tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110276952024-03-13T23:09:18.134+03:00Willing ExileMental snapshots of an eternally-searching soulAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.comBlogger520125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-80793859994995867022014-01-03T01:00:00.001+03:002014-01-03T01:00:02.632+03:00RetirementThere comes a point in one's life when too much information and searching for connection becomes more of a "miss" thing than generating true "hits." There comes a point when the random thought desires to become purposive, and the creative urge must be mastered, tamed, and redirected.<br />
<br />
I have no illusions about the depth or quality of my own writing. Therefore, keeping on "publishing" my thoughts before my ideas grow and become true living things, so to speak, is an injustice. They must be allowed to brew somewhere, but definitely not online. Reticence does have its own benefits, not just privacy, but also the confidence that the silence brings wisdom, a sense of centering and self-mastery.<br />
<br />
So this blog will finally retire. I realize though that even if I try to close down this blog there will a digital footprint somewhere. My thoughts will always remain in cyberspace. Close this thing down? Sure. But some part of me says, <i>let it stick around, </i>as a lesson for my own benefit. Who knows, someone will be led down this road and find something useful here. Maybe it will do something for them as it surely did for me.<br />
<br />
At some point there may be something I will need to say, and maybe I will post a link of it here. That would be highly likely, but hey, I wouldn't want to disappoint by building up too much anticipation for the devoted (two) followers of this blog. That time will come, someday, eventually. But for now, I will sign off, and bid you adieu.<br />
<br />
Good night, then, and good luck.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-48949828262381513212013-08-30T04:08:00.000+03:002013-08-30T14:32:12.413+03:00Finding Home<span style="font-family: inherit;">This song was written almost 20 years ago. My friend Des and I tried to put in an arrangement, but for some reason we could not agree on the form of the song, and eventually I abandoned the idea of recording a demo. I've forgotten some of the parts in the verse, reconstructing this entirely from memory, so I put in new lines to freshen up the piece and tinkered with its structure. Hope to sing it again soon. Also, how time flies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>THIS HOMELESS HEART</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Please wait for me, don't ever let me go.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This homeless heart has nowhere else to go.</i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Home is where the heart is</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>But I haven't found my only love</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And all these walls that keep me in</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Are all as cold and dark as the stars above.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Where will I find the shelter</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>That I know within your arms of love?</i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Home is where the heart is, they say.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>To keep you warm when then sun goes away</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>For so long the dreams have kept me </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Alive --- and pushed me through</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>But dreams do fade they fly away with time.</i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Love is something that you'll find at home</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Where you'll feel never be alone</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>But where is home when I'm away</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>So far --- from where you are</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Though we're apart our hearts just beat as one.</i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Home is where the heart is</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>But I haven't found my only love</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And all these walls that keep me in</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Are as cold and and dark as the stars above</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Where will I find the shelter </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>That I know with your arms of love?</i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>My home is where you are</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And my heart lives in your heart</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If I can find the courage</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>To bridge the miles that we're apart</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If only time would be our friend</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>So all my days would be with you</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And no more words need be spoken</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>To show my love is true...</i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Home is where the heart is</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>You're the one and my only love</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And all these walls that keep me in</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Are as cold and and dark as the stars above</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Where will I find the shelter </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>That I know within your arms of love?</i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Please stay with me, don't ever let me go.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This homeless heart has so much love to show.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-60833712449947490392013-08-08T04:02:00.000+03:002013-08-08T19:04:12.815+03:00IffyIf wishes were notes I would have written a symphony<br />
If kisses were like feathers they would scatter through the skies<br />
If silences conveyed meanings I'd willingly go mute<br />
If only moments spent waiting brought me closer to you<br />
<br />
If mere lines on a page could awaken a bright day<br />
If the world skips to the beat of a heart beating in time<br />
If a song can be heard between a wink and a smile<br />
If the miles we are distant means moments standing still<br />
<br />
If true hope means surrender, and if faith brings reprieve<br />
If the questions find answers and at last are complete<br />
If all lies and all truths can be bridged with fresh views<br />
If our memories are a Present, never fading, ever new.<br />
<br />
If all that is known, or is knowable is revealed<br />
If each breath that we take means another we will share<br />
If each longing is caressed and reaches safe harbor<br />
If only one second of loving validates our existence.<br />
<br />
If only what I have to tell can finally be told.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-28163851119805432172013-07-25T00:50:00.001+03:002013-07-25T00:50:24.033+03:00More Than EnoughI am in an unfortunate position of having to cram for something I should have done some time past. But if it gets me back into some semblance of fire for the job, then so be it. Lately I have noticed I have been going through the motions. It gets things done, but it's not the same. And I want to believe in what I am doing. Because without it, this whole existence becomes more unbearable.<br />
<br />
It's been two weeks since I have returned from my vacation. Manila remains beautiful, flawed, frustrating, and addictive. I refer to her not only for the geographical location but also for the life that happens there. I love being there, but for the immediate future, I need to be here. This year, I've divided my vacation into two parts so I can put some priorities in order. And I'm not surprised that things went down as they should. <br />
<br />
I cannot encapsulate the world I have left into one big treat. Relationships take time, and I can only devote what I can give to those which are most important to me. I tried to give some time to new kinds of friends, or open the prospects for a relationship, and for some reason they never even panned out. They never even occurred. It's still on me for not trying harder. And somewhere inside me, I know I can. It's just that I lack the courage to let my heart burst for caring too much.<br />
<br />
I'm old. I've been beaten down by this. However, I refuse to give up caring. In my job it's hard to keep on doing it and coping with the reality of expatriate life in Saudi Arabia. I look into someone's eyes and I know I've been there. I can only offer sympathies. <br />
<br />
For us to bounce back, we have to suck up the hurt and keep on dreaming that someday all this would mean something. Maybe we're kidding ourselves, but we have to believe that this separation adds more value to the lives of the people we love. That is enough. That is more than enough.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-29618067497166551162013-07-11T17:50:00.001+03:002013-07-11T17:58:27.209+03:00Blow a Bubble of Good Cheer<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ReA4mNrO9bk" width="459"></iframe><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is an old favorite of mine - bossa as a genre has been in my blood, particularly of the Astrud Gilberto/Sergio Mendes quality. I am not a big fan of Sitti's covers - but this song catches, I believe, the sort of personality she wanted to create for herself when she started out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just blowing a bubble of good cheer. Some English translation of the lyrics, afterward, just for kicks.</span><br />
<br />
<i> Kung ika’y magiging akin<br />Di ka na muling luluha pa<br />Pangakong di ka lolokohin<br />Ng puso kong nagmamahal<br /><br /> Kung ako ay papalarin<br />Na ako’y iyong mahal na rin<br />Pangakong ikaw lang ang iibigin<br />Magpakailanman<br /><br /> Chorus: <br />Di kita pipilitin<br />Sundin mo pang iyong damdamin<br />Hayaan na lang tumibok ang puso mo<br />Para sa akin<br /><br /> Kung ako ay mamalasin<br />At mayro'n ka nang ibang mahal<br />Ngunit patuloy ang aking pagibig<br />Magpakailanman<br /><br />[repeat chorus 2x]<br /><br />Para sa akin</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />First attempt, rough draft:<br /><br />
<i>Should you ever become mine<br />You will never shed tears again<br />A promise that I will never cheat on you<br />From my heart that truly loves<br /><br />Should I ever be blessed by fortune<br />That I too will be loved by you<br />I promise that you'll be the only one I'll love<br />Forevermore</i><div>
