I have this ultimate and rather obscene fantasy. In this fantasy, there's this one person who digs like mad through my blog archives in the dead of the night-- every night, finding pleasure in reading all the words I've written before and always in eager anticipation of what I will write about next. Always wondering about what I have to say and clinging to my words and opinions as if her very life depended on it -- as if there is no better opinion on earth but mine.

Photo by Laughing Squid

To this person, whatever I write about is worth gold. It doesn't matter if I fail horribly with my grammar or if what I write about doesn't even make sense. Because to this nocturnal being, my blog and words are as alive as I am -- and that is all that matters. It may not be the most rewarding of human relationships but it's the next best thing, she thinks.

If I told her 'so and so' is the best, she would believe. If I told her 'this and that' is a lie, she'd take my word for it. Yes, she's completely capable of thinking for herself but she chooses to believe me just because she wants to.

I could sell her anything I want to, even the very soul she already has -- and she will buy in a heartbeat. With such conviction. Without the slightest reservation. Without questions.

She is that ultimate blog reader. One who sees your blog as no separate entity from you, the blogger. One whose respect for you is intertwined with eternal fascination.

But the bad news is she doesn't exist.

When I started out with blogging, I started fairly the same way and for fairly the same reasons as others before me did and had. All I wanted was to chronicle my life experiences one day at a time so that one day, I or someone I cared about can recreate that one specific day like a photograph -- like a picture, yes, but this time, with words.

I know 'a picture paints a thousand words'. My blog hopes to do the reverse -- to recreate the picture in your mind through a 'thousand words'. Little did I know that it would require much more effort than I prepared for or that I would end up writing about politics (as if my life as it is isn't boring enough).

Eventually, as with many things in my life, the blog took a life of its own and chose to go out into the words, unescorted, deep into the night. You can say that it had its expected encounters with wolves, monsters and aliens. While every step was fraught with danger, it's not without its occasional meetings with friendly animals and there were countless times when it was awakened by serenades from nightingales.

It's easy for a blog to get lost in the woods. But the problem doesn't end there.

Most times, the blog takes a reader with it and both of them get lost. That's where 'responsible blogging' comes in, as if on cue, reminding the blogger to look before he leaps because most times, he doesn't leap alone.

You the blogger reading this, have you ever realized how influential a blogger you've become? Yeah sure, you may not be such a hot shot yet but has it ever occurred to you that it's possible someone from somewhere follows you blindly into the woods every night?

Have you ever thought that each time you come home after an evening of dalliance with your charming post, someone is stuck somewhere deep into the woods? Lost. Or worse, never to be seen again?

It's really great that you give readers these wonderful distractions otherwise known as insightful articles. Go right ahead and woo them effortlessly like you always do. Take them every night into the woods with you. But when you've made your point and before the night is through, please be kind enough to take them back with you. It's the least you could do in exchange for what they've given you -- their trust.

Because, remember that ultimate blog reader I told you about?

What if she does exist?

What if she's GMA? :)

Be careful how you wield that sword. We don't want anybody to get hurt. Responsible blogging is not just a choice. It should be the only choice.

*** Blog responsibly. Nothing could be easier. ***

Suggested Further Reading:

• I am a Purist Blogger
• Philippine Blog Awards 2 (PBA 2008): All Systems Go!
• SEO and Page Rank Tips from a Nobody
• Dam(ned) if you do, dam(ned) if you don’t!
• Cory: The Making of an Unlikely Hero

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I was set to 'kill time' in school today. Made sure my journal was packed neatly in my bag. But lo and behold, as I was set to write, my lovely pen was nowhere in sight, thus the silly prose poetry. Tsk.

Woe to the Writer
by: RJ

Woe to the writer who is caught without a pen,
When the train of thought starts flowing
He's but a helpless, crying baby in a hungry lion's den.

How else will he appease upset dragons breathing fire?
How can his words satisfy this insatiable desire?

How else will he rationalize, hypothesize or theorize
Streams of musings that go swiftly in between blinks of his eyes?

In earnest ramblings of metaphors? Pitiful twists, ironies in disarray?
In incomprehensible assertions -- all that cause the reader sure dismay.

The writer caught without a pen,
like a naked soldier amidst a fierce battle
Is left to either run, hide or foolishly surrender.

What to do then, pray tell, when all you have is the 'here and now'
And when neither yesterday nor tomorrow will ever soothe you somehow?

When there is no time to waste searching for an elusive pen
Lest the ideas before you fly in haste like silly men.

How does a writer write when mere fingers can barely make a line?
When what's in your head is sure to leave you in no time.

Woe indeed to the writer caught without his trusty pal,
When words come raining on a summer day's lull.

If he misses this chance, this one perfect trine,
Tomorrow might pass him without passion or rhyme.

How will he pocket letters, mix and match, confound and clarify?
When nothing seems a blessing but these words from on high?

Such waste of time, such waste of thought,
Such moving tragedy for a struggling, stupid moth.

A loss indeed, a loss in need.
For what glory does a knight have
apart from his noble steed?

Suggested Further Reading:

• Let Me Write You A Prose
• Turning 30, Turning Inward
• On Account of What?
• Thoughts that keep me awake at night
• Apprehensively Yours

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“An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?" — Rene Descartes

Photo by nilexuk

I can almost swear "someone" is cursing the upcoming presidential elections in May 2010. It's as if "someone" is killing all chances of emergent hope -- "someone" is out to sabotage this one shot we have at clean, honest elections.

Although the existence of that "someone" is hard to prove and coming up with strong evidence is hardly possible at the moment, what seems to be 'a clear and present danger' is the unabated doubt creating an atmosphere of general distrust.

There is widespread doubt in the effectivity of the system. Doubt in the reliability of technology. Doubt in the trustworthiness of the candidates. Doubt in the 'maturity' of the electorate. Doubt in everything elections-related. Essentially, doubt in the possibility of Philippine political redemption.

It is so easy to spread doubt and plant fear in the hearts and minds of our fellowmen. I can't think of anything easier to do in a time like this. When faced with the task of choosing what to promote, the average salesman would always opt for those that are easy to sell.

Which idea is easier to sell: That fully-automated elections would be 100% successful or that it would fail?

You get the point.

***

Have a little faith

I am a proponent of vigilance and a promoter of justified and regulated doubt. But in no way will I consent to being a conduit of fear-mongering. I have better things to do with my time (and I have a lot of time, mind you).

My dear friends, casual and accidental readers, one and all, I urge you to have a little faith in this much-awaited political exercise. Let not the sensationalized news and overblown negative write-ups deter you from participating in this democratic process that is part and parcel of who we are and who we intend to be.

Of course there will be glitches, there are flaws, there are questions that need to be answered -- but all will be resolved in due time. That is what these tests are for -- to see what works and what doesn't -- to separate the reliable from the not.

