In the category of the completely bizarre but true...
Here's a quick one because it's so amazingly mind bending.
My uncle was the target of an assassination. He was shot at twice, though only one bullet hit: leg, nothing vital. Quick medical work fixed that, and all he feels now is discomfort. The real inconvenience is that now my paternal aunt (beloved Uncle Marge) and her family have to completely uproot and relocate out of the city. At present, they're in a safe house with a massive security detail following them around everywhere. All of this because my uncle was involved in the completely disgraceful Philippine elections. (His friend is one of the vice presidential candidates.) He was coming home from a game of golf, and was actually very near my house when the assassin struck. NEAR. MY. FUCKING. HOUSE.
This wouldn't be the only assassination attempt this year either. I've heard of one casualty already associated with the proceedings, and I don't doubt that there are a couple more in the accounting. Add that to the 5,000 smuggled in signal jammers and the grotesque sums of money being spent by the candidates, and you can see the whole sordid picture for what it really is.
My mom is freaking out. She's insisting that my dad call up my aunt to tell her to 'stay the hell away from me.' She's convinced that I'll become a legitimate target if I associate with her, but that's really unlikely. According to most people in the Philippines, I don't even have a 'real job' as a teacher, so what political threat is a white boy like me going to be, eh? That's parents for you, though.
Operation GTFO just hit overdrive, though. Japan or Singapore, 2011, here we go. Already not looking forward to being back in Manila before elections on May 10th. Going to hermit the shit out of my room when I do; students can come to me. They have bodyguards; I don't.
Here's the newspaper article.
My uncle was the target of an assassination. He was shot at twice, though only one bullet hit: leg, nothing vital. Quick medical work fixed that, and all he feels now is discomfort. The real inconvenience is that now my paternal aunt (beloved Uncle Marge) and her family have to completely uproot and relocate out of the city. At present, they're in a safe house with a massive security detail following them around everywhere. All of this because my uncle was involved in the completely disgraceful Philippine elections. (His friend is one of the vice presidential candidates.) He was coming home from a game of golf, and was actually very near my house when the assassin struck. NEAR. MY. FUCKING. HOUSE.
This wouldn't be the only assassination attempt this year either. I've heard of one casualty already associated with the proceedings, and I don't doubt that there are a couple more in the accounting. Add that to the 5,000 smuggled in signal jammers and the grotesque sums of money being spent by the candidates, and you can see the whole sordid picture for what it really is.
My mom is freaking out. She's insisting that my dad call up my aunt to tell her to 'stay the hell away from me.' She's convinced that I'll become a legitimate target if I associate with her, but that's really unlikely. According to most people in the Philippines, I don't even have a 'real job' as a teacher, so what political threat is a white boy like me going to be, eh? That's parents for you, though.
Operation GTFO just hit overdrive, though. Japan or Singapore, 2011, here we go. Already not looking forward to being back in Manila before elections on May 10th. Going to hermit the shit out of my room when I do; students can come to me. They have bodyguards; I don't.
Here's the newspaper article.