THE AMEN CORNER

No Kidding..

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 15:41:27 GMT

I found an article in the newest issue of TIME magazine interesting. Not that I read it regularly, since I don't subscribe to it (and I'm RARELY at any hotel or airport--ok ok, I'm stereotyping. Ha ha), but it was interesting nonetheless.

You know why?

Because A Person of the Year is You!

And, well... me too.

No, seriously.

BULLSHIT

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 07:50:39 GMT

In the midst of all that has been happening to Philippine politics in the past few days, you can very aptly describe these series of events as [read the title].

Imagine the Lower House doing their best and damnedest to push through with amending the fundamental law of the land—in the dead of night! They circumvented their own rules to facilitate railroading charter change via a Constituent Assembly. At the forefront of these moves are two congressmen—Reps. Edcel Lagman and Luis Villafuerte, in all their repugnant, corpulent glory, trumpeting this sordid cause in lieu of a much nobler one—to help their OWN CONSTITUENTS who were ravaged by a tropical storm only days before! Irony of ironies!

And through it all, imagine the gall that no less than Satan himself (we know him as Speaker Jose de Venecia) exudes when he thinks, nay, asserts, that through sheer force of numbers, the Lower House can do away with the Senate in this process! Suffice it to say, the chain of events that transpired is a load of bullshit.

A load of bullshit, also, is how some of these representatives act during the whole process (or ordeal). Representative Douglas Cagas reacted violently to hecklers at the hearing last Wednesday night, bellowing “You are not Representatives of Congress!” You could say, though that he got his ass handed to him by Rep. Teddy Casiňo, who retorted that the hecklers “were the ones who appointed us here, to represent their interests” or something to that effect.

Which is exactly why one person stepped up to the faces of the congressmen and told them what they represent—beings bereft of decency, honesty and integrity, and thus are unfit to lead the country. Former newspaper columnist Renato Constantino Jr. berated the coterie of Satan Saturday, when the latter was announcing that, due to the public outrage that their unilateral wet dream has caused, they “buckled down” and are now asking the Senate to convene in a Constitutional Convention instead of the earlier Constituent Assembly. To top the off the shit cake, they gave the Senate a 72-hour period to iron out their concurrence to their own whims!

Constantino was met with angry remarks from Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa and Belinda Cunanan, with the former shouting “Respect the Representatives!” With all due respect, ma’am, wake the fuck up. What is there to respect with those congressmen, the way they parade about, like they own the Legislative branch of government, throwing their weight around in the face of a co-equal part of that branch? It’s about damned time for any self-respecting person to show his outrage with the unilateral havoc that the demons in the Lower House are wreaking. Were it up to me, I’d give the verbal equivalent of a pie-face to each and every motherfucking one of those administration legislators. The consequences be damned. And if I get thrown out of the press conference for speaking my mind? Let me just echo this particular line:

“Middle finger is the flag that I wave when I’m silenced!”

That ought to wake up a few sleepy sectors to the smell of the bullshit happening around us.

I'M BAAAACK!

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 15:19:02 GMT

Ha ha. I'm back where it counts--here on my LJ page.

Not much going on lately, just workin during the day, and busy with stuff at home during the night. But hey, a lot more might happen during the holidays. And when things do happen, I'm gonna be on the thick of them, for sure.

Here's a little something that I'd like to share. It's a song by Brazilian power metal band Angra, and the name of the single is "Time". This is a very old cut from the guys, and they have undergone a HUGE lineup change since, but the song still is a keeper. Enjoy.

This time I wanna know what life means...
... to live it again
I'm looking forward, feel the light shine in my eyes
And now I know, my instincts were not wrong
And many things can be done
I don't believe now
That I'm dreaming alone

Oh, we're searching for the love
that everyone's got, but can't see
Oh, beyond the flesh and blood
there's so much hidden behind
as so much more we've gotta give...

Sanity brings up the sadness
that keeps your illusions locked in a little box
Fright comes, you find yourself lonely
in a cage of conclusions crowding your mind
You sit back bowing your head
Every answer - yes
Why don't you trust me and shed out your fears,
Running over the tears you've contained
now cover up your eyes
- Is it good for you?

I will be here when fire burns!

Welcome on board
over here is the ship of your life
So rotten that will cast away
I'll be your sweet lullaby all the night
And if you get lost you can hold my hand...

And I'll be here when fire burns
(Inside your heart)
Climb up the hills and mountains,
don't forget what you've learned!

Life makes us feel the time we cannot hold
Time makes us live a tale already told
Time makes us heal a feeling inside
a feeling that lies in our heart
that we stole away...

And I'll be here when fire burns
(Inside your heart)
Climb up the hills and mountains,
don't forget what you've learned!

Life makes us feel (life makes us feel)
The time we cannot hold
Time makes us live (time makes us live)
A tale already told
Time makes us heal (time makes us heal)
A feeling inside
a feeling that lies in our heart
that we stole away...

A POEM TO FILL THE GAPING VOID..and then some

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 22:22:43 GMT

IN MEDIA RES

Staring at these walls
I gawk, gape and am awestruck
living life out loud.

***

Nice quiz:

Which member of Dream Theater are you?

You are Mike Portnoy! You like to take charge of what you do. You are arguably the head of the band, and you direct just about everything. You have Obesessive Compulsive Disorder when it comes to making lists of your favorite music and movies. You only like the best. You have been a Tama drum lover since you were a wee lad. Your favorite restaurant is Taco Bell. You aren't Canadian.
Take this quiz!

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AN OPEN LETTER TO BONG AUSTERO (part one)

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 13:43:30 GMT

“Someone take these dreams away,
that point me to another day;
A duel of personalities,
That stretch all true reality—
They keep calling me…
They keep calling me…”

I can’t help but be reminded of that song by Joy Division (entitled “Dead Souls”, for anyone who’s wondering) when I read an open letter by someone named Bong Austero. The guy is a human resources expert who is president of the Board of Trustees of the Remedios AIDS Foundation. The letter, in its entirety, can be read at his blog.

