“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” …Aristotle

This sounds so amazingly simplistic and it does pack a big punch. Do I have the right to my own individual happiness ? No ifs and buts about it – you bet I do, much like everyone else. How about people who curtail if not abandon their own personal pursuits and aspirations for the sake of others, loved ones most especially, so that they could be happy ? Have they missed the real purpose and meaning of life ? An example would be the dude who works overseas in a western country, perhaps even illegally, lives in a cramped rented bedroom and thrives on cheap canned food so he could send all his earnings back to Pinas so his wife and kids could buy a new car and take tours to Hongkong and Singapore. I bet you many would say – it’s noble, commendable, inspiring, etc.. The dude is doing a noble thing indeed. But if his family has any clue of what gratitude means and really care about their father, they should rid of the selfishness, make good use of the stipend received to improve their lives, finish school, get jobs and extricate themselves from the dependency bind expediently so that Dad could take a break and enjoy life himself. If happiness is indeed “the meaning and the purpose of life and the whole aim and end of human existence”, Dad shouldn’t be the sacrificial lamb. If his family truly cares about him, he shouldn’t be the oxen pulling the yoke his entire lifetime carrying everyone in the family until his last breath.

YOU’RE RICHER THAN YOU THINK

One of the local banks here devised an interesting ad that sort of inspired a lot of people The ad says ” you’re richer than you think “. It is not a ruse meant to delude people but the catch is quite simple. It encourages folks to visit any of their branches for a quick financial consultation and credit worthiness assessment. It is clever way of getting people, especially the un-initiated, strictly cash folks to get in debt and stretching the limit of those who are already in debt but have good credit history. Some people are surprised that they could get a loan beyond their expectations

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” Frederick Keonig

Most people acquire things so they can genuinely enjoy them. Some however spend money buying things so that they can show off. It is logical to conclude therefore that the lesser friends and neighbors you have, the less obsessed you would be in acquring stuff to boast about I know of people who openly and unbashedly declare that they are not living a happy, fulfilled life because they haven’t attained what they long wanted and dreamed about. You’d be surprised that when a person vocally expresses such frustration for an unfulfilled dream it has to do more with satiating the ego – in short, ego tripping. The consequence of living in frustration is bitterness and we all know that bitterness kills because it generates negative energy and gradually erodes and destroys the remaining good vibes that is dwells in the person. There is nothing wrong with dreaming but happiness naturally comes forth when we start to appreciate, enjoy and cherish what we have.

THE GRAND ESSENTIALS FORMULA

If we couldn’t define happiness at least would could probably identify the ingridients that constitute happiness. In my private moments I always mull about the things that make me consistently happy that if I have them all the time I would stay mentally and physically healthy. I try to focus on me and reduce my dependecy and expectancy on others. I’m a person that has taken care of my needs well and expect others, my loved ones included, to do the same for themselves. But we always fear the loss of our happiness because the element of uncertainty acts like a dark cloud of doom threatening to cause turbulence, making our journey so unclear. As one saying goes ” The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be”.

“The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for… Allan K. Chalmers

If happiness has a formula the aforesaid quote may just cut it, not quite to a tee but perhaps close enough because it somehow trumps the uncertainty encumbrance. Happiness is relative. It matters not if you haven’t got fame and fortune as long as you have something to do, something to love (it doesn’t say someone) and something to hope for you could be a happy man. Since these three conditions are essentials, just like a recipe or a formula, if one ingridient is missing the entire concoction does not work.

