Full Time

                                                    (photo: topnettools.com)

I am a full-time Facebook worker.

 I devote 97 percent of my waking time ogling the pictures posted. I like reading the shout outs of others and sometimes laugh at their stupidity. I follow the movements of my virtual friends and sometimes, feel sorry for them…They’re so pathetic! They would post their selfies without preparing themselves to be presentable – sometimes they reek of poverty and ugliness!

I’m a full-time Facebook worker.

I know the latest word wars and the scandals posted on this social network! I wince on the grammatical errors of those who dare to post their twisted sentences and I laugh out loud in my room for their sorry situations.

Yes, I’m better than them. I often criticize the way they present their ideas. I always anchor on freedom of speech and opinions but I could not take on their shallow ideas! How dare these imbeciles populate on these grounds? This is my world and the mistakes I commit could be justified. Theirs are purely out of this world!

I like doing springboards on breaking relationships. Friendships must run amok. Lovers must throw negative comments on each other. I like talking about the latest feuds… It’s a nice way to start a conversation – other’s pains!

There are instances when I talk about things in the real world of what’s happening in the Facebook world. I would grimace on the ignorance of others when they tell me that they do not do FB. How could they miss these chances of a lifetime? I do not get alarmed when I would blurt out things I learn from FB. Why should I, that is the normal thing now!

No, I’m not sick. I am just observant, right? 

There are also instances when I sign up for fake identities and feel a sense of exhilaration when I could hurt others. I have this…powerful fluttering inside my heart. It’s like being high from a virtual drug. I could sense the power in me every time I could do something on these lesser beings. 

Why should I read books instead? The pages of those bound paper is not in vogue! I could skim the e-books linked on FB. There are free apps which could be downloaded. Who cares if these are not properly edited and are being digested by editors? I dislike those faggots who often yack on their latest reads! In FB, the people themselves are the books I like reading!

Yes, I’m a full-time Facebook worker. And I could feel that we are many. There might be a time when we will conquer not just the virtual world but the real one.

In FB, it’s like playing God… nay, it is like BEING God.

Crystal Clear

                                                           (blogs.nd.edu)

He realized he has lung cancer. 

It's very ironic since he knows how chemicals bond and how the unstable ones react to humans. He is a chemistry teacher and a good one at that. Learning his condition, a numbness covers him like an unwanted embrace from a stranger...

He started being detached, How could he spill the facts to his wife who's pregnant and to his son with cerebral palsy? How could he go along with the medical treatment with his measly income?

But isn't he good with chemicals? Why not turn this skill to his benefit? Why not find a former student who knows the drug trade and start cooking crystal?

BREAKING BAD is one of the best crime drama ever telecast. The genius of Vince Gilligan who created the series with the acclaimed acting of Byan Cranston and Aaron Paul as the main thespians of the series could transport the viewer to the desserts of New Mexico and how the methamphetamine (shabu in the local lingo) trade is being dealt.

The cinematography is done with all aesthetic qualities while the direction is raw. Of course, this is not recommended to the young ones since it's violent and could be catered to mature audiences alone. For how could one explain to a youngster why a mother would allow her son to witness their wasting out with the husband? (The wife later crushed the head of the husband with an ATM machine!)

It's really an interesting work of fiction. Critics gave lots of accolade to the episodes and after the final airing on the 5th season, ratings raised to an all-time high.

How I wish that our TV networks would also venture on such productions. But then we know that it won't sell and the madlang people will raise their eyebrows in protest. For even the flicks of Brillante Mendoza “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) seem taboo in his own backyard.

Thanks to the technology of downloading we could now view the missed episodes... then we could do the so-called marathons.

Here's a salute to the ensemble which makes the series flawless. I could invite a friend and allow him not to blink as a thug turns the face of his companion into a bloody mess with his bare fists.

Vanished

                                                              ( www.dailysatr.co.uk)

And that's it? After the harrowing moments of waiting if they're safe or not, someone would call a press conference and tell the families that Malaysian Airlines Flight 370  ended its flight at the Indian Ocean! There were wails of denial and anger. For how could one's love one just vanish in thin air? Meaning, they could not see their father/mother/sister/brother/husband/wife for the rest of their lives because of an unexplained reason?

Putting on the shoes of the family members who cling for hope, one could not imagine the mixture of emotions to whirl inside the mind and the heart of that person. A major glitch from the routine of life could do a lot of damage to the human psyche...

