1. I could already speak at age 6 months, walk at 9 months, read at 1 year and 3 months, dance at close to 2 years, and taught myself how to write at 4 years. I got accelerated and was once a Valedictorian. I never had a tutor since Grade 1.
2. Because of the sound of my complete name, I’ve been asked whether I’m a Muslim princess [daughter of a Sultan] for n number of times.
3. I always neatly fold my bills into 4.
4. I hate driving. My Dad had enrolled me at 2 different driving schools but I still don’t drive a car. I’d rather drive a big bike but my parents won’t allow me. My Dad used to race and lets me ride behind him once in awhile.
5. I’ve never lost in a debate. But, I bet, I’m rusty now. I can’t even remember the rules anymore.
6. I’m so bad at recalling names that there were times when I would greet innocently but loudly a professor in class with the wrong surname.
7. The correct pronunciation of my last name is Almora-Ji despite the -Die. The Catholic school I went to in grade school refused to enrol me unless my Mom consented to changing it into -Di because -Ji sounded Muslim. But I’ve always been a Catholic.
8. My latest collections are jewelries and E-books.
9. I can only play the Mario Land, Battle City, and Tetris. I’ve been playing them since Grade 1, and can only play them using Nintendo and Gameboy. Pacman still gets me really nervous!
10. I’m still a virgin.
11. I hate wearing watches.
12. I always order Kare-Kare when I’m in a Pinoy restaurant. I rarely eat pork (got that from my Muslim friends). And I don’t eat paksiw.
13. I used to be in a Volleyball Varsity Team, and in other competitive games, was a Captain Ball, got an MVP, and Championships. But after dislocating my joints, I got so traumatized that I haven’t played it since. I also can’t remember its rules anymore.
14. I almost got kidnapped in Divisoria.
15. I can’t swim and I’m so bad at it that, during P.E. in high school, I dove in the left but ended up in the right side of the pool, bumping the other swimmers in the process.
16. In Grade 1, my classmate gave me an engagement ring (gold with 3 diamonds) in view of everyone in class and told me that he’ll marry me someday.
17. I’m necrophobic. I quit AB Psychology-BS Accountancy because I found out that there’s a subject that we’re supposed to dissect a human brain (in my AB). I almost quit law school because of Legal Medicine last 1st Semester (SY 2008-2009).
18. I have birthmarks: a small one on my right cheek, a big dark one under my right armpit, and sprinkles of dark islets on the right side of my back. I also have huge ones at the back of my calves but, thru the years, they’re now unnoticeable.
19. I’m highly paranormal. I can be your lucky charm if you’re genuinely nice. I make sure to silently wish well those who are genuinely good-hearted, so that they can continue on helping others. I also just found out that I can heal, without even touching the sick. Long story. I’m also gifted with precognition. I can see, hear and feel ghosts/spirits. Etcetera.
20. I still put my brother, who’s already 14 years old and almost 6″ tall, to sleep.
21. I had my first boyfriend at 13 but broke up with him after only 2 days because he asked me to kiss him. I thought mere kissing, then, can already impregnate just like in the movies. He’s now a celebrity.
22. I always have a hard time eating breakfast.
23. The first time I smoked a cigarette was at age 8, by picking up a used stick, re-lighted it with posporo, and then imitated the chain smoker-owner and those from TV soaps. Mind you, I didn’t even cough! I don’t smoke but I still know how.
24. I donate almost everyday.
25. The first time I got drunk at 17, in a bar, I got so pissed off over a man who kept on flirting with me, I shoved him and shouted: “Ano ba gusto mo ha?! Suntukan na lang tayo?!” I was wearing a dress with killer heels then. I never got drunk since.
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Lawyers should never ask a witness a question if they aren’t prepared for the answer:
In a trial, a Southern small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand. A grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?”
She responded, “Why, yes I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”
The Lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones. Do you know the defense attorney?”
She again replied, “Why yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women, one of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.”
The defense attorney almost died.
The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench, and in a very quiet voice, said, “If either of you bastards asks her if she knows me, I’ll throw your sorry asses in jail for contempt.”
* FROM: Dr. Jose “Pepe” V. Abueva
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If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright - 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.
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrXkBuWNx88 (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02BV5Zah1Tw&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_442685 (Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69JeattgAqI (Part 3)
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I’m about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.
