Drifting Thoughts 05

First up is the news: observe that my side bar is still counting up the days after the election, and we still have no complete senatorial line-up. But I'm not here for another heavy-handed commentary. Instead, I'd just like to share something I found in the June 28, 2007 homepage of the Philstar.com. Shown then and there was a photo of Rep. Migz Zubiri propping up his legs while watching the favorable (for him) news about the Maguindanao polls. I find it surprising that no blog jester has picked on the picture's potential for hilarity, so I shall do the honors then:

-oOo-

If there is one thing in the news that I'd like to comment on it would be the issue concerning the first Filipino conquerors of Mt. Everest. Well, it's not exactly news anymore, but remember how Dale Abenojar's sherpas has earlier been quoted by the physician of First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition as indicating that Abenojar, whom they have accompanied, has not really reached the summit? Well recently, the Philippine Star has contacted the sherpas of Abenojar, and the guides deny ever having issued that contrary statement and maintained that their Filipino companion has reached the summit.

I personally would want to believe that Dale Abenojar, on his own physical and financial capacity, devoid of the media hype and corporate sponsorship, is the first Filipino to have climbed world's tallest peak. It's a shame that the quest for the first Filipino up on Everest became a rat race, fuelled and escalated by corporate rivalries most notably ABS-CBN and GMA7. What's the glory in fellow countrymen racing against each other to the top, especially if the race is greatly seen not as a noble contest (like the X-Prize that promotes scientific breakthroughs) but as a mere extension of the Network Wars? Competition, one may say, has forced out excellence, but this quest for Everest is better achieved through cooperation (as the team of first Filipina climbers have demonstrated the following year--why is it that in the Philippines, the women are more reasonable?). But if there is no cooperation, the one with the strong sense of purpose must plod through, and that is where the independent climber Dale Abenojar has redeemed the Filipino and trumped the corporate wannabes who have not achieved the restoration of Philippine pride but rather have shown the negative attitudes that burden this nation.

It would be easier and more gratifying to believe if things are just so simple, but they're not. I've read some blogs that tell of Dale's penchant for tall tales and acting like a wuss. Could he have improved and fulfilled his dream, but was tragically viewed like the boy who cried wolf by those in the local mountaineering community that he have pissed off? Whatever it is, in the absence of solid evidence to prove one claim or the other, I stand by my personal preference, because the message of this version of events is in line with what I want to impart.

-oOo-

I finally figured out the existence of some searches that lead to my blog, and discovered an unintended meaning of my blog title. I got to know of something called "Drifting" (picture from the same Wikipedia link), which is, more than a motorsport, a new paradigm in driving. It is popularized by the manga and anime Initial D and the movie The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift. Unfortunately for Drifting enthusiasts, Highway Drift is not about the practice of the driving technique in the highway but rather about this writer's current drifting in life while having residential and business addresses located near highways.

-oOo-

To cap a somewhat sports-themed entry, a few words about the just-started UAAP season 70 are in order. I'm actually one of the apathetic students then and now, the one who would be contented with reading about my school's game in the papers the next day and who would watch the live telecast only during important games. Heck, I haven't watched one game live at the gladiators' pit that is the Araneta Coliseum! But now that I have the means, allow me a little bit of ra-ra-rah...

Oh yeah.

Oh yeah!

Now perhaps you might be wondering how I have created this picture as well as manipulated that of Migz Zubiri in this post. No need for Photoshop, and no need to shell out some few thousands of bucks. Behold the open source GNU Image Manipulation Program--the GIMP, in short. Special thanks to Jose for showing me the light.

The image sources for this banner, specifically, is taken from the Broderbund ClickArt collection for Windows 95(!), whose CDs contain the Photodex CompuPic image browser legacy program I have featured (with screenshots!) before. It was a pleasant surprise that these companies are still alive and selling the latest versions of their software. The ancient ClickArt jpeg collection I have with me, for instance, had this awful resolution that the cameraphones of today can rival. Now they have this DVD ClickArt collection, haha. On the other hand, the latest version of CompuPic amazingly features an upgraded version of The Eye! I wonder if it still follows the mouse, though. Come to think of it, with help from the latest software like the GIMP, these really old relics can still fulfill their purpose.

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On the Spot

It's almost a year into my blogging foray. I reckon it's time for some assessment.

Last month, I received special mention in Señor Enrique's blog for having potential of sorts in this blog of mine. With the recognition coming from him, it means a lot to me (read further to know one of the reasons). This peculiar meme is supposed to originate here, wherein each blogger is tasked to highlight five blogs that stimulate the intellect. In this part of the blogging world where I lurk, it's an impossible task to limit the recognition to just five; thus, I would just go with Señor Enrique's criteria and name those bloggers that are still "small-time" for now but have great potential waiting to be unleashed. This is still a long list, though, so I would limit my choices among those in my links (as of this writing).

