Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Another Prop to Occupy My Time

What do I do now that...
  • I've stopped smoking for over a month and am getting fat, but am too lazy to work out.
  • it's raining and I can't go on my daily walk to Glorietta or walk my dog tonight after work.
  • Layla's first birthday is coming and I still don't know what to get her.
  • the World Cup is over. No more one-time big-time guapo fest.
  • Michael Schumacher only has 3 races left and I can't afford to see the upcoming race in Shanghai (what more the races in Japan and Brasil!).
  • I have to watch NASCAR races because my employer will sponsor Juan Pablo Montoya in the next season.
  • Rockstar: Supernova is done (I'm not happy with the result).
  • Survivor is, for some reason, no longer being aired in the Philippines. I want to know which "race" is ahead.
  • the 7th season of CSI (Las Vegas) has not yet made its way to AXN-Asia. Since all CSI romances go belly up, I wonder who they're going to get rid of - Gil or Sara (please kill Sara. Please! And let William Peterson stretch his acting muscles a bit on TV).
  • AXN-Asia hasn't gotten the 3rd season of CSI: NY either. Worse: when the new season starts, Claire Forlani and Edward Furlong will be in it, and there will be even more CSI romances. Ewww. I just want to see crimes getting solved! Hello!
  • the 2nd season of Grey's Anatomy hasn't started on Star World Asia (but I think it will soon)
  • HBO Asia never bothered showing the last season of Six Feet Under. I hope they air the 3rd season of Entourage.
  • Power Books and Rustan's are going on sale this weekend, but I need to save up for Christmas.
  • evil George Lucas is re-releasing the original theatrical version of the first three Star Wars films. Or are they the last three? Whatever. You know what I mean. But has he ever bothered releasing a DVD copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special? Nooo! Jerk.


I miss seeing Kaka (sigh). I miss Marty Casey (yes, I know, Rockstar: INXS was last year, but he was so much more fun to watch than the Supernova hopefuls). I'm running out of books to read, but I'm thoroughly enjoying Bianca's copy of Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

I should have more time. More time for more than this. I get home dead tired and look forward to mindless entertainment, but I almost always miss the Seinfeld re-runs. House, M.D. is on too late. So should I just....work? Dream?

Change topic. But it's a related one. Really. I don't have time to create a separate post right now. I just have to share what Bianca sent me from Entertainment Weekly. It's mindless entertainment that...well, affects me like all other things that shouldn't.

Dalton Ross on why he can't stop rebuying ''Star Wars.''

JEDI TRICKS The latest Lucas plan means many fans must rebuy ''Special Editions'' they already own to get the new discs with Luke and Leia as seen in the original theatrical releases.

There's a sucker born every minute. Like me, for instance. How do you know when you're a sucker? When you find yourself shelling out 90 bucks for three movies that you already own. In about 18 different formats.

I'm speaking, of course, about this week's re-release of the original Star Wars Trilogy on DVD. I suppose a little history is in order: Back in 2004, George Lucas put out Episodes 4, 5, and 6 - sorry, I'm not going to geek out with the Roman numerals - on DVD. Fans were delighted and outraged at the same time - delighted because the movies looked beautiful, sounded incredible, and featured some really cool bonus features, and outraged because he insisted on releasing only his tweaked ''Special Edition'' versions. Why not release both the unaltered and the updated ones, fans asked, much in the way Lucas pal Steven Spielberg did with E.T.? But Lucas didn't listen. Of course, now we know why: Because he wanted to wait two years to do that so that everyone who purchased his 2004 boxed set would have to go back and buy the films all over again.

But what Lucas is doing is even more egregious, because you can't just go out and buy the new... uh, old... uh, let's just call them ''original'' versions of the films. You have to rebuy all three Special Edition versions, which now come in two-disc packs along with the untampered ones. That sucks. Look, any true goober (like me) already has the 2004 discs, and now if we want to own the films as we saw them back in the day, we have to buy the 2.0 versions all over again. Very interesting that Lucas would decide to package the movies this way, especially considering that said movies are all about the evils of greed. (Irony, anyone?)