Trust the system -- a good measure if not entirely. Trust that technology can and will work. But most of all, trust yourself. Trust that YOU dictate your vote. Trust that it is you who will dictate your destiny and consequently, this country's. Trust that unless we take a chance, there is no way of ever finding out what will and will not work for us.

Think about it. If we can't trust ourselves? Who else will?

Besides, if all else fails, there's always manual elections. So douse that fear. Besides, I'm sure you have better things to do than worry, so get over it.

Suggested Further Reading:

• In Response to @Cocoy re: Noynoy
• Gibo is on a roll. But is he getting anywhere?
• Here come the Yellow Army
• Who among the presidentiables will be bad for the economy?
• The Problem with Noynoy

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Photo by BrittneyBush

No Escape

by: RJ

There are thoughts that keep me awake at night

And keep me absent-minded in the day --

Gliding on a golden field, endless heaps of hay

Thoughts about what is and what was,

But never of what could be.

They haunt me of a past long gone and never will be,

They nag me of a present so persistent, a routine that I always see.

They remind me of a palpable sign,

Of shackles that bind me here,

In a place where wishes are bane and hopes are nil.

I climb so high, I fly, I sigh

I stumble yet again in this effervescent sky

I lift my arms and reach as high as I can

But I hear weeping and wailing from where I began

This dream I write, forget this I might

These thoughts I hold, it numbs my soul,

It's so cold, I feel old

In May whisperings, "strengthen thy heart", I was told

So I flutter, I mutter..

But when I utter, I stutter

Hard as I grasp every word, every syllable and letter

I am left without tomorrow, the future no brighter

Be banished you drifter! Rot away you squanderer!

Know that time is no kinder to neither miser nor spender

So I slouch, pretend to nap

Barely a moment's passed

I snicker, I snap!

Not a pen was moved, not a firefly in sight

As I hold on tearfully and oh so fearfully tight

To these thoughts that keep me awake...

And kept me awake tonight.

Suggested Further Reading:

• I'm Such A Believer
• Too Much (Of My Love) Will Kill You
• Let Me Write You A Prose
• Apprehensively Yours
• “Not now” Doesn’t Mean “Never”

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As we shelve memories of 2009 and resolve to start anew in 2010,  forget not "the good times and the bad you've seen and all the others in between..."

Happy New Year everyone! Let us remember each other and look forward to tomorrow with faith in love and in God.

Times of Your Life

by: Paul Anka

Good morning, yesterday
You wake up and time has slipped away
And suddenly it's hard to find
The memories you left behind
Remember, do you remember?

The laughter and the tears
The shadows of misty yesteryears
The good times and the bad you've seen
And all the others in between
Remember, do you remember
The times of your life (do you remember)

Reach back for the joy and the sorrow
Put them away in your mind
The mem'ries are time that you borrow
To spend when you get to tomorrow

Here comes the saddest part
The seasons are passing one by one
So gather moments while you may
Collect the dreams you dream today
Remember, will you remember
The times of your life

Gather moments while you may
Collect the dreams you dream today
Remember, will you remember
The times of your life
Of your life
Of your life

Do you remember, baby
Do you remember the times of your lifeSuggested Further Reading:

• This Is A “Declaration” of “Doing All Right”
• Fire and Rain
• Let Me Tell You A Story (Pass The Hat, Please…)
• Thoughts that keep me awake at night
• I Live on Raw Emotion.

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Alfonso T. Blanquera (August 2, 1936 - December 22, 2003)

In Memoriam

About the same time, six years ago today, I have watched my father let go of his last breath after five days in the intensive care unit -- 4 days of which he spent lying there comatose.

It was his third stroke. The first was very mild, hardly a stroke as I call it. But like all people who have hypertension and diabetes, each stroke episode gets worse each time.

The second stroke left him bedridden, speech slurry, both feet numb for days. Of course by that time he knew he had to be more careful. But caution was not in my father's vocabulary. He was too stubborn and too smart for his own good.

I remember leaving for work one fateful Wednesday morning. I knew by sheer gut feeling that this was no ordinary day. While inside a PUJ, I felt as if my soul left me for a brief moment -- my eyes were transfixed on the road but my mind was lost somewhere else that I forgot to get off... when my lucidity came back, I realized I was so far from where I should be.

I was running late that day. As was routine to me, I had breakfast in the office cafeteria. When I came back to the production line, it was then that I was told I had a call waiting.

Strokes mostly occur in the early morning, around 5am.. and that's about the time my father had his.

Five days in the hospital -- couldn't think, couldn't eat, couldn't even take a bath because there were very few of us in the family to watch him round the clock. But that was the least of my concerns then. The medications he had to take weren't even available in that hospital, and the very few stocks that Asian Hospital has, I was told, were reserved to JAZA (Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala), who at that time was said to be confined in that posh hospital.

The decision regarding pursuing with a burr hole procedure -- to evacuate the blood clot inside his head -- a not so promising procedure given that he has diabetes, and his organs were failing one after the other anyway -- was a decision I alone had to make. Everyone else were not so optimistic.

I am an eternal optimist. If you have been reading quite a few of my personal posts here in the past, you would know that I always see the glass half-full -- the silver lining behind the dark clouds -- the donut, not the hole.

My optimism seemed justified when after the operation, while undergoing therapy, I saw him move his fingers for the first time in days, squeezing a soft ball. By then too, I saw both his eyes fully open and blinking. His eyes were half-closed when he was rushed to the hospital. Not blinking -- like I was, about the same time, inside the PUJ.

My heart rejoiced at the sight of my father's strength and swift progress -- on the road to recovery. But I rejoiced too soon.

The following day, while I was out doing the usual hunt for medicines, I got a call that my father wasn't looking good, that I had to rush to his side lest I get to him too late.

And there he was, lifeless and pale, his body shivering each time the defibrillator is pressed on his chest. It was as if I could hear his brittle bones crack. Each time, the medical team would glance upon me and ask, "Tuloy pa po ba?" (Shall we continue?), to which I would always frantically nod as if each nod would wake my father up..

And then the doctor spoke, "Per protocol, if he doesn't respond to this nth attempt, I'm sorry. We can only do so much."

He didn't respond.

On December 25, 2003 while everyone else is at some family reunion, we were also in our own reunion.

But there were no smiles. No laughter. Only the piercing sound of silence and muffled sobs.

I knew God would take him away one day, but it never occurred to me that it would happen three days before Christmas day.

In all of my earthly existence, almost 31 years now, there is no single event that has been more than or even slightly as life-altering as the death of my father.

I would have chosen to waste the years away until death comes to me too. But I know he would not approve of such stupidity, of such cowardice. After all, we weren't brought up to be cowards.

If there's one person who believed in me more than I ever believed in myself, it was him. And if only to honor him, I continue to live this life and believe that I can do great things on my father's wings.

