quadradikus

wen manung: i-know-he-will-be-a-good-general-someday

2011-06-29T02:26:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing through the internet trying to find some information about my genealogy. I got so curious that people think and claim that my surname “Prejillano” is quite unique and never been heard before.

I think the same too! I only knew few other Prejillanos in this world, my father (Donato Prejillano) my siblings (Karol Joseph, Kristine Jane, and Karen Joyce) and my mother (Lorna Prejillano), who of course just got the name when he married my father. The others are, my grandfather (Catalino Prejillano), we didn't grow up knowing him, died of snake bite when we were young enough to remember him, Anacleta Prejillano (my grandmother) and my father's sister Msgt. Elizabeth Prejillano.

I remember, my father once said that our family name went through some sort of evolution. Originally, he said, its 'Fregillana', then 'Pregillano', and now, we are the modern day inheritants to become 'Prejillano'.

Browsing some genealogy sites yields zero for ‘Prejillano’. And the closest I got was a myHeritage.com site created by my brother back in 2008, which or course was lame at giving details about my heritage.

Talking about my brother, Captain Karol Joseph Alcaide Prejillano, as I was searching for Prejillano, his name yields the most results. In one link, a public forum thread about their highschool batch reunion, one of his batch mate questioned his sexual preference. I was grinning, these are so highscool.

I found the thread and the issue so interesting that I was inspired to write this blog.

I quote:

Karol Prejillano: WHATEVER THAT IS MR. NATIVIDAD....! you got a deep Ilocano in there. I didn't understand it as a matter of fact. because i've been in the Katagalugan for many years and not a single ilocano-speaking slug is around to keep me proficient with the dialect except for a few chat with my mom on the phone....
TO ALL OF YOU: i'm just at friendster, i'll be glad to see you all in there.

to JONA GAY PUA: your elder brother is a colleague of mine here in the Air Force. I got to see him a lot here around lipa city

----------

Yong: im an ilocano speaking slug.. but wait.. am i a slug?.. what is a slug by the way?...
hmmm.. wait...
A. Any of various small, snaillike, chiefly terrestrial gastropod mollusks of the genus Limax and related genera, having a slow-moving elongated body with no shell or only a flat rudimentary shell on or under the skin.
B.A round bullet larger than buckshot.
C.A small metal disk for use in a vending or gambling machine, especially one used illegally.
D. idiot???

whatever dude..
how are you karol?.. you've changed huh.. or should i call you joseph this time?..
peace!!!

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

Karol Prejillano: YOU CAN CALL ME ANYTHING YOU LIKE... "KAROL" is still up for me..."JOSEPH" is GOOD ENOUGH. BUT MANY OF MY MEN AND COLLEAGUES IN THE MILITARY ARE USED TO CALLING "PREJI" IT'S A SHORT-CUT FOR PREJILLANO. THAT'S HOW WE USUALLY GET OUR NAMES IN THE MILITARY. OUR NICKS ARE USUALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD.
CAUTION: DON'Y CALL ME ANYTHING THAT MAKES ME PULL MY TRIGGER, ALRIGHT. OR ELSE...YOU'RE DOOMED!!!!

PEACE TOO!!!!!

----------

Yong: Hey Karol, what are those 'all caps' mean?.. anger? or emphasis that you can't be touched?..
Well, pull your trigger but i'll speak my heart out. I really thought you're a GAY, and it's really surprising to see you in the Air Force. And I think you did a great job, transforming from your gay acts to a real man. And you have changed, ma-ere ka na ngayon... whatever that means..
Look back to where you came from dude, i really doubt you can't understand much of Ilocano now.
Peace dude!!!

p.s. am i doomed?

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

Karol Prejillano: All caps is neither an emphasis or anger... i just used to make it easy to read.

Melvin, is that how you really looked at me before? Dude, my reasons for being here is because i want to serve this country like my forefathers did. it's not about proving something and so on... i may be"gayish" back then but it does not necessarily mean I am, and that it would be a bizzare notion to think of me in a really stiff world. i really like discipline and i really found it here, not to mention i got a promising carrer. I'll be a good General someday and that's all i wanted....by the way, you're not doomed.I just hate it when people make fun of my name...maybe because i feel i don't desrve such treatment. BUT YOU'RE NOT DOOMED...

NOTE: I'M NOT REALL HARD TO REACH, IM AS DOWN TO EARTH AS ANYBODY ELSE. IN THE SERVICE WE NEED HUMILITY... AND I STILL CAN UNDERSTAND ILOCANO... ITS WHAT WE SPEAK AT HOME .

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

Reading through, I felt bad for the person calling him names. Everyone of us in the family thinks he is not. But his decision to be a military man was a surprised since we all thought that he will have a great career as a Psychologist.

Moving through the next link in google search, was the headline "Welcome to PAF-ACES Online" and under it #1. Acer Karol Joseph Prejillano.

I knew back in December he attended an awarding ceremony. I knew he was an awardee, but I didn't ask what award. Its only now that I had known, he was the TOP awardee. I felt proud.

I know he will be a good General someday. I know he will be.

Early on, he was the most goal-oriented among us, the Prejillano siblings. He was disciplined and strict. He had already developed military mannerisms. And I know he will be a good General someday.

