Terror

I had been keenly watching CNN and BBC updates of the unfolding events in Mumbai,India. Yes, terrorism strikes when and where it is least expected.

The images on TV brought back the memories of the so-called Rizal Day Bombings in Metro Manila, Philippines. These happened during a national holiday in December 30,2000.

It was the start of our annual holiday in Manila. My family and I have just checked in at the Dusit Hotel in Makati when a bomb was found along the driveway of the hotel. The Makati Police Bomb Squad was called, and some EOD experts took the bomb away from the hotel premises. They were bringing the bomb to a vacant area across EDSA when it detonated. A senior Police Officer was killed.

My children were just 5 and 3 years old then. The pervading fear was clear and palpable and I could see that they somehow understood the gravity of the situation. The what-ifs that my wife and I were pondering just brought the pall of gloom to higher levels.

WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON A HOLIDAY AND YET THERE WE WERE, LOCKED UP IN A HOTEL ROOM WATCHING TERRORISM HISTORY UNFOLD BEFORE OUR EYES.

We became witnesses to the events that happened after the bomb blew up. We saw the stampede at SM Makati. We saw the mad-rush at Glorietta. We saw the grim faces of the hotel security officers and the PNP officials. We sat transfixed at the TV set when we learned that bombs exploded in four other places almost simultaneously. We did not know what to expect, much less what to do.

My wife wanted to go back right away to Batangas. I was able to convince her though that the safest place at that time would be right at Dusit Hotel since the bomb intended to be detonated there had already gone off.

The memories of nearly 8 years ago just came back, triggered by the tragedy at Mumbai.

Terrorism should be stopped. It would never be an answer to the problems of the world.

In These Times of Graft

I have been watching too much television. Last Thursday, November 13, ANC covered the Jocelyn Bolante testimony at the Senate. Today it was Eliseo De La Paz's revelations that were the focus of TV coverage. Both subjects were former ranking government officials and now, both are out of government service and are in utter disgrace. These, because of graft.

The word graft, in Philippine jurisdiction is equated with corrupt practices. In fact, the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019) contains an enumeration of what constitutes corrupt practices. Curiously though, in the United Kingdom, the noun graft means hard work. One word, two meanings that are mutually exclusive.

I am saddened by the thoughts of what would happen to the two gentlemen. A life in prison for them appears to be inevitable. That is, if the wheels of justice would grind in a righteous path. Then again, that is another story.

Changes

I just changed the title of my blog. Likewise, its URL was reinvented. I was surfing the web and I happened to find a site where various items related to specific letters of the alphabet are listed. The Letter G has an extensive array of articles devoted to it.

One would not be able to match the sheer number of factoids listed about the Letter G and so I decided that I might as well abandon the idea.

From hereon, I would be blogging about writing.

Simple Joys

It is the simple joy that brings bliss to the heart, the small things that brighten a day, the brief moments of elation.

I have made a discovery, rather belatedly. If you continue to thank the Lord for the simple joys that you encounter everyday, the simple joys turn out to become great blessings.

Why don't you give it a try it then?

G

The fascination with the English letter G led me to do this blog. Nah, I guess it didn't.I was looking for an appropriate name for a new blog and gave up after a few tries. The blogger start-up template wouldn't approve my proposed blog names until I remembered my Morse Code. That then explains the URL name.

I have to admit that my other blog is too serious a blog for me to mess up with aimless writing, so I decided to put up another one. This blog I guess would serve as the venue for my musings and doodles or whatever term you may call what I sometimes come up with.

Here's to writing...