“surprise! you’re in koreatown!”
it was as if the screaming korean characters in the billboards and in the buildings were not enough to tell you that you’ve just entered the anneong- land of los angeles, koreans of all ages and sizes flocked the streets and the train station. i went to coffee bean and tea leaf for refuge while i waited for my date. i just knew her last saturday. she owns a voice that borders on being sexy and being sweet. she sounds exciting, that’s all i knew about her.
as, the 101’s traffic jam delayed her arrival, i filled my system with brewed coffee and 80% dark chocolates. after an hour of waiting and occasional kissing with the coffee cup, i just realized how she easily got me involved to meet up with her. she just sent me an sms yesterday afternoon, asking if we could meet up somewhere. i instantly agreed. she told me not to worry. she said she would pick me up. and so i succumbed to her plan without any clue of who she is or whatever we would do or wherever she would take me; and those make things more stimulating.
after an hour, 44 minutes and 33 seconds, she arrived at the place driving her flaming red sports car. and so she picked me up, had a little chat, fetched her friend, and then off we went to the brass monkey bar.
-the social stigma that people gifted with a great voice do not usually have the looks was challenged by my date. i found out that she was an ilongga. oh now i am not surprised where her soft and sexy voice came from.
-it was worth the effort and the risk to meet-up with a stranger you just known last saturday. she’s a stunner. the natural curves, the mild features of her face, and the liberated spirit that carries made my night.
-nothing beats the videoke experience at the philippines. videoke here is only colorful lyrics flashing on a flat screen with black background; although i do admire the idea of having to sing your favorite karaoke songs in front of an audience.
-the crowd in small places is more intimate. maybe it’s the effect of the emission of the collective warmth of bodies soaked in alcohol, good food and fun.
-sudden ecstatic moments in the limelight lift the spirit of alcohol in your body. the applause and cheers from the audience could evaporate the alcohol from your system. never sing well if you wanted to get drunk.
-next time, choose a better song-list. the songs i sang seemed to have an emo pattern with it. (songs sang in order: creep by radiohead, basketcase by greenday, alone by heart, and i can’t make you love me by bonnie raitt)
-corona beer is teh win! but i still miss red horse though.
-always bring a camera with you. high resolution cameras would be better. you’ll never know when you can get paparazzi shots.
-who said i have to experience the maroon 5 in concert to rub elbows with them? mr adam levine and his gang chilled at the same bar last night. fortunately my date had her camera phone handy.
-another picture-picture moment with jonah hill of superbad
-it’s ok to suck at your last song. just make sure that the crowd is noisy enough to cover the flaws of your notes.
-i should have a car asap. the ilongga chick can’t drive me home forever.
- warning. my heart beats for her. i should not fall in love at the wrong moment.
-the quality your sleep never depends on the hour you spend sleeping. i slept at around 2 am, woke up at 5, and i am still raving about last night.
now i love koreatown. in some degree, it makes me feel like i belong. haha
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2/25/2008
do you?
i think the more appropriate question to ask these days is
"what is your problem?"
rather than asking
"do you have a problem?"
well, this is just based on my assumption that (almost) everyone in this planet do have a problem.
some people might coat their problems with euphemisms, by calling them trials, tests, etc, but in essence, they are still problems. it's how you view your problems that makes a difference.
"what is your problem?"
rather than asking
"do you have a problem?"
well, this is just based on my assumption that (almost) everyone in this planet do have a problem.
some people might coat their problems with euphemisms, by calling them trials, tests, etc, but in essence, they are still problems. it's how you view your problems that makes a difference.
2/22/2008
all lights red
impromptu stops in the midst of a moving traffic kills.
blame it on my eagerness to cross the street. i pushed the “cross the street” button several times to catch the bus from the other side of the road but unfortunately, the traffic lights went berserk and then red lights from all directions, more like the eyes of medusa, stunned the eyes of its victims lulled under the spell of the morning rush. people knocked people in front of them, vehicles hit other vehicles from behind, and a flood of thoughts crashed into the mind like waters in rage against a dam.
last monday i asked the mighty force of the universe to give me any form of exercise aside from the daily pseudo jogs to catch the bus and the train. and guess what? immediately after i arrived at the office, my boss asked me to load, unload and carry boxes and boxes of products to the trailer truck for shipment. nah. the boxes weren’t that heavy. it only weighs an average of 20 kilos per box.
