Buhay Buhangin (Sn. 43)

Season Greetings

I’m busy but that doesn’t mean I forgot. I would like to thank you all for your untiring visit even when my posts are declining lately.

To my long time and new blog friends;

Abou, ardyey, atticus, , A-Z-E-L, bertN, bing, bw, chris, Dong Ho, ever, Francesca, gandarynako, HalfCrazy, isladenebz, Ka Rolly, katcarneo, kcatwoman, keith, Lawstude, Lee,Life Moto, Lord CM, mightydacz, Ms. Jo, Ms. Loida, Mimi, NoBenta, Nortehanon, pamy215, Panaderos, prinsesamusang, RJ, R-yo, Sardonyx, sheng, theonoski, The Nomadic Pinoy, The Pope, Thoughtskoto, Trosp, YaNaH, yellow bells, 7thstranger.

And to those who commented;

aira, annalyn, AJ, Diamond R, Diana, eRLyN, Fickle Cattle, iresh, Jules, kulas,mommy ek, Mayet, MK, Pinky, Reymos, siyetehan, SLY, world news

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE AND MAY WE HAVE A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR AHEAD OF US!!

Busy December

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done. - Buddha

You may have noticed that my posts have been dwindling lately. It’s been a while since I sat down and compose something and I have so much in my mind but my work takes priority. The good news is I finally finished converting those blasted DOS programs to Windows. With “testing” a much lesser work load on my part, perhaps I’ll get some extra time to blog again and catch up on some lost time. But my work isn’t the only thing that took most of my time. We transferred to another flat.

In a way we feel lucky. We wanted this flat for so long. Its former tenants are Bea’s godparents. Since their family is getting larger (3 kids), they opt to get a much bigger place and offered this to us. Of course my wife didn’t think twice and readily accepted it. The flat is smaller compared to our previous house. It’s a one bedroom, one living room and one bathroom flat. But it got a 2m x 4m kitchen, far bigger than our old one which can accommodate only one person at a time. Besides, the rent is much cheaper, the place is near my daughter’s school and I don’t have to wake up early to avoid those blasted traffic jam.

Moving from one flat to another is the most exhausting thing one can experience. Cleaning, fixing and re-painting are not only time consuming but budget depleting as well. The body pain began on the day the “movers” arrive. They’ll haul all your belongings and just dump it to any vacant space on your new flat. Since I’m the only “man of the house”, it’s up to me to carry everything, re-arrange, push and shove those heavy appliances and furniture to its proper place. My only “pakonswelo de bo-bo” is at the end of the day, my wife always have that trusted Omega pain killer in hand to rub on my back and legs. But still a lot to be done before we can say the place is “home”.

And now comes Christmas knocking on our doorstep and we haven’t bought gifts yet. MARAMI KAMING INA-ANAK!

Buhay Buhangin (Sn. 42)

On Class Reunion

Never go to your high school reunion pregnant or they will think that is all you have done since you graduated. – Erma Bombeck

I like to observe. I’m content on standing in an inconspicuous corner, watching things around and trying to analyze every action and reaction. Of all things observable, what fascinate me most are human behavior. Take for example a class reunion. It is interesting to note that a lot could be learned by attending one.

What is the purpose of a class reunion? Why do we invent an occasion to celebrate something that happened some twenty or so years ago? I eliminate “to-rekindle-long-lost-friendship” because one will find ways to keep in touch with real friends, reunion or no reunion. For starter, one factor is “curiosity”; one wants to know how others faired on their personal battle for economic survival. Another is “contact”. It is always to your advantage if you knew people from different professions or classmates working in different government agencies. And the vainest of all the traits, to satisfy ones ego; to let the world know that you finally arrived, that you finally made it.

None of the factors I mentioned above categorize my motive. I go home every year so I’m up to date on every thing that interests me. When ambiguity is removed, curiosity fades away. My job is so specialize that I doubt if knowing what their field of expertise or where they are working helps me in anyway. And lastly, a simple man who enjoys life’s simple things does not possess a huge ego nor need to satiate it.

But why will I attend if I have the chance? I’d like to see someone who barely spoke to me or knew if I ever existed suddenly talk to me like I’m a long lost friend. I’d like to see the class bully became the most amiable guy in the room. I’d like to see the quietest guy in class commanders the microphone and won’t let go until he sang all the songs in the karaoke. I’d like to see my classmate who looks like Rio Locsin then if she looks like Rio Locsin now. I’d like to see the fellow who walks and wears rubber sandals to school arrives in an SUV. I’d like to see what I perceived before is the exact opposite of what I see now.

Unfortunately my vacation won’t coincide with our class reunion. Other wise you’ll see me in an inconspicuous corner, watching things and trying to analyze every action and reaction.

Horror Stories and Other Creepy Shows

I was fascinated with horror stories. When I was a child, after dinner, we’ll gather around the radio (we don’t have TV then) to catch our favorite program “Gabi Ng Lagim”. I’m hooked to it that I’d even set aside a portion of my allowance just to spend on renting “Lagim” and “Lamor” komiks. As my taste became “sophisticated”, I’m no longer easily frightened that I switched on to watching shows that tweak my mind like “The Twilight Zone”, “X-Files” and later on “Fringe”.

