Eleven years ago, I was in this very same spot during our graduation ceremonies. I was the emcee and our graduation speaker was former Schools Division Superintendent, Ms. Ida Endonila. And now I’m the guest speaker? Indeed it is very humbling for me to be in her place now. I have much to thank my former adviser and science teacher, Ma’am Ramos for inviting me to speak before you – believe it or not – more than 8 months in advance.

I have been cherishing that day, more than eight months ago, when SPED visited SEAFDEC in Tigbauan. FishWorld was filled with busloads of color-coded English-speaking grade school pupils running from one aquarium to another, very excited, and very amazed with the large turtles and the colorful fishes. In a few moments, I found myself trapped in a crowd of grade-schoolers, all trying to ask me difficult questions only about half of which I could actually answer. “What is the scientific name of this?” “What is the scientific name of that?” “What are the member countries of SEAFDEC?” “Give a name of a Filipino scientist.” Those were the easier ones which I could remember.  Amidst the storm of questions, the persistent tugging on my sleeves, and the demand for answers, I realized I was surrounded by truly gifted children, rightly trained to be inquisitive, curious, and always ready to learn. That’s a SPEDer!

My challenge for you today, as you sit there wondering what will happen to you as you proceed to high school or college, is to always live up to being a SPED graduate. But what’s with a SPED graduate?

When we graduated from SPED in 1999 and the Superintendent was our speaker, she repeatedly pointed out that SPED is the “show-window” of the entire Division. By that, I believe she meant that SPED is a school that Iloilo City can truly be proud of and can boast about. Little did I know while listening to her that, three years later, I would be in her place as Schools Division Superintendent.

In September 2002, I was sworn in by Mayor Treñas as Schools Division Superintendent. How can that be? It was only for five days during the Boys and Girls Week sponsored by the Rotary Club. For five days, I got to sit on the fanciest chair behind the nicest office table in the most well furnished room in the Division Office. However, I’m really not an office person who can sit all day in a room. Too boring for me. So I decided to go around and observe classes in some schools, and I even joined a supervisor in conducting evaluation. Of all the schools I visited in those five days, SPED-ISEC definitely stood out. I may be a little biased towards my alma matter but it was only in SPED where I saw pupils enthusiastically reciting in class in relatively fluent English. The SPED classroom I was in was also very well furnished compared to other schools where they didn’t even have enough chairs. SPED is indeed special. Not your ordinary school. And an extraordinary school produces – extraordinary graduates!

However, I would like to stress that it is not the tiles on your floor, or the television in your classroom that produces the extraordinary graduates. You see, the SPED facilities now were very different during my time.

During my early years in SPED, if I remember correctly, all the pupils shared only two rest rooms – one for the boys and another for the girls. Going to the rest room then was like entering a horror room with broken doors and junk along the way and vines creeping in through holes in the roof. It also didn’t smell very good. This social hall where we held our activities was much smaller then, and the ceiling seemed ready to fall on the audience anytime. In my early years in SPED, the only 2-storey building was the one for the hearing impaired high school. There were also times when our whole section would share only about seven copies of a certain textbook. Seven copies for thirty five pupils. And since we did not have photocopiers until much later, somebody would copy several pages of the textbook on the blackboard and the rest would spend the whole class period copying, and copying, and copying what was written on the board. Nevertheless, despite the sorry state of our books and our facilities during those early years, we had some of the finest teachers. Some of our teachers were so good they were promoted as principals in other schools. Others were so inspiring in their passion for teaching, such that I can clearly say that I have become what I am now, and I do what I do, because of them. My teachers from way back to my elementary years.

SPED graduates, you have been blessed with much better facilties compared to what my batch had. Much better than most other schools now. You have outstanding teachers. And of course, you yourselves are especially gifted.

Now, before our exceptional graduates proceed to their next stage of learning, whether be it in high school or college, I have a few lessons to share that might help you in living up to be SPED graduates.

