Slowed, and some other Things

Slowed 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.

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.

"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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Homerism

Trade: ESPN Trade Machine

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hey, it's free to dream, especially since I haven't slept much.  Here's to an exciting NBA trade deadline.

Oxygen Break

A 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.

(Sigh).  All my brain can come up with right now is one-liners.

In other news, "Spartacus: Vengeance" 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.  

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.

There goes my oxygen break.

No Reason Required

Just can't help it.  I've hit a rut and I need to get my brain plodding along.  Go back to what works.  Rekindle that wonder.  When all else fails, turn to Sesame Street.

Back in Spring

I remember some of my old posts regarding favorite songs.  If I were held at gunpoint this song wouldn't make the top five, not even the top ten, but for now I'm in a folksy mood and experiencing a mild form of homesickness.  So I'm jamming to some of the songs of my childhood, including songs by (and here it comes, egads!) Sharon Cuneta.  I can't find some good downloads for VST or Hagibis, so YouTube would have to do.

The most vivid memories of February in Manila were during high school, where it meant the school fair and the high school dance.  It was the social event of the entire year because apart from class interactions and the occasional soiree, this was only place where one can meet a large number of girls, unless one were a nerd and always competed in interschool events (which always has negative effects, sadly).  It meant a lot of New Wave and glam rock/gothic rock blasting from the speakers, even an occasional Billy Joel's "Sometimes A Fantasy" or selections from Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

As we didn't have cellphones then, coming out with someone's landline number on a piece of paper (or on your hand) was a major victory.

So this song is about the spring of young love.  Every note tinkles as if it were brand-new.  Right now, these notes sometimes resound a little more strongly, albeit as echoes of forgotten times.  You'd wish it were the first time, and that you have a whole lifetime for experiences to come by.  But when you look into the mirror, the lines on your face tell you that time has betrayed you and you must savor every last drop of pleasure that comes into your life, before they run out.

Another Week

Willing Exile: First Thursday

Going back to my post of more than four years ago - some rash sentimentality about falling in love and sleepless nights.   Somebody must have heard me and posted a decent copy of this song:



This song just inspires me to hug somebody.  A heart that is tried and tested several times may cease to believe in the miracle that is love.  On the other hand, maybe that kind of heart has just had its unhealthy share of romance novels and Hugh Grant movies.

Some are steadfast in longing for the right kind of love, only to realize that they have waited too long or have chosen the wrong kind of places to find their love.

Some have just thrown love into the winds like a will o' the wisp, and live life without expecting a true love to return.  So they either settle for someone with whom they can live, or they just put themselves in the path of the wind, like scarecrows.

And the Result is...

My Political Compass

Who would have thought that I am staying closer to my roots?  I thought I have turned Republican.  A little left of center it is.

To take the test, go to http://www.politicalcompass.org/.

You Need Green to be Mean

How much would it cost to build the Death Star?

Just nice to know, so that my little investment portfolio will have to shoot up just that much.  Wouldn't want to stop the project midway - no wonder it took the Empire almost eighteen years to build the first one.  I'd be dead before I start building this baby.  Investment, anyone?  A sure-fire way to dominate the galaxy, only X-wing fighters with Force-enabled pilots as risk.

It's so easy painting rich guys as the bad guys.  It really costs money to be the villain, especially if you're not an altered human, a mutant, or an alien.  Where would Lex Luthor get the wherewithal to battle Superman without cash?

Now imagine what power bill Dexter's parents are running with his secret lab in the basement...

Processed

"A process cannot be understood by stopping it.  Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it." - Paul Atreides quoting the First Law of Mentat, "Dune"

Confidence

Sometimes people can just have mind-numbing confidence.  One man had the guts to go up against a whole army. From David Eddings' "Queen of Sorcery":


"I will challenge them." Mandorallen announced calmly, "One or all. No true knight would refuse me without being called craven. Wilt thou be my second and deliver my challenge, my lord?"


"What if you lose?" Silk suggested.


"Lose?" Mandorallen seemed shocked. "I? Lose?"

