no. 19: the kid in me

it's been a week since my last post. medyo busy kasi ako.  i'm planting lots of sunflower in my backyard kasi the zombies are coming! hahahaa!  opo, kinakarir ko ang plants vs zombies na karamihan ng mga adik ay na-adik na rin.  in fact, i held the record sa grupo ng 27 flags for two weeks kaso kanina lang inabot na ako ni maccoy.  kaya pag-uwi ko ngayong hapon kinarir ko ulit.  hmmm, matagal-tagal na ulit before they can catch up with my 32 flags! haha!

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oo naman, nag-pupuyat din ako sa computer games just like everybody else.  noong mga unang panahon na family computer pa ang uso, natapos ko yong 50 levels yata ng bomber man, pati galaga, queen bee, 1945 at syempre ang super mario na ang kalaban ko eh yong mga pamangkin kong napapalo ng mga nanay nila kasi hindi na umuuwi.  buti na nga lang hindi na ako pwedeng paluin ng nanay ko noon kahit magpuyat ako kaka-laro!  yon ang sarap ng being an adult! hehehe!

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nabaliw din ako non sa prince of persia na computer game pa long before it was made into a not-so-hit movie by jake gylenhall. and about 2 years ago, bumili pa ako ng games sa yahoo like ranch rush which is a better version of farmville pati ang kumpletong build-a-lot 1, 2 3 and 4.  hanggang ngayon nilalaro ko pa rin sila. 

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sa yahoo din ako bumili ng jeopardy pati family feud which, of course alam nyo namang spin-off ng favorite tv game shows ko na buti naman hanggang ngayon pinapalabas pa rin ng mbc4 during weekends.  but my all-time favorite ay scrabout na computer version ng scrabble.

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hindi ko lang sinubukan yong mga violent games like counterstrike coz i'm one who doesn't find excitement on bloods sputtering all over.  or yong mga strategy games like warcraft and age of empire. wala kasi akong tyaga. besides, pambata lang talaga ang nae-enjoy kong games.  wag ka nang magtaka, isip-bata eh! hehehehe.

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o, dx ball?  aba expert ako dyan! ahahha! so who said i'm boring and old-fashioned? 

DS turns 3!

T’was exactly 3 years ago when I found blogger.com and created my first few blogs - all within the same day – excited eh! Actually, I found it through a friend in one of our kwentuhans na ang focus pa nong mga panahon na yon ay Friendster (remember FS? Hehehe). Sabi ko nga I’m not really into this type of social networking kaya wala akong FS account. Then Matt suggested blogging nga. Thanks to him, DS never looked back since then.

431 posts later, DS is still standing strong despite the onslaught of FB and Twitter that caused FS’ relegation to the museum of the fast-changing cyber world. While most of people I know shifted from blogging to the more enticing FB, I’ve remained contented in my little corner, typing away the hours for my next posting.

Blogging offered me the platform to live out one of my greatest desires – to write. Write about anything and everything that I wanted to say. Dito ko naibubuhos ang lahat ng aking lamang-loob. I mean the thoughts running in my head, the emotions filling up my heart, the cacophony of sounds my ears enjoy, the visual feast that feeds my eyes and sometimes even the food that my stomach is grumbling for.

I’ve written a lot from plain commentaries to intense opinions, dramatic bits of my life to intimate details of my persona, trivial bits of entertainment to morsels of useful tips about work, and life in ksa or life in general.

Luckily, na-appreciate nyo naman lahat yon and that is why I owe everyone who frequents DS a huge thank you. Starting with my followers na kahit hindi ko kilala in person or even by name, their leaving a signature in DS is something I do appreciate. Shubash Datta, Minagi, Erica Beingme, Zheldhane, Ludwig Bon MQ, Bjoy, Mil, Rikki Sonique, Adrianne, Kikokhenn, Billie Joe, Arpi Stankovics, Kim, Maccay (is it you Maccoy?) and Faheem Mustafa. Just looking at these names make me think DS is really international! Thanks guys. I hope I’ll come to know who the person is behind the alias.

Raoul, Ega and the rest of the adiks have been faithful to DS since it started. Seven’s favorite is the chatbox while Ega punctuates my posts evey now and then with his own personal comments. Nandyan din si JunC, Chuck, Matt, Yeng, Ricky, Maccoy at pati na ang kanilang mga dear wife na lagi namang starring sa pics ng aming mga bonding moments.

Friends from everywhere like Jonas and Cesar, as well as those who pass by silently tapos biglang mage-email sa akin telling me that they liked what they read. These kinds of feedback keep me fired up to do more instead of letting DS run aground.

