Merry Christmas Everyone

Symphony in Red

  

  

  

  

  

   

  

  

I have the privilege to tag along with Mr Bob Lim, a professional photographer in Cebu during the photo shoot of Benedicto College in Mandaue City, Cebu. I was amazed by the color of their audio-visual hall hence the shots using my Sony Ericsson mobile phone. All shots taken under natural lights.

Christmas in Washington D.C.

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C.  This wasn't for any religious reasons.  They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.~Jay Leno

Lipad Pinoy

This is the theme of the first ever full Pinoy animation film titled Dayo. I haven't seen it but the reviews seem great. We have been known from all over the world to produce such great animations like Nemo, etc,. but our animation done (TVs and movies) in the Philippines were not worth a review.

Hope this one will make it.

Anyways, Lea sings the theme song of the film. As usual Lea delivers.

Lipad (lyrics)
by Lea Salonga

Ipikit mo ang iyong mata, huminga ng malalim
At saka ka dumilat at pagmasdan ang tanawin
Damhin mo ang hangin sa iyong mukha
Habang nakalutang ka sa ibabaw ng mundo

Lipad, lipad, kaya mong lumipad
Lipad, lipad, ano man ang iyong hangad
Maniwala sa iyong galing, abot mo ang bituin
Lipad, lipad, kaya mong lumipad

Basta’t kaya mong isipin, kaya mong gawin
Kalimutan ang kaba, tayo’y sama sama
Maaabot mo din ang pangarap mo
Pagkat sa puso mo, kayang-kaya mo

Lipad, lipad, kaya mong lumipad
Lipad, lipad, ano man ang iyong hangad
Maniwala sa iyong galing, abot mo ang bituin
Lipad, lipad, kaya mong lumipad
Pagkat sa puso mo ay kayang-kaya mo

Lipad, lipad, kaya mong lumipad
Lipad, lipad, ano man ang iyong hangad
Maniwala sa iyong galing, abot mo ang bituin
Lipad, lipad, kaya mong lumipad

Maniwala sa iyong galing, abot mo ang bituin
Lipad, lipad…
Kaya mong lumipad….

Shoe throwing by Arabs is not our style of insult

But of course it is not! Throwing someone our shoes is not an insult here in the country. For one, how could we afford to throw them when we barely have one? We throw our slippers not shoes, because we lack them.

However, let me remind you that Filipinos are numb to the fact that our solemates can also be our deadly punisher. My parents used to slap my ass with slippers every time I commit undesirable acts contrary to their standards. 

If throwing shoes, or in the case of the Philippines, slippers, is an insult in the Arab world, it is not in this country. We don't throw our shoes to insult presidents or dignitaries. We have the likes of Senator Roxas, Conrado de Quiros or Ramon Tulfo to do the insulting parts. In public. We also have our drivers, our barbers, our columnists and a very few politicians who do more than just insult the president. In fact almost everyone in the Philippines can insult politicians and other dignitaries whenever they want to. Whoever is the current president is no exemption.

And take note- the president and most politicians in general are numb to insults.

So those Pinoys staging shoe-throwing activities in the country, please grow up. Be original. Do something more ground breaking like what the Iraqi journalist has done.

Tama na ang gaya-gaya. Oo na, putomaya na yan.

Photo grabbed from sky.news.com

quoted from A Nightmare Before Christmas

"What a splendid idea! This Christmas sounds fun. I fully endorse it- let's try it once."

Mayor singing in a scene from A Nightmare Before Christmas

If I were a kid

  

  

  

  

     

If I were a kid, I would be the best kid in town. I would obey my parents. I would obey my teachers. I would be thankful. I would behave. Fall in line. Have my palms stamped so I could not return thereby giving other kids the chance to share this experience.

If I were a kid, I would be drooling by now. I may never experience this moment. Because my parents are poor I am not sure I could go back to school next year. For this reason, this is a one time affair. One Christmas to remember.

Reason?

Mr. Market Manila and his donors are giving out a thousand ice cream for kids in Banawa Elementary School. A thousand! Wow that is much. So much! Can I have some more? I would not miss that. It's a great gift this Christmas.

Thank you Marketman. Thank you donors.

I am counting my blessings.

(I just came back from a rare Christmas treat by Mr. Marketman to the kids in Banawa Elementary School. A donor give a thousand ice cream to all students, no exceptions, so they would have a one special gift during their school Christmas party. On the other side, before the distribution of the ice cream, the feeding program recipients received apples and oranges. Isn't that a wonderful experience?