Today (this entry was composed at around 2.36 pm Philippine Standard Time), I write in response to Mr. Austero’s letter and to the reply that he sent to INQUIRER columnist Rina Jimenez-David about the furor that the open letter caused on this side of cyberspace.

Coming from a different perspective, I did find a few salient points about Mr. Austero’s two letters. The whole premise behind those two letters is that people who share the same opinion that he does, in light of all the tumult happening in Philippine politics, are being dismissed, in Mr. Austero’s words, “matter-of-factly”. I would most certainly like to point out that such is also true with the other side of the fence Mr. Austero is in. People who think differently from the satraps of the incumbent Head of State are looked at as destabilizers, hardliners, people who mean the country ill. Back on his side, Mr. Austero thinks that people like him are considered by anti-Gloria denizens as “paid hacks” by the government. It’s a question of semantics, really. Depending on which side of the fence you’re on, people will look at you as either visionary or apostate, as a revolutionary or a bandit (or, if you prefer a word much in vogue nowadays, terrorist).

The man says he is angry because people opposed to the current administration and all that it has come to stand for dismiss people like him as “immoral” and for “conniving with a thief”. He is angry because his emotions are being subjected to ridicule. He thinks that all this talk of who should run this country is moot—he just wants to move on because he is sick and tired. He says he does not need people to, and I quote, “…tell me why I am angry, or why I am so wrong to be angry…immoral, unpatriotic, naïve, and stupid simply because I happen to have a different perspective”. In a lot of respects, the same is true on the other side of the fence—that side where he decidedly is at right now. As I’ve pointed out in the preceding paragraph, it’s really a question of semantics. That and the question of which side of the fence you happen to be on.

Mr. Austero, for all the intellectual fatigue he is experiencing, not to mention the indefatigable manner in which he defends his stand, is forgetting the premise in which people like him are being derided. I will not say that he is “conniving with a thief”, although that is essentially what people like him are thought of as doing. I would say, however, that by virtue of his desire to “just move on”, he is compromising the quality of his life. Fact of the matter is, the point of view he is embracing is the split personality of the Filipino’s resilient nature. We are wont to attribute our resiliency to standing steadfast in the face of adversity, although sometimes we get by our daily problems by essentially stopping to care about everything else that is happening around us. We trap ourselves in an intellectual vacuum, blissfully ignorant of the chaos that happens outside. And when a radical idea comes, we see it as a danger, not to the establishment we find ourselves to be complacent with, but to the personal vacuum we have built for ourselves. Like it or not, admit it or otherwise, this is how the phrase “moving on” is being lived up at a day-to-day basis. This is the very premise that journalists like Conrado de Quiros and Randy David are warning us of.

True, the people who are categorically against the current tenant of Malacanang are not exactly saints. True, some of those people are abominable, then as now. That does not mean, however, that the cause they embrace with others is sullied by their mere presence. In ultimate terms, those who champion right must stand vigilant against anyone who dares intrude on the ideals our forebears have fought hard for, regardless of what side of the fence they are on. Then again, when you talk about ultimate terms, you come across as someone who lives his life in rhetoric. Keeping it real, if you love your freedom, your liberties, you will fight tooth and nail for them. You will give it all your effort, throwing everything but the kitchen sink. You will not be content with just moving along and minding people who brand you as some crackpot for thinking differently from them.

Whether Mr. Austero likes it or not, people like him have become the incumbent administration’s poster boys. While people like him find local politics to leave a bad taste in their mouths and would rather leave the whole topic untouched altogether, the incumbent government continues to play the games of patronage politics and trample on civil liberties under the pretense of “clear and present” dangers, both real and imagined.

(To be concluded)

ANOTHER POEM

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 09:54:30 GMT

BALLAD OF TWO CURSORS

In the beginning,
We were together,
Considered as one
Until words stood between us.
You never liked words
No matter how they were said
That's why you left.
But I prudently wait below,
Humbly clasping hope,
For you to come back
and touch me
And take me with you
Even if
We can't touch each other
We can't escape
From the damnation
of man's arrows and keys
Until everything is deleted.

SIX WEEKS

Sun, 05 Mar 2006 15:34:19 GMT

Six weeks into life as a custserv trainee went before my eyes. Six weeks that felt like a million years—not because they were awful in any way, but each week was simply stacked to the brim with activity. Now, as the training phase has all but ended officially, I now find myself at another turning point in my life, post-college.

Come next week, I embark on life at the operations floor, not as a trainee, not anymore. I am now a full-fledged agent. In the course of six weeks, I have been exposed to numerous possibilities, numerous scenarios, and numerous calls of course. Well, the calls did not come until late in the training period—that phase which was appropriately named “nesting”.

The supervisor assigned to us was patient, but demanding. She knew what it was we were capable of, that is why she demanded that we give our all while under her watch during the nesting period. Well, yeah, her decorum kind of overshadowed the fact that she is attractive in a way, but that is another story altogether. At least, I thought she was attractive. Then again, that’s life at the office (at the very least, on the account I was assigned to). Lots of attractive women (most of them taken, mind you), and few guys to go around. Guess I got it made, in that light. Hahaha. I digress.

Going back, a lot has certainly happened, yet a lot more will happen, as our sup assured us. That notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of that class. I guess my co-trainees also did, in a way. Sure, there were times that we felt like quitting, but then it only took us half a second to notice that we’ve been through a lot, and quitting was just not going to cut it for us, no matter how tempting it sounded. Those times were there for a reason, I’d like to believe. They were there for us to take stock, to “wake up and smell the coffee,” so to speak. Every now and then the need to assess where one is on the road of corporate life comes, and in the industry I have become a part of, that need comes as frequent as the thought of sex as far as a man is concerned: every six seconds.

