Looking Back...

It is the end of another year. Indeed, 2008 has been an interesting year to look back and recall past events that bring out the best and the worse in me.

Nothing affected me more so emotionally than the passing away of my beloved mother. The loss and grief almost put my whole life into a tailspin. It broke my heart. She was all I ever had. Life will never be the same again for a while without her around. On the other hand, the sincere outpouring of support and sympathy from friends and loved ones everywhere was overwhelming. It was certainly my big source of comfort, patience and bliss.

The three-day high school homecoming celebration was a blast! It was my first in twenty-five years! The atmosphere was great and joyful and everybody seemed eager and sincere to meet old friends and classmates. In spite of the bulging beer bellies, graying hairs, balding heads and waistlines bursting at the seams, there was a feeling in the air to be teenagers again. Rekindled memories and remnants of past high school days came to life once more. The hazy skies and the light rain added nostalgia to the occasion. It was a great feeling just being out there with everyone. I felt so young again.

The road trips I took were an added respite. I took a trip with my high school classmates up to one of the far-flung barrios of our city for the first time. Located at the mountainous area of Sagay City, Barangay Puey is a beauty to behold; clean rivers, sparkling waterfalls, pristine forest, unexplored caves and fresh nippy mountain air. Driving up the scenic concrete paved zigzag road that snaked along the flanks of the mountains was a breathtaking experience for a first timer like me. I am looking forward to another exciting trip next vacation, this time complete with my photographic paraphernalia, for some spectacular shots. It is also a perfect place for retreat and relaxation.

Then there was the family trip to Mambukal Mountain Resort. Mom and I have been planning this trip for months before she got ill. She sounded so excited whenever we talked about it over the phone . Our last road trip was three years ago: a road tour around Negros island with the whole family. This time, she opted for a shorter one as she already felt “tired” to embark on another long distance travel. I promised her she was going to have a wonderful time. She was looking forward to this and even referred to as “our big date”. But God has other plans for her.

Before I went back to Saudi Arabia, I had my annual medical check-up. At first, I was a bit reluctant to submit again to the routine examination and laboratory tests. Both sides of the family had a long medical history of heart ailments, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. What a bunch! And with two deaths in a row (mom’s elder brother died five months before her), paranoia sat in. I could never guess what was happening inside my system as I got older. After days of restless waiting, the doctor finally gave me a clean bill of health. Whew! But there was one stern warning though – lose some weight, as I am a few stones heavier for my frame… and age.

Shifting Sands was the best thing that happened to my life before the year ended. It became a tool in honing the priceless legacy mom handed over to me – writing. She got ink in her blood and one of the best mentors of our school during her time. Because of blogging, I gained new friends and acquaintances far and wide. Not to mention a handful of nameless critics too, who are assaulting me with their acerbic wits. Well, a little more practice and focus will improve my writing skills. Darn, I should have started long time ago.

I would like to thank the following for making 2008 a very wonderful year for me:

• Rabb, for your guidance and understanding, for always taking care of me and for always being there when I needed you most
• My family and close friends, for their love, patience and understanding
• My mother for the inspiration to write again
• Dr. Wilson Tulmo, my close friend and classmate, for looking after mom while she was ill and taking the extra mile of care and attention at no cost
• Dr. Jose Mari Chua, my orthodontist, for giving me back my smile after months of misery due to a broken front tooth
• Amna, for her magnanimous all out support
• Odette B. and Joy Oh, for sharing the same passion, hopefully our tribe will grow and flourish
• Zaki, my Indian photog model, for just being the best of friends and does not mind coming to my pad at the dead of night for a chat and a stick of LM Blue just to keep me company during my boring moments
• Roy, my good-looking roommate for helping me lose weight through jogging, workouts and yucky oatmeal dinners
• Sagay CISO for finally taking me out of the Sagay City website ban list
• My high school classmates for giving me the best gimmick of the year
• Our office secretary, for always letting me bring the office laptop home after mine got stolen
• My Muslim brods and sis, for their unending prayers especially during my lowest and saddest point of my life.
• To those who wanted to remain unknown, whoever you may be, for sending those FedEx parcels of t-shirts, football jerseys and other little precious things that forever I will treasure

Putting everything together, the challenges and the slew of events may have virtually put all my priorities and targets on a rollercoaster ride. Like any of you, I too have had my own share of personal woes with health, finances, job and family.

After beating the odds, learning the lessons and concluding another interesting chapter, I would surely say that my life is worth taking one more journey around the sun.

Happy New Year!

Tribute: Eartha Kitt

Singer, Actress Eartha Kitt Dies

By POLLY ANDERSON, PopEater/Wire

NEW YORK (Dec. 25) - Eartha Kitt, the sultry-voiced songstress, actress and dancer who went from the South Carolina cotton fields to international award-winning stardom, has died at the age of 81.