I must admit na may mga pagkakataon na tinatamad akong mag-post. Just because feeling ko nauubusan ako ng iba-blog. Lalo na’t wala namang bago sa boring kong buhay. Sa tatlong taon ba namang pagsusulat, daig ko pa ang nagkaron ng column sa isang daily broadsheet. But whenever this lull happens, I’m always reminded that life is so varied and everyday is different from the last. Then I easily realize that I still have a lot of things to write about.

Kaya siguro matatagalan pa bago ko iwan, isara or even pabayaan ang DS. For the meantime, DS is here to stay. And stay it will as long as you are there not forgetting this cozy cyber corner of mine. At syempre, DS will stay as long as blogger.com is around!

an evening with the tserman

actually medyo early evening ang nangyari coz the party started at around 5:30pm last thursday for the 40th bday ng tserman of the adiks. at pag si tserman ang naghanda, siguradong talo pa ang catering ng 5-star hotel hindi lang sa dekorasyon.  may cute pang tokens ang mga um-attend with matching inspirational messages. 

at syempre ang highlight ng handaan, ang filipino food na lahat masarapppp!  hindi kinaya ng powers ko na tikman lahat kaya na-miss ko ang dessert na ginataan at tinikman lang ng konti ang laing na gusto ko pang damihan kaya lang super busog na ako from the tuna lumpia, relyenong crab, pansit palabok, kare-kare at adobong pusit.  nag-dessert lang ako ng konting sago at gulaman plus the baskin ice cream na courtesy of maccoy and pops pero ang square lulu pizza ni ren at shiela hindi ko na rin natikman!

lahat ng adiks, busog to the max.  happy talaga pag bday ni tserman!

(with thanks to ega for these pics)

HAPPY BDAY TSERMAN

(now your life begins!)

excess baggage, anyone?

I’m sure nong mga bata tayo lahat tayo naka-experience na umiyak or mag-alburoto dahil pinangakuan tayo ng isang kendi or isang laruan tapos hindi binigay sa atin. As far as I can remember, meron akong experience na ganon although hindi ako umiyak at nagwala. Pero matinding dabog ang ginawa ko noon sabay simangot na halos maka-mukha ko na si Donald Duck sa haba ng nguso ko.

As kids, that was how we handled the feeling na hindi pa natin alam kung ano ang tawag. Basta ang alam lang natin, somebody reneged on their promise, tricked us o kaya, pinag-tripan lang tayo ng matatanda kaya hindi nangyari ang inaasahan natin. Didn’t get what we wanted. Ngayon lang malaki na tayo natin nalaman na disappointment pala ang tawag sa feeling na yon.

Just recently, something happened at work that caused disappointment not only for me but for most of my friends as well. Hindi ko na ide-detalye dito kung ano yon, I still believe in ethical blogging kaya pag-pasensyahan nyo na.

What I can share though is the fact that we felt hugely disappointed. Dahil hindi nangyari ang ine-expect namin. At may naririnig pang kung ano-anong kwento that only worsens the feeling.  Ito yong kwentong sisigaw ka ng ‘that’s unfair’ sabay hagis ng kung anoman ang mahawakan mo. Buti kung may director na sisigaw ng ‘cut’.

Nakakatawa nga kasi one of my friends sent a pic of a cat na cute na cute pero galit na galit habang hawak ang isang baril ala Rambo. Natawa ako don sa pic but the truth is, it totally captured the sentiment of the moment. Ah well, eksads lang yon, hindi naman kami hahawak ng baril and hurt anybody. Pero ito yong mga sitwasyon na kung sa Pinas lang nangyari, siguradong malaki ang kikitain ng Gerry’s Grill sa amin dahil marami-raming case ng beer ang maiinom ng grupo habang nag-e-emo.

Behavioral experts say disappointment comes from unmet expectations. Para daw walang disappointment, wag mag-expect. Hindi naman ako agree don. Para sa akin, people who don’t expect things to happen in their lives don’t have much of a dream. Coz dreams, aspirations and expectations are almost family. Pag may dreams ka, may plano ka, may pinupuntirya ka, may goal ka, you certainly would have expectations. Kung wala, then you probably have to reassess your life.

Eniweys, kung noong bata pa tayo, madali nating makalimutan ang mga disappointment natin, it’s a different story now that we’re older. We deal with disappointment depending upon it's severity.  Some will cry a river. Some will vent their frustration on something. Kung matindi yong disappointment, ang mahina-hina nag-a-amuck. Worse, iinom ng silver cleaner.

