the california props

i've been in california on and off for the past 4 months. in that span of time i have seen a lot of informercials regarding this or that proposition, denominated by a number.

from what i understand the proposition system is a way for the state residents to vote on amendments to the state constitution. (correct me if i'm wrong)

interesting, isn't it? i do not know enough to speculate on the effectivity of such a system so i will just go by what i've seen.

as i've said, infomercials for the pros and cons of a particular proposition abound, sometimes one on top of the other. however, one particular proposition seems to have gone beyond the idiot box.

of all the proposition infomercials i've seen, only one particular proposition seems to have urged people to take to the streets. or at least it is the only one i have witnessed.



proposition 8. a proposition that would insert the following words into california's constitution:

Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

whoa. this after that big do over ellen and portia's wedding (o di ba close kami).

a vote of yes would include that proposition. a vote of no would junk it.

the infomercials on voting yes put emphasis on the negative effect of same-sex marriages on children, and on the concept of traditional marriage.

the no camp's infomercials say, however, that getting married is a fundamental right that should not be restricted, regardless of who you want to marry.

my nephew kevin asked me what i thought.

i don't know if i should even go down the fundamental rights road, or the traditional marriage route. i probably wouldn't be able to come to a decent conclusion based on those arguments. any logical mind would be able to make a convincing play for either one.

i can't make a conclusion based on logic. but i do know that i've known same sex couples practically all my life, and some of them have married.

they are no different than straight couples, they have the same joys, woes, and concerns as regular people. they love just as much, and hurt just as much. and they have the right to live their lives and pursue happiness.

put yourself in their shoes. how would you feel?

if i were to vote here (thankfully not), i'd vote no. but that's me.

so, there's my two cents' worth.

drum roll please...........

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, i'm back!

this blog needs a new name. a new theme. any suggestions?

signing off

till i get my head straight. see you soon.

parang sobrang kulang

2585 days.

on feeling ugly

the other day a friend of mine asked me if there were days when i felt ugly. i responded and said, yes, i've been having weeks of it.

i don't really know what brings it on, but lately, i've been feeling ugly, and worse, unwanted.

it's nothing i can really explain. i cannot point to any one thing or person and say that person/thing is the cause of this feeling.

i can't. i wish i could, then i could just address the thing.

i've felt this before. more times than i can count. my only consolation is that the feeling passes, sometimes quickly, sometimes after multiple sessions with my good friend red horse, and a good beating on the head.

seriously though, i am thankful it goes away. i don't think i could deal with feeling ugly for a long long long time. sabi nga ng nanay ko, "wala akong anak na pangit" (as my mom says "i do not have ugly children.")

.....

Someone Else's Story

Long ago
In someone else's lifetime
Someone with my name
Who looked a lot like me
Came to know
A man and made a promise
He only had to say
And that's where she would be
Lately
Although her feelings run just as deep
The promise she made has grown impossible to keep
And yet I wish it wasn't so
Will he miss me if I go?

In a way
It's someone else's story
I don't see myself
As taking part at all
Yesterday
A girl that I was fond of
Finally could see
The writing on the wall
Sadly
She realized she'd left him behind
And sadder than that she knew he wouldn't even mind
And though there's nothing left to say
Would he listen if I stay?

It's all very well to say you fool it's now or never
I could be choosing
No choices whatsoever

I could be
In someone else's story
In someone else's life
And he could be in mine
I don't see
A reason to be lonely
I should take my chances
Further down the line
And if
That girl I knew should ask my advice
Oh I wouldn't hesitate she needn't ask me twice
Go now!
I'd tell her that for free
Trouble is, the girl is me
The story is, the girl is me

-from Chess, the musical

i am so getting a kick out of this

when i was in new york with my aunt we got stopped by a guy who asked if we wanted our photos up on times square. we initially said no, but eventually i went back and said to hell with it, i won't be coming back any time soon, so i might as well. so here it is. my photo up on times square, taken from another building. i just got the photos today.:



oh, and visit this site.

it's supposed to be "i love to blog." oh well. :D back to work.

yey!

free laptop battery from battery exchange. yey!

wii, bacardi, and things i must do before i die

my sister and her kids have a wii console, which i heard is quite the rage. and rightly so. after the first time i tried it, i was hooked.

tennis got me hooked, and boxing. the kids laugh at me because i can't just do a flick of the wrist thing. i MUST have footwork. and sometimes, the living room is just not big enough.

