That Cebuano Kid

So Much for Doomsday

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 00:26:00 +0000

So, the world didn’t end yesterday. Or it did? I survived the 2012 phenomenon—we survived the apocalypse—did we really survive the end of days? Did we survive or did we not? Did we not survive since there was no end of times to survive from in the first place?

The intricate design would look good on a biscuit.

Who can say the world ended yesterday? Who can say it didn’t? What proof do we have of the world’s demise or non-demise?

Did the world end or not? I don’t know. For all we know, we could either be a new set of humans with the memories of our old selves—the ones who died during the apocalypse—living in a new Earth—an Earth created very similar to our old one. Or we could be our old selves, saved from the brink, and kept in an exact imitation of our old Earth and universe. Or we could be our old selves, saved from the brink, and kept in a very realistic simulation of our old Earth and universe.

Did the world end or not? Who knows? Perhaps the world did end and our memories of the tremors, of the rain of fire, of the giant waves, of the asteroids and of our deaths have been wiped out clean.

Did the world end or not? It’s up to me and you. We could have survived the end of the world or narrowly missed one. You could have survived your apocalypses, I could have survived—counting Y2K, last year’s apocalypse and the other predicted apocalypses not as popular as yesterday's—my nth and perhaps my last doomsday.

Did the world really end or not? Did the Mayas wrongfully predict the end of days? Was the world supposed to end on 12 December 2012 or not? How was the world supposed to end?

The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and the Tardis

Did the world really end yesterday? Maybe it did or maybe it didn’t. Maybe we were saved—maybe the Doctor came via TARDIS and saved us. LOL

The Hoard

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:09:00 +0000

I was home in Mandaue—in Cebu during the long weekend and went home to a mess—which looked like a scene from straight from a hidden object game—that I left a few months ago. With nothing to do in four days, I decided to clean up the disorder—which should have been taken care of before I left to move to a new city.

The next day; All Souls' Day, while some where off to or at the beach and everyone was off to the cemeteries to remember their dearly departed—I don't mean to disrespect but I don’t really do anything pertaining to the dead—I spent the whole day tidying up. I was rummaging through my stuff, picking out the things that I want to keep and throwing out stuff that I deem I no longer need.

So, what crazy mix of stuff did I find in my hoard?

1. books

My high school textbooks.

Escape to the Hills

2. CDs

Smallville, American Wedding, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
and Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack albums.

3. magazines

I used to have a subscription to Reader's Digest. Got the Forbes and PC Buyer's Guide from the mall exhibit.

At the time when most of my peers were buying men's magazine, I bought these.

4. movie tickets

Thor, The Avengers, Captain America: The First Avenger and the like.

5. my old stamp collection

A poorly-handled collection.

6. plushies

Got these from the claw crane. I kept some as trophies and gave away
the rest to kids and moms in the arcade.

7. a bunch of posters

4th generation pokémon

film and anime posters

8. internet and phone cards

9. running singlets, running bibs and finisher's certificate

I was an active runner between the years 2009 and 2010.

My first finisher's certificate. Finished 3K at around 15 minutes.

10. more toys

Happy Meal toys

Got this pellet drum for the year 2000

I don't remember playing with these. I don't know who owned these.

11. trading cards

YuYu Hakusho cards

Pokémon cards

12. unused calendars

Got these from the anime magazines.

13. a box of dead beetles

Bay leaves to repel the ants

Digging through the hoard, I also found coins (money, yay!), my old wallet (more money, yay!), game cartridges, a deck of playing cards, clothing tags, pens and pencils, McDonald’s discount coupons and a dusty box of decaying butterfly wings. And the rest was trash.

Republic Act No. 10175 | The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:09:00 +0000

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 goes in effect today.

Republic Act No. 10175, which was signed in to law by the President of the Philippines last September 12, aims to define computer crimes and provide for the prevention, investigation, suppression and the imposition of penalties of such crimes. Some of the offenses listed on the bill include child pornography, identify theft, cybersquatting, cybersex, internet fraud and libel.

I believe there is a need for a law like RA 10175. I won’t disagree on the laws against hacking, identity theft and internet fraud—much more on the provision against child pornography—these laws against such offenses are needed and are long overdue.

I also believe there is a need to protect people from malice online. People get bullied and are called names online by cowards who hide behind a fake account or to some extent by people who are downright rude and shameless.

One of the provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is the provision on online libel. The act defines ~~online~~ libel as the unlawful or prohibited acts of libel as defined in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended, committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future. Basically, it is libel done using computers and the future generations of computers and similar devices. Sadly, the provision on ~~online~~ libel is not clearly defined.

A harmless tweet like a witty name calling between friends can be considered libelous. Basically, anything that one finds offensive is libelous—jokes can be outlawed. It doesn’t say when ~~online~~ libel is committed. Does it only cover those potentially malicious things that one posted online after the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 took effect? Or is it before and after the law’s implementation? Can a seemingly malicious tweet from two years ago—undeleted and buried to the bottom of one’s tweet stream—be used against the poster?

Also included in the RA 10175—the law's section that I disdain—is the act’s provision on cybersex. What with sending sexually explicit messages or dropping one’s clothes in front of a live camera, one can go to jail. I am no perv but this is unacceptable. There is nothing wrong with internet sex as long as it is done by two consenting adults in the privacy of their own homes and computers.

Another thing, how is the government going to stop the people from doing online sex? For one to be sent to jail one has to be caught doing the act. How are they going to catch one in the act? Monitor our PCs? Monitor our data? Where is the privacy in that? Where is the constitutional right to privacy?

Lastly, section 5 of the RA 10175 lists Aiding and Abetting in the Commission of Cybercrime. When is aiding and abetting committed? Does aiding and abetting include sharing, reblogging, retweeting, liking and +1-ing a libelous or a seemingly libelous post?

Let me repeat what I said, I believe there is a need for a law like RA 10175. Sadly, The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 was done in haste and is greatly flawed. I believe that some of the provisions of the law clashes with the constitutional right to privacy, freedom of speech and freedom of expression. The law needs to be repealed ASAP.

The Avengers: Who's Your Favorite?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:21:00 +0000

The Avengers is one of my most anticipated films this year. When the film was first announced I just couldn’t stop digging any available info on the film online—I grabbed every opportunity to read and watch every sneak peek, every film leak and every rumor about the film.

While I was looking for spoilers online, I came about Jen Van Meter’s Five Favorite Avengers. Van Meter’s list reminded me about my list of favorite X-Men characters.

If I have a list of favorite X-Men, do I have a list of favorite Avengers? Yes, I do. The Avengers has a very large roster—though there are only six Avengers in the upcoming film. With subgroups like the Secret Avengers, West Coast Avengers, and New Avengers, one can have several favorites. I have multiple favorite Avengers but I tried my best to narrow it down to six. Below are my favorite Avengers:

1. Captain America

Steve Rogers was a scrawny fine arts student growing up during the Great Depression. In early 1940, Steve attempted to enlist in the army but failed to pass the physical requirements. He was, however, invited to volunteer for the Super-Soldier project, receiving a special serum made by Abraham Erskine. The serum was a success, and transforms the frail Steve Rogers into a perfect specimen--a nearly perfect human being with peak strength, agility, stamina, and intelligence.

In late April 1945, during the closing days of World War II, Captain America and Bucky try to stop the villainous Baron Zemo from destroying an experimental drone plane. Zemo launches the plane with an armed explosive on it, Rogers and Barnes in hot pursuit. The pair reached the plane just before take off. When Bucky tries to defuse the bomb, it explodes in mid-air. The young man is believed killed. Rogers is hurled into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic. Neither is found, and both are presumed dead.

Years later, the superhero team the Avengers discovers Steve Rogers' body in the North Atlantic, the Captain's uniform under his soldier's fatigues and still carrying his shield. After he revives, they piece together that Rogers had been preserved in a block of ice since 1945, surviving in such a state only because of his enhancements from Operation: Rebirth.

Rogers accepts membership in the Avengers, and although long out of his time, his considerable combat experience makes him a valuable asset to the team. He quickly assumes leadership, when most of the team took a leave of absence.

2. Iron Man

Anthony "Tony" Stark was born to Howard Anthony Stark and Maria Collins Carbonell Stark, owners of the prominent US firm, Stark Industries. As a boy, Tony was fascinated with building and controlling machines. At the age of 21, Tony inherited Stark Enterprises when his parents were killed in a car accident secretly orchestrated by a rival corporation.

While observing the effects of his experimental technologies on the American war effort, Tony Stark is injured by a booby trap and captured by the enemy led by Wong-Chu, who then orders him to design weapons. However, Stark's injuries are dire and shrapnel is moving towards his heart. His fellow prisoner, Ho Yinsen, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose work Stark had greatly admired during college, constructs a magnetic chest plate to keep the shrapnel from reaching Stark's heart, keeping him alive. In secret, Stark and Yinsen use the workshop to design and construct a suit of powered armor, which Stark uses to escape. But during the escape attempt, Yinsen sacrifices his life to save Stark's by distracting the enemy as Stark recharges. Stark takes revenge on his kidnappers and heads back to rejoin the American forces, on his way meeting a wounded American Marine fighter pilot, James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

Back home, Stark discovers that the shrapnel fragment lodged in his chest cannot be removed without killing him, and he is forced to wear the armor's chest plate beneath his clothes to act as a regulator for his heart. He must also recharge the chest plate every day or else risk the shrapnel killing him. The cover for Iron Man is that he is Stark's bodyguard and corporate mascot.

Seeking revenge against his brother Thor, Loki tricks the Hulk into destroying a railroad track. He then diverts a radio call by Rick Jones for help to Thor, whom Loki hopes will battle the Hulk. Unknown to Loki, the radio call is also answered by Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Iron Man. After an initial misunderstanding, the heroes unite and defeat Loki after Thor is lured away by an illusion of the Hulk and suspects Loki when he realizes it is an illusion. Ant-Man states that the five work well together and suggests they form a combined team; the Wasp names the group "the Avengers" because it sounded "dramatic".

3. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver

Wanda and his twin brother Pietro were born the Wundagore base of the High Evolutionary. As Wundagore was no place for human infants, the High Evolutionary places them in the care of the Romani Django and Marya Maximoff, who raise the twins as their own children. The twins are forced to flee a mob when Wanda uses her powers to protect herself and accidentally causes a fire that kills their adoptive Roma mother.

As adolescents Pietro and his sister Wanda discovered that they are in fact mutants. Pietro possesses superhuman speed, while Wanda learns that she can control probability. When the pair display their powers in public, and are again attacked by a superstitious crowd, they are saved by their father—now the supervillain Magneto—although neither Magneto nor his children are aware of their connection. Magneto then recruits the pair for the first incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The Brotherhood battles the X-Men on several occasions, and the twins become reluctant members of the Brotherhood and only remain because of their obligation to Magneto. When Magneto and his lackey Toad are abducted by the cosmic entity Stranger, the Brotherhood dissolves and the twins declare that their debt to Magneto has been paid.

Soon after Magneto's abduction, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are recruited by the Iron Man to join the Avengers. The remaining founding members had all gone on a leave of absence, leaving Captain America to lead an all-new lineup including Wanda, Pietro, and the former villain Hawkeye.

4. Hawkeye

Clint Barton was orphaned at an early age when his parents died in a car accident and was sent to a children's home with his brother Bernard. He and his brother ran away to join the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders, and the pair worked as roustabouts. Hawkeye was trained by the original Swordsman and Trickshot. Clint's life, however, would forever be changed after he stumbled onto the Swordsman counting the money he had just robbed from the carnival. Before he could turn his mentor over to the authorities, Clint was beaten and left for dead, allowing the Swordsman to skip town.

His natural archery abilities honed to an expert level, Clint wandered the country, working in various carnivals or otherwise making money out of the costume and persona of "Hawkeye". One day, when witnessing Iron Man save the lives of some people at the carnival, he decided to become a costumed crime-fighter himself. But as luck would have it, on Hawkeye's first night on patrol, he was mistaken for a criminal by the police and hunted down.

He soon met the Black Widow, who was working at the time as a costumed villain for her country, and she easily seduced the hot-headed adventurer, making him think it was in his interest to defeat Iron Man. In one of their battles with Iron Man, the Black Widow is seriously injured. Hawkeye rescues her and flees the battle to save her life. But before Hawkeye can take her to a hospital, the Black Widow disappears.

Hawkeye later rescues Edwin Jarvis and his mother from a mugger. In gratitude, Jarvis invites Hawkeye to Avengers Mansion and stages a confrontation to allow the archer to clear his name and gain the trust of the Avengers. Hawkeye is then sponsored by his former enemy Iron Man, and he joined the new line-up that included Captain America, the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver.

5. Bucky

James "Bucky" Barnes is an orphan, the son of a soldier killed in training at U.S. Army Camp Lehigh in Virginia just before the United States' entry into World War II. Barnes was unofficially adopted as the camp’s mascot and gained a reputation as a notorious troublemaker. It was at Lehigh that he meets and befriends Private Steven Rogers. Bucky accidentally walked in on Rogers changing into his uniform, thus discovering his friend was Captain America and insisted that he join him. He underwent extensive training and was assigned to be Captain America's partner. Throughout the war, Cap and Bucky fought alongside infantry and with a group of heroes known as the Invaders.

In the closing months of World War II, Captain America and Bucky were both presumed dead in an explosion over the English Channel. Later, it was learned that Bucky was revived and brainwashed by Soviets and made into the assassin Winter Soldier. Captain America found Winter Soldier and returned his memory with a Cosmic Cube and Bucky went M.I.A. After the apparent murder of Steve Rogers, Bucky took on Steve's mantle and his mission.

As Captain America, Bucky is apparently killed in battle with Skadi. He survives because he had been injected with the Infinity Formula. With the world believing him dead he returned to his former identity of Winter Soldier to perform special jobs behind the scenes relating to his earlier days as the Winter Soldier.

The Avengers will be hitting the cinemas on April 25. Me, I’ve reserved tickets a month ago and I’m watching the film on IMAX 3D.

Binignit

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:37:00 +0000

Binignit is a vegetable soup from the Visayas. The dish is generally served hot though it can also be eaten cold. In Luzon, a similar dish is called ginataang bilo-bilo

Binignit is a popular Cebuano afternoon snack though, traditionally, it is served during the Holy Week especially on Good Friday.

Yesterday's binignit, cooked using muscovado sugar.

Today's binignit, cooked using brown sugar.

Ingredients:

taro (the purple variety, cubed)

cardaba (sliced in thick circles; 5 or 6 slices per fruit) or saba (Musa acuminata × Musa balbisiana) is a triploid hybrid banana cultivar originating from the Philippines.

sweet potatoes (usually the yellow/orange variety, cubed)

brown / muscovado sugar

sago pearls / tapioca pearls (soaked in water)

landang (soaked in water) comes from the Buli or Buri tree (Corypha utan), a type of palm found in the Philippines and other tropical countries.

coconut milk (diluted and undiluted)

Landang

Sago pearls in traffic light colors.

How to cook:

1. In a large pot, pour the diluted coconut milk. Drain the landang and add to the coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Stir the liquid every now and then to avoid the landang from burning and sticking to the pot.

Unripe cardaba

2. Add the taro and cook until soft. Do not stir while cooking the taro. Stirring the cooking taro would make it itchy to the tongue.

3. Drain the sago pearls and add to the pot. Add the cardaba.

4. Add the sugar.

5. Lastly, add the undiluted coconut milk—adjusting it to the amount of binignit being cooked. Bring to a boil and serve.

You may have noticed that I did not use measurements on the recipe above. I have watched people cooking, assisted in cooking and cooked binignit but no one really measures the ingredients. Binignit is usually cooked for a large group of people—usually in a large cooking pot and cooked to one’s taste.

Variations to the recipe include adding glutinous rice, strips of jackfruit meat, anise or all three to the soup.

Yesterday, Maundy Thursday, we had binignit for snack. Today we are having the soup for lunch—we just can’t get over a bowl of binignit.

As of this writing, I am enjoying a bowl of binignit and, almost everyone in Cebu is cooking or enjoying their binignit.

The New Year, the Food, and the Tradition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:49:00 +0000

The New Year celebration in the Philippines is the one of the loudest in the world. Christmas in the Philippine islands is undoubtedly the longest but Christmas Eve is under-celebrated—which is surprising since the country is predominantly Roman Catholic. The New Year celebration is a very big deal in the Philippines. It is more colorful and flashier than Christmas. It is noisier than Christmas.

Back when I was a kid, I used to ask my folks why the hikay for the Noche Buena is lesser than the hikay for Media Noche. They told me that it has always been that way, that the celebrations for the Bag-ong Tuig are much bigger. I used to tell them that they should be giving more emphasis on Christmas—I was still religious at that time—now, I don’t know what I’ve become—I still do believe that the Christmas celebration should be more prominent than the New Year’s Day fanfare.

What are the events on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day? What traditions do we observe?

This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the barnyard life of the lowly hen

The New Year’s Eve is a very busy day. The malls and groceries are crowded. The jeepneys are crowded—almost everyone is off to the grocer’s.

Yesterday, my mother, who was about to leave for the shops, asked me what I wanted to eat for Media Noche. I told her to cook spaghetti but she insisted that we cook bam-i since we already had penne on Christmas. Noodles are always served on New Year’s Eve. Eating noodles on New Year’s Day or on one’s birthday brings long life, a belief which we got from the Chinese.

When I told her to cook fried chicken since I’ve been eating pork since Christmas, she reminded me that we can not have fried chicken on the first day of the year. We don’t serve chicken since chickens have what Cebuanos call the ‘kakha, tuka’ (scratch and peck) habit—figuratively, it means living from hand to mouth. Cebuanos fear serving chicken, which scratches and pecks, would have the family barely making ends meet on the coming year. I don’t know if this belief applies to the whole country. I am still to see a chicken served on the table on Media Noche.

I wasn’t really able to choose a dish since my mama seems to have an objection to my choices. My mother was better off not asking for my opinion. She left for the grocer’s and I didn’t get to pick a dish.

Jump up and you’ll shoot up, pull your ilong and it’ll be long

The start of the year is also a time that we invest on our health. No, it is not about health insurances. Rather, it is about feeling well and healthy on January 1st. There is a belief that if you get sick on New Year’s Day, you’ll be sickly the whole year.

Jumping up on New Year’s Eve is believed to increase one’s physical height. I’ve been jumping at midnight every January 1 but it never increased my height. What did I expect? It’s a superstition. It’s silly but I used to believe it—I was hoping to grow taller to at least 6’0. The jumping tradition is still very much alive today.

There is also a belief that pressing and stretching one’s nose on New Year’s Eve would make your nose longer. Who doesn’t want a long, narrow, and pointed nose?

Small circle, small circle, big circle...

New Year’s Day in the Philippines is a time of circles and spheres. Circles resemble coins. Coins are money. Well, the circles and the spheres are not about the accumulation of wealth—they’re about prosperity.

(clockwise) watermelon, ponkans, cantaloupe, sapodillas,
purple mangosteens, yellow pomegranate and Asian pears.

On New Year’s Day, people used to wear polka dots. They say that the circles bring good fortune to the wearer. I don’t know if this tradition is still alive today. I haven’t seen people wear polka dots on December 31 and January 1. I believe polka dots are passé.

On the same day, still for prosperity's sake, the tables are laden with round-shaped fruits—usually thirteen—but may also include ovals and oblongs and multiple varieties of oranges, apples, and other fruits. Why 13? They say that the number 13 is lucky to the Chinese people. Round cakes, jamon de bola, queso de bola, chocolate coins, and other circular or round-shaped food are also served.