since monday, i’ve carried more or less 400 boxes of goods to the truck. the slight improvement of my horizontally stretching physique compensated the assault of subtle muscle pains. at the end of each day, the swollen muscles would always remind me how physically challenged i am. those are the moments when you find yourself suddenly stuck in the state of rest, pause, or any limbo in space where the concocted feelings of pain, fear, apprehensions, weaknesses, regrets and insecurities hit you in a frenzy. it is the fall down the abyss of a seemingly ceaseless introspection.
wallowing in as many activities as you can, engaging in as many engagements as possible, and doing multiple things at the same time could keep you from the blows of your emotions. keeping yourself and your mind preoccupied creates a diversion that could last until your physical and mental prowess wanes. but that’s the deal, your physical and mental limitations would eventually slide you down the abyss of introspection. it’s good if you can control your pace so that you don’t get hit by your past and you don’t bump into your future worries, but life fucks us all in mysterious ways. and sometimes, you encounter red lights in all directions without warning.
the thought of beating the red lights consumed me after minutes of swimming in the pool of confusion, but i’m glad i succumbed to patience that i met a new bus friend who happened to live just a few blocks away from our place. she carries a light spirit that makes bus rides less susceptible to introspective pauses.
2/18/2008
2/16/2008
morning bus affair
every morning, at around 7:45, we make love in the air.
her eye lashes would always attempt to kiss mine each time our lips would lock to catch a breath of each other’s soul. she would always utter soft moans as i trace the outlines of her earlobes with my tongue. i would follow the racing droplets of sweat from her neck to the valleys of her bosom down to the oasis in her abdomen. the undulating movement of her body moves in synch with the movements of the bus, thus making the pleasure more electrifying; it hits the nerves from the toe, to the spine, up to the lust-hungry brain.
my fingers would play with the skin of her erogenous zones, caressing, tickling and teasing till it breathes out the steam and the moisture of love. my moistened fingers would explore the virgin areas of her body that sends her to move in sync with the undulating movements of the bus.
every day, at around 7:45 in the morning, our spirits make love in the air.
riding a bus to work is always a dive to the sea of multi-cultural strangers. each trip is a swim against the swarm of races. from americans, to asians, to hispanics, to africans down to the cross-bred individuals who view each other as a stranger; cold, afraid, intimidating, and posing a character to shield the self from the judgmental world. but if you try to observe closer, you will discover that the strangers around you are not that strange after all.
it was monday when the sparks start flying between me and this stranger. she is a princess crowned with a pony-tail of bronze with streaks of copper. her amber eyes highlight the strength of her character that she triumphantly demonstrates with her posture. the blank expression that she wears makes the blood on her lips glow with her skin. she is a creature caught inside the body of a woman on its transitional stage of innocence to full bloom maturity.
the innocence of her aura makes her more exciting. she knows how to play, to flirt, and to entice with her eyes. you can easily sense her repressed joy as you chase her eyes, desperate to establish contact- to communicate, to relate the degree of passion in your heart, to show praise, to make love.
she knows her game. aside from being a close reflection of liv tyler, with a body of similar features with jessica biel, she exudes an enchanting charm that poisons my guard and weakens me to your knees in such a way that i wouldn’t want to move an inch away from her. she would shoot me0 with her piercing looks the moment i would pretend to glance away from her. those are the golden moments, the rare moments for me to seize the opportunity to commune with her, to make love with her.
in a fraction of a second, as i summon all the elements of courage from my system, i catch her eyes and told her my intentions. it is the fastest, yet the most complicated form of discourse that i’ve ever had in my life. it more than sensual, it is spiritual. on that fraction of a second, i’ve told her through my eyes that i like her, and that i wanted to make love with her, that i wanted to kiss her, that i wanted to marry her someday, that i wanted to share my spirit with her. then she looked away, breathing heavily, for she has lost her guard.
it was on monday, at around 7:45 in the morning that we first made love.
i know i have reasons to celebrate my triumph for she sent me a faint smile after we made love in the air. since then, every bus ride in the morning is nirvana (at least for now). and yes, i still don’t know her name yet. but i will. soon, after we retire our affairs inside the bus.