But that's on the extreme. Hindi naman ganon ka-grabe ang sitwasyon namin. We can still joke about it and laugh it off. At wala pa naman kaming balak mag-tayo ng Ampalaya Anonymous Saudi Chapter. In fact, after two days of sulking, we’re all in agreement that it’s time to move on.

Pano daw ba mag-move on sabi ng isang friend ko. Madali lang sabi ko. Take a step forward. Not backward. Ang daling sabihin pero sa totoo lang, pag masakit, mahirap humakbang forward. That is why some people find it difficult to move on.

Fortunately, I’m one who can kick frustrations out of my system easily. Maybe because I’m overly pragmatic. Pag tapos na, nangyari na, wala na akong reason to hold on to it. I’ll learn whatever lesson the situation offers but I’ll leave it right where it should be. I’ll feel the pain syempre dahil hindi naman ako bato. At halos malagas din ang ipen ko the last two days from clenching it out of frustration.  Pero hanggang don na lang yon. Hindi ko na siya dinadala as I move along.

Sabi nga ng mga kabataan ngayon, iwas nega na lang tayo. Coz I believe they are baggage that we don’t need kung gusto nating bumilis ang takbo natin sa karera ng buhay. Kung wala tayong dala-dalang ganito, we can think clearer, run faster and probably find something else much better.

Disappointment.  Frustration.  Discontent.  Things that you shouldn't be holding in your hands for you will be tying them down instead of doing better things.  Hindi mo rin dapat itanim sa utak mo dahil parang nasa recycle bin yan ng computer mo. Junk and useless yet kumakain pa rin ng memory.  At lalong hindi dapat ilagay sa puso.  Coz it would sure cloud your vision.  There's only one thing to do sa mga ganitong negative feelings.  Purge it.  And moving on will be easier.

a glittering piece

this is old but you have to forgive me - keeping abreast with the entertainment scene is not really on my priority list.  but whenever i find something extraordinary, i'll share it anyway even if it's so yesterday.

i've heard this song a few times before on the radio and it caught my ear because of it's beautiful lyrics plus the cool piano in the background.  though i didn't have the chance to catch the title of the song nor who the artist was.  and it was a surprise to find out that it was pink, the funky dance diva whose get this party started and fun house are in my player.

departing from her usual dance style, it sure is one sparkling gem on her recording resume.  i guess every artist has to do something like this to prove his/her multi-faceted musical prowess. write some poetry, mix it with some cool instruments and sing it like there's no tomorrow.
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just don't let the cool video distract you from the beauty of the song.  she's just proving to one and all that she can sing well even if she's under the coriolis effect.  who else is talented, crazy and cool enough to do this?  only pink!

hotnothot 39

Hotnot: De Lima’s dilemma. Ewan kung sino ang mga nagmagaling noong nagbuo sila ng investigating team ng hostage crisis pero bakit nga sinama si Justice Secretary De Lima. Like what I said in my previous post (see Hotnothot #38) they just put themselves and the hapless Secretary in an awkward position. Ayan nga, nangyari na. De Lima wasn’t happy about what Malacanang did to her investigation report. I’ve read the other day that she was even mulling about resigning from her post. Isa nga namang malaking pagyurak sa kanyang judgment ang ginawang pagkatay ng Malacanang sa report. Something that Malacanang shouldn’t have done. Parang nag-announce sya (De Lima) ng hatol sa kanyang korte then somebody among the crowd shouted ‘Overruled’. Didn’t anybody think of that?

Hothot: A Nobel prize winner in our midst. I think most of the Pinoys didn’t even know that a great scientist lives amongst us, particularly in Quezon City. It was a surprise to know that someone who won this year’s Nobel prize is actually married to a Filipina and is spending his retirement years in the Philippines. Nakita ko sya somewhere in Philstar but when I went back and searched for it, hindi ko makita. Hindi ko kasi maalala ang pangalan nya and what prize he won (sensya na po, past 40 na kasi.. hehehe). Help, anybody?

Hotnot: Our fan mentality. Akoy’naiinis sa mga nababasa ko last week dahil mukhang maraming nakatutok kay PNoy but not for the right reasons. Hindi sa kung anong ginagawa nyang tama or mali sa pagpapatakbo ng bansa. Kungdi ang private life nya most particularly his love life. Pordyos naman mga kabayan, don’t you have anything better else to do at pati pagdi-date ng Pangulo pakikialaman pa ninyo. The speculations about his split-up with Miss Shalani, the dates with other girls, all trivial but still hits the headlines. Meron pa kong nabasang isang congresswoman saying something to the effect na karapatan daw nating mga Pilipino na malaman ang private/love life ni Pangulo. Ganonnn??? Ikaw na lang kaya ang maging chismosa, congresswoman, at wag mo na kaming idamay. Kelan natin titigilan ang fan mentality na yan at pati sa naka-upo sa Malacanang dinadala natin? Keep it to Marian and Dingdong, or Kim and Gerald. Wag nang isama ang Pangulo. It cheapens the highest position in the land.