On My Father's Wings

Lyrics & Music By: Carole Bayer Sager & David Foster

If you were with me now
I'd find myself in you
If you were with me now
Your the only one who knew
All the things we planned to do

I want to live my life
The way you said I would
With courage as my light
Fighting for what's right
Like you made me believe I could

And I will fly on my father's wings
To places I have never been
There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings

This world I'll never see
My dreams that just won't be
This horse's stride
with one days ride
Will have covered more
distance than me

But I will fly on my father's wings
To places I have never been
There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings

Someday with his spirit to guide me
And his memory beside me
I will be free to

Fly on my father's wings
To places I have never been
There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings
On my father's wingsSuggested Further Reading:

No related or similar posts found for this entry.

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"Like a comet blazing 'cross the evening sky gone too soon...
shiny and sparkly and splendidly bright... here one day gone one night..." -- Gone Too Soon, Michael Jackson

I want to slap my face for every star that fell last night and the other night that I missed -- the Leonid, and now, the Geminid -- all gone in a day or two. My fault entirely. I knew exactly when they'll show up, I knew exactly what to do to see them but I missed the fireworks for sleep and other matters in a span of hours I couldn't even account for.

I'm starting to ask myself now whether I'm actually asleep 'round that time or was simply busy whiling the hours away doing I don't know, something.

Are there those who pity people like me who have lost their sense of time for having either too much or too little of it?

The most rewarding and gratifying events in life happen in between both ends of the spectrum -- and surprisingly enough, most times, it takes a whole lifetime for a person to realize that. You can't blame them. All their lives they were told the pot of gold is at rainbow's end, light is at the end of the tunnel, the best view is from the top and that the most interesting sea creatures live in the abyss.

We do not seize the day -- or at least whatever seems ordinary, mundane. We prefer to archive the ones that has some sort of fireworks attached to it -- anything shocking, surprising, magnificent, marvelous..historic.

And we think it makes sense. After all, why bother keeping track of routines that don't even change by the day. Newsflash: Celebrating mediocrity is mediocrity.

We do not bother to appreciate a "starry, starry night" as Van Gogh or Don McLean did. What's so special about a night full of stars? We see that almost all the time, don't we?

We patiently wait for that meteor shower. We wait for the spectacular. We utter a wish for every star that falls..and we do so with so much hope, with so much confidence..because only falling stars can grant wishes anyway.

What is it with falling stars that regular stars don't have?

Maybe it's the thrill. Maybe it's the lost chance finally found?

Maybe it does have a difference when you wish on a falling star.

Nah. It doesn't have the slightest difference. You just choose to believe it that way. Missed another falling star? Don't fret. Hope springs eternal for the impossible optimist.

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• Utah Meteor Shower: Western Skies Light Up (huffingtonpost.com)
• Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning (science.slashdot.org)

Suggested Further Reading:

No related or similar posts found for this entry.

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I've always wanted to write about this but for one reason or another postponed it for a more pressing issue and then another and another.

Photo by DanielJames

A recent article about FTC issuing rules for bloggers regarding endorsements shared on Facebook and Twitter by Cocoy is a matter of significance for all bloggers right now. While it hasn't reached our shores yet, I can bet that considering how vibrant blogging is in this country, it's only a matter of time before we begin treading on egg shells. Still, if you ask me what prompted me to write this now, please blame Paul. He started it. :)

Now, this blog is obviously confusing to many. A Day In The Life Of RJ sounds like some person's online journal of everyday adventures. Why should that involve FTC?

According to the wonderful world of Wikipedia, as of 2007, Technorati was tracking around 112 million blogs, most of those categorized as personal blogs. Folks, that was two years ago. Imagine that. And these days, "online journalers" (personal bloggers) don't just write about their crushes or their impossible dreams. They don't just share what a terrible day they had in school or at work.

Personal blogs have become a mixed bag of rants (product or service dissatisfaction), raves (product or service endorsements), frustrations against the system, society, the government (political opinions) and tips on anything and everything from how they got this and that working on their gadgets to how they got to this unexplored destination (how to's, instructional content).

There is power in numbers. To underestimate the blogosphere is a mistake that is sure to cost the "doubting Thomas" an arm and a leg (figuratively, of course).

In this new FTC ruling, by December of this year, it will be compulsory to disclose whether you get anything in exchange for "reviews" on your blog -- a disclosure policy. Whether it's a free ticket to a concert or the item itself you are reviewing (gadgets, books, etc.), you would now be required by the law (at least in the US, for now) to disclose "payments" in whatever form.

But how about political bloggers? Now that is a big question. I do not see anything there that states explicitly how it approaches political blogging.

That mentioned and considered, let us pretend for a while that I have the right to discuss political blogging ethos. Nah, forget it. Let me just say what I want to say.

A Day In The Life Of RJ is first and foremost a personal blog. It has become a political blog, not by choice but by accident when a frustrated search for lack of information about the then hotly-debated Bangsamoro Juridical Entity prompted me to do a thorough research and add my thoughts about it. I ended up writing a series -- 20 or so posts all about BJE, and the rest as they say, is history.

*****

On this blog being political

Regarding this blog being political, it is something I am neither proud nor ashamed of. It is just what it is. It has no intention of soliciting attention, or disgust or fame or whatever it is people think they get from blogging.

I have been in denial for the longest time yet the prominence of political tags and the mere fact that the political articles here have long outnumbered the personal, I have come to accept the fact that this blog has indeed steered itself to an unexpected direction and have taken a life of its own. Although it is not surprising to me, considering how highly opinionated I am of many things, politics taking the top spot, it never occurred to me that I would end up blogging politics -- hence the tag line "The accidental political blog of RJ Marmol. Try-hard punditry for non-pundits."

And for a while there, I thought writing opinions about social and political issues isn't such a big deal. After all, I can just pretend that this is still a personal blog that just happens to have a lot of political rants -- personal bloggers write politics too, albeit occasionally, so what the heck, I thought to myself.

Apparently, political blogging is a lot more ruthless than readers know and see. You get branded all sorts of stuff, you get called lots of things, simply because you dare dip your finger in a supposedly intellectually dishonest and corrupted territory -- not intended for mere mortals.

*****

I wonder why it seems natural for people to accuse political bloggers of being sell outs. After all, in politics, there's money to be had, more than enough to go around for everybody, right? They think it is utterly impossible for ploggers (political bloggers -- derived from from the word "plog" -- a contraction of the term "political blog") to be objective in "plogging".

When you get invited to coffee with politicians, everyone assumes that you get paid for it and are therefore bound to make a "positive" article -- and endorsement, if you will, about that politician. It is annoying to be accused of this, because I for one, know that I don't get paid to attend such meetings -- much less, to write compelling or adulating articles just because of a free meal or coffee.