Kitt died on Thursday of colon cancer, according to family spokesman Andrew Freedman.

Note: Eartha Kitt sang a version of "Waray-Waray" a very popular Filipino novelty song that speaks about the brave, strong and beautiful women of the island of Samar.

May she rest in peace.

No Christmas In Saudi Arabia

Times may have changed and challenges may have grown big over the years. But the virtue of love, patience, charity and selflessness will always be there shining more brightly than those twinkling lights and shiny tinsels hanging on your brilliant tree, to remind us what Christmas is really all about.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Facets

Every now and then, we take a heavy pounding from life’s struggle to survive. We are overwhelmed with problems, natural or otherwise. And surprisingly, after countless centuries of battling the odds, we still survive.

I come to realize that humans are like precious stones. The more pressure you put on them, the tougher they get. Every wedge driven into their moral fiber creates a feature that slowly brings out the best in them. And with time, little by little, they evolve into a new form, patiently waiting for the next strike, unmindful how strong the next blow will be, how big the next chunk of their life is going to break away.

And in the end, they sparkle proudly showing off the shiny, polished facets that used to be the bleeding wounds they endured to become the resilient persons they are now.

After all, the diamond is a piece of coal that performed well under pressure.

Duck Tales

The Abraham Lincoln – John Kennedy similarity of events during their lives as US presidents are something to ponder. They border on the eerie and supernatural.

History repeats itself.

When Nancy Reagan arrived at the emergency room to visit President Reagan after an assassination attempt in 1981, he said to her, “Honey I forgot to duck”.

A pair of size 10 shoes took to the air almost hitting President Bush during a press conference in Baghdad. But he managed to "duck" just in time.

I am working in the Middle East for a long time and throwing “a shoe” is the most degrading insult you could give to somebody. In this case, that somebody is President Bush. Nevertheless, the Iraqi went to jail barefooted and a hero. The frostbites will go away.

And certainly, a soleful farewell send off for President Bush.

Movie Triggers Rush For Food

By Carla Gomez

Visayan Daily Star

Nov 26, 2008

Angel Jacob and Christian Vasquez eat “kinilaw” on a boat in Sagay City in this scene from Namets!

Negrenses Monday night left a Bacolod theater craving for food and rushing to nearby restaurants to assuage their hunger.
They were among those who watched Cinemalaya 2008 finalist Namets!, a Negrense indie film, which focuses on the culture of food and eating in Negros Occidental, that premiered at SM Cinema 3 in Bacolod City and will run until Sunday before it moves on to Cebu.

The film directed by Negrense Jay Abello was shot in various locations in the province and is primarily in Hiligaynon.

Namets is a celebration of life, renowned Negrense director Peque Gallaga, who was part of the Namets! cast, said.

“The movie is also all about the Negrense joy of cooking…it is a love song to us,” he said.

Of the 70 people in the cast, including himself, only two were not from Negros, Gallaga said.

"People don’t realize how many good and well trained actors covering six generations Negros has produced", he said.

Gallaga said it is a pity how little importance our leaders and schools put into culture and the arts, compared to sports.

While sports takes care of our bodies and physical wellbeing, culture and the arts take care of our souls and make us as a people, he said.

Gallaga lamented that Bacolod City has no home for the arts.
Members of the Negrense community generously gave their time and resources to make Namets! a reality, Abello said.

From allowing the crew to shoot scenes on their property, to donating food, vehicle rentals, and cash, to agreeing to appear in the movie, Negrenses threw their support wholeheartedly behind the production, he said.

The Negrense generosity and hospitality enabled the film to be completed in three months with no budget, he said.

“I'm very proud of our little big movie. That's what I call it. It's no epic. It's actually very small, and very simple. But a lot of heart was put into it and that's all of you,” he told those who helped make the film possible at the Namets! premier.

Abello also thanked the Negrenses who opened their homes for the filming of Namets! and the film’s “amazing staff and crew.”

“This movie is as much yours as it is mine. Aton ini (This is ours). For a dream cast, it was such a pleasure working with all of you,” Abello said.

In staging its homecoming, the Negrense indie film teamed up with Tapulanga Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization based in Silay City, Negros Occidental.

Proceeds from the film’s Visayas caravan will benefit the St. Francis of Assisi School, a small private Catholic institution established in 1964 with a vision to provide quality Christian education to the children of farm workers, Abello said.
While philanthropy and independent cinema don’t always go together, the agreement between Tapulanga Foundation and the producers of Namets! make perfect sense. “Life on Negros, my experiences growing up in Negros, all influence me as a filmmaker,” Abello said.