Hotnot: Ang nagmamatigas na Simbahan. Para sa akin, the Church’s stance against the RH Bill comes across as imperious. There’s a tone of arrogance on their stand and statements telling the government and those who support the RH Bill to just shut up. Parang sinasabi nilang wala tayong karapatan para mag-isip at pumili ng makakabuti sa atin. Maybe because of the fact that they are still living in the dark ages. Dahil kung ano yong pinaniniwalaan nila two thousand years ago, yon pa rin ang gusto nilang i-enforce today. They have to wake up and accept the fact that the world has changed so much since Methuselah. We now have problems pervading our society that didn’t exist back then. And we have to do something about it except from reciting prayers a million times.

Hothot: What sexy really is. I’m delighted to hear that Maria Ressa, one of our local broadcast media bigwigs, is included in this year’s list of Sexiest Women Alive by Esquire. She was chosen because of her piece about Al-Qaeda. But for me, what qualifies her more is the fact that she is the epitome of the saying ‘dynamite comes in small packages’. All her achievements so far are testament to the boundless and limitless possibilities determined only by one’s intelligence and personality and not by her size or her looks. I’m glad there still are people out there who see ‘sexy’ as something beyond the diamond-peeled skin, botoxed faces and silicon-implanted pouting lips. As Maria put it, she was an ‘unorthodox’ choice’. I’d say Esquire was spot on with their choice.

miracles still do happen

It started out as a tragedy. Then it turned into suspense. Now it’s ending with cheers and joy of tears. And it’s not even a film or a soap opera. It’s the real-life drama of rescuing 33 Chilean mine workers trapped for more than two months 629 meters below earth’s surface.

When this story first broke out back in August, I shrugged it off as just another tragedy that the mining industry is full of. And to be perfectly honest, I was thinking that the succeeding reports would be that of grieving families lighting candles for their loved ones that they’ve lost, buried somewhere near the bowels of the earth. Never did I expect that a miracle like this will happen.

It was after two weeks that the same story caught my attention again. They found the miners who were able to send a note to the surface saying that all 33 of them are alive and well. Just finding them is already a spark of hope so big I think it captured the attention and interest of people the world over. Since then I’ve watched with great interest the progress report about the whole rescue operation.

Initial assessment said that the miners can be brought back up to surface by Christmas. And it didn’t look good. I was thinking to myself that the longer they stay holed up in that place, the riskier it will be. A huge earthquake has just ravaged their country. If the earth moves again in or around that area, death of the miners is almost certain.

Aside from that, I was thinking that staying in that condition for an extended period can do damage to their well-being. They’ve probably held strong and full of hope up until that point when they were discovered but I’m sure that hope is fading by the day. Besides, I can only imagine the psychological stress they are going through. It is definitely one harrowing experience. And I was hoping they can be rescued much sooner.

Fortunately, the rescue operation took an amazing speed. All of a sudden, they came up with 3 escape plans, one designed to anticipate failure of the other. All making sure that the end result will be achieved. A few days more, and they’ve already bore a hole that reached the area where the miners are confined. And now, I’m watching the 18th man literally being brought back to life. And I must admit I join the cheering every time a miner emerges from that capsule.

Why was I so absorbed about this whole thing, you might ask. I’m not even a Chilean. Chile is halfway around the globe from the Philippines. I didn’t even have relatives or friends who work in the mining industry. What did I care for in all of this? Well, for a few reasons.

One, its reality tv at its best. The individual stories of the miners being presented to the world by news reports from BBC to Euro News to Al-Jazeera are quite touching. One miner became a father to a cute baby without his presence to experience the occasion first hand. Another guy promised his long-time girlfriend they’d marry as soon as he’s back up. And of course, the endless hugging, crying and kissing when the miners were finally able to see their loved ones after the ordeal. These stories are great materials for a tv show. Or a movie. In fact, I’m sure that if it happened in the Philippines, movie producers will already be scrambling for the rights to film it.