Thank you MM and his staff for inviting me to join them.

They gave me a glass ornament and a bookmark as souvenir.

The pictures above were taken from this afternoon's activity. To take pictures while distributing ice cream is a rare feat hehehe.

By the way, I saw Sheldon, my favorite subject the last time I joined the feeding program of Market Manila. That was a year ago! How time flies so fast. He was there in a flash smiling from ear to ear upon accepting the ice cream. I was not able to take a shot of him.)

from Useless Knowledge

Dimpled golf balls travel up to four times farther than smooth-surfaced golf balls. In the early days, smooth-surfaced balls were used until golfers discovered that old, bumpy balls traveled longer distances. The science of aerodynamics explains the phenomenon. The dimples reduce the drag on a golf ball by redirecting air pressure behind the golf ball rather than in front of it, changing the levels of pressure by bringing the main airstream very close to the surface of the golf ball. This high-speed airstream near the ball increases the amount of pressure behind the ball—thereby forcing the ball to travel farther. But don’t worry: we don’t get it, either!

Pic from gaylordhotels.com

Less mail, parcels for Philpost

The headline read like that today. Less mail and parcels through Philpost. And they were wondering why!

My guess?

Philpost harbors a new breed of kawatan, thieves, robbers, whatever you like to call them. AND- It took them years to correct, as they claim, to that gross and obvious mistake. “I cannot assure for the other post offices but I personally guarantee (the client) that their letter or parcel will arrive on time. I make sure it would be delivered,” he (Post Master Walter Mayola of Cebu)said. That is only one person telling the world about the changes they made. Har har har. Even if you've been there in the business since time immemorial, people will look for quality offers. And today, there are lots of them in the market.

The world is now getting smaller everyday so it's time for them to change strategies. These days, Mayola said, less people avail of the services offered by Philpost. “I think this has become outdated because of the technology. Almost everyone uses the computer and cellphones,” he said. He also cited the rising number of messengerial services that offer one-day delivery. That of course is obvious, so what is the Philpost doing?

In this fast pace world, time matters. When you are slow, you are slow. So goodbye. And Philpost? Ever heard of senders arriving long before letters came in? Duh! Obviously we want value for our money and better and reliable service.

Time for Philpost to shake its foundation and give justice to their customers. Time for them to restructure and bring back the full trust of the people. They rather undergo an organizational development strategies before they can go back to business, or else they will just be left behind and perhaps pack up and dissolve.


Bold text quoted from Less mail, parcels for Philpost, Inquirer.net.

My Christmas Wish

I am not quite sure if that was a Christmas ago or two, I was wishing for in one of my blogs here, a pajama of my own. About two or three responded that they will give them (pajamas) if I would come over to their respective places and get them. One was from Manila, the other in the US and one from Australia. I could only sigh.

Now it's Christmas season once more and I am thinking of a wish list again. I asked myself what should it be? A pajama again? A gadget? With my current financial status surely materialism would be the first choice. But then again this is a selfish choice. And besides, wishing for things should not be the main concern of a 40 year old like me. Grow up!

So I changed gear, wishing for a peaceful world not just this Christmas but throught my lifetime. I was imagining of a wonderful world to live in. Yeah, I know. I would sound corny. I know those who knew me would laugh at my beauty pageant answer. Thank you candidate number 1. Although deep inside, I have wished for peace of mind, enough food for my family and world peace. Wake up!

Back to square one. My head starts clamming up and getting cramped. Beat it up!

I never knew thinking of a "more mature" Christmas wishlist could be this hard. Even bringing in an unnecessary headache! Why do I have to bother making a list? I just have to be myself, live a noble life and feed my family and contribute to efforts that would make life a lot easier.

That's it.

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas with family and friends. 

That's my number 1 wish.

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On the black list- AGAIN (Updated List)

Everybody wants a killer design, especially after seeing one that they lust over. Problem is, nobody wants to pay for it. -Pearsonified, On Much For A Design

Starting today, I will be listing down here names of COMPANIES/ ENTITIES who did not pay (even a single cent) for the projects they made me produce. They are usually the very meticulous ones and demands more of your time yet when payment time comes, they act as if they do not know you.

GLOBALWINGS CORPORATION INC.

