Fear comes in different forms. It can be fear of losing your loved one, fear of ghosts…. and can be expressed in different ways such as terror, anxiety, paranoia, and phobia. And among them, phobia is commonly manifested by the people who have terrifying experiences and sometimes, they find it difficult to overcome it.

“Phobia” is a Greek word for “fear.” It is caused by fear of certain objects and situations and is classified as an anxiety disorder. Researchers and doctors have classified them to hundred kinds, and the three mentioned below, according to phobia~fear~release.com, are the most common phobias experienced by people:

3. Aerophobia. The fear of flying. People who suffer from aerophobia have a traumatic experience in riding airplanes, or sometimes, witnessed the true horror of a plane crash.

2. Social phobia. The fear of open criticisms. Social phobia is usually triggered during childhood, where the person was evaluated in a negative way. Because of this, people who suffer from this phobia has difficulty in socializing or mingling with people. And when in a huge crowd, they can even experience excessive sweating, trembling, inability to speak, etc.

1. Arachnophobia. Fear of spiders. Maybe it is because of their lethal poison or because of their creepy appearance that people become arachnophobic. According to statistics, 90% of arachnophobic are women while 10% are men. And one of those arachnophobics, is well, um, yours truly. I don’t have any rational explanations for this, but I am always freaked out whenever I see one.

As they say, the best way to conquer this fear is to face it. But for some, this is easier said than done as they become paranoid when faced with their biggest fear.

I never thought the simple question “What if,” can give so much impact to me, piercing my heart with pain. This question always pops in my head when I did a mistake, or rather a regret that I may no longer be able to take it back. It even sucks more than committing a big mistake, for at least I’ll have the chance to make up for it. But when regret is made, I guess I can’t do anything but mop around and ask myself with “What if.”

For those who have lived their lives without any regrets, well, I salute you for having a wonderful existence. But for us who have some regrets, well, I do hope that one day, we find a great way to deal with them…. and maybe…. just maybe…. we will be able to take it back.

Because regret is one of the most poignant thing that can happen to one’s life, here are some ideas as to how it can be an emotional burden:

“Shoulda, woulda, coulda.” This is an RnB song by Beverly Knight. Though it doesn’t express much about regret, but its title has already hit its essence. In fact it is similar to the question “What if,” only that this phrase has a larger impact on people who have regrets. Just thinking about the possible answers to this piercing phrase already gives an idea on how painful regrets can be.

Wishing to turn back time. It’s impossible, and the only thing we can do is wish that we have the power to bring back the hands of time. In that way, at least we wouldn’t be committing something that we’d regret.

The difficulty of acceptance. Since we can no longer take back what we did and it’s hard to take it back, acceptance will be the last thing in our mind. As we wallow, question ourselves, and wish to do something that is clearly impossible, it seems that we can never accept the fact that “it” already happened. And well, you know how hard it would be like dying without learning how to accept…..

The best thing to avoid regrets is to think carefully before doing something, especially if it will create a larger impact on the people. That is just one of the things that I learned from having regrets. And if mistakes are already done, I guess the greatest way to deal with it is to admit that you made a mistake, accept it, and do something about it…. before it becomes something painful…. like regrets….

They made us scream in fear, brought chills to our spine, shocked us to the bones and scared us to death. The unexpected turn of events, the crimson shadow lurking behind, the blood lust reflected in their eyes, the nothingness of darkness…..

These are some of the horror films that will keep you awake in night…..

Amity Ville - Haunted houses are a common element for a horrorflick. A family buys this new, beautiful house only to find that it is cursed and haunted. In Amity Ville, that typical plot is applied, but the terrifying touch is there.

The Omen - A child is supposed to give joy and light to the family, but what if he’s actually a son of darkness? That he’s a devil in disguise…. that he can cause so much horror just by looking you in the eye….

The Grudge – An Asian horror film that is even scarier than some of the well-known Hollywood movies. Gosh, I remember how Asian horror films become the trend in our place. Well, it starts with The Ring (for additional information), and hits the screen to various countries across the globe. After this Asia has become famous for producing quality horror movies. On the other hand, The Grudge has traditional elements of such flicks. A child is haunting their parents or siblings for maltreatment. He is dressed in white clothes with a VERY SCARY face.

Shutter – You’ll never know what to see when your camera starts to click. A photographer discovers a female ghost in their campus through picture taking. Of course, there are twists and turns in this movie as the scene gets deeper. Because of its unexpected chain of events it will leave you quite terrified while gasping your breath.

The Exorcist – A classic horror film. Nothing beats the scene where Linda Blair’s head makes a 360 degree turn and her walk in an upside down manner.

Love, I suppose, is the most valuable issue in one’s life. Even before we are born, love has already been shown as our parents has established it as the foundation of their relationship. But then again, love is not just about marriage and relationship with the opposite sex. There is definitely more to love than that. In fact, love is classified into several types. And let me share three of them:

Agape Love – The very core of love. It is a divine emotion bestowed by the Almighty Father. Agape love is more commonly called as “religious love.” This is the devotion that we show to faith and religion, the worship and the loyalty that we express for our Creator.

