Search and You Shall Find in My World

30 September 2008

Remember Janina San Miguel?

Remember her? That beauty contestant who have a problem with the English language but was crowned during the Bb Pilipinas pageant this year?

Yeah, that San Miguel. Maybe she actually felt the pressure right now she had to quit.

Controversial beauty titlist quits

MANILA, Philippines—The Binibining Pilipinas World title abruptly changed hands Tuesday after the controversial winner last March, Janina San Miguel, resigned, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities announced.

According to a statement, San Miguel had backed out due to personal reasons, notably the recent death of a close relative.

“The untimely demise of her grandfather, among other personal reasons, has caused undue stress thus hindering her from fulfilling her duties for the said title,” the statement said.

First runner-up Danielle CastaƱo was picked to replace San Miguel for the Ms World Pageant in Johannesberg, South Africa in November.

San Miguel drew criticism over her remarks in the question-and-answer portion of the Bb Pilipinas Beauty Pageant, in which she went on to capture the Bb Pilipinas World title.


INQUIRER.net
First Posted 21:27:00 09/30/2008

Ron





Camera: Sony Ericsson W810i, natural light

Location: Owner's pad


29 September 2008

When Can Filipino Women Wear Something Like This?

Damn! We would be drooling all over the country. Philippines would be a spit country!


What a cool way to fret around. Don't forget your sunscreen ladies...


25 September 2008

An Excuse to See a Movie Star

Someone I know, a student from Holy Name University in Tagbilaran, invited me to watch Uyayi (whatever that means) at MetroCentre Hotel. It’s supposed to be a concert with Chinchin Gutierrez for an environmental cause.

I read somewhere that Chinchin is an environmental blah-blah advocate and that she is a movie actress. But I never heard or read about her singing career. Concerts are supposed to have singers and not actors or else that would be theater, correct me if I am wrong. But it did not interest me at all.

I ask him instead, how come an environmental awareness activity such as this concert, is done in a hotel where just by sitting there would already cause harm to the environment? The air-conditioner would be in full blast I’m sure. The seat covers would be washed with detergents and other chemicals to make it spunky new. With hundreds of people attending, the environmental impact surely would be a noticeable chunk in the climate change. Is this a good excuse for seeing a movie star? Or a hands down environmental watch to hmmm… well- watch and see if such cause is really relevant?

He told me he was not talking about environments, it is a cultural and tourism thing since the sponsors are the tourism students of Holy Name University and the provincial government of Bohol. I snapped back at him because I saw the ad and their come-on was a bad promotional strategy telling people about watching this and helping an environmental cause when in fact it has nothing to do with it. Why can’t they just tell the people that the funds will be used for some gallivanting around to a tourist destination? Well- this is creativity in the making on the positive side. They could be our future politicians. He told me he is going back at me. I am afraid he would be bringing the whole batch of tourism students from that university.

Anyways, if their cause is real, they could have done it at Plaza Rizal right under the trees. One carbon footprint less, di ba? And while the guests are paying P400, they can also give the non-paying bystanders (read: public) a chance to watch and listen, misinformation education no matter, giving their cause a justifiable place to go. That would have been a good promotional ploy.

But then again, I am not their marketing specialist.

I hope the proceeds of this “concert” will truly benefit the environment. Which environment if I may ask?

(Yeah, I am such a bitch.)

24 September 2008

10 things I love about Bohol (an article written by Ricky Lo of Philippine Star)


I fell in love with Bohol the first time I went there three years ago to attend the wedding of a friend's brother. I've been going there every chance I get since then, to what my Boholano friend Raoul Tidalgo and I call "our paradise on earth."

When my big-city-trapped friends ask me why I'm always in Bohol (it just seems like that because I keep on mentioning the place and the people in this corner every once too often), I want to tell them, "Let me count the ways," rattling off the following "10 Things to Love About Bohol" (not necessarily in this order):

1. The Tarsier - I saw it perched on a tree along the Loboc River made even more famous by Cesar Montano, one of Bohol's pride, in his movie Panaghoy sa Suba. I looked at it eyeball-to-eyeball and that's how I noticed lonely its eyes were, so huge that, for a while, I felt that those eyes would kill me with gentleness.

2. The Chocolate Hills -One of Da King FPJ's favorite settings of his blockbusters, the hills are alive with the whatever sound you can imagine, all those 1,268 mounds (count 'em!). If you have the stamina, try climbing the 200-plus steps up one of them and, from the peak, be mesmerized by a panoramic view of the province. Breath-taking! How did the hills got the name? Give the credit to the Americans who, many years ago, stood transfixed by the natural wonder that reminded them of Chocolate Kisses. Thus, Chocolate Hills.

