Trouble In Krung Thep

I wouldn't be surprised if someday, the pandemonium in Thailand would happen in this country too if the present occupant of Malacanang insists on holding on to power beyond her term limit.

"BANGKOK--Thai troops launched a crackdown Monday to enforce a state of emergency in Bangkok, firing warning shots and tear gas as anti-government protesters hurled petrol bombs in clashes that left 70 injured.

Columns of smoke rose over the capital Bangkok as hundreds of heavily-armed soldiers cleared a busy intersection blocked by demonstrators calling for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to quit after just four months in office.

Abhisit issued an emergency decree in and around Bangkok on Sunday to curb mass protests against his government, a day after demonstrators forced the humiliating cancellation of a major Asian summit at the Pattaya beach resort.

The government said soldiers had cleared the intersection and arrested several of the red-clad protesters, who are loyal to Thaksin Shinawatra, the fugitive former premier ousted in a 2006 military coup."

Inq7.net

The Charter Change is a ticking time bomb which must be diffused. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should heed the omens when she was hastily evacuated to a military airport from a Thai hotel during the failed ASEAN Summit in Pattaya.

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Photo courtesy of CNN

The Lapdog

In the early days, when not a single colored TV could be seen in our living room; when we used to stand over a stool, cling our small hands on to the neighbor's grilled window and gawk, like a starved puppy for god knows how long while the kids in front of the boob tube play Nintendo Family Computer and then suddenly shut the wooden jalousies tight when a multitude of kids gather to watch as Super Mario stomps monsters to save an abducted princess, and start a ruckus over a tiny space to have a good view of the game being played, we learn some bitter truths about power structures surrounding a juvenile act of game watching.

The crowd dissipates and everything returns to normal. The windows shut tight earlier are opened and a few minutes later, kids from the surrounding houses would once again gather around the tiny opening to take a peek as tanks hit each other with pea-sized bullet in the game called Battle City. This time however, the power structures have changed. Aside from the kids playing the video game, there were those invited inside the house to act as intermediary between those watching outside and those who held the game pad. The most loyal of these intermediaries, in a strike of luck maybe allowed to play a game or two depending on the whims of the Nintendo owners, while some of those gaping outside maybe invited in, depending on his ability to sway over an intermediary to his side.

As the game continues, the intermediaries would change according to those called home and the new ones invited in. When the kids' parents show up in the living room, finding a multitude of grimy street urchins seated on the floor, (and sometimes hugging an alpombra around their skinny arms) the hierarchy would immediately be broken, the wooden jalousies shut tight again, and the kids holding the game pads will be forced to switch off the computer as the parents settle down to watch the evening news.

Those of us left outside would gather in our little clusters and talk about the game we have seen until the kids who own the game console show up and interrupt our conversation. Of course, they would receive a heroes' welcome in our narrow alley, hoping that those who made the best impression would be invited over when the kids decide to play the game next time.

It sucks to be drawn into the order, but as a kid who never had the material wealth of those of our neighbors had, to swallow the truth was far better than pretending having the power.

No wonder, the recent controversy surrounding Chip Tsao and his recent article about us being a nation of servants didn't bother me at all.

Because we are a proud nation of servants.

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The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen onboard. We can live with that-—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That's no big problem-—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

But hold on-—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: There are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as US$3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don't flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell everyone of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.

Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her Government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

Oh yes. The Government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout 'China, Madam/Sir' loudly whenever they hear the word "Spratly". They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, "Long live Chairman Mao!" at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I’m not sure if that's going a bit too far, at least for the time being.

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Let's look back at history and recall how things were in Hong Kong before Beijing took over more than a decade ago:

Hong Kong was, for a long time a crown territory of the British. It knew no struggles, save for a brief Japanese Occupation during World War 2. It was safely harnessed under the cloak of the British Empire while its neighbor China endured humiliations from the Japanese. No History geek would ever forget the Rape of Nanking and the Invasion of Manchuria. After Mao held sway over the Mainland 50 years ago, an uneasy peace existed between Soviet Union and China. Both were Socialists countries, and rivaled for spheres of influences around the world

There were several occasions when their bitter rivalry drew both nations to the brink of war.

Spratlys Islands are a group of outcropped rocks surrounded by the vast South China Sea. No sane Philippine Government would dare claim the entire territory for the country lest we are ready to face the ire of the entire region. For one, we never have Frigates to begin with, much more, we dont' have Fighter Jets to protect our skies. And our army - deployed down south, combing the jungles of Sulu for Red Cross Volunteers abducted (and threatened to be beheaded) by grimy Abu Sayaff bandits.

Most Chinese living in Hong Kong feel little about their homeland. The same is true with the Chinese living in Macao and Taiwan. It's a shame to learn that for someone as old as Chip Tsao, he knows little about the things he wrote, and for those of us, whose egos were scarred because of a lame piece of work - which his overlords in Beijing would never bother to read - especially coming from a territory they eye with suspicion for its Democratic leanings, I find the analogy of my childhood forthcoming.

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I imagine Chip Tsao being a lapdog; a famished, ugly Shih Tzu barking over some breadcrumbs scattered on the floor as its master, unmindful of the barks continues to cast its gaze over the horizon - over Paris Hilton - whose Chihuahua responds with the same loud barking sounds after hearing a fellow lapdog in the distance.

Stripperella Redux

What is with these muscular men who strip down, aim their digital cameras on their toned and ripped bodies, take shots of it in different lights and angles and then upload it on the internet to serve as their avatars? Have we become so attached to aesthetics that it precedes sensibilities as our emissary in cyberspace?

Some would explain that they are just trying to preserve their anonymity. Good point. After all, most of these guys live a double-life. Deep-down, their human instinct emerges and it yearns for a unique identity that will reinforce their presence online. But is this all the reason they could come up with? Addressing the issue of anonymity is easy. One can remain anonymous by wearing his favorite shirt or blurring his face and then putting it as his avatar.

But no. These guys would still get tempted to expose their well-sculpted physique in order to convey a subliminal message to others.

And as a non-straight masculine guy for seven years, I know exactly what they are trying to say.

I remember my first year in guys4men.

Back then, I was on the plus side. Not knowing the culture of the hook-up site I found myself in, I placed a face-picture as my main profile. I tried to befriend the guys I found interesting. Obviously, most of these guys are the ones whose main profile appear above so sex was never my intention. In those days, I already understood the unspoken hierarchy among gays which I tried to disprove. I sent them cordial private messages expressing my desire to communicate. These short letters would include the phrases "ang ganda ng katawan mo," or "hingi naman ng tips paano maachieve ang physique mo" or base my opening statements according to what they have written in their profiles. Unfortunately very few would reply. One even blocked me after telling this guy how I found him astig. Those who would answer back would just thank you for the compliment and then ignore you when attempting to engage them in a conversation. It's a harsh world I tell you. No wonder, some members would create threads about why guys would ignore them when they are physically unappealing. I tried consoling these poor souls by telling them my personal exprience.

I learned from the Arclight experiment how things turn around when you have the looks, body built and sensible appeal to sway over other guys to your hemisphere. As some of you have read in my earlier entries, Arclight was a faux-profile created by stealing a photo from another guy I found on Friendster. I made his character so impressive, that it was the guys who have the body-to-die-for who send him face-pictures just to win his favor. The experiment was so effective that it inspired me to become the profile I used to stalk on others.

