Playing MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) is fun. You don't just get to hear and see a story, you ARE part of the story. Add to that spells and abilities that your character can possess: like being able to invoke and hurl fireballs, walk on water, shapeshift into a tree that can heal wounds and such, sneak past enemies unseen, or turn an annoying enemy into a harmless sheep - if I could do those things in real life, life could just become a little tad more interesting.
Friends sometimes play online games together for fun. Being able to adventure with someone you know and trust makes the game less of a hassle. And to make things easier the next time they embark on another online adventure, they would naturally want to discuss strategies and such outside the game.
And here's where it gets interesting. Gaming has a vocabulary of its own. There are terms like "DPS" which means "damage dealing" or a "class that excel in doing damage", "tank" which means "a character whose role is to take damage for the rest of the group, or "CC" which means "crowd control" an ability to render an enemy (or enemies) harmless for a set amount of time.
Naturally, for any non-gamer, hearing such terms in a conversation between gamers can really be quite confusing. And it is not seldom that some conversations can lead to uncomfortable situations when such terms and conversation are taken out of context.
Here are just some examples I've picked up from the World of Warcraft forums. If you're a WoW player or just an MMORPG player for that matter, these things mean nothing special. But if you're not familiar with MMORPGs or simply don't have any idea as to what on earth is being talked about here, I'm really sorry but the most respectable thing I could do for you now is to just point at you and laugh.
- - - - - - - - - -
"I just need to enchant my legs and then we can duel."
"We were hosting this huge raid, but couldn't find enough tanks and then people started leaving."
"I've never had much to do with damage specs. But now I'm leveling a kitty and I'm really enjoying the rotation."
"Man, remember last night when we raided Mother Shahraz and her cloth pants dropped? And after that we rolled to see who got the shoulder and I won?"
"I was being ganked by two dwarves in the Wetlands last night."
"I snuck up behind three people last night and stabbed them with my daggers. Killed them in one shot."
"We need to recruit more priests."
"Once I popped all my cooldowns, she started going down fast."
"The boss is just a quick tank and spank. Drops pants that'd be great for me."
"I need a new chest. This one doesn't have gem slots."
"That druid's healing touch was great!"
"Stay back or I'll use my bubbles!"
"Some dude ninja'ed my pants last night."
"I'm down on health! Someone give me a flash of light!"
"Ten of us did Kara last night. Man, it was epic!"
"I was bored last night. So I drank ten jugs of bourbon and puked all over people in the bank."
"I'm a twink."
"I hate grinding. It's so tedious and boring. After a while, it just drones on and on. I tried playing music and even doing it with a friend but it's still boring."
"Wanna hang out?" "Nah, can't. I'm doing Twins."
"I can't duel you yet, lost all my CDs."
"I accidentally minimized, hold up!"
"I was camping at the graveyard until I died."
"She ambushed me while I was eating, before I could blink I was already down."
"I understand how to kill people, I just can't do it fast enough."
and last but not least...
"I can't come to the phone, I'm being killed right now!"
- - - - - - - - - - -
That's all, folks!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Money -- The Destroyer of Friendships
I've been joking around with a very very close friend that perhaps we should start a business together so we could finally put a dent in our friendship. It's just one of those silly jokes we throw around, of course. And there's no likelihood that anything will follow through with such a proposition. In fact, I could imagine us still being this close seventy years into the future. And there just seems to be nothing that would tear us apart (sniff), hence the joke. But then that's what good friendships are all about -- fun, sharing good things together, comforting each other during sad times, and basically having someone around whom you wouldn't see leaving your side for any goddamn reason humankind has created on the surface of this earth.
Except money.
So the news that a member of this girl clique with whom I'm friends with (*wink* I'm that awesome) decided to call it quits with her girlfriends came as a shock to me. As far as I know they've been friends for over fifteen years, have been through so many and so much as friends, and are my definition of a good, tight friendship. You could say I wasn't just disappointed. I was aghast. It just seems to me that such a thing isn't possible. Relationships come and go, right? But friendship? It's one of those things that to me should have some sort of permanence that shouldn't disappear no matter what.
So I decided to call one of them to find out what really happened. (And I'm a gossip too, what can I say?) And when I uncovered the ugly truth, that's when the shock dissipated and was replaced by disappointment.
So there it is -- money. When you look at things the first time, you would think that money seems to be too trivial a reason for any friendship to crumble. It's not as if money that was lent wouldn't be earned again in the next couple of months, if not weeks, right? That several years of good camaraderie isn't worth losing over a couple of bucks, right? But the sad truth is, people have gone separate ways all too often simply because of money. Money -- a thing which is sadly defined as nothing more than just a means to an end. Money -- a lot of things get thrown out the window because of money. And not just simple things, mind. But really important ones.
An hour of reverie later and I end up thinking that perhaps it isn't really the issue of money that sucks here. I, myself, wouldn't mind lending money to someone who needs it. It's just money, for crying out loud. But what really sucks balls here isn't the issue of money. It's the issue of trust. You lend money. You trust that person to pay the money back. If that person doesn't pay it back on time -- for myriad reasons, some reasonable, some not -- then somehow a level of trust is broken. That's just the thing with money. You need to pay it on time, otherwise things are gonna go sour soon. And then on the other side of the fence, there's the issue of the nagging lender, who just wouldn't stop yapping and who just wouldn't understand that "Dude, I just can't pay you back right now, so will you please shut up already? Ugh..."
The psychology of people when caught in the issue of credit is something that I would rather not discuss extensively as I'm no psychologist or financial adviser myself. There are however several things I will suggest to prevent such ugly things from happening in the first place:
Live within your means. Yes, I know, it's fun when you start earning money to go spend, spend, spend like some bastard son or daughter of Donald Trump. I used to be like that myself until you find your coffers running dry. For the disciplined, it's just a matter of stopping and to start being frugal. But then, there are those who just couldn't resist the temptation of spending. So all I could really say is "Stop!" Spend depending on how much you're earning right now. Everyone's gonna climb up the social ladder anyway sooner or later so save those itchy spending urges several years into the future. But for now, stop and don't go down the path of borrowing money just to satisfy a couple of whims.
Communicate. It's the key, need I say more? If you intend to borrow money, be transparent on your reasons and be ready to accept a refusal! Other people need money to spend their money for themselves, too. And be very clear on your intent to pay and when you're going to pay. On the other hand, if you're the one lending money, don't be afraid to say NO if you need to. You have your needs too! And if you do lend money, be clear as to when you want to be paid. Don't be afraid to ask for your money back, but be nice about it. Don't nag the borrower if he or she can't pay you just yet. Be patient but be smart. And make sure to keep a mental note as to whether a person is trustworthy enough to pay you back on time or not.
Credit is credit. Even if you borrowed money from a friend, it's still credit. Pay on time and don't use friendship as an excuse to delay payment. It's that simple.
The business of money is dirty (eww). And to be quite honest, if there's a way of acquiring one's needs without using money, then I would very much gladly do it. On the condition I wouldn't be using my body, of course! But there you go, money, in a way, is a necessary evil that everyone needs to use in order to go about the business of living. Does it make the world go round? I suppose so. Is it the instrument of the Devil? Well maybe it is! And maybe it is, if it's so powerful enough to destroy good friendships (ooh).
But hey, nobody said that once something is destroyed, it has to remain destroyed, right? I'm really hoping for those girls that once emotions have gone down a notch, maybe they could reconsider and be the friends that they used to be. It's still just - money - after all.
Except money.
So the news that a member of this girl clique with whom I'm friends with (*wink* I'm that awesome) decided to call it quits with her girlfriends came as a shock to me. As far as I know they've been friends for over fifteen years, have been through so many and so much as friends, and are my definition of a good, tight friendship. You could say I wasn't just disappointed. I was aghast. It just seems to me that such a thing isn't possible. Relationships come and go, right? But friendship? It's one of those things that to me should have some sort of permanence that shouldn't disappear no matter what.
So I decided to call one of them to find out what really happened. (And I'm a gossip too, what can I say?) And when I uncovered the ugly truth, that's when the shock dissipated and was replaced by disappointment.
So there it is -- money. When you look at things the first time, you would think that money seems to be too trivial a reason for any friendship to crumble. It's not as if money that was lent wouldn't be earned again in the next couple of months, if not weeks, right? That several years of good camaraderie isn't worth losing over a couple of bucks, right? But the sad truth is, people have gone separate ways all too often simply because of money. Money -- a thing which is sadly defined as nothing more than just a means to an end. Money -- a lot of things get thrown out the window because of money. And not just simple things, mind. But really important ones.
An hour of reverie later and I end up thinking that perhaps it isn't really the issue of money that sucks here. I, myself, wouldn't mind lending money to someone who needs it. It's just money, for crying out loud. But what really sucks balls here isn't the issue of money. It's the issue of trust. You lend money. You trust that person to pay the money back. If that person doesn't pay it back on time -- for myriad reasons, some reasonable, some not -- then somehow a level of trust is broken. That's just the thing with money. You need to pay it on time, otherwise things are gonna go sour soon. And then on the other side of the fence, there's the issue of the nagging lender, who just wouldn't stop yapping and who just wouldn't understand that "Dude, I just can't pay you back right now, so will you please shut up already? Ugh..."
The psychology of people when caught in the issue of credit is something that I would rather not discuss extensively as I'm no psychologist or financial adviser myself. There are however several things I will suggest to prevent such ugly things from happening in the first place:
Live within your means. Yes, I know, it's fun when you start earning money to go spend, spend, spend like some bastard son or daughter of Donald Trump. I used to be like that myself until you find your coffers running dry. For the disciplined, it's just a matter of stopping and to start being frugal. But then, there are those who just couldn't resist the temptation of spending. So all I could really say is "Stop!" Spend depending on how much you're earning right now. Everyone's gonna climb up the social ladder anyway sooner or later so save those itchy spending urges several years into the future. But for now, stop and don't go down the path of borrowing money just to satisfy a couple of whims.
Communicate. It's the key, need I say more? If you intend to borrow money, be transparent on your reasons and be ready to accept a refusal! Other people need money to spend their money for themselves, too. And be very clear on your intent to pay and when you're going to pay. On the other hand, if you're the one lending money, don't be afraid to say NO if you need to. You have your needs too! And if you do lend money, be clear as to when you want to be paid. Don't be afraid to ask for your money back, but be nice about it. Don't nag the borrower if he or she can't pay you just yet. Be patient but be smart. And make sure to keep a mental note as to whether a person is trustworthy enough to pay you back on time or not.
Credit is credit. Even if you borrowed money from a friend, it's still credit. Pay on time and don't use friendship as an excuse to delay payment. It's that simple.
The business of money is dirty (eww). And to be quite honest, if there's a way of acquiring one's needs without using money, then I would very much gladly do it. On the condition I wouldn't be using my body, of course! But there you go, money, in a way, is a necessary evil that everyone needs to use in order to go about the business of living. Does it make the world go round? I suppose so. Is it the instrument of the Devil? Well maybe it is! And maybe it is, if it's so powerful enough to destroy good friendships (ooh).
But hey, nobody said that once something is destroyed, it has to remain destroyed, right? I'm really hoping for those girls that once emotions have gone down a notch, maybe they could reconsider and be the friends that they used to be. It's still just - money - after all.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
More LOLs @ Oatmeal
This new post from The Oatmeal maybe entitled "7 things you really don't need to take a photo of", though I think that "7 photo subjects by trying hard photographers" would be nice too.
Seriously, what's up with all those wannabe photographers lately? =o
Seriously, what's up with all those wannabe photographers lately? =o
Monday, October 11, 2010
RH Bill and Jueteng
Freedom to choose.
Let me just state first that above and beyond everything else, it is my fervent belief that the freedom to make choices for oneself, regardless of anyone else's opinion or influence, and so long as it does not intrude on the rights of another, is one of democracy's greatest inalienable gifts.
We, Filipinos, are such unforgivably weird creatures. For one, we're the type of people who can be extremely conservative over too many things: reluctant to let go of old and outdated traditions; unwilling sometimes (if not oftentimes) to make changes for the better; sticking to old habits and customs without sometimes knowing the reasoning, concrete or otherwise, behind them.
And then, we're also such curiously immoral creatures. Yeah, that's right. For a staunchly (or should I say also proudly?) Christian country, it is not seldom that I regard this place as one hell of a wretched hive of scum and villainy. And quite seriously you'll never find quite a place like this place: promiscuity, gambling, violence, violent politics, lack of discipline, pollution, political incorrectness left and right, the list goes on and on. These things may just be the tip of the iceberg. And yet I still found myself having to quote Obi-Wan Kenobi just to find any appropriate description fitting for the downward spiral that is the Philippines. *sigh*
Despite these two things: ultraconservatism and immorality -- isn't it quite surprising that we Filipinos still manage to find for our country and our people some respect in the global community, or maybe to even just stay intact as a country? But then, I suppose we're so used to living and thinking in such manner, we don't care anymore. Also, combining and managing to live with these two things has been ingrained in our culture for so long, any significant change to the status quo might just result in an altering of reality itself as well as an unexpected polarity shift of the Earth.
...
I'm serious.
*cough*
So now we bring ourselves to the two recent issues that have brought our immoral brand of ultraconservatism to light. The reproductive health bill and the legalization of jueteng.
Alright, let's talk first about the RH bill. The first thing that comes to mind every time I hear it: Why the issue? Okay, so I understand that those ultraconservative Catholics just can't and won't stop yapping about the issue. After all, they see themselves as some kind of moral guardian that need to be telling others what to do. Since their "words" come from God, then their words must be right, right? And that what they say and do should be and is above the law, right? I don't know what kind of books those morons must have in the seminaries but I'm beginning to wonder if their required readings must have been published way back in the Middle Ages. And quite frankly, who are they to lecture others on what to do and not to do? Or to be more to the point, what's the point of lecturing about sex? What would they know about sex? They are not SUPPOSED to be having sex (or are they?) and so how are they supposed to be preaching about anything that they themselves are not (ideally) even knowledgeable of? Besides, the words of those priests would probably have more bearing if they are quite the immaculate angels they think themselves to be. But I'll leave the bastard sons and daughters of the clergy to bring that topic to better light.
