Achieving Happiness

 America is not the world

by Morrissey From ‘You Are The Quarry’  album

America your head’s too big, Because America, Your belly’s too big

And I love you, I just wish you’d stay where you is

In America, The land of the free, they said,

And of opportunity, In a just and a truthful way

But where the president, Is never black, female or gay,

And until that day

You’ve got nothing to say to me,

To help me believe in America,

It brought you the hamburger,

Well America you know where, You can shove your hamburger

And don’t you wonder, Why in Estonia they say, Hey you, Big fat pig

You fat pig, You fat pig

Steely Blue eyes with no love in them,

Scan The World,

And a humourless smile, With no warmth within,

Greets the world

And I, I have got nothing, To offer you

No-no-no-no-no

Just this heart deep and true,

Which you say you don’t need

See with your eyes, Touch with your hands, please,

Hear through your ears, Know in your soul, please

For haven’t you me with you now?

—–

My college days were spent listening to the Smiths and to the Great Bequiffed One (Steven Patrick) Morrissey.

One of my bestest friends Novaleeh and I used to go to Paddy’s Point (way back before before it became a notorious and cheapie pick-up place for the likes of Mike Defensor) and drink iced teas while we listened to piped-in music, songs from the 80s, NEW WAVE which Nova was (still is) insane over, songs by THE SMITHS and MORRISSEY (am capitalizing these words to underscore how IMPORTANT) this group and this PERSON was to both of us.

            Last night I finished reading a Morrissey biography ("Morrissey: Scandal and Passion" by David Bret) and all those years back in the 90s came back to me– hunting for old TAPES of The Smiths, learning the lyrics, deciphering what they meant (the political content, the sexual content, the sheer poetry and genius and sensitivity of the man who wrote them) and finding our own personal meaning for the particular songs that touched us and made us believe that there was some meaning in this mad, sad, chaotic world.

Yes, we were already natdems then. Haha. Go figure. My personal self, my interior world so to speak was wall-papered with posters of sad and despairing philosophers who believed that the world was not to be enjoyed; but when I began my learning as a political activist, the sadness and despaired was, no,not erased or done away it, but they were at least explained.

Reading the Morrissey biography with 13 years of experience of political activism behind me, I am able to understand and sympathize Morrissey’s anger and sadness against people in authority, against nations and governments, yet I don’t (at least not anymore) feel like, well, committing suicide or something.

I used to contemplate suicide. Nothing new. Everyone goes through a Bell Jar-Sylvia Plath/Holden Caulfield suicidal/manic-depressive kind of phase. Anyways, all I’m saying is that Morrissey’s despair and loneliness and anger stemmed from an intellectual yet scattered kind of understanding about the world, the systems and structures that operate and control it. I don’t get too too depressed about it all like I used to when I was much younger. Lucky me.

It would be so cool if Morrissey became genuinely politicized. His awareness of the world being fucked up by political and economic interests is already rock-solid, wala nga lang malinaw na direksyon because he is reportedly such a reclusive, intensely personal and shy (when he isn’t on stage and singing)person that he can’t abide by violence of any form except for boxing.

Some favorite The Smiths and Morrissey songs

1. There is a Light That Never Goes Out

2. Panic

3. Girlfriend in a coma

4. Shakespeare’s Sister

5. Ask

6.Oscillate wildly (technically, it’ not a song…)

7.Suffer the Little Children

8. The World in Full of Crashing Bores

9.Please Please Please Let Me

10. The Last of the Famous International Playboys

My husband spent two weeks here in Hong Kong with me, and then he flew back to Manila last night.

Now the song that’s stuck in my head is Morrissey’s ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.’ Pathetic.

Anyways.

There are two Filipino newspapers here in Hong Kong. One is the paper I write for, which is Hong Kong News; and the other is The Sun. The other people here at the office call The Sun The Competition, because HK News competes with it over advertisers.  For the most part, however, I really don’t consider it competition.

I would would rather consider it an ally. Or at least I wish the two papers were friendlier.

Why?

Because there are only two Filipino newpapers that come out regularly here in Hong Kong, and I think it’s very important that both of these newspapers be of use to Filipinos here.

As I see it, the two papers have different orientations.

The Sun packages itself more as a community paper, reporting events that involve the local Filipino community — the various associations and organizations, their issues and activities (volleyball tournaments, beauty pageants, song and dance competitions); as well as the doings of the Philippine Consulate.

