Time of Injuries

It must be the season for me to get injured. I took a misstep on our stairway at home and had to catch my fall with my left hand, which is now wrapped in elastic bandage. I'm not sure if I fractured it or something, but it's gone down to a numb aching, so I guess it's just beat up like my ankle, which, by the way, is healing nicely. The foot injury I barely feel now, but the hand injury makes simple things, like typing this blog entry, difficult.

C'est la vie.

Some Updates

I've resigned myself to the apparent: I cannot get my old sim unblocked unless I can find the old sim pack which contains the PUK number. So, yesterday, I got a new sim card. A new wrinkle came up when I realized that, earlier on, about three years ago, I activated the phone's security code, and I could not, for the love of anything, recall what the hell the code number was. So H and I went back to Greenhills to get the security code reset. So, I am now with a new number and a working phone once more. All I have to do is to input the old numbers back into my phone book, reload with a new prepaid card, and I'm all set.

* * *

My left foot hurts like blazes after my class' sleepover last Friday. Some of them invited me to play full court basketball with them, and I accepted. Keep in mind, though, that the last time I played basketball was last year (I'm not really a player; very un-Filipino), and I was playing in my old Mojos. So, after about thirty minutes of running, swerving, and gasping (a lot of this), my legs felt numb, and my left foot felt really beat up. An X-ray at NKI yesterday showed no fractures, so I should probably thank my lucky stars. So much for the delusion that I could keep up with my students.

Still, it was a activity-packed night. I played Soul Calibur II (One of the few fight games I can really get into), sang on the magic mike (getting not much lower than a score of 94; naks!), and played Magic (I'll post recollections of that in my VTES blog). By the time I hit the floor to sleep, I was really, really pooped. When I got home the next morning, I slept for about four hours dead to the world.

I have got to pace myself on these occasions.

What I Plan to Do

Well, those are all of the songs I've transcribed so far. I intend to finish some of the others over the week, and when I'm all done, I'll post all of the completed song lyrics on a website for all to see.

Lines from "The Little Tramp" - "This is What I Dreamed"

Also sung by Lea Salonga, "This is What I Dreamed" is Oona's expression of love for Charlie.


This is What I Dreamed

OONA CHAPLIN:
In the cool of the evening when I was a girl
I would gaze at the wide open skies
And I’d dream of a someday when I’d be all grown
And find me a sweet man with lights in his eyes.

Well, I searched for that dream ‘til my heart nearly broke
‘Til my hopes turned to hopeless and died
Until that one morning when I suddenly awoke
Looked at you sleeping there and cried

This is what I dreamed
This is what I wished for
Now all at once I see
Everything I ever wanted is here with me.

Yes, this is what I dreamed
Like a miracle unfolding,
Holding you near me in this place
That sweet glow about your face
Is exactly how I pictured it would be
I swear I must be dreaming
For this is what I dreamed

And it’s everywhere around us
Every cloud in the sky
Every breeze that blows by
Honey, how could you be blind to this
Sweet bliss?

Yes, this is what I dreamed
And I just can’t help but wonder
If under those same magic skies
You were closing your eyes
And dreaming of this moment with me
My life is wide awake now
For this is what I dreamed

This is what I dreamed
This is what we dreamed.

Lines from "The Little Tramp" - "Thank You"

The song "Thank You" captures a fan's appreciation of Chaplin's impact on his and his family's lives.

Thank You
My name is Peter Moran
I’m more than just a foreman
I’m a staunch and ever sure fan
Of Charlie Chaplin
And this is my wife Ester
Our neighbors Pam and Chester
We’ve been waiting here since yesterday
Just so we could shake your hand and say:

Thank you for all the happiness you bring
For making life more joyous a thing
Ever since you first waddled our way
All we want to do is say

Thank you, when working life has laid me low
I take the family and we go
To the Maxi of town
And spending hours so
With our favorite clown
And the next thing I know
I’m amazed how I ever wasted my time
Behind a frown.

Oh, it’s a prophet’s gift you have a given
For to give happiness is the greatest gift of all.

Oh, it’s a prophet’s gift you have a given
For to give happiness is the greatest gift …

Thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you

Make the world just a little bit lighter
Make the day just a little bit brighter

Wanna thank you, Charlie
Wanna thank you from the bottom of my heart…

Lines from "The Little Tramp" - "He's Got to Be Someone (reprise)"

Sung by Lea Salonga on the soundtrack, the reprise of "He's Got to Be Someone" shows Oona Chaplin's view of her husband, and her desire that he be healed of his hurts.

