No more firecrackers please!!!

Some Filipinos are just plain stupid as they sell and buy those stupid firecrackers.


We almost got hit by a 'whistle bomb' years ago, courtesy of our neighbor.


The experience is quite traumatic as my mom almost had a heart attack that night.


Stop useless spending, pollution, and inconvenience to yourself and other people - 


STOP USING FIRECRACKERS NOW!!!

Even our neighbors who were policemen in the early days are discharging their guns. Although they do it responsibly as they do it 'muzzle down', there are still some reports that some crazy policemen fire their guns in the air and don't care if someone got hit afterwards with their stray bullet.

I hope I can see them personally and put the guns on their mouths or their brains and let is splatter around like what happened in the Iraq war (sorry for those who are eating out there).

It is just nonsense tradition. There is no such bad spirits. Only bad people, and majority of them are working in the Philippine Government, sucking the tax payer's money. Remove those, and the Philippines will always have good luck. Didn't we notice that industrialized countries don't use firecrackers that much? When the new year comes they greet it with songs, hymns, they got drunk, they got laid. That is much better. Compared to losing a hand, an eye, or dying afterwards because of accidentally eating the dangerous ingredients of firecrackers.

Let us welcome 2012 with full of happiness & hope, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

My friend named Pot

(This story is dedicated to my special friend out there, wherever you are, have faith and do your best, I am always here, I did not leave you in anyway...)


(Note: Some of the bits and pieces are added , changed and omitted for the sake of literary wit.)


There are those moments where you get that feeling that you are so in love. Have you ever felt that? Butterflies are flying, the sun is shining when you see him or her? That is that 'moment.' it is like a drug that gives you a sense of fantasy and happiness, you will never let it go.

Unfortunately it did.

I met this cute and petite gal named Pot. She is a nurse. She is the sweetest nurse around and it will make you sing that old OPM tune "Okay, na sa akin kung ako'y dedbol na, basta't ikaw ang lagi kong kasama...." (Translation: It is okay if I die, as long as I am with you). And she became my girlfriend.
I was so proud of her and I even introduced her to my parents and sisters. They were so happy also that we were together. We played games like kids, told stories, accompanying her when she goes to duty at the hospital, and the good night kisses - that is what I like.

Then came Christmas , I gave her a gift. And she told me something that went my world upside down.

"I do not like you anymore, I met someone else"

That made me sad. So sad I have not eaten for weeks. There are somethings that we could not explain. Even Love is an unknown subject too, or maybe I was still young to understand.

I respected her decision and gave her my blessing.

Few months passed by, I was eating dinner, while our doorbell rang and I saw Pot. It was raining that night and I saw her, drenched, and with blood and bruises. To avoid further gossip from my own family, I told her that we will talk outside where we went to a small diner.

She told me that she was being beaten and abused.

I do not know how to react. I could still remember that she was firm and told me in the face that she did not like me. I also came to know that her husband is her childhood friend.

I tried to console her. I became bold, "let us go somewhere, If you have a passport, I can arrange a flight immediately outside where we can be married. I will process your annulment. If you want your husband to be killed, I can also make it look like an accident. Just do not go back there again, please.."

She declined my offer.

She kissed me gently, and held my hand. "You will make a fine husband. I love you so much. Now that I made a wrong decision, it is better to regret this for the rest of my life. Forgive me. I know you are angry because I dumped you. I did not know love that well, but you, you have earned it. And I respect you for that. Please let me go for now, hopefully this is temporary..."

Then again, that shock came to me, but seeing her, so sure of herself, it is "grace under fire" as what they call it, made me a believer. Everything seemed a fantasy and reality at the same time. Seeing her is the epitome of love that exists in the darkest boundaries of our hearts. To make it short, if she will tell me to jump from a building, maybe I will. But that did not happen as she love that son of a bitch guy who hits her like she is a punching bag.

Love and stupidity are almost in the same genre.

I did not see her again. I searched in every directory around the world, I just want her, to see her if she is okay...

Maybe I found her, she is inside my heart as of this moment.

Top 10 things Filipinos must do on 2012

Okay now this is  your plan. instead of politicking and bashing each other on the street and on the internet, these are the things that you have to do. I did this because I have to. It is not spoon feeding, but rather shoving it up in your assess. 


You may do it or not for all I care. But here is my guarantee, you will become a better individual if you have performed one, AT LEAST ONE of my suggestions here. Not only this will make you become a better Filipino, hopefully it will make you a better citizen of planet Earth:

# 10 - Have discipline in every way you do. Just putting the trash in the trash bin goes a long way. Try to fall in line if there is a cue, or just shut up if there is a church mass or someone is speaking.

