A major, major mistake

People who say that we should be proud of Venus Raj’s accomplishments are either just being polite with a subtle hint of hypocrisy or just plain stupid.

I mean how can you be proud of her? Oh, maybe I am understating the fact that she was able to make it to the Top 5 and became 5^th runner up. Well, I guess at the least she deserves an applause for bagging the 5^th honors. Not too many can pull that off, The last time we made it to the Top 5 was when Miriam Quiambao finished second after that it has been one disappointment after another.

How hard was it to understand the question? Did Mr. Baldwin used metaphors and allegories which caused Magnificent Raj to channel to her inner chi, got lost in the moment while she needed some time to speak with her ancestors and consult them?

Or is it because she has never had a major, major mistake? (aside from joining the pageant).

Maybe this is a wake up call for us. Its time we admit that we need an interpreter just like Ms. Mexico (who probably speaks better English than Ms. Raj). We’re just too proud. We pride ourselves over the fact that we are known to be good English speakers but deny the fact that what stands true for many may not be true for all of us.

There are many Venus Rajs, Janina San Miguels, Melanie Marquezes out there who happened to have been born with pretty faces but did not got blessed with eloquence. I will not spare myself and admit that I am not the best speaker either. But that does not make me less of a person. 

Its not our first language and that's forgivable, so why can't just we effin' hire a darn interpreter?

Pathetic

Pathetic.

If there's a list of perfect words to describe how the police and the SWAT team handled the hostage taking yesterday, that would be on top of the list.

S.W.A.T. in our country means " Shit Wala Akong Training " [Shit I wasn't trained for this] (my friend Rod, posted this in Facebook).

Everyone who saw the coverage will agree that it wasn't handled well. Im no expert in crisis management but I don't have to be one to make a precise point that they had absolutely no clue on how to handle the hostage taker.

First they made the grave error of frustrating an already desperate man, (apparently one of his requests got declined) and aggravated the situation by agitating the dismissed policeman.We all saw how he reacted after the police arrested his brother.

Where was the negotiator? What did he do? How did the negotiation collapse and why did it have to turn out so violently?

If there is one thing that the police force was extremely good at, it was acting. They all performed like they were in an action film, the stance, the poise of an action star when he holds a rifle. Those were all present. They also showed that they have the talent for comedy, there was a footage of them throwing the tear gas at the back of the bus and it bounced back at them. A little slapstick though but it works all the time, my father and I couldn't stop laughing.

Which brings me to my central point and points back to my first premise. How can we laugh at this situation? How can the police handling a crisis situation become laughable when they were supposed to be our shining knight in the direst of times? It was obvious how unprepared they were, but how can I not laugh at their stupidity after seeing them try to enter the bus only to go back a few seconds after with a face so messed up a painter would have a hard time drawing it on canvass because they could not stand the fumes from the tear gas? Somebody please kill me now.

They did not have any plan, mishandled the situation, and they showed the world how ill-equipped our police force is. Supposedly the most elite team among the entire police squad, our SWAT team appeared like ROTC cadets on their first day.

And again we humiliated ourselves while the whole world was watching.

Pathetic.

The curious case of the missing DVD

For the first time in my life, I allowed someone to verbally abuse me. And she wasn’t even my mom.

All for a missing DVD that was found in the room where we’ve been staying for the last 2 months at my in-laws' place in Tagaytay.

All those who knew me as Mr “ Will fight when I know Im right” will be very disappointed. At that instant, I was reduced to a main character in a soap opera who just takes it in, gets framed, accused of a wrongdoing without a slight nudge. I became Mara and let Clara assault me with hurtful words that even the devil himself might get offended.

Her mouth was home the most fetid of all words, it houses the biggest vocabulary of insults known to man.

The only words that I managed to say was “ Wala akong kasalanan sa’yo” (I did you no wrong).  All the while, I was careful of causing more raucous, out of respect to her parents and my wife’s youngest sister who has been nothing but an angel to me and my family. And I know I love my wife and disrespecting could mean (to them) disrespecting her entire family.

My wife’s big sister was relentless, she came home the night before and woke everyone up with her screaming, she cursed at me and let the whole neighborhood knew that I was a thief, how she hates my guts, that while we’re living with her parents, I had no respect for her and her family, She said that I don’t make the effort to get along with them and even stole a Beatles DVD.

I knew I was an easy target, being the obvious Beatles fan that I am but how it got to my son’s hands I don’t know. Maybe some Divine Intervention led his hand to play with that DVD, and the stupid me who thought that since I had asked for his brother’s permission to watch that DVD a few weeks back decided to keep it in our room and view it when I had the time. The night she started looking for it, I wanted to say, I last saw it in our room but I couldn’t look for it. I should’ve said a word, I guess, that’s my biggest fault.

The part that I hate most, was when she was cursing at me, while I was carrying my 2 year old son. I pleaded for her not to curse but she replied with “Wala akong pakialam, wala ka namang modo e, P*tang ina mo!” (I don’t care, You have no respect anyway, Son of a bitch!).

This isn’t the first time though, that she blamed me for something I didn’t do. Roughly a year ago, her niece was playing in our room when I accidentally hit her eyes while she was climbing the bed. She then went up to her Kuya (who was my bestfriend back in college) and magnified the situation by saying I intentionally hit the kid and blew it out of proportions.