Why those church morons put sex in such a negative light is one hell of a mystery to me, as well as a big contradiction. As far as I know, THEY teach that sex came from God, as a means of procreating. So why demonize it? Sure, Filipinos have such a huge problem with regard to premarital sex, fidelity, and excessive procreating. And I'm pretty sure that Filipinos are well aware of that! But if the church wants to remind its followers that they're doing something wrong, then I believe that the proper forum to do this is inside the church or in the privacy of a confessional. Why meddle in the affairs of the state? The state is only doing what it thinks is right to keep things in check. Sure, in the eyes of the church, the use of contraceptives is wrong. But I think they should keep their reprimands inside their own hallowed halls. Yes, while in your churches, tell and teach the people what is right and what is wrong. And please do that as often as possible! We Filipinos are really in dire need of being reminded about the difference, anyway. But please, keep your hands and your mouths off the laws. Just let the law be. And let each and every person have the freedom to choose whether to do what is pragmatically correct or to avoid doing what is morally wrong.
And now, on to the issue about jueteng. Come on, are we really still going to be turning a blind eye on the reality that Filipinos are such unrepentant gamblers? And in a poor country like the Philippines, gambling is the reality of life. When wages and salaries are just too small and the table has too many mouths to feed, would you really blame the Filipino to want to take his chances, no matter how immoral it could be?
But then, the question begs to be asked: In our society today, as well as in the common way of thinking amongst cultured societies, can gambling still be seen as immoral? If you think about it, gambling is not so much a way of life but in fact, a fact of life itself! It has often been said that life is in itself a gamble. Making choices, choosing what would be profitable or not, weighing which decision would yield the better result, isn't that the way life goes? And that being said, how is gambling different from life itself if the only difference that exists is that if you win, you make money, and if you lose, someone else makes money?
Again, the need to give a person the freedom to choose for himself is what's important here. Gambling may be morally incorrect, but if the stomach begins to grumble, will moral correctness still matter? Also, as long as jueteng remains illegal, the more money will be taken out of the common man's pocket to finance the vanities of the corrupt few. How long are we really going to be feeding and supporting the fat asses of those hypocritical imbeciles? If we legalize jueteng, well okay I admit, some of the earnings will still go to the pockets of those parasitic dunderheads, but hey, at least some of the money will make its way to the national coffers! Hmm... a win-win situation?
All in all, what am I saying here? First off, we really need to get off our ultraconservative high horse and accept the fact that a lot of Filipinos ARE immoral. This is a fact we NEED to accept. The sooner we accept it, the faster we are going to realize that hey, preventing people from doing these immoral things won't solve the issue. If not, it will worsen the issue since we know that the more something is made forbidden, the more will people want to do it. And being so, the righteous among us, although they may have the right to preach and to teach, should also learn their place and stop being such bitches in the running of state affairs. Instead, they should just focus on constantly reminding the wayward of their wrongdoings. But in the end, what is important is to let the people have the right to decide what is good for themselves. And in doing so, maybe they would themselves come to the realization of the evils of their own doings and learn to steer away from such things. Experience is the best teacher after all, right?
Second, we also need to remind ourselves that the state should be concerned only on enacting laws that would be beneficial for its citizens. We need to remind ourselves too that not every beneficial thing is moral nor every moral thing is beneficial. If we are to move forward as a people, we need to learn to be more pragmatic and progressive in our way of thinking. The sooner we let go of our outmoded philosophies, the faster we'll progress. Let's keep issues of morality within the teachings of home, school, and (to the non-atheists) church. Let the laws and democracy be!
And third. We need to learn to think before we take any action, and that if we do take any action, we need to be responsible for it. Am I going to use contraceptives for the sake of my family's future? Am I willing to accept the "sin" that comes along with it? If, on the other hand, I choose not to use them and a baby is then born in this world, would I be able to take full responsibility for the child? Or would I just leave the child to die in a dumpster, hoping against hope that a kind soul might find him and take pity?
Must I waste my day's earning on gambling in the hopes of earning more money? If I lose them all, will I accept what my family has to say? Must I always rely on gambling and pray for that day when I'll win big? What about honest living, can I bear earning so few for so many years and hope that all would be enough for my family's future?
The life of a Filipino is full of complex questions and the answers are simply too complex as well. Nevertheless, no one has any excuse to deny him the right to decide for himself, no matter how much more complicated this will make the thinking process for him. Let's not let anyone decide for ourselves what is wrong and what is right, what is moral and just, what is immoral and evil. At the end of the day, against all the noise and bickering, it is we, not some man in a frock, who is the real captain of each of our soul's ship. It is we who will make the final decisions. It is we, who must ultimately decide the direction on which we are going to steer our own ships.
Let me just state first that above and beyond everything else, it is my fervent belief that the freedom to make choices for oneself, regardless of anyone else's opinion or influence, and so long as it does not intrude on the rights of another, is one of democracy's greatest inalienable gifts.
We, Filipinos, are such unforgivably weird creatures. For one, we're the type of people who can be extremely conservative over too many things: reluctant to let go of old and outdated traditions; unwilling sometimes (if not oftentimes) to make changes for the better; sticking to old habits and customs without sometimes knowing the reasoning, concrete or otherwise, behind them.
And then, we're also such curiously immoral creatures. Yeah, that's right. For a staunchly (or should I say also proudly?) Christian country, it is not seldom that I regard this place as one hell of a wretched hive of scum and villainy. And quite seriously you'll never find quite a place like this place: promiscuity, gambling, violence, violent politics, lack of discipline, pollution, political incorrectness left and right, the list goes on and on. These things may just be the tip of the iceberg. And yet I still found myself having to quote Obi-Wan Kenobi just to find any appropriate description fitting for the downward spiral that is the Philippines. *sigh*
Despite these two things: ultraconservatism and immorality -- isn't it quite surprising that we Filipinos still manage to find for our country and our people some respect in the global community, or maybe to even just stay intact as a country? But then, I suppose we're so used to living and thinking in such manner, we don't care anymore. Also, combining and managing to live with these two things has been ingrained in our culture for so long, any significant change to the status quo might just result in an altering of reality itself as well as an unexpected polarity shift of the Earth.
...
I'm serious.
*cough*
So now we bring ourselves to the two recent issues that have brought our immoral brand of ultraconservatism to light. The reproductive health bill and the legalization of jueteng.
Alright, let's talk first about the RH bill. The first thing that comes to mind every time I hear it: Why the issue? Okay, so I understand that those ultraconservative Catholics just can't and won't stop yapping about the issue. After all, they see themselves as some kind of moral guardian that need to be telling others what to do. Since their "words" come from God, then their words must be right, right? And that what they say and do should be and is above the law, right? I don't know what kind of books those morons must have in the seminaries but I'm beginning to wonder if their required readings must have been published way back in the Middle Ages. And quite frankly, who are they to lecture others on what to do and not to do? Or to be more to the point, what's the point of lecturing about sex? What would they know about sex? They are not SUPPOSED to be having sex (or are they?) and so how are they supposed to be preaching about anything that they themselves are not (ideally) even knowledgeable of? Besides, the words of those priests would probably have more bearing if they are quite the immaculate angels they think themselves to be. But I'll leave the bastard sons and daughters of the clergy to bring that topic to better light.
Why those church morons put sex in such a negative light is one hell of a mystery to me, as well as a big contradiction. As far as I know, THEY teach that sex came from God, as a means of procreating. So why demonize it? Sure, Filipinos have such a huge problem with regard to premarital sex, fidelity, and excessive procreating. And I'm pretty sure that Filipinos are well aware of that! But if the church wants to remind its followers that they're doing something wrong, then I believe that the proper forum to do this is inside the church or in the privacy of a confessional. Why meddle in the affairs of the state? The state is only doing what it thinks is right to keep things in check. Sure, in the eyes of the church, the use of contraceptives is wrong. But I think they should keep their reprimands inside their own hallowed halls. Yes, while in your churches, tell and teach the people what is right and what is wrong. And please do that as often as possible! We Filipinos are really in dire need of being reminded about the difference, anyway. But please, keep your hands and your mouths off the laws. Just let the law be. And let each and every person have the freedom to choose whether to do what is pragmatically correct or to avoid doing what is morally wrong.
And now, on to the issue about jueteng. Come on, are we really still going to be turning a blind eye on the reality that Filipinos are such unrepentant gamblers? And in a poor country like the Philippines, gambling is the reality of life. When wages and salaries are just too small and the table has too many mouths to feed, would you really blame the Filipino to want to take his chances, no matter how immoral it could be?
But then, the question begs to be asked: In our society today, as well as in the common way of thinking amongst cultured societies, can gambling still be seen as immoral? If you think about it, gambling is not so much a way of life but in fact, a fact of life itself! It has often been said that life is in itself a gamble. Making choices, choosing what would be profitable or not, weighing which decision would yield the better result, isn't that the way life goes? And that being said, how is gambling different from life itself if the only difference that exists is that if you win, you make money, and if you lose, someone else makes money?
Again, the need to give a person the freedom to choose for himself is what's important here. Gambling may be morally incorrect, but if the stomach begins to grumble, will moral correctness still matter? Also, as long as jueteng remains illegal, the more money will be taken out of the common man's pocket to finance the vanities of the corrupt few. How long are we really going to be feeding and supporting the fat asses of those hypocritical imbeciles? If we legalize jueteng, well okay I admit, some of the earnings will still go to the pockets of those parasitic dunderheads, but hey, at least some of the money will make its way to the national coffers! Hmm... a win-win situation?
All in all, what am I saying here? First off, we really need to get off our ultraconservative high horse and accept the fact that a lot of Filipinos ARE immoral. This is a fact we NEED to accept. The sooner we accept it, the faster we are going to realize that hey, preventing people from doing these immoral things won't solve the issue. If not, it will worsen the issue since we know that the more something is made forbidden, the more will people want to do it. And being so, the righteous among us, although they may have the right to preach and to teach, should also learn their place and stop being such bitches in the running of state affairs. Instead, they should just focus on constantly reminding the wayward of their wrongdoings. But in the end, what is important is to let the people have the right to decide what is good for themselves. And in doing so, maybe they would themselves come to the realization of the evils of their own doings and learn to steer away from such things. Experience is the best teacher after all, right?
Second, we also need to remind ourselves that the state should be concerned only on enacting laws that would be beneficial for its citizens. We need to remind ourselves too that not every beneficial thing is moral nor every moral thing is beneficial. If we are to move forward as a people, we need to learn to be more pragmatic and progressive in our way of thinking. The sooner we let go of our outmoded philosophies, the faster we'll progress. Let's keep issues of morality within the teachings of home, school, and (to the non-atheists) church. Let the laws and democracy be!
And third. We need to learn to think before we take any action, and that if we do take any action, we need to be responsible for it. Am I going to use contraceptives for the sake of my family's future? Am I willing to accept the "sin" that comes along with it? If, on the other hand, I choose not to use them and a baby is then born in this world, would I be able to take full responsibility for the child? Or would I just leave the child to die in a dumpster, hoping against hope that a kind soul might find him and take pity?
Must I waste my day's earning on gambling in the hopes of earning more money? If I lose them all, will I accept what my family has to say? Must I always rely on gambling and pray for that day when I'll win big? What about honest living, can I bear earning so few for so many years and hope that all would be enough for my family's future?
The life of a Filipino is full of complex questions and the answers are simply too complex as well. Nevertheless, no one has any excuse to deny him the right to decide for himself, no matter how much more complicated this will make the thinking process for him. Let's not let anyone decide for ourselves what is wrong and what is right, what is moral and just, what is immoral and evil. At the end of the day, against all the noise and bickering, it is we, not some man in a frock, who is the real captain of each of our soul's ship. It is we who will make the final decisions. It is we, who must ultimately decide the direction on which we are going to steer our own ships.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
A Very Angry Letter
A copy of my letter of complaint versus some hospital employees where my Dad is.
----------
July 24, 2010
Three days ago, Wednesday (July 21, 2010), my father (Mr. ------ -. --------) was given a trans-out order from the ICU to a regular room by order of Dr. ----- ----------. Accordingly, we made a request with the Admitting Section for a reservation for a private room in the 2nd floor of the new wing. Given that the hospital wing at the time was apparently “full”, we were placed fourth on the reservation list, about which we have no complaint whatsoever.
The next day, Thursday (July 22, 2010), we made a follow-up inquiry and were told that we were then second place on the list.
Friday (July 23, 2010), we were told that we were still on second place. This we found irregular given that patients were continually being discharged from the hospital, some of which we clearly noted and heard to have been discharged from the 2nd floor. Making a few inquiries, it came to our attention that apparently, some of the “occupied” rooms were in fact, despite being vacant, “reserved” by a certain doctor of the hospital. It doesn’t take an idiot to notice that at this point, some VIP treatments were being handed out, to the detriment of some of the hospital’s paying guests. But still, we kept our silence and stuck to the hospital’s “policies”.
That selfsame afternoon, I was personally seated near one of the guard posts and specifically heard that there were TWO patients that have been discharged from the 2nd floor. Since we were second on the list, I made it a point to go up to the wing at around 3:10PM and see for myself if indeed there were TWO rooms vacant. There were.
I made my way to the lobby and sat near the Admitting Section from about 3:20 to 4:00PM. To my chagrin, I noticed that after about half an hour of being seated there, the personnel didn’t even pay me any attention to at least even inform me regarding any progress regarding our reservation.
At around 4:00PM, a nurse from the ICU came down and specifically told me that since a room in the 2nd floor wing was now available, I should inform the Admitting Section to make arrangements for the transfer. Coming from a nurse, an employee of the hospital, I supposed that things were in order and that a transfer to a regular room may now, AT LAST, take place.
So I went to the Admitting Section to make arrangements and finalize the transfer ONLY TO FIND OUT that the room (Room 210) has been given to someone else by one of the Admitting Section employees on account of this patient being “related to an employee of the hospital” and therefore must be given priority OVER a paying guest - and mind, a guest who has been paying his dues PROMPTLY and REGULARLY.
This whole incident WAS and IS a big insult. We were expecting fair treatment, instead we were shown a wall of VIP treatments all hidden under the guise of the term: hospital policy. We have already paid the hospital a total of P---,---, all deposits paid on time to ensure prompt and proper care for my father. Instead, I was met by a rebuttal, told to wait on the wings, and indirectly being told by those obviously RUDE and CONDESCENDING employees at the ADMITTING SECTION that in the hierarchy of this hospital, PAYING GUESTS are supposed to be given LAST PRIORITY in this hospital. And all this after a month of having to sleep and wait in the hospital lobby and corridors because the hospital cannot even provide a proper waiting room for ICU patients’ relatives, and being treated like trash and “squatters” by those very same employees.