(an export-import group located at Rivergate Building, Maxilom Avenue in Cebu, headed by a certain Mr Behram Baluch and represented by Jose Marie dela Torre asked me to design a logo for their company. They made me produce 5 studies and approved 3 of them. After approval they again asked me to improve on their new design based on my studies. Knowing that they already made a choice of logo, I submitted to them a proposed Contract of Services. I never heard from them despite my emails and text messages.)

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR/ BOHOL INVESTMENT PROMOTION CENTER

(The BIPC under Gov Erico Aumentado asked me to re-design their Chocolate Hills promotional materials for the New Seven Wonders of Nature Campaign last July 2008 but until now, five months after, they have not paid what is due me for a simple reason of government red tape)

GEN4 LEISURE REAL ESTATE CONSULTING

(A consultancy firm based in Tagbilaran owned by Mr Walter Sultan, also the owner of Travel Village, a travel agency. Mr Sultan asked me to make 3 studies each for his logo, business card, letterhead, and mailing envelope and approved the final studies ready for printing.)

MMICCE CORPORATION

(A mining company based in Mindanao managed by co-ownerMr Clovis Llorente. Mr Llorente claimed his papers were not yet approved by the mining board hence he did not yet use the logo I designed for his company. But a first-hand information told me they have started operations 3 years ago in Mt Diwalwal. I provided 3 studies and after revisions, finalized the approved one.)

CASCADES-LCC NEWSLETTER

(A teacher from La Consolacion College in Liloan, Cebu asked me to design their school newsletter's masthead. After several studies and revisions including the scanning of their school pictures, he did not came back.)

Children on the streets this Christmas bring out our real issues

I was on a jeep again on my way to downtown Cebu when all of a sudden another child (as there are lots of them in Cebu this season) jumped on our slow running jeep and began singing Pasku Na Naman U Kay Tulin Ng Araw. 

A good passenger gave him a peso. That created a lot of issues amongst passengers, among them:

• The giver was not helping the children at all.
  
• The giver should only give to legitimate children's organizations or foundations.
  
• We should never give these children because they were using easy money to gamble in the side streets.
• People (givers) were making these children more vulnerable to accidents.
  
• People are making street children become beggars.
  
• When these children happened to be involved in accidents, drivers were blamed as culprits.
  
• Laws in the country should be implemented fairly.
  
• The government should get these children out of the streets.
  
• The government should also get the crazy ones out of the street.
  
• The Cebu City government cleaned up the streets only during the Asean Summit just to impress guests.
  
• Filipinos became law abiding citizens when in other countries because laws were implemented strictly there.
  
• And would only laugh at traffic enforcers when caught here in the country especially those who have politician-friends.
• There is no hope for the Filipinos and the Philippines.
  

I was just sitting on one corner of the jeep wishing I had brought with me my iPod or these people would come down on the nearest jeepney stop soonest.

Hope you have a great Christmas!

Lupang Hinirang

This is again the concept and direction of my good friend Mae Paner featuring the Loboc Children's Choir of Loboc, Bohol. Conducted by a Boholano, Ms. Alma Taldo and arranged also by a Boholano, Mr Gardy Labad.

BE PROUD WE ARE FILIPINOS!

"Ang di marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan..."

I adore Cesar Montano. Not because he is now a star, but because he is the type of guy who knows where he came from and never deny that fact just because of his present status. Montano has done many good things for Bohol and he is a proud Boholano. Way to go Cesar Montano!

This is also a note of million thanks to the Ayalas, specifically Bea Zobel Jr and the Ayala Foundation for the great things they have done to make Bohol even prouder of its cultural heritage. We salute you Ma'am for being a Boholano by heart.

Montano, Ayalas toast Bohol heritage

By Pablo Tariman

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 02:39:00 12/15/2008

THREE years ago in Bohol, actor Cesar Montano showed me the interiors of the Baclayon town church, built in 1727 by the Jesuits using coral-stone blocks from the sea and egg white and plaster to glue the blocks together.

With it gilded altars, Baroque and Classical inner façade and its retablos highlighted by images of saints, I told the award-winning actor, “What a beautiful venue for concert!” Later, I would test the acoustics and found it excellent.

Earlier, I learned that film scorer Nonong Buencamino recorded the choir music used in the Marilou Diaz-Abaya film “Muro-Ami” in this church and the award-winning film was actually shot on Bohol Bay.

Later, Montano also told me about the church’s historic pipe organ, which was installed in the choir loft in 1824 and years later found itself in a state of disrepair.

