awakenings suddenly just as i've finally seized a spirited reply to a topic too worthy for the likes of me, frickin' xanga crashes. oh, i cannot type quick enough to list obscenities that would have made your pretty little heads spin. if there's something i absolutely detest and will curse to kingdom come, it is errant servers that service BLOGS.

sigh.

anyways, one of my friends had finally understood the term "imperialism." yay! yay! yay! ten people have sent her comments and i'm sure the rest just chose to keep their minds coolly air conditioned, and the rest are like me, fuming over xanga's servers. GRRRRR!!!

oh for heaven's sake. imma get over the server thing.

so i wanted to tease her hanging out at one of UP's campuses again, possibly diliman, coz she blogged her uncle once dropped her cousin off that campus while classes were still in session. as it is UP, i wondered if she'd ever get a chance to learn about "imperialism." this is a girl who had been born and raised here in the u.s., so there's not enough chances for her to really learn the term, "imperialism." what's more's she chose to become a missionary - so, depending on how you look at the profession, added edge or padding to the wiles of the wicked world.

whoever was able to go through to her, congrats! but then, even the locals find it difficult to come to terms with this topic, even if you live in the capital.

because if all you're after is to give your family something to eat everyday, then you will want to leave the country for where the money's better. and even if you want to experience the good life and think that another country will help you evolve, then you will move because exodus by filipinos from the homeland has become the norm. even if it's not supposed to be. we can't escape letters, blogs, e-mails, phone calls, text messages, packages, visits from balikbayans. we can't deny their extensive contributions and achievements to the new country they chose to live.

but the deal is, in my opinion, you're not supposed to trade anything for your dwelling place. immigration may be a human phenomenon, but one isn't supposed to be made uncomfortable enough that they feel the need to leave.

There is a problem with the air conditioning that affects our servers. We will be back up shortly.

The Xanga Team

well, as of this post (at 5:39 a.m. dec. 27, actually, ahaha - dec. 26 i just watched a movie with friends and had dinner at this crazy japanese place called todai), xanga is still down and i'm still extremely annoyed. my tummy is doing the twist, so i know it's bad. i am glad some sort of conversation's started between the missionary and her friends. but knowing the group that she works for, the same that i also used to paricipate in, the conversation will be short and only among the select few. i wonder if it's too much to hope that the conversations remain public and somehow perpetuate.

one missionary from our ranks chose to go home to the philippines for the right reasons - she wanted to help out. one other missionary from australia, a caucasian woman, did the same almost eight years ago - go to the philippines to help out and learn more about her faith.

but it's very common for white folks to do that - fly to a developing country and go help out there and go learn about themselves and their movements there. it's very rare for a fellow filipina to actually take the leap and follow, albeit temporary, if not her heart or her conscience, her curiosity for a country her parents call "home."  ¶ 12/26/2005 05:39:00 PM