PARENTHESES

Iligan City like any other urban center had undergone major facelift. Unlike most European Cities where old structures are renovated and preserved, in our country urban facelifting means completely tearing down old structures and replacing it with ubiquitous modern buildings.

Through the years amidst the transformation of the city landscape, the humble St. Anthony’s Maternity Clinic in Iligan City has stood its ground. While the housepaint may change color every now and then yet its old wooden structure and quaint architecture remains in its original state. The clinic stands out preserved even as it is now dwarfed and shadowed by new buildings surrounding it.

The Clinic might not get the privilege of being preserved and cited as a historical landmark, but it holds a special place in my heart. It is here where I and three of my brothers were born. I hope it will continue to stand the test of time. I no longer live in Iligan City and I hope that someday when my children visits my birthplace they can still get a glimpse of the very place where I was born.

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photo source: http://www.iligan.us/

When I have this urge to watch a movie but ran out of new DVD (80% of our DVD collection are good quality DVDs we bought from good ole’ Jolly Roger) films and I’m too lazy to go to a movie house, the cable idiot box always comes handy.

I only have to settle on the couch and pick a good movie to watch from Cinemax, HBO or Star Movies. Although these channels usually have a selection of boring movies but once in a while you get to chance upon good ones.

Yesterday I got to watch SNATCH. It’s a film by Guy Ritchie, the same Guy who made Lock, Stock and 2 smoking barrels. And Yes, Virginia, he is the husband of Madonna.

SNATCH is an absobloodylutely one good crazy movie. It’s full of fucking bloody english humour, wits and shites. I had watched this movie before but it’s just good to repeat it wuns mor. I bet your bollocks to a barn dance you’d find this film better than watching a football match where a stupid Wayne Rooney gets another lousy red card.

SNATCH is not the usual hollywood-makes-u-feel-good-America-saved-the-day movie. It’s completely a Brit movie about Stealin’ Stones and Breakin’ Bones filmed entirely in London. As Avi in the movie said, “Yes, London. You know: fish, chips, cup ‘o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary fucking Poppins… LONDON.”

So c’mon lads, grab a SNATCH and enjoy the shag…I mean show. Wipe dha silly grin off yar face, bugger!

Goody gumdrops. Fetch us a cup of tea, will ya?

Four and twenty years ago I started singing the songs of Crosby, Stills and Nash or CSN as they are popularly known. CSN was my favorite during my teens when there’s so much time to make up everywhere you turn. My friends and I used to sing CSN songs in Our house, is a very, very fine house With two cats in the yard. During jam sessions CSN songs became our regular repertoire for more than Ten years singing right out loud I never looked was anybody listening?

Then Seems like something out of a dream I had years ago, yes I remember screaming Nobody laughing, all the good times Getting harder to come by without weeping as my friends and I parted ways to live our own separate lives. And as time passed, I was Moving through my changes as fast as I can. Yet through the years, I remained a simple man so I sing a simple song and continued Helplessly Hoping to remain a loyal CSN fan.

But what do you know? after a Long Time Gone, CSN is still alive and kicking! They are one person, They are two alone They are three together, They are for each other. It’s Daylight Again! Yes they’re older now, but Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry, So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

So Just a song before I go, To whom it may concern., knowing that they’re still around, The sky is clearing and the night has gone out. The sun, he come, the world is all full of light. Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on. .

Ala-ala ito ng mga luha, ala-ala ito ng nagbabagang lupa…

33 years ago today, on September 21, 1972 President Marcos officially became Dictator of the Philippines by issuing Proclamation 1081 placing the entire country under Martial Law.

Although I was still in grade school the day Martial Law was declared but I grew up to witness and experience its aftermath 14 years thence.

