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Storm And Sunburn
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Encounters with the Pen Reduction To Lowest Terms
01 October 2009Too often, we regret for neglecting something presumed to be useful in the future since there is no direct or immediate need for such at present. This defines how we evolved to date. How people became so dispensable and indifferent is an entirely different story.Let us take for instance the concept of parity which states that everything should be distributed fairly and evenly; giving to each what rightfully belongs to him. Justice then is a one-to-one correspondence. When one does not get his fair share, conflict arises.Life is a mathematical existence regardless of the existence, or contrariwise absence, of numbers itself. In fact, people designed clocks, watches and chronometers, both digital and analog, to tell time and later let it rule their lives. Consider ourselves as elements of this mathematical world and our lives as a subset of all the existence in this planet and from there, we will see the magnitude and expanse of the un
Encounters with the Pen Almost Thirty, Nearly Bald
06 March 2010When I was a kid, people were so fascinated with the kind of memory I have. Since having tests for certain acumen or gift is a rarity in the provinces, (Binanuahan, Pilar, Sorsogon to be more specific) being considered special was already enough. I will try not to be too narrative of what I have been through for that would be totally unnecessary. What contributed much to this state is an actual rush of blood.It was one clear, Sunday morning that forever corrupted some of the files in my memory and no amount of re-formatting will ever restore everything in place. I was not fully aware of the impending danger on that fateful day otherwise I could have averted the ensuing predicament altogether. A portion of a 2” x 2” x 12” lumber is hanging near the roof of that house where a usual Sunday amazement is in town. Perhaps curiosity took it from there as I squeezed myself past the grown-ups looking intently at how an elderly man adroitly handled a cons
Encounters with the Pen Of Death And Defying It
31 May 2010If death is likened to gravity, which we cannot absolutely defy, then living with it on a regular frequency is a state of partial weightlessness. Our daily existence is a continuing skirmish with death. For every moment that a life-form, however animate or lethargic, is sent to inhabit this earth, it is just a matter of time before finally the probability and likelihood of death becomes apparently a certainty. Chances are, nature has its distinct scheme of impermanence and turns everything in this world, regardless of significance or magnitude, into sub-atomic particles to restore equilibrium.Having lived in a nuclear family of nine (9) inclusive of parents and siblings, I have witnessed death more than twice. But since my memory seems to fail me in the retrieval of memories, I will stick to two most remembered losses. First was when my father died and once more when my maternal grandmother departed as well.The most vivid memory that I have of m
Encounters with the Pen Ambivalence And Everything In Between
13 July 2010One of the basic realities in life tells us that no two objects, not even thought, can occupy the same space at the same time. Impenetrability applies to all forms of existence to create order, sequence or precedence. Not even our human capacity to love is spared from such a predicament. And whenever we find ourselves trapped in this labyrinth, conflicts arise.Truly, one can never be both definite and ambivalent about his feelings, at any given time and space about persons or situations. With the present, urgent and pressing circumstances, however, one is prompted to react in such a rational way, if not instinctive. And in this transitory world, decisiveness is a factor for survival.And perhaps the opposite of love is not hate but rather indifference and somewhere in between, in the spherical or planar intersection of chance, is where we find ambivalence. Ambivalence then is this betweenness that typically defines our inability to be definite. Once cau
Encounters with the Pen From The Scars And Scares Of Discarding Credit Cards
20 July 2010As a consequence of one’s employment status, credit card offers will also increase promising a wide array of luxury and conveniences. And with the lures of the things and amenities one can avail of with this rectangular phenomenon, swiping becomes as involuntary as one’s impulses. Depending on the frequency of payment or the complete lack of it, credit card companies will try to increase the credit limit whenever there is an apparent inability, on the part of the cardholder, to settle their dues only to make them dig a much deeper grave of financial indebtedness.Credit cards work best for the banks. When they feel you are neglecting your financial obligations to them, they will start making endless calls to remind you, or harass you in disguise, until you are forced to settle your dues simply for reasons of avoiding litigation, legal suit or any further threats. Although it is not likely to make progress in court, cardholders are obliged to pay o
Encounters with the Pen A Quarter Dose Of Half-Truths And Whole Lies
22 November 2013Telling the untruth is fundamentally a chronic human phenomenon. No other life-form comes close to simulating such erratic behaviour. Lies, of all colors and sorts, are merely mechanisms to avert otherwise precarious situations. It could be traced on our ceaseless resolve to save ourselves from disgraceful circumstances or to shield us from further nuisances. But just like a snow ball, a handful of lies that has gained enough momentum might just be enough to cause an avalanche and a succession of unfortunate events. It could instigate conflicts and hostilities then wars, sinkholes and landslides from earthquakes and even blizzards and storm surges from typhoons among others.We cannot be telling lies without exposing part of our truth. Somehow, in the space between falsity and truth, is the vast expanse of ocean of options waiting to be enabled, initiated or activated. There is, however, only one choice for every occasion. A prior false statem
Encounters with the Pen When Too Much Personalization Becomes A Little Impersonal
28 November 2013In the story of creation, God has one thing in mind. He planned of customizing the world so that all the creatures thereon would be capable of receiving an abundance of grace and blessings. As a result, man was given the highest responsibility and privilege of all including, but not limited to, dominion over other life forms. The operative word is customization and that is how our modern lives could be characterized.Since the pre-historic age in the depths of the dungeons until our maiden voyage in space, man always has the propensity to look beyond what is within in search for what they are without. During the agrarian age, man would reap the fruits of his laborious toil with edible produce of the land, both meat and non - meat. In the industrial age, he countered the increasing need of a growing economy and population with the provision of large-scale production of contraptions, means of transportations and even artilleries for defensive pu
Encounters with the Pen Take Whatever Is At Stake In Any Mistake
05 December 2013An old adage says “A wise person learns from his mistakes but an even wiser person learns from the mistakes of others”. Human beings are intended and obliged to learn from their mistakes otherwise the entire human race would have perished before it could even flourish. Our existence depends essentially on the kinds of mistakes we have made. Needless of any compelling argument, our subsistence in this world is either of primary or secondary importance.Even our past sages, thinkers and inventors were not spared from the painstaking ordeals of making several hundreds, if not thousands, of miscalculations or blunders in judgment that brought about the discovery of today’s ideologies, idiosyncrasies and spectacles. They have been through a lot of odd difficulties and uneven possibilities how not to make things work thereby resulting to a remarkable reduction of options how to make things finally work and cause a pragmatic value in our lives.&nbs
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