And a blog (still under construction) for my research on scholarships, conferences and calls for papers for philosophy postgraduate students and scholars:
U.S. political blogs are talking about Stephen Colbert's performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. As fans of Jon Stewart's show, Mike and I got curious, and watched the entire 20-minute monologue.
As a former media practitioner, here's my guess: I don't think Stephen Colbert bombed. I'm guessing he knew exactly what he was doing. I'm guessing he was neither surprised nor disappointed to get the occasional non-reaction from the audience that he got (would you laugh at every joke if President Bush were sitting ten meters away ... and with C-Span cameras on you?) . I'm guessing that while preparing for his performance he told himself, "I can play it safe, be a comedian, do a run-of-the-mill stand-up routine ... or I can take this golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as a citizen of the United States of America to tell the President to his face what I think." I say this, because there were moments when Colbert slipped out of character and seemed to be speaking no longer as a comedian but as a frustrated and disgusted citizen. That, and because he seemed to look directly, unflinchingly, at the President with only the tiniest sign of nervousness.
Some pundits are implying that Stephen Colbert should be ashamed of himself for going overboard with his remarks. I think the rest of the media practitioners in the room that night and in the newsrooms the next day are the ones who should be ashamed of allowing themselves to be silenced by an inept administration.
I said "yes" to him about a year ago and will be exchanging vows with him in about 50 days. Yes, a lot has happened since he last blogged regularly, but Mikoid is now back!
I don't consider myself someone who wants a lot of things. I think I generally have simple desires. And I'm so blessed in so many ways that I'm often too overwhelmed with thanksgiving to feel the need for much more. But every now and then, there is something, and this is one of those nows.
See, I have a long-term dream, to take my PhD, either in NYC or, pwede rin, the UK. But to get there I have these short-term steps ... one of which is to go to the UK with M later this year. There's a summer program I want to attend and in some ways it makes my longer term goal seem so reachable ... but in other ways it makes it seems so distant.
So I've arranged most of it: the schedule and the adjustments I need to make at work, the requirements, the research ... and now the only thing left is ... sigh ... the money for the flight and for the program.
My friends who know me well know my strange wu-wei philosophy about money ("If you need it, it will come") .... But this time around ... am I hankering too much? ... or is the amount I need just so out of my league? .... This time I'm more worried than hopeful, and there's a bit of desperation in the steps I'm trying to take .... It's something I've already cried about, and in the meantime, I've been working my butt off .... The summer holiday that I was supposed to free up to focus on preparing for the wedding has instead turned into the summer non-holiday of non-stop, incessant, back-breaking extra work (overload, freelance, racket, you-name-it).
So why this post?
Because a wise friend of mine once said that if there's something you really, really want, sometimes, you just need to send the wish out into the Universe and perhaps, perhaps, by magic or serendipity, what you hanker for will come to you.
So this little post is my way of doing that. Universe, I have already been blessed with so much, and I do know that kung di ukol, di bubukol ... but on the other hand, if this is meant to be mine, then please help me find the keys that will open the doors for me. Thank you.
Comments by YACCS.
