KEEPING UP

Just Testing!

2010-07-05T05:25:00.001+08:00

2010-06-25T01:38:00.001+08:00

No new posts here.

UPDATE

2009-12-09T14:10:00.001+08:00

It has been sometime since my last update. This is not really due to lack of anything to write about, but just simply me being lazy. There have been some materials I wanted to try working on, but couldn't find a time for them. Well, maybe it is not about being lazy, but simply not having the time. Hope this blog doesn't suffer the same fate as my other blogs.

2009-11-29T10:31:00.000+08:00

COME BACK HOME

2009-10-16T06:56:00.001+08:00

Sometime last year I have posted about homeless people here in the metropolis, and I was entertaining the thought that maybe they have come from the provinces to seek the so called "greener pasture" here and failed. It breaks my heart, especially if they have children with them, when I see them and it's raining hard. With the countless letters and emails I have sent to seek help for them, none of the correspondents have bothered to even acknowledge receipt. I myself don't have much to help them.

Today, as I checked the online issue of my favorite daily, I was delighted to see an article (see here) about a province in the south offering a back-to-province scheme. Eastern Samar provincial government have come up with the program recognizing the need for this after so many people were devastated by the flooding in the capital region. The program not only includes bringing them home for free, but likewise training for livelihood, counseling, and even a reasonable enough sum to jumpstart their lives. This province's government should be lauded for this program, and other provinces should follow this same scheme.

Metropolitan Manila is populated by some 12 million people crowding in places close to where their livelihood is. The recent floods have been partly blamed to overpopulation and to the fact that dwellings have encroached the areas considered as natural drainage systems. These waterways are in the form of creeks and a few rivers that serve as a drainage system for floods during monsoon season. Having people close to this have turned these waterways into dumping area for their wastes, which causes clogging and siltation-- a major cause for waters breaking their banks or dikes during rainy season.

Flocking to capital cities is understandable, especially in a third world country like the Philippines. The biggest chunk of job opportunities are available mostly to these areas that are considered as hubs. For whatever reason not everyone succeeds in the city. While some simply just try to hold on to the promise of the "greener pasture" and find other ways for living, others have lost hope altogether and are left without the capacity to return home to their provinces. It is not only the cost of the travel that makes it so hard for repatriation, but also the fact of starting all over again in a place where most likely there is lesser opportunity for them.

The program created by Eastern Samar, although seemingly simple, can be a bit complicated and costly. Beforehand, things to be considered for this to be a success are identification of suitable livelihood trainings to be given, studies on sustainability of these in the long run, and selection of qualified people to conduct these trainings. These areas have to be addressed first, otherwise such a program can fail and may only end up with the beneficiaries returning back to the capital region. I joked a colleague of mine from Eastern Samar that politicians in their province are just doing this to take in potential voters in the elections next year. But this is a really noble program deserving all accolades.

MANILA FLOODING

2009-09-27T15:09:00.001+08:00

Yesterday saw Metro Manila's (well, nearby provinces as well) worst flooding in decades. I was comfortable at work while watching this happen outside. The sky seemed like it was night time already. My wife sent me a message early on asking me if I can go home earlier as the house have been flooded as well about ankle-deep. I was approved for early endshift (nevermind the term, it's common in the call center industry), so I can go home and help my wife at home. As I went out of the building two hours early of my usual endshift, my wife again texted me that everything was fine and that the flood have subsided.

Back at the office, I was monitoring the situation through the internet and have come to know that some parts of the highway I go through to and from work are flooded. This is the same with any alternate route I could think of, so I figured I may as well try the old route, which is EDSA by bus. I also though it may be better if I ride the MRT instead, but still my preference is by bus.

MRT terminal was quite full and the queues for tickets were snakeing throughout the vast station. When I went down to the north bound bus stop, a thick crowd have also gathered waiting for the sparse buses coming by. The first two buses were quite full but people tried to board anyway and about ten or so were able to get in. The next bus that came in was an airconditioned one, and I squeezed my way in. The next stop, some people boarded off the bus and I was able to get a window seat.

Everything's well, except for the traffic. Floodings and stalled vehicles along the highway made the traffic so slow moving that the usual 30 minutes to an hour ride took more than six hours this time. That was an experience of a lifetime. I stayed awake the whole time to try and snap some pictures I can post on this blog, but there hardly were anything worth a space on my memory card.

picture from bbc.co.uk

OPERA MINI 5 BETA

2009-09-21T12:35:00.001+08:00

Yesterday I got to test drive the new Opera Mini 5 on my phone, and I was all praises for it. The touchscreen support was wonderful as well as the new tabbed browsing. There are several improvements over the current version- 4.2, but the most noticeable of course is the looks. Everything is animated that I was almost ready to believe it was not a java app but instead a flash lite. Some degree of transparency is also available to dialog and pop up windows. Personally, I don't like scrolling on touchscreen, I'd much rather prefer to have a hardware directional pads, or an optical directional gadget. But I guess we all are moving into touchscreen era now. The beta was fine with scrolling, not unlike the in-built browser on my test phone-- and LG Viewty. A simple touch was added with the sort of elasticity with scrolling, very much like on iPhone, although it's more kind of a cosmetic addition for me because it does slow down the scrolling a bit. You have to endure this "elastic" scrolling all throughout as it also is present on internal items, like going through the options on the settings. Probably the best improvement for me was the tabbed browsing support. Well, I also use a modded version of Opera Mini, and these for the longest time have had tabbed browsing. The one on the beta version though is quite different by being classy. Touchscreen support is ever present, so intead of just having tabs with names of the pages on it, you get to have block with a thumbnail of the page. This really is a great addition for me as I think visual representations are better than just text descriptions. The tab selector is hidden and comes up only when you touch the tabs icon. The navigation bar that holds the back, forward, refresh, tabs, and settings button can be hidden and can be recalled by pressing a floating transparent icon. I'm not sure if it's a bug or just on my phone, but inline editing seemed to fail sometimes, it only allows me to do offline editing the first time and then refuses to work the next time. Inline editing is done with a pop up QWERTY keyboard, but the vertical orientation provides little space for the keys that it is hard to type texts in. Of course there is a support for landscape, which should give the keys more space, but then this seem to be another bug as the app I got had problems rendering not just the pages but the entire browser on landscape. One thing more that I hope they will add on to the final version, or next beta versions, is the download manager. There already was a download manager on the previous version, but it seems to be missing on the Opera Mini 5 beta. It's never good to take off one other functions to accomodate another. Of course this is just a beta, and for sure the final version will have all these bugs straightened out. I'm positive the final version will come in the next few months, as this beta version was supposed to have been rolled out last year according to some sources.

WILL NOYNOY SUCCEED?

2009-09-12T09:09:00.001+08:00

One time or another, I have shared on this blog that I am largely apolitical. I would rather just be reading showbiz gossip than politics news.

The recent clamor for Noynoy Aquino, only son of Cory and Ninoy Aquino- the couple considered to be the mother and father of democracy in the Philippines, to take a shot at presidency is very much misguided. I almost can visualize the administration people laughing their asses off as this unfolds, because for sure this breaks up the opposition furthermore. I was even suspecting the administration have hands on this as they know Noynoy has never been actively in public eye and therefore have a very slim chance of pulling this off.

It is a fact that Noynoy has never been in the public eye simply because he did not submit any significant laws nor headed any important committee in the senate. These whole time he has been a senator he stayed out of public eye, I'm not sure whether by choice or not, and only was recently popular because of the death of his mother. The fact is, Noynoy could not have attained so much attention recently have it not been for his actress sister Kris, who frequently mentioned him on coverages for their mother's wake and funeral and thereafter.

It's a waste. He could have done better than just jump into this circus. His parents' popularity is not his own, and he should be making one for himself by showing achievements.

FLOW OF LIFE

2009-09-12T07:25:00.001+08:00

Recently, I was in a chatroom for our island province and the topic as I came in was about the environment. One of the chatters was reporting about the current state of one of the most popular rivers in our island home- Santo Domingo river. He informed us that the river is now polluted, with trash being found not only on the banks but also in the waters.

Santo Domingo river is a popular dipping hole for most people in Virac, and even nearby towns, as it is only about ten to fifteen minutes away from downtown. Except during severe dry spells when there is less water flowing and moss gathers on some part, the river is mostly clean and its water is cool. This still was the case when we left Virac some three years ago, and surely it was a surprise to know this has changed in so short a time.

Every Viracnon have had a dip in this river at least one time or another, that is how popular this river is. Washing clothes is also done there and usually because clothes come up smelling great when washed in its waters. The river has a lot to offer as it has various parts from rapids to deep and calm water, close to the national highway or far into the forested area, and rocks islets to waterfalls (this i couldn't confirm as i have not seen it myself, but there has been accounts of waterfalls along the river). There even is an underwater cave where some of the waters source from.

It is heartbreaking to learn about this. I myself have fond memories of bathing there with friends and families countless of times. From the info I got, it seemed it only will be a matter of few years before the river becomes unfit for bathing. My fear is that I only will be able to tell my children stories about this river in the future. Pretty much similar to what my father have done to me when I was younger, with his stories about the former glory of the now extremely polluted Gogon river in downtown Virac.

PLANET PHILIPPINES ON GMA TV

2009-09-07T11:46:00.000+08:00

I was looking forward on watching this special by matinee idol Richard Gutierez, mainly because of the dazzling previews of visual aired by the network a few weeks before. Finally, it was shown last night; and unfortunately, I have to catch some sleep as I have to go to work early in the morning. I was able to catch though the first parts and as with the previews, the visuals were all of high quality imagery and cinematography. It was amazing. They were superior even compared with national Geographic or Discovery Channel specials. The nature was depicted at its most beautiful. GMA News and Public Affairs deserves all praises for this work. Richard was good enough as a host, compared to his first special about global warming, but still he needs further refinements. I hope I can download the complete video somewhere.

EAT AND DRINK BY NEW YORK POST

2009-08-14T12:31:00.001+08:00

First of all, I am largely apolitical. I just am quite ticked at the Filipino activists who are against every single administration that came to pass in the Philippine political scene.

This has reference to the current controversy about the government entourage for the president's US trip, involving the infamous million peso dinner(s). This was reported by US newspapers first and have been voraciously devoured by the activists and opposition politicians, and later by the local media.

First, look at how those reports were written on those US papers-- it basically is a descrimination towards not only our government but us Filipinos as a whole. They simply are saying Filipinos are second rate and do not deserve fine dining.

EX-PRESIDENTS

2009-07-17T06:37:00.005+08:00

Isn't it irritating that ex-presidents act as if they still are in power and give their opinions as if the citizens have to bow commitment to it? They had their chance. Why couldn't just be part of the history and live their private lives?

BIG BOX BOUTIQUE; Star Mall Mandaluyong

2009-07-16T12:38:00.002+08:00

Kinky, ain't it? Yes, but they are pretty comfortable and a joy to wear. Almost a year ago, me and my wife discovered this small kiosk in Star Mall selling hand-made underwear. I was hesitant at first as I was thinking no self-respecting man could wear them; but my wife was insistent on buying some. I was suprised to find them quite comfortable and well-made. Since then I always bought my briefs from that store. Look it up on Star Mall's third floor- Big Box Boutique.

ALLOW FILE ACCESS FOR APPS ON VIEWTY

2009-07-05T16:18:00.004+08:00

For sometime now I have had an LG Viewty, but it was only recently that I have used it primarily as I have opted to have my SE K800i as my everyday phone. I bought the Viewty second hand and the former owner got it on a plan with 3 Australia and therefore had shortcuts with the network's services. I managed to find tutorials on how to get rid of those shortcuts immediately after I got the phone, but the only thing I didn't bother myself with was to allow third-party apps like Opera Mini to access the file system. This has been mostly the case for LG phones and it's not because this phone was locked before to 3 Australia.

Since ditching my K800i as my primary phone, I have been concerned though on how I can better make use of apps like Opera Mini by allowing access to files on botht the phone and the memory card. I've tried searching on the internet for the solution and found something not very specific to my problem. It simply entails changing the policy for the certificates on the phone by using a program called Bitpim.

However, the tutorial is only applicable to unlocked Viewtys, in which you have an access to the file system using Bitpim. My phone used to be locked with 3 and the system file folders are locked as well. The good thing about Bitpim though is that you'll be able to overwrite the file, so it should be only a matter of finding an exact copy of the policy file and editing it using notepad, and then overwriting the original file on the phone. Using a simple hack on Google, I found an unprotected back-up of the file stored on a website, however of a different LG model. I risked my neck and did overwrite the original file on the phone using Bitpim. After restarting the phone, I deleted the apps needing file and network access and reinstalled them. It worked fine with just a minor bad effect-- the battery somehow gets drained if you turn the phone off for sometime, which of course is solved by not turning your phone off for more than several hours or so.

It maybe rare that somebody may need to do the same thing, but anyway let me give the tutorial on how to do it here.

Download Bitpim from http://www.bitpim.org/ and install it on your machine. If you don't have it already installed, also look for the Viewty USB driver on Google (I found mine on Rapidshare and also there was some versions available on 4Shared).
Copy the text on this link to a notepad and edit the last eight (8) lines to look something like below, and then save it as "h3g.pol" (be sure to select save as all type, otherwise it will be saved as a txt file).

domain: untrusted
allow: network_access
allow: application_auto_invocation
allow: messaging
allow: local_connectivity
allow: multimedia_recording
allow: file_connection
allow: phone_call

3. Open Bitpim and connect the phone (be sure to have the USB setting on the phone set as "data" and not "memory" or "file"), go to settings on Bitpim and select the model. Bitpim works only for CDMA phones so for this you have to select LG VX9400. After Bitpim found the phone, click on read file system on the right side of the window and allow it to read the files on the system folder. Just got to LG>Media>Java>Cert and look for the file "h3g.pol". Right click on it and just select overwrite. Bitpim opens up the file explorer and just select the file that you have previously saved and let the program overwrite the original file.

4. Disconnect the Bitpim from the phone and then also disconnect the phone from the computer. Restart the phone and reinstall the applications you want to have access to the network and files with. You should be good to go.

Broiled Shrimps

2009-07-03T12:44:00.002+08:00

This is intended for prawns, but we didn't have time to go to the supermarket and we have the shrimps in the freezer. Simply just marinate about a kilogram of shrimps or prawns in a bowl with a cup of lime soda (7-Up preferred) for half an hour. Heat a sauce pan and just pour in both the shrimps and the soda. Let it cook until the soda dries up. Add in a dash of olive oil or a small cube of butter, and cook for about ten minutes more.