Its textbook stuff, why would I hit my bestfriend's daughter shortly after mending a broken friendship?

As evil as she thinks I am, I will never intend for another person to hate someone just because he’s not my favorite person, I would never will to destroy an already shaky friendship and add more tension to it to finally push it to crumble down which is exactly what happened when she told her brother that I intentionally hit his daughter. Hit after hit, now her brother will have another reason to hate me.

She hated me from Day 1, from the day she first saw me I guess (back in college), up to the day she learned I was going to marry her sister. She hates me and I knew that, which is why I never crossed her path. I tried a few times to talk to her, but that didn’t last long.

Lessons learned from this experience:

1. You have to learn to use mental telepathy and communicate with people who aren’t talking to you.
2. People who are trying to start a life and live it peacefully, should be given a hard time. ( This is a test bound by fate. )
3. Silence is not the best way to deal with an angry person, you should answer back even if you know they will not bother understanding you anyway, so they can have the opportunity to curse at you.
4. People can read minds and they know exactly what you’re thinking of, this is supposed to be true all the time.

I wonder what drives another human being to hate another person in a very destructive way. I don’t recall ever offending her, nor do I recall any interaction with her.

Perpekto

Sa mundo at mata ng mga bata, ang lahat ng bagay ay perpekto. Makulay at maganda ang kapaligiran. Mapagmahal; at makatuwiran ang bawat magulang. May tugon sa lahat ng suliranin. Ang sakit at luha ay napapawi sa simpleng yakap at halik ng ina.

Sa mundo ng mga bata, ang salitang hindi ay lubos, ang ayoko ay batas. Ang anumang kanilang ayawan o di sang ayunan ay hindi maaaring ipilit.

Sa mundo ng mga bata, makukuha nila ang anumang kanilang naisin. Hindi man nila sinasadya ang pag-iyak ay daan upang makuha nila ang kanilang gusto. At madalas sa hindi, ibinibigay natin ito sa kanila.

Sa mata ng mga bata, ang kanilang ina ay diyos. Larawan siya ng walang hanggang pagmamahal at pagkalinga. Hindi siya nauubusan ng pasensya. Si Itay naman ang kanyang tanggulan, ang haliging laging masasandigan, maasahan sa bawat panahon.

Sa mundo ng mga bata, ang lungkot ay isa lamang pahinga sa mahabang panahon o oras ng pagsasaya.

Nababago lamang ang lahat ng ito at nagsisimulang pumangit ang kanilang perpektong mundo sa oras na sila ay mamulat sa walang katuwirang pananakit, sa bawat hampas ng sinturon, sa bawat hataw ng tsinelas sa kanilang murang katawan. Ang paraiso ng kanyang musmos na pag-iisip ay unti-unting nasisira sa bawat sigaw at masasakit na salita.

Ang dating masayang mundo ay napapalitan ng gulo at ingay. Ang dating simpleng pag-iyak na naghahatid ng ginhawa sa kanyang nagugutom na sikmura ay hindi pala sapat, lalo na kung si Tatay ay nagumon sa alak at si Nanay ay naging abala sa tsismis. Hindi pala sa lahat ng oras ay nadadaan ang lahat sa "hindi" at "ayoko". Ang utos ni Tiyong ay hindi puwedeng sawayin dahil mahahataw ka ng tambo sa ulo.

Sa pagmulat ng kanilang kamalayan, makikita nilang unti-unti na hindi pala puro ganda at liwanag ang mundo, hindi puro tawanan at ngiti ang dulot ng bawat araw, at ang lungkot ay isa palang emosyon na maaaring madalas mong makasama.

Inaasahang tayo, bilang nakatatanda ang magtuturo sa kanila kung paano harapin ang buhay, na hindi lang isa ang mukha ng mundo. Na sa bawat landas na kanilang tatahakin ay may dapat nakahanda silang madapa at masaktan dahil hindi sa lahat ng panahon ay may magbabangon at kakarga sa kanila.

Ang perpektong mundong kanilang kinagisnan ay maaari pa ring manatiling maganda sa kanilang pananaw kung kanilang maiintindihan na hindi lahat ng maibigan ay maaaring ipilit, hindi lahat ng bagay ay maaari mong makuha. Kung ang pagbabawal ay may kalakip na mahinahong paliwanag, titimo sa isip ng bata kung ano ang tama at nararapat.

Ang pundasyon ng lahat ng mahahalagang bagay na matutunan ng bata at maghuhubog sa kung magiging sino sya sa kanyang pagtanda ay nakasalalay sa kanyang kinagisnang pagkabata. Sa isang banda, kung hahayaan mo ang perpektong mundo ang syang manaig, lalaki syang walang kinikilalang batas kundi ang sarili. Kung ang kamumulatan naman nyang mundo ay puno ng pananakit at pagmumura, wag nating asahang magiging mahinahon at magiging santo sya balang araw.

Hindi kailangang masaktan ang bata para maintindihan niyang mali ang kanyang ginagawa, hindi kailangan ng sinturon para lumatay ang isang magandang aral.

