It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. It seems like ages since I've had the time to just sit down and write about whatever comes to my mind. Well, it has only been two weeks since my last post, two weeks spent adjusting to a new schedule and more advanced subjects. The past two weeks have also seen scandal after scandal threatening to topple the already shaky government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
I have been thinking about a lot of things for the past weeks; some are depressing, some are just downright weird. Here are some of those thoughts...
Time flies...
June 17, 2005. Wow. It's been two years since I first entered the University of the Philippines. I'm now on my third year here, still a student in the School of Economics, even after the two year Math 17 debacle. Wow. I've been here for two years. Seeing and meeting a few freshmen seems to have triggered this... this... weird feeling. I don't know. I feel like time is moving so fast. Only two years ago I was a young, naive, somewhat lost freshman trying to find my Physics 10 class. Now I'm about a year, maybe two years from graduation, no longer that poor, wandering soul who followed the room numbers in Palma Hall looking for PH4123. I'm no longer the naive teenager who knew, no, understood scarcely anything about the world around him. I've changed. For better or for worse? I don't know. But I know that I've changed. two years of education in a liberal environment made sure of that. I've learned a lot, like that Palma Hall does not have 4000 rooms... Hahahahaha... Kidding aside, I've learned a lot about how the world works, and how it doesn't work. Haaay... And I've got two more years to go before I graduate and enter another world...
Hello? Hello Garci?
The scandal triggered by the appearance of tapes allegedly containing wire-tapped conversations between President Arroyo and Comelec commissioner Garcilliano has captured the attention of the entire nation. Almost everything you hear has something to do with the topic of wire-tapping and the implications of the conversations in the tapes released first by Secretary Bunye, then by Attorney Paguia, and then by former NBI Deputy Director Samuel Ong. Every public information and news program on TV had the recent developments as their topic. Hell, someone even made a ringtone with some of the conversations in the tapes, and that ringtone is now the most popular download among cellphone users. With all the attention this scandal is getting, with almost everyone having an opinion about the tapes, it seems strange that the person in the middle of it all, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, has kept her silence on the issue. Her detractors say that this is proof of her guilt and call for the President's resignation. Her allies say that she has the right to remain silent on the issue, and question the authenticity of the tapes. Nevertheless, an investigation of the issue will begin next week, with the political opposition planning to play the tapes in public. If you ask me I think that President Arroyo should speak up, as most Filipinos want to know what she has to say about the issue. At least she should try to prove her innocence and stem the rising tide of discontent borne out of this and other scandals hounding her family, her policies, and other issues concerning the country.
She should act quickly, as a lot of other parties are making noises about removing her from power.
Hostile takeover
Along with the jueteng and wiretapping scandals come rumors of destabilization plots and coups d' etat, even another "people power" revolt. Indeed, the simultaneous appearance of scandals seemingly aimed at the President and her family has the potential of being the opening move in a plot to topple the administration and replace the government with... someone else. The attacks on the President and her family are casting doubts on their credibility; the jueteng scandal implicating the President's son and brother in law in illegal gambling operations, and the "Gloriagate" scandal concerning the President herself, where tapes of wiretapped cellphone conversations of the President with a Comelec official seem to point at the occurrence of cheating in last year's presidential election. Key opposition figures have jumped on the opportunity to remove President Arroyo from power, calling on her to resign. Some retired military officials have started a movement to replace the current government with a civilian-military junta. There are fears of a military coup being planned by disenchanted elements in the military; the Armed Forces of the Philippines went on red alert yesterday due to an intelligence report it received about a possible coup attempt. The stability of the government, no, of the entire country is at risk. The trouble being caused by recent events could do much to damage our already fragile economy, further delaying our development. Before this happens, I believe that the President should restore the people's faith in her by answering the accusations being hurled at her and proving her innocence, so that whatever destabilization attempt would not have the support of the people.
Ummm...
Just this Thursday, I was in my Economics 101(Macroeconomics) class. I was expecting the usual lecture when my professor started asking us questions about things that I could barely remember. You see, my Economics 11(Introduction to Economics) class was two years ago, and whatever I learned before was somehow lost in the wind. So, the professor asks us about how to compute GNP and every other thing that you can derive from it. I couldn't remember anything, what with the pressure and my lack of preparation. It was a good thing that I wasn't called, but that experience really put fear in my heart, and taught me a valuable lesson.
Oops...
Economics 101 is fast becoming a source of frustration. We were advised to get a copy of the book used as the basis for the course outline, Macroeconomics by Mankiw. I stumbled upon a copy of the book at a newly opened bookstore behind Vinzons Hall which cost a whopping 197 pesos. Being the "economist" that I am, I immediately bought the book. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the book I had a was the 1997 edition and was vastly dissimilar to the edition used by my professor. Vastly dissimilar. The content and the layout was different, so much so that I couldn't find the topics written in the course outline in my book. Haaay...
Recognition
While checking attendance for my Economics 102(Microeconomics) class, my professor gave the class something to remember me by...
Sir Paderanga: Andre Obidos?
Me: (raising my hand) Present!
-a moment passes-
Sir Paderanga: (suddenly looks at me) You remind me of someone...
Me: Huh? Sir?
Sir Paderanga: Ah! You look like Gilbert Remulla!
Class: Hahahahahahahaha!
Sir Paderanga: Maybe its the hair...
-some time later-
Sir Paderanga: (asking questions)
Me: (listening to discussion)
Sir Paderanga: (suddenly looks at me) Gilbert!
Me: Huh?
-lunch time, at the College of Science canteen-
Someone: Oy Tin!
Tin: Hi! Yadda yadda yadda...
Someone: Yadda yadda (looks at me) Classmate kita a!
Me: San?
