Sunday, December 4, 2011

i wish there was an app for happiness


i wish there was an app for happiness
something i can download
to take away the pain
i need a real hug
not just a tag
an honest-to-goodness conversation
that doesn't involve abbrvtn
sure i got a 1000 friends
but none of them knows me
we talk through shoutouts
not over coffee
i spent my birthday
with wall-full of greetings
and not a single smile or kiss
my tweet moves faster than the speed of light
but my feet never go farther
than the fridge and the loo
how are you?
i'm fine, thank you
hahaha, hehehe
are all the laughter i know
and my emotions are limited
by the characters on my keyboard
for someone who claims to live outside the box
i spend too much time inside one
sure it connects me
to the farthest reaches of the universe
but i don't get to hold a hand
so i wish for an app
to dispel the mind-numbing sense
of loneliness
that envelops me
despite the hundreds of followers
and millions of contacts
every day, i fall asleep chatting with an orgy online
and still wake up alone

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Election 2010

Aah, yes, it's that time of the decade once again. Philippine national elections, ladies and gentlemen. No other event in current history can provide as much irony, hilarity and disbelief as the time when our beloved nation gets to choose its leaders for the next 8 years (or even less, depending on the country's capacity to tolerate idiocy and blatant thievery and the enthusiasm of the masses to gather once again in the famed spot in EDSA). Despite the fact that I am outside of the country, hence "removed" from the effects of the outcome of this increasingly futile exercise (can you say "dagdag-bawas"?), I still have family there. Family to whom I send hard-earned foreign currency on a monthly basis, and who keeps telling me is not even enough to buy a month's worth of meals for them. P200/kilo for pork? OMG! What are they feeding these cholesterol-laden animals? Truffles? But I digress.

Anyway, let's return to the topic on hand. The national elections. I can smell the money exchanging hands from where I am (as well as hear the gunshots), how's that for blatant? And what's with the candidates for president nowadays? Are we really doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again? Are Filipinos cursed with historical redundancy? As hard as it is to pick the future leader of the country, one that's supposed to bring the Philippines to the forefront of growth in a recovering global economy, why make it harder by providing candidates that are not only unsuitable, unqualified or just in it for the money, but are also so removed from the suffering of the masses, it's ridiculous!

Why are the only people running for public office are the ones living in exclusive subdivisions, who owns several modes of transportation, who can afford to eat in fancy restaurants, vacation overseas and buy the latest thingamajigs? Maybe because those are prerequisites for those prestigious positions? How come the people we choose to change the way we live for the better have the best lives ever, and therefore does not really need to concern themselves with improving other people's lives, just maintaining their status quo?

I remember participating in a debate when I was still in high school. The topic was to prove that elections are indeed a sign of democracy. I was in the "anti" group. My stand then was that choosing one's leaders does not translate to obtaining the ideals of democracy, which is freedom of speech and improvement of life. As an example, I cited rampant traffic as one of the most obvious problems which cannot seemed to be solved by elections or any democratic power for that matter. My opponent graciously demurred, stating that he has no problem with traffic, as he walks to school. I had to applaud his flippancy. Apparently, this is the same problem we're facing with the people currently running for public office. They do not have a problem with traffic. They take helicopters, or have police escorts everywhere they go. They've never faced the problem of looking for their next meal, have never been unemployed or have felt the tight belt of a small salary made smaller by taxes.

Is there a point in all of this ranting, you ask? It's around here somewhere. Yup! There it is. Maybe it's about time we THINK clearly BEFORE we TICK a name in the ballot. We've been voting on the basis of sentiments for such a long time. Sentiments are good when you're picking gifts or clothes. Loyalty is ok when picking brands of toothpaste, shampoo, electronics. We choose those based on previous, good experience. But what about when choosing our new leader? Why should we let sentiments get in the way of common sense? Sure he's honest and the son of a national hero, but how many years of political background does he have? Won't he still need to rely on the advise of his elders (trapos) to make crucial decisions? What about the administration's rooster? Kind of the same, isn't it? The old(er) guys running, what about them? They all have their strong points. But we still need to ask the relevant question: can one really translate the success in a municipality/economic zone/area of responsibility to the entire country?

I end this blog in this note: after years of submitting ourselves to the "lesser evil" (which actually turned out to be THE devil herself, I mean himself), isn't it about time we try NOT to choose "evil" but rather use our "coconuts" to pick the best? May everyone be able to choose wisely this May.

p.s. who's this "wisely" guy anyway? every election, people are asked to choose him, but he never seems to win. poor wisely. :P

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Broken Things

What do you do with a thing that's broken? If it's something expensive, you'll probably find a way to fix it. Maybe pay a specialist to fix it. But what if it cannot be fixed? Will you find it in your heart to throw it away? Maybe not. Maybe you'll just end up keeping it in a box containing all the other important, expensive broken stuff which cannot be fixed.

Maybe we all have a box of these stuff. It does not necessarily contain expensive stuff. Just things with inexplicable sentimental value. Something that reminds you of that great date, or a wonderful person that used to be in your life but somehow vanished. Maybe we all keep stuff in this box, broken stuff which we cannot seem to throw away. Because, deep in our hearts, we are hoping, that someday, we'll be able to find a way to fix it again.

But what if that day never comes? What happens to that stuff? Does it remain hidden, broken, a sad, sore reminder of what it used to be before? Would it have been better to just let it go? Throw it away or give it away? Why would anyone want broken stuff anyway?

Because there's substance in that broken thing. It meant something and still does. It hurts you to look at it, so you ignore the fact that its broken. You keep it locked in so you don't need to face the fact that it's broken. That it might never be fixed again. But who cares? It might be broken, but it's yours. No one else has it. No one else can have it. It's yours until you decide not to want it anymore. Which is sad, but that's for another blog.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Hurray! Payday!

Sabi ko na nga ba, maliit lang suswelduhin ko ngaung katapusan. Kasi nga kalahati na ng buwan nung ako'y magsimula dito sa bago kong trabaho. Di bale, ayos lang. Kita mo, dual currency pa sweldo ko. USD at VND. Taray! Ngaun lang ako nakahawak ng milyones. :P Kaso nga lang magkano rin lang halaga! Hahaha! Ano pa ba reklamo ko? At least kumikita na muli. Maari na namang makapag-remit. Hirap kasi ng wala. I know I'm blessed. Daming walang trabaho dyan. E ako, sobrang appreciated sa trabaho ngaun, sobrang in demand. Lahat ba naman ng projects damay ako. Ayoh! Paano ko kaya hahatiin sarili ko? Oh well, tingnan natin kung hanggang saan talents ko. :D

Saturday, August 29, 2009

How Do I Start?


Ok, eto, sisimulan ko na. The first official blog of a not-so-young, mother of three, whose idea of leisure nowadays is watching HBO while Facebooking. Sigh...I used to watch movies 3 times a week at the cinema (for FREE!) Why, oh, why did I leave that job? Now, the highlight of my day is the glass of Vietnamese coffee I buy from the twin aunties outside the office for 5,000VND every morning. My best friend just started a blog and urged me to do the same. I say, why not? With millions of people sharing their views online, what's to stop me from doing the same? This may be the beginning of a wonderfully weird (and wacky) blogging addiction, so read on!