In two years, I was able to catch up with Arclight. I may not have the appeal to win over his worshippers but my last reincarnation was able to engage the ones who would ignore me when it was my plus-sized avatar who sent them private messages. The formula was simple really: to get their attention, you must become one of them.

So I stripped down exposing my skin. It wasn't as toned as theirs. I don't have big biceps to use for intimidation nor a pumped up chest or six-pack abs to impress my physique on others. My avatar was enough to give an impression of a masculine guy trying to communicate with another masculine guy.

Somehow they understood my message.

One thing about PLUs of these types is that they are more defensive than their average counterparts. With their inboxes often flooded with senseless invitations of hook-ups or messages with prematurely romantic overtones, they tend to put up higher barriers and walls to separate those who just desire them sexually from those who would really take them seriously. If it is a carnal or romantic engagement, they would choose an equal or someone who is better. If it is a friendly banter, they would at least pick someone who could see them eye to eye:

Someone who crops their head, exposes their fit bodies and write short and conscise blurbs in their profiles.

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This is how things are being done between two physically imposing guys trying to recognize each other's dominance.

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And so the habit went on, spreading from one online forum to another. A guy out-guying another guy showing his naked body in an attempt to subtly catch the person he seeks the attention. It is a subliminal expression of teritoriality over a space he considers his own; an ancient behavior of dominance that others would acknowledge and respect. It is a display of strength and manhood so that others will never see him as a pushoever, especially in potentially hostile places like hook-up sites or online forums about fitness and health.

It is a tool of attraction; a recognition of his highly sexual nature.

I don't know if others think the same way.

But the moment I strip down - whether in the dance floor or in the profiles - it is the dominant I, who emerges.

Reign Of The Tivoli

The ceremonial gavel is struck by the president, hitting the pinewood block with a force whose sound ripples across the spacious hall. Representatives huddled near the aisles turn their head towards the podium. Their party agendas, conspiracies and private discussions over the new political alignment are abruptly disbanded letting the order return and the Althing serve its disillusioned constituencies once again.

Behind the podium sat a silver-haired lady wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses which gives her a somber appeal. Her coal black velvet overcoat drapes her with power and authority to carry a broken nation gripped with economic woes. The government fell two weeks before her ascension. Banks are closing and the people are marching on the streets. The capital city known for its legendary tranquility is on the verge of chaos. No one knew how a global financial collapse would return an island-nation of three hundred thousand souls back to its ferocious roots. Times have changed and they needed a queen who can sway a warrior's sword to put things back to where they were.

So they elected a sappho who will lead them out of the storm.

Surrounding this iron lady are her cabinet members chosen to work with the new leader. Her feminine appeal and strange circumstances of being put in office suddenly grabbed the world's imagination. With a country on its knees, she stood up from her chair and walked proudly towards the podium. TV cameras from all news-gathering organizations - including her own pan their lenses toward the center of the hall. Lights hung on the ceiling illuminates her spot as everyone's pupil stare at this woman, whose first words will echo a revolution that will quietly sweep across the planet.

Okkar tími hefur koma
Our time has come

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Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic politician and the current Prime Minister of Iceland. She had previously been Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security from 1987–1994 and 2007–2009. She has been a member of the Althing (Iceland's parliament) for Reykjavík constituencies since 1978, winning re-election on eight successive occasions. She became Iceland's first female Prime Minister on 1 February 2009. She also became the world's first openly gay head of government.

Jóhanna’s life partner is the author and playwright Jónína Leósdóttir. The couple were joined in a civil union in 2002 and have three adult children between them. She was previously married to Torvaldur Johannesson.

*Tivoli - gay slang for tomboy

Cadillac One

At dahil pinaguusapan ng ibang bloggers ang unconventional and non-traditional gowns ni Michelle Obama na obra ni Jason Wu at Isabel Toledo, makikisawsaw ako upang i-blog naman ang presidential car ni Barack Hussein Obama.


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Most details of the car are classified for security reasons. It is completely fitted with military grade armor that is 8 inches thick for maximum protection. The wheels are fitted with run flat tires. Due to the thickness of the glass, much natural light is excluded, so a fluorescent halo lighting system in the headliner is essential.

The car can seat seven people, including the president. The front seats two, and includes a console-mounted communications center. A glass partition divides the front from back seat. Three rear facing seats are in the back, with cushions that are able to fold over the partition. The two rear seats are reserved for the president and another passenger; these seats have the ability to recline individually. A folding desk is between the two rear seats. Storage compartments in the interior panels of the car contain communications equipment.

The Secret Service refers to the heavily-armored vehicle as "the beast".

On domestic trips, Cadillac One displays the American and presidential standard, which are illuminated by directional flood lights mounted on the hood. When the President performs a state visit to a foreign country, the presidential standard is replaced by the foreign country's flag.

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Napanood ko kagabi ang inauguration ng bagong president ng US. As expected, maraming tao ang dumalo para sa historic event na ito. Nagulat nga ako sapagkat halos lahat ng news channels sa cable ay nakatutok sa Capitol Hill. Kanya-kanya rin ang commentary ng mga newscasters tungkol sa nagaganap na transition of power sa Washington.

Nasulat ko sa mga naunang entries kung paano ko inantabayanan ang paglalakbay ni Obama tungo sa pagkapresidente ng Amerika. Nakatutok ako sa CNN nang siya ay dineklarang panalo sa Democratic Primaries noong Hulyo. Naroon rin ako nang una siyang magdeliver ng speech sa harap ng 200,000 na katao upang tanggapin ang kanyang nominasyon. Nangilid pa nga ang luha ko matapos ang kanyang talumpati. Sinundan ko ang kanyang campaign trail hanggang sa mga huling araw nito. Noon ngang bilangan ng balota, magdamag bukas ang aking TV huwag lang mahuli sa mga developments na nagaganap hanggang madeklara ang bagong leader ng pinakamakapangyarihang bansa sa buong mundo.

From then to now, tingin ko ay isang epilogue na lamang ang ginanap na inauguration kagabi. Kumbaga, formalities na lamang ito matapos malaman ang kinahinatnan ng kalahating taong teleserye tungkol sa US elections noong Nobyembre.

Simula pa lamang ng pagkapangulo ni Obama subalit marami na itong binitawang pangako hindi lamang sa kanyang bansa kundi pati sa buong mundo. Hindi ko alam kung ito ay makakamit sa loob ng apat na taon. Anuman ang mangyari simula ngayon hanggang sa huling araw ng kanyang termino, dalangin ko na anumang kaunlaran at kapanatagan ang makamit ng US, umabot sana hanggang dito ang kaginhawaang iyon.

Just Because They Deserve To Burn

My brother and I were playing golf at the South Course of Valley. We were on the 3rd hole, and we see two golf carts going past us, overtaking our flight, and setting up to tee off on the next hole. My dad goes up to them and asks them why they would do that, why they would overtake us without even asking for our permission.