“Members of my family set up Tapulanga Foundation as a way of giving back to the province that nurtured us. Because Namets! would not exist without Negros, everyone agreed that the caravan would be a good chance to give thanks for the blessings we received while making the film. So it was logical to tie up with Tapulanga,” he said.

St. Francis of Assisi School provides kindergarten to high school education for about 370 young Negrenses, who would not be able to go to school otherwise, he said.

Every ticket to watch Namets! during its Visayan caravan represents an investment in the future of Negros Occidental, he said.*CPG

Sidelights: Road Trip

Fruit Bats

Mambukal Summer Resort

Murcia, Negros Occidental
Philippines

Copyright: boysiegonzaga.blogspot.com

Resort Cottages

Mambukal Summer Resort

Murcia, Negros Occidental
Philippines

Copyright: boysiegonzaga.blogspot.com

Waterfall

Mambukal Summer Resort

Murcia, Negros Occidental

Philippines

Copyright: boysiegonzaga.blogspot.com

Lagoon
Mambukal Summer Resort
Murcia, Negros Occidental

Philippines
Copyright: boysiegonzaga.blogspot.com

Main Gate Entrance

Mambukal Summer Resort

Murcia, Negros Occidental

Philippines

Copyright: boysiegonzaga.blogspot.com

The Tree Of Friendship

The seedling has been given as a present to my father. It is a fruit-bearing tree – a mango tree – nurtured out of a seed by a very close family friend. It is the last surviving variety and my dad’s friend took all the pains bringing it from the neighboring province where he lived, to our farm. I remembered it looked wilted and limped when it arrived home from hours of long bumpy ride, wrapped in plastic bag with some soggy soil in it.

My father planted it a few distance away from the house. Every day, he would water it, put wooden fencing around to guard it against stray goats who would come close by to munch the succulent sprouting leaves. To some extent, it became a lifelong remembrance between the two best friends.

The sapling thrived and after years of care and attention, the once skinny woody stalk became a firm trunk with strong roots deeply anchored to the ground. The branches had spread out beautifully, forming a crown of shiny lush green leaves. It became home to some local birds. The bleating goats have long been gone. My father would admiringly look at the tree and proudly tap the sturdy trunk with his walking stick. He is now old and a lingering illness is slowly taking its toll on his health.

“The tree has already casts its shade upon me”, he said. “As my bones start to brittle and my body becomes frail, so as the tree will become strong. I may be gone, before the first flowers bloom, no longer be able to smell their sweet fragrance, nor taste the sweetness of its fruit. I have done my part and may God bless me.”

I felt sad and helpless. If only I could draw out inside me some of the vigor of my youth and share it with him to prolong his life. But, I told him the tree will always be there for the next generation to see and partake the fruits of his toil.

One day, his old friend came to visit him. He brought along his family. I cannot help but notice the joy in their eyes as the two old friends met again and hugged. It was an unexpected reunion. Like an impatient young boy, my father took his friend’s hand and led him to the place where the tree stood. At long last, the three have finally met. A small table was set underneath its shade and for the whole day, we all shared together the small delights prepared for that extraordinary occasion. The tree bore witness to the resolute bond of the two individuals who nurtured, raised and cared him all these years, to become the verdant symbol of their lifelong friendship.

Seasons came and went. The tree withstood the tests of time. One rainy day, buds started to appear on the tree’s wet branches. And before long, millions of tiny yellow flowers burst forth, spreading its sweet heady fragrance far and wide. As the summer came, the sweet mango fruits were ready for harvest. Then I remembered my father’s prophetic words as I held the plump fruit in my hand. May God bless his soul.

I watched my little nieces and nephews as they cheerfully sat around nibbling on the sweet yellow juicy fruit they held in their hands. They climbed the branches, played around the trunk while trying to catch the slivers of sunlight cast on their faces by the dancing leaves above. They asked me where did the tree come from, and why its fruits are so sweet.

And I started again. "The seedling has been given as a present to your grandfather…”

Burn The Blubber

The male torso has been adored since time immemorial. Michaelangelo’s David and the Barberini Sleeping Satyr were perfect examples of Hellenistic art that best exemplified the beauty and symmetry of the perfect male body.

Years ago, the male body worship came out on the first Calvin Klein underwear poster. And man was never the same again. I am talking about the male six pack abs. It’s sexiness has become an obsession, that everyone is looking for the perfect recipe for building a tight and trim midsection. Fitness gyms sprung up everywhere promising overnight physical makeovers that most of them failed to give.

But just as the guys have started burning their beer bellies, another new challenge emerges – “devil horns”. It’s the muscle cuts in the lower abdomen just above the hips that can be seen when wearing low-waist jeans. It’s the next big male body feature.