Sa mundo at mata ng mga bata, hindi pala lahat ng bagay ay perpekto, ngunit maaaring maging makulay at maganda ang kapaligiran. Mapagmahal at makatuwiran ang bawat magulang. Ipinadarama nila ito, hindi lamang sa pagbibigay ng layaw sa bawat bagay na kanilang naisin, kundi pati sa pagbibigay liwanag na nakasasama din ang labis, na ang hindi o hindi puwede ay hindi lamang basta pagtutol o pagbabawal kundi paghahatid ng paalalang tama na muna, sa susunod na lang, o mali ang iyong ginagawa.



Children Learn What They Live (1959)
Dorothy Law


If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn . . .

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight . . .

If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive . . .

If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself . . .

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy . . .

If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt . . .



BUT


If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient . . .

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident . . .

If a child lives with , he learns to be appreciative . . .

If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love . . .

If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is . . .

If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice . . .

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him . . .

If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live . . .

An Open Letter to Noynoy

Dear Noynoy,

I got a confession to make, I did not vote for you. I chose your cousin because I thought he is more competent and credible than you are, but the people have made their choice, the majority won and democracy has triumphed as they say. And we now have you as our President, whether we like it or not is now immaterial.

This is not a bitter letter that will circle around what could have been had my president won. This is about you and the Filipino people whose lives you’ve touched with your slogan of ending poverty by ending corruption. This is about your promise of a better life by choosing the road less traveled, the path of righteousness that you so rightfully claim.

You have become a symbol of hope for a country that has been divided by political colors and redundant slogans that all boast of good governance and the seemingly unreachable dream of ending poverty. You have renewed the glory that is EDSA, Yes, May 10, 2010 was a silent people power in the form of ballots that bore your name. Every Filipino who chose to shade your name on their ballots must have thought they were making the right choice. They believed in you.

The moment of truth has arrived, your time has come. The time to prove that you can deliver on your promise starts now, or from the day you take your oath of office on June 30. While the whole nation await for the messiah to save this doomed nation, your detractors are on the prowl, eagerly anticipating your first blunder, like vultures they will feed on its carcass until there’s nothing left of your good name.

Save some of it, for this presidency will definitely take its toll on you. Keep in mind that for every favor you extend to repay a certain “act of kindness” you betray your father’s name. For every advice you follow that reeks of vested interest you slowly become the tyrant that your mother ousted back in 1987.

We do not expect that after your 6 year rule that this country will rise on the ranks of the first world countries or that you have completely eradicated corruption. We are simply counting that you will pave the way for a better tomorrow by giving us what is due: A just, honest and competent government that alleviated poverty.

And may I remind you on this in case you forget in the course of your 6 year term: Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.

Sincerely yours,

Jay Beltran

The Palawan Experience

I must admit, I do not have the concinnity of a travel writer and I can’t promise a detailed chorography of Dos Palmas or the subterranean river. This humbly, would be my futile attempt of chronicling our recent Palawan escapade. Pathetic as it is, read on.

We had our flights booked as early as February this year. Our biggest mistake was we didn’t really put so much thought on how long our stay in Palawan would be. We settled for 3 days and 2 nights, and for anyone who’s been there, Im pretty sure you’ll agree, that wouldn’t be enough. And boy, it wasn’t enough.

We boarded ZestAir at 4:40 in the afternoon, the plane ride was smooth and they didn’t disappoint. I’d say from 1-10, Id give them a 9. and that’s only because our flight got delayed by an hour.

Our plane landed at Puerto Princesa Airport at about 6:30pm. We were picked up from the Airport by Kuya Lito from Raq Pensionne. My wife and I had our first quick tour of the city from the airport. Kuya Lito took care of the warm welcome, giving us his tour guide prowess he described the places and gave us a sneak peek of what to expect from the city.

Puerto Princesa Airport

Accomodation at Raq Pensionne

Raq Pensionne

At Raq Pensionne, we were greeted by none other than the hotel owner herself. She was very nice and warm and even offered extra towels that we can bring to Dos Palmas so we wont have to rent bath towels from them. They even took care of our reservation at Ka Lui’s. (we’ll get to that later). The place was clean and had a home vibe. Our room was clean and everything was well provided. I would easily recommend Raq Pensionne to anyone as we had a very pleasant stay at the hotel from our first day down to our last day. They never said no to anything. Even when my wife asked where she can buy a hair clip, the hotel owner herself lent her one. Talk about going the extra mile.

Nothing fancy about the place, its cozy and affordable. What's there to ask for?

Stairs to the 2nd floor

Dos Palmas

We were told to get up at 6am so we can have breakfast and be on time for the bus ride that will take us to Honda Bay. Everything went as scheduled. A boat was waiting for us at Honda Bay and took us to Dos Palmas, the ride took an hour and as soon as we docked at Dos Palmas we were greeted by their staff and they were playing ethnic music, kulintang and some other percussions. My wife couldn’t get enough of the complimentary drink that was served as soon as we entered the receiving area. They called the beverage snow on top. Damn it was good.