We just made history.
And I don’t want you to forget how we did it.
You made history every single day during this campaign — every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it’s time for change.
I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign. We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I’ll be in touch soon about what comes next.
But I want to be very clear about one thing…
All of this happened because of you.
Thank you,
Barack
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I just got home from my last final exam for this Sem, which I got exempted pala from taking. Anyway, we’re more or less 10 uber lucky students who were kinda shocked at first that our Prof asked us pa if why we’re still in the room. I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s the first time I felt smart in law school!
So, I texted my driver na not to fetch me in school kasi I was sooo dizzy na from studying, kasi we didn’t get informed in advance about the exemption para siguro we’d still study, that I hurriedly boarded a bus. Then, when I got off at our labasan, I ordered 2 eggs of balot as my simple celebration.
So, since it’s officially my sembreak na, what am I gonna do na for the rest of my vacation? Well, of course, I’m gonna busy myself with plans that have been running in my mind for months na. Definitely, I had to cancel my business classes to give way to some other school stuff.
My final exams got extended so I couldn’t attend those that fell during an exam day. Then, even if my exams just ended, I couldn’t enrol pa rin kasi late nako sa registration. So, I’ll enrol na lang in other semi-business related classes, like in Money Management and Stocks Trading.
Other then acquiring non-conventional stock knowledge, here is my must list which will commence tommorow:
(1) Cleaning and re-designing ng room ko;
(2) Trashing out of Mr. Ideal Guy (the one who wrote about his ideal girl, who turned out to be me) and My General, from my romantic life, but retain them as friends;
(3) Have my silver Parker pen fixed;
(4) NYPAA matters (website, GA, partnerships, and the 7th NYP - in that order);
(5) Attend political fora like on Federalism and the Muslim-Christian advocacy ek ek;
(6) Enrol in the mentioned semi-business classes;
(7) Enrol again for the photography classes;
(8) Enrol na for the ballroom dancing class with Mom;
(9) Enrol at a target shooting class;
(10) Finish reading the non-law books that have been left un-read for months already;
(11) Watch theater performances, which I had to postpone way back due to my exams;
(12) Catch up with friends; and,
(13) Date, date, date, ’til I fall in love again!
Lastly, I’d like to share the draft speech I had last October 19 at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa (PLMun). Draft? Looong story. Rey Samson, our NYPAA Treasurer, texted me a few days before the simple event that I gotta speak in front of his students.
I thought it was a mere 20-minute talk kaya the outline was just in my mind until he told me Friday before the event that it’s 1-HOUR long pala. I was like, uh, GMA’s SONA was about 5-8 pages ‘ata and it was for 1 hour and 28 minutes with a lot of ek ek pa ’yun. Mine turned out to be 10 pages long.
The malas thing was when I was already holding the sides of that long wooden slanted desk called lectern. While I was doing my intro, I could just feel how bored the kids were from the previous speakers, who were oldies and very formal at talking.
I ended up translating everthing to Tagalog on the spot, spoke the kikay way, joked, and sprinkled some showbiz chismis. Thank God, I wore the same kind of outfit that the ladies had! Ayun, they had fun naman and, judging from their lively participation pa lang, I know they learned a lot.
So, instead of copying and pasting the 10-paged original speech, here’s the outline na lang:
“SURVIVING VOLUNTEERISM”
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Greetings
B. The Republic Act No. 8044 or The Youth In Nation Building Act
- The National Youth Commission (NYC)
- The Youth Parliament
- The National Youth Parliament ALUMNI Association, Inc. (NYPAA)
II. BODY
A. What
- What is VOLUNTEERISM? [Audience]
- VOLUNTEERISM according to Wikipedia.
- VOLUNTEERISM for me.
- Difference between VOLUNTEERISM and CHARITY = POLITICS.
- And the POLITICS in VOLUNTEERISM is what I wanna prepare you for.
B. Why
- Why VOLUNTEER? [Audience]
- Orientation day in San Beda Law, my orientor asked: Why do you wanna be a lawyer?
- My answer: To help those in need.
- The answer of those who passed the BAR: Because I WANT TO be a lawyer. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Same goes in VOLUNTEERISM and in the other aspects of our lives.
- Example: You’re courting someone or being courted by one and everyone is against the union. They ask, what’s with her/him eh she/he’s fat and ugly?