Once again I find myself echoing Socrates when he said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Without a shadow of a doubt, those words ever ring true in my life, in my day and age. Without a doubt, I will find myself echoing those words for the days to come. Without a doubt, I will enjoy life after college for all it can bring, while taking stock and reflecting every now and then.

A FEW HAIKUS

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 08:20:07 GMT

1. I lie down and wait
Petals falling from the sky
In deep crimson red

2. Marred by his Savior
he stands and convalesces
from a quaint sickness

3. Beyond the circle
In eternal shrouded mist
she is laid to rest

TURN THE PAGE

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 06:52:33 GMT

Well, so far I've made it past client-specific training. Now comes a different chapter altogether--but nonetheless the same--nesting. In a nutshell, I will be called on to apply what I've previously learned in the classroom (well, sort of a mock classroom, but a classroom nonetheless).

Learning to walk all over again. That has been my mantra for most of my life after college..so far. For all I know and would care, it would remain as such. ^0^V

Ehek..

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 10:15:12 GMT

Just thought of posting the lyrics of the song playing in the background as I update. Harhar.

"Memento Mori" by Kamelot featuring Simone Simons from Epica & Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir

Who wants to separate
The world we know from our beliefs
And who sees only black and white
Distinguish loss from sacrifice
Some day we may come to peace
With the world within ourselves
And I will await you
Until I close my eyes
When your time has come
You know you'll be lonely once again
And the final winter comes to us all
Life is treacherous
But you're not the only one who must pretend
We're a second in time
We're the last in the line
Of the prey that walks the earth
Good and evil combined
I am the god in my own history
(The master of the game)
I may believe if she would come to me
(And whisper out my name)
Sometimes I wonder where the wind has gone
(If life has ever been)
Sometimes I wonder how belief alone
(Can cut me free from sin)
When you close your eyes
Mementos of summer retrieves your mind
Like a drizzle afternoon cleans the air
When the winter blows
You're glad you remember you really tried
And it comes to an end
Even winter... life fall
And we all have our beliefs
Pray for mercy for all
I am a man without a mystery
(The deal is done within)
I will embrace the coldest winter breeze
(And pay for every sin)
[Helena]
VICTORIA, NON PRAEDA
MEMENTO MORI
[Mephisto]
UNA VOCE... VOLO, NON VALEO
DULCE ET DECORUM EST
PRO PATRIA MORI
MEMENTO MORI
[Ariel]
So subservient in your embrace
No more denial
No running away
This is the final
My last recall
And that's the price for what we learn
The more we know the more we yearn
Cause we're so alone
I am a man without a mystery
(The deal is done within)
I will embrace the coldest winter breeze
(The journey can begin)
I'm still the god in my own history
(the master of the game)
I still believe that she will come to me
(And whisper out my name)

Some day we will come to peace
And reach beyond--behind the lies
And I will await you
Until I close my eyes

SHORTS (well, sorta)

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 09:02:10 GMT

WALANG PAMAGAT

Nawawala ako sa aking sarili.
Malalim ang gabi, gusto ko nang umuwi.

Hinanap ko ang dulo ng huwad na bahaghari.
Nawawala ako sa aking sarili.

Sinundan ko ang sinag ng baliw na ngiti.
Malalim na ang gabi, gusto ko nang umuwi.

Bumili ako ng tuwa at may sugat pang sukli.
Nawawala ako sa aking sarili.

Wala nang araw at maging ang mga tala ay mali.
Malalim na ang gabi, gusto ko nang umuwi.

Naroon ka sa patlang ng mga sandali.
Nawawala ako sa aking sarili.

Mapait ang mga oras na natuyo sa aking mga labi.
Malalim na ang gabi, gusto ko nang umuwi.

Nawawala ako sa aking sarili.
Malalim ang gabi, gusto ko nang umuwi.

Gusto ko nang
umuwi.

There goes another poem unearthed from my Personal Nightmare Cache.

Quizzes:

Who Should Paint You: M.C. Escher

Open and raw, you would let your true self show for your portrait.
And even if your painting turned out a bit dark, it would be honest.

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

Yup, I won't have the test result any other way. ^^

You are an assassin.
That means you are a proffessional and do your
job without mixing any emotions in it. In
your life you have probably been hurt many
times and have gotten some mental scars. This
results in you being distant from people.
Though many think that you are evil, you are
not. What you really are is a person, trying
to forget your pain and past. You are the
person who never seems to care and that is
why being an assassin fits you good. At least,
that's what people think. Even if you don't
care that much for your victims, you still
have the ability to care and to generally
feel. It is not lost, just a little
forgotten. In crowds you tend to not get to
noticed, and dress in black or other discrete
colours. You don't being in the spotlight and
wish people would just leave you alone. But
once you do get close to someone you have a
hard time letting go and get real down if you
loose him/her.

Main weapon: Sniper
Quote: "The walls we build around
us to keep out the sadness also keep out the
joy" -Jim Rohn
Facial expression: Narrowed eyes

What Type of Killer Are You? [cool pictures]
brought to you by Quizilla

With this one, I'm speechless.

SHORTS

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 08:17:47 GMT

Like I said on yesterday's article, Happy Valentine's Day to all..whatever that means.

On another note, Happy Birthday, nilathiel. ^_^

And yes, here's a shameless self-plug: my Johari window. Well, it's not really shameless, methinks. After all, the topic is legit--I actually remember this issue being tackled in a Social Psychology class.

I've done the Johari Window bit for:

Till the next time I actually get to write something decent or worth the while, bye. XD

HUNG UP

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:33:53 GMT

I’m not hung up on my ex (well, not anymore!). I’m not hung up on the way my relationships as of late have been going. I’m not hung up on the prospect of having a girlfriend. I’m hung up on love.

