PIN(K)OY

A ticket to Mars

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:01:00 +0000

My name's one way ticket to Mars. Well, at least I will have established my presence there...even if it's just my name hehe.

Round and Round the Radio Formats Go

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 07:37:00 +0000

The Rise of Bakya Programming in Philippine FM Radio

It used to be simpler. I grew up with FM radio, and during the 80s, Frequency Modulation in my opinion, was at its finest.

I'm sure the 60s and 70s were a lot of fun, but when I was growing up, a lot of us 80s Pinoy kids had our ears glued to FM because it was basically the only source of fresh music we had, especially so with the dawn of the second British music invasion and the rise of commercial rock. The American Top 40 hosted by the legendary Casey Kasem (syndicated and heard over the former 99.5 RT) was the definitive yardstick of what's hot and up there (still is, sans Kasem), sending us kids to record stores to buy the singles or albums which, back then were either in vinyl or cassette tape.

FM in the 80s also produced a good number of brilliant young deejays (Jeremiah Junior., Eric Cain, Peter Rabbit, the Triggerman, Joe D' Mango), in addition to the already established jocks in the scene like Howlin' Dave and Bob Magoo, to mention a few. Save for a few OPM songs, FM in the Philippines during the 80s could pass for being an exact clone of its US counterpart.

The 90s for me came and went but the FM scene basically stayed the same, pretty much Top 40 with some stations still sticking to specialized (Adult-Oriented Radio, Rock, and Alternative) formats, but with an interesting twist due to the rising commercial popularity of local bands led by the Eraserheads and Parokya ni Edgar.

Then, the advent of the digital revolution and the internet changed the FM landscape drastically. Having been back after so many years of working in AM news radio and the corporate scene, I found myself in the middle of this radio culture shift.

The emergence of MP3 players and podcasting drastically changed people's listening habits. Now, they could just download whatever music they want, load more than a thousand of their favorite songs and listen to them with virtually no interruptions. It practically beats listening to FM with all its stingers, radio ads, and deejay tattle.

This propelled a couple of FM stations in the US to shift to a new format called Jack FM (also called variety hits) where stations just play music using automation programming, basically doing away with deejays.

Manila-based FM stations however, responded quite differently to this revolution. Aware that the availability of such technologies have turned away a lot of their listeners (especially those in the A-B categories), quite a number of FM stations have shifted towards targeting the masa (or the common people).

Some stations even went as far as introducing all-tagalog spiels and stingers (some of which are done in poor taste, but that's just my opinion). I mean, I love the Filipino language but to listen to a canned stinger of someone shouting "direcho! direcho! direcho! (forward)" as if it has some educational value to it is really very alienating for someone like me who had listened to FM radio for quite sometime. I don't know how long this formula would work, but I found out that one station of this kind is now off the air.

This shift in FM formats also made quite a huge impact on deejays. Somebody told me that one very popular but-now-jobless jock was seen in a variety show as a contestant. It really is hard to fight for what you think an FM station should be in the midst of all these changes, but times are really tough right now. Though some of the established ones have gone to greener pastures (like producing concerts and marketing), it's really lamentable that we will not hear their voices anymore.

I'm quite sure a lot of changes will happen in the radio industry as technology advances. But in the meantime, let's just enjoy new FM while it lasts.

http://voices.yahoo.com/round-round-radio-formats-go-12580656.html?cat=33

More Bob Ong in English: Bob Ong quotes...translated (Part 10)

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 08:19:00 +0000

On being human

“Makakapili ka ng lugar na uupuan mo, pero hindi mo mapipili ang taong uupo sa puwang sa tabi mo... Ganyan ang senaryo sa bus. Ganyan din sa pag-ibig... Lalong 'di mo kontrolado kung kelan siya bababa.”

You can choose where you sit, but you cannot choose the person who will sit on that space beside you… that’s how the scenario is in a bus. It’s the same with love… all the more you can’t control when he/she gets off.

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“Kung matatakot kang harapin ang totoo at sabihin ang talagang nararamdaman mo dahil baka masaktan ka, isa lang ibig sabihin noon: ipinagkait mo na sa sarili mo ang pagiging masaya at kinarir mo ang magpakatanga.”

If you’re going to be scared to face the truth and express what you really feel because you might get hurt, it only means one thing: You deprived yourself of happiness and made a career out of being stupid.
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“Imbis na magtanong ka ng ‘Hindi pa ba sapat?’, bakit hindi mo na lang kalimutan ang lahat? Kung alam mong binabalewala ka na, tanggapin mong nagsasawa na s’ya.”

Instead of you asking ‘isn’t it enough?’, why don’t you just forget about everything? If you know that you don’t matter anymore, accept that he/she has already gotten tired of you.
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“Ang maganda sa pag-asa, hindi ‘to nakukuha sa’yo nang hindi mo gusto.”

The beautiful thing about hope is that it cannot be taken away from you if you don’t want to.
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“Alam mo ba ang pinagkaiba ng mga bulag at ng mga nakakakita? Hindi alam ng mga nakakakita kung kelan sila bulag.”

Do you know the difference between those who are blind and those who can see? Those who can see do not know when they’re blind.
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“Parang "Time's Up!" ang reunion,"pass your papers finished or not!" Oras na para husgahan kung naging sino ka...o kung naging magkano ka. Sino ang naging successful? Sino ang naging pinaka-successful?”

A reunion is like ‘Time’s Up! pass your papers finished or not!’ It’s time to judge who you have become…or how much is your worth. Who became successful? Who is the most successful?
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“Nakalimutan na ng tao ang kabanalan n'ya, na mas marami pa s'yang alam kesa sa nakasulat sa Transcript of Records n'ya, mas marami pa s'yang kayang gawin kesa sa nakalista sa resume n'ya, at mas mataas ang halaga n'ya kesa sa presyong nakasulat sa payslip n'ya tuwing sweldo. ”

Man has forgotten his spirituality. Forgotten that he knows more than what is written in his Transcript of Records, that he still has a lot to do than what is listed in his resume, and his value is far greater than the price written on his payslip every payday.
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“Ang liit at laki ay nasa isip lang. Bakit kami nina Bubuyog at Gagamba, may naipundar din kami kahit papano? Nasa pagsisikap lang 'yan ng tao!”

Being small or big is just in the mind. Why do us, bees and spiders, have at least saved for the rainy day? It is all up to how diligent the person is.
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“Natapos din ang unos. Pero iba na 'ko ng makaraos. Iba na ang tingin ko sa mundo. 'Yung ibang pananaw ko, bumuti, 'yung iba...hindi ako sigurado.”

The storm has passed. But I've become a different person when I overcame it. I perceive the world differently now. Some of my views have improved, others… I’m not sure.
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On literacy and the freedom of expression

“May mga librong magkakasundo ang sinasabi, at meron din namang mga nagpapatayan ng opinyon. May libro para sa kahit anong edad, kasarian, lahi, relihiyon, edukasyon, at katayuan sa buhay. May mahal at mura, malaki at maliit, makapal at manipis, pangit at maganda, mabango at mabaho, may kwenta at wala.

There are books that agree on the same things, there are those that kill each other over an opinion. There is a book for any age, gender, race, religion, education, and stature in life. There are those that are expensive and cheap, big and small, thick and thin, ugly and beautiful, fragrant and smelly, valuable and worthless.
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Lahat meron. Sari-sari. Iba-iba. Tulad din ng mga tao. Utak ng tao. Dahil ang bawat libro ay maliit na litrato ng utak ng tao.”

It has everything. Varied. Diverse. Just like people. A mind of a person. Because every book is a small photograph of a person’s mind.
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“Ang pangongolekta ng libro na di binabasa ay nangangahulugan na ang kinokolekta mo ay hindi libro kundi papel at tinta.”

Collecting books without reading means you are collecting not books, but merely paper and ink.
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"Kung nasira ko man ang araw mo, o kung hindi mo ito inkinatuwa, malinaw na hindi ako ang tipo ng manunulat na gusto mong basahin. Pero hindi ito nangangahulugan ng pagkakakumpiska ng ballpen at lisensya ko para magsulat."

PERO

"Kung may magsasabi man sa hinaharap na: "sana nagpatawa ka na lang!" yun ay opinyong handa kong tanggapin.”

If I ruined your day or you weren’t amused at all, it’s clear that I am not the kind of writer you want to read. But that does not imply confiscation of my ballpen and my license to write.

BUT

If in the future someone says: “You should have just made us laugh!” that’s an opinion I’m ready to accept.
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“Dahil sa pagsusulat, masasagi mo ang mga matatayog na egotismo ng ibang tao. Matatapakan mo ang mga lumpong paa ng kasalukuyang sistema. At maiistorbo mo ang siesta ng lipunang masaya na sa mga paniniwalang kinagisnan nito. Sa pagpahid ng utak mo sa papel, lahat yan babanggain mo. Kasabay ng pagbangga mo sa sariling mga takot, kamangmangan at egotismo.”

Because when you write, you will have grazed the soaring egotism of other people. You have stepped on the maimed feet of the present system. And you will have disturbed a sleeping society that is contented with the beliefs it grew up with. As you wipe your brain with a paper you will encounter all of that, along with your own fears, ignorance and egotism.
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“Hindi ba mas tama na sa halip na maliitin ang kabataan dahil sa binabasa nilang manunulat ay purihin sila sa pagbabasa, at saka samantalahin ang pagkakataon para hikayatin sila at ipakilala sa iba pang makabuluhang libro? O masyadong malaking abala 'yon sa inyo?”