Secondly, it’s history in the making. No rescue of such nature has ever happened before. And the planning, engineering work and technical genius that went into it is unprecedented. Sure the Chilean government had help from outside as far as equipments, technology and expertise are concerned. But I must credit the Chilean leaders who put so much effort into this whole exercise. They didn’t give up hope and forged ahead, not letting the earth devour 33 of their men.

Third, and most importantly, it is one story that proves to us once again that whatever tragedy befell men, prayers and faith plays a vital role. Believing that a higher being is there to deliver us from harm. In short, it is one huge proof that at this day and age, miracles still do happen. And all we have to do is to believe.

As the flamboyant Mario Sepulveda (the second man lifted to surface), said "I've been with God and the devil.  They fought.  And God won."

ten-tenen-tennn

In the computing world, 1 and 0 are the binary codes that make up the building blocks of the computer’s intelligence. In today’s calendar however, it is something that a lot of people put significance upon simply because it’s an occurrence that will not be seen again for the next 999 years. Masuwerte daw ang generation nating ito dahil nabubuhay tayo sa mga taon kung saan nae-experience natin itong mga ganitong significant dates.

Nag-umpisa ito noong 01-01-01 where the most dreaded millennium bug was the biggest issue in the world of computers (and businesses of course). Ang daming issue na lumabas years before the turn of the century. Porke magka-crash daw lahat ng computers and chaos will follow. Kaya nagkaron ng Y2K compliance projects ang lahat ng negosyo na dependent sa computers – from government offices to private businesses. Ang daming kinita ng mga IT companies noon.

Sa mga wala namang magawa, meron din silang pinagka-abalahan. They busied themselves spreading rumors of doom dahil 01-01-01 daw ang tinakdang panahon ng pagkagunaw ng mundo. Kung sinoman ang nakaisip ng kalokohang ito, well, he definitely gained some followers dahil marami talagang naniwala sa balitang kutsero na yon. I’ve heard one story na meron daw mayaman na pinamigay na lang ang kayamanan nya hoping that he will go straight to heaven pagdating ng 01-01-01 na judgment day ng langit. Sayang hindi ako nakalapit sa kanya para naambunan ng katangahan, este, kayamanan nya!

Dahil ako naman ay hindi basta naniniwala sa hula, I chose to make my 01-01-01 uneventful. Ang natatandaan ko lang, I was holed up in my rented flat in Cityland Dela Rosa, pinapanood sa TV ang nangyayaring street party sa kahabaan ng Ayala to welcome the turn of the millennium. Hindi ko makalimutan na inii-magine kong mahulog si Regine habang kumakanta at bumibirit sa tuktok nong water falls ng Pen.

After that, hindi ko na matandaan ang mga event sa buhay ko during these supposedly significant dates. Can’t remember where I was or what I was doing when 02-02-02 came. Ang alam ko lang, I’m spending lazy days in Cavite ng mga panahon ng 03-03-03 then 04-04-04 came at nasa Saudi na naman ako.

Can’t even remember what good fortune came my way nong dumating ang 08-08-08. Parang wala. Samantalang sabi ng Chinese calendar, it should have been my luckiest year having Snake for my birth sign na maswerte daw during the year of the Dragon. Eh para namang kinain ng Dragon yong Snake kaya ayan, dumating ang 10-10-10 at nasa Saudi pa rin ako.

So we only have two years to go bago matapos ang mga significant dates na ito. After 11-11-11 and 12-12-12, we’ll have to wait for a thousand years to see them again. For now, let’s just be glad that we’ve made it this far. Amidst all the tragedies happening around us, pasalamat pa rin ako sa Diyos na hindi pa nangyayari ang end of the world na pini-predict pagkatagal-tagal nang panahon. And I hope It’s not gonna happen soon. Para naman ma-experience ng future generation ang 01-01-3001! Cool!

oktoberfest

Nag-invite po ang Cariaga and Lichauco family last Thursday sa kanilang palasyo sa Khobar para sa isang get-together. Syempre may masarap na dinner (ginataang alimasag with kalabasa ang highlight na nilantakan namin ng walang humpay!) at ang dessert ay isang major-major sing-along sa bagong vidoeke machine ni Matt. 

Kinukulit ko ang mga hosts kung bakit nagpa-dinner and Shiela even joked na preggy daw sya, na parehong-pareho naman ang reaksyon ni Pops at Weng na "haaaa?"...  hehehe.  So wala talagang okasyon, nami-miss lang siguro nila ang kaguluhan ng mga adiks kaya ayun, nabulabog ang tahimik at very cozy nilang bahay.

with thanks to Maccoy for his pics...

