Tuesday, January 24, 2012
2012
Kung talagang magugunaw ang mundo ngayong 2012, gusto kong ma-confirm at maipaalam kaagad ito sa lahat. Inaasahan kong du’n lamang natin maa-approximate ang isang global utopia. Ang pinakamalaking motivation natin kung bakit ginagawa natin ang mga ginagawa natin, kahit ‘yung mga hindi natin gustong gawin, will suddenly lose their grip on how we lead our lives. Hindi mo naman kelangang ma-stuck sa trabahong hindi mo gusto para lang may maipon ka. Hindi mo na kailangang i-shortchange ang mga empleyado mo para lang malaki ang maipatayo mong bahay kesa sa mga kaibigan mo. Hindi mo na ipagdidiinan na mas tama ang relihiyon mo (o ang pananaw mong walang relihiyon o walang Diyos) dahil ang iyong spiritual efforts ay matutuon na lamang sa pinakahuling pakikipag-usap sa anumang sinasamba mo. Kung sigurado na nga ang sabay-sabay nating pagpanaw, maging siguro ang Santo Papa magdududa kung tamang diyos nga ba ang kanyang pinagdarasalan. Pero dahil wala namang sure na sure, eh, ‘di sama-samang dasal na lang ng mga pare-pareho ng dinarasalan nang may kakaibang taimtim, habang may mas malalim na ring pag-unawa at pagrespeto sa pagdarasal ng iba na maaaring mapatunayan in a short while na sa kanila pala ang tamang daan.
Wala nang visa-visa dahil manghihinayang ang mga tao na hindi man lang nabisita ang kanilang lugar kaya’t magtutulungan ang lahat upang makapaglakbay tayo sa huling mga buwan natin dito sa mundo. Paris, New York, London, Brazil, Israel, Tokyo, Beijing, Barcelona ang mga sasadyain ko sa isang travel system na mas bukas at hospitable, bungad ng desperasyon ng mga taong ma-enjoy ang mundong hindi talaga nila na-explore noong may panahon pa.
Karamihan ng mga nakausap ko about my pre-apocalyptic vision are not convinced. Parang hindi nila ma-grasp ang pagka-optimistic ko raw. Ako naman, in turn, ay surprised na surprised that not many people agree with me. Naintindihan ko na lang kanina when I was putting my head around it, para nga namang ang hirap i-imagine ang mundo running on a system apart from what it uses now. Paano nga kung lahat ng bagot na sa trabaho nila ang nag-resign para mag-travel, nag-withdraw ng kani-kanilang pera, hindi ba magkakaroon ng financial crisis? So paano na nga? Instead of finding a solution, inisip ko na lang na kaya hirap tayong isipin eh kasi theoretical lang lahat (and even at that level hindi naman talaga natin siniseryosong theory ang end of the world by 2012). But I still assert na kung i-announce nga ng magugunaw ang mundo by the end of the 2012, magkakaroon ng drastic changes in each one of us that we cannot just fathom. I’d like to believe it will be for the better. The current system nga naman based on toiling, saving, fighting for what you think is right, delaying gratification are all founded on an uncertain future. We have to survive now and make steps that we survive whatever it is that might happen in the future. We’ve accepted and even practice some evils in the name of survival. But that need is gone when we have a definite deadline. Pull out all your money to spend on anything. Or better, money wouldn’t be an object. What use would anyone have for it in the long run?
Why would anyone put up with a stupid boss? Or would the boss still have a reason to be take credit for other’s work? Why would you put up with an abusive relationship, or why wouldn’t you take steps to make things a little better between you and that person who’ve loved you all along even when everything he does drives you crazy? What’s the point of keeping sane prisoners away from their loved ones before rapture? Indeed even if I end up sitting right next to Imelda Marcos on my way to Barcelona, why would I further jeopardize my Catholic-bashing soul from more punishment in the afterlife by punching her in the face? Wouldn’t the thought that it won’t be long before she faces God put a satisfied grin on my face? Oh, her cooky, greedy mind would shudder from the thought! I’d love to see that fear on her face, and on the faces of the countless others in government who screwed us up. Or maybe eternal damnation might be worth it if I just go right ahead and punch her in the face. What’s the worst that could happen? Her bodyguards shoot me? I’m due to the die by the end of the year anyway.