2/12/2008
not your usual valentine trick
last night was relatively hotter than the other nights, 68˚F as compared to the usual 40-50˚F. i deviated from my usual bus route and took another bus that would drop me a block closer to our abode. the wind was calm. there was no hushing, no blowing and no whispering of an impending tragedy. the sky was generous enough to give way to the guiding light of the moon and the stars. everything appeared like the usual night at the los angeles valley, where every corner of the street was painted with the impression of absolute safety. everything was just like the other nights until i saw bouquets of flowers, balloons, teddy bears, and candles on the corner of the street’s intersection just a few steps from the base of the traffic light.
it was quite an unusual sight from what used to be a dark corner of the street. there were red roses, white roses, mums, and other varieties of flowers that you would usually associate with lovers, courting, flirting and with anything that has got to do with romance and hearts. add the presence of stuffed toys that acts like the guards of the flowers, the balloons and the candles. at first i thought of it as a prank, another gimmick by some freaks in the neighborhood, but after i saw the cards with embossed i love you in it, it occurred to me that it was no prank. it was another valentine trick. i found it cute though, maybe because of its sincerity, that despite its off location, you can sense the emotions of the person who might have placed it there.
i paused for a while a few meters from the spot; maybe a couple of minutes, anticipating a romantic scene from cross-street lovers where one lover runs from the other edge of the street to meet the other lover waiting on the other side of the street but nothing spectacular happened. no lovers have met on the spot, no romantic stuffs, no hearts, no cupid, no emo! well, i thought it would be nonsense of me to stay and wait there longer so decided to head home.
not long after i left my spot, i heard running footsteps toward the street corner where the flowers, and the bear, and the balloons, and the cards, the candles are. finally, the start of the romance under the stop lights! i stopped, i looked back, and i saw a lady in her mid twenties crossing the street back and forth. her appearance did not make her look like a crazy person, but crossing the street back and forth made me think there might be something wrong with her. it’s just absurd for her to run like that at night. she would check on the flowers and stuff and then run back on the other side of the street and run back to the side where the valentine gifts were placed.
no, i did not dare come near her. since most of my relatives here would tell me not to talk and bother with the business of strangers, i continued my walk home. on my way, i saw my father going to my aunt’s house just a few blocks away. i went with him and had a little chat with my aunt. she reminded me of being cautious and conscious about my safety and everything that i had to remember for survival in this foreign land. then somewhere, sometime among our deep conversation, she asked me if i have seen the bunch of flowers and candles on the street corner under the traffic light. i beamed and immediately said yes, saying that it was a little crazy but was a sweet thing to do. my aunt then covered her mouth and tapped my right arm in surprise.
“did you know that somebody died there? there’s a girl, victim of a hit and run. so you better be careful, ok?”
ok. now i know it was not the usual valentine trick to woo a lover.
2/11/2008
neri's predicament
i got this entry from a multiply contact
----------
For Immediate Release
Contact: Vicente R. Romano III, 0920.9615610
Leah Navarro, 0917.898.1957
Dear Friends,
Here's a short write-up that Jun Lozada wrote sometime in October. He wanted me to disseminate it without attribution. I believe he was motivated both by his genuine concern for a beleaguered friend who was being maligned no end, and his desire, even then, for the truth to somehow surface. He left it up to me as to how and when to disseminate it.
I did not find any compelling reason to get it out then. But now that Jun has told it all, and Neri is being invited back to testify, I believe the public deserves to know what was (and maybe still is) in the mind of Neri – at least from the point of view of a friend. I'm sure Jun will not mind.
Let's get this out in the open.
God bless,
Enteng
What is Neri afraid to say and Why?
Many speculations have been made as to what Neri knows about the ZTE-NBN most particularly the direct involvement of Pres. Gloria Arroyo in this abominable affair. After his damaging "Sec. May 200 ka dito" demolition of Abalos, the discredited former Comelec Chairman, many were left disappointed when Neri suddenly clamped up when the Senators started asking him about the nature of his conversation with Arroyo, no amount of coaxing, cajoling and threats was enough to break his Code of Omerta. The question on many people's mind was, What was Neri trying to protect when he repeatedly invoked "Executive Priviledge" during that gruelling 12 hour Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on live television?
We have known the Truth all along as one of the few people that Neri confided his predicament during those fateful days of April 2006, and how he wanted to resign his post of NEDA Director General and Secretary for Socio-Economic Planning over this incident where he lost all his moral respect for Pres. Gloria Arroyo.
We are doing this document to give the public an understanding of this predicament.