I mean, come on, an article for a cup of coffee? Are you kidding me? They don't even pay for my fare from Calamba City to the urban jungle that is Metro Manila. I brave the overcrowded MRT station, the rain, the heat, the derision of non-believer family and friends just so I can write and scrutinize a politician personally. Heck, I don't even have adsense on my blog ! Your visit don't translate to bucks for me. Some people don't even realize that I even pay good money just to put my thoughts out there -- I pay webhosting fees, domain fees, etc.

So to the very few who think I get paid to write politics, please. Do you even have the slightest hint who I am and what my credentials are (if any)? Who would pay me to write propaganda? I am no Conrado de Quiroz ( not that I insinuate that he gets paid to write for politicos, just stressing a point that I am a nobody).

I am no "influencer" or "oppositionist writer", heck, I don't even have a job. I am no different from any other person you might bump into at a grocery aisle, except maybe for the fact that I write and I write a lot -- and that I write a lot of rants about the government. But that doesn't instantly make me an "oppositionist writer". That accusation is a flattery at best and a lie at worst.

Besides, who in his or her right mind would choose to write politics over movie and food reviews or gadgets and whatnots if not for the fact that it is his or her passion?

Argument #1: Politics is crap.
I guess we can all agree on that. The thing stinks miles away. Anyone who dare pass by where it is, is doomed to catch its stench one way or another.And boy oh boy, that stays with you long after you've gone to the shower countless times. Are we on the same boat here? Great. Now that we got that out of the way. Let's go to...

Argument #2: Nothing is filthier than getting money for writing about politics.

Yes, I am talking about real money here darling -- the kind of money that you and I know (as if there is any other). If you think politics stinks, wait until you see paid articles written about it. But these days, can you really tell?

It's frustrating, or maybe I'm just too ideal for this writing thing. After all, my entire life, I thought writers were "hungry idealists". Maybe my concept is outdated. Please pinch poke me (there you go Facebook, look what you've done to me).

But must we go to great lengths, to the point of jailing or "fining" someone who "gets paid for writing crap"? -- which brings me to..

Argument #3: Who cares if someone gets paid for writing crap?

When this or that person writes something "crappy" -- in the truest sense of the word, does that take away anything from the value or your own writings? Does that, even for a minute, rob you of your creativity and "brilliance"? Go ahead, you can pause from reading this and ponder for a few seconds, I'll wait... Done? Great. So, what do you think? Can I get a "hell, no!"?

I told you. It doesn't, my dear. People can write all the crap they can think of, get paid and buy themselves vacations to Malibu and a one way ticket to the universe's black hole  for all we care. So instead of wasting time trying to figure out who gets paid or not, what he or she gets or how much exactly, why don't we do ourselves a favor by just improving on ourselves and how we write? Brilliant idea, you say? Oh well, what can you expect, you are on a non-brilliant blog currently  engaged in two monologues -- mine and yours. Unfortunately though, two monologues don't make a dialogue.

Argument #4: If you can't really do anything about it, live with it.

This one goes out for the ones who get paid for writing political propagandas, for the idealist and purist bloggers who stick to the unwritten ethos of blogging, for those who accuse all bloggers of being sell outs, for the apathetic many and the undecided few.

But hey, that's a good idea!

On second thought, wouldn't it be great if political writers and bloggers do disclose what they get in exchange for an article (if any), specially if it's an article that's suddenly so "out of character"? That would separate the greats from the rest. If you think about it, that FTC ruling would be the purist blogger's dream come true.

Hmmm, it would be grand if I get paid for blogging politics. But sorry to disappoint you, I don't. But don't you all worry -- the moment I do get paid for writing crappy new media political propagandas, I will let you know -- with or without enforced rules. Until then, I'm just your regular purist blogger that won't even pass up for a "hungry writer".

Suggested Further Reading:

• Not The Children
• Gordon Dropped it Like it’s Hot
• It’s Manny for Manny
• So You Think She Can Dance?
• Eyes On The Prize

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Photo by Titanas

I am a Purist Blogger

(a blogger's creed, by: RJ Marmol)

I am a purist blogger, I write original content.

I do not scrape from people's blogs.

I give credit where it is due, I link back "no unfollow".

I generally don't get paid to blog.

But when I do, I disclose, always.

I am a purist blogger, I do not spam.

I do not send readers to unsafe links.

I do not cram my pages with ads, but with quality content.

I am a purist blogger.

I am not after your hits, I am after your hearts.

I am not after your traffic, I am after your respect.

I do not criticize just for the heck of it.

I do not blog anonymously just so I can malign people.

When I criticize, I sign my name -- the real one.

I have accountability and responsibility for what I write.

What I write, I own.

What I own, I protect.

I am a purist blogger.

I do not deceive my readers.

When I'm selling something, I tell them.

When it's an opinion I write, I warn them.

I am a purist blogger.

I intend to contribute to the discussion, not confound it.

I intend to build  communities, not destroy them.

I write for my readers, I write for myself.

Some will read me, some won't.

Some will love me, some won't.

Some will praise me, some will attack me.

But because I'm a purist blogger, I will keep on blogging.

I will write, and blog, and write.

I am a purist blogger.

And to all the world, let it be  known,

In this vast cyberspace that is my home.

I blog assured that I am not alone.Suggested Further Reading:

• How’s Your Blogging?
• Thoughts that keep me awake at night
• Let Me Write You A Prose
• What Kind Of Fool Am I?
• Woe to the Writer

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The visit is done. The souvenirs scattered all over. Most people lost a lot, some everything. Some, everyone they love.

When you've lost practically everything, how do you begin?

How you start over when the very reasons for your existence and perseverance are all gone?

When your future has  now become littered with uncertainties, what is there to look forward to?

As the devastation wrought by typhoon Ondoy lay before us, we find ourselves faced with the tedious task of rebuilding -- shoveling mountainous  mud, scavenging through debris and an overwhelming pile of unrecognizable items, of what used to be known as kitchen wares, electronic appliances, books, toys and shoes.

Parallel with ongoing relief, rescue and retrieval operations, calls for disaster preparedness seminars, doing Ondoy post-mortem analysis and suggestions for preventive measures and active participation in climate change awareness is the need to rebuild communities.

We have to rebuild --in the backdrop of a gloomy atmosphere, in the absence of inspiration, in a state of shock and disbelief, under time pressure and the fear of another imminent danger.

We have to rebuild. Knowing that our lives will never be the same again, aware of the fact that this may not be the last ordeal lined up for us in this lifetime -- we have to rebuild.

Even as we feel help is too little or too late, even as we think we may have been forgotten -- we all know, we still have to rebuild.

We rebuild not because we want to. We rebuild not because we are prodded. We rebuild because we know that regardless of how hardly hit we were, regardless of how bruised and battered we may have become and regardless of how much suffering we may have endured, we know the world doesn't stop for our grief. We know that life inevitably and naturally "goes on".

