What Happens When Your Product Becomes a Notice Board?

Sign of the Times

Now in the Enchanting Island-

My expanded network has allowed me to visit places in the country and around the world.

This time... SIQUIJOR.

This is my fourth time actually but Siquijor is always a welcome sight to behold.

From Tagbilaran, I took OceanJet this morning to Dumaguete before going to the island. There is no direct fast craft early in the morning. When I arrived Dumaguete almost 2 hours after, I have to run and catch up with Delta Fast Ferries (about P160) which would be sailing in a matter of minutes.

I don't why Siquijodnons always bring bulky things when traveling. Maybe because they are in an island? I have to share with mountains of bags when I rode the ferry. And right before my eyes, a whore-like woman seems to be magnetized by the foreigner friend she is with. They kept smooching right in the public. I was hoping she was not a Siquijodnon or else my mind would create more unbelievable scenarios Siquijodnons would hate. A big baggage indeed.

Arrived here and wow...

I don't know what magic Siquijor accords to its visitors, but everytime I come here I am always feeling at home and at peace with myself. Maybe it is true after all that this is really a land of enchantment for I am enchanted for sure.

The usual tag for Siquijodnons (as they are called) is mamamarang (I don't know the exact translation of this but it reminds me of voodoo activities). But being here I can always say that they were unfairly mislabeled gentle people.

Siquijor is a clean island and slowly trying to blend in with the outside world.

(Please see my Siquijor shots at this link here.)

A News That Completed My Day

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What Happened to that DJ Montano-Brian Gorrell Blog?

Remember when it became a sensation? Thousands of hits a day! Wow, that was a blogger's dream come true.

It all began when a Brian Gorrell was sucked out dry of his dollars galore because he was stupid enough to trust and fell in love with a con-artist Delfin Montano. How we loved the juicy bits and pieces, sometimes coming in bulk so that we choke on the revelations.

But when I visited Gorrell's blogspot, I noticed that aside from his money making activities, maybe to compensate his loss, he rarely talks about his quest for the return of the money Montano fleeced him out. (By the way, where goes the contributions of the readers?) And sometimes, even if he was talking about his dogs or Boracay or the garden or anything under the sun, (get's mo?), he would "blahbber" about Montano, to justify his original purpose. But of course it's no longer convincing enough. Meaning, he is out of context. And visiting his site is quite, hmmmm, boring.

Gone were the days when he fed us with rumors about the Gucci Gang, whom I happened to know only from Gorrell. Well- I am not richy-rich, damn!

Gone were the days when his website shows amateurism and sometimes pathetic creating a consoling response especially from Filipinos who love dramas. (Aside from the fact that he is HIV positive.)

Gone were the days when he talked all about getting back his money.

Now he is just a plain blogger. Just like me.

And surprise- he transported his blahggings at Multiply.com. Does this prove that Multiply has more readers?


The lovey-dovey pics courtesy of Gorrell's blogspot

Harassing the Mannequin (wa man tawn mopatol lain)

A Monday, a rainy day (but it's supposed to be a Holiday! hmp!)

36 facts about the Olympic medal count by Chris Chase

In honor of the 36 gold medals won by the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Fourth-Place Medal presents 36 interesting facts about the overall medal count:

1) China won the most gold medals at the Beijing Games with 51. They become the first country to crack the 50-gold mark since the Soviet Union in 1988. The most golds ever won in a single Olympics is 83 (United States, 1984).

2) It's the first time since 1936 that a country other than the United States or the Soviet Union has led the medal count.

3) China won more golds in Beijing (51) than they did total medals in Atlanta (50).

4) 'Project 119' was a Chinese initiative designed toward winning golds in the medal-rich sports of swimming, track, rowing, kayaking and sailing. Reports are already crediting Project 119 with China's dominance in the gold medal count, but Chinese athletes won just four golds in those sports. Their total was instead augmented by even better performances in Chinese-dominated events like diving, gymnastics and table tennis.