What is Neri afraid to tell the public? He is afraid to tell the public that after he reported the Abalos P200 million peso bribe offer, Arroyo casually told him to ignore it and work for its recommendation for approval anyway. That when he protested that it is too controversial and may attract the wrong kind of attention from media, Arroyo retorted back "Pakulo lang ni Joey yan and his father". When he tried to reason that it may not be accommodated in the Chinese ODA package because it has been filled up with a list of projects already,
Arroyo again ordered him to remove the low cost housing project and some water project to accommodate the ZTE-NBN deal in the ODA loan. That when he attempted to reason that it may not be approved in time for the Boao Forum which was only two days to go from that fateful April day, Arroyo with raised voice told him to include the ZTE-NBN project in the agenda of the following day's meeting of a combined NEDA Board and Cabinet Committee, who as expected promptly approved the project paving the way for the contract signing between ZTE and DOTC in China the next day. Neri is afraid to tell the public that this conversation took place between him and Arroyo because it might spark another impeachment complaint against Arroyo.
Why is Neri afraid to tell the public about this conversation with Arroyo? He is afraid that another impeachment will simply result to more expenses of public funds similar to the Hyatt 10 impeachment crisis, because as DBM Secretary who replaced Boncodin, he was entrusted with the large scale DBM payola operation of Arroyo to Congressmen, Senators and Governors not quite similar to the crude Panlilio incident that the public is witnessing now. He is afraid with a more partisan Andaya at the helm of DBM, more public funds will be spent to buy the silence and favour of these greedy legislators and local executives.
He is afraid that with Arroyo's firm control of public funds she can buy all the necessary support from most sectors of society to keep her in power.
He is afraid that even if the opposition knows about this conversation with Arroyo, he is afraid that the opposition will not pursue a serious impeachment proceedings against Arroyo, because it is not to their political interest that Noli de Castro becomes President in case Arroyo is impeached and becomes a more formidable political opponent in 2010. This insincere and unpatriotic goal of the opposition is already being manifested by the malicious speed that the Erap pardon is being cooked by Ronnie Puno together with the Erap camp to hastily put a united front of "Birds of the same corrupt feather" coalition against the emerging JDV led political opposition.
He is afraid that even if the Church knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, the Church will still not call for her resignation due to the closeness of Arroyo's trusted lady liason to the Cardinal of Manila who was very effective during the "Hello Garci" crisis. That Arroyo's Religious Affairs Operators have the Bishops firmly in their "donation" graces, as again manifested by the quick rebuttal of the Mindanao Bishops' of the call of their fellow bishops in Luzon who where calling for the resignation of Arroyo just after Arroyo gave them a visit in Mindanao.
He is afraid that even if the military knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the fraudulent ZTE-NBN deal, the AFP brass is much to indebted to Arroyo for their position and the perks that goes with their position, that they have demonstrated this twisted loyalty with their willingness to detain, remove from the service and even shoot their own men for voicing out their legitimate concerns regarding the corruption and moral authority of their Commander in Chief. It is a sad spectacle to see the respected warriors of the Marines & Special Forces rot in jail with their ideals, while their men are dying even without receiving the measly P150 per day combat pay that was promised to them by Arroyo due to lack of funds & generals gets a gift bag similar to those given to the governors and congressmen just for having dinner with Arroyo the day after that infamous breakfast & lunch meeting where bribe money flowed scandalously free.
He is afraid that even if the Media knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN scam, Media will simply wither in the torrents of cash and favors similar to how the Hyatt 10, Hello Garci crisis were killed in the media headlines and Radio& TV coverages. Although he believes in the integrity of a handful of Journalist, he believes that a handful of these mavericks cannot withstand the hordes of paid lackeys of Malacanang. Especially that the Arroyo crisis team is now being handled by the best mercenary money can buy, from Ramos Sulo Operation, Erap's DILG and now Arroyo's troubleshooter, Ronnie Puno. Ably supported by the Media and PR money from PAGCOR being handled by Cerge Remonte to buy positive airtime, headlines and editorials.
