Bakit Ako Galit?

Para maiba naman, mag-boblog ako sa wikang Filipino. Ito'y napapanahon lamang dahil ngayon ay buwan ng aking Inang Wika, at ang mensahe na gusto kong iparating ay importante na maintindihan ng bawat Filipino (at dahil naaaliw din ako na paglaruan ang Translate Button ng blog ko hihihi).

Kung ikaw ay aking contact sa Facebook at Twitter, malamang mapapansin mo na nitong mga nakaraang araw, madalas akong magbahagi ng mga balita at komentaryo tungkol sa isyu ng anomalya sa paggamit ng Priority Development Assistance Fund (Pork Barrel). Marahil ay nagtataka ka dahil sa totoo lang, hindi ako mapolitikong tao, bagamat bukas ang aking tenga sa mga isyung panlipunan at sensitibo ako sa mga isyung pangkalusugan, kalikasan at edukasyon, hindi ako mahilig makialam sa politikal na aspeto ng mga bagay-bagay.  Ang isyu ng pangungurakot ay hindi na bago. Alam nating lahat na ito ay hindi lamang sa Pilipinas nangyayari, kundi sa bawat sulok ng mundo. Pero alam mo yung pakiramdam na meron kang kutob, alam mong me nangyayari, pero pag kapag nakumpirma na ang iyong hinala, ay talaga namang nakakapanggalaiti. Ang lumabas na report ng Commission On Audit, na detalyadong inilantad ang katiwalian ng mga mambabatas sa paggamit ng Pork Barrel ay talaga namang kahindik-hindik! Ang saklaw ng report ay maliit na halaga lamang kung tutuusin, humigit kumulang na anim na BILYONG piso (P6 B), sa maikling panahon (2007-2009). Isipin mo na lang kung ano pa ang ating matutuklasan kung hihimayin ng mga eksperto ang buong alokasyon simula ng naipasa ang batas ukol dito noong 1990 (P25B/year).

Ngayon bumalik tayo sa aking tanong. Bakit ako galit? Ako ay halos sampung taon nang nagtatrabaho, sumusweldo ako kada kinsenas, at bawat sweldo, malaking bahagi ang nakakaltas para sa Income Tax. Nakakahiya mang aminin, pero kung susumahin ko ang aking ibinayad na buwis sa loob ng sampung taon, mas malaki pa ito kesa sa naipon kong pera sa banko. Bukod pa dyan, dahil isa rin akong mamimili, ay nagbabayad din ako ng Value Added Tax sa bawat produkto at serbisyo na aking nakonsumo. Pero sa loob 10 taon, lahat ng lumabas na pera para sa tax ay parang walang kinahinatnan na maganda, as in wala akong maisip o makitang konkretong ebidensya. Hindi ko maramdaman na sumusulong o umuunlad ang ating bansa, palala ng palala ang kahirapan sa kabila ng report na consistent ang paglago ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas (ang pinakamataas sa Asia as of Q1 2013!). Sampung taon na akong nagcocommute papunta sa opisina at pauwi ng bahay, sa maikling panahon ng pagbibiyahe araw-araw ay nakikita ko ang ILAN sa mga problema ng ating bansa -mga sirang daan, mga batang namamalimos sa kalye, madumi at mabahong lansangan, milyung-milyong iskwater, at marami pang iba. Kung tutuusin, sheltered pa nga ako sa tunay na estado ng kahirapan (I have not seen the worst!). Sa halip, ang buwis na sana ay nalaan sa pagpapabuti ng buhay ng milyung-milyong Pilipino ay nawawaldas lamang sa kapritso ng mga hayup na magnanakaw at kanilang pamilya. Hindi ko maintindihan kung paano nila nasisimukra na magwaldas ng perang kinuha sa kaban ng bayan at mamuhay na pawang mga maharlika. Sigurado akong pamilyar ang mga ito sa kasaysayan ng mga Marcos, bakit kelangan ulitin ang kasaysayan? Bakit ba kung sino pa ang may pinag-aralan ay sila pang walang konsyensya, maari bang isama sa kurikulum iyon?

Ang isa pa sa nakakalungkot na bagay sa scam na ito ay pagkakaroon ng negatibong pagkakakilala sa mga NGO (Nongovernment Organization). Hindi nakakapagtaka na di masyadong nagtitiwala ang mga tao sa mga NGO. Ang mga NGO na tinutukoy sa nasabing scam ay pawang mga HUWAD, ang mga totoong NGO ay malinis ang layunin na ayusin at baguhin ang mundo. Ilan sa alam ko ay hindi tumatanggap ng donasyon galing sa mga korporasyon at gobyerno para makasigurado na walang conflict of interest.

Buwagin ang PDAF.

Ngayon, paano ba aayusin ang gulong ito? Ang sigaw ng taong bayan, i-scrap na ang Pork Barrel. Dahil ito naman talaga ang puno't dulo ng pangungurakot ng mga mambabatas, unang-una, ang trabaho nila ay gumawa ng batas, 'di nila kailangan ng ganong kalaking pondo. Naiintindihan ko ang mabuting layunin na bigyan ang kongreso ng kapangyarihan na matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga distritong kanilang kinakatawanan, pero ito ay ideal lamang sa mga opisyal na may malinis at tapat na intensyon na magsilbi sa bayan. Pero sa totoo lang, halos imposible yatang mabuwag ang Pork Barrel. Unang-una, ang mga taong responsable sa pag-ammend ng batas ay sya ring mga taong sangkot sa katiwalian. Tapos ang Pangulo mismo ay hindi sang-ayon sa pagkabuwag ng sistema, sa kabila ng opisyal na pahayag na "Panahon na po upang i-abolish ang PDAF" pero ang totoo ay revision at renaming lang naman ang ibig nyang sabihin. Ayoko namang magpaka-negatibo pero kung gusto nating baguhin ang sistema, bakit 'di na lang buwagin ng tuluyan at gumawa ng panibagong sistema. Siguro kasi malaking trabaho, saka baka wala na ring tumakbo sa kongreso at senado, ang susunod na tatargetin ng mga buwaya ay kung saan madidivert yung budget, kung ma-centralize sa executive branch, naku dudumugin ang mga posisyon sa LGU!

Parusahan ang Maysala.

Samantala, wag din nating kalimutan na kelangan managot yung mga sangkot sa katiwalian lalo na yung mga paborito kong consistent na top 3 - Juan Ponce Enrile (my God, he's been a public servant since God knows when, I cannot imagine the amount of wealth he amassed, tsk tsk tsk!), Bong Revilla at Jingoy Estrada.

Ipasa ang FOI Bill.

The State recognizes the right of the people to information on matters of public concern, and adopts and implements a policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest, subject to the procedures and limitations provided by this Act. This right is indispensable to the exercise of the right of the people and their organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all levels of social, political and economic decision-making (FOI sec. 2, Declaration of Policy).

Di ba napakaganda ng layunin ng batas na ito, kung bakit naman hindi naisulong. Halatang ayaw ng mga opisyal na ma-scrutinize ang mga "projects" at "transactions" nila. Ngayon, nararapat lang na maipasa ang FOI Bill, parang suntok sa buwan din ito katulad ng pag-abolish ng PDAF, pero siguro naman, mapipilitan na ang mga mambabatas na isulong ang batas na ito ngayon. Ayokong mawalan ng pag-asa.

Ngayon, kung ano man ang magiging resulta ng mga imbestigasyon at ammendments, sa tingin ko, ang pinaka-importanteng tungkulin ay nakasalalay sa taong bayan mismo.

Makialam.

