Masunuring Big Brother!

Wala lang…. natawa lang ako… found this in Pinoyexchange……. ang Pinoy talaga… daming oras basta kagaguhan Credits to Mushroom of ABS Forums:

Good TV!

 Just finished watching PBB Season 2. Hmp. Nahigh-blood na naman ako! I need to blog this now hehehe… hindi na kayang hintayin pa bukas sa office!  Kuya’s new scheme is definitely working. Ang gandang combination… a strong personality (nice way of saying B…..wag na lang… good ang blog na ito….) like Wendy… meek , with low self esteem and history of clinical depression (alleged..) like Gee-ann, Goody-two-shoes Bea…. and siyempre ang mga supporting na si “walang b*lls (pardon the description) na si Bruce, go with the flow Nel and dull and uninteresting Bodie. It would have been better if Maricris and Dionne are still inside hehehe… riot na talaga.

       Hay……..Nagkakagulo ang lahat…. si Wendy nabubuhay sa kanyang Walt Disney world –feeling Cinderella e… kulang na lang grand prize….. Gee-anne is nearing the edge … kaunting tulak na lang baka mag-voluntary eviction na sya. Bea is doing great I think —- deadma lang sya….  As usual … wala pa ring stand si Bruce… echo lang sya ni Wendy. Si Nel… echo ni Bruce…. iba talaga ang nagagawa ng pag-ibig… daw…  Si Bodie…never mind. Sa lahat ng mga pangyayari… only Mickey is level headed… may mga points syang niraise against Wendy.. but he said it in a nice, tactful way. Gee-ann was my bet from the start… but I do think Mickey deserves to win.

                                                                                                                                  This is good television! Lahat ng mga nanonood may strong emotion…karamihan galit kay Wendy… yours truly included… Nag-sms nga ako sa isa kong kaibigan… para tanungin kung may flight pauwi ng Pinas… wala lang… gusto ko lang umuwi para iwagayway si Wendy para magising sa katotohanan. Hehehe….  Everyone is at the edge of their seat … walang tayuan… talagang tinapos ang primetime!  Pero di pa dun magtatapos yan… for sure … bukas pagkwentuhan pa yan…  Yan ang may impact…. Wag lang sana sa dulo sabihin na its all a task… That will be terrible.

Anyway.. I was reading the Pinoyexchange forum on PBB… and may 2 entry dun na  nais kong ishare…..

“g-ann: sa kanya(wendy) galing kung fame ang gusto di sana sumali ako ng star circle…kung gusto ko ng pera di sana sumali nalang ako ng wowowe…magdamagang pilahan lang yun hindi dito na 4 na buwan na magpapakagaga ako…
bea: “laughing”

Katawa di ba? Tama naman sila……

Next entry is long .. para sa kailangan mag-catch up…

Today, 12:40 AMphateemuh Member Join Date: Apr 2006  I am so RANTING! I used to LOVE Pinoy Big Brother and endure all the bashing I get from my friends saying that I’m jologs or whatever! Anyways, I hate Pinoy Big Brother’s second season, for a lot of reasons.First, it isn’t as interesting as the first, well maybe because it is already an OLD concept. Second, because they could’ve gotten better housemates. Third, because it is OBVIOUS that things are PLANTED and the management manipulates the votes, no wonder the process of selecting is through VOTING! That way, they can manipulate it in a way people would not suspect.

And last, Pinoy Big Brother is BIASED! It shows a lot that they are always in favor of WENDY! The WENDY that they show on Primetime is NOT the SAME WENDY on 24/7. Here are some things that Wendy did and said on 24/7 that was not included in the primetime show:

Wendy said that the whole thing about Pamela was all made up. Gee-ann was apparently using Pamela to look cute. And in the latter part of the show, Gee-ann saw that Pamela wasn’t working that’s why she had to form a love team/ love triangle. “Hello, to be honest, para biglang nagkaron ng triangle, nagpepretend siya may gusto siya sa inyo, para saan? Nakita niya hindi pumapatok si Pamela, nakita niya pumapatok kami ni bruce. akala niya dinadaan namin sa ganon. Don’t you think its odd, tagal tagal na nagsestay dito hindi siya nagkakagusto sa kahit na sino.”
Wendy also said to Mickey that Gee-ann was just using them (Bodie and Mickey) to be talked about. She even said: “Kasi nung birthday ko napansin ko na yun e… iba tingin niya sakin… dati akala ko ako naiinggit sa kanya pero dun ko narealize na siya naiinggit sakin.”

