PARADOXICAL

Notes to Self: The Oddities of March

Last week, one of my staff asked, "Sir, nagpanic buying ba kayo?"

I said, "Nagpanic lang. Yun lang ang kinaya ko."

We all laughed. I was just joking, but it was also quite true.

Opening my Facebook account these days is enough to trigger palpitations.

These are traumatic times. Maybe not for you, normal ones, but for me, they are. Though we try to get on with our lives like nothing is happening -- we can't do anything about things beyond our control anyway, the fact is that we live in a highly interconnected world. A nation coughs, we all catch cold.

Nations are too interdependent for any kind of war, I realize, such that the intentional choking of a strait in the Middle East (actually Western edge of Asia) we've never heard of before could send gasoline prices to levels heretofore unheard of. And, of course, we all know what that means: automatic increase in the prices of all commodities.

The sight of EDSA suddenly getting clear of motorists is a telling sign of the times: a phenomenon that occurs with regularity only on Good Fridays.

It's just like the covid-19 pandemic (plandemic?) all over again, with all those unprecedented apocalyptic scenarios. ...Together with all the acronyms we hated with our guts but couldn't help but use out of convenience, from ECQ to PUM to LIS.

In our LGU, our first response was to monitor all the prices of gasoline stations and groceries, call for an emergency meeting, strictly implement a 4-day work week, and reiterate the need to conserve energy in all offices.

Imagine the usual domino effect of a disrupted supply chain due to the overly steep price hike: widespread complaints about where to source food for the day, the baby's formula milk, maintenance meds; business closures; food shortages; refugees; OFWs going home en masse to unemployment, if they manage to get repatriated at all. Our only weapons right now are faith in God's providence and miracles -- and governments and NGOs working on practical solutions.

Meanwhile, while the war is ongoing, people keep to their routine of going to the mall to window-shop and buy, lounge in cafes, go to the beach, attend lavish parties, and post everything on social media, carefully avoiding doomscrolling. I hope they are going to mass and praying to God more often and more intensely as well.

As for me, aside from, of course, pleading to God to spare us all, all I can do is turn to a mix of wishful thinking, hallucination, and regret: "Wishing we had been on 100% solar/alternative energy 10 years ago. And a self-sustaining agricultural industry too. Imagine not being affected by that Strait of Hormutz."

(I remember how people back in the '90s kept on saying that the world's oil and gas supply was "going on empty," so what have we been doing all along?)

Filipinos being Filipinos, a lot of folk resorted to humor. Edu Manzano said "he was not in the habit of posting photos of expensive places he's been to, except today." Then he showed a selfie of himself in a gas station.

Another post that made the rounds is a photo of a gasoline in a sachet, just like the 'tingi-tingi' version of cooking oil or shampoo for sale.

Meanwhile, the old expression 'beware the Ides of March' comes to my mind. But this time, it's more like the Oddities of March.

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Over at Facebook, while the US-Israel--Iran war was ongoing, here's what I managed to gather despite myself and my super-busy work sked:

A University of Zurich study found out that "birdwatching reshapes the brain in a similar way to learning a language or instrument." >> Guess I'm on the right track.

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"The Archdiocese of Manila has opened a 'spiritual liberation' center amid reports of an escalation in cases of spiritual distress that necessitate exorcism." >> The devil must be on double time.

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"Quezon City Representative Jesus Manuel 'Bong' Suntay faced widespread criticism from lawmakers, public officials and celebrities over his controversial remark about what he deems to be his natural male reaction upon seeing actress Anne Curtis. The backlash erupted after Suntay, during a House Committee on Justice session on impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, recounted his apparent desire: 'Alam niyo minsan, minsan nasa Shangri-La ako, nakita ko si Anne Curtis, ang ganda-ganda pala niya. You know, may desire sa loob ko na, nag-init talaga, na-imagine ko na lang kung ano’ng pwedeng mangyari pero siyempre hanggang imagination na lang ‘yon. Pero ‘di naman siguro ako pwedeng kasuhan kung ano ang na-imagine ko eh,' said Suntay.

Suntay's excessive honesty didn't sit well with a lot of quarters, reading it as something like this, when Suntay was merely oversharing his typical male mental process: 'So basically Suntay is saying women are to be blamed if men get sexually aroused by them because it is 100% normal for men to get sexually aroused at the mere sight of women, more so if the woman is attractive like Ann Curtis and if she wears revealing clothes.'