I also love (and when I say ''love'' I actually mean hate) how Lucas is now saying that he's doing it because the fans were so passionate in their desire for the original versions of the films. He's right. They are. And they also were two years ago, when they screamed and shouted for the untampered originals, but he conveniently wasn't listening then. Still, none of this is the worst part. The worst part is that this blatant rip-off will not be the last time I buy movies featuring Ewoks and digitally inserted Gungans. You see, it turns out that these new two-packs will only be available through the end of the year. Why, you ask? Well, word is there is some sort of ultimate boxed set coming out next year that will contain all six previously released films, along with a whole bunch of other extras that Lucas has purposefully held off of other versions. IT SIMPLY NEVER ENDS!!!

''You're either with me or you're against me,'' Anakin says to Obi-Wan in a line that speaks to power, corruption, and the dark side. So far, I've been with Mr. Lucas and all his various home video releases. And I hate myself for it.

Now, here's something from the feedback section of Entertainment Weekly regarding the above article:

The thing with the new Star Wars release for me is that the ''new-super-duper-extra-shiny-jumbo-mega-special-supercalifragilisticexpealidocious-last-one-we-really-promise-edition'' that is rumored to be coming out next year is just that: RUMORED! What if I don't buy these ones, and then the Internet turns out to be wrong? And I miss my chance to own these particular discs??? And they are never offered on eBay or anything? And my children get picked on in school because they never owned the 2006 set? And they have low self-esteem and never get into good colleges and end up living at home forever? I think I need to go lie down. Excuse me. — Michelle Fournier

As a parent, I feel your pain, Michelle. What it all comes down to, basically, is one simple question: Can your children live in a world without ''Yub Yub''? I've heard such a place exists. I've even observed from a safe distance. And I don't care to go there ever again (Dalton Ross, writer).

Check this picture out. Jeff emailed it to my sisters and I.


It's not his collection, mind you. When I told my friends that I prefer to date a Star Wars geek, I most certainly did NOT have this type in mind. Whoever the owner of this collection is, he's scary! But, if the guy had a copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special from the late 70s...consider him, we may, hmmm?

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

The Controversial Speech

Last Sunday, The Philippine Daily Inquirer printed Pope Benedict XVI's "controversial" speech at the Universtiy of Regensburg, Germany. It filled an entire page and used something like Arial 6 or 4. It was really small. But I read through it, trying to find out what all the fuss was really about. Did he say the wrong thing? Was he taken out of context? Are people just over-reacting?

In case you're interested, I found the entire lecture in the Vatican's web page here (yes, the Vatican is online!) -

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.html

Now, discuss.

Tales From the Cono Side

I got this via email from one of my Bangkok buddies. Hilarious! And yes, I once asked a client "Can I make patong my laptop on your desk?" He did not stop picking on me throughout our meeting. Thank God I went to La Salle, though. Hahaha!


Tales from the Coño Side
by Wanna Fellacio Torero

It's so hirap talaga to study in UP, the University of the Poor. You know, I never wanted to study here. But my parents kasi, they both went to UP and they said na it was the best school talaga. Eh 'di I went.

But no! When I got here, Holy horrors! I was ready to make himatay after the first day pa lang. Would you believe, there's no aircon na nga in the classrooms, the fan doesn't work pa. And then this guy who was like, wearing a sando, shorts and tsinelas lang made tabi next to me. He made pakilala pa! The nerve! So I made takbo to the CR to make tago. But I couldn't make hugas my hands that were so pawis from escaping such a near-death experience. There was no liquid soap! Not even a couch whereI could sit to make kikay.

Do you feel my pain na ba? But wait, there's more. Last Thursday kasi Daddy's Volvo was bawal, eh the Eclipse was being repaired, so I had to make sakay with my yaya in the Ikot jeep. It was so siksik! I could like, smell the putok of the girl next to me. Like, it was sobrang mabaho talaga. Kasi naman, the Ikot jeeps are old na nga, they're mainit pa!