LAING WITH PORKCHOPS (Taro leaves in coconut cream with porkchop)

2009-07-03T11:53:00.002+08:00

This is a variation of the traditional Bicolano recipe. I cooked this today as I really miss home. I'll post the complete recipe later as I'm posting this from my phone.

SMART: SIMPLY AMAZING INDEED!

2009-07-01T05:36:00.002+08:00

To cut costs, I maintain a SIM of my network's competitor-- Smart as most of the people I know are using this network; this is because all telco promotions are exclusive to their own subscribers. Promos such as unlimited calls or texts allows us to communicate more with friends and relatives without having to pay a premium. One of those promos I avail with Smart is its Talk20, which allows a subscriber to make three three-minute Smart to Smart calls for only twenty pesos. With even the discounted rate I get for my postpaid plan with my network- Globe, twenty pesos is only worth a three minute call.

Talk20 is one of those usual call promos wherein calls are routed to VOIP to cut the cost of transmission. As such, the quality of calls can be a bit gritty; but people don't mind as at least they are able to call at low cost. This doesn't bother me either. The service though gets a bit shady as it often eats up your unused call allowance even if you are not able to contact the number you are calling. This happens to me almost every other time I register for the service. I still didn't mind it then as most of the time one or even two calls get through.

Early this morning, I was trying to reach my niece with still two calls I have for the promo that I have registered for the past evening. I was surprised to have been connected to somebody else on the other end, and the recipient herself was surprised to get me instead of the one whose number is appearing on her phone. I thought I dialled the wrong number, but then I figured it couldn't possibly be as my niece's number is stored on both the SIM and the phone itself and even on our two other phones. I tried to dial again from the phonebook but again Smart connected me to a wrong number. This time again the person I have been connected to said it was another person's number showing up on his phone and not mine.

My niece sent me a text message asking why somebody else is calling from my number. I told her exactly what I did and that I think Smart is messing up with the connections-- calls are being routed to wrong numbers. I tried to call again but this time it returned a busy tone; and shortly afterwards I got a message from Smart saying I already have used up my three calls.

I called up Smart's customer service to let them know what happened. I was not even about to complain. After the ususal touch tone menu, and a few minutes of being on hold, an agent finally took the call. She asked what she can help me with, and I told her exactly what had just happened. She simply thanked me for calling and hung up. A bit furious with the previous agent, I again called their customer service line and got through with another lady agent. After hearing what I had to say, she simply said that they only accomodate postpaid subscribers and hung up.

Some two years ago, I decided to switch over to Globe for the same reason-- Smart's lousy customer service. They simply haven't changed even now-- they'll tell you right in your face they don't give a damn. Globe on the other hand hears out their customers, and even calls you back to let you know of what they did to address your problem.

That makes Smart simply amazing!

TEST

2009-06-18T13:20:00.001+08:00

Test post with Viewty.

HAYDEN KHO AND KATRINA HALILI SEX SCANDAL

2009-05-29T23:46:00.002+08:00

Let's be sensible enough. These people did not intend those videos, I say even Hayden Kho, to be open to the public. Delete your copies of the videos or do not even download them at all. We should understand that this will definitely cost them their future; and that is to consider the fact that Katrina Halili is still young and still has her full life ahead of her. Again delete them from your computers or phones, never share them to anyone, or better yet do not download them at all.

Fit For A King

2009-05-13T18:59:00.002+08:00

I have never written about Manny Pacquiao ever since I started blogging. This is despite the fact that I have witnesssed his rise to fame from his humble beginnings. He instantly caught my attention the first time I saw him fight on the amateur boxing show "Blow By Blow". Well, I really am not a boxing fan, but I knew he has a future in the sports right then. It turned out, of course, that his future is more of a destiny to be the greatest ever in his sports. Or one of the best, definitely. His recent victory now forever etched him in the history not only of boxing but the entire world of sports. Although I disagree with most that his wins brings honors to Filipinos, as I believe his success is entirely his and his team's honor, I now can truly admit that he makes me proud just to be the same nationality as he is. For a King do deserve his honors.

CLIMATE CHANGE

2009-04-29T11:37:00.002+08:00

We may be witnessing a major evidence of climate change at the moment. Here in the tropics, we usually are this time of the year in the early-middle part of summer. Yet, since last week, it has been raining hard and eventually we now have low pressure areas (not just one but three) developing in different parts of the country. This ushers in the start of the monsoon season, which should have not been the case until the start of June. It may also be noted that the cold season have lasted until almost the end of February this year.

Leaders all over the world have recognized these facts and laid out measures to at least alleviate the possible consequences. We ourselves should brace for the worst as it is just beginning. If ever, we are having this year the shortest ever summer.

As scientists have predicted, once the shortening of warmer days begins, what surely will follow will be the beginning of the new ice age. The massive melting of our ice caps and glaciers cools the oceans and disrupts the natural cycle of atmospheric activities, which causes our weather. This phenomenon have been well demonstrated by the shifting ocean currents the past few years, which has caused some concern about some animals being displaced, and inevitably this will have cascading effects to every living thing in this planet. This oceanic currents are partly responsible for the distribution of heat throughout the planet; and as the oceans gets colder in time these currents will then stop and the planet will grow colder.

I am not being a doomsayer or anything, I am merely speaking based from facts. We all have something to fear, and this one is my biggest as it will affect every single person I know and those I love as well.

It's that or maybe only because my brother is coming home to Bicol for vacation, which almost always is hounded by stormy weather when he's there.

RAINY SUMMER

2009-04-20T00:00:00.002+08:00

Early tonight, after battering mankind with hours of very hot afternoon, there suddenly were thunders and lightnings. Shortly thereafter, heavy rain poured. I was just into the few minutes then of trying to return to sleep, and the noise of pounding rain on the roof kept me awake instead. All in all, today I only had a couple of hours of sleep. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep my eyes open at work.

GLOBE'S PIXLINK

2009-04-05T23:38:00.002+08:00

Just yesterday I found this new service from Globe Telecom called PixLink. It was a killer service backed by a killer app that can be installed to almost any cellphone. As it is still in it's beta version, the service is still for free. You are allowed to upload any amount of pictures without paying for the service.

What makes this better than other photo sharing services like Flickr is its being free for now. Filipinos love taking pictures and share them to everyone, and this service quickly is a winner. I have been browsing uploaded and publicly shared photos and am quite amazed at how Filipinos can be creative using just a cellphone camera.

See it for yourself.

DISCONNECTED

2009-03-24T22:45:00.001+08:00

Around fifteen minutes before I logged in for my shift, the phone system went down and all calls on the floor got disconnected. This was a big break everyone on avail are waiting for- evidence that indeed most agent on this account would rather avoid taking calls than do the job expected of them. It was a celebration of sorts as they had time at hand to chatter with those next to their stations. A supervisor informed me that it only was happening in Manila and our counterparts in Cebu are only the ones who are able to take calls, and they have only a few agents on avail to handle the massive queue. While those of us here in Manila rejoice, I was quite worried as every single second that passes by is a lost revenue for our company and that of the client. In this time of financial crisis, the agents should have realized this is not something to be happu about.

Drip

2009-03-21T10:58:00.002+08:00

Nothing really to write about; just to bump up this blog. Summer is really here in the tropics, making your underwear stick to your skin, which is kind of icky. Makes you always want to dip in a tub or a pool. However, we should be reminded of the fact that this planet is fast running out of fresh water sources. Let us always be mindful of turning that tap on. Be sure every drop is not wasted.

Together Alone

2009-03-06T20:01:00.000+08:00

Basking in the darkness of our room right now. With my wife in my arms. Listening to the new voice of British soul- Joss Stone. Really nothing but the person that I always wanted to spend my life with, the uncertainty of us ever having at least one child, the love we share, and a music that we both enjoy.

CHECK IT OUT!

2009-03-04T08:34:00.002+08:00

It's rude to stare, right? That doesn't make checking out somebody any
different. Well, I think it's alright as long as it's the opposite
sex. However, it's another thing if a gay is checking out a person of
the same sex. It should be. It's not descrimination to have a law
prohibiting such. I mean, imagine you're a straight married man, then
there's some dude at the bus or train bigger and more buff than you
are but evidently gay checking you out. I'm not against homosexuality,
and for crying out loud the house music I love so much is frequently
associated with gays; I respect their rights and they have to respect
other people back. Geez! Kaya pala ganun kasi bukas ang zipper ko.

DEMANDING

2009-03-03T06:25:00.002+08:00

It's scary how the business relationship between our company and the
client on which account I am assigned to has become sort of
sadomasochistic. The client do know very well it is the "bread and
butter" or the biggest client of the company, and that their departure
will definitely mean the break or make of the latter in the global
outsourcing industry.The former uses this fact to its advantage by
demanding seemingly impossible things in exchange for their continued
patronage of our company's services.

In just a matter of a year, the client have managed to demand at least
25% increase in the sales quota for our company while going tougher on
the requirements for incentives. Additionally, the client also have
indirectly imposed upon us calibrations on the quality standards that
have us almost begging customers for sales. It is a known fact that
they do not have the same high quota, strict metrics requirements for
incentives, and tough quality standards in their own center in the US.

I understand the position of our company on this matter-- the account
serving this client employs anything from a couple to three hundred
people; losing this client means letting go of these people. I would
like to believe that our company, especially now that it has been
bought out by a bigger conglomerate, can survive loss of such a big
client, and that it's main reason for keeping the client was to
continue providing employment for us, agents of this account.

Recently, the managers of the account came up with a mandatory 8 hours
overtime for agents to render within the month. The directive was so
sudden that it makes anyone think the spike in number of calls was
never announced by the client. We have no news about it but certainly
this should mean reduction in queue for our US counterparts,
presumably because of the bad economy of the US and they want to cut
down costs by increasing the volume of calls in the Philippine center,
as our hourly rates are less than half of their agents in the US.

I hope the client soon realizes the injustice they are doing with the
demands they have to our company. On the other hand, I hope also our
company can stand for its employees as we have done in its name. I
believe everyone do have compassion in their hearts.

THIRD

2009-02-22T05:45:00.002+08:00

I did write about bad luck coming in threes as from my experience, and
I hated to be right but I just simply am. The third death in the
family this year. It was a cousin again, and this time it was somebody
close to my age and I grew up with. Leukemia was the bringer, and it
did not last very long for him. He succumbed soon as the symptoms
appeared. His family were trying to deny the fact, especially his
nurse sister who has been living in new york. They very well knew the
symptoms and the blotches on his skin could only mean one thing, and
they have tried and tried to get from second to fourth opinion, hoping
in vain that at least a doctor will give them a different diagnosis.
It's morbid, I know, but I did anticipate he will be the third. The
tragic thing is that he left his wife and three young children.

On the other hand, I kind of had three bad lucks of my own recently.
First, my PSP was dropped by my nephew and stopped working. And then,
a few days later, while trying to transfer the files from its memory
card to a flash disk, the memory card suddenly went out and could not
be detected anymore by the system; and it contained pictures from our
vacation in Bicol in December and also pictures from my niece's
wedding, not to mention my favorite games. And then a few days ago, my
phones stopped working one after the other. They just turned off and
never came back on. When I brought them to the service center for
repair, as I do need at least one of the phones, I have been quoted at
least PHP 1,500.00 for each phone.

Talk about bad luck.

Test 2

2009-02-19T11:52:00.002+08:00

TEST FROM BOX.NET

77 Strings.mp3

TEST POST

2009-02-19T11:49:00.002+08:00

This is a test post for my Box.net account, for me to share music.

Born Slippy.mp3

FIVE, SIX

2009-02-19T09:20:00.005+08:00

It has been a few months since the transition of management of my company from it's American upper management to Indian has been complete. Our company has been acquired by a big Indian owned conglomerate. The employees of the company though, who mostly are Filipinos, have not grown accustomed to seeing Indians from the management.

It seemed this is also true the other way around-- on my way home from work early this morning, I happened to share the elevator with an Indian national. I smiled at him and he seemed undecided whether to smile back or not. When we reached the ground floor, it was only then he smiled and asked for me to go first.

The truth is that I have always been fascinated by India and it's people since I was young. You probably can blame it to such stories as Jungle Book and Secret Garden. Indians are known for their perseverance and also as hardworkers. We have a neighboring family who are full-blooded Indians but have been living here in the Philippines for several years already. Some two years ago, their home was ravaged by fire, leaving them nothing but the clothes on their back and a few thousand Pesos of savings in a bank account. They have to start from scratch all over again, and it amazes me to see that in just two years the family is almost back to their former glory. All because they pooled their efforts. If only Filipinos have the same determination.

Most Filipinos only know Indians as the people who are in the lending business fondly called five-six-- simply, the system is called five-six from the example that if you borrow five pesos you will pay six pesos for it (I wonder why not instead one-two, three-four, or even nine-ten?). These people, or any Indian for that matter, are called by Filipinos as "Bumbay", apparently with reference to Bombay or Mumbai. The word "Bumbay" has become synonymous for Filipinos to being strict and always business-like.

These people at the office are alot more different. They are from the educated and professional lot of their country. Some of my colleagues fear of what could be the the outcome of apparent move by the company to replace people from the former management with those from their country. I understand the move, not only for the fact that the new owners of the company now are Indians, but also for that Indians have been in the BPO business longer than any other country in Asia. I'm not saying the former American management then are not experienced in this industry. It should be taken into consideration that India still is considered the number one in this industry. The Philippines certainly can use their expertise to further expand the BPO business here.

The so-called colonial mentality of Filipinos could be the culprit why most employees here in our company prefer the former American management then. Filipinos indeed are more accustomed to the American culture than Indian culture. However, we may be forgetting that their presence here may also be a culture shock to them. Yes, we do have alot in common as countries-- the humid and warm weather, the love for spicy foods, the song and dance numbers in locally produced movies. But then it may be startling for them to see our fenced highways, the presence of mall and fastfood in just about every corner, and the staggering number of gay people (discreet or screaming out loud) in the Filipino workplace (hahahahaha!).

I'm sure it's not just me-- I do love Indians, and as a matter of fact I am a big fan of M. Night; and well, yeah, Kumar Patel of Harold and Kumar fame (potentially also I may love Slumdog Millionaire with so much buzz about it, but I have yet to see it). I love their perseverance, steadfast faith to their religion, and let's just say everything that Mahatma personified. They said in every Indian lives a little Mahatma, so what's not to love there? Mother Teresa couldn't possibly be wrong, could she? My opinion is that if Filipinos are to emulate a particular race, it should be none other than Indians.

