Switching On the Sun

After “inhaling a breath of fresh air”, we exhale that sigh of relief... Election’s over! Much like how one holds her breath from a “stinky gust of air” reeking for quite a while, Baguio could now hopefully smell something that isn’t fishy... We are now to breathe an air of fresh hope and opportunity to start anew under a new brand of governance. More than having a new City Mayor, we have a leader! A new battle for this battle-tested highly-decorated leader... To lead Baguio under a disjoining process of sociological duplicity, members (citizens) should first learn to accept its new headship corresponding with solidarity. One man cannot do it alone. We need to unite. This past election saw how Baguio was in a state of discord. While we were given so many redundant options, it divided us into factions. Manifestation of that sense of entitlement with an assumed claim of exclusive right to Baguio under political inclinations and cultural/societal partiality seemed prevalent. Wit...

No to “Voting Blindly”. A lot are actually blinded by their sense of loyalty. With their condescending belief for that of their candidate to whom they seem to be blindly loyal to, they're swayed that that is the sensible choice... Thus, they believe they’re voting wisely. For us though, our loyalty is for the place where the candidate we are to vote for is likewise loyal to... 'The Soldier of Truth' On a different light (or the lack of it as a matter of unenlightened perception), campaigning has become a hotly contested battlefield of the candidates’ respective supporters as well. Similarly, respect for the “opinionated society’s” preference has been blatantly disregarded with their self-patronizing mudslinging denouncements. If none, they fabricate, hence the fake news, trolls and all. And even so, in defense by the guilty, they pass on those real stories detrimental to their image as fake news. They’re likewise blinded FROM the truth, blinded BY the lie. T...

Last Friday (November 16), ‘Uncles and Aunties of Baguio’ turned one... It was quite timely that we’ve been invited to grace the Rotary Club of Downtown Session’s regular meeting as a speaker on social media influence corresponding with Uncles and Aunties of Baguio’s relevance. Surprisingly, they also awarded us with a certificate of appreciation for Uncles and Aunties of Baguio’s contribution along today’s social media generation; “app”tly, it generates different expressions. Being a new Rotarian myself from the Rotary Club of Baguio South, they invited our club to join them instead. It was an overwhelming support from both Rotary clubs wherein, on behalf of the ‘Uncles and Aunties of Baguio’ group, we’re likewise appreciative of their initiative to bestow us with such further source of inspiration. True enough, it’s fitting that Uncles and Aunties of Baguio’s essence and inclination on positivity harmonizes with this year’s Rotary Club’s theme, “Be The Inspiration”... And f...

“A vote that could be “boat” but shouldn’t be bought” A question for a title, yet an “enTITLEment” dependent of our discretion as much as it’s a taken-for-granted prerogative that we might as well address... Consequently, nowadays, “self-entitlement” pretty much sums up our dependence on imposed rights and privileges as if we aren’t suppose to sensibly play a role in it... We usually complain about issues, yet, do we do something about it. We depend too much on others, more so, on elected officials. Chances are, we rave about their failure for that motive to “play the blame game”. Or do we just rely on rants expectedly falling on deaf ears as we’re only after the overly used and usually misconstrued “freedom of expression” irresponsibly conveyed for all its possible likes and reactions? One manifestation of this is that complaints are aimed at discrediting the same recipients many times over because these same people get voted every time and assume power nevertheless. This b...

What if you only have a few more days left to live? Or what if you have a loved one in such a predicament? How about if you can actually help out in extending the days for one who’s about to “go”? Can we make that connection work amidst the digital connection that we’re currently more drawn into, investing in and spending on? Is there a fun way to do so? When having fun could be a responsible thing... Amidst today’s technological breakthrough and social media generation, a substantial means in manifesting fun is through the convenience of digital spectrum. One doesn’t have to leave a room (or should we say “one does not even leave a room”) yet virtually connects with that of anything that makes one have fun... On the other hand, some go out of the way if only to project (or brand their image as) some “virtual reality” of their own version of fun as much as it is “more than a profile” but it is for validation, acceptance, affirmation or for whatever reason that suits them per...

Being “Uncles and Aunties” currently , we’re actually in the middle age. Pun-intentionally, we’re “in-between” the age of old-school propriety and the generation of modern “notoriety”. We balance yesteryears’ simplicity and the complexity of today’s technological breakthrough. Yet, mostly among the young ones as we traverse “middle age”, they seem to deem it as midlife crisis. Apparently, the “psychological crossroad” though is the variability of one’s age group as to where they actually belong to, considering that there are varying generation classifications, age-wise. It’s within that turning point along a clash between getting pulled by one’s youth and being pushed to full maturity. Outwardly a case of “contend or content”. These social groupings isn’t any different from being in the middle age as it depends on life expectancy. If we are to base it on the current Filipinos’ average life expectancy rate being at around the age of 68, middle age I’d say is around 35 to 55 as c...

While it’s true that it was patterned from, as well as inspired by the far more reaching “Titos and Titas of Manila” Facebook group which apparently has been conceptualized from its recently implied premise, “ Uncles and Aunties of Baguio “ on the other hand was initially thought of and created for the purpose of a more nonchalant acceptance given its commonplace exclusivity other than reliving the good old times as an acknowledgment of the difference from any other generation. Come to think of it, the connotation behind “Tito/Tita of (what place) ” as currently referred to doesn’t actually have “that sweet” forethought. It’s almost leaning towards “that sourness” caught between “nagmumurang kamatis” and being “may asim pa” ... Imagine (say) one in his 40s at a party among a bunch most likely half his age “leveling” with the young ones still yet courteously addressed as “Tito” (not to mention, that’s with ”po” and ”opo” )... However, not to appear defensive and at the same ti...