Experts say the Baclayon pipe organ has the character of Spanish Baroque organs and its parts could mimic the sound of birds through the little pajarillo pipes. It can also enhance melodies with the tinkling of the cascabeles, an ornamental stop with bells on a wheel drum and campanillas.

Through the assistance of Patricia Zobel de Ayala and the Ayala Foundation Inc., the organ’s pipes, wind chests, manual keyboard, pedal and other accessories were repaired extensively and restored to their original form.

Saturday morning last week, I saw Montano at the Tagbilaran airport and told him about the Baclayon concert, which would officially herald the coming to life of the newly restored Baclayon pipe organ.

In the evening, I found myself on the church choir loft with Montano and wife Sunshine Cruz, watching a concert featuring composer-conductor Cristobal Halffter and pianist Maria Manuela Caro on the pipe organ.

In the audience were Jaime Augusto Zobel, Sofia Zobel, Patricia Zobel and Bea Zobel Jr., who is 

behind a renewed restoration program involving Bohol’s cultural heritage.

So fragile

Pianist Maria Manuela Caro opened the concert with Antonio de Cabezon’s (1510-1566) Tiento del Primer Tono, followed by a Handel largo solo arranged by AR Parsons.

As the first two numbers unfolded, one realized the musical instrument was so fragile. It needed a focused assistant to keep it in tune and go through its complicated parts, like its ornamental stop and its tambor (big wood pipes) used to create rumbling sound similar to a drum.

Bach’s Aria and the 7th Variation of the Goldberg Variation had a fairly good reading, and I suppose this piece is better off played on the piano to preserve its original nuances.

One got to finally hear the uses of the big wood pipes and the reed stops with Juan Bautista Cabanilles’s “Batalla Imperial.”

The piece is a musical replica of a military battle and was properly the most virtuosic piece played on the program.

The evening was highlighted with Halffter playing Christmas carols from different countries. He concluded with a contemporary piece that ended with the use of the organ’s pajarillo pipes echoing the sound of birds, and we thought that was the most charming and compelling number from the concert.

The significance of this concert is that the Zobel family helped bring back to life the remaining musical symbol of the town’s cultural heritage while also assisting the town embark on a massive restoration campaign to preserve its historical, cultural and natural sites, including local traditions in craftsmanship.

Late in the night after the concert, Lani Schoof (wife of Hans Schoof, owner of Baclayon’s Peacock Garden Resort and Spa) treated Montano and company to a late-night cap.

Schoof, who is German but very Boholano (and Filipino) at heart, earlier showed us his Rizal collections in his cigar room, including furniture from Heidelberg where Rizal stayed in Germany.

It was an uncanny coincidence Montano had played Rizal in Abaya’s “Rizal.”

Montano remarked before the night cap ended: “It would be nice to hear Cecile Licad play in Bohol next year after this historic pipe organ concert in our historic town.”

Pic of Montano and fellow Boholano Rebecca Lusterio (Panaghoy sa Suba) grabbed from getinvolved.wordpress.com

featuring Mae Paner as Juana Change

My funny friend Mae Paner dons herself another personality- Juana Change. In this video she explains the way to dance the cha-cha be it the dance or otherwise. See it yourself and tell me the significane of this.

Sad but true, Mae ends the video saying- “Ang mga taong bayan ngayon, mga tanga.. ang mga magagaling nagsipag-abroad na. Ang mga natira na lang dito iyong mga walang magawang sumasali na lang sa Wowowee, tumataya sa Lotto o naghihintay ng remittance abroad. This country deserves people like me.”

"Even coffee, biscuits overpriced"

This is still too early to whine. My gosh, at 7 in the morning? Excuse me for being bitter and weak, but when I opened my news feed, this headline caught my attention- "EVEN COFFEE, BISCUITS OVERPRICED."

That was how Lani Abarquez, the vice mayor of Talisay City in Cebu reacted as she was made to sign purchases from equipments down to biscuits, ALL OF THEM OVERPRICED! I don't know the political career of Ms Abarquez, but knowing all these and made them publicly  just now is quite amusing if not sarcastic.

I've been working with the provincial government of Bohol for ten long years, and overpricing everything the government purchases is not alien to me and even to laborers and down to contractual workers of that institution.The Commission on Audit turns its ugly face on the other side when doing so-called audits.

Why whine?

My theory- Ms Abarquez did not get anything from these overpriced items.

But it is still a beautiful morning though.

Qouted from Bette Davies

“The weak are the most treacherous of us all. They come to the strong and drain them. They are bottomless. They are insatiable. They are always parched and always bitter. They are everyone's concern and like vampires they suck our life's blood.”