Now, before anyone gets the wrong impression, allow me to point out that the whole premise of Valentine’s Day—and how it’s celebrated (or more accurately, how it has come to represent “love”) is what takes my goat. Here we have probably the only holiday that rivals Christmas in terms of commercialization. It was not too long ago that we get by with a letter of two, and possibly a bouquet of flowers from our respective “squeezes”. Now we have greeting cards, e-greeting cards, romantic emails, romantic text messages, the kissing event that happened last Saturday, et cetera, et cetera. Not that it’s sickening or anything to that effect, but one does have to lament how love in general has come to be portrayed.

Such is the way of commercialized holidays: they provide us with convenient excuses to stay as complete assholes the rest of the year. Save for a few days that we act in our Sunday best (Christmas, Valentine’s Day—any other holiday that has become uber-commercialized), we are basically callow, condescending, boorish, manipulative, and pompous all year round. Commercialized holidays make it easy for some people to forget that their significant other (any person they think highly of or care about, for that matter) has not exactly been keeping to his or her best behavior.

The net effect of all this commercialization (geez, even motels are cashing in on the trend. If we were not so close-knit a society as we are, I honestly doubt if there are going to be as much motels as there are now) is that the very holidays we celebrate become no more than clichés. Surely no one wants such a special day to suffer a significant decrease in meaning, if not an abject absence of it. But sadly, that is what’s happening nowadays. We have too many ways to celebrate holidays that the holidays themselves come as only little more than afterthoughts. Valentine’s Day is no exception.

And yes, don’t get me started as to how Valentine’s Day closely mimics the Roman Lupercalia in essence. For the uninitiated, the Lupercalia is a festival held in honor of Faunus, Roman god of fertility and forests.

Here's how the feast takes place, courtesy of Wikipedia:

The religious ceremonies were directed by the Luperci, the "brothers of the wolf", priests of Faunus, dressed only in a goatskin. During Lupercalia, a dog and two male goats were sacrificed. Two patrician youths were anointed with the blood, which was wiped off with wool soaked in milk, after which they were expected to smile and laugh. The Luperci afterwards dressed themselves in the skins of the sacrificed goats, in imitation of Lupercus, and ran round the Palatine Hill with thongs cut from the skins in their hands. These were called Februa. Girls would line up on their route to receive lashes from these whips. This was supposed to ensure fertility.

Yes, this seemingly Christianized holiday has pagan origins. Well, that makes V-Day no different from Christmas in my book. In fact, I do remember the Vatican debunking the celebration of V-day as a Catholic holiday, ergo, debunking the perception that Valentine was a real saint, along with St. George, the patron of England. So much for the thought that Valentine’s Day is Catholic (or more impossibly put, Christian) in origin, huh?

Come to think of it, do we really need to set aside one day out of our 365 in a year to celebrate love and all its possible permutations? Shouldn’t love be celebrated all year round? Shouldn’t the meaning of love transcend our materialistic tendencies, our temporal desires as humans?

If it did, then commercialism would suffer a major blow, I guess. Either way, these are just some thoughts from a sober mind amid the revelry that it is caught up in. Happy Valentine’s Day in advance, whatever that means.

POEM..(again)

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:02:34 GMT

NIGHT

Ball of fire goes down
And cold stone rises
I can feel the chill in the air
You hear the wind whisper
For the night
is the loveliest moment that life
can ever bring.

AN OLD POEM (to exorcise a new ghost)

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 08:05:35 GMT

LINGER

I dive into
the void of you

Emptiness engulfs me
like a dark blanket would do

It covers the child fear
from innocence, the divide

Traversing pathless space
seeking refuge, I hide

I dive into
the void of you

I search for you
from within

Praying, hoping
we might escape, wishful thinking

One finds the other
yet both become lost in the dreaming

I dive into
the void of you

...and I cease to exist.

I've been giving it a lot of thought lately. One gives a lot of himself to another person, and ends up having nothing in the end. More than agonizing over the fact that serious emotional scarring might have occurred on my part though, I'm more worried about my book that was never returned to me by my cousin, Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses.

Still, a fitting denouement is in order; perhaps to effect some modicum of closure. So on that note, farewell, Maryann.

YET MORE POEMS DUG UP

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:19:11 GMT

LOVE POEM

I often ask myself
why do you want me to write
proclamations of honest answers and
rosy promises;

sonnets and declarations
of memories cherished;
songs that lull you
to sleep

in this world of tall tales
and exaggerations,

I lie beyond,
living the lines;
the verses that write
a poem.

HALLWAYS

Trudging the ghosts of these
silent years past,
One is compelled not to remember
but mourn the demise of ignorance;
for in these halls
One is compelled not to remember
but mourn the birth of lore...

RANDOM QUIZZES

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 14:44:02 GMT

Ok, so I had to post something, but I'm not up to speed...so I took a few quizzes, and here are the results:

You belong to the Ventrue clan!
The Ventrue clan is the youngest, yet seemingly the
most influencial clan. The Ventrue are the
nobles, and aristocrates of the olden days,
and portrayed as successful business men and
women in modern times. You are effecient,
well informed, clever, and you generally
understand how the world works. The Ventrue
are possibly the most down to earth members
of the vampire race. They are proud,
merciless, and powerful. Conflict is
generally avoided with the Ventrue clan
because if nothing else they can boast one
thing: They win. The ALWAYS win.You are elegent, sophisticated, hard working, and
power hungry. Nothing seems to get in your
way!You spend alot of time in both the vampiric and
mortal world dealing with politics and
climbing up the social ladder. You have a
strong mind and your powers usually include
abilities that reflect that, such as mind
control. You can pretty much get along with
the other clans, except for you can't stand those from the Daeva. Their vanity and
inability to take situations seriously
usually annoys you.Symbol: A scepter inside a crown.
Major Sin: Greed and Pride
Weakness: Your own pride and power lust sometimes
makes your actions predictable and can often
become your downfall.
Likely Phrase to say: "Let me make this
perfectly clear, you are going to accept my
offer sooner or later. You will like it much
less later."