- Answer: Because I like her/him. Period.
- Taking a leave from serving in the NYPAA made me realize that VOLUNTEERISM is my calling.
- Example: The saying that you’ll only realize how much you love someone is when you’ve lost him/her.
- Hence, the answer to why I volunteer is: Because I can’t live without it.
- So, why do you (wanna) volunteer? [Audience]
- LESSON: Know WHY’s of your choices and be firm about it. You’ll survive all the storms of your choices if your heart knows the WHY.
C. Who and When
- JOSE RIZAL: The YOUTH is the hope of the nation. [Audience]
- Who is a YOUTH? According to RA 8044, YOUTH is 15-30 years old.
- Why the YOUTH? Why the best time to volunteer?
- Still young; hence, less responsibilities (paying the bills, taking care of the household, etc.).
- Less reponsibilities, more time for volunteerism.
- Less responsibilities = less eye-opening experiences = idealism.
D. Where and How
- Where do you learn VOLUNTEERISM?
- VOLUNTEERISM starts at home.
- FOR BEGINNERS: Joining organizations that fit your personality and interest/s. Examples: Habitat for Humanity or Gawad Kalinga, Red Cross, Hands-On Manila, or Student Council.
- I have NYPAA and the Opposition that provide my need for advocacy and politics.
- FOR ADVANCED: Fight for unpopular causes. In my case, I believe in Muslim’s right to self-determination thru Peace Advocacy even if I’m a Catholic and haven’t gone to any part of Mindanao; I believe in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual (LGBT) Rights even though I’m straight; I participated in the crafting of the Reproductive Health Rights bill despite being a virgin; I fight for Women’s Rights even though I’m single and still young; and, the latest one is on Good Governance even if I’m not a career politician… yet.
- OBJECTIVE: To serve as a BRIDGE for the outsiders who are also either a Catholic, straight, virgin, not yet married, and thinking of running for office someday.
- Why BRIDGE: Because they would believe me more if I’m more like them. You talk monkey to a monkey.
- HOW TO SURVIVE THE POLITICS IN VOLUNTEERISM: Protect your idealism.
- If you keep on eating junk foods, lots of pork, foods with preservatives, you get cancer. Children who watch a lot of TV showing violence become violent. If you wanna lose pounds, you watch FTV. Same goes with IDEALISM, surround yourselves with IDEALISM.
- You should read, watch, talk, and hear IDEALISM.
- TALK and HEAR: Choose whom you talk with and hear from. Choose your friends well. Choosing is like fashion, it’s all about self-expression. What you choose is who you are. Whatever kind your organization that you join in, is who you are or who you will be. My technique in choosing the right organization for me is, I randomly pick a member and I ask myself, “Is this who I wanna be?” A lot of our NYPAA members are graduates of Oxford and other international universities.
- READ: Books on leadership and inspiring books authored by inspiring people, such as Oprah Winfrey.
- WATCH: After reading them, you apply what you’ve read by watching or observing politicians on TV or in the newspapers. In my case, I learn a lot from politicians both in the USA and in the Philippines.
- In the US of A: Clinton vs. Obama, and Obama vs. McCain.
- Clinton vs. Obama: Clinton started with her attacks (e.g. the cult issue against Oprah in Youtube) against Obama early in the race for the nomination. Obama counterattacked but boo-ed after by the press for being ungentlemanly. So, he stopped and kept his mouth shut. He won the nomination.
- Obama vs. McCain: See or read on their presidential debate. Be as cool as Obama when confronted by conflict. That’s also applicable in your daily lives.
- In the PHILIPPINES: Villar, Lacson, Gordon, Roxas, and Escudero, (National), Pacquiao vs. Custodio, and Valera (Local).
- VILLAR: Don’t be pikon. His projects, though, should be replicated.
- LACSON: Always believe, talk, and act with conviction. Just say it, honestly; but, don’t do expose’s all the time, unless you’re prepared for the consequences.
- GORDON: Salute his Red Cross project. Be as ethical as he is.
- ROXAS: Be cool. Relax. Be respectful even to your enemies. Just shut up and let your enemies self-destruct. While they’re busy self-destructing, be busy with TV appearances on MORE important issues. By that time, all eyes are on you. That’s free advertisement!
- ESCUDERO: Chill! You’ll meet difficult people until you grow old so don’t get a heart attack yet. They’re not worth it.
