Random question

If you had just one wish in the world (and, no, you couldn't wish for more wishes), what wish would you wish for?

The ultimate consequence of the war on terror

Acidly funny comedian

I love Stephen Colbert. He's the exceptionally caustic and funny comic who acted as correspondent for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart before he got his own show, The Colbert Report. He's just brilliant. :)

I've been checking out the first few shows of The Colber Report, and I must say that he's a master at bitingly sarcastic, intelligent humor. Of course, he's just playing the part of a vain, narcissistic egoist who is clueless about many things, but that's part of the fun. :) You should have seen his segment with Stone Philips... hilarious stuff. :)

Makes me almost forget I'm still sick...

Bush is as dumb as....

I'm holding a contest to determine the best "Bush is as dumb as..." line. :) Winner gets as many grains of rice as Bush has IQ points... Which could either mean a lot of food, or starvation... depending on how Republican you are. ;)

Please send in your entries. :)

Anonymous Quote of the Day

"Behind every great man is a very surprised woman."

- Anonymous woman =)

What is the greatest invention in human history?

Just wondering. :) Makes for an interesting discussion point, eh?

If I could only pick one, I'd be hard-pressed to make a decision. After all, I know that some ground-breaking inventions such as the computer, the car and even the airplane have been instrumental in getting human society to move forward, but I can't help wondering whether we'd all be happy if we didn't have any toilet paper. :)

That kinda puts things in perspective... ;)

No great invention is possible without the little things in life that free us to search for the big things. That's true for everything else in life.

Happiness

I have a new definition for happiness.

Happiness, for me, is having the freedom to pursue your dreams, and the capacity to make SOME of those dreams come true. The key, though, is in not knowing which of those you will get to achieve. ;)

I think the problem with most people's definition of happiness is that it is often static, some kind of fixed, unmoving ideal or goal (i.e. a big house, a Porsche, etc.).

Once you get that, what else would you be able to get to be happy? This is probably why we hear so many stories of ultra-rich people being so unhappy. When you already have the entire world at your feet, and you can get anything you want... what's the point in getting it? There's no more thrill to life.

Dreams, on the other hand, offer us a glimpse into the realms of our highest aspirations... the ones that touch our soul. No matter how much we have, we always dream of having more. I would like to be able to fulfill only some of my dreams... so that I will always learn to appreciate the things that I can have, and I will always have some additional purpose to my life... to live so that I can continue to yearn for something more.

After all, if I get everything I could ever want, what's the point of living any more? :)

Hilarious video! :)

This is a hilarious video. :) Certifiable proof that man should NOT be given too much idle time. ;)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6739710473912337648&q=chinese&pr

Marilyn Monroe's last poem

Let lovers breathe their sighs
And roses bloom and music sound
Let passion burn on lips and eyes
And pleasures merry world go round
Let golden sunshine flood the sky
And Let Me Love
Or Let Me Die!

- Poem written by Marilyn Monroe to Pres. John F. Kennedy, May 29, 1962
Marilyn Monroe died on August 5 of the same year.

The joys of Karaoke :)

What is it about singing that just seems to lift the spirit? I'm sure there's some scientific evidence to support the conclusion that singing makes people feel better (maybe it releases endorphins or something), but right now all I have to go by is personal experience. All I know is that I have always had a good time when I've gone out to sing. It's like a catharsis for me... as if all my troubles wash away when I'm singing. Cool. :)

I should go out and sing more often.

The World Youth Alliance

I had been involved with running the World Youth Alliance's Bangkok training leg which was held this past weekend, and haven't had much time to write in my blog. Everything's done, though, so I can get back to the usual hustle and bustle of maintaining an online blog. ;)

In the meantime, for those of you interested in a really worthwhile organization that supports youth rights and the dignity of the human person, please visit www.wya.net. Some of you may be interested in applying for an internship in New York. :)

The WYA is the world's largest youth NGO, and is officially accredited by the UN and the EU. The founder, Anna Halpine, is a wonderful young lady with a great vision for how the youth can contribute to making the world a better place. If you're interested at all in learning how you can make a difference, go visit the web-site today.