A short briefing was conducted by one of their senior staff member, Melmar, We had to cover our noses to hide the bleeding. While Melmar displayed demeanor true to how a staff member at one of the most well known resorts here in the Philippines should act, Melmar also had a strong command of the English language, if his audience were bats and dugongs. “Okay its sea urchin season today, please do not touch them okay” Translation: Beware of Sea Urchins

Do not lost the kay locker because you lost them, you pay $20.

Translation: $20 for lost key locker.

We had fun snorkeling and following the school of fishes as we explored what lies beneath the waves. Id say of all the things we did, this one I enjoyed the most, apart from the occasional struggle with saltwater that keeps on pressing on my nose, which I could have avoided by adjusting the goggles or if my nostrils weren’t that big. (Not my fault but my mom’s genes) My wife enjoyed it so much she said she’ll do this again and even learn scuba diving. It was very calming. There’s no other way to describe it.

After the fun time with the fishes, my wife and I decided to kayak. This was another fun activity you shouldn’t miss if you ever plan on going to Palawan or any other resort that offers it for that matter.

Lunch was served between 12-2. I think we had lunch at 1pm. We ordered another round of snow on top and we had our snacks first at the cabanas. The buffet was great. I had seafood kare-kare and shrimp gambas.

Lunch

My wife

Our stay at Dos Palmas was short and sweet, we had to board the ship at 3:30 and we were back at the hotel by 5pm. We took a short nap and then went to Ka Lui’s for dinner.

View of Dos Palmas from the boat

Dinner at Ka Lui’s

You have to get a reservation at Ka Lui’s so they can accommodate you. (Raq Pensione took care of that on our first night, Thanks to Gerard, One of their staff) That’s how popular they are in Puerto Princesa. And you would not be disappointed. They offer superb service and a variety of meals fresh from the sea. Upon entering the dining area, its a must that you have to leave your shoes or your sandals on a designated locker. Yes, you have to go barefoot. Even the staff walk around minus the slippers/shoes on  the well polished wood flooring of Ka Luis. I asked one of their staff why we had to go barefoot. He answered me with a smile "Para daw po parang nasa bahay ka lang" [''So everyone will feel at home''].

The Underground River

We had to prepare early for our tour of the Subterranean River, that's because we had a flight to catch at 5:50 in the afternoon. Our tour guide was Mai, and we were joined by a family of four on the van. It took us 2 hours to reach Sabang. From Sabang, we rode a boat to the Underground River.

The Underground river is the longest navigable river in the world, it is the official nominee of our country to the New 7 wonders of nature. A boatman serves as your tour guide inside the cave and also picks the part of semi entertainer while describing the underground river that houses a spectacle of rock formations. Inside the subterranean river, the cool breeze gently sways you to feel the calm and its simply breath taking, partly because of the bat droppings that will greet you as soon as you enter the cave. But once inside you cant help but get awed by the sights that nature gallantly created by itself.


After the tour of the Underground River we had our lunch at a nearby resort where we had a taste of Tamilok. They say a visit to Palawan will never be complete without a taste of their native delicacy (This is debatable because some Asian countries claim it originated from them Indonesia, Thailand etc) known as tamilok. Its a woodworm found in mangroves and tastes like your familiar oyster.

Tamilok

Kudos to Ate Mai (our tour guide) we were able to make it to our flight back home and even had spare time to take a shower. Overall our Palawan experience was great and because of their amazing service (Raq Pensionne and sorry I forgot the name of the Travel and Tours company, but if you book at Raq you can ask for them) we'll go back there and get their services again.

Oh Palawan... I wish we can go back there soon. Its the best vacation I've ever had.

***Show your support to our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River by voting for it @ http://www.new7wonders.com/n7w***

A country of losers

I just realized, I have never had my president win the elections ever since I first voted in 1998. That was when Erap made history as the first dumb ass president to rule a nation. Serves us right, with the kind of voters we have, we deserve the ones we put in public office. After all a tribe of dodos cant be ruled by chimpanzees.

In 2004 Roco’s name was in my ballot, and yet again, my candidate lost. GMA took the office again and the past 6 years we saw her turn our country from bad to worst, the poor got poorer and multiplied. Can we blame her? Or should we blame ourselves? Come to think of it, even if she did not cheat in the 2004 elections and FPJ won, could it have been any better?

The fact is, we never learn. We have not learned from the mistakes of 1998. The type of president we put into office only displays the political maturity of this country. Most of us vote for famous people, for the kumpare ng kumpare ni lolo, for the candidate who gave you 300 pesos and a bag of groceries, for the candidate who will likely win. Very few actually vote for the one’s they think are worthy.

Tomorrow will be my 3rd presidential elections and tomorrow’s decision decides the next 6 years and the future of my son, and your children’s children. I am voting for Gibo and again, my candidate isnt’ one of the top 2 and will likely lose. But I can hold my head up high and say I thought about it, no one convinced me to vote for him and I am voting for him because I believe he can make a difference. And I can tell my son, “I thought about you when I made my choice”

That’s how its going to be. Until we learn to choose for ourselves and listen to our conscience, our next leaders will always reflect the kind of nation we are; immature and gullible fanatics who believe in fairytales of rags to riches.

Elections=Scary

I am scared. As in really scared.