And then we made some noise

At the stroke of midnight, people make loud noises. Some shake their coin-filled pockets. Others bang their pots and pans. Kids blow their torotot—a horn made of plastic or cardboard. Volumes are pumped up. Everyone else ignite their fireworks and firecrackers.

The noise from the firecrackers and fireworks are believed to drive away the malevolent spirits and bad luck—another belief that we got from the Chinese. For the same purpose, we max out the volume, shake our pockets and bang our pans and pots. At the same time, shaking the pockets, a tradition that I still do, and banging the pots and pans are believed to fill the pockets and tables.

Well, some people are so fond of bad luck they run half way to meet it and end up losing a finger or more.

A new day, a new year

On January 1st, people would remind you to refrain from spending. It is believed that if you’re frugal at the start of the year, you will be able to avoid unnecessary expenses in the whole year.

Lastly, still on January 1st, some, if not most, people would go to church—some of them would wake up very early to hear Mass even though most of them stayed up the whole night the previous night. Some of my friends got dragged to church even when they’re still very sleepy. I’ve experienced going to church in the middle of sleep and wakefulness but on the day of the Sinulog not on New Year’s Day. When I asked my folks why people go to church on New Year’s Day, they told me that it was the tradition—no further explanation.

In school, I learned that first day of the year is a Holy Day of Obligation—I survived Catholic school. We were taught that the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass on Sundays and on other holy days of obligation. What I did not learn—which I learned later outside of school—is that the first day of the year is the Feast of the Circumcision. I remember asking my self why we were obliged to go hear Mass on January 1—I don’t remember any of my teachers explain the reason why—it may have slipped their minds or I failed to listen to the discussion.

There is a work around to hearing Mass on January 1st. It’s not really a work around, but it was one of outcomes of the Second Vatican Council. One can go to church the evening of December 31. Since the Second Vatican Council, the time for fulfilling the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation now begins on the evening of the day before, and most parish churches do celebrate the Sunday Mass also on Saturday evening. Eek, I’m talking religion now.

The Philippines literally celebrate the New Year with a bang. It is made colourful, noisier and flashier by the traditions—both religious and superstitious—observed on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Of Starting Things and Not Finishing Them

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:19:00 +0000

I've always been inquisitive. I always want to try things—I easily get attracted to new things. So, I’ve been blabbering about my interests—personal interests—professional and leisurely. These interests had made me had me venture in things familiar and unfamiliar. I’ve done a lot of things, started a lot of things that some of them are unfinished or were neglected or were completely forgotten.

My father used to tell me or yell at me—reminds me of That ‘70s Show’s Red Forman— that I am only good at starting things and that I do not see things through the end. Well, I do not usually leave things unfinished. But, I won’t deny that I have some unfinished businesses of my own. The list includes:

1. Stamp collecting

I used to collect stamps but I was not a philatelist. I didn't learn about the word philately until I was in high school. Stamp collectors and be philatelists but not all philatelists are stamp collectors.

I started collecting stamps when I was around 4 or 5 years old. I got started in to the hobby when I saw one of my cousin’s stockbooks. I started collecting out of envy. I thought stamp collecting was the in thing at that time. Some older kids at our neighborhood, at that time, used to have a large collection of stamps. Learning that people collect stamps, I started cutting them out of my folks’ mails. When people learned that I collect them, they’ve habitually given me stamps after they’ve read their mail.

After a year, I was able to completely fill up my 16-page stockbook—my first and only—it measured like a regular school notebook.

Around 1992, I stopped collecting stamps; no one in school had the same hobby as I had. I still received stamps every now and then while in grade school—I kept them in a large Manila envelope—I never got to buy a new stockbook. The hobby slowly died out of me before I finished elementary school.

2. Running

Some runner in the
Pink October Run, October 2010

I was never the athletic type. Growing up I never had a sport. I first started running around July of 2010. 2010 was the year running boomed in Cebu. After seeing images of friends in fun runs posted in Facebook, I decided to start running. I also felt that I needed to work out—I was getting fatter. I was classified as Obese Class I during my last pre-employment medical exam, which was around a year and a half ago; before I started on my last regular job. I’m slimmer and healthier now—I still need a lot of work though—blame heredity.

The first run I joined was the Energizer Night Race—it was the first Energizer Night Race held in Mandaue and in the Philippines—a good way to start my running career. I joined the 3K race and finished in 55th place within 15 minutes. Not bad for a noob.

A month later, I ran 5K in the 1st Recoletos Run. I then ran 10K in the Cebu Eliminations of the 34th National MILO® Marathon in August.

The following months, I ran fun runs on weekends and practice runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I, originally, planned to run a half marathon in a year and a marathon in the following year. Guess I won’t be able run those distances very soon.

The last run I joined was the 7+–kilometer cross country run, the Argao Mud Run, which was held on January of this year. I finished the run in 01:05:24—which was a low since I lacked practice. I went back to school in the second semester of the 2011–2012 academic year, that’s when I got busy with school and failed to run on weekends. When school ended, I was enjoying living a sedentary life—spending most of my time in front of the computer and staying up late—that I didn’t have the time to run.

3. Geocaching

I first learned about geocaching in 2006 when I read it in a magazine. I am not sure if I read it on the Reader’s Digest or some other magazine. At that time, geocaching was unheard of in the Philippines.

Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called 'geocaches' or 'caches', anywhere in the world. Geocaches can also be found in space, in other planets or in a spacecraft.

The Groundspeak Geocaching Logo is a

registered trademark of Groundspeak, Inc.
Used with permission.

Early this year, feeling bored, I decided to check the geocaching website if there were geocaches in the Philippines. I found out that there were a number of caches hidden in the country and the closest one was a virtual cache in Mactan.

The next day, around 12 PM, with my phone and my father's GPS in hand, I took a jeepney going to Mactan. The coordinates pointed to the Mactan Shrine. But, I’ve already figured out the location of cache based on the title.

It was my second time, to visit the place and I was surprised by the changes in the area. The first time I visited the shrine was in the early ‘90s, during the time my aunt’s fiancé Aussie visited the country. I believe the area used to be muddy or sandy—I remember catching agukoy in the area. The place now is a full-blown park with benches, trees, shops, and paved paths.

Around three in the afternoon, I went home after exploring the area, taking pictures, and having a much-needed ice cream under the shade of trees—it was a very hot day. When I got home, I logged my find and uploaded the images, and shared my experiences in the geocaching website.

I still have to log my future finds. I would have logged my second and third find, if only Donah Marie and Julie invited me, respectively, to Kawasan and Dumaguete.

Luckily, the things I listed are resumable. I can still continue running, collecting stamps and geocaching. I can go back in to running—any time soon—if only I’d hit the sack early. As for my stamp collection, I can continue collecting stamps, trade stamps, and, maybe, join the Cebu Philatelic Society. I can also sell the stamps online but I’d have to learn the stamp selling ropes. Good thing about geocaches is that they are created and expected to stay for a long time. I can search for the caches if I have the money and the free time. I can search for them next year or in 5 years

What a Beautiful Head!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 09:26:00 +0000

I haven’t been in the writing mood lately. Well, I really am not a prolific writer. I only write when inspiration strikes—good thing I’m not an employed/paid writer ‘cause I would really suck at it—I won’t be able to meet my deadlines. I been trying hard to force my self to write—face the computer, write and delete, revise what I’ve written so far, and wait for the inspiration to come. I’m a disturbed guy. A lot of things have been going in my head. I sit for hours in front of the computer but it seems that the Muses are not around to guide these days—or, they’re around but I am so preoccupied that they’re unable to influence me.

Why the preoccupation? For those who don’t know me personally, I am someone who is always thinking. I am always disturbed and I am always distracted. One may see me having fun, enjoying stuff, and sharing a laugh but inside I am thinking. There are instances that I disconnect my self. I get sucked up by my mental black hole every now and then. I sometimes would tell my friends, jokingly, that I am solving an equation in my head.

What’s going on in my head? I am thinking about the future—sometimes—rarely, I don’t really plan and anticipate the future. I am also thinking about politics and the country, personal stuff, Q’s & A’s, and silly and unimportant things.

What about the future? What about politics? What are these questions? What are these personal stuff and what are these silly and unimportant things?

Though I choose to live and enjoy the days as they come, I won’t deny that I get anxious about the future. What does Numerology say? What does the future hold for me? Christmas is fast approaching, should I expect presents? The year is ending, would 2012 be a good year? Is 2012 the end of times? If the world does not end next year, I am turning a year older in January, should I expect more presents?

The mid-season finales of my favorite shows have left me guessing. What would happen in the next episodes of Merlin, Nikita, and Supernatural? Is Bobby Singer dead for good? Could The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, and Threesome get any funnier? What will happen in the third season finale of HBO's Hung? What should I expect in the what if? episode of Grey’s Anatomy? How would things end in the final season of Desperate Housewives? How are they going to portray the Third Servile War in Spartacus: Blood and Sand’s second season and sequel, Spartacus: Vengeance?

The past days has also got me concerned about the country. Would the Philippines get any better or would it worsen? Would President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo—I’m a big fan, I prefer to call her president— be able to get treatment outside the country? Would they be able to prove her guilt? I doubt it. Would the country’s economy get any stronger? Should I exile my self from the country and return when PNoy’s term has ended?

Should I start looking for a regular day job, just in case things turn out more unfavorable? Do I have to find a regular day job even though, I think, I can substantially earn doing freelance home-based jobs and part-time jobs? Are part-time jobs and freelance jobs enough for me? Would I be able to find my dream job?

Another thing, the Italian language has been bugging me. It seems to me that I haven’t learned anything. Hey, I’ve learned a lot but I need more practice—I need to talk to Italians so that I don’t forget the words. Would I be able to use those words? Have I acquired an extensive vocabulary? Is my grammar good or bad? Would I be able to claim that parlo bene italiano or, better yet, parlo molto bene italiano? Would I be able to master the language? Would I learn another language after Italian?

Il mio dizionario e libro di testo.

