A very popular showbiz talkshow host, who made headlines last year with her supposedly intentions of running for public office, said [to that effect] that there is nothing wrong with showbiz personalities and non-political celebrities running for public office, especially if they have the sincerest intention to serve the people.

Well, nobody can really question one’s sincerity because it is very subjective.  Everybody has a different perception of what sincerity is.  However, if sincerity would be the only criterion to gauge whether a person is qualified to perform a specific job or not, then the un-employment rate in the Philippines would be much much lower than 11%. 

Why do you think employers put so much effort in enumerating the qualifications that they need from a prospective employer?  It’s because they believe that it takes a very specific person to perform any job.  The profile of a prospective employee should fit the requirements of a job opening.  This profile is, more often than not, a combination of (ranked according to level of importance) technical skills, soft skills, personality, and sometimes even personal preferences.  The best candidate is almost always the one who has all, if not almost all, the enumerated qualification criteria.

It is therefore very frustrating to know that in the constitution, the only qualifications for a prospective candidate for an elective position are nationality, residence and age, which practically lowers the standards in filing for candidacy for a government elective position.  The constitution should be amended to include minimum skills requirements for each of the elective government position.  At least that would ensure the voting public that they have a choice, and good ones at that.

A very good explanation was made by Sen. Santiago in this website.

   http://liberalsociety.wordpress.com/2007/02/05/take-courses-in-lawmaking/

Unfortunately for us, though, even the "legitimate" statesmen are being lured into the bright lights of showbiz.  Although ideally media popularity should not translate into votes, most of the candidates, are now believing otherwise.  Slowly, the "legitimate" statesmen are mutating into a new specie of showbiz personalities.  I hope this transformation can still be stopped and reversed.  Otherwise, the Philippine Politics will be doomed by the time our children gets their right to suffrage. 

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape but
A woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything but
A woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.

 
A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her but
A woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future but
A woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes can also be God’s blessings and capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks sure footedly but
A woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face but
A woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey but
A woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

Note:  I took the liberty of adapting poem from my friend’s bulletin because of the gracefully strong message it is trying to convey.  My apologies to Rocel, though, if I reformatted it a bit, but other than that, nothing was changed.

Translated, it means the cockroach dance (i think).  Anyways, the FX I was riding this morning was tuned in to that radio station, which you "don’t need to memorize" and the 2 DJs were talking about cockroaches and how "yuckie" they are.  I can’t help but remember my "La Cucaracha" incident in the elevator in ABS-CBN compound last year. 

I was alone in the elevator going down after dropped off my daughter to her theater workshop when I noticed a cockroach about a foot away from my foot.  Not wanting to have anything to do with it, it having anything to do with me, I slowly stepped away from that seemingly sleeping cockroach.  Well apparently, it was not sleeping because it moved closer to me the moment I moved, so my instinct was, of course, to again stepped away.  I guess it liked having me around and wanted to get jiggy with me or something because everytime i stepped away it keeps moving closer.  We’re in the elevator so there isn’t really much room to move so I ended up literally running in circles trying to get away from the cockroach as it keeps on moving towards me (good thing it did not fly towards me or else I would have screamed my head off).  When the elevator opened up, I was laughing so hard because I can picture how silly I looked like running around inside the elevator.  Good thing there was only one person around to see me, but it was Pinky Marquez, my daughter’s workshop instructor, so I kinda want to leave at once and hide myself when I pick up my daughter lest she would think that my daughter’s mother is insane.

Chapter 1:  Julie’s Letter

Dear Ate Charo,

This story is about an unfinished chapter in my life that, up until now, still has no ending story. The angst of that “what if” question still haunts me and I never realized how much it has affected my life until a friend of mine unconsciously re-opened that chapter. I don’t know if this letter will give it an ending but just writing this gave me a certain sense of relief, although not enough to give a feeling of comfort and contentment.

Chapter 2:  The Surprise Meeting

“Maribel, Annette, and I were having coffee in a popular coffee shop while waiting for Annette’s friend, whom she was supposed to meet around 9PM. While chatting and browsing some pictures that Annette brought, I saw my college friend, who I have never seen for quite a long time, walking towards our table. Apparently, the person we were waiting for was her, Roxie. Just a few minutes of surprised and excited discussion about this fine co-incidence, and next thing we knew, Roxie was reminiscing my past ‘love life’.

