meeting old friends

it was one interesting weekend. a grand alumni homecoming involving all years from 1965-2011.  it was a time of meeting some classmates from high school.  a few came after 35 years of not seeing one another as a group. for our batch only about 35 of us came out of the 150 classmates. it was really fun time not only for our classmates but for all of the other batches.  some of them i also knew having stayed at the school from elementary thru college.

and to think it was held about two weekends after my family reunion --- a cousins reunion, actually. it was the first ever organized and we had a chance to meet most of my cousins, some i haven't seen for about 20 years.
really interesting month is may 2011.

old flames

The weekend was one important event for me.  I met my classmates in high school.  For some of us, it was a first time for the last 35 years.  What really colored the affair, was not so much the attendance of an old flame, because I've gotten over her long time ago.  This particular girl arrived and didn't recognize me (who would expect after a long time that she could instantly recognize me).  I knew she might attend because she was contacted.  Someone close to her told me when she was not around that had a crush on me way back then.  What my classmates didn't know was that she was one of the few interesting girls in high school.  At least for me. So reserved, so dainty.
This was not really new to me since somebody told me the same way back in high school.  But I didn't press on because she already had a boyfriend from among my classmates.  Still she is someone interesting.
The problem is somehow when a classmate told me last weekend, the thought seemed to linger with me.  Feelings and all.  At my age, I didn't expect to react that way.  Some sort of a deja vu.

If we only had a chance to talk alone, I might have gotten over these feelings that have been aroused.  It may not be that romantic anymore, but at least some of the issue might have been resolved.

Maybe we could get to talk one of these days.  Maybe I'll tell her how I felt way back then.

lavish royal weddings amid extreme hunger

it' not our money they are spending, i know. but think of the widening disparity between the worlds. where a family of five share a living area of three square meters in poor countries.  this space is just enough for a comfort room in many homes in the rich countries. they couldn't care less they have the money to splurge. where many families have to share two meals in a day, some families in the rich countries share them too --- in food fights.  i wonder if they put out their lights on earth day in rich countries.

so what? the rich may just say, we can spend however we want to spend. wouldn't it be better if we can show some concern for the less fortunate?

honored by the boss

it really is so uplifting hearing from no less than a direct superior that your work is excellent. after almost ten years of serving with the government under him, he has been been so thrifty in praise.  of course, i get excellent marks during our semestral work evaluation.  but it really felt different when he praises my work in front of everybody else in our department.  and coming from a workaholic boss who demands quality work from all of us, this is so exhilarating.  and he has caused my promotion (twice in three years).

although there may have been lapses in my line of work, still i am confident i have delivered beyond what others have done and beyond certain standards.

text brigade

the problem with text is that people use it to take advantage of gullible people.

- you won a small fortune in a lottery in which you never participated.  how could somebody win without betting?

- say a prayer and pass to friends to avert disaster.  it would be more productive to stay calm and prepare for disaster. miracles are worked for and not hoped for!

the telcos (smart, globe, sun) stand to gain millions in times like these! does this mean they have something to do about these?

t-t-t-t-t-t-t-textinnnnnng!!!!!!!

ironic how some people take advantage of a crisis situation. yesterday, a text message circulated around the archipelago warning that radioactive material will somehow find its way down the philippines by 4pm following a a nuclear accident in japan. the first sentence was correct. but the subsequent advisory warning that asian countries will be affected. and thus everybody should stay home, close windows and doors after visiting the health center for a swab in the thyroid area.

such a nuclear accident is really nothing compared to the two bombs dropped in nagasaki and hiroshima during WWII. and the adverse effects were limited to a small area.  so how could a nuclear accident be a cause of concern for the rest of asia.

of course, the precaution is good. but only to those living in japan.

what worries me is how the people reacted.  some schools suspended classes. some government offices sent their employees home. domino effect.  without verifying the truth of the information, many reacted.  others say no harm was done simply by following simple text message. i disagree. it means, people are still gullible to dubious text messages. we could have verified information first before acting.

to those who started and rode on the text scam as if it was a text brigade  for some candidate in pilipinas got talent or talentadong pinoy or pinoy big brother, please stop this!

in the wake of disaster

after a killer quake, a 10-meter tsunami left japan so devastated. tens of thousands have yet to be accounted for,  and dead bodies are turning out by the hundreds every day. aggravating the misery is the threat of a nuclear meltdown that could well render the surviving japanese very sick.

many countries are convulsing with their own problems. revolutions, civil wars, terrorism. recession.  and we see  before our own eyes in the luxury of our living rooms in high-definition color, the anger, the rage, the frustration.

then came the quake and the tsunami.

yet we still have to hear of looting, rioting.  all we can see are people patiently queueing up for their meager share. everybody gets to buy a little bit of something to eat or drink. no jostling around. no short tempers. no stealing. no one taking advantage.

is this the japanese way of dealing with disaster? the future is uncertain. yet like ants, they meekly accept what is and tries to do a little bit of good not only for himself but also a bit for a fellow japanese.  from a news item i read from an australian site yesterday, i learned that at the entrance of one of the evacuation site in Rokugo Junior High, the visitor is greeted by a row of neatly stacked footwear.  tacitly, it means, anybody wishing to enter must also leave one's footwear outside.  the local grocers delivered their crates of food and a net row of portable toilets were set up. in the carpark, volunteers (presumably the able-bodied of the survivors helped pump water for those who could not. outside a gas station, motorists calmly queued up to buy their share of gas.

i wish somehow, we could learn lessons from small things like this. especially during disasters. how to survive a disaster --- earthquake, tsunami, and a nuclear crisis. written by THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN!