together with another girl. I liked him and I know he liked me. But why won't he pursue me? If he really loves me, why didn't he make the first move? Whenever he had a new girlfriend, my heart would hurt. After some time,I began to suspect that this was one sided love. If he didn't like me,why did he treat me so well? It's beyond what you will normally do for a friend. I know his likes, his habits. But his feelings towards me I can never figure out.You can't expect from a girl like me to ask him. Despite that, I still wanted to be by his side. Care for him, accompany him, love him.Hoping that one day, he will come to love me too. And because of this, I waited for him. Sometimes, I wondered if I should continue waiting. The pain, the dilemma accompanied me for 3 years. At the end of my 3rd year, a junior pursues me. He's like the cool and gentle wind, trying to blow off a leaf from a tree. In the end, I realized that I wanted to give this wind a small footing in my heart. I know the wind will bring the leaf to a better land.
Finally leaf left the tree, but the tree only smiled and didn't ask the leaf to stay. "Leaf's departure is because of Wind's pursuit. Or because the Tree didn't ask her to stay…"

WIND

People call me "Wind".

Because I like a girl called "Leaf". Because she's so dependent on the tree so I have to be a gust wind, a wind that will blow her away. When I first met her, it was 1 month after I transfer to the new school.I saw a petite person looking at my seniors and me playing soccer.During ECA time, she will always be sitting there. Be it alone or with her friends, looking at him. When he talks with girls, there's jealousy in her eyes. When he looked at her, there's a smile in her eyes. Looking at her became my habit. Just like she likes to look at him. One day, she didn't appear. I felt something amissed. I can't explain the feeling except it's a kind of uneasiness. The senior was not there as well. I went to their classroom, hid outside and saw my senior scolding her. Tears were in her eyes while he left.

The next day, I saw her at her usual place, looking at him. I walked over and smiled at her, took out a note and gave it to her. She was surprised. She looked at me, smiled, and accepts the note. The day after, she appeared and passes me a note and left. "Leaf's heart is too heavy and the wind couldn't blow her away". "It's not that leaf's heart is too heavy. It's simply because leaf never wants to leave the tree". I replied her note with this statement and slowly she started to talk to me and accept my presents and phone calls.I know that the person she loves is not me. But I have this perseverance that one day, I will make her like me.Within 4 months, I have declared my love for her no less than 20 times.Every time, she will divert away from the topic. But I never give up.If I'm really decided for her to be mine, I will definitely use all means to win her over.I can't remember how many times I have declared my love to her.Although I know she will always try to change the topic, I still bear a small ray of hope deep within me, that she will agree to be my girlfriend. And so I asked her again. I didn't hear any reply from her over the phone. I asked, "What are you doing? How come you didn't want to reply?" "I'm nodding my head", she said. "Huh?" I couldn't believe my ears."I'm nodding my head", she replied loudly.I hang up the phone, quickly changed, took a taxi and rushed to her place. My hands were trembling when I press the doorbell. I hugged her tightly as she opened the door.
"Leaf's departure is because of Wind's pursuit. Or because the Tree didn't ask her to stay…"

love, now and always,

 

Secrets to a Happy Life...

* Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

* Live with the 3 E's: Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

* Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and those under the age of 6.

* Dream more while you are awake.

* Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and
eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

* Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.

* Clear clutter from your house, car and desk... and let new energy flow into your life.

* Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the present positive moment.

* Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. -

* Life isn't fair, but it's still good and wonderful.

* Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

* Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

* You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

* Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

* Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

* Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

* No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

* Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

* What other people think of you is none of your business.

* Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

* However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

* Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

* Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.

* Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

* No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up. Make a good appearance.

* Do the right thing.

* Call your mother and father often.

* Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

* Enjoy the ride. It's been worthwhile.. (no regrets!)

and lastly, my favorite:

* The best is yet to come.

love, now and always,

If I Knew That Today by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

If for a while God forgot that I’m a puppet and gave me a piece of life, probably I wouldn’t say everything that I think, but definitively I would think everything that I say. I would give more value to things not because of what they cost but because of what they mean.

