Love

Cupid learned new tricks
     armor piercing arrows picked!
Love's poison in this heart-thingy
     sick! sick ! sick !
Amidst eternal madness
     a Fool, Love turned us to this!
     such uncontrollable mess!
Torrent thoughts--- she be!
     warmth of her hand,
     touch of her lips,
     eyes we seek to read,
     soul endeavor construe
     her heart kindness filled
Mindful of this perpetual bliss
     a Fool, Love turned us to this!
Does it matter
     these dark cloaks of night we wrap---
     in shadows we live, all crap!
     a Fool, Love turned us to this!
Love such chaos-bringer!
     knows no logic nor reason
     world of order turned asunder!
What price be paid, such perpetual bliss?
     when irresponsibility reigns,
     greater Fool we be!
     order must reign!
Poison courses through these veins
     it lives! No cure found,
     nothing to make undone
     passage of this monstrosity
     in our world wrought destruction!
We gather these winds of reason!
We gather strength of conviction
     a Fool we shall never be,
Love must be fuel that drives
     reason and order
Love must never be chaos-bringer
Love must be new world order,
     never its destroyer.

so lazy

gray clouds brim filled
     like cotton drenched,
sky goes downpour!
thunderclaps go boom!
sharp lightning strikes!
cold fills air
     imagining quiet moment
     lying between chair's arms
     lazily reading,
     warm cup earl gray sipping,
     pops choco- cookie-- yum!
so lazy this cold rainy day!

Luck

The race track was filled that day,
Everyone was ready to play,
     when the horses began to gather,
     Crowd was wild!
     ‘breds were set, especially---
     Lucky: the Champ!

You've never heard of Lucky?
     Greatest 'bred there was!
     No one can beat ‘em.
His Number's Two,
     but up the ranks,
     Lucky’s Number One!

Once there was this horse
     insane enough tried to match Lucky,
     wound up never crossin’ the line,
     ended up in a hospital,
     between you and me,
     last I heard, six feet under
     just after sunset the other day,

Anyways, the crowd grew silent,
Everyone was betting on Number One!
     Yes, good ol’ Number Two,
     Better known as Number One.
     Lucky the Champ ‘twas was his name.
Everyone was betting one on him!
     I was too, can't you see my grin?
     bet all I had on ‘em!
I said to the betting guy,
“I want everything on Number One.” The guy turned to me,
“You sure Mac?” His face, a skeptic. I said to him,
     “Whose money is that?”
“Why yours,” he returned and I answered firmly back,
     “I bet it all on Number One.”

For a brief moment before Gun shattered the air,
You could feel the deathly stillness---
The clock seemed to stopped ticking
Then it came loud earsplittin'!
     “Bang!”
Gun went 'breds came charging,
Lucky was first, he always was.
Halfway around the block,
The others followed,
Lucky was amazing!

Nobody noticed the clouds brewing
Neither did they, when wind came chillin'
     Race was nearly over,
Lighting struck from nowhere
Hitting poor Lucky dead center!
     His white flesh charred,
     It was a one to a million chance…!
Other 'breds closeby gotcaught
In some after effect---
     stumble they went
     killing each other
     in wild abandon,
     Save for one.
'bred named Number One,
     ranked Number One Hundred.
     last horse, an oldie,
     Lagging so far back that it took
     more than a minute to cross the line,
     He was sure old.

All around me, huge groan errupted
     as Number One crossed the line,
     everyone lost!
     in every corner,
     men… can you imagine,
     grown men cry?
     such horrid site!
     I couldn’t stand it
     No longer.
I lost five grand on that horse.
My mind was preoccupied at that moment,
I threw my ticket
     From behind me
     Someone picked it up!

“This is Number One! “Number One! Number One!”
He yelled feverishly.
     The odds of someone picking up something like that…
     One thought entered my mind.
     I gave it away.
     It was mine.
     I bet on Number One!
     I bet on Number One!
     Number One! Number One!
     This guy had my ticket,
     The ticket I threw.
     I could not believe my luck.

He kept chanting and chanting,
People turned to him
     as he approached the office.
     everyone was shocked!
     I just stood there,
     kept on thinking…
He collected… all that money…
In my mind… I said, “all that money… gone…”
He was laughing… crying at the top of his lungs…
     “I’m save (weeping)…
     I won’t loose the house…!
     Honey… we’re save!”
He ran across the street
     into the path of a six wheeler.
     a window shattering screech
     then a loud thud
     then nothin'

The crowed went wild!
     like a pack of vultures
     they came charging
All of ‘em were birds-of-prey,
The man dying slowly----
     bleeding to Death’s awaiting arms.
     Medics took their sweet time
     All the people…
The man died knowing
     the crowd feasted on his money,
Like starving vultures at high noon on a desert somewhere.

I left the madhouse.
I got some hundred dollars from him too,
I grabbed what I can and headed home,
I figured, He owed me one,
     after all it was my ticket,
     finders keepers… mine… after all…
While I was walking,
     two men jumped and stabbed me
     took all my money,
     hundred dollars and all!
While I was there bleeding, feeling life slipping by,
     ‘kept thinking…
     “Luck is fickle.”

beautiful day!

isn't it a beautiful day?
        (laughs!)
isn't it a beautiful (say day of week here)?!
heaven is beaming!
the sun is smiling!
it won't be long,
everyone will be singing this song!