When I graduated from SPED, I thought I knew almost everything. In grade 6, I could memorize all the enzymes acting on food throughout the alimentary canal from the moment your dinner enters your mouth until it leaves the body. But when I entered high school, I realized all the knowledge I gained in my 6 years in elementary was just the tip of the iceberg.

When I graduated from high school, I felt like I already knew most of the iceberg. I knew projectile motion equations like the back of my hand. I could use computer programming and animation to illustrate some cellular mechanisms. I even knew some calculus. But when I entered college, I realized the iceberg was just a point on the vastness of the oceans. And once you enter the real life, where nobody tells you to attend this class and do this project, when you are free to decide what to do this day and tomorrow and where to go, you will realize that the oceans are just a part of a bigger Earth located within an endless universe.

Never think you have learned enough or know enough. The more you know, the more you know that you do not know.

One of the things I learned in recent years is the value of teamwork. Up until high school, I always consider myself to be an introvert. Introvert in the sense that I prefer to be alone, I like doing things on my own, and I would rather not work with other people. But that has since changed.

Last year, I and two of my friends took a daring step to establish our own company that operates a fish spa in Antique. To date, several thousand guests representing about 15 different nationalities have visited the town of Tibiao to have the tickling experience of having hundreds of little fish nibble off their dead layers of skin. I tell you, Tibiao Fish Spa company would never have been established if we did not harness the power of teamwork. Individually, we could not have done it. Take my example.

Aside from the fact that I didn’t have enough money to start the company, I realized I am also too cautious. I like to have everything planned carefully, taking my time, and if there is risk involved, my tendency is not to bother risking at all. Meanwhile, my other business partner is very visionary, ambitious, and he likes to do things really fast. But on his own, plans could become impractical and unrealistic.

So we worked hard as a team. One would usually take the daring moves and mobilize people, while another would pull him back enough to keep things sensible and attend to the tiny but crucial details, and another will take care of the technical side of keeping the fish alive and healthy. If we worked individually, we would have been a mess.

Schools here in the Philippines are very competitive. We all try to be in the top ten and earn the most medals. Indeed during my time SPED was so generous in giving medals I sounded like a walking tambourine when going up and down the stage. It has become our natural tendency to try to be better than the others by studying hard and making projects by ourselves. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, we should also not forget to work together.

Sitting before me now are some of the brightest and most talented pupils and students. But each one of you is uniquely gifted. Just imagine what you can do together when you put your talents and skills together! Teamwork. Cooperation.

Another thing I’ve learned or relearned recently is the value of dreaming big, of aiming high.

After I graduated from elementary in SPED, it was time for me to choose which high school to enter. (We didn’t have SPED high school yet that time). Would you believe that I actually considered giving up my slot at the Philippine Science High School because many of my friends were going to enroll in a different high school in the city? After visiting the different campuses, it was clear to me that my friends would still be my friends, but giving up my slot in PSHS would have been an awful mistake.

Even as you enter college, dream big. Don’t settle for the dream of receiving a good salary after you graduate. Dream to be the one giving the salary to your own employees.

You will probably get nowhere if your dream is only the size of your bedroom. Let the universe be your playground.

Finally, as you live up to being a SPED graduate, may you reach success and find meaning and purpose in all that you do. The medals and diplomas you will receive today are very much deserved. But success in life is more than just academic achievement, financial status, or fame. All those things are cool, but they can also lead to disappointment and frustration.

As for me, I just put faith and trust in God. Despite all the difficulty in life, I am secure because I know my real treasure is not in this life and not in this world. No amount of diplomas, money, or good deeds could buy that. Good thing He died for me out of His love.

I won’t define success for you, but it is my hope that you will find guidance and true fulfillment and happiness as you tackle the next stage of your life. All I can say is, you can start by putting God at the center.

To close, I congratulate the parents and guardians! I am sure as your children went to school, a part of you also went to school with them. Now, a part of you is also graduating! Graduates, would you like to give your parents a big round of applause?

