Dark Horse

Simon and I ventured out again.  We wanted to explore outside of Manila, but it was already too late in the day, so we just chose a random spot on the map that was near the coast (Tanza in the Navotas-Malabon area) and hoped to catch the sunset, in which we were unsuccessful.I was not feeling well, so I wanted to walk a long distance and break a sweat.  Sugar-drunk on pineapple juice, I still had enough energy despite lack of sleep, so that is exactly what we did.  Simon did not mind the trudge.  Having known him for many years, I was glad he did not change too much and did not forget our humble beginnings.

This is unlike another friend of mine in Ortigas, whose mind is always bent on taking advantage, and whose morals have gradually been corrupted by the materialistic world, to the point that he has forgotten the essence of friendship and how things started out.  And he is not the only one.  There are lots of people around us who have drastically changed and fallen, similar to him, because of the materialistic world and the bad influences that infest those circles.

You try to guide and fix them, but there's only so much you can do, before the side effects start to become damaging, even to yourself.  Sometimes, you just have to let them learn on their own, and hopefully, they will realize before it's too late.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions on places to visit.  Keep them coming.  So far, it looks like Cebu is leading.  But in my mind, there are always visions, these "dark horses," that are waiting to be unleashed.  One of those faint ideas that I have been playing with is Korea.

Over the past year, I have been engulfed by Korean TV series.  I have watched dozens, and I could not help but become fascinated by Korean culture.  I am captivated by the civility, class, elegance, respectability, decency, conscientiousness, sophistication, discipline, and other qualities that I feel are relatively deficient in the Philippines in comparison.  And I don't mean that as an insult to the Philippines, because I am half Filipino myself, and I know that not all Filipinos are lacking in those qualities (and I know not all Koreans are abundant in them), but I think as a whole, Filipino society should try to improve in those areas.

There is a quote from a movie (The Last Samurai) -- "The perfect blossom is a rare thing.  You could spend your entire life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life" -- which can be interpreted in many ways.

It is true, no one is perfect, but that does not mean we should stop looking or striving for good qualities, or that we should change for the worse, succumb to bad influences, or just accept a fall from grace.  There can always be a way to improve, and even if it may not be the shortcut or easy way through life, there is always a path back to grace.