    

ang cool na mga hosts... hindi si Vic and Joey huh...  Ren 'the jazz artist' and Maccoy a.k.a. Axel of GNR!



ang major-major WOW karaoke machine ni Matt

si Ren bumabanat ng isang smooth na smooth na jazz... parang intercon hotel lang...



habang sinamantala ng mga little boys maglaro



but baby valerie just sat it out, cool na cool na ngumunguya ng kanyang skittles

  

group pic with the mommies and ninong ega



group pic naman ng mga gwaping



si weng humataw ng ironic



kaya si ricky tuwang-tuwa ...



kaya take ng picture si sofie!

thanks a lot po ulit sa mga hosts, we can do this more often di ba mga adiks???





sabi me.... #3

it's been a while that i haven't shared any of my crooked, jaded and sometimes weird thoughts so here we go...

on law and the bible:

Sa totoo lang, hindi natin kailangan ng mga Senador at Kongresista para gumawa ng sangkatutak na batas. Puro naman butas. We were already given the best and most comprehensive set of rules – the Ten Commandments. Masyado lang talaga tayong pasaway.

on life:

Life is a journey daw.  Swerte mo kung mayaman ka.  You won’t feel the potholes kasi naka-Benz ka.  Eh kung mahirap ka, pedicab ka lang kaya sagap mo lahat ng lubak pati alikabok.  Kaya magsikap.  Punta ka ng Saudi airplane pa sasakyan mo.

still on life:

Di ko ma-gets yong mga nagpapakamatay dahil iniwan ng syota/asawa. Ang kokorni nyo!  Dami pang iba dyan… 94 million ang population ng Pinas pa lang.  Duh!

on Relationships:

Ever wonder why marami ngayon ang failed marriage? Kasi, ang definition ng lalaki/babae ngayon sa gwapo/maganda, yon lang mga nahihipo ni Belo!

the condom wars

Warning lang po:  I've maintained DS as GP as I can but this is the first time I'm gonna go PG sa aking posting.  Sorry but I have to do this.

There’s a war raging between PNoy’s government and the church. It’s all about condoms, contraceptives and the whole idea of birth control. Isang bagay na tinutulak ng gobyerno para tuluyang ma-implement. Na tinututulan naman ng mahigpit ng simbahan. At ako’y nauuta na naman dahil paulit-ulit na lang itong pinag-aawayan.

Actually napakadali sanang tapusin ng usapang ito dahil isa lang ang isisigaw ko – for the church to get off government’s back and let them do their thing. Pero syempre hindi pwede yon. Sa dinami-dami ng mga bagay na pinakikialaman ng simbahan sa pagpapatakbo ng bansa natin, I’d give this one to them. Dahil nga naman buhay ang pinag-uusapan dito. At sa mas malalim na pananaw, ang moralidad na mahigpit nilang binabantayan.

Sabi ng simbahan kasi, everyone’s got the right to live. Oo naman. In fact nakakahimagsik na mabalitaan na may 5th grader na namatay dahil tinamaan ng ligaw na bala dahil nagpaputok ang isang lasing. O kaya nasagasaan ng isang reckless driver ang isang graduating student, buntis na babae or isang tatay na nagta-trabaho para sa kanyang pamilya.

At mas lalong nakakainit ng dugo yong mga nagpapa-abort. Kasi buhay na talaga ang pinag-uusapan doon. May pintig na ng puso na involved. At sinuman ang kumitil ng pintig ng puso na yon, walang puso.

That is why I’m anti-abortion. But I’m pro-prevention.

Having said that, ito lang talaga ang tanong ko. Ano’ng right to live ang pinag-uusapan sa condom? Does that sticky liquid at the tip of that rubber have the slightest hint of a pulse? Does a drop of semen can actually scream ‘hey you stupid, don’t let me go to waste, I’m a future rocket scientist’? Wala naman ah. At that point, it is nothing but a natural secretion of the human anatomy. Parang jingle lang. Or pawis. So anong right to live ang pinag-uusapan doon?

Let’s take two couples for example. Yong isa gumagamit ng condom. Yong isa, hindi. But both are trying to be responsible people, preventing unwanted pregnancy knowing that they don’t have the capacity yet to bring another life into this planet. Pero kailangang mag-sex. And that is inevitable.

So, dahil yong isa ba ay gumagamit ng condom, he deserves the condemnation of the church? Eh yong isang tinapon lang ang semilya sa good morning towel? Okey lang dahil hindi sya gumamit ng condom? O baka naman pati good morning towel pag-diskitahan na rin ninyo?