I know what hardships he went through just to get to his promising military career. In another comment, another batch mate mentioned that the Philippines is a green pasture and this is not our last hope. He was right too.

And did you notice, he mentioned about Friendster on the thread. That was so long time ago!

wun manong: a new face for the 'apple turned bad'

2011-06-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

I’ve renovated my blog.

Not the contents but the header. You may notice that it changed. No more pictures. I wanted a simpler and a more definite theme.

I am one who likes changes; I don’t stay with something for long. Just like how this blog changed its name so often until I settled with quadradikus.

I used Word Paint. And here were my revisions.

My first try. I want green because it my favorite color, but it too simple and obviously, all would agree, it not good

Then, the yellow and black. It is the best color combination of all, highlighting the 'apple' in red makes the stress, but where's the color green? My critic said its nice but she didn't like the fonts.

Then came, the black, green, red and yellow. This one is the best so far. I tried and uploaded it on the blog, it stayed there overnight, but it didn't fit. Black was too bold for a header. So I went to my basic, simple and clean.

Until finally, I came up with this. It fitted the header, looks simple and clean on the site. So, go ahead, scroll up and check the header

photography: taking time to smell the flowers

2011-06-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY. That is why I have this blog. I like looking at beautiful pictures and creating them as well. Photographs are memories, and memories define our lives.

Flowers, beautiful, elegant and mysterious.

Flowers are the women in my life. Here are flowers I would associate to the women that, in any way, impacted personal growth.

Anthurium, a phallic symbol, fertile, strong (for my sister Kristine)

--o--

Asthers, blooming in lilac when everyone else blooms in white, Lorraine

-- o --

Daisy, you never take the limelight, always ready to give support (my sister Karen)

--o--

Dianthus, small, fascinating, beautiful (Katalienne Juliana)

--o--

Dwarf Kalachuchi, in girly hues of red, pink and white, there's a boy in every flower, Mary Jean

--o--

I don't know your name, and this is for all unborn babies

--o--

Another one that I don't know, but you are such a wonder with you hair, I'll call you Maria, fitting for my dear Maria Makiling

--o--

Roses, making the comeback, ordinary but dear, you are special like nobody else is (I'll reserve this for you, Soran Elizea)

--o--

Flower from a grass, notorious yet unknown, maybe Dolly is you're fitting name

--o--

Gumamela, loud, proud and a friend (Gail)

--o--

There's beauty in you, you just gotta find it (Sanna)

--o--

Lilies, in bloom, the most beautiful of them all (Lorenz)

--o--

I didn't know you, but first impressions do last, Zarina

--o--

You're sturdy, hard and strong, then there's the wind that bends the wrong, Lalaine

--o--

A toast for an orchid bud, a promise of beauty, a hope of the future, Maria Rhodora

--o--

The unconventional beauty, my mother Lorna

--o--

In transformation, how I hated everything, yet there's beauty with nothing (for Thea)

--o--

I don't know anyone who likes yellow, but I know someone in yellow, my Mommy Mikaela

--o--

I knew how you loved us, I hope you new how we love you as well, you will forever be remembered, Auntie Beth

--o--

Here's another yellow, bashing in the sunlight, glowing..a definite Lea

--o--

Defined and in highlights, Mommy Aida

--o--

And for unassuming, delicate and pure, my dear Sayuri

All red and a yellow heart, mother Salome

And for all those men and women with whom came and go, flower in the water, dried, dead and living with the tadpoles

and so i love her . . . # 2

2011-06-08T02:22:00.000-07:00

And so I love her! For my wife, and everything she is, was and will be for me.

My wife knows that I am a certified sweet tooth. One thing that test how much you love a person is if that person is able to take control some part of you but still leaves you as you are and not feeling boxed.

She understands that I like sweets and she's the only one who could control my cravings. If she says no, although its against my will, I give in, if she says, 'that's enough' even if its against my will, I say enough. At times she catches me breaking the rules, but its alright, she understands as well.

So, I know she understand my cravings for sweets because when I celebrated my birthday, she made me a refrigerated cake. She doesn't know how to do it. She made an effort to make the cake. It wasn't the best tasting though. But still one of the best cakes ever.

And so I love her!!!

before i die: Constance Moofushi Resort, Maldives

2011-06-08T01:58:00.000-07:00

before i die are the things I want to do, places I want to go, people I want to meet before I go six feet under, or maybe before I get burned and stored in an urn.

First stop, Maldives. Not I don't want to explore the wonders of my own country Philippines, I just got amazed by the picture and just looking at it makes me wanna be there, right now.

Here are other overwater huts I you may wanna go, a link from CNN website.

How about you? Got any bucket list you wanna share?

WordPlay: Plete

2011-06-08T01:53:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of a word I could share today and I thought I'd go back to my roots. I was born in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines and I grew up with our local Ilocano dialect.But I don't get to interact with many Iloco's from where I live now so I don't get to practice my Ilocano verses that much.

But I still speak Ilocano and still understand Ilocano words. I just remembered a word I want to share, plete.