Hope you all have a good week ahead.

Quotes from Robin Williams

"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time."

"Ballet: Men wearing pants so tight that you can tell what religion they are."

"Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet."

"Everyone has these two visions when they hold their child for the first time. The first is your child as an adult saying 'I want to thank the Nobel Committee for this award.' The other is 'You want fries with that?'"

"A woman would never make a nuclear bomb. They would never make a weapon that kills, no, no. They'd make a weapon that makes you feel bad for a while."

=)

The things we take for granted

Just a few random thoughts on things in life that we take for granted... until we don't have them, that is:

1) Running water - Ever been in the shower, all soaped up, shampoo dripping into your eyes, when the water just cut out?

2) Staplers - Just when you've got that important report to submit...

3) Rice - Especially when you've got a great, saucy dish... like adobo or kare-kare.

4) Refrigerators - You won't miss cold water until you can't have it anymore.

5) Toilet paper - I won't get graphic, but you understand.

6) Extension cords - Ever tried to get a printer, a computer, a fax AND an electric fan to fit in the same side of the room?

7) Mobile phone chargers - Ever been on a trip abroad, only to realize your phone has precious little battery life left... and no charger?

8) Band-aids - Ever had a blister in your foot that kept on rubbing against your shoe...?

9) Hand sanitizers - Especially after you've touched something icky.

10) Clothes lines - Ever had a ton of wet laundry... only to have your only clothes line snap? Where would you dry things then? (Easier in a big house... awful in a tiny condo)

I've got a lot more, but it's getting late, so.... :)

What my shadows call home

i have waited a lonely lifetime
for a soul to call mine
and i wait even longer still
even now, as my sigh leaves an aching chill
inside the myriad of empty lights
that fill
what my shadows call home.
and when those passing thoughts
no longer whisk fleeting by
and instead cling to a heart-shaped tear
shaping inside my mind's crying eye
i shake, in sullen sorrow, in hopeless pain
at the insistence of memories
as pounding as the pouring rain
that always seem to come, even as i
try to find my once-promised summer sky.
i kneel before my silent altar
upon which my supplications spill
only to overflow onto a once antiseptic floor
dirtied more by a remembrance of
what i once, in naivete, had before
and which gazes back, as still
as the pale, lazy, inconstant star
i had once pinned my hopes upon
and which continues to sullenly shine,
mocking, an unsympathetic witness... forevermore.

Only three things matter in the end

"In the end, only three things matter most: How fully you lived, how deeply you loved, and how well you learned to let go of things not meant for you."

- Old Buddhist saying

Pics from Korea

Just some pics from my last trip to Korea. :)

Quote of the day

This just got me thinking...

"Success isn't what makes you happy. It really isn't. Success is doing what makes you happy and doing good work and hopefully having a fruitful life. If I've felt like I've done good work, that makes me happy. The success part of it is all gravy."

- Philip Seymour Hoffman, actor

Sonya's Garden

Had a wonderful Saturday morning at Sonya's Garden, on the outskirts of Tagaytay. :)

Two great pals took me there to see the place and have breakfast. We ended up having a great time with good food and even better conversation.

I also got to meet the actual owner of the place, Sonya Garcia (no relation) and some of her friends, famed photographer Mandy Navasero and TV host Julie Yap-Daza. We had a great time talking about all sorts of things, but the most interesting part of the conversation dealt with the differences between men and women. I don't really have time to recount the whole conversation, but the gist of it was this:

"Men are focused on the big picture. They tend not to notice details. Women, on the other hand, focus more on details, rather than the big picture."

There are a lot of interesting implications to this. I don't have time to discuss all of them right now, but I'll come back to edit this entry later and add more regarding this.