Isn’t it right that instead of underestimating youth because they read this certain writer, they should be praised for reading, and then take the opportunity to persuade them and introduce them to other noteworthy books? Or would this be a big inconvenience for you?
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“Hindi para sa tamad ang pagsusulat dahil pag binisita ka ng idea, gana o inspirasyon, kailangan mong itigil LAHAT ng ginagawa mo para lang di masayang ang pagkakataon. Walang “sandali lang” o “teka muna”. Dahil pag lumagpas ang maikling panahong yon, kahit mag-umpog ka ng ulo sa pader mahihirapan ka nang maghabol.”

Writing is not for the lazy because if you are visited by an idea, appetite or inspiration, you must stop EVERYTHING that you’re doing so as not to waste the chance. There is no “in a while” or “wait a minute.” Because if that short moment passed, even if you bang your head against the wall it will be hard for you to catch up.
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“Mas madaling manahimik. Mas ligtas magtago ng opinyon. Mas kumportableng hindi magsalita. Pero may mga tao noon na hindi nakuntento sa mga "mas" na yan.”

It is more effortless to be silent. It is more secure to hide opinion. It is more comfortable not to speak. But there are people in the past who were not contented with all that “more.”
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“Lahat ng mga salitang yan may dating sa'yo. Sabi kasi ng isip mo.”

All those words have an effect on you. It’s because your mind says so.
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“Higit sa pakikinig kung ano ang sinasabi, unawain mo kung ano ang ipinapahayag.”

More than listening to what is being said, understand what is being expressed.
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On being a Filipino

“Pilipino ako, sapat nang dahilan `yon para mahalin ko ang Pilipinas.”

I am Filipino, that’s enough reason for me to love the Philippines.
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“Marami ang may ayaw sa Pilipinas, Pero walang nagtatanong kung gusto sila ng Pilipinas.”

There are so many who do not like the Philippines, but nobody is asking if the Philippines like them.
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“Ang karamihan nang tao ay walang pakialam, ang karamihan ng politiko ay walang utak, at yung ibang may utak... walang puso.”

Majority of people do not care, majority of politicians do not have brains, and others may have brains… no heart.
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“Tungkulin mong tumulong sa kapwa dahil may kakayahan ka at gusto mong tumulong, pero wag mong kalimutan na hindi mo mababago ang mundo at hindi mo matutulungan ang lahat ng tao. Hindi ikaw ang unang nagtangka hindi ikaw ang magiging huli, hindi ka solusyon. Pero hindi yun ang dahilan para mawalan ka ng pag-asa at tumigil na magbigay nito.

It is your duty to help your fellowmen because you have the capacity and the desire to help, but don’t forget that you cannot change the world and you cannot help everybody. You are not the first person and the last person who tried, you are not the solution. But that is not reason enough for you to lose hope and stop giving hope.
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“Masama na ba talaga ngayon ang gumawa ng mabuti at kailangan mo na itong ipaliwanag?”

Is it now really bad to do a good thing that you need to explain it?
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“Walang tigil ang mga tao sa paggamit ng enerhiya. Lahat ng maaaring pagkagastusan ng kuryente, gagawin nila. Nabubuhay sila sa sistema ng pag-aani ng kayamanan ng mundo upang gawing lason at basura.”

People use energy without pause. They will use energy at all costs. They live in a system of harvesting the resources of earth to produce poison and garbage.
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Previous Bob Ong Translations:

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 6-b / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9

Note to readers: If you want to copy Bob Ong quotes in English as meme in your blogs or websites, please acknowledge Pin(k)oy as your source by posting a link directed to this site. Pin(k)oy took pains and a lot of nosebleeds to translate these quotes from Tagalog to English so please...give the cat a break. Thank you.

Bob Ong in English - quotes from his book ‘Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin’

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 15:03:00 +0000

After such an extremely long hiatus, I’m back with my English translations of Bob Ong Quotes. This set of quotes is culled from Bob Ong’s book ‘Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin’ which I am translating as ‘Get As Far As You Can Away From Me’ (seeing that the title of the book is in question form, and because of the preposition “nga,” it’s as if the title is an expression of displeasure).

I really haven’t read the novel but judging from these quotes, most of them talk about current social attitudes, books and reading, art, media and their influences on the contemporary Filipino. Really very interesting…and so true!

So I hope you enjoy part 9 of my series of Bob Ong Quotes…Translated.

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“Walang pakialam ang mga tao sa katotohanan, sa tsismis lang sila interesado.”

People do not really care about the truth, they are only interested in rumours.
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“Yon ang mali sa tinatawag na 'cool factor.' Para maging 'in' ka, dapat magustuhan mo yung gusto ng iba. Pero pag sobrang dami na ng may gusto, dapat umayaw ka naman dahil magiging jologs ka na. Dapat kakaiba lagi ang gusto mo, para kunyari iba ka.”

There is something wrong with what we call the ‘cool factor.’ For you to be ‘in,’ you must also like what the others like. But if it already gets popular, you now must dislike it because you’ll become jologs. You must always like what is unique so that people would think that you are different.
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“Pero hindi lahat ng inaakala mong korni, e korni. Minsan ikaw lang din talaga ang walang sense of humor at may deperensya, siguro dahil sa pagpipilit mong maging iba.”

Though not everything you thought is corny, really isn’t. Sometimes it may be you who has no sense of humour and consistency because you force yourself into becoming different.
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"Kung gusto mong matawa, dapat paminsan-minsan magpakababaw ka rin. Huwag nga lang sosobra"

If you want to laugh, sometimes you have to be shallow also. But not too much.
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“Pero kung lahat na lang sasabihan mo ng 'corny' kasi sosyal ka -- iba nga panlasa mo, mamamatay ka namang malungkot.”

But if you say everything is ‘corny’ because you are classy – you may have distinct taste, but you’ll die a sad person.
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“Kung alam ko lang na pwersado rin akong magtatrabaho nang ganito, nagsikap na lang sana ako sa eskwelahan nung bata ako. parehas lang naman palang nakakapagod. at least pag nakapag-aral ka, may pag-asa ka pang magkaroon ng magandang kinabukasan at makatulong sa iba.”

If I only knew that I will be compelled to work like this, I should have persevered in school when I was young. Both are just as tiring. At least if you have been schooled, you have a chance at a good future and at helping others.
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“Pero sa Pilipino, magloloko ang teenager, bubuo ng pamilya...pero hindi aalis sa poder ng magulang hanggang magkaapo. Kuhang kuha natin ang mga katarantaduhan ng Hollywood, pero hindi ang kaunting pagiging responsable ng mga kanluraning bansa sa isyu ng pagtayo sa sariling paa.”

But for Filipinos, a teenager will go astray, will foster a family…but will not withdraw from the authority of his parents up until they already have grandchildren. We practically got all the foolishness of Hollywood, but not a drop of being responsible exemplified by western countries in the issue of standing on one’s own feet.
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“Bata, kanya-kanya tayo ng paglalakbay. Huwag kang magpakarga, katamaran yan.”

Kid, each of us journey on our own. Don’t be a burden, that’s laziness.
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"Lahat tayo nami-miss ang mga paborito nating activity na panglustay lang sa oras natin sa mundo. Pero hindi tayo basta-basta makakaalis dito."

All of us miss our favorite activity of wasting our time on this earth. But we can’t leave this place just like that.
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“Bakit sobra? Hindi ba pwedeng eksaktoang--eksaktong thank you? Sayang naman yung sobrang hindi na magagamit!”

Why too much? Could it not be acceptable if we make thank you exactly just right? It would be such a waste if we can’t use its surplus.
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“Kontrabida ako. Lahat ng gusto ng ibang tao, akin.”

I am a villain. Everything other people want is mine.
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On books and reading

“Pinapakita nyong mga dayuhang libro pa rin at mga dayuhang libro lang ang tinatangkilik ng mga tao. Bakit magsusugal ang mga publisher sa Pilipinong manunulat kung hindi naman pala mabili ang mga kwentong isinusulat ng mga Pilipino? At kung walang mga publisher na tatanggap ng mga trabaho ng mga Pilipinong manunulat, sino pa ang gugustong magsulat? Kung walang magsusulat, ano ang kahihinatnan ng panitikan sa bansa at sa kakayanan nating bumasa't sumulat?”

You only show that foreign books and only foreign books are being patronized by people. Why would a publisher gamble on Filipino writers if their stories are not sought after by Filipinos anyway? And if there are no publishers who will accept the work of Filipino writers, who would want to write at all? If no one writes, what will happen to literature in our country and our ability to read and write?
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“Ako, ang hinahangaan kong tao na mahilig sa libro e yung may matututunan ka pag kausap mo, yung makikita mong naging marunong at mabuti siyang tao dahil sa pagbabasa niya ng mga libro.”

What I admire in a person who loves reading books is when I learn something from our conversation, when I see that he has become a wise and kind person because he reads books.
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"Higit sa mga prestihiyosong pagkilala, mas kailangan ng libro ng mga mambabasa."