I asked our house helper, Kailan po uwi ni Gigi? (When is Gigi going home?). I was referring to her daughter who was with her for whole summer vacation. She is from Pangasinan, another northern province that is generally Ilocano speaking and Pangalatot (the local dialect for people in Pangasinan).

She answered Depende ah nu adda pag plete na. Now that was Ilocano. translated, "it depends if she has something to spend for transportation fare".

I haven't heard that word for a long time. Plete means fare, or money you use to pay for your fare.

Like the purpose of this blog, we find the meaning and origin of words. I searched fort he meaning and plete has indeed an english meaning.

Plete\, v. t. & i. To plead. [Obs.] --P. Plowman. Click here for reference

And if you will try to search further, plete is not an Ilocano word afterall.

photography: the UPLB fertility tree

2011-05-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

This tree is one of the most photographed landmarks in UPLB, next to Oblation. Located at the edge of the UPLB oval, the tree serves as a resting place for many joggers, students, athletes and many other kinds of living creatures by day and a nesting place for lovers and couples at night.

Scientifically known as Samanea saman, this acacia tree is known for its grand canopy and the rumors that was built around and under its shade.

From generations past, the tree was called fertility tree for the countless and ageless stories of lovers and couples making the tree witness to many promiscuous and intimate moments. Again, rumors has it, because I have not seen nor witnessed anything, that many babies have been born out of the fertility powers of the tree and condoms were seen within its grounds.

Fertility Tree located at UPLB. On the background is the UP Carillon.

readings: Joseph Christopher M. Garcia, Grade 3 -B

2011-05-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

(Note: I didn't have an idea what to call this blog article so I decided to use the name printed on the book instead, a child who previously owned it. I got the book at a book sale, this is one of the many reasons that I like pre-owned books. There's a story with the book that is very tempting. Maybe someday, I'll get to track the people down who owned it.)

May 8, 2011: Typhoon Bebeng was a surprise.

The day started out cloudy with some rain showers. But what seemed like a regular tropical rain which we get from this part of the globe during months of July to November, turned like a wild storm with gusting winds in the afternoon. I got dripping wet and now I ain't feeling well. I got cough and colds and I really ain't feeling well.

So I decided to stay overnight in Las Piñas City hoping to get some rest. I did. But I couldn't get much sleep. So I decided to start on a book.

Previously, I've written a couple of book reviews, which you may note on the "readings' page of this site. Or click here for reference.

Too sick to read a serious book, I chose from my own library of Newberry books, Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary.

The book is an intrusion to the private life (diary) of the character Leigh Botts, a fanatic to the author Boyd Henshaw. He writes him letters. But things turned out differently when his class was asked to write a letter to a famous author as part of a class project. And the author's reply changed the course of his life.

With his letter responded by the his favorite author, the author advised him to keep writing. And so he reluctantly started on his diary. The diary accounts to his struggles as a normal sixth grader who lives with his divorced mom and with a father who rarely calls or pays a visit. He also accounts how his lunch gets stolen and an attempt to catch the thief.

Digging deeper, the book chronicles the conflicts of a boy living with his mother with rarely no friends, a loner and how he sees the divorce of his parents, the absence of a father figure in the family and his longing for it to be complete.

Its a story of age, with heart and a mild emotions. Reading the book, the author certainly did consider an audience - children. Written with humor and a laymans vocabulary, its easy to read and it was too easy that I finished it in less than 24 hours,including the 10 hours sleeping hours I had 'coz I really need to rest.

There are two highlights in Leigh's diary, one was when he discovered that his father is seeing someone else reason why he doesn't get to see him anymore and that his mother took him for a ride, grabbed a bucket of fried chicken and spent the night inside the car, by the beach, rain pouring hard and nothing but them and the fried chicken. This was where his mother finally opened up the reason for their divorce.

"You know, whenever I watch the waves, I always feel that no matter how bad things seem, life will still go on"

Second was the last entry when he arrived from school, seeing his father in front of the house. This seemed like a scene from the movies when a man is asking for a second chance on love, denied by the wife and nothing left to do but leave and move on. This sealed the story implying that Leigh should move on, accept that fact that his parent are never getting back together. He understood, I could guess.

And with understanding, comes age.

So where does typhoon Bebeng fit in? I wouldn't have read this book had I not been feeling sick!

wun manong: a happy horse a day, keeps the blues away

2011-05-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve been hearing a lot about this ‘happy horse’ lately.

It’s a legend about a smiling horse in the logo, or print of the local beer, the Red Horse. According to many beer drinkers account, there is one bottle of happy horse in every case and that the beer is more concentrated than the regular bottle and so it gives a stronger punch or kick (we’re referring to a horse anyway).

It was one of those random drinking that I discovered it.

I was manning our food shop, Tobee’s Roasted Chicken in Lopez Avenue, Los Baños, Laguna, when a friend passed by and tried our street barbeque. I offered a drink and that started the night. Coincidentally, I was expecting for my wife to arrive off from her job and when she did, the rest, as they would say it, is history.

We were drinking bottles of Red Horse beer when, if my memory served me right, I asked about the legend of the happy horse. They store attendants claimed they have bottles in store so I asked. And yes indeed. It was a smiling happy red horse.

