Break the Glass Ceiling in Case of Emergency

Disclaimer: One of the extremely rare, intellectually stimulating posts I've ever written...prepared to be bored to tears.

We've heard it many times before - had the world been ruled by women, World Wars I & II and the 2008 financial crisis would have no space in history. We'll have less poverty, less inequality, and it would've been one happy, floral-scented world of pink bows and oven-fresh, calorie-free cookies. Wishful thinking? 

Unbeknownst to most people, many matriarchal societies do exist (whether these are classified as matrilinear, matrilocal, matrifocal or matriarchal is still subject to much debate) - the Ede of Viet Nam, the Mosuo of China, the Hopi Indians and the Chambri of Papua New Guinea. Corrina Laughlin described these women-led societies as "communal, egalitarian, more nurturing and just" (utopianist.com).

Matriarchal societies exist in a number of mammalian species as well. Elephants, known for their superior intelligence, live in herds of females and their calves, and are led by the oldest female cows. The herd works in a highly coordinated fashion - protecting each other and working together to find food. Female elephants take a huge role in rearing young calves and ensuring the survival of the species.

Now even more interesting is the dominatrix nature of the spotted hyenas. Female hyenas are bigger and more aggressive than the males, and believe it or not, have their own pseudopenis or peniform clitoris (read: these ladies have dicks). The males need to prove themselves before being given permission to mate. Welcome to the alternate universe of the Type-A, suit-donning bitches who have enough balls to get what they want and crush men with their stiletto-ed heels.

And how can we ignore the very controversial species of the Bonobo monkeys? Deemed to be matriarchal, these highly sexual species are dominated by females, who control males through sexuality. The male's rank is determined by his mother's rank in the society. What an amusing world of mama's boys who'll solve world conflicts through sex and not violence (insert canned hyena laugh here).

Most sociologists claim that human matriarchies did not exist in the past and remain hypothetical, but Bertha Diener disputes this claim by saying all human societies were historically matriarchal, which later shifted and degenerated to patriarchy (this, in my opinion, is pushing the Amazonian vision a bit too far). 

The gynocentric society I seek is not the diametrical opposition of patriarchy but a higher form of egalitarian democracy where no barriers and biases against genders exist.

More interesting reading here.
http://matriarchal.askdefine.com/

Pinay on Ice

I've landed on my face and ass so many times that if you've seen that movie Jumanji with the stampeding rhinoceri, I felt like my body was somewhere in that stampede scene. 

So what does snow taste like? 

Hmm... like halo-halo without anything in it!

Mo-mo-morocco!

A Filipino in Morocco was such a rarity that the airport security couldn't help blurting out "Philippine?!". That's right, brother. From one third world to another...high five.

Souks: Not a place for claustrophobes and misanthropes. Crowded, touristy and severely overpriced. If you think you're a pro at bargaining, try this one for size.

"Hello, my friend": Everyone is your friend and brother. If you're lonely and insecure, this is the place for you.

They speak in tongues: Everyone will try to speak your language - French, Spanish, English, Chinese...name it, and they'll say anything to lure you into their shops. Unfortunately, "cheap" is not in their vocabulary.

Gastronomy: Moroccan cuisine is all about kebabs, tagine and couscous. If you find that couscous is starting to come out of your nose (trust me, there's a limit to how much couscous you can eat), there are French or Italian restaurants everywhere to give your taste buds a rest.

Warning: Baklavas are so sinfully delicious that you would almost forget how fast those calories will find their way to your thighs.

Camels: Riding one is an unforgettable experience. They bear a great resemblance to giraffes, obviously cousins in the mutated gene pool of camelidae.  Riding a camel reminded me of Manila - hot, bumpy, uncomfortable but fun!

Straddling Cappuccino.

Baby Got Back
The dark brown camel behind Cappuccino is Sultan. Sultan's snout was tied to the saddle on Cappuccino's back. What a sad life having to look and sniff at another camel's ass...

Not so easy, Easyjet.
18:00 - Flight attendant announces the flight will be delayed.
19:00 - Electronic board announces that flight to Paris-CDG is at Gate 5. Type-A passengers started running towards Gate 5.
19:05 - Board changes to Gate 3. Type-A passengers started running towards Gate 3.
19:20 - Board changes to Gate 7.
19:21 - Board doesn't display any gate number. Type-A passengers got confused.
Comical. Almost felt like a noontime game show...

The 2012 Resolutions That Will Last For...

