The Philippines hates having its people get books aboad

Yep.

http://nbdb.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=749&Itemid=28

Rather than promote us getting books and reading, it tells us to spend more and pay more for stupid stamps and papers that aren't even necessary.   This is the sad state of the Philippines.

I love the Philippines.
I have no plans of working abroad.
Or migrating.

But damn it, why must my motherland have such a hatred for giving its people access to books?
Sad sad sad.

Pride isn't always Evil

The White Party is almost here and Rocky and I had a pair of matching shirts to wear for the event.  Even more awesome is how we've been added to the VIP guest list which means no worrying over long lines just to get to our favorite bar.  I guess iba talaga ang alaga ng bar towards people when it really cares for its clients and isn't just after the moolah.  But I'll let that train of thought stop there.

This would be the third time Rocky and I are attending the annual White Party and I can't help but still look back at how my life before didn't care about coming out or being proud of who I am.  But I guess life can be unexpected that way.  And love, that fulfilling.

Since I started my other blog, I've tried to focus more on the gay stuff on that blog, and the personal and geeky stuff here.  I find myself always caught in the middle when it comes to updates on my geeky gay life.  While say updates on gaming, or videogames, or a movie can easily fall here in The Garapata Can Speak, and my geekwood devoted posts, gay politics updates and the like can fall under Blame It On The Rain, Bro, I've always struggled on where to place updates of my existing relationship with Rocky and how we enjoy our geeky-gay life together.  At times I put them here, since they're generic enough for the non-gay-friendly audience to read.  But at times I place them at Blame it since they're seemingly more appropriately placed there.  Both are personally important blogs of mine, so the confusion never quickly fades.

Soon, however, that problem will cease to exist.  Rocky and I are in the process of creating a blog which will house our updates of our day-to-day happiness and in many ways act as a nice diary of sorts of our shared lives.  While these two other blogs are always there to contain my ranting, the new blog will definitely be our way of celebrating how happy we are and how awesome every single day is now that we found each other.

I can't wait to get that blog up and running.  I'm still working on ideas for the blog template/look.  But we've pretty much decided on what to call it.  Rocky even purchased the domain name already!

While I am certain there will be those who won't "like" how mushily happy we are, and for sure there will be those naysayers who think a love like ours cannot be real, I think time will tell how wrong they are.  We've already hit two years and continue to grow stronger, happier, and even more baduy with every passing day.

Sometimes, there's a reason to have some Pride for what you have.
And we are definitely going to celebrate that very soon!

ABA gets banged from behind

At least the plate is intact.

Yep.  Some guy botched on his driving roll and smashed his vehicle against mine.   ABA is painful to look at but thankfully was robust enough to keep me safe from bodily harm.  This is gonna be a bitch to have repaired though, not to mention puts a major damper on the convenience of travelling with a car.

In other news, the Church here in Manila threatens the Philippine President with excommunication for supporting the RH bill which is intended to promote smarter sex education and women's rights more than the misconceived legal murders the religious abusive authorities wish you to believe.  Whatever happened to the separation of Church and State?  How dare the Church literally threaten the President of a country!  Their actions would be considered an act of terrorism had they been Muslim!   Here's hoping the President sees this fact and acts accordingly on it.

I don't want bullies in the positions of power.

Already, one protester against the Church's ineptitude has been thrown in prison under grounds of, get this, civil disobedience, and if found guilty can he locked up for up to 5 years.  

Let me repeat that:  The Church had a guy who protested against their views locked up.

The Church embraces more and more the actions and mindset of the
very things it used to struggle against.   How sad.

What century are we living in?

And is the Church really that omnipotent now that they can act as if the President was someone they can bully?

I was born a Catholic.  I was raised a Catholic.  I still strongly hold fast to my faith.  I still pray.   I still keep certain Holy days sacred and holy.  But damn.. right now, I feel ashamed to be a Catholic.  I feel ashamed to be affiliated to a Church that has the attitudes of a school yard bully, that has the gall to self-righteously claim to be on a moral higher ground while acting in so many ways against the very teaching Jesus Christ himself has always taught us.

I am ashamed of how the Church is acting right now.
Very very deeply ashamed.

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 RSV)

I so see this right now.