The Long Way Up

Up until today, I've really only had a mental list of things that I would like to do while my time on Earth isn't through. People these days call it a bucket list; some, a wish list. These are just some of the things I am hoping I get to do in my lifetime (in no particular order): set foot on every country in the world (this is the general wish; some of the following will be specifics) go to the less-visited portions of the Great Wall of China spend a considerable amount of time in El Nido, Coron and other locales in Palawan, the Philippines go back to Paris and take more time to explore the city (I only spent a little over seven hours when I went in 2016) see more of France -- Normandy is on top of that list take a Southeast Asian land trip that would cover Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the other visa-free countries in the region... and try the exotic cuisine earn a living as, or make a consistent pastime out of being a singer, songwriter se

I flew into Frankfurt One chilly winter day Knew it would be awesome Now I have this to say Deutschland  is efficient At traffic rules and more Countrysides are verdant With so much to explore Smaller towns like Zo blitz Just made me want to stay Feeling oh so rustic I could have slept all day Marburg , with its castle Set on a mountaintop Offered lovely vistas The wonders never stopped Giessen is historic Destroyed in time of war Heavy bombing happened In 1944 Then there's the town of Mainz Where printing press was born Where flows the river Rhine It left me all lovelorn I got lost in Aachen No net cafes around All ended in relief When my host had me found By Gera , Jena passed My bus from Chemnitz left Eight hours on the road Seared emotional heft Wunderbares Deutschland A charming month has waned There's still more

Yeah, so February 14, 2018 is just around the corner, and for sure many of my romance-rabid countrymen are going to go gaga for all things mushy -- flowers, chocolates, dates, cards, candle-lit dinners, proposals and whatnot's. I have no problem with that, really. Especially if the mushy stuff is actually backed by sincere sentiments and concrete commitments. What worries me are the "kids" that speed headlong in to "love" without any concept of what relationship are for (I used to be one of those). Here in the Philippines, one of the pervading cultural malady is the extraneous exigency of finding "forever" -- that special someone who will supposedly satiate all of one's emotional longings. Mr. or Ms. Forever is the one who is believed to never give you up, never let you down, never give you the run around, never desert you, never make you cry, never say goodbye, never tell a lie, and never hurt you . Many adhere to this mindset.

I was out to dinner the other night with two friends from Germany and our conversations led us to one of the topics that I don't frequently sound off about: POLITICS. My guests talked about the respective political atmospheres in their countries (the guy is a German; the girl an American) and naturally they asked me about the state of things in the Philippines as well. They were curious about what it was like to have "this current president" rule over the country. I turned to my American friend and told her, "Our president is somewhat similar to your president: they're both very liberal with their use of words; they're controversy-magnets; and their selection as president polarized our respective nations." My German friend asked if I thought President Duterte (Digong for short) was doing a good job at the helm of the Philippines. So I proceeded to tell my guests what I have seen on the "street level" and what I believe the president has d