So we rebuild --not because we want to, but because we have to. Because in reality, we don't really have much of a choice.

The entire citizenry, public or private, rich or poor, pessimist or optimist-- we will all have to rebuild. We will rebuild homes, roads, schools, institutions -- yes, even fractured lives.

The typhoon has left. Its winds may have taken our roofs, but not our hearts. Its raging flood waters may have swept our hard-earned belongings, but not our courage. Its wrath may have robbed us of those we love, but not of our resilience. It may have submerged entire cities, but it has not dampened our spirits.

So now, armed with faith even as small as a mustard seed, carrying flickering hope in our hearts, huddled together in this cold, ghostly towns of utter desperation, we add up each other's "mustard-seed-sized" faith and aspire to move mountains, we rekindle each other's flickering sparks of hope and aim to keep it burning, we stay close to give warmth to each other.

We are Filipinos -- descendants of heroes. Heroism -- what others can only aspire to runs through our veins.

We do not falter, we alter. We know not wane, we win. We do not retreat, we defeat.

My dear fellowmen, the challenge of rebuilding is now before us. When do we begin? What about now?Suggested Further Reading:

• Typhoon Ondoy has left. But is this the “calm before the bigger storm”?
• “Ondoy’s Trail of Fury”: A Heartwrenching Video
• Tulong Balik Eskwela Post-Ondoy/Pepeng
• Ondoy Victims Missing Persons List / Database
• Typhoon Ondoy Helplines: Who You Gonna Call?

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Photo by alicepopkorn ( in and out

*****

I Like Endings (by: RJ)

I like endings.

They're very kind.

They wake you up from a dream

And take you back to reality.

They make you realize that some things

Aren't meant to begin in the first place.

While endings can't undo things that you screwed-up,

It gives you another chance to start over and forget.

While endings can't mend a broken heart,

It rewards you with a clear mind

And makes you look forward to the future

Without fear or prejudice, without delusions.

I like endings.

They're indeed very kind...

****************

Loud and Clear ( The Cranberries)

I hope that you miss me

Put me down on history

I feel such a reject now

Get yourself a life

I hope that you're sorry

For not accepting me

For not adoring me

That's why I'm not your wife

People are stranger

People in danger

People are stranger

People deranged or

I remember there was

Nothing I could ever do

Never could impress you

Even if I tried

Tell somebody who cares

Fill the room with empty stares

Go to bed and say my prayers

Keep them satisfied

People are stranger

People in danger

People are stranger

People deranged

Loud and clear I make my point my dear

I hope that you never

Get the things you wanted to

Now I cast a spell on you

Complicate your life

Hope you get a puncture

Everywhere you ever drive

Hope the sun beats down on you and

Skin yourself alive ...

Loud and Clear (The Cranberries)Suggested Further Reading:

• Dear Visitor from Mountain View, California
• My Son’s Nanny
• Now Well and Never Better
• Waiting For My Real Life To Begin: A Personal Reflection In Anticipation Of Year 2009
• I Live on Raw Emotion.

I Like Endings is another original post from: adayinthelifeofrj.com
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Withdrawal of Support to "Manny Villar for President in 2010"

A Change of Heart.

This blogger has decided to withdraw support to the presidential candidacy
of Senator Manny Villar in 2010. As such, I'm deleting all entries that has to do with him.Suggested Further Reading:

• Behind Frosted Glass: Uncovering the “Man” in Manny Villar
• It’s Manny for Manny
• And My Vote for Philippine President Come 2010 Goes To…
• Gordon Dropped it Like it’s Hot
• Manny Villar: The Usual Villain?!

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Back To Beanstalk, originally uploaded by rjmarmol.

Had coffee with Ritchie at Beanstalk tonight. This is after taking time out with his bosses and officemates at a nearby resort. Was only there a few hours, didn't even get to swim, but it's fine. By the way, photo up there is a new offering at Beanstalk Cafe (Calamba), it's called "open-faced roasted chicken salad". Yes, I know the name doesn't sound delicious at all, pretty gross even. I can assure you though that it tastes good. It's roasted chicken drenched in gravy sauce, served on top of white bread and fresh lettuce and chips on the side. This is what I ate together with my Beanstalk staples: caramel macchiato, french fries and banana split. I haven't been there for quite a few weeks, months even, I guess, so it was great to have coffee there once again. For those who want to know, it's located at the rooftop (5th floor) of the new Calamba Executive Center, across the bus terminal at Crossing. The building lies on the Crossing-Halang road that leads to the famous resorts of Pansol, Laguna. Do visit if you're within the area. Shop hours/schedule: Beanstalk Cafe is open Mondays thru Saturdays from 4pm-12mn. Last order taken at 11pm. Check my other previous post about Beanstalk Cafe Calamba here .

***Note: This is NOT A PAID POST. This is a personal review and recommendation only.Suggested Further Reading:

• Beanstalk Cafe: Inspiring a Natural View
• “The Event: Pacquiao vs. Clottey”; where to watch live via pay-per-view (Manila/Calamba)

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Warning: Promises Never Kept!

Photo by שאול חנוכה Shaul HanukaWhat's in it for me? I'm sure you've been asking that eternal 2010 presidential elections question for God knows how long. And unfortunately, you haven't been getting the answer/s you want -- that is, if you've been getting answers at all.

We turn to forums as our means to bridge the gap between what we know (what he hear on public radio, see on TV, read in the papers, online, even from friends) and what the presidential candidates are trying so hard to tell us. But somehow, it just isn't enough.

****
First: A Few Thoughts On Communication and Forum cum Debates

I can imagine the frustration of someone who believes that he/she has a wonderful idea in mind but just couldn't find a way to get that message or idea across, as simple and as crisp as the one that he/she has in mind.

Can you now imagine how hard it is to be asked mostly general questions, give the best answer you can come up with and pack it in 2-3 minutes while people expect you to say something awesome or at least be right the whole time? The entire nation, if not the world, watching you as you open your mouth, and you watching the look on their faces at every pause, fishing for hints of contentment or dissatisfaction?

You see, communication takes effort. It is not an activity for the lazy (actually, no activity is ever worthwhile to the lazy). You are overflowing with ideas that can actually save mankind from destruction but the world just wouldn't listen to you just because a)they have now become prejudiced. Politicians = scammers. Politics = scam. Promises = *sorry, can't write the word* or; b)your sentences somehow sound incoherent anyway or; c) you are just plain boring.

And so unless our politicians are all born with that gift of communication and public-speaking charm, we may well be throwing the viable candidates in exchange for the rotten ones -- all because the viable ones don't know how to communicate. What a waste that would be.

****
What exactly do we want from our candidates?

If you clear the festive campaign air we breathe now, remove all the foot-tapping jingles, the superfluous statements, the cry-me-a-river drama of it all, you will see that only one thing will remain -- the universal human pursuit for CHANCE. As the soda crackers commercial of Robin Padilla clearly puts it, "Dahil bawat Pilipino, kailangan lang ng break." (Because every Filipino just needs a "break").