India is bullish about its future as a developed country. It has strategically positioned itself in the technology world, in basically subcategories like BPO that are largely unexplored before, and emerged as a stronghold for talents and skills that are required in the global community. Philippines have only been in the business for several years and could certainly learn from India. With the acquisition of our company by the bigger conglomerate, I sort of am having a vision of the two countries helping out each other-- with India providing the knowhow, and the Philippines augmenting the need for talents and skills.

The decision of the management to sell the company was largely due to the bleak forecast for the US and global economy in the coming years. Our CEO then must have known best to have decided about it. The conglomerate certainly is at a better position to absorb any impact of the global crisis to the operation of the company until everything gets better. The name of the subsidiary of the conglomerate, true to itself, swooped in to protect the company and the thousands it employs. The economics is that it is better to lose managment of the company (and get compensated for it), than have thousands of people lose their jobs (insert here the warming "aaaaaahhhhh").

All these said and done, I think the Philippines should look at Indian BPO industry not as a competitor, but rather a partner with whom we can grow and have a song and dance number with (with M. Night directing).

Junky

2009-02-14T08:45:00.002+08:00

I'm sorry. I tried but I couldn't just do it. It has cast its root so deep into my person over the years that I almost immediately have withdrawal not having it for even just half a day. I have amassed so much of it that I'll most likely be judged several lifetimes if it is illegal. I can't change anymore. This is one hard habit to break. Not even a rehab will mend me; I might as well be dead. Only then can I be cured of this addiction. Damn you, house music!

SLEEPLESS IN MANILA

2009-02-11T06:21:00.000+08:00

I have gone for more than three days now without sleep. Surprisingly, though, I still am not feeling groggy nor even having double vision that are associated with lack of sleep. I am not feeling tried too. No, I'm not on drugs and never have been. It started Saturday morning after coming home from work. I'm supposed to be asleep during the day as my work is at graveyard shit. I did sleep on the way home on the bus for like half an hour or so, and then nothing more. I just lay on the bed listening to music and trying to relax my mind. I'm not thinking of anything, just laying there enjoying the music. My wife closed the blinds and drapes to simulate night time, but still I am not able to sleep. I only listen to light jazz or chillout music to relax, but still without success. A friend suggested I must be stressed out, which I thought to be strange because I normally sleep alot instead when I'm stressed out. And then again, today as I go home from work, I will be on my three-day off. Although I don't feel drowsy or anything, I sure want to rest my eyes and have a good long sleep.

SOON ON THIS BLOG: I will be installing a widget for visitors to stream house or electronic music on this blog. I just am refining the playlist for it.

GOING BACK TO TRIPHOP

2009-02-10T10:30:00.003+08:00

On the way home from work yesterday morning, I found myself bored with the music I have on my phone. For almost two years now, I have been without a dedicated digital audio player and have been using my phones instead as I dread carrying alot of things with me. The tracks on the phone I mostly carry with me, a Sony Ericsson K800i, have not been updated for more than a year already. I have been lazy replacing the files on its memory card with those I have on the computer at home.

The phone contained mostly house music, about 100 of them, and then the other half are of mixed genre from pop to triphop. I realized the triphop songs have been on my phone since I first bought a memory card for it, but have rarely listened to them, often just skipping as one starts to play. They mostly are from my favorite triphop band- Portishead, and then several tracks also from Massive Attack and Sneaker Pimps. I decided to create a new playlist with just the triphop tracks and some ambient and chillout tracks I also have on the phone and listened to it the whole two hours of my ride home.

I first had my taste of triphop back in the heyday of Massive Attack around mid-90's. That, along with techno and mostly electronica consisted the playlists on my computer then. For a brief period in the early 90's, I was into alternative rock, especially grunge and Seattle; but have never abandoned my passion for electronic music. Then, around 1995, I discovered chillout music. I have always been drawn to the kind of melancholic/dark that chillout music sort of creates, and so I figured I should learn more about it. In the process of trying to learn more about chillout, I have uncovered a sort of subgenre darker and more melancholic than anything else i have heard, and that is triphop.

Tricky was the first band I have come to identify with triphop. Back then internet was expensive and file-sharing is virtually still in its infancy. The only source I have for feeding my crave for certain kinds of music is to ask my brother here in Metro Manila to look for CDs for me. He managed to get me CDs of Portishead and Massive Attack. At first I was more into Massive Attack, and then even Sneaker Pimps, than Portishead. When Portishead though churned out their self-titled second album, I was convinced they are the best triphop outfit there is. Their CD stayed for some months on my CD changer in my bedroom and I faithfully listened to each and every song almost every single day then. I mean it rarely happens that you would like each and every single song in an album, much more if you are somebody like me whose taste for music is diverse as one can get.

As far back as I can remember, I always have been into music, and I have grown my appetite for electronic music as a young boy when I first got hold of a cassette album by Kraftwerk. I have listened to anything from classical and traditional Celtic music to rock and electronica, with everything else in between. Rock though was kind of a favorite as I was growing up- I view it as a type of music that gets you in the gut. Then as I grow older, it unfolded to me that riffs and screams doesn't necessarily help you vent out your angst, dark and morbid melodies can too, and even more effectively. Until I saw myself veering away from youth's staple of rock and more venturing into the realm of electronic music.

My fascination with triphop peaked about 2001, when I was about to realize my dream of becoming a club DJ. That time I have both the albums considered to be the best triphop albums ever-- Portishead's self-titled and Massive Attack's Mezzanine (pictured above). Then as I landed a job being a resident DJ at a club in our town, I have more and more concentrated on House music.

As you probably have known by now, it already has been more than 2 years since I have left residency at the club I was working for, and the club itself have also closed doors shortly after I left. Still I kept up with the latest in house music. That is until recently. I have been finding myself opting to listen to radio on my commute to and from work instead of the lot of house music files I have on my phone. I was thinking before that it may be because I have just gotten tired of listening to house, as I have sworn before that in house I found the soundtrack of my lifetime. Well, I stand corrected.

FISH OUT OF WATER

2009-02-07T23:22:00.005+08:00

I feel always like fish out of water. Never will I become part nor adapted to this life. There stands the need to be in water. Otherwise I'll perish in this strife. Hahahaha! My broken poetry sense! Geez!

SEEING RED

2009-02-02T06:17:00.005+08:00

On the way home from my cousin's wake in Sucat near midnight last week, I decided to just take the bus as I figured traffic will not be too heavy. I took the very first aircon bus that went by near the Sucat exit from the South Superhighway. I was going through the seats to select the best location when I saw a familiar face right near very end row of the bus. He smiled at me and I was trying to remember his name, but I do know that he was on the same account I was on before at the company I work for.

He seem to have sensed me struggling for his name so he volunteered it. He was the same as before, always smiling, although he seemed sick this time and evidently he lost so much weight. I remember him being a bit on the chubby side, and let me just say that it's a far cry from how he is now. We talked for awhile about what happened with our lives since the time he left our company. Nothing has been changed with both our lives, except that he now is earning almost double than I am. He's with another call center in the south.

Everything's well, until I asked him how come he trimmed down his weight. He jokingly said it was not intentional, and that he actually is sick. I was not about to ask him what's wrong, but he said he has AIDS. The revelation almost had me falling off the seat, and he most likely noticed how surprised I was. He just chuckled and said for me not to worry as he is on medication to maintain his health. I can see he's trying to be brave disclosing me all these. AIDS is a fatal disease, and sexually transmitted most of the time nonetheless.

I have know him before to be discretely gay. Until he admits to you, you really will have no idea about his sexual preference. We go the same route even before, and the trip can be around one and a half hour duration, so we have alot of time in our hands to talk. He admitted to have been hooked into unsafe sex almost immediately after leaving our company, and that certainly was what led him to his demise. The sad thing is that his family have disowned him and he's currently living on his own. He also is afraid he may lose his job if his company finds out about his condition.

What's even more tragic is that he has two children and he used to be married too back in his province in the northern part of the Philippines. Despite having been separated, he remained friends with his ex-wife, and he continued to support his children by her. However, his ex-wife only found out he was gay when the news about him having contracted the disease spread in his hometown. Since then, he have been denied visitation nor even just to see his children as his ex-wife and her new husband moved to another place.

It may be rude, but then I was not able to hold myself back to ask him the question-- if he has regrets. He looked down and then shortly he broke into sobs, still trying to hold back his emotions. I know this is something really big, and evidently it has changed his life thoroughly. To comfort him, I patted him on his back and apologized for popping the question, and that I know it was stupid for me to ask. He lifted up his face, he smiled and still with tears asked me if I still do want to know his answer anyway. I said yes.

He said he doesn't regret anything that he has done, and whatever the consequences were for his actions. He believes we always should stand by our actions. Sex in the workplace (or outside) is always a possibility anywhere in a corporate environment. Much more in the call center industry, as most people here have liberated mindset about sex or sexuality, owing probably to the colonial mentality allowed by constant exposure to the western culture. Additionally, call centers also have the largest ratio of gay population in the workplace.

We continued to talk some more until it was finally my stop. I watched the bus roll away, filled with thoughts on really how things can change for the worst almost in an instant if you are not too careful.

BE REMINDED: AIDS DO NOT ONLY AFFLICT HOMOSEXUALS OR JUNKIES, it also can any of us.

WAITING FOR THIRD

2009-01-27T06:30:00.002+08:00

Doesn't luck always strike thrice? And as I have experienced, it does the same way for bad luck.

This month we have had two deaths already in the family-- an uncle and a cousin. Barely two weeks away from each other and both with the same cause as my mother had-- heart disease. I'm not sure if we should take this as a warning, but then if it does strike thrice as it had before, then there is really nothing to stop it. The family is bracing for the worst, anyhow, but I say accept anything as fate would have it. We sure can do everything we can to avoid such fate, and that's about it.

It's bleak, I know, to look at it this way. The truth is that I really am not a superstitious person; it's just that I am basing this from my own experience-- LUCK BE IT GOOD OR OTHERWISE ALWAYS COMES IN THREES. And then again, they only come in threes.... and nothing more.

URADIO 107.9 FM

2009-01-25T04:55:00.008+08:00

For sometime now, an underground radio station has been operating here in Metro Manila. It's location is undisclosed, just the same as the owners and the operators. There are no DJs; they utilize automated playlist from a computer with mix sets of popular DJs, both local and abroad, and they operate 24/7 (or so I think). I'm not sure if it is unlicensed to broadcast, or if it's just a gimmick. But then they also do not air commercials save for station ID and regular stingers about upcoming clubbing events in the metro or also warnings about drunk driving and driving while using a cellphone.

They play underground club music, ranging from house to techno, even drum n bass some of the times. The playlist can be so underground that many of the tracks being played are unrecognized. This doesn't mean, however, that the music is not good-- believe me, they will blow you away even if you are not a clubber. I also am not sure whether they do play live mix sets sometimes, but surely what they play most often are mix sets.

uRadio broadcasts on 107.9 mHz and may not be available in some locations as their transmitter is only 500 watts. And then they also have a live streaming site from where you can listen anywhere in the world. You can find the link here. You also can see more info about the staion here.

UPDATE:
Apparently, uRadio (or UnderGround Radio) 107.9mHz is operated by Brainstone Broadcasting Inc., with studio in Pasig and transmitter in Tagaytay city. Circa 2000, it was known as Power 108FM and was owned then by ConAmor Broadcasting Systems, they played then mostly urban music. The station closed in 2004 as it was then speculated to be a pirate station. It opened again in 2006, and this time with the trademark underground club music playlist, but also then shortly shut down due to complaints by licensed FM stations. They returned on air in April 2007, shifting frequencies to 108, 107.1, and 107.9mHz (so, that's why it comes and goes on our radio back home those times), but also had to close again after some months. Then, in October 2007, armed with newly acquired NTC permit, it went back on the air and this time with live broadcasts of mix sets from two of the most popular bars/clubs in Metro Manila. And then again, late September of 2008, it was closed down by NTC due to expired permit. It resumed broadcasting October 12, 2008 and remained on the air up to this writing.

Meaty Eggplant Torta

2009-01-24T13:34:00.003+08:00

This recipe is quite common, and this is a variation of the regular eggplant torta. My brother, whom we consider as the one who inherited my mother's skills in the kitchen, taught me this recipe sometime ago.

You will need the following ingredients- 5 pcs medium length eggplants, 1 clove finely chopped garlic, 1 finely chopped onion, 1/4 kilo ground beef (or pork), 5 pcs tomatoes chopped,
a dash of ground black pepper, 1 pkt of coarsely ground crackers, 3 whole eggs, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 4 bell peppers cut into strips, 1/2 cup of button mushrooms cut diagonally, a dash of MSG (optional), juice of 3 pcs calamansi, and salt to taste.

Boil or roast the eggplant and then peel off the skin. Flatten the skinned eggplant, letting the excess liquid drain. In a bowl, mix all the other ingredient together to make a thick paste.

In a pan, heat 3 tbsp cooking oil, then spread one of the eggplants in the pan. Put in a liberal thickness of the filling, then cook until the underside browns. Turnover with spatula to cook the other side with the filling.

Serve with hot sauce, ketchup, or mayonaise as dip. Ground beef or pork can be substituted with bits of cooked bacon, ham, or sausages.

UP CLOSE

2009-01-20T22:38:00.007+08:00

On my way to work today, I chanced upon this old bus from a transport company that I have for so long avoided for being the cause of all occasions I have been late for work. But knowing buses going my route is hard to come by this time of the night, I boarded this one as I presume rush hour is a few hours past and it doesn't have anymore excuses to keep on stopping waiting for passengers.

Every thing's well, if only for the hint of stink owing to the fact that the bus is already old and its passenger must have not given a thought of cleaning things up after themselves. Food wrappers are on the floor and some have been slipped into crevices or gaps between seats. I kept my mind off these and instead turned up the music on my headset.

Indeed, unlike my past experiences with buses of this company, the driver ignored minor bus stops and went on to speed ahead and stopped only on major loading/unloading stations. One of such stations was Ortigas, and a few passengers boarded the bus as we shortly stopped. With the seats in front of me recently vacated, two new passengers, both males, readily took the seats. I didn't mind them at first, as they seem no more than office personnel coming home late. However, I did notice that both are blessed with things I unfortunately didn't have-- good looks and gym-fit bodies.

As we continued on, I opted to play the new game I have just installed on my PSP. Then I suddenly heard the lady beside me blurting cuss words. I lifted my head and turned to her; she was looking at the seats in front of us and so I turned to look also. And there, up close and right in our faces, two gym-fit men passionately kissing! Yeeeccchhhh! I have never seen such a thing. It may have been less shocking if one of them was really effeminate. I guess my mind is still not sensitized for such a thing eventhough we now are living an era when tolerance and acceptance is very much alive.

