What's New Today - September 8, 2007

Everyone seems to be very busy these days. As Bert noted, there's a lull in our e-group - "parang may dumaang anghel daw." Even Marynat who became very active several weeks ago, is back to being a passive reader for the most part (she did send comments on two posts). It's Tess who has been regularly sending her one-liners.

I too am very busy. So I'm just sharing the article written by the Inquirer columnist, Ma. Ceres Doyo about Mother Teresa, whose 10th death anniversary we observed the other day. (She died a week after Princess Di died on a car crash - on August 31. Daming historical events pala on that day - also the Birthday of Ramon Magsaysay and Cardinal Sin, aside from Annabelle's and my birthday of course!). Mother Teresa's book, "Come Be My Light", is surely a very interesting reading, we should grab a copy when we have the time. Right now, I'm reading an old book - Man's Search for Meaning written by Viktor E. Frankl, an internationally renowned psychiatrist who endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi concentration camps. It's been a week now but I haven't finished reading it - I only read it while inside the railway transit on the way to and back from the office. Read it, if you have the time.

Current news here in the Philippines are depressing/revolting - the scandal-ridden US$328M National Broadband Network contract with the Chinese firm, ZTE (ang kapal talaga; garapal ang mga taga-gobyernong involved dito including COMELEC Chair Abalos and Transport & Communications Secretary Mendoza). Everything contrary to good governance must be happening here - absence of transparency (no copy of the contract has been made public yet this is a loan to be paid for by every Filipino), corruption, and lack of accountability.

Then there's the re-opening at the Senate of the Hello Garci scandal, the death by hazing of a UP student, the war in Sulu and Basilan, the early campaign for Presidency by the ambitious Mar Roxas (pati Joey de Leon-Willie Revillame controversy papatulan in the guise of protecting the public from unscrupulous game shows, buti hindi pina-iimbistigahan ng Senado o Kongreso ang paglipat ni Angel Locsin sa Dos!).

So, other than Ceres's article, I'm posting video clips of songs by:

* Yoyoy Villame - Geography
* Gary Valenciano's Babalik Ka Rin
* Lea Salonga and Rob Chen's wedding with Lea singing "Ikaw"
* Sharon and KC Concepcion duet

Hope you enjoy them.