Wala nang visa-visa dahil manghihinayang ang mga tao na hindi man lang nabisita ang kanilang lugar kaya’t magtutulungan ang lahat upang makapaglakbay tayo sa huling mga buwan natin dito sa mundo. Paris, New York, London, Brazil, Israel, Tokyo, Beijing, Barcelona ang mga sasadyain ko sa isang travel system na mas bukas at hospitable, bungad ng desperasyon ng mga taong ma-enjoy ang mundong hindi talaga nila na-explore noong may panahon pa.
Karamihan ng mga nakausap ko about my pre-apocalyptic vision are not convinced. Parang hindi nila ma-grasp ang pagka-optimistic ko raw. Ako naman, in turn, ay surprised na surprised that not many people agree with me. Naintindihan ko na lang kanina when I was putting my head around it, para nga namang ang hirap i-imagine ang mundo running on a system apart from what it uses now. Paano nga kung lahat ng bagot na sa trabaho nila ang nag-resign para mag-travel, nag-withdraw ng kani-kanilang pera, hindi ba magkakaroon ng financial crisis? So paano na nga? Instead of finding a solution, inisip ko na lang na kaya hirap tayong isipin eh kasi theoretical lang lahat (and even at that level hindi naman talaga natin siniseryosong theory ang end of the world by 2012). But I still assert na kung i-announce nga ng magugunaw ang mundo by the end of the 2012, magkakaroon ng drastic changes in each one of us that we cannot just fathom. I’d like to believe it will be for the better. The current system nga naman based on toiling, saving, fighting for what you think is right, delaying gratification are all founded on an uncertain future. We have to survive now and make steps that we survive whatever it is that might happen in the future. We’ve accepted and even practice some evils in the name of survival. But that need is gone when we have a definite deadline. Pull out all your money to spend on anything. Or better, money wouldn’t be an object. What use would anyone have for it in the long run?
Why would anyone put up with a stupid boss? Or would the boss still have a reason to be take credit for other’s work? Why would you put up with an abusive relationship, or why wouldn’t you take steps to make things a little better between you and that person who’ve loved you all along even when everything he does drives you crazy? What’s the point of keeping sane prisoners away from their loved ones before rapture? Indeed even if I end up sitting right next to Imelda Marcos on my way to Barcelona, why would I further jeopardize my Catholic-bashing soul from more punishment in the afterlife by punching her in the face? Wouldn’t the thought that it won’t be long before she faces God put a satisfied grin on my face? Oh, her cooky, greedy mind would shudder from the thought! I’d love to see that fear on her face, and on the faces of the countless others in government who screwed us up. Or maybe eternal damnation might be worth it if I just go right ahead and punch her in the face. What’s the worst that could happen? Her bodyguards shoot me? I’m due to the die by the end of the year anyway.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sa mga Nagka-Quarter Life Crisis, It Gets Better
It’s really like when an aunt you only see during Christmas family reunions exclaim na “Ang lak-laki mo na!” and you don’t know exactly how to respond because you are always you, you think, so you never really notice that some considerable time has passed and you have indeed grown astoundingly. You never notice time passing until it is joltingly noticeable like 1999 changing to 2000 compared to the coming of this second year of the second decade of the millennium. You never notice until your usually inactive high school batch Facebook group suddenly comes to life through a flood of open-ended posts soliciting memories about the goings-on after lights out during retreats, the brawls on and off campus, the teachers you crushed on and the ones you cursed, and suddenly, the online merriment when a long-lost classmate you never really bothered with during high school is suddenly part of the fb group probably feels like the party to welcome back the prodigal son. You never notice Time until He suddenly slaps you with a photo taken in 1995. Scanned! Tagged! Shared! SHET!
Just like what Michelle tells her best friend and fellow batch outcast, Romy, “I thought high school was blast!” It didn’t matter what you did and who you hang out with, even to the people you thought must have had a difficult high school life would probably say that high school was fun! Hollywood and Viva Films got it all wrong! There really are no outcasts because in every high school guy's head, he is THAT cool guy unlike that UN-COOL guy! We also fussed over our hair, clothes, and "image" like any of the TGIS cast. In life, as in showbiz, when you're young you're the star. The year I turned 20 I was so sad with the fact that all of a sudden, those beautiful, pained characters in top-rating “youth-oriented programs” were no longer me.