As for Hong Kong News, at the expense of appearing conceited as I’m the editor, the paper tries to be more of, well, a newspaper. The Features section is my baby. It contains in-dept articles on political and economic issues affecting OFWs here (misappropriated OWWA funds, for instance) ; but it also has articles dwelling on developments in the Philippines such as the spate of political killings; the charter change campaign of the government;  and the inaction of the Arroyo adminsitration on the increasing attacks against migrant rights worldwide (the anti-immigrant bill in the US, for instance). 

What I dislike is this: Filipinos here — the non-domestic helpers, the so-called professionals –many of them maintain small-town mentality. The culture of "I’m someone important so you better treat me as such.’ It’s exasperating and ridiculous.

(To be fair, though, I’ve also met some pretty decent people. They’re also wary and disgusted by the local Pinoy rumor mill and the talangka mentality of other Pinoys. They attend the gatherings, but they also keep mum against gossip and intrigue-mongering, shunning them like the plague.)

There are a lot of UP graduates here, and they have an association. I’ve been asked to join, but I really don’t feel like being part of it. It’s not like they’re bad people or anything; but i simply don’t think I would have anything in common with the members.   

I was appalled by the deafening silence from the association when Macapagal-Arroyo declared a state of emergency last February. I mean, the association should’ve at least issued a statement, right? Because back in the Philippines, the UP Diliman community had already declared its strong opposition against any and all moves to further curtail civil liberties and democratic rights.

I’ve heard that they charge members $100 during gatherings, and they raise funds for various charitable causes. No problem with the latter (but the former is, like,what?!!! No freaking way!); but I do think that they could do more, seeing as they’re a big group of professionals.

Oh well. Wishful thinking. I know it’s my duty as a tibak to reach out to these professionals and try to convince them to the ongoing campaign in the Philippines against charter change and worsening political repression;  but heck, I am so…weak.

I’ve no patience with ’sosyalan’ and ‘beso-beso’ gatherings. I always end up like a mute mannequin holding a plate, but smiling so mechanically that after five minutes my face begins to hurt.  These gatherings must be fun, if you know the people; but then again, the people I know and I like are hardly the people who enjoy sosyalan and beso-beso events, so…

I have lousy small-talk skills.

Unless it’s proper to launch into the seemingly cliched but actually most interesting topics of,say, books and films and favorite new wave bands.

Inevitably kasi, I feel like discussing politics.

Hindi naman G&D talk, but political talk nonetheless. And then the toe-trodding begins.  (There’s a long-standing, time-honored joke about natdems being able to connect every single thing to the evils of imperialism, bureacrat capitalism and feudalism. As the joke and its permutations go, talk with a natdem about,say, Hello Kitty and soon the conversation will end up about the impact of imperialism on culture and ideological brainwashing.)

It’s simply not done to lambast the Philippine Consulate and some of its staff even if one has firm basis to do so. First off, I’m a member of the media daw; and for another, well, the people at the Consulate are mighty sensitive. 

I once spoke at a rally denouncing attacks against press freedom in the Philippines; and the Vice-consul’s eyebrows hit his forehead. He called our former managing editor and reported me. He didn’t even listen to what I was saying at the rally! he just said, well, he’s one of those people who believe that objectivity simply means not taking sides and not speaking out. Ngak.)

Oh well.

I call the Filipino community here in Hong Kong ‘Barangay Hong Kong.’

——

I’ve noticed that I seldom write about what my life is like here in Hong Kong. I’ve resolved to describe more details as this blog also serves as my journal of my stay here.

1. My flat is a 15-minute walk from the beach. The sand is oatmeal-colored and half-fine, half course with bits of broken coral and shards of ivory shell.

2. There’s a Thai restaurant also 10 minutes from where I live, and they have very good chicken tikka and beef barbeque.

3. After a month, I no longer get sea-sick riding the ferry to and from work. I actually look forward to the 20-minute trip every morning. The water is milky-mint at 8:00 am, and the sea foam cream-white. Sea birds (gulls? small cormorants?) swoop gracefully and skim the water with their feather-tips. There are jelly-fish that look like floating bukayo.