The ‘happy horse’ was a result of a misprint, not so long ago (1983). And that it has the same alcohol content as the regular red horse beer. When and how did the rumor start about it having a stronger punch is all part of a drunk imagination. Also, there could be more than one bottle or no bottle at all of a happy horse in every case since the bottles are randomly lined up in a conveyor at the bottling plant.

The happy horse may be in the bottle or the one drinking on the bottle. In any case, one always has to drink moderately.

wun manong: Kudrat, an angel, just like Sophia

2011-05-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

It ain't Christmas season yet, and this blog ain't about Christmas either. Its something between Christmas and not.

Every year, we've started a tradition to decorate our family Christmas tree with themes. In 2009, we had our most dramatic and beautiful Christmas tree ever which my sister labored late nights and weekends to finish. She called it "Memories", as a tribute to our Aunt Ely who died that year of breast cancer.

Check out the Christmas tree pictures

And in 2010, with the arrival of a new angel into the family, Kandro Jael, she decided to create a Christmas tree themed, "Angels".

We initially decided that we create our own 'angels' and would collectively decorate it on the tree. And so I thought, now is the time to show the world, my very own 'angel' who I named Kudrat.

It's a name I got sometime in college while in meditation at the University library. I don't know why I liked the name. I just liked it. Just like how my sister Kristine likes Sophia. He's a black angel I know. He does good things and bad things. He ain't a perfect, saintly angel. He is ordinary and very 'unstable'. By how he behaves, he's between being an angel and a demon.

But there's nothing to fear about Kudrat. He's the nicest thing an angel can be, but ain't the worst on the bad side.

And so finally. I'd like you to all meet, Kudrat, an angel, just like Sophia, is imaginary.

photography: rich in flavor, rich in color

2011-05-02T01:32:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures, I'm a self confessed photographer, less the high end camera gadgets.

This picture was taken somewhere in Amadeo, Cavite where coffee is a staple household produce. Coffee beans are sundried everywhere and almost every house has something drying in their backyard.

This picture was also taken with the use of a Nokia cellphone camera.

And I'm glad, the camera didn't fail to bring out the rich color of a rich bean.

and so i love her : the Astroboy connection

2011-05-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

(Note: "And so I love her" are random blogs, pictures, notes and whatever things that I appreciate my wife doing for me.)

And the best way to jumpstart this blog portion is by a sketch my wife did for my favorite cartoon/anime character of all time... ASTRO BOY.

She copied a picture I posted in my Facebook account which I use as my profile picture.

See the similarities . . .

Here's the original.

Picture was taken here

And here's my wife's version.

And so I love her!!!

photography: reverie

2011-01-23T17:41:00.000-08:00

Give yourself a break. Find time to be alone and be at peace. It helps cleanse the soul.

wun manong: i was born upside down

2011-01-18T21:06:00.000-08:00

manongOn the 28th day of the first month of the year in 1982, my mom gave birth to the most beautiful baby in the world. And she named him Kristoffer John after a Catholic saint - Saint Christopher, patron saint of travelers.

This year, I'm gonna set-up themed blogs for each month. And January, being my birth month, will be all about me. ALL ABOUT RADIKUS!!!

Things I know about me.
1. I love sweets and chocolates
2. I like listening to old songs (really old), the most I can remember was a 1930's song that goes like "I am getting married tomorrow, don't be late to church"
3. I download songs of Barry Manilow, Josh Groban, Michal Buble, Jose Mari Chan
4. I like boyband songs but was never a fan of any Boy Band
5. I like planning to go on adventures but still not much has materialized
6. I love to eat but I hardly ever gain weight
7. I just have one Kidney, and so was advised by my doctor to live a healthy lifestyle
8. I hate celebration, re: birthday and going to large scale parties. I am an anti-social animal

9. My favorite junk food is Mr. Chips and my favorite chocolate bar is Cloud 9. Actually as of this writing, I'm munching on my Mr. Chips.
10. I like drinking wine.

That's probably for now. We have the whole of January yet for more about me.

For February, it will be about my wife and all about love. Love is such a big umbrella so I'm trim it down to falling in love.

RepairPal: Your friendly guide to car Repairs and Maintenance

2011-01-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

Through an e-mail, a friend living in Texas was bugging me about his car needing tire replacements and an air-conditioning check-up. He's been getting referrals from his co-workers on trying the service of a small-time maintenance shop within his county but I suggested he take the time to rethink about his decision of having his car checked by unauthorized dealers. Cars are an investment and the repairs and maintenance is another concern. And if you want to maintain the best driving experience, you need to be careful in choosing a legitimate repair shop to care for your car.

I convinced him to search online for Houston auto repair shops and sent him a website link for www.repairpal.com. He drives a 1999 Acura TL and the website provided him with useful information about his car and user feedback and an encyclopedia on cars and its maintenance - from oil change, to brake job to engine and electrical details. Plus, he didn’t have to make a phone call to ask for the repair cost. There's Repair Price Estimator tool that gave him an idea of how much he would pay for the repair.

