Will I Die Slowly?

He dies slowly,
who does not travel,
who does not read,
who does not listen to music,
who does not find grace in himself.

He dies slowly
who destroys his self-esteem,
who does not let others help him.

He dies slowly
who transforms himself into a slave of habit,
repeating every day the same course,
who does not change mark,
does not dare to change the colour of his clothes
or does not talk with persons he does not know.

He dies slowly,
who avoids passion and its turmoil of emotions,
just those that bring bright to the eyes
and restore destroyed hearts.

He dies slowly,
who does not turn the page
when he is unhappy with his work, or his love,
who does not risk the certain or the uncertain
to go beyond a dream,
who does not afford, even once in his life,
fleeing from sensible advice.

Live today!
Risk today!
Do it today!
Don’t let yourself die slowly!
Don’t prevent yourself from being happy!

~Pablo Neruda

A Nation of Merchants

Saturday night is such a dull one. This is especially true if you’re just slumped down at home. In events like this, TV will metamorphose into a cordial companion, slightly reminding you of the buzz of the world outside. That box is there to spruce up your night, slowly alleviating your ennui.

I watched Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, a local documentary show. It featured a story about the kidney sale here in the Philippines. I am compelled to say that this is not the first time that I came accross of stories regarding commercialization of organs and yet it still give me shudders to realize that a score of people would willfully risk their own health to earn money. I belong to a lower class family. Hence, I know how it is to live in dire poverty. I know how valuable money  is. But I am not sure if I would embark on the same decision  to earn a considerable amount.

A mother was interviewed by Jessica Soho. The journalist asked that mother what forced her to sell her kidney and she responded that it is because she wants to send her child in college. Shocking and disapointing.

The murky issue on kidney commercialization was likewise aired by CNN. This is another blemish on our country’s image. It portrays Filipinos as risk takers up to the extent of peddling their organs. This is utterly ironic knowing that our currency is on the verge of improvement and yet it seems that it hardly affects the plebs.

Erratic and Equivocal

I must admit that I am an inexperienced and a struggling soul who craves to maintain a blog. I do not know the alchemy that would turn the form and content of a blog into an online treasure. I am aware that I  lack originality and coherence. I lack originality because I don’t possess a definite writing style which would distinguish me from the rest of other bloggers. I don’t have a badge that says that I know what to do with the resources of language and idea. I lack coherence because I cannot blend imagination and understanding of the human situation to make an exciting and remarkable reshaping of reality. I am incoherent because I cannot weave my own thoughts.

My blog is a set of rant and ravings. It is a mere repository of my own glorified brain farts. I believe though that keeeping a blog is both therapeutic and masturbatory. Therapeutic, because it allows me to unleash the frustrated writer which is part of myself. And masturbatory because it compels me to keep this online task alive and active. This serves as a sanctum for my individual experiences and insights.

This is my blog. These are my ramblings. This is a product of my persistent cry to be heard.

Random Word Salad

Work.                                                                                                                                                       I have been with Teleperformance for nearly two months and yet I am not comfy with the account I was placed in. It is  a financial account and I just can’t wallow with numbers. Because of this, I am proactively looking for another company and I am utterly confused on which company I should apply for. Work is one of the fractured jigsaw puzzles of my life. I have been constantly hopping from one job to another, from one company to another. I hope that Murphy’s Law would stop working this time.

Book.                                                                                                                                                  I  just finished a book, Courting Dr. Cade by Josie Metcalfe. It is a lousy book with a lousy story. Every single page is a waterfall of mushy love lines. After all, what can you expect from  a Harlequin romance. I am currently reading Principles of Guidance by Jones, Stefflre, and Stewart. This is the 18th book that I am perusing for this year. I just adore books and it doesn’t really matter which one I should read. I am an omnivorous reader. I don’t care if it’s a lovestory, a text book, a science fiction, or whatever that jazz is. I just love to read and I know when that book is over, when the last page is turned, there will be a sigh, a dreamy smile, and a reluctant attempt to rejoin the real world.

Friendster.                                                                                                                                         There are a score of pictures that my Friendster has accumulated recently. Most of those are pictures with my co-workers at Teleperformance. I am not a Friendster type of guy, but I love looking at pictures that I posted there because those are very helpful in reminiscing the past. Friendster is nothing but an idyllic online statement about the irregular variations of my life.

Self-review.                                   
This is a pathetic entry. I just realized that.

I am a Teacher

I am a counselor and psychologist to a problem-filled child.
I am a police officer to a child gone wild.
I am a travel agent scheduling our trips for the year.
I am a confidante that wipes a crying child’s tear.
I am a librarian showing adventures that a storybook brings.
I am a custodian that has to clean certain little messes.
I am a psychic that learns to know all that everybody guesses.
I am a photographer keeping pictures of a child’s yearly growth.
When a mother and father are gone for the day, I become both.
I am a doctor that detects when a child is feeling sick.
I am a politician that must know the laws and recognize a trick.
I am a party planner for a holiday to celebrate with all.
I am a decorator of a room, filling every wall.
I am a news reporter updating in our nation’s current events.
I am a dietitian assuring they have lunch or from mine I give them half.
When we seem to stray from values, I become a preacher.
But I am proud to have to be these people because I’m proud to say, “I am a teacher.”