Random nostalgia...

...music, please!
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by PAM


I was halfway through writing a "real post" here when "Perfect Day" came on on the Asian Food Channel.  The episode was shot in Öland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea.  All of a sudden, I miss Sweden, the kind people, especially my research adviser, who made me feel at home all throughout my stay... and the beautiful and serene Nordic countryside!  And I miss my Spanish friends, too, with whom I went on Scandinavian tour in the Summer of 2000 while on a break from Lund University... we all loved Öland!  Well, we loved the Scandinavian countryside, actually. :)  With its pristine waters, clean air, blue skies, thick but amazingly very "welcoming" forests, wildlife and fresh food everywhere, it gave us a relaxing break from the busy "urban jungles" that were Manila and Madrid... and a much needed respite from the demands of academic work in Lund.

Okay... while we're at it, let's just complete this quick nostalgic journey with one of the biggest pop hits in Sweden between 1999 and 2000...

..."Save tonight" by the Swedish artist, Eagle Eye Cherry.  Aaw, it still sounds good after all these years! :)

And, as for the "real post", which incidentally is (finally) about tennis (and Roger Federer), football (and FC Barcelona), and "shifting of gears" - professionally... uhm, I think it can wait.  Later....

***
Video credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

Sec. Jesse Robredo, a bud of hope...

...in the blossoming of good governance in the Philippines. ============================================================================= 
by PAM 



The vigil that started in the afternoon of Saturday came to a close this morning.  Sec. Mar Roxas of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) greeted us with a sad news on our breakfast table today... and we faced the day with heavy hearts.

*** 
A sad day.

I join the nation in grieving the untimely demise of Sec. Jesse M. Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). He was 54 years old.  

The late DILG Secretary was on board a small plane, which crashed off the shore of the province of Masbate.  He was on his way to spend the weekend with his family in his hometown, Naga City, from a speaking engagement on behalf of Pres. Noynoy Aquino in Cebu City last Saturday afternoon.  About an hour after take off, the pilot of the plane, Capt. Jessup Bahinting, was requesting for an emergency landing in Masbate after an engine trouble became apparent. Later, Sec. Robredo's aide-de-camp, Senior Inspector June Paolo Abrazado, who escaped from the crashed plane and was rescued by local
"National loss" looming... at the Taskforce Kalihim
Command Post in Masbate.
(Photo: AP/Malacanang Photo Bureau)fishermen, was guiding rescuers in the crash scene, hoping to save Sec. Robredo, Bahinting and his Nepalese co-pilot, Kshitiz Chand.   

At about 5:00 PM, I had trouble following the news from a stunned-looking Pinky Webb and Alvin Elchico on ANC, who were visibly doing their best to compose themselves and absorb the shocking news from a field reporter in Masbate.  That was the start of a painful three-day vigil that started with sheer confusion, developed into incredulous ambivalence, progressed to a resolute and faithful hope for positive outcome, calmed to faithful acceptance of worst-case scenario as hope for positive outcome dwindled with time, and culminated to a sad feeling of loss - on a national scale. 

P-Noy himself led the search and rescue operations in Masbate, which brought together so many people, including private individuals who volunteered their services.  Meanwhile, people in different places organized prayer vigils to help propel the rescue efforts on the ground. This morning, at around 8:15 AM, Sec. Roxas confirmed that rescuers positively identified one of the trapped body in the sunken plane, some 180 ft. below the water surface, as Sec. Robredo's.  And that turned the day into a day of "national mourning"... no presidential decree needed.   

***
But it is a day teeming with hope, too.

The outpouring of support for the rescue efforts and the towering waves of prayers from so many Filipinos from different walks of life in the hope that Sec. Robredo and his companions would escape the mishap alive was indeed remarkable.  I was thinking that perhaps the crisis that we faced as a nation during the Luzon flooding just two weeks ago gave us a sense of community and "oneness"... and we were just facing yet another mega challenge with the same sense of community and oneness, armed as usual with the familiar weapon that is always guaranteed to deliver us from outright tragedy: prayer.  I was only half correct.  

Yes, we are slowly but surely developing a true sense of community and
Sec. Robredo: Good governance, integrity, humility.
(Photo: Jonas Cabiles Soltes/Phil. Inquirer
/Phil. Red Cross) oneness as a nation... yes, we were once again using our favorite weapon against mega challenges... and, as it turned out, most of us are silent admirers of that wonderful man who was Sec. Robredo. And why not when the "oneness" is the fruit of his silent perseverance - avoiding the limelight and working down to the grassroots... less talk, more action.      