He is afraid that even if the Business Sector knows about the truth of Arroyo's direct involvement to defraud the coffers of the taxes they are paying, the businessmen will be reluctant to rock the boat of the current economic uptrend, especially with the very close personal and business relationship of the so called leaders of the big business like Ricky Razon of ICTSI, Donald Dee of PCCI and Francis Chua of the Filipino-Chinese Federation to Arroyo herself. He is afraid that the hard earned remittances of Filipino OFWs that is keeping the economy booming and that can keep the economy afloat even under any administration is being wasted under this unholy alliance of Arroyo and her favoured businessmen.
He is afraid that even if the Civil Society knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, that the Civil Society is now tired of mass actions after witnessing two failed EDSA revolutions, that Civil Society is now afflicted with a "Rally Fatigue" and cannot muster enough public outrage to denounce Arroyo's "corruption with impunity". He is afraid that the middle class is now indifferent to the corruption that goes around them, not realising that the middle class are the ones mainly carrying the burden of the loan payments for these corrupt deals. He is afraid that the middle class are more interested to become an OFW & to leave this country leaving their family and children behind, and may not care anymore about the crimes being committed against their country by its own President.
He is afraid that even if the Masa, the students, the workers knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal to steal precious resources from public funds, that they are now too poor and impoverished to be able to afford the time to join mass actions against the abuses of the Arroyo administration, that these former vanguards of mass actions in the country are now completely dependent on financial resources of professional organizers and have turned themselves into a "Rally for hire" groups rather than a true and genuine political gathering shouting for reforms.
He is afraid that the public may not know the extent of corruption in this country and may wrongly believe that they can cure corruption by simply replacing Arroyo with another person. He is afraid that the public may overlook the systemic and institutionalized nature of the source of corruption in this country, he is afraid that the people will again opt for a regime change without concern or a plan to correct the root causes of corruption in the country. He is afraid that people may not realize that it is not bringing Arroyo down that is difficult, it is establishing a new order that is the difficult task.
This is the predicament of Neri which I want people to realize especially to those who are asking Neri to tell the truth.
----------
For Immediate Release
Contact: Vicente R. Romano III, 0920.9615610
Leah Navarro, 0917.898.1957
Dear Friends,
Here's a short write-up that Jun Lozada wrote sometime in October. He wanted me to disseminate it without attribution. I believe he was motivated both by his genuine concern for a beleaguered friend who was being maligned no end, and his desire, even then, for the truth to somehow surface. He left it up to me as to how and when to disseminate it.
I did not find any compelling reason to get it out then. But now that Jun has told it all, and Neri is being invited back to testify, I believe the public deserves to know what was (and maybe still is) in the mind of Neri – at least from the point of view of a friend. I'm sure Jun will not mind.
Let's get this out in the open.
God bless,
Enteng
What is Neri afraid to say and Why?
Many speculations have been made as to what Neri knows about the ZTE-NBN most particularly the direct involvement of Pres. Gloria Arroyo in this abominable affair. After his damaging "Sec. May 200 ka dito" demolition of Abalos, the discredited former Comelec Chairman, many were left disappointed when Neri suddenly clamped up when the Senators started asking him about the nature of his conversation with Arroyo, no amount of coaxing, cajoling and threats was enough to break his Code of Omerta. The question on many people's mind was, What was Neri trying to protect when he repeatedly invoked "Executive Priviledge" during that gruelling 12 hour Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on live television?
We have known the Truth all along as one of the few people that Neri confided his predicament during those fateful days of April 2006, and how he wanted to resign his post of NEDA Director General and Secretary for Socio-Economic Planning over this incident where he lost all his moral respect for Pres. Gloria Arroyo.
We are doing this document to give the public an understanding of this predicament.
What is Neri afraid to tell the public? He is afraid to tell the public that after he reported the Abalos P200 million peso bribe offer, Arroyo casually told him to ignore it and work for its recommendation for approval anyway. That when he protested that it is too controversial and may attract the wrong kind of attention from media, Arroyo retorted back "Pakulo lang ni Joey yan and his father". When he tried to reason that it may not be accommodated in the Chinese ODA package because it has been filled up with a list of projects already,
Arroyo again ordered him to remove the low cost housing project and some water project to accommodate the ZTE-NBN deal in the ODA loan. That when he attempted to reason that it may not be approved in time for the Boao Forum which was only two days to go from that fateful April day, Arroyo with raised voice told him to include the ZTE-NBN project in the agenda of the following day's meeting of a combined NEDA Board and Cabinet Committee, who as expected promptly approved the project paving the way for the contract signing between ZTE and DOTC in China the next day. Neri is afraid to tell the public that this conversation took place between him and Arroyo because it might spark another impeachment complaint against Arroyo.