Wendy also cooked a meal (tocino) for the housemates but it excludes Gee-ann and Bea. And said: “Pls lang pag sinabi kong pang limang tao lang yung tocino wag niyo na ko pakelaman. kung gusto nila kumain sila magluto.”

She also said that Gee-ann doesn’t have any fans and the only reason why she has votes is because her family can afford (to buy votes).

Magiging masakit para sa kaniya. Ni isang tao walang natuwa sa kaniya. Hindi siya natatanggal sa nomination kasi binibili lahat ng boto. Inaano niya sakin. Wala ako e alam mo yon. Siya nasa kaniya na lahat, ano pa ba gusto niya, nabibili nga niya lahat e. Wala naman akong laban sa kaniya e. Ako naman eto lang ako. Tapos biglang magkakagusto sayo, magkakagusto kay bodie, cmon now. Anong laban ko sa kaniya, wala naman kaming pera. Nung birthday ko nga…ako pa lumapit sa kaniya para lang sabihin o bakit hindi mo man lang ako binabati. Parang ikaw yung ate ko, pareho kayo ng ate ko, i love you ate wends. Alam niya kasi pag sinabihan ako ng i love you dun ako matutuwa. alam niya kung saan matutuwa yung tao. O bakit hindi na niya kinakausap si bruce ngayon dahil binoto niya. Sobrang hoping kaya ako na mapatunayan yung thinking ko na pinaplastic niya lang ako. Kagabi dahil nomination, super hug sayo, super kapit. Feeling ko kasi unfinished business yung nagiging close kami tapos bigla akong lumabas, kaya lahat ginawa ko sa kaniya, nag reach out ako. Tapos objective daw siya. Bakit si nel binoto niya kasi binoto siya last week? Such a lie. She’s a liar.

I think it was also very brave that Gee-ann questioned Kuya’s policy, strict ones, mind you, regarding the outside world. Why did they allow someone who already left the house to come back? Stepping outside the house is indeed a very different thing. Wendy could have and im sure of this, has been fed on things that have happened inside the house during her stay. It is a way for her to be able to asses the housemates and know them better, who’s on her side, and who’s not. It totally defeats the purpose of having no contact with the outside world.

It is so unfair that what they show on Primetime focuses on Gee-ann’s paranoia. Probably eacuse it is a character she has established in previous episodes. And with more than a million people watching, without the knowledge of what happened on 24/7 that was edited out and not shown on primetime, everyone now thinks that Wendy is the victim. When in fact it is Gee-ann.

Has ABS-CBN forgotten about having 24/7 subscribers who see what really happens? Do they edit out these things on purpose to appeal to the masses, who watch free TV to side with Wendy? How about those who have internet access and can anytime see this video uploaded on You Tube on these links (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R78d74AEXBw ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3_PZBpDWn0 ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThmN8Jnm5GQ ) , have they forgotten about us?“Di ko kaya makisama sa plastic.”-Wendy
Look who’s talking? Wendy’s plasticity in human form!

Think ABS-CBN, think.
Think people, think. Above entries is from the below link .. if you want to read more…

http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304155&page=98

-20JUNE07-

How do you solve a problem like Wendy?

    I was about to loose interest on PBB Season 2…. mainly because of the Brendy (Bruce and Wendy) overload.  I have already mentioned in one of my previous blogs that I am not a fan of  Wendy. I find her rude, petty, kfc este KSP pala, shallow and artificial. Her elimination was one of the happiest moment of my life (hehehe.. medyo exaggerated po… pasensya na)…. but as we all know… it was shortlived. Somehow — she returned….. how… we will never know.  Nung bumalik na sya – kapansin pansin ang kabaitan nya kay Gee-anne…. Not surprising really.  Alam nya kasi na maraming may gusto kay Gee-ann at the main reason why she was eliminated is mainly because the Gee-ann fans voted for Dionne and Saicy para lang mapatalksik sya. Hey.. it’s a game.. so be it… di na lang ako masyadong nanonood.  