What Vampire Clan do you Belong in?
brought to you by Quizilla

This is not at all removed from reality. I played as a Ventrue when I was still hooked on Vampire: the Masquerade. ^_^

You are the Killer! You might as well be the spawn
of Satan. You have no soul, no
remorse...plus, you are unkillable. They
pretty much have to saw off your head in
order for you to die. You get your jollies
from mutilating sluts and assholes...but
because you are evil, you must die...too bad,
so sad...

Which Horror Movie Stereotype Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Now this is unexpected.

A RARE POEM

Sat, 04 Feb 2006 08:51:57 GMT

YOU

You come out at night,
like the moon you bask in borrowed light;
I catch a glimpse, a kiss, a touch,
which obviously doesn't mean much
to you--

We both know how to play the game,
though I wasn't able to catch your name;
I know the words,
but they're acted, not spoken
to you--

Through the night's games and charades,
the memory of you fades.
Much pleasure there is to gain,
though with it, lasting pain
from you--

Emotions afire and hearts ablaze,
we are lulled to sleep by shared embrace.
A night of bliss, it would seem,
until I wake from this broken dream
Of you.

MOVING ON...

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 07:50:32 GMT

Much has been said about the two words that serve as this entry’s title. It just so happens that a lot of those things said come by way of local politics. That said, the expression has taken on a life all its own, although the respect that it is said in is not exactly beholden to the discerning person’s perception.

Ok, so the preceding paragraph did not exactly make a lot of sense. What I am trying to say here is that what the government would have us believe is that all the good things happening to our country so far necessitates “moving along” or “moving on.” It has become a diatribe—a mantra, if you will. Jesus Christ, I can hear Don Quixote charging headlong into a brick wall. Yes, I said “brick wall”, and no, not “windmill.”

Take, for instance, the performance of the local currency against the US dollar. Much has been said about the muscle it gains (and continues to gain, I might add) at the market nowadays. Yeah, everyone is happy; so long as the “everyone” in the preceding clause does not include the grizzled overseas workers who drag these dollars to our shores in the first place! Not to mention their immediate families who just discovered that all the blood, sweat, and tears that their relatives bring home amount to, well, not exactly chump change, but paychecks with significant deductions, by virtue of the “strong performance” of the peso. Oh yeah, I have not talked about the long-term pitfalls of a currency performing in a strong albeit foolhardy manner. Suffice it to say, it can and will not bode well for all of us.

Second, the implementation of the value-added tax late last year has us all by the throat. Soon, the additional 2% VAT will be implemented, and while the workingman suffers another blow to his paper-thin paycheck (figuratively, that is), all the tax cheats and their benefactors are rolling in dough. This is what the government has us common Joes to do: suffer the brunt of more taxes while smarting from the existing problems of an inutile tax system that remain unaddressed. The much-toted “belt-tightening” program has now been dubbed “noose-tightening,” ladies and gentlemen. We are all but dying to welcome the name change. Literally.

But perhaps, the most formidable pretense (pray tell, is there such a thing?) in which the expression “moving on” is harped at is to set aside any and all questions about the incumbent’s legitimacy. This woman, well, Gnome, wants us to just forget about her scruples as a leader and rally behind her in building the much-vaunted “Strong Republic.” Gee whiz, how can we forget about someone who answers any and all issues about her legitimacy in an evasive manner? How can we forget about someone who resorted to lining the pockets of her cohorts to block and quash any and all attempts to make sense of one of the most highly contested elections in recent history? How can we forget about someone who apologized for having committed a major disservice by calling an election official (who will remain mercifully anonymous for the entirety of this article), only to dismiss it in the same breath as a “lapse in judgment?” Ideally, the chances of us forgetting such a travesty is slim to none. But wait, there’s more.

With regard to pretenses, the most brand-spanking new of these is whole Charter change issue. I’ve addressed this in an earlier article (“Lofty Dreams, Sordid Realities”), so I’m going to go through only the most salient points made. As far as the incumbent is concerned, she is pushing for an overhaul of the 1987 Constitution to remove any and all doubts about BOTH of her presidential terms. What our cute President does not realize is that using Charter change to solve her legitimacy issues is not just antithetical—it is downright idiotic.

I’m going to quote an excerpt from a recent article by INQUIRER columnist Conrado de Quiros regarding the whole Charter change schtick:

“If you cannot solve so fundamental, so elemental, so stark a problem as determining who ought to rule, how can you hope to solve so complicated, so convoluted, so multi-layered a problem as what system of government to have?”

The man hit the nail right on the head, I must say. But hey, I hear people mouthing off. “Why should be bother with booting the incumbent out of office when there is no one better suited for the job?” In response to that, I say wholeheartedly, “Fuck you. Who in the blazes are you to determine who should be at the helm? The people had their voices stolen, let them decide.” It is not for a small group of people, however widely they are adored or abhorred, to decide who runs the government, whatever kind of government we end up having. That matter is rightfully for the voters to decide. Anyone who says otherwise is welcome to a riotous mugging.

In addition, the same people just think that focusing on the “good news” will help us bring more of the same. That these auspicious developments (the term “auspicious” used loosely) are prime reason for us to rally behind the incumbent and parrot her cause. I certainly will not need to overstate the patent idiocy of that assumption. It’s as if we all live in ivory towers, detached from reality! Fortunately, we don’t. Well, some of us, at the very least.

These are just some of the pretenses that the government (and a few people who are still bound by their words, by ways fair or foul) holds onto to add veracity to the need to “move on.” These pretenses are not too flattering, to say the least. Yet still, people insist on taking these—hook, line and sinker, for all the rhyme, reason and logic they defy. To which I reply, and I quote de Quiros yet again: “Stop the bus, I’m getting off.”

