Riches and Humility (In a Political Sense)

Another two points.

2) I was watching the release of the 2009 fiscal year budget for the US. $3.6 trillion?! Well, the Bush administration had trillion dollar budgets, but still!

I don't really have an opinion about the budget, but it's just that we are now on the era of trillions of dollars worth of wealth. Where did this money come from in the first place? I guess the world economic system just states that we do "have" trillions of dollars of wealth.

SO, I guess the "dream" is now to be a billionare?! What the hell am I going to do with billions of dollars? Or even tens of millions of dollars? The one thing for sure is to set up a charitable foundation. Perhaps it will be known as the Derrick Dumo Foundation. What will the foundation do? That I will think about.

1) I think we are in a time period where being rich is evil. I don't think so. Being rich is not evil. Being greedy is! There's a responsibility to society that we do use our wealth wisely to benefit everyone. I agree with people when they say that the economic crisis was caused by people who wanted to make the quick buck without contributing to anyone and leave the system to crack from their greedy ambitions.

Another thing is that there's so many people that expects the government or someone to bail them out when they screw up. You know what that is...socialism. Sure, I believe that we should have some form of universal health care (or even better universal health wellness and prevention) program. I believe we should have some guarantee to survive. However, we shouldn't promise anyone success. If you made the bad decisions, the poor choices, then you should deal with the consequences. If you made the wise choices, you should bask in the success. This is the United States of America, people. We are only give opportunities, not guarantees. Not everyone is going to be homeowners or be rich. There's no shame in renting, working with your hands, or even just having a humble lifestyle. Deal with it, everyone! I guess you have an idea of what I think about the bail outs.

That is all.

Ash Wednesday Moments

Two things about Ash Wednesday:

1) My professor commented about the cross on my forehead. He said,

"Are you trying to be like Harry Potter?"

Great. I did laugh though because it was funny I do admit. It's odd though since it's the first time someone has commented about the cross in the forehead, even though it was done jokingly.

2) My classmates and I were thinking of ways to beat the Ash Wednesday fast. Conclusion: buffet. Just think of the Ash Wednesday crowds rushing into the Todai at the mall. Perhaps, coming in last minute before lunch ends, sit there for three hours, and then get the dinner stuff (how embarrassing). However, Todai is a little bourgeois for me in terms of price, so perhaps the Davis Sushi Buffet would be more fitting.

In case you're wondering, I didn't "cheat" by going to a buffet. I just heated up some shrimp tempura and rice with a glass of apple juice.

What a wonderful day.

That is all.

Wonderful Weather We're Having

Top fives for the moment:

5) It is raining. I'm glad it's raining because I rather deal with weeks of storms and wetness compared to weeks of water rationing during the summer. It's too difficult to decrease my shower times. That's where I like to think!

4) I love to watch Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations on the Travel Channel. Last week he went to...oh what?! THE PHILIPPINES?! It was a great show to me because aside from the common food staples like pancit palabok, taho, various kinds of adobo, various kinds of sinigang, sisig, and lechon, he also brought up a good point about Filipinos especially when they live in other countries but the Philippines. It does seem like we lose a good chunk of our identity in terms of a lack of understanding of our own culture or even a lack in knowing the mother tounge. For many Filipinos, especially those that don't frequently travel to the Motherland, going to the Philippines is just as much foreign as when our parents and grandparents went to the US. Perhaps it's because we just adapt to the culture and the different society really quickly. Perhaps, also we just don't go to the Philippines as frequently as we would like.

However, one thing I wish we could start is a Tagalog school in the US, just like there's Chinese school for the Chinese. It would be good to have my kids or even myself still maintain a piece of my identity. Gotta know the roots!

If you didnt' watch it. Watch it!











3) I've still been contemplating on what I want to do. Health care is still on my mind, but especially if my job for Homeland Security works out well, perhaps I would like to work on a national security basis. I'm a tad iffy about it though because I do want to raise a family in the future, and depending on what I want to do, I rather not get married, have kids, and in the end not taking care of either one of them because I'm too busy saving the country and the world. And that is where that lesson about sacrifice starts to kick in.

For those who were called, thanks for helping me out. I really appreciate your support and comments.

2) The water in American Canyon or everywhere in Solano and Napa Counties has been contaminated with leaves and dirt ran off from the storms during the last few days. Every time I shower or drink from the tap, it smells and tastes oh so natural, but in a bad way. However, the water is safe to use (it's just dirt).

1) Take care and be safe. You know who you are.

That is all.