For 30 years I've written and broken a lot of resolutions. What's another year?

• Alcohol free for 3 months - I am not a big drinker but if I'm going on a 5-7 pound diet, cutting back on every unnecessary calorie would be essential.
• The 5 pound diet - I'm smack in the perfectly healthy weight for a normal human being but when you're pushing 31 and you're not a Victoria's Secret model, you can't trust your body to work in your favor. Those extra macarons (Laduree is the devil's minion) and pastries will eventually find their way to your hips, legs and every fat storing cell of your body. Losing 5 pounds will do my body good.

Let the countdown begin...

MBA Chronicles: When I Grow Up, I Want To Be....

It's been a year since those dreadful days of writing essays for business school applications where I'd been asked over and over again what my personal aspirations were. I remember having had to take a step back and think what I want out of life. All I know is that when I was younger, I wanted to be an astronaut. Well, we all did at some point. I don't know what killed your astronaut dream, but for me, it was when I realized astronauts had very complicated toilet habits. That, and the risk of suffocating yourself with your own gas.

Then I wanted to be a dentist because in my young eyes, the state-of-the-art, hydraulic dental chair was an amusement park ride that came with a free toothbrush. I abandoned my dream of poking around people's mouths after 2 molar extractions.

Then I wanted to become a teacher because just like every normal kid, I coveted that teaching stick of power. I had my complete teaching set: a little blackboard, white and colored chalks, an eraser, my dad's broken eyeglasses, and a small stick that I used to point at either Barbie or Cabbage Patch, asking it to recite the alphabet. I always sent my dog to detention.

I remember playing with my parents' broken stethoscopes but I never wanted to be a doctor. Tagging along hospital rounds every Saturday, visiting sick people, was enough to get me depress at seven years old. But it's cool to have physician parents. You'd know big words like ciprofloxacin at age 9 and show off with phrases like "damn, my sternocleidomastoid hurts."

I realized there's not much difference between now and then...25 years later, you still don't know what you want.

MBA Chronicles: Snippets of Wisdom

If you have classes from 9AM to 14:50PM everyday and you only get to have one 30-minute break, the person who asks a stupid question at 14:49 deserves to be suckerpunched. Lesson: Do not be this person.

If we pay a euro for every useless and irrelevant comment in class, we might be able to pay Greece's debt in a year.

"You won't die while doing your MBA. But you won't live, either." - Gagan

Making friends in your MBA is all about finding the right fit. You can't force yourself into groups you have nothing in common with; it's like trying to fit a square into a circle. Lesson: Be the circle, don't be square.

The philosophy of the bell-curve grading system: if you think you're doing bad, just pray that 5% of the population are doing worse than you.

MBA Chronicles: The 10 People You'll Meet in Your MBA

1. The Know-it-all - The classmate who seems to know everything and wants everybody to know it. If they think they're soooo brilliant, then what the hell are they still doing in school?!?

2. The Celebrity Wannabe - They want to be popular. They want to know everyone and be everywhere; clearly the winner of the congeniality crown. But remember, familiarity breeds apathy.

3. The Orator - Also known as the MC (Master of Comments). These people love to hear themselves speak.  They are soothed by the sound of their own voices and think they're so clever by always saying something in class. Most people would call this verbal masturbation.

4. The Interrogator - They ask questions they already know the answers to. They ask questions for the sake of asking. Yes, we should sue these people if we destroy an optic nerve from rolling our eyes.

5. The Energizer Bunny - The classmate who has Redbull pumping into his/her bloodstream. This person can party from midnight 'til dawn, and still manage to show up in class looking fresh as a daisy.
Oh, how we envy them.

6. The Leader - The proactive student who loves to organize events, photocopy notes for everyone, initiate group studies... generally thought of as God's gift to slackers.

7. The Comic - The classmate who says the funniest things at the dullest moments. You will owe this person your sanity.

8. The Player - Charm is naturally wired in the player's DNA, and this social butterfly immensely enjoys the mating dance. According to Askmen.com, players understand the fine line between offensive and irresistible i.e. "classy jerks".

9. The Egobombastic - The person who frequently begins a sentence with "I" and ends it with "me". It's pretty difficult to hang out with this person; when his/her ego gets too big, you'd always run out of room.

10. The Nice Guy - This is your average Joe/Jane. Don't be deceived. Not all nice guys finish last.

A huge chunk of the MBA experience is learning how to manage your emotions and relationships with different people. But honestly, at the end of the day,  it's alcohol that unites all differences.