SELF-PORTRAIT (a reprise)

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 07:25:14 GMT

Got this from asheara and onelast_sunset. Gave it a try, and here are the results:

Ten Top Trivia Tips about John!

John is only six percent water!
Every day in the UK, four people die putting John on.
If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn into John.
Oranges, lemons, watermelons, pineapples and John are all berries!
Ninety-six percent of all candles sold are purchased by John.
John can turn his stomach inside out.
If you kiss John for one minute you will burn six or seven calories!
Johnocracy is government by John.
The most dangerous form of John is the bicycle.
If you lace John from the inside to the outside, the fit will be snugger around your big toe!

Wow. Johnocracy. I like the sound of that. Mwahahaha.

INTROSPECTION (1-26)

Sat, 28 Jan 2006 04:50:13 GMT

There I was, downing a couple of beers with friends and neighbors on an overcast Thursday afternoon. I was barely successful in shaking off the cobwebs that settled on my head in the course of an eight-hour graveyard shift. About half the time I was with my cronies, talking about life in general over a few spirits, I was mumbling seemingly incoherent stuff. One fellow made sense of my unintelligible ramblings and said that they were United States airport codes. Indeed he was correct. I said, with a hearty laugh and a silly (read: slightly intoxicated) face that training at the contact center is that intensive—and I was just getting through the middle innings of Week One!

More or less, I thought that I basically had this coming. Waxing all wistful and nostalgic about times where all I cared about was doing well on largely personal endeavors. Even then, one can say that I didn’t care much. I basically lived my college life up, milking it for all it was worth, until that one point came and I realized, “I have got to get my act together.” And so I did. I cast aside all my misgivings about life post-academe and went on to write my undergraduate thesis, and move on to graduation.

It was well-written work, said the professors of my thesis, which ended up as the only work submitted to them from the ever-thinning Psychology department that semester. You got that right. Out of the three people slated to finish come October last year, I was the only one who managed to pull through. Funny when you think that the other two guys were ahead of me while finishing (well, attempting to finish, in retrospect) the blasted thing. Oh, right. I should love my work. I wept blood trying to accomplish it. I shouldn’t be calling it “blasted.” But anyway.

In hindsight, I decided to momentarily pull the plug on all things that I enjoyed doing and got serious. I originally thought that adjusting to this setup was a cinch, that it was the easiest thing in the world for a guy fresh out from college—a bit overdue in departure, but still fresh, as I’d like to believe. But then, to quote an earlier entry of mine, the whole experience, not too different from the graveyard schedule I was to tackle for the rest of the week (it wasn’t that I didn’t take a liking to the sked) was “like learning to walk all over again.”

So now, in between the times that I actually get to go swimming, playing online games, hanging out with friends and drinking till dawn (one thing I sorely miss), or just plain staying home and getting bored, I lapse into deep thought. Having this highly introspective tack on things has sort of helped me in adjusting, although I know for a damned fact that I still have a ways to go.

I’m not one to use the term “mid-life crisis” for this seeming quandary I am in. For all intents and purposes, this may very well be far from the “mid-life crisis” that has somehow figured into pop culture from its niche in the collective psyche of the group of people in their twenties—those who have finished their studies (even this is an option, then as now), taking on jobs modest enough to take care of the weekend’s needs (hahaha). I’m not even sure if this is a problem in itself. A passing phase, maybe, but who’s to tell? Certainly not me, at the moment. Nope.

In the meantime, this introspective tack on things is expected to continue. This is probably the only way—the only option, if you will—barring talking to friends and companions, over spirits or otherwise, that will help me make sense of the multifarious events in my life lately.

Going back to that small repartee over a case of San Mig Strong Ice with my cronies, I thought that a lot really was going on in my life. Some of my buddies could relate, others had some pretty comforting thoughts (some of them “cold comfort”, but I wasn’t one to take notice at the time). All in all, I was reassured of the approach I was about to take. A grain of salt, and a calm perspective for everything that is happening—this is what I silently psyched myself up for. With all these events going far, probably the only thing I could work with is to take things philosophically, I mused.

Or maybe I was just drunk out of my wits. On a Thursday afternoon.

LOFTY DREAMS, SORDID REALITIES

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 15:13:10 GMT

I knew I had it coming. One life event happening too many, evidently keeping me from writing about, well, one pressing matter in local current events-Charter change.

I've been sitting in the fence for a few days now. Having looked at the issue from both sides, the gadfly in me has decided to assert itself yet again-this time, on an issue that speaks of lofty dreams in place of sordid realities.

A few of you may sound surprised and say, "Isn't the 'lofty dream, sordid reality' deal a recurring phenomenon in local current events, most notoriously in local politics?" To which I curtly reply, "You are correct." For all intents and purposes, this whole premise rears its ugly head once more. The only difference now is, the icing does not cover much of the shit cake, in a manner of speaking.

A few months ago, our cute President Gloria Macapagal-Arrovo, err, Arroyo, created a "consultative commission" to look into the possibility of overhauling the 1987 Constitution. In plain view of that development alone, the administration has made a monumental blunder. The Executive department has no power to field such a commission. But our cute President went along with it anyway. And please, do not get me started with the names that can be found in the masthead. Jose Abueva, Jarius Bondoc, among others? These guys are nothing more than paid hacks of the broke but cute administration (gee, I've been reading Conrado Banal's INQUIRER column way too much! He's to be credited for calling PGMA-the whole administration actually, "cute", not me).

The bone of contention behind Charter change is that, in view of the recent auspicious developments (the term "auspicious" used loosely) like the Philippine peso's strong performance against the US dollar and the influx of foreign investments, among others, the people need to rally behind this cute administration on the ship bound for economic recovery. Lofty dream, it is indeed. But as I said, it does little to hide the mire and filth our beloved leaders are wallowing in with great gusto.

