Fascinated by the Clothes and their Owners In This Documentary

I can understand why the clothes featured in this documentary are THAT expensive. It's mainly because they're all handmade from scratch, right from the design and up to all those artisans and other workers who have contributed to make them. And as long as you have the means, you can always get these clothes, and wear them if you're a woman (or probably a transgender, which is really no problem).  

These clothes remind me of those awesome old, used clothing pieces I've seen many years ago, and they're all hand made. I've seen so many of them kept in wooden chest cases. And I recall having been in one of those exhibits of the late Ramon Valera, a Filipino haute couture designer, and recalled being awed by his works. It is both sad and a happy event that we've seen how we humans have progressed much in our endeavors, including in the way we make our clothes. Most clothes these days are made by machines. But I know from experience that hand-made clothes feel a lot more better to the skin, as I had pants specifically made for me when I was growing up. I know and remember the tailors who made them. And they always look good on the body, for they've been fitted on the person who would wear them before they were made. 

Such a feeling could be in the minds of those women who wear those wonderfully made clothes. I admire them for sticking to something that's not usual these days. They look snobbish, as a result. But they could do more by endeavoring to make it very fashionable to the general public to always choose to wear hand-made clothes. Indirectly, this will lead to more work for people who have the dedication, the heart, the endless inspiration to create such wonderful works of art that are meant to be worn and be seen on the human figure.

Moving On: Some Insights on Acquiring English Accents from Watching Videos and Other Materials

Why I Consider Books As The Second Most Useful Set of Helpers in Taking Lead In My Life

Other than the inspiration I got from watching the video above, I was prompted to write this posting mainly because I got reminded by my own set of memorable experiences in reading books all these years. Not to sound preposterous here, but I can claim that I've been reading books as far as I can remember being up on my feet. I was an early reader because I was influenced a lot by some relatives and family members whom I would see reading books, magazines and the like. My parents would buy me illustrated comics that have been among my earliest reading materials. We would have cabinets at home lined with books when I was growing up. Also, I was exposed to Sesame Street on TV where I learned so much on the English vocabulary, counting, numerals, symbols and, other tools used in improving your skills in reading. 

Books, needless to say, are essentially subversive materials, whether you agree to this notion or not. And reading them, particularly the best ones, literally will change directions of your life. But you don't have to take my word for it. Just observe and learn about the lives of the most important people in the world. Some examples: Jesus Christ,  himself, was into reading. In fact, in one of the narratives where he read parts of the Torah, he even proclaimed that what had been written has become real and actually happened in the very eyes of those gathered around him to listen to him read aloud from the holy books. And we all know that Mao Zedong was a book reader. He learned so much from his books, such that he used them in leading China, which is now becoming more and more the leading nation in the world each day.  And have you heard about the Persian storyteller Scheherazade of the book 'One Thousand and One Nights'? She would have been forgotten by now if she didn't hear or read about the stories that she shared with a certain Persian king, who wanted her killed but who would eventually spare her life, marry her, have children with her and make her into his queen. 

You may consider books as your lovers in printed or digital formats, especially when you are down and you feel neglected and ignored by your loved ones (or those whom you believe should love you in return for the kindness you've poured on them). In the pages of books, you'll be embraced by all the warm limbs coming from the outcomes of the very minds of the book authors. You'll be heard, strangely. At times in your reading experience, you'll get a sense that you're being listened to. And books are not exactly passive lovers as they feed you with a lot of ideas and that sense of wonder and accomplishment when you dwell on each word found in the many pages of your books. From this moment on when you feel depressed, you can always go back to reading the pages of your books that have been waiting for you for some time because you had been busy in other activities in your daily life. 

Practically every topic in life has been written in books. And a lot of these books have been gone forever (remember the famed Library in Alexandria that survived for hundreds of years until it was burned mainly because some groups of people believed books were dangerous things to possess, and so, they have to eliminated them once and for all). So many writers have been around before us and they have had the courage and took the hard time required to write books. Just do a research first so you'll discover that these statements are more truthful than falsely claimed here. And in case you don't agree with this, you can start writing your own books. Just make sure you share them with the rest of the world. In today's life, writers can most conveniently write books and get them published without spending as much money as before. They just have to actually find time to write, rewrite, rewrite, and publish --- tough activities that can intimidate a lot (hence, they're not writing at all). 

I don't understand it but I've met a number of people who have been intimidated by me just because they've seen me reading books, and even in having so many books in places where I've lived. Among other activities I'm into, I actually make a living from marketing and selling books, the core of my inventory has come from my books (400+) that I have gathered, bought, read, collected through the years. At least, I know who are the people I should keep some distance from, unless they go out of their way to reach out to me from time to time (which is just fine with me). 