My friend asked for a favor, and I gave him the favorable option. All the things he need is there. It’s just a matter of searching, clicking, choosing and making the right decisions.

from the back seat: The French Connection, 1971

2011-01-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

I like watching movies, especially classics, the not-so classics and award-winning.

A few weeks back, I chanced upon a pirated-DVD store in Los Baños, Laguna and I found three CDs of movies (pirated off course) which is classified above: The French Connection (1971), In My Country (2004) and The Counterfeiters (2007).

I've been wanting to do a movie marathon but unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time to spend a whole day being a couch potato. Coz if I do, I'd play the four-sets of my Astroboy CD collection and the other Philippine Indie films I've collected at a Video City store sale.

But I guess, if you really want it, you'll find a way for it. And sure enough, my itching of playing my "The French Connection" movie out of that pirated DVD stall in Los Baños came 3 days after Christmas day.

I'm on a day-off, my wife and her two siblings left for Las Piñas City for a spa moment in Festival Supermall. Left alone, there's nothing much to do than watch TV, surf the internet or eat the leftover-but-still-good food from Christmas eve.

More than watching it, I'd also like to try if that blu-ray disc is OK (re: video and audio quality), for this is going to be the benchmark of other pirated DVD buying spree in the future.

And there, I watched the movie, enjoyed the film and dude, the CD was great. Quality-wise, it was a-'sulit.com.ph'-like buy (re:satisfaction guaranteed). The subtitles aren't like the regular 12-in-1 discs, where the characters say one thing and the subtitle read another. And for a price of P200 for 3 movies, I find it worthy of my money, though you can buy used but quality CDs in any Video City outlet if they're on sale at a cheaper price.

In this 1971 American crime film, two New York City Police detectives, "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Schieder) investigates the smuggling of narcotics from France.

Famous for its chase scenes, this is the first R-rated movie to win an Oscars for Best Picture.

One of the most notable scene out of the movie was when one of the smuggling men tried to kill Popeye and escapes through the subway station. Popeye's pursuit, determined to kill a criminal, brought him to the outskirts of the city through a fantastic car chase after a subway train. He caught the criminal and killed him without hesitation.

Click here to watch movie clip.

Also, in another chase or must I say 'stalking' scene, Popeye follows another player out of the smuggling syndicate, Charnier, or who they call "frog two". From his hotel, to the cold streets of New York, his seemingly discreet but obvious stalking was an epic episode full of outwitting and outplaying schemes that i thought I was watching an episode from Tom and Jerry and Oggie and the Cockroaches. Charnier escapes Popeye's wit with the sarcastic smile and the kitty wave of the finger.
I understood why Gene Hackman won the Academy Awards for Best Actor for a Leading Role for his portrayal of the real-life Popeye, Eddie Egan. His detrmination as a law enforcer, his tactical antics, the ruthless character of a cop and his sincerity to the job was well acted.

And I also understood why its Rated-R - the violence, the drugs and partly, a few seconds of a sex scene and exposure of a female butt. But more that that, its the reason of being based on a true story makes it a contemporary classic. The acts maybe fictionalized but the story is not.

So where does this blog lead me? Three points. Point One: I bought a pirated CD, which I know is a crime. Point Number Two: I watched a worthy, unforgettable movie. Point Number Three: I got my moneys worth!!!!

Note: search google or click here. It'll probably provide a more accurate and in-depth reviews.

Picture credit from here.

wun manong: Alejandro

2010-12-29T01:07:00.000-08:00

(Note: here's my very first blog written on my friendster account. Just reposting)

Alejandro is dead!
I have always though that death is a fascinating event. It happens every time, every moment and for me it is the ultimate gauge for short-term change. How death change lives in a second and how it easily turn smiles into grief is an enthralling and intriguing moment. How death brings out the best of true emotions in an individual make me believe that it is significant yet cruel. And so, death is such a fascinating event.
The news about Alejandro being dead provided me a moment to give myself a heavy sigh, that kind of sigh that we do not normally do. I have not heaved a sigh for a long time and thanks to Alejandro for giving me one.
Alejandro was never a friend. Though he belongs to my personal circle, he is one of those people I consider close but a distant one. I could not remember anything significant that we have done together to make me consider him as a friend. He was very distant. I could hardly ask him anything whenever I had questions.
But death is only a word with the blank meaning of a life lost/gone. It is nothing but an indication of a simple loss. Yet it is very mysterious. One moment a man is breathing with life and in split second it is cut and death is around. Soon enough the music of life fades and the sound of death lurks. Death is such a fascinating and mysterious thing.
He saw me grow up together with my siblings. We used to spend summer days in his place and we would enjoy frolicking in mid afternoon sun. We would play in his garden of mango trees and pineapple patches located in a nearby school. We would climb and harvest fruits of his mangoes and he would be there assisting and instructing us to be careful.
Alejandro is an educator. He knows how to teach people the principles that he knows. He loves reading…especially pocket books. And I know he loves it because he could stand reading a whole paperback on romance and suspense thrillers and could finish one in three days. He is a lover of books and him being an educator, he’s got to be.
Death reminds us of life. It evokes us to value what is beautiful and precious, of what is a dream and reality. Death by any means is all but the destination of mortals and beyond death…..we will never know unless we experience it.
Alejandro too is a war veteran. And that I admire him for.
Alejandro surely knows what is beyond death. He is there. And I know he will always be an educator as I have known him. And perhaps when I too get there, we will be able to revive a friendship that never prospered on earth.