3. The Amarela (in Panglao) - Touted on its flyer as "...not just a beautiful beach resort but also a showcase of Bohol's rich cultural and artistic heritage...", Amarela is Spanish for yellow. Said its owner-manager Doy Nunag, "We called it Amarela by accident. Three years ago when we were on a family vacation in Portugal, we noticed that the subway lines were identified by color, one of them the Amarela Line. We were looking for a name for the resort and we thought that Amarela was perfect for it." Most of the rooms face the sea. Watch the sun rise and set from your window, and you will sing the famous Sunrise, Sunset song from Fiddler on the Roof with new lyrics coming spontaneously from your heart. I heard that Bea Zobel stays at Amarela when she's in Bohol, which is often. (Note: For inquiries, call 038-5029497 to 98 or cell phone 0906-5884145.)

4. The old churches - Raoul and I visited 14 churches the first time I was in Bohol, completing the Visita Iglesia even if it was the Lenten Season. We lingered a bit in the vicinity of Baclayon Church in Baclayon town, several meters away from it stands the lighthouse where Cesar Montano proposed to Sunshine Cruz at sunset, to the enchanting music of the Loboc Children's Choir. Romantic!

5. The Bohol Bee Farm - Owned and managed by Vicky Wallace, the Farm serves all-organic food, including - would you believe! - Bougainvilla Salad ("Anything that the bees eat is edible," assured Vicky, a retired nurse who worked in the States, now the widow of an American husband) and Camote Bread. To digest an "organic" meal, you can stroll around place and have a close look at the bees of various species, coming from different parts of the country (and Australia).

6. The Peanut Kisses, Ube Jam and Torta - Don't just bring home beautiful memories from Bohol, complete with album-fuls of pictures. Remember to drop by any of the groceries in department stores (BQ Mall - BQ for Bohol Quality - one of them, owned and managed by Raymond Ong who also owns and manages Metro Center which has a cozy hotel at the heart of Tagbilaran City) and stuff your back-pack with as many packs of Peanut Kisses and Torta and Ube Jam as you can. Family and friends back home will love those pasalubongs. Yummy!

7. Payag Restaurant - Your weekend in Tagbilaran will not be complete if you don't take lunch or dinner at Payag (#18 CPG East Avenue). My favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Barbecue, served with fresh achara and cold buko juice (or any juice of your choice). When Floy Quintos brought balikbayan international model Anna Bayle to Bohol, they went to Payag for dinner. "They occupied that table in the corner," Raoul pointed out. "Anna looked as delicious as the chicken inasal, holding a bottle of ice-cold Beer Light." Burp before you leave the place. (Note: For reservations, call 038-4112527 or 038-5019447.)

8. The Loboc River Night Cruise - For a touch of romance, take this tour with a loved one (lover or friend) - or even alone (you can "romance" yourself, can't you? By day, the cruise comes with buffet lunch. At night, you first take dinner at a floating restaurant and then you transfer to a boat that sails oh-so-slowly along the river between tall trees on both banks, adorned with lights that turn from red to orange to pink to violet to green to blue and then to light blue-green. Those lights were donated by Carlos Chan (Benchan's brother) to the tune of... P12 million!?!... including the Children's Palace where the Loboc Youth Band caps the cruise with an hour of soothing music. But first, enjoy a homegrown group composed of children and adults, waiting on a raft at the far end of the Loboc River to serenade the "cruisers" during the brief stopover. (Don't forget to donate a few bucks to the singing group; they need it.) Cruise prices are very affordable. (Note: For inquiries, call the Loboc Tourism Port Office at 038-5379292 or mobile phones 0928-5077627 and 0920-9623550.)

9. The Panglao Island Nature Resort - Owned and managed by Raymond Ong, this resort is another haven for weary souls from the big city. If you're looking for a place so quiet and so serene that you can feel your heart gently beating and yourself thinking, with only the sound of the wind rustling among the trees, this is the place for you. Your muscles grown tired? Walk to The Spa nearby. Or take a swim or do a lap or two at the Olympic-size pool. Or run to the beach just beyond your cottage. The resort's new feature is the just-opened Verdant Pavilion which is a perfect venue for concerts (Sitti was the first to hold one there; and, if negotiations push through, Martin Nievera just might do a Valentine concert there in February next year, keep your fingers crossed!). For inquiries, call (63-38) 411-5875 or 502-2451.

