DEAR MYRA PART 2

Dear Myra:

It's people like you with valuable messages who get forwarded and inevitably help our country move an inch forward everyday.As more Filipinos become like you then the shift in the paradigm would be complete.

Yup, my brother, Dennis, passed it on to me. He probably thought I get bugged by misbehaving MMDA traffic enforcers. He is of that frame of mind because his driver encounters daily mulcting attempts by erring MMDA personnel. I don't want to repeat myself about their inclinations. Spare me also from having to comment about the readiness of the victims to bribe their way out of such fixes. Suffice it to say that I have been driving too long not to know where those motorist traps are where the vultures wait for their prey.

You know I've seen a lot of MMDA traffic people who don't leave their posts even under heavy rain. They wear worn out uniforms and look like they have not eaten a proper breakfast. There are those who can be as highly principled as you. They wage the battle for ideals out in the streets under the harsh elements while you do it from the aircon comfort of your late model sedan. Together we will move this country forward inch by inch, day in and day out, even if we have to drag it by the seat of its pants.

And may heaven help us all.

Jose

ARMIES ON THE MARCH

I shall slay the dragon for the love of God's Woman, The Virgin, Maria. I will wound it in battle, pursue it to the darkest dungeon, lay waste the gates of hell, free all the captives, show no mercy and cut off its head.

I will offer it at Her Feet and then with my armies march to the Gates of Heaven.

All by the stroke of my pen and the stretch of my imagination.

THE PERFECT GIFT

Lord I'm perfectly happy with your greatest gift in my life, my granddaughter Sophie. She has given me the happiest moments of my whole life. I cannot ask for more. You have given me more than my fill of joy. You don't have to gift me with anything more. You have one perfectly satisfied customer here.

Consider my life a done deal. I'm ready to move on to the next step. Just call me when it's time to go. Yes siree, like the song goes, "all my bags are packed, I'm ready to go."

FAITHFULNESS

Why must you be faithful to one wife? Didn't God choose only one beautiful woman among all He created to bear His Only Son? Why would you even presume to be better than a God who concocted a snot nosed pissant like yourself from nothing but cosmic dust embedded on the earth?

AGING AND THE BEAUTIFUL

More and more I find I got time on my hands. The children are fully grown and earning well. Somehow the breadwinner yoke around my shoulders have been lifted quite a bit.

My wife ho-hums me as an old geezer and accords me no more awe than the worn food blender sitting idle in the kitchen. Well, I really don't mind the years creeping up on me. I'm fully resigned to living out my senior years. I'm no holdout or retard.

I will delight in latching on to my second boyhood. And near the end of the line, my second childhood.

I will dedicate the last remaining years my life to a full blown advocacy. Yup, beautiful women, and more beautiful women. What would life be like without them? God put them on earth to make living more bearable. Certainly dying too; they can also make it more bearable.

Dear Myra

Dear Myra:

Driving in Philippine conditions is unique. You can't take away the cultural from it. There is no better formula than good anticipation. Certainly there is no substitute for good timing and road smarts. If you know that Filipino bus drivers stray beyond the yellow lane, forget the paradigm shift. Just adjust your driving to that given fact. Don't add to the pollution by bellowing with your car horn.

And MMDA traffic enforcers are the micro view of a whole country. They are prone to crave extra income from illegal means and they are not trained well enough. Maybe we will get there someday. That sublime place of first world efficiency. In the meantime, control your blood pressure by recognizing the nuances of Filipino behavior behind the wheel and on the road. Then drive merrily along with a smile.

But thanks for your concern for all of us.

Jose

The Dragonslayer

I SHALL SLAY THE DRAGON FOR THE LOVE OF THE WOMAN, MARIA.

I WILL BEST THE DRAGON IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE AND SURPRISE IT WITH MY TENACITY AND GUILE.

BY THE STROKE OF MY PEN, I WILL OFFER ITS SEVERED HEAD AND LAY IT AT HER FEET.