He’s Got to be Someone (reprise)

You don’t know him, like I know him
He must be allowed to stand proud
If you shame this man, and make him crawl
He’d be no man at all, no man at all.

He’s got to be someone
Who wakes every morning
And takes on the world for a whim
Who touches your hand and
Makes you fall for only him.

And he’s got to be someone
Who’s strong as a lion
Yet sweet as a meadowlark’s song
Who makes any dream seem
Like you’d love to go along.

Oh, everything about him is a contradiction
Built a boundless empire with
The heart of a child.
I’d trade it all if I could just recall
The last time the emperor smiled.

He’s got to be someone
Who burns with a passion
That never ever sets him free
Oh, please say tonight might
Relieve him of his misery,
And bring back the someone I knew to me.

Lines from "The Little Tramp" - He's Got to Be Someone

"He's Got to Be Someone" is a fanciful look at how Chaplin came up with the screen image that he is famous for, along with a description of his character's personality.


He’s Got to Be Someone

At last, a chance to show them what I can do
Gotta think of something new
A character no one has seen
Up on the screen before

(There’s not much here to choose from)

Here’s a pair of baggy pants
A pair of old beat-up shoes
Three sizes too big,
Maybe I’ll wear ‘em on the opposite feet
Yeah, that’ll do it
Now what else can I use?

A bamboo cane, and a derby hat
Here, I like that, I like that, I like that.

(It’s not right yet.)

Here’s a vest that’s much too tight
A coat about a size too small
Bet even a midget would have to pull and fidget
To get into it at all.

Looks down and dirty, out on a limb,
And yet, I like him, I like him,
I like him!

He’s got to be someone
Who’s not sentimental,
Yet someone who’s gentle and kind,
Who isn’t afraid to say
Anything that’s on his mind.

And he’s got to be someone
Who picks up the flowers
And gives them to girls on the street
Yet he’d steal from a baby
When he needs to have something to eat.

Oh, everything about him is a contradiction
Never had much schooling, but he’s so very smart.
Even when he’s a scoundrel
He’s always a poet at heart.
And he’s got to be someone
Who dreams of a someday
When he can live fancy and free
And yet who he is, is
Exactly who he wants to be
He’s got to be someone a lot like…me.

Lines from "The Little Tramp" - "Something No One Can Ever Take Away"

In the song, "Something No One Can Ever Take Away," Charlie recalls the time when he was a young boy, living with his brother Sydney, and his mother Hannah. Even though they were poor, the Chaplin family still had a measure of pride.


Something No One Can Ever Take Away

HANNAH CHAPLIN:
You have something no one can ever take away
And it lives in a special place in you deep down inside
As long as you have a sense of pride
You have something no one can ever take away

Never mind the financial bind one may be in
When your character’s strong there’s no such thing as lower class
If you just shine like you’re top brass
You have something no one can ever take away

They may call you names
But all you ever need to know is
Your name is Chaplin
And all a Chaplin ever needs to show is …

He’s a somebody who can hold his head up high
There’ll be people you’ll meet in life
Who’ll try to pull you down
But long as you know that you’re uptown
You have something no one can ever take away

(May I have this dance?
Yeah, sure, Mum!
Right, Peter, here we go,
La-tee-tah, tee-tah!)

ALL:
Doo-root-do-doo, doo, doo, doo

They may call us names
But all we ever need to know is
Our name is Chaplin
And all a Chaplin ever needs to show is …

We have something no one can ever take away
We have something that even kings would be in envy of
As long as we got each other’s love
We have something no one can ever take away.

Lines from "The Little Tramp" - "In America Again"

I found some of my old papers, which included some of the songs from the musical, "The Little Tramp." I finally got around to encoding the ones which I currently have, so I'll be posting them here as we go.

The song, "In America Again," relates how Chaplin felt about being back in the United States after being exiled for so many years due to the Red scare during the McCarthy era.

In America Again

CHAPLIN:
Can’t believe I’m here again
In America again
Oh, I swore it was all past me
Can’t believe they’ve asked me
After all this time away

Why do they make these lights so bright?
God, my hands they feel so damp and cold
It seems cooler in LA than I remember
Or am I just getting old

And what should I say to them
How shall I be when I’m up on the stage
Should I weep with delight,
Or should I cry out with rage?