10. The Beautiful Boholanos - Bohol has produced a lot of stars, including Cesar Montano (of course, who is rumored to be running for governor or congressman), Luke Mejares, retired actress and now US-based Rebecca del Rio, Giselle Sanchez, the late Yoyoy Villame, StarStruck finalist Rich Asuncion, Star in a Million Champion Jerome Sala (now managing the family's hollow blocks business and, on the side, driving the family-owned passenger jeepney), Rebecca Lusterio, Hot Babe Sheree, Lutgardo Labad, 2006 Bb. Pilipinas-World Mariz Igpit and "adopted son" Maryo J. delos Reyes (who has a house in Tagbilaran. And, last but definitely not the least, my friends (aside from Raoul Tidalgo, Raymond Ong, Vicky Wallace and Doy Nunag), Betty Veloso-Garcia (and the Veloso Family), Boy Echavez and Liklik Schroeder (now based in Sacramento, California).


(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com) - Ricardo F. Lo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)


18 September 2008

Yummy!




Who could tell that Dumaguete can make a very tasty health food called Chewy Fruit Bar? This looks nice but even tastes better!

I took the pics for the International Food Exhibitions when they participated in that show.

A Very Good Night at Garden Cafe

I came to visit friends in Tagbilaran this week and they brought me to this nice place called Garden Cafe. The place has improved so much that even if I came to Tagbilaran once in a while, the place looked new to me.

Aside from the fact that it is run by deaf mutes (only the cashiers can talk), the cafe is actually very orderly and better than other restos in Tagbilaran. For one, the place is generally clean. The ambience is very good! The cowboy-themed resto lived up to its name. You can see different items from Montana, USA in their Montana room. The music is country and you could not resist the cowboy fare in their menu. Overall rating for this resto is 100%.

I wonder why the cafe of the Bohol Bee Farm could not imitate this resto. I mean, they have different themes but at The Buzzz (after the bees) at the Island City Mall, the ambience is very different from what they adhere. The Buzzz Cafe brags about organic food and yet the place does not came near to organic. Their music is even worst, playing the local radio station where a gay anchor blabbers the names of Tagbilaran residents. It is irritatingly irritating when you are eating garden salad.

12 September 2008

My Ego is Bruised

A friend of mine visited me at home to see how am I doing. The first thing he said was Bati man ni imo lugar uy (I don't like your place).

I was dumbfounded. My ego touched.

So I asked him why my place is not good for him. He told me it was away from the road, so silent, and so many trees.

I wonder what the hell he was talking about. In this crazy world where everything is so fast moving and fast changing, almost everyone wanted peace and joy in some silent world we can call our own, away from the hustle and bustle of modernity.

Where you from again?

Siquijor, he told me.

No wonder.

08 September 2008

Rainy Night in Cebu!



Been working infront of the computer since 7 this morning. I haven't eaten a full meal yet. All that gave me sustainance were oatmeal, whole wheat bagels, coffee and AllChilled@181.FM.

Suddenly the rain poured at 10 this evening. That was a signal for me to take a break.

Went out. Witnessed the rain. Got wet. Drank my nth mug of coffee. This song came in...


Angry faces, cursing loud,
Changing places, falling proud
Behind the bomb, no one cares,
Time is money
We're taught to tear
It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance is never around
It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance is never around
How can we show, how to feel
Situation ain't so real
Chopping wood won't stop the rage
We need targets on war we wage
It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance is never around

It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance is never around

You smash they grab 'til it's gone
Attempt to grow and fix undone
And I am the way it's all to scale
We're all companions on which we sail
It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance is never around

It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance is never around

It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance is never around

It's all part of the process
We all love looking down
All we want is some success
But the chance...

06 September 2008

Champagne Supernova (Video)

Champagne Supernova

How many special people change
How many lives are living strange
Where were you when we were getting high?
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannon ball
Where were you while we were getting high?

Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide 
In a champagne supernova 
A champagne supernova in the sky

Wake up the dawn and ask her why 
A dreamer dreams she never dies 
Wipe that tear away now from your eye
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannon ball
Where were you when we were getting high?

Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky

Cos people believe that they're
Gonna get away for the summer
But you and I, we live and die 
The world's still spinning round
We don't know why 
Why, why, why, why...

How many special people change 
How many lives are living strange 
Where were you when we were getting high? 
Slowly walking down the hall 
Faster than a cannon ball 
Where were you while we were getting high? 