More than prestigious recognition, a book needs readers.
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"Mapapailing naman ang mga mambabasa sa buong kwento na kanilang nasaksihan, pero wala silang gagawin o babaguhin. “Tatawa lang sila. Tatawa lang sila at sisisihin ang sistema. Ang laging bida at walang kamatayang sistema.”

The readers will just shake their heads over the entire story they’ve witnessed, but they will not do anything or change anything. They will just laugh, They will just laugh and blame the system. Always the hero and the undying system.
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On Film and Art

“Nilagyan lang ng konting moral lesson ang pelikula para hindi maging ganap na basura.”

A film is just supplied with a moral lesson so it won’t become entirely garbage.
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“Gusto ng producer, feel good movie. Ubos na ang dalawang oras. Anuman ang nangyari, automatic happy ending tayo.”

The producer likes a feel good movie. Two hours have gone. Whatever happens, ours is an automatic happy ending.
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“The problem is, lahat na lang kasi ng pelikula pinipilit gawing pampamilya. one size fits all. kaya tuloy ang material for movies nagiging too mature for kids and too cheesy for adults.”

“The problem is, most films try to cater to the family. One size fits all. This is the reason why material for movies are becoming too mature for kids and too cheesy for adults.
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“Ang comedy natin, puro slapstick. Ang horror natin, puro visual. I'm sensing a pattern here”

Our comedy is all slapstick. Our horror, all visual. I’m sensing a pattern here.
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"Kung gusto mong pang-award na palabas, lumipat ka doon sa kaisa-isang pelikula na may kwenta pero walang kita."

If you want an award-winning show, switch to the only movie that has worth but not profitable.
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“Isa pa, pwede nga ring yung TV talaga ang may sumpa. Dahil ang TV, para ring drugs, pero ligal. Isipin mo, bakit isa ito sa mga unang-unang pinupundar ng mga Pilipino kahit gaano sila kahirap? Kasi malaking tulong ang telebisyon para lumimot. Para tumakas sa realidad.”

One more thing, it is possible that a TV really has a curse. Because a TV is just like drugs, but legal. Just think, why is it that this is the first thing Filipinos invest on despite how poor they are? Because the television helps tremendously in forgetting. To escape from reality.
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“Mahihirapan kang maghanap ngayon ng soap opera na walang elemento ng love triangle.”

You will find it difficult to look for a soap opera that has no element of a love triangle.
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"Lahat tayo may love triangle. Sa ganito lagi umiikot ang kwento. Pag ginawan mo ng diagram ang characters, makakabuo ka ng higanteng pyramid ng mga taong naghahabol, hinahabol, at mga magkakaribal."

We all have love triangles. The story always revolves around it. If you make a diagram of the characters, you can create a giant pyramid of people chasing, being chased at, and of rivals.
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On media’s influence to society

“And we don't ask: Anong produkto kaya ang naibenta sa akin ngayong araw nang hindi ko namalayan? Anong kaisipan? Anong ideya? Anong paniniwala? Anong ugali? Anong bagong pananaw sa mundo at sa mga kapwa ko? Hindi natin ito naitatanong pero andali-dali nating maimpluwensyahan.”

And we don’t ask: What product is it that was sold to me today that I wasn't conscious of? What thought? What idea? What belief? What habit? What new vision of the world and of my fellowmen? We don’t raise these questions but we are very easily influenced.
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“Kung ano ang nakikita at naririnig natin sa araw-araw, nagiging ‘yon tayo. Kinokondisyon tayo ng mga patalastas na hindi tayo masaya, na laging may kulang sa buhay natin. Tatlo ang magulang ng henerasyon natin. Ang tatay, ang nanay, at ang mga patalastas o media. Kaya kung mahina yung dalawang nauna, naaagawan sila nung pangatlo sa pagpapalaki sa bata.”

Whatever we see or hear every day, we become that. We are conditioned by advertisements that we are not happy, that there is always something missing in our lives. Our generation has three parents. The father, the mother, and advertising or media. So if the first two are weak, then they will conflict with the third in bringing up a child.
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“Mag-inuman tayo tulad sa patalastas sa TV: konting kahig, kontig lagok.”

Let’s drink just like in the TV commercial: a bit of scratch, a bit of gulp.
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“Nalapa na ng komersyalismo ang sining. Kaya utot na lang nito ang nilalanghap natin ngayon.”

Commercialism has devoured art. Thus, what we now inhale is only its fart.
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Next: Part 10

Previous Bob Ong Translations:

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 6-b / Part 7 / Part 8

Note to readers: If you want to copy Bob Ong quotes in English as meme in your blogs or websites, please acknowledge Pin(k)oy as your source by posting a link directed to this site. Pin(k)oy took pains and a lot of nosebleeds to translate these quotes from Tagalog to English so please...give the cat a break. Thank you.

A post-valentine treat : Songs about love and heartbreak

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 16:58:00 +0000

I want to treat Pinkoy readers with a little something, like a post-valentine gift of sorts - A playlist, actually two playlists of some of my favorite love songs straight from my personal audio library.

(I need to keep a backup of these files somehow since a lot of these aren't being played anymore, especially that Prince song "When 2 R N Love" which I think wasn't really actually played during its time. Listen to it and you'll know why).

Warning though for those who are into standard love songs: Well, they're not (most of them anyway)...but still, I invite you to listen to them.

I've organized the playlists into (A) songs on being in love, and (B) heartbreak/missing you/longing songs. Most of the tracks in playlist A are now classics (meaning the 80s and a little of the 70s), while in playlist B, I've mixed some of them classics with recurrents (2000 and up) for Pinkoy's younger readers.

Feel free to just get mushy and all while listening to these tracks (and probably make your own MTV in your mind). I know I do sometimes.

Stay in love and be loved. Enjoy!

Playlist A
Download this playlist
Playlist B Download this playlist

The Morning Brew 102512 Podcast#24

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:58:00 +0000

LIVE WORLDWIDE: www.ustream.tv/channel/895subicbay
The Morning Brew on DWSB 89.5 Subic Bay Radio. Join us!
TALK. LIVELY.

In today's Triple W (World Wide Weird) news:
Children flee movie ‘screaming’ after theater shows ‘Paranormal Activity 4’ instead of ‘Madagascar 3’

TOPIC OF THE DAY: What was that mistake that scarred you for life?

Listen & comment!

The Morning Brew 102312 Podcast#23

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:19:00 +0000

LIVE WORLDWIDE: www.ustream.tv/channel/895subicbay
The Morning Brew on DWSB 89.5 Subic Bay Radio. Join us!
TALK. LIVELY.

In today's Triple W (World Wide Weird) news:
'Report: Male Genitalia Shrinking'

TOPIC OF THE DAY: Are you satisfied with your current lovelife? Tell us why.

Listen & comment!

The Morning Brew 102212 Podcast#22

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 07:33:00 +0000

LIVE WORLDWIDE: www.ustream.tv/channel/895subicbay
The Morning Brew on DWSB 89.5 Subic Bay Radio. Join us!
TALK. LIVELY.

In today's Triple W (World Wide Weird) news:
'Fluke pushes early voting in Reno'

TOPIC OF THE DAY: Have you ever been judged wrongly?

Listen & comment!

Mid-morning laughs in podcast...soon!

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:50:00 +0000

I have to say, Pinkoy's blog has lately been gathering dust and cobwebs.

I have been very busy hosting my regular radio program called The Morning Brew over DWSB 89.5 FM Subic Bay Radio, apart from my other responsibilities as a media practitioner. I know, I know...this doesn't give me reason to just turn away from blogging. The printed word is my friend and my blogs helped me go through certain periods in my life when I needed to rant, say something stupid, or explode.

What I should have been writing is now expressed through spoken words. This is why I've thought of recording future episodes of the Brew and posting (or podcasting) them here in Pinkoy.

So, watch out for these audio posts or podcasts soon!

WorldWideWeird Files 1

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:24:00 +0000

[As promised, here are three odd (but true) stories from my tripleW files]

MACGYVER-APPROVED TACTIC:
He was stranded for a number of days and just desperate for people to know where he was," said a spokesman for SaskPower, the electric utility is Saskatchewan, Canada. The unidentified man was lost in the wilds in the northern part of the province, and had no way out. But he had an axe, and figured if he cut down some power poles, the resulting electrical outage would bring linemen to repair the breech, and he'd be rescued. It worked like a charm, but two towns were left without power for about 30 hours, SaskPower says. "A lot of people are pretty upset about it," complained Ed Benoanie, a councillor of one of the towns affected, Hatchet Lake Denesuline Nation. When lost, he says, "stay where you are and build a big bonfire" ...Out of power poles.

----------------------------------------------------------
LUCKY NUMBER:
Mobitel, a mobile phone operator in Bulgaria, has reserved a mobile phone number -- all 8s -- after everyone that has been assigned the number has died. The first person assigned the number, the CEO of the company, died from cancer. Then a "mafia boss" got it, and was shot to death. Then a "crooked businessman" who was shot, then a drug dealer who was killed. "We have no comment to make," said a Mobitel spokesman. "We won't discuss individual numbers." (London Telegraph) ...They do, however, reserve the right to issue the number to troublesome customers.
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BAD TRIP:
Police in the university town of Arcata, Calif., are warning residents that an especially potent batch of LSD is in circulation, leading to a rash of calls to help people who are acting crazy. The first such call came when medics from Arcata-Mad River Ambulance called for officers to assist with a patient who had castrated himself, and medics couldn't find the severed parts. When officers couldn't find them either, the 31-year-old patient explained why: he had flushed them
down the toilet because they contained "monsters." (Eureka Times-Standard) ...It would be interesting to hear him defend how cool street drugs are once he comes down from that trip.