Sana they make palit na the jeeps with a shuttle system. Okey lang naman even if there's an increase in pamasahe 'di ba? So when the car is bawal, I can use my credit card na to make bayad.

Isa pa, you know the Shopping Center? It's so kadiri talaga. I'm forced na nga to make Xerox there, (as if naman I could be caught in that placeo therwise) pero I'm so inis because it's so maliit and madilim, and most of the stalls don't have aircon. They should tear it down na and build a mall na lang. Then I wouldn't have to go to Katipunan pa to get my Starbucks fix.

My gosh, this place is so bulok I don't know nga why anyone would bother making turo here pa. Just yesterday, my professor was kinda inis kasi her whiteboard marker had no more tinta! Then she tried to make hanap a matino whiteboard marker but of course there was none. Duh! Kasi naman if we had laptops instead of desks in every classroom there would be no more need for whiteboards diba? But you know even if there were laptops na, the seats are so tigas sometimes I find it mahirap to concentrate. Dapat may cushioning para malambot sa butt, like Downy.

Now I'm in my third year na. I don't want to stay in this place anymore. I don't give a paki if UP's the best university here. I'm going to transfer to La Salle, where the CRs have liquid soap. Now na.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

The End is Near

A sure sign that English language proficiency in the Philippines is fast deteriorating is when even a call centre job market ad has poor grammar...or simply doesn't know what it wants to say. Your Honor, I present the following exhibits:

  • "preferably graduate of any medical course, but not required"
  • "should have good comprehension"
  • "interested applications are invited to forward the resume to"
  • "we accept walk-in every Saturdays"
One call centre even advertised "Free food will be served to walk-in applicants at our [site] on [date]". That's an invitation for a potentially unprofessional workforce right there.

Two things are happening here - Filipinos are quickly losing their grasp of the English language (myself included) and we are encroaching on a labor quality problem. If this country doesn't get its act together, we will be largely overtaken by China and India in 2007. I kid you not. This is why many of us take it upon ourselves to sharpen our skills and are happy that our government is finally taking steps to reinstate English as the primary language of education.

I had a very interesting conversation with JR, Marian, Arnel, Dex, and Raymond yesterday morning (yes, morning! It was 3:00AM and we had been together since 5:30PM on Friday). I don't remember how it started, but Arnel posed the question: whose fault is it - the teachers' or the parents'? He made a strong argument for saying it was the government's fault.

We live in a global village, not in an isolated archipelago. And the last thing that any Filipino wants to happen to himself is to lose face, mapahiya. So if I ran the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, I would make changes to bring Filipinos closer to globalization.
  • put foreign language classes back in the curriculum, particularly Spanish, starting no later than Grade 3 (the later a foreign language is introduced, the more difficult it becomes to learn). Majority of our country's historical documents and literature were written in Spanish. We should be able to appreciate Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo as originally intended. So much is lost in the translation to English and Tagalog. Another business case, so to speak, for Spanish is that almost a third of the world's population speaks Spanish.
  • In High School, we can give students the option to learn Chinese (Mandarin), French or Japanese. I actually admire PAREF schools for teaching Latin. It is easier to learn the Romantic languages and find the meaning of a word without a dictionary if one knows Latin. I don't. Some of my friends from Southridge do.
  • Apart from learning foreign languages, the history and culture from which these languages originated must be studied as well. At work, we always look back at what has been done to avoid making the same mistakes and in order to do a better job. We should do the same with all aspects of our lives and make history.
  • Improve our Math and Science programs. I'm horrible with numbers. Makes one wonder how I get by at work. Hahaha! But we've spending so much time on languages, we've forgotten about basic Math.
  • Increase the youth's awareness and appreciation for the arts. Do you know how many Filipinos have never even seen just one part of Luna's Spolarium? Some don't even know what it is.
  • Focus on sports that we (our race) can excel in, such as football, gymnastics, racquet sports, swimming, and even boxing. Something that doesn't require height! May nakita na ba kayong Pinoy sa NBA? May napalanunan na ba tayo na basketball game sa Olympics? Wala, diba? But, yes, I'll include basketball because I wouldn't want to alienate tall kids with real potential. You'll never know if they ever make sports history, right?
Now onto the workforce issue. Somehow, a vast majority of employees today do not possess initiative. Gone are the days when employees would go the extra mile to get the job done and get the job done RIGHT. Nowadays, they simply get the job done for the sake of finishing a documented task. And expect to be paid a lot for it. Many salary structures and benefits systems are screwed because they don't focus on performance. People blame everyone around them if something is amiss. What ever happened to accountability? If anything, I have learned that it all boils down to engagement, enpowerment and accountability.