Which brings me to my second complaint: the attitude of your ADMITTING SECTION personnel. For over a month now, I have seen how incoming guests are being treated, some of which, especially those who seem not to be so well-off, with rudeness and condescension. I’ve also seen how phone calls and inquiring persons, are being outright ignored in lieu of putting on make-up or playing Facebook games. Truly appalling. And totally unbecoming for personnel who are supposed to be welcoming incoming guests.
Being a private hospital, the primary interest of this establishment is to earn money – direct to the point and pleasant words aside. Nevertheless, being a business concerned with the care and the rehabilitation of the sick, common sense dictates that the hospital provide RESPECTFUL, DECENT and PROFESSIONAL services to all its guests - a kind of service that should start at the very doorstep of your hospital: the Admitting Section. It is, after all, important to remember that any type of business is NOTHING without the customers and guests that pay and fund for its day to day expenses.
----------
July 24, 2010
Three days ago, Wednesday (July 21, 2010), my father (Mr. ------ -. --------) was given a trans-out order from the ICU to a regular room by order of Dr. ----- ----------. Accordingly, we made a request with the Admitting Section for a reservation for a private room in the 2nd floor of the new wing. Given that the hospital wing at the time was apparently “full”, we were placed fourth on the reservation list, about which we have no complaint whatsoever.
The next day, Thursday (July 22, 2010), we made a follow-up inquiry and were told that we were then second place on the list.
Friday (July 23, 2010), we were told that we were still on second place. This we found irregular given that patients were continually being discharged from the hospital, some of which we clearly noted and heard to have been discharged from the 2nd floor. Making a few inquiries, it came to our attention that apparently, some of the “occupied” rooms were in fact, despite being vacant, “reserved” by a certain doctor of the hospital. It doesn’t take an idiot to notice that at this point, some VIP treatments were being handed out, to the detriment of some of the hospital’s paying guests. But still, we kept our silence and stuck to the hospital’s “policies”.
That selfsame afternoon, I was personally seated near one of the guard posts and specifically heard that there were TWO patients that have been discharged from the 2nd floor. Since we were second on the list, I made it a point to go up to the wing at around 3:10PM and see for myself if indeed there were TWO rooms vacant. There were.
I made my way to the lobby and sat near the Admitting Section from about 3:20 to 4:00PM. To my chagrin, I noticed that after about half an hour of being seated there, the personnel didn’t even pay me any attention to at least even inform me regarding any progress regarding our reservation.
At around 4:00PM, a nurse from the ICU came down and specifically told me that since a room in the 2nd floor wing was now available, I should inform the Admitting Section to make arrangements for the transfer. Coming from a nurse, an employee of the hospital, I supposed that things were in order and that a transfer to a regular room may now, AT LAST, take place.
So I went to the Admitting Section to make arrangements and finalize the transfer ONLY TO FIND OUT that the room (Room 210) has been given to someone else by one of the Admitting Section employees on account of this patient being “related to an employee of the hospital” and therefore must be given priority OVER a paying guest - and mind, a guest who has been paying his dues PROMPTLY and REGULARLY.
This whole incident WAS and IS a big insult. We were expecting fair treatment, instead we were shown a wall of VIP treatments all hidden under the guise of the term: hospital policy. We have already paid the hospital a total of P---,---, all deposits paid on time to ensure prompt and proper care for my father. Instead, I was met by a rebuttal, told to wait on the wings, and indirectly being told by those obviously RUDE and CONDESCENDING employees at the ADMITTING SECTION that in the hierarchy of this hospital, PAYING GUESTS are supposed to be given LAST PRIORITY in this hospital. And all this after a month of having to sleep and wait in the hospital lobby and corridors because the hospital cannot even provide a proper waiting room for ICU patients’ relatives, and being treated like trash and “squatters” by those very same employees.
Which brings me to my second complaint: the attitude of your ADMITTING SECTION personnel. For over a month now, I have seen how incoming guests are being treated, some of which, especially those who seem not to be so well-off, with rudeness and condescension. I’ve also seen how phone calls and inquiring persons, are being outright ignored in lieu of putting on make-up or playing Facebook games. Truly appalling. And totally unbecoming for personnel who are supposed to be welcoming incoming guests.
Being a private hospital, the primary interest of this establishment is to earn money – direct to the point and pleasant words aside. Nevertheless, being a business concerned with the care and the rehabilitation of the sick, common sense dictates that the hospital provide RESPECTFUL, DECENT and PROFESSIONAL services to all its guests - a kind of service that should start at the very doorstep of your hospital: the Admitting Section. It is, after all, important to remember that any type of business is NOTHING without the customers and guests that pay and fund for its day to day expenses.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Befriending a Cat
I haven't been having the opportunity to stay at home for longish amounts of time nowadays. Between taking care of the family business and having to spend time in the hospital where my Dad has been comatose for two weeks now, I really don't have that much of a choice. In happier days, I would've said that the present situation is nothing short of sucks - but apparently I'm not that selfish of a person after all(!) and that I'm actually willing to make sacrifices such as letting go, for a short while mind, of the comforts of home and willing myself to spend more time outside the house not just for my family's but my own benefit as well.
Before all this drama happened, I have already been noticing a white tomcat who had been lounging in our porch mostly in the afternoons and evenings. I'm not particularly territorial myself and neither do I find the presence of cats as a nuisance so I said to myself: yeah sure, why not. Let him sleep there if that's we wants. He's not leaving "leavings" on our chairs, he's very tame and doesn't hiss at me, and having a cat around is a nice deterrence for rats and other pests. Besides, I love cats! And I probably would've already adopted that cat then and there but my parents (who are the owners of the house after all) do not like animals and so one has to adhere to their rules -- well at least with the matter of cats. =P
But nowadays, with my Dad needing to spend more time in the hospital and my Mom needing to stay there as well to look after him, I am mostly alone in the house at night when I come home. Sure I am a loner and enjoys being one, but sometimes even the most lonesome of loners prefer to have the company of others from time to time.
It was when arriving home one night when on the "Welcome" mat before our front door, there sits he again -- the white cat. With cats being territorial and having a keen sense of their environment, Mr. Cat probably noticed that his territory seems to have become a little quieter than it used to. He might have noticed that the talk and the noise in his territory seem to have died down. And noticing these things, he probably decided to lie down right at the entrance of our home, to stand guard, provide a semblance of protection to a suddenly become empty house.
Probably out of my own loneliness, it was then that I decided to befriend the cat. I was of course very appreciative that while we are away, he has been sitting there, standing guard, keeping the bad things away. I went inside, opened a can of sardines, put the contents on a plate, and took it outside. He wasn't there anymore, of course. He scooted away when I arrived but I was hoping that the smell of sardines would convince him to come back. I left the plate of sardines there, on top of the mat, closed to door so that he wouldn't be spooked to come near and eat the offering, then I myself went up to my bedroom to get some much needed rest.
The next day soon as I woke up, I went outside to see if he ate the food. And much to my delight, he did! But knowing cats, that's just but "hello". One won't endear himself that easily to a cat -- with a single can of sardines. No, sir. It would take more than THAT to become acquainted with a cat, let alone become his friend. Nevertheless, this is something that I wish to pursue. I've promised myself that every time I come home at night, I'll provide him with food. And hopefully with such perseverance, I'll make myself a new and totally awesome friend.
Befriending a cat is only the first step. To name a cat -- that would take a lot of effort on my side before I become even worthy of giving him one. But in the very fortunate event that he decides to befriend me as well, I've already decided on a name. I've decided to call him Schlüssel, that means key, a name which I think is only fitting for a cat who likes to sleep outside our front door and who, himself, has also opened another door that has led me out of the darkness of my current situation and opened up for me an existence that has more hope. =)
Before all this drama happened, I have already been noticing a white tomcat who had been lounging in our porch mostly in the afternoons and evenings. I'm not particularly territorial myself and neither do I find the presence of cats as a nuisance so I said to myself: yeah sure, why not. Let him sleep there if that's we wants. He's not leaving "leavings" on our chairs, he's very tame and doesn't hiss at me, and having a cat around is a nice deterrence for rats and other pests. Besides, I love cats! And I probably would've already adopted that cat then and there but my parents (who are the owners of the house after all) do not like animals and so one has to adhere to their rules -- well at least with the matter of cats. =P
But nowadays, with my Dad needing to spend more time in the hospital and my Mom needing to stay there as well to look after him, I am mostly alone in the house at night when I come home. Sure I am a loner and enjoys being one, but sometimes even the most lonesome of loners prefer to have the company of others from time to time.
It was when arriving home one night when on the "Welcome" mat before our front door, there sits he again -- the white cat. With cats being territorial and having a keen sense of their environment, Mr. Cat probably noticed that his territory seems to have become a little quieter than it used to. He might have noticed that the talk and the noise in his territory seem to have died down. And noticing these things, he probably decided to lie down right at the entrance of our home, to stand guard, provide a semblance of protection to a suddenly become empty house.
Probably out of my own loneliness, it was then that I decided to befriend the cat. I was of course very appreciative that while we are away, he has been sitting there, standing guard, keeping the bad things away. I went inside, opened a can of sardines, put the contents on a plate, and took it outside. He wasn't there anymore, of course. He scooted away when I arrived but I was hoping that the smell of sardines would convince him to come back. I left the plate of sardines there, on top of the mat, closed to door so that he wouldn't be spooked to come near and eat the offering, then I myself went up to my bedroom to get some much needed rest.
The next day soon as I woke up, I went outside to see if he ate the food. And much to my delight, he did! But knowing cats, that's just but "hello". One won't endear himself that easily to a cat -- with a single can of sardines. No, sir. It would take more than THAT to become acquainted with a cat, let alone become his friend. Nevertheless, this is something that I wish to pursue. I've promised myself that every time I come home at night, I'll provide him with food. And hopefully with such perseverance, I'll make myself a new and totally awesome friend.
Befriending a cat is only the first step. To name a cat -- that would take a lot of effort on my side before I become even worthy of giving him one. But in the very fortunate event that he decides to befriend me as well, I've already decided on a name. I've decided to call him Schlüssel, that means key, a name which I think is only fitting for a cat who likes to sleep outside our front door and who, himself, has also opened another door that has led me out of the darkness of my current situation and opened up for me an existence that has more hope. =)
I'm Back
...and with a nice little picture of a pretty evil kitty.
Things have become quite a pretty mess for the past few months and all I could really say is is that I'm just glad that so far I'm weathering them out pretty well. I'll be posting new posts later during the day if I could. But of all the confounded nuisances I could encounter this morning, it would have to be seeing the picture of this cute cat. And as you could imagine, it took away everything off my head. Yep, my cranial cavity is, at the moment, as clean as a saint's soul. =P
Things have become quite a pretty mess for the past few months and all I could really say is is that I'm just glad that so far I'm weathering them out pretty well. I'll be posting new posts later during the day if I could. But of all the confounded nuisances I could encounter this morning, it would have to be seeing the picture of this cute cat. And as you could imagine, it took away everything off my head. Yep, my cranial cavity is, at the moment, as clean as a saint's soul. =P
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Warning: Cute
I was doing a little internet browsing this afternoon when I came upon this really interesting page.
15 cute animals that could kill you
Always remember, folks, that in the animal world: cute =/= safe.
(Just ignore the braindead comments on the lower half of that page.)
15 cute animals that could kill you
Always remember, folks, that in the animal world: cute =/= safe.
(Just ignore the braindead comments on the lower half of that page.)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
First of May
The heat is stifling.
Bored to death.
Staring at nothing is making me feel stupid.
What else is left to do?
I think I'm gonna go get myself a MOHAWK.
- - - - - - - - -
Also, because it is the 1st of May, I would like to give a big salute to all the world's workers whose hard work made it possible for the international economy to keep going. Thanks to all your sacrifices. You guys are worth a million and one admirations.
Bored to death.
Staring at nothing is making me feel stupid.
What else is left to do?
I think I'm gonna go get myself a MOHAWK.
- - - - - - - - -
Also, because it is the 1st of May, I would like to give a big salute to all the world's workers whose hard work made it possible for the international economy to keep going. Thanks to all your sacrifices. You guys are worth a million and one admirations.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Some Interesting Reads
Looking after my sick dad at the hospital about a week ago, I bought myself a copy of Reader's Digest's April 2010 issue to while away the time and remedy the boredom. Another worthy read as I expected. But aside from the always hilarious humor sections, there were two major articles that I really liked: one about pandas, and the other about former lab chimps.
For the Love of Pandas
The panda article was a real joy, if only for the pictures that came along with it. Seriously, can those pandas be even more adorable? (No, I'm not gonna be posting pics here of the cute pandas. I suggest you buy the magazine yourself or click this link.) The story was about a Panda conservation center in China, as well as the conservationists who work there, whose heroics efforts are helping to increase the pandas' chances of escaping extinction. You'll get to read about the everyday goings-on in the place, as well as a brief glimpse of what life is like not just for the pandas but for the caretakers as well.
Retirement Refuge
On the flipside, the chimp story was a sad but not hopeless one. As a lot of us probably know by now, chimps are almost genetic twins of humans, with them possessing no less than 98.7% of DNA similar to ours - the strongest reason why they were often used in laboratories as test stand-ins for us. We can only just imagine the cruelty these animals had to go through and, when their use has been fully exploited, how they were simply left for dead. The story tells of a chimpanzee refugee center in Canada whose mission is to adopt these poor abandoned chimps and give them a nice comfortable home away from the human cruelty they grew accustomed to.
There is always a feeling of certain sadness every time I get to read articles such as these. I could only hope that as more and more people get to know about the plight of these animals, more actions will be made will be made to better not just their lives but ours as well.
- - - - - - - - - -
More information about the panda conservation center may be found here.
More information about the chimpanzee sanctuary may be found here.
- - - - - - - - - -
Get involved. Spread the word. Help.
