Chasing Butterflies

Having fun while doodling!

Commencing...

Six years ago, I was seated in a row of green chairs wearing a below-the-knee black dress with a square cap on top of my head. I was beaming when I transferred the tassel from left to right as our dean’s voice boomed “the graduates”. It was six years ago yet it still brings nostalgic feeling every time I hear that tempo of a marching band or see a garland adorned with candies and flowers made of straw. I could still remember the conscious voice of my college best friend, Vanessa whispering, “ok pa ba make-up ko?” as she would tilt her face left to right. It was a poignant day knowing that after the Rites, College life will only be an expanse of happy reminiscences - surmounted hurdles, blossoming fondness, friendship and love. Yet it was really a triumphant day given that it was not at all an easy and trouble-free four years. It was triumphant and happy day and I was beaming, smiling from ear to ear.

But truthfully, beneath my prideful grown-up face is my panicky pubescent self – so afraid of what another commencing would bring - how it would be in the world of the professionals and how tougher the competitions would be after that day? As soon as the ceremony ended, I was inevitably listed to the roaster of the ‘Fresh-blood’, ‘the youngest would-be colleague’ and ‘a neophyte in the manpower industry’. It’s a tough competition, tougher than I had imagined it to be – for it is not a competition with another soul, it is a contest with quarrelling self, marooned in a forked road.

Moments like this make me realize how cruel life is, for it would never provide sure answers, only uncertainties. It would never offer a hint of success or failure in the end, only doubts – and just the courageous spirit confronts the chances and endures the misgivings - wins the battle.

***************

My deepest congratulations to batch 2009 graduates especially to the bravest souls – Rogelio Estiban, Jr., Marisol Sibuc, Jovann Eve Tadena, Cianne Siman, Zerwin Organia, Ma. Leni Oro, Jennifer Rico, Wilter Friales, Grace Olarte, Alex Espongja and Josepheus Flores. Step up, search for your dreams and do not be afraid even if you pass by the road less travelled.

…“And while you’re out there getting where you are getting to, I hope, you know somebody loves you and wants the same things too.

This is my wish…hmmm…”

The way I see my birthplace

It seems that Mindanao is once again on a chaos-bomb threats, terrorsim, disunity, red alerts. But it never changes the way I see my birthplace.

Having a day with an Artist's Masterpieces

My Favorite, the Pinoy version of the Thinking Man

Wow! its all I can say as I watched the masterpieces created by Kublai Millan. I am so fortunate to have visited his home-the Unconventional Center, in Davao City and for a while feel sated in his stunning success. His works are all reflection of real life including the good, the bad, the wastes, the refined, of kindness and unkindness of the world, of the underworld and nirvana, happiness and sadness, of motherhood and fatherhood, of childhood and retirement, of knowlegde and ignorance and of all the world's inconsistencies and changeability.

It's me in the middle with Mark and Kix at my sides

Behind us are portrayal of the artist's mind

It was really a great day of meeting a genius man who believes that there is beauty even in the ugliest things.

Where are the Filipino Youth?

Where are the Filipino Youth?
by: Harvey S. Keh

The past weeks we have witnessed yet another political scandal that has rocked our country, the ZTE Broadband Scam wherein former COMELEC chairman Benjamin Abalos with the apparent blessings of the First Gentleman, Mike Arroyo was said to have asked for a commission of US$ 130 Million or a whopping 6 Billion Pesos in exhange for his influencing our government's decision to award the broadband deal to ZTE, a Chinese Telecommunications Company. To make this happen, the ZTE Broadband Contract was greatly overpriced at US$ 329 Million and worse, the government to be able to make this deal push through would have to loan this amount from the Chinese government. In short, the US$ 130 Million kickback of Abalos and his cohorts will have to be paid for by our tax money.

To make things even worse, the govenrment tried its darn best to cover this deal by pressuring Joey De Venecia, the first star witness to stop talking abouit this in the Senate and in public, Joey didn't want to cover up the truth thus, Malacañang led by the congressman sons of President GMA led a revolt at Congress which ousted Joey's dad, then Speaker Jose De Venecia. The next star witness whose courage we so admire, Jun Lozada initially didn't want to go to the Senate and take part in their investigation because as he said, if he ends up in the Senate, he will be forced to say the Truth. Again, our government tried every trick to ensure that Lozada wouldn't be able to testify in the Senate, leading to his alleged kidnapping as soon as he arrived from Hong Kong where he hid for a few days. Two men picked up Lozada as soon as he got out of the plane and brought him around Metro Manila and even to Laguna against his will. If that can happen to Jun Lozada, that can happen to every Filipino in this country. In Jun Lozada's words, when he was picked up against his will, he already thought about the late Bobby Dacer who at the height of the Erap impeachment was also picked up by unidentified men and after weeks of looking for him, they finally found his body along with the body of his driver.