Past Peeping

Almost 20 years to the day, I was fully introduced to the music of the Beatles.  In my early teens, I was particularly enamored of the classics and religious music - the classics being what they were, and I admired their themes and structure.  Religious music, well, because I was a volunteer facilitator and we listened to a lot of "retreat" music.  My sisters loved OPM, and our eldest brother loved R&B and jazz.  My other brother was a true child of the times, loving New Wave music.  I pretended to listen because I didn't want to hurt his feelings.  I was such a snob.

I watched a lot of movies in the theaters then because that was my only form of escape - going home meant living through the pressures our family was going through at the time, and being elsewhere meant that life was catching up on me.  The Robinsons Galleria theaters showed a lot of footage of "A Hard Day's Night" during those times.  I would suppose there was a lot of heavy promotion since it was almost close to the 30th anniversary of the Beatles' first hit in the UK ("Love Me Do," a Top 20 hit).

This particular bit, along with "I Should Have Known Better" were my favorite pieces (well, they did receive a lot of rotation).  The harmony is impeccable on this piece, and at this point I would surmise Lennon was reaching his creative apex as a Beatle (my guess is that he topped out in "Rubber Soul" as a member of the band, and thenceforth McCartney became their driving force).  When I listen to this song I always play in twice, singing with Lennon's part the first time and then with McCartney's part the second time.

The Beatles' surfacing in my musical palette also came with the rise of grunge and Pinoy alternative rock.  In a way the stripping down of the musical components of recorded music was the antidote to overproduced electronic tracks of the '80s.

This year the Beatles would celebrate their 50th anniversary as a hit band.  Looking forward to all the tributes and the concerts.

Just Hangin'

I've already given up on "Glee" having any sense of plausibility or story content but I keep on watching because of the music performances.  The Valentine's Day episode wasn't particularly great, but Damian McGinty's "Home" by Michael Buble and Amber Riley's rendition of cheeseball classic "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston were particular standouts.

Stevie is still the one for the chill factor.  Buble did a version of this, which reminded me of the original.  The vocal crescendo is unbelievable.

As for other things, Valentine's Day is still the same but I have a project in mind which I hope does not miscarry.  If it does, well, there goes the usual.  I usually crash and burn, anyhow.  Ouch.

Worldwide Export

OFW remittances hit record $20B

Just firing up the stove for another gasbag of opinion.

As an expatriate Filipino, instead of giving me a bigger sense of pride, it is giving me a greater sense of disappointment.

I am not saying "nay" to overseas employment.  Like free trade in goods and services, there should be freedom in the movement of natural persons to seek employment.   Filipinos, by virtue of our natural resilience and eagerness to succeed (yes, our English is considerably better than those of other nationals.  But that advantage is fast disappearing, thanks to declining standards and poorer comprehension in today's graduates.  End of long parenthetical thought), are uniquely prepared to compete in the global environment.  A significant amount of the world's seafarers are Filipinos.  Many of the drillers and other technical workers in the Gulf oil industry are Filipinos.  Filipino engineers are unnamed heroes in the transformation of this region, as highways, seaports, airports, water and power installations, factories, and commercial buildings have been built with Filipino technical expertise in their design and construction.  One can see Arab names in the headlines, but the significant contributions have been made by Filipinos and other expatriates.

I cannot say "nay" to overseas Filipino employment because my being employed in Saudi Arabia is paying our family's bills, as overseas employment sustains the lives of millions of Filipinos.  Our country's Gross National Product is dependent on remittances, and if anything, expatriate contributions have kept the economy stable and that our country has sufficient reserves of foreign currency.

I cannot say "nay" because throughout the political and economic turmoils that have afflicted the country, the region, and worldwide, our country has not gone under.  Remittances are our economic anchor.

It's just that because of this economic anchor, government policy has not been sufficiently progressive in addressing the key issues ailing our economy.  What makes matters worse is that of creating an environment conducive for expatriates to return to the country for retirement, the result is just the opposite.

Baser Natures, Continued

Willing Exile: Baser Natures

Channeling: Barry Manilow

Now that piece is not well-written at all.  But to pick up something more from it, I'd like to start it out as an introduction to what I think I meant to say.