- CUSTODIO: As for the ladies, always be charming and decent. Don’t be bungangera. Your projects will speak for you. Only speak about what really matters and speak about them with conviction, just like how you see her in the plenary - a fighter.
- PACQUIAO: Be wary of people who keep on whispering in your ears how great you are; and, that because you’re that “good”, you must run for office or whatever they want you to do. All these people want from you is your campaign money or they only want you to fight against their enemy. Be honest to yourself about your caliber even if it hurts. Say NO to sitting in any position based on popularity, money, seniority, or anything that’s not based on hard work. Always EARN your privileges. Lastly, don’t run against an incumbent whose projects speak for herself. If you must run, be respectful to a lady opponent. Ungentlemanliness has been frowned upon since time immemorial.
- VALERA: Violence never won. Even if there’s a presumption of innocence, the fact remains that no sane person can hire another to assassinate himself (the former). Who else would kill him? Only an opponent. So, if you have an enemy, be sure to let other people know who he/she is. The more public, the better. Just in case.
- Learn from GRETCHEN BARRETO: Whatever chismosas hate about you is probably what they want for themselves. Plus, tabloid writers don’t get remembered, she does. The more you get attacked, the more you become a legend. So, just relax and stay gorgeous.
III. CONCLUSION
Pinoy youth version of Franklin Roosevelt’s famous quote:
“Of the Filipino YOUTH,
By the Filipino YOUTH, and
For the Filipino YOUTH.”
Thank you.
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Beyonce: The heart is stronger than you think,
It’s like it can go through anything,
And even when you think it can’t, it finds a way to still push on, though.
Carrie Underwood: Sometimes you wanna run away,
Ain’t got the patience for the pain,
And if you don’t believe it look into your heart, the beat goes on.
Rihanna: I’m tellin’ you that,
Rihanna/Miley Cyrus: Things get better,
Through whatever.
Rihanna: If you fall, dust it off, don’t let up.
Sheryl Crow: Don’t you know you can go be your own miracle?
Beyonce: You need to know.
CHORUS
Melissa Etheridge: If the mind keeps thinking you’ve had enough,
But the heart keeps tellin’ you don’t give up.
Sheryl Crow/Beyonce: Who are we to be questioning,
And wondering what is what?
Don’t give up…
Everyone:
THROUGH IT ALL, JUST STAND UP!
Fergie: It’s like we all have better days,
Problems getting all up in your face.
Leona Lewis: Just because you go through it,
Fergie: Don’t mean it got to take control, no.
Leona Lewis: You ain’t gotta find no hiding place,
Keyshia Cole: Because the heart can beat the hate.
Leona Lewis: Don’t wanna let your mind keep playin’ you,
Keyshia Cole: And sayin’ you can’t go on.
Rihanna: I’m tellin’ you that,
Miley Cyrus: Things get better,
Through whatever.
Rihanna: If you fall,
Miley Cyrus: Dust if off, don’t let up.
LeAnn Rimes: Don’t you know you,
Natasha Bedingfield: You can go,
LeAnn Rimes: Be your own,
Natasha Bedingfield: Miracle!
Carrie Underwood: You need to know.
Ensemble.
CHORUS.
Mary J. Blige: You don’t gotta be a prisoner in your mind.
Ciara: If you fall, dust it off,
Mary J. Blige: You can live your life.
Rihanna/Carrie Underwood: Yeah!
Mary J. Blige: Let your heart be your guide.
Rihanna/Carrie Underwood: Yeah yeah yeah…
Mariah Carey: And you will know that you’re good if you trust in the good.
Ashanti: Everything will be alright, yeah.
Light up the dark,
If you follow your heart.
Mary J. Blige: And it will get better,
Mariah Carey: Through whatever.
CHORUS.
Fergie: You got it in you, find it within.
You got it in now, find it within now.
You got it in you, find it within.
You got it in now, find it within now.
You got it in you, find it within.
You got it in now, find it within now.
Find it within you, find it within.
Everyone:
THROUGH IT ALL, JUST STAND UP!
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Last month, I watched the premier of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants II.
I had always thought that it’s just all about the pair of pants so checking out its first movie was out of the question. My mind was still set at its impression until my friend texted me if I wanted to watch the second part with him. Who would resist a free movie pass?