5) The United States won the same amount of golds (36) that they did in Athens, continuing a remarkable consistency that the nation has exhibited over the past half-century. American Olympic gold totals since 1952: 40, 32, 34, 36, 45, 33, 34, 83, 36, 37, 44, 38, 36 and 36. (The outlier of 83 was from the boycotted 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.)

6) The overall medal count was won by the United States for the fourth consecutive Olympics. The U.S. earned 110 medals, compared to China's 100.

7) Per capita, China won one gold medal for every 25 million people in the country. The United States' per capita rate was one gold for every 8.5 million. The tiny island nation of Jamaica, which won a staggering six golds in Beijing, had a per capita rate of one gold for every 450,000 residents. Had China won at that rate, the country would have earned 2,889 golds.

8) Greece won 16 medals as the host country in 2004. Four years later, the founders of the Olympics managed just four -- their lowest total since 1992.

9) African countries won a total of 40 medals, the highest total in history for the continent.

10) Six countries won their first ever Olympic medals: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Mauritius, Sudan, Tajikistan and Togo.

11) Great Britain won 47 medals, the most in their history and a 17-medal increase from Athens. Expect an even higher total in 2012, when the Games will be held in London for the first time in 68 years. The last time Great Britain competed in a Summer Olympics on its home turf, they earned a disappointing three golds.

12) India has 17% of the world's population. They won 0.31% of Olympic medals.

13) China: 19.8% of population, 10.4% of medals.

14) United States: 4.6% of population, 11.5% medals.

15) Jamaica: 0.041% of population, 1.15% medals.

16) Iceland was the least populous country to win an Olympic medal.

17) Pakistan was the most populous country not to win an Olympic medal (164 million residents, sixth-largest nation in the world).

18) Michael Phelps would have finished tied for 9th in the gold medal count, ahead of countries including France, Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Switzerland, Brazil and Mexico.

19) The rest of the world won seven golds in men's swimming events. Phelps, of course, won eight.

20) The United States won the most golds (7) and most total medals in the track competition (23), despite having what was widely considered a disappointing meet

21) More proof that boxing is dead in the United States: the country earned just one medal (a bronze) in the 12 boxing events. Even after three straight disappointing boxing performances at the Summer Games, the U.S. has still won the most Olympic boxing medals (109) in history.

22) China won 8 out of 12 possible medals in table tennis and 7 of 8 possible golds in diving.

23) Great Britain won 7 of 10 golds in track cycling and won 12 medals overall. The rest of the world earned 18 medals in the sport.

24) National gold-medal sweeps: Basketball (USA), Beach Volleyball (USA), Rhythmic Gymnastics (RUS), Synchronized Swimming (RUS), Table Tennis (CHN) and Trampoline (CHN).

25) Sweden had the best medal tally (4 silver, 1 bronze) without winning a gold.

26) Armenia won 6 bronze medals, but no gold or silver ones.

27) Speaking of former Soviet states, members of the former Soviet Union won a total of 173 medals in Beijing.

28) In 1992, Cuba finished 5th in the gold medal count. In 2008, the nation finished 28th.

29) From 1980 to 2008, Jamaica won three Olympic golds. In a span of six days in Beijing, Usain Bolt won three.

30) Sweden was a fixture in the top-three of the overall medal count for the early part of the 20th century. In Beijing, the Scandinavian country finished 38th and was shut-out in golds for just the second time in history.

31) Panama and Mongolia won the first gold medals in their respective histories.

32) China won 27 gold medals in judged sports.

33) The United States won 4 gold medals in judged sports.

34) China's "real" medal tally was 24/17/14/55.

35) The "real" medal tally for the United States: 32/31/27/80.

36) In all, 958 medals were handed out to athletes from 87 countries, the most medals and medal receipients in Olympic history.

Drunk Driving at SRP (Sorry Cops, You Weren't There)

Chocolate Hills N7W Bookmarks

Have a meaningful National Heroes Day, Philippines!

I am a Hero.

I do what I believe is Right.

I do what I believe is Good.

I fight for Justice.