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings.” - Helen Keller

Noong unang nilabas ng Inquirer ang expose sa Pork Barrel scam, ano kaya ang mangyayari kung walang nagreact, kung ang lahat ay busy sa kanikaniyang mundo. Malamang "business" as usual pa rin ang mga walanghiya. Isipin mo na lang, ilang rebolusyon na ang nangyari sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, simula sa himagsikan ng mga Katipunero? Masasabi ko naman na may mga pagbabagong ring naganap. Pero sa banda roon, nagsimula na ring magsawa ang mga tao. Kung matatandaan natin ang mga EDSA People Power na naganap (parang apat na yata), yung dalawa don ay tinangkang patalsikin si Gloria, pero sa dismaya nating lahat, walang nagyari. Kung anong liit nya, sya namang kapal ng mukha. Pero sa tingin ko, malaking bagay din na maraming nawalan ng gana sa pagprotesta. Bakit kamo, eh papatalsikin mo, tapos ganon di ang papalit, o baka mas masahol pa. Hindi ko masisisi kung maraming nawalan ng pakialam. Dahil para na lang tayong sirang plaka na paulit-ulit.

Aaminin ko na dati, isa ako sa mga walang pakialam. Pero nagpapasalamat ako na namulat ako ng maaga, hindi pa huli ang lahat. Malaki ang paniniwala ko na may pag-asa pang bumangon ang Pilipinas. Malaking tulong ang internet at social media sa pagmobilize ng mga tao. Sa oras na ito, mahigit walumpung libong netizens ang nagkumpirma na sasama sa malawakang protesta sa Luneta at iba parte ng bansa gaya ng Naga, Baguio, Iloilo, Cebu, atbp. Di gaya ng mga nakaraang People Power, ito ay nagsimula lamang sa palitan ng kuru-kuro sa Facebook, mga taong bayan na nagbabayad ng buwis at galit na rin sa sistema (obviously hindi ko alam ang buong kwento, basta hindi sya sinimulan ng anumang political group na may sariling agenda). Plano kong sumama, kahit na pakiramdam ko, malabong makinig ang mga kinauukulan (the legislative and executive branch seems to be firm in revising but keeping the Pork system), pero ang desisyon ng pagprotesta, para sa akin, ay isang paninindigan sa aking paniniwala.

Hindi ko sinasabing kinakailangang mamartsa ang bawat Pilipinong nagbabayad ng buwis, ang ibig kong sabihin, ang makialam ay sapat na, kahit pa nasa bahay lang. Yun bang, magbasa-basa lang tayo, intindihin ang nangyayari, paminsan-minsan mag-share sa social media, o kahit ipagdasal lang natin na maayos na ang lahat. Ang importante ay may pakialam tayo, kasi dito tayo matututo. Kung ang mahigit na 11 milyong Pilipino na hindi bumoboto ay may pakialam (myself included, I'm not gonna wash my hands, but NEVER AGAIN), malamang nakapaghalal tayo ng mas karapat-dapat na mga opisyal. Baka hindi ganito kalala ang sitwasyon ng corruption. Hanggang kelan tayo magrereklamo sa bulok na sistema? Di ba mas maganda na maging parte ng solusyon kesa reklamo lang ng reklamo. Nagsisimula lahat, sa pakikialam.

It's the effing golden age of information, nobody has the effing excuse to stay ignorant, silent and apathetic towards issues that will define our future!

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang mangyayari bukas, at least sana maging mapayapa, walang masaktan, walang umepal. Mas maganda kung makikinig ang Pangulo, sapagkat sa kanya na nanggaling, tayo ang boss!

Cebu Pacific is a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!

This airport misfortune happened more than a week ago, I do forgive but I don't forget. There's no way I'm letting Cebu Pacific go off the hook that easily. I have to tell this awful experience and let this be a lesson, if you're flying somewhere DO NOT choose Cebu Pacific Air.

Cebu Pacific is the WORST airline ever!

It all started with a book drive project that my friend, Che, initiated, the Booksail Project (I'll post more about this project soon). It's been on the planning for months, we've been collecting books and school supplies to benefit the children of Palumbanes Island in Catanuanes. We planned on the itinerary and logistics, we selected a date to turnover the donations, we decided the group would come in 2 parties. The first group will take the bus and endure a 14 hour travel period, the second group will take the one hour plane ride. Obviously I chose the second option, I felt that time and well being are much more important than what I would save from the bus trip. So I booked a flight to Virac Catanduanes, to my ignorance, I chose Cebu Pacific Airlines. 

I anticipated the trip with pure excitement, Che and I would talk about it on our coffee breaks. I often joked that her group is leaving Thursday afternoon, while I'm scheduled to leave the next morning, yet I'd end up waiting for them in Virac. Or so I thought.

I was scheduled to leave on early Friday morning, June 21, 5:45 AM. I slept over at Nagi's place, woke up at 3:00, we ate breakfast at 3:30, I hailed a cab and left for the airport at 4:00. I arrived in the airport at 4:15, there was no queue at the entrance, I made my way to the check in counter. Everything was going smooth and according to plan until a few minutes in the check-in queue, I noticed a commotion among the passengers at the counter. I thought those passengers had a problem with their baggage or something, but nothing that concerns me. But then it turned out to be a problem for ALL the passengers bound for Virac. 

THE FLIGHT WAS CANCELLED.

Yes, we all learned about it right there and then,  some passengers behind me held out their phones and said they just received a text message to inform them of the cancelled flight. RIGHT THERE AND THEN. I, of course, was shocked and upset beyond believe. How can it be? I always talked to Che that she should have a plan B in case something happened, like a bad weather, but I never thought of making a plan B for my own mishap. 

A staff approached us to officially inform and explain that it's an "aircraft situation" and provided options. Listen carefully, this is Cebu Pacific's brilliant plan B's for the cancelled flight. The first is to cancel the booking, get a full refund, and re-book for the earliest next flight, which was Sunday. There was no way I'm taking that because our group was scheduled to turnover the donations on Saturday, plus we're all leaving the coming Monday. The trip was for a volunteer work and not for a vacation, I cannot afford to put off my departure. The second "brilliant" option is to take the earliest flight to Legaspi City, we will be taken to Tabako port and ride the ferry bound for San Andres, Catanduanes (from there we can take a Jeep bound to Virac). We will be given P500 to cover the boat and jeep fare (and lunch) AND as a compensation for the INCONVENIENCE, they're giving a free one way flight to any domestic destination. Sounds enticing eh? Let me just digest this situation into further details, just to give you an idea. 

So you see, the red line was the original flight, the yellow and orange was the 2nd option Cebu Pacific offered, simple eh? NO! In the flight I booked, I was scheduled to depart Manila at 5:45 AM and arrive in Virac at 6:55 AM. In the rerouted flight they offered, I will take the 7:20 AM flight to Legaspi City, will arrive at 8:30 AM (this schedule was not followed either), take a one and a half hour shuttle ride to Tabako, ride the 1:00 PM ferry trip to San Andres, it's a 3 hour boat ride mind you.  I will be a little nicer and dismiss all the inconveniences that came with it, but here's the part that really annoyed me to the Nth level. From 6:55 AM, my arrival schedule was stretched to 4 PM. I was supposed to wait for the other party, but the tides were turned, they had to wait for me. I had to endure a NINE HOUR trip to Catanduanes. NINE FUCKING HOURS!

NINE FUCKING HOURS y'all! That's a one full work shift and the recommended amount of sleep. I looked at the other passengers with really huge baggage and I thought, they could be balikbayans who were gone for so long, they were just robbed of nine hours of quality time with their loved ones. They say time is gold, NO, time is priceless. The one way free flight was nothing close to a compensation. There's no way you can pay off for that lost time. 

