The Day That The PHILIPPINES Stood Still.

Time: 11:47 p.m. (August 23, 2010, Monday).
Where: In my bedroom.
Now Playing: "Wonderful Life" by Hurts.

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Oh my. It was a shocking day today. I am so deeply ashamed on what just happened today. Kind of speechless and with deep affection but nevertheless, no Filipinos were killed but the innocent Hong Kong tourists that just wanted to vacate here and enjoy the wonders of the three stars and a sun nation.

It happened at around 10:30 a.m. where at that time, I was sleeping gently after a fierce battle of a computer game with one of my buddies at around 3-4 a.m. When I woke up at 3 p.m., my father was watching all along on the TV and wondering that something is unusual because he didn't watch the news at that time, he was supposed to watch his favorite noontime show but alas, he was tuning in to the news about the hostage taking in the Quirino Grandstand. He told me some details and I felt so concerned a bit because I seen it before. Last 2007, the same hostage taking on the bus happened. At first, I was confident that it will obtain a great outcome but the opposite happened.

Rolando Mendoza, a former police senior inspector, was the gunman. My sister told me that the story goes like this. The said Hong Kong tourist bus was in Fort Santiago. The photographer inside the bus counted the tourists inside and it was all 21 of them, that made a total of 25 including the 21 tourists and the 4 Filipino tour guides, and photographers and the driver respectively. All of a sudden, Mendoza was in the fray. He went to the said vehicle and ask if this bus needed security and yet the photographer said that they don't need any security nor bodyguard at all but what the heck, you can join, he said kind of like that.

They made into the Quirino Grandstand and that's what happened. Mendoza explained to the passengers that he was doing this to fight for what I want to obtain and is to go back to his job and lift his cases and he requested for the passengers to cooperate and he will NOT KILL ANYONE. Really? He was just making a threat to the Ombudsman but what happened? Then this driver of the bus escaped and told the media that all of the passengers are dead, which we go to the horrendous Manila SWAT team, they were alarmed and bash the hell out of the windows and fire some gunshots inside the bus which I think the cause of some fatalities including Mendoza's death.

If only the police shoot the TV inside the bus where it showed what happening outside so Mendoza wouldn't know what happened outside. C'mon. The policemen couldn't even get the dude's brother into a policecar. How'd you expect them to deal with an actual hostage situation. Oh my. I am goddamn speechless at this very moment. Was I screaming for God's sake?

The whole world saw it, even me. I saw it on some local and international news stations like GMA, ABS-CBN, CNN, BBC, ChannelNewsAsia, CCTV, RT, and so on. It was truly a lesson to us Filipinos especially the Philippine National Police. Sana hindi na maulit ito and we are praying for it. International people have have negative thoughts about our country which is BAD but we can rise up and regain the good image that we deserve.

Again, God bless the souls of the hostage taking victims. We Filipinos are great and professional people and I know it. We are also aware of what will happen, we are deeply concerned of what our fellow countrymen did horrendously.



PNOY to Filipinos: "Lahat ng pagkakataon may pag-subok tayong daraanan. Lalo tayong magsumikap dito na hindi mauulit ang sitwasyon."

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Time: 12:44 a.m. (August 24, 2010, Tuesday).
Where: Still in my bedroom.
Now Playing: "The Prayer" by Bloc Party.

A Family Reunion is a great idea.

Time: 9:47 p.m.
Now Playing: "The Hardest Part" by Coldplay.
Where: In my bedroom.

The feeling of the compilation of the members of one's clan or one's family is truly one of the best highlights of our life. It gives us the uplifting that someone really cares about you because the family's name is not only by one, is by multiples. Even thought you have problems or downfalls, you have the rest of the family to help you and don't ever say that nobody loves you.

Moving along... too emotional. What a crybaby. Anyway, yesterday, August 8, we had a family reunion in Los Baños, Laguna... where one of my uncle lives. They hosted the said reunion and actually, they started this thing last year and I think it will be an annual event for our family.

It all started when my grandmother to my father's side, passed away (R.I.P Grandma Juling), and after the burial ceremony, we took a grand picture with the whole family wearing the immaculate white tops, a symbol of peace. There's talks of a reunion all of a sudden and it came into a reality.

I must say the family reunion this year was doubled compared to last year's reunion because many of us or unanimously of us attended, it's nearly completed, plus the fact that my family was complete. Last year, my father and I were the attendees representing our family. Nothing's different if I compare the reunion of last year to this year's.

The fiesta-type of celebration like some drink-o-holic station outdoors, foods galore indoors with some chit-chat of their memories, not just the usual chit-chat, others are chatting each other on Facebook, which is kewl. Literally. I mean it. We brought our laptop together with my uncle's set of laptops, which is totally rare. I played with my fellow cousins, while playing my own game with my gaming friend outside Los Baños, he's from Batangas right now, beat him good. Nobody cares.

It was a day of bonding, picture-taking and celebration that we shared on that day. It was fun while it lasted. There's rumours of a swimming event this Saturday, which is another reunion extravagant, that I heard but I'll dig it to that for sure with our family.

I can't wait for another reunion next year, we should do this every year for a living. Without this family reunion, I must say, our lives will be a piece of nil souls.

Thanks a lot.

Time: 10:25 p.m.
Now Playing: "Rebellion (Lies)" by Arcade Fire.
Where: Still in my bedroom.