I am scared of May 10, and the outcome that comes after Monday.

I am scared that it may not even happen, that a failure of elections will be proclaimed, even though there is no clear provision on the constitution that clearly defines what a failure of elections is. But then again, given our history of election fraud and with all the fiasco about the PICOS machines, the compact flash cards, who knows what may happen?

As early as now, its easy to predict a massive disenfranchisement of voters. I'll tell you why.

One. Majority of the voters are elderly, this is a new process and with all things new comes confusion. Else, they knew they only needed to shade the circle but didn't shade enough or did 2 for one post. Some may say no, its too easy you can't go wrong. Oh but believe me this will happen.

Two. Voters list weren't updated, voters who couldn't find their precints. I've seen this happen so many times. I've served in 3 national elections already 2 presidential elections and 1 senatorial elections and all 3 had similar scenarios like this.

Three. PICOS machines failing. You all would agree this is inevitable. With only 3 days to the elections, there will never be enough time for all the retestings.

Say its a perfect world, and the elections run smoothly, As a nation famous for excellent choices such as plundering leaders and evil dictators, have we gained at least an ounce of political maturity? May 10 is one golden opportunity to effect change and perhaps start healing our ailing country.

I guess Im scared because this is the most important election of my life, this is my time to reach for the best that I can be, as I reach the prime of my life. And getting stucked with another plunderer/moron isnt going to help. Selfish? No. Its just one of my worst fears and I cant help but feel anxious about Monday.

I have made my choice. Im going for Teodoro-Binay. Both I believe has credibility and the ability to lead. but this wont matter if the elections do not forego as we expect. So my only prayer now is for the elections to happen and get rid of the evil dwarf whom we call President until June 30.

Lamok

Nabad-trip ako nung isang umaga, pagkagising kasi namin, may isang malaking kagat ng lamok si Jaden sa ilong. Nakakapikon di'ba? Sa lahat ng pwedeng kagatin bakit naman anak ko pa, di na lang ako. At bakit kase sa may ilong pa, pwede namang sa braso, sa binti, sa leeg. Sa lahat ng parteng puwedeng makagat dun pa sa kapansin-pansin

Minsan naiisip ko tuloy, ano nga ba talagang silbi ng lamok bukod sa i-balance ang food chain? Sabi nila pag nawala daw ang lamok mawawala ang mga palaka, at iba pang mas malaking hayop na kumakain dito. Dito talagang nababagay ang expression na "E ano ngayon?"

Sa madaling salita, napikon ako, inutusan ko ngayon ang kasama namin sa bahay na nag-aalaga kay Jaden, sabi ko "Hanapin mo nga iyong kumagat kay Jaden kagabi, patayin mo!"

Tiyempong nang umaga na 'yon ay hawak nya ang malupit na pamatay ng lamok. Ito ang katumbas ng silya-elektrika sa mga lamok. Kung ang katol at baygon na ini-ispray ay gas chamber. Ito ang electric chair para sa mga napatunayang nagkasala at nangagat ng batang inosente.

See Exhibit A:

Ito ang kagamitang kikitil sa pinaghahanap na puganteng lamok. Makatarungan nga ba na palayain na lang sya at hayaang mambiktima ng ilan pang inosenteng kabataan?

O hahayaan na lang ba syang lumipad at malayang makapameste dahil isang araw lang din naman ang buhay nya?

Lahat ng ito'y gumulo sa isip ko, tama nga ba ang aking iniutos?

Marahil kagaya natin, ang lamok na iyon ay gusto din lang mabuhay.

Naputol ang pagmumuni muni ko ng sinagot ako ni Joanna sya ang kasama namin sa bahay at naatasang magpataw ng karimari-marim na parusang kamatayan.

Ito ang sabi nya:

"Koya, hinde ko sya mahanap magkakamokha sila e!" "Pare-pareho lang halos ang lake!"

Undecided

Who are you voting for?

A month from now, our decision will either make or break the nation. It might not mean anything for some people, thinking that this train is bound to its tracks, and poverty will always be beside its rails. There is no hope for this dying nation. In the end, no matter who takes the seat of the highest post in the land, we're all doomed to failure.

I refuse to believe that.

If the elections were held 8 months ago, there is no doubt the yellow ribbon and the Cory Magic would've made it easy for Ninoy's son to win the presidency, now its a battle between Orange and Yellow. Both of which claim they can make everything right, one says he'll end poverty. The other says he will not steal.

Forget Teodoro, Gordon, Perlas, Madrigal, Villanueva and Estrada. Come May, it will be a showdown between the former 2.

Noynoy or Manny.

I am not going for Manny, even if I had a gun pointed at my head instructing me to shade the circle beside his name on the ballot. I was going to go for Noynoy with one principle in

mind, I will choose the lesser evil.

Now who's to say that is true?

Is he really the one with the moral ascendancy to carry out this one grave task of salvaging a nation in turmoil? Or are we just blinded by the Cory Magic and we fail to see that he is just not ready yet to run a country. That he is just not yet made.

Villar on the other hand, promises a life free of poverty, claims will end it and that slogan is winning its way to the minds of the hopefuls, unaware that this guy reeks of corruption and carries the stench of his sea full of garbage "dagat ng basura" jingle.