However.. the past few episodes… medyo naging interesting na ulit sya… the face-to-face nomination added tension in the house. Tapos pinarinig pa ni Kuya yung mga pinagusapan sa confession room. Syempre pa gulo… Gee-ann’s meltdown.. Mickey comforting her and Brendy’s reaction is good television hehehe… Parang teleserye…  nga lang… I am quite surprise with Wendy’s reaction on the situation…… I was expecting that she’ll play the meek and misunderstood lamb.  Ang tingin ko kasi sa kanya… she’s  the sly one… dahil may info na sya.. she’ll use this to her advantage.  Di ko akalain na may pagkamahina nga kukote nya…. Wag na nyang sabihin na nagpapakatotoo sya.. kasi she’s not… alam na ng lahat yun…. Why not continue the charade  di ba? Pero hindi…. Ngayon nya piniling magpakatotoo.   Telling everyone who would listen that she hate Gee-ann and Bea because they are plastic, backstabbers,  mukhang pera etc…etc…. not a good move Wendy…… Saying that you don’t care about the prizes (actually… sya lang naman ang nakakaalam kung ano prize di ba? Wala naman alam yung iba…)….  not really something an intelligent housemate will say. And the odd thing was… lahat ng sinasabi nya about the other two girls…… parang dinedescribe nya ang sarili nya hehehe….  Nakakatawa tuloy… the more na sinisiraan nya yung dalawa… mas nasisira sya sa tao.  I would really be surprise if she will be part of the big four… kung masama sya isa lang ibig sabihin nun…. May mga bumoto sa Maguindanao… at na-zero sina Gee-anne, Bea at Mickey…..  -19JUNE07

I’m in LOVE!

Yup. You read it right…. Am head over heels in love…. Ganun pala talaga no… bigla mo na lang mararamdaman. It was a perfectly normal day. I’m in the office… very busy.. reading the day’s news and BAMMM…… there she is… the new apple of my eye…. Sigh…. I long  to caress her slender body… I ache to feel her skin next to mine….I love to know which buttons to press to make her respond to my needs….  Kaso… hanggang picture ko pa lang siya nakikita…. Pero di bale… darating din ang panahon at mapapasaakin din sya…. Pangako ko yan……..

So expensive what!

There is an article in the Today newspaper regarding the rising cost of living here in Singapore. In the annual survey – Singapore ranked 14^th in the world…. overtaking New York. In Asia – it is ranked 5^th after the usual suspects Osaka, Hongkong, Tokyo and Seoul.  According to the survery – the rising cost of housing rental, transport costs and groceries are the main reasons why Singapore move up from 17^th last year to 14^th this year. 

This is not really a surprise. Everyone is complaining about the rising cost of house rentals ngayon. Yung mga nasa Private condo nga ay lumilipat na sa  HDB dahil hindi na kaya ang rent.  Yung usual SGD$1500-SGD$1,800 3 bedroom private condo now costs around SGD$2,200. So not worth it… lalo na at tulugan lang naman talaga.. dahil most of the time ay nasa labas naman. Because of the rising demand for HDB flats – the rental costs sky rocketed as well.  Maswerte na pag nakakita ka ng 3 bedroom HDB for SGD$1300. Grabe. Isama  pa dito ang pagtaas ng GST (EVAT dyan sa Pinas) this coming July. From 5%  to 7%…. hay… big headache…. Pero di pa dyan natatapos….. nandyan pa ang continued strengthening of the Philippine Peso… alamak…… I am really glad that the economy of the Philippines is improving. Kahit may mga kapalpakan man … we should give credit where credit is due … well done Ate Glue… noh… Nga lang….. pag nagreremit na kami ng aming hardearned money… hay… lungkot….. baba ng conversion hehehehe.   

With all the above factors happening… patuloy na bumababa ang purchasing power naming mga Noypi dito sa Singapore.  Technically — bumababa ang sweldo namin..  Wala naman adjustment na ginagawa ang mga agents/employers naming dito. Hindi naman kasi treated as “expats” ang mga Noypi dito. Slaves pwede pa…. expat… asa pa…. Kaya saa mga nasa Pinas…. Hello…Wake up… hindi ninyo monopolyo ang paghihirap… kaya pwede lang… tigilan na ang reklamo …  minsan puro daldal… wala naming gawa. Hmp. … sa mga kapwa ko Noypi dito sa SG…. Ganyan talaga…… tiis lang….. sabi nga ni Kuya Kim — ang buhay ay weather-weather lang… J 

PS… Copied the article from Today Newspaper July 19     

Singapore more expensive to live in than New York; fifth most costly in Asia: Survey

 Christie Loh (christie@mediacorp.com.sg)