With Sec. Robredo being a low-profile leader in a high-profile position, the spontaneous outpouring of love when it was first announced that his life was in danger can be considered “unexpected”... almost surprising. And what a joyful surprise, it was! It seems to confirm one thing: Filipinos - rich and/or poor - can still recognize a good, honest and honourable leader... one who exemplifies good governance and governing with integrity, and that Filipinos gravitate toward such a leader.  What a wonderful news, indeed!  And, it came on the day of the 29th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino, who reiterated until the day he was assasinated that "the Filipino is worth dying for"... that can't just be a coincidence.  Providence, perhaps?

If Sec. Robredo could see how his demise made Filipinos realize and appreciate that, after all the layers and layers of corruption in the government that engulfed and suffocated us for so long, they - we - have this wonderful thing in common, then he'd know that his sacrifices weren't in vain... that all his life's work, founded on integrity in governance, was indeed a wonderful legacy that we will cherish, and hopefully live by, starting today. We can only hope that, despite their loss, his family is comforted by this realization.

Indeed, there is hope for this country - our country.  

Thank you, Sec. Robredo!  Rest in peace.

***

Word of the day: "Buffoonery"

by PAM

According to Google Dictionary:

buf·foon·er·y/bəˈfo͞onərē/

Noun:	Behavior that is ridiculous but amusing.
Synonyms:	farce - tomfoolery - antic - harlequinade

I don't recall using this word at all nor do I recall the last time I heard it before the 2012 London Games.  However, when the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, upped the volume of his "spirited" rallying of Londoners as the Games approached, we got an almost daily dose of "Boris's buffoonery", which was entertaining... somewhat.  The entertainment factor reached a high, of course, after Gov. Mitt Romney's London visit.  :)  I have to admit though that the London Mayor's so called buffoonery was indeed amusing, once you get past the initial shock and cringing in a few cases, that is. Bunnies kept leaping out of Mayor Johnson's bag of buffoonery, and what a spectacle it was!  Strangely enough, I miss it now... I guess it's a part of the 2012 London Games "withdrawal syndrome"!  It was an unforgettable fortnight of high-quality Games. 

One person, who followed the Games through my daily accounts, asked me to give an example of the "Boris buffoonery"... so, I "leafed through" my memory, and this one from irishtimes.com, which was the least amusing of all, was on top of my list:

"'Inspire a generation' is our motto.  Not necessarily 'Create a generation', which is sometimes what they get up to in the Olympic Village."

        - London mayor Boris Johnson extols the "energy and enthusiasm" of the Games'

          10,000 athletes, to whom some 150,000 condoms were distributed.

My goodness!  See what I mean by "initial shock and cringing"? =)  But, regarding the supposed circumstance of buffoonery, imagine sending your 15-year-old sport genius of a child to the Games to follow his/her "golden Olympic dream"... and then your child calling you up from the Olympic Village to tell you that their "welcome packet" included condoms!  I know, I'm such a "corny Catholic" in this "ultra modern world".  So what?

There is a reason why this is on top of my list, I'm currently wrestling with the thought of posting here why I STRONGLY OPPOSE the passing of the Reproductive Health Bill or "RH Bill" into law here in the Philippines.  I know I have the right to express my opinion... but I don't know if I could restrain myself from using "strong language" and end up doing the far from amusing version of buffoonering instead! I simply do not have Mayor Johnson's rare gift. :)       

***

If a picture paints a thousand...

...territorial lines, then why can't the lines just coincide? 

"The South China Sea: Troubled waters"

from The Economist.

Like the great John Lennon, it's tempting to...

"Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people sharing all the world..." 

***

QOTD

QOTD #6
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by PAM 

 "Like all those Olympic athletes, the Games organisers toiled for seven long years to achieve two glorious weeks in 2012." 

         - from "The joy of the nudge Olympics" 
           The Economist 

I have two reasons for posting this as QOTD: 

(1) Now that Chem.E. Batch 2012 of the University of Santo Tomas are preparing for their November Chemical Engineers Licensure Examination, I think this quote is a good advice for the current students at the Chem.E. Department. Guys, the preparation for the Licensure Exam begins as soon as you enroll in the first semester of your Freshman year in the Chem. E. Program. Working through your Program deligently - and consistently - is the best preparation for a successful licensure examination... and the "Olympic lane" to a wonderful Chem. E. career.  You cannot hope to do well in the examination by packing a five-year worth of knowledge in your heads within a five-month Usain Bolt lightning speed review.  There is a reason why that is called a "review", ya know... and engineering is all about discipline, the disciplined mastery of learning converted to skills, and the skillful use of acquired knowledge.  It would be a very good experience to go through College life now and then taking the exam later, all the while knowing that you're doing your job right... therefore, confident that things will turn out right - a great reason to hope for a wonderful future. 