<i><br />I will never try to force you<br />Even if you follow what you feel<br />I will let your heart beat as it will<br />Only for me.<br /><br />Should I ever run into bad luck<br />And find out you love someone else<br />I will keep on with my loving you<br />Forevermore...</i><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Second attempt, with more mind to form and rhyme:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If ever your heart will choose me</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>You will never cry again</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I promise that I'll never lie to you</i></span><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;">'Cause my heart is so in love. </i><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If ever I'll be blessed by fortune</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>That you'd be in love with me</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I promise you'll be my only love.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Now and ever more.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I'll let you go as you will</i></span><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;">To love as you love and feel as you feel</i><br />
<i>And let your heart find its way so it will beat</i><br />
<i>Just only for me.</i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If by bad luck it should happen</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>You are in love with someone else </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I'll keep the love-light in me burning</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Now and ever more.</i></span><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-46995459994702203512013-05-25T19:24:00.005+03:002013-05-25T21:17:41.924+03:00Because I Feel It. Because It's There.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NoXF_AxlrwU" width="459"></iframe><br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
This can only be ersatz poetry because it's so sincere. Hall and Oates would have been apropos as well, but that ship has sailed and a song once dedicated cannot be taken back. It's that quiet, buoyant confidence in the lyrics that deceives the listener that it isn't serious - but listen to those lines again:<br />
<br />
"That's why I've got to be there<br />
Got to be there where love begins<br />
And that's everywhere she goes<br />
I've got to be there so she knows<br />
That when she's with me, she's home."</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<br />
That's a feeling to which I wish I can awake. It's that depth of feeling that rounds this life with purpose. For now it's by proxy. Just wish that my scene would soon be up. I know I wouldn't know what to do. Yet I believe that "I will be there" for that loveliest of mornings.<br />
<br />
<i>If I could </i><i>only </i><i>wrap around these words</i><br />
<i>The nature of my feelings</i><br />
<i>Or the silences even more profound</i><br />
<i>I will shower the universe with this bounty</i><br />
<i>I will dance with joy unbound.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If I could touch you with my intentions</i><br />
<i>Like a mother's care for her child</i><br />
<i>With worship so unspoiled and pure</i><br />
<i>I will paint the heavens with rainbows</i><br />
<i>I will rock your world for sure.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If there is nothing more left to give</i><br />
<i>Even bound in all the cliches -</i><br />
<i>My heart, my soul is yours to take</i><br />
<i>I will be lifted in sweet surrender</i><br />
<i>I</i><i>n the dreams your touch will wake.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If this world reveals such perfection</i><br />
<i>Such as only expressed in you</i><br />
<i>There is nothing I will find amiss:</i><br />
<i>Your lines, your scars - they make you beautiful</i><br />
<i>And I will heal them with my kiss.</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-35307147934382083982013-03-21T13:35:00.001+03:002013-05-27T19:27:09.720+03:00Much for Nothing, AlasToo much noise going on<br />
Too much running around for what's new<br />
Not much to do by hanging around<br />
Not fun if it's time without you.<br />
<br />
Too much store in knowledge that dies<br />
Too many toys, too many things<br />
In the end they don't mean too much to your heart<br />
When your heart is no longer whole.<br />
<br />
Too many lights to hide the darkness<br />
Illuminated and yet rendered blind<br />
Too much ego and mole-hill building<br />
No time for "us", only for the "mine."<br />
<br />
Too many lies that we tell ourselves<br />
Life would be great if we had so much more<br />
Yet so much of life have we forgotten<br />
Too far have we gone from shore.<br />
<br />
Too much spent for the unimportant<br />
Expecting love and joy to be free<br />
When treasures of life have been thrown away<br />
Everything else becomes dross.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>*The year-blog goes on hiatus until I select a better time to get it moving again. Sometimes even when there is so much to be said, staying quiet is the best thing to do.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-35861741782625868122013-02-01T21:27:00.000+03:002013-02-02T03:28:18.343+03:00Holding the Wheel<i><br /></i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOsvm_iU6bs/UQwDm6j4r6I/AAAAAAAAAK8/bcVVivTNMAM/s1600/Festival_Mandala_by_love1008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOsvm_iU6bs/UQwDm6j4r6I/AAAAAAAAAK8/bcVVivTNMAM/s400/Festival_Mandala_by_love1008.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>"Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuvering for advantageous position." - </i>Sun Tzu<br />
<br />
I'll try to keep this post as short and as sweet as possible.<br />
<br />
Sun Tzu's impact on business is very simple because his tenets about confrontation are very simple. Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and be honest to yourself in assessing your abilities. Work hard to get the maximum advantage. Always be confident in your abilities. Never pick a fight with someone you don't know. Learn as much as you can about the "playing field" just as much as you are learning about your opponent. Hone your skills and be as diverse in your methods of attack. Keep your belligerent intentions secret. Never allow your opponent to get a sure footing on you, on your abilities and your resources. When you attack, make it swift, clean and decisive. Preserve your people and your opponent's as well - someone has to rebuild and replant after the conflict is done.<br />
<br />
Gaining an advantage over someone when the field is either known or well traversed is very difficult to do. In business or in relationships, when all the cards in the deck are relatively well-known, masking your moves is a matter of hiding your emotions, or practicing outright deception. Manipulation is not uncommon, especially by changing essential facts about oneself or admitting to feelings one doesn't truly have.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
That is the crux of managing relationships - it hinges on one's own very nature. Is it a matter of getting what you want going ahead, or gaining or what is true to you? Is it blotting out what you feel are your imperfections by replacing them with "happy" emotions or pretending all grown up and not being affected by letdowns?<br />
<br />
For some, delaying gratification is an important part of the process. For others, it's squeezing every drop of sensation for each day, for there might be no tomorrow. Some rush in with little or no heed about the consequences, others are so protective of their own space they avoid living and instead isolate and live vicariously by observing others. <br />
<br />
Is it really important to control and hold the wheel in the relationship?<br />
<br />
I can't pretend to be the expert on this one. So I will leave that hanging. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-37343660657438376782013-01-31T22:57:00.002+03:002013-03-21T14:41:23.131+03:00Treading Risk<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDV81xcQuMA/UQq_lZCWzqI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bXpszwIeFu0/s1600/m31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDV81xcQuMA/UQq_lZCWzqI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bXpszwIeFu0/s400/m31.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It doesn't really mean anything, but I love space and it's quite purty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>"The man who never makes a mistake always takes orders from one who does." </i> - Anonymous<br />
<br />
Today is a special day for my family as it marks what would have been the 55th wedding anniversary of my parents. Since my father has passed on almost 20 years now, the celebration has been muted. There are many wishes, but mainly that I hope that he had lived long enough for me to start paying the favor.<br />
<br />
I had started with a more jocular tone in this post, assigning blame on someone who deserves it, but it didn't feel right, so I decided to put that part away. Once again I find myself showing off for others in writing instantaneously, and find that what I wrote doesn't make any sense at all.<br />
<br />
So here, in the middle of watching a brilliant display of acting by Denzel Washington on the movie "Flight," time to recapture my thoughts. Denzel is back at where he is best: deeply pained (and flawed) charming working man, an identity he achieved between his first Oscar win in "Glory" and one of his popular roles (one of my favorites as well) as Jake Shuttlesworth in "He Got Game." As he has gotten older, it's a bit reassuring that he still manages to romance some of the best-looking actresses of the day - Milla Jovovich, Eva Mendes, Nadine Velazquez, to name a few. He did star opposite Whitney Houston and Julia Roberts, but hmmm... never mind.<br />
<br />
Barring the technical scenes of flying, the themes in the movie "Flight" are so universal I believe it can be remade into a Filipino setting, with perhaps Cesar Montano doing Denzel's role. Not Robin Padilla - he doesn't communicate enough book intelligence to pull a pilot off. Not Bong Revilla, because he can't act, unless acting like a Senator counts, for which he is doing an awards-worthy performance. Not Jinggoy Estrada, he doesn't have the physicality of a pilot. Not Aga Muhlach (much too good-looking to be insecure). I have a ton of jokes about other actors, but we're getting away from point.<br />
<br />
The climax of the film entails a decision the character had to make which would define his life. While most decisions are not on the same nature as "game-changers" all kinds of decisions entail some amount of risk.<br />
<br />
Risk is what makes people averse to making decisions that carry some negative but necessary consequences. Inviting confrontation is one thing. Volunteering to do more for the sake of the team, without expectation of credit is one another. Asking to be recognized for that kind of voluntary work is still one more.<br />
<br />
The willingness to take risks and make mistakes is what earns people's trust - few people make headway with squeaky-clean records. This is not saying that deliberately doing something bad would give someone a better resume. Rather, it's the willingness to do something that is unpopular, uncomfortable, or conventional that enables people to succeed. It is said the best way to lose your head is to stick your neck out for something; on the other there is no way for someone to go forward unless you stretch all the way. The same pose that where people get beheaded is the same where they get knighted.<br />