 THE by-product of a long-running economic boom has inevitably materialised. For the fourth straight year, a comprehensive survey shows Singapore scaling the ladder of expensive cities, raising concerns about whether rising costs will start to put off businesses and foreign talent. On a global scale, the Republic has overtaken New York to become the 14th most expensive city, up from 17th last year. Asia-wide, Singapore moved up a notch to fifth place behind Osaka, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul. Pushing the island up the rungs were housing rental hikes, higher transport costs and costlier groceries, said Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which yesterday released the annual Worldwide Cost of Living Survey of 143 cities. The results are of interest to multinational companies and governments, which buy the reports to determine compensation allowances for their expatriate staff. .Already, some foreign investors here are having second thoughts. “We have heard of at least one case where the company plans to staff a particular Asia-wide role in Hong Kong instead of in Singapore, given the difference in costs under new rents,” Mr Fermin Diez, Mercer’s worldwide partner and market development director for Asia-Pacific, told Today. Several of his multinational corporation (MNC) clients have also started worrying about the burden on current expatriate staff here and the impact on profitability. As leases run out, “everyone balks at the rapid rise in rental”, said Mr Diez. Overall private home rents surged 14.1 per cent last year from 2005, official figures showed, but landlords in prime areas have reportedly asked for as much as 50 per cent more. Some MNCs are now providing their expatriate employees with extra funds to cover their rental differentials, he said. Meanwhile, other Asian capitals may look more alluring. Mercer’s survey shows that all cities in this region slid down the table, except Singapore and Indian cities. This trend was part of a major reshuffle in the 2007 rankings, due mainly to the weakening US dollar and the stronger Euro, explained Mercer. While Moscow remained the most expensive city for the second consecutive year, several European capitals — such as London, Paris, and Copenhagen — have moved closer to the top. Mercer compared the cost of some 200 items including transport, food, clothing and entertainment. Expats paid in US dollars – whose value slumped to the lowest since 1997 last year – would have less spending power in, say, Singapore, where the currency has strengthened. And even though cities — say in China — may be cheaper, some are often viewed by expats as “hardship postings”, said Credit Suisse First Boston economist Sailesh Jha, an American citizen living here for the past five years. Pollution, for instance, is causing some expats to move out of Hong Kong. Since 2004, Singapore has gone from 46th place on the Mercer survey to 34th, then 17th, and this year 14th. The ascent mirrors the economy’s steady recovery from the 2003 Sars crisis to the present good times of perkier wages and bigger profits. But although the horizon looks clear for Singapore over the next 12 to 24 months, it remains to be seen if the rosy picture would stay intact three to five years down the road.

“For any company wishing to expand in Asia, it’ll need to measure costs of relocation versus strategic value in nurturing growth of the company,” said Mr Diez.

-19JUNE07-

Fun with History?

I never had a professor/teacher who made history fun. Mostly… history class if fun because we made fun of the professor /teacher.  Hey… can’t help it… if you are in a boring as hell class… you need to  find ways to amuse yourself. And the professor/teacher is always there… standing in front of you…. teasing you….asking to be ridiculed… a very good target for temporary amusement… Whenever I hear the word History — I always have a mental image of thousands and thousands of dates slowly filling up the room I’m in until it filled up.. suffocating me in the process… J   I hate dates… mainly because I am terrible at them.. can’t remember them… don’t give a damn about them. Frankly.. the only date I can never forget is my birthdate. And only because I am always asked about it (e.g. filling up of forms,  applications  etc).   History class is always a pain. All (and I mean all…. Not exceptions) of my history teaches make it a point to inform the class that the dates are very important…. So important that they need to include them on the exams. So.. as a dutiful student… I try to memorize as many as I can every exam period.   After reading Ambeth Ocampo’s article in the inquirer today…. I can’t help but wish that I studied in Ateneo… and have him as my History professor.  I think his attack on teaching history is rather interesting – a breath of fresh air as you may say.  Can you imagine your history teacher wearing an old monk’s habit? Hmm… interesting right? If you think about it — if they teach history like a teleserye… it will be more interesting right? Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio’s rivalry is way better than Jericho Rosales’ Panday or Robin Padilla’s Asian Treasure. Jose Rizals’ lovelife can be a Piolo Pascual/Judy Ann Santos/Claudine Baretto starrer.   Hay….. wishful thinking. Saka … tingin ko okay lang na wag na lang nila baguhin… alangan naman generation lang naming ang mabato sa history class… dapat patin future generations…. Hehehe… ganyan talaga… ganti-ganti lang J  

P.S. copied Ambeth Ocampo’s article below..  