the wii fit is also interesting, even though it said i was practically obese (obese, i think, is a state of mind. but that's me). i rock at hula-hoop, and the yoga exercises, but dodging a virtual soccer ball is just not my thing.

i am currently resting after two rounds of tennis with a virtual player. i lost both games and i'm a bit winded. it doesn't help that i'm on my nth glass of bacardi and shasta.

oh, things i must do before i die:

1. skydive
2. learn to play the guitar
3. get certified as a diver
4. write a novel, no matter how sucky.
5. finish that 2 liter bottle of bacardi.

coherent thoughts are becoming few and far between. till next.

guess who was hanging around central park?

*kilig*

here you go matt. :)

Photo Shoot Out 2 Brickfish

if matt wins, he'll have money to add to his college fund. so please vote. :)

when subject and verb argue

compliments of the fox news marquee.

on subway rides and people

i took my first subway ride the last monday when i went to meet up with lily. she gave me instructions on how to get to where i was supposed to go, so armed with a piece of paper with instructions on it, i ventured out into the big bad world.

the first thing i noticed was that most people had earphones plugged into their ears, which was not surprising considering that i had the same things attached to my head like aberrant tentacles. when i sat down i proceeded to people-watch, a "hobby" i got into to alleviate boredom while waiting.

people hardly look at you when you get on the subway. nor do they look at you during the trip. they get immersed in their own world, wearing their weary i've-been-sitting-here-forever-i-can't-wait-to-get-home look. being a tourist i am pretty sure i didn't wear that look, or at least i hope not. i avoided eye contact. i didn't think they would appreciate a stare from me.

a few minutes later an old man with a trolley and a saxophone came on. i felt a tug around the area of my heart as i noticed the careful way he held his sax, and how his fly was open even though his shirt looked carefully tucked in. he leaned onto a hand rail, switched the gadget in the trolley on and proceeded to play.

the trolley had a player which started blaring out an accompaniment to the man's "the lady is a tramp" rendition. he was surprisingly good and i found myself switching my ipod off to listen. the lady seated in front of me looked at me, made eye contact, and smiled. we were the only people who gave change to the guy. i wanted to clap, but realized it was probably not welcome. the old guy made a tiny bow of thanks when we gave change, and hopped off at the next stop.

several people came on, asking for money/food for some reason or the other. i did my best to not listen as guilt flooded my being. i know that they were probably just scams but a nagging voice at the back of my head kept saying "what if it's true?"

i kept my built at bay and my wallet hidden. and then a tall black man came in. he had no thumbs and said he had had them blown off by a bomb when he was in the service. he now coached some team or another, and was not doing drugs or booze. he asked for change and the lady at the corner who had ignored all the people getting on or off gave him some change. the guy graciously said thank you and said that if the rest didn't have change, he would take a smile.

i could do that! so i smiled at him and he smiled right back, telling me i had a nice smile. the people seated in front of me stayed stoic and he called them the no-smiling section. that made me smile again and on his way out he looked over at me and told me to have a nice day.

i got off the train smiling and feeling a bit less guilty.

it's amazing how people react to things. i guess i enjoyed the people watching and i think i learned a bit more about people in general. who would have guessed? all in the span of one metro ride.

accidental fan

i have never been a fan of tennis. i mean, i used to watch it with my mom but that was it. it's not that i don't like the sport. it's just that i get TOO involved and more often than not i end up jumping on the couch and shouting like a madwoman. incidentally, i have the same reaction when i watch movies, particularly the thriller and suspense, and the horror genre.



anyways, i arrived in new york last saturday and i found out that the semifinals for the US open was ongoing. i shrugged it off. then i found out that they had to move the finals to monday because of the rains. i was going to be in brooklyn monday. we managed to get tickets at a not so steep price and off we went.

i was rooting for federer, but when andy murray started playing like he wasn't there in that court, i found myself screaming and cheering for murray. if only to watch a longer game. it got to the point that i was praying his game would pick up. my knees felt weak, my heart was pounding, and i felt a panic attack coming. (i told you i get involved.)


unfortunately, federer won in 3 sets. and i stood up and cheered with the rest of the crowd.




it was my first live tennis match and though it could have been better, it was still a memorable experience for me. and the fact that harry connick jr. sang at the beginning clinched it for me.



p.s. federer has yummy legs.