<br />
I laud all my fellow expats who undertook great risks to get here. At times, they accept demotions, take on additional debt, do something different from what they used to do, on top of being separated from their families, just to get here to the Middle East.<br />
<br />
However, by the time they get here, something fundamentally changes.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I would characterize the first group as the "<i>seguristas" - </i>people who would stay at a job even if the work environment or their happiness/work satisfaction has long since been used up. They keep their head down and go about their business. Many luck out by landing in companies where their talents are recognized or where their destiny becomes linked to a rising start within the business. Before the big boom that made the Middle East the number one option for expatriate workers, many Filipinos landed jobs with the good companies that have take good care of their workers. Alas, in today's tough environment being loyal isn't the only thing that is important. It still does, in this paternalistic management culture, but it isn't the main thing.<br />
<br />
The second group is rather the opposite - I would tag them "<i>reklamador.</i>" Some people stay with their company a long time, but oftentimes feel slighted by the rise of some people above them whom they feel are not worthy, or are outright bypassed by others, normally new hires who receive better pay. Instead of fighting back by proving their worth, they slink away and lick their wounds. At any chance they get, they will spread their venom by saying negative things about this person and that person, about how the company is not getting anywhere, about how it used to be better during the old times etc. etc. I have worked with so many people like them back home - seeing them in full force here is very disappointing. It is likely their aversion to go beyond themselves that cost them the chance to be recognized.<br />
<br />
There is still a third group - the "<i>paru-paro</i>." Literally like butterflies, they jump from one place to another, not taking more than four years in one place before moving on to another. I adapted something that Robina Gokongwei said regarding people like this - even with true competence, candidates who keep on jumping from one place to another rarely find trust from their employers. By the time they reach the peak of their abilities, many others who have stayed loyal for a little longer have leapfrogged them. What distinguishes these people even more is that they cannot go home because they also burned their bridges there, so they are condemned to strive far longer here in the Middle East.<br />
<br />
At some point, each one of these groups of people must buckle down for them to move forward, and it doesn't mean taking on a second career like selling real estate or joining a multi-level sales organization. This only masks the original issues, and even with money coming on it won't guarantee happiness. <br />
<br />
There are still some others who are totally reckless, who, even in living here, did not shed their stripes. They do as they would do in the Philippines - gamble, drink, and party as if they never left home. It would be fine if they were just all alone in this kind of practice, but sometimes they'd being someone else down. While I feel for their inner pain, I have no time to listen to their excuses or justifications. In the search for something new, it is their <i>unwillingness to do something right</i> over the easy way out that puts them in the same quandary as the others.<br />
<br />
Being happy here means a balance of work/family issues, certain rewards or satisfactions to keep motivated, and a state of internal challenge to do better. This is not an easy task. One needs friends in the workplace to help keep things stable. Constant but focused communication with the family also works. Reaching the sense of balance is difficult - there are many pitfalls along the way, and it is very easy to either pick up bad habits or backslide into old ones.<br />
<br />
We are treading the line of risk every time we commit to another year here. So sometimes knowing what we want, weighing that closely against what we and our family and our long-term goals need, allows us to evaluate what we must do. This place can be feast or famine, pain or pleasure as one would define and move in it. But the fear of failing shouldn't be the top reason for one to stop moving.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-20973788665007690542013-01-30T22:30:00.000+03:002013-01-31T06:13:01.720+03:00Setting the Norm<i>"Only knowledge put to use can create capital."</i> -- Mikel Harry & Richard Schroeder, creators of Six Sigma<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8890734/chuck-klosterman-royce-white" target="_blank">NBA Player Royce White speaks on mental health</a><br />
<br />
I realize the whole issue being taken up by Chuck Klosterman in his article (short aside, I believe Klosterman to be a very insightful who is able to cross-reference sports with all other aspects of public interest) is not how I would like to preface today's piece.<br />
<br />
It does, however, state a simple fact that we take for granted - setting a norm is the best way to determine how to go about accomplishing something. If there are no norms, no standards, no procedures or precedents on major parts of activity society would fall apart.<br />
<br />
In our office setting the lack of standards is one of the glaring issues we need to address. I say this without any rancor for any particular manager, or for the management in general. I am sure they are aware of the problem. Without any specific standards for operational efficiency, there is a lot of difficulty of measuring how good our people are, or how much money we are actually making. Sure, there is the financial bottom-line, but even with the best accountants, numbers can prove to be deceptive. It's just like high-volume shooters padding their stats without any efficiency. <br />
<br />
The classic NBA example is Allen Iverson.<br />
<br />
I admit I was never a fan of Iverson's kind of game. Sure, he was a talented player who can get off any shot he chose, but his career shooting percentage is just a little over 40%. With simple math, it is easy to conclude that Allen Iverson misses more than half of what he attempts. And if he's your best player, then you are in a quandary - necessity dictates you have to surround him with both good defenders to help stopper the opponent's offense, but who can also shoot reliably when needed. <br />
<br />
Experience and common sense will tell you that if there is any player with that kind of combination of ability, they won't stay too long when all they have to do is stand around and wait for Iverson to get settled in isolation during your half-court sets. It will be fortunate if Iverson gave up the ball, and he did so only under duress. That is a bad combination for his teammates.<br />
<br />
They need their shots too, primarily for their self-respect as players, but more shots also mean more opportunities to score, and therefore a chance to score a better payday. Good luck on keeping them effective and happy at the same time. So - hello and goodbye Jerry Stackhouse, Glenn Robinson, Tim Thomas, Toni Kukoc, Keith Van Horn, Chris Webber. Did I miss someone?<br />
<br />
So as his abilities started to decline Iverson became an even bigger problem. He could no longer produce, but he still had the same tendencies, and was a growing liability at defense as well. Iverson started as the point man, but because he was such a ball hog he was shifted to the shooting guard position, for which he was undersized. Opponents could not only shoot over him, they can just body him up to bother his shots or for them to get off theirs.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Any casual reader who makes the call to trade or cut Iverson after reading the last few paragraphs is probably correct. Of course, when Iverson was traded it was not so much about his ability but because the team had to cut salary. They moved him for lesser parts and started to rebuild.<br />
<br />
Hit the pause button there and time for some rumination. It took more than a decade for the Philadelphia franchise to realize they didn't have the right kind of merchandise. Sure, there were simple rules like eye-balling the games. Iverson made fans happy, but only if they won. Outside of the court, he was amazingly intelligent and articulate, but it was obvious he had major issues and personality defects. And the metrics didn't lie - the team kept on building around him, but did not produce the desired result. Still, it was all about money in the end.<br />
<br />
Back to our case. Right now, the industry is booming and even if it weren't, there are enough orders to get by and ensure that salaries are paid with a little profit to spare. For so long management was happy to do this and employees followed suit. Barring some few brilliant moments, the company was mired in perpetual mediocrity. Worse, without strong hands to hold people back, unscrupulous parties had a field day with graft and corruption.<br />
<br />
We are still in that middle phase of bringing in new talent and getting our existing talent to contribute a little more. Like any family-owned and -operated company, it was personality and not performance that drove the company. It's not fair of course to judge people straight away, but numbers don't lie. Very specific, critical norms need to be defined in major technical aspects of the operation. The means to measure them and optimize our performance are already there. There is just too much inertia.<br />
<br />
I believe we will get there. I must, because part of my job is to ensure that we must. There is just too much at stake for us not to succeed. There will be many more sacrifices to be made, not only in terms of effort and investment, but also in people too. <br />
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Unless, of course, we delude ourselves such as some of my more cynical colleagues, our own corporate Royce Whites, who beg to differ on the basis that nothing will ever work, because we are all flawed.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-63225572066208747582013-01-29T23:45:00.000+03:002013-01-30T00:13:43.923+03:00Mirrored, Darkly<i>"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves." - </i>James Allen<br />
<br />
Day 3 of this new regime is coming up roses like the last two - I am rather semi-somnolent from ingesting my last meal - in this case breaded fish fillet and sardine sotanghon (ode to pad thai, natch) and the free-flowing sense of consciousness is ready to drift away with the next downloaded treat from the Internet. So far banging on the keyboard feels oddly rewarding for some reason, and I am afraid that I will make no sense once I get to the end.<br />
<br />