Cutting through complexity By Ambeth Ocampo
Inquirer
Last updated 02:23am (Mla time) 06/15/2007

MANILA, Philippines — Classes have finally opened and I will face a new batch of over 160 students this semester. The challenge is to live up to my reputation both as a historian and a teacher. Coping with the curriculum is easy, but living up to the students’ ideals is another matter because many of the legends that surround me are simply untrue, or at best half-true.In the days before I grew enough gray hair to be assigned air-conditioned classrooms, students noticed that I perspired a lot (from the exertion of lecturing) and used baby diapers, instead of a handkerchief, to dry myself. I thought this a novel way to deal with the heat, for how can you beat an absorbent cotton diaper? The next best thing would be one of those coarse “Good Morning” face towels you see like yokes on the bare necks of jeepney drivers. Unfortunately, students misread the teacher who used diapers as a face towel and branded him eccentric.With the reputation for eccentricity firmly established, the urban legends followed. One student asked, “Is it true that you came to class once dressed as a pirate? Is it true that you came with a costume complete with sword, eye patch and a parrot?”I didn’t know where that came from, so I replied, “No, I didn’t come to class as a pirate, I came as the parrot!” And because teachers do not lie, that remark was taken literally and I now have a reputation of coming to class in a bird outfit.I did come to the first day of class once in my old monk’s habit. The sixth-century cut was so new to the 21st-century students that they were terrified. But that was not the punch-line. I introduced myself and told them how happy I was that they had an interest in learning biblical Greek. Stunned, everyone just sat in their seats and only recovered when I told them they were in a class on Philippine history.Every semester my students cross their fingers, hoping that I will be inspired enough to do my (in)famous Josephine Bracken impersonation where I act out the two hilarious versions of her miscarriage in costume that comes complete with a curly wig and a pillow inside the “daster.” If at all, one of the life lessons they will learn from class will be expectation and disappointment.When I was younger, I would come to the first day of class early, pick a seat in the back and wait for the students to file in. I would hide my face in my arms, pretend to sleep and count the minutes before the students became restless. In time, a rabble-rouser would stand up and incite the class to leave room and teacher. When he left the room, I would stand up lock the door and introduce myself, but not before I had talked to innocent students and asked what they had heard about the teacher and his grading system. Those who gave feedback turned red when they discovered that I was their teacher. Unfortunately, I’m too old to pass for a college student these days and can’t play this trick anymore.One would think that students would flock to a teacher who gives high grades for minimal effort and avoid one who gives low grades and horrendous tests. Unlike most teachers who cancel the lowest score attained in tests during the term, I prefer to cancel the highest score. The rationale is simple, if you cancel the lowest score you are giving allowance for bad-hair day, you encourage mediocrity. But if you cancel the highest, you are removing a chance score, or “tsamba” score, from the equation and encourage consistency. If your grades are consistently high, canceling the highest will not matter very much, but if your grades are low, then canceling the highest score really matters.Bonus questions are written in the “baybayin” pre-colonial Philippine script. Essay questions are designed to make students read and analyze a given document. In one case, my students were asked to read Antonio Pigafetta’s account of the Battle of Mactan in 1521. Surely it is easier to just ask an objective, fill-in-the blank question or perhaps make the student sweat over true or false. But that is not as challenging as asking the student to use the primary source document and narrate the events and outcome of the battle, not from the viewpoint of the chronicler of the Magellan expedition but from that of a fish. What will a fish (presumably a species we now know as lapu-lapu) see but legs in murky water? (One student filled a page with “glub, glub, glub…” and ended with, “Sorry, I cannot understand fish language.”) Senseless it seemed at the outset, but it does make the students read and re-read a given text and think outside of the box.Another famous question was, “What is the significance of the dog in the execution scene of the Marilou-Diaz Abaya film on Rizal?” Students gave very elaborate answers like: “Before Rizal was shot, the dog was on a leash, but when he fell, the dog ran round his corpse. This symbolizes that we were once enslaved but Rizal’s death freed us all.” To everyone’s surprise the question could be answered by one simple word: None, or “Wala.”History is not just about dates, names, places and events. It is supposed to teach the student to be critical in dealing with texts and more critical in dealing with questions that require commonsense answers expressed in a clear and lucid manner. Cutting through complexity is a skill everyone has to learn.