With the modified criteria, I suppose it's safe to say that Philippine Blog Awards 2007 finalist Nostalgia Manila, Photobloggies 2007 Best Southeast Asian Photoblog Awards finalist Sidney and Philippine Blog Awards 2007 Best Photoblog Señor Enrique are overqualified. Nevertheless, do visit them and experience the Philippines in the past and in the present through their words, images and videos.

Without further ado, behold my list, in no particular order, of Five Bloggers of Great Potential:

Untold Pinoy Stories -- Nick's not-so-blind items taken from the repressed or forgotten collective memories of Filipinos are told in a style that will blow you away.

utakGago -- When I first encountered Kevin in his previous blog (he changes URLs a lot), the huge following made him loom larger than life. Now a fresh grad from high school, he remains the opinionated fellow who can discuss anything and everything under the sun.

Kamurawayan (and Meljohn Art) -- Ever since my high school days, Meljohn has been the go-to guy when it comes to designing T-shirt graphics, among other artistic requirements. Now with two blogs of his own, this accomplished visual artist shares the Bicol experience to the rest of the world.

Gusot -- Jonell is a creative mind whose stories sway your emotions. His current blog holds but a fraction of his literary contribution in the Internet.

A Nagueño in the Blogosphere -- From hard-hitting commentaries to Bicol-related links to poignant family stories, Willy delivers straight from Naga City.

The above-listed are hereby appointed to spread the link love in their respective blogs.

Now I feel bad; most of my blog links are left out. And these links belong to personal friends! Actually I have long intended to write an entry about those listed in my links, and I guess this is the right time.

The one person who made me sign up for a Blogger account way back in 2002 is Toj. It was for membership to a now defunct group blog of math majors, the title of which, by the way, was where I got "Everybody Counts" from. Why defunct? Well, unlike her, we were yet to grasp the concept of blogging. She is the first blogger that I know of, and the one with an online clout while still in college. Such prominence has setbacks though, as her insightful posts on relationships get plagiarized often. Back in college, I also found Kerwin's blog. Ever since then he has been the pop culture observer. He is actually a quiet type, and his superior math and writing skills are very effective in encrypting his personal messages.

My other math contemporaries have since wised up to the ways of blogging somewhat. The first among my after-college discoveries is Krislan's blog containing thoughts (angsty and otherwise) of a third-world petit bourgeois. These are thoughts that I could relate to (enough that I could expose his hidden agendas), but would hesitate to voice out and consider them taboo or brash or unpopular. Unfortunately, the need to preserve the means of keeping body and soul together prevailed, forcing Kris to hide his blog from potential employers using the new Blogger privacy feature. I've discovered also in quick succession (because they're networked) the blogs of my math friends Maymay, Joy, Tago, and Sam, among others. Theirs are personal blogs for now, but the few posts they have hint at their incisive thinking (guess who got Manolo Quezon's attention).

One final factor that pushed me into blogging was another blog discovery from another group of friends. There was once a bad day at work that had me reeling from multiple problems. But today I no longer remember the details of those unfortunate events; instead, what I remember was that due to some sense of longing or an urge to seek refuge, I searched for blogs pertaining to my college org, DS, and found Ailen's LJ. One particular entry, amongst funny snippets of life and deep personal reflections, led me to the comforting conclusion that the "magic" that made DS membership worthwhile is still there among its current members. In light of this happy thought, I left the office with a smile.

Ah, behold the power of blogs to uplift! I guess an organization that proclaims "we take care of you" will attract membership from the right kind of people most of the time. And so, even with their varied topics, there is this common streak of idealistic melodrama and lighthearted fun among the blogs of Ces, Maan, Rita, Pia, Arlene and mine. An additional note on Maan's blog: rather than brushing it off as one of those blogs with nothing but lyrics, consider first that we share the same taste in music, and her personal sharing provides dramatic context to the songs.

Finally we have the awesome blogs--in Tagalog "astig", in Bicol "ma-orag." Kate is a friend from back in high school. She rarely posts, but if she does it's heartfelt and profound. Marlon a.k.a. Mr. Pencil is a recent discovery. Following the footsteps of Jonell, it's unbelievable how he deftly uses the metaphor of the pencil in all his posts so far.

There you have it. With them, my blogging experience is made more worthwhile, so from this one-year Highway Drifter, a big thank you.

