I was struck by an incomprehensible sadness while reading the documents sent by hny's relatives from Canada. One of the documents is a bilingual certificate of their new citizenship, the other one, a letter from the minister on multiculturalism congratulating them for choosing Canada as their new home. They are now Canadian citizens.
Their story is the story of the millions of Filipinos who are taking their chances in other countries in search for greener pastures. However, unlike OFWs who still maintain their citizenship, migrants opt to relinquish their being a Filipino not only to earn money but secure their family's future in terms of health, education and a lot of other benefits that our own government fails to provide. By the virtue of a piece of paper, you no longer pledge allegiance to the red, yellow, and blue flag that you have known since birth, rather to an entirely different flag with a maple leaf emblazoned on it. This means goodbye to the blighted cities, the polluted streets and potholed roads, goodbye to families, relatives, and friends you have known since you were small. Welcome to a brighter and promising future.
On the bleaker side, I can't help but think of a lifetime of poverty for those who do not have the choice to leave; to the farmers who are forever tied to lands they cannot own, to the laborers at the azucarera in Negros who barely eat thrice a day, to the thousands of children begging for alms, illiterate, sick, dying. This is poverty and 26.5 million Filipinos are suffering from it.
Who have not heard of fathers leaving their children to work in Saudi, of mothers who enslave themselves in Hong Kong, of brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles in different parts of the world who send pictures with a lot of smiles while their eyes tell otherwise. This is how poverty dehumanize people.
The Philippine Senate reported that seven to eight million Filipinos live and work abroad, almost 2, 374 leave the country everyday. Clearly, it's a fight or flight response against poverty.
In the future, I will face the same dilemma: should I stay or should I leave? The worst option perhaps is changing my citizenship from Filipino to another, not for me alone but more importantly for the sake of my children. But, is leaving the real option? Maybe, maybe not. I'll cross the bridge when I get there. As of now, I still want to believe and earnestly hope that this country will be able to survive the phenomenon that is Argentina. As long as there are people who serve the country unselfishly, as long as there are Filipinos who dream for the betterment of this society, no matter how few they may be, life is worth living in the Philippines.
________
"Ur kind words were conveyed to me. Thx a lot. Being remembered fondly by students s a reward 4 teaching dat weighs more dan our meager salaries."~PFN
Coming from a person whom you have revered all your adult life, this is truly heart-warming.
Top 5 Non-Alcoholic Beverages
1) Watermelon Shake. Available at Mr. Kabab's (Pantranco), not only do they serve mouth-watering shavarma but a thoroughly refreshing drink that won't leave a dent on your pocket.(Naks! Todo promote!)
2) C2 Green Tea. I've been a big fan of this beverage since December. Always on top of the grocery list.
3) Soya Milk. First tasted at Happy Veggies resto, bought a liter-pack at Shopwise, been drinking since yesterday morning.
4) Wendy's Iced Tea. Not your regular powdered, too-much-citric-acid iced tea you'll find at fast food stores, this one even has lemon rinds (calamansi?). Thirst-quencher!
5) Aloe. This is one expensive addiction we got from our trip to Korea. We even brought one liter and stuffed it in our baggage when we went home. Seeing Aloe in a store shelf here in the Philippines excites me ("Hny Aloe!!")
Iced Tea with Mint. Cibo has this one. It doesn't taste like powdered tea and it has mint leaves. In lieu of Aloe, which is a bit difficult to find.
Top 5 Alcoholic Beverages
No beer please.
1) Mudshake. Yummy booze! Available at your suking tindahan (Shopwise!).
2) Smirnoff Mule. A regular item in our grocery list. (Hala! Tomador!)
3) Quattro's Long Island Iced Tea. Just a glass makes me tipsy.
4) Mindoro Sling. Sharrap! Ang gaganda pa ng nagse-serve! Nyaha! :D
5) Warehouse. Also from Puerto G. This made us go home.
I wanna try Absinthe.
.
