PARENTHESES

I don’t hate the American people. I only hate Americans who belong to the stupid, ignorant and arrogant species. Topping the list is the idiot sitting in the White House while the rest are scattered elsewhere in the world waging war killing people or learning about geography and lessons on culture which they don’t have.

A lot of these species are found in the Philippines, some raping our women but can’t be arrested by our government. There’s another one, quite a full mature breed of this species, who landed in jail in Davao City because he thinks that being American is a license to insult anybody. This asshole insulted a young Moro woman in public and bragging that, “I’m a New Yorker! I remember 9-11 and all that! Go tell your husband and Muslims! We have guns you know! We could kill you all! Bring Osama bin Laden! We’ve been looking for him!” Read the whole story about this stupid American here.

Meanwhile in Sulu, local village folks recovered what seemed to be an RQ-11 Raven , an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) used by American troops for real-time reconnaisance on enemy locations. Interviewed on TV, an American GI confirmed that it is indeed a UAV but didn’t elaborate on why it was flying the friendly skies of Sulu. Proudly he just reiterated that the objectives of the American forces in Sulu are only to conduct socio-civic actions, like building or repairing roads and other infrastructures and also conducting medical missions. If that is so, what on earth is the UAV spyplane doing, looking for someone that needs medical attention?

Jose can you see, by the dawn’s early light…

Isn’t she lovely
Isn’t she wonderful
Isn’t she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we’d be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn’t she lovely made from love
(Stevie Wonder)

Our baby Himaya Amarantha just turned two years old yesterday, Valentines Day 2006.

We love you our precious Maia.

РAm̢, In̢ and Kuya Maui

What fitting theme is there to write on this day of hearts than something that talks about love. Call it corny but I suppose everyone has its share of kakornehan every once and a while, most especially on a Valentines Day. So for my 101st post here’s my share.

A lot of people find attachment to songs especially if those songs somehow reflect one’s situation in life, relate to one’s feelings or simply because the song describes one’s character. There is always an appropriate soundtrack to everyone’s life in any given situation most especially those that deals on affairs of the heart. Thats how love theme songs came into being. Love songs come to life if it is cherished and shared by two loving hearts.

There is one particular love song that I will cherish forever. Aside from its romantic lyrics and pleasant melody, I have immortalized this love song because of the unique circumstance as to how it was sung to me. Not so long ago while I was in Zamboanga City, the most beautiful woman I have ever met, who was in Cebu at that time, sang to me a love song over the phone. Yes, she called me in long distance because she just wanted to sing me this song;

Next To You
(Kenny Rankin)

If I had me a bag of good wishes
There’s no mystery to what I would do
I would use all my magical powers
And try to get next to you

I would bring you a field of flowers
As your lucky star would do
With my heart I would paint you a rainbow
If I could get next to you

There’s so much we can share
However far too long

We both know that there’s so much here
This is where I belong

Late at night when I close my eyes
Make believin’ that you are here
Dreamin’ of the things we do
If I could get next to you

In my mind, Ooh ooh, I have kissed you
And it feels like a thousand times
I’d lose track of all the hours
Dreamin’ I’m next to you

This is where I belong

Late at night when I close my eyes
Make believin’ that you are here
Dreamin’ of the things we do
If I could get next to you

In my mind, Ooh ooh, I have kissed you
And it feels like a thousand times
I’d lose track of all the hours
Wishing and hoping
That I could get next to you.

I have never stopped listening to her songs since then. She’s now forever next to me. That beautiful woman is now my loving wife and partner in life. And what more can I ask of her in every Valentines Day that comes. She had already given me the greatest gift of love and joy by giving birth to our lovely daughter Himaya Amarantha on Valentines Day.

This is my 101st post. It’s about love and a song and this is for the love of my life, Bambit.

HAPPY VALENTINES DARLING!

Two weeks from now, this season’s UEFA Champions League is entering its First Knock-out round. After only few teams left to compete for this round, the matches are surely going to be very exciting.

One match that I’m anticipating to watch is the match between the English Chelsea FC and the Catalan FC Barcelona.

This is a sort of rematch of last season’s stormy showdown between these two great teams. Both legs of that volatile tie were marred by controversy as Chelsea went on to win 5-4 on aggregate. It was also during this match where at the end of the game there were skirmishes in the tunnel after a Chelsea steward allegedly called Barcelona’s black striker Samuel Eto’o a “monkey”. FC Barcelona Coach Rijkaard and Ronaldinho were both involved in the clashes after the match and the Barcelona coach admitted that the defeat was hard to bear.