Didith Reyes, 60

I could not forget Didith Reyes because our neighbor in Batuan, Bohol used to sing all her songs when I was still young. My neighbor was our own version of Didith Reyes in that small town. She was even more known than Reyes herself. Anyways, Reyes' songs were also overplayed in the AM stations and a favorite background for radio soap operas so I could always recall those songs she sang.

She was found dead in a shanty in Laguna, possibly from heart attack.

This is a sad news because most artists and actors from her era all have the same fate- die like paupers. Maybe this is why the new generation artists suddenly invest in business like mad. Knowing that their trade is not as reliable as the peso itself, a good business sense can layout some good foundation in case they retire.

Didith Reyes was tagged as the orginal jukebox queen. In fact her songs still are sung by my noisy neighbors here in Cebu.

A very comprehensive article is written by the INQUIRER.net staff parts of which are copied here in toto.

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Downward spiral

Reyes’ decline, Amoyo noted, began in 1978 when she became unprofessional.

“She did not show up at performances. What I know is that at the height of her popularity, she would throw a flat iron [at people who displeased her]. But she was very kind when she was not in a foul mood. She was the type of person who was easy to love,” Amoyo said in Filipino.

Amoyo said she barely recognized Reyes during a meeting set up by a friend at a coffee shop in Greenhills, San Juan City, two years ago.

“Para akong nalusaw sa itsura niya (I almost fainted when I saw her). She had aged physically, she had gained weight, she was limping due to a wound on her foot and she smelled badly,” Amoyo recalled.

The Didith Reyes of her prime, who reportedly had an insatiable sexual appetite and had affairs with prominent businessmen, club owners and politicians, eventually went on a downward spiral. She got hooked on drugs and alcohol.

Homeless

Homeless, she once sought help from Amoyo and promised to mend her ways. Amoyo took her to Reyes Haircutters, whose owner, Les (a brother of beauty guru Ricky Reyes), promptly took her in.

“But she was a pain in the ass,” Amoyo said with amusement. “She was always drunk, drinking gin straight from a plastic bottle. So I told Les just to let her go, but he just couldn’t do it immediately.”

The last bit of news Amoyo heard about Reyes was that she was hospitalized and that Les paid the bill.

Reyes left behind a son, Arvy, now married and living on his own. Before she become famous, she had been separated from husband Victor Reyes. Her last known relationship was with a 67-year-old man from Laguna, her live-in partner for seven years.

Reyes’ remains were to be brought for viewing to the Mount Carmel Church on Doña Juana Rodriguez Avenue in New Manila, Quezon City, De la Fuente said.

Some Useless Knowledge You Might Be Interested to Know

• Unlike humans, the oyster is usually ambisexual. It begins life as a male, then becomes a female, then changes back to being a male, then back to female. It may go back and forth many times—and without paying for an operation, either!
  
• A spider is not an insect. It is an arachnid—it has 8 legs instead of 6, and has no wings or antennae. The same is true of the daddy longlegs, scorpion’s mite, and tick—none is technically part of the insect class.
  
• The first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco in 1899.
  
• The full name of Rhea Perlman’s award-winning character on TV’s Cheers was Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec.
  
• Scurf is another word for dandruff.
  
• Dr. Samuel A. Mudd treated the leg of Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth. His actions produced the expression "his name is Mudd," signifying utter disgrace.
  
• Cooking and salad oils could lubricate machinery, such as cars and boats, according to Penn State chemical engineers. Tests found that when blended with an additive developed at Penn State, some vegetable oils perform as well as or better than commercial oils.
  
• Jack Broughton was one of the most revered boxing figures in England. He was entombed at Westminster Abbey, the burial place of British nobility, although he was a commoner.
  
• A pride of lions
  
• A plague of locusts
  
• A tiding of magpies
  
• A stud of mares
  
• A labour of moles
  
• A barren or span of mules
  
• A parliament of owls
  
• A company of parrots
  
• A shrewdness of apes
  
• A troop of baboons
  
• A shoal of bass
  
• A sleuth or sloth of bears
  
• A sounder of boars
  
• An army of caterpillars
  
• A clowder or clutter of cats
  
• A brood or peep of chickens
  
• A clutch or chattering of chicks
  
• The cover of the very first issue of Rolling Stone magazine featured John Lennon.
  