About 3 years ago I attended a security luncheon seminar at a press club hosted by a national telecom carrier and moderated by popular CBC broadcast journalist Wendy Mesley. I bet people went, yours truly included, to see Wendy in person ; after all, she is a topnotch TV anchor with a vibrant, engaging and pleasing personality (my all time favorite anchorbabe is Erica Hill, formerly of CNN and now with CBS, who is still stunning after making it to the People Magazine’s 100 most beautiful people list in 2006 [#35]). Wendy was definitely a show on her own but the seminar wasn’t bad at all. Former hackers turned G-men and RCMP crime busters were on the podium sharing their experiences , both from the conman and G-man side of the fence , likewise taking questions from the audience . At one point everyone froze momentarily, instinctively groped for their back pockets and wallets when the security experts hurled an unexpected question to the crowd “ have you ever tried googling your VISA or Mastercard account number ? If it shows up it is likely compromised as hackers may have sold your card number to scammers over the internet . Credit card numbers are sold from anywhere 10 cents to a dollar per number by cyberthieves. “ Everyone was silent, perturbed by the thought that their credit cards may have been compromised. In that brief moment of anxiety, Wendy Mesley turned from Snow White to evil Cruella de Vil for being a bearer of potential bad news We left sensitized with the importance of awareness and vigilance but at the same time apprehensive with the thought that danger lurks in cyberspace and that as implementors and users of technology we must be one step ahead of the underworld elements when it comes to protecting valuable information.

Even with seemingly innocuous social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn danger lurks in the background – not in the criminal sense but because of the incautious manner we expose our identity, advertise our pursuits, even our sentiments. We have heard of Facebook fiascos where people get fired from their jobs for inadvertently exposing the ills of their employers. Twitter wars can bring about embarrassment to people who tweet with abandon like they’re arguing inside a chat room, celebrities included. Talking about celebrities or people of stature, recently Canadian Federal Minister Tony Clement had to swallow his ego and apologize to a 15 year old teen follower he called a jackass. Clement slammed the kid with his impulsive retort when the teen criticized him for failing to spell the word tonight (spelled tonite) properly in his tweet.

If you are surprised why you received tons of email from sources you never knew existed, it could be a result of data mining. These days enterprising companies deploy software applications that scour or mine the social networking sites for morsels of information that could potentially translate into a tip, a lead and hopefully a sale. To put it very plainly, it you tweeted that you are interested in buying a condo in the west end of your city, don’t be surprised if you receive and email or even a phone call from a real estate company or a mortgage broker wanting to do business with you. Data mining mainly works in the public domain but is a little scary when you think about its capacity to intrude in your preoccupation. For now the onus is entirely on you. If you are overly concerned about a breach to your privacy, remove all forms of your public profile from the net and stay anonymous.

ARE YOU HUNGARY ?

At the top ten segment of the American Idol 2006 contest, judge Simon Cowell told then contestant Kellie Pickler ” you look good on paper but you must prove it” …or something to that effect. Pickler replied.. ” huh ? Am I good on paper ?” It was obvious that country girl Kellie Pickler had no penchant for reading between the lines and figuring out idiomatic expressions Tell the cowgirl like it is when you talk to her – don’t beat around the bush ( oops that’s an idiom too) Pickler moved on quite well from the Idol days and is now a successful country singer cutting her own records. She took a stab at Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader show and looked like a clone of Miss Teen South Carolina who called her countrymen ” U.S. Americans”. Looks like both girls have an utter disdain for geography, finding the subject too repulsive to learn But what the heck. You’re a hot looking blonde and who really cares if you can’t figure out France from Europe or Hungary enough to gobble up a Turkey. No man in his right mind would go out with you to play scrabble Kellie Stay just the way you are and keep them records coming

When I was about 10 years old growing back home in Pinas, I always wondered how Santa Claus managed to sneak into our home on Christmas Eve to deliver my wish list. Santa was spot on too. He never erred in providing the stuff we eyeballed at our window shopping trip at the nearby city a week or two before Christmas Day. Being the curious cat I spied on my aunt who I discovered was tasked to procure the gifts that me and my siblings wanted. No wonder why she always seemed to know what Santa can and can’t give One day I revealed to my siblings what I felt, that Santa wasn’t real and our parents were the real Santa. Despite being the eldest, I didn’t gain any converts. When we all woke up that Christmas Day, all my siblings had their gifts by the tree delivered by Santa. Mine was nowhere to be found. Sensing that I was about to cry, my auntie told me to look around the house as Santa might have misplaced my presents. Alas, I found my presents in the kitchen area, near the garbage bin. My parents warned me that Santa was upset with me because I questioned his existence and if I continued to disbelieve he may not come the next year. Heck, I was interested in the presents more than anything so I shut my mouth.