Chapter 3:  Remembering Elmer

“Elmer and I became friends when we were in our 3^rd year in college. I really don’t know how it happened, but from being plain classmates we suddenly found ourselves spending time with each other even if there is no more school work to talk about. We talk about each other’s personal life so candidly that before long, we knew each other like we have been friends for life. We were so close that I even became friends with his brother and was spending a lot of time at their house even if we do not have ‘overnight sessions’. We were so close that everybody around us, our classmates, instructors, even our parents and close relatives, think that we were romantically involved with each other already. But between us, we know that we were just friends, close friends, and nothing more. However, with everything that has happened between us, I just can’t help thinking about the probability that there might be more to us than just friends. I’m a very loving (thoughtful and caring according to Elmer) person and loving him isn’t really hard considering where we are already.

Chapter 4:  The Signs

“I kept dismissing the thought that he might take a different look at our relationship, but there are a lot of signs that my girl friends see, which I never really thought of at first, but gave me ideas when presented to me in a ‘malicious’ way.

1. He spends more time with me than with his ‘barkada’

2. We talk about very personal things about each other

3. He confided to me that our relationship is ‘deeper’ compared to his relationship with his girlfriend (yes he had a girlfriend but it was a long distance relationship) and that our time together was more substantial compared to theirs

4. He was willing to stick it out with me despite the irritating jokes made by our classmates regarding our relationship

“Even our common friends, Roxie and Jun, kept telling me that there must be something more between us but neither Elmer nor I were brave enough to open up that issue to each other.

Chapter 5:  Letters and Jun

“When we graduated, Elmer immediately went to US to live with his parents, and at long last be with his girlfriend who left for the US a few months after she became his girlfriend  We kept in touch through letters twice a month at the very least. Those letters kept him happy and sane despite his monotonous quiet unemployed life which almost drove him crazy. Later on, he got busy with some extra curricular activities, but the letters kept coming. I was already working then and me and Jun are officemates. I showed him Elmer’s letters and he was quick to note some lines which he believes are signs that Elmer is trying to fish for info regarding my feelings about him. The following letters showed more signs, as seen by Jun, that slowly, I started to think that maybe he really was trying to push our friendship to a deeper form of relationship especially after Elmer said that he had already broken up with his girlfriend..

“I don’t know if Jun was just envious of how cheesy were getting to be, but he suddenly courted me. For a long time, I was convinced that Jun has a different sexual preference – let’s be blunt about it – he’s gay. But when he told me that he loved me, I believed him. Maybe I missed Elmer so much that I became so vulnerable to his words. Maybe I trusted him so much because he is my friend and would never joke about something so serious especially at that time when I am so confused. I accepted him.

“I wrote to Elmer about it. I forced myself to ask him about where our relationship is going because I want to give Jun and myself a chance. He politely told me that ours is a special relationship that will remain as that and nothing more. Only 2 more letters came after that. Until now, we have not communicated. Well, we (my husband (not Jun) and I) did visit him when he went home a few years after. We were very civil with each other, but other than that, no more communications. He does not even answer my emails.

Chapter 6:  My Bad

“My relationship with Jun did not last long (Ha-ha-ha… What can you expect?). Obviously it was a mistake for me to believe that he was not what I thought he was. Up to now I still can’t get over the fact that I trusted him. Up to now I still can’t get over the fact that Jun knowingly used me in my most vulnerable state just to prove something to the people around him.

“I don’t know if it would have been the same if I did not tell Elmer about Jun and me when I asked him about our relationship. But the more I thought about his past letters and that one where he said that we’re just friends, the more I thought that he just told that for the sake of his friendship with Jun. Would he have said the same thing if I did not tell him about Jun and me? I guess I will never know.

“It’s my fault. Maybe Elmer was really trying to drive our relationship to a higher level. I got impatient. (Well, what can you expect from somebody who never had a boyfriend before the age of 22?) I took matters in my own hand, instead of just going with the flow. Or maybe he just miss our happy days together? I really don’t know.

Chapter 7:  What If?

“After 13 years, that question, buried deeply under happy memoirs of my married life, suddenly re-surfaced. I guess, what Elmer and I had was so special that it can never be drowned by 11 happy years of married life. Although now, I consider it only a hypothetical question, sometimes it still makes me stop and think about what would have happened had I not asked him that question. Would I be in the US now with Elmer? Or would I still be married to my current husband? It would be nice to find out the answer and finally give an ending to that chapter of my life.

Always,

Julie

That’s what our opponent team in basketball said to our star player, Chenai, who unfortunately for us, was not able to play last night because of her training.  She actually came to the court less than 2 minutes before the end of the game (not enough time to suit up and play) so it was just us.