That leaves us with a handful of choices. A bunch of wannabes with platforms perfected by careful planning and mastery of this nation's problems.

A month ago, I would have said with conviction that I will vote for Noynoy, now I am undecided, what does he have to offer that the other candidates didn't? If a congressman wasn't

able to do much for a small province, how can an entire nation rely on him?

I still think there is hope though, but that's mainly because I'd like to think that my son has a bright future ahead of him. That 6 years from now whoever wins the May election may have done something good.

That 6 years from now, this country has learned its lesson not to put our hopes up on just one person and leave our fate to the president who after all is just human like us bound to commit mistakes may they be grave or petty forgivable errors.

That 6 years from now, we have realized that no one can save us from ourselves but ourselves.

Shall I go for Teodoro who seems sincere but made one big mistake of making a pact with the devil?

Noynoy who claims to be honest but has done nothing trustworthy?

I am undecided.

Life defined by a minute

Have you ever had a day when you wish you can go back in time just for that one minute tha could have made that day better?

I do, almost every day. And counting on the number of minutes I've had maybe things would have been much different if it weren't for that minute. That 60 seconds of time I can never get back.

I'll start when I woke up this morning

@ 4:15am I didn't get up all at once and I chose to leave my bed at 4:16am

I took my breakfast, went on with my daily morning rituals and left the house by 4:35am

I took the bus at 4:45am.

The bus was at Ortigas by 5:30am but the stupid driver decided he needs to wait for passengers and got stuck at Shaw Boulevard (Crossing). I took a desperate glance at my phone's watch and saw its already 5:40am. I hesitated and decided to get off the bus by 5:41am.

I took the bus going to Ayala, arriving at the office at 6:02am.

I was late for 2 minutes. All because of a minute of hesitation and another minute of spending time with the cobwebs in my head as I was feeling all woozy from waking up.

And I lost *2000 pesos just because I was late.

(*Perfect attendance incentive that requires 100% attendance and zero tardiness)

Hail to my Alma Mater

It still makes perfect sense to me, what my professor back in college said: “Wala sa eskuwelahan yan, nasa estudyante yan!” (Its not about the school, its about the student).

And so I wonder, what’s up with people who are too damn proud of their alma mater? I mean, I can understand the pride and the loyalty to your school that honed you and taught you the things you know. But that doesn’t mean you are better and more equipped than the ones who didn’t graduate from UP, La Salle, or Ateneo for that matter. It seems that if there’s one thing common about people who came from this school is that they are TOO PROUD.

This is not a contest though of who’s the proudest of them all, my observation points to people who came from University of the Philippines. The so- called “iskolar ng bayan”. Let me cite a concrete example: It was a simple conversation that turned ugly, one of my workmates asked my friend who studied (but didn’t graduate) at UP if she went to the UP Fair and the latter answered, “Ayoko pumunta dun puro rakrakan!” (She meant she didn’t want to go there, because there were a lot of punks and rockers and all the bands played rock.) I butted in and said “Shunga! Di kaya puro rock tugtog dun!” I defended the crowd and the bands that played because not all of them play rock. (Pinikpikan, Giniling Festival, Up Dharma Down they aren’t pure rock) Her polite rebuttal was: “Hindi ako shunga!, pumasa kaya ako ng UPCAT!” (Im not stupid, I passed the UPCAT) I don’t think I have to explain what UPCAT is but for the heck of it, UPCAT is the entrance examination for high school graduates who wants to make it to the most prestigious school.

Yes its petty and maybe a little elementary. But its just a small part your everyday conversation with a UP graduate. Not that I have something against them, I’ve met people who came from UP who didn’t need to rub it in that they came from UP. 90% of the time if you’re speaking with a UP alumni, they’ll find a very smooth segue on the conversation that they came from UP, I studied at UP. It was nice to study in UP, I still visit UP. There’s nothing wrong with that I suppose, they love their school so much that if one of their school’s merchandise was pajamas and nightgowns they will sleep in it and rest their heads on a UP Pillow.

My point is, it is not your school that will make you who you are. You have to work on it. Respect is gained not enforced along with your self worth that you may have lost with your failures. Your now seemingly insignificant brilliance doesn’t always translate to wisdom. If you continue on equating intelligence with how high your IQ is you are bound to fail. And fail you shall.

This is not an article against UP graduates, although it may seem that I singled them out, this is about every student who are too proud of their school and foolishly believes that graduating from their school ensures them a bright future. Nothing comes easy. And in the end, some of them end up donning a headset and get tied to a chair, 8 hours a day.

[Mo Twister wrote an almost similar take about this topic, you can check his post at http://www.motwister.com/blog/2009/11/20/are-you-too-proud-of-your-school.html ]

Actor-Politician

The other day, I was listening to the good times morning show on the radio and Grace Lee made an interesting comment about actors who are running for public office and turned down Mo Twister’s invitation for an interview on his show. Apparently Ara Mina had a very memorable experience on his show. She was able to uplift the morale of showbiz personalities who turn into accomplished politicians. She did this simply by her wit and intelligent answers to extremely regular questions. (What the ?)

