de vielles dames

i was on my way home from work. some guy took my regular spot for waiting for a cab. i recognize him from another department. but i didnt fancy making small talk so i proceeded to ayala. it must have rained earlier. there were pockets of water on the way that i had to gradually navigate thru without slipping. it was a bit more humid than usual. its going to rain (again). i was holding up my cousin's buko pie on my left. i was carrying my backpack behind me. then my right arm was free for balance.

by the time that i got in line at the terminal an average city block or two away. i was perspiring profusely. i brought out the king of torts by john grisham to keep me company. i figured i wouldnt be as bothered by the heat when my mind was off it. in between pages, i tried swaying the book to and fro like a fan. it didnt work. the effort of trying just made the perspiring worse. i was a few pages away from chapter 19. i congratulated myself for having read so quickly. i just started reading yesterday. and today im almost halfway thru. the last novel/book i read was harry potter. i dont remember when was that. everything about the past just seems a jumble. it didnt matter. it has been a very long long time, since ive read anything that is outside of computers. i feel like a floodgate had been opened. i cant stop reading. the king of torts is about rich lawyers, the giant drug corporations and the consumers, theyre both living off from.

the line was packed but extended for only just a few meters. the cabs were coming along rather slowly on average of 5 minutes interval. i took that extra time to look around and study everyone around me. from behind there were two old ladies (filipinas). in the front were two students (koreans). then in front of them was a another guy (an american). and further up were more koreans.

a number of pages later, i look back and was then surprised to see old lady #1 pretending to look around ahead of me. then convinced that nobody didnt mind or saw her, she continued to move further up the line. she was attempting to overtake me and everyone. she even signaled her friend to follow. so i called her attention. since im still struggling with my visaya. i tried horribly to explain to her in broken english/visaya. i do not know why i didnt just speak tagalog. maybe it was for the benefit of the foreigners around me. i asked old lady #2 who was still behind me if they were together and that she should ask old lady #1 to come back. she lied and feigned ignorance about her friend's business. old lady #1 realizing that she was caught and that everyone was looking at her for it, she decides to come back. with an attitude. it even sounded that i was at fault. i felt irritated that a woman her age would do such a thing. its a small insignificant breach but this single act could only worsen our reputation outside. i felt really embarassed.

then the american spoke up and thanked me for calling her attention. he started with a crude joke on my shirt which has the word malibu on it. he asked me what the word would be if i added "g" to it. i got the joke but i didnt find it particularly funny. i laughed anyway out of courtesy. then the koreans joined in the conversation. their accent was a little difficult to understand. their english was not so good. we got to know a little more about each other. the american was on his way to ozamis mindanao. he was a plaintiff and he was going to sue somebody. hed been in the philippines up at clark for a number of years which explains the crude joke. the koreans were studying english in cebu. and are on their way to canada next. finally our cabs came along and we wished each other good luck.

felt liberated having complete freedom to speak english without judgement. felt alive at how seemingly easy for me to make conversations with complete strangers. i did something really good for the country. i made an impression. 15 minutes later i got home. the cab was sizing me up if i knew enough visaya. as it usually happens. if they knew you didnt or you didnt know enough of the city. you're screwed. globelines, my DSL provider, is down again ... emmerde le tiers monde!! ...

[article] In a press conference on Tuesday, Antonio Torralba, Dean of the UAP
College of Arts and Sciences, said that while he saw gnothing wrongh with sex education in public schools, there should be less focus on contraception and pre-marital sex.

this is misleading. people should be taught all methods with equal focus. people should decide for themselves which method is right for them. this is only possible if they are properly informed. sex education doesnt teach pre marital sex. it not an ethics course. sex education teaches people to be responsible with their bodies. this i find is the smart thing to do rather than leave it to the consequences, to decide if something is a mistake. reality check. we already know whats happening in Africa, where the government had continued to focus on chastity and abstinence. we have an AIDs epidemic of mammoth proportions. how many women and children had been victims because the government (and the church behind it) continues to ignore the facts. i would rather have people have consensual sex fully knowing what theyre doing and be responsible about it. this is more than just getting pregnant which usually happens because kids were systematically taught to be ignorant. or getting a STD. its about being responsible. so antonio torralba. mr. dean of the UAP college of arts and sciences. this link is for you ..