Are You Better Off Single?

I got a copy of Dawn Yanek's essay entitled "Are You Better Off Single?" from one of the mailing lists I subscribe to, and I just thought to share its highlights here.

• You have a better body. Single people are more motivated to exercise because they "want to be attractive to potential partners."


• You’re more likely to achieve great things. Single people have the time and the lack of familial responsibilities to excel. The essay asserts that the drive to succeed may be biologically programmed as a means to attract a mate.


• You do less housework. "Well, if you leave a sock on the floor but there’s no one else there to see it, does it really need to be picked up?"


• You can do what you want with your money—including keep it. "You don’t have to justify your purchase to anyone but yourself. Once you mix money with marriage, though, things change—and fast."


• You have better sex. “People who are dating have better sex because it’s novel.... Married people have to relearn how to play. It’s natural for singles because that’s the nature of a courting relationship — they tease, they experiment, they explore.”


• You’re better rested and smarter. "[S]ingles generally get more rest — seven to eight hours of sleep a night — than marrieds, which enhances memory, mood and concentration, as well as allows your immune system to recharge."


• You’re less depressed. Single people do not feel the sense of loss of self that married people often do.


• You have better friendships. “Singles don’t rely on just one person to meet their needs. You don’t automatically know who you’re going to spend Friday night with.”


• Your travel tales are enviable. "Being single and relatively footloose certainly allows you to expand your geographical — and personal — borders."


• You know yourself — and what you want out of a relationship. “[M]aturity brings so much, because if you’re able to communicate who you are and what you want, the better your chances of having a successful marriage.”

This may not be entirely applicable to Filipino singles, but this can be something to ponder about, for those who do not seem to be entirely happy nor satisfied with their single-blessedness.

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The Filipino Smile

Last Wednesday, an article came out on the Philippine Daily Inquirer website saying that the Philippines ranks 17th in a survey of the happiest nations on Earth made by New Economics Foundation.

This bit of news comes in the wake of the ravaging done by typhoons Ester and Florita this past week, which leave behind them loss of life and destruction of property. Let's not forget the other instances that are reasons enough to make the Filipino's life miserable, such as poverty, poor quality of education, lack of proper health care services, and a government that is beset by corruption and completely unable to address these issues adequately.

So, why do Filipinos remain happy despite all these problems that would have torn someone from another nation apart? What makes the Filipino smile in spite of all his adversities? Is it the support that the tight family and kinship system provides him? Is it his spirituality and his deep faith in a Supreme Being, never mind that the Roman Catholic Church here can get so misguided and sometimes leads its blind followers astray?

I am not a psychologist nor a sociologist, so I would not even pretend to have the answers to these questions that I have posed. All I can say is that nothing in the world truly beats the Filipino smile.

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On Breaks, Wimbledon, and "Ordinary Lives"

It has been a helluva couple of weeks. I have managed to score a couple of good projects, and I got so busy working on them that I was almost literally plastered to the seat in front of my computer. There was hardly any time for anything, except for raiding the fridge, four-hour shuteyes, and bathroom breaks -- the latter including showers, of course.

Thus is the reason why I have failed to update this blog on that given period.

Oh, alright. I admit it. I did sneak out to watch Andre Agassi's final Wimbledon matches. He is one of my many loves and my heart breaks at the thought of his impending retirement from the tennis circuit. But hey, he's already 36 years old. He does need to retire.

I also admit to watching Robert Redford's Ordinary People on DVD.

That movie is certainly something. High on emotional content, yet carried out in a subdued, understated manner. After all, do ordinary people really go into hysterics when tragedy strikes them, as soap operas often depict? Well, some do, but most just try to carry on as if nothing happened.

But I digress.

In a nutshell, Ordinary People tells of a family dealing with the death of the older, favorite son in a boating accident. The death leads the younger son to blame himself for the death and try to take his own life. The father tries to pull his family together, but his attempts are often foiled by the mother's bitterness and inability to forgive.

The movie's charm is that it is so heavy in drama, but it is so understated. No breakdowns till somewhere at the tail end of the story. Also, as the characters look for what is truly wrong with their lives, they bring the audience with them in their search. Plus, it is the first time I have seen Donald Sutherland cry.

Great movie. Truly engaging, truly deserving of its Oscars. A definite must watch.

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