June 18, 2009
I found this fascinating quote today:
I took a closer look at the remarks of the language authorities about the English speeches delivered by President Obama. Their commentaries are valid and fascinating, teaching us not only the political meanings and implications of the speeches but also the value of stylistics in making a language powerful and moving.Lenard Dylon, KWADERNO II, Jun 2009
You should read the whole article.
Leave a Comment » |
Uncategorized |
Permalink
Posted by Fidel Allievo
March 4, 2009

Year End Gifts
Maraming maraming salamat po!
Leave a Comment » |
Reaction | Tagged: life, thank you |
Permalink
Posted by Fidel Allievo
November 8, 2008
It was almost 9:00 pm yesterday when I was compelled to write, not by anyone else but by myself — and by the books I’ve read at Bestsellers (NBS’s sister company located at Robinsons Galleria) and by the ideas that started to threaten me: “Unless you write us, we will either keep on bothering you or leave you forever.” Who wouldn’t be scared by that? Your own ideas warning to boycott you? Nah. I wouldn’t stand that. So here I am, writing on my small tickler whose name I haven’t thought of until now. (Yeah, I’m naming my tickler.)
At first, I was thinking to write the story of my life. But I told myself, “Not a chance.” My life could be interesting – at least, on my own perspective – but this blog is not all about myself. Life is not all about me either. My life is about the things I have experienced, things that I could share with – and could possibly be of help to – other people. Besides, I need to be extra cautious when expressing myself through words. They are so powerful they could destroy not only names, but characters and faith as well. And I wouldn’t want that to happen. As much as possible, I want to be happy and positive in life, no matter how relative and subjective the meaning of joy and optimism could be.
Let’s take that journey.
Leave a Comment » |
Opinions & Comments, Words and Expressions | Tagged: happy, positive, write |
Permalink
Posted by Fidel Allievo
November 8, 2008
“History does not move by itself, rather it is we who repeat…What one should learn from history is not the names, dates and places better used for game shows and crossword puzzles. The real challenge is to recognize and break the historical cycle.”
– Ambeth Ocampo
(Torture, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 07 November 2008)
Leave a Comment » |
Words and Expressions | Tagged: Ambeth Ocampo, HISTORY, repeat |
Permalink
Posted by Fidel Allievo
November 6, 2008

hour glass
November 3, 2008.
How long could 2 years be?
If one of them were a leap year, then it would be 731 days or 17,544 hours or 1,052,640 minutes or 63,158,400 seconds.
That’s how long two years could be — counting from ONE to SIXTY THREE MILLION, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED seconds. Doing it manually would be inexact, however. It’s more precise to look at the clock’s second hand and wait for it to make 1,052,640 revolutions. That is two years.
Let’s continue to count, and incessantly hope. November 6, 2008. 734 days. 1,056,960 minutes.
Leave a Comment » |
Opinions & Comments, Words and Expressions | Tagged: November 3 |
Permalink
Posted by Fidel Allievo
October 4, 2008

It’s raining.
And when it rains, it pours.
Whether you’d like to believe it or not, I love rain. I always have! It gives me an unexplainable feeling of relief every time I see them, teeny-weeny drops of water simultaneously and spontaneously falling from the sky in succession. Perhaps, it’s the music that they create – melodic, almost rhythmic. They can be like the smooth caring musical notes produced by a full orchestra with the thunder’s tumble at a lightning’s spotlight.
7 Comments |
Opinions & Comments, Words and Expressions | Tagged: music, rain |
Permalink
Posted by Fidel Allievo
Lanterns
December 6, 2008As of this moment, my heart beat is beginning to get back to its normal rate after fear and worries made it pound hardly in my chest. A total of 14 people have just been relieved of their responsibilities from our department. In a more appropriate term, these people were asked to officially resign. Not only do I know many of them, some are really close to my heart.
Included on the list of those who were asked to resign were our trainer, my former teammate, and a close friend from another category. Although I am not among those who will be counted jobless tomorrow, I feel terribly awful. Strength has escaped my knees and arms, causing pain that radiated to my chest, stomach, and lower extremities. The veins in my head were thudding erratically. Indeed, the saddest kind of sadness is the one when your tears can’t well up in your eyes; it’ll surely take toll on your chest.
My lips were almost visibly shivering when we were asked to temporarily leave our work stations. I tried to stop them. It would be a sign of cowardice to tremble. But my subconscious self simply told me, “No, you have to be calm. This is an opportunity for you to be brave.”
When we were gathered in the main hall, I just felt that that was it: The affirmation of rumors that began as early as 4 am this morning. And so they were not just rumors. They were forecast of the upcoming company weather — turbulent, stormy.
The pressure that has started to build up slowly has made me weak and — apparently — incapable of doing my job. I opened one of my books. Books console me in times of outpouring inexplicable emotions — may they be sadness or happiness.
After the process of resignation – layoff – was done and goodbyes were wholeheartedly expressed to colleagues, my feeling remained numb. Why has numbness made me a favorite in so many situations of my life? Why is it that every time something like this happens, I can barely – if not totally can’t — feel my entire body, only my heart pulsating so unusually fast in an intermittent spacing?
No words would want to come out of my mouth as if my jaws and palates were sedated with a strong anesthesia – or any kind of drug, for that matter – that would not easily slack off even after hours – or days, perhaps.
The only thing I could do was to stare. At nothing. Blankly. In stupor. I moved my eyes around and saw hanging lanterns in supposedly various gleeful shapes and joyful colors. They were so sad to look at.
Don’t lanterns suppose to remind Catholics that the season of festivities has come? I think yes, they do. But in seasons like this, sadness will still be a reality of the present and farewells will always be a thing of tomorrow. Instead of being there to lighten up the mood and heart of the Catholics, the lanterns hanging in our office seem to be there now to signify that even this world’s season greetings could not easily heal pain, that the bleak and lifeless hues of sorrow could not instantly be covered and painted by the colors and symbols of cheers.
Who really knows what would happen a second later from now? Why do things happen the way they are not expected to be? Why can’t life just be about reading so that no one would have to be hurt to learn?
Most of the time, we would be left with only one way to get an answer: Have faith.