#9 - Be well informed so that you will never get left behind. Although it is not necessarily 'news and showbiz' like the junk Philippine media is throwing at us (sometimes they are feeding us garbage anyway), just get the real news on both sides. I tell you, you will surely learn something. Being well informed about your family and your own environment is the best news you can ever get.

#8 - Love your parents. try to love them unconditionally. If they are not the ones to be loved (always gambling, womanizing, etc.) tell them to change their acts. So that you will not be like them in the future. I am sure, they will go teary eyed and love you for the advice. Sometimes we have to remind people and be firm about it so that they can change.

#7 - Be patient and just work hard - times are hard these days. Enough of the complaining, just go on with your work as long as possible. set aside pride for a while, just go and work. Do not mind your co workers or supervisor if he or she gives you problems. Just go on, punch the time card, and work. if there is too much, relax a little, and go back to it again. Or do something to remove your mind off from work but do not spend a lot. Try not to quit as long as you can. If you really can't bear it, go ahead and quit. The reason why that you have endure it as long as you can is because that times will be more harder in 2012. basic goods and gas prices will rise (what else is new anyway?). So hang on to your job for now.

#6 - Tell your family to be budget conscious - while you are slaving away at work,  your wife / husband and kids has the latest iPad and asks you for more money, screw them all and tell them to stop the fantasy. Tell them to practice modest living at all costs. Tell them how much you spend a week for electricity, gas, LPG, food, 'baon' (children's allowance), etc. etc. And tell them the salary you are getting. This is basic accounting which is used by major corporations around the world. Tell them to monitor what they are spending and what is to be received (that is debit and credit). Money is not abundant like the air we breathe (pollution is changing that now), try to budget and save some money for emergencies.

#5 - Study hard on how you can make more money - I remember the days when I was in elementary and th teacher gave me a poor mark on my computer lessons. I told my teacher, "what is the big deal with these computers anyway. Instead of buying them, I will buy food instead or if you can teach me on how to make money out of it, maybe I will listen to you more". They were surprised on hearing those statements, which is true up to this day. Try to study on the things that will help you make more money. A school that doesn't teach that is already a failure. I taught my students on recycling their papers and other stuff instead of throwing them and they are surprised on how much I got from it. (That is why the school janitor has a fat belly, he always have that whisky inside his locker).

Books and other learning materials are useless if these will not make you money in the future. So try to study hard, and think hard if this will give you benefit in the future.

#4 - Care for the environment - we have to plant more trees now and be vigilant about it. We have to clean our surroundings and ourselves. If we can charge each people of littering on the streets or putting them in jail. it will be much better. Or, let us put those people's faces in social media sites so that they will be ashamed and  will not litter anymore. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to produce drastic results especially on problems as basic as this one.

For illegal loggers, well this is easy. Kill them all including their families. Since they are raking up all the blessings of Mother Nature without proper consent, let them suffer the consequences. A man who is an illegal logger will surely pass his trade through his son and other families.

This is the best way to avoid the harrowing incident in Mindanao particularly Cagayan de Oro and Iligan where typhoon Sendong struck and produced flashfloods killing thousands of lives and animals and destroyed millions of pesos in property.

#3 - A complete overhaul in Philippine media (film and television) - let us not watch those episodes in Philippine TV which is full of controversy and blah blahs that turn our minds into empty cracked eggs. Some of our movies are like that too, where we just show anything just to get some money (as if we don't know that making a movie is a cheap process nowadays). The funny thing is, the relevant movies or the ones with good content are shown only in abroad or sent through movie awards. This gives the impression that we just watch junk Philippine movies and we only enjoy Hollywood films.

One good example to emulate is Bollywood. It is known that they produce a lot of movies, but all of these are shown on their own theaters only, only few are watched Internationally (although they are broadcast on various satellite channels). So what if they produce good or nonsense content. The fact is, the viewers are supporting it. And this improves their own film industry. They get new talents (actors/actresses) and improving creativity along the way. The main point here is, we must improve our own media by producing more value added content.

The only good media that where we can be informed & entertained intelligently is the radio. It is cheap and and information is transmitted faster, but that is deteriorating as we speak.

For short, just don't watch junk / unimportant shows and do something productive.

2# - Religion - to tell you the truth the Philippine Catholic Church has some lapses since the early days of Philippine history up to today. They are the ones who made us who we are today and now we may be enjoying it from the mean time, but we are suffering from it. They are always meddling with the affairs of the state, and that brings confusion.
They must know that we can practice any religion we want. Same goes for those die hard fanatics of INC, Dating Daan, and other weird religions that we have in the Phils. To tell you the truth, some of them are misleading the TRUTH about God. (I don't want any debates here guys and gals, lols). 