Zero Point Energy and Amega

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:27:00 +0000

It has been so long since I last posted here in Pinkoy. For quite sometime, a lot of things had happened that I would say, improved the quality of my life.

The many years of neglecting my own personal happiness due to forced responsibility have finally reached closure. Now all I can say is, I am free.

It was during the onset of this new chapter that I was introduced to Amega and its breakthrough health and wellness products. I was especially intrigued with the technology behind their products. It was in a product demo that I actually heard someone saying "zero point energy."

It was a nerd moment for me. The first time I heard about zero point energy was when I became so enthralled with the sci-fi series Stargate: Atlantis. The characters there were endlessly in search of Zero Point Modules (ZPMs) that power up the entire city of Atlantis and bolster its capacity to fly off to hyperspace.

What the heck is zero point energy? It's the stuff of quantum physics and it makes non-nerds' noses bleed. Accordingly, this is energy right out of the vacuum of our vast universe, the concept of which was first developed by Albert Einstein (along with fellow German physicist Otto Stern). No less than Nikola Tesla invented mechanisms involving ZPE which harness energy without the help of conventional fuels. In other words, FREE ENERGY sourced from the very fabric (quantum) that holds our universe.

Zero point energy is what makes our universe work. "the Universe and all that is within it (including us, humans) could not exist without zero point energy. Zero point energy is what makes 'strings' in string theory vibrate, and makes the atom work as it does," says this person who gave this simple explanation at Yahoo Answers.

So, when these guys at Amega testified that the technology behind their products harnesses ZPE, I wasn't at all skeptical because the science was already there. And now the science is being utilized to improve the lives of us, human beings.

Straight from Amega's website, this explains how they did it:

Using the principles of quantum physics and quantum mechanics, Amega Global Research & Development (a team of scientists, doctors and physicists) spent 25 years developing our proprietary AMized Fusion Technology™ (AFT™). From water products to skin care, all Amega products resonate with AFT. Simply put, AFT helps provide your body with the energy and support it needs to naturally correct and rejuvenate itself.

Amega products are unique because they release Zero-Point Life Force Energy. This harnessed energy actually balances the flow of energy throughout the body, bringing mental, emotional, physical and spiritual energies into harmony. When the body is balanced energetically, wellness improves.

Come to think of it, it's all about going back to the source. By going back to the source, our body should be able go back to its original state...healthy and disease-free.

I saw with my very own eyes ZPE at work. One of my colleagues had this chronic pain on her left shoulder to a point that she cannot even raise her left arm. A few minutes with the AMwand and viola! That was about last year and up to now her left armpit is enjoying the full benefit of seeing the light of day.

I swear by zero point energy.

I long to get myself an AMpendant and AMwand, by far the most awesome products infused with ZPE. But then my Amega bracelet (which I got last year, and one more for my daughter) is doing great wonders for me. It works by using the same Amega technology but with a different energy source that provides the same regenerative powers. I'll be talking about my super bracelet in my next post.

In the meantime, my Amega bracelet and I are inseparable. I am at the peak of my health, never been this balanced before, my entire being re-energized as if I have a new body... a superbody.

To find out more about Amega's amazing products, click here.

Going...Gone (list 2)

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 06:49:00 +0000

Here yet is another list of things that have either become already obsolete or will soon become in the next few years (as sourced from different lists published online).

VCRs/VHS TAPES: In 2005, the Washington Post penned an obituary of sorts for the VHS tape, writing, "VHS -- the beloved videotape format that bravely won the war against Betamax and charmed millions of Americans by allowing them to enjoy mindless Hollywood entertainment without leaving their homes -- has died at the age of 29. It passed away peacefully after a long illness caused by chronic technological insignificance and a lack of director's commentary tracks."

TRAVEL AGENTS: The proliferation of sites like Kayak, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Hipmunk, which have empowered consumers to find their own fares and easily book their own flights. The days of recruiting a travel agent to book flights, find hotels, and organize tours are on their way out--and already gone for many.

THE SEPARATION OF WORK AND HOME: Our way of working has changed drastically this decade. These days, we no longer have to be in the office or even near a computer to be at work or in touch. With smartphones that are ever-more ubiquitous and ever-smarter, along with ultra-light laptops and WiFi in planes, trains, and automobiles, we can reply to our colleagues on the go and are accessible anywhere.

FORGETTING: "The web means the end of forgetting," wrote the New York Times earlier this year. "The Internet records everything and forgets nothing." Indeed, increasingly there's a digital copy of everything we do: the emails we send, the phone calls we make, the places we go, the pictures we take, the opinions we write.

BOOKSTORES: The last decade has brought bad news for bookstore-browsing bookworms. The rise of online retailers like Amazon, which offers bargain-basement prices on books and other items, and the increasing popularity of ebooks has put pressure on bookstores and put many of them out of business.

WATCHES: While wristwatches are certainly still a style statement and/or status symbol for many, they've increasingly been replaced by cellphones, laptops, and other gadgets, which tell time and eliminate the need for an extra accessory.

PHONE SEX VIA 1-900 NUMBERS: Over the last ten years, the Internet has proved a boon to the porn industry--while also providing a plethora of free XXX content--and even as the web has disrupted the adult industry's business model, it has also opened up new frontiers, such as adult video chats on webcams that provide a more "intimate" experience than 1-900 numbers.

MAPS: GPS devices keep getting cheaper, smaller, and more portable. We have GPS in our cars and on our phones. We use mobile maps for everything from cross-country trips to tracking down restaurants, and employ services like Google Maps and Mapquest to give us customized routes. Asking for directions, carrying around paper maps, and even getting lost are all increasingly obsolete.

CALLING: Text messaging, BlackBerry Messaging, Instant Messaging, Tweeting, Facebook messaging, and emailing have taken over communication and opened up new avenues for getting in touch. The popularity of text messaging is gradually edging out calling (and even talking face to face).

NEWSPAPER CLASSIFIEDS: The days are gone when you have to buy a bunch of newsprint just to see what's for sale.

DIAL-UP INTERNET: While not everyone is on broadband, it won't be long before dial-up Internet goes the way of the plug-in phone.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS: Users have traded Britannicas on the bookshelf for the collaboratively-built, online-only Wikipedia.

CDs: First records, then 8-track, then cassette, then CDs -- replacing your music collection used to be an expensive pastime. Now it's cheap(er) and as close as the nearest Internet connection.

WIRED PHONES: While many still rely on landlines--especially in areas where cellphone service is spotty--users are increasingly unplugging.

FILM & FILM CAMERAS: Digital cameras--on phones, point-and-shoots, or computers--are capturing memories, instantly and cheaply, in place of film cameras.

YELLOW PAGES & ADDRESS BOOKS: There was a time when "let your fingers do the walking" meant opening a phone book -- not typing in a search query. Phone books, address books, and the Yellow Pages have been made obsolete, their information transferred from paper onto smartphones, and the web.

CATALOGS: Earlier this decade, "spam" came through the mail slot, not into your inbox. Times have changed.

FAX MACHINES: Can you say "scan," ".pdf" and "email?"

WIRES: Wireless internet, wireless updating, wireless downloads, wireless charging, wireless headphones: Although wires are still around (for now!), they're well on their way to being a thing of the past.

HAND-WRITTEN LETTERS: For that matter, hand-written anything. Love letters, thank you notes, and invitations have gone being hand-written to typed, and from the mailbox to the inbox. When was the last time you wrote cursive? In fact, do you even know what the word "cursive" means?

BOOKS, MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books -- but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

ONE PICTURE TO A FRAME: Such a waste of wall/counter/desk space to have a separate frame around each picture. Eight gigabytes of pictures and/or video in a digital frame encompassing every person you've ever met and everything you've ever done -- now, that's efficient. Especially compared to what we used to do: put our friends and relatives together in a room and force them to watch what we called a "slide show" or "home movies."

TALKING TO ONE PERSON AT A TIME: Remember when it was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone? Kids born today will just assume that you're supposed to use texting to maintain contact with five or six other people while pretending to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

RETIREMENT PLANS: Yes, Johnny, there was a time when all you had to do was work at the same place for 20 years and they'd send you a check every month for as long as you lived. In fact, some companies would even pay your medical bills, too!

MOVIE RENTAL STORES: You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?

LONG DISTANCE: Thanks to the Internet, the days of paying more to talk to somebody in the next city, state, or even country are limited.

FORGOTTEN FRIENDS: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you went to high school with, and you'd say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about them!" The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they've ever known even slightly via Facebook.

FORGOTTEN ANYTHING ELSE: Kids born this year will never know what it was like to stand in a bar and incessantly argue the unknowable. Today the world's collective knowledge is on the computer in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything?