Well, let me guess, ito marahil ang isasagot ng simbahan sa ganyang tanong: Pareho silang iko-condemn to hell coz they shouldn’t be practicing sex in the first place. Ay teka, mga Father, both couples po are legally married. Ayaw pa lang magka-anak dahil nagbabayad pa ng mga utang dahil sa mahal na kasalang nangyari sa simbahan ninyo!

O sige, for argument’s sake, hindi na lang kasal. Mag-BF/GF pa lang sila pareho. Sasabihin ninyo siguradong malaking kasalanan yan dahil hindi pa pala kasal nagse-sex na. Oo nga naman. Pero Father, other than that, meron pa ba kayong maipapayo to these people except praying 30 Hail Marys?

I’m sure ipapasok na ninyo yong second argument ninyo. And that is the very low morality, kung meron pa mang natitira, sa lipunan natin ngayon. Totoong-totoo naman at walang makikipag-argue dito. Kahit saan ka tumingin, kahit hindi sa aspetong sekswal, isa na ang moral values sa pinakamahirap makita sa ating society. Dahil ba sa madalang na tayong mag-simba? Dahil ba sa hindi na tayo nagdadasal? Hindi na tayo nagbabasa ng Bible. In short, we are no longer practicing our faith kaya yan, ang baba ng moral values natin.

Siguro. Pero maitanong ko lang (believe me I didn’t want to go as low as this but I wanted to drive home a point)… Ang mga pari ba na na-accuse of sexual offense, hindi sila nag-dasal araw-araw, hindi sila nag-rosary oras-oras kaya natukso pa rin sila? What I’m saying is, sila nga, people who have tried to live the life of sainthood, natutukso pa rin, bumibigay pa rin, how much more kaming araw-araw na exposed sa ‘kamunduhan ng sanglibutan’?

Sex is sex. At this day and age, kakaunti na lang ang taong may matibay na posisyon at determinasyon not to engage in it - premarital or otherwise. Kung meron man, they can hold on to it only for as long as they can. But it’s not gonna be forever.

Sakit na ito ng lipunan. Television is bombarding us with shows suggesting sex. Movies are showing it even bolder. Even printed materials are all screaming sex. And well-known people, kahit politicians are already careless about their sexual activities. Hindi na sila natatakot na makasira sa kanilang mga career ito. Or whatever effect it will have on people who look up to them. In fact, parang proud pa sila for the world to know that they have several kids to prove their infedility.

Yan ang katotohanan ngayon. The bitter, ugly truth that we have to face. Na dapat hanapan ng solusyon, hindi pikitan ng mata at ipag-pasa-Dyos na lamang. We have to do something about it. Gawan natin ng paraan. Pag may nagawa nang paraan, doon natin samahan ng dasal. (O di ko pa rin kayo nakalimutan ha!).

Inasmuch as you wanted to uphold the morality of your flocks, you have to wake up and face reality. And the truth is, hindi na ganon ka-effective ang simbahan sa pagpapalaganap ng moralidad. In fact, you have lost your grip a long time ago. At ngayon, sa pagkakaligaw ng landas ng inyong herd, they are suffering from one huge dilemma.

Poverty. Sexual diseases. Over population. Mga baby na pina-flush sa toilet. Iniiwan sa lansangan at kung saan-saan. Kahit sa eroplano.

If the church can really devise one comprehensive solution to these problems, then by all means go. Go, go, go. Pero kung wala kayong isasagot kundi ang taimtim na pagdadasal, pagro-rosary at paglalakad ng paluhod sa Quiapo church, then, sisigaw na nga ako - tantanan na ninyo ang gobyerno!!!

Let them do what they think is necessary to address these problems. Dahil sa totoo lang, napakaraming problema ang mabibigyan ng solusyon if we put population explosion at bay. May pag-asa tayong umunlad. May pag-asa tayong mabawasan ang crime rate. May pag-asa tayong mabuhay ng may kaunting dignidad.

Hindi ba kayo naaawang makita ang mga batang musmos, barely taking their first steps and yet nangangalkal ng basura para lang may makain? If you can’t do something about it, then let the government try their thing. Kung hindi man ninyo suportahan, then lay off.

Wag yong pati si Noynoy na naging sunod-sunuran sa inyo all his life, ite-threaten ninyo ng excommunication. Wag ganon. Threats are unbecoming for men of God like you. Mga sanggano at terorista lang ang gumagawa ng ganon.