1) Watermelon Shake. Available at Mr. Kabab's (Pantranco), not only do they serve mouth-watering shavarma but a thoroughly refreshing drink that won't leave a dent on your pocket.(Naks! Todo promote!)
2) C2 Green Tea. I've been a big fan of this beverage since December. Always on top of the grocery list.
3) Soya Milk. First tasted at Happy Veggies resto, bought a liter-pack at Shopwise, been drinking since yesterday morning.
4) Wendy's Iced Tea. Not your regular powdered, too-much-citric-acid iced tea you'll find at fast food stores, this one even has lemon rinds (calamansi?). Thirst-quencher!
5) Aloe. This is one expensive addiction we got from our trip to Korea. We even brought one liter and stuffed it in our baggage when we went home. Seeing Aloe in a store shelf here in the Philippines excites me ("Hny Aloe!!")
Iced Tea with Mint. Cibo has this one. It doesn't taste like powdered tea and it has mint leaves. In lieu of Aloe, which is a bit difficult to find.
Top 5 Alcoholic Beverages
No beer please.
1) Mudshake. Yummy booze! Available at your suking tindahan (Shopwise!).
2) Smirnoff Mule. A regular item in our grocery list. (Hala! Tomador!)
3) Quattro's Long Island Iced Tea. Just a glass makes me tipsy.
4) Mindoro Sling. Sharrap! Ang gaganda pa ng nagse-serve! Nyaha! :D
5) Warehouse. Also from Puerto G. This made us go home.
I wanna try Absinthe.
.
Absinth inspired many prominent artists, writers and poets: Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Manet, Ernest Hemingway - in fact his masterpiece " For Whom The Bell Tolls " was written under the influence of "The Green Fairy". What's special with this liquor is that it has thujone, a toxic chemical present in wormwood and has a similar molecular geometry with THC, the active chemical in cannabis. www.absinth.com
Happy Drinking!
Saturday NN. We attended the volunteers' orientation at the CEAE for the Pasig River Marathon on February 27. I've been meaning to find worthwhile activities to engage in since I have a lot of spare time. I've decided to volunteer for an org working towards environmental conservation for the simple reason of self-preservation. For one, if loggers would not stop the indiscriminate cutting of the Amazon forest, the Earth will have less oxygen and I don't wanna die from asphyxiation. Also, I want my children to bathe in clean seas, smell the flowers, and climb trees, those small things that we've experienced when we were small which defined who we are now. Now I'm getting sentimental. Okay, back to the orientation, we met a lot people and did a lot of activities together. It was really fun! I'm looking forward to the 27th for the marathon event, for sure it'll be more enjoyable as we assist thousands of runners.
Four hours later, we find ourselves walking through the stretch of Gilmore, now considered the computer hub of QC. Excited to find a hole-in-the-wall food stall offering unusual fare, we stopped by Happy Veggies situated inside a new computer building. Since I'm not really hungry yet, I just ordered soya milk while hny ate steamed vegetable dumplings. That began my love story with soya milk.
After purchasing a keyboard and some blank cds, we headed for the Gateway Mall. And it is such a small world, for time and again we bumped with the Dacio sisters. We saw them atbthe ticket booth, at Bench, outside Rustan's. They're gonna watch Constantine, while we're just aimlessly walking around. We found ourselves dining at Cibo, hny ordered Lamb Panini while I had Pasta al Amado (?). I liked everything even the bit-too-gamey lamb, but I loved their iced tea with mint.
Proceeded to Shopwise after and bought seemingly healthy food , viz: muscovado sugar, C2 green tea, chicken chunks, Florida mushroom, and soya milk! But the most fab find was the capiz earrings I bought from one of the small shops inside Shopwise. Can't wait to wear it tomorrow. Kikay :D
I've also volunteered for the Borgen Project and I'm currently reading the second volume of Sherlock Holmes adventures. I'm soo into the song All I Ask of You, a result of our watching the Phantom of the Opera last week. By the way, the name of the protagonist is Christine. :)
Movies to watch: Lemony Snickets' ASUE, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, The Aviator, and Hitch.
For movie reviews, click here: http://www.imdb.com/nowplaying/.