Thinking of a good topic to write has also been very taxing. What should I write about? What would be my next post? Will I be able to write a post very soon? I have a lot of ideas, good ideas to write, don't know which to write first.

Lastly, I’m thinking greatly about my mother and my siblings. What’s going inside their minds? What is my mother thinking about, after she found out about my ef**** father’s indiscretion? Should I pretend not to care and let them (my parents) figure things out or let them kill each other? Should I step up, being the eldest, and confront my father? Should my brothers and I gang up on him? Should we kick our father out? Honestly, I, as a kid, wished that I'd find out that I have a half-brother that I can bully and befriend later or later than later—I watch a lot of TV—it's a different story.

Now that I’ve mentioned my father it seems that I’ve lost the drive to write. I’ve been waiting for inspiration to strike—reading one blog post to Jasmin’s post to another post—and now that I found the impetus to write, I had to lose it to my cheating father.

Writing this one has made me realize a few things. I realized that I may need to get multiple jobs just in case I kick my father out. That PNoy would only disappoint me. I shouldn’t be too hard on my self—I shouldn’t think a lot. I don’t know if it is healthy to think a lot or think less or if there are other people who think as much as I think. That I could be mentally ill—or not, though I’ve described my self as such in the past. That I should seek therapy—for the heck of it—I find writing and computer games therapeutic.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? (When I Grow Up I Want to Be...)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:56:00 +0000

I was talking to my younger cousins earlier about what they want to be when they grow up. One wanted to be a pilot. The other wanted to be doctor. The other one didn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up.

‘When I grow up I want to be…,’ an immortal line usually heard during the start of a school year. A line, always present—never skipping a year—never failing to come out during grade school class introductions. It is also present in the formal theme compositions in the latter years of grade school, in the intermediate years and in high school.

To many, the missing words after ‘When I grow up I want to be…’ do not or did not change. Those people—the students, who recited them in front of the class, were very consistent. They know what they really want to do when they grow up.

I, as a kid, like any other kid, had lots of dreams. I wanted to do this, I wanted to do that. I wanted to do everything. I was indecisive. I’ve delivered the line several times but I wasn’t even truthful. I was expected to say something, I said something—anything—for the sake of the activity.

Though I was indecisive, I have been consistent. First grade: ‘When I grow up I want to be a Civil Engineer,’ Second grade: ‘When I grow up I want to be a Civil Engineer,’ Grade 3 and so on until 7th grade or beyond.

What were my dreams as a kid? Did I want to be what I am now?

‘When I grow up I want to be…’—speaking as my younger mischievous, attention-deficit, smart-mouthed self, I would have said it this way and that way:

When I grow I want to be a Civil Engineer.

When I grow up I want to be a Civil Engineer – a line I used to write in my grade school composition about my self. Several times, in fact, but I never really dreamed of becoming a Civil Engineer. I just couldn’t think of anything to write with no objections from my classmates or my teacher. This line was greatly influenced by my ef**** father.

When I grow I want to be an Astronaut.

I wanted to go to space. I guess every child in the '90s wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to be like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. I wanted to pilot a rocket ship or a space shuttle. I wanted to visit the other planets, the sun and the stars—which I thought, when I was younger, would be possible today. I soon later found out that I’d burn if I get too close to the sun and stars and not all planets has a mass of land that I can step on to.

When I grow I want to be a Scientist

As a kid, I dreamed of becoming a scientist. What’s a scientist? A scientist is someone who engages in a systematic activity for the acquisition of knowledge. Well, I did not define it that way as a kid. For me, a scientist was someone smart. You could say that I wanted to be very smart when I grow up.

When I grow I want to be a Sailor.

I wanted to sail around the world like Magellan or Jim Hawkins or like a pirate. I live in an island, in an archipelago and I’ve always had had an affinity—an attraction to the sea. Too bad I couldn’t swim.

When I grow I want to be an Entomologist.

This was my biggest dream as a kid and is still my biggest dream up until now. I love catching bugs. As kid, I had bottles of bugs preserved in formaldehyde. I also had a box full of sealed paper with dead butterflies inside. Back when I was a kid, I really don’t know what to call someone who studies insects. Entomology would have been my first choice in college. Too bad there are no schools or universities which offer the course here.

When I grow up I want to be an Inventor.

I wanted to invent something. I wanted to make a radical breakthrough. I wanted to invent something though I didn’t know what it is. I also wanted to invent a time machine—everyone does—everyone wanted to make a time machine.

Going back to the present—no need for a time machine, now that I’ve grown up, sort of, I still act like a kid; I am neither an astronaut nor a civil engineer. I am a scientist because I studied Computer science in the university. I am a scientist—an entomologist—not by degree but by self-proclamation. I raise and study butterflies. A sailor, I could be, though I still don’t know how to tread water. I wonder if a software engineer can be considered an inventor.

The Collared Kingfisher

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 06:23:00 +0000

I was surprised, yesterday morning, to find a Collared Kingfisher inside our old birdcage which was previously the home of our Black-headed Munias (Lonchura atricapilla).

It was around 10 AM yesterday when I found out about the Mangrove Kingfisher—I just woke up at that time having stayed up the whole night online. I love birds, have kept several birds in the past and I’m always ready to feed and pet one. I asked my brother who owned the bird so that I could ask the owner if it was OK to feed the bird. My brother told me that the Collared Kingfisher was ours and that they were able to rescue it from the stray cat’s fangs—after some time begging the cat to let go of the bird.

The Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) is a medium-sized kingfisher belonging to the family Halcyonidae, the tree kingfishers. Also known as the White-collared Kingfisher or Mangrove Kingfisher, it is commonly found in coastal areas, particularly in mangrove swamps. It also inhabits farmland, open woodland, grassland and gardens. In some parts of its range, especially on islands, it can be seen further inland, ranging into forest or into mountain areas.

We don’t really know why the kingfisher ended in our place. We used to see kingfishers in our place years ago, back when we were still close to the sea. Before the reclamation, our house was close to a small mangrove forest—my friends and I used to catch fishes and crabs in the mangrove area as well as gather and eat the fruits of the Nypa fruticans—I miss those days.

I’ve previously read about kingfishers preferring to eat small crabs and they are also known to feed on insects, worms, snails, shrimps, frogs, lizards and small fish. Since we don’t have the bird’s favorite food, I opted for the small lizard. I hand fed the kingfisher a tiny house gecko that I personally caught. Touching geckos usually grosses me out but I had to capture the gecko by hand. I think the White-collared Kingfisher loved it though it spat out the tail.

In the evening, to prevent the stray cats and our cats from disturbing bird we covered the bird’s cage with an old tarp.

This morning, I was saddened to find out that the White-Collared Kingfisher has died—we never got to name the bird—in my head I called the bird Blue. I don’t know if it was my feeding that killed the bird or if it was cat’s bite. Blue is an addition to our long list of bird casualties—the third bird casualty this year.

A pet’s death is always a shocker. It would make you silent for sometime. It would make you ask what you did wrong. It would make you not want to get another pet—that’s why we’ve never had pets for some time—we suck at it. It's sad but, come to think of it, I had fun with the Collared Kingfisher and it kept me away from the computer for a whole day yesterday.

My three-year-old third cousin and I buried the bird under the coconut tree on my uncle’s yard.

Unemployment (A Peek Inside a Beautiful Mind)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:14:00 +0000

I am still unemployed. It’s been around 7 months since I decided to drop out of my last job. I’ve been job hunting since December of last year but I haven’t really found work. I’ve been sending applications online. I’ve applied for several positions in different fields. I applied for a communications trainer position in a BPO company. I applied in positions like: a junior programmer, an SEO specialist, and a data entry specialist. I even applied for jobs outside of my field. A management job in a fast food chain—why not? I also thought of going in to real estate. Hundreds of applications sent but still unemployed after seven months.

Why am I still jobless? The economy has nothing to do with my unemployment—well, it has something to do with my unemployment but not that big. I could say that at the current state of the global economy, I—we are still lucky that companies are hiring. The job site that I frequent does not go empty. Vacant positions are posted daily. Thanks to the multinational BPO companies.

I’ve been working hard sending applications. I can say that 75% of my applications got replies—in email, voice call or text.

Congratulations, you have been considered as a candidate to the junior programmer position. Please come tomorrow for an exam and interview.

Thank you for your interest in joining (insert company name here). I’m sorry to tell you but the last position has been filled.

Sadly, the remaining quarter of my applications got no response. Perhaps, I’m over qualified for the position or, maybe, under qualified. We can also say that I’m qualified but the last position has been taken—the company is saving on credits and time—they opted not to reply. Better yet, the company assumed that I will assume that I did not get the job for not getting a reply.

I believe that there is a job for someone out there if that someone only perseveres. By someone—I meant my self.

Companies have been scheduling exams and interviews for me. No problem with the exams—I aced most of them. LOL! Then it goes down to the interview. You come to the interview very calm and, of course, looking good and smelling fresh. I am the timid type. I am very quiet around new people. A job interview is a Herculean task for me. Before every interview, I always tell my self, ‘I want this job. I’ll pass the interview and I’ll get this job.’ When I’ve finally calmed my self down, the interviewer pops my most dreaded question.

How do you see your self 5 years from now? Ten years from now?

My brain malfunctions hearing the question above—questions—they are basically the same. I stutter. I go uneasy. It makes me want to run out of the room with my hands raised and screaming—‘FUCK!’

How come I can ace most of my exams and not answer the question? It is the most common question asked by potential employers. I, if not most of us, find it difficult—very difficult. I’ve been looking online for ways to answer the question—none of them were very helpful.

The main reason why I find it hard to answer the question is because I rarely plan the future. I am spontaneous. I do things at whim. Honestly, I dropped out of my last job on a whim. Initially, I was to sign a new contract extending my stay with the company—when I was face-to-face with the HR personnel—I told him to end my current contract instead. I thought of not dropping out but since I went back to school, I opted to leave the company. I think it was noble of me to pick school over work though I also think it was foolhardy.