But what really happened? As the continuing saga of the plane's search, I really got into a lot of thinking and speculations. I remembered being glued to the TV screen as I did a marathon on that hit series LOST. For one summer I got so interested on the plight of the passengers of the fictitious Ocenia plane which crashed on an island that could not be tracked by any electronic device. For hours, I flinched on top of my bed and got boggled with the twists and turns of the story.

There were also speculations of alien interventions. Again, I got so interested with the concept since up to now, the idea of extra-terrestrial presence is still an on-going discussion of the scientific groups. The episodes of the much-loved X-FILES then visited on my conscious mind as the theme by Mark Snow soundtrack my thoughts...

But the more the search for the missing plane continued, the more my heart went to the waiting families. What if one of the members of my family was one of the passengers? What would be my reaction when I hear an authority telling me that "the flight of that plane ended and there's no chance of life?"

Then, there are bloggers who continue to mislead the readers giving more confusion to the chaos created by the mishap. What motivates them? Giving false hope to the families and even making fun of the situation...

Life is short. We better see the brighter side and live more. 

Rest

He was trembling. The thin blanket was embraced by him as if it was life itself. His blood sugar dropped once more – hypoglycaemia. The teeth chattered as I cajoled him to eat more chocolate. He bit the chewy bar and continued to shiver.

When a cousin lifted him from the bed the other day, I saw how wasted his body was. The gray hair and the unkempt whiskers on his face seemed to add to his overall look – sick.

I tried to remember the times when he was young. I could reminisce how detached he was… especially with those times when he had some drinks. He would sit on the porch for hours and do nothing. Also, he had money those days.

Things got blurry when he decided to "follow his heart" with someone disliked by his peers and family…

But seeing him old and trembling, I said to myself: all those things are in the past. What is important is now. If I wallow in distress and bitterness, what would it give me? I have learned that if I do something for others, I’m actually doing it for myself. This is a passage of becoming human and functioning like one.

While my father continued to shake, I refilled his glass of soda. I had lots of things to do. But this was probably God’s message to me. You see, every time that I would be out of town, he would often be sent to the hospital. I needed to have more time with him now.

As he slept on the old bed, I could see that he seemed to be shrinking. He looked helpless. That was the time when I saw myself some years from now. I will be old like him.

And if I choose not to serve him, I might not have the chance to assure myself that I HAVE BECOME A BETTER PERSON.

My father passed away two days later... the same day when my mother succumbed to death twenty four years ago.

Yolanda, Janet and Miriam

(photo: manila standard today.com)

Good thing Miriam came.

On November 7, 2013, most of Northeastern Mindanao waited for the arrival of Yolanda. She was forecast by the weather bureau as a Super Typhoon. Classes were cancelled in all levels since the authorities abide to the warnings from the higher ups. The decision left all of us stationed in our homes contemplating on our safety.

Janet then was aired on national TV at ten thirty or so. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee decided to subpoena her for an investigation in aid of legislation. People sat in front of the TV and started to see what could have been a lukewarm investigation. The looming threat of Yolanda was forgotten for some hours as a surge of confusion and wrath simmered over the seemingly-lying Janet.  The social networking sites were populated by the comments of the netizens on how Janet looked – guilty!

It was bland, the proceedings…especially her answers. Her manners were sometimes corrected by the PAO lawyers provided for her. Her face, sans make up, revealed an impassive expression.

Then, the storm came…not Yolanda but Miriam.

I started to have some kind of an adrenalin rush when she started her lecture on “the right against self-incrimination”. It was loud and clear and lawyerly. She then said to Janet: Let me look at you. As an RTC judge, we were trained to know whether the witness is lying or telling the truth by just looking at the expression! There was some sort of a religious awe which enveloped the session hall as she continued ranting on legal matters and all. I got a good laugh when she queried: AND, WHO ARE YOU? Referring to the PAO lawyers…

Some were irked with her seeming personal vendetta over Senator Enrile which she seems to insinuate as the godfather of the Pork Barrel Scam. But even with such innuendos, she still sounded credible and reasonable.

I take the senators’ words on the fact that that was the time when Napoles could air her side. That avenue could clear her from the accusations bombarded to her. But with her Hindi ko po alam, Wala and the long silence, the people had their judgment on her. For how could Benhur Luy and other whistleblowers recount the details of their transactions while she feigned innocence on the matters discussed? Selective amnesia?