And what will they say to me
Will they embrace me, or tear me apart?
Will tonight help me get over
This broken heart?

I will tell them bloody off!
Or maybe I should smile and be polite
Oh, you’re acting like a fool
These are people who all love you
Just be yourself and you’ll be all right

But…

What should I say to them
How shall I be when I’m up on the stage
Should I weep with delight,
Or should I cry out with rage?

And what will they say to me
Will they embrace me, or tear me apart?
Will tonight help me get over
Will tonight help me get over...
This broken heart?

The Pork Barrel Fund

I've been doing some research on the pork barrel. Here are some of the interesting articles about it:

The Pork Barrel - Sonny Evangelista
The Perils of Pork - Earl Parreno

Definitions of pork barrel funds in general:

A Glossary of Political Economy Terms
Wikipedia

Interesting note: Reading The Philippine Star, I notice that a section on page 10 explains what pork barrel is, but the writer seems to have lifted or paraphrased part of Wikipedia's entry about pork barrel. The writer takes some of the phrases wholesale, without citing Wikipedia, particularly "highways linking the east and south of the United States to its western frontier using the earnings bonus of the Second Bank of the United States," and "vetoed the bill as unconstitutional." It's a pity that it's not posted on The Star's website, or else I'd post the link to it here as well. Is this plagiarism?

Side note:

It's belated, I know, but one of Max Soliven's columns on the Greenhills prayer room was posted elsewhere (He's been very quiet about it lately. Was he able to get concessions?) . Here's the link.

Rant - "Honorable Men"

I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will such honorable men.
- Marc Antony, Act 3, scene 2, Julius Caesar

My dad's reaction was, "Are you surprised?"

Surprised, no. Disappointed, definitely.

Our dear 'honorable' congressmen have decided, since our President has declared that the fiscal crisis was over, to go back on their agreement to cut their pork barrel funds, or, as they like to glorify it, their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), for the next fiscal year.

Of course, the congressmen claim that there's nothing to be ashamed of, and that people in the provinces are in favor of the pork. I wonder how many of our fellow Filipinos really understand what the pork is all about. I don't, but I can see the inequity that results because of it. Even if some congressmen do utilize their pork in a helpful manner, it's not because they do it out of the goodness of their hearts, but because, by doing so, they ensure their reelection, or, if they can't run, the election of their proxies. And thus they perpetuate themselves in office.

What's surprising is that one-time activists-cum-congressmen such as Teddy Casino and Satur Ocampo now speak out in defense of the pork barrel, citing it as a good to the country. I guess when 70 million pesos is dangled in front of you, minor things like morals and ideals can be tossed aside.

My one personal experience with a congressman was in my first year as a teacher; he was the opposition spokesman in the May elections. His son was failing across the board; I remember that the only subject that he passed was physical education (at least, he was healthy). The boy's homeroom teacher called for the parents to meet with us, which is strange, because normally, in such a situation, the parents would already be in close contact with the school regarding their son's situation.

When the 'honorable' congressman arrived, along with his wife, the first thing that he did was to bluster and harangue about how he had to leave a special session of Congress, just to show his son that he was concerned about his son's welfare. In addition, he continued, his son was waiting outside the administration building, and the son is so ashamed, because his father had to leave a special session, blah, blah, blah.

What a colossal jerk.

It was clear that the a-hole was more concerned about his reputation as a congressman, rather than his son's well-being. I remember when the jerk ran for senator in 1995, with youth and education as his platform. When he couldn't even care about his son's welfare?

What a colossal, big-headed jerk.

If they could just abolish the House of Representatives, imagine the savings that would result. And our dear 'honorable' congressmen would have to join the madding crowd and look for legitimate jobs like the rest of us.

Ah, what a dream. If only it could come true.

But it won't. And we will continue to be saddled with men who, because of their rank, must be called 'honorable,' but are anything but honorable.

Five Years of Service

My trusty Nokia 5110, which I've had over the past five years, seems to finally have given out, after one fall too many. The LCD display is blank, and, when I attempted to try to get it back, blocked my sim card in the process.

What I like about the 5110 over the newer models is its durability. My phone has survived countless falls, a wall hit (when I was really ticked off), being left in the car under a scorching sun, among other situations.

Still, five years of service isn't bad for a phone. And, all isn't completely lost, if I can still get it repaired.