I can go on and on and on about all this. I need to stop. I wish I had a solution. Peso for your thoughts?

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Tech Support

I wanted a new look for my blog. Something green and refreshing. I chose a new template and republished my blog. And lost all my links. Never even thought of writing them down. Great. I can't even put the ones I remember back in. Stupid me. Now I need to wait for Alia or Gabby to come over and help me figure out what I've done!

So Benjor, Cynthia, Leo, Nina, Roman, etc., please email me your blog sites so I can link to you again. Thanks!

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

More Shocking News

Just a rundown of my raves and rants, some real news included.

  • Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter, 1962-2006. What can I say? He was nuts, but I enjoyed watching all his shows. But I came across an article on www.cnn.com where this woman, Germaine Greer, practically said "Good for him!". To her (whoever this British academic is), Irwin was an "embarrassment" and a "self-deluded animal torturer" and that all of us who feel a sense of loss are "idiots". She was quoted as saying Irwin had no real respect for animals and that "He would tell you how dangerous they were and he would proceed to intrude on their space and humiliate (them) really -- treat them with massive insensitivity....It's no surprise he came to grief." Uh...duh? Some people need to know exactly how dangerous these animals are and Irwin was one of the few who put his life on the line to, in a way, save ours and ultimately theirs (the animals). Some people.
  • Andaya pointed out that Rockstar: Supernova's final four is made up of foreigners - an Australian, a Canadian, an Icelandic (exactly what do you call people from Iceland? "Ice"?), and a South African. That's three English colonials and one Viking!
  • Dilana's going the Jordis route. What the hell? Sorry, I just got off the Dilana love train. Yes, she is the most rock n' roll of this season's rockers, but her foot-in-mouth disease combined with her I-didn't-know-I-had-to-write-I'm-auditioning-to-sing reasoning (duh?!) turned me off. I still think she'll make it to the final 2, or at the very least, the final 3. As much as I love him, methinks Magni is next to go.
  • Speaking of Magni, I absolutely loved his original! I dug Storm's and Toby's too, but would go out of my way to buy/download Magni's and Storm's. Now, aside from the fact that English is not his first language, I don't know why Supernova don't (Queen's English)/doesn't (American English) like him. It's not like all Americans speak proper English anyway. You'd think that with English being the only language most of them know, they'd do a good job of using it.
  • And speaking of English, I got a kick out of this article from www.msn.com - Paris Hilton was arrested for drunk driving, and was quoted as saying she was "starving because I had not ate all day". Excuse me, "I had not eaten all day." As Marian shrieked over the phone earlier, "Hello! Past participle!".
  • In another DUI-related article, three cast members of the show Lost have been arrested for drunk driving in Hawaii in separate incidents. What does that say about Lost? Or Hawaii?
  • Philippine Idol is actually good! I'm impressed! ABC5 has done well (except for the audio on the performance show). In fact, Philippine Idol is infinitely better than Singapore Idol! And the house band is so much better than the one on American Idol (although THE House Band on Rockstar is THE VERY BEST!). The talent is amazing, too. They don't come off as karaoke. Well, some of them do, but it's not bad at all. Yes, I'm baduy. I've semi-sold out.
  • Ramirr didn't make it to the final 12 of Philippine Idol last Sunday (thank God he still has a shot at being a Wild Card entry this week). The only reason Miguel Mendoza made it to the final a12 is because practically the entire Ayala Alabang and De La Salle school system is voting for him. Please, he's not even that good. Yes, he has potential, but is so not the best in this competition. He needs more time to mature as a singer. And the only reason Jan Kurt Nieto is still there is because almost the entire Ateneo community and Unilever Philippines is voting for him. He's not all that either! Drae deserves to be there, and so does Ramirr, but the others? Nah! Philippines, please vote for Ramirr!
  • Kris Aquino is NOT running for senator next year. Thank you! And even if I enjoy making fun of her, I do admire her for coming out to clear the air, and telling her critics to concentrate on something that's actually newsworthy instead of making something up or making judgements based on gossip. In an interview on TV Patrol, she said that she is perfectly happy entertaining people and would rather do that than get involved in politics.
  • File this under "good news", not "shocking news": Japan's Princess Kiko had a baby boy, the first male born in the royal family since 1965! Congratulations, Japan!
  • And since we're talking about children: TomKitten Suri exists! (Uh-huh. Right). Yes, Bianca sent me the pictures from Entertainment Weekly's website. Not that I'd die without seeing her, but she's really cute. She looks like her dad, but with her mom's smile. Let the "Who is cuter: Suri or Shiloh?" debate begin (some people just don't have anything better to do).