NEW TEMPLATE

2009-01-19T08:25:00.001+08:00

If you have noticed, I have this new template on the blog. Well, this is not the one my friend gave me, which I wrote about a couple of posts back. This is just to test how the template copying works.

REPOST: REDISCOVERING PURARAN

2009-01-18T22:51:00.004+08:00

This is a repost of a story I contributed to one of my previous online communities-- http://www.catanduanes.net/.

Because of my job, I have to reschedule my Valentine's date a week after the red day itself. My date and I agreed we'll spend it in a beach; but until the day came, we have not decided on where to go. We have spent almost all weekends of both our lifetime in beaches here in Virac and San Andres, I figured we have to go somewhere else.

The first thing that came into my mind was Puraran. I have been there only twice and the last one was like eons ago. I have forgotten what the place looked like; all I can remember is that it is a beautiful cove.

The trouble with Puraran is it's too far. Not quite remote, but too far. You'll be too spent with the trip to enjoy the place when you get there. Then a question popped up in my head, " Where did your sense of adventure go?". Oh yeah, I have spent too much time mixing dance music for Virac clubbers that I have forgotten my former life as an avid nature tripper. When I was in college, my batch (Batch 99) started the tradition of weekly trek by BS Biology students at Catanduanes State Colleges. I have since been hooked to nature treks and mountain climbing. That was until I took my place in Virac Clublife.

Late for almost half an hour already, I rushed to my motorcycle and pumped up Disturbed's "Stupify" into my headphones. My girlfriend has been complaining of my always being late and surely I am again this time. I could almost see her fuming mad and pacing furiously in front of their house.

My girlfriend did not talk to me on our way. I spent the whole time listening to Portishead and Massive Attack on my mp3 jukebox. Of course with occasional gasps at the sight of the beautiful seaside scenery of Baras town. This town is truly blessed with miles of stretches of fine white sand beaches. Perhaps much more extensive that either Virac or San Andres or both of them combined.

After about an hour and a half of rough roads and pot holes, I steered right into a paved downhill, I mean very downhill road that leads to the beach. My jaw dropped in pure awe with the paradise of a place that was before us. My girlfriend exclaimed, "Ung gayun palan dindi!" (I had no idea how breathtaking this would be). That was all it took to get her to talk to me again, and I teased her for it. The raw beauty of Puraran brings out raw emotions out of anybody who beholds it for the first time. We both could not take the smiles out of our faces, with us now is the opportunity to share a day we might never forget in our lives, be it we end up together or not. And at the center of it is the awesome wonder that is Puraran.

We approached the man on the resort and asked about the rates for the cottages. Suspecting we were there only to get laid, he said it was P150 for a short time-- three hours maximum. Yes, we were there to do that, but that was aside from enjoying the place. We were told the overnight rate is P250, and I gave the man that before I even realized how much affordable it was. It's official now, paradise is affordable. Paradise Beach Resort is on the other side of the island in San Andres; I have been there too and I say Puraran deserves the name much more than the other.

While our cottage was being prepared, we sat on the grass and filled our eyes with the scenes going about. It was nearly three o' clock in the afternoon. A few people were cleaning out the beach of washed up sea grass and algae. There is a group of Caucasians combing the beach, and a couple of Japanese-looking couple were swimming.

It's no wonder surfers from all over the world flock here. The waves are not quite perfect, but at leas it is consistently of good height. I am not an expert surfer to ever have an authority to say this; I have only learned to surf a beaten up old short board the summer of last year. However, I have enough experience to say the least.

The cottage is basically furnished. With a cushioned bed, an electric fan, running water and toilet, and electricity. It was made with wood, bamboo, and thatched roof. All three cottages owned by our host were nestled at the foot of the hill we descended from earlier. The only thing I didn't quite like was that there is no chair inside the cottage, there are only fixed benches on the porch; and the steps leading up to the porch are too thin, you could break your neck with one false step. All in all though, it's livable. There are another two resorts operating in the cove. One located after another.

We rested for about an hour or two, and then we combed the beach until the sunset. The fading lights did not at all lessen the beauty of the place. In fact it even enhanced it-- making the sight from the beach very romantic. What amazed us most is that it is very clean everywhere, even as the lights increasingly dimmed, the water is still quite clear-- from the beach you still can see the grassy bottom of the sea.

We had our dinner of freshly caught fish and newly milled rice. The smell of the broiled fish and the steamy rice made us very hungry that we probably ate like horses. We were so full afterwards we had a hard time burping. Upon learning we were first timers, our host did not make us pay for our meal. Before leaving for our cottage, we bought a bottle of punch, bags of potato chips, and a pack of something to make sure we do not develop a problem nine months from now.

After having our baths and slipping into something comfortable, we cuddled on the porch wrapped in blankets while consuming the punch and potato chips. The breeze gently blows, but with almost freezing chill. Along with the rhythmic breaking of the waves were the different sounds of nocturnal animals and crickets. It was very dark around, but I know the quarter moon will shine a few hours later from the mountain edges of the cove. The whole thing provided a feeling of utmost serenity, like the whole world is not coming into a verge of a war, like we were innocent children talking about whimsical things. The soft rhythmic thump of trance music from the small powered speakers I connected to my mp3 player is the only reminder of every single night I had for the past seven months as one of the resident DJs of Pacific Wave Disco in Virac.

Around eleven, the moon began to creep from the mountains; draping the whole cove, the rocky islet, and the ocean with its silvery rays. It was almost magical. We can feel each other's sighs coming after another. The only night lights I have known for the past few months were the neons, lasers, strobes, halogens, and scanners from the club I'm working for. This is a very radical but pleasant change in atmosphere. I turned off all the lights from the cottage and let in the moonlight. An idea hit me like a speeding bullet train from Tokyo. I closed my eyes and with the playing trance music, I imagined myself spinning for a beach party-- with hundreds of sweaty bodies gyrating, bonfires burning, and the moonlight is the only dancing light on. We should have that here in Catanduanes sometime.

I pulled the sheets and the pillows from the bed and laid them on the porch. Then I programmed my mp3 jukebox to repeat play all 89 songs in my acoustic selection folder. With half-dazed minds over the punch, tiredness and sleepiness, the endless sighs, the beautiful sights, the thought of having only a few hours left before our one day vacation is over, and our raging hormones, we laid and bathed our half-naked bodies with the magical rays of the moon.

Early before sunrise, we have to leave for Virac. We may not have another glimpse of Puraran's cove for a long time after this. So we took a last long look at the nature's masterpiece that is Puraran, making sure it sticks in our minds forever.

TRAFFIC

2009-01-18T06:17:00.003+08:00

As you probably can see, there is not much traffic in this blog according to the real-time traffic feed I have recently installed. I have decided to install it as the hit counter on top of the page was reporting hits of more than 100,000 a week. I am not sure how the counter works, or how the live traffic feed works, but certainly it is nice to know some people are interested on what I pour on this blog.

A friend of mine sent me some weeks ago a template for Blogger, and forgive me but I am not really knowledgeable on HTML so I still am figuring out on how to use the template. I am planning to overhaul the blog and use a better layout and template, also put in more things, but then I'm holding it for now as I want to be able to work on the blog in just one big sitting. I also am awaiting consents from owners of the blogs I frequent to add their URLs on my links, and I am planning to setup a sub-blog accessible through this one showcasing sketches that I have done over the years.

It is funny how I started this blog some four months ago thinking it may meet the same fate as other blogs I have started before, that is abandoned. Not that I have not gotten enough traffic in my previous blogs, but I really first thought blogging was just a passing trend and will quickly go away in the same manner as it came. My very first blog was way back in 1999, using Lycos owned Tripod services, which really is not a blogging service but rather a webpage hosting service. I favored using Tripod then because of the extent of customization it allows. I later have migrated to Yahoo's Geocities and several other hosting services.

Probably, the widest read blog I have had was during my employment as an internet cafe manager from 2004-2006. I created the blog around mid-year of 2004 and have maintained it up until mid-year 2006. It was with a flash-based hosting service, which allowed for fancy flash animations to hold the contents. It basically was part of the website I created for the club I was also working for then, and it had real-time audio/video streaming every night from the DJ booth of the club, which is owned by the same people as the internet cafe. We also had real-time chat, streaming exclusive mix set of house and urban music, a substantial gallery of events we have hosted, and a separate gallery for my drawings. The streaming contents though were hosted on another site as web 2.0 I think was not that popular then.

Some of the entries that have garnered much attention from my previous blogs mostly were about destinations in my island home- Catanduanes. I have a motorcycle then, which allowed me to go to most places within the island. Other contents my blogs before that had so much traffic were posts containing my sketches in pencils. The sketches may have not been tastefully done, nor it may not be artistic, yet I usually include with them lengthy descriptions or stories related to the sketches. I didn't have digital camera then, and the way I was able to digitize the contents/pictures was through scanners.

I have closed my last blog before this one some two years ago, immediately after my wife and I have decided to try our luck here in Metro Manila. I have contributed contents to other people's blogs or communities in between, but I have never setup another for myself until this one. With still only a handful of entries to count, I look forward into making this grow further. The fact is that I have still a handful of unpublished posts I am not ready to share as of yet. I really do not proof-read my contents so you may find some typo errors here and there, but it is important for me that it could be of use to somebody somewhere, so I make sure the information I post are correct and are up to date.

picture from: thisisbroken.com

LOST GROOVE

2009-01-14T05:46:00.002+08:00

It has been more than two years since I last had my hands on decks. I'm afraid I'm rusty by now and will need to refine my skills if I ever want to go back to spinning. I miss the nightly gigs I used to have back in Bicol as a resident DJ of a club there. I miss the feel of vinyl grooves in my fingers, and having to scratch on the first beat of the bar before starting the mix even though it is not necessary.

On the bus on my way to work tonight, I was listening to my playlist of house music on my phone. Although I brought along my PSP, I opted to just listen to the music instead and daydream (or nightdream) about the past years.

The crowd took a break and there are only a few on the floor. It was a few more hours before the club closes, and most are already tired dancing to my previous sets of RnB and HipHop. It is strange that I specialize in house music, yet it seem so hard to me to push for acceptance from my crowd, as they more prefer urban music than real club music.

I pushed the playing track into a backward spin, while slowly introducing the other deck as I scratch the first beat of Kaskade's remix of Here I Am by David Morales. The people on the floor turned to look at me, as if asking what the hell I was doing it for. Throwing them a smile, I killed the upfader on the outgoing and let the vinyl go on the other deck.

Some people got up from their tables and soon after the floor filled up. The perfect house pattern of the song makes me jump to it, as my wife beside me dances with me. We each have on the booth a bottle of SanMig Light, from friends of us in the crowd. Good tracks, despite the crowd not knowing it, always have the effect that makes them go wild.

From my crate, I took the vinyl for Robyn's Be Mine, and laid it on the other deck. I set the tonearm to the beginning of the track and then put on the headphone and pressed the PFL (pre-fader listening) button. I took the tonearm back to the beginning of the track and then scratched the first beat in sync with the beat of the current song playing. Then I let go of it to be able to adjust the BPM. I took one ear off the headphone to hear the playing track from the monitor on the booth, while still being able to hear the incoming track on the other ear.

Shortly after the first few beats, the incoming song goes a bit faster than the other, and I have to tap a bit on the pitch bend button and adjust two notches below on the pitch slider. I let the incoming song playing, and making adjustments accordingly as it goes off-sync. Stopped the incoming deck and returned the tonearm to the beginning of the track, again scratching to the beat of the outgoing song waiting for the first beat of a bar. I have let the incoming ride the beat of the outgoing on my headphone to check if it is perfectly in sync for at least 32 beats.

Went back to enjoying the currently playing song, while the next song is cued on the other deck. As the outgoing song nears the end, breaking down to just the music, I let the incoming track go and then adjusted the channel's low EQ to just half (I don't know with other DJs, I always adjust the bass of the incoming as I do the mix mostly when there still is substantial music instruments on the song). Slowly, I push the upfader on the incoming's channel to blend with the outgoing. While doing this, I also am adjusting the high EQ of the outgoing by small increments.

Kaskade's Big Room Remix of Here I Am by David Morales has this perfect house beat pattern, while Robyn's Be Mine has this off-beat snare where supposedly the hihat cymbal should be. It is a joy to introduce the off-beat snare into the typical house beat. AS the mix progresses, the two tracks are always in perfect sync and the melodies from the two are blending very nicely. I have started to introduce the bassline of the incoming by slowly turning up its low EQ, and I started to slowly slide down the upfader for the outgoing. Then suddenly both the track goes into a breakdown where the outgoing will be shifting to just drums, while the incoming goes into full swing. I killed the upfader for the outgoing and let the incoming take the main feed.

Just another perfect mix. And the crowd went wilder.

I wish I have my own decks. So I don't have to dream about mixing ever again.

PHANTOM MENACE

2009-01-13T06:41:00.003+08:00

I got an email from somebody named John Leroy sent under the email address helpagent01@gmail.com. I received the email as our distribution list in our company was included in the recipients it was sent to. The email is as follows, copied and pasted directly from the message body:

To ****** Team,

We are group of agents who represent integrity and have in the past refused to let up on bad practises on the floor. Although it seems that our leadership team is determined to make us hollow by allowing practises on the floor which are against human values. The conversion pressure is so high that we have been asked to split itinearies for room nights , we are constantly asked to drop calls which have potentially no sale oppurtunities and focus more with others so that our conversion looks better.

In the past we have tried bringing up these issues with our management but they have warned us for such behaviour and have asked us to continue practising these or else get out. One of us tried blogging independently in the web regarding this issue but we were shunned down( you can check with Mr *** or Mr **** ****** about these issues).We agree being competetive with other call centers but not to an extent where our values are sold.

Hope this can be fixed soon after escalation ,someone needs to audit the floor and people to understand what s going on.

Thank you.

Although I agree with what they represent, I am not part of any group and never has been. I still have my loyalty to my company and would not do anything to the effect of damaging its image. The entry from which this sender seem to be referring to has been deleted from this blog not just to protect myself but foremostly my company. It can be clearly seen that the sender have a different style of writing, which more leans on the technical side while mine is on creative side.

THE TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL!

2009-01-09T19:10:00.011+08:00

I was supposed to have this entry posted some two days ago, and I had a picture on my phone to back it up. My memory card has this bad habit of corrupting files every now and then and it just did that yesterday when I was trying to back up its content on my computer. The lone casualty was the very image I was to include with this post.

I got into trouble for something I have posted on this blog last weekend. The post have to be deleted after three days of publishing it online, otherwise it would cost me dear.