Yes, you read that right. It's not really world peace that we're so hung-up on (but of course that's a given) or winning the lottery (okay, wait, maybe a little of that..) or that fancy house, fancy car, fancy everything.

While we all want to get rich and rule the world, foremost on our agenda is to get that "break" -- that chance.

So to all the 2010 election presidentiables/candidates, take note: The Filipino people does not need your promises. We are not in need of alms or a measly welfare coupon. And unlike the cliche that we got used to, we are not so much in need of hope either. Promises get broken. Alms get spent. And hope? Hope is too abstract for the empty stomach to digest, much less for the jaded brain to comprehend.

And yes, we don't need your pity. Many of us 90M+ Filipinos are able-bodied and optimistic people -- ready to take on anything given the necessary tools. We are ingenious. We are smart. We are hardworking. We are generous to a fault. We have everything necessary to succeed, to excel, to soar, or at the very least, to survive.

But there is one thing, dear presidentiables, that we cannot create -- even with this artistic and equally strong pair of hands. We can weave baskets, but we cannot create a market for it. We can invent machinery but we cannot create corporations that will use it. We can draw wonderful images, but we cannot make fantasy become reality. We can cultivate land, grow all produce a-plenty, but we cannot buy land. Or at least, dear presidentiables -- at least, not yet.

What we need, what we really, really need right now is CHANCE -- a chance to live a decent life at least and a progressive one at best.

A chance to a decent job. A chance to a decent education. A chance to live and not just exist.

Give us chance and we'll do wonders with it. You'll see.

But before that, we know that the heavy burden rests once again in our hands. It is ironic then that before we get that chance we so ardently wish and need, we must first give you yours. It is an "all-in" gamble, scary, we know. After all, we are not only risking our own lives, but the lives of our children and theirs. But unless we take a chance on you, our own chance would left to chance. And mind you, that's not a chance we are willing to take.

So presidentiables, take heed: We are watching you. Very closely. We are willing to give one of you that chance, but that chance comes at a steep price. We will give you your chance in exchange for our own. It is a chance you will be duty-bound to give us. And should you fail, just imagine what a person with a jaded mind, an empty stomach, strong, skillful  hands and a broken heart can do. Multiply that by 90M+. You get the picture?

Now, that -- that is what this election is all about. I hope you realize by now just how serious a problem you're getting yourself into and just how crucial the role you are about to play. So play nice,  and play well. Because regardless of your reason for running for President, you will be hounded, all 6 years of your term, by 90M+ people in the undying human pursuit for chance -- for a "break".

PBA09n173p8o Suggested Further Reading:

• Choosing the Palace Successor: Philippine Presidential Elections 2010
• Podcast: Whose Game Is It Anyway? (On the 2010 Elections Survey Results)
• Philippine Presidential Elections 2010 Amidst Economic Crisis — The Boon and the Bane
• 8 Reasons Why Political Rallies Have Become Overrated
• Eyes On The Prize

Because Every Filipino Just Needs A Break is another original post from: adayinthelifeofrj.com
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Photo by lamazoneIn the coming 2010 presidential elections, the candidate currently leading the surveys is getting all the bad press. Is Villar the villain of our elections story? Or is this simply a case of early elections mudslinging?

Note: I write this post amidst the C5 controversy (click to download primer) and the so-called "grandfather of Legacy scam" issue that Sen. Jamby Madrigal raised and explained yesterday which Sen. Villar denies.

The lawyer also said the Villars no longer have shares on the Optimum Development bank.

She also said that since the transactions happened even before Villar became a senator, the "acts are beyond the jurisdiction of the Senate."

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile agreed to this.

"That borrowing of the money at that time will not be taken as part of the ethical misconduct because he was not yet a part of the Senate," Enrile said in an interview with reporters.

My thoughts on this, if there is incontestable evidence, let the complainant file the case in the proper courts, the Sandiganbayan perhaps? That is such a heavy accusation. Problem is will she see this issue through to the very end? As much as I want to believe all that Sen. Madrigal claims, she happens to be notorious at starting an issue and then abandoning it on a whim. Leaving us all wanting. Iniiwan tayo sa ere.

Disclosure: I am in no way connected with Senator Manny Villar or his office. My support of him is a personal decision which I have made long before I have been invited to the blogger event for which I write this post. While it is my personal conviction that he is the best choice for President come 2010, you, the reader of this blog are entitled to your own choices. Your opinions are valued in this blog, this is after all, a free country. So please feel free to share your thoughts. However, profanity and expletives are best kept to yourself. But of course you know that already. :)

In photo (L-R): Mark Villar, Jo Diana-Diga, Bianca Gonzalez, Sen. Manny Villar, Dine Racoma, RJ Marmol, Carlo Ople, Paolo Villar and Camille Villar (photo courtesy of Carlo)

By the way, if you haven't already, I urge you to register for the 2010 elections. Deadline is August 31, 2009. Remember, voting is not just a right, it's an obligation. It is one of the best things you can do for your country in the preservation of democracy and the sole decision you can make that can create a long-term impact for the better or for the worse. So it goes without saying that you vote wisely.

****

They sneered at his decision to run for President in 2010, many said that he wouldn't lead the surveys ever, much less win. So everyone was quiet and complacent. Surely, Villar will not win the favor of the general voters, much less the so-called masa (at least in the pre-elections survey) -- or so they thought. But when his rank in various surveys started getting better, surely, he is doing something illegal or unacceptable -- or so they thought.

Sometimes you can't blame these people. It's not entirely surprising, in a country as impoverished as ours, that this mentality that "affluence=evil" has become prevalent because that's what Villains in movies are supposed to be -- rich and powerful, opportunistic, heartless, consistent liars, evil to the core. When you are rich, you have got to be made of pure evilness. When you are poor, you have got to be pure of heart. That's the template we have made. That's how we stereotype according to economic class. So surely, this is what villains are supposed to be in real life as well -- or so they thought.

How else will you explain their vast wealth? The land they own which stretches far into the horizon, farther than your eyes could see? How can you possibly be wealthy and honorable at the same time? That's unthinkable! How can you possibly be successful, acquire riches and not lose a sense of your morals? Surely, anyone who is rich, whether by birth or by sheer perseverance, will eventually succumb to greed -- that's inevitable. No, scratch it, it's a sure thing. He will only enrich himself some more. Surely, no one who is rich deserves to be President -- or so they thought.

Affluence=Evil. Period. Definitive. No exceptions. Sure thing. -- or so they thought.

For how can anyone who lives in a mansion, drives a luxury car, owns acres upon acres of land, businesses of all sorts and jaw-dropping stock portfolios empathize with the poorest of the poor? The uncared for? The forgotten? How?

