Diffused Responsibility

Posted Thursday, 22 December 2005


I was busy for the past two weeks but I was still able to watch MTV Whatever Things. For the record I don't really like the show. I was just surfing the channels and for some reason, I stopped to take a look at what they had in store this week. Apparently they had a contest wherein the viewers were to suggest things that they want the hosts to do. A certain viewer suggested that two of them would go in a convenience store. One would pretend to be a shoplifter and the other would pretend to be the cashier. So they did it, I didn't think it was funny but something in it caught my attention.

The "customer" was asking for something so the man behind the cash register had to bend over to look for whatever it is that the customer asked for. While he was doing this, the customer was putting the groceries inside her pockets and her jacket. Of course the other customers were able to see what she was doing. The alarming thing is that on all the instances that they did that act, people were just either smiling and shaking their heads or gaping with their eyes popping out. They didn't even bother to inform the "cashier" that he's being robbed. Either they just didn't care or they didn't want to get into trouble. Or maybe it's just a case of diffused responsibility.

In our psychology class, we learned that people have a tendency to ignore reacting to a certain situation hoping that someone would just come up, be a hero and save the day. In this case, since there are other customers in the convenience store, they were expecting the other people to come forward, take action, and have the balls to inform the poor cashier that he's being robbed. Sadly, the same thing is happening to our country.


It's funny how a stupid show can make you realize and see things that other people brush aside.


I admit that I am one of those people who can see the flaws but ignores them hoping that other people would step up and make everything alright. Maybe it's because I didn't want to get caught up in that whole political thingy that old people, or some people my age, are in. Sad to say I am one of those gaping customers inside the convenience store.

This is the reason why I have so much respect for people like Sir Pat, Sir Darwin and even Osh. I admire them for being able to see the flaws, and acting on it at the same time. It's because of people like them that our country, eventhough run by corrupt officials, still manages *barely* to survive. Some people just see and know that something's wrong but just rants and raves about it. But there are people like them who take a stand and act. Hats off to you and people like you.

You Who Never Arrived

Due to insistent public demand. A post from my "private blog". Just to keep my blog updated while I play Dr. Phil on my friend.



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Posted Monday, 27 February 2006


Ugh. Just in case I don't want to get married, get involved with someone... whatever.


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You Who Never Arrived
Ranier Maria Rilke

You who never arrived
in my arms, Beloved, who were lost
from the start,
I don't even know what songs would please you. I have given up trying
to recognize you in the surging wave of
the next moment. All the immense
images in me -- the far-off, deeply-felt
landscape, cities, towers, and bridges, and
unsuspected turns in the path,
and those powerful lands that were once
pulsing with the life of the gods--
all rise within me to mean
you, who forever elude me.

You, Beloved, who are all
the gardens I have ever gazed at,
longing. An open window
in a country house-- , and you almost
stepped out, pensive, to meet me.
Streets that I chanced upon,--
you had just walked down them and vanished.
And sometimes, in a shop, the mirrors
were still dizzy with your presence and,
startled, gave back my too-sudden image.
Who knows? Perhaps the same
bird echoed through both of us yesterday, separate, in the evening...

On Making Plans

One of the things I hate when making plans is the disappointment I get when it doesn't come true.

On planning a vacation. Closer vacation plans tend to materialize compared to more distant plans. The more time I spend in planning an outing, the greater the possibility that it won't happen.

On visualizing something. What's weird about me is that once I formed something in my head, 80% of the time it won't come out the way I imagined it. Sometimes, not even close.

On having long term / short term goals. When I realized I wasn't doing anything uh, productive (for lack of a better word), I did try to plan. Like in doing business plans I did try to set a goal, formulated strategies and planned on certain steps in order for me to attain them but now, eck. Let's just say that my plans would have to take a back seat so that I can perform certain responsibilities for my family.

Either my hopes are so high I was doomed to disappointment or I just wasn't doing my darndest best. I should just stop blaming everything and blame it all on me. Or maybe I'm just not that good enough.

Fate has it's own special way of making me realize how useless I've become.

Sorry sabog yung post. Kalat utak ko ngayon eh.

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Wicked Deed of the Day: Nagpintura ng isang puting linya (na hindi ko alam ang tawag) sa Dela Rosa. Kaya pag may nadaanan kayong linya na kulay puti sa tapat ng Verve, ehem. Ako ang nagpintura nun! *High five*

Stars or Angels?

"Far away but seems so close" or "So close yet so far"?


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When you look at the stars, they seem so close. It's when you try to reach out to touch them that you realize that they're light years away. (Of course assuming that you've never been taught about heavenly bodies).

Angels can be beside us without us even noticing. They seem so far or it seems like they're not there because we can't see or feel them.

So, stars or angels?

Guys. Tsk. Tsk.

Before I got home from school I had the chance to have another bull session with some of the guys from school. Rhoda, Pach, Aldrin and Cube were there (Ria and Chester were in Timezone the whole time playing Drum Mania and Guitar Freaks) but the rest were first time "sessionistas". They had one bull session last Saturday but I went home early so they just summarized what they talked about. Tonight's topic: Relationships.

I just got pissed when the guys confirmed the stuff that I don't understand about men.

• How I hated that guys tend to be visual and how girls tend to be emotional. Go to Glorietta or any mall for that matter and try to "people watch" and observe the couples. You'd mostly see hot chicks with not-so-hot guys than hot guys with not-so-hot chicks.



• How they'd tend to be uber close and sweety-sweety with a girl friend then suddenly a new girl comes along, puts old girl on standby, pursues new girl then old girl will just realize that guy just enjoys old girl's company.

Ugh! And all the while I thought I knew how guys think.

Another irritating thought. Do I need to be sexy, be all pretty and shit just for guys to start coming up to me and even try to know me better and realize that hey, I'd want her to be my girlfriend. Ugh, men.

Fags

They say that cigarettes will kill you eventually. Fine. That's just fine. I only wish they'd do it faster. I draw the smoke into my lungs, extract the nicotine and the tar. It doesn't do anything for me, but I like the smoke. I like the ash. The way it falls. I like breathing out the smoke. I like smoking cigarettes. It's something normal people do. I smoke a cigarette, and pretend I'm normal. And I wish I was dead.

- Neil Gaiman, Sandman


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I started smoking when I was in Grade 2 with my cousins. We used to get cigs at our lola's (well, she's not really a relative) store then sneak out, go to the garage and smoke behind the tires. Like any other kid our age, we were just curious so we tried it.

Of course I didn't get hooked and I was even one of the people who'd always try to talk my friends out of it. The smell was the thing that I hated the most.

In college, I only smoked whenever we go out of town especially on the beach. I liked how the sea gets tranquil at night and sitting by the shore you'd just smoke up and emanate curlicues of smoke that would make the scene look like a psychedelic painting especially at sundown. Just imagine what ganja could do *wink wink*.

This was why some of my college friends were shocked when they saw me smoking in school. It just started to become a habit when I started my internship. We'd go out of the office and smoke after every meal and/or whenever we feel like it. We were able to form concepts, plan for a certain project, relax or just talk nonsense over a couple of sticks.

Hithit.

Shit ano nga ba ulit yung concept nung play?

Hithit.

Ugh. Ah, Prinsesa ng Kalikasan. Tangina, may magpapauto pa ba sa mga play na tulad nito?

Buga.

Kailangan daw ULIT iedit yung AVR!

Hithit.

Talaga yang si Scabbers nakakainit ng ulo. Kawawa naman si Pach at Pat.

Hithi... Aray ang init!

Takte ubos na pala.

*Sindi pa ng isa*.