• Every 3 days, your body makes a new protective lining for your stomach. Without it, the stomach would literally eat itself alive in about 2 weeks. The hydrochloric acid of the human digestive process is so powerful a corrosive that it easily can burn its way through a cotton handkerchief, and even penetrate the iron of an automobile body. Yet, it doesn’t endanger the stomach’s sticky mucous walls.
  
• During the nineteenth century, Michigan was a key stop on the Underground Railroad, and many runaway slaves decided to make their homes there. Currently, 14 percent of Michigan’s population is African-American.
  
• On Sesame Street, one man—Carroll Spinney—plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. From within the 8’ 2" yellow feathered suit, Spinney watches a small monitor with the same view as the audience. He operates Big Bird’s head with one hand while working the bird’s hand with the other. When Oscar and Big Bird are in the same scene, Spinney speaks for both Muppets, while another puppeteer operates Oscar.
  
• The dread Black Plague in Europe was partially due to the belief that people thought cats were witches. Therefore, all the felines were hauled away and incinerated, which left the rats (who hosted the true culprits: plague-breeding fleas) to run around towns and villages and multiply. Ironically, cat lovers giving felines safe haven were a large part of those who survived.
  
• Strabismus is the condition of a person’s eyes going in different directions.
  
• Should members of these actual clubs be considered slightly deranged: Committee for Immediate Nuclear War, the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Mushrooms, the Order of Manly Men, and our favorite, the Institute of Totally Useless Skills?
  
• The average elephant produces 50 pounds of dung each day.
  
• Birds do not sing because they are happy. It is a territorial behavior.
  
• It appears the sheep and cattle in Australia are farting up such a storm that all the released gas is aggravating the Greenhouse Effect. To help plug up the problem, and motivate ranch owners to take action, the government in Sydney has considered putting a tax on the critters’ emissions.
  
• Lassie was played by several male dogs, despite the female name, because male collies were thought to look better on camera. The main "actor" was named Pal.
  
• The first person to work out the use of fingerprints for identification purposes, English anthropologist Francis Galton, was a first cousin of Charles Darwin.
  
• It may be possible to attend your own funeral. The human brain continues sending out electrical wave signals for up to 37 hours following death.
  
• Peter de Jager was the world’s foremost expert on the Y2K problem, which many believed would cause computer systems to collapse because their software would mistake the double zeroes of 2000 to mean 1900. He wrote the "Doomsday 2000" article that initially publicized the problem, then spent the 1990s helping companies all over the world fix their computers. When at midnight, January 1, 2000, planes did not fall from the sky, de Jager was angrily accused of setting the hysterical stage for billions of dollars to be wasted
  
• By the end of the U.S. Civil War, 33 percent of all U.S. paper currency in circulation was counterfeit. This was a devastating situation for a nation struggling to recover economically from such a destructive war. On July 5, 1865, the Secret Service was created as a part of the Department of the Treasury to help suppress counterfeit currency.
  

Writings on people's walls

I was on a jeep yesterday when I saw their vandalism on the side streets of Cebu. The perfectly and newly painted curbs were vandalized with poor and conflicting slogans from Anakbayan.

ARM THE POOR.

LIBRO DILI BALA.

FOOD FOR THE POOR!

SCARITY IS A LIE!

There were more vandalism but I chose to ignore but these. Because these nonsense slogans were conflicting themselves like what they are (or were?). Where are the intelligent minds of Anakbayan? Joining the technocrats? Or have they become laissez faire themselves?

Anakbayan, KMU, NPA and those other vigilant groups should change their strategies. They are becoming more and more of a bad example for the citizenry to shun upon. I say, enough of this childish and vandal strategies. It won't work. The people appreciate more the emo works (street art, in case you wonder what I'm talking about) you can see in the streets of Cebu. They are garish and connotes black thoughts but they are deep and lovely to look at. Should you be hiring them guys?

Are members of Anakbayan still holed up in the Victorian period?

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By the way, you might ask me WHAT THE HELL IS ANAKBAYAN? Their impressive resume found at multiply.com should leave you in awe and wonder why they are still "out of this world."

Their link (in case you are interested)- http://anakbayanupdiliman.multiply.com/

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Picture from Anakbayan's multiply account

PACQUIAO WINS!

I was really disappointed during the Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight because Pacman's website was inutile all throughout the event.

KUDOS TO INQUIRER.NET! They are the real heroes during the fight.