Nobody knows
Just why we’re here
Could it be fate
Or random circumstance
At the right place
At the right time
Two roads intertwine
And if the universe conspired
To meld our lives
To make us
Fuel and fire
Then know
Where ever you will be
So too shall I be
Chorus:
Close your eyes
Dry your tears
‘Coz when nothing seems clear
You’ll be safe here
From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears
Weary heart
You’ll be safe here
Remember how we laughed
Until we cried
At the most stupid things
Like we were so high
But love was all that we were on
We belong
And though the world would
Never understand
This unlikely union
And why it still stands
Someday we will be set free.
Pray and believe
Chorus:
When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere
You’ll be safe here
When nobody hears you scream
I’ll scream with you
You’ll be safe here
Save your eyes
From your tears
When everything’s unclear
You’ll be safe here
From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears
Wounded heart
When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere
You’ll be safe here
When nobody hears you scream
I’ll scream with you
You’ll be safe here
In my arms
Through the long cold night
Sleep tight
You’ll be safe here
When no one understands
I’ll believe
You’ll be safe,
You’ll be safe
You’ll be safe here
Put your heart in my hands
You’ll be safe here
~Rivermaya
~from rebelpixel.com
I rarely read books written by authors other than Christie, Doyle, and Higgins. But of course, there came a time when I have read almost everything these creative geniuses had written. My passion does not end in reading their novels alone, I must possess the books. Most especially in the case of Dame Christie, I have lived my growing up (old) years hunting for her books. Here is the clincher: I must not buy from legit book stores, rather from hole-in-the-wall shops selling those priceless books dirt-cheap. I am nearing success with regard to Christie, she had written 80 novels and I already have 75. Five more to go and I have no more purpose in life.
The case is different as regards Doyle, I think his novels are harder to find than Christie's. And so I have to buy; my hny recently bought me a Barnes and Noble edition of the Complete Sherlock Holmes which I lovingly wrapped in plastic cover (OC). Higgins, I can live without, I just turn to her when I start to morph from funky lady to lunatic kristinne for lack of anything to read.
Other than those three writers, I have other books for variety: George Orwell's 1984 & Animal Farm, Sidney Sheldon's novels, Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, and Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. The latter is priceless for reasons I will not divulge. Okay, I will Kuya Boy (parang Kris Aquino a), that book originally belongs to a famous person who once occupied my office space. He left his books and mementos for years, unread, accumulating dust. Then came I.
Some day, I will have that book Fed-exed to that person, it might be one of his prized possessions and he must have gone crazy looking for it. Although, he hasn't really cared that much for the book. The first thing I did to rehabilitate it is wrap it in plastic cover. (!)
Hay too much digression, this is not what I intend to write. I wanted to talk about a book which I am currently reading, entitled the Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I started to love the book and so I asked the owner's permission for me to cover it and lucky me, she obliged. Muchas gracias Bel for giving me the opportunity to explore other horizons through Piscine. From the few chapters I have read, I have learned to appreciate the idyllic nature of the sloths, how cruel that one of the mortal sins is named after these happy creatures. Also, I suddenly miss going to the zoo.
I still have a few hundred pages to read that's why I am soo eager to get home. :)
**
Thank God It's Friday!!!
**
PGMA decided to "up the ante" by raising the Valentine bonus to P3000. Thank you na rin kesa wala :)
Last night, I have discovered possible cures for boredom.
For weeks now, I have been feeling sluggish and extremely tired. At first, I attributed it to my 3-hour sleep to due sim city addiction but even when i started to wean away from zoning dense residential areas in my city (where I am mayor hah!) and slept 7 hours straight, I still feel like a sloth at the office. My battle against boredom ended last night when hny bought P36 worth of plastic cover and a sturdy 3m scotch tape. I started to cut through the plastic and suddenly my veins seem to pick up its rhythm, I covered books after books, of different sizes and shapes. I covered the Complete Sherlock Holmes book, several pugad baboy comic books, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, several Agatha Christie novels, and George Orwell's 1984.
