Rejected

Netnet Camomot /

THE Commission on Appointments has rejected the confirmation of Judy Taguiwalo as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Gina Lopez, whose confirmation as environment secretary was also rejected, said a few months ago that she’s “more popular, rejected.”

I wonder if Taguiwalo will also become more popular, with much thanks to the rejection. She did say, “I am in good company. I think to be rejected like Gina Lopez is a badge of honor for us. Kasi never kami nasabi na corrupt kami. Tumindig kami sa prinsipyo.”

People don’t offer help on a silver platter all the time. Well, Taguiwalo and Lopez were appointed to these positions, they didn’t exactly offer the help, right? Still, nandoon na, nawala pa.

The offer to help is always backed by the gift of time, talent, and treasure. For example, the writing and editing department needs people who can write and edit, and not merely people who believe they can write and edit. And saying yes means giving up something else, because “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Vested interests will be the top priority once politics enters the picture. The one in charge of that picture should be able to discern where people are coming from otherwise he will be trapped in a world of make-believe.

If your work is in the world of magic and magicians, then make-believe is the key to your success. But outside of that, reality wins.

So, sans the vested interests, what kind of reality are you dealing with?

People with much power and much responsibility—to borrow that Spider-Man quote—should be able to see who’s telling the truth, and who’s lying. Klaro man kaayo oi. But there are people who are not convinced they’re already in power with all the responsibility, they’re the kind easily blinded by all the talk they choose to listen to, especially when that talk puts them on a pedestal that they crave for.

Chickens and eggs in Pinas can probably relate with truth and lies as their sellers try to tone down the expected financial loss due to bird flu. 21 tons of dressed chickens from Bulacan in Luzon are now waiting for their fate in a private storage facility in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. Question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Oops! Wrong question.

Right question: Bird flu, no bird flu? The desperate business owner would prefer a no-bird-flu clearance for the shipment, even if these chickens are sneezing and coughing while dressed. The compassionate business owner, on the other hand, will give up on those chickens even if they’re dressed to the nines.

Here’s unsolicited advice: Eliminate any bird and bird’s egg from your diet while the bird flu is still in Pinas. The green mind—not the environmental kind—is surely reacting to this: What? No bird and eggs? For how long? Well, with HIV now afflicting Pinoys in this side of the world, better safe than sorry. But we’re talking here about the bird and eggs that you can eat. Oh. Hmmm. Wait…

With or without bird flu, though, chickens will still end up dead or, on the part of the egg, not allowed to hatch. Until human beings choose to be vegans or will become allergic to chickens and eggs.

A poultry needs music. No, not for the poultry security and staff. Music for the chickens. This is paired with lighting that matches real time. The most effective way to expose those chickens to real time is to free them from prison, er, the poultry. But there’s a need to control their growth, and music is supposed to help develop quality chickens.

Unless you’ve been hibernating in Siberia, you must be familiar with Spotify by now. It must be one reason for Apple’s decision to stop producing the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle, and to focus on the iPod Touch instead.

Anyway, Spotify has at least four playlists of “Your Daily Mix,” with each one having this special notation at the bottom: “Made for Netnet.”

“Your Daily Mix 1” has Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc. The second mix has the likes of James Reid, Michael Pangilinan, and Inigo Pascual. The third one has The Chainsmokers, Starley, Calvin Harris, et al. The fourth has Jason Derulo, Britney Spears, Rita Ora, etc.

If these playlists were especially “Made for Netnet,” why am I asking, Michael who?  Starley who? Calvin who? Jason who? Chickens in poultries surely have questions, too, while they’re listening to, hmmm, Black Sabbath: Ozzy who?

I now prefer fish for dinner. If you Google fish, surely, it also has its share of diseases due to the chemicals, plastics, and garbage in the ocean.

Meanwhile, birds have been trying to enter our house by flying into the glass windows. I used to be touched by this: Oh, they like me, they really really like me. Haha. But they’re flying into the reflection they see on the glass—trees, sky, the sun’s rays. With the bird-flu scare, though, I’m now so tempted to shoo them away. Now, is that the same as rejection?