Last week my daughter told her friend, ” since Santa never gave you an American Girl doll maybe you can leave your wish letter at our Christmas tree. You see Santa gave me one two years ago.” I interjected – ” Not quite girl. Santa only gives the gifts directly to the requester’s home not elsewhere. That is Santa’s golden rule.” But come to think of it, with the proliferation of the internet nowadays, googling ” is Santa real ? ” could just be a few keystrokes away isn’t it ? I tried and found a slew of fuzzy answers ranging from no, yes, well it depends, maybe but, and what not. Unless young kids venture into the more complex encyclopedic websites , which could be way beyond their league in terms of comprehension, answers.com doesn’t seem capable of giving a definitive answer.

Is it immoral for us to withhold the truth from our children ? Is it ok for us to deceive them for the first decade of their life and allow them to discover the truth themselves ? Or are we hurting them if we reveal the truth, robbing them of the fun that the world of fantasy and make believe brings to children? Here’s one answer that delves into the philosophy of epistemology ( investigates the nature, origin and methods of human knowledge) which could subdue and dispel that harrowing thought of immoral deception. It sounds  syncretic but some folks could find comfort in it. To quote the author’s conclusion ” Epistemologically, then, I think Santa Claus is real. But real in the pragmatic sense, as a practice, rather than as an ontological category. Santa is a way of giving rather than a jolly old elf. Santa is participation in the Spirit of Christmas. So in that sense, Santa is very real indeed “

CHRISTMAS… PIZZAS AND CHEETOS

In a pluralistic, multicultural society where I live, not everybody celebrates Christmas but by and large, people respect the spirit and gaiety of the season because it brings about harmony and peace. Some don’t care about the revelry but like the idea of the prolonged time out from work and find themselves having not much to do during the holidays. A radio talk show asked a woman who called in to the program the day after Christmas. “Merry Christmas and thanks for calling. So did you have fun on Christmas ? The woman replied “ Yeah we had fun. We rented movies and ordered pizza.” I guess people have intrinsically different opinions of what Christmas fun is Boredom could be dangerous and TV and movies are our natural outlets. One man told his doctor after new year’s complaining why his penis turned orange in color. The preplexed doctor asked ” strange indeed. What have you been doing different the last weeks and what kind of food, drinks have you taken , drugs if any ?” The man replied ” not much doc. I just made a habit of watching porn on TV all night long and snacking on Cheetos”

CHRISTMAS CONSUMERISM

Are you fed up with the consumerism and materialism that gradually but surely devours the spirit of Christmas over the years ? Not only that, are you likewise incensed by the number of new electronic gadgets that spring out every now and then, rendering your version as obsolete and cutting its value by half of it’s original price ? In all probability every electronic device we buy this Christmas would be less faster, less bigger, less sophisticated by next Christmas and a dinosaur the year after.

When I stumbled upon this video, I was reminded of an incident 9 years ago when me and my wife rented a pretty and cozy little cabin by the lake at a resort at beautiful Lake Tahoe. The “little house on the prairie” was almost perfect but the bed was nowhere to be found. My wife went bonkers and was about to make a scene at the front office when I discovered that the bed was cleverly embedded at the wall close to the fireplace area. It was a Murphy bed – a space saver to the max. All we needed to do was pull it down when we wanted to use it. An ugly confrontation averted. I bet the wife didn’t relish the thought of having our 2nd honeymoon on a sofa bed

Less could be better. Paradoxical maybe but how true. I’m not a die hard environmentalist and I’m not about to argue about footprint and carbon emission. It would be another blog topic. But I do agree on the smart and productive use of space. My point is more on the stress of managing the extraneous, unnecessary stuff that lie around our home. Anytime you increment the number of your possessions, the stress of managing them increases. It could be costly too. Changing batteries of 8 wrist watches could cost you money let alone the drag of taking each them to the watch store. Remember the days you were a student and your only possessions were a handful of clothes and books ? That was mighty stress liberating wasn’t it? Less could be better isn’t gospel but practical wisdom especially during this holiday season when our penchant for acquisitiveness lurks like an evil shadow tempting us to break our wallets.  Once again, it is the season not only to be merry, but to scrounge around for bargains on anything and amass them at our castles. The say we effectively only use 20% of our wardrobe. 80% of this 20% we consider our favorite, wearing them more often. This translates to the reality that 80% of our clothes are no more than closet junk.