We lost…  What can we expect.  But it was a very good game because we played hard to compensate for the absence of Chenai.  There was never a dominant team nor player.  All throughout the game, both team played hard defense and offense.  All players worked hard and earned statistical points.

This game gave me a lot of first time opportunities…  For the first time, I played the whole game (well I actually got a 2 minute break after the ball boxed my nose).  For the first time, I got stats in almost all areas of the ballgame - field goal, assist, steal, rebound, foul, and yes, even turnover.  For the first time, I heard a lot of nice comments about how I played.

So, to repeat La Coruna’s line - Thank you Chenai.  If it would not be a selfish gesture on my part, I would want to ask you to not play again so I can get to have more playing time.  Hahaha.  But I’m for the team, so thank you Chenai, but please, don’t leave us again next week.

Cheers.

I really can’t find the logic of designing the muffler of the motorcycle tilted upwards. Its bad enough that most motor vehicles contribute greatly to air pollution.  Its even worse to blow those polluting smoke right to the face of unsuspecting pedestrians.  Whoever did the design, I hope there is a way for you to undo it, and please be proactive in finding the solution for this.  To the LTFRB, or LTC, or whatever government agency in charge of approving the release of motor vehicles, can you please think of ways to mitigate the possible damage these type of motorcycles may cause to people.  Thanks.

Just played another game of frisbee.  It’s semi-finals and a knockout game.  Whoever wins goes to the championship.  It was a heartbreaking battle for us because we are ahead by one point with 10 seconds remaining in the game then all of a sudden the opposing team scored and forced an OT game - to be played on Wednesday because it started to rain in the last 10 seconds of the game.

This game is memorable for me for 2 reasons.

1.  I scored a point.
2.  I had the biggest blooper of my life.  I dived to the ground with an outstretched body.  It wouldn’t be so embarassing if somebody tripped me, but I was there all alone in that area when that happened.  I don’t know if I was running too fast that lost control, or if the ground was too bumpy that I lost balance.  Whatever the reason is, it doesn’t matter anymore because I already fell and literally ate dirt.  Now I know how soil tastes like.  At least I scored right after that embarassing fall so I basically redeemed myself.

I think that fall will earn a spot in the history book of our sportsfest not just because it was so embarassing, but it was also very funny and would have won in America’s or Bitoy’s funniest video had somebody captured it.  My teammate was laughing as he told me how my fall was.  Imagine me lying  down on the ground on my belly with legs straight and both arms outstretched on top of my head - it just like standing straight with arms raised with palms facing the front, then change that position from vertical to horizontal.  After that, imagine me arocking twice like the base of a rocking chair.  I just laughed after he told me that was how I looked because I did feel myself rock like that.

What a game…. I ROCK!!!

One more thing… When I was about to change into a cleaner set of clothes, I found out that the inside of my shirt is also ridden with dirt.  And… When I removed my sportsbra (which hugged me so snug fit that my boobs was almost flattened) my cleavage was also ridden with dirt!!!

What a fall….  Even my boobs ate dirt… Hahahahah!!!!

BTW, I think I dislocated my jaw on that fall because my chin also hit the ground hard although surprisingly did not get any bruises or contutions.  Maybe I should see a doctor…

What a game…. I really ROCK!!!

Basura mo… Itapon mo…  (Your garbage… Throw it…)  This is quite a good slogan and people find it easy to follow.  The only problem is that the slogan is incomplete.  It did not say where to throw your garbage.  Apparently, some people solve that issue by finding garbage cans whereever they are.  In the absence of a regular garbage cans, they improvise - public vehicles, corners of buildings, push carts (yes push carts from the grocery… try looking at FX passenger queues at megamall and you’ll see what I mean), vacant lots all turn into impromptu garbage cans.

Yes it’s a good solution for the original owner of the garbage, but it did not actually solved the problem of garbage disposal because the trash only transferred ownership.  What’s irritating is that the original owner of the garbage wrongly inconvenienced the new owner because he now has the burden of properly disposing the garbage.  Of course. because of the golden rule, the new garbage owner would not repeat what was wrongly done to him.  He would probably (hopefully) find a proper garbage can and dispose the trash properly.

If you were an FX driver, wouldn’t you be mad if a passenger throws all the ponkan peels and seeds in your vehicle?  Yes the FX floor will be littered with sweet smelling peels, but it is still garbage no matter how it smells.

If you were a bus passenger, wouldn’t you be mad if your bag, which was placed beside your foot suddenly gets wet because a plastic cup half filled with softdrinks, which was left by a passenger 4 seats from the back, tumbled when the driver hit the breaks and spilled the contents all over the floor?