The worst part was being all by myself through the whole ordeal. When I was talking with a Cebu Pacific Staff, I was wishing so hard that Claudine Baretto's spirit would take over my body so I could pull off my own version of Thrilla in NAIA. When I called Che to inform her of my situation, she told me to demand, I have every right to do so. But I couldn't do it, specially when I'm all alone. I could only walk away while throwing my fists in the air and mutter profanities that would make my  late grandma roll over in her grave. 

When I was at the boarding area, I got a little preoccupied with the game 7 of NBA finals, I jot down some observations in my journal. I  time-stamped announcements of delayed flights and gate transfer of Cebu Pacific, until I lost count. My now 7:20 flight even pushed further, I noted boarding at 9:26 AM and lifting off at 10:06 AM. This is not a surprise though, ask any frequent flyer, Cebu Pacific has a notorious reputation with delayed flights!

I do not blame the airline for cancelling the flight for having an "aircraft situation". Safety must come on top of everything. But I'm upset that the options they gave us are the best they could come up with. They claim to be the country's largest airline, surely they could make things better. I heard that some airlines would actually take the responsibility of booking the passengers with closest flight from other carriers. Or what about a back up plane? And perhaps the service could be improved, after making me sign a waiver for taking P500 from them, they just left me on my own. They were supposed to give us free breakfast but nobody gave me instructions how to claim it, that I should watch out for their announcement. Why not take me to the fanciest eatery in the airport and make me feel comfortable while waiting for the flight to Legaspi, why not give me a riveting book to keep me from looking at my clock every now and then to count off the remaining hours I have to wait, or a travel pillow to help me rest and lessen the inconvenience that the prolonged trip had to offer. I could go on, but the point is, Cebu Pacific's plan B's suck!

Doodling my frustation: Cebu Pacific - Now everyone can fly (with off the scale amount of INCONVENIENCE)

This One's for You Don...

I am walking away from this room beaming with inspiration and at the same time, a heavy heart. Why, it all started with Twitter. I was looking at Jim Paredes' tweets, it brought me to his tumbler, then to an over a month old post about Dolores Hart's attendance to the Oscars last year. She looked familiar I thought. When I read on, I learned that she started in Elvis Presley's first Technicolor film, Loving You. So I remembered, I bought a DVD copy of the film for my parents (it was a clearance sale). I watched it, didn't really leave an impression, nothing remarkable, I thought. Anyway, the interesting part was,  after making a few films, Hart left Hollywood and became a nun. I found it interesting because she seemed to have a promising career, she was VERY beautiful (and still is), and she was engaged too. Yet she chose a secluded life exposed to hard labor and renounced comfort and luxury. Boy, that calling must have been crystal clear and very powerful too! 

Anyway, I am always drawn to inspiring stories like this, I wish to meet her and  more inspiring people whose lives are fueled by something greater than power and money, something we will definitely take in the afterlife. 

So here is the documentary film, God is the Bigger Elvis, about this amazing woman. It was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 84th Academy Awards, where Dolores attended the ceremony, her first  Oscar attendance since 1959.

The heavy part of the documentary has something to do with her former fiance' - Don Robinson. Although he dated other women after the engagement broke off, he never got married. He admitted that he never got over Dolores, that he still love her at the time of the interview like he loved her more than four decades ago. He died in November 29, 2011. Throughout his life, he visited her during Christmas and Easter in the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis  (Bethlehem, CT) and they remained close friends. He said that "every love doesn't have to wind up at the altar".

When I get to witness something so pure and profound, I could not help but shed tears of indescribable feeling. Perhaps it was because the theme of unrequited love is just too close to home.  I've known it too many times that it's impossible not to get pricked. 

When I contemplate on Don's side of the story, the song Eternally plays on my mind. So I shall end this post with this song and a promise, that one of these days, I will lightt a candle for him and pray for the repose of his soul. 

Today is Epiphany!

Yep it is, today we commemorate the visitation of the three wise men to Jesus (in a manger). It's officially the end of Christmas celebration here, and so let me tell you, HAPPY THREE KINGS! I just learned from Wikipedia, by the way, that traditionally, Filipino children leave their shoes out  so the 3 kings would leave some treats like candy or money inside, kinda similar to Santa's stockings. But I was surprised. We never observed it like that. We only go to the church and hear mass, the church would usually have something for the kids after the mass, like earlier, they were giving out apples. I was with my sister Pipay and my niece Rome, but we didn't bother to get an apple. It's not a popular fruit in our household and we're still feasting on the ones we bought for new year. But it's nice to have that kind of thing after the mass.

Meanwhile, I'm having a different kind of epiphany. I think I'm starting to figure things out now. I think I'm finally getting a lead how to make most of my life. I'm starting to have plans and get directions for my future. I'm working on it now. I don't want to disclose it yet, I have this attitude of keeping things secret until they succeed, one thing I know is, this year is gonna be different.

And there's something I (re)discovered this morning. There's a honey bee colony in our house! A honey vendor came in and told us that he ran into my sister and he was told we've got honey bees. He bargained to harvest it for us then we can split the honey. It was inside the ceiling of our front porch, it's really high so it's not really a threat. Occasionally, I'd see a bee flying around in our garden, I never really thought there's a whole colony nesting somewhere. But it's a lot, not enough to make profit but just right for our consumption. I love using honey on my tea.

I vaguely remember an episode in my childhood when my mom had a bee colony in our home exterminated. At the time, it really felt like some kind of threat, I've heard cases from my class where a bee sting caused a fever. So my mom was being careful. But earlier, I saw how the vendor dealt with the colony to get the honeycomb. He just puffed a smoke (with a cigarette) to calm the bees, and wallah, he got the package! I felt sorry for some bees who clearly sticked and died during the process. 

He did split the honeycombs and he said we can expect another batch of honeycombs and he can harvest for us every 3 months. Ivy and I extracted and filtered the honey afterwards, it's not as fun as we thought it would be. We got a jar's worth of honey, probably around 250 ml. Like I said, nothing close to turning it into profit, but it's nice to know that we could get it for free. Yay!

2012 Last Post

Oh boy, look at we, about to end the year again. Where did 2012 go? Truth be told, it was a very complicated year. But I'm not here to talk about that. I just want to wish everyone a Happy 2013. I hope that everybody learned and gained something worth it from the past year, whatever it was, I hope we can  use it to survive, improve and enjoy another year ahead. 

So here's something for y'all! I wanted to upload a music box video of Auld Lang Syne but I don't have one. I spent a good time searching the web for a 30-note plingplong template for my DIY music box, but I can't find one, and I don't know how to make my own arrangement YET. So I settled with the good old recorder to play this new year theme. 

I don't know why I have to explain myself like that, but anyway... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Year in Collecting

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's the fact that I'm a collector (a mild version of a hoarder hehehe). I collect anything that fascinates me -lenticular photos, autographs, commemorative bills/coins, glow in the dark stuff, arcade tokens, foreign currencies, sneakers, candy/chocolate dispenser, stamps, flashlight, business cards (WTH!), tickets . I'm not a big collector though, I can't afford it. The stuff I mentioned, I have very few it may not even qualify to be called a collection. Still, I collect them whenever I could. There are priority collections, they are: Music box, books, and Ellen stuff. Out of the three, books won the number this year, I think I've bought a record number of books, (32) which is not much either, but still, for an average reader like me, I feel that's a lot. Most of the gifts I gave out to my niece and nephews are books too. I'm hoping that I could encourage and promote a culture of reading in my family. But I kinda hate this attitude I have when I keep on buying more even when I still have towering titles yet to read. I pledged over and over that I won't buy another one till I've read the other books I bought earlier, yet I keep on breaking them anyway. I'm an impulsive buyer. I guess it will be part of my new year's resolution to reduce my expenditure.

