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Taken early yesterday morning. 19th story view of smoke billowing out of a burning garment factory in Kapitolyo, Pasig.

While walking down the street one day a Philippine senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course.

In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the senator realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. (Note: heaven will be much better than this but for the joke's sake, we'll go along with this for now.) They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. "Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity." The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell." So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders. "I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?" The devil smiles at him and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning......today, you voted."

From my inbox. :-) Food for thought for the coming elections.

I have been asked and have chosen to participate in a sharing of blessings. Now I'm passing it on. I pray that everyone who reads this will be blessed abundantly.

Below is a beautiful poem, say a prayer about what's on your heart, before you read the poem. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward. Make sure you pray, and pray believing that God will answer. Say your prayer now.

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God...Let His presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

"He that diligently seeks good, procures favor."
- Proverbs 11:27

What would you do if you've discovered that the significant other of a friend of yours is having an affair, and your friend is totally oblivious to it?

Would you tell him/her?

Or would you rather just keep mum about it?

Not so long ago I was faced with such a situation, and I asked myself that very question.

It's not as if I'm totally alien to that particular situation though, as I have personally been through it in the past. I guess I even had more than my fair share of said experiences, as I know how it feels to be on either side of the situation, if you know what I mean. Of course it's been a while since I last went through either, though sooner or later it's quite inevitable that similar situations crop up with the people within your circle.

Personally I think it's appalling, how people nowadays can be so disloyal or unfaithful at the drop of a hat, with hardly any second thought. And to add insult to injury, sometimes these indiscretions take place in a common workplace, or even worse, within a common set of friends. And it happens more often than we care to admit.

I can relate somewhat. Don't ask me why. I just do.

Have we turned so immoral, so disloyal as lovers, that it is so easy to be unfaithful to someone we have committed ourselves to? Given how often I've heard of such situations occurring, I guess so. These days it is so easy, so convenient to cheat on your significant other. And with most people in relationships expecting the other one to be unfaithful, they become unfaithful themselves, justifying their actions on mere reciprocity.

Shame on them.

Bahala sila. Basta ako hindi ganun.

In my humble opinion, I think people like these are cowards. If they're really unhappy in their present relationships, why not just end it and move on? Instead, these people want their cake and eat it too, that is, they want the stability and security of a commitment, and yet they also want the freedom to have relationships or sleep around with whomever strikes their fancy, "on the side".

People used to be discreet about this kind of things, but now they do it out in the open, with hardly any regard to the sensibilities of others. And with the advent of camera phones which make taking pictures or videos very convenient, oftentimes media of certain individuals in "compromising" poses tend to easily circulate, especially among those who feel that they have a need to boast about their conquests.

But despite the changes in attitudes and technology, one thing remains the same...

It's always the other partner who's the last to know.

Which leads us to the question at hand...if you're aware of such an affair and the person being cheated on is a friend of yours, would you say something?

Alas, I chose not to say anything.

While I do not condone such acts, the dynamics of relationships are such that it is very difficult to be involved in such personal matters. Of course, such circumstances aren't always in black and white, and you'll have to personally weigh if the situation warrants that you tell your friend of what has been happening behind his/her back.

Generally though, I guess it's best not to be involved.

A lot of things can happen. Marriages, relationships can end. Families can be broken. Children can be torn from parents. Suicides aren't unheard of in situations like these. So is murder or other acts of violence. That's a lot of weight to put behind any disclosure that you make, and these are things that are terribly difficult to be responsible for, no matter how good your intentions are.

You know what they say, The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I don't know. I thought it over, and in my case, I have concluded that it would be more prudent just to keep my mouth shut, as I simply do not want whatever consequences such a revelation would have on my conscience.

Later on I learned that my friend found out, and the effect was quite devastating to say the least.

I felt a slight twinge of guilt for not saying anything early on...but no matter how you slice it, there are just certain things that are too personal, too delicate to be involved in, to intrude in, even if you're just trying to help.

At the end of the day, you can't help but feel bad, even if just a little, just the same.

But it's often best not to stick your nose into others personal lives.

Unless of course...you can live with the consequences.

Check this blog out. It contains the petition for the disbarment of First Gentlemen Jose Miguel Arroyo for alleged immorality, as well as links to articles on his recent misdeeds, which include challenging a fellow lawyer to a fistfight during a court hearing, as well as the filing of libel charges he filed against 43 media practitioners.