Why am I so affected? Does it add spice to my uneventful existence? Yes, and it does help pass the time. And why is Suri's first public appearance considered newsworthy? It was on the front page of Wednesday's Philippine Star. It pisses me off that I no longer see or hear anything in the news about the Guimaras oil spill or the nursing exam leakage. I don't care about Mike Arroyo's non-existent German bank account and Alan Cayetano's scheming ways. Ah well...life. All these lemons, but not enough good lemonade.

Rest in peace, Steve Irwin. You did your part to make the world a better place. May others follow in your wake.

8 September 2006 - Happy birthday to Mama Mary (Catholics, don't forget to go to mass) and my godson Rapa (2 years old).

***

22 September 2006 Update: People from Iceland are called "Icelanders".

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Magni With Hair!

This is one of the things that happen when I get sick: I spend a lot of time on Google. And this is what I found - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWVuq_3kAD4. Enjoy!

Friday, September 01, 2006

Living it up at 30

I got this email that contained a list of 30 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do Before Turning 30. Uh-huh. Let's see now...

1. Wrap a present: check.
2. Start a successful fire in a fireplace, at a campsite, and in a barbecue: check. And I'm glad to say that my side of the fire started burning before Gars and Martin's did in Matuod.
3. Finish a piece of furniture: Do the plate, incense burner and ashtray I painted in Color Me Mine count?
4. Get a raise: Not only have I gotten a raise, I now design salary structures and implement pay programs that provide raises! Woohoo! I love my job!
5. Order wine at a restaurant without getting stiffed: I think so. I know what I like, but am never very sure of the year. I need Tanya for that.
6. Parallel park in three breathtakingly beautiful movements: Sometimes, yes. And I'm proud of it!
7. Dance a slow dance without looking like an idiot: Uh...well...hmmm...NAH!
8. Use a full place setting properly, including chopsticks and Asian soup spoons: check. Did you know that Filipinos are the only people who eat pizza with a fork and knife, but eat rice with their hands?
9. Clean your place in under 45 minutes, when friends, relatives, or prospective lovers are coming by unexpectedly, and soon: And this is why I cannot live in the U.S. I need a maid. Why do you think I came home? Ok, it was mostly for Chichi, but eventually I realised that I missed having a maid, a driver, a gardener, having access to the Club,.... Yes, I'm a brat. And to this day, I miss my yayo Mang Gauds!
10. Hold your liquor: check. I cannot embarrass the Clan.
11. Cure a hangover: Drink a bottle of Gatorade before going to bed, and have another one when you wake up. You'll be as good as new.
12. Do the Heimlich Maneuver: check. Thank you Watson Wyatt for letting me take Basic First Aid training!
13. Use a compass: Duh?!
14. Change a flat: Are you kidding me? That's why I signed up for Honda's Roadside Assistance Program. I just call them, and there they are. Nice.
15. Jump start a car: See #14. Or call JR or Eric for help.
16. Open a champagne bottle: That's what Miggy, JR, Jay and Eric are for.
17. Send a drink to someone's table: Hahahahaha! No.
18. Cook one signature meal: My sisters like my tuna pasta, my creamless carbonara, and my Christmas turkey. The last 2 are recipes that have been handed down by our father.
19. Whistle with your fingers: Isn't that so butch?