We learn from the great men of the past that power comes from the barrel of a gun. It is human nature. The more we have the ability to inflict terror and discomfort to those who cross us, the more we become aggressive with our behavior. I've seen this happen to my father. When his capacity to punch someone with his knuckles was replaced by his ability to draw his firearms, his eyes glimmered at the thought of the world bowing under his feet.


Someone breaks up the fight. I thought it was all over. The mayor shouts to his caddy: "Hindi nila kami kilala! Sabihin mo nga sa kanila kung sino ako!" And believe me, I had no idea who this person was. But now I know. He's the person who, with 4 other men, beat up my 56-year-old father and my 14-year-old brother. He's the person who sacks a pleading 14-year-old kid in the face. He's a person who, I am sure, is gonna rot in hell.


I heard dad said those words before. He was a very influential man who could bring down a reputation of someone powerful than him. With hundreds of thousands of proles, tambays, and sex maniacs reading his column everyday, he was a force to reckon with. This fueled the fire that drives his arrogance and sense of invincibility. At one point in his life, bodyguards surrounded him. Every seedy nightspots in the red-light city was his to choose from. And god, the people who shook his hands were the overlords of this forsaken country. That was the life he had.

Until it was taken away by the same forces he shook hands with one September night.


Him and his friend pull my dad to the ground, pulls at his feet, and steps on him like he's dirt. I run to him and try to hold him back, holding him back by his shirt, while this other guy and this girl tries to stop me. She tells me to just stop it. I scream in her face "they're beating my father up and you want me to stop?!" I pull at his shirt--I don't let go. All I can see was my dad being trampled on. I didn't even see my brother getting beat up.


The raid commenced at the printing press and we, the ones in power were advised to hide. It was the first time I saw how powerless dad was to stop his enemies from destroying his emerging empire. Life is politics and had I been the one playing his game, I would have foreseen destruction before it came. It was pride and arrogance who destroyed my father and the months after that fateful night have seen how fortunes changed.


Sounds like something out of a movie, doesn't it? But this is what happened. TODAY. The day after Christmas. To my family. And all I ask for is JUSTICE. The people at Valley Golf did not seem to want to help us. None of the security guards even tried to stop the fight. Right in the clubhouse. I came back after the fight was over and talked to the receptionists. They say they did not see anything. The general manager of Valley Golf would not give us the names of the men who made my brother's ear bleed. It took him an hour. Maybe even more than that. He seemed to not want to help us. Because, we were against the SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM and the MAYOR NASSER PAGDANGANAN JR OF MASIU CITY, LANAO DEL SUR. They were all scared.


My father did some things I could never write. What I do know is that his brutality rivaled his capacity for kindness. Like all others who fell before him, it was power and sense of permanence that lead to his downfall. Humans have this impression that they can stay forever once they are on top. Unfortunately, those who stay forever are the ones who truly understand how fleeting everything is.

That power itself is bound to end.

In those days, I basked in my dad's power. I could drive someone away or open gates I could never open in my present state with just one ID. I walked along corridors with companions who are willing to defend me - at the command of my father. But never did, in my wildest dreams, get drunk with what I have.

Because I know, it will never be forever.

And now that a different energy empowers me, might as well put it to good use and prune those who deserve to be pruned. It's time to cut down excess branches and leave only those deem necessary.

I share my voice, and my blog as a testament that power may also come in shards of words.

For in the end, masters change.

What endures are humanity and respect for others.

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Bambee Dela Paz's Blog
Dale Bacar's Blog

Si Mister Palengke

“Putang ina ang pinaggagawa mo Gloria sa bayan! Patayin ang Gloria forever chacha na ito.“

Kung nasa tamang pag-iisip lang ako nitong mga nakaraang araw, hindi ko papalampasin ang mga kaganapang ito.

Marami ang nagulat, at marami ang na-upset sa pagiging "unstatesman" daw ng ating butihing Senador. Ngunit kung ako ang iyong tatanungin,

Namutawi lang sa kanyang bibig ang sinisigaw ng puso ng bawat Pilipino.

Come January, I will troop to COMELEC to register. It would be my first time to vote. Tumakbo man siya bilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas o hindi,

nasa kanya na ang aking boto.

But For What My Dear Manny, Another Glory?

The caption reads:

Spread the Faith
Voice Out a Prayer for Manny here.

I say:

Spare the Almighty from the national pastime. There is no glory when money passes hands from the crooked to the corrupt because of the man wearing boxing gloves above. There is no real victory in a match whose very thought was engineered with wads of cash in mind. There is no pride when half of the spectators around the ring are oblivious to the fact that the champ whose arms were outstretched above hails from a nation of dazed people with a missing soul that it continues to seek...

... always in wrong places.

How can there be glory when the "Pambansang Kamao" lets his fame be exploited by capitalists dogs, too eager to harvest his name for profit gain? How can there be unity when a selected few can watch the game in the comforts of their home, or theater through pay-per-view live satellite feeds from Vegas while the rest fight for space inside cramped indoor basketball courts, or spend hours waiting for the results in a super-delayed telecast courtesy of local, heavily advertised telecast? How can there be thrill when the Pambansang Kamao trade jabs with his Latino opponent while halfway across the planet, a drunken porky man trade uppercuts with his bone-skinned wife over a scrap of meat for lunch while the same pound by pound match glazes the TV screen?

Spread the faith, the ad said. But where is faith in a government that spins the truth from its people? Where is faith in a society that performs cheap circus tricks - like rolling on the floor on a noontime show for a dole out of 5 thousand pesos from the host - in full horror of the nation? Where is faith, when those who claim to have one are the most morally dredged of society - like the naked man kneeling above. I find no hero in someone associated with the worst devils of the country. I will never forget how he ran for office believing that his fame will easily lead him there.

As for my faith with this brand:

I'd find salvation in something else, any other brand than this.

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Photo serves as banner ad from pinoyexchange.com

Wind Down

It's been more than a day after the euphoria in Chicago had ended. Scenes of jubilation splashed all over TV screens that evening. A civil rights activist in the sixties was caught on camera shedding tears as the new leader spoke. In an interview a day later on CNN, he explained that he was crying for all the black people who gave up their lives for this day to become a reality. "It was the fulfillment of a preacher's dream," he said "Who would have thought America will have its first black president in our lifetime."

Around the world, people of all color celebrated. Kenya declared a national holiday while in Obama, Japan people drank sake and ate sushi to celebrate a town's namesake ascend to the world's most powerful presidency. Not even America's foes dared spoil Obama's victory knowing that the entire planet is watching the historic event. Change has arrived in the US and its ripples of hope are now leaving the warm waters of that nation as it head towards unfamiliar shores around the planet.

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Like millions who listened to Obama's victory speech yesterday, my eyes welled up with tears as he spoke of optimism in a world beset by troubles. He was like a lone candle whose flames shone brightly amidst the pitch black darkness. His rousing and assuring words were like fire that burned inside men's hearts. It moves those who listened to believe that dreams are still possible to achieve.

"To all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright," the new president's voice boomed. "Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."

And the world nodded in unison.