For the Love of Pandas
The panda article was a real joy, if only for the pictures that came along with it. Seriously, can those pandas be even more adorable? (No, I'm not gonna be posting pics here of the cute pandas. I suggest you buy the magazine yourself or click this link.) The story was about a Panda conservation center in China, as well as the conservationists who work there, whose heroics efforts are helping to increase the pandas' chances of escaping extinction. You'll get to read about the everyday goings-on in the place, as well as a brief glimpse of what life is like not just for the pandas but for the caretakers as well.
Retirement Refuge
On the flipside, the chimp story was a sad but not hopeless one. As a lot of us probably know by now, chimps are almost genetic twins of humans, with them possessing no less than 98.7% of DNA similar to ours - the strongest reason why they were often used in laboratories as test stand-ins for us. We can only just imagine the cruelty these animals had to go through and, when their use has been fully exploited, how they were simply left for dead. The story tells of a chimpanzee refugee center in Canada whose mission is to adopt these poor abandoned chimps and give them a nice comfortable home away from the human cruelty they grew accustomed to.
There is always a feeling of certain sadness every time I get to read articles such as these. I could only hope that as more and more people get to know about the plight of these animals, more actions will be made will be made to better not just their lives but ours as well.
- - - - - - - - - -
More information about the panda conservation center may be found here.
More information about the chimpanzee sanctuary may be found here.
- - - - - - - - - -
Get involved. Spread the word. Help.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Hope It Comes Out Soon™
About a month or so ago, I had a little fun playing and finishing the old Starcraft game. And I must say that after 12 years, the game is still as awesome as when it was first released - it's so awesome, you wouldn't really care that the game's graphics are now really looking old.
The beta testing for Starcraft 2 is now on full swing and I just can't wait for it to be finally released (hopefully later this year). Gah, the excitement is killing me! The new and definitely improved graphics are awesome. But here's also hoping that the awesome gameplay and game balance of the parent game will carry over. After all, what's the use of a pretty game when it's boring as hell, right?
Can't wait to see my old pals Raynor, Zeratul, and Kerrigan again.
More at starcraft2.com.
You want a piece of me, boy?
The beta testing for Starcraft 2 is now on full swing and I just can't wait for it to be finally released (hopefully later this year). Gah, the excitement is killing me! The new and definitely improved graphics are awesome. But here's also hoping that the awesome gameplay and game balance of the parent game will carry over. After all, what's the use of a pretty game when it's boring as hell, right?
Can't wait to see my old pals Raynor, Zeratul, and Kerrigan again.
More at starcraft2.com.
You want a piece of me, boy?
Mama Nature Be Angry, Mon!
Ever since the Haiti earthquake, it's been like there were news about moderate to strong quakes happening everywhere around the globe -- Chile, China, Japan, Indonesia, and of course here in the Philippines. It's like the earth has just suddenly decided to become seismically active and release probably whatever tension it has upon the surface of the planet. And then last week, there was that major volcanic explosion in Iceland, causing much transportation woes in Europe whose airspace has been blanketed by ash and other volcanic debris.
Mother Nature sure has been angry these past few months. And it is no wonder people nowadays are asking: is there something wrong? Are we partially responsible for these quakes? Has human activity really cause such an impact on the earth's surface geology? Should people be alarmed? Or are such tectonic events merely a part of the natural cycle of the earth? A report I saw in CNN some days ago said that the number of significant earthquakes which has happened in the first four months of this year alone equals the annual average of such quakes of the previous years. Pretty alarming data, isn't it? Hmm... maybe I should cash in on this and start myself a doomsday cult? Just imagine all the money one can rake in by preying on people's fears! But I'm just kidding, of course.
I suppose that just like everyone, my big fear at the moment is what if the Big One hits my area. Can my place withstand a strong quake? Where should I take cover? Will I survive? The sad truth is that we'll never know -- I'll never know the exact hour, the exact day, the exact time. All I could really do is hope that no matter what happens, things wouldn't turn out to be so bad.
So many questions.
Lots of unknowns.
Is the world ending? I personally don't believe that it is. Not yet anyway. The only one thing I'm sure of: Mama Nature sure knows how to rock our world.
Mother Nature sure has been angry these past few months. And it is no wonder people nowadays are asking: is there something wrong? Are we partially responsible for these quakes? Has human activity really cause such an impact on the earth's surface geology? Should people be alarmed? Or are such tectonic events merely a part of the natural cycle of the earth? A report I saw in CNN some days ago said that the number of significant earthquakes which has happened in the first four months of this year alone equals the annual average of such quakes of the previous years. Pretty alarming data, isn't it? Hmm... maybe I should cash in on this and start myself a doomsday cult? Just imagine all the money one can rake in by preying on people's fears! But I'm just kidding, of course.
I suppose that just like everyone, my big fear at the moment is what if the Big One hits my area. Can my place withstand a strong quake? Where should I take cover? Will I survive? The sad truth is that we'll never know -- I'll never know the exact hour, the exact day, the exact time. All I could really do is hope that no matter what happens, things wouldn't turn out to be so bad.
So many questions.
Lots of unknowns.
Is the world ending? I personally don't believe that it is. Not yet anyway. The only one thing I'm sure of: Mama Nature sure knows how to rock our world.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A Simple Tale of Human Kindness
So let me tell you a story.
It was, I think, Tuesday or Wednesday and just like every other Tuesday or Wednesday during a Filipino Holy Week, everyone was just too busy to get his or her business over with to actually care about what's going on around him or her.
And so it was during this hot summer day that we find my really good friend, along with her personal assistant, driving through one of Manila's busy thoroughfares. And just like everybody else, she was pretty much feeling harrassed with trying to finish all her pre-Lenten businesses and getting each and everything done before the long weekend vacation starts. She could've chosen not to care. She was tired. She needed to make the most of her time. The sun was glaring high up in the sky. The heat was unbearable. Anything else just wasn't her business. But in the end, she chose to care.
It was while driving through that busy road that she drove past a poor, grimy old man (a taong grasa in the vernacular) lying sprawled and passed out on the sidewalk. Like I said, she could've just chosen to keep on driving and minded her own damn business. Who was that man to her anyway? If the other motorists and passers-by didn't pay the man a second glance, why should she?
But I suppose that even with the most jaded urban dweller, there still and will always be a tiny corner of the mind where lies one's innate instinct for wanting to reach out to others - a desire to make right a perceived wrong.
And so she decided to go to the nearest McDonalds to get the poor old man something to eat. On the way there, she also called the local police to get the man some help. She was a little disappointed and maybe also a little angry at how the police replied that they would tell the man to just "go away" so as not to be a disturbance the peace. At the back of her said she was thinking, "Are you serious, that man is close to dying! And instead of getting him some help you'll just tell him to go away? What could a collapsed man possibly do to disturb the peace?"
After getting the food, she and her assistant went back to where the man was. He was still there. They got off the car, tried to talk to the man and coaxed him to eat. But with the heat of the sun and probably several days of not having anything to eat, the man could barely reply nor even be able to take just one sip of the cool, refreshing beverage being offered to him.
The police eventually arrived, saw the state of the man who was bloodied all over for probably having collapsed on the hot pavement, and decided to call some back-up and rescue. Now that the police are there, my friend and my assistant could've just chosen to leave the man's fate to them, couldn't they? But no, they decided to stay until the the rescue team arrived to take the man to the nearest hospital or clinic.
As he was being whisked away, my friend noticed a silver ring on the man's finger. Despite the grime and blood, the ring stood out, untarnished and shining in the glaring hot sun.
As my friend drove away from the scene, she was left wondering: Who was that man? Why did he have that ring? Was once in his life he was married and happy? How did he end up old, dirty and bloodied on the streets?
Life is indeed full of mysteries. And perhaps in this holiest of weeks, when people are made to contemplate the importance of their existence, this tiny incident came to be as a sort of reminder that in the dirtiest of places, a little act of kindness - just like an untarnished silver ring - could still shine out and remind us of the mysteries and the beauty of this so-called life.
It was, I think, Tuesday or Wednesday and just like every other Tuesday or Wednesday during a Filipino Holy Week, everyone was just too busy to get his or her business over with to actually care about what's going on around him or her.
And so it was during this hot summer day that we find my really good friend, along with her personal assistant, driving through one of Manila's busy thoroughfares. And just like everybody else, she was pretty much feeling harrassed with trying to finish all her pre-Lenten businesses and getting each and everything done before the long weekend vacation starts. She could've chosen not to care. She was tired. She needed to make the most of her time. The sun was glaring high up in the sky. The heat was unbearable. Anything else just wasn't her business. But in the end, she chose to care.
It was while driving through that busy road that she drove past a poor, grimy old man (a taong grasa in the vernacular) lying sprawled and passed out on the sidewalk. Like I said, she could've just chosen to keep on driving and minded her own damn business. Who was that man to her anyway? If the other motorists and passers-by didn't pay the man a second glance, why should she?
But I suppose that even with the most jaded urban dweller, there still and will always be a tiny corner of the mind where lies one's innate instinct for wanting to reach out to others - a desire to make right a perceived wrong.
And so she decided to go to the nearest McDonalds to get the poor old man something to eat. On the way there, she also called the local police to get the man some help. She was a little disappointed and maybe also a little angry at how the police replied that they would tell the man to just "go away" so as not to be a disturbance the peace. At the back of her said she was thinking, "Are you serious, that man is close to dying! And instead of getting him some help you'll just tell him to go away? What could a collapsed man possibly do to disturb the peace?"
After getting the food, she and her assistant went back to where the man was. He was still there. They got off the car, tried to talk to the man and coaxed him to eat. But with the heat of the sun and probably several days of not having anything to eat, the man could barely reply nor even be able to take just one sip of the cool, refreshing beverage being offered to him.
The police eventually arrived, saw the state of the man who was bloodied all over for probably having collapsed on the hot pavement, and decided to call some back-up and rescue. Now that the police are there, my friend and my assistant could've just chosen to leave the man's fate to them, couldn't they? But no, they decided to stay until the the rescue team arrived to take the man to the nearest hospital or clinic.
As he was being whisked away, my friend noticed a silver ring on the man's finger. Despite the grime and blood, the ring stood out, untarnished and shining in the glaring hot sun.
As my friend drove away from the scene, she was left wondering: Who was that man? Why did he have that ring? Was once in his life he was married and happy? How did he end up old, dirty and bloodied on the streets?
Life is indeed full of mysteries. And perhaps in this holiest of weeks, when people are made to contemplate the importance of their existence, this tiny incident came to be as a sort of reminder that in the dirtiest of places, a little act of kindness - just like an untarnished silver ring - could still shine out and remind us of the mysteries and the beauty of this so-called life.
More PC Woes
And just when I thought I could finally take a really good break after going on a second trip at the hospital (again to take care of Dad), I went home to find that my crazy fat bro has made the computer go kaputt with his porn-downloading antics.
And so here I am, trying my best to use a very small keyboard on my sister's very small laptop, trying my best to maneuver my often fidgety fingers over this really small thing.
Ophelia said this should be my Holy Week's worth of penitence.
Why, oh God, why?
Can't wait to get the old desktop up and running again. This tiny keyboard is driving me off the wall!
Vielen Dank to my sister for letting me use her laptop. =3
And so here I am, trying my best to use a very small keyboard on my sister's very small laptop, trying my best to maneuver my often fidgety fingers over this really small thing.
Ophelia said this should be my Holy Week's worth of penitence.
Why, oh God, why?
Can't wait to get the old desktop up and running again. This tiny keyboard is driving me off the wall!
Vielen Dank to my sister for letting me use her laptop. =3
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Much Ado About the National Anthem
How come that everytime there was a Manny Pacquiao fight, there always had to be an issue regarding how the National Anthem was sung?
A couple of weeks back, as we all know, unless you're living under a rock or in some distant cold planet, Pacquiao won another fight. (He just keeps on winning, it's really kinda getting boring). So while people ranted about how boring this fight was, how boring his opponent was, and how long it took for the boring fight to end, another "issue", or should I say non-issue, that came up was regarding the missinging (is this even a word?) of the National Anthem as performed by Arnel Pineda.
Okay, we get it. The Anthem should be sung with a marching beat. And that every word should be sung correctly. yada, yada. But do people seriously give a damn? Would people really care if in the end the total message of the song has been imparted and was never changed or otherwise bastardized? Why does that historical, cultural institute (whose name I've also forgotten) always make such a big fuss regarding how the Anthem was sung on every Pacquiao fight? I mean, come on, if the improper singing of the national song is such a crime, then tens of thousands of kids in grade school should have already been incarcerated for always interchanging mong with mo'y! Let's not even get started with how some kids replace some of the words to mean something about how corpses' noses are stuffed with cotton.
A song has about as many interpretations as the number of people who sing it - a really big number considering how big the population of this country is. And quite frankly, being so strict about the tempo or the proper wording of the song is just stuff for the the obsessive compulsive to worry about. Did the rendition of the song rouse your nationalistic fervor? Was it sung in such a way that no disrespect was meant? Personally, so long as these two criteria are met, I couldn't give a damn as to whether the song was sung in a funereal tempo or else sung in an upbeat manner ending in a china-shattering operatic soprano ending.
But on the other hand, I am also irked by how some performers make so many embellishments on that one simple song. It's just one song, for crying out loud! And the melody is one of the simplest tunes out there to remember. And nobody gives a damn how good of a singer you are. Fights like these are not your show, the spotlight here belongs to the boxers. So for the love of all that's holy, shut your artistic trap and ego and sing the song in a simple manner where everyone can sing along. And to be quite honest, with regard to National Anthems, I suppose people would also want to sing or hum along with you. But that's it. They are here to watch a fight not be amazed by someone's vocal prowess.
- - - - - - - - -
Out of the many times I've watched Pacquiao matches, the only one "proper" rendition of the Anthem I can remember was done by Kyla, about a couple of years back, I think. She sang it in a simple manner, with a marching beat, and the words were exact and perfect. It was really good, I could remember feeling quite happy that at least and at last, someone got it right.
But of course, true to the Filipino nature of being such insufferable ranters, people still complained that her performance wasn't 100% perfect.
Dear Lord...
Photo from filipinasoul.com
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Return of CMcP
Dear blog,
It's been a while since I wrote anything. There are actually a lot of things that have been wanting to get out of my head. But between finishing that game I've been wanting to finish for years and taking care of my dad who took a brief vacation at the hospital, I really didn't find enough time or energy to write my thoughts down.