Of course, I wouldn’t write about the girly girly pillow throwing discussion about their friendship called The Sisterhood. Instead, I’m gonna entice you a bit with the yummy men featured therein. My favorites are Leo (Jesse Williams in real life) and Ian (Tom Wisdom).
Then, let me also introduce their on-screen partners.
  My favorite Lena is the color artist in their group. It’s in her nude (a big emphasis on this word) painting class where she meets Leo. His pick up line?
“You must be a virgin.”
Then, he undressed; and, she just stared and didn’t know which pencils to use. Having the same chromosome, us girls also drooled. Plus the ohs, the ahs, and the giggles, were what could only reverberate in the theater.
What’s more captivating, though, are his eyes and smile. Lastly, it’s a must to check out the sexy chef and the romantic (and honest) date in him. The sexiest about him was not his well-sculptured body but his confidence. I also like the way he pasimple asked for a dinner.
  Then, there’s Carmen, who’s an accidental drama queen. Her drama king’s name? Ian. Take note of that scene when they’re lying on the grass while rehearsing their lines. It was really a kilig moment as evidenced by, again, the giggles of us movie watchers.
It’s sad but you won’t see his abs. If you fell in love with his mid-length wavy locks, and you badly wanna see him almost naked, buy a copy of the movie he previously starred in - 300. This is our own concept of heaven crowded by hooot and brave species as opposed to men’s bea(t)ch flicks.
What I like most is his Shakesperean bolero character.
Because of his character, I remembered tuloy an overseas call from a close friend last month. Without the usual preliminaries, he went straight to his question: “Hoooy! May boyfriend ka na?!” To which I answered in the same manner: “Wala pa. Bakeeet?”
“Pare, magpauto ka naman kasiii!!!” His character made me realize why no ordinary bolero has chipped away my self-imposed walls.
I need a poetic heart.
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An incredible love story has come out of China recently and managed to touch the world. It is a story of a man and an older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace for over half a century.
The 70-year-old Chinese man who hand-carved over 6,000 stairs up a mountain for his 80-year-old wife has passed away in the cave which has been the couple’s home for the last 50 years. Over 50 years ago, Liu Guojiang a 19 year-old boy, fell in love with a 29 year-old widowed mother named Xu Chaoqin.
In a twist worthy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, friends and relatives criticized the relationship because of the age difference and the fact that Xu already had children.
At that time, it was unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older woman. To avoid the market gossip and the scorn of their communities, the couple decided to elope and lived in a cave in Jiangjin County in Southern ChongQing Municipality.
In the beginning, life was harsh as hey had nothing, no electricity or even food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used to light up their lives.
Xu felt that she had tied Liu down and repeatedly asked him, ‘Are you regretful? Liu always replied, ‘As long as we are industrious, life will improve.’
In the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began and continued for over 50 years, to hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily.
Half a century later in 2001, a group of adventurers were exploring the forest and were surprised to find the elderly couple and the over 6,000 hand-carved steps. Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, ‘My parents loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over 50 years and never been apart a single day. He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother’s convenience, although she doesn’t go down the mountain that much.’
Xu & Liu
The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week. Liu, now 72 years, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her arms. So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife’s hand even after he had passed away.
‘You promised me you’ll take care of me, you’ll always be with me until the day I die, now you left before me, how am I going to live without you?’
The LOVE Ladder
Xu spent days softly repeating this sentence and touching her husband’s black coffin with tears rolling down her cheeks.
In 2006, their story became one of the top 10 love stories from China , collected by the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government has decided to preserve the love ladder and the place they lived as a museum, so this love story can live forever.
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I still am not feeling well because my muscles have been aching since I woke up after the last Bar Sunday of 2008. However, I won’t detail everything that happened during that last Bar Sunday. It’s just too beautiful to be confined by mere words.
www.mocha.com.ph
Instead, let me just enumerate the thoughts that have been reverberating in my mind since that blast-ful day.
On Love
(1) Letting go of the person you have fallen in love with, so that he can soar, is one of those most painful things that we all undergo. However, when you see his face light up for a job well-done, you can’t help but smile and thank God, not only because his success is yours as well but also because you did the right thing.
(2) Letting go must always be coupled with prayers. Offer all the bitterness. Then, thank Him for listening to your prayers after being a witness to his success.