Books on the queue for 2013 reading hehehe

My music box consumption had also waned, I realized that I can't completely quit the toy collection, I had to compromised a reasonable bargain with myself. So the deal is, I should only order twice a year. One is for Christmas and one for my birthday. But can you imagine, I would scour the internet for music box all year round, and when the time comes, I'll choose the one I like the most, it's like a selection process.

This is what I got for Christmas (I bought it sometime in September as an advance Christmas present). This music box has all the elements I like - a Panda, a Santa, a blonda (blonde kid hehehe). Despite the Christmas design, it plays a non-Christmas song, but one of my favorite music - The Entertainer by Scott Joplin. I love the details of the figure, you can expect nothing less from Enesco. The music box is manufactured by Sankyo, another top name in quality, the sound is crisp and right on.

So yeah, it's not an absolute cessation. I know for sure that I've stopped buying any action figures, gashapon or die casts, but once in a while, I'd break the promise. But I've matured and have become really picky. I think about the future use and worth of what I'm buying. I'd like to think I am more reasonable now. Like when I decided to get a view master. It's an out of date toy, but I believe Mattel is still manufacturing them. We used to have one when we were kids, my dad got it for Oliver, but we take turns in using it. I decided to get one so my niece and nephews can enjoy some old toys that we used to enjoy. I got a 1950's model of the view master made of bakelite. I figured, the older the better, it has more stories and it's a good way to avoid made in China products (I try to avoid them as much as possible due to political reason, nothing against the Chinese people). I have 13 reels so far, 10 are scenes of old American TV shows like Mighty Mouse and Rin Tin Tin, and 3 our scenic spots in Japan. I plan to get more scenic reels next year. I'm hoping to use it to educate my niece and nephew of our beautiful planet.

Another thing I stopped collecting is the the Starbucks sticker for the Starbucks planner, years ago. For 6 years, Starbucks had always been my planner "provider", but collecting it has lost its charm on me. Everybody's going for it, even my sister, the competition just got boring. Besides, I've switched to tea. I still love Starbucks and sometimes I still have their coffee beverages, but I'm not getting their planner anymore. I decided to get something more practical and more appropriate for my usage. I realized how fun it is to look for the perfect planner. I found the perfect planner for me from Yeah Just You journals.

    

It's small and waaayyy cheaper, designed with a year, monthly and weekly planner, there's a space for budget planning (which I love), the weekly planning space has a weather indicator, there are blank spaces at the back which gives you freedom to doodle, it's colorful and cute I think I'm solved! Until I saw the Free Speech Publication journal, too late! But next year I'd love to have that one. Smartphone and tablets don't work for me, I like writing things down and i love to doodle, I think planners would be a yearly thing for me for the long run.

Speaking of gadgets, I also got me a copy of the last print issue of Newsweek. TIME's biggest rival has gone all digital, I think it's only a matter of "time" before they go the same direction. I'm not really a fan or follower of Newsweek, but I'm such a sucker for commemorative stuff like this (hoarder instinct kicks in). Both magazines, however, were my staple companion in the library when I was in college. So yeah, I may be crazy and all over anime and all those Japanese stuff at the time, but I kinda knew what's going on. In a way, it gave me a sentimental reason to get the issue for my collection.

In a way, I feel like my collecting (or hoarding) habit have toned down this year, I hope to keep it lower next year. I plan to shift my priorities to collective initiatives. I pray that I'll have the discipline to do that.

The Year in Travel

I haven't really been to many places this year, but I did get out enough for me to have something to look back. Of course I've talked about my experience in Bicol earlier this year, but what I haven't talked about yet is my southeast Asian (SEA) trip. Yep, that's right, for the first time in my life, I went out of the country. I'm probably too old to be proud of this, but I am, after all, everything I've done, I did through my own hardship.

So yeah, I went to 3 SEA countries, in one week, sometime in June. It was a whole new experience, same topography, same climate, same physical features but different culture, different food and money, different system. Throughout the trip, I couldn't help comparing these 3 countries to my own. 

At the ground of Petronas towers, Cha sets up the tripod

My friends and I had a day to walk through the streets of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. I've read before hand that Malaysia is a Singapore-wannabe, and I must say, they are doing a really good job. I see how this country can be so progressive. At first look, it may seem to be a congested area like Manila, but it has a system that makes everything look better. It's not as stressful to walk around, the streets are free of litter, the traffic build ups easily dissipated, and there are only 3 modes of public transportation --the bus, the train and the cab. People follow the traffic rules. Foreigners are very visible, their active tourism campaign is really effective. I love the highways of Malaysia, manicured and wide and stress-free. Another thing I truly envy is the absence of [annoying] tangled cables. The highlights of my stay here were Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower and Batu Cave.

At the KL Tower observatory deck, wishing I was in Tokyo Tower instead hihi..

The city view from KL Tower

Yep, KL, I'm done

One thing that I definitely did not like is the food. It's not bad really, I don't know what the food we ate were called, but they are mostly curry-based and spicy, maybe because I'm not a fan of spicy food, but I just didn't find anything special with Malaysian food. Crimes? Yes of course there are crimes, not that we encountered them, but on our second day, around 6:00 AM we were about to go out for breakfast but the hotel staff warned us of snatchers, he suggested going out at a time when more people are on the street (8 AM) or at least leaving our purse and tote bags in the hotel.

Batu Cave

Cha and I, inside the Batu Cave

If there's anything I regret, it was the failure to check the National museum and see some Muslim cultural night performances near our hotel. We were out of time and energy to do all the things we planned, we had to prepare for our next flight in the afternoon. I would have really wanted to learn more about the history of Malaysia, I saw a lot of old buildings and the majority of streets are covered with cobblestones, I wish I knew the story behind these landscapes, and of course, I'd like to compare their colonial era with ours too.

For some reason, this scene reminds me of a park in Pandacan Manila

The next stop is Bali, Indonesia. This is really the main destination of this trip. We stayed there for 3 days. We've read about an unfortunate incident that happened to a Filipino traveler at the immigration, being the first time out of the country travelers that we are, we had everything (almost) prepared. We booked 2 travel agencies to facilitate our tours. It proved to be truly helpful and worth it. I learned a lot, so much that I don't even know how to put everything into writing. One thing I can say is that Balinese culture is really interesting.

I wanted to show these pictures and at the same time introduce the music of Gus Teja, his songs are all over Ubud, so I put up this slide show to give you an overview of our stay there.

I love the people of Ubud, I love their simple and peaceful way of life. I've learned to pay so much respect to Balinese Hinduism as a religion. I hope they continue to preserve their culture. I also loved the whole interaction we'd had with our tour guide Nyoman. He's a very good conversationalist, I like how inquisitive he is with our own culture and religion. We learned from him and he learned from us. If you'll ever go to Bali, I highly recommend visiting Ubud.

The last country I've been to, and this one was not even part of the original plan by the way. The stop in Singapore was a combination of spur of the moment and desire to earn another passport stamp. The stay was a blast, literally, because we only stayed for less than 5 hours. This was also my first time to cross a border by land. I find the process more tedious than doing it via plane (I don't like the idea of waiting and looking for the coach we took after the immigration stop). I saw some Malaysian children in school uniform crossing the border too. They seemed to be used to the set up, it seemed like they are studying in Singapore, but still going home in Malaysia. How stressful to do that everyday (this was early morning too). But then, it might be an educational tour. I'm not really sure. Anyway, like I said, we didn't really stayed long enough to really appreciate Singapore. I met up with my sister in law, Che and Cha met up with their brother in law. We checked Merlion park, got disappointed that the iconic merlion statue is under maintenance, settled with a smaller Merlion statue, ate lunch and off we go. Oh we did take pictures.