I think he's losing it.

But can you blame him? He's married to GMA.

I'm not blogging as much as I used to, but I guess you've already noticed by now.

I guess I just have a lot on my mind the past couple of weeks...or months, and I just can't seem to focus enough to blog as regularly as before.

It's been almost three years since I started blogging, and this is the longest dry spell I've ever been through. Well, three years is an eternity in the blogosphere, with numerous bloggers giving up only after a few months or so. I suppose it was just a matter of time before I got bored with it eventually.

It's not that I plan on quitting soon, but my intermittent hiatuses (yes, hiatuses is the plural form of hiatus, I looked it up) have taken a significant toll on the number of people visiting my blog. Nowadays I'm averaging less than a fourth of the number of visitors I got during my blog's heyday. Can't say I blame them though. The moment a blog isn't updated, people lose interest. That's just the way things are.

Probably I'm just spending way too much time trying to level up my character on Ran Online (see previous post here). (Skip this part if you don't play Ran Online, you won't be able to relate.) After slightly more than four months of playing, I'm finally on the threshhold of my character earning the last skill for its particular class and type, the much feared Tornado Slash. Alas, at this point leveling up has been quite a chore, and oftentimes I ask myself why I even bother playing this game. Well, I guess it's a better diversion than booze or drugs, but still, I often wonder why a grown man like me, a professional in my thirties, can be so obsessed about something as trivial as leveling a character in a MMORPG. Eventually I'll probably move on to more fruitful pursuits. Whatever those are.

At the very least, online RPGs provide a good respite from all the woes, miseries and problems of real life, in an escapist sort of way. Admit it or not, sometimes reality bites, and immersing one's self in a make believe world can be quite entertaining. As long as you don't overdo it, of course. :-)

Going back to the problem at had, that is, my waning interest in blogging, so what do I blog about? Nothing is striking a chord with me at the moment, maybe something will come to me sooner or later. Whether I get one or one thousand visitors, I still plan on updating this blog every now and then. Maybe not as often as I may have used to, but such is the price we pay for pursuing other interests and endeavors.

The Bar results are on the horizon, and as much as I would prefer not to think about it, people around me tend to prevent me from doing that. Some of the people I know have a penchant for taking every opportunity to remind me that the results for what is perhaps the most difficult government exam in the country is just around the corner. Frankly, I'd rather not know about it until the last minute, and I would appreciate it if people stop reminding me.

Historically, the exam has always had a high casualty rate, with 70-90% of those taking it failing to make the grade. So, if you're a masochist or a sucker for pain, law is probably for you. Me, I'm not really sure how I ended up in this situation, it sort of just happened. A subject here, a subject there, before I realized it, I had graduated, and taking the Bar.

I hope and pray that I pass. Not for myself, but for my loved ones, especially my parents, who have sacrificed a lot in seeing me get this far. I wish I could say that passing is a certainty, alas I cannot. I leave it to God's infinite wisdom to decide the proper path for me. As far as I am concerned though, I gave it my all, and tried my best. If it isn't enough, well...while I don't relish the possibility, I'll probably take it again. But I pray it doesn't come to that. Not again.

I'm also now considering a career change. I have actually been with the same job for more than ten years. I think that's too long to stay in one job, lest I lose my edge. No wait, I already lost it. :-) But kidding aside, yeah, I guess it's the right time to start considering other pastures. You'll never know if the grass in greener on the other side of the fence if you don't sneak a peek at least. I guess it's about time I did.

I guess that does it for this particular post. Stay tuned, hopefully I'd be able to blog about something more interesting than my own boring existence. :-)

Found these clips on Google Video.

Mysteries of the Freemasons is an interesting documentary on what is perhaps the world's oldest secret society. Is it a mere brotherhood? An ordinary gentlemen's club? The vestiges of a medieval order protecting some ancient secret? Or a shadow organization bent on taking over the entire world, as conspiracy theorists would like you to believe? Watch the clips and decide for yourself.

Note:

Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.

Part one. Mysteries of the Freemasons - The Beginning.

Part two. Mysteries of the Freemasons - America.

I bet his spider-sense never saw that coming. :-)