But now that I've finished that game (at long last! wooh!) and also that my dad's feeling a lot better, I'll be able to go back to writing. Just need to relax a bit, empty my head of excess thoughts, and take a nice long sleep.
Cheers,
CMcP
It's been a while since I wrote anything. There are actually a lot of things that have been wanting to get out of my head. But between finishing that game I've been wanting to finish for years and taking care of my dad who took a brief vacation at the hospital, I really didn't find enough time or energy to write my thoughts down.
But now that I've finished that game (at long last! wooh!) and also that my dad's feeling a lot better, I'll be able to go back to writing. Just need to relax a bit, empty my head of excess thoughts, and take a nice long sleep.
Cheers,
CMcP
Monday, March 15, 2010
That Awesome Feeling After Finishing Something
Work, play, getting homeworks done, fully cleaning the house - we humans go through so many stuff in this complicated existence, you would think animals are wiser for keeping things simple and keeping things on the matter of surviving and procreating. It is, I guess, human nature that despite so many things we have to do, we'd still bother to keep our minds preoccupied with worries. And it is not seldom that when we're about to get started on something, we would always feel apprehensive and anxious. What if something goes wrong? Will I be able to finish it? Should I do it this way? Or how about that way? What if I don't accomplish my task? What are the consequences of doing or not doing it? So many questions - and more often than not, they lead to procrastination and unfinished businesses.
So lately, I've picked up on an old RTS game I used to play. In layman's terms, RTS is simply a type of gaming wherein you build and finance an army and then use it to defeat your opponent. Pretty simple concept, isn't it? But involves a lot of multitasking and awareness to be able to master it. Are your defenses still intact? Is your offense winning or getting pummeled? Do you still have enough money to train more soldiers? etc. etc. I won't bore the non-gamer with the fine details but to say the least, this type of gaming requires a lot of mental processes. (And being the nerd that I am, the mental exercise helps keep my brain alert and agile).
What then, has this game got to do anything? Seriously, it's just a game!
Of course, it's just a game. And with or without it, life goes on. I've decided to stop playing the game several times in the past, first because other things need more prioritizing, and second, the game's just too hard a nut to crack, it gave me headaches more than enjoyment. So I just said, screw it with this game and moved on.
But it has always been a frustration not to be able to finish it. There was always that nagging thought at the back of my head that if I could've just pushed myself a little further, then perhaps I could've beaten that silly computer and its strategies. How difficult could it be, to be able to beat machine? Did I really let myself quit over this?
So being lucky with not being too preoccupied with many things recently, I've decided to give the silly game another try. And I must say that I'm a bit surprised that things weren't as hard as they used to be. Yes, I was anxious at first, thinking that if I don't get to finish it this time, will I even be able to? Is this game just too hard to beat? But then I decided to just let things be, give it another go, and see what happens. And it really wouldn't hurt to try now, would it? It kinda hurts more to not even try to try.
A week later and I'm about 5/6 of the way into finishing. That's a lot more than what I've accomplished before and I can't help but get my nerd senses tingling at the prospect of being able to finish it at last. I'm trying to keep my fingers crossed, hoping that in a few days, I'll finally be able to nail this bugger down after not being played and finished for years.
So now you might be thinking, how does this experience relate to life? What does the rant of a gaming nerd have to do with anything that's relevant at all?
Simple. There are plenty of things that we are apprehensive to get started on, simply because we're afraid of not being able to finish it. But at the end of any task, whether it be work or play, once one has accomplished it, that awesome feeling one gets at the end of the task - the euphoria - should be motivation enough to get one's gear started. And with this thought in mind, if one is able to beat a simple yet pain-in-the-ass game, there's no reason one couldn't handle the challenges life's gonna throw his way. If one simply looks forward at experiencing the euphoria, the challenges of any task would be trivial.
So lately, I've picked up on an old RTS game I used to play. In layman's terms, RTS is simply a type of gaming wherein you build and finance an army and then use it to defeat your opponent. Pretty simple concept, isn't it? But involves a lot of multitasking and awareness to be able to master it. Are your defenses still intact? Is your offense winning or getting pummeled? Do you still have enough money to train more soldiers? etc. etc. I won't bore the non-gamer with the fine details but to say the least, this type of gaming requires a lot of mental processes. (And being the nerd that I am, the mental exercise helps keep my brain alert and agile).
What then, has this game got to do anything? Seriously, it's just a game!
Of course, it's just a game. And with or without it, life goes on. I've decided to stop playing the game several times in the past, first because other things need more prioritizing, and second, the game's just too hard a nut to crack, it gave me headaches more than enjoyment. So I just said, screw it with this game and moved on.
But it has always been a frustration not to be able to finish it. There was always that nagging thought at the back of my head that if I could've just pushed myself a little further, then perhaps I could've beaten that silly computer and its strategies. How difficult could it be, to be able to beat machine? Did I really let myself quit over this?
So being lucky with not being too preoccupied with many things recently, I've decided to give the silly game another try. And I must say that I'm a bit surprised that things weren't as hard as they used to be. Yes, I was anxious at first, thinking that if I don't get to finish it this time, will I even be able to? Is this game just too hard to beat? But then I decided to just let things be, give it another go, and see what happens. And it really wouldn't hurt to try now, would it? It kinda hurts more to not even try to try.
A week later and I'm about 5/6 of the way into finishing. That's a lot more than what I've accomplished before and I can't help but get my nerd senses tingling at the prospect of being able to finish it at last. I'm trying to keep my fingers crossed, hoping that in a few days, I'll finally be able to nail this bugger down after not being played and finished for years.
So now you might be thinking, how does this experience relate to life? What does the rant of a gaming nerd have to do with anything that's relevant at all?
Simple. There are plenty of things that we are apprehensive to get started on, simply because we're afraid of not being able to finish it. But at the end of any task, whether it be work or play, once one has accomplished it, that awesome feeling one gets at the end of the task - the euphoria - should be motivation enough to get one's gear started. And with this thought in mind, if one is able to beat a simple yet pain-in-the-ass game, there's no reason one couldn't handle the challenges life's gonna throw his way. If one simply looks forward at experiencing the euphoria, the challenges of any task would be trivial.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Jack the Ripper
Discovery Channel featured a couple of shows regarding serial killers a few days ago. There has always been a certain degree of fascination towards them: what makes them tick, what were they thinking, how different are they really from you and I, what makes them so mysterious, etc. I admit I'm one those people. But I'm quite thankful that my fascination isn't the kind that borders on worship or, worse, being a copycat.
The most famous of them all, of course, was Jack the Ripper who terrorized London in the latter part of the nineteenth century. You would think that with the modern-day serial killers who have kill counts numbering in the double digits, Jack the Ripper, whose known kill count was only five, would've paled in comparison. But no. What made him stand out? He got away with it. And up to this day, nobody knows who he really was.
And then there's his nightmarish M.O. His targets were all prostitutes, who by the nature of their profession would want to take their customers to the most dark and hidden street corners of Victorian London. The best place to commit a crime, wouldn't it? He then would stealthily approach his victim from the back, grab her by the hair, quickly slit her throat twice, then eviscerate her innards, leaving the body in such a way that people who would later find the corpse could only recoil in disgust at the inhumanity and the degradation of it all.
So you begin to question yourself: how could such a person do such barbaric acts? Was there something in his past that would've driven him to commit such abominations? Is it possible that someone was just made that way - that is, if the theory of a 'criminal DNA' is real - did he possess it? How can someone be able to do such things without feeling guilt or remorse and probably derive satisfaction, enjoyment, and thrill from doing so?
And then there's the frightening thought that such people actually do co-exist with us. He could be your neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance - someone you would never associate with the term 'serial killer'. It is not the presence of a criminal aura that sets a serial killer apart they say. It is actually the complete lack of it.
Another thing that makes me wonder is how come I don't get to hear any Filipino version of serial killers? Sure there were in the past deadly and brutal multiple killings but in a way they are also a little bit different. Maybe because these incidents were only committed once as opposed to being committed over a period of time by a single person? Anyway, I'm definitely not wishing that similar things happen here. I was just wondering whether the serial killer phenomenon is purely a Western idea. Or if such things are happening here as well but are just not being reported or recognized for what they truly are.
But I suppose my real fascination with the Jack the Ripper story is not with him or his hideous acts alone but with the power of the human psyche itself. The human brain is truly a wonderful but sometimes a truly terrifying thing. It is capable of thinking up great ideals resulting in man's progress. But it is also quite capable of committing acts that could only be described as insane.
Photo from jadugar.wordpress.com
The most famous of them all, of course, was Jack the Ripper who terrorized London in the latter part of the nineteenth century. You would think that with the modern-day serial killers who have kill counts numbering in the double digits, Jack the Ripper, whose known kill count was only five, would've paled in comparison. But no. What made him stand out? He got away with it. And up to this day, nobody knows who he really was.
And then there's his nightmarish M.O. His targets were all prostitutes, who by the nature of their profession would want to take their customers to the most dark and hidden street corners of Victorian London. The best place to commit a crime, wouldn't it? He then would stealthily approach his victim from the back, grab her by the hair, quickly slit her throat twice, then eviscerate her innards, leaving the body in such a way that people who would later find the corpse could only recoil in disgust at the inhumanity and the degradation of it all.
So you begin to question yourself: how could such a person do such barbaric acts? Was there something in his past that would've driven him to commit such abominations? Is it possible that someone was just made that way - that is, if the theory of a 'criminal DNA' is real - did he possess it? How can someone be able to do such things without feeling guilt or remorse and probably derive satisfaction, enjoyment, and thrill from doing so?
And then there's the frightening thought that such people actually do co-exist with us. He could be your neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance - someone you would never associate with the term 'serial killer'. It is not the presence of a criminal aura that sets a serial killer apart they say. It is actually the complete lack of it.
Another thing that makes me wonder is how come I don't get to hear any Filipino version of serial killers? Sure there were in the past deadly and brutal multiple killings but in a way they are also a little bit different. Maybe because these incidents were only committed once as opposed to being committed over a period of time by a single person? Anyway, I'm definitely not wishing that similar things happen here. I was just wondering whether the serial killer phenomenon is purely a Western idea. Or if such things are happening here as well but are just not being reported or recognized for what they truly are.
But I suppose my real fascination with the Jack the Ripper story is not with him or his hideous acts alone but with the power of the human psyche itself. The human brain is truly a wonderful but sometimes a truly terrifying thing. It is capable of thinking up great ideals resulting in man's progress. But it is also quite capable of committing acts that could only be described as insane.
Photo from jadugar.wordpress.com
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Heat is On
I've been yanking at my hair for about a week now out of sheer frustration because of this heat. It's driving me off the wall. I'm not usually one to complain too much about the summer weather. I'm used to it, having lived here in the tropics for over twenty years. But after seeing the thermometer hit the 40 degrees Celsius mark today and feeling the heat literally radiating off the pavement, well yeah this crazy weather's definitely not to my liking.
Kinda weird that just half a year ago, typhoons and flooding were this country's big problem. And now, we've gone to the other extreme of the climate scale. And it gets even better, of course. Even warmer weather is to be expected in the coming weeks, or so the weather experts say. *grumble*
If this isn't an obvious indication of global warming, I don't know what is. People are dying out there in the streets due to heat stroke. Crops are failing, droughts are affecting many of the agricultural regions, and dam levels continue to drop. And those foolish first-world industrialists still won't sign that protocol requiring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions -- damn hypocrites.
The weather extreme took its toll on my health as well. It's not so bad but I have been feeling slightly feverish for the past couple of weeks. And because of it, I had to impose a no AC, no electric fans, no cold drinks rule on myself. What awesome timing and just when I needed them most! And I'm really not a fan of leaving the windows wide open at night. I have always had an irrational fear since I was a kid that an aswang might decide to perch herself just outside my window and watch me sleep. I'm blaming my now departed grandma for this - her and her crazy horrifying bedtime stories.
I wish the last vestiges of my fever would finally go away so that I can indulge myself in some cool refreshing drinks and shakes again. Or maybe I should go get my head shaved? Yeah, that sounds like a cool idea. Ooh, and of course, avoid wearing black and the rest of the Goth scene. (Not that I'm really into it anyway.) Some people might also recommend that I go to the beach to cool off, but I'm really not a beach person so that's off my list.
Or maybe I could also hire myself some Irish Catholic monks. And get them to chant something like "Rain, o blessed Virgin, rain!" Hopefully, they also know how to chant "Stop, o blessed Virgin, stop!" when the rain becomes too much.
Gah!! *pulls out more hair*
Photo from insidefurniture.com
Kinda weird that just half a year ago, typhoons and flooding were this country's big problem. And now, we've gone to the other extreme of the climate scale. And it gets even better, of course. Even warmer weather is to be expected in the coming weeks, or so the weather experts say. *grumble*If this isn't an obvious indication of global warming, I don't know what is. People are dying out there in the streets due to heat stroke. Crops are failing, droughts are affecting many of the agricultural regions, and dam levels continue to drop. And those foolish first-world industrialists still won't sign that protocol requiring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions -- damn hypocrites.
The weather extreme took its toll on my health as well. It's not so bad but I have been feeling slightly feverish for the past couple of weeks. And because of it, I had to impose a no AC, no electric fans, no cold drinks rule on myself. What awesome timing and just when I needed them most! And I'm really not a fan of leaving the windows wide open at night. I have always had an irrational fear since I was a kid that an aswang might decide to perch herself just outside my window and watch me sleep. I'm blaming my now departed grandma for this - her and her crazy horrifying bedtime stories.
I wish the last vestiges of my fever would finally go away so that I can indulge myself in some cool refreshing drinks and shakes again. Or maybe I should go get my head shaved? Yeah, that sounds like a cool idea. Ooh, and of course, avoid wearing black and the rest of the Goth scene. (Not that I'm really into it anyway.) Some people might also recommend that I go to the beach to cool off, but I'm really not a beach person so that's off my list.
Or maybe I could also hire myself some Irish Catholic monks. And get them to chant something like "Rain, o blessed Virgin, rain!" Hopefully, they also know how to chant "Stop, o blessed Virgin, stop!" when the rain becomes too much.
Gah!! *pulls out more hair*
Photo from insidefurniture.com
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Post-Apocalyptic Plague
I just woke up from a very interesting dream.
