The World I Know

Once in a while, The Deadbeat Club opts to be socially relevant.

That time is now.

With a lot of coercing from colleagues, Raft3r (hereby) presents Democracy is…

The Philippines has its own entry called Long Live The Fearless Man.

Vote and be counted. You have until June 15 to do so.

Wear your Philippine pride proudly.

Support our entry. The boy from Mali Bay certainly does.

Now back to our regular programming.

Me, Myself And I

Raft3r can’t bear to be alone.

I can’t eat in a restaurant by myself.

I won’t be caught dead going to a party without a date.

While some are comfortable with the idea of watching a movie by themselves, I can’t bring myself to do that.

I can’t go to the mall without company.

I won’t travel by myself.

One is such a lonely number. But being alone is the TRUE test of how strong a person is.

Heaven Is A Place On Earth

For five days, I did nothing.

Absolutely nothing and it was glorious.

It’s been awhile since Raft3r bummed around. I am entitled to some days off, you know.

In a good way, I did not miss work nor did I miss doing anything productive.

Raft3r did not even answer calls nor replied to text messages.

It was liberating to be away from everything. Pure bliss.

At last, some peace of mind.

Death Becomes Her

Someone died right outside Raft3r’s house yesterday.

Even for Malibay, that rarely ever happens.

Apparently, a middle aged woman collapsed on the street from a heart attack.

Sprawled to the ground, she was immediately surrounded by curious villagers.

Instead of calling for help, people just gathered around her and stared in amusement.

A relative of the woman knocked on our door to ask for help.

They wanted a car to bring her to a nearby hospital. We readily obliged.

Even before they can take her to a doctor, she passed away.

I do not know the woman personally. I would like to think she has already lived a full life. But I can’t help but think about her unfinished business on earth.

Death is already an accepted part of life. It is the uncertainty as to when death will come knocking at your door that is the hardest to deal with.

Failure To Launch

When I was younger, my ideal marrying age was 30.

Right about that time, I met this gorgeous girl.

We became inseparable and made such a cute couple. Everyone thought we were perfect for one another.

But like most fairy tales, that relationship did not last.

Looking back, I did love her. In fact, I wanted to marry her. At the time, I could see myself walking down the altar with her.

Then reality bit me in the ass.

Raft3r is now over 30 and no longer wishes to marry.

I may still change my mind, though. But I can't take back the years.

You Want This

It’s contest time!

In honor of my wife’s birthday on the 16th, The Deadbeat Club is giving away Janet Jackson’s Discipline CD/DVD combo!

All you have to do is comment on this post and tell Raft3r what your favorite Janet song is. It’s that simple!

Here are a few facts about the missus:

- Janet is the 1st ever mtvIcon.

- The Rhythm Nation Tour became the most successful debut concert by any artist in history.

- She is the only artist to have 7 consecutive top 5 singles from 1 album.

- Billboard Magazine ranked Janet as (a) 1 of the top 10 selling artists of contemporary music, (b) 9th most successful artist in rock and roll history, and (c) 2nd most successful female artist in pop music history.

- Her worldwide album sales is over 100 million.

Contest ends May 31st. So start typing!

What's Your Sign?

A friend of mine is crazy about horoscopes.

She bases her love life with what the stars say. Well, you have to give her credit. Others have based their love affairs on much lower standards.

Raft3r is a Taurus.

Based on the stars, I am considered stubborn, intelligent, and good looking.

A Taurus is also known for his patience.

My tolerance for waiting and keeping things bottled up is through the roof. I don’t get easily annoyed.

You may bug me like crazy and I won’t cave in.

But you don’t want to be on my bad side.

Raft3r is a Taurus, after all. We are known to attack without notice.

Who Am I?

Like everyone else, Raft3r has insecurities.

To be honest, I have a lot.

I actually made a note of everything I detest about myself.

Believe me. It was a long list but a very fast write.

But I decided, at the last minute, not to post it here.

I do not want you to dislike me.

How insecure does that make me, huh?

Post script: This is the 201st post of The Deadbeat Club.

Are You In?

We all know social networking is a numbers game.

The number of friends you have in Facebook and Friendster is a testament of how popular you are.

This twisted notion is probably the main reason why you accept friend requests from people you don’t even know in real life.

What pisses Raft3r off is when someone deletes him from their friends’ list for no apparent reason whatsoever.

I know. It’s nothing personal. But no one deletes Raft3r without just cause.

I have no interest whatsoever in the private affairs of others. I got my own life to live.

But Facebook, after all, is a numbers game. A deletion is still a fatal blow.

Anyone? Add me up, please?

The Sum Of All Fears

Raft3r is no chicken.

But if I come across a frog, I run the other direction.

Yes, I am not afraid to admit I act like a high school chick every time I see a frog.

Seriously, frogs freak me out. They are vile and disgusting.

Sorry, Kermit. But you are one of them. I don’t like you either.

It’s not just the live ones that get into Raft3r’s nerves. I can’t stand looking at pictures of frogs in magazines. Even their television images scare the bejesus out of me.

Imagine my shock when I came across these stuffed frogs made into coin purses in a public market in Baguio.

My American boss loved them so much. He bought tons of them for pasalubong (souvenirs). Raft3r, as a sign of protest, transferred to another department right away.

Raft3r needs to go now. I can't bear looking at the photo that accompanies this post.