BOOOH! TO MANNYPACQUIAO.PH!
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Excerpts from INQUIRER.net:

1st Round: Pacquiao delivers first blows
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:17:00 12/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao held his own against Oscar “Golden Boy” de la Hoya in the first round of their “Dream Match” Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

2nd Round: Pacquiao in control 
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:21:00 12/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Oscar De La Hoya is busier with his pet left jab, but Manny Pacquiao remains in control. Pacquiao manages to sneak his left cross to tag the Golden Boy several times and his brilliant ring movement to offset his opponent's six-inch reach advantage. So far, Manny has won the first two rounds.

DREAM MATCH: 3rd ROUND

Pacquiao dominant 

INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:26:00 12/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Manny Pacquiao has remained dominant after three rounds, landing fierce blows to Oscar de la Hoya.

But the fight slowed down in this round.

Occasional brilliance from De la Hoya as he tagged Pacquiao with a couple of body shots, but the Filipino has responded with a left cross. Pacquiao has been landing his left cross at will.

DREAM MATCH: 4th ROUND

Strong finish for Pacquiao

INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Oscar de la Hoya comes alive in the fourth round, but Manny Pacquiao came up with a whirlwind finish to steal the round.

De La Hoya lands a solid right to Pacquiao’s face early in the round, his first big punch of the match. But the Golden Boy still cannot find a solution to the speed of Pacquiao’s left cross, enabling Pacquiao to tag him with shots to the face.

DREAM MATCH: 5th ROUND
Manny still in control 
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:37:00 12/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Manny Pacquiao showed he can engage Oscar De La Hoya in a phone-booth slugfest.

From close range, Pacquiao connected on a solid left near the end of the round. De La Hoya lands some shots to the body midway in the round that hardly bothered Pacquiao.

DREAM MATCH: 6th ROUND
Swelling on 
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:39:00 12/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- There is some swelling on top of De La Hoya's left eye at the end of Round 6.

Pacquiao's left cross is still working wonders for him as De La Hoya has left himself open every time he unleashed an attack.

DREAM MATCH: 8th ROUND
Pacquiao TKOs De la Hoya 
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:44:00 12/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Manny Pacquiao defied the odds when he defeated Oscar De La Hoya in the welterweight duel at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

De La Hoya refused to come out of his corner after the eighth round, forcing referee Tony Weeks to declare Pacquiao the winner by TKO.
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Sa website ni Manny Pacquiao na MANNYPACQUIAO.PH-

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Picture grabbed from INQUIRER.net/AFP

Spoiler for Pacman

While I was eagerly waiting for the results of the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya Dream Match, I can't help but comment on Pacman's website that The Pacman now is a regular writer at Philboxing.com. The Philboxing.com Special Coverage stated: Today's most exciting boxer on the planet, Manny Pacquiao now writes a regular column at PhilBoxing.com and Abante to express his own thoughts and to be able to communicate to his fans worldwide. 

Err, hmmm are they serious?

He has done politics and lost. Terribly. Now he is into writing?

Maybe he should just focus on boxing, don't you think? I am not being mean here but I am just honest! Maybe Pacquiao should focus to pursuits other than intellectual.

Picture from INQUIRER.net (Ochoa) during the weigh-in for the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya Dream Match today at MGM Grand Garden Arena

The future of Bohol's tarsiers, one of Philippines' endangered species

I am always against tarsiers or any animal for that matter, to be caged. Like what I wrote on my sidebar (see right portion), the tarsiers in Bohol, specifically in Loboc areas are stressed to the maximum level due to the influx of tourists day and night. One does not have to be a scientist or an expert to see and conclude that these tarsiers are highly stressed.

One basic example of tolerated neglect that could cause stress among tarsiers is the handler himself. There are signages in those areas in Loboc telling visitors that handling tarsiers or using camera flashes are not allowed. But you can always see these handlers/owners taking the sleepy primates off from their branch of choice and hand them to excited tourists for a shot or two, maybe even more, some using flash. See the pic being used here? I grabbed it from www.primates.com and it unabashingly promotes handling of tarsiers by tourists.

So the move of the Bohol provincial government to pass a resolution banning the issuance of permits from DENR to prospective enterprising Boholanos using tarsiers as unwilling business partners as well as attractions is a welcomed action. I wonder why this takes so long. (See: Bohol officials rescue caged tarsiers, Inquirer.net, 12/06/2008)

But I think passing a resolution is never enough. If laws on protecting endangered species like the tarsier have been consistently disregarded, how much more a resolution? I’m neither a politician nor a lawyer who knows the circuitous process of the law, but the name itself does not prove it has teeth. I believe there is an endangered species act signed long time ago, long before the people of Loboc started caging tarsiers for easy public viewing. But what happened? Why these businesses proliferate in the province?