Isn't it a beautiful day?
Are you too sad to play?
Are you too blue?
     or too sick with the flu?
If it should rain,
     wouldn't that wash away
     the world's pain?
Hidden there somewhere,
I know there's a smile
     just waiting to run a mile!

Isn't it such a beautiful day?
Birds are chirping!
The trees gently swaying!
Such picturesque mess,
Wouldn't you want it no less?

Isn't it a beautiful day?
     (laughs)
Even Polly with her finger
     tight on her Tommy Gun,
     exclaiming such bad pun,
     grinning wide,
     pulling trigger tight with pride!
There go those bird's brain,
Trust me, without pain!
Those birds are made of clay,
Isn't it such a beautiful day?

Isn't it a beautiful (day of week)!
The Sea is crystal clear,
Fishes are swimming in such zeal!
Tide's merrily slamming!
Salt spray air splashing!
Our laughter filling the sky up above!

La-la-li-la-lala, la-la-li-lala

Isn't it such a beautiful day?
Drizzle of rain,
Washes away all the world's pain,
     Heaven is beaming!
     Birds happily chirping!
     Trees gently swaying!
     Ocean's calm!
     Fishes joyfully swimming!
We're all here smiling!
     as wide as mile!
     bright as the sun!
     time to have fun!

Makes you wanna break out in a song!
Why not sing this song along?
La-la-li-la-lala, la-la-li-lala

Isn't it such a beautiful (say day of the week here)?!

Strong and Capable

NOTE: this analysis was written for my job application with a private intelligence firm. Sharing it here with you.

The Philippines is a ticking time bomb waiting to blow up. The recent situation in Iraq is but a small sign of this fact and reminds us once again of the great, fundamental weakness of the Philippines--- its uncertain political landscape that is the root cause of its equally unstable economy. Undoubtedly the Bush Administration has been reminded of this reality and this uncertainty caused by taking the politically expedient route is a cancer that the Philippines must address. Manila must take great reforms to fix its problems by getting its act together for it to play its part in fighting terrorism.

Would it have made a fundamental difference had the Philippines stayed in Iraq? For the American campaign against terror and the greater stability of Iraq, yes--- the fight against terror goes well. For the Philippines, more uncertainty at home.

Today, is there any fundamental difference because the Philippines chose to abandon its commitment? With the exception of the damaged relationship between Manila and Washington and perhaps a slowing down of aid to Manila by America, which the Philippines can live with in the long term, then the answer is none.

This choice however has some interesting and positive implications for the Philippines and for the world--- if Mrs. Arroyo and her government can successfully pull it off.

The immediate term problem for the Philippines is their financial situation as it is bordering on disaster. The perception given by Manila is that it would try to solve that first. How fast, is the question. The Philippines is not exactly a country where things are done quickly in spite of the expediency the situation may require. Whatever solutions the Philippine government can enact in the short term with regard to their financial situation would, at best be patchwork. The bigger picture can only be solved by and if the Philippines chooses to re-engineer how it does business and shakes up how it runs its government.

With the clear signal from Mrs. Arroyo herself during her recent State of the Nation address to the Philippine Congress, all signs point to the fact that the Philippines is willing to reform and enact changes in its Constitution. Those reforms are long overdue and may open doors of opportunity for the Philippines but such changes must take into account the Philippine reality.

Details pertaining to any Constitutional change in the Philippines are of course still to be formulated and such matter shall certainly be hotly debated. One item under consideration is a Federal form of government for the Philippines and the decentralization of “imperial Manila”.

If reforms are made and the transfer of the flow of money to the local level instituted, local governments would be empowered to enact swift reforms in health care, in education, in peace and order and shall have the ability to generate income and improve job creation in each province. This will reduce the big problem of the Philippines to many yet smaller, more manageable ones.

The insurgency problem that has plagued the country from Muslim extremists and from the Communist Party will be defeated once and for all with the rise in quality of living. Terror will lose a pool of easily manipulated and willing recruits.

Structural changes in the way the Philippine government work, may in time reduce the chronic graft and corruption that has plagued it and that has created additional uncertainty in doing business with and in the Philippines. Such change can spur a vibrant economy and greater opportunities for Filipinos. When essential resources at the grass roots level, Filipinos will be stronger at home and more capable abroad.

Is this at all realistic? Factions in Arroyo's party are working actively towards a change in the Philippine Constitution. Arroyo has the mandate and clearly the voting numbers in both chambers of Congress and the Filipino when presented with a credible reform agenda will jump for it. The question is, how much control does she have over her party's leadership to enact credible reforms? Therein her leadership shall be tested.

Recent events clearly highlight the fundamental weakness of the Philippines but this weakness also tells us how important free, strong, vibrant nations are needed in order to win the war on terror. They must address this weakness and get their act together. Only by being politically and economically stable at home can the Philippines (and any nation for that matter) become a reliable, strong, true and vital partner in the fight against terror because to fight it means not just using guns, bombs and good intelligence but also the ability to provide every person equal opportunity to surpass their potential and drown out their fears. Is that not the goal of democracy and freedom?

drum it out

We march to the tune
      of life's rhythm
Beats that go: boom zoom!
Can we drum it out?
Many voices, so loud!
Twist 'n turning mind
     sound disappears
Pounding heart, fades
      to background behind
Many voices, so loud
Can't we drum it out?