On February 22, these two teams will meet again at London. For sure this match will be full of drama and scintillating football. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

This Chelsea-Barcelona first knock-out round match will be shown live at ESPN on February 23, 2006 at 3:30 AM (Philippine time).

Also not to miss is a knock-out round match between Real Madrid and Arsenal which will be shown live at STAR Sports Channel on February 22, 2006 at 3:30 AM (Philippine time).

These two matches is a great treat, it offers the best of futbol Espanyol versus the top notchers of the English League. So place your bets.

The break’s over, now back to the match.

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Photo taken from UEFA.com

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor. – Sholom Aleichem

I was gripped with grief and anger as I watched on TV the reports about the stampede at ULTRA that took 73 lives and injured a hundred more.

Wowowhat? That’s BS!

What help to Filipinos do these TV game shows provide? Besides peddling trash entertainment, the only thing these game shows provide to our poor is the perpetuation of an illusion to get rich the quickest way. Everybody knows that giant TV Networks are just using the situation of poverty of the people to outdo each other for ratings and commercial revenues beefed up by viewership and patronage.

For all we know these game shows, in the guise of helping filipinos, earn much more than what they give as prizes. Among big Corporations, the much hyped Corporate social-responsibility advocacy is nothing but another do-good PR and marketing strategy intended to ease tax accountabilities through charitable contributions while banking on the abject poverty of the masses to rake more profit.

Again, what social responsibility? Even the tragedy like the ULTRA stampede is treated as a scoop and raised to sensational proportions by these rapacious networks. A TV anchor while reporting the news even had the audacity to use the word “phenomenal” to highlight the attraction of a huge crowd to the anniversary of Wowowe. As if the tragedy doesn’t really matter, what is important is that the Wowowee game show was able to mobilize such mamoth crowd. Willie Revillame even wanted the show to go on despite the deadly stampede, according to the Daily Tribune. And for sure the other network will capitalize on this tragedy to undermine its rival.This is sickening.

Naturally ABS-CBN being producer of the show took the responsibility of shouldering the funeral expenses of all victims and the hospitalization for those who were injured. While Willie Revillame plans to take a leave to personally condole with families of victims. But this is not enough. These are but consolation prizes for a game show that was paid dearly by the lives of poor people. Even if it was an accident, someone must be held liable for this tragedy. Unlike natural calamities where we only have our faltering faith in God and the corruption in Government to blame for its disastrous outcome, the ULTRA tragedy is an accident that was bound to happen. The organizers have already saw the influx of a big crowd days before the actual event. The Devil is in the detail, they must have given extra attention to it.

If anything, the ULTRA tragedy like all tragedies that befell our country, highlighted a grim and sad reality of our society. As mentioned by Willlie Revillame, “This accident only shows how hard life is for many of our countrymen.” I completely agree with this statement if only to point out that the Government is as guilty as the giant TV networks. Guilty of making poverty in this country the biggest reality show.

Took this Superhero personality test, and voila,

You are Green Lantern

Green Lantern 70% Superman 70% The Flash 65% Iron Man 55% Supergirl 50% Robin 45% Hulk 45% Spider-Man 40% Catwoman 40% Wonder Woman 35% Batman 20%

Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.

Which Superhero are you? Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

If you’re sick and tired on how our country is being run, why not create your own and run it the way you want it to be. This is what I just did. I created a country named The Democratic States of Mandanawi (after the ancient name of Mindanaw).

Over lunch my teenage stepson X and I were discussing about some recent sickening events in our country. Out of the blue he suddenly asked me if I wanted to create a country of my own and run it. A bit confused I just dismissed it as one of his usual banters and told him, “Well, if we are a billion richer than Bill Gates, we can surely buy a country of our own”. But X was not joking. He told me about an internet site where one can virtually create a country and run it. It caught my interest and immediately after lunch he led me to that internet site where I eventually created a country of my own.

Go and visit the Jennifer Government:Nation-State site and create your own utopian paradise. Here you can create a country, establish your own system, have your own motto and flag, have diplomatic relations with other countries and become part of a Regional formation and the United Nations, etc.. Once a day, you’ll be faced with an issue, and need to make a decision as to what to do about it. This determines how your nation evolves.

It’s just a game and it’s fun. It takes you to a trip to a virtual world where the madness of real contemporary politics exists. Try it and see how your country evolves and progress.