It was a stressful day today. Lots to do but not necessarily lots accomplished. We have gotten moving on a lot of things, but not fast enough. My sense of urgency meter is on, but only with the pilot light. The full satisfying <i>whoosh</i> and <i>whoop </i>of a steady flame just aren't there yet. All our best ambitions and emotions are mirrored darkly- it's very difficult to put in words like "nobility" and some other high meanings given the occasional tedium of the work and the transactional nature of our field.<br />
<br />
Today's quote is a good one for me, and for all expatriates based in the Middle East. Nobody wants to be left out of the list of recipients of increments. No one wants to come out a loser come the day when everybody else receives some form of reward from the Company. The funny thing, it isn't so much whether the reward is deserved, it's that others are getting something.<br />
<br />
My sense of justice is somewhat rubbed at this juncture. Nobody gets a free pass at anything. You want something? Go out and earn it. It isn't going to be given to you. Second thought, of course, is that getting something you don't deserve through shortcuts is the surest way to lose your way. Getting rewards because you happen to be somebody's friend or somebody's relative is the number one shortcut.<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>Almost everyone is familiar with the image of the bureaucrat, that famed clogger of office space whose main purpose is to stopper up the flow of transactions through a slew of approvals and delays. Not surprisingly, a great many people associate this archetype with products of nepotism - it doesn't matter what you do/how you act or what you know, it's rather who you know, that determines the trajectory of this success.<br />
<br />
Just this morning we had an interesting conversation in the car on the way to work. We were remarking about the differences among <i>sipsip</i>, <i>choo-choo</i>, and <i>epal.</i> I would categorize the first as doing everything in one's power to please the boss. This would be well and good if the efforts to impress are sincere and are grounded in producing good results for the business. The second is viewed more negatively, as there are people who go out of their way to point out the faults of others so that they would be given more trust by their bosses. The third, an expression of more recent vintage, is a person who offers little in getting the job done but concentrates on ways to cozen up to the boss. It goes without that <i>epals </i>are backstabbing, dishonest, useless people.<br />
<br />
I just thought of one thing, though, at least they expend their energy for self-advancement, which is more than what could be about some other mendicants do, which is waiting for blessings to come down from heaven.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, the veils of prejudice get in the way. I thought about the conversation in the car this morning and just another we had during dinner with my flatmates. We can keep on reading so many motivations into each person, but what we actually think they are thinking are mere reflections of what we think we would do if we were in their position. Yes, we can all sound astute if we make an accurate observation of their actions (a parlor trick for me, mostly), but no, we can never be certain.<br />
<br />
Unless we mirror them closely and engage them on a daily basis, there is no way we can tell.<br />
<br />
In the end, the positive and the negative are all tied up with integrity. You can't get anywhere without it - whether you choose to expedite your career in one way or the other. Your intentions can always be misread, but your methods, and your results speak much more effectively for you. An echo to the lesson of <a href="http://noalias.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-posts-on-which-you-stand.html" target="_blank">yesterday's post</a> - no amount of correct guidelines will solve the problem. Or, as the Good Book simply says, "Judge not lest ye be judged." <br />
<br />
I was itching to post on someone's FB post about his moral code, but I've stopped trolling since I got unfriended at least twice because of my irritating need to argue over crosshairs. His morals are in the right place, bless his soul - but I fear he is overstepping his bounds in interpreting absolute morality. The anger of the self-righteous is just another block to a greater understanding and engagement of others. <i>Don't judge too much from your heavenly perch, one day your world may turn topsy-turvy and you find yourself on the opposite end of judgment</i>. <br />
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It is a fate I am sure all of us would share, come the Day, but I wish to be spared that delicious irony when my certainty in judging others becomes the case on which I am judged. A little humility is in order, to light up that dark reflection staring from the other side.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-26574730613152267462013-01-28T23:35:00.000+03:002013-01-29T19:19:14.543+03:00The Posts On Which You Stand<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Never commit your team unless you are confident your team will support your decision." </i>- Christopher Avery, Ph.D.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
The simplest way I could explain this statement is this: keep your decision-making process transparent as much as you can. If you plan to play your cards close to your chest, make sure that you are prepared to do the things you would rather not do. Because if others won't, somebody has to, and if you are the one bringing the change, you can only convince others to do the same if you are the first volunteer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
The second thing is that for certain things, letting the team come to a decision is sometimes more important than making the decision itself. Of course, no leader or manager would allow his group to go around with no one at the reins guiding the way. My experience in volunteer organizations has taught me this: no commitment is stronger than one reached by the members together. There may be times one has to cajole, exhort, or leave subtle signs, but in the end, only buy-in will secure the commitment to a course of action. In the corporate world it would be the rare few who would stick their neck out, so reaching a group decision is not that easily forged as it should be, even though the forms of "votes" are often practiced. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When the vote does come, it normally comes as a form of lower agreement, voting for that which is least disagreeable. Much like the United Nations, don't expect committees in this part of the world accomplishing something unless there is some form of benevolent dictatorship going on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
It cannot be avoided at times that in place of consensus a leader must make decisions because of necessity or urgency. The most commonplace example is that when a father has to make a career move, everyone else around him is affected. Funny that I should think about that since the Arab leadership and management models are mainly based on paternalism. Every time I attend a leadership or management conference, one pervasive thought is to how to best handle the "needs" of employees as if they were babes in a wood and could not decide for themselves. In a sense, with the wide demarcation between "labor" and "management" the mindset becomes the reality in practice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Which brings us back to the simple statement of Dr. Avery. Many of our managers and senior staff make commitments without being mindful of what it means for their team. A majority of them believe that with their authority they can push for what they want, whenever they want. And it becomes even more stressful and glaring that instead of pushing toward a common goal when we get to the corporate level, the thinking becomes more parochial and focuses more on turf wars and control.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
It actually challenges me to get around this kind of mentality on a daily basis. Naturally I try to insulate my staff from the worst. Sometimes I am surprised by how so many of my colleagues are refreshed by my inclusive approach. Pleasant surprises, and nothing but.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
There are days, and these days start growing to weeks, when sorting out through the muck becomes the order of the day instead of doing something else that leads to our business objectives. It does become exasperating, but there is no room for one to set upon a high horse and stand in judgment. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">One can be so right, or subscribe to the "right" kind of ideas, and yet still end up so wrong in a situation.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">In the end, it is your team, your colleagues/peers, and your subordinates who will carry you. Abuse them, and be disabused accordingly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Making a commitment in the group sense means involving them in the thinking process, and getting each member to buy in. Even if I know </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">intellectually they are wrong, it wouldn't make sense if I subscribe only to my line of thinking and not try to engage them in theirs. I find that this works not only in the business sense but in other areas as well. My black may be their white, for all I know.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18px;">I can go on and on by harping on the definition of a vision, building a common set of values, establishing esprit de corps - but there is enough room for that in another day. There is one thing - it doesn't matter whether there is a vision-mission in an organization, because the main driving force is the group's self-belief that for every person that is there, there is someone else who has his or her back.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 18px;">A group with that kind of cohesion becomes a group of world-beaters. Its members are the posts on which successful managers stand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-55069454456282529362013-01-28T01:52:00.000+03:002013-01-28T01:54:01.710+03:00Yawn. But Good News Still.<br />
<a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400278372" target="_blank">Celtics beat Miami</a><br />
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Rajon Rondo is out for the season, which may be a good thing. I'm decided - if trading Rondo brings in a big man with youth and upside it should be done. He is not going to lead this team, or any team, to a championship. They should have done Rondo for Westbrook when they had the chance. Now? Hmm.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-57166879694260634762013-01-27T21:44:00.000+03:002013-01-29T19:18:42.358+03:00Look up, Buddy Holly<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tfollv1111I" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."</i> -- Zig Ziglar<br />
<br />
In honor of the occasion of ... nothing, it would be apropos to preface this entire process to which I am trying to commit myself. Instead of offering words of wisdom, why not offer words of... love? I will attempt to post at least once a day, reflecting on a piece of truth. In this fashion, I force myself to revisit my passion for writing, and then unburden myself of whatever it is that is troubling me at the end of each day. Let's see if I a) stay honest even just to myself as to what I am going to say and b) muster enough effort to see if I can actually do this.<br />