I probably should start looking for a replacement, though, if I can't.

A Darker World

Condoleezza Rice picked as Secretary of State

Now I know the world is heading for four more years of war, as Dubya has picked his major hawk as the secretary of state. He said that the position is "America's face to the world," and Rice has been at the forefront of his war on terror, so I guess we can expect to see more
American irresponsibility and arrogance.

Powell, the outgoing Secretary, served as a moderating influence (assuming he had any to begin with); with him gone, it'll be full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes. America continues to fight its war, and no one is going to stop it.

Week Before the Exams

It's difficult getting back into gear after so many long weekends. And it's the week before the exams to boot. I have to finish a good portion of my backlog this week if I am to retain whatever sanity I have left.

At the same time, I think I'm battling burn-out because I can't seem to focus on a task for more than fifteen minutes before I lose interest.

I need a break.

"The Incredibles"

What can I say? The movie was ... incredible. :-)

I am constantly amazed at the efforts of Pixar to deliver a flawless, seamless bit of computer animation. The consistent attention to detail is downright breathtaking. It's so much better than what Dreamworks (Shrek 1 & 2, Shark Tale) comes up with. I wonder how the break from Disney will affect the company's direction?

This is the first Pixar feature to focus on human characters, and it's a wonderful film. It's also rather violent, which is why it was a good thing that we didn't bring G along. Maybe she can appreciate upcoming "Polar Express" better.

You can learn more about the film by going here. My good friend J has his own take on the movie here.

Weird thing that I noticed, though. Over here in the Philippines, "The Incredibiles" has a G rating, while it's rated PG in the US. Do the reviewers of the MTCRB actually watch the movie, or do they just conclude that, since it's a cartoon, it's probably good for kids? Or do they think that what they'll see in "The Incredibles" is a lot lighter than what they watch on our news programs?

Time Flies

Man, I can't believe how fast the time flew. One moment it was the start of the school year, and now, we're more than halfway through and hurtling headlong into Christmas. Where did all the time go?

With less than ten school days to the exams, I'm rushing here and there, trying to make sure that I finish the subject matter before the long tests (next week) and the exams (two weeks from now). It's a pity, though, because I'm tackling Shakespeare with my classes: Julius Caesar with my freshmen, and Macbeth with the juniors. I feel like there's so much that I can explore, but since I'm pressed for time, I short-cut it, and move quickly through the plays. Dang.

I'm not sure if the somewhat fast pace of teaching is taking a toll on me, but I know I do feel more tired nowadays.

It's Bro. Dunne's birth anniversary today. He would have been 69. I miss the big guy.

Random Stuff

Whenever someone sends me a joke, I rarely read it, but this one was sent by a friend, and since I have a little girl of my own, I can almost imagine some of the things on the list happening to me.

The following came from an anonymous mother in Austin, Texas: Things I've learned from my children (honest and no kidding):

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000-sq. ft. house four inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42-pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it's already too late. (No matter how old the child!)

8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9. A six-year old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. Certain Legos will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old.

11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15. VCRs do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. You probably do not want to know what that odor is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on. Plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The fire department in Austin, TX, has a 5-minute response time.

21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. The mind of a 6-year old is wonderful.

Yahoo! is Down

Very strange. My YahooGroups account had 11 active groups; now, there are only 4 of them visible. I wonder what happened?

Four More Years of the Same

This will serve as my one and only comment regarding the U.S. elections:

Well, the American people have spoken.

I wish I could feel a sense of elation, but I can't. My belief remains that the wrong person was elected.

Bush gets four more years in the White House. And what can the world expect? More of the same heavy-handed, bullyboy tactics that have alienated the U.S. from the rest of the world.

I guess Kerry was too much of an unknown factor, or the Americans just wanted their gung-ho leader to keep on rattling his sword at the world, giving the U.S. a false sense of security.

Me? I see four more years of unjust war. If Bush wanted Saddam out, he could've used that as the reason, instead of the fabrication about the weapons of mass destruction. It sill wouldn't have been right in the eyes of the world, but at least (I know, I'm stretching), he would be honest about his intentions.

The release of Osama bin Laden's video just before the elections seem too coincidental. Was it to play on the fears of the American people? Not that I want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but it's just too neat that officials came out with the video so close to the election. How recent was the video? Were they saving it as an ace in the hole?