Well, if yours is a "rags to riches" story, to empathize with the poor you once were isn't hard to imagine. But no, the cynics say. Affluence=Evil. Period. Definitive. No exceptions. Sure thing. -- or so they thought.

This is the dilemma of Senator Manny Villar. But not one he goes through alone. It is also the dilemma of the "not-so-rich" presidentiables. Why so? Because in the same way we are adamant in putting someone rich in the highest seat of the land, we are equally reluctant to put someone "less rich" in the Palace -- ironically, for the exactly the same reason -- for fear of the elected President to amass wealth from the country's coffers. Temptation in government is very strong. It is everywhere. But it is especially strong in the Palace. To resist such, one must either be 1) impossibly saintly; and/or 2) too contented to not even spare corruption a thought.

So surely, people tell themselves -- Villar is the villain. In this story we're writing, anyone lesser in finances is the better choice -- they tell themselves. Look at all the money he's spending for TV ads. Surely, he'd want to get it back, double the amount at least -- after all, villains think that way. They are cunning...scheming. Conflict of interest. Double insertion. That's what the cynics tell themselves.

Hopefully, this little interview and humble article will be able to shed some light on certain issues and satisfy our need for answers to nagging questions we've always had and Sen. Manny Villar have always been asked.

MUST-READ PORTION: SKIP ALL BUT THIS

In my pre-interview article, I titled the post "Behind Frosted Glass: Uncovering the "Man" in Manny Villar". I chose that title because I felt it was a fitting comparison to how people see him -- "behind frosted glass". Frosted glass is produced by the acid etching of clear sheet glass, or sand-blasting. It has the effect of rendering the glass translucent, obscuring the view while still passing light. Therefore, when someone is behind frosted glass, you can't make out or figure out who is behind it -- you can't tell exactly how he looks like. But of course, this analogy transcends the physical. In its deeper sense, you can't tell what is in his heart, his personality, his values, his so-called "essence". So every person who looks at this frosted glass looks with curiosity, sometimes with awe, sometimes with disdain -- all wondering, and each of them having a certain "perception" of who that person behind frosted glass is. They see this obscure figure moving about, possibly going through the routine of his life for years on end, just going through the motions of a normal life, oblivious to the fact that people who pass by and try to see him through this frosted glass, after spending a lengthy time trying to "figure him out", leave frustrated and with only a vague image of who the guy is "in real life". Left with no other choice, they turn to each other for insights, each one comparing notes with the other. One says, "I think he is ungodly. I've never seen him pray." The other one adds, "And I think he's irresponsible, I've never seen him clean the house." A third one concludes, with so much passion and false conviction, "I'm not sure he is even a man at all. I mean, he could be anything but a man."

Now, imagine passing by this same frosted glass one day, given all the authority and resources to shatter that glass and get to see the "man" for the very first time -- as he is. You have two hours to ask him what you've always wanted to know, yes, even the personal stuff. What will you ask this "man"? And after you found out what and who he is, will you keep it to yourself? Or will you share it with everyone else?

If I am that fortunate passer-by, wouldn't you want to know what I have found out?

*************************************

Click here to view the replay of the live-blogged Q&A

FINAL THOUGHTS:

After sitting down with Senator Manny Villar, the question of whether he is the villain becomes cloudier and cloudier as he sits there sharing his thoughts and vision for the country. And suddenly, you come to a realization, perhaps clearer than your first impression, clearer than all the noise created by scandals. Villar the villain fades into the background and you realize, one thing and only one thing is for sure -- by chasing his dream and being true to himself and his core beliefs, unfazed by all criticisms, Villar the villain may remain a question to many but Villar the villified will be an incontestable fact.
***
Credits:
Many thanks to Natz Jose of Havoc Digital for the invite.

Suggested Further Reading:

• Withdrawal of Support to “Manny Villar for President in 2010″
• It’s Manny for Manny
• And My Vote for Philippine President Come 2010 Goes To…
• Anyone But Willie Revillame, Please.
• Behind Frosted Glass: Uncovering the “Man” in Manny Villar

Manny Villar: The Usual Villain?! is another original post from: adayinthelifeofrj.com
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Two songs to reinforce and re-establish the "personableness" of this blog against the backdrop of politics and technology.

Photo by Frederic della Faille

Disclaimer: The songs and lyrics are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels, and are provided here for informational and entertainment purposes only.

*****

Declaration (Words and music: Jon Black)

The Bonus track on Jon Black's newest album, "Goodbye Golden Age".

He wrote this song after having a fire drill at his office job, and, as he stood outside the building, decided that a cubicle wasn't for him. That night, he went home and wrote this song, the next day, he quit his desk job to pursue his love for music.

You've got to be kidding me
This can't be what I'm made for
To wake up and fall in line
Never feel or taste more

So I'm staring at the ocean tide
With this wind surrounding me
Let the restlessness inside
Lead to life abundantly

We're living in a land
where we go through these motions
just like fools, just like slaves
bound up, and shackled in these chains
this is a declaration

We want more
we want more
we want more
than this world can give

It's routine that's robbing us
it's routine some live for
'Cause routine is safe and calm
Ah, but we could ride this storm
but we're buried here alive
and we've got ourselves to blame
and we'll never feel the sun
and we'll never feel the rain

We're living in a land
where we go through these motions
just like fools, just like slaves
bound up and shackled in these chains
this is a declaration

We want more
we want more
we want more
than this world can give

We want more
we want more
we want more
than this world can give

We want more
we want more
we want more
than this world can give

We're living in a land
where we go through these motions
just like fools, just like slaves
bound up and shackled in these chains
this is a declaration

This is a declaration

We want more
we want more
we want more
than this world can give

We want more then this world can give
We want more then this world can give.

***

Doing All Right (by: Queen)

Words and music by Brian May and Tim Staffell

"Doing All Right" was written by Brian May and Tim Staffell while in the pre-Queen band, Smile. The song changes many times throughout, from light pop music to acoustic guitars and even contains a section that could only be referred to as heavy metal. This is one of the few Queen songs to feature Brian May on the piano. (source: Wikipedia)

Yesterday my life was in ruin
Now today I know what I'm doing
Got a feeling I should be doing all right
Doing all right

Where will I be this time tomorrow?
Jumped in joy or sinking in sorrow
Anyway I should be doing all right
Doing all right

Should be waiting for the sun
Looking round to find the words to say
Should be waiting for the skies to clear
There ain't time in all the world

Should be waiting for the sun
And anyway I've got to hide away

Yesterday my life was in ruin
Now today God knows what I'm doing
Anyway I should be doing all right
Doing all right

Doing all right

*******

Where words fail, music triumphs.Suggested Further Reading:

• Turning 30, Turning Inward
• It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over
• I Live on Raw Emotion.
• Here’s to You, My “Crazy Love”
• Waiting For My Real Life To Begin: A Personal Reflection In Anticipation Of Year 2009

This Is A “Declaration” of “Doing All Right” is another original post from: adayinthelifeofrj.com
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Photo by p0ps HarlowThis is an ode to the complexities and contradictions that make up the lives of fathers and husbands and the enduring love for them of their daughters and wives.