I fight for Freedom.

iamninoy

Goodbye Beijing 2008, Hello London 2012!

Rise and Shine!

Early morning walks on Sundays has been my fave thing to do unless when I am hung over from a night of drinking.

This morning I started late (almost 9) but the streets are still clear of traffic. Maybe because tomorrow is a holiday. All I can see are the remains of the night. Bottles. Garbage. Street kids still asleep in the pavement. The wind is seemingly fresh and blowing gently. A nice mood to start the day.

After a deluge of sweat already making my shirt wet, I stopped by Jollibee Mango for the usual practice of longganisa breakfast, hot chocolate and large pineapple juice. And of course, an update on what happened around Cebu and the world courtesy of a free newspaper from Jollibee.

A walk again towards Robinson's for a marketing chore and stopping by the stalls near the Capitol building for some fruits and buko juice before walking towards home completed my day.

Refreshing! Rise and shine...

Fresh From Ormoc City Public Market

A Case of Stupidity from an OFW or Another John Estrada Wannabe

I don't know if this is plain stupidity or mockery of the security of our airports, Filipinos could not refrain from uttering the "bomb joke" despite big warnings inside terminal buildings/airports in the country and the many stories about its consequences.

One time, my sis who works as check-in in-charge at Cebu Pacific, asked an OFW whose heavy baggage did not include the bulky gold necklaces (3 pieces, o my gosh!) and rings, what was inside his checked in bags, the plain answer was BOMBA NA DAY (it's a bomb)! My sis, being a Boholano, asked him twice and informed him of the consequence of his answer. But still he insisted there was bomb in his baggage and laughed out loud. My sis press the alarm button and the OFW was surrounded by police officers in the airport.

In the end, it was the OFW who lost his game. He was not able to take his flight. He was brought to the police station to be booked and charged. He was crying asking for forgiveness from my sis because he was expected in KSA that day. The ever mataray sis only told him- Mibuto na Sir (It's all over).

When we were in foreign countries, Filipinos would cower in fear when asked about an item in the baggage. I wonder why we are so "courageous" only in our country and of all items, it is the bomb taken as our item of choice.

Stupid!

Here is another case-

OFW bound for Kuwait arrested for bomb joke

An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) was arrested for a grenade (bomb) joke while at the final stage of security procedures at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 this morning.

Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Ret. Gen. Angel Atutubo identified the OFW as Joel Gonzales, 40, of Mambog, Bacoor Cavite bound for Kuwait. (Emphasis is mine so other people would know where the stupid crackers came from.)

Atutubo said Gonzales cracked a joke when he was asked by the staff manning the X-ray machine about the dark images that appeared on the computer screen.

Gonzales, in a loud voice, reportedly responded "it's a grenade." Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) belonging to the 1st PICAS immediately held Gonzales and his two black bags for inspection.

Atutubo said the dark images that appeared onscreen were only personal effects wrapped in black plastic bags. No explosive was found.

Gonzales was brought to the Pasay prosecutor’s office and was charged under Presidential Degree 1727. He missed his Kuwait Airways flight at 9 a.m. -- Rudy Santos (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Related video on John Estrada's stupidity here.

Revised Poster for Chocolate Hills N7W

Help preserve the Chocolate Hills. VOTE FOR THE CHOCOLATE HILLS OF BOHOL AS ONE OF THE NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF NATURE!

Please click on this link to vote.

From The English Patient

When we are young we do not look into mirrors. It is when we are old, concerned with our name, our legend, what our lives will mean to the future. We become vain with the names we own, our claims to have been the first eyes, the strongest army, the cleverest merchant. It is when he is old that Narcissus wants a graven image of himself.

Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient, 1992

Oh Spammers, Please Be Creative!

I received this and so many more with more or less the same idea and subject. Can't you spammers be more creative? Who would believe this kind of marketing? Duh!

Unless some cretins really do.

My oh my!

====================================================================
From: sepp Figue
To: Me
Date: Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Subject: Dailai Lama denies receiving fellatio from Britney Spears
====================================================================

The Composition of Semen

My gosh! I've been ejaculating and sharing my semen for so long but I didn't know its composition.