By the time you're 25, this negative energy combusts and consumes you! My generation calls this the “Quarter-Life Crisis.” But just like the high school problems that was supposed to kill us, this existential angst only needs to be ridden out, an illusion of a problem brought about any teenager’s incompetence in accurately predicting what life would be like by the time he reaches the ripe-old age of 25.
Recovery comes after accepting that our pathetic excuses on why you’re stuck in your thankless job, why you’re not earning as much, AND why you’re still single actually just describe the typical quarter-lifer. “Marami pala tayong mababa ang suweldo at walang lovelife! Cheers!” That’s why turning 30 was a blast! It’s the time when you’re much closer to that 25-year old image that your teenaged self hoped for. Suddenly we’re all getting married, starting a family, migrating to greener pastures, getting promoted, finally turning in a profit! We realize that the past's red-number riddled transcript of records and wrong career moves did not kill us, and we're stronger for it. Sheeeet! We are living inspirations quotes!
My most optimistic and patriotic self can be still be skeptical about the very bright prospect recently pegged by HSBC in a CNN report (that the Philippines will leapfrog to be the world’s 16th largest community by 2050). Or maybe that's this nation's quarter-life crisis talking. In any case, I won’t allow any crisis to kill my spirit, I’ll keep on working hard, and will keep on loving even when it hurts, dahil kahit hindi ka sigurado kung may mapapala nga ba, mas mabuti na ‘yun kesa sumuko na lang. It worked in our individual lives, 'di ba? So this might be the time when we think about what we can actually do for others. Let me quote another inspiring movie: “You don’t have to believe in your government. You just have to believe in your country” – Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
Just like what Michelle tells her best friend and fellow batch outcast, Romy, “I thought high school was blast!” It didn’t matter what you did and who you hang out with, even to the people you thought must have had a difficult high school life would probably say that high school was fun! Hollywood and Viva Films got it all wrong! There really are no outcasts because in every high school guy's head, he is THAT cool guy unlike that UN-COOL guy! We also fussed over our hair, clothes, and "image" like any of the TGIS cast. In life, as in showbiz, when you're young you're the star. The year I turned 20 I was so sad with the fact that all of a sudden, those beautiful, pained characters in top-rating “youth-oriented programs” were no longer me.
By the time you're 25, this negative energy combusts and consumes you! My generation calls this the “Quarter-Life Crisis.” But just like the high school problems that was supposed to kill us, this existential angst only needs to be ridden out, an illusion of a problem brought about any teenager’s incompetence in accurately predicting what life would be like by the time he reaches the ripe-old age of 25.
Recovery comes after accepting that our pathetic excuses on why you’re stuck in your thankless job, why you’re not earning as much, AND why you’re still single actually just describe the typical quarter-lifer. “Marami pala tayong mababa ang suweldo at walang lovelife! Cheers!” That’s why turning 30 was a blast! It’s the time when you’re much closer to that 25-year old image that your teenaged self hoped for. Suddenly we’re all getting married, starting a family, migrating to greener pastures, getting promoted, finally turning in a profit! We realize that the past's red-number riddled transcript of records and wrong career moves did not kill us, and we're stronger for it. Sheeeet! We are living inspirations quotes!
My most optimistic and patriotic self can be still be skeptical about the very bright prospect recently pegged by HSBC in a CNN report (that the Philippines will leapfrog to be the world’s 16th largest community by 2050). Or maybe that's this nation's quarter-life crisis talking. In any case, I won’t allow any crisis to kill my spirit, I’ll keep on working hard, and will keep on loving even when it hurts, dahil kahit hindi ka sigurado kung may mapapala nga ba, mas mabuti na ‘yun kesa sumuko na lang. It worked in our individual lives, 'di ba? So this might be the time when we think about what we can actually do for others. Let me quote another inspiring movie: “You don’t have to believe in your government. You just have to believe in your country” – Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Catholic Iskul
Trinay ko talagang maniwala kahit konti pero simula pa lang nadurog na ang puso ko nang sa halip na ibili ako ng hearing aid ay inabot sa’kin ni mommy ang bote ng milagrosong tubig ng Manaog at ang maliit na booklet ng nobena. Bago raw ako matulog ay dasalin ko ang nobena sa harap ng makulay na rebulto ng Kristo Rey sa kuwarto namin ng kapatid kong si Tin-Tin, tapos ay ipahid ko raw sa aking binging kanang tenga ang ilang patak ng milagrosong tubig. Matapos ang ilang linggo, iniyakan ko si Tin-Tin, sumabog ang galit ko hindi sa Diyos, kundi sa nanay kong pumipilit sa’king maniwala sa hindi naman totoo.