To my knowledge, before the aberration known as the "consultative commission" started on the business of "consulting people from all walks of life, people with different political persuasions", they were already asking for more funding. Our broke but cute administration is only too happy to line the pockets of those who make up the Commission. "Sacre bleu," as the French would say. After all, one would logically expect the administration and the Commission to essentially be members of a mutual admiration society. The draft that they would submit late last year is damning proof of that premise. And yes, don't get me started on the allegations that the Commission consulted their own rear ends throughout the whole process-allegations that have not been refuted to this day.

The forerunning proposal of the Commission, the spearhead, if you will, among others, is the change from a bicameral/presidential system to a unicameral/parliamentary one. Let me just say this, a contention of most people I come across: "the way the Triumvirate is acting right now, we are getting good reasons why NOT to change the Charter-a reason which is clearer than day itself."

Who comprises the Triumvirate? A gnome, Master Yoda, and the Cigar-Chewing Man, that's who. My apologies to the "little people", to George Lucas, and that character in the X-Files whose real name I can't remember (the "Cigarette-Smoking Man"), for my seemingly reckless usage of their characters and likenesses. Reckless, it would seem, because these guys will definitely find it offensive to be associated with the three most notorious figureheads in the Charter change issue.

For those who would rather go direct to the point, I'm talking about our cute President, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, and former president Fidel Ramos. The machinations of these three alone give us prima facie evidence against any and all moves for an overhaul of the Constitution. These three want the existing Charter dropped in favor of a new one that will cater to the most lurid of their interests.

Our cute President wants the Charter changed so any and all doubts about her legitimacy will be cleared-essentially-under rug swept. Joe de V knows he can never reach the top of the heap, as far as our current form of government is concerned, so he intends to reach the top of the heap by reducing the current system to rubble and helping build a new one more "cooperative" to his own interests. Ramos, the self-styled diplomat, just cannot help but hog the limelight all to himself, despite avowals that getting back in the game, in a manner of speaking, is not among his priorities. Unlike any old soldier, this one just refuses to fade away, as the song goes.

Recent developments in this game are as follows: FVR reportedly demanded that our cute President step down in 2007. JDV did one over his mentor and province mate by siding with the Gnome. And the Gnome recently asserted, amid mounting turbulence in the military (effectively the LAST place any self-respecting head of state wants to have any semblance of unrest), that she intends to see the legal end of her term. Note that in the preceding sentence I use the term "legal" very loosely and will not make any sort of apology about it.

The picture is clear: these three figureheads are fighting tooth and nail for power. In their individual bids, a common thread is evinced: overhauling the Charter that saw at least two of them assuming the highest position in the land. I will echo what I asserted earlier: there is not a lot of icing covering this shit cake.

Former Supreme Court Justice Isagani Cruz said it best in his column: "if the proposed parliamentary system will be controlled by the same rotten politicians running the present presidential system, we will be riding on a different ship of state but still be bound for the same perdition." Everyone is just too jaded to talk about politics or change in leadership, and I don't blame them...yet. But here's where I draw the line: if anyone wants me to just parrot the cause of the administration to hop on aboard the ship to perceived economic recovery, to move beyond the mire and filth they wallow in and hold their hands in flimsy hopes of turning things back around, I will tell them that they would do better throwing me overboard.

SELF-PORTRAIT

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 15:09:36 GMT

Note: this entry was composed on 21 January 2006 but was posted only recently.

In between studying the myriad of forms that I have to fill up as a fresh office boy and listening to all radio comments on changing the Constitution (an article on that will come real soon) on a Sunday afternoon, the question "who is Strychnos?" suddenly came to mind. The more I lingered on the thought, the more I surmised that it was just another ticklish, skittish issue. Then again, I pondered the fact that apart from his writings and the short bio found on LiveJournal, not a lot is known about this twentysomething who pours his thoughts out (mostly on politics and current events) at a semi-regular basis.

With that in mind, I've decided to write a bit of an in-depth (I hope) bio--a portrait, if you will, of the twentysomething by himself. Being a bit lazy, I will present highlights and sidelights in bullet-point, making them as short and succinct as possible. "There is something to be said about parsimony; explaining things in the shortest, yet most logical manner," one of my Psychology professors once mused. So without further ado, here is the skinny on Strychnos:

He was born on 11 December 1981, somewhere in the northern part of the archipelago.
He took his pseudonym from the scientific name of a poisonous plant native to the Americas.
He studied in what could very well be considered Catholic sectarian institutions, but ended up having an inquisitive nature that would make both Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche proud.
He is single, and straight. 'Nuff said.
He is a southpaw.
He is brainy without necessarily looking the part.
He can be dark, very dark--without necessarily looking the part about, uhmm, 75% of the time.
His average typing speed is 42.5 words per minute. Yet he has not mastered positioning his fingers in relation to the layout of the keyboard.
He's a consummate gamer. When he says consummate, he means it. Just ask his friends. Or better yet, his professors back in college. Harharhar.
He plays console, PC and online games. When time permits, that is.
He likes parodies, satires, stand-up comedy (the US kind), and movies that have quasi-philosophical themes, regardless of genre.
He likes music that is well-thought about, no matter what genre. On that note, he can be very discriminating and might sound like an elitist.
It just so happens that most music he enjoys are from the metal (progressive, melodic death, power), classical, jazz and world varieties. He hates pop music with a passion-and could care less as to what it stands for.
He has, at most, a passing interest in anything IT-related.
He went from Frontpage to Notepad with regard to webdesign, and has yet to master Cascading Style Sheets. Although he would certainly like to learn it in due time.
On that note, he does not know enough HTML to be considered a HTML expert. HTML savant, maybe, because he can be almost idiotic in neurosis, and neurotic in idiocy.
His knowledge of Javascript, CGI, Perl, ASP or any other Web programming language is limited to looking up codes and scripts on a search engine.
He updates his blog every now and then.
He talks passionately about technology, psychology, philosophy and politics. Life in general is also a good topic, but not necessarily the be-all and end-all for this guy.
He speaks and writes in impeccable English.
Although sometimes, he admits to taking a more leisurely pace in writing, a pace that would make William Strunk, Jr. turn in his grave.
He has a rather extensive vocabulary that he uses frequently.
He occasionally writes poetry and prose.

