...The Ateneo, Jim Paredes, and how the green and blue wars would end...

La Salle celebrated a mass for truth on Sunday, and I thought Ateneo would not be outdone... True enough, there was a huge turnout at the Ateneo today,  considering it's a Monday, and it was at an uncommon hour, 6PM... The senate hearing wasn't even over yet, and it's moving to see a lot of people still coming to show their support... My sister and I decided to go there to show them that at least some members of the family is there... One priest, though, told us that my uncle was planning to be there after the senate hearing, and it's good to know that at least they don't feel left out...

While waiting for them, Leah Navarro was talking to my dad, and of course, I mingled... I mean, it was better than doing nothing... She was a fun character, entertaining in fact, and I appreciate her humor... Maybe because it's as if we're talking about "inside jokes" as some might call it, since we're making fun of things that we're both aware of... Eventually, she noticed Jim Paredes was there, and she told us to come with her so that she could introduce us... And she did... And it was a fulfilling experience, especially today, since I have just read his thoughts on yesterday's paper... He was sharing his thoughts further, explaining that he could write that way about my uncle even if he hasn't had the pleasure of speaking with him exclusively because he can see how my uncle exudes courage... And for that, he said, he felt that my uncle was telling the truth...

He was also sharing some ideas of the Australian Prime Minister, which made me curious and would want to know more about it... He was saying  that the Australian Prime Minister always thinking out of the ordinary... He put forward the interest of the nation rather than the interest of the few... He cited the Kyoto agreement, which involves coal... As of the moment, my mind's not working that well, so I can't remember exactly how he said it, but from what I understood, the point was, even if it meant that the coal industry would suffer, he pushed through with that agreement because in the long run, it would benefit the nation.. He then said that on the next elections, he will vote for someone outside of the system... He said it was idealist, but "idealism is the new realism."...

It was an enlightening and educational experience... How come singers are no longer as eloquent as he is nowadays?

Upon my uncle's arrival, it is very evident that he was wearing a green pin because he was from La Salle. He was joking about the Ateneo-La Salle stuff at the beginning, and some more light jokes at the start of his speech, like "I want to be part of the mob every once in a while, because it seems as if everytime it's like one vs the mob..." Let me apologize to GMA (the network, not the dwarf) for the publicity that their competition is getting, but it just so happened that it was appropriate... But I hope this won't turn into a network war.. Things are tough as they are now, hopefully, network wars won't make it worse...

In the end, a priest announced that there should be no Ateneo-La Salle in this situation, because for this cause, we are all one...

Again, hope tries to manifest itself once again before us, as people acted for a common cause...


**I want to just say it here, remembering Abalos: Way back in February, my uncle was saying Abalos threatened him, saying "P...Ina ka, wag kang papakita sa kin sa Wack-Wack o Mandaluyong, kundi papapatay kita.." That was not under oath... Under oath, my uncle said: "Wag kang papakita sa king hayup ka sa Wack-Wack o Mandaluyong, kundi papapatay kita." And then, watching the replay of Harapan last night, I watched as Abalos was saying "sabi ko daw sa kanya 'P...Ina ka, wag kang papakita sa kin sa Wack-Wack o Mandaluyong, kundi papapatay kita..' " What's funny about it is the fact that even if my uncle was saying it differently in front of the senate, Abalos knew exactly how he said it... I guess you really can't hide the truth...:p