Congratulations also to our teachers! These graduates would not be here now if you flunked them at one point. May you never tire of doing what you do best, and that is inspiring and motivating these gifted students in the same way you have inspired and motivated me during my elementary days. Truly we have become what we are because of your dedicated service. Let’s give a big hand to our teachers!

Finally, graduates, you have made it this far because of the people we just applauded, and also because of your hard work, and diligence. May you proceed to high school and college always bearing in mind where you came from. You are no ordinary graduates. You are SPED-ISEC graduates! Let’s continue learning together and let’s dream together, work together, and succeed together in our service to God and country.

Thank you, God bless, and congratulations!

I just saw the new Smart Bro Unli Surf option appear under the Data Packages of the recently updated Smart Bro Web Connect website. However, when I try the option, I get a “Sorry for the inconvenience. Service is unavailable at this time. Pls try again later.” It’s either because I don’t have P200 in my load or because I’m still registered to per-minute packages, or the promo hasn’t been activated yet. Nevertheless, I really hope Smart would offer this as a regular package and not just as a promo. I think it is just such a good deal. If you register 5 times in a month, that would be only P1000 for mobile broadband that can reach 2Mbps!

You might ask, how about Smart’s P999 a month Unlimited Plan? What’s the advantage of having Smart Bro Prepaid over Smart Bro Plans? I’ve been holding off on getting Smart Bro Plans primarily because of their 2-year lock-in period. Their terms stipulate that if you pre-terminate your plan, you still have to pay the monthly service fees up until the 2nd year of  your plan. With the pace of technological development, 2 years is just too long! Who knows what better mobile broadband options will come out in just a matter of 6 months? I believe staying prepaid allows one the felxibility of switching to another mobile broadband provider or availing of a better technology in case the one you currently have begins to dissatisfy you.

Now, I can’t wait to register for the P200 Smart Bro Unlimited Surfing! I’m tired of periodically subscribing to per-minute packages and disconnecting and reconnecting everytime I don’t need an active connection such as when writing an email or reading forums. I can finally work on my websites and blogs  without being conscious of every second. Ahhh.. don’t we consumers just love competition?

One thing I want to write about is why I left SEAFDEC after 2 years and 5 months of working there. First, I didn’t resign. I simply did not renew my contract which officially ended December 31, 2009.

From the very moment I entered SEAFDEC, I never planned to stay long. Perhaps I was to some extent ’skilled’ in my work on publications and multi-media but it was never my passion. Besides, writing ‘world-class’ news and laying out books, flyers, posters, etc. from day to day can be really taxing on the most oxygen-hungry organ of our body. So, to be frank about it, I was very much looking forward to January 1, 2010. I think I’ll write more about this and my SEAFDEC work experience later.

So moving on, what’s there to look forward to in 2010?

I thought I would have lots of free time this year since I only have my MS classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Boon or bane I don’t know, but it seems like my work is following me. I might see myself writing a book and producing an instructional video this year. On top of that, there’s the demands of fully establishing Tibiao Fish Spa Co. before I can let it loose on auto-pilot. Lastly, of course there’s my nonnegotiable responsibilities in church which I truly love and enjoy.

So much for peace of mind.

I need a thesis topic! I need to finish my thesis next semester so I can graduate by October 2010 – but the problem is I don’t even know what aquaculture field to go into! Where is my ‘expertise’ needed in case I decide to actually practice my profession?

In case I do graduate by October, I hardly have any idea what to do next. Apply for a new job? Where? Concentrate on being self-employed? Really? Go on to PhD? What field?

Though the future be a haze, wherever God leads me, that will be my desire, my delight.

Forwarding all email

But how do you forward all your office emails to your Gmail account? Surely forwarding them one by one will be ridiculous. At first I though it was not possible, but I tried a new method which worked perfectly. Good thing my employer uses Google Apps for email!

No, filters don’t work

Gmail’s filters will work only to forward email that are received after creating the filter. Old mail will not be forwarded.