The tasks that lie ahead is daunting. A day after his victory speech in the windy city of Chicago, financial experts announced that the world is now in recession. Russia had its saber-rattling welcome to the new US leader after President Medvedev, in a state of the nation address to Russia, announced a missile re-deployment close to Poland. There is an ongoing squabble for energy resources and two wars to conclude. The threat of Global Warming puts the planet in peril and as long as millions of Americans don't have jobs, economic activity around the world will continue to decline.

Obama is now the president of the United States and the world is now coming to terms with the reality.

He has four years to fulfill the dreams of billions. It is my hope that he will not put his promises down.

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When I arrive home tonight, things will be very different. CNN will not report about the developments in the US elections like it used to do several days ago. The thrill and excitement is over. Instead, it will return to regular programming reporting mundane and often trivial events happening across the world. Wars and crises will once again dominate the headlines, punctured occasionally by speeches of Obama. Sarah Palin will return to being the obscure and unknown governor of Alaska, while John McCain will spend the rest of his life being the maverick senator from Arizona.

Bush will be shunned forever in books and in the media.

And things will return back to being normal.

As for me, I will drop my political inclinations to focus my attention on pressing matters at home. The issue of recession is still unresolved, while the continuous push towards the heart of my citadel is preventing potential partners from bailing me out.

Looking back, it remains a great mystery why I took with great passion the elections in the US like my life depended on it.

History would be a good excuse,

Change is another.

But as I reflected deeper on the meaning of change, it rings a tune so melodic, it may actually move my life directly.

The ripples of change has left the shores of US yesterday after Obama was elected President. It travels from shore to shore, bringing goodwill and hope to those who embrace it.

They say change is contagious.

Who knows, after being awashed with a renewed sense of purpose; after being inspired by a young black senator from Illinois who moved mountains and cities on the other side of the globe to become his nation's new leader.

That change, which he uttered over and over from town to city; That change, which he sang in speeches with so much eloquence it moved people to tears; That change, which feeds people's desires to open their arms and embrace their dreams.

That change will eventually come to me.

And The World Is Watching

Arriving home at past six thirty in the evening, I went up the stairs to go directly to my room. Tonight is the big day and the world is watching. Finally, the United States will have its new president and the fate of the world will be changed forever once its new leader has been elected.

As it stands now, history is in the making. The world's most powerful nation is at its turning point. If the black candidate becomes the president, all those years when minorities struggled, suppressed and discriminated will finally earn their voice. Their defeats will be vindicated and those who once believed that only the white man can rule will be forever shunned in books. This is the reason why I am watching - and the world seems to be doing the same thing.

Suddenly, change finds a universal appeal.

Turning on the television, I immediately switched to CNN to catch the news. It's 9 am in the other side of the planet and the polls had just opened a few hours earlier. Funny how this event made me closer there than where my feet stands right now. Perhaps, somewhere inside my consciousness, I know that no matter how my patriotic spirit tells me to ignore the things that are happening there, it will affect me in ways I could never comprehend.

Will an Obama victory be of service to the world?

The answer is Yes.

On my way home this evening, I made a brief stop at 7-Eleven to buy some essentials - junk foods. Passing by the magazine rack, I noticed Newsweek Magazine's front page cover. It reads "The Global Election: Why the World sees McCain-Obama more clearly than Americans do." The story is tempting to read and I could access the magazine's website when I arrive home. As I cross the street after paying for what I bought, an idea came to me; that Newsweek issue is too hot to be left in the cold and I would need a memento, a trinket that would remind me that I am part of history when the US election is over.

And I was right all along.

From Kenya to Indonesia; to Germany, Japan and even China the world's eyes are paying attention to America. Everyone seems so sick of Bush - and the Republicans - that they placed all their hopes to that young and charismatic black senator from Illinois and the promises he made in his rousing speeches. For the first time in my generation, the world implicitly acknowledge the possible emergence of a leader who will change how everyone perceives the planet's lone superpower. Even America's foes - Iran, Venezuela and Al Qaeda seems silent these days. Are they also closely monitoring the events in the US?

Who knows and it doesn't matter.

Only one thing is for sure.

If Obama really brings change to Washington; if he holds true to his words about the environment; if he promises to lift the middle class from their burdens; if he commits to progress not only in the way the United States is governed but also how it conducts its affairs around the globe; if he embraces the spirit of multilateralism in solving the world's problems; if he extends his responsibilities not only to the people who voted him in office, but also to those billions whose dreams he carried along the way,

Then perhaps, America won't need to rub its superiority to other countries; they have already given their mandate.

I have always suspected that the current global economic crisis have its roots in the fears that the Republicans will once again control Washington:

That change will never happen.

In the next twelve hours, the world will learn of America's fate.

My only hope is that at this very moment, more people living there had finally been awakened to the truth that they will not only elect a president of one nation, that president will also take leadership of the world in the next four years.

This is the true spirit of Globalization.

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"The world loved the idea that a man named Barack Hussein Obama could become America's 44th president after a 200-year string of white guys named Washington and Jefferson, Clinton and Bush. Asia was trying to claim Obama for his Indonesian childhood, Africa for his Kenyan father, and the Middle East for his middle name, says Ahmed Benchemsi, who edits both of Morocco's leading newsweeklies, one in French, one in Arabic."

- Stryker McGuire
Newsweek Magazine

Change

Imagine a world led by Sarah Palin.

Neocon Republicans will be vindicated. The conservatives will plunge the United States into a new era of Dark Age. Christian Fundamentalism will suppress the right of everyone to exercise their faith other than the way of the Bible and tolerance will be but a thing of the past. Creationism will be taught alongside with Darwinian Theory of Evolution and Stem Cell Research will be perfected not in the most progressive nation in the world, but on some third-party country like China or perhaps, even Iran.

Big corporations will have a free reign in dictating on the economy. Outsourcing will continue to drain Americans with sources of income, leaving them much poorer than with the previous administration that lead them to their deaths. The environment will be greatly sacrificed in the name of progress - like what she did in Alaska and the achievements of Al Gore and his call to heed the threats of Global Warming will be declared a fabrication.

Violence will rule the streets, after everyone has been allowed to bear arms. "Let them kill themselves," the former Vice-President would say to herself after the President, John McCain suddenly expired after delivering his first State of the Nation Address last 2009. Terrorism still hounds the Hawks of Pentagon, as unilateralism continues to destroy the prestige of America around the world.

Russia, China and the new "Socialist Democracies" in South America headed by Venezuela will take advantage of the situation by calling for a new world order. The European Union will forge closer ties among themselves after realizing that their nations are far better without the United States watching their every move. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq will revert back to an Islamic State after the jihadists reclaim each respective governments.

Iran and Syria will continue to harass Israel through propaganda warfare while a large swath of Africa goes down the drain with each nation killing one another in an orchestrated genocide that would leave the hyenas and the baboons ruling a part of that continent.

As chaos and confusion slowly grind civilization to a halt, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will still hold power here. Being a woman long disowned by her people and who was able to extend her power through unholy alliances with the most corrupt in the land, she will closely empathize with the first Woman President of the United States, who unfortunately, will be the reason for her mighty country to beg on its knees in the future.

I know that this is a product of my wildly deranged imagination.

But who knows.

If Obama loses the US Elections two nights from now, (Philippine Time)

Our white-skinned "big brothers" from the West will surely get into trouble.