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Random Dump of 2006 Stuff

I'm the kind of writer whose inspiration does not come as often as daily or weekly. If it comes, this writer then rambles on with kilometric prose (again taking his sweet time to type out the words and sentences), edits, hesitates, contemplates, and edits some more before finally coming up with a masterpiece of a blog entry. Consequently, some entries that are in the pipeline suddenly become outdated, or some parts are edited out lest the entry becomes a boring full-length essay. Thus, before these thoughts become so last year, I present to you the never-before-written paragraphs and deleted parts of Highway Drift for the year 2006 (Ugh, it sounds like a DVD special feature!)...

-oOo-

I went home to Naga City last September for the Peñafrancia Fiesta after five long years of missing its fun and blessings. I could've churned out lots of entries exploring different aspects of this nine-day-long festival, but I didn't. Fortunately, it's an annual thing, so I most probably have another shot at it next September. If you can't wait, well, check out the links in this paragraph.

What was the thing about this year's fiesta? It's the time I seem to have reached the culmination of a trend I've noticed in the few times in the past five years that I managed to go back home. It's as if the city has moved on without me. Significant changes have taken place among my relatives and old friends, in the schools I have gone to, and in the city itself. Changes I am not party to. Changes I approach as a stranger, and in turn these changes also consider me as one, an oddity from a different time, five years ago to be exact.

At the same time, it's as if I have moved on while the city stood in time. My friends and relatives speak with an ennui that makes me think of them as static beings. (What's up, I ask. Nothing new, they answer. It's always like this.) While I contemplated moving back to take a break from polluted and hectic Metro Manila living, I was confronted with the fact that I have to deal with baggage from unresolved feuds (petty, childish feuds as I view them now) and unchanging attitudes of long ago (and I when I say long ago, I mean way before I was born). Then I'm hearing of rumors that I was spared, for now while I am away, from new baggage that formed in my absence. Perhaps this disconnect is partly my fault too. I am not the person that would burn the phone lines to keep in touch. I operate more on the mantra out of sight, out of mind.

Perhaps it's a way of telling me that Metro Manila, how ever resentful I am with it, is where I belong now, where I have friends from college and in work, where I have a job and other business opportunities, where I can avoid the mistakes of the past, where I can make for myself a new life. I guess, for a change, it's time to keep in touch with these friends, and not lose them this time, not with all the technology available to connect, not with all those fond memories formed back then, not with more great memories to be formed in the future. It's time to take the job seriously, or at least do what I'm supposed to do while still avoiding stress; else it'll be tough if I get booted out. It's time to make new friends with the neighbors and with the officemates.

And lay off the drama, geez...

-oOo-

I didn't blog about my birthday, for crying out loud! That was last October, by the way. "I'm 22 for a moment," the song 100 Years by Five for Fighting croons with melodious melancholy, and that's the only part of the song I can relate to; I'm deprived of being "on fire" with a significant other, more so "making our way back from Mars."

On a positive note though, some people still think I'm a college student, like the jeepney drivers, for instance, who charge me with the student's fare. And I can still blend in whenever I visit my college to bask in nature and nostalgia. The one particular episode I remember was when I bought tickets for Da Vinci Code in Market! Market! The sales lady, who appears to be of the same age as I asked how old I was. Rather than be immediately flattered, my first reaction was to be slightly irritated by the fact that I will have to compute for/recall my real age. Then I was annoyed that Dan Brown's thriller was R-18 primarily due to hype and unfounded fears. "T-t-twenty," I stammered. "No! I'm twenty ... twenty-one. Yes, twenty-one going on twenty-two," I managed to mutter. Then I was flattered.

But all these mean nothing when the children I'm tutoring exclaim "You're only 22! We thought you were..." Kids don't lie, do they?