See you when I see you Daddy! And how I wished you finished your essay about your World War II experience. I have with me your unfinished essay…and I will try to bring it with me when I get there.
Alejandro is my grand father. And to all his grandchildren, we ironically call him “Daddy”.
Alejandro is dead. And for him this BLOG was created.

wun manong: whatever happened to friendster

2010-12-29T01:02:00.000-08:00

Tired of Facebook? Why not open your Friendster account? And you'll be surprise..really.

Last night, I opened my Friendster account and damn...I have friends that are still hooked up in it. That's really surprising.

More than seeing old friends during that-thing-called Friendster era, opening my Friendster account was a trip down memory lane..the testis (testimonials) and the old pictures from way back then are still there.

Bit of History. It was founded by Jonathan Abrams in 2002. According to Wikipedia, it was founded to "create a safer, more effective environment for meeting new people by browsing user profiles and connecting to friends, friends of friends and so on, allowing members to expand their network of friends more rapidly than in real life, face-to-face scenarios". Few months after its release, Friendster was a hit. But in 2009, it saw a decline in traffic from ranked 40 to 800 in November of 2010 based on Alexa webtraffic reports.

Before Facebook, most of us had MySpace, Friendster and Multiply. I totally gave up my Friendster in as much as I gave up my Yahoo email address.

Before, Friendster was hit as much as Facebook is today. Add friends, write testimonials, grab pictures and design your own site by putting background music and skins. That was before.

Now, Friendster got a facelift and its green. There are also a lot of new features like shoutouts reformatted, games, treasure chest and more. But really, you'll note, its really not something new..Facebook has it.

One thing I hate about Friendster, there's just too many nude pictures out there that I think it has turned into a soft-core porn-social networking site.

Friendster is still popular in most Asian countries and it is interesting to note that the Philippines is one of the top users.

I last logged-in to my friendster roughly two years ago. Why I gave it up? Maybe it was due to Friendster fatigue. I just gave it up. I just don't like it anymore. It was a case of i'll-open-it-once-i'm-into-it-agan. But Facebook came, better, more user friendly and it has more features like interactive and level-up games. So I left my friendster behind.

Friendster is where I have posted my first-ever blog..and I'm reposting it.

Check out my friendster account at

wun manong: 'Real men do not buy girls'

2010-12-29T00:03:00.000-08:00

On Christmas eve, after the tedious preparation of my vegetable pica-pica for noche buena, I was busy with the TV remote control and accidentally chanced upon a show on CNN awarding this year's CNN Hero of the Year.

Last year’s edition was a highly publicized event on Philippine media as last year's hero was a Filipino, Efren Peñaflorida, a ‘pushcart education’ innovator who brought education closer to the underprivileged children in the Philippines. With his Dynamic Teen Company, the organization reaches out to the out-of-school youth through pushcart classrooms complete with books and other educational materials. His innovation has prompted the Philippine government to replicate the model classroom to different regions of the country.

This year,CNN honored ordinary individuals with various causes that has changed a landscape in the world - from feeding the hungry, building bridges, medical assistance, empowering women, building houses, education and even weight loss. These heroes are everyday people working to change the world and this year's Top Ten Heroes are:

Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega (Mexico) -providing quality health-care to the dangerous city of Juarez, Mexico with a hospital she established;

"Our hospital has not been touched. Our doctors have not been kidnapped. This is a miracle of God, believe me"

Susan Burton (USA) -giving ex-convicts a new chance to live;

"Every time I was released, I swore I wasn't going back. But I know now that without the resources and support, it's next to impossible. ... If you don't have a new door to walk through, the only thing is the old door."

Linda Fondren (USA) - helping shape up a city in the fattest state of the Unites States of America;

"People want to do good, but they need help"

Anuradha Koirala (Nepal) -rescuing girls slavery and human trafficking;

"Families are tricked all the time. The trafficking of the girls is done by people who are basically known to the girls, who can lure them from the village by telling them they are getting a nice job. It's a lucrative business."

Narayanan Krishnan (India) - serves good food to India's most destitute;

"I saw a very old man eating his own human waste for food. It really hurt me so much. I was literally shocked for a second. After that, I started feeding that man and decided this is what I should do the rest of my lifetime."

Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow (Scotland) - launched Mary's Meals that provides meals for school children in Bosnia;

"We began saying 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just do one small thing to help?'

Harmon Parker (Kenya) - building bridges for a safer Kenya;

"I've worked all over Kenya. And every community [has] a story of ... loved ones lost."

Aki Ra (Cambodia) - detonating landmines to save lives
"I maybe planted 4,000 to 5,000 land mines in a [single] month. We planted them all over the place."

Evans Wadongo (Kenya) - inventing an improvised lamps to light up lives and lift families out of poverty

"I couldn't compete effectively with other kids who had access to lighting. In every home in the village it was the same. Many children drop out of school for these reasons ... so they remain poor for the rest of their life. All along I was asking myself if there is anything that can be done to improve this situation."