(2) In the wake of the massive flooding in Northern Luzon last week, the Philippine President, Pres. Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy), is now speaking about a "permanent" (whoa, big word!) solution to the perennial problem. He said that at the end of his term, Filipinos will be "feeling" a positive change. Well, Mr. President, you have four years to make good of your promise. The catch is... I believe, the challenge that the yearly flooding poses is far more massive than organizing the Olympics... uhm, on second thought, wait here, I think I need to verify that with Gov. Mitt Romney. ;)  Seriously now though, with most of the people in the P-Noy government proving themselves to be the "less talk, more action" (and, hopefully, corruption-proof as well) kind, it looks like there is a reason to be hopeful... if only P-Noy could stick to "daang matuwid" and learn to keep it together under the allure of an attractive short-cut.   

***

Saturday photo

by PAM

72 hours of torrential rain... 504 mm of rain water in just one day, more than 2 million people displaced from their homes.
(AP Photo/Malacañang Photo Bureau/Jay Morales)

I woke up in the middle of the day on Thursday with the cheerful tweeting of birds outside my window, and two cats were chasing each other noisily on the roof under the beautiful sunshine, albeit weak... and I THANK GOD with all my heart!  

Wednesday night was a very long night, just like the three nights before it.  We were monitoring the rain and the danger it might bring to our home.  After 72 hours of relentless monsoon rain, it was hard to breathe normally.  The voluminous rain water that the southwest monsoon unleashed raged through the streets in nearby places in wild amok, swallowing more than half of Metro Manila, and many provinces in Central and Northern Luzon.  The massive floods affected more than two million people in the island.  

While most members of my family are fortunate enough to be in locations safe from flooding (dear God, THANK YOU!), the last 72 hours between Sunday and Wednesday, sleeping wasn't really sleeping for us.  We literally just passed out from exhaustion - mostly of the mind - caused by worries for a few members of our family who were stranded in places surrounded by flood water, and sadness for some friends who, unfortunately, were badly affected by the raging flood water.  Our country bled from the pounding of another calamity, and it dampened our spirits.      

But there was joy, too... the country may have been pounded to its knees, but we went down on our knees with our faces turned to the skies - in prayer to our Lord God, and our arms linked together in admirable Pinoy Bayanihan spirit.  I know this might be a time for sorrow... but I don't feel sorrowful.  I feel proud of the Filipino's unbroken spirit, and this country's will to get back on its feet notwithstanding the hardship it takes.  Kudos to all the wonderful national government officials and local government leaders who stood valiantly between their people and death, especially to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) cool boss, Francis Tolentino.  Sir, you are awesome!  We have also seen the Philippine National Police (PNP), Marine, and Coastguard at one of their very best moments - risking their own lives to save many.  And, I'm sure, I am not the only person who wishes to thank sincerely the wonderful men and women in the different TV and Radio Networks' news crews who tirelessly worked 'round-the-clock to keep the nation sufficiently informed all throughout our ordeal.  Their contribution to the disaster management was invaluable indeed.  You guys are heroes!  

So, yes, it was a grueling 72 hours... but on Thursday morning, the birds were chirping merrily. There is hope.

***
Note:  I wrote a blow-by-blow account of the "72 hours of rain", and I was meaning to post it here.  I realized just now, however, that the account is full of RH Bill-related disgust for the Malacañang-House of Representatives Olympic-like synchronized "political acrobatics" that compromised "daang matuwid" to a "short-cut re-route" once again... as well as frustration from the Judicial and Bar Council's indecision over Sec. Leila De Lima's supposed disqualification from candidacy for the position of Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court.  Politics aside, it should be easy to just drop her.  Curiously, all that "muddy politicking" was in perfect "harmony" with the disgusting mud flow that the 72 hours of rain caused, claiming innocent lives and affected many, many more.  I think it isn't appropriate to post the 72-h account here at the moment.  Later....        

***

Who is the fastest man in the world?

by PAM

Who else, but this man...

"Lightning Bolt"

...the awesome Usain Bolt of Jamaica!  What a joy to see him dust off his seat as the fastest human being on the planet to a glorious gleam! The Beijing Games Champ didn't disappoint, laid all doubts on his fitness and motivation for winning to rest by claiming the gold medal in the men's 100-m race against a formidable line-up of terrific sprinters - the best in the world today - at the London Games.  Having seen the race live on TV just a few minutes ago, it's easy to imagine how the exciting race itself, Bolt's electrifying surge to a golden finish, and his fun victory celebration brought great delight to millions of people around the world... but most especially to his countrymen in Jamaica celebrating the 50th anniversary of their Independence Day. What a stunning gift indeed to Jamaica... and to the rest of the world!  He clocked in at 9.63 seconds - a new Olympic record. Oy!  Just incredible!  

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