Alibata

I Love New York

2007-12-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

I've always dreamed of living in New York.

I want to go skiing (well we don't have it here in my country), have a glance of the Rockefeller Center christmas tree watching it's 30,000 multi-colored lights specially during holiday season.

I also want to go to the factory outlets around the Lake George area and go shop til I drop taking advantage of the great deals the place can offer.

All of this was just a dream before as I always thought that finding a place to stay in New York is a bit hard but not until I came across citycribs.com, a website that features New York Apartments ready for occupancy.

CityCribs.com acts is an online real estates directory which features New York and other locations in the United States. Here, I was able to easily find some New York Apartments that fits my needs and my budget. The coolest part of this site is the option wherein you can just easily input your preferred number of beds and baths versus your preferred budget. This will make your search pretty much easier.

And so now that I learned thru CityCribs.com that there's a lot of New York Apartments waiting for me, I think I'll be checking in early 2008.

The Perfect Curtain Poles

2007-12-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

One thing that adds beauty to our house is having a beautiful curtain and considering such a curtain is having perfect poles with it.

Choosing the perfect curtain pole to enhance the appearance of your room is not really hard. First thing that you need to know are the types of curtain poles to help you decide what suits your taste. Some types of it are metal curtain poles, wooden curtain poles, bay window poles, extendable poles and net rails. Having the knowledge of them will help you get around the problem of oddly shaped windows. After knowing the types of curtain poles, you need to be keen in measuring. Before buying anything, be sure to know where you will position the poles. It can be above the wall or along the window frame. Another thing is choosing the perfect accessories for your curtain poles, from brackets, curtain rings, finials and holdbacks. It is good to have 1 curtain ring for every 10cm of pole while the finial and holdback is the one which will give you the freedom to add your own style.

To know more information and get help on choosing the right curtain poles, you can visit Terry's Fabrics at terrysfabrics.co.uk!

Sabah Claim

2007-12-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

A majority of Filipinos everywhere are wondering what is this Sabah claim
is all about. The Philippine history books, Malaysian's probably too,
have not mentioned about the Philippines' stake on the northern part
of the island of Borneo. On the other hand, the Malaysians maybe
furious that there are a lot of attention now being focused to that
part of the Malaysian federation to which they believe was theirs
since the British handed the territory in 1963.

What we are trying here is to bring an insight to this dispute based on
our researched of the various facts (or allegations) regarding this subject.
As Filipino Americans, our main concern in bringing about this article is to
tell that part of the history of the Philippines.

WHERE IS SABAH?

Sabah,is the northern part of Borneo. It is bordered by Sarawak on its
southwestern side, and Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) to the south.
Sabah has a coastline of approximately 800 to 900 miles and with the
South China Sea in the west and north, the Sulu Sea in the northeast
and the Celebes Sea in the east. Sabah's total land area is 76,115 sq km
(29,388 sq miles). Sabah's population is about 2.5 million. It is 1,961 km
from Hong Kong, 1,143 km from Manila, 1,495 km from Singapore, 1,678 km
from Kuala Lumpur and 2,291 km from Taipei - note that it is nearer to
Manila than Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur.

North Borneo is much undeveloped and very rich in natural resources.
One of the wealthiest oil producing countries is located in same island
of Borneo, the tiny Sultanate of Brunei.

Learn more about Sabah through the links below.

THE LEASE STARTED IT ALL

The Sultanate of Sulu was granted the territory as a prize for helping
the Sultan of Brunei against his enemies and from then on that part of
Borneo is recognized as part of the Sultan of Sulu's sovereignty. In 1878,
Baron Von Overbeck, an Austrian partner representing The British North Borneo
Co. and his partner British Alfred Dent, leased the territory known as "Sabah"
- roughly translated as "the land beneath the winds". In return the company
will provide arms to the Sultan to resist the spaniards and 5,000 Malaysian
ringgits annual rental based on the Mexican dollars value at that time or
its equivalent in gold. This lease have been continued until the independence
and formation of the Malaysian federation in 1963 together with Singapore,
Sarawak and Malaysia. Up to these days, the Malaysians have been continuing
the rental payment of 5,300 Malaysian ringgits - a 300 ringgits increased from
original rent.

In 1962 during the Pres. Diosdado Macapagal's administration (the father
of the present president, Glorio Arroyo), the Philippines formally claimed
Sabah based on the Sultanate of Sulu heirs' claim on the territory. The
Philippines broke diplomatic relations with Malaysia after the federation
have included "Sabah". The sultan's heirs have given the Philippine government
the authority to pursue the claim legally in international courts. However, the
succeeding administrations have either have ignored or set aside the claim for
peaceful co-existent and trade relation with the Malaysians.

