Thursday, April 28, 2005

MAROULIS-ian RANTS





wtf... constantine's out! pretty shocking.... i really, really didn't expect it. i just can't fathom how on earth could he be voted off! that freakin' scott savol must have been the one sent home! i was waiting for like three weeks for the people to end his am idol journey... he must have gone home before nadia, anwar, and constantine did! what more, i even lost my bet with my sis. i was pretty much confident that constantine will reach top three.. i was rooting for bo, vonzell, and constantine to be on top. arrgh.. forgive my cheese.. but am idol won't be the same again.. well... for me at least! i won't be looking forward to it like i did before.. haha.. cheesy.. but true!

sana may wild card ulit!

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

TOOTHACHE in SOCIETY





I felt the electricity shoot up from the nerves of my tooth to my brain, a flag of warning that something's wrong with my teeth and gums. For the past few days, I could not think straight, nor could I enjoy my food, nor could I open my mouth to gabble. I just felt the aching pain! My sister even had the audacity to tell me that it would do me good to shut up once in a while! She even said that she could hear and enjoy the good music of silence! duh.





Amidst my pain and bout of self-pity, I remembered that I haven't thought of an article yet to be submitted, well, in the near future. I felt that I literally squeezed my brain only to have something to go on with, but to no avail. I imagined my muse went on strike, holding a banner saying I must leave her alone. I could not think. I only felt the pain.





Since I have already turned my brain inside out, I thought, "Why not make something productive out of the dire situation I am in? Why not compare my aching tooth with the aching society that we have today?" Why not? Hilarious! But at least that's something rather than be stuck with nothing at all.





I heard somewhere that pain is the mouthpiece of God in a deaf world.





Let's get back to the really aching tooth. It's simple. If a tooth really aches, it means something is wrong. One becomes affected and will deviate from the routine he does. He cannot function efficiently. Since he knows that the pain is concentrated on a certain area, his focus will only be on that area. Other areas of his body will be somewhat neglected. Ironically, a tooth, smaller than a fingernail, has the uncanny ability to affect the entire body.





So, in our society, who is the tooth? Who are the tartar, plaque, cavity, and black hole that cause the tooth to ache?





It would be safe to say that the 'tooth' is the public officer who gets elected or appointed into position. Yes, he could be the tooth. One might say that if the aching tooth is the basic unit that comprises the mouth, then, the public officer could also be the basic unit of bureaucratic disintegration. But, I'd like to play the devil's advocate in this matter. If the tooth is the public officer, then, what role does the ordinary people play in this matter? If that 'public officer-tooth' aches and is rendered rotten, then, what role do we play in it? It is easier to put the blame on someone else rather than take part in the process of disintegration or degeneration we are now in. I say that the tooth is the Filipino, may he be a public officer or one of the common folk; may he be rich or poor. We are the teeth. If a public officer is rendered rotten and useless, then, one of us is rendered rotten and useless. A person has the choice if he would be rotten and useless, or healthy and strong.





Now, who are the tartar, plaque, cavity, and black hole? Not who, but what. There are factors, practices, and traditions that contribute to the degeneration of a tooth. These are the simple and innocent-like things that we tend to overlook, simple things we inculcate into our system that turns us into people who justify the wrong in the name of what is right. Cheating is an example of this. Shoot, it is harmless if taken in a small picture. However, if magnified, a person who has 'harmlessly' practiced thsi constantly will eventually 'harmlessly' cheat in bigger things. Ending: bribery, bigamy, polygamy, electioneering, vote buying, and corruption, to name a few.





The gums are the government. It is appointed with the utmost duty to hold the teeth together, to hold the people together. But it could not do this if the individual tooth is set on being rotten and useless. In this sense, the government will be holding a set of disunited teeth. Thus, it cannot perform its task. It could be the people behind the government who are fallible. They have the choice to be affected with the pressures of local and foreign dictates, as well as personal ones. They have critical decisions to make that would affect the entire nation. Excessive dependency and use of mouthwash, dental floss, and whitening gel may harm the gums due to artificial chemicals. Likewise, excessive dependency and patronage of local and foreign dictates may harm the government, to the point of paralyzing the system that it cannot function effectively and efficiently without taking into consideration their dictates. Everything taken in moderation is good. Everything taken in excess is bad and will hurt. The government's decisions and actions must always be for the people and must always benefit the people - the general welfare.





The face is the country, our society, and our nation. If the mouth cannot function efficiently, then, it affects the entire face, the entire country. In the end, the people are the ones who bear the burden. The country will then be thrown into a state of instability. The simple truth is, it is the people who are the country's first and foremost wealth. This is especially true for third world countries like us whose greatest export is human resource.





The body is the world. We have international relations. We could not just feign ignorance that what we do does not affect the entire world. A tooth, smaller than a fingernail, has the uncanny ability to affect the entire body. A person, who cannot even be seen in a map, has the uncanny ability to affect the entire world.





Everything starts from little roles. Every new beginning starts from little changes. Each person has his own role to fulfill. Every person has his duty to work towards a prosperous society. Each person has the duty to make the world, not better, but the best place to live in.