---

"The truth is we're also trying to stay out of the public limelight during this period of the election season," said Fratto. "There are two individuals out there running to be president of the United States, and we don't want to complicate that for them."

Bush Absent from Campaign Trail,

CNN

Will The Future Blame Us

Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan

- Jose Rizal

Are you disappointed?
And have we destroyed it I
But I've been stumbling down this long and winding road
And these times are changing
And it's complicated I
Well I don't wanna know

- Will The Future Blame Us, Our Lady Peace

---

While secretly blog hopping the other night, I stumbled upon someone's blog. This blogger is someone new in the online journal scene but his story is very different from the other blogs I've read so far.

His introduction reminds me of a cousin - the only relative I acknowledge on my father's side. He's 22, bum and totally dependent on her mother - my aunt. She is currently jobless and the last time she had work was four years ago, when my dad's publishing business was still operational.

What keeps them afloat is my uncle's monthly remittance from abroad. However, being a TNT with no permanent job, things are getting difficult for them. With the global recession threatening to crash even the wealthiest of economies, it is the illegal immigrants that bear the brunt.

Life was never this harsh for them in the early days. I remember my dad lamenting at how well-off his sister was when he's the one older between the two siblings. My cousin used to wear signature brands that I could only dream of wearing even now. What's unfortunate is that despite poverty bearing down on them, my cousin's outlook never changed. Tired of life and living, he never aspired to complete his high school degree despite the financial support and encouragement readily available to him.

I don't know what his future holds and it is not my desire to speculate on what life he would have. However, after reading this blog, I get the idea that my cousin is not alone. Much as it is painful to admit, the present generation of kids is a far-cry from what my generation was.

ako si jong.. kilala ako sa cavite city na sasori.. dating hip-hop ... para maiba naman rakizta naman.. tapos mag coconyo na

isa akong tambay tamad mag-aral adik sa computer ngunit walang masamang bisyo mahirap lamang pero mautak mag ipon kaya na kakapg mall padin.. makapal ang muka koh, laging nangunguna sa kainan , laging tulog , laging nasa questor , sabi ng nanay ko hayop daw ako sa panget , sabi naman ng iba pogi ako , ung iba naman cute , ung iba naman panget din. . . kaya hindi ko pa alam hanggang ngaun ang estado ko sa buhay..

noong 2003 hindi pa ganito ang buhay koh, pag sampa ko ng noveleta ayun na nag kanda letse letse na hahaha pero masaya naman wala nga lang magandang kinabukasan...

nang sumampa ako sa noveleta napansin ko agad ang strike quest isang punyetang computer shop na 24 hours open...noong una andun lamang akoh upang manuod ng mga porno sa internet naka suot pa ako non ng sandong butas at hindi nalampas sa tuhod na short walang ka fassion fassion... hanggang siguro 1 buwan na ang nakakalipas napansin ako ng isa sa mga bantay dun si dong at kuya jay... kada punta ko dun alam na nilang manunuod lamang ako ng porno.. sa tagal tagal pa umaabot na ako ng gabi at di ko alam na gabi pla nag susulputan ang tropang questor.. pina kilala ako ni dong sa tropa na libog pero kala mong artista ang tropa walang pake alam lang... ngunit isa dito si jon jon sya ang naka usap ko kumbaga si jon jon ang naging tulay para makilala ko pa ang iba ... inanyayahan ako ni jonjon na mundo ng DOTA .. na adik ako sa dota dahil dun naka laro ko pa ang iba si ralph at si carlo pero ndi ganun ka close hangang sa na papa madaling araw na ako sa questor.. unti unti ko ng na kilala si rosvie,ralph.dog,epreym,carlo,kenluo hangang sa tumagal ngaun tropa ko nadin sila... nakita ko ang buhay ng tamad sa kanila hahaha... masaya naman dahil sakanila una akong naka inom nakapag yosi , nakaka kantot . nakapera sa pambabae at madami pang iba... maraming tao pa ang aking nakilala dahil sa kanila.... marami pa kong kwento pero eto muna na kakatamad un kung isang bagsak lang


eto nayung continuation


sa ngaun wala ang edukasyon ibig sabihin walang kinabukasan... gusto kong pumasok kaso tlgang tinatamad ako haha ndi ko kaya na tumagal sa room pag tanga ang titser...

Isa Akong Gwapo,
Jong's Blog
October 1, 2008

The Saga of Three Kings

It is sometimes possible to see the fate of the world when one is aware of what is happening in the present.

---

Russia:

President Dmitry Medvedev also announced plans to begin large-scale production of warships, primarily nuclear-powered submarines armed with cruise missiles.

Medvedev said the need for the modernization was demonstrated by last month's military conflict with Georgia. Russia responded to Georgia's attack on the breakaway region of South Ossetia with overwhelming force and easily crushed the Georgian army, but the brief war highlighted Russia's aging arsenal.

"We must ensure superiority in the air, in carrying out precision strikes at land and sea targets and in the timely deployment of forces," Medvedev told military commanders after military exercises in the southern Orenburg region.

* Russia aims to upgrade nuclear arsenal, CNN

---

China:

The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft, China's third manned mission, blasted off atop a Long March 2F rocket shortly after 9:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) under clear night skies in northwestern China. The spacewalk by one of the astronauts is expected to take place either on Friday or Saturday.

Underscoring the mission's heavy political overtones, Chinese President and Communist Party head Hu Jintao was shown live on state television hailing the astronauts at the launch site near the northwestern town of Jiuquan.

"You will definitely accomplish this glorious and sacred mission. The motherland and the people are looking forward to your triumphant return," Hu told the three, who were dressed in their flight suits and behind glass to avoid germs.

*China launches Three-Man Crew into Space, Time-CNN

--

But as news has unfolded about how Chinese baby formula laced with the industrial chemical melamine has caused the death of four infants and sickened tens of thousands of others, milk consumption has fallen precipitously. Chinese supermarkets have cleared products from their shelves, but the crisis continues to spread beyond the country's borders. Dairy goods laced with tainted Chinese exports have been found in Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. A dozen Asian and African nations have banned Chinese dairy products. The European Union, which prohibits the import of Chinese milk, banned baby foods containing Chinese dairy products and said it will begin testing products such as toffee, chocolate and biscuits that contain 15% Chinese milk powder.

* China's Tainted-Milk Scandal Spreads, Time-CNN

---

The United States of America

"We are in the midst of a serious financial crisis," Bush said. "Our entire economy is in danger."

"I propose that the federal government reduce the risk posed by the troubled assets and supply urgently needed money so banks and other financial institutions can avoid collapse and resume lending."

In recent days lawmakers, economists and administration officials have used the words "crisis," "calamity" and "meltdown" to describe the possible ramifications if no action is taken.

"The market is not functioning properly," Bush said. There is a widespread loss of confidence. America could slip into a financial panic."

* Financial Crisis: President Bush explains big bailout as high stakes debate heat up. CNN

--

Everything is interconnected
and once the balance of power shifts from one hegemony to another,
a new world order sets in place.

Hell On The Trading Floor

New YORK - Stocks slumped Wednesday morning, with the Dow industrials tumbling more than 300 points, as the government's emergency rescue of AIG exacerbated fears about the stability of financial markets. The sell-off comes in the wake of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch's sale to Bank of America.