The question is one of the reasons, if not the main reason, I am currently unemployed. Another reason: I stand up my potential bosses. For someone desperate to get a job, I am the only one who has the guts to do this—play hard to get to potential employers. I will always, initially, give my agreement when they (companies) schedule exams and interviews and usually change my mind later. Most of the time, I pick the schedule—that I thought was most convenient to me. Who schedules a job interview a week after the company called? Only me—I think. On the day of the interview; I stood them (companies) up. I did not show up because I just didn't want to. I did not show up since another thing came up or I stayed up all night the night before the interview; I woke up late and was unable to come as scheduled. Worse, I went to the meeting place but chose not enter and went to the movies instead. Yes, I am crazy.

Lastly, the reason I am impoverished and jobless now is because I am confused. I studied Computer Science but now I think it is not my field. I love computers. I face computers almost 24/7.

But, now, I can no longer see my self as computer programmer—I can’t stay in a routine job of coding and error checking. I can alternatively choose to go in to web design but I just can’t make a professional looking webpage. My finished products look like the fruits of a child’s imagination and hard work.

I think I am psychologically ill. I want to travel. I want a job that allows me to travel a lot. I want to study beetles, butterflies and grasshoppers—I want to study insects. I’ve always wanted to study insects as a kid. I want to go back to school. I want to learn a new language. I want a lot of things. I want this. I want that. I just couldn’t pick what I want. I just don’t know which to pick first.

This thing—this beautiful work—would surely make me less marketable. Potential employers, when they read this, will surely not pick me for a position in their company. They surely don’t want to work with a nutcase. My parents, my neighbors and my friends have been trying to figure out what is going inside my head. They’ve been asking what I want in life. Am I lazy? Do I want to stay jobless my whole life? What are my dreams in life? Do I even have dreams in life? This is my answer to them.

Gyōten Ningen Batseelor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Gyōten Ningen Batseelor is one of my favorite animé series. I used to watch Captain Fatz, as it was known in the Philippines, in the local channel at around 8 in the morning on weekends—back in 2001. I watched the animé religiously, I never skipped an episode. Sadly, I wasn’t able to watch it until the end of the series.

One Saturday morning, I woke up and found another animé has taken over my favorite series’ timeslot. At that time, I wasn’t sure if the animated series was moved to another timeslot or if my local network stopped airing it—I also thought that the series was unfinished; perhaps it was cancelled in Japan due to poor ratings.

After it stopped airing, I have been looking for ways to finish the series, but to no avail. I don’t know why Captain Fatz is so hard to find. The internet has very little information on the series. Animé websites like the Anime News Network and the Anime Web Turnpike has little or no information of the series at all. You can’t even find it in the illegal streaming sites. The only substantial information you can get about Gyōten Ningen Batseelor is found in Wikipedia and in other fan sites that copied the article from the free encyclopedia.

There is even no information about the manga from which the animated series was based.

What is this animé about? Gyōten Ningen Batseelor otherwise known as Captain Fatz and the Seamorphs, is a Japanese animé that originally aired in Japan from April 7, 2001 until March 30, 2002. The series was created by Itaru Ueda based on the manga of the same title by Fumiaki Tatesako.

The series follows Jan Zaruko, a female warrior from the land of light, who is tasked by the Priestess of Light to collect the peace stones. There are eight stones representing each of the elements of Light, Water, Earth, Air, Fire, Metal, Darkness, and Wood. The stones keep the balance of power in the world; each of the stone’s power can be harnessed by a chosen one to transform in to a powerful elemental warrior. Jan Zaruko is the elemental warrior of light.

During her travels, Jan bumps in to Gay and her sidekick Gorgo-girl. Gay curses Jan Zaruko, transforming her in to the anthromorphic monkey Jan Zaru. She meets the Captain Fatz—the gluttonous captain of the Seahorse, originally a handsome masculine pirate turned fat by Gay—and his crew. Together they sail around the world to thwart Gay’s evil plans.

I really don’t know how the series ended. I was only able to watch up until the part where Gay, sort of, reformed his ways and dragons—originally the peace stones—rose to bring chaos to the world. I just hope I to get to watch the rest of Gyōten Ningen Batseelor and finish the series very soon.

Invite the Butterflies.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Earlier today, I was able to release another butterfly—it, sort of, flew right away after I took it out of the container. I've kept it as a cocoon in a container for a week. It was a male Common Mormon (Papilio polytes)—I’ve been reading my lessons so I was able to tell that it was a male—I also compared it to the images online.

Where did I get the cocoon? The one I released earlier, I got it from my father’s potted lemon tree. I get most of the cocoons from our yard. Some of them are taken from our neighbors’ plants, as a caterpillar or as a cocoon. My neighbors are lucky to have me; I rid them of their abomination.

Three instars of a caterpillar

After collecting the cocoons, I keep them in plastic containers and release them after the butterflies have emerged from their chrysalis. I store the cocoons because I fear that the neighbor’s stray chickens would peck at them. The caterpillars are also at risk of getting pecked at and eaten but they can defend themselves—the pupae are generally defenseless.

Butterflies are fascinating. Caterpillars, though not as attractive as their adult selves, are also fascinating. If you want butterflies in your area and you want to observe them from egg to adulthood, you can invite them. Yes, you can. Investing on flowering plants would entice the insects to visit you but, if you want them to breed in your area, I highly recommend planting their host plants. If you want a Citrus Swallowtail to visit, you should keep a citrus tree. A certain species has a certain food plant—have another plant for another butterfly species. Well, there are also other species with common hosts.

I have observed several butterfly species in our area—six species are common visitors. If you want them in your area, I have listed their food plants—most of them I’ve discovered by luck. The rest I learned from the books and from my visit to the Jumalon Museum, Butterfly Sanctuary, and Art Gallery.

1. Common Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus)

(Photo by WP User: Muhammad Mahdi Karim)

The Common Lime’s wings, viewed above, are black with a broad irregular yellow band running from forewing to hindwing. It also has a large number of irregular spots on the wing. As it ages, the yellow markings would deepen in to orange. Its upper hindwing has a red tornal spot with blue edging around it.

This tailless swallowtail butterfly got its name from its host plant. Its food plants are from the Rutaceae and Fabaceae families. I have observed them lay their eggs in the lemonsito, pomelo and lemon trees in our area.

2. Citrus Swallowtail (Papilio demodocus)

(Photo by WP User: Muhammad Mahdi Karim)

The Citrus Swallowtail is morphologically related to the Common Lime Butterfly. I myself get confused about the two species. Looking at the hindwings, from the below, the Common Lime has more yellow while the Citrus Swallowtail has more black.

The Citrus Swallowtail feeds on—of course—citrus tree leaves.

3. Mottled Emigrant (Catopsilia pyranthe)

(Photo by WP User: J.M. Garg)

The Mottled Emigrant is a medium sized butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in South Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of Australia. It has chalky-white wings while other representatives have greenish or yellowish coloring. Its forewing is with or without a discocellular black spot, which varies in size. The hindwing is sometimes clear, but generally with a narrow terminal black spot at the apices of the veins.

The Mottled Emigrant feeds on legumes of the Cassia, Senna and Crotalaria genera. I've seen its caterpillars in our ill-tempered neighbor's dwarfed golden shower tree.

4. Common Mormon (Papilio polytes)

(Photo by Wikipedia/Rahul Natu)

The Common Mormon butterfly is a butterfly with a row of white spots along the middle part of hindwing. This species displays sexual dimorphism. The male has one form and the female has three forms. The form cyrus, the lease common of the three forms, is similar to the male, differing in that it always has strongly marked red crescents. The other two forms are stichius, which mimics the Atrophaneura aristolochiae, and cyrus, which mimics the Atrophaneura hector.

The Common Mormons also feed on citrus trees.

5. Tailed Jay (Graphium agamemnon)

The Tailed Jay is a common, tropical swallowtail butterfly species native to India, Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia and into Australia. The butterfly’s upper side wings are black with green spots.

The Tailed Jay’s host plants are from the family Annonaceae. I recommend planting guyabano and atis/sugar-apple trees. You can also plant Indian mast trees—a tall tree, commonly found planted in the middle of the traffic islands of Mandaue.

6. Common Jay (Graphium doson)

(Photo by WP User: J.M. Garg)

The Common Jay is a fast-flying swallowtail butterfly. On the upper side, it has black wings with pale blue semi-transparent central wing band that are formed by large spots. Around the wing band are smaller spots. The underside of the wings is brown with markings similar to upper side but whitish in color.

The Common Jay has similar food plants as the Tailed Jay. It also feeds on the plants of the Lauraceae and Magnoliaceae families.

Before you run and go on planting the food plants, take note: butterflies are beautiful to look at but some of them are considered invasive species. Most people are abhorred of the squirmy caterpillar, especially the hairy ones. Their larvae are also considered pests. There is a high risk that the caterpillars will attack your other plants, especially those which are closely related to their food plants. Lastly, you do not want them around your crops.

The Worst Images of All Were...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:57:00 +0000

The sea is beautiful above. Below—I hope so.

I first read about Shell Horizons, Inc. last April while I was nosing around Twitter for the Willing Willie child abuse complaint. I do not watch Revillame’s show and I wasn’t able to see the episode where the alleged macho-dance occurred. One tweet led to another and to another tweet with a link to the Shell Horizons, Inc.’s website. The tweet said something like, ‘saving the Philippine seas from illegal coral mining.’

The homepage sports an old look that was common among the HTML-based sites of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. It does have a small Flash clip. The homepage advertises Shell Horizons, Inc. as the ‘

Largest Wholesaler of Seashells and Seashell Products Since 1976.’ The site’s counter also stated that it has been visited over 10 million times since 1998. I’d say the homepage design works—I got interested to view the rest of the pages.

I first started browsing their products and was surprised to see that they sold, aside from seashells, sea fans—a type of soft coral. I continued browsing around the products page but I never found out where they harvest their products.