POP Download

So how do you do it?  Use POP download! I already forgot what POP meant during my high school computer class, but nevertheless, the step-by-step procedure below worked just the way I needed it. First, let me clarify that this procedure works for moving mail from Google Apps to Gmail. I don’t know if this will work for other email clients.

1. Set for all the incoming mail to be forwarded to your Gmail. After logging into your Google Apps email, go to Settings>Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Under Forwarding, enable Forward a copy of incoming mail to [fill in your gmail address] and [select whether to  keep, archive, or delete your copy in the inbox]. This step is optional.
2. Enable POP download. Under Pop Download, select Enable POP for all mail (even mail that’s already been downloaded). You may then choose whether to keep, archive, or delete your copy of received mails in the inbox.
3. Note your Google App mail’s configuration settings. Still in the sam panel, click the link Configuration instructions. A list of supported POP clients will appear. Click Other under Mail Clients. Note the Incoming Mail (POP3) Server settings especially the POP server address, the port, and whether or not  to use SSL.
4. Add a POP3 email account in your Gmail. Log in to your Gmail and go to Settings>Accounts and Import.  Click the Add POP3 email account button under Check mail using POP3. Fill in the required instructions in the Pop-up window using the configuration settings you noted from step #3. Don’t check Leave a copy of the retrieved message on the server. You might also want to apply a label to all the imported mail so they don’t get mixed up with the rest of your other email. Also remember to provide your full email address. Save changes.
5. Wait. Congratulations! Gmail will now check your Google Apps mail and automatically download all the contents of your inbox. It will take a while especially if you have thousands of mail so please be patient. Meanwhile, you may also enable sending mail from your Gmail using your Google Apps address.

Archive.org is trying to keep a copy of as many Geocities sites as they can but only one of my two sites have so far been stored. Also, I will have no control whatsoever on the copies stored in the waybackmachine servers.

With that, I have moved two of my websites hosted in Geocities into this domain. You may now access them at pisaywv.rexdelsar.com (formerly geocities.com/pisaywv) and eureka.rexdelsar.com (formerly geocities.com/upveureka). These two websites were among my first that I made in high school and college respectively. Interestingly, I also consider them to be my best sites ever. Back then I still had lots of time to be creative. I will talk more exhaustively about these two sites in another time.

Meanwhile, if you still have a website hosted in Geocities, you better move them elsewhere NOW.

————————–

Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?

(A special report from a volunteer)
Oct 21st, 2009 by ella
Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.

Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.

For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.

Please read on and good luck to us.

Ella

(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)

Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:

Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.

This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya – “Walang volunteers”.

I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.

In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000

“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.

Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,


Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.

The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”

During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy. “Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.

kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?

From Stella Arnaldo’s blog:

“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!
Photos by Leah Navarro


Even grade school kids pitched in to help!

Youth volunteers repack detergents for distribution

Making beds from carton boxes

GMA asked world for donations

Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.

But these donations must be coursed through DSWD

Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.

This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.

A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!

As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!

Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.

What “volunteers”? Nasaan?

Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?

I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?

Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international

Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.

The relief goods are not going anywhere

We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.

The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers.

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING

Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I wonder why.

“Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse.”

Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.

Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na kaldero

At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit

Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon

Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon

(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga “special victims” kaya ito? Ire-repack kaya ang mga “imported” camp pads na ito ever?

Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa “ordinary victims”. Ito ang kasama sa inimpake namin. Sayang ‘yung imported.

Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ‘yung mga kumot)

Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.

(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. “Imported” are not included, we have concluded.

Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa tabi ng sikyo.

PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you’d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans lang ‘to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,

Naaah! “Imported” pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin included

Now let’s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD

Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.

Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.

Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.

Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.

Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas

Do not delay

YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean “do not delay ang dati nang delayed”?? Shet.

Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse ang nasa loob ng compound na ‘yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga nasalanta. Halatang-halata.

Marami pang pabubulukin

Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.

“The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days ago for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”
The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.

Sige, ideretso ‘nyo ulit ‘yan sa DSWD warehouse. Para AMAG naman ang abutin ng biskwit… at sapot ng gagamba.