THE EVENING NEWS: The news is on 24/7. And if you're not home to watch it, that's OK -- it's on the smartphone in your pocket.

Going...Gone

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:56:00 +0000

Nothing is permanent, so they say. Really time flies so fast that, for instance, we just hit the year 2011. 12 months have come and gone just like that, and now we've reached decade two of two thousand...just like that.

Personally, I'm quite ecstatic to have my life at least reached this period when knowledge and technology make it possible for new things to develop at light speed. Things that we thought were nifty and high-tech yesterday have become obsolete and insignificant today.

Times have indeed changed. So as loving tribute to those long gone eras, here is a list of things that, though some are still around, are in the brink of extinction (excerpts from usaToday).

Typewriters

The computer keyboard on your desk used to be a thundering, hulking device. The electric model sank the manual, only to be trumped by a revolution in technology that continues to this day.

Vinyl records
Music used to be big. Literally. Before palm-sized CDs took over, songs were embedded in vinyl platters the size of hubcaps. And then there were 8-tracks and cassettes. But that's another story.

Carbon paper
If you worked with typewriters, you're familiar with the flimsy, filthy filament. To make copies, you'd need a sheet of this purplish-looking stuff. Type "good riddance." In triplicate.

Betamax
Betamax was the most popular video format in the early 1980s. By the end of the decade, VHS was king. What happened? Some say Betamax's limited recording time was the culprit.

Phone booths
Don't tug on Superman's cape — especially when he's been trying to find a place to ditch his Clark Kent duds. The bulky boxes with a phone inside have gone away for the most part. Sorry, Clark.

Rotary dial phones
Imagine your cellphone, only stationary and way bulkier, with a numbered wheel that you had to spin seven to 10 times or more, depending on your call being local or long distance. Oy.

Videos on MTV
Before reality shows and the like filled its airtime, MTV forged its identity with wall-to-wall videos and the veejays who loved them. OK, who misses 1984's 99 Luftballoons by Nena? Anyone?

Hand-crank car windows
Before your car was controlled by electronics, you could get a brisk workout just opening the window for a little air. No fingertip controls here, thank you. Crank, two, three. Repeat.

Hair bands
The music: bad. The hair: worse. In the late '80s and early '90s, the mix was magical for bands such as Poison, Ratt and Cinderella. Some continue to tour, testing the endurance of leather pants.

Transistor radios
Before iPods, the handheld music-delivery system of choice was the transistor radio. The transistor tuned in to whatever your local radio station was dishing out. It's the very definition of "quaint."

Here are yet some other things I remember when I was growing up (at least in this part of the globe) but are now obsolete:1. telex machine
2. computer punch cards
3. annoying party lines/cross lines
4. afternoon disco
5. tupperware parties
6. traditional pinoy street games (piko, tumbang preso, patintero etc).
7. roller skates
8. bikes with step knots
9. cassette player
10. tape recorder
11. walkman
12. tape reel (and the art of tape splicing)
13. video game arcades
14. laser discs
15. short wave radio (VHF,UHF)
16. dot matrix printer

Hunters

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 12:35:00 +0000

I just finished watching this film called "The End Of The Line," a documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year, revealing the devastating impact of overfishing on our world's oceans.

As always, it personally angered me how man can be so wantonly abusive of our earth's natural resources, that some species are now nearly wiped out. How did this happen? Our seas comprise more than 70 percent of our earth's surface that it would be unthinkable for humans to deplete this virtually infinite food source. Wrong.

Since the beginning of time, man hunted for food. Cattle, swine and poultry were later domesticated and now because of our technological advancements, we are manipulating genetics for our food supply. Fish were once hunted with mere spears, then with nets. But now, with sonar-equipped boats and trawlers, everything that's swimming in our oceans has no escape.

We are hunters, we are at the top of the food chain. But our numbers have uncontrollably exploded and our numbers have not been managed well. A few of us who cram ourselves in the tight, dusty, concrete spaces of cities live it up, consuming every economic resource we think would satisfy our endless cravings, while majority scrounge for whatever they can take from the dry earth. I cannot imagine how we hunted everything to the brink of extinction yet we cannot feed every living soul on this planet. We have created this imbalance and it is taking its toll on our only home. How far our resources be able to sustain us is just a matter of time.

We are 6.8 billion strong. And now with all the technology available to us, imagine what each of us is capable of if we cannot control our mortal appetites. Like locusts we consume everything on our paths until there is no more. Unless...

Pop rocks? Ouch!

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Today I just found out that one of the pillars of rock radio, NU107, is saying goodbye with just a few hours to go before it shifts to, sadly, a more revenue-viable programming.

This is definitely a sad day for me personally because what would soon happen to NU107 confirms one of my greatest fears - the beginning of the end of rock radio in the Philippines as we know it.

I'm quoting an article by Tony Maghirang (who I used to read in Jingle Chord magazine in my younger days) about this woeful state of affairs in the radio industry that led to NU107's decision.

Following the news of NU’s impending “demise” and the possibility of its eventual makeover to a new format, it was further speculated that the station was going through financial straits arising from the non-bankability of rock music among advertisers. Two years ago, a high rating pop station drastically changed its apparently revenue-earning format to a Pinoy talk and pop music programming on grounds that chitchat with pop music was a more appealing combination in drawing radio advertising placements.

NU management has also consistently downplayed the adverse impact of music piracy and free Internet downloads on NU 107’s continuing viability. Arguably, even the marginal effects of these indirect factors contributed in magnifying the financial problems brought on by the already skidding appeal of rock among advertisers."

It's a sell out really, but it has to be done.

So far Rajah Broadcasting is still holding on with its AM-based UR 105.9, thanks to the iconic Ramon "RJ" Jacinto who I believe is THE rock who steadfastly holds up the rock scene in this country. I wonder though...if he could hold on any much longer with the pressure put on radio stations to survive financially.

I am a rock worshipper, but if you are pressured to sell, what can you do?

For those who rock, don't fret. It will still continue to live on most definitely...somewhere else.

To NU107 - vaya con dios and good luck on your new life...whatever that is.

Related Story: Round & Round The Radio Formats Go

Bob Ong Quotes...translated (Part 8)

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 08:05:00 +0000

This batch of Bob Ong Quotes I've translated were taken from various sources, majority of which I've already checked to have been culled from the books.

So here goes part 8 of my Bob Ong english translations (all about life in general).

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“Kung madami kang dapat gawin pero wala kang ginagawa, hindi katamaran ang dahilan nun….may iniisip ka lang.”

If you have a lot to do but you're not doing anything, you're not really lazy...you're just thinking of something.
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“Pilit kang pinapapangit sa edad na pilit kang nagpapacute.”

You are forced to look ridiculous at an age when you are trying to be cute.
--------------------

“Walang mangyayari sa buhay mo hangga’t hindi ka tumitigil sa paninisi sa naging kapalaran mo.”

Nothing good will happen to your life unless you stop blaming your destiny.
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“Ito ang pinagkakaabalahan ko, gumagawa ako ng wala.”

This is what I am busy about, doing nothing.
--------------------

“Ipinanganak akong matalino, pinili ko lang maging bobo.”

I was born intelligent, I just chose to be an idiot.
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“Ang tamang bagay saka tamang panahon, wala na rin saysay kapag wala na yung tamang tao. Ang tao pwede mag adjust, pero ang bagay at panahon hindi.”

The right thing and the right time do not matter anymore if the right person is not there. People can adjust, but things and time cannot.
--------------------

“Nagiging malungkot ang isang tao dahil pinipilit nya’ng maging masaya.”

A person becomes sad because he is forcing himself to be happy.
--------------------

“Kung tutuusin hindi naman masarap ang alak. Yung kainuman mo lang ang nagpapasarap.”

It's not really the booze that's delicious. Its your drinking buddy that makes it delicious.
--------------------

“Hindi mo rin naman kasi kailangang ayunan nang buong-buo ang bawat opinyong nababasa mo. Natuwa ka man o nainis, ang importante eh apektado ka. Tinubuan ka ng pakialam na dati ay wala. At hindi ko yon ihihingi ng tawad. Hindi ako hihingi ng dispensa sa mga nabulabog kong konsesya.”

You don't have to completely agree to every opinion you read. If it amused or annoyed you, the important thing is that you were affected. You already grew a caring bone when before you have none. And I will not be apologetic about it. I will not apologize to whoever's conscience I've upset.
--------------------

“Madaling isipin kung para saan ang pera, ang hindi ko lang maintindihan ay kung bakit ito ang nagiging sukatan ng tagumpay ng isang tao.”

You can easily imagine what money is for, the only thing I can't understand is why this has become the measurement of a person's success.
--------------------

“Tinitingnan ang mga bagay para maunawaan at hindi tinititigan lang at intindihin.”

Things should be looked at to be understood and not merely stared at and thought about.
--------------------

"...madaming teacher sa labas ng eskwelahan. desisyon mo kung kanino ka magpapaturo."

...there are a lot of teachers outside the school. You decide who you want to learn from.
--------------------

"Bababa ba ang bill ko sa Internet pag nag-factor ako ng quadratic trinomial? Malulutas ba ng Laws of Exponent ang problema natin sa basura? Mababawasan ba ng Associative Law for Multiplication ang mga krimen sa bansa? Makakabuti ba sa mag-asawa kung malalaman nila ang sum and difference of two cubes? Maganda ba sa sirkulasyon ng dugo ang parallelogram, polynomial, at cotangent? Makatwiran bang pakisamahan ang mga irrational numbers? Anak ng scientific calculator!"