The view was correctly called misogynist (woman-hating), as it shifted the blame for a man's fertile thought solely on women -- emphasis on solely.

The intense debate was worth following, I thought, especially since emotions ran high on both sides.

In fact, a very much offended Ann Curtis posted a response on social media, with so many people running to her defense.

Then there was a lot of animus generated later on by this famed (?) DDS blogger named Sass Rogando Sasot (a trans, it turns out) vs Ann Curtis's sister, Jasmine Curtis. What an unbelievably low discourse I got sucked into -- for a while!

But on second thought, they were actually discussing important issues, thus the strong and wide public reaction.

Then someone reminded us that there is zero rape incidence in Bontoc despite the traditional attire of women there or lack thereof to cover the upper torso. It made me re-study Bontoc society to find out why, while reviewing my lessons in theology of the body and the concept of sin vs temptation.

***

Another intense bardagulan (an exchange filled with personal insults and ad hominems meant to generate laughs) appeared several times on my feed, so I couldn't help but look: an allegedly "notorious DDS" named Tio Moreno vs a sassy guy named Gino Hinolan. It's painful and kinda icky to read through, especially since the debate involved someone allegedly soiling himself in a spa (I learned a new Tagalog technical term on the side!), someone having a low salary so he has no right to bash others, as opposed to the other one's price tag of his shoes alone. Unbelievable.

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"At a company party in China, the grand prize wasn’t cash or gadgets--it was something many people want even more: time. One lucky employee won 365 days of fully paid leave, making it one of the most unusual (and enviable) workplace rewards. Instead of handing out material gifts, the company raffled off vacation days. In a work culture often known for long hours, a full year off might just be the ultimate prize." >> Ha-ha!

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According to another fascinating study, "singing for just one hour can increase your body’s production of secretory immunoglobulin A, or SIgA, by up to 240 percent. SIgA is your immune system’s first line of defense. It coats the lining of your mouth, throat, lungs, and digestive system, blocking viruses and bacteria before they invade deeper." >> Time to practice my version of "Pangarap Ko ang Ibigin Ka" and "Araw Gabi," two of the most popular local ballads lately.

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Four, and then soon, seven, then eight, actors were named as victims of leaked private videos. They were called "the big 4" and so on. Soon, the actors issued official statements one after another. >> Leaked s*x videos used to be rare and were major scandals, but now they are becoming alarmingly frequent. It is thus recommended to documentary hobbyists that the deed be done in utter darkness and preferably in the remotest places on earth, away from drones, hidden cams, Facebook, YouTube, and ChatGPT.

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Utterly depressing crime news >> "A man shot two people dead, including a young promising actor-model named Rjhay Gonzales, and injuring four others, at a basketball court in Azure Urban Resort Residences, a Marcelo Green, Parañaque City condominium complex."

Crime of passion: "Another man named Datu Gulf aka Fattah Esmai Faisal suddenly shot his alleged lover, another man named Jayson Zoleta, in the head seemingly for no reason -- and at the latter's store too." >> It's odd that the perpetrator was called "a suspect" and his name left unmentioned despite the video being prima facie evidence.

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Late observation: Wacky dancing during wedding entrance rites has become popular lately, but I'm sure I am not the only one turned off because it ruins the solemnity of the ceremony.

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Positive development, as it finally gives importance to lowly and long-suffering pedestrians. > "It is the final days for 'Mt. Kamuning,' the much-derided footbridge in Quezon City that has become some sort of an icon of flawed urban structures. President Marcos inspected this week the newly completed P87.3-million Kamuning Footbridge and Busway Station that will replace the 7-year-old structure built in 2018 during the Duterte administration, which gained infamy and notoriety for being unsafe and extremely inconvenient to use."

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Veteran journalist Carlos Conde advocates for "dedutertefication." Says he: "We need to look honestly at the culture of impunity that made Duterte not just possible but popular. We need to stop treating his supporters’ feelings as more important than his victims’ lives."

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Study: "A baby’s brain treats a mother’s absence as a life-threatening emergency, triggering a massive 300% cortisol spike in seconds. When an infant cannot locate their mother, their brain doesn't just feel lonely; it perceives an immediate threat to its very existence." >> (Note the deliberate subject-verb disagreement.) I remember a dear nephew who suffered through something like it.

