Monday, December 28, 2009

Lost daze


It's been a while since I actually wrote something on this blog.

I blame Facebook.

I finally came to the conclusion that, yes, people write to be able to express something. And when I say "write," it doesn't necessarily mean actual paragraphs or even complete sentences. "Write" meaning "to express." No need for further explanations, just to voice out an opinion, an outburst, catharsis. (The same can be said about singing, hence bad karaoke).

The need to be heard.

And Facebook satisfies that need. Be it a single word, or a phrase, or a grammatically incorrect sentence followed by a barrage of punctuation marks, or a photo, or, (my favorite) a link that somehow lets us "reveal" or hint at what we want to say, filling up our Facebook statuses satisfies our very basic need to say something or make a point, to no one in particular.

To whom really? Our Facebook friends? Or just some of them? Hoping to elicit a response from them? To catch their attention? To show off that we know certain things and they don't? To advocate an issue? To make yourself seem cooler than you really are? Because we don't have anything better to do? Perhaps all of these at some point.

Hmm, it could also be that I'm using Facebook as an excuse for my laziness to actually write something. Face it, if you're not really into it, blogging can be a pain. All the clicking and opening of tabs and copying and pasting of codes, etc., it's certainly more complicated that updating a Facebook status.

I can't promise that from now on I'm gonna be more diligent in updating this blog and dramatically cut the time I spend on Facebook, but, I'll try. Hmm, I don't even know if anybody even cares whether I blog or not, if people actually read my posts. Hello, anybody there?

Since the last time I actually wrote something, many things have happened that normally I would have reacted to or written about at length. I'm going to list them here, and since I don't really feel like making up for lost time, I'm just going to comment on them, Facebook style, as I might have written them when these things happened.


1. I went to Afghanistan.

Paolo Maligaya thinks that what we all know about Afghanistan and its people from western media is, not really inaccurate, but grossly incomplete.


2. Corazon Aquino died.

Paolo Maligaya Cory.


3. Carlo J. Caparas chosen to receive a National Artist award.

Paolo Maligaya As Jessica Z. has said, it was so funny I forgot to laugh.


4. Afghans held their election.

Paolo Maligaya Good morning Afghanistan! It's election day.


5. I spent a week in Dubai.

Paolo Maligaya thinks that, thousands of years from now, when our android descendants start digging the Earth's ruins, they're going to dig up the storied lost city of Dubai and conclude that it was one of mankind's greatest technological achievements, until it all melted away because of the unbearable HEAT!


6. I bought a Mac.

Paolo Maligaya ay umanib na sa kulto ng mansanas. Hail our master Steve Jobs.


7. Noynoy Aquino threw hat in the ring.

Paolo Maligaya Somebody needs a make-over.


8. I resigned from my teaching job.

Paolo Maligaya Finally!


9. I became part of Namfrel again.

Paolo Maligaya loves his job very much.


10. I started working in Makati.

Paolo Maligaya never thought he's going to like working in Makati, with its numerous cheap eats and ubiquitous coffee shops.


11. Ondoy flooded Manila.

Paolo Maligaya Lampas-GMA na daw ang baha!

Paolo Maligaya All the taxes siphoned off us workers and they couldn't even buy decent rubber boats!


12. Pepeng flooded Northern Luzon.

Paolo Maligaya What's next?!


13. Aspiring candidates took advantage of the situation.

Paolo Maligaya Wow. Amazing. Ang kakapal ng mukha n'yo.


14. Donations to the government were not promptly delivered to typhoon victims.

Paolo Maligaya Somebody's mounting a campaign...


15. Gloria Arroyo spent more time helping people in Pampanga than anywhere else.

Paolo Maligaya As I was saying...


16. People swamped Comelec offices to register at the last minute.

Paolo Maligaya Trust the Pinoys to go out three days before the deadline and complain that the government is inefficient.


17. Cinemanila 2009 held.

Paolo Maligaya thinks this is the worst Cinemanila ever!


18. Obama got a Nobel Peace Prize.

Paolo Maligaya thinks Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Perhaps the reason why many people were outraged that the award was given to him "prematurely" is because they think the Nobel Peace Prize is some sort of lifetime achievement award. It isn't, c'mon look it up. It turned into some sort of lifetime achievement award because nobody seems to deserve the prize as it was originally intended in every year it is given. Well this year it's different.


19. Rio de Janeiro chosen as host city for 2016 Olympics.

Paolo Maligaya wants to be in Rio in 2016!


20. The Eraserheads' "Circus" turned 15.

Paolo Maligaya is putting off his long-planned, teary eyed tribute to the Eraserheads to a later time due to procrastination. Aaaargh!


21. Sesame Street celebrated 40th anniversary.

Paolo Maligaya grew up in Sesame Street. Thank God one of my first favorite words was "agua" and not "Wowowee."


22. I became addicted to Starbucks "cappuccino-venti-2 Splenda."

Paolo Maligaya is fat but wide awake.


23. I started to seriously desire a BlackBerry.

Paolo Maligaya desperately wants to be a BlackBerry! Aaaaargh!


24. Pacquiao officially became a boxing legend.

Paolo Maligaya OK so you're the best, but do I really have to see you and your mother everywhere?


25. Cracks started appearing on my Mac out of nowhere.

Paolo Maligaya is distraught. So it's true!? I still love you Apple, but what the heck is wrong with your MacBook white?? It's not as if I'm the first one to experience this. On the internet, it seems that this has been a known problem for years!?


26. People started declaring their intention to run for office.

Paolo Maligaya cannot really comment.


27. Farmers, gays, and overseas workers disqualified from joining next year's party-list elections.

Paolo Maligaya Because dubious organizations and questionable foundations are the truly marginalized sectors in the Philippines, it seems.


28. 57 people massacred by the Ampatuans in Maguindanao.

Paolo Maligaya is speechless.


29. Gloria Arroyo declared martial law in Maguindanao.

Paolo Maligaya I didn't know the Ampatuans were "rebels"? You mean all along they've been planning a rebellion against the government? How can the masters be rebels at the same time? We are educated people. Huwag naman sanang masyadong insultuhin ang pag-iisip namin!


30. Gloria Arroyo didn't show her face from when the massacre happened until even after the martial law was lifted.

Paolo Maligaya Where is our President? Where are you when we need you? Show your face. We demand accountability. As long as we are paying taxes and you and your government are consuming all of it, we demand answers to our questions.


31. Congressmen seemed to agree with Arroyo.

Paolo Maligaya _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ n'yo!


32. Efren Penaflorida chosen as CNN Hero of the Year.

Paolo Maligaya participated in mass internet voting LIKE THE REST OF THE FILIPINO DIASPORA to assert the GREATNESS OF THE FILIPINO RACE, as usual (in between voting for Miss Photogenic in international beauty pageants). World domination, here we come?


33. "Avatar" opened.

Paolo Maligaya has just seen James Cameron's "Avatar" on IMAX 3D. Hollywood spent almost $500 million on a mind-blowing movie...about ecology. It's probably the best thing about it.


34. Christmas came.

Paolo Maligaya Bah! Humbug!


Thursday, December 17, 2009

Happy 20th Birthday, The Simpsons!