I feel like an OFW with this shot :)

It's a cliche to say this, but I can't find a better way to describe it, Singapore really feels like Makati city, the business center that is, with better transport and traffic system and more high end malls and shops. Another regret I've had is missing another must-see museum, I wanted to check the Arts and Science museum, the Andy Warhol 15 Minutes Eternal exhibit was on (it was in Singapore until August 2012, next stop is Hongkong, Beijing then Tokyo), but again, we were pressed with time -sigh-


                                                    The white flower-like building on our left is the Arts Science Museum

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy my stay in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, but I'm not impressed as I thought I would be. All the nice things I saw there are expected. I think that if we can only instill the discipline Malaysians and Singaporeans have, we'll definitely beat them in tourism.

I have to admit that I felt really nervous the day we departed for this trip. We were all first timer and all those "Banged Abroad" scenarios played through my mind. But it turned to be really successful and I'm proud to say that I'm now ready to embark on another overseas trip. Let me rephrase that, I am mentally ready, financially, I'm not. And though I've said that I did it all through my own hardship, I was talking about financial aspects. I could have not really done it without my travel companions, of which I'm eternally grateful. Until our next adventure :)

Credits: Most photos used in this post are taken by Che Gurrobat (please check her website backpackingpilipinas.com for more amazing pictures and travel adventures). Some were taken by Charlyn Gurrobat, Sharlene de Dios-Madarang and yours truly. The music used in the video is Situ Sayong by Gus Teja, it's available in itunes for download.

The Year in Politics

I don't want to say that Christmas is over. Here in the Philippines, it lasts until Epiphany (we also earned the reputation of having the longest celebration, which starts on September 1). But Christmas day had passed and during this time of the year, people start to look back on the things that transpired in preparation of the New Year.

Just this time, let's talk politics shall we? It's really not my passion to be political, but I do care about current issues, and I feel it's timely that I post my thoughts about 2 historic bills that passed this year. They deserve a space in my blog, after all, both bills lapsed more than a decade hurdle!

The first one is something that I care deeply is the passage of the Sin Tax Bill. Then just last week, President  Noynoy Aquino finally signed it, now it's officially a law. The new law aims to raise revenue from cigarettes and alcohol products, of course this would mean increase of their prices and hopefully it would discourage people, especially the youth, from consuming them. I feel that it's long overdue, but it's never too late, the law will take effect next year. Personally I'm not affected since I'm not a smoker and I rarely (almost never) drink spirited beverages anyway. But even if I do, I would still go for the passage of the bill to discourage people with lower income from consuming cigarettes and alcohol. Of course this bill comes with a disadvantage, naturally, regulation of sin products like this would mean an increase in smuggling. Even without the law, it's happening, smuggled products make their way here. I guess it's all up to the people at Customs (which happens to be one of the most corrupt department) to uphold a strict implementation on smuggling law. Another thing that some people brought up is the the displacement of tobacco farmers and vendors. I'm not really worried about that, part of the revenue to be raised by the law will go to programs that would provide alternative crops and jobs for the farmers. I've also read that some farmers are unfazed by the passage of the bill because they still have an international market (so shut up Bongbong Marcos!). So this is definitely something to look forward in 2013. I am confident that the objectives of Sin Tax Law will be met, hopefully sooner.

Now the second one, the much more controversial... *sigh* I don't even know how to begin. It's much more complicated and the nation is really divided on the issue. I feel the division personally, I have family and friends who are both for and against the Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) now called the Responsible parenthood bill. I am a little divided myself because I see the point of both ends and I feel the advantages and disadvantages and advantages of the bill. But the bottom line is, ultimately I am pro-choice and responsible parenthood, so yeah if I was a member of the congress or the senate, I would vote "YES" for the bill.

First of all, let me just say, I feel bad for those who are against the bill for valid and sensible reasons for they are represented by the likes of Sen. Tito Sotto who would not humble himself by admitting he plagiarized excerpts of a blog post and a speech of a late American president, and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile who thinks the OFW is our best export that's why he's against RH Bill (which is the most stupid argument I've heard!!). Then there's the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the priests, collectively known as "the Catholic Church". You see, I'm a little uncomfortable with that. I am not a devout, but I'm a practicing Catholic, I go to church every Sunday and on Holidays of obligation, I pray the Rosary and the 3 o'clock prayer, I join the annual Visita Iglesia of our parish and I consistently include the souls of the faithful departed in my prayers. But I disagree with the bishops and the Vatican on a lot of issues, a LOT of Catholics do and I get hurt when criticisms refer to "the Catholic Church" when bishops voice their political stand point, or when another clergy gets involved in a nauseating scandal like sex abuse. But I do not see myself leaving this faith in the near nor far future. I know for a fact that there are bishops and priest who gives a bad name to the Catholic sect, but then, every religion has that. So when people bash the religion itself, I get hurt.Not all Catholics are against RH Bill, and even those who are against it have fair reasons to oppose it. Like I said, it does comes with advantages, for one thing we are talking about budget here. Unlike the Sin Tax Law, which will generate its own budget, RH Bill will be taken from the existing budget that tax payers are now providing. Budget allotment is always a challenge because of the culture of corruption that the present administration pledge to abolish. I'm also not in favor of allocating budget to give free condoms and pills because I feel these two methods of contraception is affordable and accessible enough for everyone. If the so called mass have the money to buy cigarettes and alcohol, now that these products are about to get unaffordable, then they should be able to afford condoms and pills. I feel very strong about education though.  The bill aims to give people a choice, and true choice would only be realized with proper information. What would couples do with free pills and condoms when they don't know what it's for? Some of the issues of the people against the bill is the rise of promiscuity among the youth, with the integration of sex education and access to contraception. In a way, it does, but then, even without the bill, it's on the rise. It's kinda sad, but it's the reality. Sex is everywhere, in pop music, in movies, sitcoms, soaps, in video games, parlor games (I remember attending a party with naughty games and kids are there). In my (teenage) days, it's very unlikely for a prime time TV show to have a kissing scene, now it's very common to see an afternoon program showing a couple making out. I don't really blame the Censorship, the times are changing. It's best to handle it with versatility than keep on doing things the old way. Right now, I do feel that ignorance plays a big part on the rise of STDs, irresponsible parenthood and even the case of abortion. I think education is the best answer to combat these problems.

It's not about population control but responsible parenthood -- my aunt who's a midwife and works at our municipal health center told a story about a relative of ours who keeps on coming back in the center with a new (malnourished) child, my aunt told her it's time to stop getting pregnant, but she just smirked and replied "masarap eh" (feels good eh). One day, it was her husband who came to the center with one of the sick child and my aunt told her to start using condom. He just laughed. I have a lot of relatives like that. What do you do to these people?

I think the church, not just the Catholic church, but all legible group aiming to preserve our values should think of other ways to keep the people grounded rather than meddle in politics. Like I said earlier, there are many issues that put a bad name to my religion but I chose to stay. Why? Because it is the foundation of all  the values I held dear - my compassion on life, respect to my neighbor, love for my family, love for God.

With the passage of 2 controversial law, I think the country is on the right path. There are lots of monumental events in politics and I'm starting to see small improvements (EDSA is going green, yay). We've got reasons to think that 2013 will be promising.

