Remember the Date

Greek

There is a Duncan Sheik song that mentioned "Morpheus".


Morpheus

?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
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People Power Redux

Been tired since yesterday and today wasn't better.

I came from Panamao and Tiptipon, Sulu yesterday to cover the Balikatan exercises there. Left at around 5 a.m. yesterday which means, I only got 2 hours of sleep before the flight. Wasn't able to have some shut eye during the visit because we had to work of course. I thought I could rest the next day, which is today.

But I got a call at around 7:30 a.m. reminding me that I should be early for work. I thought the desk person was referring to my 9 a.m. shift, but later found out that what he had said was that I should be at work at 8 a.m. but that's another matter.

Anyway, the reason for the early call time was (at least) initially, people power celebrations today. What I didn't know was the newsroom had been buzy already. Talks of a quelled coup attempt, etc.

I was deployed to cover the rally of Akbayan, Laban ng Masa group. The group was with UP Prof. Randy David, former UP President Franciso Nemenzo, and Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros.

The initial plan was to push on to Edsa Shrine. I thought they wouldn't have any problems. They whizzed pass the policemen who blocked them on their way out of the Circle.

Their number grew to about 10,000 (at least according to a rallyist). On the street, they would encourage the uziseros. Their invitation was met with claps, clenched fists, and cheers.

I thought they could go to EDSA Shrine but when they reached Santolan, it was clear, that the the fist of the government would quell them.

There were negotiations initially between the rally group's leaders, Hontiveros, David and Nemenzo and Quezon City Police Chief Nicasio Radovan. But the police just wouldn't let them pass.

The signal to disperse was given. The firetruck beamed their hose toward the rallyists. Within minutes, rocks were being hurled at the policemen. I was on top of the firetruck on the side of the police, I was worried I might be hit. But I guess I was lucky.

Some 18 rallyists were arrested. Later on, I discovered that David, Ronald Llamas, and Atty. Argee Guevarra were arrested (they were later on released).

Hontiveros was safe and so was Nemenzo.

"I remember Martial Law twenty years ago, during the time of Marcos," Nemenzo wryly said.

Fate has a way of reminding how lessons should be learned.

364 Days Of Loving

It's morbidly convenient to have had my Father pass on on Valentine's day. It's been a year and I should be somehow thankful. For one, it saved me (and will, from last year onwards) from the trouble of jumping on this bandwagon of commercialized love (need we, for example, be reminded of our commitment, of our task/obligation to our beloved on this day when it should have been a given).

Yeah, that's just my jaded me speaking.

Today, I'm wearing black. I have as equal right as those who want to wear red on this day.

Lest, I be misinterpreted, let me just say that when that person comes along, I want to be original. We will celebrate that magical discovery and then eventual union of two lost souls, all year round, every second of every minute, every minute of every hour, every hour of every day, every day of a week, every week of a month, every month of a year.

Except Valentine's Day.

Alarmed

Modern technology has failed me.

Sunday morning, I woke up to a dead XDA. Curious, I examined why the alert light (or whatever it is you call it) was neither green (in which case, it means it's fully charged) or red (which means I have a message/missed call). But when I attempted to turn it on, I noticed that even the screen was blank. Resuscitating it by way of changing its batteries didn't help.

Good thing it was a weekend, otherwise, I would have missed my alarm or calls from the office (about a sudden change in schedule).

So it dawned on me that what I thought would be a perpetually reliable XDA would no longer be. I managed to revive it after a couple of minutes but I knew the dependability factor was nil.

During a break in my coverage I bought an alarm clock, my first since college. It's made of plastic and has three options for alarm: the regular beep, a bird's sound and a rooster's cock-a-doddle-doo. I like the third option.

I'll see if it's any better.

Good Night, And Good Luck

A guiding light.

"We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our destiny, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men -- nor from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular."

-Edward R. Murrow

Durable

The most durable plastic, I discovered, is not made of resin, but of human skin.

Broken

brokeback
Originally uploaded by josephthaddeus.

The most truthful things are the things we do not say. We are afraid, for example, to admit certain feelings, to acknowledge certain connections, for fear of reprisal, or rejection.

"More than a gay film, it is a film about longing," I told some friends who were asking me about "Brokeback Mountain."

They didn't want me to reveal the plot so I just gave them that overview.

Watching it unearthed some feelings and memories I thought I had forgotten.

But well, certain things remain the same for certain reasons.