First Plane Ride!

I know its pathetic, but I just recently had my first plane ride! It was a domestic flight to Davao but at least I can say that it was quite an experience, minimal turbulence, clear skies and all. The trip around the province, on the other hand, is a different story all together. A story which shall be posted here once i get all the pictures stored and documented.

Recent Observations

Watching the Senate hearing on the NBN/Jun Lozada Case and the subsequent events which have unfolded, I have observed a few things, namely:

The Power of the FINGER: Who was that bald man speaking english and asking CHED Secretary Romulo Neri to "tell the truth!"?

If you've been watching the news surrounding the Trial, you may have noticed footage of a bald (or was it balding) man with a backpack who walked up to Secretary Neri and went on a monologue which was basically demanding the CHED Secretary to "tell the truth". He was going on and on while Secretary Neri was listening patiently to the tirade and eventually had to be escorted to his service car wherein the bald man still continued his haranguing. When Mr Neri reached the vehicle, the bald man now began the actual finger pointing. Yes, for all his english he finally resorted to finger pointing while nagging the Secretary to "tell the truth, tell the truth!"

I'm sure emotions were running high, him being bald and carrying a backpack and all, probably waiting for hours in front of Mr Neri's house, not to mention the frustration the public must be feeling over the NBN/Jun Lozada issue, but I believe there was no call for that sort of rude behavior. Seriously speaking, you can shout, you can scream, you can curse or you can simply state what you want to say in a normal tone. Will pointing a finger at someone's face really help get the point across? I'm sure countless discussions were resolved by screaming at the top of your lungs and pointing a finger at another person's face. Why, if people didn't know it yet, we should broadcast that pointing a finger at someone's face is the solution to world peace! It will help everybody get along! If the Tutsis in Rwanda and the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo walked up to those who were committing genocide and pointed a finger at their face and said "stop! stop!" then I ‘m certain the ethnic cleansing and systematic murders would have stopped right there! Right at that moment! Alas, that knowledge has come too late to save the lives of millions.

But then maybe the finger pointing was aimed at provoking a different response, most likely a negative response from the Secretary. I suppose it always looks good when you're abused by high-ranking officials and their bodyguards on national television.

Allow me then to pose this question: What will happen if Neri "tells the truth"? What is the "Truth" supposed to be?! That there is corruption on a massive scale within the government? REALLY?! THERE IS CORRUPTION IS THE GOVERNMENT?! OMG!!!! I NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER THOUGHT OF THAT! WOW! NOW MY FAITH AND IDEALISM IN THE WORLD IS SHATTERED AND I AM LEFT WITH NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT PICK UP THE PIECES! Seriously, what do they want him (Secretary Neri) to say?

Say he does reveal some nefarious deed of corruption, then what? More rallies in the streets? more protests? more blog entries? more effigies and pictures burned? another EDSA people-power-type revolt? How can that solve our problem? 1) another EDSA would undermine the democratic system the country. Unless of course, people don't want a democracy then we can just either be ruled a military junta, a dictator or a politburo, different strokes for different folks. 2) will ousting the present government change the deeply ingrained culture of corruption within the country? Let me cite examples: a policeman or traffic enforcer apprehends a violator, the offending driver offers a bride, the apprehending officer accepts, who is to corrupt? why does the driver believe that brides will work? why bribe in the first place? why accept a bribe? In getting a drivers' license, why pay someone to pass the drivers' exam? I believe that corruption has become such an important part of how we do business with the government that what we need is a cultural change. I have no idea how this can be done, how the people can convince the leaders to not be corrupt but it has to be done.

I love my country, make no mistake about it and I am frustrated by the situation yet I refuse to support anything driven purely by emotion without consideration of the future outcome.

Government employment

I had the misfortune of being present during a seminar hosted by a foreign embassy wherein the participants were from government offices. The said embassy paid for everything, including the food, and was the ones responsible for the menu served during the luncheon. I thought my ears had gone crazy when someone approached the caterer and inquired in an angry tone: "Baket walang kanin?! (Why is there no rice?!)" considering the person asking is well aware that the menu for the function was selected by the foreign embassy. I immediately wanted to react and say that he/she should be thankful for being fed free food or if they had an qualms about the food, they should take it up with the embassy representatives. There was also one who wanted all the unconsumed food wrapped up as if they paid for it. Amazing. It shows that people will always try to get everything they can as long as it’s free. I understand its a natural reaction for some (technically I'd understand more if they were impoverished and were suffering from malnutrition not the plump exteriors that these pompous individuals were strutting it.) since free stuff have a different attraction but if they were in government, it makes we wonder what they imagine "free stuff" to be, say something other people already paid for, other people like taxpayers? :D

More Hung Gar Training

Hung Gar training has just become more exciting, my Sifu (teacher in chinese, I think) has begun incorporating sparring in the training sessions. Actually, very, very ,very light sparring, no armor and no contact really, using only Hung Gar moves. This allows for complete freedom of movement and allows one to be familiar with his or her body. This is also very advantageous for me because of my size a weight (neither tall nor heavy) so I can try to escape most hits because I probably won't survive them.