Will my internet bill go down if I factor quadriatic trinomial? Will the Laws of Exponent solve our garbage problem? Will the Associative Law for Multiplication minimize crime in our country? Will it be good for married couples to know the sum and difference of two cubes? Are parallelogram, polinomial and cotangent be good for our blood circulation? Is it rational to deal with irrational numbers? Son of a scientific calculator!
--------------------

"Nalaman kong hindi final exam ang passing rate ng buhay. Hindi ito multiple choice, identification, true or false, enumeration or fill-in-the- blanks na sinasagutan kundi essay na isinusulat araw-araw. Huhusgahan ito hindi base sa kung tama o mali ang sagot, kundi base sa kung may kabuluhan ang mga isinulat o wala. Allowed ang erasures."

I learned that life is not a passing rate of a final exam. It is not multiple choice, identification, true or false, enumeration or fill in the blanks that are being solved, but an essay that is written everyday. It will be judged not based on whether the answers are right or wrong, but on whether or not what you wrote made sense. Erasures are allowed.
--------------------

"Kung nakikita mo na ang dahilan mo para sumuko...huwag mo na lang tignan."

If you've seen the reason for you to give up...then don't look at it.
--------------------

Next: Part 9 / Part 10

Previous Bob Ong Translations:
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 6-b / Part 7

Note to readers: If you want to copy Bob Ong quotes in English as meme in your blogs or websites, please acknowledge Pin(k)oy as your source by posting a link directed to this site. Pin(k)oy took pains and a lot of nosebleeds to translate these quotes from Tagalog to English so please...give the cat a break. Thank you.

Dang Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Facebook - that social networking site that, only a little less than five years ago I registered into just for kicks in addition to my then active Friendster account. A little less than five years ago, I only had around two real-life pals in my Facebook friends list along with a couple of strange foreigners who were just in my list for some strange reason, and the only activity I did there was play yoville.

Then everything about Facebook suddenly changed.

Now, not only every living (or dead) soul has Facebook, but every place, event, movie, product, website, imaginary friend, stupid idea, animal, mineral, or vegetable has its own Facebook page. The Facebook population has exploded exponentially that if it were a mother, she must be giving birth every minute.

As the World Wide Web evolves, so does Facebook (or FB as they call it) along with it that it is becoming an alternate reality of sorts. Everybody is there - rednecks, anti-techs, criminals, people you thought swore would never touch a keyboard even with a ten-foot pole. I know someone who used the internet for the first time just because of Facebook.

So what is with Facebook anyway that it is just so freakin' popular? I'm really not an expert on social network sites and I'm not about to make a review about FB. Let's just say, even my friend's pet dog has its own Facebook, and she rarely uses the internet until FB (my friend I mean, not her dog).

It is so popular that a lot of its denizens have sort of developed these really disturbing habits due to spending majority of their waking lives logged into Facebook.

There are those who seem to be virtually living entirely in Facebook that they need to post whatever they are doing or feeling on their status boxes every minute of everyday. "So sad I wanna commit suicide," "Send me a Farmville invite one more time and I swear...," "Constipated," "LOL, LMFAO, :), "LOL LOL LOL." Jeez.

There's the "post it, like it" habit. You posted something and then you hit the like button of the post you yourself posted. You are your own friend anyway...or maybe get a life.

Really, the world of Facebook is just so full of annoyingly friendly people.

There are the friendly gaming addicts who spend most of their Facebook lives playing Farmville, Frontiervsille, Yoville (If these were real, they should be millionaires by now). They will send you a friend request for the purpose of expanding their neighborhood.

There's the friendly friend of a friend of a friend who sent you a request just so he could build up his friends list.

There are the friendly friendfinders, friendly stalkers, friendly spammers, friendly marketers, friendly bots, friendly hackers and so forth, and so on. Be wary, they will befriend you at some point unless you do something about your privacy settings.

Then there are those who are just so annoying when they flood your wall with inane posts or worst, will hack into your account and make your virtual life miserable.

But hey, who am I to complain? Point is, Facebook is just what it is, a network site, a tool. Don't make a life out of it. But if you already did, you're one sad piece of ....

So, don't ask me if I have Facebook. It's just like saying, "I'd like to get to know you but not right now, see you in Facebook." Creepy.

Bob Ong Quotes...translated (Part 7)

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:17:00 +0000

And I thought part six of my translated Bob Ong quotes is the last of this series. I spoke too soon, I guess. So, here I am again, having fried my brain cells in my attempt to translate these quotes for Pinkoy readers. For my own sanity, I'm gonna do two parts for this batch of quotes.

Before I move on to my translations though, apologies all if I've sort of dropped out from the face of the blogging world. Don't ask why...It's complicated LOL.

So here goes, Part seven of Bob Ong...translated. Warning though for those who are lovesick (ganon?), some of these quotes might make you go "ouch!" (Blasted, these quotes are kilometric! Bring on the nosebleed!)
--------------------

"Minsan para ka palang nagmahal ng pader. Habang mas pinagdidiinan mo itulak ang sarili mo, mas nasasaktan. Pero siya, hindi pa rin natitinag.”

It's like loving a wall sometimes. The more you push yourself toward it, you get hurt more. But he/she continues not to budge at all.
--------------------

“Ang tao aminado naman yan sa kasalanan nila. Pero kung lalo mo pang ipapamukha sa kanila na mali sila, lalo mo lang silang binibigyan ng dahilan para iwan ka."

People do admit to their sins. But the more you rub their mistakes on their faces, the more you give them reason to leave you.
--------------------

“Paano mo makikita yung taong para sa’yo kung ayaw mo namang tantanan yung taong pinipilit mong maging para sa’yo.”

How will you find that person who is meant for you if you don't stop chasing pavements. (huge nosebleed! ni-shortcut ko na! Thanks to that song by Estele, you made my life easier LOL)

--------------------

“Makakabalik ka nga sa lugar pero hindi sa panahon. Makikita mo ulit ang taong minahal mo pero hindi na mauulit ang nararamdaman ninyo noon. Lahat ng nagyari noon ay isa na lamang masayang gunita ngayon. Isang bintana sa kahapon, na paminsan minsan ay gusto mong masulyapan muli. Sabay bulong sa sarili sana pwedeng ibalik ang mga nangyari noon para magawa kong tama ang mga maling desisyon ng pagkakataon.”

You can go back to the place but not at the right time. You will again see that person you loved but the way you felt for each other will not happen again. Everything that happened in the past are just fond memories now. A window to the past that you sometimes want to look through again. Then you whisper to yourself if only you can bring back the things that happened so you can right the wrong decisions of that moment.
--------------------

“Hindi dahil manhid ka ay wala ka nang kakayahang manakit.”

It's not because you're insensitive that you don't have the capacity to inflict pain.
--------------------

"Bakit ka magpaparamdam sa taong hindi marunong makiramdam? Huwag kang magpapakatanga sa taong hindi marunong magpahalaga. Matuto kang sumuko at mang-iwan kung lagi ka rin namang nasasaktan. Dahil imbes na magtanong ka ng "Hindi pa ba sapat?", bakit hindi mo na lang kalimutan ang lahat?. Kung alam mong binabalewala kana, tanggapin mong nagsasawa na sya. Huwag kang magpapadala sa salitang "sorry" at "ayokong mawala
ka". Dahil kung totoo yun papatunayan nila."

Why will you let yourself be felt to a person who does not know how to feel? Don't be such a fool for someone who doesn't know how to value things. You must learn to give up and be the one to walk out this time if it always hurts you anyway. Instead of asking yourself "isn't that enough?," why don't you just forget everything? If you know you are being neglected, just accept the fact that he/she is already sick of you. Don't be swayed by words like "sorry" and "I don't wanna lose you," because if these are true, they will prove it.
--------------------

"Minsan kailangan mo din makalimot..para ikaw naman ang maalala."

Sometimes you also need to forget...so that this time it's your turn to be remembered.
--------------------

"Paano mo masasabing special ka sa isang tao kung ang bawat ginagawa nya ay ginagawa din nya sa iba?"

Can you say you are special to a person if everything he/she does he also do to others?
--------------------

"Mahirap din pala yung parang kayo pero hindi kayo. Kasi kahit Level 3 na pwede pa ding mag-game over. Ang MU kasi hindi lang MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. Pwede ding MALABONG USAPAN o kaya MALIBOG NA UGNAYAN."

If you think of it, it's also difficult if you are together but not really together. Even if you are already in level 3 there is a chance for the game to be over. MU is not only "Mutual Understanding." It could also mean "Malabong Usapan" (not a clear deal) or "Malibog na Ugnayan" (lustful relations).
--------------------

"Bakit pag may gusto tayo kailangan iwanan natin yung iba para lang makuha yun? Pero pag andyan na, saka mo lang malalaman na yung taong iniwan mo ay minsan na ring iniwan ang lahat lahat sa buhay para lang sa yo."

