the good out of a dictator

Saddam Hussein, the former dictator in Iraq
who is now being held in prison in Baghdad,
is said to be spending his time to something
really good and uplifting to the spirit:
writing poety, reading the Quran,
and tending a garden.
The Buffalo News describes this very nicely.
I say that's the good in him.
Now, I wonder what depoused president Estrada
is doing.

...still cooking politics?

Military Joke

In the meeting on child soldiers yesterday, where i presented an update on the government's program to address the issue, someone brought up the case wherein a child soldier wanted to surrender, but because of the so-called "no firearms, no surrender" policy, the person couldn't surrender since he didn't have a firearm. During the discussion, everybody had a good laugh because of a joke that went like this:

Conversation between a military personnel and a young rebel...

Rebel: Sir, I would like to surrender.
Military Official: Okay, where's your firearm? Hand it over, please.
Rebel: Sir, I don't have a firearm.
Military Official: No firearm, no surrender!
Rebel: But, sir, I'm just a cook. How can I have a firearm?
Military Official: Buy one from me.

Again, this is just a joke!

Reserved for Angelo de la Cruz

This space is reserved as
a prayer room for Angelo de la Cruz,
the Filipino who is hostaged
and threatened to be beheaded
by terrorists in Iraq.
Prayer is on-going...
prayer for Angelo,
for his safety and life,
prayer for peace.

Pablo Neruda

it's the centennial of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973),
the well-loved Nobel Prize-winning Chilean communist poet
who died of prostate cancer in 1973
shortly after a military coup.

this morning, i read his poem entitled Bird.
for me, his excellent poetry is "the whole gift of the day".
the second stanza, which is reproduced below,
seems like the poet wrote the piece
right after his final moment.

When I returned from so many journeys,
I stayed suspended and green
between sun and geography -
I saw how wings worked,
how perfumes are transmitted
by feathery telegraph,
and from above I saw the path,
the springs and the roof tiles,
the fishermen at their trades,
the trousers of the foam;
I saw it all from my green sky.
I had no more alphabet
than the swallows in their courses,
the tiny, shining water
of the small bird on fire
which dances out of the pollen.

Source: PoemHunter.com
You can access all of Neruda's poems from this site.

The Box

Jun, my office mate, emailed to me this story:

Some time ago, a mother punished her 5 year old daughter
for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight and she became even more upset
when the child used the gold paper to decorate a box
to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box
to her mother the next morning and said,
"This is for you, Momma."

The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over-reaction,
but her anger flared again when she opened the box
and found it was empty.
She spoke to her daughter in a harsh manner.
"Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present,
there's supposed to be something inside the package?"

The teary-eyed child said,
"Oh, Momma, it's not empty!
I blew kisses into it until it was full."

my Tao Te Ching

i have included in my blog
links to various english translations
of the Tao Te Ching
for easy reference.
i'm also mulling over the idea
of making my own version of the book.
i'm calling it My Tao Te Ching.
i think it's good discipline
for every taoist
to write his own translation
or interpretation of the book
and keep on updating it
based on new experiences and insights.
just like painting bamboo leaves
or the art of calligraphy,
it would be an excellent way
to keep oneself centered
and constantly aware
of the tao.