Merry Christmas!!!

I can't believe how the Grinch made a stop on my room on Christmas Eve. I had everything planned, it was going to be a busy and long day. I was gonna buy presents for the people I missed on my list, I was gonna wrap the remaining gifts, I was supposed to help with the chores, clean my room, wax my floor, change my sheets and curtains. I was supposed to end my day with a Christmas film marathon (I prepared my favorite classics). But everything was ruined when I felt a pang of pain hit my lower abdomen. It started with a tolerable twitch then later it progressed into something so intense, I wanted to throw up. I spent the rest of the Christmas Eve rolling all over my bed trying to get the best position that would soothe me. Total bummer...

Nothing to worry though, it's just my monthly period. The first day is always the toughest. I guess I should be thankful it didn't fall on Christmas Day or the 26th (because I'm going back to work). I could have chosen to bypass this episode by drinking a pain reliever, but knowing the side effects of pain relievers, I'd rather have the Grinch win this time. I woke up this early morning with everybody sleeping, the are 13 unread messages on my phone and I stood up carrying a hollow tummy, man I was starving to death. I opened up the fridge and smiled at the sight of overflowing food, and I thought, why it's never too late to enjoy the feast. 

I took a bite of Sapin-sapin (a type of rice cake), and went back to bed. I wanted to save bingeing for later.  It'll be another busy day, this time, no more interruptions from the Grinch. Oh I can't wait to make kids happy again! 

For the meantime, here's something for you my dear readers.

Merry Christmas! May this season fill you with love, joy, peace and good health. 

End of the Whut?!?

As I type this post, it's December 21, 2012, 10:32 AM PHT in my clock, I haven't noticed anything unusual yet. I don't think I will. Of course I do not believe this Mayan calendar predictions. I know the end of time will come, but it will happen when we least expect it. I find it amusing that a lot of people are all over this. I saw a documentary in History channel yesterday about people preparing for the big day, which is today, well they are Americans, so it'll be in a few hours to them. Last night I saw on the news, there are communities somewhere (provinces) here in the Philippines who are also making preparations. They made this large boat obviously mimicking Noah's Arc so I'm assuming they are Catholics or Christians. I wonder if there are atheists who believe in the end of the world though? 

My belief of apocalypse is obviously religion based. The preparation I work on is not physical but spiritual. Every now and then, it will hit me, am I prepared? Sometimes it scares me. It's also one of the constant theme of my dreams. Once in a while, I would dream of the destined day happening right before my eyes. In every dream,  it happened in different weird ways, but it also seemed so real so it always get me really scared. The last I remember was celestial themed. It went something like this:

It was all over the news that a huge asteroid is hitting the earth. My family and I were watching the news (and of course, scared), we didn't know what to do. Nobody did. But everybody's home, the streets were silent. Suddenly I stood up and headed to the windows. I stared at the moon, my eyes widen up when I realized the moon is getting bigger and bigger and bigger. It was  the asteroid heading to my direction. I screamed on top of my lungs "RUNNNNN!!!!!". And I ran, we all did, without looking back. Suddenly I realized that the asteroid was not as huge as I imagined, but definitely larger than life and it was chasing after me alone. I turned my head around to get a glimpse of this huge thing. It turned out to be a white round thing with eyes and a huge mouth widely opened, so ready to eat me. It was a giant Pacman! I was still scared to death by this time, by the way. And I just kept on running and running.

Then I woke up.

I look back on it with amusement, but did I mention, at the time, I was so scared? But the good thing about my end of the world dreams is that I'm always with my family. My mom used to to tell us, a family that prays together stays together. We did pray together. We still do, though not as frequent as before. 

I think that I'm not totally prepared for the end of time, but in a way I am. I believe that all things that I see, hear and touch, everything in this world are all temporary. This life is temporary, but when we all go, our destination is eternal. I don't think I will go to hell. And I'm not saying I'm a saint, I'm not even a do-goody type of person, but I'm definitely not evil. Everyday is a journey to be a better person and a true follower of Jesus. Everyday is a preparation, to the the real end of the world.

Updates, updates...

Wow, I can't believe it'll be Christmas soon, where did 2012 go? December proved to be a hectic month. Too many events and celebrations popping left and right, birthdays, weddings, Christenings, and not to mention Christmas parties. I wish I could make myself available for every happening, but here are the ones I've been to.

December kicked off with my friend's (Chris) birthday and the advance screening of Rurouni Kenshin live action film. My friends and I were lucky enough to get passes for the premier, from what I understand, there was also a cosplay competition prior to the screening,  it was nice to see RK cosplayers again. My friends urged me to put on my Seta costume, but I was not into that kind of stuff anymore, there's just no inspiration to drive me to do it. There were also people from Hero TV. Inside the cinema, a funny thing happened to me and my friends. Before the film started, a man approached us and asked if we could give our seats to Myrtle of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Teens and her company. He suggested that we take the Hero seats at the left most part of the theater. I hated that spot, there's no way I'm taking that seat, but it sounded like we SHOULD give way, Myrtle seems to be some kind of a VIP, all I could say was "whut?". Good thing my friend Nagi was quick to respond in a reasonable manner, she said "I don't think so, these seats are not tagged as reserved, maybe Myrtle can take the Hero seats instead", and with that, the man went away. Whew. At the time, I didn't know who this Myrtle kid is, I thought she was a cosplayer with a status like Alodia's. But she turned out to be a local celebrity. I was wondering though, why ask us? It's not like we have the best spot, we're almost near at the far left side of the balcony. Do we look like some kids who'd suck up to a PBB star? Sorry man, I'm not trying to be rude here, but we're just old timers wanting to enjoy a favorite classic anime.

Now the movie part... I must be a shame to the RK fandom, I hate to say this, but I actually slept at the middle of the film! I wish this would not make me less of a fan. I've mentioned that I have very low expectations on the film, and it's not like the film sucks (I watched the film again during the regular showing). Let me explain okay. First of all, let me tell you the stuff I liked - it's visually pleasing, the action scenes are very impressive and very close to the anime, the cinematography, what can I say? WOWZA! I like how The actor who played Sanosuke is so in character, I just wish he's taller. I like how subliminal Chief Uramura's presence is. I have a neutral feeling on the storyline. It's understandable how hard it is to justify many arcs that are condensed into a two hour feature film. The producers mixed up the storyline of Takeda, Jin'eh, Saito, Sano and how Kenshin got into Kamiya dojo, I'd say it's not bad, but again, nothing fresh for me here. I'm actually rooting for a new storyline and new characters. The only new character introduced here was the guy whom I thought to be Hanya all along. But when his mask broke, he turned out to be someone I've never seen or is it just my rusty memory playing with me? But it's definitely not Hanya. I have mixed feelings on Takeru Sato playing Kenshin, I could tell he's a good actor. I love all of his fighting scenes. But Kenshin's character, how he transform from a harmless rurouni to a deadly hitokiri, I'm just not convinced. His oro? Nah, he needs to try harder. I don't like how Kaoru turned to be a cutesy betsy and modest, oh that scene where she stumbled upon a stray cat and cried "whoa neko-chan?", not Kaoru at all. Don't get me wrong, I like Kaoru, but I really felt her character was not justified in the film. Overall, I would still recommend the film to fans and non-fans alike.