I say interesting because, taken at face value, the dream was a nightmare. I had to force myself to wake up, get up off the bed to stretch my limbs and get the sleep paralysis off, and bully my mind to start thinking of butterflies, green fields, and cute bunnies.
Nevertheless, the dream also had a so-so, pretty straightforward message to impart. Why the hell it was in my dream and not the plot of a B-Movie beats me, but I guess I did enjoy that nightmare a bit. I definitely don't want to see and experience it again though.
So here's how it was:
Imagine present day Manila in a post-apocalyptic setting. Overpopulated. Polluted.
In one of the suburban areas, the pollution problem was so bad, people started getting sick. The disease was highly contagious and anyone who got afflicted developed lesions on the skin. The virus would then spread to their brains, altering their cognitive processes and turning them into zombie-like but still mindful and willful beings.
The situation was initially contained within hospital wards and such but naturally things degenerated real fast when the doctors got sick themselves. Next thing you know, the plagued mobs started to converge in the streets, madly trying their utmost to spread the disease to everyone else who are not afflicted yet. Sadly, the plague got me too and I became one of the crazed mob as well.
Of course, there was a resilient few who managed to evade the disease and discovered an antidote to combat it: Salt. By sprinkling salt to the plagued mobs or otherwise bathing them in salinated water, the formerly crazed, including myself, were able to regain their sanity and the lesions on their skin started to fade.
Soon, the cleansed people started a movement to clean the city streets and get rid of all the garbage that probably caused the plague in the first place. It was actually good, seeing everyone doing their part, sometimes singing together to keep everyone's spirits up.
They eventually reached that suburban area where the pollution was at its worst, the last area that needs to be cleaned up and where the remaining crazed ones were in hiding. The process was really taking a while given how badly contaminated the place was.
But just like in a B-Movie, there was the twist: The crazed ones had apparently perfected a bomb which when released will spread the plague to every part of the city. And as the clean-up guys were just about starting to make real progress in that city area, that was when the multiple plague bombs were launched and the whole city along with its populace became plagued once more.
Photo from forum.juhlin.com
I say interesting because, taken at face value, the dream was a nightmare. I had to force myself to wake up, get up off the bed to stretch my limbs and get the sleep paralysis off, and bully my mind to start thinking of butterflies, green fields, and cute bunnies.
Nevertheless, the dream also had a so-so, pretty straightforward message to impart. Why the hell it was in my dream and not the plot of a B-Movie beats me, but I guess I did enjoy that nightmare a bit. I definitely don't want to see and experience it again though.
So here's how it was:
Imagine present day Manila in a post-apocalyptic setting. Overpopulated. Polluted.
In one of the suburban areas, the pollution problem was so bad, people started getting sick. The disease was highly contagious and anyone who got afflicted developed lesions on the skin. The virus would then spread to their brains, altering their cognitive processes and turning them into zombie-like but still mindful and willful beings.
The situation was initially contained within hospital wards and such but naturally things degenerated real fast when the doctors got sick themselves. Next thing you know, the plagued mobs started to converge in the streets, madly trying their utmost to spread the disease to everyone else who are not afflicted yet. Sadly, the plague got me too and I became one of the crazed mob as well.
Of course, there was a resilient few who managed to evade the disease and discovered an antidote to combat it: Salt. By sprinkling salt to the plagued mobs or otherwise bathing them in salinated water, the formerly crazed, including myself, were able to regain their sanity and the lesions on their skin started to fade.
Soon, the cleansed people started a movement to clean the city streets and get rid of all the garbage that probably caused the plague in the first place. It was actually good, seeing everyone doing their part, sometimes singing together to keep everyone's spirits up.
They eventually reached that suburban area where the pollution was at its worst, the last area that needs to be cleaned up and where the remaining crazed ones were in hiding. The process was really taking a while given how badly contaminated the place was.
But just like in a B-Movie, there was the twist: The crazed ones had apparently perfected a bomb which when released will spread the plague to every part of the city. And as the clean-up guys were just about starting to make real progress in that city area, that was when the multiple plague bombs were launched and the whole city along with its populace became plagued once more.
Photo from forum.juhlin.com
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Made Me Giggle
I saw this internet forum sig earlier and it kinda made up for the many bad things I saw and heard today.
- - - - - - - - - -
(>^.^)> ohai
(>^.^)># i made you this waffle
(>~.~)># but then i got hungry
(>^#^<) so i eated it
- - - - - - - - - -
I think I want to eat some waffles. nomnomnomnom...
- - - - - - - - - -
(>^.^)> ohai
(>^.^)># i made you this waffle
(>~.~)># but then i got hungry
(>^#^<) so i eated it
- - - - - - - - - -
I think I want to eat some waffles. nomnomnomnom...
Enraged while Watching TV
Recently, there were two things I heard and saw while watching TV that made me rage:
1. A month or so ago, this entertainment couple (whose names I'd rather not say for the sake of keeping reality and the universe intact) had a very public spat regarding the guy's alleged other woman. The fact that this pointless issue made the news would have been rage-worthy enough, right? I was wrong.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and I had the misfortune of seeing separate interviews of the two of them. Apparently they've reconciled and things are looking as rosy as ever. Alright. Whatever.
Then I heard their patch-up catchphrase: "Love! Love! Love!"
Seriously? Really?!
Yep, say that in the most annoying sing-song way possible and you would understand my rage. Even the Dalai Lama would cringe hearing how they say those words. It's making me want to gouge babies' eyes out.
- - - - - - - - - -
2. After hearing the most annoying political ads on TV, you would've thought it would be enough to make you not care anymore, right?
Wrong.
A senator who's running for re-election for the Senate again (despite totally failing in fulfilling his last campaign promise of lowering electricity rates), now had the gall use as his campaign slogan: "Gusto ko happy ka!" (I want you to be happy.)
Yeah, right.
Your political history from the martial law years up to the present doesn't really make me happy at all, man. Your slogan actually sounds more like a threat: I demand that you be happy... or else!
Just retire, old man! I'll give you credit on being able to spin things to your favor though. With a catchy slogan like that and an electorate as dumb as a doorknob, I won't be surprised if you get reelected again.
- - - - - - - - - -
Dear Lord!
1. A month or so ago, this entertainment couple (whose names I'd rather not say for the sake of keeping reality and the universe intact) had a very public spat regarding the guy's alleged other woman. The fact that this pointless issue made the news would have been rage-worthy enough, right? I was wrong.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and I had the misfortune of seeing separate interviews of the two of them. Apparently they've reconciled and things are looking as rosy as ever. Alright. Whatever.
Then I heard their patch-up catchphrase: "Love! Love! Love!"
Seriously? Really?!
Yep, say that in the most annoying sing-song way possible and you would understand my rage. Even the Dalai Lama would cringe hearing how they say those words. It's making me want to gouge babies' eyes out.
- - - - - - - - - -
2. After hearing the most annoying political ads on TV, you would've thought it would be enough to make you not care anymore, right?
Wrong.
A senator who's running for re-election for the Senate again (despite totally failing in fulfilling his last campaign promise of lowering electricity rates), now had the gall use as his campaign slogan: "Gusto ko happy ka!" (I want you to be happy.)
Yeah, right.
Your political history from the martial law years up to the present doesn't really make me happy at all, man. Your slogan actually sounds more like a threat: I demand that you be happy... or else!
Just retire, old man! I'll give you credit on being able to spin things to your favor though. With a catchy slogan like that and an electorate as dumb as a doorknob, I won't be surprised if you get reelected again.
- - - - - - - - - -
Dear Lord!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Tale of a Girl with Something Stuck in between her Two Front Teeth
So let me tell you a story about a girl. And so that she can remain anonymous and also because I couldn't remember her real name either, we'll just call her Little Red Riding Hood.
Little Red Riding Hood was your average college girl. She used to go to an exclusive all girls' school, had a circle of girl friends, and loved to hang out in the mall when classes got dismissed early. She's not what you would call pretty but she nevertheless loves to think that she is so. And like any girl her age, if you tell her that she's pretty, she would consider you her best friend (if you're a girl) or fall in love with you (if you're a guy and she thinks you're cute). Of course, if you're not her type of guy, then she would stay the hell away from you no matter how good your compliments are. She would still believe your compliments though.
So one afternoon, classes ended early and Little Red Riding Hood and her friends went to the mall to have lunch. There really wasn't anything much to do so they just decided to do whatever comes to mind.
After lunch, they decided to spend a few hours in a coffee shop, chatting, laughing, talking about the usual girl stuff. It was while they were laughing about something that her girlfriends noticed something wrong: Little Red Riding Hood had something dark and obvious stuck in between her two front teeth.
The situation was of course very awkward and her friends really had no idea whether to tell her or just ignore it. They just decided to ignore it. But as you can imagine, it was really very distracting when you can see something as obvious as that (it was supposedly half a centimeter in diameter) while at the same time trying to laugh and pretend that you're not really seeing anything.
So the boring afternoon hours passed and the girls later went to a nearby park to get some fresh air. They played, talked, and laughed with some kids and flirted with some boys they saw. And all the while, Little Red Riding Hood was the loudest of them all, chatting with the kids face to face (the kids were probably terrified of what they were seeing and were very uncomfortable about it) and smiling her best smile to some of the boys. Her friends, meanwhile, can only manage to exchange meaningful glances behind her back.
Later that evening, the group decided to head out to a friend's house to freshen up before heading home and also to have a little more chitchat. Little Red Riding Hood excused herself to go to the bathroom. A few minutes later, they heard her shrieking and running to them, shouting:
"Oh my God, you shameless bitches! (laughs) Why didn't you tell me there was something stuck in between my teeth!"
Friends: "Huh? What? We don't know what you're talking about..."
Yada, yada, yada...
Later that night, her friends called each other up to ask the question that's been burning in their mind the whole afternoon:
"Hey, did you notic--?"
"Yes!!!! Hahahaha!"
- - - - - - - - - -
To this day, none of her friends admitted to having noticed anything.
To this day, Little Red Riding Hood suspects her friends of lying to her about it.
Little Red Riding Hood was your average college girl. She used to go to an exclusive all girls' school, had a circle of girl friends, and loved to hang out in the mall when classes got dismissed early. She's not what you would call pretty but she nevertheless loves to think that she is so. And like any girl her age, if you tell her that she's pretty, she would consider you her best friend (if you're a girl) or fall in love with you (if you're a guy and she thinks you're cute). Of course, if you're not her type of guy, then she would stay the hell away from you no matter how good your compliments are. She would still believe your compliments though.
So one afternoon, classes ended early and Little Red Riding Hood and her friends went to the mall to have lunch. There really wasn't anything much to do so they just decided to do whatever comes to mind.
After lunch, they decided to spend a few hours in a coffee shop, chatting, laughing, talking about the usual girl stuff. It was while they were laughing about something that her girlfriends noticed something wrong: Little Red Riding Hood had something dark and obvious stuck in between her two front teeth.
The situation was of course very awkward and her friends really had no idea whether to tell her or just ignore it. They just decided to ignore it. But as you can imagine, it was really very distracting when you can see something as obvious as that (it was supposedly half a centimeter in diameter) while at the same time trying to laugh and pretend that you're not really seeing anything.
So the boring afternoon hours passed and the girls later went to a nearby park to get some fresh air. They played, talked, and laughed with some kids and flirted with some boys they saw. And all the while, Little Red Riding Hood was the loudest of them all, chatting with the kids face to face (the kids were probably terrified of what they were seeing and were very uncomfortable about it) and smiling her best smile to some of the boys. Her friends, meanwhile, can only manage to exchange meaningful glances behind her back.
Later that evening, the group decided to head out to a friend's house to freshen up before heading home and also to have a little more chitchat. Little Red Riding Hood excused herself to go to the bathroom. A few minutes later, they heard her shrieking and running to them, shouting:
"Oh my God, you shameless bitches! (laughs) Why didn't you tell me there was something stuck in between my teeth!"
Friends: "Huh? What? We don't know what you're talking about..."
Yada, yada, yada...
Later that night, her friends called each other up to ask the question that's been burning in their mind the whole afternoon:
"Hey, did you notic--?"
"Yes!!!! Hahahaha!"
- - - - - - - - - -
To this day, none of her friends admitted to having noticed anything.
To this day, Little Red Riding Hood suspects her friends of lying to her about it.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Chicken Soup for the Desperate
Friday.
For two days now, I have had a very annoying throat infection and I'm just glad it didn't develop into a fever.
So anyway, I was planning on having some chicken soup for dinner but unfortunately we've run out of ingredients. I was really hoping to have some. I like how the heat helps to ease the discomfort in my throat.
Out of desperation, here's what I did:
1. Boil two cups of water.
2. Throw in a chicken broth cube.
3. Wait 5 minutes.
4. ? ? ?
5. Profit!!!
Talk about eating something sad for dinner. But hey, at least I'm feeling a little better. =P
For two days now, I have had a very annoying throat infection and I'm just glad it didn't develop into a fever.
So anyway, I was planning on having some chicken soup for dinner but unfortunately we've run out of ingredients. I was really hoping to have some. I like how the heat helps to ease the discomfort in my throat.
Out of desperation, here's what I did:
1. Boil two cups of water.
2. Throw in a chicken broth cube.
3. Wait 5 minutes.
4. ? ? ?
5. Profit!!!
Talk about eating something sad for dinner. But hey, at least I'm feeling a little better. =P
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Creeped Out with Some Normal Things
How do we know if something has gone beyond normal and is to be considered as creepy? For many of us, the line that divides creepy and normal is pretty thin and everyone sets his boundary in the normalcy spectrum at a different degree. What may be creepy to you is normal to me and vice-versa. But of course, there are things that are generally considered as normal by most people and there are others that are just downright weird and uncomfortable for everyone.
So in the interest of fun and hilarity, let me share some things (and people) that are usually considered as normal and mundane by others but nevertheless creep the hell out of me for reasons I can't really put my finger on. =(
Clowns and Mimes
I have already told several of my friends before that clowns, mimes, or pretty much any kind of performer who wears white make-up creep me out, no kidding. Of course, it's not like whenever I see one, I'd scream my lungs out and run like a sissy from the room. No, it's more like whenever I'm near one or when I see one on TV, things just feel very uncomfortable. Maybe it's how unnatural their painted smiles are? And in the case of mimes, the silence makes me feel really queasy. Can't you guys just say whatever it is you want to say?
