baratillo @ cubao : www.baratillo.net

The late Raul Julia was one of my favorite actors, no matter what role he played in a movie he always invested a lot of panache in his character, no matter what. One of his last movie was Street Fighter and in one scene he was confronting his would-be assassin Chun Lee (Ming Na Wen), who was stating the reason why she wanted to end his life. Raul Julia (playing Gen Bison) just looked at her with a bemused face and said, “The day I entered your life defined you from that time one … alas for me it was Monday.”

Or he said something to that effect. Anyway, elections come and go. This one is about to go the way of the Dodo with the usual fanfare. There is a tendency to get a little bit stressed every time one watches the news today. One can see the spirit of a person soar or fall depending on the news. And most of it from unofficial and partial returns. I mean its quite informative but ultimately unofficial. Getting hyped is a good thing if one is running from a rampaging rhinoceros or a saber tooth tiger about to devour you. It gives you enough energy and probably more to jump to safety. This of course is only good in the short term. To be in the state of hyped for a long time will lead to undue stress. And ultimately lead one to a more terminal state.

Again while it is good to be informed on what is happening. It might also be helpful to do other things than be obssessed with the latest tally sheet.

1) Spend more time with one’s families. Take the time out to spend time with your family, especially the elderly and the children. One will find that despite some headaches bonding with the family lessens the stress and can make one feel happy. On the whole and on most days I always look forward to returning to my family.

2) Earn some money and more on the side. Not all things are free and in this world we are destined to sweat in order to survive. A consequence of being kicked out of Eden which we and the rest of humanity have to live with. Still if the pay is ok or better life is not that bad. And work can be therapeutic. It also prevents old Mr Flint from running a muck in our playground,

3) Meeting with friends just to hang out and have fun.

Last Saturday, I met up with new friends at the Toy Kamera Pilipinas and the RangeFinder Philippines. Spent the time talking about Rangefinders and other things - like watch a movie and listen to an Iggy De Guzman vinyl record on an old gramaphone.

Last Night, I participated in the Geek Chorus‘ Playlist Manila. Listened to the different type of musics, shared laughs, common interests, and won a prize. Of course, I had some difficulty finding the spot because it was in Serendra. I am Cubao Boy: Raised and inhabit the environ around the Araneta Coliseum. Going to Serendra (from the the Ayala MRT Station take the jeep going to Market, Market) was a different but refreshing experience.Plus, It was good exercise - walking to and fro. In the end the event was worth the brisk walk here and there.

Happenings like these raises the dopamine levels. It enables you to discover new things. A break from the stress and tedium of the daily grind and sensational politics.

Visit Geek Chorus for upcoming interesting events. And for photographers and people like me who like to take snapshots this Sunday at Intramuros there will be an photoshoot.

3) Investing in the me moment. Talking long walks, doing a centering prayer, or just cooling down from the hassles of life, work, and politics is a daily essential. These includes pastimes one does. Never underestimate the curative powers of a well-used pastime. Reading a good book on a lazy afternoon or at night can be quite rewarding.

Here are some books that one can read.

Ambrose Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary is a wicked and funny book that pokes fun at the morals and politics of human society. It was written before World War I and through the years has not lost its bite. Some of the semantics maybe be a bit out-of-date but it is still a fun read. There is even a comic book version of Bierce’s Dictionary. The comic book was drawn by author, comic artist and illustrator Gahan Wilson.

Other books that one can read. One can never go wrong with the Classics. Here are some of them:

(i) Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light. A lot of the local book stores have been making a lot of classic Science Fiction stuff available. The retail price ranges from three hundred fifty to five hundred pesos. So far National Book Store carries to lowest retail price for these paperbacks. One can never go wrong with classics. Finished reading Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination and Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend both from the same collection. Superb reading, you can never go wrong with the Classics.

(ii) Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. A premium buy. This particular volume and its cousins is designed and produced to last a long time. These types of books are widely distributed around the local book stores. Sells for around five hundred pesos.

There is no limit (maybe except legal and moral) on what one can do. One can do this or this (My thanks to Carlos Celdran for those posts). It all depends on the individual.

There are a lot of things. Some fun, some as important, and some more important than what one is getting hyped up at the moment. Then again I am just rambling … meandering.

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