For guys who are a bit heavy in the middle, catching up with the new lifestyle is frustrating. Waist size forty- one is the new thirty-three. Stout is out! Also, the metrosexual look is fast emerging and those with money to spend are paying more particular attention to their looks, rather than giving their hard earned money to their wives to spend.

Are these signs send a clear message that in order to be looked at and admired, is it a must for a guy to possess not only a well chiseled good-looking face but an athletic muscular body as well? Are these qualities a yardstick to success?

I have been regularly working out in the gym and quite honestly I would say, I have developed lean muscles and definitions in the right places. The new look has considerably build up my confidence, though I may not look like the cold marble statues of David and the Sleeping Satyr.

Sidelights: Road Trip

"The Bridge"
Location: Amalio R. Cueva, Jr. Farms
Ulbohan, Sagay City, Negros Occidental
Philippines
Copyright: boysiegonzaga.blogspot.com

"Solitude"

Location: Amalio R. Cueva, Jr. Farms

Ulbohan, Sagay City, Negros Occidental

Philippines

Copyright: boysiegonzaga.blogspot.com

A Hero’s Last Night

He leans by the window of their one-room house as he runs his fingers across his curly hair, anxiously watching the moonless summer night outside. The lighted candle by the table casts wavering shadows upon his sullen face. Once in a while, it splutters as another fearless moth succumbs to temptation to the deceiving heartless beauty of the scorching flame.

The children are growing up and soon be going to school. The price of fuel has gone up again. Soon, everything follows. The measly monthly pay he takes as a construction foreman would no longer be able to keep up the family needs. He needs to go.

Just as his mind drifts into thoughts of guilt and self-pity, two delicate arms embrace him gently from behind, rubbing the sinewy muscles of his torso ripped by years of hard work. He turns around and smiles at her, as she presses her head close to his chest. Gently, he raises her head and gazes into her soulful eyes. His only love and passion. His strength and his weakness. His world. All rolled into this woman he calls wife. Soon he will be missing these sweetest charming features.

As he brushes the wisps of hair off her face, tears well in her eyes expressing a million unspoken meanings. His heart skips a beat. He follows her as she leads him into the bedroom.

The children are already asleep.

For the last time, they fill the sweltering night with fiery love and passion, as the candle flame licks the very last hot melting tallow to the insane melody of the crickets.

Fin.

Voting For 'True America'

Unfortunately, I don't have the right to vote in the upcoming US Presidential elections in November - but if I am to vote I would vote for the Republican candidate, John McCain.

Many around the globe were talking about the right of the world population to vote in the US elections on the ground that new president's policies affect not only the American people, but the whole world. In fact everybody, from Venezuelans to the Myanmarese, have an opinion now about the next White House inhabitant.

Most of the people in our region would like to see an African-American president, especially if he has got Hussain as a middle name. Actually, the Democratic presidential candidate has got a remarkable full name. His first name is the surname of the most probable next Israeli Prime Minister.

Ehud Barak, who is a current Israeli defence minister, is a Zionist hawk. No need to remind you of what the middle name refers to, as Iraq is still a hotspot. Last name was used by Fox news, early in the election campaign, to mock him as "Barrack Osama", linking him to the Al Qaida chief Bin Laden.

Obama might have been fighting for the White House with slogans opposing President George W. Bush's policies, and consequently John McCain's, on Iraq and other issues.

In fact this is just a campaign tactic to win the votes of those who opposed the war and want their soldiers to return home safely. But Senator Obama voted for the war at the very beginning, and tactically changed his earlier views about containing Iran peacefully when it seemed it was going to cost him votes.

The same applies to all foreign policy issues, from the biased American stance in the Middle East to interventionist policies in Latin America.

All this has nothing to do with me not voting Obama. When it comes to foreign policy, you hardly judge it by the president's view, as it is the whole nonpartisan establishment that sets the foreign policy. My fear is that Obama would lead a policy of reaction rather than initiative.

To distance himself from his so called Muslim roots, he would be harsh Islamophobic. To prove that he is enlightened Christian, he would alienate the religious voters who might bring him to office.

He would always be obsessed by being "President for all Americans", and not a "Black President" or a minority president. So, he is expected to be more "royal than the king" in appeasing the Anglo-Saxon white and blue-collars at the expense of blacks, Hispanics and likes.

John McCain has always been consistent in his views. On the war in Iraq, he voted for it at the beginning, supported Bush's policies up to the last "surge" of troops. He is clear about the need to stay in Iraq and use it as a launch-pad in the fight against what he sees as "Islamic terrorism".