Hanggang ngayon, bingi pa rin ako dahil pinayo ng isang doktor na huwag na lang ako mag-hearing aid tutal ay nakapag-adapt na raw ako sa aking munting kapansanan. O puwede mo ring sabihing dahil nagkulang ako sa pananampalataya?
Siyam na milyong deboto ang tinatantiyang nakiisa sa Pista ng Black Nazarene sa Quiapo nu’ng isang linggo. Mahigit 11 million ang populasyon ng Metro Manila. Ano kaya’ng ipinagdasal nila sa prosisyong tumagal nang halos 22 oras? Nitong linggo naman ay nagsimula na ang fiesta season sa pagdaraos ng Sinulog Festival. Halos 500 taon na ang Kristiyanismo sa Pilipinas, ang natatanging baluwarte ng Santo Papa sa Asya, naririnig na kaya ng Diyos ang ating mga panalangin? O baka naman mali lang ang ipinagdarasal natin? Wala nga naman sa mundong ito ang tunay na kaligayahan at kaginhawaan, kaya tiis-tiis lang. God will provide kaya ‘wag mong iinda kung ilan ang magiging anak mo, blessing ‘yan. Nariyan naman ang kawang-gawa ng iba’t ibang mga simbahan para tumulong, lalo sa mga panahon ng sakuna. Blessings ang mga anak kaya walang-saysay ang pagmamahalan ng dalawang taong hindi naman magkakaanak sa natural na pamamaraan. ‘Wag nang ipilit ang mga bagay na hindi natural dahil “nakakadiri” kumpara sa paghingi ng mga obispo ng luxury suv kay Gloria, at sa paglalaan ng misa ng pasasalamat sa pagbabalik-bansa ni ex-Cong. Ronald Singson via private jet matapos makulong nang sampung buwan sa Hong Kong matapos mahulihan ng ilang gramo ng cocaine. At hindi sa cocaine ako nao-offend, sa totoo lang.
Matanda pa sa panahon nina Rizal itong ating pamomroblema sa simbahan - hindi sa Diyos, hindi sa pananampalataya ng mga taong nanalig sa isang kapangyarihang higit pa sa anumang kapangyarihan dito sa mundo, dahil ano nga ba ang Simbahan kundi ang komunidad ng mga nanampalataya? Problema pa rin natin itong simbahang libug na libog sa kapangyarihan. Limang daang taon ay higit pang sa sapat na panahon upang mapabuti ang buhay ng mga taong iyong ginagabayan kung iyon talaga ang iyong pakay. O, baka nga naman masyadong minamaliit ng isang tulad kong kulang (ubos?) na ang pananampalataya sa mga nagawang paggabay nila tutal poverty of the soul ang kanilang concern, at hindi ang literal na poverty na kitang-kita saanman lalo’t sa mga dikit-dikit na mga barung-barong na nakapaligid sa nag-iisang kunkretong istraktura, ang chapel-cum-multi-purpose hall. Ang iba pang konkretong istraktura ng simbahan ay pawang mamahaling ospital na may token charity wards, at ang kanilang exclusive schools, at elitistang mga unibersidad na may mga token night schools at scholarships. All that resources to give the poorest of the poor a chance at a better life, wasted at the rich to become even richer!