And indirectly related to my efforts in book reading, I've met so many people who would give me their books, mainly because they wanted to help me out in my business. I'm not sure if they're into bookreading themselves. But I'm assured that I have known so many wonderful people who have recognized the value of books in our collective daily lives. In spite of most skeptics' belief in craziness of the idea of reading as a must-do daily activity as well as in marketing and selling books, you can be assured that the market has been expanded so long. These days, you don't really need to read the bestsellers; you just have to search online and you'll get all the chances to buy any book you may have in mind. Make sure you read those books you've ordered (or else, start your online bookselling venture, too).

Bookreading, chances are, will help so much in opening your eyes to many perspectives about life, people, places and events all over the world. In fact, you don't even have to travel physically to places unknown to you but you can do that easily by just reading books about these places. You'll meet and talk with people who have lived so many ages ago by reading books about them (or even those books they wrote themselves). You'll understand the nuances and differences of each individual by poring over the best rated books about people. You'll appreciate yourself better as you continue reading books that help clarify who you are in relation to others in your community and those living different lifestyles from yours.

And why do I say books are the second most useful set of helpers in taking lead in my life? We still have to go out of our way to connect, relate, communicate, experience loving and supportive links with other people. The wise among us have learned it early on that by merely connecting with others, they gain so much useful knowledge in life.

My take on why certain politicians get voted to their positions

This posting is about my take on why certain politicians handily get elected to positions despite the disbelief of certain individuals that they don't deserve to be voted at all by the general population. Well, first of all, that's how the political structure has been set up, so you can't do so much about it, except if you  work to destroy and replace with something the very political structure (which is easier said than done, of course!) that is in place. Second, you have to ask why the general populace is even allowed to vote at all during national elections (I think they should only be allowed to vote in local elections, i.e, that is limited to where they actually live and work because the effects of politics in people's lives can only be felt in the local level---everything else is mere noise and distraction).  I don't even understand why the general population is even allowed to vote (probably, because the state is still a functioning democracy, for all intents and purposes, and despite its inherent defects) their favored politicians into positions from time to time.

As to the other reasons, check and read again the first. You can't do much unless you revise the very structure. But I'm being cheeky about it, and so allow me to make some suggestions if the structure can't be changed soon.

And this over-all set up will continue working and bringing similar results as they are now, unless other factors that affect the collective mindset of the population will be put in place. This means ensuring certain developments to take place:
1) providing for honest-to-goodness quality free education from pre-school to college. Free means free meals while in school, free books, free supplies, free fare to and fro schools, free healthcare. Yes, literally free.
2) providing for well-compensated teachers and education administrators, plus awesome package of benefits so they'd continue to be inspired to run the education mill where (practically) everyone born in the country goes thru to be formally educated and hopefully become a functioning and responsible citizens of the state. Obviously, you can't expect much of their best from most of your workers, in case you're the owner, i.e., those who are in power and politically vested, if you're paying these people so little for so much work to do. It simply does not make sense.
3) providing free, quality health care from birth to death to all citizens of the state. Yes, make these services free and easily accessible so people will have less concerns with their already-complicated, geneally poverty-stricken lives and so that they will be able to spend pursuing their other interests and other energy draining activities without the hassles of being concerned on these issues. Give most of the population much needed break, and you'll be rewarded amply.

Actually, those three suggested steps boil down mainly to cascading thru the many levels of society the accumulated wealth and powers of the state. It means sharing and distributing more equitably the wealth of the state, i.e., the nation.

With all sincerity, I do hope this is not asking for too much. Don't really bother about providing for those who are wealthy or those who consider themselves wealthy by affiliation (they can take care of themselves and their interests). Let's bother (yes, always bother) to help and extend our support to provide logistics in our own little, unique ways to make those suggestions enumerated earlier to happen now. We can continue sending to school our relatives as well as those people who are not even related to us (including those whom we can't even imagine meeting personally immediately). Let's share our own individual wealth and riches to others as part of our over-all strategy to create, build and distribute wealth. Yes, wiser people who came ahead of us have realized that it only makes sense to be wealthy and rich if we can share these gifts and blessings (we simply can't bring them to where ever we are going when we die). Look at those richly decorated tombs and monuments of the Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, etc. now found in many parts of the world. The last time I checked they're still very dead up to now, even if they tried so hard to ensure their wealth and lofty positions would be displayed for us who are fortunately still alive. Such useless ways of spending wealth!

I doubt, honestly, if the situation will improve in the future elections. Those suggestions would require spending a lot of public money. I think members of the elites would like to keep most of the members of the masses ignorant, misinformed and malleable to serve their own very feudalistic interests. Who would be doing most of the dirty work if these people would  become enlightened? That's simply unimaginable a set-up to happen. If such a situation happens, it's even too mind boggling to imagine how to sustain it. But as change is always the only constant things in life, change will happen. These aggregated changes by each one of us will affect and make the very structure crumble in its very foundations.

In the meantime, we can't really expect much from the electorate, even if we work that extra hard and do one-by-one reaching out to them. They simply won't get it. Everyday life conditions are too tough for them so they won't simply listen to your pleadings and other arguments to vote for change (no matter how valid your points are).