Nothing more intimate

The two of them stand in the hallway, eyes at each other, not quite knowing what to say, almost certain that words aren’t needed. The woman leans forward, impulsively but softly kissing the corner of the man’s lips. The man is surprised, but delighted.She leans back, only to lean over again to kiss his neck, the part just beside the bounding pulse. She could smell the coffee he took at The Two Windmills that afternoon. She kisses his eyelids.


She looks at him, points to the corner of her lips. The man happily kisses the spot tenderly. He kisses her neck, feeling the remnants of a tear on her cheek. He kisses her eyelids, before their lips finally meet.

————

You probably realize by now that that’s a scene in Amelie and that it could possibly be the most beautiful scene in any movie ever. And it's the number one fantasy that I want to do. ;) Nothing could be more intimate than this! I don’t know if I did any justice to that scene at all though. lol. Basically this is what you get when you watch Amelie over and over again (I watched it yesterday, and today, and probably tomorrow too). If you haven’t watched this movie yet, watch it, and I hope I didn’t spoil the story too much for you.

Reality strikes, reality bites

Life isn't going to be how you think it will be.
You want to think that everybody gets their happily ever after.
But the truth is, people will always be lonely.

You're thinking 90% of them have settled for less than they deserve.
You fear you'll do the same. You fear you'll settle for someone who loves you more than you love them. You fear you'll cheat them of their own happy ending. But who really gets the happy ending anyway? He will adore you, he will love you. What the heck, right? Nobody will be interested in you. This is the only person who has pursued you. It's certainly better than settling for the guy who was wonderful when he first met you, but turned out to be a completely horrible person after you got married.

Or you'll find that marriage isn't what it's cracked up to be. Eventually you'll resent your spouse, wishing you were with somebody else. And you will. You'll have an affair with a married man. Even though you know it's wrong, you've never felt more alive. For the first time in many years, you have something to look forward to.
You know this won't last, but you'll take anything that comes. That's how lonely you are.

What if that's your future? You'll never get that happy love story you've always dreamed of, and it makes you sad. Because no matter what you say to yourself, you'll always look for that someone  you'll share your life with. Your best friend. Your lover.

You look at what really happens and you're slowly accepting...that life won't be what you thought it will be.
And you're not sure how you can be happy after that.

What it takes to skip a heartbeat

She stands among the crowd. Theyre either listening intently or half-listening to the man on stage, talking about global warming, natural disasters, tsunamis, that kind of stuff. Her classmates are horrified. She feels someone move in beside the pillar she was leaning against. She pretends to look around, spots his friends, and finally lays her eyes on him, standing a little ways to her left. She wonders what powers would urge him to stand so close to her, causing her heart to palpitate with his strong presence. She keeps on standing in the same spot, trying to keep a relaxed pose while straining to understand the speaker's lecture on disaster management. Futile. She could smell his scent -- a hint of aftershave. She could even feel his eyes on her. Could it be --


~~~~~


Everywhere he went, he would see her. An unusual girl. But their classmates respected her. She was always the type to get things done excellently. She was someone they could depend on with school affairs. Who knows what possessed them to vote him as the VP to her President. The more he thought of that, the more he thought that if it wasn't for his stint as vice president, he wouldn't have known about her love for books, for Bruce Willis movies, and wrestling. He couldn't have spent so much time with her to notice that she scratches her elbow everytime she lied, or how bright and pretty her eyes looked when she was intently discussing plans for the school fair. If it wasn't for all that time, he wouldn't have fallen in love with her.


He would have to explain later to their homeroom teacher why he was late for the assembly. It was convenient, however, because he was placed in the back, near to where she was standing. He sees her surreptitiously scanning the auditorium, but she doesn't seem to notice him. She was nearsighted where things really mattered. At least he was able to admire her from this angle. The light did great things to her eyes (lately he was obsessed with how light touched her face), which did strange things to his stomach. Here comes the butterflies. 


What was the guy at the podium talking about? Something about tectonic plates. It didn't matter. He's too busy thinking up a plan to make her a part of his world.


~~~~~


-- nah, he can't be looking at her. It's her with her assumptions again. Why must he be so cute? Why must he bear himself with such grace not commonly found in boys his age? How can he be manly and boyish at the same time? He had no idea how he can be so influential with their classmates. A natural peacemaker. He should be a diplomat. Not only that, but she noticed a kind of brilliance in him that he doesn't care to show. She had a funny feeling he could easily surpass her.


