meaningful clutter

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.”

what YOU are

- Get Your Own

hope you got my note

- Get Your Own

personal favorite

>> by: e.e. cummings

afterthought: i should have done better

like water, be peaceful.

like earth, know balance.

like fire, love passionately.

like wind, be free.

missing her dearly

my niece niea chaz

what makes us?

the books we read?

the films we view?

the words of our friends?

or all of the above?

love is sadder for mathematics

mathematics tells us three of the saddest love stories.

tangent lines who had one chance to meet and then parted forever.

parallel lines who were never meant to meet.

and asymptotes who can get closer and closer but will never be together.

txt msgs good enough to share

life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. know a good thing when you see it and don’t let it slip away. if you get a chance, take it. if it changes your life, let it. nobody said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it.

**********

like water, be peaceful.
like earth, know balance.
like fire, love passionately.
like wind, be free.

over the weekend

Manny Pacquiao. world famous boxer. congressional candidate.


he’ll win. definitely.


God help us.


he wants to help his impoverished fellowmen. that’s good. but hasn’t it occurred to him that he can help without entering politics? perhaps nobody suggested that. there are so many ways to help. especially for someone as famous and rich as many pacqiuao.


why can’t he be a philanthropist? it’s a trend nowadays of some of the world’s richest persons and corporations. they build schools, health centers, shelters for the handicapped, the aged and the abused, group homes for runaways, livelihood centers, feeding centers. they advocate for better health, useful research, education, ecological conservation, art and even sports.


why did he choose politics? of all his possible options. why this? with all the mudslinging, character assassination and all the bad stuff. I know that he’s a fighter and he never gives up on any fight. that’s how he won his belts. by fighting and fighting real hard. but the best fighters know and have the humility to retreat when they know that the fight is not for them.


when he becomes congressman, he’ll be dedicating himself to a life of paperwork, bills, debates, endless discussions, and speeches. a life way too far from where he came from. has he no idea how turtle-like our lawmaking system is? that it takes it so long just to pass one single bill? he’ll be disappointed in a lot of ways if he does not know what to expect from that office. if he’s the type who likes it fast, like a killer knock-out punch, he’ll have to be insistent on the microphone laying down the cards before the entire house of scrutinizing lawmakers and the dissecting eye of the press. it would be too bad if he becomes a member of the silent committee in congress. you know, that group of lawmakers who just attend and listen and make the seats warm and not react at all. playing safe. or playing dumb. yeah, they get paid, by people’s taxes at that, just sitting there pretending to understand the whole thing.


manny pacquiao would make a good philanthropist. not a congressman.

impromptu post

people do NOT like to be reminded of the things they are not proud of.

of course! basic rule in socialization. duh!

i just couldn't understand why some earthlings just don't have enough brains and sensitivity to get that. whoever likes being reminded of how fat they are? of how they screwed up their job? of how messed up their relationship are? of what a sorry state their life is? hello!!!! are you just idiots or are you just heartless?

these people are doing thier damn best to fix their scattered sorry life. please please please don't hold them down. go pick on someone else. if you don't, you might just get your ass crouching-tiger kicked at your next comment.

it isn't just what they say, it's how they say it too. they say it like you owe them an explanation. like they had a right. the nerve!

watch your words as if your very life depends on them. be supportive and encouraging. if you can't say anything like that, don't open your mouth.

*********

i teach.

not because i don't have a choice.

i teach because i choose to.

this is my way of shaping history.

the twilight zone

im here but not really. they see me but they really don't.

this is the twilight zone.

yesterday, i spent half the day with an unfaithful man. he's in love with a woman who is not his wife. he's suffering from a hurting heart since the woman he loves moved away. far away. because they decided to do the right thing.

i should be appalled. what he did is a mistake. he was wrong. he took for granted the woman he vowed to love until death before God and man. he put his children aside for another woman. i should condemn him for bringing about every loving woman's greatest fear. but i didn't. i didn't cast stones at him. i couldn't.

he's a friend. he's hurting. most of all, he trusted me with his confession. i couldn't get the nerve to condemn him. not when he's in pain. who am i to condemn him anyway? besides, he's doing his best to stand up for his decision to do the right thing. he's doing the best he can to stand up for his wife and his children even though the pain is so great. when he couldn't stop thinking about her. when he couldn't help himself from reliving the memories they had and letting all the love and pain to come flooding into his system everytime. like a deluge drowning him to the core.

who am i to judge him? all he really did was love another soul apart from himself. that's natural. we're people. we are born with the tendency to love embedded in our genes. we are progammed to love. he just loved.