<br />
I am in a bit of a classic rock mood at the moment, so I raise my glass to that pioneer of guitar-paced rock, Buddy Holly. So here goes.<br />
<br />
I can't pretend I'm any smarter than the people who pour forth these words of wisdom, so I'll just offer my take on what these words mean in my context.<br />
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First off, I would like to give props to Novak Djokovic for winning his third consecutive Australian Open tennis title. This is the first time a man was able to do this in the Open era.<br />
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By no means am I a fan of Nole, but one has to tip the hat to him. He has kept himself consistent, fit, and focused for a long stretch of tennis competition, which in this era has become more highly competitive than ever. Perhaps only Pete Sampras or Roger Federer can claim to the same kind of consistency for a prolonged period of time. Well, there is the brilliance of Rafael Nadal, who has struggled with his fitness over the past three years. More on them.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Federer himself was a brilliant junior player who was little more than an afterthought to the dominance of his Swiss compatriot Martina Hingis exercised during the turn of the millennium. While known as a skilled ball-striker, he failed to take advantage of his natural gifts early on. Two of his contemporaries outstripped him in those days: Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick. The former is hanging on for dear life to stay within the top 100, the latter is already retired. The secrets to his success - a dedication to preparation and a renewed focus and enthusiasm for the game. After finally catching up to Roddick, he took over the number one and stamped his dominance from 2004-08.<br />
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He has cracked since then, age and the more able-bodied players chipping away and despite being called washed-up, he has played himself back to relevance.<br />
<br />
From this perspective, Rafa is even more impressive, primarily for his precocity and his head-to-head edge over Federer. He started collecting French Open titles from his teens and though he is five years younger, he has collected an impressive string of titles. His intensity on-court makes him beloved among his admirers. I am not one of them - there is something about Rafa's style that puts me off. Nothing personal, just my reaction to them. Furthermore, Nadal's style of play draws more out of him. He is just turning 27 this year, and he has not been competing since August last year. I wish he would recover and get back to his old ways, but it is likely that he would not ascend the same heights, the way already blocked by Djokovic and Andy Murray. Assuming he gets by the other young and younger players, or Federer himself.<br />
<br />
There are ways to conduct oneself with attitude - the "take no prisoners" approach, gung-ho and gunning for the win. There is the "for love of the game" way, wherein the result is not as important as the learning process of getting there. There is also the "let's have fun along the way" method, win or lose. Then there's "let's give it our best shot," and still more, "glad to be here." Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the wise person knows how to make the most out of each situation, whether taking on the task by oneself or with the cooperation of others.<br />
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It's very unfair for many of us to count success as the result and never the process. Sometimes getting there despite the many obstacles can already be counted as success. Many of my fellow expats belong to this category. They made the most of what they had, and ventured far away to find a more rewarding environment. Still, some are not as sanguine as others, often falling back into bad habits, as if the opportunity afforded them was something that can be easily discarded or thrown away. While it may work for a time to find some way to sugarcoat a difficult situation, being just fine with being here is not going to cut it. Oftentimes, this kind of attitude will swing over to bitterness of letting so many opportunities go past.<br />
<br />
It's important to keep on going, keep on giving our best shot, and while we not win for the time being, just staying in the game is enough. Showing up even if it's not our best day is sometimes better than not showing up at all. We are here, so...<br />
<br />
Winning at all costs is an ambivalent issue for me. In certain types of competition, it is essential to finish the job of winning first, and then the manner of handling the winning can be contemplated. In questions of survival, sometimes this kind of winning is essential. Stamping out opposition in setting the table in a new organization or environment would at times require setting new agenda, and those who cannot buy in should be expunged. It may not be the best thing right there and then, but it is a kindness to the others who stay that whoever's in charge means business.<br />
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Keeping a brave front in the face of insurmountable is also a function of the leader. If the boss man expresses doubts in front of his troops they are cooked. Stick a fork in them, because they are done. It is just a matter whether he wants them to go down with him or if he has the sense to sacrifice himself and go down in flames.<br />
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It's on a personal level that ultracompetitiveness has some of its pitfalls. Ambition is always a good thing, but at times hiding it or masking it does more help. I had my share of dealing with colleagues and team members who were like Energizer bunnies. Yeah, let's get this done! Choo, choo, here comes the train! Yeah, I'm done with my project! I'm in front with my workload! I'm getting in close with the boss! Woot! woot! I'm fine with that, especially if they can back up their attitude that they are actually getting things done. The stick that swings hard and hits often should be tough enough or else it is broken in half. We need more people like this.<br />
<br />
On a personal preference, subtlety, not honesty, works best. No one hardly scores waving around a machine gun. But a small pistol carefully hidden will do the trick. The only downer to this is if I were the stated target of my colleague and he/she will do anything, including using my personal disclosures, for gain. Lack of remorse + ultracompetitveness = betrayals.<br />
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At this stage of my career, I'm more of a "for love of the game" kind of person. I've been around the block several times to know my limitations as an individual contributor or performer. I am now more interested in the process of getting others to appreciate the work, and to learn from it. Sure, achieving more goals and articulating a strong vision are part and parcel of this, but I am more concerned about the ability of my team members to develop and sustain themselves. <br />
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Right now I'd like them to be more adaptable, learn new skills, and gain more ownership over the work. And it helps my process in growing along with them. In the end, the quality of our contributions will boost our stock in the organization. In the worst-case scenario and we all have to jump ship, our preparation will keep us competitive in the job market. May that day prove to be far away.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-92000486420504061482012-12-29T22:51:00.000+03:002012-12-29T22:51:11.015+03:00SkyfoldI would like to close my eyes, pretend I am on a plane, snugly strapped in, and the PA announcements are just finished ... <i>thank you for flying with us, and see you in your future journeys.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Then the plane makes its final descent, the tires burn against the runway, and before I open my eyes, the different kind of <i>quiet</i> that pervades my inner space interrupts, and I am awake.<br />
<br />
I am still in my bedroom, semi-frozen, alone.<br />
<br />
Realization comes that further introspection may prove to be of less help than it should, but then, so what? So says Don Juan de Marco, there are only four questions of value in life: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made?</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"What is worth living for ---- and what is worth dying for?" </blockquote>
His answer, as I mumble in reflex while watching the movie, is <b>love.</b><br />
<br />
It isn't corny at all, and the more I think about it, my apprehension disappears. Yes, the hard life snaps at my tiller. Sometimes my confidence gets shaken. Yet I must keep in mind that I am the helmsman now, as it should have been clear to me years past. <br />
<br />
I miss my family dearly. It should be, and it will be, until I choose to end this exile. I tried sometime back but it wouldn't take. <i> Too much to do. Too awful to contemplate surrender.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Let the next year come, and the next, and the next. What the sky can hold, that is how much I am ready to lay down before my ticker says, no more.<br />
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One more year, one more year. Onward, that I may encompass not only thousandfold, but skyfold (a word and a pun of my invention) the hopes and dreams of those whom I love.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-22970978207188948872012-12-26T00:22:00.001+03:002012-12-26T01:33:15.732+03:00Not Yet After, But It Is<a href="http://noalias.blogspot.com/2012/02/stevie-wonder-you-i.html#links">Willing Exile: Just Hangin'</a><br />
<br />
If there's a way I can gift-wrap this message for a particular someone, I would. But then again, what I mean to reach one person may just end up being misinterpreted by someone else. I'd like to be known yet still unseen, not much unlike Lionel Richie in <a href="http://youtu.be/b_ILDFp5DGA" target="_blank">Hello</a>, only not as creepy.<br />
<br />
It gets tiresome to sweet-lemon the result when there is so much residual bitterness. Intellectually I am aware of this feeling of never fully letting go, but emotionally it is still there. And I don't like to pretend that the feeling isn't affecting me. It does. Because the feeling, because of the choices surrounding it, encompass my whole life as it stands right now. <br />
<br />
No, no more positive spin for this right now. I'd like the feeling to sear into me and leave its mark. Only then can I let it go and try, as best as I can, to move on.<br />
<br />
I'm not begging to be pitied. In fact, I don't even care for acceptance or understanding. I just want to say what I would like to say, and then I hope that will be the end of this.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I get stressed in having to delay many of my gratifications in life, if only because someone else has to be first. No one could do it, so I must. It would be much more fulfilling if I had my own family and kids to raise, but I don't. I see no relief at the end of this tunnel. I am just glad to see my sisters' children grow, because I have none of my own.<br />