Keyword here is consideration for others.  Do not inconvenience others by disposing of a once useful item you converted into garbage.  You have already inconvenienced yourself by carrying the item before it officially became trash.  Can’t you hold on it for a little more until you find a proper disposal area?  After all, you already benefited from the previous form of the garbage you are holding so why not give your garbage a proper disposal as a sign of appreciation for the service it has given you.

Basura mo… Itapon mo… Sa tamang basurahan…

Yeah… We all know that saying - kids do the darnest things… Maybe it’s about time somebody did something about it.

A few days ago I was with the company of family and friends.  Somebody from the group casually told the "funny" incident about a 5-year old kid he knows and his "mommy" (that’s how the kid calls his grandma).  Here was how the scene goes:

The kid asks in a purely innocent tone.

Kid:   mommy bakit pag nanonood ako ng naghahalikan sa TV tumitigas ang titi ko?
Mommy: ANOOO? lintik na… Ang bata-bata mo pa may libog ka na sa katawan.  Patingin nga

Transalated:
Kid:   mommy, why is it when I watch kissing scenes on TV, my penis hardens?
Mommy: WHATT? &$%#*#!*!… You’re so young yet you already get sexually aroused. Lemme see that.

On that note, the mommy touched the kid’s penis.  The kid, apparently was telling the truth - to the mommy’s surprise.  All the adults had a big laugh over that incident.

At first, it may seem like a really big joke.  But when I thought about it for quite a while, I realize that if this is not an isolated case - meaning other kids like him experience the same thing when watching a suppposedly harmless kissing scene - then the movie/TV industry should stop and think how to help the parents avoid such incidents.

Some people may say that it’s the parent’s responsibilities to make sure that their kids do not get to watch sexually arousing shows.  But I’m not talking of movies here or regular PG programs…. I’m talking of shows for the teens and commercials which shows kissing scenes.  How can parents or guardians prevent kids from seeing commercials?  Should they sit by their kids the whole time they watch TV?  Should parents always hold the remote control everytime the kids watch TV and switch channels the moment a "seem-to-be" sexual scene starts to play?

Maybe I’m just over-reacting to this.  But then, I remember another story told to me by my officemate about a boy and a girl he saw when he passed through a posh village in Metro Manila.  The two kids, according to my officemate looks like they are not yet in their teens years, but what he saw horrified him.  They were having or probably trying to have sex on the grassy portion near the village’s entrance - a very public place - and that was around 9-10am.

Green Day had this song called American Idiot, which goes something like this:

Don’t wanna be an American Idiot
One nation controlled by the media.

In a way, I think we are like Filipino idiots because most of the citizens in our country are highly influenced by the media.  Maybe, the media industry should re-think their guiding principles in developing shows for the public.  It’s not enough to be bold and daring enough to reveal the truth about the big issues in our country.  It’s not enough to develop "well-crafted, artistic movies" that challenges the minds of the audience and would probably deserve recognition of award giving bodies.  The media industry should be responsible enough to gauge the possible moral and social effects of their story to the audience of their show.

This is the first of what I envisioned to be a series of posts about the small, but important bad habits that some educated Filipinos exhibit during the course of their daily living.  The focus is on "educated" Filipinos because, for sure, un-educated or illiterate Filipinos cannot read this post anyway.  I am not excusing myself from these habits because I know that sometimes, I fall victim to the charms of these small evils. 

==========================

Sometimes we are too much in a hurry to cross the street that we take it upon ourselves to find the opportunity to cross in the shortest time possible.  I am no exception to this, but, before I make any effort to take matters in my own hand, I check first if there is a traffic enforcer taking care of the needs of the pedestrians.  If there is, I let the enforcer do his job. 

I don’t know if some of you even bother to check for the existence of the traffic enforcer, but oftentimes, I see many people, especially outside the malls, openly display disregard on the authority of the enforcer by crossing the street even if there is no go-signal yet.  Understand that it is their job to make sure that first, the pedestrians have a safe passage, and second, the motorists are not unnecessarily disrupted in their travel.  Therefore, it is only proper for us, as a law-abiding citizen, to respect their authority and let them do their job properly. 

If you were in the enforcer’s shoes, I’m sure you would be offended if pedestrians (and motorists) openly disregard your instructions not to cross the street.  Key word here is respect for authority.  You don’t have any license to complain about traffic enforcers not doing their job properly if you yourself do not respect their authority.