Perfectionists
Martha Stewart, that obsessive-compulsive woman in Desperate Housewives, Monica from Friends... Just what the hell is up with these people and their desire to make everything around them perfect? I was channel surfing the other day when I chanced upon Martha's show and saw her showing off this really perfect bouquet of flowers. It's so perfect, it defies reality and the rest of the known universe. These people also seem to possess this certain air of aggressiveness that would rain fires from hell on you if you even dare go against what they say or do. I sometimes wonder if they and serial killers fall under the same Myers-Briggs personality category.
Religious Sculptures and Paintings
Being born and raised Catholic, the decorations and atmosphere inside a church are to me very familiar. But having seen and experienced them for the longest time, can you really blame me if some of the things I see inside a church scare me? Sculptures and pictures of holy beings bleeding or crying, triumphant angels standing on top of defeated demons with the most horrible faces, sometimes thinking that that statue is staring at you when you're not looking. Add to all these that eerie Latin song I can't understand. And for the record, I'm not an evil hellspawn who's just afraid to enter a church. =P
*shrugs*
Thinking about these things stressed me out. I need to do some meditating and deep breathing.
Photos from sciencefictionfantasyhorror.com, cbc.ca, and lostseouls.com
So in the interest of fun and hilarity, let me share some things (and people) that are usually considered as normal and mundane by others but nevertheless creep the hell out of me for reasons I can't really put my finger on. =(
Clowns and Mimes
I have already told several of my friends before that clowns, mimes, or pretty much any kind of performer who wears white make-up creep me out, no kidding. Of course, it's not like whenever I see one, I'd scream my lungs out and run like a sissy from the room. No, it's more like whenever I'm near one or when I see one on TV, things just feel very uncomfortable. Maybe it's how unnatural their painted smiles are? And in the case of mimes, the silence makes me feel really queasy. Can't you guys just say whatever it is you want to say?
Perfectionists
Martha Stewart, that obsessive-compulsive woman in Desperate Housewives, Monica from Friends... Just what the hell is up with these people and their desire to make everything around them perfect? I was channel surfing the other day when I chanced upon Martha's show and saw her showing off this really perfect bouquet of flowers. It's so perfect, it defies reality and the rest of the known universe. These people also seem to possess this certain air of aggressiveness that would rain fires from hell on you if you even dare go against what they say or do. I sometimes wonder if they and serial killers fall under the same Myers-Briggs personality category.
Religious Sculptures and Paintings
Being born and raised Catholic, the decorations and atmosphere inside a church are to me very familiar. But having seen and experienced them for the longest time, can you really blame me if some of the things I see inside a church scare me? Sculptures and pictures of holy beings bleeding or crying, triumphant angels standing on top of defeated demons with the most horrible faces, sometimes thinking that that statue is staring at you when you're not looking. Add to all these that eerie Latin song I can't understand. And for the record, I'm not an evil hellspawn who's just afraid to enter a church. =P
*shrugs*
Thinking about these things stressed me out. I need to do some meditating and deep breathing.
Photos from sciencefictionfantasyhorror.com, cbc.ca, and lostseouls.com
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
EDSA Remembered
I was browsing through the cable channels tonight and as I passed by Cinema One, I was really pleased that they were showing A Dangerous Life, the old Australian-produced English language film about Ninoy Aquino's assassination and the EDSA Revolution. The film's main star was Gary Busey who portrayed the role of an American journalist covering the events. The rest of the cast however were mostly Filipinos such as Laurice Guillen (Cory Aquino), the late great Ruben Rustia (Ferdinand Marcos), and Tessie Tomas (Imelda Marcos). It was really eerie how they managed to capture the mannerisms and character of the people they were portraying, some of their scenes actually sent shivers down my spine. And although I might be a little disappointed that the movie is mostly in English, I am actually glad that the movie captured very well the spirit of those times including minute details of history that are now famous, like the government choppers landing in Crame to join the rebels or Cory's first salute to newly appointed Chief-of-Staff FVR. Yes, I had fun. Yes, I will shamelessly admit that there were several times when I just felt tears welling up in my eyes.
Watching this movie made me contemplate about several things.
First, that the EDSA Revolution is a unique social phenomenon. That no matter how many similar street actions and peaceful revolutions take place, there will only be one and only one EDSA. Call me old school, but somehow, I'll never be able to call EDSA as EDSA 1, EDSA One, or EDSA Uno. I find it quite absurd really and probably a little ridiculous and insulting when people compare movements of the recent past like EDSA 2 or 3 with the EDSA of 1986. EDSA will always be unique and one of a kind. Can anything equal something that has, supposedly, inspired the downfall of Communism in the Soviet bloc? People in the succeeding decades may have tried to replicate what happened in EDSA - the romanticism, the idealism, the patriotic songs. But sadly for the future generation, what has happened then will never happen again. It is really up for the later decades to bring about something that is uniquely its own and not copy something that it will never have the chance to equal.
Second, that power, once acquired, is truly a hard thing to give up. One scene from the movie that really got stuck in my mind was when Marcos was about to flee and went to his office to say his goodbyes. He went to his presidential table, kissed it, and sobbed. Now trying to imagine who might be sitting in front of that table in the next few months made me think of the prospects of whether that new person would respect the true power behind the table or would rather spend his days in power kissing it.
And third, that behind all the confetti and the cheers, what is happening in reality - poverty, corruption, political division - these things can never and will never be resolved by revolutions alone. The movie ended with Cory giving her speech before the US Congress, proudly proclaiming to the world that the Philippines is a democracy once more. The epilogue, however, was clear in pointing out that after all the celebrations, most of the country's problems still remained and there were still a lot of things that need to be done.
Nevertheless, I'm happy that somehow the spirit of EDSA has been renewed amongst Filipinos once more, when for years it has been forgotten and only remembered when Cory died half a year ago. I am just hoping that whether in the coming years we forgot about EDSA or not, we would still continue to move forward as a people and try our best to solve the myriad problems that we still have despite twenty-four years of restored freedom.
EDSA may have signaled the end of a dictatorship and the rebirth of democracy, but we should also remember that it was only a keystone around which we should have rebuilt our pride and dignity as a people. EDSA was only a process. The real solution is in our hands.
Photo from wikipedia.org
- - - - -
long P.S.
Later this morning after I woke up, I was mulling over the idea of how some people nowadays think that they would rather that martial rule continued and that the EDSA revolution never happened.
The strongest argument to this point has always been that during the Marcos regime, at least things were stable. Communism was subdued, the Philippines received a lot of financial backing from the US, the arts flourished, yada yada. While during the Aquino administration, the country was beset by several coup attempts, the NPA became stronger, the economy continued to languish, and people remained poor.
But then again, I wouldn't be surprised if the people who say these things are the same people who would put every blame they can on the government. I suppose it stems from the local culture of not having any collective responsibility towards anything this country suffers. Yeah that's right - if something goes wrong, blame the government.
Only thing is, the people don't realize that the very reason the government exists is because it is elected into power by them in the first place. Marcos became President because we voted for him. EDSA failed (as some naysayers, which does not include this writer, prefer to describe it) because we chose to let things degenerate from then. The country continues to mire in poverty and corruption because we'd rather dump the responsibility on someone else than taking some of the responsibility ourselves.
We have always chosen the easy way out. It is truly a shame that a lot of people would rather live an easy life under a repressive regime than choose to live a responsible, challenging existence under a democracy.
Watching this movie made me contemplate about several things.
First, that the EDSA Revolution is a unique social phenomenon. That no matter how many similar street actions and peaceful revolutions take place, there will only be one and only one EDSA. Call me old school, but somehow, I'll never be able to call EDSA as EDSA 1, EDSA One, or EDSA Uno. I find it quite absurd really and probably a little ridiculous and insulting when people compare movements of the recent past like EDSA 2 or 3 with the EDSA of 1986. EDSA will always be unique and one of a kind. Can anything equal something that has, supposedly, inspired the downfall of Communism in the Soviet bloc? People in the succeeding decades may have tried to replicate what happened in EDSA - the romanticism, the idealism, the patriotic songs. But sadly for the future generation, what has happened then will never happen again. It is really up for the later decades to bring about something that is uniquely its own and not copy something that it will never have the chance to equal.
Second, that power, once acquired, is truly a hard thing to give up. One scene from the movie that really got stuck in my mind was when Marcos was about to flee and went to his office to say his goodbyes. He went to his presidential table, kissed it, and sobbed. Now trying to imagine who might be sitting in front of that table in the next few months made me think of the prospects of whether that new person would respect the true power behind the table or would rather spend his days in power kissing it.
And third, that behind all the confetti and the cheers, what is happening in reality - poverty, corruption, political division - these things can never and will never be resolved by revolutions alone. The movie ended with Cory giving her speech before the US Congress, proudly proclaiming to the world that the Philippines is a democracy once more. The epilogue, however, was clear in pointing out that after all the celebrations, most of the country's problems still remained and there were still a lot of things that need to be done.
Nevertheless, I'm happy that somehow the spirit of EDSA has been renewed amongst Filipinos once more, when for years it has been forgotten and only remembered when Cory died half a year ago. I am just hoping that whether in the coming years we forgot about EDSA or not, we would still continue to move forward as a people and try our best to solve the myriad problems that we still have despite twenty-four years of restored freedom.
EDSA may have signaled the end of a dictatorship and the rebirth of democracy, but we should also remember that it was only a keystone around which we should have rebuilt our pride and dignity as a people. EDSA was only a process. The real solution is in our hands.
Photo from wikipedia.org
- - - - -
long P.S.
Later this morning after I woke up, I was mulling over the idea of how some people nowadays think that they would rather that martial rule continued and that the EDSA revolution never happened.
The strongest argument to this point has always been that during the Marcos regime, at least things were stable. Communism was subdued, the Philippines received a lot of financial backing from the US, the arts flourished, yada yada. While during the Aquino administration, the country was beset by several coup attempts, the NPA became stronger, the economy continued to languish, and people remained poor.
But then again, I wouldn't be surprised if the people who say these things are the same people who would put every blame they can on the government. I suppose it stems from the local culture of not having any collective responsibility towards anything this country suffers. Yeah that's right - if something goes wrong, blame the government.
Only thing is, the people don't realize that the very reason the government exists is because it is elected into power by them in the first place. Marcos became President because we voted for him. EDSA failed (as some naysayers, which does not include this writer, prefer to describe it) because we chose to let things degenerate from then. The country continues to mire in poverty and corruption because we'd rather dump the responsibility on someone else than taking some of the responsibility ourselves.
We have always chosen the easy way out. It is truly a shame that a lot of people would rather live an easy life under a repressive regime than choose to live a responsible, challenging existence under a democracy.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Love Songs from the 80's
Alright, so it's Sunday morning and there's just nothing decent to do. So I thought, hey why not subject people to some really corny love songs from the 80's?
Enjoy!
Having fun? Why, you're welcome!
Enjoy!
Having fun? Why, you're welcome!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Who to Vote For..., Part II
So a few weeks back, I said I was waiting for a sign that would perhaps enlighten me as to who it is I should vote for in the polls this coming May. I was pleasantly surprised when my wish got answered so fast when I stumbled upon this blog post by Lourd de Veyra in www.spot.PH.
Like I've said, I've made up my mind to vote for Noynoy Aquino, but I also admitted that he's not my top choice. Either Gibo Teodoro or Dick Gordon would've been my bet. But Gibo's political allies scare the hell out of me while Gordon seems to be lacking in political support and machinery. So I'm choosing to put my vote on Noynoy instead, hoping against hope that perhaps if more people would vote for him, then perhaps the 'sane' side of politics would win and this country would not go down the same downward path we chose roughly a decade ago when the majority of this country's voters voted for Erap.
Besides, the Liberal Party - Noynoy's party - has been going on and on for years as to how this country should be run anyway. While some of their ideas may be sound (to me at least), I would rather that they are not just all talk. Okay then, I'll give them a chance this time and see whether what they are saying are indeed things of substance or nothing but air. Now seems to be a very good time to put these idealists and their ideas to the test and see if they actually measure up to anything.
Nevertheless, I'm afraid to admit that there is a very high chance of Manny Villar winning this election. He's shrewed, cunning, and definitely knows how to work the PR machinery in order to convince the poor masses into voting for him. It's quite alarming how quickly he managed to climb the polls and threaten Noynoy's once commanding lead. Yeah, I'm totally blaming his goldfish suicide-inducing political ads for that. That's not helped either by Noynoy's seeming lack of campaign 'charisma' which probably wouldn't have been going anywhere if not for his sister and the crazy things she says and does.
Manny Villar definitely has worked out a pretty good strategy here. If there's one sure way of winning the majority vote in this country, one should simply appeal to the poor. Because truly, this country's poor does not want to alleviate itself from its hellhole. It would rather convince itself that by being poor, it is entitled to being pitied and embraced by some kind of 'superhero' who would accept them for who they are and go as far as to even say that he is one of the them. To hell with the bourgoisie and the rich! No doubt this country is going nowhere. Its people have given up looking for their own social ladders to climb. They'd rather see goods in plastic bags being dangled to them from up high. Manny Villar realized these things and boy does he put them to good use.
And if that wasn't enough, isn't it scary how his political campaign formula seems to mirror Erap's strategy ten years ago? Not just the appealing-to-the-masses thing, mind you. There's also the use of artistas to boost his campaign, like for example Dolphy. Isn't it a little crazy that he's not campaigning for his good friend Erap but for Villar instead? If that's not one hell of a PR strategy to pull off, then it must be truly a miracle from God. Oh and even scarier: if anyone could still remember what Erap's campaign colors were a decade ago, wasn't it the very same color being used by Manny Villar now - orange? What the fuck is seriously up with that color? It hurts my eyes! Q_Q
If Manny Villar is subtly trying to project himself as the new 'Erap' then he's doing a good job. And like Lourd de Veyra in his blog post, I wouldn't be surprised if the new president turns out to be him. Is there anything I could do about it? Why, yes! Vote for Noynoy, the only candidate seemingly capable of winning against Villar, and hope that he wins. If Villar wins, what do I do then? Nothing. Respect the people's vote because that is how democracy works.
"We get the kind of government we deserve", Lourd said in his blog. And if indeed Manny Villar wins, then the Filipino people, represented by its Wowowee-crazed majority, deserves him.
