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...

In every election, we are to seat selected officials into public service. On top of it all (say the Presidential election), the top seat will be taken on by a new head. As ordinary citizens, we are all hoping if not assured of the realization of our patriotic hopes in line with the current promises of whoever would claim victory but not necessarily the confidence of a greater number. The “democratic disadvantage” over our system is that too many candidates are allowed to run for the same position. Thus, winning is based on majority vote; however, the rest of the voting public combined who did not support such candidate outnumbers the winning votes. Unless it’s a landslide triumph, there are more people to convince still of the winner’s capacity to lead us. The bigger drawback is that most of these substantial number aren’t as supportive, treating the victor as the adversary, sourly substantiating themselves as the opposition. There is no unity. The biggest setback though is amongst a...

Fetching my mother from the grocery last Sunday, I’ve picked up ire as well. She was about to board the car when a cab driver wouldn’t allow her to comfortably and safely get in as he continued to unpleasantly drive towards her. As if that wasn’t enough, he rudely shouted at my mom saying she shouldn’t be boarding where we were – in a drop-off point where they too pick up their passengers. That ticked me off! I was behind the car as I just closed the compartment door right beside the cab driver. Having witnessed his arrogance, I approached and disdainfully cursed him. Pointing out his disrespectfulness seemingly admonishing him of how would it affect him if such is similarly done to her mother, I bullied him. I was somewhat harsh. The cab driver’s face suddenly changed into a terrified-pitiful look. Guilty, I knew I could have been more diplomatic… Spur of the moment rather got the better off me… If my bullying of him was witnessed by anyone, chances are, their sympathies will be ...

It's funny when we tend to criticize a certain story, may it be a movie or TV drama perhaps, for its unrealistic plot. Whereas it makes critics out of us or pull the wool over our eyes, we seem to be unaware of our own life's unlikely story lines. Though it's realistic for us to assess these unbelievable movie themes, we become the opposite in dealing with our own "drama". There's partiality with our reasoning, very much the subject we tend to disapprove of. That's the truth, however reality bites. Here are 5 reality check 'list': MOVIE : We approve ( giggle ) of two people falling in love with each other and having an affair despite both being attached to their respective "cruel" partners who end up as the anti-heroes we "hate" for being the hindrance to the two "in-love" characters as we assent to separation or what have you as long as they end up together. REALITY : Will we still feel the same way if the ...