the art of being a coherent yapper

some people actually believe this woman is dumb because of the way she delivers talks—going through layers of subpoints and anecdotes before completing a thought, which can sound irrelevant at first. and she always does complete her thoughts, but videos of her speeches are maliciously cut/spliced.

other times people who can't wait just click out before the grand wrap-up.

in the worst cases (which unfortunately make up the majority), her words are filtered through lenses of prejudice, ignorance, hatred, or a hybrid of these things, that the messages just don't come across.

meanwhile i can't shake off the urge to discuss every single thing i'm supposed to only mention in passing, and yet the people around me like to describe me as "smart."

it's not the full aira experience if i don't go off branch after branch after branch (♾️) when talking about something; like there's always something that explains something in everything i say. does that make sense? hardly. but people think i'm sensible.

(quick disclaimer: these are descriptions of me that a few people have told me to my face. i may or may not share their opinions depending on the situation!!)

oftentimes i simply lose my train of thought and i can't get back on the path that's supposed to lead me to my original point.

watching this clip, i admit she almost lost me (around the mark where she briefly mentions depression). but having seen all her debates and interviews on screen, and having had the opportunity to hear and see her talk live, i trusted that she was going to make it all make sense together. i was fully prepared to embrace the feeling of doubt if she ended up not being able to explain in ways that i would have found acceptable. after all, i take huge pride in the fact that i am a hopeful supporter and not a blind fanatic. i was also bracing myself for the possibility of having to feel sad and disappointed because she's human and no human is perfect.

but then in classic atty. leni fashion, she slowly unraveled all the remaining veils and it instantly clicked. i am very sensitive about conversations surrounding mental health so imagine the relief i felt when she finally got to the end.

- calm sya

- ako fidgety

- she is capable of returning to an intended point

- i forget

so to put it simply, i'm kind of perplexed 😵‍💫 

i've stopped thinking about the elections. it's been four years and i've since shed off the emotions that came with being on the "losing side."

but some feelings haven't changed: i still get irked thinking about how there were people who truly believed an educated lawyer and economist who's raised outstanding kids and whose morals are actually in the right places (arguably, depending on the ideals and principles a person has) is stupid, lutang, bobo, a puppet, etc.

i wish the right to have opinions had a pre-requisite of being open to learning from real, verifiable, undisputed facts. i'm by no means 100% correct 100% of the time, but i rest easy at night knowing i will never turn away from the opportunity to know the truth to everything.

~~

this note was originally written in 2024, with the last paragraph added and mentions of time edited right before publishing (aug 21, 2026). who knew that in just two years' time, the political landscape would become waaaay more convoluted.

also, i couldn't find the video i'm referencing, but it's the one where she speaks about mental health in a conference or something lol – as i'm no professional journalist/writer though, i don't go by any official codes of ethics, etc. don't hate me. mwa