Was it, or was it not, incredibly hot in that gym? She drags her friend toward the lavatory to get some fresh air. She passes him, once again smelling that aftershave. But there's something gnawing at her. They say that if you catch a guy turn his head to look at you while you're passing by, it means he likes you. What the heck? Might as well find out.


~~~~~


He could smell the scent of raspberries as she passes him on her way to the girls' room. His eyes follow her. He was unaware that he had half-turned his back at the podium, and was all but ogling her. Her back is turned towards him, but she suddenly turns her head. 


~~~~~


Their eyes meet. 
A heartbeat. 
Then a skip.


April 4, 2011
----------------------------------------


I think  love stories are the easiest to write, don't you? Or maybe girls just have a huge reservoir of fantasies. OR maybe it's just me.

This story got quite of hand. I thought it would take only a few paragraphs, but I guess I really was trying to build a novel (?). Now that I think about it, I shou;dn't have tried to supress it. I'm uncomfortable writing love stories (though I have written a few), when all I have ever experienced were unrequited loves. I wonder if the one who read this thinks its as cheesy as I think it is. But then again, love stories have a certain level of cheesiness.

I'm chasing words but they have a mile-wide head start.

I may not dream of writing the greatest novel, but I dream that people will one day quote my words. Fat chance if no one's reading them. Nonetheless, I'll continue to write.

This poster has really struck me. Especially number 10. I remember listening to a talk that a teacher once gave to us student journalists. After giving us an assignment of writing about anything, she found out that students tried to write about politics, education, the state of the nation. But not one chose a simple subject. Why don't you start writing about the grass? She said. If you can't write about a simple thing as that, you won't be able to  go far as a feature writer.

I was news writer and it had nothing to do with me. But I still remember what she said.

I'm trying to write as much as I can. They're starting to look like the one written before them. That's why I need to practice. But what am I doing? Writing about needing to write. Pathetic, I am.

Not only that but I haven't read much lately. I buy books that I don't take the time to read.  These past few days I've been restless. I feel like I'm chasing things. I'm chasing words. I'm chasing light. I'm running after something I have no chance of catching. But I'm still running.

I wonder if I'm really the one who's running after something, or I'm the one who's running away.

Maybe tomorrow I'll post the "love story" I wrote two days ago. Till then, good night.

Something romantic

She looked into those eyes that pierce through her soul. She remembered how he would move with subtle grace, oh so natural, yet with such strength. He had a bearing that says he’s self-assured and you’d feel he can take care of everything unselfishly. He still had humility, he was goofy but when you needed an ear, he’d listen and had a lot of things to say about one thing and even more with just one look. She always liked talking to him, he understood her perfectly well. All these qualities were overwhelming her and she couldn’t help but smile and then sigh.

“What’s the problem?” he asked. So typical – as if he wasn’t aware of his charms.

“You can be so dense sometimes” she said exasperatedly. Though to whom she was irritated with she wasn’t sure: him or herself. She sighed again as if expelling the bad air out of her system.

Constance looked at his eyes straight on. “It’s just I can’t take this anymore. You’re so darn good looking and we get along so well. Being with you is beyond any fantasy I’ve ever had. You’re the culmination of every dream guy I ever imagined. It’s so unbelievable! Needless to say, I like you a lot.”

She slid against the refrigerator to the floor and looked up at him, emphasizing even more their height differences. There was a long silence. “You’re also very dangerous. I can’t even think anymore when I’m with you,” she closed her eyes and attempted to rest. Confessing like that took the toll out of her.

“Stan…” he said. She felt him crouch to her level and opened her eyes to see his face very close to hers.

“Oh please, Dmitri, do not even think of kissing me right now. I poured my heart and soul to you and I want to hear what you have to say,”

Dmitri leaned back. "First of all, who said anything about kissing you? Aren't we a little too full of ourselves?"


To an outsider, this would be considered the worst reply to a love confession of all time. But this was Dmitri. So she started to punch him in the arm, but lost heart because this was becoming a cliche. She laughed instead. "Oh God, you're right. We should probably get started on those croissants." Constance started to get up.