Conclusion

Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods. 150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ‘yon that day. At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and packed as the day they arrived.

Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina. Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.

Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din ng mga tao…sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods na ‘yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.

Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:

Kung talagang gugustuhin ninyong makarating agad sa mga kawawang biktima ang mga donasyong ‘yon, nagawa ‘nyo na ‘yan. Maraming paraan…kung talagang gusto ‘nyo lang.You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

Bloggers’ Choice Award

2009 Philippine Blog Awards

While I snapped some shots of a group of policemen across the intersection, a man approached me from behind and asked if I was taking pictures of the policemen. Well, obviously, but I told him I was taking pictures of anything. Indeed, from a photographer’s point of view, it is very normal to be taking pictures of anything at any time. But this man asked me the same question again. Then another man came, then another. They kept asking me questions.

“What are you taking pictures of? The Policemen?” “Are you from the media?” “Where are you going to use your pictures?” “Are you a student?” “What are you going to do with your pictures?” “What are you taking pictures of?” [questions translated from Hiligaynon]

I tried to answer their questions.. “No, I’m not from the media… I have a flickr and a photoblog in the internet… I’m a student from UP [didn't bother to explain I work at the same time].. I take pictures of anything..” However, they just seemed to repeat their questions and they were now surrounding me.

Eventually they told me to turn off my camera which I promptly did sensing I was in trouble and they didn’t like me taking pictures. Seconds later, the convoy of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo passed right in front of us.

Okay, so apparently they were some undercover agents of the presidential security group and they were probably concerned I was a spy or I was hiding some dangerous weapon within the body of my point-and-shoot camera. Maybe at that moment, I was again a threat to national security.

That’s that. We brought home one slice of pizza and there’s no sign of these undercover agents following me. (or so I think). Nevertheless, it reminds me of a similar incident just three weeks ago.

At Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA)

We just arrived at the DMIA passenger terminal after a long journey that involved the longest U-turn of our lives. (We missed an exit along the Subic-Clark Expressway and the next exit was about 35 kilometers away!) We just unloaded our bags from our hired van and we were counting money and about to pay the driver when an LTO traffic officer in a brown uniform took note that our van was registered only for private use and was not authorized to be hired. He said our van was “colorum” (?). Since we were just beginning a trip that I have decided to thoroughly document, I took a picture of the traffic officer reprimanding the driver since I thought it was a memorable moment.

Seeing that I took his picture, the officer immediately asked me to approach him and asked what I took the picture for. (Again, from a photographer’s point of view, it is very normal to be taking pictures of anything at any time.) So I said I take pictures of anything but he didn’t believe me. He said I had an “intention” for taking the picture. Now both I and the driver were in trouble.

The officer asserted that I was not allowed to take pictures of officers like him (shows his ID) and that I must respect his right and ask for his permission first before taking his picture. Uh, okay. I am certain there was no such law in the Philippines or in the Magna Carta but this officer was already holding my arm in one hand and handcuffs on the other. He asked me to follow him into their office.

I was afraid, not of being jailed for violating a non-existent law, but of missing my flight to Kuala Lumpur and messing up the holiday mood of my seven companions. I thank God the officer never really placed the handcuffs on me and I didn’t have to follow him into their office. After some chilly moments, he let me go after I deleted the picture. As for the driver, we hope he just got a traffic ticket.

In the Cafeteria

Yet again I remember an instance in the university cafeteria when I was taking some photos of the trays where students were supposed to (but didn’t) place used eating utensils. An old lady approached me and introduced herself as the cafeteria concessionaire. “Excuse me, I am the concessionaire of this cafeteria, may I know why you are taking pictures? Where are you going to use them?”

The tone of her voice wasn’t very friendly, in fact it sounded hostile. I explained I was going to use the photos to illustrate that students don’t follow directions. I don’t remember if I actually did but that effectively diverted her resentment towards those who don’t place their used utensils in the proper place. I just had to endure a few minutes of her sermon.