Grace pointed out, they are afraid to come to Mo’s show but they are not afraid of the people they will be held liable and accountable for if and when they win in the coming elections. True. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against actors who become public servants. The constitution does not in any way prohibit them from doing so, but holding a public office is no walk in the park, there’s no director that shouts CUT! if you make a mistake, once a decision is made, it is the people who voted for you that reaps the benefits of your good decision, and they are the same ones who suffer if you made a bad choice.

I wonder what’s going on an actor’s head that very moment when they make that life changing decision to run for public office. I mean what were they thinking? Weren’t they just bored with their lives and thought they’ll raise up the bar a bit and make their lives more interesting. Or is it really the will to do good that pushes them to take the challenge and pray that God will do the rest? This country has suffered enough with one big mistake in the person of Erap and I wish we’ve gained a bit more understanding that good acting doesn’t translate to good public servant.

The fact of the matter is, people are stubborn, it’s the kid in us that gets the better of us, when we make tough decisions that we feel doesn’t directly affect us. We look at elections like it’s a game, we pick those who we think are most likely to win, notwithstanding their credibility and all other factors that makes for a good public servant.

We fail to realize that if they win, we lose.

This is what will happen to the Philippines if ERAP will win again...

[From Conrado De Quiros original article in Philippine Daily Inquirer some 6 years ago about FPJ winning the presidency]

This is what will happen to the Philippines if ERAP will win again...

























































...

My 30th Birthday

A few weeks before my birthday, my wife asked me how I wanted to celebrate my 30th birthday, I told her I wanted to go to the beach. And so we did. I don't have much to say except that I had a grand time. We went to Canyon Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas. Abee made sure my birthday would be memorable. She did everything to make our trip to the beach possible. She said this would be her birthday gift for me. I guess she knows the beach is my comfort place. That one place you can go to and make all your worries and stress disappear.

The rates aren't too steep. Its 500 pesos per head but you get to consume 200 pesos off the entrance fee. And since we were seven in the group including the driver we had 1400 pesos to spend for our lunch, not bad right? (Rates are for daytour only) If you plan on staying overnight, the rooms are for 5000 pesos+.

The pool

The Infinity pool.

Jaden, Jay and Abee

The Beach

My wife and me

Cabanas

Cabanas are rented for 1000 pesos. They offer a lot of fun activities, like kayaking, snorkeling, diving is also one of the things I'd love to try out too. I wanted to ride the jet skii but it was for 1800 pesos for 15 mins which was too costly for me.

I wish I was being paid to blog about Canyon Cove or maybe they can give me a 50% discount the next time I visit there but unfortunately this is a free ad. Let that be my gift to you on my birthday. If you have plans this summer, Canyon Cove is the place to be. (Cheesy!!!)

Of text lingos and interchanging consonants and vowels

Call me crazy, but as technology has gifted us with gadgets that makes life easier and convenient, it is slowly robbing us of our sanity and common sense. Sanity may very well be a strong word but its just my way of stressing the fact that I hate the way people converse in the mobile phone universe, at least here in the Philippines.

Maybe we're evolving backwards and we want to go back to those times that people communicate by sign language or language is slowly being replaced by the digital language.

"Wer na u? d2 na me." Why interchange ako with me? Why? Why?

"San q keu mit?" q for ko? lazy...

And to make it worse, the innate desire to belong gets the better of the manliest of men and succumb to the lure of stupidity. They fail to realize how gay it would sound to use Va instead of Ba.

"Nakufo, valik work na naman sa Monday..."

Yes its petty, but I guess this roots from the fear that when my son gets old, spelling and grammar will be a thing of the past.

TL Jesus

A few months back my good friend at the office was seriously contemplating on leaving the company and I think I managed to convince her to stay and wait for the 13th month pay and go from there. (Well I guess she stayed because she needs the job too.) Lets name her Joei for the sole purpose of being discreet. She's my partner in whining and cursing every day, every freakin' day we put on the headset and turn into emotional doormats (as she puts it) of our good old customers.

As luck turns to our side and the wheel of fate finally settles to smiles and sunny skies. We were given a new team leader. I said to her, "I think she's nice, and she's really kind and understanding maybe that will give you enough reason to stay". I paused and thought for a while and said, I guess it wouldn't really matter to you even if you have Jesus became your supervisor. If you have no passion for what you are doing it will always be a cross on your shoulder.

Then I had this funny thought, having Jesus as your team leader wouldn't be such a breeze either. Imagine approaching Him and asking for approval for credits and He will answer you with "My son, I'll tell about you the parable of the mustard seed... or the parable of the sower" and before you can decipher if the credit has been approved or not, your customer might have gone to slumberland or may have choked himself to death.

Kidding and blasphemy aside, I am still waiting for that day that I will wake up one morning and feel psyched that I am going to work, and not look at my job as a means to an end. Yes I am proud that I am not some vagabond who begs for food and alms. Yes there is nothing wrong with being a call center agent, (but there's something wrong with you if you wear a shirt that says Little Miss Agent with a cartoon drawing of a girl wearing a headset), but there's nothing wrong with wishing for more I suppose.

I now know the cause of my misery, and I'm hoping one day I'll find the strength to move forward.