I would sleep less and dream more. I understand that for each minute that we close our eyes, we lose sixty seconds of light. I would walk when the others stopped, I would wake up when the others slept, I would listen when the others spoke, and how much I would enjoy a chocolate ice-cream!

If God gave me a piece of life I would dress simply, I would lie on the sun, “showing” not only my body but my soul. My God, if I had a heart, I would write my hate on the ice and I would wait for the sun to rise.
My God, if I had a piece of life... I won't let a single day pass without saying people I love how much I love them. I would convince every single women and men that they are my favourites and I would live in love with love

I would prove people how wrong they are to think that they stop falling in love when they get older, without knowing that they get older when they stop falling in love! To a kid... I would give him wings, but I let him alone to learn how to fly. To the elder I would teach them that death does not arrive with being old but with forgetting.

There are so many things I have learned from you, people... I have learned that everybody wants to live in the pick of the mountain without knowing that the true happiness lays in the way “you get into it”. I have learned that when a new born grasp his father’s fist for the first time, he caught him forever.
I have learned that a man has only the right to look down to another when he has to help him to stand up. There are so many things I have been able to learn from you, but actually they won’t be that worth, because when they keep me into this suitcase, unhappily I will be dying.
Always say what you feel and do what you think.

If I knew today as the last time I’m gonna see you sleep, I would hug you so strong and I would pray the lord to be able to be the guardian of your soul. If I knew this is the last time I’m gonna see you going out through that door, I would give you a hug, a kiss and I would call you again to give you more. If I knew this was the last time I am gonna hear your voice, I would record each one of your words to be able to hear them forever. If I knew these were the last moments I see you I would tell you “I love you” and I wouldn’t assume, stupidly, that you already know it.

There is always a tomorrow and life gives us the opportunity to do things right, but in case I’m wrong and today is the only thing we have left, I would like to tell you how much I love you, and that I’m never going to forget you.

Nobody has for sure a tomorrow, young or old. Today can be the last time you see the ones you love. So... don’t wait more, do it today, because if tomorrow never comes, you will for sure regret the day you didn’t take time for a smile, a hug, a kiss, and that you were so occupied to give them their last wish. Keep the ones you love near you, tell them in their ear how much you need them. Love them and trate them good. Take time to tell them “I’m sorry”, “forgive me”, “please”, “thank you”, and all the love words you know.
Nobody will remember you for your secret thoughts. Ask God for the strength and the wisdom to express them. Show your friend how important they are for you.

love, now and always,

Sleeping: Better and Faster

All my life, I have trouble in sleeping. It's not insomniac, though - I just think a lot. I’ll lie in bed thinking about what I want to do tomorrow or what I should have done today or how much I love eating cold pizza or how absurdly messy my desk is…. do you get the idea? 

When I say I have trouble going to sleep, I’m not talking 20 or 30 minutes but 2 or 3 hours. Because what will happen is after about 45
minutes to an hour of trying to go to sleep, I start thinking about how I’m not asleep but I should be and that starts the cycle.

Now, I may be a bit of an extreme case here. But, I know, for a fact, that there are people out there who got the same problem as mine. So, I’ve pieced together various bits of advice, I’ve received over the past few months that have not only helps me get to sleep faster, but helps me get a better sleep nights.