This happened as I was on my way to work early evening Wednesday. That night and the whole day before, I was weighing some options on whatever is the best thing for me to do. I have consulted my lawyer cousin with regards to my problem, and in turn she consulted her husband who runs with his brothers a law firm catering mostly to labor cases, and whose client includes a labor union of one of the biggest companies in the country. Apparently, the current cyber-crime law couldn't hold me liable for that blog entry, even if I have a contract with the entity I had sort of put into bad light in that post. Still, the resolution I have in mind leans more on moving away from trouble and sparing people of having to go through the whole process of an inquiry.

As the bus I was on stopped for the light in the corner of Ayala and Paseo De Roxas, the electronic marquee (or is it a billboard) on the corner building that usually flashes news and stock exchange indeces, flashed the following words in all capital letters-- "THE TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL!" with the label national news and later on international news. It should have flashed instead headline news, but there it was, as if a message from Above, and it stayed during the whole time the light was red. I hurriedly took a picture of it with my camera phone to make sure I was not hallucinating, and surely enough it registered on the camera.

Nothing for me to do but smile. Coincidence has always been a good friend to me.

THEY HAVE

2009-01-03T19:27:00.004+08:00

big time bore
over the hill sinking its feet in grass
underneath the grass the soft clay
the paved road below lights up with traffic
and siren wails from the nearby hospital
tethered to the avaya
unrelenting murmurs
and they talk about me
how i'm such a useless asset
so full of passion yet so dulled with bore
routine have sunk to my nerves
the faith gone and beyond repair
this blog should
we took turns
sana me vto ngayon
kung ano-ano pinagsusulat ko, e

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

2009-01-02T19:13:00.004+08:00

These are more of goals I hope to achieve than resolutions. I have been idling and have been too lazy about my career the past two years. Although I value being with the company I am working for now, I didn't really care much about my performance. So, here they are and shoot me in the head if I didn't live up to it.

Meet all the requirements on the metrics for my account for at least a few months.
Be more open to my customers to be able to get their trust.
Be more friendly to my team mates than I am now, and make sure to come to each and every team building.
Opt for a promotion to at least half a step in the ladder.
Now that I have at my disposal a portable way to produce music, be more productive on making remixes and original works on house music.
Be more agressive on networking in the DJing industry here in the city to gain clout with the right persons, and work on at least being invited to gigs or try out for auditions.
Save, save, and save.

And that's my list. Wish me luck.

SMOKIN' NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T01:23:00.002+08:00

Was just off to get a bottle of Coke from the convinience store outside our office and was taken aback by this thick smoke from fireworks blanketing the whole of Ayala. Indeed many are trying to be positive about the new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T00:26:00.001+08:00

Here in the Philippines, it is currently 12:28AM January 1, 2009 as I'm writing this post. Everyone in the world, Happy New Year and may we all have a properous year ahead of us!

RAINY HOLIDAY

2008-12-31T19:37:00.002+08:00

The vacation I had to Virac for Christmas turns out to be a big disappointment. Well, really also a mix of a bit of goodness to it. The whole time we were there it was raining almost every single day, and the couple of days it did not it still was gloomy and cloudy. My hopes of visiting at least one beach and soak some sun spiraled into pfft.

We ended up being at home most of the time, either watching TV or playing video games. At night, though, as if to taunt me the weather seemed fine and permitted us to go to the Christmas Cheers, a variety show pioneered by Virac held from the 16th-23rd of December and then again continues to 26th-30th of December. The show is held at the town plaza, and there are no seats provided so you have to stand the whole three to five hours show each night. The venue also is open-air save for the stage, so you also have to brave the elements.

I'm not really an internet person who spends most of the time online, although I have the ability to connect online almost anytime and anywhere with my phones. We also have purchased a Smart Bro prepaid kit, so we can go online with our notebook computer, but then the connection available is nothing but regular GPRS and the almost to a trickle of 3G during the night. It seemed many people from Virac who are now living in big cities, especially Metro Manila, have chosen to come home for the holiday and the massive demand for the 3G network setup by the two telecom networks-- Globe and Smart, couldn't cope up with the demands on peak hours. There still is no HSDPA signal available in the island. The biggest disappointment with connectivity was on Christmas eve when we were trying to have video chat or at least do video calls with some relatives who were not able to come home.

Among other things, we also have hoped to see some old friends we have missed the past couple of years. It's not that we have not been home the past two years, but all those times we have gone home we were too occupied with other things to pay them a visit. This vacation is actually no different than the previous. Well we didn't make an effort this time to contact them at least as our attempts before have been wasted. We then have to be contented only with Friendster.

Before we know it, we again have to be back to the city. I could have stayed for at least two more days, but then again I have given up on the weather ever clearing up.

As I am writing this, I currently am in the office trying to survive the next eleven hours of my shift, and it's only a few hours before the new year comes in. I couldn't possibly aford to be absent from work again as I don't have anymore paid leave allotment. I have used them all up even before the Christmas vacation I took last week.

Anyways, I have to look on the brighter side of things to pull it through today. So, Happy New Year to everyone and hope we all have a prosperous new year.

Kagharong

2008-12-25T07:04:00.003+08:00

A long-time tradition comes with the celebration of Christmas here in Virac that is as old as the Spanish times. It is a re-enactment of how Joseph and Mary came house to house in Bethlehem for a quick rest as she was about to give birth. Dialogs are done in singing, but rather it being on a stage, it's done instead in front of houses where there is a balcony. When I was young my parents made it a point to have us see the play as most folks then value the tradition. I also can remember then that it is required that Mary be on a donkey or a horse, while now the whole troupe is transported on a truck with all the necessary equipments. The re-enactment is aptly called "Kagharong", or Housemasters. I heard that the same tradition is also done in Samar, but I don't have an idea how long they have had it. Ours, on the other hand, as evidenced by the songs used, is really old. Last night, Christmas eve, I was able to watch the tradition again and was amazed by the magic of the songs, as it brings back memories of my childhood and thoughts of that of my parents as well back in the 30's and 40's.

Eating Like A Horse

2008-12-24T08:53:00.003+08:00

We dropped by some of my wife's relatives when we visited their village in the province. One of which we chanced upon having their dinner, and as customary to Filipinos, they invited us to join them. They were apologetic though about having nothing to offer than "ginataang gabi" or taro leaves in coconut cream and "tuyo" or dried salted fish. We dismissed the apologies and told them that in fact we missed eating such. We actually are too shy to admit that we do miss terribly having those for dinner. Or maybe it was bluntly evident afterwards when we realized we had each four serving of rice. I wouldn't think twice having them for lunch at work if they were available at McDonald's.

Coming Home

2008-12-23T07:56:00.003+08:00

I was planning on taking pictures of our island's coast from the ferry on our way home, but the weather was not permitting and my wife an I slept through the whole ferry ride. That is for the fact that we didn't get enough sleep as we have to brave taking a regular non-airconditioned bus. There was no other choice for us as it was a very last minute decision for us to come home. Tickets get sold out weeks even months in advance. The bus stopped four times to fix the gears as it failed, but the main disappointment was the uncomfortable seats that we had to bear throughout the whole 12-hour journey, which should have taken only 8-10 hours. That and the fact that we have to go through the perpetually in repair South Superhighway. We almost did not make it to the last ferry out, as we were informed trips to the capital town Virac were on hold for the meantime. On the ferry, I had to go to the bathroom once and was able to chance upon the opportunity to take the picture above. We made it home safe later and hoped the weather will clear up in the few days we're home to be able to go a beach.

I'M COMING HOME

2008-12-20T01:39:00.002+08:00

After much deliberation and weighing of the pros and cons, I finally have decided that we should come home to Virac for Christmas, my wife and I. Our workforce management team has decided to declare the 23rd and 24th of December as critical workdays, so it will be a big offense, earning a step in the progressive counselling, to be absent those days. I guess I don't care that much anymore about the job, what with all the politicking on the floor. Besides I have an alibi on standby, and it is that I will sprain my ankle on a trip to Virac and won't be able to come back to Manila until after the 28th of December. I will have a medical certificate from our family doctor to back it up.

Well, I'm looking forward to basking in the sun on a beach in our island home, if the weather will permit. It was long time coming as I was supposed to come home last May this year. We don't have much money to bring with us, but then we won't be needing that much as my brother whose a bit well off than most of us sibs will be home too.

I need to getaway from American callers who more often than not are spoiled brats, from one of our team managers who's a fashion roadkill, from my supervisor's really sweet sheepish smile, from my bullying team mates who are "pitikeros" and "pitikeras", and most of all from an Avaya callmaster. My head is spinning from the pressure and stress on the job, and that's what I need a quick break from. Well, alongside my daily doses of fastfood meals, road pollution, the more than an hour commute to and from work each working day, addiction to malls, and the sight of the crowded Metro Manila itself.

I have to do this. Not only for myself but for me to get myself together-- I have not been performing good at work lately. Largely because of too much stress and the insensitivity of the client on our plights, which is the refusal not only to upgrade our salaries and incentives to be at least a fourth of our counterparts in the US. I guess being in the third world country doesn't deserve you at least half the respect of what people from the first world get.

Come what may now, I'm going home for Christmas.

Binagoongang Porkchop (Porkchop In Shrimp Paste)

2008-12-12T17:01:00.007+08:00

This is one of my favorite dishes and one that I love cooking. It's simple to prepare yet quite tasty. Basically it is a variation of "ginisang bagoong" or sauteed shrimp paste.

You need the following- 1 kilo porkchop, chopped onion, chopped garlic, 7-10 pieces of tomatoes chopped, 7-10 pieces of jalapeno peppers, 4 tbsp olive or vegetable oil, & MSG (optional). Preparations beforehand are to fry until slightly browned the porkchop & to wash the shrimp paste once on a strainer to remove excess salt. In a wok, sautee the garlic, onion, & tomatoes. When the tomatoes are already soft, crush to make a paste.

Put in the pork and sautee for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the MSG according to taste and then mix in the pepper just before turning off the fire. To make the dish more spicy, the pepper can be sliced, or if you don't want it spicy substitute with bell pepper instead. A variation of the dish is to add cream. But if you are to add cream, omit the tomatoes from the ingredients.

WARNING! This dish is not fit for people who are suffering from hypertension or heart disease.

CATANDUANES

2008-12-10T20:54:00.030+08:00

Catanduanes is an island off east Luzon in the Bicol region. It is more popularly known for its reputation as the "Land of the Howling Winds", as most storms entering the Philippines either hits this island province or affects it. It faces the Pacific Ocean, thus the susceptibility to storms brewing near its shores. Travellers going to the island are mostly either surfers or backpackers avoiding the usual tourist spots in the Philippines. The islanders doesn't have a traditional culture to boast of aside from that already known of the whole Bicol region, and the festival held annually is nothing but a copy of what other provinces generally do.

The remoteness of the island also makes it not a very popular destination among traveller who only wants a quick getaway. Although there are two airports in the island, commercial flights are only available to one of them and are not so much an option most of the times because of weather related issues. The best way to go there is by bus from Metro Manila to Tabaco city in Albay, and then by ferry boat (Ro-Ro) to either one of the two commercial ports-- Virac and San Andres ports. Travel by bus can be from eight to ten hours, and the the ferry ride to San Andres is for around two and a half to three hours while to Virac, the capital, is approximately four hours. Three ferry trips are available daily from Tabaco, with two going to Virac and one to San Andres. To have a preview of what to expect in the island, the recommended ferry will be the one leaving early morning in Tabaco to Virac.

Transportation options within the island are abound-- from tricycles for short distances; to jeepneys, vans and buses for travelling from town to town. Major roads are paved with a few stretches only needing some maintenance, so going around is not that hard. Most natural attractions though will have you go through rough roads for a few miles. Accommodations are mostly only available in the big towns like the capital Virac, and also the nearby town San Andres and possibly a few of the other nine towns with resorts. Otherwise, you will need a tent and camp out in beaches or near the barangays or villages. Food can be purchased almost anywhere there is a village, but don't expect anything grandiose than just rice and viand. In places near the coast or estuaries, you may be able to get your fill of seafood.

Because it is on the edge of Pacific Ocean, the island is popular among surfers during the monsoon season from around September to January. The Majestics in Puraran in Baras town is known the world over as one of the best surfing spots in Asia, topping even Siargao as the premier surfing destination of the Philippines. Well, Puraran itself is a beautiful place with white sand beach and sparkling clean waters. It has been a setting for some commercial print photo shoot for famous clothing namebrands. An annual international surfing competition is held there sponsored by the local government. It is said that surf in Puraran can rival that of North Shore in Maui during the surf season. There are a few resort operating in the cove of Puraran. It is best to go off-season if you are not into surfing, as the room rates are almost half of what it regularly is. The amenities are pretty basic but liveable. And then again this area is only from forty-five minutes to an hour away from the capital town-- where better lodging are widely available.

Well, otherwise, the island is surrounded by miles of stretches of fine white sand beaches available to you anytime. The nearest of which is no more than fifteen minutes away by car or tricycle. Most beaches are still undeveloped, but those that are either have fully-functional resorts with anything from the basic to at least three-star accommodation. Many of these resorts are in remote locations so it can be a pain to get to. Exploring the undeveloped beaches is also an option if you can get a guide. There is currently no existing tourism company or at least a government-run facility (except the Department of Tourism) to provide you guided tours. The best beaches are actually still not developed so it is a lot better to have a guide. One which I personally have been to was a village called Bitaogan in Bato town-- it can be reached in about an hour by land via rough terrain, or about half an hour with a boat from the shore of downtown Virac. The sand in the beach of Bitaogan is as fine as Boracay, although not as white; and the water is so clear that even on the edge of the reef you can see the fishes down to the bottom several meters below. The sea is so teeming with fishes that seafood is really abundant. At night you can camp at the beach and have the view of Virac shoreline with all the downtown lights.

The waters all around the island is still clean and can be swam to. Even the shore of downtown Virac, the capital, is pretty clean that during summer people flock to them to dip and cool down. Below is a picture of the breakwater adjacent to the port of Virac, which will be what you will first see as you unboard from the ferry.

Pollution is still not a problem in the island. If the sky is clear, expect to see beautiful sunsets and sunrises. At night, even in downtown Virac, the nightsky especially if the moon is full can be breathtaking.

If ever you get too tired of the beaches, the nearest waterfall can never be too far away. Within the capital town itself there are already several options like Danicop, Buyo, Dugui, San Vicente to name a few. The most popular of the waterfalls in the entire island is Maribina falls and Solong falls.

There are likewise a lot of rivers and streams throughout the whole island. It's topography is very rough and mountainous, so there is an abundance mountain for inland bodies of water to source from. There are a few rivers that are wide and deep enough for white water rafting, although this sport has not been heard of in the province. Even underground rivers are abound, but these too have been largely unexplored so it may be dangerous to go to. The waters are pretty clean still for most, but the most popular ones tend to be a bit cluttered comes summer when there are a lot of people going for a swim.