20. Take good pictures: check (can you see me smiling through this one? I'm so maybang. I AM my father's daughter, you know)
21. Fold a fitted sheet: See #9.
22. Remove common stains: Depends....
23. Sew a button: Yes, I learned something in Home Economics!
24. Carve turkey, lasagna, and birthday cake: check.
25. Hold a baby: check.
26. Change a diaper: Yaya? Yaya!
27. Keep a plant alive for more than a year: I couldn't even keep my Baguio rose cactus alive for a month!
28. Make dogs and cats love you: check.
29. Help someone (an older or ill person, a woman you're trying to impress, your mother) out of a car: check (what, did you think I wasn't nice?)
30. Write superior thank you notes: If I have to, I guess I can. I AM my mother's daughter. I hope I picked up some of her writing skills.

I'm enjoying my thirties. I don't need to apologise for who I am or where I've been. Life has never felt so free.

Shocking News

First off, the Dark Horse has fallen. I honestly did not expect Ryan Star to go so soon. I thought Storm would be told she was next to go, for sure. Supernova are probably keeping Storm around for eye candy. When Rockstar: Supernova started last July, I couldn't care less for Ryan. But as his performances improved week after week, he grew on me. I particularly liked his rendition of Losing My Religion and even enjoyed listening to his original song Back of Your Car (although it does sound like Marty Casey and the Lovehammers' The Tunnel). My money is on Storm to go home next week.

I can't decide who's right for Supernova at this point. I take it back - Dilana is not this year's Marty. Marty came in the form of Ryan and Magni for Supernova. I'm glad my vote for Magni helped him garner the highest votes this week, but I don't think he's right for Supernova. Toby's great and is a safe choice, but is somewhat forgetable. He's growing on me, too, though. Gabby think's he'll win. However, in my opinion, it will all boil down to choosing between that mumbling poser Lukas (plus points for being a good writer and arranger. Makes for a good producer, actually, but not a singer) and the either-you-love-her-or-you-hate-her psycho Dilana (can Supernova handle her?). I've been wrong before. Stay tuned!

Second, The Donald has fired Carolyn! Something about her stardom as Donald Trump's sidekick on The Apprentice getting to her head. That's sad. Seriously, I was shocked when I read this on msn.com earlier. Carolyn?! How? Why?

Third, I lost my voice. That's actually shocking to my officemates as I am usually talkative. I picked up some virus last week and I've been on sick leave most of this week. I think between not being able to walk properly and not being able to talk, I'd rather be lame. I missed my voice yesterday. I'm happy to be able to speak without pain in my throat today.

And lastly, apparently, there's not much improvement in trying to contain the oil spill in Guimaras. Or is that not shocking to some of you considering the government is involved? I can't say much about it online, but I will say that Chevron has been providing assistance and has taken steps to ensure a similar incident will never take place in the future. We don't have the most strict safety rules and regulations for nothing (now I know why we're run like a school). Please do what you can for the people of Guimaras. Participate in the online petition. Cut your hair and send it to Guimaras. Send food, water and clothes to those who have been displaced. Pray. At this point, I think most of you already know where my Christmas money is going this year.

What a week!