Why is it that when we want something, we need to leave the other in order to get what we want? But once it's there, then you realize that the other person you left has also at one time abandoned everything in life just to be with you.
--------------------

"Minsan nililinlang ka na lang ng sarili mong damdamin na akala mo nasasaktan ka pa din. Pero ang totoo, naalala mo lang talaga yung pakiramdam nung nasaktan ka. Pareho lang din yun sa pag-aakalang mahal mo pa yung tao pero ang totoo, naiisip mo lang yung pakiramdam mo dati nung mahal mo pa siya."

Sometimes your feelings deceive you into believing that you are still in pain. But the truth is, you are only recalling the feeling at the time you were hurt. It's just the same as when you presume that you still love a person but in truth, you only remember what you felt before when you were still in love with him/her.
--------------------

Next: Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10

Previous Bob Ong Translations:
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 6-b

Note to readers: If you want to copy Bob Ong quotes in English as meme in your blogs or websites, please acknowledge Pin(k)oy as your source by posting a link directed to this site. Pin(k)oy took pains and a lot of nosebleeds to translate these quotes from Tagalog to English so please...give the cat a break. Thank you.

Do you believe in the Zodiac?

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:24:00 +0000

Many skeptics out there wonder why a lot of people still believe in zodiac signs. A number of people will tell them the many reasons why. The most common reasons for this belief are the following: it gives them a heads up on what's going to happen in their lives, they believe it explains who they are, or it will help them find what they are looking for, whether it's the life their destined to live or the person they were meant to be with.

People have different opinions about zodiac signs. For some, it's not something to be taken seriously. Others see it as something fun to dabble with occasionally. And there are those who really think and believe on what their zodiac signs say about them and about their lives. They also make their decisions based on what is said to be good for their respective signs. But why do they really believe in these?

A heads up

So many people would do just about anything to have an idea on what would happen to them. They don't want the uncertainty of the future and would want to have a heads up on what could possibly happen.

It is one of the traditional uses of the zodiac signs, or even astrology in particular, to predict the future. It shows that the placement of the planets can be used as a guide to what our place in the world is. It is their belief that the stars incline us to a particular direction. It can show if we will have a good or bad time several years in the future.

An explanation of who they are

They say that a person's horoscope is a map of the person's personality. It can give a list of personality traits of a person based on the time and place of a person's birth and their corresponding zodiac signs. Sometimes, there are parts of their personality that they can't seem to fully figure out. But, looking at how these traits correspond with the personality traits, basing on the horoscope, they are enlightened.

Many believers will still acknowledge that people with the same signs will still have different personalities, but it does help them understand themselves better.

An idea on who or what they're looking for

The signs is also purported to help in determining a person's compatibility with others. The way the planets and the stars are aligned can determine if people of specific signs can be compatible with others.

This helps in dealing with the uncertainty of who a person should look for. This also means that once they've understood whether they're personalities based on their horoscopes are compatible or not, they can find ways to either make the relationship work or come to terms that it won't.

And because a person's horoscope can give insight on their future, they can deal with the uncertainty of not knowing what is in store for them and prepare accordingly. They won't have to deal with doubts about whom or what they're looking for.

Andito lang kami, Kuya

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:40:00 +0000

Kanina lang ay pinanood ko ang inauguration ng bagong pangulo ng Pilipinas, Benigno Aquino III. Sa totoo lang, napaiyak ako…inisip ko, sya na ba talaga ang makakapag-bago ng Pilipinas? Makalipas ang mahabang panahon, sya na ba ang talagang makakapagbangon sa bayan natin? Sa isip ko, sa wakas, makikita na ng henerasyon ko ang matagal na naming minimithi.

KAMI...ANG PILIPINONG GEN-X

Ang sabi sa wikipedia, ang Generation X ay yaong mga pinanganak mula 1961 hanggang 1981. Subalit, ito ang depinisyon base sa demograpya ng Estados Unidos. Kaya daw tinawag na Generation X ay dahil sa panibagong lifestyle ng mga teenagers na lumaki noong 1980s. Eto ang henerasyon na lumaki sa western pop culture ng punk, new wave, at MTV.

Masasabi kong kami ang nagdadala ng bantayog ng Gen-X, mga ipinanganak sa huling panahon ng dekada 60. Pinanganak kami nang nag-transition mula black and white TV to colored. Naabutan namin ang mga de-kabinet pang mga telebisyon at stereo component. Nabaliw kami sa Voltes 5 at Mazinger Z at nabuwisit kapag na-iinterrupt ang aming viewing habits pag si Marcos na ang nasa telebisyon. Naranasan namin ang maglaro sa kalye ng tumbang preso, patintero at naabutan naming ang kasagsagan ng afternoon disco. Halos lahat sa mga kaibigan ko ay gumaya kay Michael Jackson, Madonna at Duran Duran.

Aminado ako, medyo hindi pa ako mulat nung mga panahon na yon. Siguro dahil sa masyado akong naniniwala sa history teacher ko habang tinuturo nya ang sanitized version ng current events. Paminsan-minsan, nakakatisod kami ng impormasyon tungkol sa pakikibaka ng mga kuya at ate ng aming henerasyon, ang henerasyon ng First Quarter Storm.

PAGMULAT NG GEN-X

Nang tumungtong kami sa kolehiyo, biglang nagbago ang aming mundo. 1986 nang naganap ang people power revolution. Ang mga kuya at ate namin sa First Quarter Storm ay nagbunyi. Sila ang unang humarap sa mga tangke ni Marcos sa Edsa. Ang Gen-X ay sumasabay lamang sa agos upang mas lalong maunawaan ang mga pangyayari. Naiyak din kami dahil alam naming mahalaga ang pinaglalaban noon…ang kinabukasan at kalayaan naming mga Gen-Xers at mga susunod pang henerasyon.

Dahil sa kamulatan na ito at puno ng idealismo, nagpasya akong kunin ang Journalism bilang aking major sa Bachelor of Arts nang tumuntong na ako ng 3rd year sa kolehiyo pagkatapos lamang ng Edsa Revolution.

Matapos grumadweyt, sumabak na kami sa trabaho. Umpisa sa pahanon ni Tita Cory hanggang sa panahon ni Tatang Fidel Ramos, sige lang trabaho. Reporter ako sa radyo noon. Ang henerasyon namin ang unang nakinabang sa paglaya ng pamamahayag.

ANG NAKALIMUTANG HENERASYON

Matapos ang mahabang panahon, ang henerasyon namin ay biglang nalamon ng sistema. Asan nga naman yung pagbabagong sinasabi nilang mangyayari?

Mga huling taon ng 1990s nang sinabi ko, tama na. Tumatanda akong still striving to survive. Nag-isip akong mangibang bansa pero paano? Ayoko namang iwan ang tatlong taong gulang kong anak. Ayokong abandonahin ang Pilipinas dahil naniniwala pa rin akong may pag-asa pa tayo. Kaya, nagbakasakali ako sa isang lugar na malaki ang potensyal…nag-alsa balutan ako, dala dala ang aking anak at nagtrabaho sa Subic. Ang ganda ng lugar! Parang wala ka sa Pilipinas. Dito ko nakita na…meron pa rin talagang pag-asa ang Pilipino.

Ako, at marami sa henerasyon ko ang umalis sa kinalalagyan nila dahil sa sobrang pagka-unsyami sa sistema. Nakalimutan kami ng mga ate at kuya namin. Oo nga’t sila ang nasa puwesto matapos nilang maibalik ang kalayaan, ngunit ganon pa rin hanggang ngayon, hanggang ang henerasyon namin ay…nakalimutan na.

Kami ay nakakalat ngayon kung saan saang lupalop ng mundo, marami sa aming nasa edad kwarenta na. Hanggang ngayon ay naghahanap pa rin ng kalalagyan. Marami sa amin ang patuloy pa ring nagsusunud-sunuran para lamang maka-survive. Ang iba, nakatakas nga mula sa sistema ngunit malayo naman sa kanilang inang bayan.

Nasayang ang aming karunungan sa mahabang panahon naming pagiging saksi lamang. Sa pagputok ng teknolohiya at internet, marami sa amin ang ngayo’y nagsisimulang makibagay dito…matuto at kahit papaano, magkaroon ng kalalagyan sa panibagong mundong ito.

ANDITO KAMI

Ngayon, ikaw na ang aming pangulo Kuya Noy Noy. Andito kami, mga nakababata mong kapatid para tulungan ka sa abot nang aming makakaya upang magawa mo ang nararapat at matupad ang pagbabago na matagal na nating hinihintay. Kaming mga kapatid mong papunta pa lamang sa gustong kalagyan. Marami-rami na rin kaming natutunan, marami na rin kaming naranasan.

Andito lang kami, Kuya P-Noy.

World of the Weird

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:22:00 +0000

I started this fun segment a few months ago in our mid-morning show over 89.5 FM Subic Bay Radio called World Wide Weird news, or the Triple W news. Here, DJTommyG and I get to read and talk about the oddest news from all over the world.

The Triple W News is basically along the lines of the Corey & Jay Show, a radio program co-hosted by Corey Deitz and Jay Hamilton currently based in Little Rock, Arkansas on 100.3 The Edge. They have these segments such as Head Up Your Ass Headlines, When Animals Get Pissed, Police Blotter and a couple more wherein they read the weirdest, funniest and even the most gruesome news stories taken from different sources from around the globe.