Investors also focused on a report that showed construction of new homes fell to the lowest level in 17 years.

- CNNMoney.com

---

The world as we knew it has now come to an end.

It began with a housing boom in the United States close to a decade ago. Loans were granted by insurance companies to entice real estate buyers to purchase new homes without thoroughly making a background check in their ability to pay. Then the war against terror exploded and the US Government shifted its attention from running the economy efficiently to waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The wars were never successful from the very start and billions of dollars were spent just to oil the massive American war machine just to hunt down individual Al Qaeda members to their caves and mountain hideaways. Meanwhile, big and small companies began off-shoring their back-office operations in countries like India, China and the Philippines leaving more Americans jobless. These companies claim that such move is good for business but the truth is,

the more people in America loses their jobs, the higher the chances the economy plunges into a recession.

And it finally did this week after several high-profile investment banks filed bankruptcy protection after they failed to raise enough capital to cover up for their continuing loses.

News footage of white-collar workers walking out of their corporate headquarters in New York carrying huge boxes of office mementos were aired on CNN last Tuesday morning. Lehman Brothers, a global financial giant had just filed bankruptcy protection after acquiring debt of over 600 billion dollars. Losing one of the pillars of the global banking industry lead to a domino effect. By Wednesday morning, AIG Insurance was in a desperate move to raise its capital or it would also file bankruptcy protection by the end of the day. Realizing the consequences of AIG succumbing from its debts, the US Government stepped in to bail out the ailing giant.

The bailout was a source of relief for every banker and stock trader across the planet. It spurred trading in floors leaving some major stock markets closing on a rebound after a series of reds since last week. Not everyone was satisfied with the bailout package though. It was reported in CNN before I left for work this afternoon that a long queue in AIG Singapore had formed after hundreds of its clients decided to cancel their insurance policy with the company in fears of another threat of bankruptcy maybe at hand.

The Wall Street Crisis is far from over. Fueled by negative speculation and the ongoing recession in the United States economy, things will only start improving after the next US president has been elected. The ripples it produced is being felt even in the shores of the country. With almost a quarter of the population tied to market changes in the US, there is a possibility that many outsourcing people may lose their jobs before the year ends.

Such is the price for having a Globalized Economy. It is also the reason why I'm watching closely the market collapse happening in the other side of the globe.

With oil prices heavily dependent on world market conditions and with China preoccupied in its witch hunt for those responsible for adding Melamine poison in infant milk formula; with Russia continually harassing Georgia, Ukraine and the Baltic States in its quest to become a regional power and with the Republicans still bent on exterminating the world of terrorists - like Osama Bin Laden, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Vladimir Putin,

I wonder if this is just another phase in the entire human epoch...

... or the world has finally lost its senses?

Philippine Daily Inquirer

The year was 2001. We were young bucks eager to serve the nation by writing everything we saw around us. We were aspiring beat reporters, investigative journalists and lifestyle and sports writers who wished to make a difference by honing our craft and make use of it through any available means. Our mentors were mostly professionals working in different newspapers - namely from Philippine Daily Inquirer, Tempo and Manila Bulletin. Driven by our intense passion to embrace the outrageous and the unconventional, we preferred to follow the most notorious but bullied newspaper of our time - The Philippine Daily Inquirer.

It was a time of great upheaval. Erap Estrada was about to stand trial for graft charges and Gloria Macapagal-Arrovo had just resigned from her post in the DSWD. There was storm brewing in the House of Representative and the Senate over the balance of power in national politics. And we were there as witness to history. Had we been given the signal to storm the places of dissent to write everything, we would do so without a blink of an eye.

PDI was the opposition. They never hesitated putting everything that was wrong in the country and the truth they sold swayed public opinions to their cause. They were in the forefront of the coming changes and we, as journalism students rode with them. We wrote like we're PDI reporters, drafted editorials like we're PDI columnists and we, with one voice declared Conrado De Quiros our hero. I don't know what my classmates opinions were back then, but I was bent on being shaped by what I get from my favorite broadsheet.

The hands of time rolled like the rise and set of the sun. We moved on from our journalistic aspirations and we found ourselves in different jobs - serving different interests that are sometimes opposing one another. But at times I look back and remember how driven we were back then to make a difference,

I realize that the past still echoes towards the present. No wonder, I am still as open to politics like I used to - when it was still my breakfast, lunch, dinner and yosi breaks for the day.

Things have changed. I have become a lowly outsourcing agent in some obscure company who dabbles as an aspiring creative writer on the sidelines. But when I wish to return to my roots and bask in the brilliance known as my senior years in college.

I click on the inq.net website to remember them all.

---

Entry written shortly after reading inq's op-ed piece, "Nakakahiya" dated today. The commentary is about how the opposition in Pampanga resorts to so many different tactics to depose it's current governor, Among Ed Panlilio for dubious charges such as loss of confidence to even non-attendance in meetings with the President.

I don't know what my Kapampangan friends think of him, but in a time when everything sucks about the country - especially its president, the only truth I wish to believe and see comes from the only newspaper who shaped the way I think.

Standing Ovation

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

---

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

---

You know, this country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit -- that American promise -- that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

---

And it is that promise that 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead -- people of every creed and color, from every walk of life -- is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

- Barack Obama, "The American Promise"
Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech

Eyewitness

History must have its own way of calling an eyewitness, for in all those sleepless nights I had endured in the past, last night was the most different. Instead of going through an entire nocturnal phase watching cartoons and news, my body surrendered at half past midnight. I was asleep peacefully, only to awakened three hours later by my own body clock.

Surfing the channels, it was my hope that I would get back to sleep after one hour. However, fate must have different plans. With war going on in Georgia and Russia acknowledging the breakaway states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, on the other side of the world, something historic was happening. Today, the Americans made history by officially nominating a black minority to the position of the President of the United States of America.

News anchors and political analysts from CNN have already speculated that the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver will be dramatic. I said, "all right, I'm not an American so why bother to watch the live coverage?" So I changed the channel and tune in to Nickelodeon to watch Invader Zim. Daybreak arrived and still I could not sleep. I went out of the house to cast my gaze at the rising sun, watched the neighbor walk their dog and chatted with another neighbor about the sacrifices being made by working people with challenging work schedules.

Back into my room, I opened the TV once again in hopes that war had broken between Russians and the Americans over Georgia. Instead, what I witnessed was the roll call of delegates from different US States casting their vote for Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

"We, the united Democrats from the tiny but beautiful state of Delaware," announced the representative at the podium "home of the great philosopher so and so, and senator so and so, and the great general so and so.." his bragging was actually boring "cast 7 votes for the senator from New York, Hillary Clinton and 14 votes for the next great president of the United States, Barack Obama." The audience cheered and applauded after the state had cast their vote.

When the representatives from the State of Illinois were asked to come out and cast their votes, their speaker simply abstained from the voting. I immediately reacted, "WTF, that's the home state of Obama and they abstained from the voting? That's impossible!"