1. Don’t watch TV or even look so much at a computer screen at least 30 minutes before you lying down. The light from both a television as well as a computer monitor mimic the same intensity of light as sunlight. This fools your body and brain into thinking it’s nowhere near time for sleep.
2. Drink milk. Milk has an amino acid in it called Tryptophanthat increase the levels of serotonin and/or melatonin in the brain which slow down brain activity. It’s science folks.
3. Go to bed when you are tired. Different strokes for different folks here. Just because your wife goes to bed at 9PM doesn’t mean you are ready. You might only require seven and half hours of sleep while she might require ten. If you aren’t tired, do something low-key until you are, like read a book, play solitaire (NOT on your computer), or play with some legos.
4. Reserve the bed for bed things(ex. sleeping and resting). I, for one, don’t strictly follow this rule as I’ll read some before I go to sleep, but for some people this is a must.
5. Meditate. No, don’t cross your legs and hum, but focus on relaxing…if that makes sense. Take deep, long breaths. Tense each muscle one at a time from head to toe. Focusing on doing this takes your mind off of other things and you’ll be in lala land in no time.
6. Exercise during the day. I emphasize during the day. Excercising at night just gets everything going instead of shutting down for sleep. But excercising during the day tires the muscles out and makes for a solid nights sleep.

love, now and always, 

Ode to the Nice Girls

This rant was written because a nice girl finally snapped. 

This is my tribute to the nice girls. To the nice girls who are overlooked, who become friends and nothing more, who spend hours fixating upon their looks and their personalities and their actions because it must be they that are doing something wrong. This is for the girls who don't give it up on the first date, who don't want to play mind games, who provide a comforting hug and a supportive audience for a story they've heard a thousand times. This is for the girls who understand that they aren't perfect and that the guys they're interested in aren't either, for the girls who flirt and laugh and worry and obsess over the slightest glance, whisper, touch, because somehow they are able to keep alive that hope that maybe... maybe this time he'll have understood. This is an homage to the girls who laugh loud and often, who are comfortable in skirts and sweats and combat boots, who care more than they should for guys who don't deserve their attention. This is for those girls who have been in the trenches, who have watched other girls time and time again fake up and make up and *beep* up the guys in their lives without saying a word. This is for the girls who have been there from the beginning and have heard the trite words of advice, from "there are plenty of fish in the sea," to "time heals all wounds." This is to honor those girls who know that guys are just as scared as they are, who know that they deserve better, who are seeking to find it. 

This is for the girls who have never been in love, but know that it's an experience that they don't want to miss out on. For the girls who have sought a night with friends and been greeted by a night of catcalling, rude comments and explicit invitations that they'd rather not have experienced. This is for the girls who have spent their weekends sitting on the sidelines of a beer pong tournament or a case race, or playing Florence Nightingale for a vomiting guy friend or a comatose crush, who have received a drunk phone call just before dawn from someone who doesn't care enough to invite them over but is still willing to pass out in their bed. This is for the girls who have left sad song lyrics in their away messages, who have tried to make someone understand through a subliminally appealing profile, who have time and time again dropped their male friend hint after hint after hint only to watch him chase after the first girl in a skirt. This is for the girls who have been told that they're too good or too smart or too pretty, who have been given compliments as a way of breaking off a relationship, who have ever been told they are only wanted as a friend. 

This one's for the girls who you can take home to mom, but won't because it's easier to sleep with a *beep* than foster a relationship; this is for the girls who have been led on by words and kisses and touches, all of which were either only true for the moment, or never real to begin with. This is for the girls who have allowed a guy into their head and heart and bed, only to discover that he's just not ready, he's just not over her, he's just not looking to be tied down; this is for the girls who believe the excuses because it's easier to believe that it's not that they don't want you, it's that they don't want anyone. This is for the girls who have had their hearts broken and their hopes dashed by someone too cavalier to have cared in the first place; this is for the nights spent dissecting every word and syllable and inflection in his speech, for the nights when you've returned home alone, for the nights when you've seen from across the room him leaning a little too close, or standing a little too near, or talking a little too softly for the girl he's with to be a random hookup. This is for the girls who have endured party after party in his presence, finally having realized that it wasn't that he didn't want a relationship: it was that he didn't want you. I honor you for the night his dog died or his grandmother died or his little brother crashed his car and you held him, thinking that if you only comforted him just right, or said the right words, or rubbed his back in the right way then perhaps he'd realize what it was that he already had. This is for the night you realized that it would never happen, and the sunrise you saw the next morning after failing to sleep. 