The first sparring session I had with Sifu was a clear demonstration of his martial dominance (not that it was ever in question), speed and strength and tactics were obvious in the finality of his punches, blocks and more importantly, his footwork. To be honest, if Sifu took the sparring seriously, I would be down after the first hit and I'd be lucky if I wasn't knocked out cold. Well he is the master and I am the student.

Training is currently being conducted in a new venue, Kong Han Athletics Club, also in Binondo. The venue offers much a much wider space where students can get thrown on the mat and practice the forms in a less constricted environment. The venue also displays a myriad of chinese weapons and martial gear to enhance that traditional kung fu feeling. I've been trying to training harder, alas my work schedule oftentimes gets in the way but I pray that I've been showing some improvement.

I'd recommend this martial art to anyone who'd be interested in a great mix of traditional Chinese martial arts and their modern application. Its also a great way to get in shapre, relieve stress and, in the case of one of my friends, to loosen that slight pain in your back via a hip throw.

I will continue to train until Sifu Frank tells me to stop, til then I only hope I can gain the strength to follow his words of wisdom: "When you punch your opponent, you should punch like you're trying to break through a wall".

Hellgate London Anticipation

Flagship Studios' Hellgate:London comes out on October 31 2007, and I must say the game looks impressive and looks addictive. Everyone who is aware of the game is eagerly anticipating its release, bordering on addiction. Needless to say, it isn't coming out soon enough.

Human Rights?

Last July 10 2007 a group of about a hundred Philippine Marines were conducting operations in an area in Basilan, an island in the southern Philippines in search of an Italian priest abducted by an unknown group. According to the media, it had been raining for most of the day when at 1000H, as the marines were returning from their search, they were fired upon by a force around four or five times their number. A fierce ten-hour gun battle ensured, bullets and mortars rained down on the marines and they fought for their very lives as they requested for support in order to withdraw and regroup. As the marines withdrew, some soldiers acted as the rear guard, to secure the flank of their retreating comrades. When the marines were finally able to return to regroup, they had counted fourteen of their brothers-in-arms missing.

The following day, the government representatives returned to the ambush cite to gather up the survivors and the equipment left behind, only to find trucks and vehicles burned and soldiers’ corpses mutilated, behead and stripped of their belongings. The MILF claimed responsibility for the ambush, saying that it was the fault of the military for not properly coordinating with the MILF leadership before entering the town. This is in light of the fact that there is an on-going peace process between the government and MILF. I never realized that the peace process had already concluded with the granting of independence to areas in Mindanao under the MILF. Whatever happened to the sovereignty of the Philippines?

In a statement, the MILF said that it was not its policy to decapitate and mutilate their fallen foes and that they will conduct an investigation to determine the culprits of those acts. When activists are killed, rallies are staged and the blame is immediately placed on the military or the government or the police, people cry for international intervention and scream human rights violations. If these accusations are proven true, then they had good reason to cry foul! But when marines are killed in search of a kidnap victim, some of them beheaded and mutilated and robbed of their personal effects, who screams "HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS!"? Only their families and friends and comrades seem to be doing the crying and screaming for justice? Shouldn't people be rallying in the streets for what happened? Do we not live in a society that abhors such actions? Do we not live in a modern age of lobbying and blogging and rallying and protesting and democratic representation? I am personally outraged by these events and I hope I am not the only one.

Hung Gar Kung Fu

Searching for hours on the net with the keywords "kung fu Philippines", I suddenly found myself wanting to try something new in my previously boring existence. My search yielded numerous hits but what interested me the most was this one about Hung Gar Kung Fu, an old style that was newly established here in the Philippines, formerly based in Hong Kong but with disciples and masters around the world. I immediately emailed the contact person, a certain Sifu Frank Bolte, and inquired on a schedule and the fees and the like. Low and behold, he replied in a matter of hours and I found myself dragging two good friends along to learn Hung Gar Boxing in the heart of Binondo.

At the onset, the exercises were very challenging (often painful) but gradually I discovered that the more you do these things, the less painful they get, at least until Sifu added something new to the mix. The initial exercises are designed to strengthen the fingers, wrists, shoulders and arms. I will not enumerate the details of the actual exercises at the moment because I believe one must experience it firsthand to properly appreciate the experience. I've been training for roughly three months now; I can't really say how much I've progressed because I've yet to master the first form but it really is quite an enjoyable experience for me and my "Kung Fu brothers".

Further updates to follow...