Still a water attraction, there are several estuaries and mangroves in the island where migratory birds can be found. Birdwatching is not a very popular activity in Catanduanes as of yet, because coming of birds from mainland Asia is not very regular. There are some years wherein there are thousands upon thousands of them to be found in estuaries, and then there are some years that only a few or even none comes. Two of the most notable mangrove/estuaries are the biggest in the island-- the one in Agojo Marine Park Sanctuary in San Andres town, and the other in between the boundaries between Viga and Payo towns, where the bulk of prawns and crabs supply sold in the island and imported to nearby provinces come from.

For pilgrims of faith, Catanduanes is haven to several old churches built by the Spanish colonizers. The most notable of which is the Bato Cathedral; nestled up a small elevation near the banks of the Bato River, it provides a vantage point for a great view of the sunset and the length of the river up to its delta by the bay.

The Cathedral in the capital town itself is also an old edifice, and another one is the Viga town cathedral. There is also a church named Batong Paluay in San Andres town where a miraculous stone is enshrined. It is said to be that this stone have been attempted to be taken by the Marcoses in the 70's. The stone was found several or so decades ago and it was just a speck then. It has since grown to be more than five times the original size when it was found. The strange thing with the stone is that it has the Our Lady Of Sorrow painted on it, which did grow with the stone and revealing details in time. Used to be you need to have a magnifying glass before you can appreciate the details, but now it is very much visible to the naked eye. The image was not damaged as the stone grew, for if it had been painted on it surely will have all cracked up.

To the east of the island in the town of Bagamanoc, there are several small islets of historical interest. One of which has been used by the Americans during the occupation as a Long Range Navigation Base. The beach surrounding this islet has fine white sand as well, and the water is crystal clear.

If everything else fails, there's always the forest covers and the rolling green fields to run to. The central part of the island is still in very much pristine condition and there's a big possibility of some places to have been untouched for centuries even. Several years ago, we volunteered for a sort of an expedition into the center of the island where the rain forest is. We were supposed to mark the old trees as properties of the government and can never be sawed for lumber. We saw trees that are so big all fifteen of us then could not wrap around its circumference with our arms stretched out.

There are also a lot of caves in the island. The most popular of which is the Luyang cave in San Andres town. It has on it a park built in and the view of the forest cover and the ravine below it will take you off your feet. Big trees are present despite the area being close to the urbanized portions of both San Andres and Virac towns. This cave joins a labyrinth of caverns leading to several openings and where some underground rivers may be accessed from.

When I was in the island I tend to overlook these things and was more interested in getting out to see other places. As you may have seen yourself from the pictures, I have been a fool all those times.

FastFood Idiot

2008-11-25T22:30:00.003+08:00

No more than an hour ago, I lined up on queue Mc Donald's outlet at the PeopleSupport Center in Ayala, Makati for a quick bite. It was my lunch break, but it was very early in the morning as I am on the graveyard shift. I know I don't dress up for work and usually only come as I would if I'm just strolling in a mall, but I don't think I look that bad to be discriminated upon.

The soonest I got up next to the counter, the two crews smiled on me and asked what I wanted to have. As I was on the phone with my wife, I quickly told them I want their Cheeseburger Value Meal with an upgrade to large fries. The cashier sort of mirrored to me what I ordered but I didn't hear it the first time, so I said goodbye to my wife on the other end and verified with them what they were trying to tell me.

"Are you sure you want to have Cheeseburger Value Meal and not Burger McDo (which is of lesser value) instead?", one of the crews said, still flashing a seemingly painted on smile.

"You heard me right the first time", I said thinking they may be only offering it as they are maybe having a promotion with that Value Meal, "--I want Cheeseburger Value Meal with large fries and regular Coke."

Ever smiling, the other crew asked me again, "Are you sure you want large fries and not regular fries instead?", which ticked me right off. I demanded to speak to a supervisor or a manager, upon which they both have profusely began apologize to me.

"I don't know what's on both your minds or if you're insulting me", I said, "but let me just educate you that it is rude to offer a customer to downgrade from what they have originally ordered. If I were your supervisor, I would have terminated you from your job right there and then."

I'm not really the kind who discriminate on people, as we have been taught by our parents when we were young to be respectful of every single person we meet. Those people like the fast food crews from hell I just dealt with simply just makes me wonder what kind of parents they have had to have grown that way. Their parents couldn't have been any better, I think. It couldn't possibly for a reason that they were raised in a poor environment, as I have met people raised in slums but with utter respect towards others unlike these two.

This is not to rant because I have been insulted, I merely am just showing how people can be unwittingly rude because of their stupidity. Definitely, such a practice of offering a downgrade from what the customer originally asked is a big no-no in sales, even with food vendors that do have customers coming to them willingly. And, yes, even if they are as popular as Mc Donald's. This makes me wonder if these crews have been trained at all.

Similar thing happened to me with Jollibee in Farmer's Cubao some months ago. We were on our way home from visiting a relative in Laguna and decided to stop by in Cubao as it was already late to cook for dinner when we get home.

We ordered for two two-piece chicken meals with upsize Cokes. To our surprise, the cashier asked us-- "Do you want to have Sarsi instead (which is a cheaper cola drink), for you to make some savings?" I explained to then, apologetically even, that we both don't like the taste of Sarsi and confirmed with them I want to have Cokes with the meals. That said and done, they have issued us the receipt and they prepared our orders while waiting at the counter.

When they finally handed us our meals, we even thanked them as we're about to go to our table. As a habit, I normally first take a sip on a drink before having my first bite. I noticed the drink tasted different, so I took out the receipt to check on the drinks billed. It was, much to our dismay, a Sarsi. I hurried back to the counter and excused myself to the customer the cashier was attending to. I gave her the drinks and told her I did reiterate myself we wanted Coke and not Sarsi, then asked for her explanation why we ended up being served with Sarsi.

"Sir," she said, "we have billed you already for Sarsi, so we can't change it for you. We only did that because we though you may want to save some money."

I was fuming mad already, so I said, "Are you insulting me? And what right have you got to switch my preferences on me without informing me about it? Where is your supervisor?"
"Sir, she's on a meeting right now, I'm sorry," she said almost with teary eyes. "It will be taken against my pay if we change your drinks to Coke, sir, so if you please have pity."

"Well, to begin with, if you were not stupid enough to mess up my order, I wouldn't be demanding for you to change it back to what I wanted. I only will go if you change it to Coke. Or if you don't want to pay for it, get me your supervisor."

"Sir, we're not allowed to get our supervisor for such a petty complain," she retorted.

"You call insulting a customer a petty complain? It could cost you your job!", I was beginning to feel pity for her at this point. I paused for sometime to get composed. Indeed it may cost her the job if I push through with the complaint. Pulling myself together, I told her-- "Okay, let me pay for large Cokes and you go to hell with these drinks you have given us. But learn from this, you idiot-- do not discriminate your customers for they may be earning far more than even your manager on this site."

I did write Jollibee customer service about that incident, but they responded I need to provide them the official receipt, which I no longer have.

All in all, these things happened because they thought I could not afford to have those upgrades. Basically it is discrimination and maybe due to that I have darker skin tone than many here in Metro Manila. I could take indirect discrimination but not something as in-your-face as this. This strengthens further my observation that Filipinos are getting more and more stupid.

YES To Offshore BPO

2008-11-19T01:04:00.004+08:00

US President-elect Obama have explicitly said in his speeches about his being against the offshore BPO industry. He view the industry to be anti-American as it provides employment opportunities to other countries instead of keeping it within the US soil. This pronouncements have sent ripples throughout the outsourcing world, especially in India, and have earned varying reactions ranging from concerns to affirmations.

For the past few weeks, I have been monitoring the situation and particularly am after the response of companies who outsource some aspects of their business offshore. None of them have issued a statement regarding Obama's apparent plan to give tax holidays only to companies who keep all their businesses and human resource needs within the US only. With the current economic condition of the United States, it is quite vague how the government can offer tax holidays; yet it still is something to ponder upon for those companies trying to project an image of being patriotic of sorts.

Well, tax holiday is not that big a break compared to how much these companies can save by outsourcing offshore. Definitely that is a huge factor to consider-- it is known that outsourcing offshore saves these companies at least half the cost of what they otherwise have to spend if they are to stay within the United States for the same services. The Obama administration will have to shell out something more than just tax holidays to entice these companies to return using services from within the US, such as lowering the minimum wage to compete with those offered in BPO giant India, or even the Philippines.

Another question to consider is will Americans be amenable to taking up such kinds of jobs, which they otherwise consider to be less desirable? Whether these companies admit it or not, the main attraction of outsourcing countries are that the human resource are more hospitable than Americans. Americans regards highly of themselves and would not take flak from say a customer raging about a service that was not much to their liking. Filipinos exudes in patience that they will try and continue working with a customer who's impossible to reason with even if the latter themselves have caused the trouble to begin with. Many Americans do consider working in a call center below their threshold, which on the other hand is the exact opposite here in the Philippines. Or at least this is the case for now.

Another thing that'll be hard to compete with offshore for the Americans is the persistence in the case of telemarketing services-- I have read somewhere that the main difference between American and Indian telemarketers is that it is hard to teach the former to at least give one rebuttal and the latter to stop after the third rebuttal. Teaching a certain demographic something it is not accustomed to can cost time and money as it can be likened to learning a new language, or even new culture altogether. It wouldn't be a good thing to invest to knowing that afterwards you still have to cover for higher salary standards.

All in all it boils down to that BPO caters to businesses, and business could only be mixed with so much politics and patriotism-- it still has to survive and be able to generate income. On top of priority of any business is to be able to operate at lesser cost and more returns. Such could not be sustained right now by opting to be inshore, it simply follows the logic of "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush"-- the infrastructure and skills are already set and running offshore, why risk on something you're not too sure about?

*picture taken from http://www.cca.com.ph/

The Manager (True-To-Life Series #1)

2008-10-24T20:22:00.001+08:00

INTRO: Sometime ago, I have promised to create a series about how stupid Filipinos are becoming. Although I have not followed it up with any update yet, I have a few scenarios in mind I still am deciding whether it will be offensive to some people or not. With this entry, I am starting another series of, well, as the title bluntly suggests-- true-to-life stories.

Migrant workers have been one of the biggest revenue sources for the government. The word Filipino has become in fact synonymous to a person working outside of his native country. The major cause of this phenomenon is the lack of good-paying jobs available to skilled workers in the Philippines. In most cases those who are immigrating for jobs are parents who want to give better future to their children. This is the very case our story today is about.

I don't have the exact statistical figure to back this up, but it is largely known that OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) are mostly mothers working as domestic helps or as caregivers. Or at least this is the case I always know of. However, even as the mother works abroad and is earning decently, most of their husbands also do have jobs or a business they maintain in the Philippines.

Pat has been working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for almost two decades already. At this rate, everyone may be thinking that her family could already be well-off financially, which is very not true. During her early years as an OFW, and that was shortly after getting married, she was able to put up an electro-plating business that her husband could manage while they still don't have a child. Her husband was a mechanical engineering undergraduate who have worked on the same line of business for some years. As the business took-off and they have started to get some profit out of it, Pat decided to end her contract with her employer to finally join her husband and start a family of their own.

Shortly after coming home, she became pregnant of their first child. It comes normal with most people, I think, that when you start to do well financially you become sort of extravagant not only yourself but to people around you as well. Elmo, Pat's husband, is fond of liquors and have developed a habit of giving drinking sessions to his employees and friends every single night. This habit took toll on the business and they have soon lost some important contacts and also began to loose money. All the while through her pregnancy, Pat have become wary of her husband's habit that have fueled many fights. The fights were not that violent, and in fact there never were bodily harms transpiring between them. Before the child was even due for birth, they have lost everything that they have ever owned, including the house and the business site leased to them.

The next several months, they have lived off the meager savings they have and renting a small apartment. Elmo, though, still is into the habit and have opted not to look for a job. A few months after she gave birth, Pat decided to go back to Hong Kong again to work, while Elmo stayed jobless with the reason that he has to take care of their child.

More than a decade passed and two more children later, Pat still is working in Hong Kong and have been buried in debts all over. Aside from her regular job, she maintain a semi-permanent job with a house-cleaning service agency, and she also during weekends collects aluminum soft drink cans at a park where Filipinos frequent. Finally, she decided to loan a big amount from a bank so they can put up a small restaurant; with hopes that in time she doesn't have to return to Hong Kong anymore. She have thought of this, with some encouragement from Elmo, as the latter is a good cook. They started off with a few tables and employing three people, while Elmo does most of the cooking and minding the cash register. Business was brisk for some months and they have decided to get three more people to run the restaurant.

Pat went home for a month for a vacation, and seeing that the business is doing well, she advised her employer in Hong Kong that she only will be finishing her next two-year contract and will be staying in the Philippines for good afterwards. The restaurant was earning enough to give her husband and three children a comfortable life; and the earnings she will have for her next contract will just be to pay off her loan from the bank, while the few extra sum will be for saving.

Three months into her new contract, Elmo informed Pat that the restaurant is loosing income and could use some funding to keep up. She readily sent some money to save the business as it was her only hope to finally stop working in another country and spend the rest of her time with her family. However, what was first a one-time rescue become frequent until she already could not pay back the loan. It turns out that two of her husband's brothers are now living at their house including their respective families. All of them have no job at all and have gone to live with their brother when they learned they were then doing well with the restaurant.

With too many people to support, the restaurant couldn't keep up with the demands and finally had to be closed. The two brothers and their families did move out afterwards, but Pat is back to square one and with a wealth of a loan to still pay for. Elmo have become so lazy that even the kids' school events that requires the presence of a parent he would ask for favor from Pat's kins. At times, also, Elmo would loan money from Pat's father but have not re-payed him knowing the old man wouldn't mind.

With too much burden in her hand, Pat called on her husband several times for help, but Elmo moronically reasons every time that the connection is bad and that he couldn't hear what she was saying. Pat have since then gave up on him and have got no choice but to shoulder everything, and leave her no good husband be as he want-- a slob. Her family has been advising her that she leave her husband and entrust the care of her children to Pat's father, but she opted to keep the family intact for the sake of the children. That option may be better for her, as it seemed the one who spends her earnings more is Elmo. The slob has since been called by Pat's kins as either "the mayor" or "the manager".

Pat, by the way, is my sister.