Dan Wallrath (USA) - give free housing to war veterans with his project "Operation Finally Home"
"It was like someone hit me upside the head with a 2x4. ... I just felt like this is what God wants me to do."

This year's honor was given to Nepali Anuradha Koirala. When her name was called, I felt magic when the presentor put her golden trophy in a box and it turned black. Amazing. And that's how a Hero was proclaimed.

In her speech, she encouraged everyone to help fight human trafficking. And most notably, Demi Morre who presented her during the show said...'real men do not buy girls'. And it felt like that was the call of the night.All stories were too inspiring that after the show, I asked myself "what can I do for the world". And I remember vividly, I may have said it to my wife...'someday, I'll make a difference with my blog'.

foodtrip buddy: Vegetable Pica-pica

2010-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

Part of my 2010 new year's resolution was to cook a new dish. And I am proud of this to have discovered a new dish that we serve in our coffeeshop. Customers liked the dish and i'm going to keep it as a secret recipe. I called it Tomato-Basil Penne.

I like experimenting on food. There's a different high when you try out something new and that your never sure of how its going to turn out. My mantra on cooking "combine the edibles and your food is going to be edible". I don't care how it tastes for as long as its eatable.

Some dishes I've tried experimenting before was a simple pinakbet with pandesal, scrambled egg with oregano and basil, stir-fried rice with just about any leftover food on the fridge and at one time, and tuna-rambet.

For the holiday, I wanted something healthy and different, so it made vegetable pica-pica with a choice of cream-milk dip, chocolate dip and out-of-the grocery store dip.

Here's how to do it.
Cut cucumber, carrots and apple into julienne strips
Wrap it in lettuce and seal with a toothpick

For the dip
a. cream-milk, this was the left over stock when my sister-in-law made her fruit salad with chocolate bits (just mix your cream and condensed milk)
b. chocolate dip - buy chocolate syrup ion the grocery store
c. buy any dressing you want, from Ceasar's to Thousand Island

So there!!! Dip and eat....

Fruit salad with chocolate bits by Lorraine Sy

Vegetable pica-pica

The dips: chocolate dip, ceasar's dressing (orange-colored) and the cream-milk (right-side and partially cut)

And there!!! Me and our buffet table for Christmas 2010.

My Sy family

photography: scavenger

2010-12-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!!! Scavenger is a term referring to people who rummage on trashes and garbage before it is collected by the garbage collection truck. These are nocturnal people who pick anything from tin cans to P.E.T bottles, used clothes and sometimes leftover food. Scavenging is a job for the whole family, from children to elderly, male or female and anywhere urbanized, you'll get to see scavengers every night. And they never miss a shift.

Note: Picture was taken a few nights before Christmas along Lopez Ave., Los Banos, Laguna with the use of a cellphone camera.

wun manong: christmas carolling

2010-12-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

Two days to go... and we'll have the biggest day of the year, Christmas day!!!!

I was out of the house on my way to our coffeeshop for our Christmas party celebration together with our business partner and our staff. Of course there are gifts and yes we will have that 'bunutan' tradition later.

On my way out of the house, there was a group of old ladies, around six or seven of them, singing christmas songs, hopping house to house and yes, asking for something in return. You've probably guessed what they're doing already...Yes, CAROLLING.
The last time I participated in a carolling session was around 9 years ago. I was with my co-applicants for an academic organization in the University of the Philippines-Los Baños. We did it for a fund-raising campaign. And true enough, carolling is one decent way of raising funds to cover for christmas activities during the Christmas season.

wun manong: christmas and that thing called 'bunutan'

2010-12-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

Its three days before Christmas!!! And yes, everyone is probably done with Christmas shopping or at least halfway done buying the gifts for friends, families and everyone else.

And just when you thought that the shopping is over, there will come another instance to buy gifts.

On my way home today, I decided let my feet follow the heart and mind. My feet says, it wanted to go straight home while my heart and mind said, let's drop by the mall and window shop. So I did!

I wanted to challenge myself.

Last night my sister prepared the list of names for our family kris kringle or bunutan. All of us knows that this is a Philippine tradition of gift giving wherein names are put in a box and everyone gets to pick the name of the person who they must give a gift which we call 'monito' or 'monita'. Then you set-up the minimum amount for the value of the gift.

This way, everyone gets a gift, whether you like the one you've picked or not. Oftentimes, it serves a venue to repair disparities among friends and colleagues.

We've decided on the value..Php75.00 or roughly $1.50 in value. Its cheap yes, everyone can afford the price even our house help. But the challenge comes into finding a good gift for a cheap price.

I'd say 'good' gift because for us Filipinos, we do not just give our gift just because we like it. The gift we give oftentimes determine how well we know the person. You will be more inclined to giving what he/she likes other what you want to give.

So, I had to challenge myself. Seventy-five pesos, and I have to pick a gift for my mom (I picked her name). That's tough. For someone special and dear, finding a suitable gift for $1.50 is definitely tough.

Just so you know, a t-shirt or a blouse cost Php99.00 minimum or if you have chance to go to Divisoria or tsangges, you'll find some at cheaper price.

