Lowest Common Denominator

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Resurrection

I 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 forty-something?

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.

Therein lies the dilemma.

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.

So, what's been happening to me?  Took a forty-day furlough in the Philippines and the wisest decision I made was this: Be still.  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.