I need to turn my sail
towards what I once hated
the world has changed
at least in my eyes
my heart wants nothing now
to throw my strength for a better place
for peace in Hell
serve Sparta or the Crusades
but myself I serve first
the mind is now ripe like the vine
so ripe that it produces wine
lets drink the raging soul, to the death
compassion is nothing
peace is nothing
war is all
I am not a good poet. This one’s so crude. But all my efforts I have offered here. Troubled was my mind when I wrote this.
Missing My Best Friend
In the past, when youth did not bloom
A friend I met, Claide Jane they call
She was not dear to me at all, but wait
Until dawn of youth i bear none of her
Many an adventure, a wretched life I had
A sophomore yet adventurous lad.
The girl I noticed was not mine
Once the best of my friend but twice
I smelled my blood
Unhappy, wretched, dismayed by fortune
The glorious misfortune, shaped my hand
I played the guitar, piano and flute
I played music that the soul sought
Mine was the best music I ever heard
Until she played the strings in me.
A junior was then this youth
A junior was then OJ
Matters stood not as they were
The inability to not engage is not me
I noticed her but she dumped me
It didn’t hurt me, for I feel less love then
She and me ended nothing less
but friends bounded in steel thread
She and me dearest ever
Talking about an unending heroic tale
We spend hours together each day until
Darkness wraps the skies
I miss those days, those nights I seek
Hope is with me, following never leaving
like my shadow
Humdrum are may days without her music
Until now I miss her, the best of friend that I consider.
"In Like A Lion (Always Winter)"
It’s always nice to look out the window
And see those very first few flakes of snow
And later on we can go outside
And create the impression of an angel that just fell from the sky
When February rolls around I’ll roll my eyes
Turn a cold shoulder to these even colder skies
And by the fire my heart it heaves a sigh
For the green grass waiting on the other side
It’s always winter but never Christmas
It seems this curse just can’t be lifted
Yet in the midst of all this ice and snow
Our hearts stay warm cause they are filled with hope
It’d be so nice to look out the window
And see the leaves on the trees begin to show
The birds would congregate and sing
A song of birth a song of newer things
The wind would calm and the sun would shine
I’d go outside and I’d squint my eyes
But for now I will simply just withdraw
Sit here and wish for this world to thaw
And everything it changed overnight
This dying world you brought it back to life
And deep inside I felt things
Shifting everything was melting
Away oh away
And you gave us the most beautiful of days
Cause when it’s always winter but never Christmas
Sometimes it feels like you’re not with us
But deep inside our hearts we know
That you are here and we will not lose hope
This article was (and is) written based solely on my opinion about the existing status of programming in the Philippines. I haven’t done any research on this. Just purely intuition and a little bit of personal experience.
When I was in high school, I was really fascinated with the word ‘programming’ when I heard it from my teacher in computer literacy subject. For me it was such a very nice thing to learn and hopefully find it useful in the future. Unfortunately, I was not able to program any simple program nor able to read any programming language when I was in high school. The truth is, our place is very isolated. There aren’t any computer shops were children and adults alike can play computer games. The number of computers in the whole barangay on 2004 did not exceed the number of fingers in my left hand. The latest OS that I used while in high school was MS Windows Me, the ‘most unstable’ OS I ever used whereas Windows XP Home Edition was already released in 2001. On the other hand, the oldest computer was running in DOS and the oldest GUI-based OS was Windows 3.11. I would say our place sucks. But whatever may I say about it, I lived in that place and until today, I still am a resident of that barangay.
Now, you may wonder what the above story has to do with this essay. I say it means a lot. The place where I came from is a typical Filipino barangay. It represents the entire country to me and to prove that, I have been to many places across the country and was able to know that my barangay is much like the barangays I have treaded on.
(not yet finished. i shall return.)
Here’s a commentary by Ben Stein which I think everyone must read. Please don’t ignore this. Before we celebrate the joy of Christmas season, I suggest we pause for a moment and ask ourselves, Is God happy with me?
The
following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday
Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every
single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me
even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled
trees Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel
discriminated against. That’s what they are: Christmas trees.
It
doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I
don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a
ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers
and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me
at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection
near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it’s just as fine
with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards
away.
I don’t like getting pushed around for
being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around
for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and
tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the
concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I
can’t find it in the Constitution and I don’t like it being shoved
down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did
the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we
aren’t allowed to worship God as we understand Him?
I guess that’s a sign
that I’m getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering
where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went
to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a
laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke;
it’s not funny, it’s intended to get you thinking.