I went to check on their contact information. It stated that they only use products from non-endangered species. Also found on the same page is a grainy image of Filipinos, with the shells, with a caption dedicated the families that make the shellcraft industry possible. The people in the picture were all smiles but something in the image brought about sadness.

It was surprising to learn that an American company could exploit our Philippine seas and could get away with it.

I was more surprised when I click on the ‘About Us’ page. It wasn’t like any other ‘About Us’ page, it was an image gallery. The images depicted include harvesting shells, cleaning the shells and the firm's finished products. There was also an image of a Christmas tree, made of shells, in the White House’s Palm Room. The worst images of all were—surprise, surprise— the hoards and hoards of corals.

The First Day of School

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Today is the first day of school in the public schools and some private schools. It’s the end of the beloved summer break. It is the end of the short-lived intersession. Today is the start of another grueling school year.

The first day of school is the most anticipated—if not the most dreaded day of the year. For me, the day is mostly horrifying—good thing I’m already over school.

Back when I was a student, I wasn’t the type who anticipated the first day of school. Of course, I look forward to seeing my friends and classmates but there are a number of things I hate about the start of the academic year.

I hate the first day of school because it meant my days are longer and my nights shorter—early to bed, early to rise… Of course, I turn in early—I had to. Staying up late and waking up feeling tired would only make things worse.

Another hated thing, is finding out that my close friends are on a different section. If only I was able to choose my classmates. Well, in my high school alma mater, one could choose his/her classmates—if one enrolls late and by late, I mean, the classes have already started. I had a classmate who enrolled on the first day of class. The school administration gave her the option to pick her own section. She chose to join me and the rest of the unruly gang, even though our class had the school’s most dreaded teacher as an adviser. I don’t know if I would have made the same choice as her.

Finding out that your new adviser is the scary, ill-tempered, someone-who-is-ready-to-bite-you type is another thing—the infamous teacher known for screaming at her students. Me, I was never lucky when it comes to class advisers. I’m fine in having an ill-tempered subject teacher; at least, if I’m lucky, I only get to spend an hour a day with him/her. An adviser who runs a class in her own reign of terror? No way!

Lastly, the thing that I hated most in the start of the school year is the student introductions. The thought of introductions make me want to skip the first day or skip school entirely. If only I was allowed to tell the teacher, ‘Do I have to do this again? I know most of the class and most of them know me. Let the newbies introduce themselves to the class instead.’ I really dislike standing in front of the class to introduce my self—I dislike staying in front in general.

Join the June 8 Blog Action Day to Save our Coral Reefs and Seas!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:56:00 +0000

I just signed up to join the June 8 Blog Action Day to Save the Philippine Coral Reefs and Seas. I would like to invite you guys to join us in this fight to protect our marine resources. Below is an announcement from the Save the Philippine Seas website:

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Our beautiful and diverse marine resources and wealth need your attention and your help. They are under attack.

Exploitative foreign firms, in tandem with local partners and left unchecked by irresponsible government officials, are illegally harvesting and peddling our precious coral reefs. In one case, coral reefs twice the size of Manila was destroyed, and the plunder continues.

We cannot accept this. We must act now to save what’s left of our coral reefs and to protect our seas so those beautiful and important natural resources are preserved for our and the next generations to enjoy.

We call on all Filipino bloggers, Tumblr and Posterous users, Tweeps, Plurkers and all netizens to join the June 8 International Blog Action Day to save our seas and coral reefs. Your voices, our actions are that important.

What we will do:

Tweet, Plurk, or post to spread the word about this event: Share or repost this announcement (and please link back to the original post).
Use the Twitter hashtag #reefwatchPH and/or #savePHseas.
Spread the savephilippineseas.com URL.
Display and share our official campaign badge.
Register your website/blog to let us know that you’re joining our effort to spread the word — you’ll find the registration form on the sidebar of this site. If you’re using more than one site (no Facebook or Twitter URLs, please), register each of them separately.
Most importantly, on June 8, join the Blog Action Day from your favorite social media channels (blog, Tumblr, Posterous, Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, etc.)

Some ideas and suggestions

While the issue is serious, there are a lot of creative ways to send our message across on or before June 8:

An open letter to officials and companies.

A photo essay about your favorite beaches or dive spots.
Design and share mini-posters, posters and drawings.
If you grew up near a beach, tell us about your fond memories.
Post about why your (future) kids and future grandkids ought to have the chance to see and enjoy our coral reefs and seas.
Why harvesting and peddling corals is bad for the environment and is bad business.
Proposals on how to protect or clean up our seas.
If you belong to a clan, group, or organization, invite them to join the event.
Taking an extra step or two won’t harm too. You may email your senator, congressman, the Environment secretary, and even the President to demand action.

NOW is the time to act

We can do this. Let’s make our social media work for something good. Let’s make the Philippine coral reefs, seas and the need to save them the trend – to raise awareness, to inspire action, to grow our communities, and to compel government action.

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Originally posted by Tonyo Cruz on the Save the Philippine Seas website.

Who’s Your Favorite X-Men Character?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:11:00 +0000

I just recently watched X-Men: First Class. From the teasers, press releases and film trailers, I learned that the film would not be based on the X-Men: First Class comic series—I thought of not watching the film. Why can’t 20^th Century Fox make an X-Men film that is faithful to comics? Why do they have to mix up all the storylines? I told myself, don’t watch the film.

I, like most fans of the comics, only want the true history of the X-Men to be told. Fans are fans—they may rant about this and that but still they will watch the film. Me, I rant about the films not being faithful to the comics but I’ve never missed a single X-Men film.

Though I hate the film and writers for rewriting the X-Men history, I still watched the film because, finally, they are including two of my favorite X-Men in the film.

Who’s your favorite X-Men character? Who’s your favorite mutant? Do you even have a favorite X-Men character? Me, I have several favorites. Below are my favorite X-Men characters:

1. Cyclops

Scott Summers is the elder brother of Havok and Vulcan. As a young boy, Scott Summers is orphaned after watching his parents die in a plane crash. Scott and his brother, Alex, are the only survivors—they would later learn they have a third brother, Gabriel. Alex was adopted, but Scott was placed in an orphanage in Nebraska. He ran away when his powers manifested uncontrollably. His display of power attracted the attention of Charles Xavier. After getting rescued from the mutant criminal Jack O'Diamonds, Scott becomes the first member of the X-Men.

Cyclops possesses the mutant ability to project a beam of heatless ruby-colored concussive force from his eyes. He is also a skilled leader, martial artist and strategist.

2. Cable

Nathan Summers is the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor. His birth was orchestrated by the geneticist Mister Sinister, who created his mother as a clone of the mutant telepath Jean Grey. The ancient mutant Apocalypse infected Nathan, with a deadly techno-organic virus, after learning that Sinister originally planned to use Nathan as a weapon against him. In order to save Nathan, he was sent to an alternate future of Earth-4935. After Stryfe—his enemy and clone—fled to the 20^th century, Nathan followed. He arrives in

Scotland

, years before his birth, and was taken in by Moira MacTaggert. He adopted the codename Cable. Cable was later sent to visit Charles Xavier in the

. Meeting the professor, Cable helped design the security system of the X-Men Mansion.

Cable was born with telepathic and telekinetic abilities; his psychic powers are used to restrain his techno-organic infection. He also has to ability to project mental energy blasts and of astral projection.

3. Banshee

Sean is a member of the famed Cassidy clan of Ireland. He discovered his mutant powers as an adolescent but concealed them – partly because his wail spooked the superstitious elders of the community, who likened it to the ghostly banshees of Irish lore. After graduating from college, Sean went in to law enforcement and became an agent of the Interpol. He was in Tennessee when Charles Xavier recruited Sean and several other mutants to form the second generation of X-Men to rescue the original X-Men team from the living island Krakoa.

Banshee's superhumanly powerful lungs, throat and vocal cords could produce a sonic scream for various effects, including flight and sonic blasts.

4. Jean Grey

Jean Grey was 10 years old when her mutant telepathic powers first manifested after experiencing the emotions of a dying friend. Her parents took her to be treated by Professor Charles Xavier. Jean was unable to cope with her powers, forcing Professor X to install psychic shields on her mind to prevent her from using her powers until she was mature enough to control them. Jean Grey was a founding member of the X-Men and the only female member of the original team. After a successful mission on a space station, the X-Men returned to the earth in a shuttle through a lethal solar storm. Dying from radiation poisoning, Jean was saved by the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force.

Jean Grey is an Omega-level mutant with the telepathic and telekinetic abilities. She is also one of the physical hosts of the Phoenix Force.

5. Havok

Alex is the Summers’ middle child. He and Scott survived the plane crash that killed their parents. Alex was adopted by the Blanding family, who had lost a son, while Scott remained comatose in a hospital. Alex’s mutant powers manifested during an encounter with the school bully—incited by Mr. Sinister. After Alex incinerated the bully, Sinister placed a psi-block upon Alex and her foster sister, who also witnessed the events that night. When Alex went on to study geophysics at college, he bumped in to the original X-Men, and learned that Cyclops is his brother. Alex was captured by Larry Trask and his Sentinels. Trask gave Alex the codename Havok and fashioned a costume for Alex to help him control his powers. Havok was rescued by the X-Men and officially joined the team.

Havok can absorb ambient cosmic energy and discharge it as plasma blasts, with a concentric circle pattern.

Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 12:43:00 +0000

It is a time where magic is more powerful than science, and only those who control the magic, control destiny. They are The Visionaries!

Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light was originally a range of action figures from Hasbro, released in 1987. To promote the toy line, an animated television series and a comic book series were made. The half hour cartoon series was created by Sunbow Productions—the same animation studio who made G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers cartoon series. The comic book series was published by Star Comics.

The planet of Prysmos had enjoyed an advanced technological age for several thousends of years, until the realignment of the three suns marked the end of the age of science and technology and began the age of magic. The planet entered into its own Dark Ages, where all technology was now useless.