Photo from gmanews.tv
Like I've said, I've made up my mind to vote for Noynoy Aquino, but I also admitted that he's not my top choice. Either Gibo Teodoro or Dick Gordon would've been my bet. But Gibo's political allies scare the hell out of me while Gordon seems to be lacking in political support and machinery. So I'm choosing to put my vote on Noynoy instead, hoping against hope that perhaps if more people would vote for him, then perhaps the 'sane' side of politics would win and this country would not go down the same downward path we chose roughly a decade ago when the majority of this country's voters voted for Erap.
Besides, the Liberal Party - Noynoy's party - has been going on and on for years as to how this country should be run anyway. While some of their ideas may be sound (to me at least), I would rather that they are not just all talk. Okay then, I'll give them a chance this time and see whether what they are saying are indeed things of substance or nothing but air. Now seems to be a very good time to put these idealists and their ideas to the test and see if they actually measure up to anything.
Nevertheless, I'm afraid to admit that there is a very high chance of Manny Villar winning this election. He's shrewed, cunning, and definitely knows how to work the PR machinery in order to convince the poor masses into voting for him. It's quite alarming how quickly he managed to climb the polls and threaten Noynoy's once commanding lead. Yeah, I'm totally blaming his goldfish suicide-inducing political ads for that. That's not helped either by Noynoy's seeming lack of campaign 'charisma' which probably wouldn't have been going anywhere if not for his sister and the crazy things she says and does.
Manny Villar definitely has worked out a pretty good strategy here. If there's one sure way of winning the majority vote in this country, one should simply appeal to the poor. Because truly, this country's poor does not want to alleviate itself from its hellhole. It would rather convince itself that by being poor, it is entitled to being pitied and embraced by some kind of 'superhero' who would accept them for who they are and go as far as to even say that he is one of the them. To hell with the bourgoisie and the rich! No doubt this country is going nowhere. Its people have given up looking for their own social ladders to climb. They'd rather see goods in plastic bags being dangled to them from up high. Manny Villar realized these things and boy does he put them to good use.
And if that wasn't enough, isn't it scary how his political campaign formula seems to mirror Erap's strategy ten years ago? Not just the appealing-to-the-masses thing, mind you. There's also the use of artistas to boost his campaign, like for example Dolphy. Isn't it a little crazy that he's not campaigning for his good friend Erap but for Villar instead? If that's not one hell of a PR strategy to pull off, then it must be truly a miracle from God. Oh and even scarier: if anyone could still remember what Erap's campaign colors were a decade ago, wasn't it the very same color being used by Manny Villar now - orange? What the fuck is seriously up with that color? It hurts my eyes! Q_Q
If Manny Villar is subtly trying to project himself as the new 'Erap' then he's doing a good job. And like Lourd de Veyra in his blog post, I wouldn't be surprised if the new president turns out to be him. Is there anything I could do about it? Why, yes! Vote for Noynoy, the only candidate seemingly capable of winning against Villar, and hope that he wins. If Villar wins, what do I do then? Nothing. Respect the people's vote because that is how democracy works.
"We get the kind of government we deserve", Lourd said in his blog. And if indeed Manny Villar wins, then the Filipino people, represented by its Wowowee-crazed majority, deserves him.
Photo from gmanews.tv
Society...
...can go screw itself over with its rules, definitions, and standards.
I'll learn to conform with them on the surface.
But on the inside, I'll live life by my rules.
Yarrr!
I'll learn to conform with them on the surface.
But on the inside, I'll live life by my rules.
Yarrr!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Torn
Greetings, everyone! Yours truly is at the moment feeling very torn between responsibility and free will.
Uhh... say what now? Okay, here's the deal. I just found out that my brother - the very same one I mentioned in my previous post - has just resigned from his job. I finally know the reason why I have been seeing more and more of him these days (figuratively and literally). He has his own apartment where he stays during weekdays for work, but he still occasionally comes home during the weekends for one reason or another, one of which, I suspect, is for having the chance for some free meals.
But now that he's temporarily unemployed (I hope), I am feeling very mentally stressed. Yeah, I know you're thinking, what does that have to do with anything? Well folks, let me tell you something about an unfortunate thing which I prefer to call - the 'eldest child domestic responsibility mentality'.
One of the really weird traditional Filipino family values is the idea that if the child is the eldest, he or she needs to take responsibility similar or equal to a parent's. Of course, nowadays more and more families are deviating from this tradition and are more free in giving their eldest kids the freedom to live as they choose. Sounds great, right? But unfortunately, for me at least, no matter how much I convince myself that I am no longer responsible for anything but myself, there is and will always be that nagging thought at the back of my head that for anything that goes on, I need to be always be picking up the slack whenever it's needed.
Okay, okay, I know I'm just doing some overthinking again. But can you really blame me, especially with this 'family value' being so heavily indoctrinated that thinking otherwise has got to be wrong?
When my brother decided to take up the more 'normal' route by deciding to take up Engineering in college, I was happy. Being a bohemian and a free-spirit, nothing feels more boring than being stuck in an office job or practicing something as boring as law, engineering, medicine, - you know, that sort of thing. The fact that this country's traditional mentality sees such boring occupations as 'real jobs' as compared to less traditional jobs like being a writer, photographer, or musician, it made me even more wanting to deviate from the norm and do things that are more revolutionary and interesting. So what if my chosen vocation is out of the ordinary? Suck it up, suckers! Live the boring life while I do something more fun!
But being the eldest, I had to learn to grin and bear it and let myself be convinced that taking up Biology (ugh...) was the right thing to do. After all, what's wrong with being helpful to the family right? And indeed, if I decided to take up Medicine later, that means I'll give myself the chance of being a doctor. A practical way of life. Easy money. Easy living.
Of course, that decision turned out to be one of the worst decisions I've ever made. A semester in it and I found myself just wanting to stop existing altogether. Putting up with all the bullshit, trying to convince myself that I'm doing the right thing, wanting to tear my eyes out as I force myself to study things I don't even care about. Yeah, it didn't take long for me to break down. Did I regret the decision? Not at all. The lesson has to be learned. And quite frankly, there are so many people and experiences I wouldn't have met or experienced if not for that decision. But did it suck? Well hell yeah, it sure did.
So when my brother decided to take up Engineering, it was truly a breath of fresh air. I felt truly relieved that for once, the attention of people wouldn't be on me. Sure, some of my stupid relatives still continue to blab that as the eldest I should've done this or that, but frankly why should I care? Now that they were doting on my brother instead, I could finally live the life that I want. Besides, my brother had to put up with living in my shadow for so long, with me being the eldest, the supposedly more intelligent, the supposedly more promising. Kinda sucked to be him, right? And I was honestly very happy when things took a turn and he started getting more of the attention that was usually reserved for me. I felt good for him that people start recognizing his own talents and taking him for what he is, not just as the kid who is 'my brother'.
He graduated, got top honors, topped the licensure exam, got job offers left and right. It was great. Even more so because this is the life that he wants. Unlike me who was bullied into studying some bullshit course, he really wanted to do this. And seeing him having so much success makes me truly and sincerely happy for him.
I honestly don't know why he decided to resign. Like I said, he's a workaholic and him resigning just seem to be out of character. But then, I really haven't had the chance to ask him why he decided to do so and him not talking about it is something that I respect. He can tell me whenever he wants or he can even choose not to tell me. No big deal. But damn, the mystery is killing me, haha!
But with the situation as it is, I am now feeling once more that annoying spotlight that I have had the pleasure of not encountering for the past few years. With him being unemployed, it feels like my way of life is being put on the spotlight again, that because I am the big brother, I need to pick up the slack while my brother is in between jobs.
Bummer.
Uhh... say what now? Okay, here's the deal. I just found out that my brother - the very same one I mentioned in my previous post - has just resigned from his job. I finally know the reason why I have been seeing more and more of him these days (figuratively and literally). He has his own apartment where he stays during weekdays for work, but he still occasionally comes home during the weekends for one reason or another, one of which, I suspect, is for having the chance for some free meals.
But now that he's temporarily unemployed (I hope), I am feeling very mentally stressed. Yeah, I know you're thinking, what does that have to do with anything? Well folks, let me tell you something about an unfortunate thing which I prefer to call - the 'eldest child domestic responsibility mentality'.
One of the really weird traditional Filipino family values is the idea that if the child is the eldest, he or she needs to take responsibility similar or equal to a parent's. Of course, nowadays more and more families are deviating from this tradition and are more free in giving their eldest kids the freedom to live as they choose. Sounds great, right? But unfortunately, for me at least, no matter how much I convince myself that I am no longer responsible for anything but myself, there is and will always be that nagging thought at the back of my head that for anything that goes on, I need to be always be picking up the slack whenever it's needed.
Okay, okay, I know I'm just doing some overthinking again. But can you really blame me, especially with this 'family value' being so heavily indoctrinated that thinking otherwise has got to be wrong?
When my brother decided to take up the more 'normal' route by deciding to take up Engineering in college, I was happy. Being a bohemian and a free-spirit, nothing feels more boring than being stuck in an office job or practicing something as boring as law, engineering, medicine, - you know, that sort of thing. The fact that this country's traditional mentality sees such boring occupations as 'real jobs' as compared to less traditional jobs like being a writer, photographer, or musician, it made me even more wanting to deviate from the norm and do things that are more revolutionary and interesting. So what if my chosen vocation is out of the ordinary? Suck it up, suckers! Live the boring life while I do something more fun!
But being the eldest, I had to learn to grin and bear it and let myself be convinced that taking up Biology (ugh...) was the right thing to do. After all, what's wrong with being helpful to the family right? And indeed, if I decided to take up Medicine later, that means I'll give myself the chance of being a doctor. A practical way of life. Easy money. Easy living.
Of course, that decision turned out to be one of the worst decisions I've ever made. A semester in it and I found myself just wanting to stop existing altogether. Putting up with all the bullshit, trying to convince myself that I'm doing the right thing, wanting to tear my eyes out as I force myself to study things I don't even care about. Yeah, it didn't take long for me to break down. Did I regret the decision? Not at all. The lesson has to be learned. And quite frankly, there are so many people and experiences I wouldn't have met or experienced if not for that decision. But did it suck? Well hell yeah, it sure did.
So when my brother decided to take up Engineering, it was truly a breath of fresh air. I felt truly relieved that for once, the attention of people wouldn't be on me. Sure, some of my stupid relatives still continue to blab that as the eldest I should've done this or that, but frankly why should I care? Now that they were doting on my brother instead, I could finally live the life that I want. Besides, my brother had to put up with living in my shadow for so long, with me being the eldest, the supposedly more intelligent, the supposedly more promising. Kinda sucked to be him, right? And I was honestly very happy when things took a turn and he started getting more of the attention that was usually reserved for me. I felt good for him that people start recognizing his own talents and taking him for what he is, not just as the kid who is 'my brother'.
He graduated, got top honors, topped the licensure exam, got job offers left and right. It was great. Even more so because this is the life that he wants. Unlike me who was bullied into studying some bullshit course, he really wanted to do this. And seeing him having so much success makes me truly and sincerely happy for him.
I honestly don't know why he decided to resign. Like I said, he's a workaholic and him resigning just seem to be out of character. But then, I really haven't had the chance to ask him why he decided to do so and him not talking about it is something that I respect. He can tell me whenever he wants or he can even choose not to tell me. No big deal. But damn, the mystery is killing me, haha!
But with the situation as it is, I am now feeling once more that annoying spotlight that I have had the pleasure of not encountering for the past few years. With him being unemployed, it feels like my way of life is being put on the spotlight again, that because I am the big brother, I need to pick up the slack while my brother is in between jobs.
Bummer.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Waking Up on the Wr--- No, that's not it
My brother is a workaholic. He gets started on a project, he's willing to do overtime and work during holidays just to get the job done as quickly as possible. I used to often tell him that with his work habits plus with him being a smoker he's gonna get sick sooner or later. But I knew my words are just in vain, the asshat never ever gets sick anyway.
Fastforward to this weekend and I was pretty surprised when the front door opened and the big mass of fat stealthily wobbled his way (oxymoron, I know) into the house. Well okay, he's not really that big but it's been the running joke. I was like, "What on earth are you doing here?" He said, "What? 'Cause I want to!"
Okay then, so he got himself some things to eat. Went to my room to watch TV then had the gall to sleep on my bed. And knowing how tired he was, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be sleeping for 12 or more hours and there's nothing I can do to make him budge and get him and his fat ass to his own room.
So when it was my time to go to sleep, I had no choice but to share the bed with him. (Sigh.) One annoying thing about me, I can't sleep anywhere else but in my room and in my bed. You can't make me sleep in somebody else's house. If I want to sleep, it has to be in my bed, in my room, in my house. No wonder I don't like camping and sleepovers. Tsk.
I made him move to one side of the bed, took back my pillows he had been shamelessly using, and managed to squeeze myself in my other half. And being an insomniac, it took me a while to fall asleep. Not helped either by the fact that the person next to me was snoring like a mad truck. But eventually and (thankfully) I did fall asleep and was off to dreamland.
Eight hours later I woke up. My brother's still snoring. And I was on the floor.
Fastforward to this weekend and I was pretty surprised when the front door opened and the big mass of fat stealthily wobbled his way (oxymoron, I know) into the house. Well okay, he's not really that big but it's been the running joke. I was like, "What on earth are you doing here?" He said, "What? 'Cause I want to!"
Okay then, so he got himself some things to eat. Went to my room to watch TV then had the gall to sleep on my bed. And knowing how tired he was, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be sleeping for 12 or more hours and there's nothing I can do to make him budge and get him and his fat ass to his own room.
So when it was my time to go to sleep, I had no choice but to share the bed with him. (Sigh.) One annoying thing about me, I can't sleep anywhere else but in my room and in my bed. You can't make me sleep in somebody else's house. If I want to sleep, it has to be in my bed, in my room, in my house. No wonder I don't like camping and sleepovers. Tsk.
I made him move to one side of the bed, took back my pillows he had been shamelessly using, and managed to squeeze myself in my other half. And being an insomniac, it took me a while to fall asleep. Not helped either by the fact that the person next to me was snoring like a mad truck. But eventually and (thankfully) I did fall asleep and was off to dreamland.
Eight hours later I woke up. My brother's still snoring. And I was on the floor.
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