One significant incident involving then President Marcos have briefly brought
into limelight the Sabah claim once more. In 1972, the Marcos government have
been training secretly a group of Muslim Filipinos in Corregidor, an island
off Manila Bay, for possible intrusion in Sabah to pave the way to an armed
secession of Sabah from Malaysia. But upon knowing of the plans, the recruits
have mutinied and were eliminated except for one that swam the bay and was
rescued. The newspapers have called this incident, the "Jabidah Massacre"
named after the operation that was given by the military. The survivor divulged
the plan and the claim was put in back burner once more. It was believe that
because of the incident, the Malaysians have been aiding the Muslim separatists
against the Philippine government. Some people says this distracted the attention
to the claim on Sabah as the government was embroiled in containing the conflict.

LEGAL CLAIM BASIS

The claim was based on several historical facts and court judgement.

The lease agreement is definitely a proof otherwise there will be no basis for any
agreement if such ownership was not established at all. The contract was between Sri
Paduka Maulana Al Sultan Mohammad Jamalul Alam - representing the sultanate as owner
and sovereign of Sabah on one hand, and that of Gustavus Baron de Overbeck and Alfred
Dent, representing the British East India Co. (then became the North Borneo Co.), on
the other as lessee of Sabah, was executed on June 22, 1878. Though the British turned
over the possession and government of Sabah to the federation, the Malaysians have not
remissed in paying the annual rental.

The 1939 court judgement on the claim had handed ownership of North Borneo to the heirs
of the Sultanate prior to the formation of Malaysian federation in 1963. The judgment
of Chief Justice C.F.C. Makaskie of the High Court of North Borneo in the civil suit
filed by the late Dayang Dayang Hadji Piandao and eight other heirs of the Sultan of
Sulu, including the famous Putlih (Princess) Tarhata Kiram, upheld the validity of the
claim of the heirs.

Being a British colony did they favored the Malaysians than returning the leased
territory to its rightful owners as per 1939 court judgement? Did the British influenced
the outcome of their sponsored 1962 plebiscite to which won by those who wanted to
join the Malaysian federation than be an independent state. One also has to speculate
as to why did the British respected a similar treaty with China by returning Hong Kong
instead of conducting a plebiscite just like the one conducted in Sabah in 1962, is
the Philippines a weak nation that can be ignored? These are some questions that need
to be addressed by those who have the mandate to pursue the Philippine claim.

The Malaysian argument before the International Court (The Hague) is in the link below.
This is based on the islands disputed between Indonesia and Malaysia wherein the
Philippines is trying to intervene.

SO WHY THE REVIVAL OF THE CLAIM NOW?

In the last few months the Malaysian authorities have been deporting, we are not sure
if this is the right term for this action knowing the existence of legal claim to North
Borneo, thousands of Filipinos from Sabah for being illegals and for lack of necessary
documents. There are allegations of inhuman treatments and rapes by Malaysian authorities
which are currently being investigated by both governments. It is also good to point out
that illegal Indonesians are likewise being sent home through Kalimantan (Borneo part
of Indonesia). Both the Philippine and the Indonesian governments have protested the
mass deportation and have indignation rallies against the Malaysian action.

Since the time memorial the numerous ethnic tribes in the southern Philippines notably
the Tausugs and Badjaos have been traversing the Celebes Sea from Sulu to Borneo and
other parts of Indonesia. These tribes are sea faring people and settled from anywhere
around the region. To curtail these movements, the Malaysians have decided to demand
document from the Filipinos in Sabah. Undocumented Filipinos were deported and could
only be admitted back when there are necessary papers presented. This situation is
extremely hard specially to those who have fled the secessionist war during the seventies
and eighties as they are refugees and do not have any travel documents. These Muslim
Filipinos have considered Sabah as part of their domain as their ancestors have been
doing centuries ago. That part of southeast asia is bound by common religion, history
and people.

NOW WHAT?

As per official Philippine government stand, the Philippines will continue legal action
through the international courts and also by bringing this claim again to the attention
of the Malaysian government. One of the immediate objectives is to have the rent increased to
what is a more realistic amount while a claim is still being disputed.

There are apprehensions, as some quarters are claiming, that nothing will come out of this
revived interest in the Sabah claim, they are saying that the Philippine government officials
as in the past can be bribed to lose interest in the claim - there is no concrete evidence to
this effect. The Malaysians are hoping that it will die a natural death for lack of will on
the Philippine claimants to pursue further the claim over the years. The longer the dispute
is settled, the harder (or maybe lesser) for the claimants to get any settlement.