Whenever he visited the region, even as a leading figure of the Senate Defence Committee, he had one focus: Israel security interests. He is a strong believer in the idea that invading Iraq was the best to do for the sake of Israel.

As for the global economic crisis, in which the ills of the American economy play a leading role, McCain is bound to lead the same approach of the current administration. He vowed to extend tax cuts, especially for businesses, and most likely he will spend more, thus aggravating the structural imbalances in the federal budgets.

Most likely, he would help big businesses to get the law changes Bush's administration could not pass through Congress. Big oils will have Alaska environmental reservation opened for them, and the military-industrial complex will get more contracts and create more jobs.

Voting for John McCain is actually voting for the true America now. The Republican Senator's military background and his old age are consistent with the time-frame of the American dream.

He represents all what the world saw as shortcomings of Bush. Moreover, he is an economic liberal, religious liberal, social liberal with a cabal of neo-conservative advisers.

McCain would properly fit the profile with the development of the American empire, while Obama will be an illusive attempt to regenerate the fading American dream. Then, voting for the "True America" means voting for McCain.

Ahmad Mustafa - Arab News

Say Something!

I received a cheerful email from a Sagaynon requesting me to feature and write about our city in my blog site.

Sagay City maintains a website that is being updated on a regular basis. Please visit http://www.sagay-city.com.ph/.

Sagaynons, got one very interesting blog site worth recommending!

http://malditasha.i.ph/blogs/malditasha/2008/05/30/things-familiar-and-not-anymore/

http://malditasha.i.ph/blogs/malditasha/2008/09/03/sagay-urban-legends/

God bless!

The US ‘Lipstick’ Election 2008

It may sound odd, but “lipstick” is bound to become one of the most remarkable words in America’s 2008 general election.

Before the introduction of lipstick a month ago, the GOP’s presidential candidate, John McCain, was an underdog, struggling hopelessly behind Barack Obama, the standard-bearer of the Democratic Party.

But lipstick changed all that. Now it is a new ball game.

McCain shocked his own party and the country on Aug. 29, by announcing his top choice for the vice presidency — governor of Alaska, 44-year-old Sarah Palin. The choice was outright criticized as a joke and an insult to women, because the nominee was practically unknown and inexperienced in national, foreign, and security affairs. Rumors of all kinds have been swirling around her, including an extra-marital affair. The liberal press even pushed for her to drop out. It seemed that McCain’s “hail Mary” pass was doomed to failure. But it was not.

The gun-toting, moose-hunting, pretty mother of five presented herself to the nation on Sept. 3 at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, with a resounding speech that was even praised by her critics as a masterpiece.

She eviscerated Obama as deftly as she would have skinned a deer.

"There are people who use ‘change’ to promote their careers; and there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote ‘change,’” she said.

Describing herself as a “hockey mom,” she said: “The difference between a hockey mom and pitbull is lipstick.”

The audience cheered and roared madly at this pitbull wearing lipstick.

Obama is understandable angry. From the onset of his campaign 18 months ago, he has defined himself as the agent of change and made change the issue of the election. Now, by a sudden political sleight of hand, the target of Obama’s change is becoming the champion of change.

"You can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called ‘change,’ but it’s going to stink after eight years," Obama fumed while campaigning in Virginia.

It’s interesting to see whether Obama’s “lipstick on a pig” would work wonders as the “lipstick on a pitbull” did for McCain.

Whatever the result, the U.S. election this year is weird, but funny. It’s too bad that Obama did not choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate. Otherwise we would be treated to a really exciting show — “duel in the snow” — between a female Rocky and a pitbull… both wearing lipstick.

Sidelights: Road Trip

I can hear the muffled sound of the four wheel drive and the rush of the wind outside, as the driver shifts to high gear and cruise our way to infinity. I pull down the brim of my baseball cap and gaze at the road ahead.

The highway seems to twist and squirm under the scorching midsummer sun. At a distance, the quivering heat wave creates shapes of liquid phantom images shimmering on the pavement. Farther away, the blistering sea of red sand stretches accross the horizon, kissing the clear cerulean sky. There is no house in sight. Once in a while, stifling wind from the desert blows dust across the road. Counting road marks seems to be the only solace I have, to appreciate this otherwise boring monotonous trip.

I am on my way to the airport.

I am on my way home.

The End Of Pax Americana?

