Future Thinker

I always think of the past and present so I become lax and relax. So starting now, I will think of the future. That way, when the future becomes the present and eventually the past, I will feel true happiness and contentment.

Making Friends

I am having trouble at making true friends. I do have associates, but I feel that's not enough. Can anybody tell me what seems to be the problem?

Transcendence

"Transcendence is my goal in life." -- Joel Duque

Unexamined life

"The unexamined life is still worth living." -- Joel Duque

To You

You, you, and you.
Why does it always have to be you?
It could've been her
Why you?

Of all people
Of all of them
Why?
I don't understand.

God,
Please enlighten me
So that I could reject
The devil's advocate.

My Mother

My mother is Liwanag Tolentino Duque. She is basically a good-natured person. She loves to watch TV shows. She often watches the programs of ABS-CBN. I love to debate with this woman. Whatever her side is, she always makes it a point to defend it until the end. Even though her successive statements are not very coherent, she doesn't or fails to care at all. I love my mother. She's a diabetic. Because of this, she's the weakest in our family. My family has a history of diabetes on her side. And so, she never fails to remind me that I have a huge chance of contracting the disease. Most of the time, I joke about it. Nevertheless, I fear it deep inside. She is a psychologist. Psychologists are often disparaged of solving other family's problems, only to fail in solving their own family problems. In this case, my family is not exempted. It is not perfect. But then, I can say that our family is strong. What binds us together is greater than you can imagine. We may fight even because of the slightest issues, but it is mostly limited to small ones. We don't let small things become big. And if they, by chance, do so, we don't let them get the better of us. Mama, as we do call her, has many friends. She does help them, even if it means that our family interests are sometimes compromised. She prints out Christian teachings of her non-Catholic friend, Rose. This is a cause of several arguments. She does believe that there is only one God. I also do. But if she should support God, she should do so in our Church, and not through other religions.

Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)

Tagged as biggest humanitarian crisis of this time, the war in Congo is very severe. Having the size of Western Europe, the country has immense environmental resources. The news says that there are seven warlords fighting for supremacy in the region. Also, surrounding countries are aggravating the situation. The women are being raped. Men and children have their organs carved out from their bodies. I heard that a man had his testicles sloughed off. A child murdered when the bandits took his heart out, literally. Can you just imagine that! They are interested in taking land and people from the huge country. Accordingly, people have been asking help from United Nations.

An African analyst was interviewed in a news program. One thing that really hit me was when he said that people in the UN just don't want to spend much to help them. He said, "If whites were massacred, then UN would deem it intolerable and would therefore take immediate action." Yes, I agree to the interviewee. I hope that we wouldn't be too indifferent to our fellowmen. After all, we are all created by one God and He is watching us all the time.

Burning

It is burning cold inside
So I went outside
There I saw many people
And a lovely couple

They seem happy
And look crazy
I walked to them
To see the gem

I greeted the lady, "Hello."
She said, "Aren't you a nice fellow!"
Then we left
Living the man bereft.

His Holiness's Death

He died. Why is it that almost all news channels have him as their content? Do you know how discontented I am? What if I rage into a drone riot? (Joel, go back to the topic.) The Pope, John Paul II, died on 2 April 2005. It was 3:37 A.M., Manila Standard Time. Born Karol Wojtyla, the Pole man lived in Wadowice, Poland. He lived with the Jewish Poles. He is celebrated as the Pope who was open to peoples of other religions. It's like saying that there's only one god, a Universal God. And, it is for this reason that I respect him. I know that the differences of our views are enormous. We have different views about the prohibition of priesthood to women and homosexuality. He claims that they are from evil or darkness. Nevertheless, I can't say that he is to be blamed. Just like any human, he lived in circumstances and environments which trigger him to respond in a certain way. It's just the case that in his case, those triggers made him Pope.

Three reasons why I am happy about his death:

• His suffering ended. He was doomed to die anyway. The disease that hit him most was the urinary tract infection he acquired. I think his aids had something to with aggravating his disease. The historical opaqueness of the Vatican is an evidence of my claim.
  
• I was able to predict the time of his death correctly. Two days before his death, I predicted that he'll die two days from the current day. True enough he died early morning last Sunday, 2 April 2005.
• They'll elect a new Pope. I will be able to know more about it. Since the year of my birth, 1986, he has always been the Pope. It's intriguing and interesting to have news regarding the election of the new Pope. Also, I want to see for new directions that the Church will choose, given the countless paths that are given to it.
  

Liberation Theology

liberation theology
belief that the Christian Gospel demands "a preferential option for the poor," and that the church should be involved in the struggle for economic and political justice in the contemporary world–particularly in the Third World. Dating to the Second Vatican Council (1962—65) and the Second Latin American Bishops Conference, held in Medellin, Colombia (1968), the movement brought poor people together in comunidades de base, or Christian-based communities, to study the Bible and to fight for social justice. Since the 1980s, the church hierarchy, led by Pope John Paul II, has criticized liberation theology and its advocates, accusing them of wrongly supporting violent revolution and Marxist class struggle.

