Quoting a line from a film: “Put your mind into it; accomplish anything.”
My friend quipped: “What ‘it’? And fracture my skull?”
He’s got a point. But never mind, wala pa yata ang utak sa bungo. I’m done!
*****
Third advice: “Stop thumping your chest too much. It takes time to heal a broken heart.”
Rebuttal: “A rib will break first, won’t it?”
“And so will a frail fist,” I said.
Do I have to repeat that I’m done?
*****
Tanong lang naman ni Ate Charing na magpapadala ng pera sa asawa sa Pilipinas: Sabi sa media, ito ngayon ang palitan ng dollar sa peso. Bakit ang baba ng exchange rate mo?
Iiwas na mag-inarteng business/economics teacher, nakangiting sasagot ang empleyada ng remittance outlet: Ate, try mo kayang magpadala ng pera sa diyaryo, radyo, TV o social media.
Ganito ang karaniwang prelude tuwing darating ang takdang panahon ng padalahan, isa o dalawang araw matapos makuha nila Suki at Valued Customer ang kani-kanilang pay check o pension.
Pagkatapos ng madali at madaliang transaksyon, switch na ang mga actors to Marites mode.
*****
At siyempre, ang unang tsismis of the day ay kung paano nagkawindang-windang ang takbo ng buhay-buhay nang nag-disappear ang koneksiyon ng Internet, telepono at telebisyon. Panandaliang nanahimik ang Toronto.
May sagot si Aling Charing sa hamon ni empleyada: “Paano ako magpapadala sa diyaryo, radio, TV o social media, eh hindi na smart ang phone, bagsak ang connection at walang Wi-fi?”
“O, ito. Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine?” ask ni Aling Charing.
*****
Indeed, what many were worried about but kept to themselves because they were attracted to believe in and trust a giant Canadian telecommunications network happened.
On July 6 and 7, the Wi-fi signals, TV modems and phone lines began blinking on and off, like off-season Christmas lights in early July.
July 8 was supposed to be another busy Toronto Friday. But giant telecommunications service provider Rogers went bonkers and dead. Connection lost!
Bokya at nawalan ng kuwenta’t saysay ang lahat ng nasa Rogers bundle – Internet, telepono at telebisyon. Makakamura nga sa pa-bundle bundle, pero mapapamura naman kapag ang serbisyo ng bundle ay bigla at sabay-sabay na mapupundi. Wika ni Mang Tonyo, ang bundle ay discounted stupidity, isang techno promo wan-tu-tri.
Pieces of good and bad information trickled in from all sources. Those who trusted the delivery of costly but modern technology to make their life a bit easier and more comfortable began to panic and worry.
Mabuti na lang at all fears of a serious hack attack ay pinabulaan ng ministro.
Said to be Canada-wide, the Rogers crash was its second since April 2021, proving reliability and the catchphrase “won’t happen-again” otherwise.
Was it the end of the world? Nope. Sakto ba ang hula ni Nostradamus? Ewan! Basta, Rogers services were restored in many areas by July 9, but some bundle lights continued to twinkle.
Yehey! Hindi ko kailangan ng world wide web sa pagsulat ng column na ito, by Balita deadline on July 10 (Pasensiya na po. Akala ko hanggang nine lang ag usapin. Nag-extend sa ten, e.) Whew! Buntong hininga!
*****
Hoy, Rudyir! ‘Yan ang malakas ngunit matinis na sigaw ni Kapitbahay kapag hindi ginawa ng kanyang asawa ang obligasyong maglaba, mamalantsa, mamalengke, magluto, maghugas ng pinggan, at mag-roll on.
“Illegal activity.” Ito ang sagot na tinuring nang magtanong si Aling Maria sa taga-Rogers kung bakit patay-sindi na parang Krismas lights ang serbisyo ng naturang higanteng kumpanya mula ika-6 at ika-7 ng Hulyo, bago ito tuluyang naglaho sa ere the next day.
Illegal activity? Maraming ibig sabihin ang illegal activity. In fact, illegal activity (May kumain ba ng butong pakwan na nakalusot sa customs? May na-rape bang poste ng kuryente? May nambatok ba ng tatanga-tanga?) does not answer anything.
Bagkus, it raises a lot of other disturbing doubts, pointed questions, even ridiculous possibilities and probabilities among upset and dissatisfied paying clients and customers, against Rogers.
Illegal activity ba kamo? Perhaps, the illegal activity refers to Rogers breaching its corporate vow to provide world-class online and on-time telecommunications services in exchange for service fees and charges.
Perhaps, the illegal activity pertains to the admitted failure of Rogers to maintain the stability of its technical and technological infrastructure.
Officials immediately allayed and dismissed any notion of a cyber attack.
Many still wonder what the illegal activity was.
We know. Information will – ooops, may — be forthcoming.
******
Nang Biyernes na yun, si Impong Uste ay nakatakdang makikipag-kitakits sa kanyang dalawang ka-batch sa high school. Dahil nga bagsak ang komunikasyon, silang tatlo ay mistulang gumagalaw sa kawalan.
Murphy’s Law was at work, kaya natapos ang araw na walang nangyaring meet up.
Eniweys, ang kuwento ni Impong Uste: Toronto’s transport system was at it daily level best. The buses and subway trains ran on schedule.
Kapansin-pansin na ang mga pasahero ay nagngingitian sa isa’t isa. Yung iba, busy sa pagbabasa ng aklat. May nag-uusap naman ng medyo pabulong. Iilan lang ang may hawak ng cellphone, baka nanonood ng pelikula o naglalaro ng digital game. At siguradong hindi Rogers and network nila.
Wala yung mga nakikipagsigawan sa kausap nila sa cellphone. Wala yung hindi nagpapansinan dahil nakatutok sa gadget. Marami pang kabastusan at hindi kanais-nais na cellphone use ang absent sa bus at train. Mabyuti naman!
*****
Of course, we all know what it means when politicians keep silent about a digital blackout that has negatively impacted whole populations and blatantly kept billions of dollars in economic opportunities away for most of what they call their people (as if humans are robots).
Long-time friendships are supposed to be kept and cherished. But when it comes in the way of public service and politicians disengage themselves from a public issue, they have failed the people, plain and simple.
*****
Amid all these, will you go ring a bell? Tell us.
Mind you, there are more and better options.
*****
It is a sad day for Japan, for Asia, for the East.
This huge part of the globe has lost a good and great leader, Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history.
On July 8, Abe was shot twice while delivering a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan. He died on the way to the Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara.
Abe’s assassination shocked not only Japan, where political murders and gun violence are both very rare, but the world.
The assassin used a homemade musket-style firearm.
*****
Incidentally, homemade guns are used too in the spate of mass shootings south of the border.
Worse, home-grown assailants and extremists carry out the deadly unprovoked attacks on innocent victims.
Has the label “Made in the U.S.A.” slowly becoming an abomination?
*****
Another advice I gave a lad: “Listen from ear to brain. Use the ear to ear thing on a happy grin.”
Reply: “Are you talking to me?” Following: “Did you say something?”
I replied: “I know. Muted sound systems cannot hear the jolly crawl of the first worm.”
Seriously, I’m done!
*****
When everyone expects, is it called an expectacle?
*****
“Ate, nakarating na po ang ipinadala ninyong pera. Kung naghintay po kayo ng ilang sandali, tumaas po ng isang sentimo ang palitan. Heto nga pala ang latest issue ng inyong peborit Filipino community newspaper.” #####