Latin America, long regarded as America’s backyard, has recently hoisted the flag of defiance to its northern neighbor. In recent weeks, America’s ambassadors have been expelled by Venezuela and Bolivia, a move that Brazil has supported. Brazil has also objected to the presence of American warships in the region, warning that his nation would put its own warships on alert in response. Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchener said recently with obvious satisfaction that the First World, which had been “painted as a place we should strive to reach, was popping like a bubble.” “The times when one economy and one country dominated are gone for good,” Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev declared recently at a joint Russian-German seminar in St. Petersburg. After the American banking debacle, he said, the world does not want America as a “megaregulator.” A few weeks earlier, Russia had taught America’s protégé President Saakashvili of Georgia a painful lesson when he attempted to retake South Ossetia by force. The United States could do nothing to stop the robust assertion of the Russian version of the Monroe doctrine in the Caucasus.

It may be recalled that the British Empire folded up partly on account of the staggering financial expenditures that it incurred during two world wars. The US financial crisis has erupted with destructive force because for many years America has been living beyond its means. The stalemated wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have no doubt contributed to the US deficit. Instead of raising taxes and restraining expenditures, the Bush administration has been practicing trickle-down economics.

True, the United States is militarily stronger today than it ever was in its 230 years of existence. Its armed forces have overwhelming nuclear and conventional firepower and reach that is unmatched. At the click of a mouse individuals sitting in their offices in Washington, DC can and do destroy targets 10,000 miles away in Iraq, Afghanistan or the tribal areas of Pakistan.

Yet these weapons of war are just as useless in averting financial disaster as the Russian weapons were in preventing Russia’s economic meltdown.

Are these warning signs that Pax Americana is coming to an end? Is the financial crisis the cause of the decline of American power, or is it imperial overreach? Joschka Fischer, a former German foreign minister, recently summed it up brilliantly in Die Zeit:

“Due to Guantanamo and torture, America has lost her moral credibility; Thanks to the Iraq War, Iran has achieved regional supremacy in the Middle East; American military power has become overstretched due to a wrong and unnecessary war; Bush inherited a balanced budget from Clinton and has since acquired a huge mountain of debt; China is now America’s largest creditor; the dollar’s role as the dominant global reserve currency is seriously endangered; the American financial system is threatened with collapse; and the only answer to this crisis, an existential threat to the entire global economy, is nationalization by Washington’s Republican government!”

To conclude, the ongoing financial crisis which has led to the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars in the values of shares and which threatens the life savings of many millions of Americans could inflict lasting damage on the American economy. It could also lead to devastation consequences for the global economy. Its causes are unmistakably clear: imperial overreach and financial indiscipline.

The US must somehow extricate the country from the unnecessary war in Iraq, and accord priority to promoting a just and lasting settlement in the Middle East. Bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan and supporting Pakistan in its efforts to combat terrorism are also extremely important. Lastly, the US has to balance its books by reverting to the old American values of financial discipline, investment in knowledge, and hard work instead of a get-rich quick approach that had become the norm on Wall Street in recent years. Failing that, the recently approved $700 billion plus bailout package will only provide a temporary respite and not a lasting solution to America’s financial woes.
Wikipedia

Pax Americana (Latin: "American Peace") describes a period of relative peace in the Western world since the end of World War II in 1945, coinciding with the dominant military and economic position of the United States. The term was modelled on the Pax Romana of the Roman empire.
During this period, no armed conflict has emerged among major Western nations themselves, and no nuclear weapons have been used, although the United States and its allies have been involved in various regional wars (such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Gulf War, the Yugoslav wars, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War) and have maintained espionage and covert operations in various other areas.
Pax Americana may be similar to the period of peace in Rome, Pax Romana. In both situations, the period of peace is 'relative peace'. During both Pax Romana and Pax Americana wars continued to occur, but it was, and is, still a prosperous time for both Western and Roman civilization. It is important to note that during these periods, and most other times of peace, the peace that is referred to does not mean that it was complete peace. By peace, it only means that they prospered in their military, agriculture, trade, and manufacturing.

The 2012 Apocalypse

We have been hearing and reading this theory for months. And slowly it is building up a lot of controversy and at the same time pandemonium.

December 21, 2012 is supposed to be the date the world is going to end. That is what the ancient extinct Maya civilization predicted thousands of years ago based on their “Long Count” calculation in the Tzolkin calendar. It is also called the Divine Calendar by the way, believed to accurately measure the length of time between the day the world was created, to the day it’s going to end. How did they come up with this calculation, no one knows. However, if based on the Gregorian calendar, if falls on the said tragic date.

As if adding more anxiety to the morbid Mayan forecast, the ancient Chinese have their own way of foretelling the last day. The I Ching or Book of Changes confirmed the Mayan date when the disaster is going to happen. Was it mere coincidence the ancient Mayan astronomers and the venerable wise men of China accurately mapped the same timeline?

And to top it all, the passing of Planet “X” or Nibiru into our solar system on 2012 will be the final blow to confirm the veracity of the apocalypse. So, it’s going to be total chaos when December 21, 2012 comes.