Someone: Sa Econ 102! Ikaw si Gilbert diba?
Me: Andre!
Someone: Ah! Hahahahahaha!
-------->Haaay... Life...
I have been thinking about a lot of things for the past weeks; some are depressing, some are just downright weird. Here are some of those thoughts...
Time flies...
June 17, 2005. Wow. It's been two years since I first entered the University of the Philippines. I'm now on my third year here, still a student in the School of Economics, even after the two year Math 17 debacle. Wow. I've been here for two years. Seeing and meeting a few freshmen seems to have triggered this... this... weird feeling. I don't know. I feel like time is moving so fast. Only two years ago I was a young, naive, somewhat lost freshman trying to find my Physics 10 class. Now I'm about a year, maybe two years from graduation, no longer that poor, wandering soul who followed the room numbers in Palma Hall looking for PH4123. I'm no longer the naive teenager who knew, no, understood scarcely anything about the world around him. I've changed. For better or for worse? I don't know. But I know that I've changed. two years of education in a liberal environment made sure of that. I've learned a lot, like that Palma Hall does not have 4000 rooms... Hahahahaha... Kidding aside, I've learned a lot about how the world works, and how it doesn't work. Haaay... And I've got two more years to go before I graduate and enter another world...
Hello? Hello Garci?
The scandal triggered by the appearance of tapes allegedly containing wire-tapped conversations between President Arroyo and Comelec commissioner Garcilliano has captured the attention of the entire nation. Almost everything you hear has something to do with the topic of wire-tapping and the implications of the conversations in the tapes released first by Secretary Bunye, then by Attorney Paguia, and then by former NBI Deputy Director Samuel Ong. Every public information and news program on TV had the recent developments as their topic. Hell, someone even made a ringtone with some of the conversations in the tapes, and that ringtone is now the most popular download among cellphone users. With all the attention this scandal is getting, with almost everyone having an opinion about the tapes, it seems strange that the person in the middle of it all, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, has kept her silence on the issue. Her detractors say that this is proof of her guilt and call for the President's resignation. Her allies say that she has the right to remain silent on the issue, and question the authenticity of the tapes. Nevertheless, an investigation of the issue will begin next week, with the political opposition planning to play the tapes in public. If you ask me I think that President Arroyo should speak up, as most Filipinos want to know what she has to say about the issue. At least she should try to prove her innocence and stem the rising tide of discontent borne out of this and other scandals hounding her family, her policies, and other issues concerning the country.
She should act quickly, as a lot of other parties are making noises about removing her from power.
Hostile takeover
Along with the jueteng and wiretapping scandals come rumors of destabilization plots and coups d' etat, even another "people power" revolt. Indeed, the simultaneous appearance of scandals seemingly aimed at the President and her family has the potential of being the opening move in a plot to topple the administration and replace the government with... someone else. The attacks on the President and her family are casting doubts on their credibility; the jueteng scandal implicating the President's son and brother in law in illegal gambling operations, and the "Gloriagate" scandal concerning the President herself, where tapes of wiretapped cellphone conversations of the President with a Comelec official seem to point at the occurrence of cheating in last year's presidential election. Key opposition figures have jumped on the opportunity to remove President Arroyo from power, calling on her to resign. Some retired military officials have started a movement to replace the current government with a civilian-military junta. There are fears of a military coup being planned by disenchanted elements in the military; the Armed Forces of the Philippines went on red alert yesterday due to an intelligence report it received about a possible coup attempt. The stability of the government, no, of the entire country is at risk. The trouble being caused by recent events could do much to damage our already fragile economy, further delaying our development. Before this happens, I believe that the President should restore the people's faith in her by answering the accusations being hurled at her and proving her innocence, so that whatever destabilization attempt would not have the support of the people.
Ummm...
Just this Thursday, I was in my Economics 101(Macroeconomics) class. I was expecting the usual lecture when my professor started asking us questions about things that I could barely remember. You see, my Economics 11(Introduction to Economics) class was two years ago, and whatever I learned before was somehow lost in the wind. So, the professor asks us about how to compute GNP and every other thing that you can derive from it. I couldn't remember anything, what with the pressure and my lack of preparation. It was a good thing that I wasn't called, but that experience really put fear in my heart, and taught me a valuable lesson.
Oops...
Economics 101 is fast becoming a source of frustration. We were advised to get a copy of the book used as the basis for the course outline, Macroeconomics by Mankiw. I stumbled upon a copy of the book at a newly opened bookstore behind Vinzons Hall which cost a whopping 197 pesos. Being the "economist" that I am, I immediately bought the book. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the book I had a was the 1997 edition and was vastly dissimilar to the edition used by my professor. Vastly dissimilar. The content and the layout was different, so much so that I couldn't find the topics written in the course outline in my book. Haaay...
Recognition
While checking attendance for my Economics 102(Microeconomics) class, my professor gave the class something to remember me by...
Sir Paderanga: Andre Obidos?
Me: (raising my hand) Present!
-a moment passes-
Sir Paderanga: (suddenly looks at me) You remind me of someone...
Me: Huh? Sir?
Sir Paderanga: Ah! You look like Gilbert Remulla!
Class: Hahahahahahahaha!
Sir Paderanga: Maybe its the hair...
-some time later-
Sir Paderanga: (asking questions)
Me: (listening to discussion)
Sir Paderanga: (suddenly looks at me) Gilbert!
Me: Huh?
-lunch time, at the College of Science canteen-
Someone: Oy Tin!
Tin: Hi! Yadda yadda yadda...
Someone: Yadda yadda (looks at me) Classmate kita a!
Me: San?
Someone: Sa Econ 102! Ikaw si Gilbert diba?
Me: Andre!
Someone: Ah! Hahahahahaha!
-------->Haaay... Life...
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