Here’s my circle of Four. They will help Evil Woobie judge the Share Your Love Story Contest, because I trust them to make me see the entries in a new light. They have read the entries and are now choosing their favorites!

Lizzie of Rosediaries

She is also known as Rose Lacroix, or you can call her Briar Rose if you felt her thorns before her gentleness. She has strong views about relationships, which is why I always perk up when she has something to say about mine. She’s lady b*tch in her spare time, and a level-headed girly girl the rest of the time. Here are some of her most memorable quotes:

• On smart women in relationships: “I can tone it down but I cannot pretend to act like a dummy. Acting like a ?dumb blonde? so that he will feel smarter is somewhat stufid. I don?t want a W-I-M-P, a guy who shuts himself down and feel like he?s not heard, and is either wounded or seething inside. He has to speak up. I have a domineering personality but I am NOT rabid and radical. I know when to hide my fangs and declaw myself and purr beside a man who can make a spectacle of himself, larger than life. “

• On break ups: “You need time to heal between relationships?there is nothing cute about baggage? Deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship. You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you?a relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals?look for someone complimentary?not supplementary.?

I have to say, between the Lizzie and I, we can dominate and rule, and wreak havoc and what-not… but because the universe needs balance, there are some worthy men who join us in judging this contest. and they are:

Rico Pola of Hime

He is the only friend I deemed worthy to voluntarily offer a subdomain in my blog to. I admire this guy because he has dedicated his artistic talent, and his whole blog at that, to a girl he loves. His love story is heart breaking and heart warming at the same time. Such is his feeling for the girl of his dreams that he endures the hardships of Unrequited Love just so he can live each day hoping to see her friendly smile in his direction.

If things were different… if hime loved him instead of another guy who has hurt her in the past… the general notion of the illusion we call LOVE would be perfect. However, with real loving comes sacrifice and patiently waiting for the elusive answer, and my friend Pola’s dedication to hime is testament to that.

Diwa the Mad Fiddler and Cosplay Enthusiast

Being the grandson of an amazing Philippine National Artist should be enough for anybody, but not Diwa. He immersed himself into the world of music and pop culture, and won’t quit ’til he makes a name of his own. His music tugs at the heart strings, and his personality is bright enough to lighten up a dark room. Diwa’s proficiency in creating soulful music through his violin reflects his bittersweet dance with romance and relationships. The chords he creates implore the listener to just bask in the haunting melody.

JM the Dreamy Gamer

Jayem singlehandedly breaks all stereotypes connected with the typical geek gamer who doesn’t have time for other things like gym and going out. He finds time to express his creative side though his guitar (youtube link), and to be a hardcore gamer in Ragnarok Online. Anyone who’s known him well enough sees the vulnerability behind his toughie exterior.

To those who came in from Buraot’s site, thank you for dropping by, but I am not giving away a house and lot as my good friend promised. (*rolls on the floor laughing*) Practical joker and all-around brilliant guy, this person keeps 4 active blogs, and I can just imagine how fast he can come up with diverse topics to talk about. I highly recommend his sites:

The Antisocial - Political (in English)

Ibangon ang Bayan - Political (Filipino)

Literary Ek-ek - His thoughts (English)

Kopongkopong - His thoughts (Filipino)

To the bulk of the readers he sent here, I’m going to bestow on you this time-tested advice passed on from generation to generation in my family: “Save up when times are easy, so that you won’t have to scrimp on anything when times are hard.” Good advice? Or would you rather receive the house and lot? (*laughs*)

Here’s to promoting friendship among bloggers!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Tell the world who tagged you.

2. Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 keywords given below (family, friend, yourself, your love and anything you like).

3. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better.

4. Don?t forget to read the archived post and leave comments.

————————————————-

I got tagged by parisukat.

Here are the previous posts that are special to me:

1.Family - What Parents Won’t Tell Us Directly

They want to tell us ?you?re old enough to go at it alone, but I don?t want you to think I?m driving you away?, though sometimes this sentiment comes out the wrong way.

2. Friendship - On Friendships and Forgetting

I categorize my friends into acquaintances and specials. The acquaintances always see my nice side, they never hear of my rants, but at the same time, they never feel my sudden floods of affection.

3. Yourself - When A Playgirl Retires

I guess as we grow older, we get tired of running or fighting, or proving something to ourselves. I finally, albeit warily, chose to commit to someone who has known me long enough to understand me.