To all the Fathers and Husbands out there, Happy Father's Day!

There Is Love
by: RJ

In that stern look,
Reciting countless threats of what not to touch,
Of what not to do, of what not to say.
No matter how sharp those eyes seem to be,
Even those windows to your soul betray you.
It shows me something else.
It shows me there is love.

In that heartbreaking comment,
That I look too thin now or too fat then,
That I look awful in my make-up,
That my perfume leaves a mind-numbing scent,
Even those words in your mouth betray you.
It tells me something else.
It tells me there is love.

In that fiery attack at my opinions
That I sound so stupid, so childish, so naive,
That I do not think as well as you
Or that I never will be as good as you..

Even those sentiments you keep hid in your heart betray you.
Because I feel something else.
I feel there is love.

For beyond your look are the eyes that I miss
Beyond your words are the lips I long to kiss,
Beyond your thoughts are the plans that I ardently wish,
And beyond this life is a love I can call my bliss.

So go ahead and give me that look
Pierce through my soul, cut within,
And while you're at it, Why not burn it, peel this skin?
Grip my heart so tight, crush it with all your strength
Take its life in the very palm of your unforgiving hand
Say the meanest words you can ever come up with
Make up stories, mock me with your melodies
Do your best. And hey, do your worst.

For there is nothing I fear now.
There is nothing I feel,
There is nothing I see,
And there is nothing I long for
But to take this love of yours, catch it and bottle it up
Chain it, bury it and keep it for all its worth,

Because no matter what you do
And no matter how I think
It hits me with something else
It hits me with such powerful contradiction.
It hits me with sorrowful happiness,
With an unmistakable mix of inexplicable emotions
That proves to me -- time and again
That you are, after all -- all love.

You may be the puzzle I can never put together,
The equation I will never figure out,
The song I can never sing in perfect tune,
Yet one touch is all it takes,
I die in ecstasy in your warm embrace,
And I know in an instant, oh I know it too well
There is great love deep within you
There is love where you are
And I resolve to live and die perplexed
Under its irresistible spell.

-----------------------------------------------------------Suggested Further Reading:

• If Words Can Kill
• The Art of Waiting
• How Would You Want To Die, Dear?
• Lie To Me
• On Account of What?

There Is Love: A Father’s Day Post is another original post from: adayinthelifeofrj.com
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Nature Tripping on a Boxing Day, originally uploaded by rjmarmol.

While everyone is home eagerly anticipating the delayed telecast of the Pacquiao-Hatton fight (which Pacquiao won by TKO at round 2!), I'm here at Tagaytay Garden Hotel overlooking the beautiful Taal lake for my new godson's christening.

I wish my new godson Hael Nikolai the best of everything. May God pour upon him countless blessings.

To my fellow Filipinos, woo hoo! Great job, Manny!Suggested Further Reading:

No related or similar posts found for this entry.

Nature Tripping on a Boxing Day is another original post from: adayinthelifeofrj.com
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"Communication"

For 27 years I've been trying to believe and confide in
Different people I've found.
Some of them got closer than others
Some wouldn't even bother and then you came around
I didn't really know what to call you, you didn't know me at all
But I was happy to explain.
I never really knew how to move you
So I tried to intrude through the little holes in your veins

And I saw you
But that's not an invitation
That's all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I've seen you, I know you
But I don't know
How to connect, so I disconnect

You always seem to know where to find me and I'm still here behind you
In the corner of your eye.
I'll never really learn how to love you
But I know that I love you through the hole in the sky.

Where I see you
And that's not an invitation
That's all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I've seen you, I know you
But I don't know
How to connect, so I disconnect

Well this is an invitation
It's not a threat
If you want communication
That's what you get
I'm talking and talking
But I don't know
How to connect
And I hold a record for being patient
With your kind of hesitation

Oh I need you, you want me
But I don't know how to connect

So I disconnect. I disconnect. #

---------------------------------------------------Suggested Further Reading:

• Lie To Me
• Here’s to You, My “Crazy Love”
• “Not now” Doesn’t Mean “Never”
• The Invisible Blog
• I Like Endings

I Disconnect is another original post from: adayinthelifeofrj.com
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Hmmm. I think we can both agree -- yes, you and me -- that this blog has been out of the limelight for far too long (and by limelight, I don't mean the fabulous kind, blame it on my recent writing vacation, I used the word for lack of a better term).

Anyway, for all those visiting this puny space of mine in the virtual world, and who does so every so often, let me begin by saying that although I am not really sorry, (because that is not the proper term -- the word I'm looking for, the term that aptly describes my feelings towards this issue, my dear, escapes me), I am nonetheless, almost always heartbroken. Maybe I will remember the exact term after a paragraph or two, who knows? God knows how much I need your patience right now because I have run out of it for myself. I guess what I'm trying to say is that a writing/blogging vacation isn't really good for me or for anyone else for that matter. Even for those people who stumble across my posts once in a while, either by choice or by divine intervention. And each and every time I see the same IP address arriving on my page on a different time, different day, my heart stops and bleeds -- because the truth is, I never really wanted to stop writing, regardless if nobody but myself gets to read what i write. You see, what many people (bloggers) have discovered (whether they admit it or not) is that there is joy enough in publishing content for all the world to see (and read). Nevermind the prospect of fame or appreciation -- those are just icing on the cake. The real joy of blogging is the act itself -- sitting in front of a pc, with nothing but your thoughts running through your fingers, pressing each letter on the keyboard -- that poor thing trying to absorb whatever emotion comes with each press..

You start with practically nothing -- from scratch. And after the whole affair is through, which lasts variably from minutes to hours to days, the "publish" button eagerly waiting for your click seems to bat its eyelashes at you, teasing you, taunting at you, as if to shout "click me if you dare!" and the blogger spirit in you, the writer heart that you wear ever so proudly but traceless of arrogance, finally gives in -- click you I will! Click you I dare!

Posts are made up of paragraphs. Paragraphs of sentences. Sentences of words. Words of thoughts. Thoughts of sparks -- images conjured up by one's valiant heart. There is apprehension, yes. But will I let it get me down? No. Will it stop me from writing? No.

The blogger of today is not so different from the prolific writers of the past, if only for the fact that once they start writing, they no longer belong to themselves, but to those who "read" them.

So yes, this blogger is yours. Apprehensively, yes. But yours just the same.

Ah yes, that "term" I was looking for? It got away. :)Suggested Further Reading:

• Now Well and Never Better
• And I Love You So
• The Invisible Blog
• It Strikes Again
• Thoughts that keep me awake at night

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