-18JUNE2007-

Arrogance

I called up my usual travel agent to ask for the plane ticket prices. Ang nakasagot ay isang Chinese lady. I asked for the PAL (Plane always late este Philippine Airlines) rates and she told me. The I asked for the SQ (Singapore Airlines) rate… and she answered “It is more expensive”. Alamak!  Nagpanting talaga ang tenga ko. E ano naman ngayon kung mas mahal? Ano ba yun. Bakit? Hindi ba namin afford na mga Pilipino na mag SQ? Excuse me no.  Kaya namin magbayad ng SQ fare if we want to… at kung hindi kami nagtitipid… at kung mas mababa ang fare … J … Pero that is not the point ….. I am a customer first and foremost… I asked for the price… you give it to me…. Hmp.  Anyway .. sabi ko…”I know….. I still want the price please.”… Hmp.. buti nga may please. She may have sensed that I am irritated…  kasi medyo nagbago na boses nya… medyo naging sweet na. Ayun… binigay ang price… and in fairness… mas mahal nga hehehe….  I have no patience for arrogant customer service people. Kahit ano pa ang ugali nung tumatawag.. as long as hindi sila minumura, binabastos o ginagawan ng kalaswaan… they should be nice. Yun ang trabaho nila no.  Oo … I know that it is quite hard dealing with people. E di kung nahihirapan sila.. lumipat sila ng ibang work.  If they do stick with the job – they should be professional enough para magampanan nila ang trabaho nila.  Tandaan nila… it’s a very competitive world…  maraming ibang companies ang nag-ooffer ng same services… minsan at a much lower price. Isa sa mga dahilan why a customer doesn’t leave is good customer service. Yung maramdaman ng customer na may relationship sya with the store/company. That he/she is not one of the many nameless/faceless customer.   

Oo nga pala…. Hindi ako dun bumili ng ticket… I decided to buy sa ibang travel agent… a little more expensive… pero mas convenient ang location when I pick up the tickets….. and the person who answered the phone is definitely friendlier… binigay agad nya ang presyo ng SQ hehehehe….

-18JUNE07-

Sufficient?

Due to some recent events – I decided to go back to the Philippines for a couple of days. Wala lang. Mag-aksaya lang ng pera hehehehe. Anyway – my problem is that I have only earned 1 day Vacation Leave so far. Di naman kaila sa lahat na kasisimula ko pa lang dito sa aking new job. Dahil sa nalagay na sa aking isipan na uuwi ako Pinas ….. lakas loob akong nagpaaalam ngayon. Actually… dapat last week pa ako nagpaalam – kaso nakabakasyon ang aking amo. I sent a mail early this morning seeking permission to go on leave (June 25 and 26) due to family matters. Hehehehe…..hindi poi to lie. It matters naman talaga to my family pag umuuwi ako. J I am expecting a mail na either approve or disapprove. The mail I received was definitely a surprise. My supervisor replied to my mail and asked if I think 2 days is sufficient.  Whoa! Parang hindi ko yata naririnig yan dito sa Singapore… ever. Nung nasa Utsu pa ako – paiyakan lagi ang magleave. Laging may tawaran. Para kami laging nasa games show. Parang lagi naming katabi si Kris Aquino at si Banker — is it a Deal… or No Deal! Dahil sa ang No Deal ay di ka makakapag leave …. Kadalasan… Deal agad. Ganito ang sitwasyon ng karamihan sa mga nasa Utsu. Iilan lamang ang katulad ko na dahil sa katigasan ng ulo — hindi pumipili ng brief case! Basta… nagsabi ako na magleleave ako. Yun na yun. Wala naman magagawa ang amo… pero naku… talaga naming kukunsensiyahin ka hanggang sa kahulihulihang araw ng iyong buhay. Mental torture ang kapalit ng ilang araw na bakasyon. He’ll make you feel that you are being irresponsible because you are going on leave kahit na tambak ang trabaho. Asus. As if naman nababawasan ang trabaho dun no. Kung hihintayin ko maubos ang trabaho bago ako magbakasyon – di na ako makakapagbakasyon… ever!     Now you know why the mail caught me by surprise? Naku… first thing na naisip ko… gawin kong 5 days hehehe… Pero naisip ko rin… don’t be too greedy. 2 days ang unang pinaalam… kaya dapat magstick to 2 days. I replied and said 2 days is enough. Wala pang isang minuto – my supervisor sent a mail to the people of Singapore that my leave has been approved.  Yehey… 2 days….  I’m so excited… and I just can’t hide it…  Para tuloy gusto kong kumanta ng…  

Manila, Manila
I keep coming back to Manila
Simply no place like Manila
Manila, I’m coming home Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila
Ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga
Mga Jeepney mong nagliliparan
Mga babae mong naggagandahan
Take me back in your arms Manila
And promise me you’ll never let go
Promise me you’ll never let go 