I don't see anything wrong with having a preferential option for the poor. I believe that being poor means living in dehumanizing conditions. It is injustice. If God created all of us equal, then we should live so. Nothing's wrong with it! The Roman Catholic, therefore, needs some kind of rewiring to do. It's a sad thing that he is closed minded on having a Church which has a more active role on social justice. May he rest in peace. God bless his soul.

Awareness, Awareness, Awareness

During our family meetings, Papa reiterates the importance of awareness. And now, I fully understand why it is of utmost importance. This day, I have been careless; the result of which could've been grave.

When I was going to school this morning...
First, I paid the jeepney driver the student's fare, P4.50. But the, he said that I only paid him P3.50. In the end, I don't really know if I paid him the student's fare or the regular fare of P5.50. So much for that. In addition, I'm really annoyed whenever they, the jeepney drivers, get annoyed when I ask for student discount and the corresponding student fare.

In the first place, giving students discount when they ride public utility vehicles is stated in the laws. Second, they should not get a the route wherein they expect to encounter many students to be their passengers. Lastly, they should get irritated at us, students, for living the lives they desire. They're so pathetic and pitiful for having had slacked off at school. Poor creatures, they could have lived better lives, earned plenty of money, and had a grandiose mansion.

When I was coming from school this afternoon...
Second, while riding a jeepney from UP Diliman to Philcoa, I didn't notice that my purse fell to my side. It was good that there was this lady who honestly told me about it. She said, "Yung wallet mo." In reply, I startledly retorted, "Sorry." A more appropriate reply should've been: "Salamat." Third, as I rushed towards our apartment, there was a loose and hard material struck my hand. I'm lucky that it didn't got scratched or wounded.

Killing time

It's bad to kill time. That's why I'm stop doing it now. At once. Don't worry, I'll come back tomorrow afternoon.

Powerpets

This is really addicting. Anyway, join the fun.

Go to: http://www.powerpets.com/signup.asp?rfID=354700

Or click the picture below.



You'll have 5ooo powerbucks to start the game instead of the normal 1ooo powerbucks.

I'll be waiting for you!

Should be studying

I should be studying right now for my Biology 12 finals tomorrow. But then... I love this. Whatever. If you don't understand, it's your fault. It you misinterpret, it's your fault, not mine. It'll always be your fault. (Laughs out loud.) World domination begins at home.

Not quite true

It is often said that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe yes, maybe not. But I'm sire of one thing. That it does strengthen infatuation. When you desire someone, a girl for instance, you look forward to the moment that you'll be able to look at her, if a glance is not enough. And while you want for the next moment that you'll see her again, in your memory, she'll always be beautiful. It's not surprising because you have a crush on her. As time pass by, she'll even get sexier, thanks to your growing loneliness and craziness, your unstoppable emotions, not to mention your raging hormones. Most of the time, it doesn't go your way, the way you'd want it to end. Something in between goes wrong. For example, as a complete stranger, you stalked her, and she found it out. You, driven by your intense passion and wild dreams, tried to win her back but to no avail. Then, you, by some whimsical twist of fate, were able to get back on your senses, finally convinced yourself that it is statistically highly improbable that you'll be her friend, decided to call it quits. And by luck or misfortune, you get to see her once more. Sadly (or happily), she doesn't look that attractive anymore. How did it happen? You suddenly find out that memory does fail, your memory, that is. Memory cannot be counted on much when it comes to the intangibles. As such, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Processing of the information gathered by the eye is done by the mind. The information is then interpreted and judged whether it is worthy of storage or not. If is not, then is immediately discarded, If it is, then it is stored in the memory. Therefore, it is not quite true that she is beautiful. She's not really gorgeous. Your mind only conspired with her image to make her look so.

Ang aking pamilya

Ang aking pamilya ay simple lamang. Payak ang aming pamumuhay. Mapalad kami na mapabilang sa gitnang uri. Dahil dito, ang aking pananaw sa mundo ay balanse. Nakikita ko ang epkto ng maraming pera sa aking mga kaklase at mga kaibigang mayayaman. Sa kabilang banda, alam ko rin ang epekto ng sobrang karukhaan. Ang abnormal na kapaligiran ay nakapagdudulot lamang ng kabuktutan sa mga miyembro ng pamilya. Sa rami ng kanilang pera, ang mga elitista ay walang pakialam o alam sa hirap na kailangan danasin ng isang ordinaryo tao upang mamuhay na may dignidad sa loob ng isang araw. Hindi niya gamay ang katotohanan ukol sa pagdurusang namamayani sa buong mundo, ang hirap ng pagiging tao at ang mabuting buhay. Ang mahirap ay hindi rin malaya sa epekto ng abnormalidad. Dahil sa gutom, hindi maayos ang kanyang paglaki at pagkahubog bilang isang kapakipakinabang na mamamayan ng lipunan. Bukod pa rito, hinuhusgahan niya agad ang lahat ng mga mayayaman na walang puso at mukhang pera, walang makaawa at makasarili.