What are we going to do with our old CDs, DVDs and the old VHS tapes gathering dust in the basement? I have stopped buying DVDs and CDs since I bought my Apple TV unit last year. I now only stream movies directly from Netflix, Itunes or my cable provider to my HDTV. My Apple TV unit helps to make this happen. I’ve had enough with downloading movies. I like the idea of watching a movie on demand for free, if possible but I really don’t mind paying. I buy my music from Itunes and load them on my Ipod, tablet or smartphone. I can stream music from my PC directly ( via wifi) to my Apple TV unit for playback onto my entertainment system. Oh yes – and what about those pictures that rot in our stacks of photo albums ? Some of them are priceless memorabilia. Thanks to digital cameras. All we need to do nowadays is find storage for our jpeg files. Here’s one neat solution – the wireless memory eye-fi card that transmits a snapshot instantaneously to a laptop, smartphone or your virtual cloud computing provider  ( you need access to a wifi access point). The cloud option ( some are free depending on storage size) is really neat because once data is uploaded you can download it to any device – smartphone, laptop, tablet anytime, anywhere as long as you have internet connectivity. Digitizing and virtualizing is the name of the game these days. The cloud is one heck of a resource where you can drop a file and access it from any device, anywhere through the internet. But of course there are trade offs. Security is a paramount concern. What if your cloud provider gains unauthorized access to your files ? Sure you can encrypt your files to secure them but what if the cloud provider goes bankrupt and disappears from the face of the earth? IMO we should only place files that we can afford to lose. Naturally these would be the type of files that won’t break our hearts or our piggy banks in case we lose them.

PRICE TAG WARS

Economic times are tough and consumer goods manufacturers are willing to slash prices close to the bone to boost sales and reduce inventory before the year ends. The celebrated Black Friday event in the US made me prepare to cross the border to scout for an Android tablet. I was hoping to find a blockbuster deal on a Samsung Galaxy or Asus Transformer model. But days before the event, RIM, the makers of Blackberry, announced a whopping discount of $300 on all the Playbook tablet models in Canada. The short end of the story is I took the bait and ended up with a 32G Playbook. I cancelled my planned trip. The Playbooks were all wiped out in the city on the first day of the sale. I had to order mine online. I was fortunate enough to find one on a Sunday night, the day after the sale.

The real question is – do I really need the tablet ? Not absolutely. It is something I wanted and if I find a real good deal on a professional grade tablet – not the wishy-washy no name ones – and if the price is right, I would part with my dough. And I did. Most consumers think this way methinks. We’re all scouting for good deals, even stuff we don’t absolutely need but it the price plummets to the bottom of the cliff, we would take the plunge.

Taking about price tag – here’s a familiar song from Jessie J most of you already heard by now. It’s also called PRICE TAG. Here’s a version from a future competition to Jessie J. She’s only 3 years old but give her a bit more time and she could give Jessie J a run for her money

Are there issues that bore you to death, like you want to puke when you hear them ? Not that they are totally irrelevant but it just that they grab you differently, with the monotony suffocating you gradually, like they’re squeezing your balls ?

Here’s a couple of them for me :

A. Trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor

Common now – what the heck do we really want folks ? Closure as in hanging MJ’s doctor ? Do we really believe the doctor had malicious intent to kill MJ ? For what ? Was he a significant beneficiary to Michael’s will ? I can’t believe seeing the the daily coverage of the boring trial on TV as if people are waiting for an outcome that would ressurect MJ. Michael’s gone and we must let him rest in peace. The doc doesn’t have money like Steve Jobs. You won’t gain anything by flattening him out, suing the heck out of him to milk him financially dry . Others simply want to appease their emotions, believing that their beloved idol was murdered hence the vengeance call to hang the damn bastard who did it. We must not forget that MJ had the the ultimate responsibility to his body. In the end, he was the author of his own misery – not someone else. Unfortunately there are millions of dimwitted MJ fans out there who can’t discern reality from fantasy. MJ is dead. Let’s move on.