Not until now. For those who also did not know, here it is:

• water
• aboutonia (what the hell is this)
• ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
• blood-group antigens
• calcium (yes, just like milk!)
• chlorine (add your own little contribution to the cleanliness of that hot tub!)
• cholesterol (not specified if this is bad cholesterol or good cholesterol)
• citric acid, creatine, deoxyribonucleic acid, fructose (is that sugar?), glutathione (hmm ladies, take note), hyaluronidase, inositol, lactic acid, magnesium, nitrogen
• phosphorus and potassium (indeed, it is for fertilization, or bomb material?)
• prostaglandins (fatty acids that perform hormone-like functions)
• purine, pyrimidine, pyruvic acid
• sodium (we need that when we sweat a lot)
• sorbitol (a laxative), spermidine, spermine
• urea, uric acid (that doesn't sound great, finally)
• vitamin B12 and zinc (wow, sounds like multivitamins to me!)

Source: semen@Everything2.com


Did you know that? NOW WE KNOW!

Family First

I saw my boxing instructor at SM yesterday. He was all smiles and obviously have grown healthy. I mean his stomach was obviously not taken cared of.

He asked me if I still go to the gym for my boxing lessons. Yeah I boxed for two months. Someone gave me a two-month free session. But that was it. I could no longer afford a P2,500 monthly visit despite of the fact that it was healthy for me. To be honest about it, the P2,500 could feed my family.

I told him I haven't been there for so long. I was only there last year.

"I resigned," my instructor declared. He wanted to focus on something more necessary- supporting the family. And I thought I was alone.

We said our goodbyes. I remembered he still owed me P500.

Another Incident

We suddenly had our share of panic yesterday.

My alcoholic brother was tasked by his wife to make sure her sister would arrive Bacolod safely after 2 weeks of vacation in our hometown, Batuan in Bohol. I did not know how did it happened but when my bro was in Dumaguete (he was alone I supposed) he used up all his resources in drinking. The PPA in Dumaguete called up Batuan to inform them that indeed, Jonathan, my bro, is dead drunk at Dumaguete pier with no sanity left in him and worst, no single money for the boat fare.

My family informed me and asked for assistance. Honestly, I have friends in Dumaguete but they are of the "upper class." Would I ask the Provincial Director of DTI-Bohol who is from there to fetch my bro? Would I ask the people from the Negros Oriental Investment Promotion Center the same? How would I tell them? After a brief discussion that came out a psycho war, I told them I would not help. This is out of proportion!

You may say I'm heartless, unfeeling for my brother. For so many times I told my family to resist the act of helping him (like covering up for him, as an example) because he has been on and off and like that for more than five years! In fact, he has been drinking (and doing drugs) since his child was still in the womb. Now his only child is nine years old. We helped him in the first two years because of pity. Blood is thicker than water. But sadly our act of pity would bring us to disasters. My mother, as mothers would be, always tell us to understand him and PRAY! I don't know how many novenarias have been laid open and repeatedly recited for him to no avail.

I already discussed with the family about rehab, but he backed out when the DSWD came to our home. It was a disaster.

He is now 35 or 36 and still is fed by wife who works as cashier-runner in a ricemill. I don't know what type of love his wife has for him. That wife my brother had made a punching bag out of her, is the wife that panicked and fetched him in Dumaguete this morning.

(A relevant blog about my bro I wrote last March titled The Prodigal Bro can be read here.)

Damn stories of our lives!

Metro Manila remains center of corruption in RP

By Jocelyn Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:37:00 08/18/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Official corruption remains highest in Metro Manila, as it has for almost 30 years now, among all the regions of the country, according to the Sandiganbayan.

Figures released by the anti-graft court’s Judicial Records Division showed the capital region accounted for 23 percent (6,770 suits) of the 29,231 cases filed in the Sandiganbayan between February 1979 and May 2008.

