curly club/cult ;0)
it started with simple "kantiyawan" among the girls in the office... but some did try and then it went on and on and on ;0)
two of my office mates leikhs and acoi started it all. they had their hair permed. they said it was out of the blue. a visit to the parlor, i suddent thought and voila... curls curls curls!!! ;0)
i used to put my hair in a bun, simply because i don't have anything to do with my hair and i don't have the time to style in and put on a hairdo. after releasing the bun, wave are formed on my hair. acoi noticed that it looked good and she convinced me to have it permed. I had long straight hair when i was a kid (i have to thank my late lola for treating my hair every week, as in every week with coconut oil). but then my father wanted me to have curly hair, and so he made me a model of Wella (this is the popular curling chemical during my younger days) and had me permed for like 4 times!!! after that nagtampo na ang buhok ko. it developed waves wherever it felt like growing waves. the strands of my hair were like at war with each other, because they hate being side by side together. in short, my hair was "buhaghag" as they term in.
in my lifetime, i have had my hair straigthen for like 3 times. i never bought the idea of rebonding because i think this is too harsh for the hair. the last relax i have for my hair was last year, and i just think it is too high maintenance for me (tamad tlga ako mag ayos!)
and so my officemates convinced me to try the digital perming. and so one day, after a lot of contemplation, i joined the cult, i mean the club. ;) i was actually nervous because i didn't know what to expect, and i just can't have any idea how it will look like. but after i saw the result, i simply love it!!! not to mention the fact that i don't have to comb it every now and then. i also don't have that heavy feeling on my head after taking a bath. (i used to have this feeling when i had my hair relaxed). I do my hair in no time and without exerting any effort ;0)
after seeing my curls, two my officemates were "inspired" to join the club.. and then the official count was 7 permed girls! the curl varied from one lady to another, and the best part of it is it suited each of the ladies. so here we are, all the curly girls in the office.... some are naturally curled and the others have to thank technology for their curls. nonetheless, we love our curls! ;0)
lost article
have you ever read an old letter / article you wrote way back? and then you ask yourself "did i really write this?" i was trying to get rid of old unused files in my computer because it is due for replacement. as i was opening up files, i came across this article i wrote i think two years ago. it was actually a reaction to an article written by a first class cadet of PMA, when PMA was at the center of talks because of the oakwood mutiny. (most of the leaders of the mutiny were members of PMA class 95).
it is through this article that i realize how i miss my NDCP days, when we used to write speeches and policy briefs for the Secretary of National Defense ( i worked during the time of SND Orly Mercado and SND Angelo Reyes), when task forces were formed among the research officers to do a briefing on a flashpoint security issue with only two to three hours lead time, when we faced senior officers of the AFP to discuss the revolution in military affairs and the first thing they asked us was that if we have graduated from high school already (we used to go to interviews and panel discussions with our backpacks)
anyhow, i am posting that article here to reminisce my defense writing days ;0)
Reading the article was brought about by idle time. I was once a researcher at the National Defense College of the Philippines & my area of research was the military. I have dedicated many hours reading about the military. But the countless interaction (which i think was a privilege and honor for me) with the men and women in uniform were far more enriching than reading any book on the long gray line.
As apolitical as it may seem, the Armed Forces has been used by sectors of society to advance interests, which most often than not do not serve the purpose of the many men and women in uniform. The PMA has become subsequently the victim, the easiest organization to blame for the "failures" and anomalies in the AFP instead of being the refuge for better reforms.
I have always kept high respects to the graduates of PMA. Pardon to other officers who are not alumni of this institution, but one can tell the difference of the Ayers to other officers. Realistically however, there will always be bad seeds among the produce of this organization, but to generalize, will be a great injustice to PMA who have become instrumental in more ways than one, in molding the leaders of this nation.
I have pure admiration for the writer and the rest of the Cadet Corps who holds the same fervor of idealism and service for this country. I can only wish that the spirit and idealism of the writer will spread like grass fire not only to the whole of the cadet corps but to the rest of Armed Forces.
Here's one snappy salute to the men and women who continue to believe that the love for God, country and people is above the love for self, those who continue to willingly shed the last drop of his/her blood for peace and progress even with sometimes, sad to say, an ungrateful society.