Some day you will find me 
Caught beneath the landslide 
In a champagne supernova in the sky 
Some day you will find me 
Caught beneath the landslide 
In a champagne supernova 
A champagne supernova in the sky

Cos people believe that they're
Gonna get away for the summer 
But you and I, we live and die 
The world's still spinning round 
We don't know why 
Why, why, why, why 

How many special people change 
How many lives are living strange
Where were you when we were getting high?
We were getting high
We were getting high
We were getting high
We were getting high...

A Night at the Aviary

My body hurt all over. My back is painful. The prize of getting old. Damn!

I asked a friend where I could have a decent massage. I don't want to be in Thewi Thai because during my last massage there, the masseuse was actually snoring while doing the massage on me.

My friend suggested Aviary. What a funny name for a massage center. I don't want to expect birds there. When in fact there are birds there, he told me. I was amused. Whatever bird that was, I wanted massage so I could sleep soundly.

The incharge at the reception was called Peacock. I could not help but laugh because the lady looks like a peacock too. She was calling everyone asking who was free. She mentioned a certain Vulture and a Pelican.

I was actually praying that my masseur would not be Vulture. Just by the name, I could imagine what would happen to me in the room.

Someone called me to proceed to room 2. I went in. The linens looked used. I have 
to smell it to tell the difference. There was even a hole/rip on the linens! Graciousness. I don't know what to do. I was used to at Thewi Thai, Banyan Tree and Grand Royal, when all there linens smelled good and looked clean. But at Aviary, I could not be certain. Even the place did not smell good.

I asked the massuer where were the shorts. He asked me back if I wanted shorts. I stripped in the nude and used the curtain material at the massage bed as cover. It was taken from me to cover my entire body when he told me we would start the massage. I was uncomfortable.

But later, the masseur put me in a comatose situation. He was actually good. I almost fell
 asleep if not of his hard massage. It was a new experience for me.

Feeling revived and soothed, I gave him a generous tip. And then I asked him who he was. I'm Vulture Sir, came the answer. Boy, I was more than glad I did not came out dead or else I could imagine what a vulture would be doing to me.

One more observation- there seem to be NO ladies at the massage clinic. As we were about to end the session, a horde of screaming fags came and did not even mind talking in a hush hush despite the warning signages. They were talking about whose going to be their masseur of choice.

Now this made me wonder...


05 September 2008

Of Soups and Rain,The Boholano Connection

I am not a Bol-anon! That's what people say to me knowing I am not really fond of soups of any kind. It is like Bohol is equated with soup. I don't know why. But unlike most of Boholanos who would make their rice swim in its different concoctions, I rather have mine dry.

I remember my mother who would make spring chicken (translated as manok Bisaya) soup and would tell us to have as much, so it would rain. I don't know what was the connection. When you were young you would not question the wisdom of the old folks. Or else. There was no child abuse law during my time.

They also had a hard time forcing me to eat soup when I have fever or when I am sick. I don't like soup. Period.

But I don't know what happened to me last night. My friend brought me to Chicken Company and all I ordered was chicken soup. It was not the best of soups. It was rather bland for my taste and too commercial with only two bits and pieces of chicken and some very small pieces of vegetables. But I devoured the whole bowl.

I woke up early this morning because it was raining hard.



from The English Patient

When we meet those we fall in love with, there is an aspect of our spirit that is historian, a bit of a pedant, who imagines or remembers a meeting when the other had passed by innocently, just as Clifton might have opened a car door for you a year earlier and ignored the fate of his life. But all parts of the body must be ready for the other, all atoms must jump in one direction for desire to occur.

Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient, 1992

03 September 2008

BAYANI FERNANDO: PUBLICITY WHORE

I was wondering why the MMDA chief Bayani Fernando's picture were seen in Cebu. I've seen two near Velez Hospital and will count them when I can. Is Cebu now part of MMDA premises?

Is this an advance political drama he is trying to take advantage of?

Is he using his own money for these blatant display or the people's?

What is he trying to prove? That he is a publicity whore?

Politics and theatrics always go together. And I still question that.

(No, this were not the posters I've seen in Cebu. This were googled pic. I will try to take a shot of them when I will be in Velez area again.)


This is Offensive to Some, A Joy to Many


Have a good day everyone!

02 September 2008

Featured Blog: Jen Lemen

As I was searching for a pic on letting go, I came across a beautiful website with inspirational messages for everyone. So beautiful are they that I can't have it all by myself. As she said in her profile, she is- "messy, hopeful, enthusiastic and helplessly in love with the idea that stories can change you and me forever." She is also an artist and have beautiful downloadable, ready to print art works.