Familial Love - How we value our family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues, etc. is called Familial love. This is the foundation of our bonds with the people we are close with.

Eros Love – I guess this kind of love is one of the things that intrigues us. Eros is the god of love in Greek mythology, and his name is used to defy romantic love or love for the opposite sex. This is the very reason on how we get deeply attached to our partner.

There are still some things that we don’t know about love. It can be its kind, psychology, or definition. However, I don’t think vast knowledge of love is that crucial (though it helps us to understand what it means), as long as you feel the very essence of it.

It’s always been rewarding to see the person you love happy from appreciating what you’re doing for him/her. It can be doing him/her a favor or giving gifts. And speaking of which, it can be more pleasant once the gift is presented in a surprising way. He/she will love it more because he/she is not expecting anything from you.

People who do this always leave their loved one teary-eyed because of the thought of giving them something in a special way.

Since it’s surprise that we are talking about, there are lots of techniques on how to do it:

When there is an occasion, especially if it’s birthday, pretend that you don’t have anything special to do, that it will be like an ordinary get-together with your friends and family.

Pull a crazy and silly stunt then give your gift after revealing your little acts (or if he/she notices that what your stuff is just an act). This is a very effective one, since your loved one’s mindset is focused on the stunt your pulling. It can be a practical joke, a “scary tactic,” a fight within your group, etc. Then when you notice that he/she is overwhelmed with the situation, reveal your true purpose of your act. No matter how upset, scared, or worried your loved one might be, he/she will certainly appreciate it.

One of the best way to show your loved one how much he/she means to you is to give him/her a gift in an ordinary day. When it is anniversary, birthday, or Christmas, your special one might be expecting a gift, thus it lessens the essence of surprise. On the other hand, when you give something without any occasion, then he/she will feel very happy on that. Remember gifts are way of saying I love you or thank you to that person, so make sure that you are giving something that expresses it. And with a dab of surprise, he/she will surely feel more joyful.

Pleasure doesn’t have to come from expensive things or even from sex. Just pause for a moment, take a good look around you, and you’ll find that there can be pleasure without paying a handsome amount of bucks or having a partner tease you sensually. In fact, some of the best pleasures are free and can come in the simplest ways.

To convince you more with my ramblings, let me share some things that please me:

Food – Foods should not be taken for the sole purpose of health and survival. It’s just like how celebrations are accompanied by food. There are some that soothe your mood or give you extra boost of energy. And yes, it can also bring you pleasure especially when your favorite food comes as a reward for yourself after working hard or achieving your goal.

Scented candles – Its aroma can help combat your stress. It has a reliving effect that leaves you relaxed and makes your mind clear from work’s hassles. And for you to enjoy more of this solacing candles, try lightening ‘em up while you take a bath or before you sleep. Surely, you’ll have a good night sleep.

The scent of fresh cut grass – Once you take care of your backyard and have your growing grass get cut, you’ll feel at ease when the breeze blows at it. Its scent will make you enjoy the beautiful Mother Nature and its breath-taking landscapes.

Well, I have loads of pleasurable things to share you like “a good conversation with a friend” and “watching sunset.” But if I go on with this, I guess it’ll take me a day or two in order to complete my list. However, as you “internalize” what I’m saying, you can also have your own set of pleasurable things that you enjoy…. things that are simple and free….

They walk the street with jaw-dropped spectators. They hit the screen with long applauses. They are glittering in their glamorous world. If we look at them, they shine like gods and goddesses. But hey, no matter how we adorn our favorite celebrities with flowers, picture displays, and support, they are still humans. They defecate, they snore, they fart… and just like us, ordinary people, they have their embarrassing moments too.

Want proof? Well, I have a list of pop celebrities that became the source of gossips and laughter for some time:

(But I hope you excuse me for not including Janet and Justin…. Their moment was too exhilarating to tell. Let the court, BBC, and “wardrobe malfunction” handle this)

Diddy – (This is his most recent screen name. I wonder what he’ll come up next…. Duffy? er….) He had this hip hop performance in Spain back in 2005. It seemed that our hip hop daddy got too carried away with his own “rocking” performance, making him stage dive. Well, there isn’t something wrong with this, since most of our rock star idols have done that. However, the “wrong” part goes when the audience doesn’t respond to your own rocking performance. And this leaves our poor Diddy dive in the floor…..

Krist Novoselic – Well his story is an oldie, but surely it’s a goodie. This will take us back when Kurt Cobain was still alive…. back in 1992. It was during MTV Video Music Awards and Krist decided to make their performance more slamming by throwing his bass guitar in the air, only to find it bouncing back to his head, leaving him dazed for a while….. Tsk tsk tsk…..