Will the heirs get a just settlement in form of monetary compensation? The heirs had been
offered money before by the Malaysians and have rejected the idea. Will the settlement comes
with some portion of the disputed land for displaced Filipino muslims in Sabah? In any issue
involving property dispute, possession is everything.

Will the Arroyo administration be transparent in negotiations with the Mahathir government
or some kind of a deal will be struck without consultations with the other parties involved?

We will see what will transpire in the future.

Source: ePilipinas.com

Culture Of The Paradise Philippines

2007-10-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

Filipinos, the term by which people of the Paradise Philippines are generally known, descended from the various Austronesian-speaking migrants who came in droves over a thousand years ago from South East Asia. There are various ethno-linguistic groups these Filipinos are divided into. The three major groups are the Visayans, the Tagalogs, and the Ilocanos. They are genetically close to the Taiwanese aborigines, Malays of Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Polynesians.

Then there are Filipino mestizos, a term employed to refer to those who are of mixed indigenous heritage and Spanish or other foreign ancestry form. They are in minority but form an economically and politically important minority.

Linguistically speaking, the nation is amazingly diverse with more than 170 languages. Nearly all of these languages belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian language group of the Austronesian language family. The 1987 Constitution confers the status of official language to both Filipino and English. Additionally, there are twelve major regional languages with over one million speakers of each. These are Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Bikol, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Kinaray-a, Maranao, Maguindanao, and Tausug. Also, Spanish and Arabic are used as auxiliary languages.

Around 92 percent of the Filipinos are Christians making it the world's third-largest Christian nation. Among the Christians, 83 percent belong to the Roman Catholic Church, 2 percent to the Philippine Independent Church, and 10 percent to various Protestant denominations. Some 5 percent of the Filipinos are Muslim and live primarily in parts of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.

Filipino culture blends the indigenous traditions of the Paradise Philippines with the Hispanic and American cultures, and also have distinct cultural traits of the Chinese, the Indonesians and the Indians.

The Hispanic influences come largely from the cultural influence of Spain and Mexico. The Hispanic influence stands visible in the religious festivals of the Roman Catholic Church. Filipinos hold major festivities known as barrio fiestas to commemorate their patron saints. However, what strikes one right away is the prevalence of Spanish surnames among the Filipinos. However, this was a result of a colonial decree for the systematic distribution of family names and implementation of the Spanish naming system amongst the Filipinos. So, a Spanish surname does not necessarily imply a Hispanic heritage.

Besides, some of the Chinese traits are also found in Filipino culture, particularly in the cuisine. Noodles, for instance, are known locally as mami and are a standing testament of the Chinese cuisine. Linguistic borrowings is the other way by which the Chinese culture has seeped into the Paradise Philippines.

So far as the American legacy is concerned, English stands head and shoulder above everything else that Americans might have given to the Filipino way of life. Basketball is very popular another American trait. America seems to have influenced the Philippines in much the same way as it has influenced the rest of the world– through its fast-food revolution. Fast-food joints are ubiquitous in the Paradise Philippines. McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, you just name it! Much of what is typically American can be found in the Philippines. Filipinos listen and dance to American music, throng the theaters to watch American movies, and paste the posters of American actors and actresses on their bedroom walls. Asian trends too are now making their presence felt.

However, despite all the influences, the native moral codes are still intact. The respect for the family, veneration of elders, and friendliness continue to mark a Filipino's social life. Among the national heroes, José Rizal tops the list. He was a Spanish-speaking reformist visionary whose writings influenced the sense of national identity and awareness and is a respected name still.

Article Source: Culture Of The Paradise Philippines

Early Paradise Philippines History

2007-10-18T02:21:00.000-07:00

The Negritos are believed to have migrated to the Philippines some 30,000 years ago from Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya. The Malayans followed in successive waves. These people belonged to a primitive epoch of Malayan culture, which has apparently survived to this day among certain groups such as the Igorots. The Malayan tribes that came later had more highly developed material cultures.

In the 14th cent. Arab traders from Malay and Borneo introduced Islam into the southern islands and extended their influence as far north as Luzon. The first Europeans to visit (1521) the Philippines were those in the Spanish expedition around the world led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Other Spanish expeditions followed, including one from New Spain (Mexico) under López de Villalobos, who in 1542 named the islands for the infante Philip, later Philip II.

Source: Pinas

Paradise Philippines

2007-09-29T02:10:00.000-07:00

Contest code generator for Paradise Philippines seo contest is now live so we will now start working on our entries and this blog is an addition to our existing entries.
We are aiming to take the top spot for the keyword "Paradise Philippines" in the three major search engines, Google, Yahoo and MSN.
You can show us support by giving us a friendly link.