Hmmm…. jeepney? Wala bang FX? Mainit sa jeepney e…. J

-18JUNE07-

Balik Tanaw

Balik tanaw ang “theme” ng isa sa entry ng aming photo club (Finestra Photo Club) nung sumali kami Photoworld exhibit held sa Glorietta Makati. Tagal na nun.. if I am not mistaken… around 1999 siguro. We have two entries — Senses and Balik Tanaw. Sa Senses – mga close-up pictures ng “senses of the body”…. So eyes, nose, hands… etc… gets? Then hinaluan naming ng mga common things na ginagamitan ng senses… tissue, lollipop, books etc… The pictures.. well ok naman… wala akong naicontribute hehehe…. Puro patapon yung kuha ko e… Hehehe…  Yung second board is “Balik Tanaw”… all black and white photos from a cemetery. Binabalik-tanawan naming ang mga namayapa na. Nice no? I think I have a couple of photos in this exhibit. Favorite ko itong board na ito kasi I love black and white photos. Mas madating kasi. Mas may drama. Makikita mo yung picture at its rawest stage. Makikita mo kung ano talaga yung picture. Your eyes will not be fooled by vibrant colors. You get to appreciate the subtle lights, the lines and shapes, the story the picture is conveying. In other words… you get to see the picture as it is.  Wala lang… sumagi lang sa isip ko today ang Finestra club. Nakakamiss na rin kasi yung mga gimik namin. Sa group – I am the least talented when it comes to photography. Pero never did I feel that I am inferior compare to the other members. Kahit na madalas mapintasan ang mga pictures na kuha ko… okay lang. Kasi talaga naming palpakin minsan ang mga kuha ko. Hehehe… okay.. palpakin madalas…  Hay….  Paano ba kami nagsimula? Hmm…. I attended a Basic Photography seminar sa may Fort Santiago. Wala lang.. kabibili ko lang kasi ng aking Nikon camera hehehe…  Syempre di ko alam gamitin.. kaya nag-aral ako Basic Photography. Dun na kami nagkita-kita at nagkakilala. Di ko matandaan kung ilang weeks yung class – basta every Saturday. 6 kami original na medyo nagka-jive. Me, Ginny, Leo, Techie, David and Warson. Usually after class – we go out to eat.. hangout.. ganun. After nung seminar – the class decided to form a Photo club. Finestra was born. Dun naman naming nakalapit sina Lerma, Jommel and Ricky. Tulad ng ibang club… paunti ng paunti ang mga umaattend ng meeting.. kaya sa dulo mga 9 na lang kaming active. Okay lang… kasi aside from being club members we also became good friends. We also enrolled sa Advance class together. 4 Saturdays yung class. Masaya kasi marami nalalalaman. Pero kilala nyo naman ako… medyo hirap sa mga technical na bagay… kay click lang ng click ng camera. Bahala na hehehe. Hindi ko na iniisip kung ano yung speed, light, aperture etc..etc…. Mumbo-jumbo para sa akin ito hehehe…  Even after the class is over .. we still see a lot of each other. Love namin tambayan ang McDonalds Greenbelt. Sa lugar na ito madalas maganap ang alipustahan. Hehehe… syempre pa.. madalas kasama ang mga litratong kinuha ko sa mga naalipusta.. Minsan magphotoshoot… minsan kain trip lang…. minsan meeting….  Medyo nagkalayo-layo na lang nang pumunta na ako dito sa Singapore… Yung iba naman ay naging busy na rin with their respective lives… Paminsan minsan nagkikita pa rin yung mga naiwan sa Pinas.. pero rare event na yun… hirap na raw i-schedule ng mga nilalang e…. Ako rin naman paminsan lang umuwi ng Pinas. At minsan kapos talaga sa oras kaya di ko rin sila namemeet… However – we still try our best to keep in touch… Mga paminsa-minsan na mail.. or sms…. Kahit madalang… its our way of saying that we are still friends. Pag may nangailangan — nandyan pa rin ang bawat isa para dumamay.  Finestra died a few years ago. Cause? Kulang sa nurture. Kulang sa time. Do I feel bad about it? Hmm.. konti. Di masyado. Nawala man yung club…. the friends still remain. At yun ang importante sa lahat…  P.S.Hmmm.. magenroll kaya ako sa Photo class? Tingin nyo? 

Samu’t Sari (ulit)

1.     I created a new playlist in my Ipod yesterday. It’s the “Idol” playlist. Dito ko nilagay lahat ng Idol related songs. So far – I like Chris Daughtry (Daughtry), Carrie Underwood (Some Hearts), Elliot Yamin (self titled — This guy is a huge surprise. The album is really good), Kelly Clarkson(Breakaway). I am not too sure of Katherine McPhee’s album (self titled).It seems that the album is going in different directions. She’s not sure if she wants to be the next Beyonce or a rock star or a sentimental singer.  I am not a fan of Fantasia’s Album (self titled)too. Not sure why but I keep on seeing Donald Duck every time I hear Fantasia. I have the winning songs of Jordin Sparks (This is my now) and Blake Lewis (You give love a bad name) and I like them both. I have a couple of Taylor Hick’s songs pero di ko pa ito napapakinggan… kaya no judgement muna. As for the other idols… hmmm .. hanap na lang ako ng madownload sa net hehehe… o baka naman may mga mababait akong kaibigan na magpapahiram sa akin… any friend who wants to be elevated to nice status?     