<br />
It's a quandary to feel hateful and resentful about the people I love. I feel like such a bad person feeling these things. I hate being away from home, yet I am so glad that I am not burdened with the daily grind of having to be there and mind this petty thing or the other. I am filled with longing that I am about to burst. I'd like to be emptied and feel nothing, quite suddenly.<br />
<br />
I am no hero. I would like to believe that I would be a much more likeable person because of the things with which I have to deal. I'm not. I still have those traits which make people such as me valued but not desired. I am certainly no romantic paragon that fills some maiden's dreams. If I were, unconditionally, I'd remark that as something strange. Naturally I scoff at people who insist that I am a catch. If I were, someone would have caught me already. Or vice-versa.<br />
<br />
I'm Dr. Gregory House. Or perhaps Dr. Jack McKee in that obscure William Hurt/Elizabeth Perkins movie. Wanting to let people in but just managing to drive them away.<br />
<br />
I'm Walter White. Driven by necessity, riddled with periodic self-loathing, but irascible and oftentimes reckless. Or maybe another Walter - Walter Bishop - dreaming of a better future but consumed by self-doubt over past transgressions. Turning over a new leaf is not that simple.<br />
<br />
Or maybe I'm just John Reese - caught up in a world that is moving hither and yonder, always grasping at my moral compass, fighting to scrape up some happiness while doing all the good that I can do. I'd like to believe I'm Harvey Specter, but oftentimes I fall into being Mike Ross.<br />
<br />
Hmmm. Or maybe I'm just Tyrion Lannister.<br />
<br />
I've watched way too much TV. Sometimes, it's the only catharsis one could get. It's not yet after the season of Christmas, but it is, because it has never been. The things we do in the name of love - affirming the needs of our families by working so far away from them. What a cruel joke. I'm still waiting on it to become funny.<br />
<br />
Don't tell anyone being an OFW in the Middle East should be their career trajectory. It shouldn't be. Politics and everything aside, this is an unnatural state of affairs for anyone. Sadly, our leaders have raised the white flag, giving away valued workers like handing out excess puppies and kittens. Ack --- I have no more wish to comment. That reality cannot be changed overnight.<br />
<br />
If only I could be half as charming as the actors playing these characters.... oh well.<br />
<br />
As for the object of my affection in my link to a previous entry, I did crash and burn with that project.<br />
<br />
For her, as I throw these words into cyberspace: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I haven't changed my mind at all about you. Maybe I'm wrong about you, but I'd like to believe that I was right. If only you had more faith in me. I don't expect you to change your mind, and I only wish for your happiness. If I were to be an important part of that happiness, then I could never be more grateful.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My only earnest hope is that I don't pass up another opportunity to meet someone else special, and that I treat her the way that she deserves, the way I would want her to care for me.</blockquote>
Now on to more reflection for the New Year. If Christmas can get this bad, think of all the thoughts the prospect of another year would bring. Yup, that's a darned meat grinder.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-37916343508355934342012-12-21T23:46:00.000+03:002012-12-22T16:10:11.107+03:00Glee'dIn a few minutes, standard Arabian time, it will be the 22nd of December 2012.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It isn't an important date by any means, not to me at least. Tomorrow will just be another day here in Saudi Arabia, another cold day in Riyadh in a succession of very cold days. I am not making a reference to all of the millennial talk, to the "end of days," or some other facsimile of signs that the Apocalypse is upon us, namely the passing of the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines. Hardly made a dent in world consciousness.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am glad that life continues on giving, and giving, and giving. Whatever the impetus, new life comes forth and within that moment of tenderness, of vulnerability, one finds all the reasons needed to live. As for death, it is always unwelcome, whether in the ICU or on bullet-riddled, blood-stained kindergarten walls.<br />
<br />
It is awe-inspiring that the cycle of life continues even with all the dumb mistakes we humans commit everyday. While we have reduced Evil to a small "e" I am very thankful that even with all the buttons waiting to be pressed for a worldwide conflagration, cooler heads have managed to hold onto the tiller. At least for now. Every time I see a video or a picture of children growing up, even though they are not my own, I am grateful for time's passage and the blessings these children have made possible to their families. It hurts me, it pains me that any one of them has to face a moment of privation.<br />
<br />
It is therefore bewildering that for all of our aspirations to virtue, only we have the capacity to be inhuman to ourselves. How, instead of teaching future generations how to live, love, and learn, we are teaching them to hate, maim, and discriminate.<br />
<br />
Out of all this bleakness, it is not unreasonable that one learning we can take out of this is that the best intentions aren't enough. Loving and cherishing one's family is not enough if the primacy of the family means oppressing other families. Learning and developing new skills must not prescribe that others not as popular should be excluded. Celebrating one's personhood means also appreciating others, especially those people whom we find so different from ourselves.<br />
<br />
It is also not unreasonable that we prepare ourselves by being fooled by this season of glee to expect that somebody else will be doing the hard work, the pedal-pushing, the small sacrifices. We can dream of good things for everyone, just like ol' John Lennon says (bless his soul), but we can't stay dreamers forever. It is time to wake up and do something.<br />
<br />
Merry Christmas.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-68674926580115276652012-11-15T19:44:00.003+03:002012-11-15T19:44:57.431+03:00Lowest Common Denominator<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hYMDskapgIo?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
This particular post is dedicated to the extension of the Obama presidency. I should have posted this in the past few days but my computer conked out on me and I lost the will to live. Literally. A few days later, I am viewing this screen from a replacement computer and the post is still waiting to be finished.<br />
<br />
I know I should be reading more opinions from other people before launching one of my own, but I can't help but link the success of Obama's re-election to the surprise results of the 2010 Joseph Estrada candidacy. I'm not a particular fan of President Obama's politics but he played his cards correctly - keep things going despite opposition, push here and there to do something meaningful, try to generate some traction in Congress despite not having the upper hand in either the House or Senate. Whatever failures he had is a not an overall failure of his leadership - it is simply a function of having Republicans and Democrats have at it on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
In short, let us give him the benefit of the doubt - just as the American people chose to re-elect Dubya in 2004. He still has the same contentious Congress with him, so good luck.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned earlier, I am not an Obama fan, and were it not for the outright hypocrisy practiced by the Clintons in their marriage of convenience, I'd be singing paeans to Hillary Clinton. In 2008, Obama getting elected was a revolution of the youth and the formerly less-heard sectors of society - with social media and new forms of expression, previously less-influential sectors armed themselves accordingly. In 2012, he played the "us-against-them" card so well against the Establishment his "favored" constituencies came out and saved the day.<br />
<br />
Now, Mitt Romney must have been a skillful businessman to reach his current state, but he failed to counter one of the most important rules in politics - the rule of the lowest common denominator.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Joseph Estrada understands the masses even though he lived a life of royalty and came from a landowning family. To this day they still believe his schtick that he is one of them, though if he were ever a member of the underprivileged class he hasn't been poor in decades. He has been a big star since the '60s, so that counts him out as a common man. However - he has hijacked the agenda of the poor. <i>Look at me</i>, he says, <i>I turned it around! With hard work and with the help of your friends, you'll make it too.</i> <br />
<br />
I've learned the lesson of never deriding the political sensibilities of others, so long as they don't parrot others to claim they know more than they do (an ongoing sickness in Facebook, and I would guess, on Twitter as well). When striking up conversations with taxi or jeepney drivers, I pretend to say as little as possible so that it would be easy for them to express their political inclinations. And it proves to be easy to capture their sympathies. <br />
<br />
For all his faults, Erap is an "honest" crook. He is a hood who loves gambling and romancing beautiful women. Not very smart, but loyal to his friends and ready to move quickly to take action against the slightest offense. A man after their own heart.<br />
<br />
Empathizing with rich kids like Mar Roxas and Noynoy Aquino is all but impossible; likewise with idealists such as Jovito Salonga and Raul Roco. Similarly, wunderkinds like Jess Robredo are admired from a distance, but not emulated. On the other hand, known practitioners of the now-updated 4G (<b>guns</b>, <b>goons, gold/goods</b>, and now, adding sexy <b>girls</b>) are not only accepted but measured --- <i>how much can I benefit from this fellow?</i> Outright embezzlers are tolerated as long as their particular sector benefits.<br />
<br />
The rule of the lowest common denominator rescued Obama.<br />
<br />
Sure, everyone in the US would want more jobs to open up and for wages to increase. And average Americans love peace just as every other nation, on earth, and even more so, because Americans are very convenient targets for worldwide resentment, regardless of reason. And everyone wants decent social services in education and health care.<br />
<br />
No administration can ever successfully juggle all the balls to keep everyone happy, but Obama did just the thing - he put it out there that he cared for the biggest segment of his nation - the middle class. He sent the message that he was sympathetic to the common taxpayer. Romney? Instead of riding on the populist myth that the American Dream is alive and well, and that he is living proof of the same, painted himself as a know-it-all who would save the country.<br />
