Opulent Odyssey: November 2012

Music

Sweet November- Kailan Guitar Cover

By charline - Friday, November 30, 2012

6 Comments

Family

Breaking Dawn: Love and Family

By charline - Sunday, November 25, 2012

8 Comments

Books

A Happy Nerd and A Political Maverick

By charline - Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The warehouse sale last weekend was indeed a Sunday madness for me. Not only did I actually encounter people hoarding books, putting them in huge boxes as if there's no tomorrow but I also get to realize that there are still many Filipinos who enjoy reading. Sometimes, I would laugh at myself since I am quite aware of the fact that I was one of those students before who just simply hated reading.

But my father continued to influence me, in the most indirect and subtle ways that he can. Whenever we debate and engage in an intellectual discourse, I was often left in awe before. I knew I wanted to say something but I was afraid my ideas were wrong and I was skeptical if my viewpoints even existed. And so, my father would always tell me to keep on reading. My omma would always remind me of my spending habits about books hahaha( sometimes I know I have this super weird tendency of hoarding). But my papa will just smile, it's human capital investment after all. My perception and views on things and life in general come from my penchant for book collection.

While looking for some pictures for this blog post, I came across this picture. Hmmm. Top 10 Most Read Books in the World. Assessing how far I fared, I think I was able to read 8/10. The Bible will always be the top, the greatest and the most influential book ever written. My lifeline and spiritual knowledge comes from this Holy book.

Since I am very interested with politics, I also got the chance to read the works of Chairman Mao. I think one of the nicest things I learned from my dad is to never choose what you read. Some people would think reading Mao Tse Tung's works can inflict harm. That by knowing his political standpoint, you might be dubbed as a Marxist. Often, my dad and I would debate about certain topics. Coming from a enlightened neoclassicist's point of view, our opinions would clash most of the time. Back then, I was recalcitrant to accept views opposing mine. It was then when I started reading materials that I usually considered as black and red books before did i realize that my knowledge is inadequate and so is my political view. With his books, I was able to grasp some of his thoughts and perspectives especially when it comes to China and the struggle of the working class.

As for the other books, I have always been led into the bandwagon effect lol. Whatever the current trend, sometimes, I get carried away. No wonder I became part of the LOTR, Harry Potter and Twilight phenomena. It's actually a good thing.

Top Picks

And so, while I was hunting for some of the cheapest and the best books inside the book store. I saw this book. OMG I couldnt help but laugh. Last year, I also went to Booksale and found this book. Being a romanticist that I am, I bought the book and read it. Haha. To my surprise, it is I think one of the most scientific books I have ever read about love. Who says love is purely an emotional thing? This is one book I highly recommend. :)

Since I have matured when it comes to the materials I read, I focused on searching for specific books that would shed light on my understanding of my country. I seriously want to know not just the economic aspects but also the hierarchy, the societal and political structure and even power relations. This book is a must read. The Philippines has long lost its identity as a nation. With this book, every reader will get accurate details about our country's society prior to Spanish invasion.

My yearning to learn more as to why Philippines has lagged behind countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, HongKong, etc., serves as my inspiration. Our country has vast and rich resources, not just natural but also human resources. But there are factors, political, historical and societal factors that impede our nation's growth. One of the ways for us to evaluate and to gauge our current and past conditions is to know more about other countries. We need to know how they thrive, how their leaders advance their respective country's interest and how their people react to such leadership and change. The perfect book I think that would best suit my purpose is Lee Kuan Yew's From Third World to First.

Next top pick goes to Malaysian Maverick. Among the leaders I truly admire is Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir. He is one of the living testimonies that you do not have to be a lawyer, an economist, a traditional politician to institute reforms. Mahathir, is a doctor who is well versed in history and political economy and is also considered to be one of those mavericks who dared oppose Western interventions. This is something that we should learn from Malaysia and Singapore. Yes, we have to be pliant like the bamboo but we should also learn how to say No. We should still assert our Sovereign rights to independently rule our country, free from an foreign policy intervention.

Without a leader with strong convictions, without a leader who will fight for the interest of the people and of the whole nation, every effort would surely go to waste. For when the intentions are wrong and the vision is blur, no leader can ever implement the reforms this country needs.

* With all these, I can say I am one happy nerd. Never mind if I am a political maverick or if I appear somewhat deviant compare to my other econ fellows. For me, free market of ideas still operates and this is one platform where I get to practice it.

P.S. I saw this pic online. Haha I want to know what men think about this? Guys, any comments?violent reactions?lol

11 Comments

Life

Broad Daylight

By charline - Wednesday, November 07, 2012

P.S. The other day my friend and I were talking about taking chances in love and even in other things that we do not have any control of. I agree with her that if we want to be happy, we should dare explore all the chances and not to be afraid of the things that we can have. I think this is also a good way for me to practice my creative skills. :)

Dark clouds begin to gather on the sky.

The weather is getting nasty and gloomier than ever. As I struggle to catch my breath, I slowly nuzzle my nose to prevent the sudden outburst of tears about to fall. Feeling the strong palpitation of my heart, I look around and search for that familiar face.

Just as my grip loosens, I realize that the person I am looking for, the one I ever want to have is also the same person I have been trying to runaway from.

When I finally catch another breath, a cold crisp of air filled my lungs. I can feel my heart contracting heavily. It is mad. It is in grief and I can feel its remorse. For the nth time, my mind has succumbed to the dominance of my mind.

Stopping for a moment, I gaze at the sky, coal black clouds signaling heavy rain. And exactly in the same spot, I felt a sudden shiver down my spine, a shiver almost same as the strike of a lightning bolt. But along with this unexplainable effect are my endless thoughts of you. You are the person I ever want. But I don’t know why fear lingers on?

In my wildest reasoning, I start to think I can lose you. With just one wrong move, I can never hold you again. Amidst this cynicism, I ask myself, how can I ever have you in my life if I can’t even acknowledge the feelings I have longed suppress?

Battling arguments on my mind make me more confused. About to give in, I just slowly cover my face. As my tears start to fall, I have finally allowed my vulnerability to get the best of me. “Someone help me, please.” are the only words I could utter.

In a single throbbing moment, I felt a slight pat on my shoulder. Perhaps, someone sympathizes with me, I said, trying to convince myself. Just as I slowly open my eyes, your face comes to light. As my vision gets clearer, my heart has also found its way. There are no other places to go. There is no sane reason why I should in the first place.

My attempt to runaway again is just but a futile and desperate move to restrict myself to have that one thing that only you can give – true love.

Why do I have to make things hard for myself? Fear of almost all possible scenarios about our ending already entered my mind. But as you start to pull me close to you, as you hold on to me not wanting to leave, everything just vanished. I could only think of the best and the happiest memories we can create together.

As I try to win my heart over, you just hold me tighter. Looking up, the darks clouds are now gone. The rain has stopped and so is my anxious mind. In the broad daylight, you have revealed yourself. In that instant, I know this is where I belong and this is where I want to stay, here with you. After a long time, I have never felt this unusual bliss.

Sweet November- Kailan Guitar Cover

Breaking Dawn: Love and Family

A Happy Nerd and A Political Maverick

Broad Daylight

A Beautiful Thing

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