Ashlee Simpson – Her Saturday Night Live performance should be done live, but it appeared like our dear Ashlee was faking her performance. And every audience in the show found out her little trick when her debut Pieces of Me got played while her lips was still closed and her mic was away from it. Hmmm, it seemed that pieces of Ashlee were lost.

Beyonce – Her bootylicious concert suddenly turned into one shocking and hilarious number when she misses her footing in the stair and came tumbling down after. Hmph, it’s a good thing she can still work it out.

Fergie – Well, this is one of the most talked about embarrassing moment in the century (aside from Janet and Justin’s breast expose.) So, I’m just telling it in the simplest way…. Fergie, the hot momma of Black Eyed Peas, was spotted peeing during her concert in San Diego. Well, at least she lives up to the name of her pop group, only that this time, “pea” means “urinate.”

According to Wikipedia, envy is “an emotion that ‘occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and desires it.’ ” I guess everyone has experienced it. It’s in our nature to look for more and want something that somebody has. Perhaps it’s alright to be envious, but sometimes it can really be bad.

On the other hand, my blog won’t discuss the ethical issues of envy. Instead, I’ll have some mini reviews on movies that display such:

Clueless – Cher is the most fashionable and the most popular girl in their campus. Everyone admires her, even her friends worship her fabulous sense of style. Aside from her stylish clothes, her pretty face knock the guys’ off their feet. Later, she helps her new friend Tai to get a boyfriend, only making her realized that she needs one herself. Wanting something you don’t have? Well, I guess the thought is there, especially when she learns that there are people who have something she doesn’t have.

Mean Girls – This is another film that has typical elements of chic flicks. A blond popular girl admired by everyone gains a new friend and saves her from being a total fashion wreck. But this time, it’s Regina George who is taking this role and her new friend is named Cady Heron. Since Regina always has the spotlight, every gal in campus copies her style of clothing, be it a top with holes or short skirts that don’t fit their sizes. While it’s not bad to copy ideas from your popular and pretty idol, there is something wrong when you copy each of her fashion preferences to the point that you are forcing yourself to wear something that doesn’t fit you at all.

Jaw Breaker – Among the chic flicks that I have seen, this one has the greatest personification of envy. Courtney (Rose McGowan) kills her best friend Liz because of the latter’s more glamorous reputation. Then, tries to ditch her new friend Vylette-slash- Fern Mayo (Played by Judy Greer) because she is gaining more popularity than her. All of their nasty ramblings and bitchy fights are done done in the name of popularity. And the root of it? It’s envy!

Do people find you annoying because of your lack of consideration? Well, you don’t really intend to offend them, it’s just that, you can’t understand their situations and end up saying horrible things instead of consoling them. And if you are getting sick of pissing them off, then it’s time to show them empathy. But if this word doesn’t ring a bell, then remember this short list very well…. for it will save you of losing your friends because of your lack of understanding:

1. Put yourself in their shoes. This is the best way to understand what your friends are going through. When they tell you their problems, try asking yourself, “What will I feel when it happens to me?” When you have the answer, then it’s the sign that you are starting to empathize.

2. Be open-minded. Bear in mind that people have different reactions towards various situations. Even if it irritates you, and even when you think that their problem is too shallow, you still have to understand them.

There are other ways to display empathy with the people around you. Just remember that the key to empathizing is “understanding.”

Surely, dreaming something that disgusts you sucks all your enthusiasm. And becoming a victim of this dreaded dream, I woke up this morning without any appetite. I just can’t forget that floating cockroach in my soda. And since I can’t eat and start a day with cheer, I open my computer and start expressing these thoughts, hoping that writing will help me to forget all about it.

Because my dream is something gross, here are some of the things that really disgust me:

1. 

3. Cockroach – It’s obvious, isn’t it? But there is something more about this “oldest creature in the world” that really bugs me out. I once saw a mad man stepping on it. And damn, I wasn’t able to eat all day after seeing his internal organs splattered across the floor. Some of them are greenish, while some look cream….. (Urgh, I’ll move on to the next item on my list before I pass out)

1. Coprophilia – No offense to those who have sexual interest to, um well, feces. When a friend of mine told me about fetish for feces, my initial reaction was laughter, thinking that it was just a joke. But then, when he showed me a video, I found myself flabbergasted. Never did I realize that there would be certain people who find human crap enticing. I mean, it’s a person’s waste, and it should go straight to toilet bowl, not to someone’s mouth.

1. Bestiality – Again, I don’t have any intention in offending people who have fetish for bestiality. It’s just that human-to-animal sex is something extreme. I once saw an image of bestial activity and man, that is one of the most shocking things in my life. Though there are scientific explanations for this, I just find it really gross. I mean, a human being should have sex with his/her fellow human being, not with a creature that belongs to another specie. Just leave the animals to their own kinds.

I already mentioned this, but if there were people who have fetish for feces and animals who happen to read this, well, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. I am just taking advantage of my “freedom” to write my thought on my blog.

Anyway….

Instead of finally having an appetite and enthusiasm after writing this, I end up being more disgusted. Damn….