Kindred Spirits

Waiting at the airport...I am indulging myself in this soliloquy...amid the cacophony of mindless chatter around me...I see this lonesome soul indulging himself in his own mental meanderings as well...a kindred spirit...albeit this senior guy has pen and paper...and I am puttering away on an iPad...I look at him....and we both realize we are both putting form to our thoughts...his wrinkled eyes smile...and he utters the query 'blogging?'.....I just smile...and I ask "journaling?"...time has resulted in the high speed whiz of technology....we see iPods...iPhones...Macs...Blackberries....people say "times have changed"...I say nay to that...nothing has changed...the means may have...but the intent never will...i see the glint in his eyes...seemingly imparting the same thoughts...we both pause and ponder...savoring our thoughts....then we are both interrupted by an announcement over the airport speakers...and the moment is gone....I am back with my fingers pitter-pattering my touch-screen and he is back scribbling with his pen...blogging....journaling...journaling...blogging...typing jumbled lines from my 'jumbled' brain :)

Tis the season....

Piney smells emanating from my living room Christmas tree...jingly carol tunes wafting out of windows everywhere...it is Christmas every way you turn.

Tis the season...yes...but why does this season give my heart a twinge of sadness every year??
Nay i always say...shhhh heart...but twinge it still goes...

I've had decades of Christmases...innocent days of Christmases of my youth....fun-laden Christmases of my child's youth....a blah Christmas my first year in LA....a pain-laden Christmas of pure, torturous grief seeing my dad sick one year...an ecstatic christmas of love another year...

If only I could bring back time....

I should have thanked you way back...Thank you for the 'mention' MLQ111 - JL

http://www.quezon.ph/2008/04/04/on-lozada-the-perils-of-being-a-snitch/

a perfect life?

What pray tell is a "perfect life?" Is it garnering tons of awards for a job well done? Is it winning the lotto and having so much moolah that you can buy anything your heart desires? Is it having the one person you truly love beside you each and every day?.....BUZZ!!!!! The response to that query is that the perfect life is non-existent....It however can be a reality dependent on perception.....

"Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful"
Circumstances in one's life is a constant stream of ebbs and tides....a cacophony of laughter and sobs....a seemingly chaotic order....I know that is such an oxymoron -- chaos? with order? -- but there truly seems to be order in one's chaos if you scrutinize it.

Why am I babbling on about a perfect life?

First, it is because what I've yearned for has become a reality for me. What was in the innermost chambers of my heart for decades has now ensconced itself within the throne of my heart. I am happy it has (unbelievably happy to be more accurate about it!!). My life is wonderful because of this reality -- but it is not perfect. And I know that when the day comes that what I perceive is the action that will make my life perfect transpires, it will still not be perfect, because for that "perfect life" to occur, concessions will need to be done...concessions and decisions...I do not doubt myself that I will not even blink about those concessions....because my heart knows what it wants. Only one soul can decipher all these ramblings...and it is that single soul that matters anyway...

The second reason for my babble is that the cognizance of the parallelism between one's life journey and a nation's journey can help citizens open their eyes and realize that a nation, just like life, can be wonderful without being perfect. It is this endless pursuit of 'perfect' that has toppled nations and harmed legions of men. When Noynoy was running for the top post in our homeland, I was vaccillating between him and Gibo. I'd hear a speech from Gibo one day and tell myself, "He is the guy for the job!" Then I'd read a compendium of Noynoy's thoughts and tell myself "He has the heart for the job, he should win!" Now that it is P-Noy who is in office, let us all be cognizant of the fact that for that "perfect" to occur, concessions have to be made. Cut him some slack....let him do his work....Do not criticize without really fully reviewing how critical 'critical' can be....I believe the Philippines is skimming at the edge of a new dawn...so just let it be....same as life....let it flow....it will be wonderful.......not perfect.......but.....wonderful....

re-awakening

Was i jolted out of my ennui? Was i shaken awake by a clap of thunder?....No....it was a gentle nudge from someone...a soft tugging of my heart....that has made me resurrect this blog from the ashes of oblivion. After over 2 years of silence...I AM BACK....with a sunnier vision of my homeland...and a happier heart :-)

Postings to follow soon....

Philippine Journalism

In my daily perusals of Fiipino newspapers on the net, I read somewhere that since the 1980s, more than 50 journalists have been killed in the Philippines. Yet these deaths have all been hush-hush in the media nor were there criminal cases filed in court for any of these killlings. Why? It seems journalists have been muffled with fear. Reading various papers nowadays is different from reading newspapers when I was in high school in the 70s. Back then, news reports were more daring. Journalists were not cowed to bow before the powers that be. Fast-forward to 2008, no one would dare write about the real story on the various kidnap-for-ransom incidents, no one would dare type one word about the real story behind the festering boil of corruption entrnched in government. Isn't it puzzling that in the 70's the Marcoses were in power but there seemed to be braver journalists? It must be because it was easier to know who to be afraid of then than now. In the 70s there was one over-arching source of greed and corruption. Nowadays, this source of greed and corruption is a Medusa-like entity with inumerable tentacles.

I actually enjoy reading blogs nowadays more than reading the on-line Filipino newspapers because these blog writers provide me with the real picture....unlike the actual newspapers which seem to be "sanitized". There seems to be no such thing as press freedom anymore in the Philippines.

Here in North America, press freedom is alive and well. The problem is, North American journalists tend to be so nit-picky that even issues that to a discerning eye would be a trivial matter is blown-out of proportion and discussed to death. It must be the lack of "real" desperate issues like starvation or poverty that drives these journalists to be shallow.

No contentment for me? Yes, it seems that way....voracious reader that I am, I've been getting picky about what I read lately.

July 1 and June 12

Today is Canada Day. Every 1st of July, Canada celebrates this day which is the anniversary of the formation of the union of a number of provinces here. People enjoy it with so much zest and a feeling of love for the country. Being a Canadian, I join in the festivities together with my kin and kith. However, being a Filipino by birth (and by heart), I can't help but be highly cognizant of how the celebration of June 12, the Philippines' Independence Day has more substance than Canada Day. This is in view of the fact that the June 12 celebration is all about a hard-fought independence earned through blood, sweat and tears. In counterpoint, the July 1 celebration is merely a commemoration of a day when it was declared that this and this and that province is now officially one country. There were no brave "Katipuneros" fighting the Spanish colonizers in the 18th Century, brandishing their swords, shouting their revolutionary cries. There was just a "declaration" by some officials, a stamp and a couple of signatures.

I want to make it clear that it is not my intention to minimize the greatness of this adopted country of mine. I am just being factual. I do recognize though that it seems like Canadians really show such intense love for their country, as opposed to a somewhat ingrained "colonial mentality" in the Philippines. One cannot judge a country by its history, and I for one am one person who definitely cannot lecture about nationalism as I am living overseas. Who am I to judge right?

I'm just typing out my thoughts...sharing it with anyone who has parallel concepts....So there...