 2.     I had a haircut last Friday. Yup I’m bald now…. Okay.. an exaggeration… I’m short-haired now. Gone are the days of long, black, shiny hair. O sige na po… puro reactions – gone are the days of long, black, bad hair days. Now – it’s short (too short for my liking) and easier to manage. Pagkaligo – kaunting suklay.. can na. Di tulad dati na kailangan pagtuunan ng pansin at panahon. Ngayon green and go lagi. Sabi ng katabi ko dito sa office … I look very young daw… mukha na kasi akong sanggol hehehehe….  

3.     I experienced a momentous event last Saturday. Finally — nakapunta na rin ako sa Holland Village! Yes! Hehehe… I watched Oceans 13 with Cha and Elaine sa Vivo City. After the movie – nagkayayaan mag-dinner. I told them we can check out The Station Kitchen at St. James Power Station or Holland Village. Una naming pinuntahan ang Station Kitchen – the place looks ok…  di lang naming trip that night. So… Holland Village! Yes! We took the cab kasi di naming alam kung saan yun. Nung nakita ko na… initial reaction ko is wala lang… para lang pala syang Siglap. Am initially wondering bakit masyadong hype ang lugar na ito. Pero okay pala syang tambayan. The place is nice and quiet (compared to Orchard/East Coast). We decided to eat at NYDC – stayed there till around 1:00 a.m. Kain, tawanan… catching up… I will definitely go back… hirap maghanap ng masayang tambayan.. and Holland Village definitely suits me just fine…… 

4.     I went to Moomai’s house last night (Sunday) as she is begging me to attend a product demonstration. As I am a very good friend – I attended (with her promising that dinner is free!). The product – Saladmaster. Nung una — deadma lang ako. Kasi madalas na natin nakikita itong mga ganitong gimik sa TV shopping. Anyway – dahil sa di naman ako bastos (masyado) I listened intently. Aba – first demo was to cook Betty Crocker cake without the vegetable oil and water. Tapos hinaluan pa nila ng shredded carrots and zucchini. Aba… kakaiba. They use the saladmaster sauce pan. Tapos habang niluluto ang cake – nagluto naman ng sinigang…. Na walang tubig. Opo… hinalo-halo lang ang pork/vegetables(kasam yung pechay leaves)/sinigang mix sa saladmaster wok at niluto na in low heat. Habang niluluto — nagprito din ng chicken sa saladmaster electric skillet. Prito lang.. no oil. Nagsaing din using the saladmaster sauce pan. Nung naluto na lahat… around an hour — pinatikim na. Wow.. sarap.. malasa lahat. I was amazed by the sinigang. May sabaw na sya. The vegetables are cooked just right… hindi nalanta yung pechay considering sabay ito nilagay with pork. The chicken is very crispy. Sarap. The cake – well its your normall Betty Crocker cake pero di malasahan yung carrots and zucchini. Amazing hehehe… I was actually ready to buy… hanggang malaman ko ang presyo – the set with promo (na kasama na yung mga gusto ko) costs around SGS$6,500. Opo… in pesos — around 200K. So expensive. Hay. Pero lifetime warranty daw… and very durable. May mga patotoo naman na it’s a very good product. A friend’s grandmother bought dati (early 50s yata) and nagagamit pa rin nila ngayon.  Hay. Si Moomai bumili na pala. Sabi ko nga hiramin ko na lang hehehe… If you want to know more their website is www.saladmaster.com. Nga pala. Sabi nung nagdemo – Kris Aquino bought the entire set sa Pinas… around 1 million pesos lang naman ang presyo… biro mo.. si Kris — nag-deal! So.. tingin nyo.. Deal or No Deal?  

5.     Bought a Nautica cardigan… for a bargain price of SGD$62! May 20% discount kasi dahil sa Great Singapore Sale. It’s actually a steal. Lam nyo naman… hirap maghanap ng size for me dito sa land of the payatots…. Ngayon, ang problema ko na lang ay kung saan ko ito isusuot… Hmmm… makapunta nga sa Alaska…… Masarap kaya halo-halo dun?