The Girl Who Silenced The World For 6 Minutes

This video has been making rounds on the Internet for some time now. It's been 17 years since Severn Suzuki gave this speech during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which is also known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 3-14, 1992.

It wouldn't hurt to listen and reflect on what she had to say. Maybe, we do need to listen more to children...

Asia’s Finests

Wushu-Sanshou athletes competed with Asia’s finest martial arts fighters in the recently concluded 1st Asian Martial Arts Games held in Bangkok, Thailand. Twenty-six (26) countries participated in the Wushu & Kungfu event and Team Philippines’ very lean team snagged 1 gold, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze (see names below):

• ARCITA, Dembert - Bronze
• EDDIVA, Mark - Silver
• ESTIMAR, Mary Jane - Gold
• MARIANO, Mariane - Silver

Mark Sangiao also joined the team’s delegation as a coach.

A total of 1,500 athletes and officials from 40 countries competed in 9 martial arts disciplines.

Points of View

Perspectives make us see things from corners we couldn't reach. If we're lucky, we get a brief glimpse of a wholeness that otherwise elude us. But that's always not the case and it's not entirely our fault if we fail to see the the depth and vastness of things happening around us. It's human nature. It doesn't make us less of who we are.

Since the new national artists were named, different opinions like this, this and this came out. Sadly, this is an issue that's pitting talented Filipinos against each other. In my own point of view, this is not about arrogance or elitism. It's about thinking what lessons we wish to impart, especially to the children who will someday would help define our country.

Mirage

I'm certain about many things. But once in a while, self-preservation stands between me and certainty. If only I could be so consistent, I'd want to face things head-on regardless of the potential grief they may cause me. Not knowing but still doing something is how I'd want to do things. I like the currents to sweep me away. I want to feel...to be in that moment and discover if I'd go under or make it to shore.

I've always been fascinated with mysteries and puzzles. For each one I've found the answers to, I'm happy. But what of this uncertainty that even I couldn't touch? There's something off with this picture. Maybe I didn't look at it as carefully as I should've. Maybe interpretations were safer than the truth. Maybe then it was just more fun not to know.

I briefly sought that level of certainty that I surrendered to self-preservation. The pictures seem like a mirage now that I allow myself to process them. Knowing this, I'm confident that even if certainty continues to elude me, this beautiful mirage still makes me happy.

parang cellphone lang...

Jercyl: ...is watching a news segment about prepaid electricity. Parang cellphone lang ah...

Dennis: astig yan! pag naubusan ka ng kuryente, baka pwedeng magpasa-volt sa mga friends mo. :p

I dream of...breakfast?!?

I usually don't dream. Well, I do, but not the kind that happens when I sleep. But the other night, I dreamed of making a sandwich for myself. I think it was the absence of other images, movements, and colors apart from the sandwich-making that finally clued me in to the dream. There was only that slow, and almost deliberate, action of preparing the bread (it was wheat, I'm sure of it), cheese, and some cold cuts; which I found weird because honestly, I don't like cold cuts on my sandwiches.

I'm assuming that the sandwich was for breakfast. Anything beyond wheat bread and peanut butter I can only make an effort to prepare first thing in the morning when I'm at my best.

Could I possibly be dreaming of food because I'm broke and fear I'll be starving soon? Or could it be the other way around? Am I overeating...more than usual? Qué horror!

Sufficiently curious and eager for explanations other than my fanciful thoughts, I decided to let Google settle the matter once and for all. And here's what I found:

Generally speaking, food in dream usually refers to food for thoughts, ideas, new beliefs, etc. They are ideas you take in and digest mentally.

Breakfast
To dream about breakfast, indicates the start of a new project or the beginning of a new stage in your life. Alternatively, your mind may already be thinking ahead on what to make for breakfast in the morning. It is not uncommon for your fleeting thoughts to be incorporated into your dream.

Bread
To see bread in your dream, represents the basic needs of life. Bread may signify the positive qualities and great things you have learned on your journey of life. Alternatively, it suggests that you need to rise above the situation or rise for the occasion.

Cheese
To see cheese in your dream, symbolizes gains and profits. Alternatively, the dream may be a metaphor for something that is "cheesy" or lame. Or it could be saying that you need to smile more.

...and since I couldn't find the meaning for cold cuts, I'm choosing the closest one I could find...
Ham
To dream that you are eating ham, indicates that you need to preserve your energy. To see hams in your dream, indicates that you are experiencing some emotional difficulties. The symbol may also be metaphor to suggest your desire for attention.
(Source: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamthemes/food.htm)

Hmmmm...I forgot just how rich in meanings and undertones dreams often are. But then again, maybe I really just love to eat.

(Image from the Internet)

Green Day - 21 Guns

Il faut casser le noyau pour avoir l'amande. J'aime beaucoup Green Day...

Chasing Buses

My first time to watch an episode of this Koreanovela currently running at GMA 7 and I immediately saw a dramatic "chasing the bus scene". I wonder what's with all of these chasing buses and cars stuff. Most of the Koreanovelas I loved, and even the Taiwanese Meteor Garden I got addicted to before, have variations of those.

It's certainly melodramatic and a bit over the top sometimes. But, melodrama notwithstanding, I kind of think chasing buses, cars, or even bicycles is sweet. The fact that most people would probably cringe in embarrassment with just the thought of doing it makes it endearing.

I'm not sure though which role I'd enjoy doing more if I were to play the part either in reel or for real. Being chased has its appeals, imagine the comfort of just sitting in a bus and the added bonus of finally seeing such raw feelings from someone. But then again, between helplessly looking at something slowly fade away and completely losing myself in the moment by trying to reach something I couldn't, I'd probably choose the latter.

Whatever.