Moving on to other stuff, my parents and I went to the Elton John concert last December 8. It was a real treat despite being in an older crowd, come on, it's Elton John. The tickets were quite pricey and we can only afford the general admission rate (P1000). I was worried that I may not enjoy that much, I know that being in the farthest  part of the dome has the least advantage visually and auditory speaking. I don't care much about visuals, I went to listen anyway. But being in the general admission crowd was not hindrance to enjoy Elton John's music. He still has this powerful voice even after 40 years of being active in the music scene. He was in his signature shiny blue coat, it had something written at the back, but given our spot, I couldn't read what it was, even with my binoculars on. The show was opened with The Two Cello, they were Croatian cello players. I've seen them perform on The Ellen Degeneres Show, and they were really great too. I noticed a lot of foreigners in the crowd too. I was not able to track the number of songs Elton performed, there were a lot of lesser known songs which kept the crowd a little silent. But whenever perform his classic hits, we'd all jumped up and join the singing. Some of my favorites were Crocodile Rock, Rocket Man, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Candle in the Wind, Daniel and Nikita.

Elton John performing Nikita, sorry for the poor quality of my phone cam

After the last song, as usual, the audience cried for more. When he went out on the stage again, he signed autographs for the hungry fans before starting the encore. Oh those lucky VIP ticket holders! He first performed "Your Song" which got the couples dancing slow.  When he performed his last song "Circle of Life", I was surprised and amused to see my parents get up for a slow dance too. The lyrics of the song doesn't feel appropriate for a slow dance but Elton John's piano did set the mood. It was a wonder why some of his greatest hits were missing from the play list -Skyline Pigeon, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Sacrifice, We All Fall in Love Sometimes. Still, it was a perfect evening. I hope he goes back to Manila for another performance, next time though, I hope I'll have more funds for a better spot.

Doesn't look like it, but they were passing it off as a slow dance hehe

The next event I went to is an art exhibit opening. As part of centennial birthday celebration of Philippine National Artist for Visual Arts, Carlos "Botong" Francisco, Ayala Museum presented Botong Francisco: A Nation Imagined, an exhibit of some of unseen works of the muralist. I got an invitation to attend the opening because I signed up for membership for the museum. I've always wanted to check the museum because of its vast collection of prehistoric artifacts, but I always knew that a day is not enough a four-storey worth of exhibit, thus I opted to to get a membership which gives me an unlimited access all year round. I was right anyway, the first two visits I had were not enough to digest everything. I was after the perks too - of getting invited to exhibit openings, it's always better to get ahead of the public, and I'm after the cocktails too hehehe. There was a short film directed by Peque Gallaga to complement the exhibit and provide a cinematic  experience of Botong's works. I love how his paintings come to life, how it gives one a glimpse and even make one share how Botong imagined the Philippine history and culture. I highly recommend art lovers to see this rare exhibit. It runs until March 31, 2013.

These are some of my favorites:

I'm grateful that they allowed to take pictures this time, when I went there for the Sharaku exhibit a few months ago, I had to risk getting kicked out of the museum when I got excited and broke the rules when I saw a Sharaku interpretation using music box knobs and a Takashi Murakami print. The security warned me, and now that I remembered, I thought I should share them here too.

      

On some personal event, a friend of mine got married last week. Lee and Nelson tied the knot in Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay. It's the first time I ever attended a civil wedding, the judge who officiated the ceremony was a female too, and I thought, great another first time, I get to see a woman do it too. She only discussed the responsibilities of husband and wife, and made sure that bride and the groom knows and consents what they were getting into. It was short and concise, it should be a good thing, but I realized the lack of spiritual proceedings somehow reduced the solemnity of the event. My friends will have a church wedding sometime in the future. For now, to many other couples of today's generation, civil wedding is a practical way to get hitched. My most profound congratulations to Lee and Nelson, I wish you nothing but the best of marriage life.

The next event is yet to come, sometime this month, but I thought I should mention it here to give me an excuse to post a photo of my soon to be godson, Chase. Here he is :)

Chase is Sherry and Lester's son, he's now on his 5th month, so he's still cute and kind hehe. He is very precious. His Christening is on December 29, another obligation that I'm happy to take. I hope we become friends too, I'm not good with kids. Man this wedding and Christening talks make me feel so old. I better get back to my Christmas shopping, ugh!

Repost: Mare Orientale Flyover

NASA's GRAIL mission took this flyover video above the Mare Orientale basin of Earth's moon. It was collected by the MoonKAM aboard GRAIL's Ebb spacecraft on April 7 and 8, 2012. 

Movie credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Sally Ride Science

I don't why I'm so mesmerized by the moon. I just am...

Things on my mind lately...

Roka Salata and Skolatina... Yummm...

Christmas shopping, when will I do it, what am I gonna give to the kids?

When will I ever have the courage to get out of this comfort zone and just quit? :(

Music box... view master scenic reels... ugh the longing!

I need a haircut!

...

...

I just realized it's World AIDS Day. Incidentally, I'm wearing red shirt, socks and underpants. Simple coincident like this confirms the universe conspires with me. I don't have anything sensible to say, but I'd like to take this moment, to pray and send my thoughts to all the people harboring this horrible disease. I never stop wishing and hoping that I'd live to see the day we combat AIDS. A world without AIDS...

So it's December, 24 days to go till Christmas, 30 days to go till 2013, but then will we ever get there? Cause, you know, it's 20 days to go before the end of the world, according to the Mayan calendar or to the people who have too much time on their hand and "decoded" the calendar. Sometimes, I really envy those kind of people. Meh!

Here's something that's ending today, the social network feature of Multiply. They're going to be this online marketplace all the way. Really don't care about that side of the site, if I have to shop online, I do it on ebay. But all the pictures, music, videos and blogs uploaded will be gone. They were nice enough to give an advance notice months ago. So today, I logged in for the last time. My Inbox showed 1 unopened PM and 1 unchecked invitation, sent years ago. I didn't bother to click on them. Instead, I started to do one of my favorite uses of Social networks, STALKING. I browsed my contacts and backed up the blogs that amused me, and I meant I copy-paste them somewhere. Don't worry y'all, I'll never pull a Tito Sotto, I swear. I just wanted them as a keepsake. Just be flattered that I'm a fan of your writings. I didn't bother to back up my photos though, I have the originals in my hard disk, but this is one of my favorite picture in Multiply:

Whee, look it's my Sputnik sweetheart! This was taken in Nido Science Center in MoA. That's Sputnik y'all., a replica that is. It's the very first satellite launched into outer space. I kinda envy the people who lived at the time of Space race between US and USSR, I felt like there were a lot of milestones in a short period of time. I mean in 1957 they sent the first satellite, then they sent Laika (the first dog in space) sadly she never returned -sad face-, they sent the first spacecraft, pictures to the moon, Yuri Gagarin, the first space walk by Leonov, and then by 1969, we were on the moon! In 12 years we made that much progress, it's been 40 years since the last Apollo mission, we should be in Mars now. I'm not complaining okay, we have  the Curiousity rover which made its historic touch down in Mars last July 5 (PST), and we have those really cool live stream videos of the ISS crew doing Q&A's and ISS tour, in HD! Then yesterday, I learned that there's ice in Mercury. It's amazing! I hope I'd live to witness a successful manned mission to Mars, and even other planets.

