All of us have heard a few interesting comments over the span of our lifetimes, but a few have an extremely profound effect on the way we see ourselves, and our life's path.  On Saturday, Chi Rho Omicron was a guest speaker at Filipino Empowerment Day, or FED, a conference for high school youth, college students, and their families, held at the University of California, Berkeley.  Some of the brothers presented on the Bataan Death March, others their college and advanced degree experiences, and myself on the International Hotel.  It was originally supposed to be a 35 minute presentation, but our time was extended due to popular demand.  That means I must've done something right.

On Sunday, I went to the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) conference at California State University, Sacramento.  I wasn't originally going to present, but I decided to sit in the front with the brothers that were presenting, just in case they needed me.  Luckily I did, because there were some deep questions that they allowed me to field.  I hope they don't feel like I took over the presentation.  In any case, after leaving the workshop, I was asked if I was a professor, by Sonia, a woman who was later going to present an abridged version of her dissertation on the Filipino diaspora.  She said I expertly put into context the social, legal, and personal ramifications of the International Hotel struggle.  Anthony Robles, the nephew of Al Robles, one of the leaders of the Kearny Street Workshop and the struggle for the International Hotel, was also in the workshop, and he provided a lot of insight.

I once said that a stranger's comments can sometimes be more meaningful than a close friend's, simply out of the societal idea that a friend has to make obligatory friendly and supportive remarks.  The comment that I received from that woman yesterday was very meaningful.

Later that evening, I was telling Sarah Jo about different factoids that I had regarding history, and she made the comment that I should be a historian.  A few weeks earlier, Rob Bonifacio had said that I should be a teacher.  I remember in high school, when Myron Piper, my History Day advisor, had questioned me majoring in civil engineering.  He said, "Why are you majoring in that?  You're just going to end up in the social sciences anyways."  Those words stay with me today, and I wonder.

Happy Veterans Day.

I pledge allegiance to the Filipinos
of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East,
and to the freedom and democracy
for which they defended
one unit
together alongside sixty-two other countries
invincible and forever etched in our minds,
until liberty and justice prevails for them all.

Well it's official.  George Bush has been elected president of the United States of America for this next term.  I'd say this for anyone taking office, but I hope things get better and not worse.  It's pretty telling what happened with the election.  The largest voter turnout ever and of those voters that voted in this election and not the 2000 election, more voted Republican when it came to the Presidential election and in four gubernatorial elections where Republicans took control of states where the previous governor was a Democrat.  I don't think that it is too far of a stretch to say that the same thing happened with the seats in Congress.  Now, I'm not saying that's good or bad.  What I'm saying is that it's a trend.

I would like to think that people vote using political party affiliation as just a label to put on a candidate, and pretty insignificant, but I believe that many people do simply vote by party.  I hope I'm wrong.  Is it a stretch to say that the "new" voters were mostly Republican, therefore accounting for the increase in popular vote percentage for President Bush?  Is it a stretch to say that they are mostly conservative?  Is it a stretch that they are mostly older?  Is it a stretch to say that young, liberal, Democrats didn't vote?

I was talking to Raynelle Paraoan yesterday about how MTV was putting a lot of emphasis into getting the youth to vote.  Did it work?  I read from a post that Mike Yra that only 10% of the youth voted.  From those numbers, I'd say the effort failed.  I don't get it.  I was saying yesterday after the polls closed to Victor Zapanta that it seems like people actually care.  I may have to take that sentiment back.  So they estimate that 100,000,000 people voted.  In reality, there are 400,000,000 in the United States.  I don't know how many are eligible to vote, and I don't know how many of those are registered to vote.  What's going on?

Yesterday, I felt like the fate of the world was hanging in the balance of this election.  Today, I am relieved, not because the candidate I supported won, but because now I have a better idea of what to expect and what to prepare for.  I guess not knowing was worse for me in this instance.  I had a feeling that President Bush was going to win reelection.  This is one of those cases where I hate being right.

Now is the test though for the country.  Kerry asked for healing in his concession speech.  Will the country willingly work with the individuals that were voted into office, and make the best of the situation?  That's always been the strength of humanity, to play the hand that they were dealt.  Will we see a nation as united as after 9/11?  It would be nice.  Remember, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.  Unfortunately, it seems like it takes a tragedy like that, or a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, to bring out the goodness in people.

I've been compiling a list of 365 things to be thankful for - one for each day of the year.  Would you be able to do the same?  I look at my growing list each day and realize that all in all, I have had so many blessings in my life and I don't want to take them for granted.  I want to appreciate them so much that others see the appreciation in me.  Think about it - if we all had that sort of attitude, the world would be a better place.

Well, I voted, although I just couldn't penetrate the language nor decipher the effects of Proposition 64.  Everywhere I turned to get help on that one issue, I just didn't find anything that useful.  I hope everyone else that voted made an informed decision.

For some reason, I have never felt that so much rested on this election before.  Maybe it's because we are in the middle of a war.  During the last Presidential election, we weren't in the middle of a war.  Maybe it's the media that has really driven the importance of this election down our throats.  It's not that it's been more important than any other election.  They are all important.  We'll see later this evening how the results are tabulated.  You can check out how I voted at http://www.indyvoter.org/voterguide.php?detail=1966

I do have to congratulate the country on its amazing rise in voter turnout.  People must be learning how important their vote is.  Hopefully those people will find that taking part in politics isn't as bad as they thought and really so much more rewarding than they ever expected.  It's a privilege that many people have sacrificed so much to have.