But what makes a successful scary movie? I use to cower at Christopher Lee’s Dracula series. I was scared stiff with “The Exorcist” and “Alien” made me jumped from my seat. I think these films got its desired effect (to me at least) because they pioneered the “technique” on how to scare viewers. Back then, werewolves and vampires are the “scary stuff”. Today they are the main characters of a love story. Linda Blair’s character spewing green stuff and turning her head 360 degrees was awesomely frightening then but would look funny now. The “Alien” monster might not be new but the psychological effect of being alone in outer space with a drooling metallic monster as a bunk mate really scattered my wits.

Newer horror films became popular but failed to impress me. I was amused with “The Grudge” and “The Ring” and sneered while watching “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Final Destination”. The first one looks like a “kabuki” actor whose face was dip in a bowl of flour. The other looks like an escape contortionist from an asylum. The third was a family of psychotic retards while the last one was an exercise in physics on how to kill a guy in a sophisticated but cumbersome way (the writer was probable a McGyver fan).

Viewer’s taste today leans more on “realism”. “The Blair Witch Project” was a success because it was done like a “documentary”. Its predecessors like “The Paranormal Activity” did it differently but with the same technique. Subtlety suggesting that what they are viewing is real.

It all depends on the viewer really. I enjoyed watching “Poltergeist” and Freddy’s antics but was terrified of Jason. But here is my list of what makes a horror film funny:

1. The killer is waiting for you in the next corner even though his walking with a limp and you are running away from him.
2. Something nasty is going to happen every time a cello solo starts to play.
3. The victim trips on nothing while being pursued by the killer.
4. The room or house has all the indication of unpleasantness yet the victim insists on entering it.
5. All the characters are dumb in a horror movie. Only luck saves them, if any survives.
6. The window, stay away from the window, dummy!
7. The door key or car key won’t fit if the guy is in a hurry to escape.
8. The car won’t start (this never fail).
9. The girl in a flimsy negligee goes out of the patio to look up the moon in a cold windy night (a sure way to attract rapists, serial killers and vampires).

I hope you enjoyed you Halloween!

Brgy. Musmos (Sn. 3)

The Masons, Andres and the RH Bill

True religion is real living; living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness -Albert Einstein

My father is a Mason. He is one of the original founding members of the first Masonic Lodge in my hometown. And like their brethrens of old, they too are frowned upon by the church. In fact, they were once threatened with excommunication because they are Catholics - free-thinking Catholics.

Many among you wonder why the church discourages its flocks to join one of the oldest, if not the oldest, fraternity ever founded. Secret rituals and usage of symbolism begot rumors that it practices witchcraft, pagan worship and anti-Christian in nature. These gossips were spread by no other than the church itself.

Their animosity goes a long way back in the 12th century when the Pope, with the connivance of the king of France, ordered the massacre of the Knights Templar. Its leader tortured and burned at the stake, allegedly because they were heretics and indulged in wizardry. All these accusations were false. It was just a pretext. Some historians suggested the real reason was that the “Holy See” wants something the Templar possesses. An artifact which when exposed to the entire Christendom will destroy the very foundation of the Catholic Church (shade of Da Vinci Code, isn’t it). The king, on the other hand, just wants to possess their wealth but both didn’t succeed to get what they want. I think some sectors within the church still believe those secrets were passed on to the Masons. To commemorate them, “junior” Masons are called DeMolays in honor of Jacques de Molay; the last Grandmaster of the Knights Templar.

Masons also played a part during the Philippine revolution. Bonifacio, a mason, copied some of its rituals to recruit revolutionaries. Even the Masonic handshake was introduced to know if one is a fellow “Katipunero”. History told us that the church also played a role in exposing Bonifacio’s secret society. They have succeeded in brainwashing its congregation of anything not sanctioned by the church was a sin that a wife, afraid to burn in hell for eternity, confessed her husband’s revolutionary activity to a friar.

However subtle it may seem, it all comes down to one thing, power; the capability to control masses and subject it to its will. Have you noticed why our “simbahan” and “munisipyo” sits side by side in most towns around the Philippines? It’s because the government and religious order, during the Spanish rule, shares power. Co-equal in disposing their will upon its citizenry. The church was powerful enough that it assassinated even the Gobernador-Heneral when the latter tried to curtail its authority.

In my opinion, the reason why the church resists the passing of the RH bill is because they want to preserve the present “status quo” of the majority of Filipino families. Claiming pharmaceutical companies are behind the bill is flimsy and hypocritical. They themselves are major stockholders of banks and corporations around the world. In the long run, the RH bill will open up opportunity for the betterment of Filipino families. It allows them to “plan” their offspring and raise their children properly including a better education.

An educated society has citizens who have minds of their own. They don’t need “spiritual guidance” to choose what is good or bad for them. In a way, it delegates the church into a mere ceremonial entity and perhaps someday into obscurity.

“Ignorance is bliss” so they say. The truth is - it is a religious weapon.