Why is Neri afraid to tell the public about this conversation with Arroyo? He is afraid that another impeachment will simply result to more expenses of public funds similar to the Hyatt 10 impeachment crisis, because as DBM Secretary who replaced Boncodin, he was entrusted with the large scale DBM payola operation of Arroyo to Congressmen, Senators and Governors not quite similar to the crude Panlilio incident that the public is witnessing now. He is afraid with a more partisan Andaya at the helm of DBM, more public funds will be spent to buy the silence and favour of these greedy legislators and local executives.
He is afraid that with Arroyo's firm control of public funds she can buy all the necessary support from most sectors of society to keep her in power.
He is afraid that even if the opposition knows about this conversation with Arroyo, he is afraid that the opposition will not pursue a serious impeachment proceedings against Arroyo, because it is not to their political interest that Noli de Castro becomes President in case Arroyo is impeached and becomes a more formidable political opponent in 2010. This insincere and unpatriotic goal of the opposition is already being manifested by the malicious speed that the Erap pardon is being cooked by Ronnie Puno together with the Erap camp to hastily put a united front of "Birds of the same corrupt feather" coalition against the emerging JDV led political opposition.
He is afraid that even if the Church knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, the Church will still not call for her resignation due to the closeness of Arroyo's trusted lady liason to the Cardinal of Manila who was very effective during the "Hello Garci" crisis. That Arroyo's Religious Affairs Operators have the Bishops firmly in their "donation" graces, as again manifested by the quick rebuttal of the Mindanao Bishops' of the call of their fellow bishops in Luzon who where calling for the resignation of Arroyo just after Arroyo gave them a visit in Mindanao.
He is afraid that even if the military knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the fraudulent ZTE-NBN deal, the AFP brass is much to indebted to Arroyo for their position and the perks that goes with their position, that they have demonstrated this twisted loyalty with their willingness to detain, remove from the service and even shoot their own men for voicing out their legitimate concerns regarding the corruption and moral authority of their Commander in Chief. It is a sad spectacle to see the respected warriors of the Marines & Special Forces rot in jail with their ideals, while their men are dying even without receiving the measly P150 per day combat pay that was promised to them by Arroyo due to lack of funds & generals gets a gift bag similar to those given to the governors and congressmen just for having dinner with Arroyo the day after that infamous breakfast & lunch meeting where bribe money flowed scandalously free.
He is afraid that even if the Media knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN scam, Media will simply wither in the torrents of cash and favors similar to how the Hyatt 10, Hello Garci crisis were killed in the media headlines and Radio& TV coverages. Although he believes in the integrity of a handful of Journalist, he believes that a handful of these mavericks cannot withstand the hordes of paid lackeys of Malacanang. Especially that the Arroyo crisis team is now being handled by the best mercenary money can buy, from Ramos Sulo Operation, Erap's DILG and now Arroyo's troubleshooter, Ronnie Puno. Ably supported by the Media and PR money from PAGCOR being handled by Cerge Remonte to buy positive airtime, headlines and editorials.
He is afraid that even if the Business Sector knows about the truth of Arroyo's direct involvement to defraud the coffers of the taxes they are paying, the businessmen will be reluctant to rock the boat of the current economic uptrend, especially with the very close personal and business relationship of the so called leaders of the big business like Ricky Razon of ICTSI, Donald Dee of PCCI and Francis Chua of the Filipino-Chinese Federation to Arroyo herself. He is afraid that the hard earned remittances of Filipino OFWs that is keeping the economy booming and that can keep the economy afloat even under any administration is being wasted under this unholy alliance of Arroyo and her favoured businessmen.
He is afraid that even if the Civil Society knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, that the Civil Society is now tired of mass actions after witnessing two failed EDSA revolutions, that Civil Society is now afflicted with a "Rally Fatigue" and cannot muster enough public outrage to denounce Arroyo's "corruption with impunity". He is afraid that the middle class is now indifferent to the corruption that goes around them, not realising that the middle class are the ones mainly carrying the burden of the loan payments for these corrupt deals. He is afraid that the middle class are more interested to become an OFW & to leave this country leaving their family and children behind, and may not care anymore about the crimes being committed against their country by its own President.