B. The RH Bill

This debate had been going on forever and frankly, the topic just bores me to death. What’s the big fuzz about this anyway ? We’re not even talking abortion here (well, others are steering the argument towards abortion when it isn’t to gain traction – obviously) We’re simply extending and funding the accepted family planning practices to the can’t afford folks so that they can reproduce responsibly. And – more importantly, no one is being coerced. Oh well, I guess I better quit talking now.

Here’s a satire video from George Carlin about the sanctity of life. I’m not endorsing Carlin’s views in its entirety but I do like his humor and candor. I’m so bored shit with the RH debate that I’d like to throw this video smack dab into people’s faces , both pro and anti and tell them ” we are all hypocrite bastards – aren’t we ” ?

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Here’s my favorite Curtis Mayfield song. I like to play it everywhere – my smartphone, my car , my Apple TV at home. Despite the trials and tribulations we go through on a daily basis, life is still beautiful isn’t it ? Well, methinks only if you make it so. By that I mean being truly responsible to yourself, doing the darnest best for yourself and your family. I was away for a couple of weeks on an offsite project and despite the posh hotels, gourmet food and living on someone else’s pocket for the duration of the trip, nothing beats being home. Having burgers at a local fast food joint with my family is more pleasurable – honest and genuine pleasure If I could say so – than feasting on caribou steak with other people. Life can be more beautiful with less – that’s for sure.

AMERICAN GIRL DOLL STORE, Chicago

It’s my little girl’s version of heaven on earth but for me it was like watching a game where you have no clue how it is being played and scored, much like cricket. The end result ? Boredom to the max The mission was to bring my daughter’s American Girl doll Nicole to a complete makeover – new clothes, new earrings, possibly a hair job. Frankly, I could only muster enough gusto to hang around the place for half an hour. I never thought the store had a washroom for men Anything longer than half an hour was an ordeal, akin to jail time but I had to stick around for my little girl and the wifey ( who expectedly morphed to a little girl again) let alone sticking my wallet out for the financial damage

Nicole came into my daughter’s life a few winters ago, when Santa supposedly ( unbeknown to my little girl, she came by Express post days earlier ) delivered her by the fireplace on Christmas day. Santa also brought along a pair of pants and shirt identical to what Nicole was wearing but much bigger in size, for my little girl. The two had a picture by the Christmas tree together wearing identical clothes. It was at this point when Daddy quipped ” Looks like this darn doll is heavy maintenance ”

FISH BOIL, Door County , Wisconsin

The next time I have to feed a bunch of people, I could learn from how the Scandinavian settlers of Wisconsin did it in the early days of the settlement – the fish boil way. It looked exceedingly simple – throw the fish fillets, onions, potatoes, salt in a large cauldron to boil until they’re done. In minutes, you’d come up with a healthy meal of protein and carbs – no chemical additives. Simple eh ? Not quite. There’s a fine trick to it. The fire needs to be hot enough to allow the fish oils to rise to the surface. A can of oil or kerosene is then added to the fire to intensify the heat and engulf the entire pot, burning the fish oils that floats at the surface. It could be labor-intensive, depending on how many people you need to feed. I thought precise timing was critical to come up with a perfectly cooked dish.

Here’s somephotos from our dining experience at a fish boil restaurant in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. It was unique as patrons had to watch the entire cooking spectacle at the backyard before huddling into their tables for the dining part. How was the taste ? For a dish with only salt as seasoning, it was suprisingly tasty. I thought the burning of the fish oils had given it a smoky taste and likewise the onions and potatoes added flavor to the fish.