"No, wait." Dmitri said. "I think it's only fair that we should continue what you started.  You wanna hear my say right?" He looked at Constance with an enigmatic look in his eyes. He was holding her down by her shoulders. He smiled slightly. "I happen to think you're amazing. You're not like other women, are you? I like being with you so much, I don't know how not to know how to act with you. I know how when you get hold of a retractable pen, you can't not use it without pushing it a thousand times first. I love how (insert everything that Dmitri loves about Constance here). But now...you caught me completely off guard." 


Constance was stunned. But not stunned enough to say this. "Okay, you can kiss me now."


-- February 8, 2009




this is what you get when you read Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
It really was a culmination of my fantasies. If this were turned into a romance novel, this would take part in the middle-to-end. I was envisioning this happen in a kitchen, in a bed-and-breakfast or something.


 My God this was so cheesy. I still laugh whenever I read this. But this would be my dream guy. Because he would only exist in dreams. I loved fantasizing about him. ;)


I had noticed that I wrote this on February two years ago, and now I'm reposting this on a February. Is this the Valentine's Day effect? whut?!


The ones in Italics are the ones I recently added. After two years, that was what I could add. I'm so sleepy and clueless as to what Dmitri would say, that I didn't get to finish his monologue. I just can't write love stories. Or stories. Period. I can only write snippets. I'm lame. I know.

The Fragment

The second poem I wrote in my entire life, if it's called a poem.

You'll always be a part of me, 
That piece of my heart is yours.
I don't want to have it back
I don't think I can.

See when you give a portion of your heart to someone, 
You can't have it back.
In that moment of your life, 
You invested your time,
You gave yourself.

In my life, countless fragments have been given away.
I turn, and they're back again, returned a hundredfold.
My heart remains whole.
My cup overflows.

I have never regretted having You.
No moment was wasted,
No fragment misplaced.
I had done what I was set to do.
You were right.

In the end there is no confusion and no bitterness, 
Because it feels like being a part of something greater.

And all it took was to share this piece.

The Paradox

by Anonymous


The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller  buildings but shorter tempers, wider  Freeways, but  narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but  enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more  conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more  knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more  medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too  much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too  fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too  little, watch TV too much, and pray too  seldom.

We  have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too  much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to  make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to  years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble  crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but  not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned  up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our  prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish  less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to  hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we  communicate less and less.

These are the  times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character,  steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two  incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are  days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night  stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to  quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window  and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this  letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this  insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember;  spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be  around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up  to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave  your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you,  because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it  doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your  partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an  embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of  you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday  that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time  to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your  mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the  number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath  away.

The lover of books

A bug, rather, a very small insect, lands on the 84th  page of the book I'm reading. It's black, and its three eyes, if they ARE eyes, look like black furballs. When I try to blow it away, it resists, choosing to stay on that page. I don't want to squish it on purpose. Maybe it likes to read too. Maybe it's savoring the smell of the paper, like I do, especially the brand new ones.

I see these bugs all the time, squashed between a book, dead. A bookbug. I wonder if it loves books so much, that to it, to die within a book, its last sight those of words, is a glorious way to die.

Of science and faith.

This post has like 5000 notes. which means there are more or less 5k people who agree with this -- I'm tempted to say b.s. but it's the belief of others. A belief, I believe is founded on the same ground as the Tower of Pisa - weak.

This is what I wrote when I reblogged this picture.

hmm. I disagree. If anything, science should make someone believe in a God more.

if that person was talking about Evolution vs Adam and Eve, then of course, I would not believe in Adam&Eve. Christians recognize this as a myth. Evolution is more believable, but in the end, it's just a theory. Much like how Big Bang is a theory as well as the Theory of Relativity, or the Law of Physics. If he had paid attention in science class more, then he would have realized that theories are not fact. Because they too can either be proved or disproved. They are just considered to be true. Much like how God is considered to be true. Scientists don't dwell on the provenance of those theories. They are just "given". We have to believe that it's true, or how else are we to understand how an apple doesn't stay afloat on air, but lands on the ground when the branch it was hanging on gave way? science, in the end, rests on faith.

do you think the complexity of living things is a big coincidence? we have plants that use the Carbon dioxide that we don't need so that in turn they can give us Oxygen that we do need. a woman has an ovary which fuses with the man's sperm so that it would grow into this amazing thing called a baby. And no matter what you do, you can't make a baby from a human and a cow. chimeras are fables (and have you seen them in Fullmetal Alchemist? they're not meant to be). science may explain HOW a fetus develops, but it can't explain WHY it works that way. It just does.