The roll-call of delegates continued until it was New Mexico's turn to cast their vote. For some reasons, their speaker announced that they yield their votes to Illinois so that their speaker would be asked to cast again their combined votes. As the representative from Illinois spoke, the camera panned towards the audience where the brimming Hillary Clinton was shown arriving at the convention. Almost immediately, the Illinois representative yielded the combined votes of their state and those from New Mexico's to the delegate from New York.

At this point, I knew what was about to happen.

As the speaker from New York spoke, Senator Clinton was at his side. After some brief introductions, the podium was given to Clinton who once again urged her party mates and supporters to stand united against the Republican nominee John McCain. "With eyes firmly fixed on the future, and in the spirit of unity with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare together with one voice right here, right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president." Barack Obama's chief rival in the primaries closed the nomination and elected Obama through acclamation.

"Is there a second," asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was also the secretary of the convention.

When the 4,400 delegates composed of Whites, Hispanics, Asians and other minorities overwhelmingly affirmed Obama as their choice with thundering cheers, Nancy Pelosi officially adapted the motion and declared the Black Senator from Illinois the Democrat Presidential Candidate for the US 2008 Elections.

So there, I witnessed history as it unfolded right before my eyes.

Being a faithful student of the past, it was a moment I will remember for all time. I know how Blacks were discriminated, separated and threatened with violence just a few generations ago. I know their struggles, sufferings and the movers - from Martin Luther King to Malcom X who gave up their lives so that equality will be given to them. Who would have thought that in less than fifty years after the civil rights movement exploded, a Black person might actually become the most powerful person in the planet.

As O'Jay's Love Train blasted from the arena speakers, you see people of different color crying among the audience. Their eyes flooded with tears, I cannot help but share the jubilation and triumph they must have felt when Obama was declared the candidate of the Democrat party.

For a moment there, I sincerely wished I was an American.

Because major revolutions only happen once in a generation. A history has been made and much I would like to be part of it, I am not sure if the rest of humanity is ready for such changes. I rooted for an Obama-Clinton ticket but it didn't happen. Now the world is watching, with much enthusiasm and hope for changes in the American government.

The fight now is not between progressives and conservatives, or the good or the bad.

It is a struggle for our collective future.

I just wish that in the future, history will claim that goodness had prevailed in our time.

---

People all over the world (Sisters and brothers)
Join hands (join, come on)
Start a love train (ride this train, y'all), love train (Come on)

- O'Jays, Love Train

photos courtesy of CNN

Winner

7:20 pm

With clockwork precision, I made my way from Avenida to Quiapo amidst the teeming mass of humanity rushing to get home. I dodged beggars, swerved vendors selling pirated Dibidis and overtaken pious souls slowly marching towards the Basilica. It was a rush hour, and despite the human bottleneck at the heart of Carriedo, I put up a struggle just to get home before the opening ceremony begins.

The ceremony was spectacular and surprisingly devoid of politics. It showcased the Chinese culture, who invented fireworks, paper and bureaucracy. There were references to Confucius, the Tang Dynasty and the preservation of the environment for the children. Despite my initial judgment that the Athens Games had a stronger impact, the world had already made its verdict: The Beijing Olympic Games is the best show ever. The efforts of thousands to put up a well coordinated presentation had paid off. The Chinese nation must surely be proud of this moment.

What is sad however is that they allowed a single media company have a monopoly over the coverage of the games. I was extremely pissed off when I could not watch it live on CNN or BBC and had to rely on Solar Sports to see it last night. Since the coverage was monopolized, Solar Sports had to pay huge sums of money to have it aired in the country. In return, the local media had to overload it with so many commercials that I saw more product endorsements than delegates marching and waving proudly during the Parade of Nations.

In fact, the Philippine Delegation, where Manny Pacquiao was chosen to be the flag bearer only appeared for ten seconds. Had a spectator been channel surfing during commercial breaks, he would have miss the moment completely.

Despite the setbacks, it was fantastic to see how the Chinese told their story. The light and visual effects were enchanting and the focus on children and cultural diversity was something I never expected from the Chinese. It is arguable to say that everything was done to show a different face to the world knowing that their government has pending human rights violations. But late last night, amidst the song, dance and fireworks that lit the skies of Beijing,

It felt like the world was at peace.

And united by a single event that will go down in history as the best games ever.

---

Photocredits:

AFP
PDI
Reuters

Olympia

During the Olympic Games a truce or ekecheiria was observed. Three runners known as spondophoroi were sent from Elis to the various participant cities at each set of games to announce the beginning of the truce. During this period armies were forbidden from entering Olympia, wars were suspended and legal disputes and the use of the death penalty were forbidden. The truce was primarily designed to allow athletes and visitors to travel safely to the games, and was for the most part observed, although Thucydides wrote of a situation where the Spartans were forbidden from attending the games and fined 200,000 drachmas for assaulting the city of Lepreum during the period of the ekechiria, claiming that the truce had not yet taken hold

- Wikipedia, Olympics

---

I have vague memories when the Summer Olympics was held in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. All I can recall is that it was held during the day. When the Summer Olympics was held in Barcelona, Spain, San Miguel Campo Carne was the main sponsor of the media coverage here in Manila. I also remember a flamenco dancer performing during the opening ceremony. I haven't seen the games when it was held in Atlanta in 1996. All I know is that it was heavily commercialized and many consider it a flop in Modern Olympic history. I shouted and jumped in front of the TV when the Koreans showed up with a unified flag in Sydney four years later. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to watch the opening ceremony held in Athens four years ago only this evening.

The Olympics is known for its excessive pageantry that showcases the nation who will host the event. It is a source of heavy economic burden for those who decide to undertake its hosting. I once asked my mother if we could one day hold the Olympics here. She only said "not in our lifetime." Now that I am old, I understand what she meant then. Despite these consequences, the Olympics is still an enduring symbol of a dynamic world held together by interlacing five rings that represents unity and diversity. Throughout the years, the Olympics is used for political statements (when countries boycott the games) and it paves the way for social upheavals to happen, such when the host nation showcases its economic supremacy to the world or when the host nation caves in to political pressure and changes to a more democratic form of government.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of another Olympiad, and this time, it is China who will be hosting the largest gathering of nations the world has ever seen. The opening ceremony hasn't begun yet, but from what I've seen in the news these past few days, problems have already made this multi-sport event a publicity nightmare for the Chinese government.

Despite the negative feedback from Beijing, I am set to watch the games tomorrow at 8 pm. With the Greeks gaining critical acclaim for having the best opening ceremonies so far, it will be interesting to find out if the Chinese can match an opening performance worth of their emergence in global affairs.

"Clepydra," 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony. Nagandahan ako sa sounds, costume at saka sa gracefulness ni Eros kaya pinili kong ito ang maging highlight ng aking mga napanood sa YouTube ngayong gabi.

Kaladkarin

"Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?"

Tess suggested before she went inside the car to start the engine.

"You can drop me anywhere you want. I can get a ride anywhere. Where are you heading?"

I asked back while slipping inside the passenger seat of her car.

"In Makati, near Pasong Tamo."

Her twang was becoming more obvious, it felt like I'd be recoiling my tongue the whole trip.

"Cool. How about I accompany you there? We can continue our conversation while you're driving." I said smiling.

All for the love of God, all I ever wanted is a joyride.