Tomorrow, is Chris' birthday and we'll be seeing the (Philippines) advance screening of Rurouni Kenshin live action film.Old and new fans alike had anticipated the local screening of Ruroken for months. I'm probably one of the few whose not caught up in the hype. I mean I AM excited to see it in the big screen, I will see it no matter what, but let's just say, I have very low expectations. Truth be told, I didn't even follow the development when I first saw the trailer. I'm still a fan okay, I still love Kenshin very much. But, you see, it's my favorite anime/manga of all time. I watched the first airing of the TV series and the reruns, the OVA's, the animated feature film, a million times. Okay that's exaggeration, but it's a lot I swear.  I've read the manga including the Kaden special, the Yahiko spin-offs, and many more doujinshi (including BL). I feel like I have explored every angle of possibility in the Ruroken universe. Now I have not read any review nor synopsis of film, I can only say from what I see in the trailer that the live action will follow the storyline of the manga. I am skeptic on how the film will make it fresh for me. I am also not in favor of the choice of actor, I mean visually. I'm not exactly rooting for a close physical resemblance, but, I don't know how to explain this, Takeru Sato just don't radiate that Kenshin aura. But we'll see, with all the low expectations I have, there's a higher chance that I'd enjoy it, I mean, less expectations, less disappointment.

In lieu of the Kenshin screening, I believe I haven't shared this here. This music box should bring nostalgia, it plays "Sobakasu".  Please enjoy :)

Amasey something too...

I wasn't gonna talk about this "amalayer" overnight sensation, but I was surprised when I saw the video still trending on  Youtube homepage (Philippines), and, well, something inside me fired up. I felt I needed to say something, and where opinions are called, opinions I'll give. So here it is, my two cents worth.

First of all, in case you didn't know. This Amalayer trend is about this incident at LRT station, a girl shouting at lady security guard, for whatever reason, she was crying "I'm a liar? You're telling me I'm a liar" with an effort to mimic an American accent, hence the netizens labeled the video "amalayer". Here's the whole story. 

Okay, so she was rude. Ethics tells us that no matter how bad the situation is, there's no excuse for being rude (oh and I learned that on Hollywood Squares, so you can't tell me otherwise, no exemption here folks). So the Lady guard did her job in an unpleasant way, that's no excuse for being rude, especially in public. If you did that to a waitress in a restaurant, you better have second thoughts in taking the meal served in your table. You see, there's always a way rudeness can get back at you. Unfortunately for this girl, it was a prying guy who caught half of the incident on tape and uploaded it on youtube, and the rest, as much as I hate to use a cliche, is history.

So that's now how to handle the situation, we get it. But is it necessary to make a meme out of it? Condemn the act, not the person. Enough bashing. In many ways I feel bad for this girl because unlike Tito Sotto and Charlie Sheen, she does not have publicists and lawyers to help her fix things. 

Now, here's an interesting thing I learned, this amalayer girl whose real name is Paula, auditioned for a VJ post. Then this Gregory guy who caught the incident on tape is an aspiring singer. Two aspiring celebrities, in an unexpected turn of events made their way to fame. I smell conspiracy here, hmmm. Take in mind that this is not yet a fact, I didn't do further research here, if the information I mentioned are not true, then let's just disregard this 3rd argument, I'm not making any point, I just love conspiracy theories hehehe.

Lastly, I wanna end this post with something positive. In an age where everything could be subjected to public scrutiny, thanks to the technology (and thanks for warning us George Orwell), wouldn't it be nice to shift the focus into something that would make us all smile? I saw this Coca Cola commercial the other day in my Facebook feeds. Though I strongly discourage everyone from drinking Coke or any carbonated drinks (BAD FOR THE HEALTH OK?), I wish we could all embrace the idea that there are so many heartwarming stuff all over the world that we can catch on tape too.

Damn, Coca Cola make the best commercials, don't they? :)

Celebrating the 2nd Hane Festival of Tanay

Whenever I have the chance, I always tell how proud I am to be coming from a town rich of history and culture, and we don't just settle with existing traditions, we also create new ones. Last year, the municipality of Tanay initiated Hane Festival to celebrate the town's 405th founding anniversary. I was a little busy to attend or participate in any activities, which I truly regret, but I'm glad I was able to make time to check out the festivities this year.

The term hane by the way, is a confirmatory expression, synonymous to okay or right,  unique to Tanay. Like if you'd say, "let's go to the church together, okay?" we'd say "let's got to the church together, hane? "(sabay tayo magsimba, hane?). Or if you'd say, "you got the money I sent, right?" we'd say "you got the money I sent, hane?" (nakuka mo pinadala kong pera, hane?). 

So the festival spawned four days of fun-filled activities which started November and ended on November 12. Activities include fun runs, art exhibits, rock balancing exhibits, float parade, pageant contest, culinary contest, street dancing competition and a lot more. I was able to see the float/people parade and Agri/trade fair, on a fine Sunday morning.

The parade was participated by different government and non-government organizations and private businesses in the town. It was an eye-opener, some of the organizations I saw, I didn't know they exist here. There were also street dancers, military people and religious groups.

Some of the floats need some works, but that's okay, this tradition is only on its second year, give it more time and things will improve and get more sophisticated. It's just like the state of Cosplay when it was just starting to make a scene. The festival will definitely further develop the creativity of Tanayans.

I was amazed to see an armored vehicle. I never thought I'd ever see one in person, not that I want to. In fact the presence of the soldiers gave the event a chilly ambiance. At least that's how I felt when they passed our spot. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying I don't like them. I have high respect for people who sacrificed so much to protect their country.  I dunno, maybe it was the guns, their very serious demeanor and their association to the war. But yeah, in many ways, I really salute them.

After the parade,  my mom and I checked the Agri/trade Fair. It's a small bazaar featuring local products. Nothing really out of the ordinary here, just some furnittures, handicrafts, souvenirs, delicacies, organic vegetables and fruits. It was cool.

I was delighted to see eco-friendly products, handicrafts made from recycled papers and Water Lilies. The latter is much closer to home, literally because our place is hundreds of meters away from Laguna de Bay, and there are heaps of Water Lies back there. I actually saw a feature about it on TV before, but it was more fun to be able to see them in person my mom bought a pair of slippers and some head bands.

We also bought some organic vegetables, honey, fresh cow's milk and a sack of rice. Oh and a slice of halaya (purple yam) which was really good. I love the feeling of being able to support local producers like this. I wish I could encourage more people, not only from Tanay but all over the country and even the world to consume local products as much as possible. I mean, it's good for our health, good for the planet, and good for the economy. Think about it hane?

I definitely enjoyed my experience at the festival. It's such a shame that I didn't get to check out other activities, but I will definitely time for it next year.

Lest we forget...

Finally a big break! Well, it’s not really big, but a one day  vacation leave next to weekend is a bliss and I should use this gift of time to update. Yeah! The truth is, a lot have happened since the last time I posted, but I don’t really have the energy to tell all of them. There were really dark days but I've moved on, we've all moved on and now it’s time to enjoy and celebrate life again.

But today, I want to talk about something timely. We just celebrated All Saints day (Nov.1) and All Souls day (Nov.2). For non-Christians out there, these are day we pay homage to the faithful departed. All Saints day is for the purified souls who are now in heaven. All Souls Day is exclusively for the souls who are in Purgatory, spending time to cleanse and purify themselves, perhaps atoning for the sins they've committed when they were still living. Hell is out of the picture here, it’s a place for pure evil. Here in the Philippines, Catholics observe a joint celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day in November 1 by going to the cemetery, bringing in flowers, lightning a candle and offering prayers. For me (and perhaps some), it has also become a subtle excuse for families to get together.

Praying for the dead is a moral obligation of Christians. One way to help the souls in Purgatory purify is through prayers. It’s an obligation that I am more than willing to commit because it’s my way of telling to the dead loved ones that I have not forgotten them. I will never forget. I think that it’s very important for us who are still here to keep on remembering. I believe in life after death and I will be very sad if I would see the people I've loved forget about me. So I’d like to take this moment to think about those I love who have crossed  over to the next life, specially my grandparents. Nanay, Tatay, I dearly miss you…

Eternal rest grant unto them, o Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.