He is afraid that even if the Masa, the students, the workers knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal to steal precious resources from public funds, that they are now too poor and impoverished to be able to afford the time to join mass actions against the abuses of the Arroyo administration, that these former vanguards of mass actions in the country are now completely dependent on financial resources of professional organizers and have turned themselves into a "Rally for hire" groups rather than a true and genuine political gathering shouting for reforms.
He is afraid that the public may not know the extent of corruption in this country and may wrongly believe that they can cure corruption by simply replacing Arroyo with another person. He is afraid that the public may overlook the systemic and institutionalized nature of the source of corruption in this country, he is afraid that the people will again opt for a regime change without concern or a plan to correct the root causes of corruption in the country. He is afraid that people may not realize that it is not bringing Arroyo down that is difficult, it is establishing a new order that is the difficult task.
This is the predicament of Neri which I want people to realize especially to those who are asking Neri to tell the truth.
2/10/2008
yes, they read you
this is one of the few reasons why i love blogging. if you will be just be patient, and
just keep that hope that somehow, sometime, your messages and your blog entries will be read, at least by those people or individuals that you've intended to write your post for.
*i just read this last week. this is ms kara david's (as the commentator claims she is) comment from my jurassic blog entry about her three years ago from my blogger blog.
just keep that hope that somehow, sometime, your messages and your blog entries will be read, at least by those people or individuals that you've intended to write your post for.
*i just read this last week. this is ms kara david's (as the commentator claims she is) comment from my jurassic blog entry about her three years ago from my blogger blog.
2/09/2008
ash i like it
burn me when my heart no longer pumps blood to my veins.
somebody once told me how he wanted to be cremated after his death, and how he wished that his ashes be scattered to the running water of the river to reach the ocean so that the particles may be mixed with the water that most of the world drinks.
i know. it is such a conceited favor from the world but the idea of mixing your ashes back to nature provides a sense of excitement to that future state of an almost-total liberation. the freedom of the ashes is nothing compared to the boring confines of a coffin buried on the ground. you are sealed, seemingly preserved but actually deteriorating, and your body becomes an offering to the worms and other micro organisms down there.
should my body choose to resign out from the world, or when the world resigns out on me, i would highly appreciate it if all my beloved friends and relatives will burn me to ashes. no, never imprison my ashes inside an urn. please do me a favor and use the ashes wisely. each person who wanted a piece of my ash could have a grain or couple of grains if they want. just make sure you keep it safe like your heart has been kept safe by your ribcage. do find me a pilot (or any person who can go above the clouds), a fisherman (or any person who shares a mutual passion with the ocean) and a farmer. distribute an ample amount of my ash to the pilot, to the fisherman and to the farmer.
tell the pilot (or whoever person that is that can fly above the clouds) to scatter my ashes in the sky so that it could ride with the wind and travel to the continents of this planet. tell the pilot to throw the ashes as high as he can so that the ashes could reach the peaks of the himalayas and then soar over the african savannahs. then may some particles cling to the clouds for some time to be concocted with the rain to pour over the plains and the valleys of new zealand. then the rest could roam around the world and visit the interiors of the pyramids at egypt, explore the most hidden crevices at angkor wat, trace the great wall of china, chase the kangaroos of australia, rest at the shoreline of the beaches of palawan, climb the peak of mt apo, stalk my teenage crushes, guide my children and grandchildren, and blend with the air that the people breathe. from the sky, some particles of my ash will mix with your favorite starbucks coffee. some might be lucky enough to land on your vanilla ice cream or on your favorite sizzling sisig.
ask the fisherman to throw my ashes directly to the ocean to experience the world on its abyss. let the ashes blend with the ocean water and become one with it to sustain and satiate the thirst of the world.
help the farmer scatter the ashes together with the seeds of his/her labor so that it could grow with the food that can feed the hunger of the people.
It is indeed a vain wish from life, to experience life again, to be one with gaia, to be a part of the living cosmos, to be born again.
2/06/2008
kunggagawakayongremakeetogawanniyo
long before the trucks and the machines of the transformers put me in awe, this ultimate trucks-terrorizes the world movie scared the hell out of me.
little did i know that stephen king is the genius behind this crazy suspense thriller that haunted my head for weeks! maximum overdrive is machine madness at its best. thing is, the trucks do not transform into powerful robots like those in transformers.
little did i know that stephen king is the genius behind this crazy suspense thriller that haunted my head for weeks! maximum overdrive is machine madness at its best. thing is, the trucks do not transform into powerful robots like those in transformers.