Sa usaping ito, I’m giving my support to Noynoy (as if sa haba ng sinabi ko hindi pa rin malinaw yong part na yon!). Kung hindi nagawa ng ibang Pangulo dati dahil sa takot sa simbahan, I hope Noynoy can do it. It’s something that should have been implemented ages ago. It could have been more effective noong hindi pa talamak ang cancer. But late as it may be, it’s better than not happening at all. Who knows how grim the picture can be 10, 20 years from now.

of age, beauty and enormous power

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the current breed of international political figures seem to get younger and better looking. Every time I watch world news, I’m always fascinated by these men and women who do not only spell power but also exude images of youth and beauty.

My memory might be subjective but as far as I can remember, our very own Ferdinand Marcos is the only suave-looking President I’ve seen on Tv back when I was a kid. Most, if not all, were aging, bald, pot-bellied or simply boring. That’s why I thought the world of politics is no place for the finer looking species.

But times have certainly changed. Today, men and women who were graciously favored by Mother Nature are changing the landscape of the political arena. They are not just faces that could have easily become movie stars. But most importantly, they have broken the invisible barrier that excludes young blood from mainstream politics.

Here’s ten of the most fascinating young achievers in the international political scene:

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Finland’s Prime Minister Mari Johanna Kiviniemi (born 27.09.68), is only 42 and the youngest female leader in this list. While millions of women her age are worrying about their weight or their nth pregnancy, this young lady was busy working her way up the ladder of success. Wiki says she was raised in a rural area of Finland and her parents were chicken farmers. A true picture of success.



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Dimissed Ukrainian Prime Minister (removed from power only last March), Yulia Tymoshenko (born 27.11.60) is 50 but wore her crown-braided hair like a prima ballerina. With dainty looks and demeanor, you’d never believe she’s battling it out with the machos in the Ukrainian political arena.

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Incumbent Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (born 18.04.70), at 40 is the youngest in this list. Aside from his political power, he is also a regular name in Forbes’ billionaires list. Talk about good looks, power and wealth. He’s got it all!


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Argentina’s current President, 57 yo Cristina Elizabet Kirchner (born 19.02.53) has the glamour of a beauty queen. She is Argetina’s second female president but the first one elected to power. (Isabel Martinez de Peron, Juan Peron’s 3rd wife after Eva was the first but she only ascended to power after Juan Peron died while in office).

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Georgia’s President, 43 yo Mikheil Saakashvili (born 21.12.67), looks like a guy straight from the pages of GQ. Always impeccably garbed in his power suit, this guy speaks English with only the slightest hint of Eastern European accent. He assumed power in 2004 after toppling Shevardnadze via his Rose Revolution.


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44 yo David Cameron (born 09.10.66), UK’s Prime Minister has the looks that could qualify for a boy band. He actually took power when he was 43 giving him the honor of being the youngest PM in the history of modern-day UK.

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Speaking of records, Abhisit Vejjajiva, at 44 (born 03.08.64), became Thailand’s youngest Prime Minister in 2008. This Eton and Oxford educated gentleman stood challenges to his powers earlier this year when opposition staged a Red revolution that disrupted much of businesses in Bangkok. But this gentleman proved he can also be tough beneath that cool exterior.


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Costa Rica’s first female President, Laura Chinchilla Miranda (born 28.03.59) is 51, vibrant and quite a looker. Probably one of the more progressive minds in the political world, she supports same-sex marriage. Quite controversial view from a leader of a country of devout Roman Catholics.


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Australia’s newly elected PM Julia Gillard is only 49 (born 29.09.61), red-haired and looks just like a super model. But this hard line politician became Australia’s first female PM after challenging the leadership of then PM Kevin Rudd who lost support from his party.


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And last but not least, US’ President Barrack Obama (born 04.08.61), at 49, certainly has the boyish charm that most Americans found endearing. That charm enhanced the astute political depth he possesses and gave him the honor of being the first black president of the most powerful country in the world.

So that’s my 10. But wait, let me mention a couple of runners-up if you dont mind:

Sarah Palin will make another beautiful President if ever. With 3 years to go on Barrack’s term, she can be in it at 49 yo. I just don’t know how she can pole vault her way to the White House.

Edward Miliband, the new Labour Party president in UK is also eyeing the PM post a few years from now. He’s only 41 and if the stars are on his side, he can also join the exclusive circle of world leaders in their 40’s.

There you go. Just a few names and faces that I’ve come across whenever I’m watching BBC, Jazeera and EuroNews. But a very good sample base of what I was saying a little earlier on.

Youth, beauty and power. A very strong combination that not many people are blessed with. These are the faces of interesting people who now inhabit the corridors of power. These are the names making the international political scene more interesting than ever. A very good batch of individuals that young people can use as their role models.

(note: infos as researched via Wikipedia)