"Learning from the Past, Hopes for the Future, and a Life's Journey of making the most of what's at hand."
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I’ve got a back story. Twas the summer of 1994 and I was playing outside our house when the San Pascual basketball team approached me to become their muse. At that time I’m super shy and had no confidence so all I did was run towards the house and hid in our restroom. They begged my Papa and he tried to convince me but I said I’m not going to get out unless the boys are no longer there. They tried to get my middle sister but she didn’t want to. They can’t do anything so they just settled for my cousin who agreed with them. I went to the plaza and watched happily while my cousin was doing her walk on the stage.
Fast forward… Sunday, May 24, 2026 7am. After more than 3 decades (32 years to be exact) I’m here at the Pineda Basketball Court as barangay Greenhills muse. No longer timid, I’m almost 42 by September and so confident about myself. I’m no longer that shy girl who hides in the bathroom just so I can dodge being a muse. It’s been years of building myself up and now I’m a success. I’ve built my confidence from the ground up and I’m too sure about my worth now that no one’s opinion can shake me.
In this video, someone said that I’m trying to embarrass the team so she was suggesting that the team should just get someone else lol. I’m already the prettiest, sexiest, and smartest muse there. What more does she want? I’m getting curious about what Yanyan looks like? Can she measure up with me? Haha she’s so funny and I can smell the envy and insecurity miles away. The guy that responded “napulot sa tabi” was probably just “nakikisakay” so the girl can stop saying bad things since the whole basketball team knows that they’ve been begging me to be their muse for months since this very day. Haaayyyysssttt some people are just so out of touch and such a tool. Anyway, there’s no showdown (don’t know why? probably cost cutting) I was so ready to sing and dance but thanks to the experience. Finally, after more than 3 decades I’ve fulfilled being a muse. Why is Papu so good to me?
Have you ever had a movie so fashionable yet unsuperficial? I’ve got one of my faves that exactly embodies that description. The Devil Wears Prada and they’ve come back for a sequel. There’s a notion that comes to mind when people hear about Fashion: that it is automatically superficial, nonsense and unimportant. People that like fashion are somehow judged as shallow and petty. But that’s where you got it all wrong. Fashion is an integral part of life; mostly it takes care of our mood. Personally, it lifts me up when I’m on my depressive days. It’s a glimmer for me just like music, food, books, travel or whatnot. Never underestimate the power of a cute dress to cheer you up on your bad days. That’s just me speaking from experience.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a powerful movie stating that Fashion people are deep people with feelings, frustrations, and stories so deep you might not even fathom them. It tells about people struggling with loneliness, sufferings, acceptance, prejudice, and a lot more things that ordinary people might not understand. The limelight does not guarantee happiness nor being included. Not everyone who is on top and has a strong personality doesn’t have a heart. The movie shows that Miranda is just like all of us who cares though she might not show it most of the time. She had this facade of a successful, powerful woman that was so hard to penetrate for she controls her emotions. But she does care.
Fashion is art. If you were a creative and artistic person like me it is deep in a sense just most kinds of different forms of art. It is deep, it transcends history, stories and magical transformation. Every clothing is a representation of someone's uniqueness and ideals. It is not just clothes, it is a coalition of every conceptualization of artwork, style, and sensibility so curated that it appeals to almost everyone personally. You might think it’s shallow but it isn’t every piece has been perfectly thought out from the style, colors, tapestry and whatnot. It is a perfect execution of a masterpiece just functional enough for our daily needs or some party needs. It is important because if not what are you gonna wear when you need to celebrate your debut, birthdays, oath-taking, your wedding or what else would you want to celebrate? For every celebration there is a corresponding fashion sense and fashion statement. And that’s my statement piece. Ciao.
Bang! Gun shots echoing through the Senate walls, just like that, all of them wanting sympathy. Like they have families waiting at home that may never see them again. Guns in the Senate suddenly flip the narrative. Now you hate the masses because we are mocking you for acting so cowardly towards a few gun shots in your sheltered lifestyle of luxury. They’re angry because the ordinary people can’t find the heart to empathize with these corrupt crocodiles dressed in barongs and branded fashion. You want sympathy for a once in a lifetime experience of an almost daily experience of the ordinary. You can call me heartless but honestly where were your hearts when tons of our fellow kababayans were raided, forced evicted, and shot dead in broad daylight? Weren’t you all partying, exchanging chickas, clinking wine glasses in your air-conditioned walls when the rest of us were treated like animals chased in our cages?
You just heard the shots, most of our fellows felt it sipping through their skins. You felt unsafe, most are not safe. Your loved ones might not see you again, most of us will never see ours ever again. There’s a big difference between them. You got the movie experience, we have it as our reality, yes, most of us live in that reality. Not just for a day, but for the rest of their waking life. I don’t want to invalidate your experience but I chose to in exchange for you invalidating the harsh reality most of us are experiencing. This isn’t just about those gun shots. This is about the taxes you robbed us, the dignity you stripped from our skins, the respect you deny us, the security and safety you are supposed to fulfill but just went to drain. We cried decades ago but it went to deaf ears and now just because of gun shots just once in your life you suddenly felt we owe you sympathy?