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Eww, yuck, but someone's got to do it: "Inside a quiet laboratory at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, entomologist Cristian Lucanas studies an insect most people would rather crush than examine. The 31-year-old researcher has built an unusual reputation around the creature, earning the nickname 'Ipis Lord,' after the Filipino word for cockroach. Lucanas is the Philippines’ only scientist known to specialize in cockroach taxonomy and has discovered 15 species so far. His fascination with the insect is unusual in a country where cockroaches are more often associated with filth than science."

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Unbothered by war: After that 'Opalite' dance craze, there is a new dance craze in town, powered by an old Tagalog disco song I've never heard before: "Hawak Mo ang Beat." Ma-try nga yan. Parang maganda.

Meanwhile, Cup of Joe's big hit remains popular.

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Incredible news: A Lebanese saint I barely know about reportedly appeared to someone in the Philippines.

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Again incredible, as alleged, there is a massive conversion to Christianity going on in Iran. How true!? Since there are two versions of the war, it's quite a challenge which version to believe, as propaganda materials and outright lies are a major weapon in any war.

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New music artist Gigi de Lana collapsed while performing on stage -- for the second time. Same thing happened with the comedian Boobay, who reportedly has a condition in which he suffers a temporary stroke or something, while De Lana reportedly has some eating disorder and a heart issue.

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I spotted a new idiomatic expression being used several times by several people: "low-hanging fruit." It is an informal noun which means "the most easily achieved of a set of tasks, measures, goals, etc." Example: "When cutting costs, many companies start with the low-hanging fruit: their ad budgets."

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Midnight of March 13, the weather got too cold all of a sudden, like it's like winter in the middle of summer. What kind of weird is this? Even the weather is bipolar -- utterly confused. I don't mind the free air-conditioning, though, but I need to buy jogging pants.


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Unbelievable: John Sherwin Felix was accused of libel for merely pointing out the glaring factual mistakes in a DTI-funded culinary book! As they say, this legal move has a chilling effect on freedom of expression, particularly the freedom to criticize a creative work.

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Great! > "A recent laboratory study suggests that tamarind, a fruit widely consumed in Asia and Africa, may help the body eliminate microplastics."

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Amazing! >> "In an extraordinary feat of nature, a young bar-tailed godwit shattered the world record for the longest non-stop flight by a bird in late 2022. At just five months old, this incredible traveler departed from Alaska and flew continuously across the vast Pacific Ocean for 11 days and one hour. Navigating through varying weather and bypassing countless islands, the bird covered a staggering 13,560 kilometers (8,435 miles) before safely touching down in Tasmania, Australia. This journey was verified by a tiny 5-gram satellite tag, proving the bird never once landed to eat, drink, or rest during its entire transoceanic marathon. To survive this 2026-verified miracle of endurance, the godwit underwent extreme biological changes. It doubled its body weight in fat before leaving and actually absorbed its own internal organs—like its stomach and liver—to reduce weight and provide energy. Meanwhile, its heart and flight muscles expanded to handle the immense physical load. By utilizing a specialized form of sleep where only half the brain rests at a time, the godwit remained conscious enough to navigate using the Earth's magnetic field. This flight represents the absolute limit of vertebrate physiology and serves as a powerful reminder of the hidden wonders still being discovered in our natural world."

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Hilarious! > "Breaking news out of Sweden: the CEO of IKEA has apparently been elected Prime Minister. The good news is the government should be up and running soon. The bad news is it will arrive in six separate boxes, half the screws will be missing, and the instructions will just be a smiling cartoon man pointing at a hex key. Officials say the new Prime Minister plans to assemble his cabinet personally by the end of the weekend, assuming he can find piece B17 and figure out why there are three bolts left over. Sources inside parliament report that step one involves laying all the ministers on the floor and making sure none of them are upside down before tightening anything. Political analysts expect the process to take several hours, at least one existential crisis, and a moment where everyone realizes they attached the entire finance minister backwards. But on the bright side, if something goes wrong the whole government can simply be disassembled, returned to the box, and rebuilt in a slightly different configuration next Saturday."

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A photo of a dilapidated old house trended, but I am afraid to click on whatever link was provided.

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(To be updated)

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:56 PM