Influence and Change

A Night of Sinigang

Now there are claims about massive vote-buying. And this is not an isolated case. The news have been reporting about it everyday. And I heard that our town, this happened, too.

Again, good bloggers and writers are writing about it everywhere. So, I leave it up to them to send their messages to these politicians that are allegedly guilty of this act.

I, again, will talk to Juan. Because I believe that every person will have to be the change he's looking for, as Mother Teresa said. This is also why I started this blog. Because I believe that Filipinos are one of the best people in the world. We only have to get our acts together for a better Philippines.

Anyway, this might be the wrong channel to say what I wanted to say to Juan. Because the Juan I am trying to talk to this time barely knows how to read. He starts and ends his day trying to find money to feed him and his family, even just for today. So, how can he even access the internet?

This Juan chose to sell his vote for about Php 300. Just enough to buy him and his family one meal. I imagine that he's going to buy a kilo of pork and vegetables for sinigang, which is one of the most delicious Filipino dishes we have.

He chose a night of sinigang over six years of what? You know the answer.

Yeah, yeah. You can always say get the money and don't vote for him. But there are claims that these people get their fingers dotted with indelible ink after getting the money. So, how else can he vote? Again, I leave this charge to those who are best in this field.

Vote-buying has been and will always be there.

But not if there's someone who's not selling his vote. It's like the worldwide campaign they have for the products that come from sharks.

No one will shop for Juan's vote if Juan isn't selling.

Photo of the Week: May 2-8, 2010

Been there, done that...

The Road to Jovit's 'Pyramid'

Jovit.

I know many of you will not like what I will say, but that's okay.

Yes, he was amazing; I got goosebumps when I first heard him sing. Probably, half of the people who was seeing him the same time I did, got it, too. But the second time around, I couldn't help but realize. Just like Charice, these are two great Pinoy talents. They wow almost everyone. But, honestly, I wasn't really 100% wow'd by Charice when I first saw her sing. Yeah, Oprah and all were awed. But as for me, and probably a few people, I don't see it that way. I thought Charice was just copying somebody else's talent. And this is exactly how I felt with Jovit. He was just trying to copy someone else's voice. And they happened to be both very good at it. So, this is 2 talents, copying and singing good.

In voting, I would vote for that Ezra band for the uniqueness of their style. And Mr Ruther, too, who is a ventriloquist. Well, he's not yet as good as Jeff Dunham - who's my favorite - but I think he's getting there. The Ezra band's style is very unique. The vocalist has a very unique singing voice and the way they change the beat or melody of the song is pure talent, too. They sing songs of other people but they're not trying to sing it 'their' way. They are singing it on their own style.

Jovit will make it far, like Charice. I never liked Charice's style (take note, I said her style, because I like her that she has a talent for singing), but when she finally sang 'Pyramid,' I was awed. She finally has her own style. And I like her in a totally different way.

If Jovit wouldn't make it to the top of Pilipinas Got Talent, I hope there's someone who will see his talent and 'package' him in a totally different way. Sayang ang talent if he will only keep copying other styles. Pero kungsabagay, it took Charice how many years to find 'Pyramid.'

Roller Coaster Update

It's been six months since I went home from Dubai, five months since my operation, and four months after my 'in-between days.' [The time that I call 'in-between days' is the time between my biopsy result and my CT scan result.]

After my 'in-between days,' I have known a lot of people who were fighting the battle for months already. One of them was the friend who just passed away last week, the other is my friend's aunt and another one is my second cousin's husband.

I already wrote about my friend's passing last week here.

Over the weekend, I got updates from the other two.

My friend's aunt was rushed to the hospital yesterday due to difficulty in breathing. We have yet to find out what happens next.

My second cousin's husband, on the other hand, was told to stopped his chemotherapy and was being injected morphine almost thrice a day. He was at the hospital some time last week to extract fluid from his lungs.

I won't go to the details anymore.

I am lucky enough to have been cleared when I had my CT scan last December. But as per what my oncologist said, my cells are aggressive and there is no guarantee that they wouldn't be back even after chemotherapy, a procedure I didn't choose to undergo.

I don't know if these things make me more scared or more prepared for whatever might happen in due time and if ever they will happen at all.