I’m not going to rationalize and point out positives or negatives of such a contemptuous and deprecating article like his fellow jerkhead Ateneans who think that the country revolves around them. I’m going to say straight off the bat that a traitor like James Soriano is toxic and poisonous and jerks like him are the very reason why Pinas couldn’t make any headway towards prosperity.  Soriano affirmed his vision of a tiered society composed of the haves and have nots separated by language !  What could be worse than that ?  People defend their language to the death and this dork is dumping his language in favor of foreign language ?

Let me cut this short. I’d like to hear  James Soriano speak English to figure out how fluent, spontaneous and conversant he is. He seems to allude that he has mastery of the language, being brought up by his family to speak and  ”think in English” from birth.  If his performance benchmark is with “the unlearned  Pinoys” then he’s no more than a sissy, one who likes to beat up on the minor leaguers, the weaklings so to speak.  Where I am I only speak Pilipino with my wife in the evening, in a given work day. I relish being with Pinoy friends on weekends so I can chat and joke in the mother tongue.  There something exceptionally refreshing and soul satisfying when you speak in your mother tongue. I grew up with the Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) dialect, learned Pilipino (Tagalog) in school. These languages are innate to my identity and I will never forsake nor degrade my mother tongue for another language. We Pinoys beat and rile each other up on our attitudes but never berate our own language. 

Am I incensed with the article ? You bet I am offended with such tacky braggadocio. Let me hear you  James Soriano, if you talk like Brad Pitt or Mr. “Tik It Awiy” – Joe Quirino. I’d like to hear how bad your accent is. If you’re that good of an English speaker as you claim to be, then go international pal and beat the heck out of everyone like Manny Pacquiao did.  I doubt if a humbug like you could be an Indira Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi Cola nor Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citigroup, heads of largest multinational corporations in the world. These people are Indians by birth but never berated their culture  nor language despite their exemplary achievements. They never bragged about ” thinking English” nor trashed their national language. In fact, their are proud of their roots, their humble beginnings  unlike the obscure, stuck up  Atenean like Soriano who thinks he is more superior than this fellow citizens who can’t speak the language.  The playing field of the English language isn’t confined to the boardrooms of Makati in case you don’t know James Soriano. It is international, global.  Just because you possess a fucking degree from Ateneo doesn’t give you the right to behave like an arrogant prick and diss the national language of an entire nation.

THE FILIPINO ACCENT

Here’s Toronto born Mikey Bustos, a top 10 Canadian Idol finalist with his YouTube tutorial on the Filipino English accent Mikey says that he leaned to speak with the proper accent at Grade 4 so the kids wouldn’t make fun of him. Watch him throttle from Pinoy accent to no accent at all. This braggart James Soriano claims he “thinks in English” and I am curious to hear how he speaks. Note how Mikey is proud of his Filipino heritage and the numerous dialects of the country while this Atenean prick James Soriano denigrates our local language.

STAND UP COMEDY – PINOY ACCENT

Here’s Canadian stand up comedian Russell Peters making folks crack up with his Pinoy accent joke. Peters opened Charlie Sheen’s show in Toronto to spice up the mediocre reviews Charlie got in Detroit. Peters also grew up with Pinoys in his boyhood neighborhood in Brampton, Ontario hence his familiarity with the Pinoy accent.

The recent Canadian parliamentary elections saw the surge of the extreme left wing socialists- the NDP (National Democratic Party) – to new heights never before seen in history. The party garnered the second highest seats thus gaining status of official opposition to the ruling Conservative majority. The NDP bested their left wing rivals, the Liberal Party, who suffered their most humiliating defeat since the party’s inception. The result was a clear manifestation of the socialist appeal. People are fed up with the economic uncertainties and like the idea of the government being a social safety net when everything else fails – better pensions, better unemployment benefits, more health care and child support benefits, more benefits to seniors and students – in short, more dole outs from the government much like western European model.