Central Visayas (Region VII) and Southern Tagalog (Region IV) shared an equally large portion of the case pie with 11.32 percent (3,310 cases) and 10 percent (2,932 cases), respectively, the records showed.

Central Visayas comprises four provinces—Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. Southern Tagalog provinces include the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and Romblon.

“The seat of government and the bulk of public funds are here in Metro Manila so it is not [unimaginable] that it would register the highest number of graft cases with the Sandiganbayan,” Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on the phone on Monday.

Villa-Ignacio said most government officials were tempted to dip their hands into the public coffers for personal gain because of easy access.

“We also don’t have enough field investigators to monitor them,” he added.

Only about 200 field investigators have been deployed to keep a tight watch on the country’s 1.5 million public officials, he said.

The Sandiganbayan listed 30 crimes the government officials were charged with. Malversation of public funds was the top offense, accounting for 9,231 cases. This was followed by violation of the Anti-Graft Law with 6,240 cases, falsification of public documents, 5,445 cases, and estafa, 4,394 cases.

Other cases at the Sandiganbayan involved perjury, bribery, murder, homicide, robbery, theft, kidnapping, slander, among others.

Of the 9,231 malversation cases handled by the court, 1,302 of them involved public officials in Metro Manila, followed by officials in Regions IV and VII with 906 and 853 cases, respectively.

But the records also showed that more government officials in Metro Manila were accused of violation of the anti-graft law, accounting for 1,777 cases of the 6,240 filed across the country.

About 1,200 graft cases were attributed to Region VII, while 626 suits involved public officials in Northern Mindanao (Region X). The region has five provinces, namely, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental.

From www.inquirer.net

The English Patient, Brewed Coffee and A View From My Window

Nightmare of a Lifetime

The moon was up last night. I could have sat by the window and stare at it for long had not my neighbors been getting irritatingly noisy. I have to sleep early because I was drowning in the irritating ballads of the two gay lovebirds two apartments away from mine. I was wondering how could the nearer neighbors slept.

But I was thankful the other neighbor did not start her Asin renditions. Had it been the case, I would surely have gotten out my reserved firecrackers and throw them at their doors.

(Read my previous blog on these neighbors titled One Immediate Wish.)

And I've woke up early too because I dreamed Regine Velasquez singing right in my face and was swooned by her irritating voice too! I have to make an effort to wake up because I could not breath and I was falling!

I haven't slept til now.

Cartoons from Smorty Blog

Oh Wall-E...

Rainy Saturday Night and All I want is One Cold Beer

After a brief meeting at the printing press, I have nothing else to do but breath. I told the people at the press I really need to drink or else I would hyperventilate. They laughed at me.

Honestly I have been in drought for a long time now. Maybe a bottle would drown me.

Last night, feeling restless I planned to go out and have a bottle or two. But the rain stopped me.

And as planned today, I walked home after some window-shopping at Robinson's when the rain made its unannounced entrance. How I wish I could drop in some cozy place and have beer but it was too early for the bars to open. I tried Shakey's but they only serve draft beer. I hate its taste!

So I walked home and let the rain drench me with the hope of washing away that thirst.

I was panting when I arrived home. The rain didn't quenched my desire for beer.

Damn! I thirst!

A Rejoinder to the Study that Drinking Can Make Anybody Attractive

That's right: It's not just for breakfast anymore—at least not in the U.K., where the WSJ reports beer brands are "reaching out to a largely untapped [get it?] group," women. As a result, pubs will begin carrying more female-friendly brews, from Blue Moon to a new one called St. Edmunds. Why the push? In short, British brewers have long catered exclusively to men, thus neglecting half the population ("We've done something fundamentally wrong here," says one male exec). And good news: Something tells us lads stand to benefit from this as well.

PAUL L. UNDERWOOD

Photo: hopwild.com

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A verification that drinking can enhance eyesight? Or more specifically, making English ladies attractive in the eyes of drunks. Whoah! Now they are targeting women too so there could be mutual attraction. (See my previous blog on this by clicking here.)

I should be living in England. Hail to the Queen!