4. Your Love - I Have Forgotten You, But My Heart Still Feels You

Your caresses enfold me, like climbing vines on melancholy walls. I have forgotten your love, yet I seem to glimpse you in every window.

5. Anything you like - Palmistry 101: the basics of palm reading (fingers)

Is he a rebel or a pushover? Is he emotionally available? Is he conservative or liberal minded? How stubborn is he?

I am tagging the following people to do this:

Buraot

AnnaDos

Jehzlau

Sniper Angel (yep, I wont give up til you finally do a meme that I tagged u with)

Diwa (let’s see if the great Valkyrie master will do this meme)

The road to commitment is long and winding. Several pitfalls and booby traps may just smash your efforts to commit. Sometimes the journey to commitment is too psychologically long and tiring that you just give up. To someone who spent her life opening windows at night (at the risk of burglary and privacy invasion) just to avoid the stifling feeling of enclosed walls, being in a committed relationship is like living hell. The mere mention of the C-word had me running outside for air.

So what makes a person who is so liberated and carefree give up her independence?

Love? Na-ah. I’ve learned long ago that love as we know it is a very relative thing, and very fleeting too. If there is one abstract idea that has driven the sanest people mad, it is love. It is nothing more than an illusion. Or, to the hopeless romantic, a word to justify every single pleasureable thing or emotion that comes. Among animals, males emit pheromones during mating. The females sense this and get hooked, until the mating season is over. I guess that’s “love” for them. Humans are not much different really. We interchange the idea of love, with the chemical effects of hormones.

I guess as we grow older, we get tired of running or fighting, or proving something to ourselves. There was a story that i heard or read somewhere, which exactly defines my view on commitment. It moved me so much that I started questioning my views on growing old as a single mom, and not relying on a partner at all.

In the tv series, Friends, Phoebe said something that really struck me. Her lobster theory.

When I told a friend of mine that I’m settling down, have a baby and a family, she asked “are you sure?”. What she’s really asking is if I will be able to sustain my free spirit inside a committed relationship. My friends are cynical about me totally committing to someone, they think I always have a plan B. Yes, of course I do have a plan B. Maybe I haven’t matured enough to embrace the idea behind the song about docking the boat and throwing away the oars forever. But I’m getting there… cautiously.

Years of inner struggle cannot be shrugged off easily. It’s just too easy to turn the other direction and just run, run and run from responsibility.

I finally, albeit warily, chose to commit to someone who has known me long enough to understand me. Do I love this guy? Yes, I do. But more importantly, do I trust him? He may be the only guy in the world that I trust, besides my dad and bro.

Why him? Frankly, it’s as simple as this: In a world where I’ve always regarded everyone as my bitch, I’m his bitch.

I’ve found my lobster.

The experience of having a young boyfriend is a bittersweet mixture of delight and apprehension. Particularly when both parties are still testing the waters. In the case of my friend and his girl, the guy feels that the girl is not ready to commit yet. The girl also maintains the “I-don’t-want-to-hurt-you” distance by insisting that they remain friends for the moment.

The statement “I might hurt you” could mean a few things. For starters, the girl knows that she has hang ups that the guy might not understand. Secondly, she is afraid for herself. The guy is just starting his own urban adventure — college, graduation, finding work — while the girl knows she’s already over the initial excitement of going through those things. The guy might discover other diversions (read: other girls), and when this happens, the older gal realizes that it’s emotionally safer to be his friend than his GF.

In a conversation with an over-eager young man, I remember putting it succinctly in one statement…

This is not the time for you to have someone who tends to be jealous of the new experiences that you’re going through. This is the time to be free, with no killjoy GF to destroy your fun. You need friends who will be going through the same thing.

Of course, I felt a certain sadness as I was saying it. Particularly since I really liked him and wanted to prolong the “trip” a litle longer. But I had to do it, for his sake… and mine. Yes, I would only be hurting him if I didn’t cut that involvement short. And might even open myself up to more complications than I can handle.

However, for those girls who are brave enough to take the risk, good for you sisters!!! At the end of his exciting day, you will be there to listen to his spellbound account of all the new stuff he did. Marvel at how freshly he views life, and how wonderful a man he will be. Be infected by his idealism and encourage his refusal to accept the cynical as truth.

The rewards of a successful May-December affair are lasting. A relationship that proves that age really doesn’t matter in love.