The protest votes found NDP candidates winning without much campaigning. The NDP orange tide swept the nation like a flood. As Shakepeare said ” There is a tide in the affairs of men, which when taken at the flood, leads on to fortune“. Fortune did strike many NDP candidates, some of whom you would unlikely expect to win, like the 4 university students in Quebec who ran and won in their respective ridings. A young woman candidate who went to take a Vegas vacation week prior to the election instead of campaigning found herself a new member of parliament after the ballot counting. A karate instructor with ties to the Communist Party in the past defeated the incumbent Minister of Foreign Affairs in his Quebec riding – what could be more shocking than that ? I guess there is. Here’s an excerpt from a online newspaper :

After the election, NDP candidate Pierre-Luc Dusseault, 19, had planned to take up a summer job at a golf course before returning to the Universite de Sherbrooke for his second year in poly sci. Instead, he’ll be going to Ottawa as Canada’s youngest-ever MP — at $157,731 per year.

Alright, now this dude who is old enough to be grandchild to some of his honorable colleagues, is a legit MP (Member of Parliament). How would he fare ? I assume he wasn’t voted blindly by his constituency. His is not a celebrity so I bet voters had found something in him worth taking a risk – unless he looks like Justin Bieber I’m sure the media will have no shortage of time shadowing these new MP’s, how they would handle the stressful atmosphere of the national parliament. Well, Mr. MP would likely get a credit card ( if he doesn’t have one yet ) with a fat limit at that and will hire staffers likely older than him. This sounds like stuff from the movies man, like a Richie Rich episode Don’t be surprised if you see Mr. MP make rounds at the parliament grounds with his skateboard at lunch break or playing Angry Birds with his IPhone at the question and answer break period

Is it prudent to do “team rebuilding” in politics, where like in sports, we invest in young, raw and inexperienced talents for the future of the franchise? These personalities weren’t elected because of their fame nor social stature so it is befitting to give it the benefit of doubt – for now. But we must be prepared for the consequences of failure because the wisdom of “ye reap what ye sow ” seldom fails in politics, where every action is in real time mode and results is the bottom line, the singular parameter of performance.

MORE ON PACQUIAO

Shane Mosley is a damn good boxer who always makes it a point to fight the best fighter for the best money and it follows that a Mosley fight is always entertaining, full of action. However, in his latest mega fight with Pacquiao the 39 year old Mosley looked like a man who was more interested in cashing his $5M paycheck than giving the fans the value of their hard earned tickets. Trainer Robert Garcia ( Margarito’s trainer) said that he would have done the same. He said that when you’re 39, at the verge of retirement and you have a girlfriend like Bella Gonzales, you wouldn’t want to get killed in the ring Running scared for most of the night, a few bruises here and there, a deflated ego – all for $5M, Mosley looked like he wanted to get out of the fight unharmed so he could party with his sexy chick

On the local scene, it looked like Manny Pacquiao KO’d himself – depending on whose side you are on – when he challenged the bill on the house floor. His stance made anti RH supporters ecstatic, with hopes that the Pacman’s popularity could drag those undecided folks to their ranks or even delude those pro RH supporters to switch camps. Problem is, Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee admitted to taking pills after their 4th child ! Now, the anti RH supporters are saying two things to soften the charge of hypocrisy – a. that Jinkee never told the Pacman about the pills and b. she stopped taking it because it is wrong Who are we kidding here ? I love the Pacman and clearly his supporters are asking too much of him. He better concentrate on knocking out his next opponent Marquez rather than fighting on the house floor and claiming the holier-than-thou, life changing impact of the RH bill on his life

THE IDOL DEBACLE

I don’t know about you folks but I thought the elimination of Haley Reinhart was a travesty, a mockery of art in my opinion. Haley Reinhart clearly had the versatility, range and charisma compared to the two other contestants. She looks chic and sophisticated which perfectly fits her singing style. I guess it is time for country music to prevail at the American Idol contest this time around. Scotty and Lauren are typical southern folks who dig country music and I figure the votes from country music fans would have been strong, lifting these two to the finals. I admire Haley’ sense of confidence. She never bogged down or cried upon the announcement of her elimination but instead sang her heart out and was estatic to proclaim that her singing career has started. I thought that was classy. Thumbs up to Stephen Tyler who tells his heart most of the time. Thumbs down to Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson for not giving enough credit to Haley when she sang superbly. One more thing – darn, that Simon Cowell guy. Aren’t you glad he’s out of Idol ? I am.