The catastrophe tore the planet into two warring factions—the good Spectral Knights and the evil Darkling Lords. Chaos ensued as both party seek military advantage. To keep the balance of power, the old wizard Merklynn came out of hiding and offered magic to those who could survive his tests.

Those who survived the competition were each given a totem animal, which they can transform into. Merklynn assigned an animal based on the knight’s personality. The staff-wielding knights; were also given, among others, the powers of Wisdom, Knowledge, Destruction, Invulnerability, and Fear. The knights without magical staffs, on the other hand, can activate vehicles with magic.

The toyline was not as successful as its counterparts, which led to the cancellation of the comics and the animated series. The animated series lasted for only one season of 13 episodes while the comic book series was axed after its 6th issue.

I never got to watch the first run of the series due to the fact that I was only 2 years old when it first aired. I was able to watch some of the episodes on VHS when I was already 5 years old. I wasn’t able to finish the whole season though; one would need to rent a cassette for each episode.

I never watched the series again until this month—thanks to YouTube. It just hit me one night—I missed the cartoons that I watched as a kid. After a week, I was able to finish the the first and only season of Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light.

The Darkling Lords

The Spectral Knights

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:12:00 +0000

Although Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds has been in development since the summer of 2008, fans only learned that the game is on the works in April 2010—a decade after Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes first came out to the arcades.

Since its announcement last April, fans of the series have been itching to get their hands on the fifth game of the Marvel vs. Capcom series.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds features the same tag-based three-on-three team format as the other games of the series, where each character can be swapped at any point during a match. This time around, the game features three-dimensional characters instead of the two-dimensional sprites of the previous installments. The gameplay remains restricted to two-dimensions, on the other hand, limiting the character to move only backward, forward, or straight up into the air.

The game features new and returning characters to the Marvel vs Capcom franchise. It has a full roster of 36 playable characters—which is an upset compared to the last game's 56 characters. Fan favorites like Wolverine, Spider-Man, Morrigan Aensland and Ryu return while newcomers include Arthur from Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Trish from Devil May Cry and Phoenix aka Jean Grey of the X-Men.

Marvel	Capcom
Captain America	Akuma
Deadpool	Albert Wesker
Doctor Doom	Amaterasu
Dormammu	Arthur
Hulk	Chris Redfield
Iron Man	Chun-Li
Magneto	Crimson Viper
M.O.D.O.K.	Dante
Phoenix	Felicia
Sentinel	Hsien-Ko
She-Hulk	Mike Haggar
Spider-Man	Morrigan Aensland
Storm	Nathan Spencer
Super-Skrull	Ryu
Taskmaster	Trish
Thor	Tron Bonne
Wolverine	Viewtiful Joe
X-23	Zero

Two additional characters, Jill Valentine and Shuma-Gorath, are available as downloadable content. Galactus will appear as the game's AI-controlled boss.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is set to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles on February 15, 2011—a great Valentines gift for us boys.

Gardening, the Weeds and the Green Thumb.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:10:00 +0000

0The fruits of my Adonidia merrillii has ripened. My Adonidia merrillii? Yes, my Adonidia merrillii, my lemonsito—my plants. I take ownership of the plants around our house since I was the one who planted them. I forgot how old the tree is though. I rarely take care of the plants—I am more of a planter than a caretaker.

When I was younger, I got forced to dig in the dirt to plant flowers and greens. I planted trees, transplanted seedlings, and potted ornamentals. They say I’m a green thumb—I believe I am—like Stanley in A Troll in Central Park. I can grow almost any plant—sort of. But I would rather not risk planting cold weather plants in the Philippines.

I have always been interested in plants but never really started planting when I was around 7 or 8. I remember getting cuttings of wild Lantanas in Bogo in the summer after 1st grade. When I got to the city, I later found out that my cuttings were missing. I kept the cuttings in my bag with my clothes, somehow my folks found out about the cuttings and threw it away—they don’t want me growing weeds. I’m not really fond of the ornamentals that one can get from gardening shops; I’m more attracted to the stubborn, wild growing plants in the open spaces and mountains of Cebu—I’m not really sure if all of those plants were weeds but at least in Cebu most of those greens were considered as such. Some of the wildlings I planted include: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Abutilon indicum, Tridax procumbens, Ruellia tuberosa, Crotalaria spectabilis, and Vernonia spp. I was successful in growing them from seeds or from cuttings but, sadly, they end up getting uprooted by my folks or getting eaten by the neighbor’s chickens. I can say that it was my ability to grow weeds that made me a green thumb.

Vernonia sp.
(Photo by WP User: Obsidian Soul)

Stachytarpheta indica
(Photo by WP User: Devanand Pillai)

Tridax procumbens
(Photo by WP User: Wie146)

Abutilon indicum
(Photo by WP User: Bō-á-tún ê hoe)

Back when I was younger—when I was more obedient—or, maybe, gullible; on weekends, my folks would ask me to do their gardening for them. A neighboring uncle or aunt would come to ask me to man their gardens—it’s their way of assuring the survival of their gardens. Excuses! They just don’t want to get their hands dirty. Most of the plants that I’ve touched would survive. Most of them survived the wet and dry seasons but there were some plants that can’t be helped, they succumbed to disease.

Ruellia tuberosa
(Photo by WP User: J.M.Garg)

Crotalaria spectabilis
(Photo by WP User: Pollinator)

Currently, we only have a few plants left. Some non-flowering potted plants, some shrubs and some small fruit trees. A lot of our plants died—nangluod ang tanom.

When I started doing night shifts, I felt I needed a way to unwind. My first option was to get a new pet but we already have cats and fishes—I opted to go back in to gardening. My first acquisition is a Torenia fournieri, which I bought outside the Basilica del Santo Nino while on my way home from school. We no longer have a space for a garden but I can have a collection of potted plants instead. This time around though, I’ll be both a planter and a nurturer.

Lilia Cuntapay is a Hollywood Extra

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Who is Lilia Cuntapay? Do you know her? Does the name ring a bell? If I was asked these questions a year ago or two days ago, I would have not been able to give the right answer. I would have been giving guesses. Assuredly, those guesses would have been no way close to the correct answer.

Who is Lilia Cuntapay? Apparently, only a few people know her name. We’ve seen her in several films and TV series but we really don’t know her name. I really can’t blame us – those appearances are, if not mostly, uncredited. She’s an extra.

Lilia Cuntapay is a Philippine film and television extra. She was the old woman that Alma Moreno transforms to in the Peque Gallaga film, Aswang. She was Kris Aquino’s yaya in the third Shake Rattle & Roll film. She’s the old lady that we’ve seen as a regular face in the Philippine horror scene.

Who could forget the old-lady-with-the-long-gray-hair on those films? No one could. I couldn’t either—she reminds me of my grandmother—my siblings and I used to joke that our grandmother is an aswang.

Although she’s appeared in films other than horror, she has appeared either as the grandmother, the old lady or the old-lady-mistaken-for-something-else-scary. Talk about typecasting an old lady!

I never really knew her name until today. Two days earlier, I was able to watch an episode of Midnight DJ. She played a mangkukulam, the old woman that Maricar Reyes transforms to in the episode. After watching the episode, it struck me to look up her name.

I was able to get her name after two days of futile googling—most of the results I got were useless mirror sites. Information on extras is scarce even in the internet. I was a fool to forget IMDB.

Finding out her name—I was also able to find out that she appeared in Brokedown Palace—the 1999 American film, which was filmed mostly in the Philippines and starred Bill Pullman, Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. Surprise, surprise! Lilia Cuntapay is a Hollywood extra.

Boo!

Blog—the Cebuano Way

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Wala ko kahibalo kung aduna ba’y blog nga sinuwat sa pinulongang Cebuano. Kung aduna man gani wala lang tingali nako mabasahi or makit-an sa internet. Tungod nihit ang blog na sinulat sa Cebuano, naka-desisyon ako sa pagsulat niini.

Sa pagsulat ko niini nga post, nakaingon ko nga lisod gyud kini buhaton. Gipanganak ako sa Cebu, gipanganak nga usa ka Cebuano. Kahibalo motabi sa pinulongang Cebuano apan maglisod gyud ko sa pagsulat gamit ang mga pulong nga Cebuano.

Nganong maglisod man? Daghan ang mga rason nganong lisod, para kanako o kun dili man sa kadaghanan, ang pagsulat sa Cebuano.

Una, Ang pinulungan sa balay, Cebuano, apan pag-abot sa eskuylahan ang matang sa instruksyon kay English. Gitudlu-an pud kami pag-gamit sa Wikang Filipino—ang among national language.

Ika-duha, ang usa ka Cebuano kun makighinabi sa laing taga-Cebu, ug sa mga taga-laing probinsiya nga makasabot sa pinulongan Cebuano, mag-tabi gamit ang pinulongang basi sa makadaghan sa Cebuano sinagulan sa mga pulong nga Filipino, English ug Spanish. Kining pamaagiha mao'y namat-an ug naandan nako. Lain ra g'yud ang Cebuano sa katigulangan ug kabatan-onan. Matawag nato nga usa ka dialect ang pama-agi sa mga batan-on.

Sunod, ang Cebuano gi-ila na usa ka pinulungang bulgar—bisan sa mga tawo na nag-gamit niini. Ang among unang pinulongan ang pinulongan sa mga ordinaryong tawo. Ang mga propesyonal ug estudyante gi-awhag na mo-gamit ug English. Sa eskuylahan, kun ang usa ka estudyante mo-tubag, gamit ang Cebuano, sa pangutana nga English—kataw-an. Tan-awa ra gyud na.

Pinaka-uwahi, Daghang mga Cebuano ang nanrabaho sa Manila isip katabang o maid. Sa Manila, dunay diskriminasyon sa mga Cebuano—nga gi-tawag nila nga mga Bisaya. Ang mga Tagalog bugal-bugalan ang accent sa taga-Cebu o sa mga Bisaya. Sumay-sumayon. FYI, mga Bisaya kami—nag-puyo sa mga isla sa Visayas—ang among mga pulong Cebuano. Dili nako ika-pasangil sa uban nga itago ang ilang unang pinulongan.