This is for the "I really like you, so let's still be friends" comment after you read more into a situation than he ever intended; this is for never realizing that when you choose friends, you seldom choose those which make you cry yourself to sleep. This is for the hugs you've received from your female friends, for the nights they've reassured you that you are beautiful and intelligent and amazing and loyal and truly worthy of a great guy; this is for the despair you all felt as you sat in the aftermath of your tears, knowing that that night the only companionship you'd have was with a pillow and your teddy bear. This is for the girls who have been used and abused, who have endured what he was giving because at least he was giving something; this is for the stupidity of the nights we've believed that something was better than nothing, though his something was nothing we'd have ever wanted. This is for the girls who have been satisified with too little and who have learned never to expect anything more: for the girls who don't think that they deserve more, because they've been conditioned for so long to accept the scraps thrown to them by guys. 

This is what I don't understand. Men sit and question and whine that girls are only attracted to the mean guys, the guys who berate them and belittle them and don't appreciate them and don't want them; who use them for sex and think of little else than where their next conquest will be made. Men complain that they never meet nice girls, girls who are genuinely interested and compelling, who are intelligent and sweet and smart and beautiful; men despair that no good women want to share in their lives, that girls play mindgames, that girls love to keep them hanging. Yet, men, I ask you: were you to meet one of these genuinely interested, thrillingly compelling, interesting and intelligent and sweet and beautiful and smart girls, were you to give her your number and wait for her to call... and if you were to receive a call from her the next day and she, in her truthful, loyal, intelligent and straightforward nice girl fashion, were to tell you that she finds you intriguing and attractive and interesting and worth her time and perhaps material from which she could fashion a boyfriend, would you or would you not immediately call your friends to tell them of the "stalker chick" you'd met the night prior, who called you and wore her heart on her sleeve and told the truth? And would you, or would you not, refuse to make plans with her, speak with her, see her again, and once again return to the bar or club or party scene and search once more for this "nice girl" who you just cannot seem to find? Because therein lies the truth, guys: we nice girls are everywhere. But you're not looking for a nice girl. You're not looking for someone genuinely interested in your intermural basketball game, or your anatomy midterm grade, or that argument you keep having with your father; you're looking for a quick fix, a night when you can pretend to have a connection with another human being which is just as disposable as the condom you were using during it. 

So don't say you're on the lookout for nice girls, guys, when you pass us up on every step you take. Sometimes we go undercover; sometimes we go in disguise: sometimes when that girl in the low cut shirt or the too tight miniskirt won't answer your catcalls, sometimes you're looking at a nice girl in *beep*'s clothing - - we might say we like the attention, we might blush and giggle and turn back to our friends, but we're all thinking the same thing: "This isn't me. Tomorrow morning, I'll be wearing a teeshirt and flannel shorts, I'll have slept alone and I'll be making my hungover best friend breakfast. See through the disguise. See me." You never do. Why? Because you only see the exterior, you only see the slutty girl who welcomes those advances. You don't want the nice girl.. so don't say you're looking for a relationship: relationships take time and energy and intent, three things we're willing to extend - - but in return, we're looking for compassion and loyalty and trust, three things you never seem willing to express. Maybe nice guys finish last, but in the race they're running they're chasing after the whores and the sluts and the easy-targets... the nice girls are waiting at the finish line with water and towels and a congradulatory hug (and yes, if she's a nice girl and she likes you, the sweatiness probably won't matter), hoping against hope that maybe you'll realize that they're the ones that you want at the end of that silly race. 

So maybe it won't last forever. Maybe some of those guys in that race will turn in their running shoes and make their way to the concession stand where we're waiting; however, until that happens, we still have each other, that silly race to watch, and all the chocolate we can eat (because what's a concession stand at a race without some chocolate?)

love, now and always,