At ngayon, maging ang UP nai-invade na ng mga batang hindi na kailangang tustusan ng buwis ang matrikula dahil ‘di hamak nga namang mas mahusay na ang pagtuturo sa mga exclusive schools kesa doon sa mga libreng public schools. Wala pang utang na loob akong matuturing dahil ang de-kalidad na edukasyong nakuha ko sa isa sa mga exclusive school na ito ang nakatulong sa’king makapasok sa UP. At dahil du’n, lagi kong ipagpapasalamat sa Kalangitan ang grasyang napagtanto na wala sa simbahan ang Diyos. Amen.
Hanggang ngayon, bingi pa rin ako dahil pinayo ng isang doktor na huwag na lang ako mag-hearing aid tutal ay nakapag-adapt na raw ako sa aking munting kapansanan. O puwede mo ring sabihing dahil nagkulang ako sa pananampalataya?
Siyam na milyong deboto ang tinatantiyang nakiisa sa Pista ng Black Nazarene sa Quiapo nu’ng isang linggo. Mahigit 11 million ang populasyon ng Metro Manila. Ano kaya’ng ipinagdasal nila sa prosisyong tumagal nang halos 22 oras? Nitong linggo naman ay nagsimula na ang fiesta season sa pagdaraos ng Sinulog Festival. Halos 500 taon na ang Kristiyanismo sa Pilipinas, ang natatanging baluwarte ng Santo Papa sa Asya, naririnig na kaya ng Diyos ang ating mga panalangin? O baka naman mali lang ang ipinagdarasal natin? Wala nga naman sa mundong ito ang tunay na kaligayahan at kaginhawaan, kaya tiis-tiis lang. God will provide kaya ‘wag mong iinda kung ilan ang magiging anak mo, blessing ‘yan. Nariyan naman ang kawang-gawa ng iba’t ibang mga simbahan para tumulong, lalo sa mga panahon ng sakuna. Blessings ang mga anak kaya walang-saysay ang pagmamahalan ng dalawang taong hindi naman magkakaanak sa natural na pamamaraan. ‘Wag nang ipilit ang mga bagay na hindi natural dahil “nakakadiri” kumpara sa paghingi ng mga obispo ng luxury suv kay Gloria, at sa paglalaan ng misa ng pasasalamat sa pagbabalik-bansa ni ex-Cong. Ronald Singson via private jet matapos makulong nang sampung buwan sa Hong Kong matapos mahulihan ng ilang gramo ng cocaine. At hindi sa cocaine ako nao-offend, sa totoo lang.
Matanda pa sa panahon nina Rizal itong ating pamomroblema sa simbahan - hindi sa Diyos, hindi sa pananampalataya ng mga taong nanalig sa isang kapangyarihang higit pa sa anumang kapangyarihan dito sa mundo, dahil ano nga ba ang Simbahan kundi ang komunidad ng mga nanampalataya? Problema pa rin natin itong simbahang libug na libog sa kapangyarihan. Limang daang taon ay higit pang sa sapat na panahon upang mapabuti ang buhay ng mga taong iyong ginagabayan kung iyon talaga ang iyong pakay. O, baka nga naman masyadong minamaliit ng isang tulad kong kulang (ubos?) na ang pananampalataya sa mga nagawang paggabay nila tutal poverty of the soul ang kanilang concern, at hindi ang literal na poverty na kitang-kita saanman lalo’t sa mga dikit-dikit na mga barung-barong na nakapaligid sa nag-iisang kunkretong istraktura, ang chapel-cum-multi-purpose hall. Ang iba pang konkretong istraktura ng simbahan ay pawang mamahaling ospital na may token charity wards, at ang kanilang exclusive schools, at elitistang mga unibersidad na may mga token night schools at scholarships. All that resources to give the poorest of the poor a chance at a better life, wasted at the rich to become even richer!
At ngayon, maging ang UP nai-invade na ng mga batang hindi na kailangang tustusan ng buwis ang matrikula dahil ‘di hamak nga namang mas mahusay na ang pagtuturo sa mga exclusive schools kesa doon sa mga libreng public schools. Wala pang utang na loob akong matuturing dahil ang de-kalidad na edukasyong nakuha ko sa isa sa mga exclusive school na ito ang nakatulong sa’king makapasok sa UP. At dahil du’n, lagi kong ipagpapasalamat sa Kalangitan ang grasyang napagtanto na wala sa simbahan ang Diyos. Amen.