Though some of its assertions were dismissed as quackery, Desmond Morris' "The Naked Ape" does make the point that psychosocial evolution has not followed up more quickly on the effects of all the technological revolutions that have taken place.  Some of our most basic instincts still hark back to earlier times, and with the explosion of information you can have several otherwise intelligent people live walking contradictions in their value systems.

Take for example many people who are pro-choice on the reproductive health issue, and are pro-life on the death penalty issue.  Some may not like animal testing, but are supportive of stem-cell research.  On the other hand, you have people who are pro-life and are committed to the death penalty at the same time.  Some cannot stand eating meat, but would welcome genocide on others just because they are of a different faith.

Of course I will be accused of simplification and sophistry on this one, but it does beg to be argued - rather than coalescing into more discrete value systems, societies are now a mosaic of various ideas and special interests.  Some people may argue that moral relativism has taken the field and the influence of monolithic institutions like the Roman Catholic Church has waned considerably.  Even adherents of either side (or rather, multiple sides) may even argue the degree to which the decline/progress of society has gone.

It isn't a case of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes."  It isn't about black turning white, but rather the idea: is there a black?  Is there a white?

Sorry Seems to Be...

When other people find it hard to forgive you for what you've done, sometimes it's important to ask if you've demonstrated true remorse and have begun the process of restitution.  Making the apology mean something means being prepared to do exactly the opposite of what you have done in the first place.

Baser Natures

Our carpool had an interesting conversation just the other night regarding the onset of urban sprawl in Riyadh.  A lot has changed, they say, in the neighborhoods within the vicinity of the factory.  But even with this development, the construction will not be enough.  There always has to be something better.

For example, for all the advancements made for the King Khalid International Airport terminal, right now the building seems outdated.  Many expatriate workers often complain that Riyadh is the Kingdom's worst first port of entry (the others being Dammam and Jeddah).   It is not even a question of physical infrastructure, but rather the work ethic of the people running the show.

(Sidebar: I am positively running out of brain juice.  My sense of organization and my ability to stay on point are getting shot.  Okay, back to point.)

Our ability to control nature around us is also our blind spot in losing control.

This is the reason why I chose this song - it is our human nature to be enthralled, to seek adventure, to want to be covered by bright lights.

We are still governed by passions that cannot be defined by logic.

Now, as I start losing point on this topic, let me end this for now.  Coming soon.

Shhh....

Whoever wishes to keep a secret must hide the fact that he possesses one. - Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

Falling Short

Sometimes an opportunity to be great comes only once - it just depends on the person whether to answer the call to be great.  The biggest obstacle to being great is just being good enough.

Letting Love Remain

It feels so wrong to celebrate anything in particular while someone in your immediate circle is grieving.

My colleague at the office who is also my flatmate is undergoing a personal crisis right now.  His mother passed away last night and so he must take an emergency leave.

I'm never been a fan of Valentine's Day.  I believe the whole holiday is an exercise replete with crass commercialism.  It's a convenient holiday for spending in between New Year's Day and the school holidays in March/April.

I believe love should be celebrated as often as possible.  One can never encapsulate the wonderful moments that give this life meaning, even though, realistically, those moments will make up 15% or less of my entire life.  But without those moments, life is assuredly less.

Love is not just a feeling you get.  True love means an entire appreciation of the other's personhood, and is a commitment between two partners.

Of Firsts and of Truth

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond - e.e. cummings

I was not really into the series "Beauty and the Beast" because, of course, it was the late '80s and I hadn't outgrown cartoons yet, and I wasn't a fan of romance on TV either.

By the time the show was cancelled I finally understood what it meant, what it means, to welcome the presence of love in one's life, and I also discovered the work of e.e. cummings.  I  bought a cassette tape of the the soundtrack, with my favorite track - (The First Time I Loved Forever) as the headliner.  Ron Perlman was great as Vincent, the "Beast" and I probably watched a few episodes of the show only because of Linda Hamilton (on whom I had a crush since "The Terminator").

There will never be a replacement of the first love, of that first exciting moment - as things should be, when experienced for the first time.

It will not, however, replace, the eternal flame of the true love that forever kindles once found.