I remember as a kid we were required to sing the Bagong Lipunan Hymn everyday during flag ceremonies after the National Anthem and the Panatang Makabayan. I can still sing the Bagong Lipunan hymn in memory:

“may bagong silang, may bago nang buhay, bagong bansa, bagong galaw, sa bagong lipunan. magbabago ang lahat, tungo sa pag-unlad, at ating itanghal, bagong lipunan!”

During this period, war was raging in Mindanao so our schools were supplied with relief goods courtesy of the USAID. We get rations of Skimmed Milk, canned potatoes and of course the Nutribuns which we use as ersatz gloves for our made-up boxing matches.

But such carefree and playful memories of my chidhood was overshadowed by the sad realities of time.

Growing up in a war-torn land under Martial Law made me witness on how it is to be ruled by the military. Everything was controlled by the military; check points were set up at every street corner, curfew was imposed, random house searches were conducted deliberately, rampant illegal arrests, etc. There’s no day that passed without a news or two about arrests, massacres, salvagings and ambuscades. It was a period of living dangerously.

What I have only witnessed during my childhood became a living reality for me when I eventually joined the struggle against the Marcos Dictatorship during my teens. It was during this period that I experienced first hand the ruthlessness of the fascist Dicatatorship. During those trying times, we would consider ourselves lucky enough to survive arrest and torture. At least one can still live to tell tale of horrors. But many had the misfortune of a grimmer consequnce by being made to become permanently invisible or liquidated by the fascists.

Like many of those who have endured, the memory of friends and comrades who disappeared or perished in the struggle and to the thousands of faceless and nameless victims will forever remind us about Martial Law. A constant reminder for us to continously resist any attempts to revive Martial Law under a new name or form and to prevent it from ever happening again.

Never Again, Never Again..

Andres Bonifacio, Ama ng Rebolusyong Pilipino, tagapagtatag ng Katipunan, bayaning Pilipino; batang Tondo at may monumento sa Caloocan.

Malamang kesa hindi, sa ganitong mga kataga na lang natin naaalala ang isa sa pinaka dakilang bayani ng ating bansa. Malamang kesa hindi rin, wala tayong pakialam kung hanggang ganito lang ang nalalaman natin tungkol kay Mang Andres.

Sino nga ba ang magkaka-interes kung mismong ang Gobyerno natin ang siyang nagpapawalang halaga sa pag-gunita sa buhay at pakikibaka ng taong kinalala bilang Ama ng Rebolusyong Pilipino. Sino nga ba ang magkaka-interes malaman kung nagkaroon ba nang katarungan ang kanyang pagkamatay kung mismong ang Gobyerno natin ay patuloy na pinapatay maging ang kanyang ala-ala. Read more…

I never thought that crisis or depression only happens in, or are brought about by, real life situations. I was wrong. What seemed to be a harmless activity, an alternative outlet for creativity and diversion, can become a source of depression. I am talking about Blog Depression. And yes, Blog depression had become a growing epidemic in the cyberworld. It has affected bloggers to be disillusioned, taking long breaks, and in many cases simply closing up shop.

This growing problem somehow finds it way to the psyche of most of us bloggers whether we admit it or not. What is important is at least we know why and how it affects us. You might not know what hit you when depression suddenly sets in.

But hey, you have a real life to live, blogging depression finds its way easily to those who don’t have one. As a rule of thumb, just blog on and don’t let blogging bog your life. Take blogging as a therapeutic activity than the other way around.

Here’s a site that had come up with a pamphlet meant as a public service to help educate bloggers about this growing problem. You can download the complete blog depression pdf file from this site.

What do you think, Is this real or fake?

This is Real!

This is a real screen shot taken from Sky News (Ireland) broadcast. The text in the caption is supposed to be a declaration of President Bush on Hurricane Katrina to be “one of the worst disasters to hit the US”. Seemingly the quotation marks were inadvertently missed.

This may be a funny picture, but even without the quotation marks, the caption would still convey the same message apt for the person in picture. A message that conveys yet another reality – with or without the hurricane.

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Source: snopes.com