Bangong Papa-ble

Fact of life: Idiots are everywhere.

You know how Mr T always “pities the fool?” Well, he ain’t generalizing. Let’s keep this close to home. There are a lot of idiots in the Philippines. And I’m not yet even referring to this country’s poor education. (Yeah, because that discussion will go on for ages.)

First things first, I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST DUMB PEOPLE. As long as they know their places that is. The real problem arises when dumb people get positions of power. (I’m not pointing fingers, but seriously, look at the politician nearest to you.) And even then, it’s not THAT politician’s dumbness that got him there. Politicians win through their cunning (and more efficiently, surnames). And they win because VOTERS ARE STUPID.  Anyway, to go through all the kinds of dumb people will make this post incredibly long, so let’s stick to the ones we find in the friendly neighborhood offices.

The I’m Always Right Stupid

This is easily the most popular kind. People in general have a natural brain capacity. Some people are born smart, can’t argue with that. Now, you can’t always be smart, but there’s a way to be always right. The idea is to always find someone to blame. That’s what subordinates are for. Now, unless your boss is even dumber than you are, eventually people will know you’re a stupid fuck who pretends to be right and blames everyone else. See, you can only be always right when…

The I’m Related to The Boss/Owner/Someone Powerful Stupid

It’s natural to care for your own. That is why CEOs and other powerful people tend to give their kids high positions in the empires that they built. There are times when the apple does not fall too far from the tree, and they and up great and successful. However, the son of a great man is not always great. AND THAT IS WHEN NEPOTISM IS BAD. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Sr. is probably one of the most useful persons this country has produced. You know who are not? Sadly, his offspring.

We are stuck in a world where skills, talents, and intellectual capacity have little to do with success. But that’s another story.

So, this pic was taken back in college, should be around seven or so years old.

This just might be the only pic I have with the most of us in it. Usually it’s just in the three to four range.

L-R Front Row:
That’s Donna in the white shirt. Last I heard, she’s tutoring pre-pubescent young boys. Hopefully just tutoring. Roselle is in denim top and bottom. She’s now married with one kid, and Trend Micro survivor.
L-R Rear: Juay is the slutty one unzipping her jacket. She’s a virgin teacher in Woodrose. Sef is the booby one in.. yellow I think. She’s in Angara’s staff. The long-haired dude in the trench coat is Jeff. Should be hardly recognizable by now, Simone’s daddy. That’s me in the sleeveless shirt. No updates on me. Then there’s Joan, only her head is visible. She’s somewhere in the Americas, taking care of her baby. There’s Frannie, still in Angara’s staff. Not a big update there. Charlie is… hrmmmm, I dunno where/what. I last saw her in a wake. Then there’s Karr, the one with the hat. I believe she’s happily married, and with a son. And crush-ng-bayan Peter. He’s supposedly managing a salon somewhere up north.

One thing I should have learned from watching Friends, is that it’s very hard to keep hanging out when you’re miles apart. If you don’t live across the hall, it’s difficult to do pretty much anything together. Really, any telco provider out there can make an ad campaign about this one. I blame that transportation sucks in this country. I blame being slaves to work. I blame getting old. Work kept getting in the way, and then babies, and then other stuff, and then just plain laziness.

You’d think Facebook and Twitter would make a difference. But it’s not really the same. What you hear in the Internet will always remain just something you heard in the Internet. Nothing will ever come close to hours spent watching DVDs, nights wasted drinking cheap cocoa, days stuck on a damn near unwinnable video game level, the millions of steps wandering around the mall, and the faded neoprints.

Times have changed. I’ve gotten older. My tolerance for alcohol and loud music is gone. I find myself trying to understand finances and reading up on funds and shit. I spend long weekends at home catching up on TV and sleep.

I had fake meat for dinner at Bodhi in SM North and caught myself missing a friend we’ve never heard from for years now.

You never really lose friends. Even when you don’t see them much. And I know, after I’m done with my worldly pursuits and they’re done with theirs. We’ll bring it all back. Someday, I’ll find them all again.