The Horn of Africa

I am reading some news today at the Internet…. Same old, same old news. The news that caught my attention was the war on the “horn of Africa” (now where is that? It’s on the east side of the black continent bellow the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia. If you don’t know it study geography dimwit!). The very poor nation of Ethiopia and Somalia is in a war. When I say poor they are more poorer than us, imagine that….. poorer than us. What seems to be the reason for this? Ethiopia’s sudden occupation of Somalia was a reaction to the domination of Islamic fundamentalist groups (some says that are being backed by Al Queda), which in Ethiopia’s opinion can be a major factor on the region’s political stability. Specially concerning Ethiopia is a Christian Nation landlocked in a Muslim region.

If you are not familiar with the picture of the Somalian situation all you have to do is go back to the Ridley Scott’s film “Black Hawk Down” (now to the kids there who are “illiterate” to what matter most, there is a reality on that film). The movie tackled the dominance of the warlords on the governance of Somalia led by Osman Hassan Ali Atto, if you remember he was the one captured by the US troops in the early part of the movie. Now, not shown at the movie was what happened after. After the United Nation troops led by the United States vacated Somalia it was then ruled by Islamic fundamentalist troops. When you talk of Islamic fundamentalist states you don’t talk about Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, or Saudi Arabia. You talked about Iran (but by fundamentalist standards they are moderate), Afghanistan-taliban, Saddam’s Iraq (they are still now, even with the US backed government), Pakistan (they wont admit it but they act like one). Imagine Mindanao govern by the Abu-Sayaf. That’s is their current picture. And with this threat the Christian Nation of Ethiopia has no resort but to back a Somalian government in opposed to the Islamic fundamentalists.

Now, what would be the affect of this matter to us? How would this thing affect our economy? To the least, our holiday? The answer is, it won’t…. specially to the uninformed people who don’t bother watch or surf the news. If you would be familiar with the black continent’s status to the developed nations especially with dubya’s current US government they are not even in the list. The dominance of poverty, corruption, and dictators are so dominant in the African continent. But we don’t hear any US armies invading this countries to the cause of freedom and democracy as they had in Iraq or Afghanistan. Why? Well when you look back at the reason why they invade Iraq its all about oil. Afghanistan is about sentimentality to 9-11. But why not Africa? They do need a good shaping up in the name of democracy also right? Well the US of A wont for some very obvious reason…. They don’t have oil or resources the US needed, unless they reestablish slavery (yeah they have sources of oil though not yet fully developed, they are in the region near the mid-east), and supporting either Somalia or Ethiopia is not really very profitable. Supporting either the 2 of this country would be a charity case for American war business, and charity is one thing they don’t have. Somalia gets its arm on the black market and Ethiopia’s army would make the Philippine army very good-looking and well equipped. In my opinion on why the UN cares about this 2 African nation is for the reason that Koffi Annan is African. Put Michael Bolton (US ambassador to the UN) or Donald Rumsfeld at the helm of the UN I doubt there would be any priority for the continent.

Some years ago I was able to watch some news documentary about Somalia. People on the refugees are forced to eat grass (my reaction then was “they look like cows or ghiraffes while eating”) and believe it or not the soil itself. All of this was because the warlords blocked and confiscated (it’s a diplomatic term) the UN food supply that is supposed to be for the refugees. I remember back at the time of the Pinatubo eruptions my mom as a social worker handle an evacuation center. I remember she told us that she people there would shout and be angry to her for serving rice and “mongo”. This tells a lot how privilege we are to them. To many to us here this side of the equator the situation in Ethiopia and Somalia is just some moving pictures on the news on the TV, another web news topic. But in reality, many miles away on where you are sitting and reading my blog, there are real people that is bound to suffer another of war’s aftermath.

Never Never Land and the Reality of Life

I know, I’m supposed to be doing my papers. I don’t know if its lack of motivation or I’m just not into doing anything this holiday season. There is something in the air that makes me want to be just idle. I admit I am not a good writer, as a designer I cant even admit to myself I am an artist. I sometimes feel I am out of place in the world I want myself to be into. All I have is the interest on what I do and nothing more. I fought the stigma of being “ordinary” or being “choiceless” and do the things I wanted, but now I’m here I wonder what lies beyond this. Thinking where we are now from where we are when we are just 10 year old kids, we are still in that earthly body. Things have changed, we have our jobs, some have wives and children, but at the end of it all we are still that 10 year old kid we are a long time ago. We may think we have changed a lot or have matured since then but in reality we are just kids but now kids with responsibilities.