2/05/2008
shh
is it just me or it's really emily strange that does the hush sign on the logo of the anito lodge in the philippines?
the image of the girl wearing that jet black hair with the mysterious hush gesture has graced the eyes and tickled the curiosity of many people in the philippines since the emergence of the anito lodge.
the logo first caught my attention back in the days when my father would drag me with his journeys to the webbed streets of manila. i noticed back then the prominence of the sign, since would always greet me in the most unexpected places of the metro.
the logo was plain and simple. it effectively communicates its message across its potential consumers and gazers- “shh. you secret’s safe with me.” well, that’s the message i got 8 years ago.
lately, as i browsed over some pages of my network in multiply, i saw the familiar logo of anito. it’s still the same goth girl doing the hush sign, only that time, i saw her as a different persona, or rather, i saw in her a different persona. blah. the girl at the anito logo looks like emily strange! what do you think? the hush sign could have been "shh. i am emily strange used as a lodge/motel logo. hihi"
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some images lifted here
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edit
okay, help me people. is the logo from anito or victoria court? am confused. hehe.
should you happen yo know where the emily strange like logo haunts, please do tell me for the benefit of the world. thanks a lot!
/edit
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feb 5, 08 update (pacific time +8)
i'm sorry. my bad. it's victoria's court, not anito lodge who used the emily-like image as their logo.
2/03/2008
ulcer
my side dish for breakfast this morning is the news on tfc regarding the fainting, the fainting and the fainting and even more fainting of many filipinos who waited in queues, drowned in the sea of concocted sweat, tears, spit, hopes and dreams as they wait for father fernando suarez.
father suarez is the light; at least a flicker of light in the dimming consciousness of the hungry people of the philippines. the news speaks of his healing hands and how they have improved the lives of those he “touched.” he is not new in the industry of faith healing. in fact, most barrios in the philippines have people gifted with the healing touch, much like father suarez’s but perhaps not as powerful (as the devotees claim).
people compromising their (limited) comforts and sacrificing their time and effort, travelling from the most far-flung regions of the islands to the most crowded spot in the city to get healed is not a new issue. too many people are sick; sick in many ways and sick in many degrees and sick in many aspects of their lives. the people are sick of hunger. the people are hungry of social stability, the people crave for financial security, and the people starve of the hope of a better tomorrow and will continuously succumb to desperate measures just to get their fill.
no. the minor casualties of father suarez’s healing sessions is not disturbing. (if you’ve seen the devotees of the black nazarene in quiapo, you wouldn’t see the situation quite alarming.) the case of fainting (and even dying) people rallying in search of the cure from the supernatural is a common scenario in the hungry islands of the philippines. what’s alarming is the ever increasing number of people falling for almost every promise of cure from various personalities and institutions that pose to possess the healing hand of god.
in this dire time, the people needs no more gloria. the people needs food- not just for their stomachs but food for their soul, food for their mind and food for their spirit.
father suarez is the light; at least a flicker of light in the dimming consciousness of the hungry people of the philippines. the news speaks of his healing hands and how they have improved the lives of those he “touched.” he is not new in the industry of faith healing. in fact, most barrios in the philippines have people gifted with the healing touch, much like father suarez’s but perhaps not as powerful (as the devotees claim).
people compromising their (limited) comforts and sacrificing their time and effort, travelling from the most far-flung regions of the islands to the most crowded spot in the city to get healed is not a new issue. too many people are sick; sick in many ways and sick in many degrees and sick in many aspects of their lives. the people are sick of hunger. the people are hungry of social stability, the people crave for financial security, and the people starve of the hope of a better tomorrow and will continuously succumb to desperate measures just to get their fill.
no. the minor casualties of father suarez’s healing sessions is not disturbing. (if you’ve seen the devotees of the black nazarene in quiapo, you wouldn’t see the situation quite alarming.) the case of fainting (and even dying) people rallying in search of the cure from the supernatural is a common scenario in the hungry islands of the philippines. what’s alarming is the ever increasing number of people falling for almost every promise of cure from various personalities and institutions that pose to possess the healing hand of god.
in this dire time, the people needs no more gloria. the people needs food- not just for their stomachs but food for their soul, food for their mind and food for their spirit.
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