So it brings us to the question, what makes life possible? There has to be something more powerful and higher than all of us who designed everything so perfectly. Maybe the Big Bang was just really God in motion.

I don't know if people will actually read this or what they think after reading it. It's just a thing that I strongly believe about. Did I tell you that I was an 11-year old atheist? I'm reformed now. It's been 10 years since then, and I picked up a lot of things on the way. I guess if I had not questioned God, then I would not have arrived at this point. But here I am, and I think that God would have let me arrive here no matter what. 

Can you honestly look at a baby and not wonder at how amazing it was made? Lots of atheists believe in the nonexistence of God because all they see is how shitty the world is. Yes, people are shitty, but take away the people, and it's wonderful. I still don't get why people refuse to believe in a God because of all the bad things people can do. Or how a flash flood can happen, or because there are earthquakes. 

I don't know, but if I dwell over it more, it makes sense. Because there's a certain balance to everything. (And who keeps that balance? Mother Nature / God/ higher power). Good things happen, and so do bad things. Karma? Or whatever. 

When I was an atheist, I refused to look at the other side of things. All I saw were the bad things, and I cared more about disproving lots of things. I hated the Church and its hypocrisies. I was a pessimist, and it's so not good being there. I'm stilll struggling with pessimism, because I think that's my true nature.  The beauty of life is, you can choose how your life can turn out to be. I can go against my nature and be an optimist. 


Did I just choose to believe in God? No. It's founded by rational thinking. And faith. And I'm really comfortable with that. :)

Look Up. Or, Don't Walk With Your Head Down.

Did you notice the weather today? It's the stuff of mundane small talk, yet it's amazing how the weather affects your mood. This morning, the weather was just right, my kind of day, but then after taking a nap, I find that the clouds had covered the sun and suddenly it was raining. But I'm not really talking about the weather. I just thought it was a good prelude to the next paragraph, but then maybe it's not. 


I love sunny days. When the sun is shining, the wind is just enough to ruffle my hair, and, as I look up, there's a bid wide blue sky. It makes me feel like I can have everything. 

Always look up. There's not much you can see when you look down. It makes you believe there's nothing much for you. But when you look up, you see that the world is bigger, instead of narrow when you were bowing your head. 

Stretch out your arms. It feels like hugging the world. If it's true that every cynic was a disillusioned idealist, I think they just forgot to look up.

You grabbed my heart and squeezed it.

Note:

I have this bad habit habit of not finishing what I started. This draft was made by me months ago, and I still haven't finished it!

I'm in the middle of my review and I just felt like I wanted to blog something and this is what I found. I actually made a draft of this entire article in one of my journals, which isn't at hand right now. And I just know it would be time-consuming to think up of a description for every one of these books. Plus, I've read books that I want to add on this list since the day I made this draft. For now, all I can give is this list, and the description for A Walk to Remember.

Weeks ago, I said I'd make a list of books that affected my life or those I can never forget. I also thought I'd make a review of every one of those books. After reviewing the books I've read, I found a pitiable list. Looks like my reading life has mostly composed of romances, children's books, and books i breezed through just to pass the time.

But then, the list that I DO have, may be the books that I have needed all along. A person may read only one book and it'd be the sole turning point of one's life.

Generally, almost all the books I have read did affect my life. Because the words I read influence me.

I made two separate lists: (1) Books that I can never forget and (2) Books that made me cry.How can I say that a book affected my LIFE? It was much easier to list down those books that made me cry. There were a few of them.  And it was easier to list down books that had an unforgettable attachment to me.

Books that easily come to mind for the 1st list are:

• The first books I owned: a book about Sesame Street and another whose title I forgot
• Bobbsey Twins adventures
• Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt
• The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
• The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
• Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabteh Phillips
• A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
• The Alchemist
• What to do until love finds you by Michelle McKinney-Hammond
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Ripples of Joy compiled by Cheryl Kirking

Out of those I can only surely say that the book I listed last affected my life. Hmmm...more of that later.

Books that grabbed my heart, squeezed it, and made tears pour out of me:

• A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
• Ain't She Sweet? by Susan Elizabteh Phillips
• Border Music by Robert James Waller
• The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Ripples of Joy compiled by Cheryl Kirking

  The last two especially ripped my heart out.


