№ 206. Of Vice Presidents and Of Facts

"Once again the facts have been erased." - Ai Weiwei

Election worries are again brewing in the Philippine political horizon. Are we reverting to analog as a safer option towards peaceful, honest and credible elections or are we plowing through with automation, regardless of the costs?

Speaking of elections, we have a line of Vice Presidents who eventually assumed the top post: Macapagal-Arroyo, Estrada, Ramos, Osmeña, Macapagal, Garcia, Qurino and Osmena. Eight and we're counting as we go. Does this mean Binay?

№ 205. Cafeteria at the Edge of the Universe

Pico Iyer, in his book “The Art of Stillness,” recounts his meeting with Cohen at a Zen monastery up on the hills outside Los Angeles. Cohen, without any irony, told Iyer that sitting still was the “real deep entertainment” he had found in his 61 years on the planet. In his book, Iyer declares: “Going nowhere … isn’t about turning your back on the world; it’s about stepping away now and then so that you can see the world more clearly and love it more deeply.”

№ 204. 884 Mondays Till Retirement

It's Monday. Again. I know the feeling. There are piles of work, deadlines to beat and projects to accomplish. I've been through several Mondays before. In 43 years, 2,236 Mondays. There will be several more to go. That's 884 Mondays more till retirement, kid.

What's an appropriate emoticon for Mondays?

But then.... there's this article about getting old and not retiring. And a quote from Pablo Casals:

“The man who works and is never bored is never old. Work and interest in worthwhile things are the best remedy for age.

On my last birthday I was ninety-three years old. That is not young, of course. In fact, it is older than ninety. But age is a relative matter. If you continue to work and to absorb the beauty in the world about you, you find that age does not necessarily mean getting old. At least, not in the ordinary sense. I feel many things more intensely than ever before, and for me life grows more fascinating.”

№ 203. Time and Leaf

Killing time in limbo. Bureaucracy works. Lines move. Today I am no. 4,115. The screen reads 4,090.

Meanwhile, a book and one million years later....

Passport renewal was fast,
contrary to dreaded expectations

№ 202. Happy Feet

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, May 2014

Restless, happy feet

Roam sleepy, sunny shores.

Masada National Park, Israel, May 2014

№ 201. Thursday Book Find

Happiness. Birth. Sadness. Death. Suffering. Love. Comfort. Indifference. Fall. Weakness. Redemption. Strength.

Happy Feet are well worn by walking.
July 2015 Taal Food and Heritage Tour.

All the invisible stuff that our so-called life is made of. Do these metaphysical realities somehow explain the mass of the universe?

№ 200. Penrose Tiles

What is that which are called "Penrose Tiles"?

That which are called "Penrose Tiles" are patterns named after Roger Penrose, an English mathematician and a physicist.

Deviant Art

These tiles exhibit repeating patterns that display at every scale and can be thought of fractals. This remarkable property is called self-similarity where the same patterns occur at larger and larger scales. Thus, the tiling can be obtained through "inflation" (or "deflation") and any finite patch from the tiling occurs infinitely many times. (Wikipedia)

№ 199. July 30 Earthquake Drill

The picture applies to all disasters, I think. Not just hurricanes. A friend messaged me on viber and added: Whistle. Thanks J.

More resources:

1. Red Cross

2. Earthquake

3. Workbook for Primary Students