The Book of Astrology tells that a Sagittarius loves to travel. You can bring him to places as long as his eyes will see something new. I for one believes in what was written in the book. Being an archer myself, I see every journey as an awakening and every destination merely opens a door to another journey.

The trees in Diliman were still singing hymns and praises after the Maroons defeated the Falcons in the UAAP match last week. Everyone was in high spirits, including J.Wendell Capili who even brought bags of Potato chips and bottled water in class just for the occasion. After the reports were done, class was dismissed early. I was in no mood to fly out of the campus with the sun still peeking behind the grayish-blue clouds. So I stayed behind to chill, and perhaps walk around the Sunken Garden which I haven't done ever since I enrolled in the university several years ago.

I was geared to having a solitary stroll, when suddenly, I bumped into a girl classmate who was about to leave the building. She was heading towards the parking lot across the street, but since her car's coding schedule falls on a Tuesday, she had to wait until 7 before she could leave the campus. With nothing else to do, I volunteered to keep her company. After all, it's always better to have someone to hang out with, rather than have a chilly evening all by your lonesome self.

We walked from CAL Building to Katipunan so I can buy a stick of cigarette. Our pace was as slow as a turtle and along the way, we talked about how her aunt died in a fire and the premonitions that happened before the accident. Since we talked about ghosts and other supernatural things, I confessed that my Third Eye seemed to be slightly opened these past few days. I've seen dark shadows disappearing behind thick walls and white silhouettes appearing in peripheral visions whenever I roam around our office building.

It was almost 7 when we returned to the parking lot. We could have parted ways, with me hailing a jeep that would drop me off in Philcoa. But since our conversation was becoming more interesting, (for it jumped from ghosts, to the Bangsamoro Issue, to the NPA's in the provinces and her boyfriend who is an officer in the army) I decided to stick with her as long as time would allow me. After all, rarely do I engage myself in conversations and rarely do I get to meet people who's interesting enough that they'd get me to open my mouth and talk for a change.

I grabbed her offer to drop me off elsewhere. To have a free ride in a brand new car and actually see different places is I think, one of the best things you can get for free. Apologies for my kababawan. The truth is I just miss wandering around the city without actually having to pay for a cab fare.

Going back to Tess, we talked about different things as she drove the car, that I never noticed how fast our journey was: In Katipunan Avenue, we talked about the merits of a country and why not all territories can be independent. She cited East Timor as an example and I had Montenegro as my specimen. Before we changed the subject, I mentioned Kosovo and its unfortunate fate of being suspended in mid-air while the world body debated on its existence as an independent state.

In Eastwood City, US Politics came up as a topic when she opened the subject of some Americans thinking too highly of their country. "The mid-westerners are so notorious about their patriotism, that they actually are xenophobic," she said.

"That is why there's no hope for the US when McCain gets voted to the office. But what can we do, the old guy is more American than Barack Obama?" I commented while looking at the skyscrapers across the street.

From there, the topic jumped to Philippine politics by talking about the recent survey where Joseph Estrada ranks second among the presidential candidates in the 2010 elections. I swear, for a minute or two, Tess fell silent as she drove the entire stretch of C-5 from Rosario to Shaw Boulevard. It was like she could not believe that the ex-president could get elected again. Sensing that the cold spell may last until we reached Makati, I changed the topic by going back to Obama and why I see Mar Roxas as the direct counterpart of the aspiring Democrat president in Philippine politics.

"Well, I can see in his eyes his idealism and vision that every other politician lacks these days."

"Agree. Well, I can live through Korina being the first lady."

"That's plain image building," I rebutted. "Would you really believe that a Mar and Korina wedding would ever be feasible in our lifetime?"

"Korina is a lesbo in disguise..."

I will stop there. The truth is, I had to reveal some open secrets that only PLUs know about our politicians. Even Senator Jamby Madrigal didn't escape my observations. Look at her as she speaks in front of the camera and you will notice how butchy she appears especially when the esteemed senator gets angry. Seriously, that lady has an attitude. She's a fighter. For that alone, I wish that she will get another term in office.

We arrived at the Global City where she drove around in circles until we found ourselves passing by the American Cemetery. For all the times I've been at the Fort, the only exit going back to Makati that I know of is Forbes Park. The wasteland beyond the cemeteries still belongs to the armed forces. To my surprise, there is actually a road that directly courses through the heart of the army base. If I am not mistaken, it's name is McKinley.

While Tess, at first glance is a fragile, mestiza plumpy lady. Her heart and soul belongs to the army. You can never blame her. Her boyfriend is actually a lieutenant in the Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas. As we drove through Fort Bonifacio - the real fort that is, she was pointing left and right to show where the offices of the army are.

"To your right is the intelligence wing of the AFP, while across the street to your left is the main headquarters of the Marines."

"Those condominiums you see below were developed by Megaworld. Half of them are occupied by the bugo-bugo's (PMA Alumni) and it was said that the parking there is so scarce, the homeowners themselves point guns at one another when one steals a parking space from another. As in, kawawa talaga yung mga guards jan." She chuckled as she recalled the incident while driving in the middle of the road.

Suddenly, a motorcycle swerved in front of us. It's driver was not wearing any helmet at all.

"Asshole," she grudgingly blurted.

"What can we do, he's in the military." I was making assumptions from his haircut and angas alone.

Finally, we reached the end of Mckinley Road and found ourselves about to cross the overpass leading to the airport. Below the bridge was the South Expressway, which we always take whenever my family visits our relatives in Paranaque. In all the years I've passed underneath the bridge, I've wondered where do the road above lead to. Does it have a dead end or it goes around in circles until the entrance becomes the exit too?

I only found the answer this evening.

"Alam mo Tess, after 25 years, ngayon ko lang nalaman na tatagos pala ng Global City itong daang ito. Thank you for the road trip."

At that moment, I felt like a kid who had just discovered another geographical mystery that has been hounding me for years. Ever since I could remember, I'd pay close attention to the names of places I see in the maps of Metro Manila to the point that I'd never get lost wherever you throw me. Perhaps, just as Tess has her passion for the Armed Forces, my heart beats in every joy rides where I'd discover new roads and places that open my eyes to a much bigger world. For someone who rarely goes out of the city, this is the closest thing I've got to what others call a long-distance travel experience.

The road trip did not stop near the overpass. Instead of Tess turning right to Pasong Tamo, she drove all the way to NAIA Terminal 3 just for me to see the new airport. She also wanted me to see the Air and Space Museum of the Philippine Air Force, where our obsolete fighter jets are on exhibit. Sadly, I was so giddy the whole time that I forgot to take pictures before we headed back to Makati.

The road trip from Diliman to the NAIA terminal took around an hour. We passed through five cities driving through one main artery. I don't know how much liters of gas it cost her. I just hope that the conversation and the companionship was enough to pay for all her troubles of touring me around.

She dropped me across her apartment near Don Bosco. Her place was big, it seems she comes from a very wealthy family.

I could have hailed a cab going home so I wouldn't appear like a total freeloader. But it seems I haven't had my fill yet. I needed to walk.

So instead of riding a jeep that will cost me P8.50. I took a stroll from Arnaiz to Buendia where the road trip ends and my journey going home begins.