(3) Crossing paths with former objects of infatuation is a blessing in disguise because you’ll realize whether you have good taste in men or not. Sometimes, you tell yourself: “Yuck, what did I see in him?!” Sometimes, you proudly announce to anyone within hearing distance: “HE IS MY EX.”; ”I DATED HIM.”; or, “HE COURTED ME.”
Expect the ladies to hate you. Just smile whenever you pass by them while giving you the dagger look.
(4) So, on the reverse and as a former flame, you gotta be successful and better looking (don’t worry about the fats) than the last time they dated you.
(5) Forgive but never forget them. You might run into a similar specie. Be careful the next time around.
(6) Ditch the workaholics because they’re candidates for psychological incapacity and irresponsible parenthood.
(7) Beware of the emotionally unavailable older men who are famous for promiscuity and womanizing. They might be gays. If they’re not gays, but they still play around, let them be. Men like them still marry women who are chaste. So, don’t do it yet.
(8) The Romeo and Juliet love story is still prevalent albeit in a modern setting as evidenced in any of the following:
- Their respective families may either be from the administration or from the opposition; and their parents are the staunch supporters of the clashing factions of either party.
- The lovers’ ideological perspectives may ideally be compatible but he works for the administration and she for the opposition.
- They could have gotten married but the man is a Muslim and the woman is a Catholic; and, their elders will disown them if a union is celebrated.
(9) Ideals do exist; but, unless you’ve built the bridge, don’t settle for this cliche excuse: ”If we’re meant to be, then we’re meant to be.” Give it a try first. Get hurt.
(10) In psychology, if a person writes about the qualities of his/her ideal, it means he/she is actually describing himself/herself. It’s because we are all narcissistic. That’s why we can only love truly if our partner is like us.
So, when they finally meet, they would call themselves “soulmates.”
(11) If you think he deserves a chance, give him the benefit of the doubt 5x maximum. Otherwise, it’s only once to 3x. Then, you move on and don’t look back. Exception to the exception is when you still feel something for him.
On Politics
(1) On Sen. Villar: Dude, wrong move!
(2) On Sen. Villar as against Korina Sanchez: That is sooo gay.
(3) On Sen. Villar and Sen. Lacson: Imagine, Sen. Lacson made a wrong reading that’s why he asked. Sen. Villar could have saved his presidential aspiration if he asked first. See?
So, always, always, check your facts.
(4) Lessons:
- Principle of John Does: Don’t surrender yourself voluntarily unless you’re named.
- Learn from Sen. Roxas: Let your enemies self-destruct.
- Learn from Sen. Villar: Ang pikon laging talo!
- Learn from Korina Sanchez: The best enemy is someone who self-destructs.
(5) And the worst enemy is yourself.
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Dear All,
We don’t have money to further enrich the national dailies with a whole page AD. So I do have to settle for alternative media prints “a la pobre”. But it has the benefit of global interconnectedness. Here’s my initial salvo to Frank’s ADS on MOA-AD. I will elaborate my commentary much later. For the sake of a broader debate, please help circulate this Open Letter on the MOA-AD.
Yours truly,
Datu Michael O. Mastura
-=-
An Open Letter
24 August 2008
My reply email was interrupted by a brownout amidst my composing thoughts I wanted to convey to our readers at the Mindanews website besides Luwaran website. Hopefully someone from the editorial box of the national dailies (in particular PDI) will pick as news items warranting some space the legal views of lawyers (like me) who represent MILF as the real Party in interest across the GRP-MILF negotiating table.
The series of full page ADS in PDI 08/22/08 and PD 08/23/08 of former senate president Frank M. Drilon simplify and focus on perceived infringements to the 1987 Constitution. Those two Q & A pages make up powerful arguments for the continuing extension of what I call the “colonisibility status” of the Bangsamoro people, posing the matter of immediate infringement as a danger.
If we think rationally out of the maddening reactive anti-Moro sentiments generated by opinion-editorials and hardly balanced media coverage of the Government-MILF peace process, it makes me reflect the ‘triumph of diplomacy’ in our era of postmodern states. [N. B. this phrase is taken from the title of a book on how the Moro rulers of the Magindanaw sultanate and the Sulu sultanate had survived the era of treaty-making with Spain, an imperial power, and Holland, a commercial power, of the time and the United States up to 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson enunciated seminal ideas of the right to self determination. ] Thus, there is no occasion to speak of Balkanization of this ungovernable part of the region.