Wala nako gi-kauwaw nga mahibaw-an nga ako usa ka Cebuano. Ang maka-uulaw, ug dili ko ikalimod, mao ang akong dili pagka-hanas o pagka-hawod sa akong unang pinulungan—pinulongang Cebuano. Kani lamang na sinulat—kita na ang katag. Para malain pud gisulat ko kini na post. Gusto lamang nako na mosuway pagsulat ug blog entry nga gamit ang akoang unang pinulongan.

The Taxis of Cebu (The Day I Renewed My NBI Clearance)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:13:00 +0000

Someone's NBI Clearance

I was in Robinson’s Place Cebu earlier to renew my NBI clearance. I arrived at around 12 PM and the NBI office opens at 1 PM. The office of the National Bureau of Investigations is located in the 4th floor of the mall. To decongest the mall from a large number people—off to renew their clearances—the guards made us wait by the main entrance. We were each given a priority number. Me, I was number 68.

While waiting for our numbers to be called, we were all seated in the stairs by the entrance. We looked like we were about to get our class picture taken. We did have our picture taken thanks to an American guy—probably a tourist—he was carrying around a DSLR camera. He was on his way inside the mall when he took our picture.

At around 1 PM, the first 50 people was let in to the mall. We had to wait another hour to be accommodated. Everyone was not impatient since they came in groups or in pairs. A guy came with her girlfriend. A husband came with his wife and kids. There was a group of boisterous men. Everyone had someone to talk to kill the time except me. I came alone. I did bump into a previous officemate but she came with her girl friends and she was seated 5 people away from me. I was the quiet the whole time.

Sitting on the stairs and facing the street, I noticed the names of the taxis that passed by.

In Cebu, most taxis have acronyms for a name. Some have human names—probably the names of their owners or someone close to the owners. There’s a taxi named Richielda as well as Christoff and Ann & Benjie. Some were named after animals—Duck, Spider and Tiger—another one was named after the king of spiders. One can ride Atlas—I wonder if it was named after the Titan. Twin Hearts is named after a Filipino TV series. Some cabs guarantee you a Softride, a Safeway and a Cool Transport.

Then crazy idea struck. 'Why don’t I take down the franchise names of the taxis?,' I told my self. I took note of the names mentally. I wanted to write them down but I didn’t want the ones seated beside and behind me to be able to read my list. I also didn’t want to be called crazy by those people. I was able to note quite a number of names.

When I got home after I renewed my clearance, I was able to list these names:

2B	Airland	Ann & Benjie	Artville
Atlas	Caraga	Catz	Christoff
Cool Transport	Crew	CTC	Danny Noy
Duck	EC Friends	Friendly	Gilgal
Good Shepherd	Hadjie	Highland	HMJJ
Holiday	HR	Janox-1	Juscar
K Factor	Kein Cedric	Ken	King Spider
M&J	Mabuhay	Maligaya	MARMIC
MEG	Micaela	MMS	N
PPTC	R&F	RC	RD
SAMC	Regional	Reingold	Revolution
Richielda	Riya	RosaMC	RP
RP Corominas	Safeway	Sansei	Saregen
Scorpion	SD	Shurie	Softride
Spider	Sweet Baby	Thessie	Tiger
Tres Nina	Twin Hearts	Van System	VUDTRASCO
Zarlene	Zirk

Fired!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:55:00 +0000

'You're fired!'—I'm used to hearing the line in films and also in The Apprentice. I wonder how I’d feel if someone said it to my face? I’ve never got that line from anyone. Not even yesterday. Yes, I was fired yesterday.

Not all of you know that last week I was hired as an online sales specialist by a multi-national BPO. Sadly, last night I got fired because they thought I was not able to meet their expected qualifications. Worst of all, they did not have the guts to tell it to my face— instead they sent a text message.

Earlier, they’ve already told us that they were only going to hire five of us—the pioneers—the guinea pigs for the new account. The company is outsourcing the account from another outsourcer and they have not signed any contract yet. If ‘The Big Five’ performs well in the next three months, that’s when the companies sign a deal. Still, we hoped that the company will instead hire the whole batch.

Originally, there were 9 trainees—me being the only guy in the batch. Half-way around the week-long training, one girl quit so there were only eight of us left. The one-week training ended the other day. After careful consideration, I and two other girls—two other friends—got booted out.

I still went to work yesterday. There were six of us who showed up. The other two girls did not show up since they were able to read the text message—sent by the HCD, telling us not to come to work. I always come to work two hours earlier than my shift—I was not able to read their text message yesterday. I do not bring my phone to work since I dislike submitting it to the security personnel. I was only able to read the message at around 2 AM today. The text was sent around 6 PM yesterday but I was already at the site at around 5:30 PM.

Back to the events yesterday, one of the two-girls-who-did-not-show-up texted that three people got kicked out of the program. Six of us showed up—one is bound to be laughed at and sent home. I was hoping that one of the remaining five girls—they are going to kill me if they read this—will be sent home but inside I was uneasy.

Finally, it was our call time. The big asses were already inside the training room when we came in. They invited the six of us to come in—they did not want to embarrass the ‘outsider’ by stopping him/her at the door. They were more pleasant than usual. I found the events in the next two hours fraught of insincerity and nonsense. No one of the big assess talked mentioned a word about who among the six will be axed. I don’t know how my colleagues felt in those hours. Me, I was very uneasy but still I tried to be hopeful.

The account was to be launched after two hours.

Around 30 minutes before launch, my boss, the Argentinean guy, came up to me and said, ‘Carl, I need to talk to you.’ That’s when I realized that I was the odd one out. The Latino told me that I did not make the cut and that they really want to keep me and I would be joining another group of trainees for another account.

10 P.M. Time for the ‘Big Five’ to hit the floor. Poor me, I was sent home—unwanted and uninvited to the launch party.

While the team was partying, I had my own party. I was in McDonald’s. I ordered a Big Mac meal with large fries and Coke. Plus, an extra apple pie and Coke float. I tried to drown the woe with pleasure eating. For someone so forlorn and miserable, I had an appetite. I pigged out.

The pleasure the food gave me was short-lived. For a few minutes I was able to forget the sadness and then I snapped back to reality. When I was done with the binge eating, I decided to go home.

There were a lot of things going on inside my mind that night. Why was I the one booted out? How do I tell my parents? Should I lie and pretend to go to work until the month is up to save face? I was very distracted; I even forgot some of my notes from training.

Around half-past 12, jeepneys were no where to be found. The cabs were all occupied. The habal-habals, passenger motorcycles, were the only ones available. Riding a motorcycle scares the hell out of me. My only option was to hike from the IT Park going to the high way. I thought, perhaps, when I reach the main road I could get a jeepney or a taxi.

I’ve walked a few meters away from the parked habal-habals when a motorcycle pulled over on my left side. The middle-aged driver, on his way home to Consolacion, offered to give me a ride home for twenty pesos. It struck like a deal and the man was also the insistent and persistent. Though I was afraid to take the ride, I agreed to the offer but reminded the driver to drive slowly and carefully.

I don’t know if the driver forgot about my request or he deliberately chose to ignore my request. He was running almost on top speed. Initially I was scared but I tried to enjoy the wind and the rush. I realized it wasn’t very scary after all. It even struck my mind that it was OK for me to die at that time—then I wasn’t really ready to die. I also went, ‘Look ma no hands!’ and threw away the rest of my notes. Papers flew in the air.

I got off in the sidewalk, by the highway, across the Coca-Cola compound. Paid the biker and thanked him for the ride then I walked going to the compound where I lived. I got home around 2 AM and that’s when I read the text. I was already very tired at that time. I went to meet Hypnos and the Oneiroi.

Martial Law – The GMArtial Law

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:43:00 +0000

The declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao was met with opposition. People went to the streets to rally against what they call as GMA’s clever way to keep the power in her hands. Senators questioned if the declaration was constitutionally correct.

I am not an expert on the Constitution of the Philippines nor am I in any position to say that the declaration was constitutionally correct or not. Sadly, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about my Poli Sci course in college. Plus, the semester is too short to discuss everything about the constitution. We never really reached the part about Martial Law.

People say it was constitutional, others say it wasn’t. Constitutional or not, I greatly believe Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did the right thing. The brutal massacre of those women and media men by the Ampatuans was a good basis to declare Martial Law for me. In fact, she should declare Martial Law on the whole of Mindanao. The place is just too dangerous.

What is Martial Law?

Martial Law is the temporary substitution of military authority for civil rule, usually in the time of war, rebellion or natural disaster. It really is not a law but rather it is merely the substitution of military procedures for the usual procedures of the law and courts. The law provides the president with this power to protect us from rebellion and invasion or when public safety calls for it.

Why do we fear it?

We Filipinos are just too afraid of Martial Law. It shouldn’t be that way. It is a way for the president to defend us. Well, I couldn’t blame us. Though I wasn’t born at the time when Marcos declared Martial Law, I very much know how he used it to control the people and the country. Our grandparents told us about the horrors of Martial Law a la Ferdinand Marcos. Our history books even have a chapter solely dedicated to it. In fact, up to now, most of the people subjected to those horrors still couldn’t forget about it.

After days of arguments and calls to lift the declaration, Martial Law was finally lifted–effective 9 PM today. I don’t think the president gave in to their noise. She lifted it because she felt Maguindanao was safer–for now. Though I believe Maguindanao or Mindanao in general will never be safe–only, if the terrorists there are quelled.

There really is nothing to fear about Martial Law. It’s for our own safety. I believe it is time for us to move on. We will never forget about the horrors of the Marcos Regime but I am confident to say that it will never happen again.

Where’s the countrywide Martial Law? I trust the president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won’t declare Martial Law unless it’s a matter of national security. Arroyo using such declaration to maintain the power in her hands was just a big lie that her detractors spread. Don’t they ever give up?