To some people, this may seem stupid, but not everyone has this rare talent. I remember a great individual whose sole purpose in life is world domination (she goes by the name Jessica Zafra in this incarnation) who have written in one of her best-selling books her struggles in finding an adhesive for a clean, scotch-tape free, plastic book cover . She even tried acetone. See, Plastic "covering' is both a science and an art; a science because you have to employ experiments to find which adhesive works best, an art because you have to have the right pulse to cut the plastic straight without any outside help. It makes one self-reliant and creative.
The other cure, I will not hide within sentences. You just have to click it: http://maddox.xmission.com/.
: I am not to blame if you get offended. Click at your own risk. It may be life altering. Not for ignoramus sarcasmus. :D
Pag wednesday sa UP kaunti lang students, parang bakasyon kaya medyo malungkot ang atmosphere. Rare din ang UP-Toki.
Ngayong Wednesday ang last day ni President Francisco Nemenzo as UP Prez, he'll be succeeded by former Chancellor Emerlinda Roman. I wonder what's in store for UP for the next six years.
This (Wednesday) morning I chanced upon one of the headlines of a broadsheet: Valentine bonus from GMA: P1,000 to P2,000. Nge! Marami ang nag-expect [kasama na ako :)] na P5,000 yun! Oh well, mabuti na rin kesa wala. :(
Continuation ng aming training on proposal writing today, whole day na walang internet access (takas lang to!)
Katamad pa rin :(
Had fun tinkering my blog. Now I have a drop down list of my links to unclutter my web page. Another idea for someone who's into creative copying aka plagiarism. The sassy lawyer was not spared by such lowly deed, some wacko posted her bopis recipe in one forum. Naman, pati bopis recipe hindi pinatawad! The poor guy thought he can get away with it, maybe he didn't read the blogger's name right: sassy lawyer. I hope he'll be indicted, serves him right.
Check out Rivermaya's song "You'll be safe here." LSS!! You can click the mp3 player ---->
Meron nagtanong na UP prof: "Ano ba yang YM?" coz we're talking about it while gorging on green tea ice cream (yum!), nag-isip sya tas sabi: young man?? hehe
Meron kaming training on proposal writing today, dito lang naman sa college at kami-kaming staff lang. Nakakaantok lalo pa at may sipon ako. Kahit na libre yung lunch hindi ako masyadong natuwa kasi bland yung manok saka gravy ng Kenny's, tapos ang kasama pa steamed vegetables, ang tabang lalo. Pero baka naman sabihin sobrang reklamador ko ang dami ngang hindi kumakain.
***
Miss ko nang magbadminton. Medyo nagkakatamaran nga lang ngayon ang mga tao kaya wala pang nag-aaya. Tinatamad pa rin naman ako kaya ok lang.
Hay san kaya makakabili ng gamot sa katamaran?
Hindi ko na sana papansinin kaya lang ni-remind ako ng hny na nakita nga raw nya yung latest "similarity" sa content ng site ko. Dati pa 'to ayaw ko lang patulan kasi feeling ko it's not worth my time pero nakakapikon din minsan, saka hindi ako maunawain sa ganoong aspeto ng ka-bullshitan. Contents, terminologies, even my blogfriends. Coincidence my ass! To hell with creative commons, stop copying my shit.
Cranky ako ngayon dahil sa sipon, pasensya ka.
*picture originally from the movie "Bituing Walang Ningning", copied at Pilipinosuperstore.com
I believe there is a little bit of Imelda in each of us. We love shoes, we hoard clothes, we slave for luxury, we love beautiful things. And who doesn't?
I've watched a portion of Ramona Diaz' film which features the "steel butterfly of the Philippines," La Imelda. I think she's funny, beautiful, and yes, intelligent in a skewed way.
I'd like to write her off as someone who breathes and lives for all things beautiful, and I can live with that. What becomes unacceptable is when you go beyond what is moral and humane in order to possess it. Like plundering a country or killing thousands of people for instance. That for me is unacceptable, simply unforgivable.
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