Megacity Of Decay

2008-10-14T19:40:00.003+08:00

Yesterday afternoon, amidst heavy rain, two billboards collapsed on top of a bus terminal in Quezon City. This is with just a mild gust of wind. Some two years ago, there was a similar incident that claimed the life of a cab driver. The previous incident prompted the authorities to give directives to the public works department to check on the integrity of these colossal structures dotting the whole metropolis. Nothing was heard of a report about that directive or news of billboards being taken down in the last two years.

The last incident did not result in death, but several have been hurt and there was massive damage to private properties. The incident though leaves a big question about how safe these billboards are- as there are thousands and thousands of them all over Metro Manila alone, and there could be thousands more outside of the metropolis. That may be one freak accident and may happen only once in a while, but still that leaves a possibility of it happening again. Coming into consideration also would be that very often than not, these structures (or most other structures in the metropolis, for that matter- blame it on corruption in our system) are built using sub-standard materials and that most have been built sometime ago.

If you would look around this megacity, you would notice that many structures and buildings are quite old already. These posts danger to the citizens without a question as of course integrity of materials lowers as it ages. There are many buildings that are dilapidated and by international standards may be unfit for occupancy, and even some are dangerous to be close to for humans. Yet, these are still occupied and used. There has never been an incident before in the Philippines of a collapse of a building on its own without factors such as earthquakes or storms. However, it may only because we have been lucky so far and it will just be a matter of time before such a thing happens.

In the crossing between Ortigas and EDSA, just right across the POEA building, a massive hole has been dug for a building construction several years ago. The construction though was stopped when it was found that it was causing some problem to the foundations of the nearby elevated metro rail. The excavation was just a few feet away from the foundations of the rail system and just inches away from the curbside of the highway. It has been a source of anxiety for me every time I pass by the excavation on my commute to and from work, which is four or five times in a week. The hole has not been filled up back and has been widely agape for several years already. A wall made of G.I. sheet has been put up around the excavation to prevent any accidents of falling off into the hole, but it doesn't address the possibility of the sides of the excavation collapsing. If that would be the case, it could bring down with it a portion of the elevated rail system and the highway.

I tried to search for at least information about what are the steps taken or being taken by the government about such hazards in the metropolis, however I did not find any. With such a big risk to safety of the people, there should have been reports available to the public about government undertakings to tackle this issue. As if living with the constant threat of crime is still not enough, city life is further made stressful by these things that are otherwise resolvable.

Photo lifted from http://www.inquirer.net/

Chalk Works

2008-10-10T10:56:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, to while the time away, me and my wife painted the chalk casts of Sesame Street characters we bought sometime ago in a flea market in Manila. The result is pictured above. They are not exactly works of arts- well, the casts are actually giveaways for a milk formula for toddlers on a promotion several months ago, and somehow the unused items must have been sold instead. Even the water colors that came in the boxes with the casts have dried-up and would not mix even with hot water. Nevertheless, it provided us a good time together at home and at the same time relieved me of stress from work (blame it on my new graveyard shift). It sure was a delight to see all three casts done well. The activity took no more than an hour to finish, but it was one quality time together that we could be reminded of everytime we see the casts. The only thing is that we couldn't get a cast of my favorite Sesame Street character- Elmo.

A THOUGHT ON A RAINY NIGHT

2008-09-26T10:22:00.003+08:00

How come rainy nights makes your thoughts go wild? Last night it was raining hard and while my wife was still in the living room, I already was in bed trying to get myself to sleep as I have work tomorrow. I opened the windows so that I can listen to the sound of the rain to help me get sleepy. Various thoughts run into my head, and one got stuck.

Several years ago, my mother have just died then, I fell into a big depression and have sort of become a recluse. I just finished college then and was in the process of looking for a job. All the time I want to be by myself and I have avoided my friends altogether. My mother's death was such a major loss to me as I was the youngest; and, yes, I admit I am a mama's boy. Well, it can be said for both my parents as they do love me being their youngest child. To while away my time, I got into activities that will not require any companion, and one of them was fishing.

One early summer morning, I was inspecting my motorcycle for a fishing trip to the next town on one of my favorite spots. Our neighbor's son came up next to me watching me as I go about checking the motorcycle. He was a few years younger than I am, so I really am not very close to him despite being neighbors. All the while he kept asking me questions about where I will be doing and about fishing in general. As I was about to wrap up the inspection, he popped the question that I was afraid he was going to ask-- that if he can come with me. I thought he doesn't have classes as it was summer vacation, and I'm pretty sure his parents wouldn't mind. That was a start of a wonderful friendship that sadly only lasted about a couple of years.

We have grown so fond of each other that there isn't a day that passes that we don't spend at least a few hours together. That even during his school days. We are quite confident about our sexuality and I am sure it was not anything about romantic or sexual affection. It could be that I sort of have seen in him the youngest sib I never had; and in me hoe sort of have seen someone to emulate. He took after me not only the love for fishing but other things as well such as skateboarding, nature trekking, and even my passion for electronic music. Through him, I also began to mingle with neighborhood kids. Most of my neighborhood friends my age either already have families of their own and have moved out, or they have relocated somewhere else. That was the reason I don't have many friends in the neighborhood. I do have regular friends though and they always have been there for me all those times.

My neighbor friend however, who goes by the pet name of Tantan, has become almost like a next of kin to me. A little brother, even, which is closer than I could ever get with my friends. Almost the instance we became friends, he lifted me up away from depression and I have become more and more amicable and outgoing.

There was no permanent jobs available in the town then during the course of our friendship, and I hopped from one job to another. Then later I did land a semi-permanent job managing an internet cafe and as a resident dj for a club at night. Having these two jobs though took a toll on our friendship as I rarely have anymore time to spend with him. Soon after he just stopped seeing me and I have then moved out of our house to live on my own apartment near to my place of work. Still furthermore I then met my wife and we have decided to live together. I have completely forgotten about Tantan as we finally moved here in Metro Manila for my current job.

That was until last night. I was thinking if I have been a good friend to him. He helped me out of my depression and we shared so many good times together, and all I did was forget all about him in time. I don't even know where he is now or if he even got married already. I am prettty sure he already have finished schooling by now, or at least in his last years in college. I also don't know if he is already working or if his family still is living in the neighborhood.

Lookie, Lookie!

2008-09-18T04:18:00.002+08:00

The trouble with life is that you eventually get old. The promise of fountain of youth of even the most expensive of creams and facial rituals simply cannot hold back the effects of gravity and time on your skin tissues. That unless you are willing to go under the knife and be immortally without age. Throw in stress and vices and you overtime get to look like your parents as you remember them when you were still a young child. It's not that I'm so vain I want to hold on to my youthful self for as long as I want. Simply, appearance does play a big role on how people perceive you these days when self-advertisement is all the rave. By the time you reach thirty you might as well be on your way to retirement in a few years and be a recluse hermit. Although I consider myself luckier than most of my bunch, all because compared to them I still am pretty much in better shape. Many people still say I look at least ten years younger than my real age. They even are suprised whenever I tell them my age, which is mid-30s already. Or at least this is true seeing me within a distance fit for a casual conversation. If they were a bit closer they would have found otherwise. Well, I think you can only do so much, including denial of real age that I seem to be on now, before this reality of life catches up to you. Or else you end being taken for a senile 40 year old.

MUSGLE

2008-08-25T15:37:00.004+08:00

Not that I don't have respect for intellectual rights, but I do admit I am addicted to downloading music files from the internet for free. Rest assured though that if I do like the track I make sure i do get an original copy whether through download or a CD. Formerly I use P2P clients like Shareaza or Soulseek, but recently my computer has been acting up for the longest time and I am left with my phones only to connect to the internet. Luckily, I always get very fast connection from our house using Globe Telecom's 3G/HSDPA network. It is amazing to know that I am able to download at least five full tracks ranging from 3 to 7 megabytes in no more than 15 minutes.

There are a lot of ways you can download from the internet without using P2P clients. Mostly it is by using free online storage/file sharing sites such as 4Shared and eSnips, but it is a tedious process mostly and you are limited to only to that network's inventory. I have since found a site called Wuzam, which is able to pull a search online on these storage sites and file sharing networks and just simply list them on the search results. You can just then click to download the file. And then again there also are limitations to what Wuzam can find.

An online friend indirectly taught me a way to hack into sites using Google by just searching for media indeces with some codes that instructs the Google spider or search engine to look specifically for these indeces. These indeces are otherwise not available for public viewing as websites or webmasters simply choose to present them in more user-friendly interface rather than just bare texts. The codes are flexible so that you also can search for videos and others with specific file types.

While using the process one day, I found a site which offers exactly the same process without having to go through typing the search parameters or codes manually into the search field on Google. The site is called Musgle (www.musgle.com), and it does exactly what the search code do. For people like me who are not that good in computer logic it is a big convenience. The way I do it before I found this site is that I have manually configured the codes to look for specific file types, leaving just blank variables such as artist names or song titles, and saved them on an online note so that I can just copy and paste it on the search field. Although I have kept copies of the notes still, I have since used the site to pull the searches for me.

HOME SWEET HOME

2008-08-18T08:58:00.003+08:00

With the daily rat race I am on, it is not very impossible to miss home. For all the two years I have lived here I still don't feel I'm cut out for the big city life. I miss the simple and laid back life at home. I don't know. Even back then I have never stopped working since after college, the same nine-hour jobs and sometimes even more, but still it seemed more tiring to work here in Metro Manila. I guess there really is no place like home.

True. My work here allowed me to earn more and acquire more material things; and my wife and I should be living comfortably now. There even was a thought before that in time we'd get over missing home, but I have seen otherwise with most people I know who have migrated and lived here from the countryside. There always will be a yearning to be home for at least a few days at a time.

It's not that we have never been home those past two years. I am allowed four weeks' worth of vacation each year by my employer and we have twice gone home for vacation since. The only reason I am a bit more missing home now is that because we have planned a vacation some three months ago, and the leave I filed at the office was not approved then. The next time I can file for a vacation will still be in December, which is still some months away, and still it is subject for approval. With each passing day I miss more and more the feeling of having white powdery sand in places I can't mention, the freshness of morning breeze, soaking away beneath a waterfall, trekking in forest and mountain trails, and eating my ever favorite home-made "suman sa ibos".

Those simple things that may not amount to any endearment or attachment to if you're back home are seemed the ones you tend to miss most. Even things as simple as your old house clothings and your favorite spot in the house-- when you're away it creates a huge gap that can't be filled in by anything else.

Well, you may argue that I should have stayed home instead if I didn't want to be away from them; take into account, however, the fact that there are more opportunities for financial and career growth in the big cities than in the countrysides. As for my case, the money I am earning now from my job is equal is a little less than the worth I am earning with my day and night jobs back home and also that of my wife's job altogether.

On my commute to work early this morning, the bus I am on was picking up passengers from the bus stop when I noticed this homeless man sitting in a corner with his belongings in two large bags. He seemed cold and hungry and was all grimy as you would expect from those living off the street. From his looks he seemed to be in his forties. As I do usually whenever I see homeless people, I felt very sorry for him. It came to my thought as the bus moved on that he could also from the countryside, like most people here in the metropolis, and also wanting to go home like me. He must have failed to make a success here and now is wanting to go home but have got no money.

Somehow, I though I should feel better having known that there are other people who are more unfortunate than I am. I simply don't have the time to go home, while others don't even have the money for it. Still I feel terrible and quite worried about the man. I should have boarded off the bus and at least bought him something to eat, or even a cup of hot coffee as he was cold. He sort of stirred something inside of me that makes me want to do something about people like him. I always have felt sorry for homeless people and have sworn that if only I am financially well-off I could have helped some. Our parents have taught us to always have respect for others and much more for others' dignity. Certainly, people who are living off the street must be feeling a bit less dignified than most other.

Stories of failure are very common in the big cities from those who came from the countryside for the proverbial greener pasture. There could be many of them who are stuck here and are without the financial capability to go home. Perhaps some have found a way to survive on their own, while some have already given up and went to live begging for alms on the streets. I can't picture myself in the same situation as I have a few relatives here who could readily assist me. During the whole commute to work, I kept my mind occupied on picturing myself in a similar situation. I came to a resolution that I should at least do something about it and make a campaign to help those people in need assistance to go home to their hometowns. For now I don't have the capabilities nor the time to devote myself in such a commitment, but I have since sworn to myself it will be one of my goals to learn and find ways to be able to help them in little ways. I'm starting it with this blog entry and I hope to write to foundations, television stations, politicians, and hopefully I also get to publish an article about this on a major newspaper.

Dead Tired

2008-08-13T08:35:00.003+08:00

My wife is one of those people who couldn't exist a few minutes without doing anything. She has to have something to do or else she'd feel worried of not being useful enough. My mother is very much the same. I am not sure if it is hyper-activity or something that needs some kind of a professional attention. It is sometimes tiring just to see her go about as if everything are on same-day deadline. I just let her be, though, as it seems that it is the only way she can get fulfilled with day to day living- just like my mother then. At the end of each day, it is my pleasure to give her a gentle massage just as we are about to sleep, and tell her how lucky I feel to have her and her love.

PROOFS THAT FILIPINOS ARE GETTING MORE STUPID Part I

2008-08-09T13:54:00.003+08:00

A few days ago, me and my wife are in Quiapo to buy pirated DVDs for our planned DVD marathon, since it was my restday. We normally just go for pirated DVDs and buy original compies if we end up liking the movie. It is a different story though with CDs, as I would prefer to buy original copies or download legally from the internet. We thought it was a novelty when we saw a stall selling full albums in micro-CDs only. So, we entered the stall and looked for artist that may be of interest. As it ususally goes, a saleslady approached to offer us assistance. "Ano'ng hanap nyo, sir? (What are you looking for, sir?)" I answered I'm interested in some electronic dance music like house or trance. The lady replied, "Meron kami dito, sir, Bob Marley (We have Bob Marley over here, sir)." Me and my wife chuckled, as we perfectly know that aside from the Club Remix of Sun Is Shining, Bob Marley has got nothing to do with dance music. I retorted to the lady exactly that information and further informed her that Bob Marley's music is called reggae, not electronic music. I also added that I wouldn't be much interested into Bob Marley as I already have most of his songs and that he has long been dead. Aghast, the saleslady said in Filipino- "What? Bob Marley is dead? Since when? Oh God, he is really a good singer!" We hurriedly left the stall. The lady even has dread locks and rasta-style shirt and hat on.