I have read and heard many end of the world theories and incidents before and nothing ever happens. Personally, I don’t believe any of them. But the one we are facing right now is, backed by evidence. How things matched up is so amazing.

Your opinions are very valuable and I want to know. Do you believe this theory? What made you believe? What are your action plans? Shall we leave everything to fate?

What we should do?

Remembering Maria Marikyat

The bent down figure reveals years of hardship she bears, carrying her personal rubbish she holds dear inside a sack, dangling down her shoulder. The loose fitting printed sleeveless dress she wears, given by some generous lady, is now tattered and dirty. It perfectly drapes over her tired, gaunt figure shrunken by old age, hunger and thirst. Her unkempt tangle of thick grey hair is an idyllic haven for lice and bugs. The wrinkled sun-burnt face discerns traces of a young woman once fair and lovely, adored by every man, exploited and spurned, and left to live alone in anguish and despair like a human being she is now. Her eyes red and fierce, mirror the untold suffering and pain of turbulent bygone years. She keeps a large festering boil on her left leg bound in shreds of old cloth. She limps when she walks. She is barefoot. She is the mad beggar of Dalusan.

Everyone knows her. But no one knows where she comes from. They said she is from a village far away up on the hinterlands. But beggars are itinerant. And so is she. She disappears today and shows up the next. Sometimes, she goes away for weeks only to come back again soon after. Eventually, she makes our town her home.

She roams the streets every day. She begs for food and money, pulling together all the strength she could muster, hoping the alms would be enough for her to last another day. She prefers to wander around the busy alleys and stalls of the crowded fish market. Folks there don’t like her though, because of her aggressive violent tendencies. The men make fun of her. Commotion starts when she begins hurling stones at them. People would run for cover, for the flying rocks really hit hard. She shouts curses and blatant obscenities at her adversaries, making naïve women in the marketplace squirm in embarrassment. She is as fearless as she is brutally frank. When it is all over, she walks away grumbling, with her bundle of worthless possessions swung over her back. She looks for other places where she can beg and later rest.

At times, she goes to a nearby elementary school. She cranes her neck at the gate and shouts, calling and looking for her lost child. Pupils run in panic as she attempts to climb over the fence and pulls anyone within her reach. Some say, the loss of a child drove her insane. Others say, she lost a child during childbirth, and the post natal relapse, made her lose her mind.

Her name conjures up fear, mystery and deference too. Mothers warn small children to heed their parents’ calls, lest she will come and carry them away inside her sack to her house under a dense enchanted thicket of bamboo, behind the old haunted health center. She is every child’s living nightmare.

In the dead of night, you can hear her tragic wailing and screaming. Over and over again, she calls for her lost child. Then, she curses the whole world, and blames everyone for her misfortune. Later on, her candid sexual enticements resonate the cold night air. Only the barking of frightened stray dogs in the distance answer her mad wild craving.

Slowly through the years, sickness and old age take its toll on her…

A wooden cane now holds up the frail slouching bent down figure. A cold, blank, half-blind gaze replaces the once fiery stare. The pangs of hunger is visible on her face.

She slumps by the entrance of the new renovated fish market. With quivering dry lips, she stretches out her skeletal hand begging at the endless stream of people mindless of her presence. She hurriedly eats the sugared fried banana, a passing sympathetic soul gives her. The wailing and shouting are now reduced to weak, faint croaks.

At the day’s end, she fiddles the hard earned pieces of coins between her scrawny grimy fingers like an innocent child.

I wonder if it would be enough for her to last another day.

Of Cigarettes, Ghosts, Whisperings and the Jinn

The old rusty chair stands solitary on the wide grassy lawn in front of our farmhouse. The melancholic wail of the night bird echoing in the distance like a haunting lullaby shatters the silence of this secluded tranquil setting. A cool gentle breeze caresses my weary face. I light a stick of L&M Blue, deeply inhaling the surging smoke inside me and puffing a lungful of contentment. The full moon is finally rising. The empty chair offers a perfect welcome to rest my tired and hurting limbs.