4. My closest friends here are the Brotonel family — Chi and Cherrie, their three kids Crishna(3); Narada (1) and my inaanak Ikara who’s two months going on three.Their yaya is Ms. Weng. Crishna cannot leave the house without a handbag that goes with her weenie wedgies. Her parents don’t know where her kikayness comes from. Narada is simply a bundle of joy. He has three baby teeth and when he smiles they are displayed in all their adorable glory. Ikara sleeps and sleeps and sleeps.

5. The two main English stations are TVB Pearl and ATV World. They both show CSI programs, Las Vegas and Miami are shown at Pearl, and New York over at World.

So there.

   April 5, 2006
New York Times Editorial
Dark Days for Philippine Democracy

Filipinos thought they had put an end to electoral chicanery and governmental intimidation when they overthrew the Marcos dictatorship two decades ago. Unfortunately, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has completely lost touch with the ideals that inspired that 1986 "people power" movement.

Ang katotohanan, hindi naman yata kailanman ‘na-inspire’ ng ideals ng EDSA 1 o EDSA 2 si Gloria. Nagkanda-ngiwi-ngiwi ang mukha ng mga aktibista noong mga araw na kinailangang makipag-alyado kay Gloria para mapalakas ang alyansa para patalsikin ang rehimeng Estrada noong mga taong 2000-2001. Parang malaking tinik ng isda - besugo o bangus - na bumara sa lalamunan ng mga aktibista ang ideyang kailangang makuha ang suporta ni Gloria para mapahina ang kapit sa kapangyarihan ni Estrada.

Noon pa man alam naang tunay na allegiances ni Gloria, kung nakanino talaga ang kanyang loyalty. Author siya ng batas na nag-pahamak sa Pilipinas at ginawang miyembro ang bansa sa kasunduang General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATTS) noong 1999. Neo-liberal economics at full trade and finance liberalization and bukambibig niya. Tapos, idol pa niya sa panunungkulan si Gen. Fidel V. Ramos.

Ano kayang ideals ang sinasabi ng New York Times? Malamang ang ideals ng mga burukrata na uhaw at hayok sa kapangyraihan. Mga pangarap at prinsipyo ng mga oportunista sa pulitika na palaging naghihintay ng tsansa na maka-angat sa tungkulin sa gobyerno.

Mrs. Arroyo is no Ferdinand Marcos, at least not yet. But this onetime reformer is reviving bad memories of crony corruption, presidential vote-rigging and intimidation of critical journalists. Unless the Philippine Congress and courts find ways to rein in her increasingly authoritarian tendencies, democracy itself may be in danger.

Gloria, Marcos, walang pinag-iba. Ilan na nga ba ang pinapatay na aktibista sa panahon ng panunungkulan ni Gloria? Umabot na daw sa 556 sa loob ng limangtaon, batay sa talaan ng KARAPATAN.

Nakakatawa at may pasubali pa ang New York Times. Democracy itself may be in danger daw. E paano ngayon tatawagin ang kalagayan ng demokrasya sa bansa, given na tuloy-tuloy ang pamamaslang sa mga aktibista at peryodistang tumutuligsa sa admnistrasyon? Ngayong inaaresto ang mga progresibong konggresista gaya nina Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran at Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo? Ngayong bawal ang magsagawa ng rally o malaking pagtitipon nang walang permit? Ngayong minamadali ang pagpasa sa isang anti-terror bill na tiyak nang gagamitin upang lalong higpitan ang tali sa leeg ng mamamayan at durugin ang mga karapatang sibil at demokratiko?

This was not the outcome people expected five years ago when Mrs. Arroyo, then the vice president, was swept into power on a wave of popular discontent with her discredited predecessor, Joseph Estrada. In those days, Mrs. Arroyo, a professional economist, was seen as an earnest reformer. She won further credit by pledging not to run for a new six-year term in 2004.

Muli, hindi kailanman naging mataas ang expectations ng taumbayan kay Gloria. Wala lang talagang ibang maipalit pa (actually, meron. Pero suntok sa buwan na papayag ang mga pinaka-reaksyunaryo na hanay ng middle class, to say nothing of the ruling elite sa mga indibidwal na may kakayanang mamuno sa bansa. Ibang blog pa yun).

Dahil nga sa established nang record ni Gloria bilang senador at neo-liberal economist, nakita na na hindi siya magpapatupad ng isang economic program na tutugon sa pangangailangan ng mga batayang sektor ng lipunan at magpapaunlad sa lokal na agrikultura at mga pambansang industriya.   