A Walk to Remember grabbed my heart when Langdon gave his savings to Jamie's cause anonymously. I was teary-eyed when Langdon said, when he looked at Jamie beneath the Xmas tree, he realized he had fallen in love with her without knowing it. And then continued to pour after reading the last word. Haha..cheezy..I know...I was 14(?)...and Sparks did a good job in writing it. I've read Walk about 6 times, I think. I still feel a tug at my heart when I do.



(to be continued).

One Look

The writer had known the girl for quite some time now.

It was on a breezy Friday afternoon when the girl moved in on the apartment a floor from his. He had just sent the draft to his editor, and the girl was carrying a large statue of a dog, which interestingly resembled an elongated Scooby-Doo. When the girl saw him, she smiled and headed upstairs, failing to notice his outstretched hand. She seemed determined to carry that dog right to the fourth floor. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to insult her strength why he didn’t insist on helping her, but at that split second, he sensed she was not the kind of girl to accept help easily, especially from men. That smile said it all: “hello, nice to meet you. I’m quite capable of carrying this statue, thank you, and I don’t really think I’m in the mood to meet new people today.” He could still surprise himself with his perceptiveness.

    They eventually became friends. She was a chef in some three-star restaurant, and had quite a lot of friends herself. And it was in those lunchdates,  Halloween parties, general get-together picnics and lazy afternoon conversations that he knew these of her: she had a way of handling and mingling with people without giving away the fact that she was basically shy. She liked having company and frequently cooked for her friends, but she could be as happy alone. She was an intellectual, with many diverse interests. Like him, she was a dreamer, but probably with more ambition and a truckload of insecurities. It must be her personal demon. She wouldn’t show her insecurity willingly, though. She was an essentially strong woman, who, despite her insecurities, would always look towards the light. She was sanguine and moody. A contradiction.

    Today, she was feeling particularly forlorn. Probably her demon acting up again. She looked bored and dissatisfied, and the writer could see she needed a distraction, a redirection of thoughts. It wasn’t good to keep on being melancholic. She needed a friend.

    He approached the bench she was sitting at in the park. “If you want to look ugly, all you have to do is take off your concealer and show your eyebags instead of sulking in a park,” he told her. “It just doesn’t work. You look like a sad Giselle(you know, from “Enchanted”?)”

    She rolled her eyes. “Please don’t compromise your masculinity by admitting Enchanted’s your favorite movie.”

    “Women find it sexy, actually.” He was glad to see her lips curve upward and that haughty look come back to her face. She had returned to life. “There’s a children’s choir concert on the east park. That’d be entertaining.” He held his hand out to her.

    She looked up at him with eyes that said thank you.

    “Well, I do love children,” and she took it.

-dated February 24,2009. wrote this on a whim, when I was trying to portray Woman as an ambiguous being, both strong and fragile, and how lucky she is to have a man that understands her with just one look. sort of inspired by Jason Mraz's song "A Beautiful Mess" (which BTW I think is one of the most romantic songs about relationships ever). :) 


please comment on the CBox. :)


photo by KECHI@DEVIANTART

Love Tells Us Who We Are

Love Tells Us Who We Are
Love Tells Us Who We Are.
When I asked the Answer “Who?”
No love answered so I knew
I had to wait for Love

For we are no one before Love
A missing clue looking for a person
A star looking for a sky
An “am” waiting for an I
Music Tells Us What We Feel
But Cannot Say Love Reveals
What We Know but cannot see

Before You I was Nothing But
When You Gave me Your Hand
I took My Hand
For Love Tells Us Who
We Are So When I asked the 
Answer “Who?” 
Love Answered You.

