this is my little corner in the universe: May 2007

meaningful clutter

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

sweet saccharine

avid liongoren's Not the Most Poetic of Declarations

election fever

the elections is on the Monday and I still haven’t completed my list of candidates to vote for. this will be the third time that I’m voting. the first one was for the SK in 2000, the second was during the 2004 presidential elections. I do make it a point to vote. I don’t really care what pessimists say about the elections. participating in the elections is still a good thing, no matter how much of a mockery other people make of it. it’s one of those opportunities when you can actually do something good. something good is worth doing. why vote? why not?

im not looking for perfect leaders. im just looking for those who could the job best. and of course, those who are not corrupt. but to be really honest, I’d rather think that all of them are corrupt. it’s less disappointing that way. those who make themselves an exception to this are truly outstanding. may their tribe increase!

I hope most, if not all, registered voters vote on May 14th. that would be a sign of a better, more mature, more responsible citizenship for this country.

*****
elections in the Philippines is no longer about choosing the best. now it’s about choosing the lesser evil. it’s sad and really cynical. this mind frame can still change but it will take some more time and more meaningful experience for the regular juan de la cruz. a change of mind in this country cannot be hastened. a change of heart, maybe, but of mind not so fast. Filipinos are rather emotional, we tend to be biased towards what we feel is right over what we think is right. for juan de la cruz, the heart rules. that’s why he easily falls for a trapo’s sweet, sweet lies. but can we blame him? he’s jobless, his family is hungry and his children are out of school. what chance does he have over the manipulative politician dangling the carrot of a better life on his face? a very slim chance.

** trapo means traditional politician

jeepneys and i

while other kids thought that riding a bicycle by themselves is the greatest sign of childhood autonomy, mine was to independently ride a jeepney. most of my life is a 60-minute ride from home to a specific destination and vice-versa, in heavy traffic. I have come to appreciate jeepney rides for what they are. they take you from point A to point B and give you a fast view of life in between; making you realize that yours is not the only life there is on this relatively young planet. yours is not the only mind that thinks, not the only heart that beats. somewhere in that life in between that you have passed through traffic and pollution, hearts are broken, stars are chased, love is found. life thrives even in poverty.

countless times before, i board a jeepney confused, disoriented, about to fall apart. in between, the jeepney cradles my silent dreams, hidden fears and secret hopes. a bittersweet battleground of desire and reason. i alight from it with a clear head and a determined heart. myself stitched back together. a ride was all it took. i foresee more rides like these in my life. and I know I’ll get through it whole and well because in each ride, an unseen magnanimous passenger will be there with me.

jeepney rides aren’t the most comfortable rides but life is hardly a comfortable trip. but it’s all worth it in the end.

one for the skeptic

last song syndrome: restless hearts’ when she cries

current reading: dinner with a perfect stranger by david gregory.

yes, yes, the LSS is brought by watching the bruce-wendy thing on pinoy big brother. the subject of love is a big juicy controversy in the big brother set-up. but the song is good. i really like it. the way i like fra lippo lippi songs.

anyway, my current reading is highly recommended. actually, i enjoyed the book so much, im re-reading it. here’s why: what would you do if you were invited to dinner with a man claiming to be Jesus? the character, nick cominsky, decides to play along thinking the whole thing is a joke cooked up by his friends. yes, he was wrong and had the most astounding, meaningful conversation of his life. he finds it was indeed an invitation worth considering.

the book provides a crash course on comparative religion, philosophy, physics, table manners and on how to keep your cool during a debate. the teacher is no less than the greatest teacher in the history of mankind, Jesus Christ. definitely appealing to the argumentative intellectual skeptics, (isn’t that redundant? intellectuals ARE skeptics.) the kind who dissect everything for viable evidence and refute all statements lacking logic. the most difficult people to persuade. the character is just that. his mind is a hard case to crack. in the end, the conversation hit him all over, mind and heart.

this book could be the cure to your da vinci code-bothered brain, if that means anything to you. the book is just over a hundred pages, really thin and really small. it’s in inconspicuous navy blue. the title itself is not threatening. that’s a relief for those who are foreseeing a potential embarrassing moment getting caught reading a “Jesus book.” though I personally find the source of such embarrassment rather irrational. I mean, get caught with something Jesus related and everybody smirks with “Yeah right!” all over their face. get caught with something porn related and everybody has a heyday. haha

the book only costs 65 pesos at national bookstore since it’s on sale. so go ahead and eavesdrop! let me leave you with some words directly off the book.

“You’re worried about God stealing your fun, but you’ve got it backward. You’re like a kid who doesn’t want to leave for Disney World because he’s having fun making mud pies by the kerb.”

It isn’t mass murder that destroys the world. It’s selfishness, resentment, envy, pride- all the daily sins of the heart.”