Tungkol naman sa pagbawi niya sa kanyang sinabi noong 2004 na hindi siya tatakbo sa halalan, ano pa nga ba ang masasabi? Isa siyang sinungaling at walang-isang-salitang pulitiko.

But then she changed her mind, and her style of government as well. Her narrow re-election victory became tainted after a tape revealed her discussing her vote totals with an election commissioner while ballots were still being counted. She survived an impeachment attempt over that incident. But she was forced to send her husband into exile over charges that he took bribes from gambling syndicates.

Dito ka na talaga magtataka sa New York Times at kung bakit nagkaroon pa ito ng pasubali tungkol kay Gloria.

Walang hinto ang pagpatay sa mga aktibista at masa.

Pilit nilalagyan ng busal ang mga peryodista.

Inaaresto ang mga miyembro ng Oposisyon.

Minamadali ang charter change at pagpasa sa anti-terrorism bill.

He-llo?!

President Bush has repeatedly hailed Mrs. Arroyo as an important ally against international terrorism. He now needs to warn her that by undermining a hard-won democracy, she is making her country far more vulnerable to terrorist pressures.

Eto pa ang katawa-tawa sa editorial. Si George W. Bush kaya ang pinaka-malaking terorista sa mundo at lumalapastangan sa lahat ng tunay na porma, kulay at anyo ng kalayaan at demokrasya sa buong daigdig. Kung di pa natin alam, malamang mamamatay-matay siya sa tuwa kay GMA. Malamang, "That’s my girl!" ang linya ng demonyong presidente na yan na isa pang sobrang garapal sa paghambalos sa mga demokratikong karapatan ng sariling mamamayan at mga migrante at immigrante sa US. #

Corruption charges…corruption? Corruption is government intrusion into market efficiencies in the form of regulation. That’s Milton Friedman. He got a goddamn Nobel Prize. We have laws against it precisely so we can get away with it. Corruption is our protection. Corruption keeps us safe and warm. Corruption is why you and I are prancing around in here instead of fighting over scraps of meat out in the street. Corruption…is why we win." -  from Syriana

Watched ‘Syriana’ this morning at the IFC. Came out of the theatre even angrier against US oil interests and the US government’s continuing interference in the internal political and economic affairs of what should be sovereign states.

The movie is well-made, well-thought out, and debate provoking. It tackled so many issues that shake the very foundations of countries and their economic/cultural and political systems. The irony that oil-rich nations should have so may poor and unemployed people. The way weak and subservient governments (though economically secure) give in to US interference and bullying. How genuine patriots are systematically made blind to the genuine nature and implication of their missions to supposedly defend American democracy and freedom.

It is impossible to genuinely serve your country without upholding the interest of the poor majority — the legions of people whom the government neglect and disregard on a daily basis except during election campaign season. It is not enough to proclaim one’s love of country, because there are so many conflicting interests economic, cultural and political within the same sphere. The exploited and the exploiter  both stand as citizens of the same nation, but those who see beyond simple nationalism and gung-ho patriotism will see that loyalty should not only be to the flag, the Constitution or the country itself but to the poor and oppressed majority.

Patriotism is often twisted by those in power, and used to manipulate those who love their nations but are unaware of how corrupt and immoral the leaders in power and the incumbent government and the system they all represent are.

Blind patriotism. Blind love of country. The folly of not questioning authority and its motives. The narrowness of sight and analysis. The myopia of it all. 

—–

It’s funny how I am never compelled to write anything about my experiences here in Hong Kong. I don’t do anything much here outside of work. My friends are mostly laid-back people who like to sit in tea shops and talk.

Exactly like my friends back home who alsolike to sit in tea shops and talk.

So there. I write, I research, I interview, I write some more and then I go home. To watch the news and CSI and The Closer and whatever movies ATV and TVB Pearl are featuring for the weekend.

Sounds like a blah life, but there’s a lot of time to think.

Often I’m exhausted when I get home. It’s emotionally and intellectually draining having to write about what’s happening back in the Philippines and then to also describe what’s happening to OFWs here.

Katulong, plinantsa ng amo. Pinapakain palagi ng panis na pagkain.

The news section is full of stories like that.

Then the features section is a spread about human rights violations committed by the military. Palparan gets medal for masterminding the murder of scores of activists, peasants and human rights advocates.

Yay. The bad news never lets up. It’s a black stream flowing continously and without barriers in its way.