Donald T. Sanders 1944


~~~~
one of my favorite poems. :)

Progress by Ezra Wube

Caught this at the middle part and the artwork immediately caught my eye. And the nice message behind it. "HERE FOR GOOD". I didn't know it was for a bank until I searched for the full video on YouTube. (I never heard of Standard Chartered Bank before...)

Kudos to the people behind this advertisement/campaign. I think it's brilliant. :D

Here's the description from youtube:

Standard Chartereds unique footprint has helped define the very nature of the bank. The Collective Good continues that tradition by inviting creative minds across Asia, Africa and the Middle East to contribute to the banks brand identity.

One guiding belief. Four different interpretations. Thanks to the unique talents of acclaimed graphic designer, Stefan Sagmeister. Renowned Chinese filmmaker, Tian Zhuangzhuang. Ethiopian artist, Ezra Wube. And Jordanian documentary maker, Sandra Madi.

Each film has its own vision. Each film tells its own story. Yet they all serve the principle of being Here for good.

Watch Progress by Ezra Wube

In conclusion to the Philippine elections....

I'm not a fan of people who rant about stuff without even knowing what they're talking about, so I'm going to try not to do that and just write honestly and simply.

Before the elections, I wrote my say on it here: [LINK], and since I had my say before it started, I should be able to have a conclusion after the elections, right? ;)

This year's elections had people hoping that it would mark a change, including me. But what a disappointment when it went anti-climatic. Here are some of my disappointments:

1. That the best candidate wasn't proclaimed as our president. In fact, the top 3 weren't the best choices at all. Seriously,a mediocre senator? A former president famously kicked out of his seat? A businessman, who made a bad investment by spending all that money just to win the presidency?(something's fishy there...). Haven't we learned from the past?

2. That the vice president may well be a pawn for greedy millionaires who care nothing about the country. Politics is too shady for me to understand its intricacies.(It's very convenient to keep innocent citizens in the dark).  I feel a little sorry for Mar Roxas. At least with the Noy-Mar tandem, there was more hope Noynoy wouldn't bungle up. Binay's slogan "Gagawin kong Makati ang buong Pilipinas" was certainly enticing, but I was more impressed by Bayani Fernando. Really. WHY HIM? (yeah, it's too late) ;)


3. That Erap came in second. I did not see this coming. I seriously thought people would learn from their mistakes. Remember, the Philippines deserves the best. And he is not the best.

4. That the media misuse their powers. Don't you ever feel the media is just manipulating you to think what they want you to think? I hope we remember the fact that we can think for ourselves and not be so gullible to everything that is fed to us.

5. That many people still choose to be ignorant and/or apathetic. Ignorance and apathy is a deadly combination. I mean, they were already deadly alone, what more when they're combined?

6. That candidates think that it's normal to buy votes. A candidate threw a big party a day before the election and proceeded to bribe those attending with 3K to vote for him. How lucky for the attendees.

7. That a vote can cost as low as a rice coupon/ 1 kilo of rice. And some will settle for that.

8. That the incumbent president ran for Congress and won, despite how foolish that would look.


9. That Imelda Marcos also won a seat in Congress through the votes of the same people who kicked her out of Malacañang about two decades ago.


10. That though the people "chose" a president that is "not corrupt", they still voted for corrupt people on other positions.

The major disappointment is,I realized how dirty politics really is. I was surprised that my parents talked of vote buying as if it was nothing. It's like a common part of the elections and how sick is that? The day before the elections, many candidates for our local positions bought votes through rice coupons and cash, as if they were expected to show up on the poor sectors and buy votes. Just thinking about it makes me sick. How are we ever going to change our country into something great if we started it by doing something so low? Call it my naiveté talking, but if someone deserves to win, they will win without having to go through the "tradition" of vote-buying. And the worst thing is, people sell their votes.

I am torn between being frustrated of how stupid people can sometimes be, and compliant acceptance that this is what we are which we have to live and work with. But I'm so stubborn as to feel and hope that there's more to this. The Philippines is such a rich country. It has loving people, fertile lands, beautiful landscapes. And yet, 80% are on the poverty line. Children can't enjoy what they deserve. It hurts me the most that what our children will most likely inherit is a wasteland, instead of the rich land that we should be striving for today. Seriously, do people look at their children and think, "my child deserves a better world than I live in"?.Of course, I'm saying that without disregarding other people's children.

At the start of the elections, it was in the air: people are sick and tired of being screwed over.  We are ready for change, it's just a question of whether we have the guts to seize that opportunity to change. With the way things have turned out, seems like we didn't have the guts?

I really love this ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILLIPINES. It was written by Jaeyoun Kim, a Korean, as a sort of wake up call to Filipinos. Love this country. But one thing has to be noted: the Korean president who strived to make Korea a great country was selfless and only wished for Korea's well-being. I wish our officials are the same way: compassionate about their people and live up to their position, which was created to serve the people and not their pockets.One person alone cannot save us. It has to be a collective effort. I really hope that we throw away our apathy, and start working together for the future.