Call it immaturity or a Peter Pan syndrome but I always think of myself as a kid. I refuse to grow-up. Growing-up in the sense that you have to conform to the world on the way how you got to be at a certain age. We are children of baby-boomers, we are bound to be kids forever for we are the children of the generation who used to hate and fought the idea of complexity and conformity.

I used to laugh (it’s a harsh word, sorry) at people who say they have no choice in life that they got to do certain things for they have no choice. I don’t get it just until now. My girlfriend is in law school, a thing that she always wanted and dream of finishing. But as her mom died just this month I cant help notice that things in her world would change for her. The support of her mother (both financially and emotionally) is not there anymore. Her only motivation now is the dream of her late mother of her becoming a lawyer. His father is of no help for he is so much emotionally unstable (and financially have certain “issues”) to support her (I have some issues about her father. I always believe the being a “padre de pamilya” in the family you are the source of your family’s strength. As a father and as a man, call me a chauvinist, but we most hold back our emotion of sorrow and hopelessness especially when there are people who are expecting to get their strength from you. Especially when it is your children/daughters. My father is no beer drinking macho type of a man, yes he is well educated but he don’t look physically tough. But I know in times like that I wont see him lost any hope and he still can face his responsibilities and continue life, so with my mother.). Seeing her life today just hit me. This is the reality of life for some people. Not all do live in the never-never land I lived in (atleast in my mind). Seeing her problem, I “sudden spur of the moment” propose to live together and to support her (me thinking that her father is being no help on her situation). She is into the idea, but we specially me cant help but to be struck with reality. That would mean tons of responsibities and sacrifices. Give me a job I know that I can at least be of support to her, just don’t create any children I know we can get by. But that would mean too much sacrifice especially to a guy who is picky on choosing jobs (I don’t want to be in a job that don’t deal with interior design or in line with my masteral course). Just a couple of days ago she talked to me and says she is quitting her law studies. I don’t believe her knowing her previous episodes on her law studies. But this time it could be the real thing. Her father wont support her, continuing law school means getting a job that can support her studies and the daily expenses of living. I know how hard it is for her; I supported her, I researched for her, I saw her perseverance in her studies, I saw her pain in her failures and her joy in her success. All she got to finish is a semester and a half of law school and the bar exams and she’ll have her dreams. And now she may not have her dream… for someone that loves her I feel the pain.

Thinking of it I just can’t help but think of the unfairness of life. When she met me she is in the process of re-enrolling in law school after a year of hiatus and I was the guy who cant graduate college who was stuck in his thesis. As what she told me once, she cant help but envy me for since then I was able to graduate, work, and afford to study for and masteral. And she was still studying law and now all she worked for all that time would be for nothing. When I think of the word “unfair” I think of the rich kids, I can easily say that they are just born like and take that away on them they are nothing. But I realized what unfairness really was, here is a girl demographically is just like me, who just wanted to fulfill her mom’s dream. And life would be cruel to her. Compared to me, a happy go lucky guy. Who tend to look at life as lightly, always stopping to smell the flowers. I am not privileged but life is kind to me. It seems unfair…. And cruel. I cant feel but to be guilty. I love my mom but if It happened happen to me my dad would still be the man he is, I can still study for my masteral. That to happened to the woman that I love it really hurt deep inside. I want to ask God why not me, I think I can take it more better than her, but I don’t know the mystery to that.
I don’t know what would happen next. All I know is that this Peter Pan must grow up and accept the reality of life for he may loose Wendy. It is just that Peter Pan don’t know if he can.

2006, my life in retrospect

I started this year I was working in an interior design office with my college friends and ill probably end it at home doing my masteral papers. 2006, what a year. At least it wasn’t boring. I started this year working for a narcissistic boss and I ended it by having receiving an mp4 from Santa (ok I am 26 but ill believe in anything to have some free “bread”). I can’t say that this year was roller coaster year, just a year that that I choose earning my happiness from earning some money. At least ill end smiling (I hope so, who knows what will happened by the 30th).

This year was hard for some people. My girlfriend lost her mom this December. Just imagine celebrating Christmas when you just buried your mom 5 days ago. Imagine facing the coming year feeling incomplete. She had a hard year and yet she is still not loosing an ounce of hope, if I can give a person of a year to anybody ill give it to her. What happened to her make me realize to count my blessings. I don’t have a perfect life but I am blessed to live a life doing what I want. I don’t have much money but I am well educated. I didn’t became a football or tennis star (been dreaming of it until now) but I am given a chance to have my masteral studies at the best school at this side of Diliman. Thank God I am not stuck on a life I don’t want.
I can’t wish for more for 2007 (more 1s on my classcards and a wilder sex life wont hurt). I just want to live a happy and contented life.