Which is which

I am no poet. But I don’t hate poetry at all. Though I shun the way poets obscure their message, I still like the way they weave the words to produce so beautiful a sound like only a poem can.

I’m just a tepid fan of poetry. That perhaps explains my short list of favorite poems. One such favorite of mine is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost—partly because it’s easy to read and decipher its meaning, but mainly because it resonates with me:

People respond to incentives---or comments

Nothing inspires me more than to receive a comment from a reader. It keeps me going. As economists would put it, it's a great incentive.

The comment below I received sometime in June 2008 when my essay was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood section:

Please send my feedback to the author of the Youngblood article 'Why teach?', but I want to remain anonymous. Please tell him that teachers are the people I look up to. Teachers are very important to me because a part of who I am right now is because of them. I owe them a lot for the knowledge and wisdom i have right now. They continue to make good citizens. I hope he won't feel belittled anymore.

Whenever someone comments on my writeup, I can't help but be delighted because it means three things:

1. Someone reads you,


2. He/she understands you,


3. He/she takes the trouble to write you.

How did my blog fare at the 2009 PBA?

There are just few things you need to know how did this blog fare at the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards:

1. The Free Lancer didn't win as the Flippish Viewer's Choice Award. RALPHGUZMAN.ORG won. But that's all right---there were 19 of us who didn't win anyway. To those who voted for my blog, campaigned for it, promoted it, thank you.


2. The Free Lancer didn't win as the Best Personal Blog. Writing On Air---which is owned by Jim Paredes of the APO fame---won. Still, that's all right---there were 19 of us who didn't win.


3. Isn't it nice to see your blog have that proverbial 15 minutes of fame?

'Cory is beautiful'

(The following essay was written by Mrs. Lourdes "Ma'am Gee" Gamutan, an
English and Literature professor at the Holy Cross of Davao College.)



Cory!

by Ma'am Gee

She held my hand in a warm clasp. I looked into her kind, lit-up face. While it was not yet my turn for her attention, I sized her up. Creamy skin. The kind that speaks of Chinese genes. Open, smiling face. The one that welcomes you without built-in reservation. Simple. Sans make up. In a person who hold number one authority in this land, it's a pleasant absurdity. There is no inclination to arrogance or meanness or claims to power in her aura. This is a wife of a hero. She herself a heroine to democracy in this corner of the earth.

1st Alternative Blog Awards unveiled

The Philippine Blog Awards (PBA) gives out over a dozen of awards at its annual show: Best in Personal, Best in Commentary, Best in News & Media, etc. Yet there are countless blogs that also deserve recognition. But unfortunately those blogs do not make it to the PBA simply because they do not fall under any of the PBA’s category. It’s difficult to determine whether they belong to the Personal Category, News & Media, or Gaming.

I propose, then, the following categories in the interest of giving recognition to other deserving blogs. These awards will be given at the 1st Alternative Blog Awards (ABA).