Billy
Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson
asked her ‘How could God let something like this happen?’ (regarding
Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and
insightful response. She said, ‘I believe God is deeply saddened by
this, just as we are,but for years we’ve been telling God to get out
of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our
lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has
calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and
His protection if we demand He leave us alone?’
In light of
recent events…terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it
started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found
recently) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we
said OK.
Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.
The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love
your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin
Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave because
their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their
self-esteem (Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide). We said an expert
should know what he’s talking about. And we said OK.
Now we’re
asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t
know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill
strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we
think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it
has a great deal to do with ‘WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.’
Funny how
simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s
going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say,
but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send
‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you
start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about
sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene
articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God
is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you
laughing?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not
send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they
believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny
how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than
what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If
not then just discard it… no one will know you did. But, if you
discard this thought process, don’t sit back and complain about what
bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards.
Honestly and
respectfully,
Ben Stein
Grabe! Tama na! Sobra na! Palitan na! I support the undertakings of those individuals and groups out in the streets crying for political change. Those opportunistic few who are seated in their undeserved positions must, as a response to our heroes and heroines’ call, step down and face judgment. You don’t belong anywhere here in this country. I wrote this song to show my utmost support to oust those who are deliberately putting our heroes’ and heroines’ triumph in protecting this country, its people and its future in vain. Future is what really matters most to me. I want this country to move out from stagnation. Its time to turn the hourglass as the sand has long been at the bottom.
Dasal ng Bayani
Ang hirap
ng ating mga bayani
Sinayang
lang ng nakararami
Walang
kwentang mga taong nasa gobyerno
Nangungurakot
lamang
Mabuhay ang
Pilipinas!
Mabuhay ang
mga taong
May
pakialam para sa pagbabago
Mabuhay ang
mga bayani
Mabuhay ang
mga Pilipino
Tapat sa
ating bayan at sa Diyos
Ang
katiwalian ay hindi dapat pinapalampas
Pagkat ito
ang dahilan ng pagkasira ng bayan
Tapat na
mga tao ang ating kailangang suportahan
May
pakialam sa pagbabago ng
Bulok na
sistema
Mabuhay ang
Pilipinas!
Mabuhay ang
mga taong
May
pakialam para sa pagbabago
Mabuhay ang
mga bayani
Mabuhay ang
mga Pilipino
Tapat sa
ating bayan at sa Diyos
Ang
nangangailangan ay dapat tinutulungan
Ganyan ang
tunay na Pilipino
Nagkakaisa
tayo
Ang taong
may takot sa Diyos ay may
Respeto sa
kapwa niya
May
pakialam sa pagbabago ng
Bulok na
sistema
Mabuhay ang
Pilipinas!
Mabuhay ang
mga taong
May
pakialam para sa pagbabago
Mabuhay ang
mga bayani
Mabuhay ang
mga Pilipino
Tapat sa
ating bayan at sa Diyos
Hindi bala
ang ating kailangan
Kundi edukasyon
at malayang pamamahayag
Gising mga
kababayan, gising mga kabataan
Tayo ay
inaabuso ng nasa pamahalaan
Kung
kailangang dugo ang ialay
Ialay para
sa kinabukasan
“Kayo ang
aming inaasahan
Sa inyo
nakasalalay ang kinabukasan
Mangarap
kayo tulad ko
Makibaka
kayo para sa Nayong Pilipino”
“Ang hirap
naming mga bayani
Sinayang
lamang ng nakararami
Walang
kwentang mga taong nasa gobyerno
Nangungurakot
lamang”
“Ang hirap
naming mga bayani
Sinayang
lamang ninyong nakararami
Walang
kwentang mga Pilipino
Wag niyong
unahin ang sarili ninyo”
Mabuhay ang
Pilipinas!
Mabuhay ang
mga taong
May
pakialam para sa pagbabago
Mabuhay ang
mga bayani
Mabuhay ang
mga Pilipino
Tapat sa
ating bayan at sa Diyos
Umiiyak ang
ating piso
Pero hindi
kailanman ito’y magpapatalo
Mga luha ng
katapangan inaalay sa isang dasal
“Panginoon
kami’y iyong tulungan
Tulungan
upang maiahon sa kasadlakan
Ang bawat
dugo at pawis sa iyo i-aalay
Para sa
aming kinabukasan”
Ang taong
may takot sa Diyos ay may
Respeto sa
kapwa niya
May
pakialam sa pagbabago ng
Bulok na
sistema
Mabuhay ang
Pilipinas!
Mabuhay ang
mga taong
May
pakialam para sa pagbabago
Mabuhay ang
mga bayani
Mabuhay ang
mga Pilipino
Tapat sa
ating bayan at sa Diyos