Now I know why my heart led me to SM Southmall. I have to find a gift. Initially, I decided on something I can buy from National Bookstore, and the most that I had was a rosary for less than a hundred. Delete option.

Then I had to check out the department store. I checked the kitchenware section..drinking glasses, those damn drinking glasses in boxes of four or six. No, its not an option.

Then to the section where you get to see pillows in different colors, designs and shape. There was one I liked that said "Hug a MAROON for Intimacy". I know you'd guess the color of the pillow.

But I know there's a better gift out there for my mother. I passed by a Watsons shop and I saw a 'buy 1 take 1' offer for a body scrub. That is reserved for someone else. Then there's a body vanity kit sold at Php175.00 for 2 pieces (body lotion and shower creme). I was tempted to buy it. The body lotion goes out to my mother, and the shower creme, I'll offer it to my wife so she has something to give for her monito. Now I had an option.

I was in the mood to shop further, so I walked..and walked...and walked until I reached the activity area and there was a ventriloquist with his puppet performing. I hate puppets, they're like evil creatures to me. So I had to go and continue my shopping.

Then I saw the bags. There were bags made of flour sack with nice prints for Php129.00. Expensive eh! But then there's the second option.

In Los Baños, Laguna, where I take residence, there is a municipal ordinance banning the use of plastics. Maybe, this is a good gift. Its like paying it forward and that other may follow. Its an option.

Two prospects and countless shops visited, I decided to head home. Not quite happy that I did not get to buy something, because its just going to be hassle if we do last minute shopping, I was contented that at least I gave my heart and mind the chance to lead over the feet. Now, finally, its the feet's turn to be followed.

wun manong: Joulupukki is Santa Claus

2010-12-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write something about Santa Claus, counting four days before Christmas. I am not an avid fan of Santa Clauses, nor is he the ultimate symbol of my Christmases. I’d rather look at beautiful Christmas trees, big or small, and wonder on its enchanting glitters and how an ordinary tree is dressed up to be my ultimate sign of Christmas.

But this ain’t about Christmas trees; again, this is about Santa Clauses, yes that burly white-haired old man in red overall suit that carries a knapsack of gift for the nice children.

As a young boy, together with my siblings, we use to hang socks on our walls and we would wake up and our socks full of goodies. I remember it vaguely, It was a magical feeling I guess…until I found out that what we have in our socks were the same goodies sold at my lola’s (grandmother) sari-sari store.

So there, all that childhood yearning for a Santa Claus went pfftt, and I think I was seven years-old then.

Many of us are particularly aware of the Roman Catholic and Christian traditions of Santa Claus, from Saint Nicholas (which originated in Dutch as Sint Nikolaas or Sinterklaas) to the Hagios Nikolaos of the Greek, who, as the Bishop of Myra (present day Turkey) gave donations in gold coins anonymously and was believed to have started the Christmas tradition of gift giving.

Santa Claus (United States and Canada) comes in many different names: Shengdan Laoren (China), Father Christmas (England), Pere Noel (France), Christindl (Germany), Papai Noel (Brazil and Peru), Babbo Natale (Italy), Black Peter (Morocco), Jultomten (Sweden), Pa Norsk (Norwegian) and many others most notably Joulupukki in Finland.

Joulupukki is a pagan tradition in Finland wherein people dress up in goat skin and horns to ward off evil spirits. It is the santa demanding gifts from people, an ugly creature that dances and scares off children.

Again. There! It’s Santa Claus but there are many names and version off it. And its very intruiging that most of what we have in the present takes root from pagan traditions that aren’t as pleasant as they are today. And that Santa Claus was also part of the changing times.

Credits from:
http://www.lone-star.net/mall/main-areas/santafaq.htm
and many more countless links in the web.. hwew!!!

WordPlay: Schadenfreude

2010-12-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

A blogger should have an excellent understanding of words or at least should have a wide array of vocabulary outside the usual antonym and synonym list of a thesaurus.

I, being a self-confessed blogger, think that blogging gives me the leeway to extract creative juices out of my limited word bank. Simply put, it’s that “putting-words-together-and-having-your-own-made-up-idiom” thing.

I’m starting this thing called WordPlay for this blog. It’s going to be an annotation of totally new words and we’ll discover what it meant and how it came to be.

To kick-off wordplay, we’re starting with “schadenfreude”. I was browsing through some blog advertising sites and was instructed to use the sentence “Why have bread when you can have a schadenfreude”.

So what’s schadenfreude anyway? Wikipedia defines it as “pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others”. It’s a German word Schaden (adversity, harm) and Freude (joy). This is synonymous to the English expression “roman holiday” derived from the ancient gladiator era where Romans finds pleasure watching the gladiators splurge in blood and pain.

Why have bread when you can have schadenfreude? This to me sounds like a sadistic impression. Why do it the good way when its better off done worst? It’s like saying that one can find happiness in pain.

Or may be, it’s a funny off-the-street lingo. Why stick with your wife, when you can cheat on her and not be caught?

We’ll schadenfeude is a state of mind. It’s that feel good moment not brought by a happy state of mind but by some devilish and gory thoughts.

So why have bread when you can have schadenfreude? C’mon, would you choose it? Your call!!