<br />
America doesn't need any more of those. They have enough TV and movie heroes to indulge them. But a guy who is subject to middle-class foibles after achieving a Cinderella success? Priceless. Obama became a living example of the reality show Politics. This is a guy the American public can accept. Dubya may be an idiot, but he was representative of the sort of people the American people can empathize. No one appreciates ivory-tower analysts. Romney could have survived having a vapid and vague platform, but his exposed disdain for the common American killed him.<br />
<br />
It's no wonder that Filipinos, who are very much Republican in instincts and outlook, support Democrats as voters. Underdogs are our favorites. Long live the underdog.<br />
<br />
Which leads to my original premise in prefacing this post with Tito, Vic, and Joey. As a performing group they have been around as long as I remember watching TV. They were not poor people - the Sottos were from a political family and De Leon, while not steeped in wealth and raised by a single mom, finished college. They had middle class values who captured the popular imagination - these were the guys with whom we can identify. We wanted them to succeed - romancing the ladies, going on adventures, putting one over the bad guys. Through all the scandals - sex tapes, drug abuse, and extramarital affairs - the public has stood by them.<br />
<br />
In their solo careers - Tito as a Senator, Vic as a matinee idol (OLD, though) and Joey as the leading comedian, they have largely stayed true to the core of their philosophy - lowest common denominator.<br />
<br />
I'm not a fan of Senator Sotto but his detractors are barking up the wrong tree. <i>You're never his constituency, so why would he bother with you?</i> If they want to make an impact, they should engage people who don't care about plagiarism in proper public forum.<br />
<br />
Otherwise everything about the effort to make the general public understand would turn out to be one big joke.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-63106268167878751432012-11-05T16:17:00.003+03:002012-11-05T16:22:46.834+03:00ResurrectionI have given some thought to finally retire this blog. After all, who would want to read about the inner life of someone who has just recently turned into a <i>forty-something?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Sometime back, I had this secret wish that someone out there would read the thoughts I put down here and find in me a kindred soul. Tough luck. It's a Catch-22 situation, anyhow, you either put yourself a little too mildly or disinterestedly few people will care, or so far out there people will think you are a freak. Hey, I'd like a little public affirmation once in a while, but too much attention will make me sick.<br />
<br />
Therein lies the dilemma.<br />
<br />
There is also this aesthetic side of getting my writing back on track. I need a new muse, a new inspiration. For some reason, I have felt less urgency in my craft over the past few months. Mind you, it is not for lack of time - far from it. No energy, no focus in whatever original thoughts I have been putting away in the back of my mind. I wouldn't know whether to abandon this ambition altogether. One more try, one more attempt to stop backsliding. Looks like a Sisyphean feat. Good luck to me.<br />
<br />
So, what's been happening to me? Took a forty-day furlough in the Philippines and the wisest decision I made was this: <i>Be still. </i>Sure, I would like to settle all the pending issues in my life - finding a life partner, projecting my career trajectory, working to ensure I reach that trajectory, estate planning for my finances, etc. They will happen soon enough. All I want to do right now is BE.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>It was rather funny (and somewhat disturbing) that even my own nuclear family could not provide referrals to me for a possible start at a relationship. Or the ones that are available are - well - it is understandable they haven't found someone to fish them out of the singles pond. Maybe, just like them, the traits which make me lovable and valuable to my loved ones aren't just the ones to which people would immediately be attracted. Or perhaps, two obvious downers - my physicality and my perpetual unavailability for most of the year - are just too difficult to overcome.<br />
<br />
Or perhaps, just as slow as I am to realize that I am running out of time, I am still afflicted by the standards which have been with me since my youth. Would someone like myself make out as fair exchange for those women whom I favor? I asked myself the same question when I made an ill-advised attempt to make a connection with someone I have admired so long from a distance. Not only did she find my approach inappropriate, she did not even consider trying to build on something through correspondence. Yes, that sucked. That hurt. <b> Big time</b>. I'd like to hate her. <br />
<br />
Of course I don't. And I won't. Maybe I did her a favor.<br />
<br />
I expect small changes the most important in retooling my professional outlook. I have accomplished at least 90% of my goals when I came into the job. The remaining 10% - eliminating ennui and other distractions - is still ongoing.<br />
<br />
As expected, after arriving in Riyadh, no rest was available as I needed to hit the ground running. Actually I am not yet pushing myself. The work will push me there.<br />
<br />
What concerns me now is getting back into a healthy routine, something I have neglected the past few months before and during my vacation. Change that one starts is the kind of change that is mostly positive. Although, I haven't gotten there yet. Next chapter update needed.<br />
<br />
I trust I don't need additional turmoil before I make the mental move to turn on the urgency light switch.<br />
<br />
Anybody with a few bright ideas, comment away. (<i>Well, here goes nothing.</i>)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-52759320364243147562012-06-23T16:44:00.002+03:002012-06-23T16:53:35.258+03:00LandfallThe new week opens with me starting work at my second location in Riyadh. I am not so enthused about this part of my deal, I have just gotten used to my working in my current place (and having my own office to boot, too).<br />
<br />
But in any case, I have no illusions about this new deal. It's the same as the old one. I just hope I will bring whatever I can into this process and help contribute to the emerging professionalization of this outfit.<br />
<br />
Organizations have their own ebbs and flows but the more different they are in many aspects the more the same they are substantially. Whatever the concerns of the people are, they will want to sail away from roiling waters and find safe haven as soon as possible. All it takes, then, is resolute leadership to hold the tiller. I never thought of my role as the helmsman - the navigator, yes, but not the helmsman. Not yet.<br />
<br />
So, the objective is landfall. Safe travels are not guaranteed. The storm watch is on.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-79566819006944042702012-04-11T16:28:00.002+03:002012-04-11T16:29:13.797+03:00Winning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q7tG7ALHmY/T4WGUlEWQGI/AAAAAAAAAIg/Z0dn_gQbNNQ/s1600/33-68611-F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q7tG7ALHmY/T4WGUlEWQGI/AAAAAAAAAIg/Z0dn_gQbNNQ/s320/33-68611-F.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<br />
"I don't know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody - somewhere - was practicing more than me."<br />
<br />
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals."<br />
<br />
"I've got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end."<br />
<br />
<i> - Larry Bird, NBA MVP (1984-86), </i><br />
<i> 1998 NBA Coach of </i><i>the Year </i><br />
<i> NBA champion Boston Celtics </i><i>('81, '84, '86)</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-30626872713310107322012-04-07T16:29:00.001+03:002012-11-18T23:59:28.953+03:00Listen ChristianJust a small reminder to me on this Holy Week, a poem attributed to Bob Rowland, and in itself inspired by verses in Matthew 25. A few years back, while I was doing work for La Salle Lipa High School, I translated the poem to Filipino to better reach my audience. With props to my friend Robert (and not a slouch in Filipino himself), who was the first person to deliver it in public. A little rewrites here to modernize the language, but here it is.<br />
<br />
We waste too much time on the details of rightness when out there somebody is asking for our help right here, right now. <br />
<br />
(Sidelight: Don't watch "The Descendants" alone. See it with a loved one. It can be downright depressing, as I found out last night. I'm not ashamed - I cried buckets.)<br />
<br />
<i>Nagugutom ako</i><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at bumuo ka ng samahang pantao
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at tinalakay ang aking pagkagutom.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Salamat.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br />
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Nakakulong ako</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at dahan-dahan kang lumakad</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>papunta sa kapilya mo sa silong</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at ipinagdasal ang pagpapalaya sa akin.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br />
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Hubad ako,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at sa iyong isipan</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>ay pinagtaluhan mo pa ang moralidad ng aking
hitsura.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br />
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Mayroon akong sakit</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>At lumuhod ka at nagpasalamat sa Diyos</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>para sa iyong kalusugan.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br />
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Wala akong tahanan</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at sinermonan mo ako tungkol sa
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>silong-pangkaluluwa ng pag-ibig ng
Diyos.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br />
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Nangungulila ako at iniwan mo akong
nag-iisa</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>upang manalangin para sa akin.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br />
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Mukhang kang napakabanal,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at napakalapit sa Diyos.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Subalit gutom na gutom pa rin ako,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at nangungulila,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>at nilalamig.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Saan napunta ang lahat ng iyong mga