I've listened to snippets of these segments in their website and I just rotflmfao! What makes me really fall off my chair are their hilarious remarks while reading these weird stories.

So anyway, I have yet to chance any local station doing something like this, and I figured having a segment like this in my show would really be fun, both to us jocks and to our listeners. Hence, I came up with the segment, The Triple W News (a pun on the World Wide Web since most of my material come from the triple W anyway).

And it's been a hoot so far!

If you wanna listen to the segment Triple W News, you actually can, over the triple W, err the internet. To pinkoy readers, catch us over our audio/video stream @ http://www.ustream.tv/channel/895subicbay Mondays to Fridays, 9am-12nn (GMT+8) Philippine time (o di ba ipromote ba? haha!). We interact most of the time with our viewers/listeners via chat in the stream.

While I'm at this, I'll also start posting here some of these odd stories that we feature in the radio show. Here's one that I'll probably be doing tomorrow.

Bomb Probe Turns Up Vibrator
California Highway Patrol: Man was wired for pleasure, not terror

APRIL 19--A California Highway Patrol office was briefly evacuated earlier this month when investigators became concerned that an arrestee might have been carrying a concealed explosive device. When officers collared Steven Ferrini on a drug charge, a search of the 60-year-old suspect turned up "a suspicious wire, with an on/off switch" in his pants pocket. "The wire was found to extend from the pant pocket to the subject's anus," according to a CHP report, a copy of which you'll find here. Though Ferrini claimed that the wire was connected to an anal vibrator, officers became suspicious when he subsequently "began to explain his knowledge of explosives and bomb making." So they called in El Dorado County's "explosive ordinance disposal" team and, at 5:45 AM, evacuated "all unnecessary personnel" from the CHP's South Lake Tahoe office. At about 9 AM, the bomb squad "rendered the device safe" and determined it was not dangerous. The report does not indicate why more than three hours passed before the vibrator was found not to be an explosive device. "The vibrator was subsequently removed and placed into property," according to report, which does not identify the CHP employee tasked with that unfortunate evidence collection responsibility.

(Can't wait to comment on this tomorrow, rotflmfao!)

We are all mortal, and don't you forget

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:36:00 +0000

Picking up my fifteen year old daughter one day from school, my partner and I were talking about current affairs, specifically this freak show we call election campaign that is now preoccupying the entire country.

When out of the blue, my daughter asked THE question...a question that has probably baffled even the most wisest of sages: "Why are politicians corrupt?"

Hmm... tricky question.

Now I don't want my daughter to think that politics is evil. After all, its definition isn't all that bad, being that it is a process that should result to the greater good, so says Aristotle. But then, how can I isolate the process from the implementors, ergo the politicians, who have always been negatively portrayed as corrupt, and thus the subject of a teenager's inquiry.

Carefully, I thought and finally said...

"It's because of greed, sweetie."

"Why?"

"Well, politicians are people and people tend to forget. They forget that even if they gain all the money and power in the world, they are not indestructible. People die. So, whatever they gain here is just temporary because they wouldn't be using all that money and power six feet below the ground."

"Then why do they do it?"

"They do it because they are persuaded to do it. The world that man has created has become very persuasive for them to give in to what they want, and what they want are things that they thought would make them the strongest beings on earth. And what are those things?"

"Money and power?"

"Basically...yes. In olden times, people resort to bartering for his needs. But then someone thought of inventing coins and giving it value based on what goods he wanted to trade in exchange for what he needs. So, if you're a farmer and you harvested a lot, you'll get to sell them in exchange for coins so you can in turn purchase what you need.

Further along, coins were minted with gold or silver to really get things going. Now just imagine what it would be like if you have a whole chest of gold coins in your hands! Imagine what grand things you can possess if you have that many gold coins! How powerful you must feel to get whatever it is you want!

"So it's true that money is the root of all evil?"

"Not really. Money is not evil in itself. If you use money for evil, it's still not evil per se, but the person that uses it. Remember, money is only a tool. It was invented in the first place for a good purpose, and that is for man to provide himself with what he needed to keep on living. It's also like politics. It is not evil in itself but the person that abuses it to gain power. The problem is that man forgets and when you forget, that's when greed sets in. You want more, even if you resort to cheating and stealing just so you can get whatever it is that you want. That sweetie, is corruption."

"Are all politicians like that?"

"I wouldn't say all, honey. It all depends on whether they forget or not. As a matter of fact, it's not only the politicians, but all of mankind as well. Man has become greedy because of the kind of world he invented just to make all things convenient for him. It shouldn't have been bad, but because he forgets, he accumulates, and when he can't get what he wants, he wages war against those who possess that which he desires. It's like Darwin's theory of evolution. Man is on top of the food chain. But among men, there is also survival of the fittest. If you can't hack it, you are are poor and powerless.

Whoa...I said to myself. At this point I needed to backtrack a bit. I mean, I don't want this teenager to think that the world is full of bad people. So, I braced myself for her next question.

"So that explains why there are a lot of poor people?"

"Um... I think so sweetie. But what's important is, do not forget. If there are bad people, there are many of us who are also good, those who don't forget and don't lose themselves from all these materialism. There are people who use their talents, their minds and their hearts to make their lives more meaningful. There are a lot of these people, even in politics. It's only sad that many of us have become so cynical and pessimistic because of the kind of history man has created. Man is so forgetful that he even forgets the lessons he should have learned from that history he created. But it is also man who can turn things around for him. We only have one life to live and it is short. We are only mortals. It's up to you how you spend your short life on earth.

"So sweetie, don't forget, ok?"

2000s

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:37:00 +0000

I still remember when, as a kid growing up in the 80s, the year with numbers above 2000 for me was unthinkable. And if I ever thought of it, my mind was filled with images of flying cars, humans co-existing with aliens, humans living in outer space, terminator robots wreaking havoc outside major cities protected by geodesic domes, and mind-controlled home appliances (just think of a hamburger and, viola! out it pops from your futuristic oven).

But alas...none of these stuff ever happened. Well, except for wireless communication devices (reminiscent of Star Trek) which was definitely on top of my sci-fi inspired gadgets of the future...and it did happen.

Stanley Kubrick may have been over-optimistic in his classic 2001: A Space Oddessey. We've already spent a good ten years after we hit the millennium but us humans haven't really sent any manned space shuttle to Jupiter as of yet. But hey, it was a 1968 science fiction film and maybe even Stanley Kubrick didn't have any idea what 2010 would really be. How anticlimactic it must have been for him if he were still alive (he never even made it past 1999).

And has anyone ever asked Sir Arthur C. Clarke about this (the other guy who wrote the film. Maybe before he died in 2008 anyway)? I believe he did a sequel called 2010: The Year We Made Contact (hmmm...let's see if we will).

And who would have imagined the mighty United States would ever face financial difficulties in 2000? Never in the Kubrick/Clarke timeline, but could be possible in the Orwellian timeline (as in George Orwell's classic dystopian sci-fi novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...just about two decades later, that is).

Sorry, you caught me rambling like a crazed nerd...what the heck am I writing about again?

Oh...2000s

Where are we now in the 2000s? Still struggling as humans, I would say. Still trying to survive situations and conditions that have been there since before I was even born. Poverty, disease, crimes, political greed, natural disasters due to environmental degredation...these are the stuff us humans are still faced with...in this futuristic year 2010.

So, forget about flying cars...forget about adopting a Hayley Joel Osment look-alike robot for a son. We still have a long long way to go before we can even think of spending summer in Mars (or am I speaking too soon?).

Kudos to OFW Bloggers!

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:43:00 +0000

We all say they are the Philippines' modern day heroes, sharing their homegrown skills and talents to the rest of the world miles away from motherland while contributing considerably to the nation's economy - the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW).

Enter the age of the internet, and a new species of Pinoy overseas worker emerged...the OFW blogger.

On December 27th at the Philamlife Theater, the OFW blogger soared. The 2009 Pinoy Expats-OFW Blog Awards (PEBA) was held, honoring this year's best blogs created and authored by our kababayan overseas workers.

I was extremely privileged to witness the event (and even wore a dress for the occasion lol) right there on stage. It felt like the Academy Awards as I (for SubicBayFM), along with fellow host Vince Golangco of wheninmanila.com, opened each folded card and called out one by one the top ten blogs of the year. Definitely exciting.

Backstage, the hardworking peeps behind the awards ceremony seemed so collected, especially Felix Jigs Segre who directed the show. Pete Rahon was all over the place as he and Jigs constantly gave us instructions on what or who will be next. The guest speakers were the cream of the crop (Dinky Soliman, Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel, Susan Ople), and dance and band performances were excellent. Overall, I'd say, it was a raging success.

To the men and women of PEBA (led by founder Jebee Kenji Solis...thrilled to have finally met you), loads of congratulations for an outstanding job!

PEBA winners of the special awards, as well as the top OFW blogs of the year (with photos of the event) can be seen here.

Thanks for making me a part of this momentous event, PEBA, and congratulations to the winners. Mabuhay ka, OFW Blogger!

Santa Sucks (funny!)

noreply@blogger.com (RhonB895) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Warning... get the kids as far away from the monitor as possible (lol).