Whatever happens, the people are still raging about the plunder committed by the so-called public servants. After all the money shelled out by simple workers through income tax, value-added tax and expanded value added tax, we have the right to seethe with fiery storm inside our midst. We are even compelled to go to the streets and flood the social media with our opinions… After all, this is still a democratic country, right?

For now, we are still holding on with our collective prayers that Yolanda would not harm us. As a country, we are already castigated with political storms which are making poverty somewhat like a natural calamity.

Slap, Kick, Shout and Stab

     

      Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently reported to have helped 3,471 women in especially difficult circumstance (WEDC). Many of them suffered physical injuries totaling 1,091 cases. And according to ABS-CBN, 7 out of 10 learners in public schools are victims of violence (abs-cbs.com.)

             

          Domestic violence has been an issue feared to be discussed by our somewhat conservative society. There were even instances that some women consider wife-beating as a norm in a married life.

            

           Students, especially those who come from dysfunctional families, would often inflict violence and become bullies to other learners. The “different” brood of learners is often the victims of their outbursts.

              

                But when communication technology became pervasive, the knowledge on the evils of violence against women and bullying became pressing issues in the workplace, schools, homes and generally the society. R.A. 9262 a.k.a. Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Act of 2004 and recently R.A. 10627, Bullying Prevention Act in Schools became the legal bases of the prevention of the thriving of such evil.

           

             For years now, I have been doing Anti-VAWC campaigns. I was able to stage two dance recitals focusing on the theme. I often inject this theme even to the pieces I choreographed which were showcased in the National Arts Festival sponsored by the Department of Education. But then, some audiences still like to laugh rather than to think. There was even a feedback that the dances looked “heavy”. Of course, violence is depressing not entertaining. But dance as an art form could also be a medium of that social issue…

             

                  My thesis in graduate school was on the viability of the implementation of Anti-VAWC activities in the secondary schools of two clusters. The result showed that there are minimal activities done by the schools to address violence against women and children…

             

                 I recently finished reading Nicholas Sparks’ “Safe Haven”. I read the book for one day even if my eyes are blurry nowadays. The focus is on a woman’s struggle to live her life away from a violent marriage only to be hunted by the culprit. Physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuses were graphically described in the book I was able to empathize on the pain Katie experienced. Sparks was able to give hints on the cause of Kevin’s anger but then again, violence is not just understood but stopped.

            

                I guess most of the kids were bullied when they were young. I experienced that as well. But I have always been someone who would try to dig deeper. Of course I got hurt but I remembered asking all the while: What made them do such things? Eventually, I got the answers in psychology classes I attended and books I read. Most of my childhood bullies are still in the dark of who they are supposed to be.

            

           In the end, it would be peace and harmony that we would like to have in this life. The violent persons will continue to be there as long as violence breeds in the family. Let us make concerted efforts to stop making violence a culture in our homes.

(photo: tayloredreviews.wordpress.com)

Of Claustrophobia and Diabetes

                                          (remate.ph)

That's the price of democracy.

Politicians and public servants must now realize that whatever they do, there's public scrutiny and public opinion. Sec. Mar Roxas and even President Aquino are being castigated on the seemingly VIP treatment of Janet Lim Napoles. People are wondering on the breaking of protocol on Napoles' surrender and the president's act to escort her to the Philippine National Police. 

ZTE-NBN whistle-blower Jun Lozada aired his side and on behalf of the others who divulged scams. For him, the president is being unfair on his treatment towards them... 

But that's their job, according to the DILG Secretary. He has to ensure the safety of Napoles and the president underscored this fact to him as well. Because what critique would be there if they won't do something and would lead to the harm of Janet? Roxas continued. Of course, that would also be the case when they got indifferent with the situation.

According to sociologists, there are persons in our society who could be considered as YACKERS. They would react on the situations and air their opinions directly. Out from these, the concerned will then answer back to justify their actions. Then, the two sides are presented in the open. The others on the sidelines who listened to both sides could then make a stand of their own. And that could be helpful in the development of a deeper understanding of the social issues and trends.

Feelings are touched; egos are either boosted or depleted; relationships are broken... there are even times when darkness lingers. But again, that's part of the democracy we have been enjoying too!

So what's the point?

There would be reaction without an action taken; no ricochet when a trigger was not pulled; no ripples without a stone thrown...

I am diabetic and also claustrophobic. I won't do something that could send me to a small room with iron grills with the media and others lingering outside waiting for a scoop.