Other parts of the series:
Next dump Last dump

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Drifting Thoughts 03

I'm currently in an insecurity funk, blogging-wise. It all started last month when I was searching for a blog from a current student in the high school where I spent the last of my "boyhood days" and the beginning of my "manhood years," as I sung its song back then. Now it's a gender-sensitive "childhood days" and "youthful years" due to a shift into co-education two years, mere two years, after I graduated. Indeed within that year, my school underwent even more changes like a move into a new campus and the return of a well-respected principal. I would've thrived in those changing times, but unfortunately for me, I was in Manila by then, so I can only monitor the issues and milestones at a distance. Ever since I started blogging, I knew that the next best thing from being there is to read about the perspective of someone in there, a high school student like I was before. I was specifically looking for their opinions and pictures on a real gritty competition for my own blog entry that I hope would give my high school justice amidst the hyped competition my other alma mater had recently figured in (the plan is shelved for now, partly because I found no pics, partly because of that typhoon again) . In my search I found this, which opened me up to a blogging network of sorts of students in that school (where this one, by the way, rocks and has potential to rock even harder when she grows up). They, in turn, appear to be fans of this Manila-based high school blogger, who I think had fared well in Pinoy Top Blogs. This is where my insecurity surfaces: why do these kids' blogs, judging from the comments and hits they receive, appear to be more prominent than mine? Well, a quick answer would be because they have a readily available audience: classmates. And from these classmates the network would easily spread to their friends, then friends of friends and so on and so forth. As for me, I started blogging more than one year after graduating, enough time for contact with college friends to diminish significantly. Ironically, one of the purposes of this blog is to let these friends know what's up with my life and allow them a peek into other facets of my self that they failed to see in that introverted fellow they knew back then. Sigh. Officemates? No, I'd rather not let them know of this blog, just in case, if you know what I mean. That's why I would never mention my company, or my officemates' names here. Perhaps when I'm in another job, I'd mention them. Family? Same reason.

Another reason for diminished hits in this blog would be my infrequent posting. Like a former senate president, I may say "quality over quantity," but as with that legislator, I am not excused with this pathetic attempt to gloss over the preoccupation of probing other people's blogs instead of writing my own. Instead I should admit that inertia has me fixed on the blog-reading and an external force should act upon me to make me write. Well, I think this insecurity funk has nudged me somewhat.

I shall soldier on my blogging, slowly but surely. In fact I'm brewing an entry of apocalyptic proportions. No, it's not the third part of my Milenyo series although that one's also in the assembly line (attributing that typhoon to the Apocalypse is so pathetically naive. Bato-bato sa langit ang tamaan 'wag magalit, baka yang ibato sa'yo pang-Apokalipsis na nga). It's supposed to be my Halloween entry but it's also related to the winter solstice, so the delay may be justified.

-oOo-

Last month, the world was in furor over the nuclear testing of North Korea. But underneath the crazy hair, this Dear Leader guy sure had some crazier wisdom in timing his latest belligerent act as the last among those of his co-"Axis of Evil", somewhat recognizing that the nation who had the biggest axe to grind against them would be too busy wielding its big stick against the other two to use it against him. That's why, barely a month afterwards, the noise died down--a record time for a news event like this. This is good though, the world doesn't need another war, especially not in the neighborhood at this time of the year.

In hindsight, I remember the anecdote our Israeli guest trainer shared last month about his stint in South Korea. He was amazed at how seriously the people there took their preparations for war. He said there were frequent reminders over a PA system on what to do in case of attack, presumably from the North. In his country, he compares, they may discuss it now and then, but never in a frequency and scale of that magnitude. It may be a cultural difference, but given his country's past and recent experience, we tended to agree that indeed it was a curious paranoid behavior.

Two days later the test happened.

-oOo-

Sanamagan! Manong Max is now gone! Indeed, as someone had said, he has left a void difficult to fill.

I shall write about him and another Philippine Star great, the late Teddy Benigno in another entry. This Drifting Thoughts entry is not worthy to bear tribute to them.

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Genesis

I must finally give way to the itch. This is the itch I feel when reading those random musings of columnists in my favorite newspaper and the itch intensified by my explorations of the blogosphere. My, oh my, how they write with abandon, unleashing on their hapless readers whatever goddess or demon springing forth from their minds. And their conjured deities go forth and battle with and against other's conjured deities in the arena of politics, science, arts, sports, religion, et cetera, et cetera. And these deities have the ability to rally an army of emotions with them. Oh yes, they can raise feelings of delight, despair, nostalgia, nausea, power, passion.

In me they also raise envy.

Envy for they gush out their ideas and emotions while I keep mine neatly packed inside; that others, like me, can read, digest and even resonate with these writings while mine remain isolated, unused and unappreciated.

Lastly, there is also pride--more aptly, egoism.

I know I can write just like them because I have done it before, in brief moments of glory. Heck! Maybe I can do better: describe with more detail, analyze with more depth, exclaim with more passion, expound with more knowledge.

And bore with more blandness.

Maybe, just maybe.

What is the use of this laptop I bought with hard-earned money? What is the use of the empty notebooks and idle pens? What is the use of all that holistic education?

The itch must be scratched by the pen furiously scraping on paper, massaged with fingers tapping on the keyboard. And it must be assuaged now.

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Hello World!

... obviously coming from some IT puke.



(Image shamelessly grabbed from Space.com)

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