Nothing that can be done about the elections now. Bush is in power for four more years. The only thing that can be done is to pray that he's learned sober lessons from his first term, although the cynic in me thinks, "Fat chance."

Busy, Busy Break

It's been a hectic term break.

I've been on the go for the past few days. It began with the trip to Nasugbu last weekend.

I met with a grade school chum last Tuesday. Yesterday, I had two meetings, one with my textbook editor, and the other with my best friend E, who had a business proposal he wanted to share with me, although much of our talk was catching up on each other's side of the world. After the two meetings, I hied off to CCHQ where I engineered a pretty good card trade. More on that here.

Today, I brought H to work, then stopped over at Banaue, where I needed to buy some parts for repairing the car. I then met up with C, with whom I had lunch at Max's (thanks C for the treat, kinda, by the way). It was only then that I found myself at home.

Tomorrow, I'll be checking papers in preparation for (gak!) going back to work on Monday next week.

Admittedly, many of the activities were of my own choice, so, I probably could have done away with some of them, but this is one of the only times that I get to do stuff that I don't normally get to do. So, while I'm a bit wasted, I don't regret pushing myself a tad.

Still, I have to set aside some time to really rest (most likely tomorrow), or else I'll be a zombie come Monday.

Getting Together

It's nice when one can spend some time with old friends.

I had my chance this afternoon, when my grade school chum and I got together to catch up on each other's lives. What I continue to find amazing is that we can be apart for years, but when we get together, it's just a matter to picking up where we left off.

So many updates. What I found amazing was that our grade 1 teacher, Mrs. Quiazon, remembered both of us, even though it had been years since we were in her class. Being a teacher myself, it's probably because we were in one of her first classes, and teachers seem to remember those better.

D and I, along with his wife, reminisced about old times, about what our classmates were doing now, and where some of them were. Added to that were current topics, such as the state of the nation (poor), and the difficulties of raising kids (many, but tolerable).

It took two hours, and we renewed old bonds and promised to stay more in touch. I hope we do, and keep the bonds as strong as they were when we were in grade school and looking out for one another.

Weekend Trip to Nasugbu

Last weekend found my family and I on our way to Nasugbu, Batangas, for a much-needed rest and recreation.

We left the house pretty early to pick up H's sister in Makati, and then we were on our way to Batangas.

My system, like it usually does when there's nothing pressing, crashed on me, so I was out cold for most of the trip, and missed most of the sights. We arrived at Nasugbu around 9 a.m., and since we hadn't decided on a particular resort, we went around looking for an affordable one.

We settled on Maryland Beach Resort; it was in my brother's Lonely Planet book, and the prices we checked online seemed all right. It did seem kind of deserted, as it seemed like, aside from another small group, we were the only ones there. Still, it looked cozy enough, so we decided to stay there.

For lunch, we decided to go back to Tagaytay. What I didn't realize was that it was about 40 kilometers to Tagaytay, so it was a long drive, for which, once more, I was asleep. We ate at La Trobada (I think), which was formerly named Leslie's, and we had a very sumptuous bulalo for lunch. When we got back to Maryland, I fell asleep once more. The reason for this is because before the break, schoolwork was rather heavy, and I didn't get much rest, so, the first opportunity my body had to rest, it took.

When I woke up around 4 p.m., H and the others had already swum in the pool and walked around the beach. I was able to do my share of swimming for about an hour or so. G joined me, and she had a lot of fun in the kiddie pool.

We had a quick dinner of inihaw na tilapia and galunggong, and then, it was back into the pool for me and G. I think my daughter is part fish, because even though she was already shivering, she kept on insisting that she still wanted to stay in the pool.

People started arriving in the late afternoon, so it was pretty noisy, and a little difficult trying to get some sleep.

The next day, I proposed that I get breakfast at Jollibee, only to discover belatedly that the nearest branch was 21 kilometers away! We decided to pick up some food at the nearby market, and we had a filling brunch.

G continued to enjoy herself both in the beach and in the pool. She even made a friend (sorta kind) by sharing her inflatable raft with another kid, who was much chubbier than her, even though the kid was two months younger than G. I guess we really have to start trying to get G to eat more.

On the way home, we brought D, H''s sister to Calatagan, which was about 40 minutes away from Nasugbu. I didn't realize how wide a province Batangas was, and how rural a good number of the areas were. Still, it had a flavor of its own, and it was an experience I'd be willing to repeat.