where the grass is greener...

this is where i'll be:

Lunasandwich
moon-dane thoughts on anything under the sun

sorry, nobody home

today like everyday, i logged into my yahoo messenger account as "invisible to everyone". even to friends. i wonder, why is that? could it be that i'm the only one who does that?

strange how all the connectivity and being wired has only led to an increasing antisocial behavior for me. by letting people know that i have ym, i am simply conforming to a demand to be connected. keeping myself "invisible" though, allows me my freedom to be dis-connected.

that's just my kind of thing. or like what a grouchy green ogre once said, "i like my privacy."

eat shit, live longer

these days you can't really just eat anymore. you want a porkchop, then you have to swallow the fact that this porkchop was once Babe but most likely injected with stuff to make it big, fat and juicy before hauling it off to the little slaughterhouse of horrors.

but really, Babe, you can do without. so you switch to healthier options like mercury-laden fish or hormone and antibiotic-bred chickens. and your veggies, well, there's your healthy option. how about a fresh garden salad? would you like that with the ddt-thiabendazole dressing? that's about your daily fix of carcinogens, plus possible damages to the immune, reproductive and nervous systems.

now you can complain, "there's nothing to eat!"

nothing safe to eat, you mean. fortunately, there are still some alternatives.

go organic. buy organic. or if you have the means, grow organic. it really just means going back to the basics. when chickens roamed (almost) wild and free, and when the earth smelled of shit instead of pesticides.

me says, it's worth a try.

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organic.org lists the dirty dozen* - the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables that you're best advised to buy them organic.

• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Grapes (Imported)
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

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*produce which have a heavier pesticide load

close encounters with the third kind

a word war seems to be brewing between inquirer columnists manolo quezon and former supreme court justice isagani cruz, jr.

it all starts with justice isagani cruz's objectionable piece complaining about how the gay and lesbian population has steadily increased in most societies, even, according to cruz, our comparatively conservative one (see "Don we now our gay apparel"). his complaint centers not so much in their increasing numbers but on the increasing acceptance of societies towards gays and lesbians. or maybe that is one and the same for him. they are "multiplying" because they have become socially "acceptable". but cruz is not about to join the bandwagon as he draws the line between those who can expect his good graces and respect and those who simply don't. the former category includes, and i quote, "...members of their group who have conducted themselves decorously, with proper regard not only for their own persons but also for the gay population in general. A number of our local couturiers, to take but one example, are less than manly but they have behaved in a reserved and discreet manner..." and his seeming contempt is reserved for, "..the vulgar members of the gay community who have degraded and scandalized it." you read his article and you know this guy is gonna get some trouble. or like we commonly say, "away ito."

shortly after, manolo quezon, who quite recently admitted to being gay, reacts to cruz's article and rightfully calls him a bigot and a hate-monger (see "The grand inquisitor"). at the same time, the gay and lesbian community is in an uproar and emails, open letters and comments did the rounds of mailing lists, blogs and not surprisingly found their way to the inquirer.

lo and behold, cruz gives back an angry retort (see "Neither here nor there") and starts to invoke the first amendment and defensively uses free expression as his shield.

for now it seems manolo has the last word in his column, "Oblivious in cloud cuckoo-land". truly, he drives home the point when he says, "Hence my strong objection to Justice Cruz’s insisting on a distinction between acceptable and unacceptable gays. There is the danger that in less discerning hands—including those wielding closed fists, those who are eager to strike a blow for normality on the faces of those who flout convention—the distinction he attempts cannot be maintained. And that even if it were, it would only ensure temporary safety for some, not all; when in their heart of hearts, all gay people are fundamentally the same because of their sexuality. And that is why his distinction is unacceptable: it divides, so that he may rule. That leaves no room for toleration or cohabitation, much less mutual respect."

if this is a continuing saga, we will soon find out.

hey!

i don't know why some people still keep pets when their actions clearly show they don't really want one.

our neighbor (oh no, not another neighbor) who lives across us, owns two dogs. everyday, he finds out his dogs have soiled their cage (it is quite a cramped cage for two adult dogs) which would upset him, always. he would now start muttering and shouting to the dogs about how baboy (pig-like) they are, how they never learn and a host of other invectives the dogs wouldn't understand* anyway (or maybe they could sense it). as he proceeds to clean their cage, i would hear a few yelps from the dogs as they are most likely hit or slapped by angry owner.

and this happens everyday. the unhappiness of these dogs are clearly evident in their appearance. they have thinning fur, exposing skin that is almost covered with sores and blisters. when they are led out of the cage one at a time for a walk, this sense of "freedom" must be so overwhelming to the dog as it scrambles away, dragging its owner behind.

i cannot say that this pet owner is entirely bad. he seems to be quite dutiful in keeping their cage clean and taking the dogs for brief walks. unfortunately, pet-keeping and its daunting tasks may be too much for him. especially with an unrealistic view that a dog has excellent bladder and poop control that can hold for hours until his next walk. and of course, that a life inside a cramped cage is what a dog deserves.

i am contemplating on sending an anonymous letter to my neighbor that would contain humane pet ownership and effective dog-training tips. i hope this would help in making the dogs' lives better and more stress-free. and maybe his life too.

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several sites on pet care:
veterinary petcare
peta companion animals
care4pets

*a current favorite gary larson cartoon about a scientist's discovery on what barking dogs are actually saying (coming soon)

lethargy of the word

the funny thing about blogging is that you have to assume that somebody actually reads what you write, which gives you some kind of responsibility to post something — something at par with the ones you've already written, for your "loyal" reader/s.

the past weeks since my last post i have been urging myself to write the blog entries i've been composing in my mind. unfortunately, they have all been kept at bay either by pressing tasks or more urgent laziness.

i am quite tired of using the current mercury retrograde as an excuse, but if far more powerful forces are at work here, why resist? in fact, i started this post yesterday but i'm quite optimistic i will finish it today with a bit of satisfaction that it came out the way i planned.

it was a surprise to me when two weeks ago, my inbox contained this article from the webmd newsletter: "the positive power of daydreaming". this to me is almost akin to a scientific/medical breakthrough. finally, there is an attempt to understand the true inner workings of a human body that does not necessarily conform to race track settings or minute-by-minute account of things accomplished. to me, one is not necessarily "recharged" by a one-hour lunch break or even an eight-hour sleep. putting-off for tomorrow what you can do today may simply mean gearing up for a more inspired burst of productivity or creativity for the next days to come. not everything has to happen now. even the masters, the geniuses often stared blankly or indulged in less productive endeavors. but look what came next.

i've often assured my friend who's a writer that doing nothing or something else despite a pressing deadline is in fact part of the creative process.

so coming out with this blog post can only mean one thing. i have had my rest.

moondane thoughts

one of the things i dread the most is when my three year old daughter is looking for something - a toy, a drawing, an object - whose specific name or exact description she can't remember at the moment, so she has to go through the daunting task of describing it to me, an adult.

i brace myself as the little patience she can muster slowly ebbs away the minute i say, "no, i don't know where it is" or "no, i haven't seen it." then she will exasperatingly start describing it to me, in slowly rising decibels, starting with it's color. ok color is good. i name a toy. that's not it. feet will start to shuffle now as she follows me with a rain of descriptions that never quite go beyond, "yung ano", "yung ganito", which she matches with movements to demonstrate what she does with it or mimicking what sound it makes like "pffft" "shrrum" "brrrm". i am lost and to my daughter, completely ignorant and useless.

these episodes usually end with a tantrum and a desperate attempt on my part to hand over anything remotely close to her "pffft yellow thing." until finally we find the darn thing. and it turns out to be: a green hair clip.