30

I remember when I was a kid, I wished that I can pull time forward and be 21 and do all the things that adults can do. I so wanted to get away from home and have the freedom to stay up late, party and not worry about the 6pm curfew that my mom imposes. (Otherwise I'll end up picking my clothes on the streets because she throws them all away if I'm not home at the dot).

Let me cut to the chase and go straight to the point, Im turning 30, 23 days from now and I wish I can go back in time. Time flies faster as you grow older. And you end up gloating and sulking about things you want to do or accomplish or even bigger, things you didn't do and things you could have done. You go and make plans for the next 5 years but it seems like you can't squeeze it all in such a small window of time. You wish for more time.

The irony doesn't stop there, some 10 or 2 decades ago you wanted to travel through time fast forward to your mid twenties to have the time of your life and  you end up waking on your 27th birthday wishing you were seventeen and still learning the truths of life.

The sad fact is that you can't turn back time, but you can however make the most of the time you have left in this world. The Mayans predict the world will end in 2012 and if that's true that leaves us with 2 years to live a meaningful life. I guess if there's one good thing about this whole end of the world rumor is that some people will try to live a better life or if going to heaven even matters to them then they will try to be better people.

Coherence thrown out of the wind, the whole premise of this article got lost along with my bitterness. And as the sour reality of it kicks in I guess all I wanted to say is that time and life are too bitter enemies that will never get along because they try to outrun each other and life always loses the battle. The world doesn't wait for you to come along, but do not make decisions on impulse. One song says *some of the most interesting 40 year old people still don't know what to do with their lives but you'll never know when its too late and your just watching yourself burn and fade out.

"Make the most out of everyday" This line has been used over and over again but this makes more sense to me now that my age has gotten into me. I used to say, Age only has wheels but the person itself  do not, now I fear that I'm running out of time to make sense, to look back at my own meandering existence and smile about it.

Take each step with caution, do things that makes you and others smile. When someone says Live your life, don't take it literally, it means get a life worth living. Happiness is a choice you have to make so find that one thing that you know you'll do with passion.

Don't make the same mistakes I did.

The 10 peso change

Have you ever bought something from a convenience store or even a sari-sari store, you take out a P100 bill and the guy at the counter with an irritated tone asks you, "Wala ba kayong barya, Sir?" (Do you have a smaller bill?). It makes you feel bad and you end up feeling sorry as hell because you failed to realize that its your civil duty, yes its your  civil obligation that you got to have barya. %&$%!

So the other night I came out with a bag of 10 peso coins from our piggy bank that we saved for our son and I wanted to have it changed for P100, or  a P500 bill. I was thinking to my head this is going to be easy because most of the store owners  would really look at you with a flaming glare if you buy small stuffs with a bigger bill. I thought I was doing them a favor so I was surprised when a store told me. "Di namin kailangan ng barya" (We don't need your coins, we have lots of it).

Perflexed and stunned, I went home cursing.

I guess this is classic humanity, that's how people are. You got to have something they will benefit from. I won't do you any favor as you aren't doing me any. I can't be kind without expecting anything in return. Maybe I am over reacting and passing judgment for a mere 10 peso coin but then again its just a small picture of the bigger canvas.

Sad.

5 Elements of a Good Film

I was on my way to work this morning and I rode the bus and guess what they were playing on their video on board? No it wasn't Pride and Prejudice or Breakfast at Tiffany's neither was it A Few Good Men or the equally perennial blockbuster movies of Steven Seagal. It was a pirated copy of New Moon.

And so a few minutes away from login to the inhumane little torture voicebox named AVAYA. I new I had to write this down before this article gets drained along with my energy.

The 5 Elements of a Good Film

1. Weak Plot: The plot should evolve around star crossed lovers, who faces difficulties of unmatched proportions. It should not be contemporary and the story has to be well written on water. It should tackle vampires and werewolves and destroy everything that has already been told about them. For as long as it can elicit "Kilig" or shivers down the audiences spines, it should work. I promise it will.

2. Gorgeous Heroine/ Hot Male Lead: Film makers should be made aware that without this two, the movie will never work, Acting skills isn't a necessity as long as they can deliver their lines by a mere tweak of their face and they have an idea what sadness is, that should be fine. Although I will never understand what women think of as handsome or hot. I think the standards has come a long way from the days of old. (That I don't have any input for because like I said I really don't get it) Men nowadays should have lipstick and should have pale faces and anemic or they can have a nice chiseled body and it wont matter if they look like a werewolf.

3. Eternal shirtless scene: One or more of your male leads has to have 10 or more scenes without their shirt on inexplicably. Im guessing this has something to do with the fact that women outnumber men in terms of population. That's it, no further explanation required.

4. Constant pain: One of the characters has to look like they are in constant pain. The characters name may or may not be Jasper but this element should be satisfied in order to come up with a very interesting character.

5. Popular Book Phenomenon: Like Harry Potter which was written originally and is still categorized as a children's book, the movie should come out from a very popular book written by an unknown author. It has to be a huge success with teenagers and children and adults will eventually start reading it. Face it, kids nowadays set the trend in what's going to be popular.

The movie was very good. I like it. (Oh crap, crap, crap)