In Chemistry Class

I was in my first year of university when I had my earliest memories of trouble stemming from my passion for taking pictures. It was in the chemistry laboratory. One group of my classmates left a beaker of hydrochloric acid (or was it sulfuric?) boiling above the bunsen burner until it gave off clouds of fume. The white fume filled the whole laboratory sending the entire class out into the hallway. Surely acidic fumes are very dangerous they could damage your respiratory lining.

Thinking it was a memorable moment worth remembering, I took out my camera which was then a portable Intel PC camera with a maximum resolution of 640×480 pixels. I started to take photos of the class in the hallway and our instructor, already upset about the lab incident, suddenly asked me, “What are you taking pictures for? Are you a reporter?!”

Conclusion of the matter

Again, I consider it normal for anyone to be taking pictures of anything at any time even for no clear purpose (unless of course if the picture is offensive or derogatory in nature). However, it seems that some people think others always have an “intention” for taking pictures. Unfortunately, as in the cases above, that intention can be presumed to be negative. Still, I can’t imagine what was in the mind of the traffic officer, the cafeteria concessionaire, and my chemistry instructor that upset them.

Whatever they were thinking, incidents like these will not stop me from taking pictures of anything, whether it be the plain blue sky, a blank wall, or any random frame from the flurry of everyday life. I love taking pictures and it’s all worth the trouble so far.

However, it might be time to review those stealth photography techniques.

*I have the feeling this post will be detected, crawled, and perhaps recorded by intelligence spiders.

The main reason I opted for Globe Tattoo before was because they charge every 15 minutes compared to Smart Bro which charges every 30 minutes. But now, Smart offers an ideal per-minute charging which means I can disconnect and reconnect anytime without being concerned of paying for unused minutes. Be aware though – you need to periodically register online to avail of the per-minute packages. Also, Smart Bro can be loaded using call and text cards with a simple text from any Smart phone unlike Globe Tattoo where I  have to insert the SIM in a phone just to use load cards. Also, I sell Smart load myself (hehe..) so I get to save on my profit margins if I load my Smart Bro myself. One more thing. The Smart Bro USB stick looks way better than the Globe Tattoo USB I got with the cheap stickers.

However, I do have serious complaints about this Smart Bro Plugit. First, it always takes about 1 minute and 30 seconds before I can connect from the moment I insert the plugit. That is very annoying. The Globe Tattoo on the other hand can connect almost immediately. The software of the Smart Bro Plugit is also inferior to that of Globe Tattoo. In fact, it is littered with bugs. Sometimes when I get disconnected for no reason,  the software would get stuck and the numbers in the speed indicator go berserk. Also, when I click the “Connect” button, the software tells me the USB modem cannot be detected even if it is and is already detected by the computer. Smart Bro also does not have the real time statistics graph present in Globe Tattoo. I like watching that graph very much. The interface of the Globe Tattoo software also looks better and is more functional in  my opinion.

As for speed and connectivity, Smart Bro and Globe Tattoo are about as fast as each other in my location. I do however get disconnected without warning from Smart Bro more often. I don’t  know if it is just a temporary problem with their system though. At certain periods, I also get the error message below every time I click the connect button which is very, very annoying. (UPDATE: disconnecting and reconnecting the USB might help)

A connection to the remote computer could not be established, so the port used for this connection was closed. For further assistance, click More Info or search Help and Support Center for this error number.

So between the two, will I choose Smart Bro or Globe Tattoo? I will go for Smart Bro! Why? Basically because I sell Smart load myself so minus my profit margin, an hour of internet will cost me only about P17.7! Haha! Also, the real winner is their per-minute packages. Thus, I disconnected to type this post offline and I will reconnect again for only a few minutes to post it. I only pay for the minutes I actually use!

For now, I can afford to bear the very very annoying cons of the Smart Bro Broadband while waiting for Sun Cellular to offer their unlimited mobile internet outside Metro Manila.