Sympathy begets sympathy. Respect begets respect. I ain’t see any reason giving those things to your entitled asses. If you think you are all so privileged then let go of your positions, why do you keep holding on to our tax money. We don’t need you, you are simply there because of us. Let go of our treasure if you are really so wealthy on your own why need to rob us more? Decades have passed haven’t you amassed wealth enough to fund your next of kin retirement and travel plans? Ain’t it enough? Do you still want more? Your antics make us laugh now loudly. It isn't of happiness but sarcasm that the narrative’s been flipped and here you go all crybabies whining that no one even said “kumusta” after those dreaded gun shots? Have you ever said “kumusta” to our kababayans who went worse than that? You just heard it, most of us felt it deep in our skin yet we never obliged you to check on us because it is not our duty to tell you what should be done, it’s yours. At least you know “na dapat pala kinukumusta kapag may mga ganyang pangyayari di ba?”
So kumusta? Happy?
Why is Vico Sotto the Gold Standard?
Vico is not perfect but honestly he is a Gold standard, the Diamond of public servant. What he is doing right now as the Mayor of Pasig is how government officials should behave. Leading with good governance is the right thing to do and the duty of a politician. He isn’t doing an extra mile. He is just doing his job. That’s how a Mayor should behave. We’ve been brainwashed up to now by Trapos that public service is a mediocre job but it’s not. They do the bare minimum and call it politics. I won’t enumerate the policies, projects, and all other endeavors Vico created in our city. We are all aware of it. Vico defines public service: transparent, honest, with integrity, with humility, humble, inclusive, functional, innovative, people serving, results driven, no bias, and a lot more. This is how a public servant acts not powered by greed and corruption, with accountability and responsibility towards his subjects.
It’s saddening that most people think this is extraordinaire because they are so used to Trapos that a decent public servant seems to be a miracle and out of this world. This is the standard and having him just proves to us it is possible only if we did our duty towards the love for our country. We owe nothing to politicians. We voted for them to be public servants and to serve the people is on top of their tasks, part of their job in working for the government. We don’t have “utang na loob” to our government officials. We hire them to serve us. The least they can do is do their job right and well. The schools, hospitals, parks, sports’ courts, etc are funded by the people’s taxes, not from the politicians’ pockets. It is our money and their job is to properly allocate that taxes to better infrastructure and the well being of their constituents. We don’t owe them anything other than a thank you for effectively spending our money on services and projects that will benefit the whole community.
Vico is not a hero, he is a Mayor that’s doing his job well and there is no question on that. May he be a perfect example for all of government, a catalyst for good governance that should start a ripple effect in how to do public service properly. May we all share the same sentiments so that in the next election we will dutifully as a “Makabayan” vote for the right candidates that embody a Gold Standard not just in the National but all over the country starting from the local and smallest units of the Philippines. May we vote right in the next election. God bless, Pilipinas!
I just heard a day ago about “Loyalty Tester.” I kind of got the hint but just to be sure I googled it and found out that I’ve been doing it already since I was in high school, not paid though. My being a loyalty tester started because of goodwill. I used to be a tomboy having more male friends than girls. My female friends, knowing that fact, kept on begging me to introduce them to my male friends so I did. Out of being protective I started testing my male friends if they are loyal or they're just going to make my female friends cry. Since I know the holy grail of male traits because of being one of the boys I have the advantage of knowing how to make them fall. I started operating in a subtle way. Befriend them more, luring them if ever they are going to take the bait and cheat with my female friends through other girls or even through me.
I started teasing them and building up other girls that I think they might be interested with and sometimes I kind of put myself on the line. Eventually they are all loyal but they ended up liking me rather than my girl friends which is kind of weird. I’m cupid, supposed to be the matchmaker and yet they fell for me instead of the girl I’m trying to match with them. The rule is: you are not supposed to fall for Cupid. You're always going to lose and they all did. Anyway, I’ve continued being a loyalty tester secretly amongst my friends and family. Checking whether my sister’s boyfriends are loyal or not. Turns out they all are and the plot twist is that my sister is the cheater. I spent sleeping in one room with my sister’s boyfriends, all alone with them but nothing happened. They all passed my test. But my sister didn’t, shocking, ain’t it?
With the years of secretly testing, I’ve realized I’ve got more male friends that are truly loyal than my female friends. It is maddening and kinda surprising when people think males are prolific cheaters. Turns out when we were in school most girls were cheaters not men. Is it still true up to now or in the real world it’s the men not the girls or it’s both now?