It is the hand that will hold the toothbrush, which is the instrument that will clean the teeth. We, the teeth, still answer to a Higher Being, the Hand, who will cleanse and purify us.





It is true; pain is the mouthpiece of God in a deaf world. We are being cleansed and purified. We are deaf. It is the reason why we ache.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

SUMMER MUSINGS





it has been a week since the start of my summer classes. it's fun naman. tell you what, i finally experienced having an almost-priest-turned-marxist-and-atheist professor. it's not that i was looking forward to having one. i was just curious about how a person like him conducts his classes. haha. he's fun. plus he doesn't believe in grades. cool dba. 'coz i don't too. i mean, grades aren't really supposed to be used in gauging a person's abilities. you have to consider a lot of factors dba. however, there are times na nawiwindang tlga ako sa mga attacks niya against any religion, but mostly he attacks the catholics. i mean, he goes like "f*ck religion, f*ck blah blah..." oh well, it's his choice naman eh. and besides, freedom of expression is not suppressed in our school. pero it's my faith that matters naman dba.i won't let it shatter!




my other prof naman is a well-known activist. o dba, how's that for a summer? nakakawindang. haha. she's nice and fun too but she kinda hates business admin and econ people. oh well, it's not really the people she hates but their views. haha. kawawa naman kami. she's not in favor of globalization kc and she has angst for the people in TNCs and MNCs. but she made us secure naman na she won't be biased in giving us grades. you see, it's just a matter of choice. we are all entitled to have one and we must be able to defend it and accept the consequences it entails. too much for my summer musings. haha.





anyway, i just finished reading a book entitled 'memoirs of a geisha'. it's nice. i got to learn the geisha culture in japan before the 2nd world war. i really like reading fiction novels like this. i mean, the characters are fictional yet the plot and setting are not. it's like hitting two birds with one stone. naaaliw ka na sa kwento, you get to learn different cultures pa dba. yesterday, i bought 'the unbearable lightness of being' by milan kundera. i haven't started it yet but i'm sure i'm gonna love it. when i browsed it kc, i found it somewhat philosophical kaya i think it's interesting. next book i'm gonna buy: 'the god of small things' by arundhati roy and 'one hundred years of solitude' by i-forgot-the-name author. regaluhan nyo ko ng perennial classics na books!! wahaha. i'll really appreciate it talaga! hehe. i don't like reading gushy and mushy books. and the cheesy ones too. haha. no offense meant.





too bad i'm not going to spend my vacation in cebu this summer. but probably i'll be spending my remnants-of-vacation-days in my uncle's place in laguna after my summer classes. one thing's for sure: this summer, i have to AT LEAST watch one movie every week with my friend. it's a good way to release stress and have clean fun. btw, ok ung movie theaters sa gateway! sobra! i thought 'finding neverland' was a good movie. i was kinda disappointed. i found it common tska boring. few parts lang ung maganda. 'sahara' was just okay. tell you what, this week i watched 'top gun' for at least five times! haha. actually, i got to watch it for the first time just last week! beat that! haha. grabe, tom cruise was really hot during his top gun days! that was approximately 20 years ago.

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Virgo







Million stars below

Sewn in a blanket of black foam

The night hums

Significance bestowed

A question.

A smile.

A question.

With her eyes wide open

Wondering what sensation there is

Searching.

Having found.

Searching.

Though eager, she becomes submissive

Though hesitant, she advances in passion

Her dream slowly given meaning

In a darkness so desolate

Blending.

Understanding.

Blending.

With innocence stained

And submissiveness gone

She opens her mouth

And releases ardent kisses

Intensely breathing in

What he mildly breathes out

Senses dulled

Pleasure strongly attained.

That which was hidden,

Surfaced.

That which was repressed,

Revealed.

Pleasure.

Discovered.

Now,

she floats.

Monday, April 04, 2005

after four consecutive semesters of studying in UP, i finally got a grade of.... (drumrolls please) ........ three!! hahaha. btw, the subject is fundamental accounting theory and practice II. it's a dreaded subject by the BA, BAA, and BE people. although it's the least passing grade, i'm so happy pa rin!! sobrang happy. panget nga lng 'cuz panira ng GWA. but still, i still know how to count my blessings. haha. i was expecting to get something lower than three... maybe a removal grade or an eff-ing singko. but yeah, miracles do happen! if there's one thing i continually learn in UP, it would probably be not dropping any subject although your standing already sucks. believe me, i've experienced this for three consecutive semesters. it's better to fight 'til the end y'know... 'cuz if you drop, you're risking the possibility of passing. on the other hand, if you won't drop, you're also risking the possibility of failing. there may be two possible outcomes but the latter means being averse to challenges.. and that's what life is all about.. facing challenges.. a person also needs to experience life's thrills. oh geesh, enough of my thoughts... i'm just so happy that i'm not gonna be carrying my 3-kilo accounting book anymore!!! woohooo...

yeah, after we've found out our accounting grades, zel and i watched ms. congeniality 2 in gateway. we didn't plan it. we were supposed to just eat lunch together but we decided to watch also. i had a good time. it was fun. the movie was as good as the first one. yeah, zel was right. we should do it more often. we need to reward ourselves naman for our academic burdens. hahaha..

some things are just not meant to be...



ciao!