I can go on and on about this but the point is, this government has continued to steal our people's money from under our nose and they continue doing this because they know they can get away with it. Just look at the many scandals that have rocked the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo which we already have no idea what happened like the 1 Billion Peso Fertilizer Scam and the Hello Garci Scandal. As Jun Lozada further said in his testimony at the Senate, the Standard Operating Procedure in our country now is that every government contract is overpriced by 20%, the 20% goes to the pockets of our government leaders who helped in pushing the deal. This is indeed very disappointing since 6 Billion Pesos can help build so many classrooms for our public school students, it can provide so many college scholarships to deserving students, it can help build public hospitals so people can receive proper health care and it can provide adequate housing to thousands of families. But in this case, 6 Billion Pesos will just end up in the pockets of one or maybe a few families and worse, we will all have to pay for their greed.

Nakakainis at Nakakagalit ang nangyayari sa ZTE Deal na to, harap harapan na tayong ginagago ng gobyerno natin and as one of my students in class said, he wouldn't be surprised if another scandal comes out within the next few months... it seems that Malacañang is already so used to scandals because they know they will eventually get away with it once media and the public grow tired of hearing about these scandals. Pero para sa akin, mas nakakalungkot na parang walang pakialam at walang ginagawa ang karamihan sa kabataang Pilipino sa mga nangyayaring ito, it seems that the Filipino Youth which led the charge in EDSA 2 is nowhere to be found. Could it be that the Filipino Youth has given up all Hope for making this country great again? Could it be the Filipino Youth has given up in its fight for a clean and effective government? Has the youth given up on our future? I hope I am wrong because what is at stake here is not just my future or the future of the poor, it is our shared future that we have to continue to fight for. Ayaw ba natin na dumating ang araw na bawat Pilipino pwede nang magkaroon ng kalidad na edukasyon? Ayaw ba natin na dumating ang araw na hindi na natin kailangang mag abroad at mahiwalay sa pamilya para magakaroon ng magandang trabaho? If we can all work together and join forces, we can show this administration that we will not just sit idly while they continue to corrupt and destroy our future, remember that in 2010 the Filipino Youth will be able to elect the next President of our country. Let us not wait till then to make a change, let us act now, our country needs US Now!

If you want to help and be part of a youth-led initiative that will push for genuine and lasting reforms in our government, please email me at harveykeh@gmail. com or you can help by forwarding this email to your friends who might be interested to help. Let's meet, Let's Talk and Let's all work together for our country.

*Harvey Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship of the Ateneo de Manila-School of Government and a Lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University-Loyola Schools' Development Studies Program and Department of Theology. Harvey is also Executive Director of AHON Foundation, a corporate foundation of Filway Marketing, Inc. that helps build public elementary school libraries.

The child in me

The road less travelled

Sandra's pot

Sandra's boat of life

Sandra's vines

Doodling is my way of easing out from the strains of a tedious day. That’s my way of making the kid in me gleefully grin and relax my adult self.

Today, I am quite edgy because of that seminar on blogging, so I stop for a while and just freely scribbled, combined complementary hues and uncovered my imaginations.

I made several of these but I’ll only show you the best of my masterwork (after all this is my first time to post images).Ü

I was invited...I was challenged

I was invited to give a talk to some 250 people in a seminar for blogging and my topic, Changing the Socio-Cultural Mindset of the Mindanawan! I don’t have any Doctoral or Masteral degree relating to this or any graduate courses for this matter. All I am certain is I was born and raised in Mindanao that I had at least witnessed the unfolding of every dramatic triumph of its people, aggressive warfare and ceaseless effort to achieve peace. But I only got a view of all these events for only 20 years (I am 25 years old right now and I discounted my early 5 years since I haven’t had any clear memories of these times).

Now, I am faced with a challenge of digging up more substantial history, social practices and cultural outlook of myself and the people of Mindanao. How could had the conflicts started, who started it and for what reason had they started it? Certainly, all these conflicts have impacts to our present mindset, to our way of thinking and to how other people see Mindanao. Long before had I heard negative commentaries about Mindanao – how primitive life is, a war zone, haven of kidnappers, terrorists, etc.

As I am doing my research for this talk, I am moved to give something that is really substantial, something that could really change, something that at the end of my talk people would also dream of going to other parts of Mindanao just as they desire to go to America.