I flick the ash off the tip of my cigarette. I take a deep puff and gently blow out a smoke. The past days have been very exhausting. There is no way to avoid pain when you lose someone you dearly love. All of a sudden, life takes a different turn. It changes your world. It is already the third night since my mother was laid to rest. My aunt used to tell me stories of departed souls coming back at this time to bid farewell to loved ones. A whiff of a perfume, a flitting shadow or a sigh, usually imply their presence. I wait desperately for the signs as I gaze at the moon coming out behind the old trees casting eerie silhouettes of knurled limbs and outstretched arms. I take another puff haphazardly and flick the stub away. I lean on the chair and close my eyes. It seems like eternity…

As the swirling noxious smoke drifts away into thin air, I hear a faint whisper. So faint, like a light breath passing through my ear. I look around. The stillness of the night overpowers me. My heart starts to quiver. A few feet away from me stood a motionless gauzy outline of a tall slender figure in long black clothing. I squint my eyes to grasp a clear view of the mysterious entity. It looks human but pale and bald with ram like horns curled back inwards. A feeling of wonder strikes me. Who is it? Is it the enchanted spirit of the woods our farmhands tell us about? What does it want from me? Then slowly, it turns toward me and starts talking in garbled speech, not a single word I understand. It reaches into my ears like a faint whisper. And then again. I open my mouth to talk. But no words come out of my lips. I struggle to reach out. I want to shout. Just when I am about to sit up and stretch out my hand, it vanished.

The moon is now in its full glory. Bright but pale. I stand up and walk straight to the spot where the spirit entity appears. Nothing. Is it a dream? So I walk back towards the house. I pull another stick from the flip-top box and look for my lighter inside my pocket. It’s gone. I look back at the old chair and take a deep breath.

Probably the spirit wants me to quit smoking…

The 4 most important features in life

Not to be superficial, but we all know that looks are important in this world. Some people are famous based solely on their appearance. For us average Joes, appearance is vital for many reasons. First of all, the opposite sex judges us on our looks right off the bat. Before you can utter a witty opener, he/she has already sized you up and formed an opinion. Appearances are also important in the business world. A presentable and desirable individual stands a much better chance of closing a deal or of keeping the attention of someone relevant. We have come up with the four most desirable features on both men and women. Now, we obviously had to choose features that both sexes possess, so please don’t write in asking why boobs weren’t on the list!

Smile
A good smile can electrify a room. Throughout time, people have been either captivated or duped by a person with a good smile. If you are a fortunate individual who can flash a great set of teeth, then your life is probably much easier to live than someone who is afraid of smiling for fear of scaring small children. A smile can convey many things. You can show someone just how genuine and sincere you really are with a good smile.

Eyes
The eyes are very subjective things when it comes to appearances. Some people will think you have great peepers that shimmer and sparkle in the night, while others may just deem them to be average. Generally, blue-eyed people receive more compliments on their eyes than any other color group. The eyes can also demonstrate the amount of warmth you offer. Men and women with “deep” eyes are considered mesmerizing, while those with “cold” eyes are considered scary.

Hands
Clean hands are something that many people look for during a first impression. Those with clean fingernails and well-groomed cuticles are instantly considered more desirable than a person with greasy fingers and dirty nails. As you use your hands to gesture during speech, they are important tools in grabbing the attention of another party. Furthermore, don’t underestimate the importance of the handshake. Some even judge man on his ability to deliver a good handshake.

Waist
Like it or not, the size of your waist is a factor in your everyday life, especially with the opposite sex. Keeping yourself in good shape shows that you take pride in your appearance. Certain professions can be made or broken by appearance. A fit person will always have the advantage over someone who is a little long in the waistband. Why? Well if you are in great shape, you give off the impression that you have more energy and are more self-confident.

And so…
While it’s impossible to change certain things about yourself, never take your appearance for granted. Looking after yourself can only help you in life. It never hurts to be more presentable, no matter what you do or where you are from. Accept your flaws, embrace your strengths and maximize your appearance.

A Friendly Quote

Doctor's Rx

"So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it. Eventually feels a lot better than actually."

Grey's Anatomy

Shifting Sands

It took a while for me to choose a blog title. But somehow, Shifting Sands really stands up in my list of choices. Maybe because the Arabian desert has inspired and captivated my strong passion of the vast and empty wilderness, its mystery and romance. Where the endless sea of sand bury the secrets of its past and the present. Only the brave would dare tread its uncharted borders without any promise of a reward at the end of the journey. Nature rules supreme. Hot days and cold nights, human is under its mercy. Even the footprints you make. It too will be wiped away by the shifting sands. Just like the desert, life’s journey in this word is a struggle. Like its sea of sand, it welcomes you with arms wide open. But who can stop a man’s thirst for pleasure and fulfillment except himself? Who would embrace him in comfort in times of failure and despair when he’s cold and alone in the dark? Life is as vast and empty as the desert. Only the brave dares to tread.

What's next...

My first serious attempt to write an essay was during secondary school when my teacher asked who do I want to be when I grow up. That was ages ago.

As the blog has now become the "in" thing, I am contemplating of honing my blunted neurons and just "go where the wind blows". I am pretty sure I got lots of dusty memories and rusty ideas in my mind that might be put into good use.

See you soon...