Tempus Fugit

Hmmm. Tempus Fugit. Time flies. I feel I am in a race with an invisible enemy who holds the shots in either extending or crunching my available minutes. It's as if Father Time is dangling his stop watch in front of my face like that carrot on a stick routine reassuring me that I have still 5 minutes but actually I'm already late. Procastination sucks terribly I hate to admit.

Others call it lack of time management, but when you can already feel that there's some form of cosmic conspiracy for you not to be on time, then, it's something else. This time, it's not the Filipino factor of being perennially late, but perhaps more of a collaboration of all the Murphisms in the universe conspired that moment of your morning to make sure you will never arrive on your "expected time of arrival."

Most of us in this hellhole called Manila blame traffic as the number one cause of tardiness. For instance, I left my apartment about 25 minutes before endorsements thinking that I have made an effort to be on time, but alas, the whole stretch of Roxas boulevard was closed by the MMDA (Manila's Most Dysfunctional Authority) just so that a few pesky pot-bellied joggers can make an oblation run through the strip. It's irritating to note that your effort has been shot down like a hot potato. So I arrived at the office without a credible excuse except a quick haggard response of, "the joggers did it!"

I thank God that my current department is not a stickler for punctuality because for them, as long as the job gets done without encountering trouble either for the department or to the consultants or to the operations, then all is well. But then the fact remains that I am late. No amount of excuse can change that. This is somewhat shameful on my part, but what must I do to avoid such eventuality? Hmmm... simple time management? Ohhh.. yeah... Why haven't I thought of that? Doh! Well, I tried and still try to get up but if your bed is as comfortable as your future coffin, then it's really really difficult to open your eyes.

Oh well, back to square one.

Bushwhacked

PDI's Nov.6 editorial by Jess Abrera.

Jess Abrera's editorial cartoon last November 6 really got my goat. Why? For all the unjustified invasion of Iraq and America's arrogance to the world, Dubious Dubya still was painted as a savior of deteriorating moral values in the States. This theory that the American evangelicals (composed of right-leaning White males and Born-agains) was the big electoral chunk that propelled Bush to the White house is mere speculation. Anyone can claim to be a born-again bible-thumping moralist for goodness sake.

What I cannot understand is why the cartoonist, Jess Abrera, has to be so blind as to solely portray the Great Satan as a last savior for moral values. Well, as we all know, Lucifer was indeed an angel prior to his fall. I agree with moral values and respect for the family, but with Bush's record of treachery, stupidity and uncreativity, those two issues seem to be off-tangent with his agenda. It's either he has seen the light on his way to Damascus (Saul's conversion) or this is just a mean cheap trick to further bait the right-leaning hill-billiesque still-stuck-in-the-70s Midwest. In fact, it's absurd to see how "faithful" and "church-going" he is while knowing that he has no qualms as to how many Iraqis have been blown up or killed. The sheer hypocrisy!

Again, back to Abrera... It's also ironic that he painted Bush as such while discounting all the misery and arrogance Bush paraded through his previous four-year term. And what's with all the crap like that Filipino family in the background jumping for joy as if Bush is our messiah. The one who drew this is a moralist Pharisaical pig whose views are so blatantly partial and right-leaning that it has come to the point that it's already disgusting, especially in a daily broadsheet. This cartoonist is a sycophant of Medieval "moral views" regardless of all the human rights it has stepped upon. If I am not mistaken, he will gladly paint Torquemada of the torturous Spanish Inquisition fame as the saint who saved Spain from heresy!! And of course he'll just sweep under the rug all those Moriscos (Spanish moors) and those Jews who have been tortured and killed during that period.

Editorial cartoons should be sarcastic to government policies and world views as a means of criticism in the hope of change, but not being a mouthpiece to right-wing bible-thumping propagandists whose agenda are left to be desired. Patriotic editorials are great because we really need it, but so-called "Christian" tripe is certainly (for me) not for editorial consumption because: one, not everyone shares the same view since morality is relative; second, other religions comprise 10% of our population; third, there's the separation of church & state (which is virtually non-existent here anyway).

I am not a moralist, but I know when sheer hypocrisy is being shoved into my face in the form of an editorial cartoon. I don't need that crap in the morning. And certainly never while I'm taking my morning coffee.

Arafat Is Dead

At last, the great old lion bows,
its eyes now bleak and gray
its jaws shut tight, saliva drooling,
still as the hot desert day.

Farewell, farewell, old warrior
whose flame has burnt its oil
but tis a light in the darkest night
that painted red your Arab soil.

And David's sons shall never sleep
til the night of your last embrace,
no olive branch, no requiem,
for only death has earned their praise.

But worry not, your passing's not
the curtain of your people's peace.
Ideals true, its seeds now borne
the fury of your liberty increase.

And with God's grace, your destiny
that Palestine be soon restored
for all good things are possible
through the blessing of the sword.