dasal?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br />
</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Ano ang nagawa nila?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Ano ang ikabubuti sa isang tao</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>na buklatin ang kanyang aklat ng
pagdarasal</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>kung ang buong daigdig</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>ay dumaraing ng saklolo sa kanya?</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-52244244182468484532012-03-20T18:18:00.000+03:002012-11-18T23:58:26.980+03:00Slowed, and some other ThingsSlowed by the steady stream of work. Not enjoyable in some sense but overall I am glad. The year is going by very fast and soon enough it's time for vacation.<br />
<br />
I have finally gotten around to reading "Towers of Midnight," Book 13 of the Wheel of Time. Kudos to Brandon Sanderson. He has managed to translate the compelling narrative of Robert Jordan in his own words, and yet magically capturing the tone of the earlier books of the series. It is not the same cant the maestro ended up with (Book 11, Crossroads of Twilight, was begging to be snuffed out), but it is the flavor fans have been wanting to savor for some time. Nice to read it in hardback, thanks to Jarir for knocking off the price.<br />
<br />
"A Dance With Dragons" is up. Never apprehensive in picking up George R.R. Martin. Don't want to spoil anything for the prospective readers, so I will stay quiet about the book. Prologue so well-written I got sucked in very quickly.<br />
<br />
It's a comfort to get back into old habits. Nine months into my tenure here and it feels like I've given birth to something better for myself. Nice to get into fighting mood by firing broadsides at people who are overzealous on posting political links on FB. But then, no. Wouldn't add anything substantive to the discussion, except this:<br />
<br />
1) If anyone is innocent until proven guilty, it stands to reason that anyone can be therefore charged and tried before a court of his peers. We are not killing democracy by trying CJ Corona. In the first place, we already shot ourselves in the foot by electing those senators and congressmen who are participating in the trial.<br />
<br />
2) The eminence of Juan Ponce Enrile should be expected. The guy is as old as the Sierra Madre Mountains, them mountains he and his family have denuded in the past 50 years. Don't give him extra points for something he should have known for being in public service for at least 50 years.<br />
<br />
3) Anyone claiming anything new about scandals of the Aquinos and Cojuangcos better brush up on their history. We already knew that, and people still elected Cory, because she promised to dismantle the mechanism of Martial Law. Exchanging Marcos and his crowd with the Aquinos and their crowd was simply that, an exchange of leaders with no visible difference except the promise of "democracy." That is why many middle-class people during that period straddled the fence, or stuck it out with Marcos. <br />
<br />
Still, if you were there, or lived during the Edsa 1 times, which would you prefer - the "stability" of Martial Law or the chaos brought about by democracy? Yeah, I didn't have to ask that question. Be glad of what was restored, and exercise your right to speak more responsibly.<br />
<br />
As for the Cory revisionists who declare her all to be a saint - be wary of history's lessons as well. TIME named her its "Woman of the Year" in 1986, only to call her government "one of the most corrupt in Asia" in 1990. There were growing pains - a lot of them.<br />
<br />
By the way, anybody with an advertising background can come up with drivel and still call it a history lesson. (No use to link to that viral video on YouTube). Egads, use your brains!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>4) I rather admire those who stood by Marcos until the end, and continue to hate the Aquinos and what they represent. I admire those who stayed loyal until now. At least they're consistent, and true. <br />
<br />
As for the Marcos revisionists who now call the Apo "the greatest President of the Republic," congratulations, you just earned my award for "too hard-headed to be even stupid." Stupid people can be taught. Let's celebrate the good things Marcos brought - he gave Filipinos a reason to be proud, had a vision that he communicated well (but mangled every which way he could), and tapped brilliant technocrats to do his work. But he also politicized the military, set back our political institutions, and systemically organized cronyism, the playbook for which his successors have learned well and are vigorously practicing today. Yesterday's Danding Cojuangco is today's Manny Pangilinan.<br />
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I don't understand the Johnny-came-lately people who deplore "yellow fever." It's been there the entire time, it's called "picking a side." Some of these critics who dub themselves "the voice of reason" were proud participants of at least one, or both, Edsas. <i>Ang gugulo ninyo, </i> just make up your minds for whom and what you stand. Just say it: we love, or loved, Gloria. <i>We benefitted under her regime. She gave our diocese money, etc. etc. She trumpeted the value system we represent. Now we can't get any respect or special treatment under this new order.</i><br />
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5) As mentioned, if you have nothing to add to the discussion, stop posting links of others if they keep on saying the same things. Saying them again won't make them any more true. Or any more false, if you believe otherwise. <i>Hello, I have enough information overload!</i><br />
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6) Be glad for the freedoms we now enjoy. Some look to Malaysia or Singapore as models to emulate. Ask what things their people had to give up. It's not democracy that's killing us, it's lack of political education.<br />
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To be clear, I gave Noynoy Aqino the benefit of the doubt when he was elected. However, he has done little to add to the legacy of his parents. But let's also admit the problems facing him are not simple. Some things we have allowed to continue for the past 25 years, some minor irritants to our democracy have now grown into plagues and cancers. The best way we can support Mr. Aquino is to exercise our right to criticize him - but cogently, please. The man is rather dense and defensive.<br />
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7) One last thing: if everybody else is going to benefit and you and only you are going to suffer, would you go for it? That's what upholding national interest is all about. So before you spout something about upholding the interest of a whole people, or of humanity, ask yourself if you're prepared to do this.<br />
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There was one man who did it: Jesus Christ.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-70835621595845400702012-03-02T07:49:00.003+03:002012-03-20T18:18:44.935+03:00Homerism<a href="http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6n6sy2x" target="_blank">Trade: ESPN Trade Machine</a><br />
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Sign of the times - March Madness is on its way, so my favorite TV show, "Fringe" takes a few weeks off so that the followers of the NCAA can get their annual bracket fix.<br />
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In the meantime, time to indulge in a little fantasy in the Association. As a Boston fan, I would love for this trade to go down. Boston rebuilds on the fly while maintaining its flexibility to either retain some of its key assets after contracts of said assets expire.<br />
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Orlando gets some pieces to keep itself competitive in the short-term and then they create cap flexibility to attract some new talent, while avoiding the quandary of losing Dwight Howard for nothing. Ray Allen becomes their designated shooter either as a starter or coming off the bench, while Big Al takes over the post scoring duties left by the void of Howard's departure. Allen comes off the books at the end of the season, while Jefferson during the next one. The Magic get a chance to bid for a legit star next year or save all of their cap space to make a splash in the summer of 2013.<br />
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For Utah, they shed their redundancy of talent at forward and in Rondo they get the point guard they have been coveting to run their offense since D-Will left. He would prove to be a great fit in Utah. J-Rich is a rent-a-shooter whom they can package later for to get other talent, while J.O.'s contract expires at the end of this season and saves them some cash.<br />
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And of course, the Celts make out like bandits in this one, with a strong starting four of Harris, Pierce, Garnett, and Howard. At the two-spot, they have an option of going small by starting Bradley or Dooling or going big with Daniels, Pietrus or Pavlovic. If they go big, Pierce can either be the shooter or the driver as the situation warrants and they can go interchangeable on offense/defense. I would personally prefer to give Bradley a little more burn, but the front office also has the option to manage his minutes by signing Free Agent X from the waiver wire or promoting another hopeful from the NBDL to be a reserve while the other veterans can soak up starter minutes.<br />
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Hey, it's free to dream, especially since I haven't slept much. Here's to an exciting NBA trade deadline.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11027695.post-83764842749825810592012-02-28T17:00:00.001+03:002012-02-28T17:00:55.484+03:00Oxygen BreakA sound is meaningless if there is no one around to hear it. In like way, no love can be called true unless it is shared.<br />
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(Sigh). All my brain can come up with right now is one-liners.<br />
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In other news, "<a href="http://www.starz.com/originals/spartacus?src=starz_mktg&med=referral&cmp=SPS2" target="_blank">Spartacus: Vengeance</a>" is filling up my hours. Watched the first five episodes, and I figure they are milking the same themes from the two previous series. Crixus is the lover denied (as Spartacus was), while Glaber is the ambitious Roman (replacing Batiatus). Spartacus is no longer a human being; he is merely a force of nature. His already paper-thin character has even been sliced more finely from cardboard to wrapping paper. No inner conflicts there, just a quote machine on the nature of freedom. <br />
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Wouldn't want to ruin it for the fans who haven't started on the series, but one thing is for sure - the violence is gratuitous, excessive even. Designed for the lowest common denominator.<br />
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There goes my oxygen break.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16835466760463427475noreply@blogger.com0