Now the Country (el Pais)—Las Islas Filipinas—has just awakened to the depth of the Bangsamoro legitimate GRIEVANCES. Instead of killing the ideas—the CAUSE (or SABAB)—embodied in the MOA-AD, the representatives of Government must face up to the Agreed Text as STATECRAFT. It vindicates the JUSTNESS of the ORIGINAL POSITIONS to fix in constitutional construct. Traditional Moro negri (statehood) ‘earned sovereignty’ is encapsulated by the Republic in its present form and structure as an autonomous entity presently in existence before the family of nations since 1946.
Spokespersons for that Sovereign state called the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) configure their constituencies into a political community. Such an assumption neglects a number of contested constitutional issues before the negotiating table.
What is the “territorial integrity” of the Philippines? When reduced to geographic maps with proper technical coordinates, the fundamental question we formally raised at the GRP-MILF Talks are as follows:
1. Is the present national territorial delimitation based on the Treaty of Paris of 10 December 1898 as corrected by the Treaty of Washington of 7 November 1900 and the treaty between the United States and England on 2 January 1930? Or, 2. Is it the current technical description of the archipelagic doctrine based on R.A. 3046 of 1961, as amended by R.A 5446 of 1968 as a system of straight baselines, its negotiating position on boundary delimitations under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention?
An act of statesmanship is to ‘write sovereignty’ in terms of the ‘associative ties’ envisaged in the MOA-AD. We cannot proceed with a serious debate as if the meaning of sovereignty were stable; for, in reality, not one but various forms of sovereign statehood exist. There’s no confusing justice with legitimacy for workable arrangements here. However, there’s a truncated understanding of sovereignty when 12 June 1898 was fixed by law as an episodic event, following the inauguration of Philippine independence on 4 July 1946. Article 1 of Title I of the Malolos Constitution succinctly reads: “The political association of all the Filipinos constitutes a nation, whose state is called the Philippine Republic”. At that point in time, the Bangsamoro homeland was not a part of the whole Country, for as a matter of historical narrative that Republic invited the Sultan of Sulu and the Sultan of Magindanaw to federate with it.
What matters for us present generation of patriots is that Driion’s half-a-million- worth of PDI ADS highlights the absolute necessity for a change in the first principles of the unitary system. How do we, then, fit inter-subjective understandings of ‘statehood’? Former senate president Drilon, at least, seriously confronts the arenas of debate over the MOA-AD, but why does he not concede to explore the course of constitutionalism beyond the status quo of the existing constitutional order? That is unfortunate, because, what is placed before the Supreme Court is a new “elegant formula” of negotiability to balance between state sovereign authority and the right to self determination.
We need to examine the MOA-AD on the foundation of the formal division of sovereignty that favors “state rights” that have inhered in the Bangsamoro people, whose ancestral homeland was “illegally and immorally annexed” to the Republic without their plebiscitary consent. Peace negotiations are said to be “the war after the war”. Here, too, there is a subtle but in-depth way of looking at what amount of central authority in point of fact is compatible with “what is worth dying for” in the eyes of the majority of Bangsamoros in the contemporary politics of identity.
This is what the MILF-GRP negotiation process is all about: to determine the extent and limits of each side’s commitments. Clearly the premise of peace with your Muslim brothers under the MOA-AD precisely does not endanger but entrench the Country’s sovereignty. The MOA-AD achieves, rather than contemplates the use of naked coercive force, the desirable levers of division, allocation and distribution of powers; in other words, shared and residuary authorities for the Bangsamoro people and the rest of the Filipino people. All I can advance for now as an explanatory note is that the “general welfare clause” of the Philippine Constitution matching the principle of maslaha wal mursalah in Islamic constitutionalism is a catch all framework to accommodate “a medley of associative ties and tiers”.
I will elaborate on these points in a separate commentary on specific provisions of the MOA on AD. If only a healthy environment for serious debate is not drowned out by the intrusion of the mass media into the negotiating process that now encourage the politics of fear at the Metro Manila capital while excessive use of force are applied to villages in Mindanao, we can peaceably settle the conflict in Mindanao.
All the best,
Datu Michael O. Mastura
http://blog.wyzemoro.com/
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