So I am posting her link here so I can share with you the beautiful reading I had tonight.

Go ahead. Click on her header.




Letting Go

Know when to let go and walk away. If it's dead, don't go digging it up every five minutes to check for pulse.

It's dead.

Just walk away.

Wedding at a Funeral Home? Posible!

Now this is what I call ingenuity. I know I am weird, but this couple might be considered a bit weirder. No, this is not Four Weddings and a Funeral. Yes, family and friends promised attendance. Some guests refused to attend but others come with the promise that "there would not be any caskets or corpses in the room."


Michigan couple tie the knot at funeral home

ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP, Mich. - It generally has flowers, and a clergyman is often present, but this was a first for a local funeral home.

Jason and Rachael Storm held their wedding at Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, where he is a funeral director.

Their reception, including dinner and dancing, also was held at the funeral home.

"This room is usually filled with sadness and contemplation, but today it is filled with joy and celebration," the Rev. Greg Prather said at the start of Saturday's ceremony.

Jason Storm, 24, doesn't see much difference between getting married in a church or the funeral home.

"I look at it as, if you go to a church and get married, how many caskets do you think have been rolled down that aisle?" he told The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph.

Rachael Storm, also 24, said the location did "not creep me out at all."

"I'm very accustomed to what he does. The one thing I'm very much about is being unique," she said.

Not everyone was entirely comfortable with the idea.

Rachael Storm said some invited guests initially refused to attend, but the couple assured family and friends there would not be any caskets or corpses in the room.


(The pic is not that wedding but googled from picasaweb)


Sign of the Times (Again)

3 Phases of Siquijor





Early morning sun at Siquijor wharf. Late afternoon at Siquijor Capitol grounds. Night scene as viewed from Samz Pension in Siquijor. In that order.

Dapat Ganito Din Ginawa Nung Nag-Post Ng Kalokohan

Scenario: An unknown seer in Latin America sees violent happenings that will cause pain to the world and can only be prevented if we pray to his God.

Scenario: We read that "prophecy" and we shudder at the thought of it. We spread the prophesy because we "believe" that "prophet".

Scenario: IT WAS A HOAX!

Scenario: We rattled nerves. People panicked and "prayed" to his God. But what have we got?

===================================================

It's a different matter when we talk of intelligence in the works. Should prophesies like that deserve posting in a public networking sites like multiply.com?

Does being religious excuses us to do stupid acts because our blind faith decides we want others to obey our God?

Should we post something we consider "relevant" (but without basis)?

Remember the postings on a big earthquake to hit the Philippines sometime this year? Those people should be jailed, just like what they did in the story (this is different story, though) that follows:

===================================================
Chinese hacker jailed for false quake alert--report
===================================================

BEIJING -- A university student in China has been jailed for 18 months for hacking into a government website and posting a fake earthquake alert, state media reported.

The computer science student, surnamed Jia, was convicted by a court in northern China's Shaanxi province last week for deliberately spreading false information, the Xian Evening News said.

Jia hacked into the Shaanxi Provincial Seismic Bureau's website on May 29 and posted a warning that a strong earthquake would hit the province that night, according to the weekend report.

His report immediately caused panic as people were still nervous following the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked China's southwest on May 12 and left nearly 88,000 people dead or missing.

Most of those victims were in Sichuan province, but there were some deaths in neighboring Shaanxi.

Jia's posting had 767 clicks within 10 minutes after its release and the seismic bureau received constant call-in inquiries, the report said.

It added he posted the false alert as a joke and deleted it after realizing the severity of the matter.

Aftershocks and earthquakes have been frequent in China since the May tremor.

On Saturday, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit the southwest again and killed at least 32 people.


01 September 2008

PRESS 'M' FOR MURDER

Thank you for holding. To proceed, press 1.

Press 1, if you want to continue to be degraded by a machine...

Please enter your 11 digit number...

Please enter your age, height, and weight followed by the pound key...

Please enter the color of your underwear...

For white, press 1... for black, press 2... for all other colors and prints, press 3.

Please hold... one of our operators will be with you shortly...

Up, up and away... in my beautiful balloooon...

...If you want to kill yourself, press 1... if you want to kill the machine, press 2... otherwise, please stay on the line.

I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TO A HUMAN BEING!

Please hold and an operator will be with you shortly. or to end this call... simply hang up.