2- We live inside University of the Philippines campus (our landlady is a distant relative who is a university employee), so usually on my way home I get to ride jeepneys full of university students. The University of the Philippines is considered the county's premier higher education institution where the brightest of minds come to learn. One afternoon, I happen to be on a jeepney when a group of Korean tourists boarded accompanied by two university students. They must be giving the foreigners a tour, with the students, looking all smart and nerdy, giving them infos about the various places in the campus. Apparently, the ride was sort of a quick preview as they still will be given a tour of the campus on foot. When the jeepney stopped near the famous sunken garden to unload some passengers. One of the students took the opportunity to inform the tourists about it, and in full American accent said proudly-- "That is the UP Sunken Garden, it oftentimes is the venue for concerts or fairs held by the university. One quick fact about it-- it is called the Sunken Garden because it has been sinking for an average of a foot each year." I nearly fell off my seat upon hearing it. I mean, it could be sinking by the meters but certainly it wouldn't be called sunken garden because of that fact. Sunken gardens of course are an economical provision for a sort of open-air stadium and has been used from way back in history. We have a sunken garden in our university back in our province in Bicol and I know of at least ten more with their own sunken gardens, and then there are the famous sunken gardens like that in San Antonio in Texas, the one in UWA in Australia, there is one in the Olympic Green in Beijing, there are a few in New york, and many more. If they have been called sunken gardens because they are sinking, as the UP student claims, this should have been a phenomena worth of investigation by geologists. Apparently, the student from the premier university is dumb enough not to know this. I also have lived inside the campus for more than ten years and there is no indication it has sunk at least five feet.

3- Like most here in Metro Manila, I use the public transportation system to and from work, and it is air conditioned buses I mostly prefer. Due to the nature of my job, my schedules sometimes leave me with very little sleep and I use the opportunity to take a nap on the bus ride home. I do need to feel comfortable, that's the reason I choose to ride airconditioned buses, but usually I turn off the vent as it makes me hard to get some sleep. And then there are some stupid Filipinos who couldn't figure out how to turn off the vent and just direct it somewhere else, and worse they could direct it right in somebody's head. It happens every day and not just once but at leat three to four in every bus I get to ride everyday. I mean how simple could it be to figure that the know in the center of the vent is a way to regulate the flow of cold air on the vent. They were able to figure out how to redirect the vent, didn't they? Could it be that they really know how to turn it of and simply opted to just direct the vent to others? That's really idiotic. Don't they respect other people? Even to ask somebody if they want your aircon vent directed to them is idiotic, what more if you direct it to them without their permission? It's not rude, it's stupid. Any normal human being would know that you don't do to others what you don't want other do unto you. That's a basic ethical knowledge called the golden rule and regardless of race or religion every human being should know it. Are Filipinos really that stupid to not know about this?

That's it for the moment. I still have a few more proofs and am gathering more and I will be sure to post them here. If you are a Filipino, get a life or better yet some education! If you are from another country or another race, get as far away as you can from a Filipino or from the Philippines.

ACTIVISM IN THE PHILIPPINES

2008-07-31T11:05:00.004+08:00

Okay, so we did succeed with a peaceful revolution-- or people power. Twice. And we are not content with it we still want to try and overthrow each and every administration with every single move they do? I think that's going over our heads. Filipinos have become so addicted on taking to streets whatever issue they can hurl at the government, disregarding the fact that everytime they do so will have adverse effect not only the image but the economy of the country as well. Thus, further making our lives in this country miserable.

ON WHY I HATE ROCK MUSIC

2008-07-12T11:38:00.003+08:00

On my bus ride to work today I was seated opposite to this two friends who obviously are rockers, judging from their clothes, and sure enough they are talking about their music preference. You can blame me for being prejudiced, but from the way they talk and the words they use, even a kid can tell they both have nothing to speak of intellectually. They could well be typified like your neighborhood "taho" vendor. Well, I have seen the worst- like rugby boys in Cubao or Divisoria nodding to rock music, and "kargadors" as well.

It used to be that these kinds of people only listen to the likes of boybands or Filipino HipHop (looking the way of Salbakuta), even those old songs rolled into a medley with just one or two persons singing all throughout. And rock is reserved to those with enough intellect to understand what the bands are singing, at least literally. I admit I have been into rock music for the longest time. You can mention rock bands from way back AC/DC and Iron Maiden era to those of the recent years such as Incubus and Staind, and most likely I have got an album by them either on tape or CD. I grew up listening to rock music.

Somewhere along the way, around the time of Incubus and Limp Bizkit- the early 2000s, I just realized that I am sharing the same preference with most everyone else. I heard the errand boys at the grocery store near our home in Bicol listening to Linkin Park and System of a Down. I'm not being egocentric or something, but I do prefer things that are different from what everybody else has. Somebody suggested that this has been fueled by the proliferation of piracy, which opened the whole she-bang of options for music to those who previously are limited to, well, Salbakuta. So, damn the pirates. I do love downloading through the internet, though.

Along with rock, my other biggest music passion is electronic music. At around that very same time my love for rock is waning, I also am beginning to explore remixing and music production through computers. Well, to tell you the truth, I do dig most kinds of music from classical to pop standards to jazz-- the most extreme probably of which is my fascination for violins and bagpipes traditional music of the Irish and Scotts. Around the same time also, the opportunity to be a resident DJ for a local disco (club for us, westernized) opened up for me to explore further into electronic music by way of house music, and also into urban music. And me and my wife lived happily ever after.

Note: Thanks to http://www.shutterstock.com/ for the image

HUNGER

2008-07-07T13:58:00.002+08:00

Last night we were watching a special on TV about the rising cost of the Philippine's staple food-- rice, and its effects to the poor in both the countryside and the major cities. The documentary was very effective in conveying the message to the world about how it has been a blow to most of our populace. We could not possibly remain apathetic anymore, there is no way we still can deny the fact that the country is in crisis. I have my own story to tell about this that have convinced me this is very serious matter.

A few days ago, I chose to ride non-airconditioned bus on my way home, which I thought I have never done so for sometime already; and I happened to be seated with a middle-aged man who apparently was coming home from work like me. I did not mind him at first, and I even was annoyed by how he smelled of sun-dried sweat. Shortly after paying for my fare, I fell asleep and slumped on the seat for sometime. I had my headset on and I was listening to my house music playlist on my phone.

The next time I opened my eyes I was a little less than an hour into the usual one and a half hour trip. The old man beside me was resting his forehead on the backrest of the seat in front of us. I stopped the music player on my phone and took off the headset. From the noise of the bus and those of the passengers, I can barely hear sobs in between heavy breaths. Looking out to see who it was, I found that it was the man beside me who was crying. I figured it will be nosy of me to ask him what is wrong, so I just put back on my headsets again and continued listening to music. This time though I just lowered the volume.

I felt quite uncomfortable having somebody beside me crying for reasons I don't know about. I am beginning to be more annoyed of the man as he could have kept whatever he is troubled of to himself until at least he gets home. But, no, here he is spilling his eyes out to the bewilderment of us around him. A lady who is seated with us in the row, pulled her guts to ask the old man what the problem was. The old man wiped his tears and said it is okay and not to worry. He then apologized saying he just couldn't help himself. He was holding a picture of a family-- with him as the father, his wife and three children.

I volunteered to the man that I may be able to extend to him whatever I can to help appease his emotions. He simply refused and said it is about his family and that he should deal with the problem himself. With a little more prodding, we finally got him to open up to us. Let us call him Larry; and he works in a construction site on a building within my office's block. He said that both he and his wife are working almost round the clock just to make ends meet. With the rapidly rising costs of living, he was fearful in time they will not be earning enough to have their children live comfortably. Larry also disclosed that without his wife's knowledge, he stopped having lunch at work for more than a month already just to save the money for their children.

It rained praises and sympathy on him, with some passengers offering a lunch treat for him. I myself was deeply moved by what I just learned. At home, we often have to throw out food that have long been in the fridge and at work I often just run to the nearest fastfood outlet on my lunch breaks, oblivious of people like Larry's family who are on the brink of having nothing to feed themselves with. Add to the fact that this man and his wife both have a job, how much more troubling can it be for those who are just living off the street? It seemed to me it will just be a matter of time, if this crisis escalates further, that we ourselves who are earning enough to some extent and for the time being will be affected.

I parted ways with Larry on my stop, and despite numerous refusal of taking a few bills I'm handing him out, I managed to slip some into his hands. Those, I said to him, are for his children. The next few hours, even as we are preparing for sleep, I couldn't help but be bothered. We were fortunate enough to still have food anytime we need some, and even throw out those we were not able to consume. And then there are those who barely even have a meal a day.

In the morning, as I prepare to go to work, my mind is firm on what I need to do. It may not put food in the mouths of those who need it most-- but at least this may help alleviate the crisis a bit. I will be advising everyone in the house and at work to just buy the food they can consume. That way, those that are later on just thrown out can instead be hopefully appropriated to those who need it most. On my part also, I will be skipping lunch from now on each working day in hope that this little way will help lessen the pressure on rice demand. Besides, even though I am still several pounds away from going over my recommended weight, I think I need to shed off some pounds.

MISSING NEMO

2008-06-28T13:33:00.002+08:00

It has been almost five years already since his parents made the big decision of entrusting care of him to us. They were just starting their family then, and both his parents are saving up to be able to support the barely three month old Nemo then. They can't just yet afford to hire a nanny for him.

Me and my wife at the time was a little more than a year working out our relationship. As with a previous post, my wife have had two miscarriages in our first year together. We were not devastated then, as we have learned to trust whatever God has planned on us. Having Nemo though was sort of like a blessing to us.

Nemo's father is my nephew who is a year younger than I am. He worked then in Metro Manila as a junior engineer for a construction company. His mother, on the other hand, is an employee of the same company. As per the agreement we had, they werre to send support for Nemo every month as me and my wife also barely are making enough for our own living.

We were so delighted upon setting our eyes on Nemo. Yes, he was named after the animation character as he was born in the year the movie was shown (2003). The experience was the closest we had to being parents ourselves. It was quite a job, but we pulled through just fine, or some even say great. He stayed with us until before he turned a year old, and then returned to us for several months more shortly after his first birthday. When he was about three years old, his nanny left and he again lived with us for a month or so.

The good thing about Nemo is that eventhough we have taught him from the start who really his parents are, he always have treated as just the same as he does his parents. Well, sometimes even more, I should say. There are a few times his mother would get jealous when Nemo prefer our company during our visits after we have moved here in Metro Manila almost a couple of years ago. Also, that time when he returned to our care when he was three years old, he did not forget our names and have welcomed us as he would have when he was just a baby.

About three months ago, his father- my nephew, left for work in the middle east where he signed up for a two year contract. Nemo was growing and simply the family needed to generate more income to be able to support him. His mother is still working all these times and was not about to give up her career as well. Nemo had a nanny to take care of him whenever his parents are at work. Before his father left, they moved to a province next to Metro Manila where his mother enherited their old house.

Until this development, we used to be able to just visit Nemo at least once a month as they used to just be in the next city around thirty minutes away from where we live. For the last four months though, including the month before they transferred to the suburb, we have not been able to visit them. Although we are able to call Nemo on the phone, there is no replacement to paying him a visit and bringing him home with us for a day. Recently, also, we have opted to lessen the frequency of calls to him as he is beginning to beg for us to visit him. We ourselves are busy with our jobs, and being in the call center industry, our work shifts are not like those of traditional jobs. For example, my current rest day schedules are from Wednesday through Friday; wherein those days Nemo has school. The last time we called was about a week ago, and it was really hard to hear him cry on the other end begging for us to visit him.

His parents are good, and they always make it a point to give him quality time during weekends. It just so happens that Nemo considers us to be sort of second parents, and he probably needs affection from us too. We do miss him a lot too. The thing is that we just couldn't make time for him right now. With the company, I am allowed total of twenty days of paid vacation per year, but as of now I only have six left and I am saving five of those for our vacation in our province in December, and one day for emergency purposes.

Somehow, we may be able to workout a schedule by the coming week to finally come and visit him. However, it will just be a visit as it will be on a weekday and he won't be able to come back home with us. That poses another problem as he definitely would want to come home with us like he is used to whenever we visit him. We're willing to risk that and offer him anything to appease just to give him a visit and not to bring him home with us for a day.

Stormee Morning

2008-06-22T07:40:00.003+08:00

One nice stormy morning, I went ahead to come to the office despite my wife pleading for me to call-in to advise the work force management I will not be able to come to work this morning. But then I gave my word to my supervisor yesterday I will report for work today. The company offered to reimburse me of my cab fare just for me to come to the office. I told them I don't need reimbursement as I can shoulder my own fare expenses, and that I only am worried about the weather I have to brave as the cab couldn't fetch me straight from my house. We live inside a university campus wherein many cab companies refuse to send out cabs for fetching passengers. The only option I seem to have is catch a passenger jeepney out of the university. So, on I went and risked my ass into the storm. Reaching the gas station outside the university I immediately saw a bus going my route, so I thought why not save the company from paying for my fare? Don't I deserve a commendation, PeopleSupport?

Holding On

2008-06-19T08:50:00.003+08:00

It has been six years ago since my wife and I decided to build a life together. Life has been good and has provided us with everything we need and a few more. Although there is one thing more that we have not attained yet- that is to have a child. On our first year together, she got pregnant twice but had miscarriage on the second and third month, respectively. People around us, especially our immediate relatives, are quite alarmed that she never got pregnant again for the last five years. We couldn't blame them as we ourselves believe the clock is ticking on us, and add to it the fact that we have a huge age gap- at least ten years, with her being younger. However, we also firmly believe that if God don't see us fit to have a child yet, then so be it, and just the same if He decides for us not to have any children. At least we still have each other and have stood the test of time holding on to the promise we made then to ourselves- till death do us part.

FIRST LINE

2008-06-16T12:38:00.001+08:00

I have started a blog about two months ago and promised on the posts that I will keep it running for sometime, unlike the countless blogs i have started before. But then, it met the same fate as the others; and worse, I even forgot the password I used with it.

Here I am, starting another, and hopefully this time I will keep it. Starting this blog has its significance to me because I am back to Blogger, who hosted my very first blog years ago; and I also have recently gone back to using Sony Ericsson phones after some years with either Nokia or Motorola. My new phone has direct acccess to Blogger, which I think now is standard with most SE phones, wherein I can upload pictures immediately as I shot them using the phone. With that convenience, I don't think I will have a lot more reason to keep this blog.

With this very first post, let me just give you the things you can expect from this blog. I am a recluse person and I mostly write random thoughts that cross my mind for the time being. Subjects could be anything from music to short stories. I will try to be candid or open with my emotions, as my wife is anything but techie, and I may write some things that she may be otherwise be indeffirent about, if she gets to read them. I care about here more than any other person, so her not knowing about this blog will give me so much freedom about my thoughts, for there are some things about me she'd better not know about-- some dark secrets that only a handful people and God Himself knows.

Here I am, blogosphere.