All right, all these facts leave me more confused than when I started. These will do-for now.

ELEVENTH HOURS, MAKING THE GRADE, AND TAKING THE TIME

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 17:26:51 GMT

One work week has passed. A work week that had its highs and lows. A work week that went along as soon as it came. A work week that didn't exactly feel like one. I'm talking about NHO - New Hire Orientation.

Five days of bonding with 75 (give or take a few numbers) people at PeopleSupport. 75 people--different backgrounds, different schools, different persuasions. Some are familiar faces, others, well, not so familiar. Hell, I even saw a classmate of mine from grade school!

Lectures about company policies, business procedures and whatnot followed in the coming days, with us realizing neither the purpose or urgency of it all--until Assessment reared its head.

Everyone of us was reviewing and psyching themselves up over cigarettes and mocha frappes, my account batchmates included. Not that I joined them in it--I had an espresso frappe (make that two), and no smokes. Anyway. The overall mood of the day is one embroiled in uncertainty and abject fear. Everyone was on their toes.

Come the exam proper, everyone was in their best, I thought. Nervous, but with best feet forward. I felt that the ice water in my veins sort of slid into room temperature, though. I rifled through the items and didn't let up. Through it all, I was as anxious as anyone else. One of those instances that had me thinking, "Geez, I'm no different! Gaack!"

After a few hours came the results. A lot of us cleared it. Everyone was just jubilant. Me? Well, I'm ecstatic.

Perhaps, this song can best describe what I'm feeling at the moment:

Dream Theater - "Take the Time"

...Just let me catch my breath--
I've heard all the promises, I've seen the mistakes,
I've had my fair share of tough breaks;
Need a new voice, new law, new way--
take the time, reevaluate
I think it's time to pick up the pieces--go back to square one,
I think it's time for a change!

There is something that I feel,
To be something that is real--
I feel the heat within my mind,
And craft new changes with my eyes;

Giving freely wandering promises,
A place with decisions I'll fashion--
I won't waste another breath...

You can feel the waves coming on,
(It's time to take the time!)
Let them destroy you or carry you on--
(It's time to take the time...)
You're fighting the weight of the world,
But no one can save you this time;
Close your eyes--
You can find all you need in your mind...

The unbroken spirit,
Obscured and disquiet,
Finds clearness this trial demands;
And at the end of this day, sighs an anxious relief--
For the fortune lies still in his hands;

If there's pensive fear, a wasted year,
A man must learn to cope--
If his obsession's real,
Suppression that he feels
must turn to hope...

Life is no more assuring than love
(It's time to take the time!)
There are no answers from voices above
(It's time to take the time...)
You're fighting the weight of the world,
And no one can save you this time;
Close your eyes--
You can find all you need in your mind...

I close my eyes,
And feel the water rise around me;
Drown the bead of time, Let my senses fall away--
I can see much clearer now I'm blind...

You can feel the waves coming on,
(It's time to take the time!)
Let them destroy you or carry you on--
(It's time to take the time...)
You're fighting the weight of the world,
And no one can save you this time;
Close your eyes--
You can find all you need in your mind...

Find all you need in your mind,
If you take the time...

So much for a "Week in Review". XD Will be posting later, methinks.

ANOTHER REGULAR ENTRY XD

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 14:48:09 GMT

So there I was, at the PeopleSupport Center. It was 9.30 am. I took the time to empty my bladder a few minutes earlier. I prayed that my breath did not smell of the Sausage McMuffin combo I had an hour ago. I was literally wolfing down my breath mints like they were candy. Oh wait, they do count as candies. Whatever. I was so tense that I swore the syncopated tom-tom beat I was hearing was not from the song put on repeat in the mp3 player I brought along, but from my heart.

Why all of this? Well, this morning, I showed up in what, for all intents and purposes, could be my Saturday night best (yeah, yeah, yeah—says my gaming cronies) for the job offer and contract signing. Like a wide-eyed college graduate, I awaited what would be my formal foray into the world outside the hallowed confines of the school, outside its vaunted embrace. But wait, I am a college graduate. And I was also wide-eyed. Again, whatever.

I could have just sat there and bided my time, by myself. But then again, the tension will eventually drive me beside myself, so I talked with a few of the applicants who were also there for the job offer. Some were fresh graduates like moi, while others were transferring to the company from another one (or another field, for that matter). We literally chatted each other up while waiting for the woman from the Recruitment department.

The woman ended up arriving at around 11 am. Jeez. In my mind’s eye, I thought that this is just a case of, essentially, a Filipino tradition permeating the confines of a multinational corporation (read: Filipino time). My unspoken allegation was retorted at (rather succinctly) by the very charming lady, as she said that they needed to wait so that they can be assured that everyone who was called up for the job offer would be present. “Fine,” I muttered under my breath. All the while, I carried myself like a giddy schoolboy on a field trip. Without exactly looking like one, that is.

The job offer and contract signing went smoothly. It was my nerves that were a bit worked. The woman from Recruitment walked us through the whole process, which included us reading the contract and ended up asking pertinent questions about it. I had to concentrate and read up, which was kinda hard to do at the time, because I was in the presence of that stunning lady. Anyway.

After the whole deal, I bade my newfound friends adieu, and had lunch. The signing process took just one hour, but for obvious reasons, time sort of stood still.

Next Monday, I am to go back to that quaint building in the middle of Makati Medical Center and the Makati Fire Station—not as an applicant, but as a trainee. Talk about climbing the food chain, rung by rung.

In essence it felt like I went through a lot, yet very little. As I wrap this ditty up, I say to myself, “Self, it’s like learning to walk all over again, isn’t it?”