2/28/2017 ‒
No opposition

It's not hard to understand how some can believe that any opposition to something does not help. "Why complain and complain when you say just support this thing and get it done?" Here, not just in politics, the idea that raising a ruckus whenever you disagree with something just gets in the way is widely subscribed to.

But, of course, politics is a much bigger stage, one that plays out every day on the news, sometimes (especially lately) even live. Anybody who's in a position to point out the flaws of the leadership - all in the name, supposedly, of public service - is seen as a nuisance, a roadblock. Just think of how the scrambling opposition during Noynoy Aquino's time was seen: as a roadblock to progress.

This time, however, with Rodrigo Duterte at the helm, this belief has become a bit more explicit. Perhaps it's his authoritarian tendencies. Perhaps it's his most rabid supporters feeling empowered to actually say it out loud, and not in civil terms, either. The opposition - whoever that is - is a roadblock to change, and this time they will be eliminated if necessary.

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2/25/2017 ‒
Ideals

It's the 25th of February again, which means, once again, we get reminded of all these stories from the first EDSA Revolution - the well-worn stories of its major personalities, as well as the side stories from the people on the periphery, on the fringes.

But this year's interesting. Rodrigo Duterte is, of course, president now, and his views on EDSA are considerably different, if we can even make sense of it. Formally he's all about moving on from the jubilation of 31 years ago, and learning from the lessons that have come after all that happened. It's a good point, really - we're all still stuck with the idea that 1986 was a shining moment for the country, forgetting that we never really followed through with it.

But then, there's the rhetoric - muddled rhetoric, from him and his supporters - that EDSA has made things worse for the country. Is it his supposed deference to Ferdinand Marcos, the reason why the dictator is now buried amongst heroes? That could explain why his most rabid of drones are leading the way in editing history, or at the very least pushing an alternative view into prominence: that Cory Aquino is corrupt, that she made things much worse for the country, and that putting her into power was a big mistake - a mistake that we're only getting around to fixing now, with, well, the election of Duterte as president.

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2/22/2017 ‒
I do not have the right to my own sadness

There will be days when I will just dwell on the things I don't have.

Apparently I should not be doing this.

Apparently I should not focus on the things I don't have. Apparently I should instead be appreciative of the things that I do have. Apparently I should realize that I still have it better than others.

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2/14/2017 ‒
The paranoia of a boyfriend who's alone on the fourteenth

Tuesday night, the fourteenth of February, and I am home alone. My parents are on a date, and my brother is on a date.

And I am not.

Somewhere over the past weekend Shalla and I, somehow, mutually agreed that we won't go along with everybody else on the Valentine's festivities. Besides, we're both running low on funds after going on a week-long trip to Taipei. (Hopefully I get around to writing about that. I'm just writing this to get drowsy, so I can sleep early before driving to Clark.)

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