Another case that should also need our lawmakers’ attention is the python in the town of Alburquerque. The owners may have a different interpretation of the word sanctuary because the Coca-Cola sponsored signage at the entrance to the site suggested it is a python sanctuary. Or are they right when they held captive that python so it will not become a source of food among Boholanos? Does a steel cage justify asylum in this case?

With Bohol now on the tourist map, the lawmakers and the people of Bohol in general should make the things around them as top priority and as important as making money out from them. Misuse and negligence could lead to more disastrous events in the future. The overly used aphorism “for our children’s children” could never happen in the future.

What does freelancing offers- advantages or advantages?

This I copied everything from a very nice blog titled Graphic Design Blog. Written by Charlie B. Johnson and nothing is taken out. 

I know this endless discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of freelancing is not new… but recently when one of my friends, who has served quiet some years in real professional world got really confused when informed by someone that things are far much better in freelancing than the apparent cruel reaches of the real world.

As she is considering the world of freelancing and asked me for a sincere suggestion, I thought of listing the advantages and disadvantages of freelancing but things will really become easy if you give your opinions according to your experience.

Freelancers are found in all fields — designing, writing, photography, consultants and many others, but as for any job, freelancing also comes with its pros and cons. Let me list both, so we might come to a final decision….

The Positive Picture of Freelancing – Advantages:

• Be Your Own Boss:

  The most fascinating part is when you get to take your own decisions, choosing which jobs to take, negotiating contracts, and determining your prices.

• Getting A Raise Anytime:

  If you feel that you are worth more money an hour then give yourself a raise and up your quote when the next company comes a calling.

• Choice To Select A Project:

  As an employee in a company whenever your manager assigns you a project, you have to accept it dutifully, although it is not of your interest at all. Freelancing, offers you enough choice to take your decision.

• Choosing Your Working Hours:

  You get a chance to work in your comfort zone, as some people find working early hours convenient while others work more efficiently during late hours…so you can make a choice.

• All Eggs Not In The Same Basket:

  If you are a full time employee in a company and all of a sudden loose your job, it becomes difficult to pick up a new job. As a freelancer, you are working on multiple projects and are always on work, almost.

• Saving On Your Conveyance:

  With the growing price of gas, it’s becoming a real savings to stay home.If you stay at home and work, you will figure out how much you can save on conveyance.

• Don’t Have To Be Responsible For Other People’s Blunders:

  Working in a company means to work like a team and have to compromise with other people’s work wether you like it or not. Working individually saves you from making compromises and answering for the blunders done by your team members.

• Experimenting Your Skills:

  At times, you feel like experimenting your skills and want to come up with something innovative but your company will not allow you to do things your own way. Freelancing, gives you enough space to know your talent.

• Same Clothes, Different Days:

  Another option where you get to save your money is not spending big amount on your maintenance.

The Negative Picture of Freelancing - Disadvantages:

• Instability:

  In freelancing, a month you can be loaded with too much work but the next one you are looking for a waiter job because you can’t pay your bills.

• Freelancing, A 25 Hour Job:

  I am sure my freelancer friends will surely agree with it. There is no resting, as your brain never stops working, always looking for a design or thinking about a marketing strategy to help you progress.

• More Distractions:

  Not working in a professional environment definitely makes your mind wander many times while working.

• Loneliness:

  90% of your cases you have to get solved yourself as you have no colleague designers sitting around to help you in any way. This way stress and worries keep going on with you.

• Pressure:

  You are your own boss, if you aren’t able to do a task by yourself, because of your lack of motivation or capacity, there is no one to help your customer understand.

• Continuous Change:

  One freelancer may find that she has enough work to keep her happy and wealthy while another may find the work coming in very slowly.

• Multitasking:

  Freelancing is not only about designing, drawing, writing or whatever you do but like a good businessman, you should also know about law and accountancy.

• Long Vacations:

  Working as a freelancer, when you have no one eyeing you, you tend take long vacations, which often results in loosing the potential clients.

Both sides of the fence have its pros and cons and I hope I explained them in the right way. However, I am sure your opinions according to your experience will be most helpful to take a right decision.
I am waiting for your votes, “What does freelancing offers more – Advantages OR Disadvantages?”