war ends - peace ends.

today is the 8th day of ceasefire in Gaza... only ceasefire.

but the silent war continues. unresolved issues increased. lives were lost. families were homeless. dreams shattered.

people were terrorized. traumatized. trapped.

it's not yet over...

"Obviously, we will maintain a high state of alert," said Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "If Hamas acts to undermine the ceasefire, we are ready." (Gulfnews, 22 January 09)

Israel attacked first. Hamas responded.

I am not so familiar with this... where does the conflict between Israel and Palestine emerge?

According to Israel, the assault was not a war against army but war of punishment & frustration against the people; punishment for Palestinians for democratically electing Hamas in 2006.

Ḥamās, an acronym of Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamat al-Islāmiyyah, means "Islamic Resistance Movement" / resistance to occupation and dispossession, is a legitimate fighting force defending Palestinians from a brutal military occupation.

Palestinians became refugee through their own fault, they have been stateless for generations... invaded by different troops...
Israel has been conquerieng land, enlarging their teritory through war, hoping to give better foundation to their nation.

Israel wanted to give the Palestinians their freedom and Hamas is fighting for it too...

it is not right to pin-point who is who. i havent read much stories... i just browsed the net.
and all i know is that the conflicts were started centuries ago. several wars had killed innocent victims and continued to take lives, dreams and future of people.

as we gazed on gaza, it is clear that it is not just about freedom and terrorism. not just about enlarging power and teritory.

there is something deeper...
some issues that were left unresolved for centuries.
questions left unanswered even if series of war after war has damaged their countries.

war ends. but it doesnt mean that there is peace after it.
usually, peace ends as the battle did... as they began to count fatalities, compute the value of destruction, and file charges for those responsible.

then, it will be forgotten.
this is a fact. the reality.

maybe, lets not go farther... within ourselves we can testify.
ok, not even about war. lets take it against our own life's battle.

have we even try to change ourselves to be a better and responsible person? after some arguments, have we tried to analyze our fault? have we accepted the truth that we are not perfect? that we commit the same mistakes as everybody else...
are people really practicing compromise?
have we tried to put ourselves on another person's shoes to understand how they really feel? do we find solutions after an argument?

war is certainly everywhere.

what is bad is that we tend to STOP the battle without understanding the conflict. how can we to be sure that it wont happen again, unless we give concrete solutions to the problem and compromise to whatever both parties wanted...
and not just ceasefire that will give a chance for the troop to set another plan.

its been a week. soon, it will fade. news will eventually be covered with other news, until such time that an attack will be made, again.
(photo: gulfnews - A pictorial journey through conflict-hit Gaza)

Gaze on Gaza

Fighting rages in Gaza
Troops pushed deeper into Gaza in a day of fierce fighting on Sunday as Israel brushed off continuing global protests but indicated an end was in sight to its war on the Palestinian enclave since most of its strategic objectives were close to being fulfilled.
Civilians again fell victim to Israel's brutal offensive that has left more than 900 people in the Gaza Strip dead in the 16-day-old war, including 275 children. Two women and four children were killed in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya, medics and witnesses said, while 12 bodies were pulled from the rubble in Tal Al Hawa.

photo c/o business week

i certainly do not know how this begun... i am clueless of what they are fighting for, aside from Gaza... all i know is that the victims reached almost a thousand innocent people. children were deprived by the right to live and see these beautiful world... parents loses their kids... kids loses parents.
it will be over soon... since they already hit the major targets?!? or maybe it really should end soon, because no more soldiers were left alive... no more people to live in Gaza...
it must be a decade of pain that made Israeli's heart exploded with revenge... years of mourning for being prisoned from freedom and rights.
and the Palestines, caught off guard... unaware that the planted a seed of reprisal from the Israelis and will reap hostilities that can wash out their community.
admittedly, i dont know the details... what is clear to me is that - this is WAR. and what i understood about it is that war arises due to unsettled terms.
whether its military war, civilian war, religious war... even personal war.
war is a result of seeking revenge, claiming un served justice.
i know that Palestine is suffering and will suffer more after these tragedies... almost everybody hates Israel...
i am not being biased. its not of who is right & wrong... good or bad...
its not finding who to blame.

this time, we should be awakened by different wars that happened all over the world. its not just about killing... but fighting for each others' rights, principles, freedom.

everybody will emerge a loser in this war

nothing will be left but the pain and suffering of the innocent victims.

and the hope that somehow, the battle cry of the warriors will be heard and will be recognized...

DUBAI: silent countdown

same as anybody else around the world, me & my friends prepared well for the new year's eve celebration. its been weeks of discussion where to go, which restaurant is the best, where we can enjoy the view of the grand fireworks as before. the reservations were almost fully booked...

finally, after several days of inquiries... we have decided to go to the same place where we were last year (2007-2008). i can say one of the best, since we have the view of Burj Al Arab, the only 7-Star hotel in world. a perfect not so loud nor discreet crowd that was there before.

erika found the number... and reserved.

then came 31 December, all prepared. we still went to the office, yet kept our fingers crossed that it will be another half day of work, same as 24 December.

then the BA#$%^&NG!
its not yet midnight, but an explosion of news came in...

Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ordered the cancellation of all forms of celebrations marking the New Year in Dubai emirate, as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
whhooooh! what a blast!

then, my phone rang several times. my friends were asking... confirming... and thinking what else to do???

too late to prepare for a dinner at home!!! and the reservation...

then, the work continued. lunch time came... no announcement yet.
it will be a long day. since the celebration was cancelled... why do we need to leave early???

ok. fine. this is it.
6PM. ding!!! time to go and prepare.

we still went to the restaurant... nothing can break the plan...with a little hope that the countdown will still give a thrill!

then we arrived. the place was still loaded. people still gathered. long tables on the restaurants... families were together. children on their best dress... all the same new year's eve.
just dont try to ask for loud music. its a fine dining set up... alcohols were available just inside the resto... and if you wish to drink outside, starbucks coffee will do :)

we had the best, year end dinner. more than the food... we ended the year together, with the special people in our lives. 6 of us. sharing our dreams for the coming year and analyzing what went wrong for the past year... & so on.

then, its almost midnight. we were rushing for the "countdown" outside.
it was soooo cold. a foggy cold silent night.

we passed at starbucks to have some latte...
then went out at the ampitheater of madinat jumeirah...
almost all the people did the same...
for what??? maybe that's the way it should be...

outside, fog embraced us... it covered the view.
all you can see was the big christmas tree, as if floating in the air.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2...happy new year :)

instead of fireworks... people greeted each other.
hugs... kisses... love was all around us!
as if everybody knew each other.
everybody is smiling... happy... full of hope...

one night, 2 different years.
one closes and another begun.

it was different. i grew up in the fireworks capital of the Philippines (Bulacan) where really loud fire crackers were lit during the eve... it was totally a different experience.

being part of the protest againsts the war that now killed more than 500 people...
the new year celebration that we had this year was more meaningful to me.

i am thankful that i was somehow able to give my little share with what is happening in Palestine & Gaza... that night, we prayed for them... and realize that while most are celebrating... some people had just lost their homes, or even their love ones, or even their own lives.

most of us has been trying to think of ways to improve ourselves for the coming year... some spent hours regretting things that they did and didnt do on the past year... new years resolution for ourselves... plans... project... self.
all about us.

the year that was (2008) brought many tragedies. records of crime... disaster... financial downfall... a history of its own.

and the beginning of the year gives a new hope for everybody.
not just for you & for me... but everybody deserves to be happy.