What happened when you had your tarot card read

Astrology, horoscope, tarot card reading, fortune telling—these for me are all bullshit. They aren’t called “hula” (prediction) for nothing. Our Filipino tabloid professor once divulged the secret of horoscopes and astrology shitniz that we read—and giddily follow at that—on daily newspapers. Out of wild imaginations and sheer poetry, he can whip a legitimate horoscope. 

I never believed them—until I visited the aptly named hole-in-the-wall food bistro in Katipunan, “Gayuma ni Maria”.

It was the birthday of one of my former colleagues at Rex, we were four, all girls. Apparently, the cafe offers tarot card reading. My friends had their cards read. They were all gushing on how truthful and close to reality each interpretation was. I was of course cynical and mocking. I wouldn’t shell out my 300 pesos for a piece of crap. Wait until I put the money where my mouth is.

 

I was the last clientele and the supposedly 15 minute –session lasted for almost two hours. I was having fun!

“Kuya, I don’t really believe on these things,” I said upon sitting. 

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it,” Kuya-I-forgot-the-name, said. 

Then, without me saying or sharing anything, he started pointing out specific details of my personality, perspectives, and pipe dreams, like he was my best friend. He mentioned my negative and positive traits, which were all true and gave advices on what to do with them. He mentioned my dreams and hidden desires, which again, were all true. I left out worldly specific questions like will I get rich and what is the name of my future husband (which by now, I am truly regretting). 

Unlike the fortune telling in Quiapo where one’s hand is read (not that I’ve tried it) tarot card reading, Kuya said, follows scientific and mathematical formulas and explanations. He tried to describe them to me but I barely could follow and I have forgotten them by now. 

Tarot card reading for me is like a wakeup call or a post-it reminder. It must not give you false hopes and future predictions. What it must give you is a time for self-examination and it is up to you whether you will act upon it or not. 

Our fate and fortune do not depend on the alignment of the stars or the soundness of the tarot cards, rather they rely on one’s hard work and dedication to succeed. 

Tarot card reading is definitely not for the desperate and depressed people who are willing to pay to have their future predicted and read. It is for anyone who has nothing better to do on a Friday night.

I swear

I swear by Palmer's Cocoa Butter Therapy Oil Formula. It has been more than five months since I started using this wonderful product and never looked back since then. Beauty experts say that the efficacy of any products starts to show after three months of religiously using them---mine is almost a year.

In a world that is constantly bombarded by advertisements and sales, all promising a better you, it is refreshing to know that there are products that prove their worth. And I am glad I stumbled upon Palmer's oil, which does not have loads of blog reviews yet and advertisements.

Almost empty!

How to use: Gently massage on any part of the body, including the face, right after taking a bath and before   sleeping
Where to buy: Rustan's or Watson's
How much: P695 / 150 ml

Pros: Leaves skin smoother and more moisturized
        Heals broken skin
        Evens skin tone
Cons: none!

Rate: 5/5
I will definitely buy this again!

Mind theft, scene stealer

Is the internet to blame for the rampant plagiarism?

Yes and no.

Yes, the hodgepodge of knowledge, trivia, and information readily available--and downloadable--in the internet is one of the culprits for plagiarism. The spontaneity of the  internet  allows people to share information as their own. There may be watermarks in some of the uploaded photos but they can be erased and fabricated to make a seemingly ingenious and original work of art.

There is the principle of proper attribution but many forget--intentionally or otherwise--to do so.

Just recently, a UP student won an international photo contest after submitting a photograph of a boy with a seaweed farm backdrop. The child, according to Mark Joseph Solis, was from Zamboanga City in Mindanao, where there is an ongoing standoff. It turned out, Solis PLAGIARIZED and CLAIMED THE PHOTO AS HIS, when in fact the winning photo was actually taken by Brazil-based photographer, Gregory John Smith.

Solis won $1,000 and round-trip tickets to Chile and Brazil.

Smith of course, cried foul. And so am I!

I am a writer from a major newspaper and one of the basic rules in professional journalism is plagiarism. If one is to copy, he or she must properly attribute the sources. But it doesn't take a writer to know the ins and outs of plagiarism when it is actually taught in school. Besides, taking something from someone sans acknowledging it is a basic rule of nature.

I am aghast and disappointed with Solis, not that I know him personally. According to news stories, he is a U.P. Political Science graduate and is currently taking Masteral degree in Public Administration in the same school. He is also a debater and has competed across Asia. Furthermore, he was given scholarship grants in Japan and Thailand.

"Unfortunately, I was driven by my youth, lack of experience, and inability to see the repercussions of my action. The sheer amount of the prize, the stiff competition, and the unique opportunity to be abroad," Solis says in his apology letter.

I CANNOT TAKE AND UNDERSTAND HIS CAUSES AND REASONS, FOR ME THEY ARE PURE ALIBI.

Come on! He's from U.P. (the top school in the Philippines) and of legal age, he surely knows what he's doing. Apparently, Solis has been plagiarizing for at least five times and has never been caught until now.

Solis should be kicked out from school! What a shame!

For more information, read the news stories from Rappler and Yahoo! Philippines

Solis' "winning photo" captioned as "The Mettle of the Filipino Spirit". The boy, according to Solis, was Nilo from Zamboanga City. The photograph was in fact grabbed from Smith's Flickr account, originally titled, "Neptune, King of the Sea". 

Photo from Yahoo! Philippines, which they grab from Facebook