For now, whatever religion you have, my advise is to pray. Pray that we will be in good hands this coming New Year and succeeding years also. Whatever trials we are facing, we have to pray and do our best. As they say, pray, it works. If it doesn't work, at least you tried. As simple as that.

#1 - For number one - that is YOU. Since you have made it this far, it means you are interested on what I am saying here, and you have this urge on how to become a better individual. Just do what is right under the best circumstances and you will do just fine. If there is a mistake, correct it as soon as possible. This is what I have learned after studying and living on different countries around the world. And successful Filipinos also did the same thing, and now they are living happy and contented lives.

And thanks for reading this blog  as well some of my blogs here.

Whatever and wherever you are, I offer you my sincere 'pat in the back' if you're a guy. For gals,  a small peck on the cheek will do just fine.

LET'S WELCOME 2012 WITH HAPPINESS AND GRATITUDE!!!

Filipinos and the Jabberwocky

(Before I continue to write, may I wish everyone Happy Holidays 2011.)

For all those who are not familiar with the Jabberwocky, it is a horrific creature, like a dragon, with sharp claws and bat-like wings. If you want to see it, just watch the movie Alice and Wonderland movie (starring Johnny Depp and this lovely lass whom I have a crush on, Mia Wasikowska) , or just read the book.

How does this Jabberwocky anything related to Filipinos?

As per interpretation of scholars and critics. And if you have read the book (actually, just go to Wikipedia as a shortcut), the poem describing Jabberwocky is made up of nonsense, mixed up words. Could it be that these nonsense words are related to Filipinos who spew nonsense on the forums and commentaries on various websites and all? They could really confuse and give doubts to our minds in one way or another.

I also see the Jabberwocky as a representation of something unknown evil that is inside us. And we cannot let it go away. It is always there, lurking, watching, and feeding on our sins. Taken care by people who are heartless, greedy, and thirsty for power. (For me, it also represents poverty, corruption, greed, political immaturity, and lack of discipline). I cannot compare it to the devil, because we know that the devil always do bad things. But the Jabberwocky, we don't know what it is. And we always have fear of the unknown.

Unless someone, who is brave and smart like Alice comes along, who can study and kill the Jabberwocky. Of course she cannot do it alone, she must need support. She has been regarded as crazy, bonkers, out of this world thinking, which may do more harm to herself and others. But still she agreed to do it, why?

It is her choice.

We all have various paths to take. And now we have PNoy who is advocating his 'matuwid na daan' (straight / righteous path). The question is, shall we choose to go on that path for success? There are many paths to success right? Some are easy, some are difficult. But it all goes to one destination.

Happy Holidays.

The Greedy Doctor

(Note: This story I got from an English language test. Simple, yet meaningful.)

The Greedy Doctor

A famous doctor had cured a child of a very serious illness. The mother was 
grateful and went to the doctor's office to thank him.


"Doctor," she said, "there are some things we can't pay for, I thought that you
would want to accept this wallet which I made for you with my own hands."


"Madam," answered the doctor rudely, "I don't practice medicine for sentimental
reasons. You must pay me with money. Your bill is $ 2,000.


The lady opened the wallet, took out the $ 5,000 she had put in it,
and gave the greedy doctor $ 2,000.

***End***

A wake up call for the tactless and insensitive

(Note: This is one of the chat conversation that I had with one of my closest friends with relatives who perished in Iligan due to typhoon Sendong. I think the chat conversation speaks for itself.

    The chat is heavily edited for privacy reasons )


With all these tragedies haunting us, the best way is to be prepared, help, and shut up. But Filipinos especially politicians & celebrities are doing what they do best - politicking and exposure. It is so sad indeed. Read on.)
***Update - English translation provided.

*PH*   wat happened n s relatives mo? (What happened to your relatives?)

</3: Some died

</3: Others are recuperating

</3: Shocked and numb at the loss of lives and properties
*PH*: :'(

</3: :(

</3: Badtrip si kris (Kris is bad trip)
*PH* ): Why?
*PH* ): Kris A.??

</3: Yes

</3: Tingnan mo sa net (Check the internet)
*PH* : Yayariin ko yan bukas (I'll show her tomorrow)
*PH* ): Anu sabi? (What did she say?)

</3: Pa importante si kris (She wanted to be important)

</3: Napaka insensitive at tactless (She's insensitive and tactless)

</3: Akala mo kung sino (Who does she think she is?)
*PH* : Alam mo naman yan,di bale,wala ka naman STD (Well you know her, at least you don't have STD)

</3: Kasi wlang reaksyon si pnoy ni hi or hello sa iligan at cdo people wla (Because Pnoy don't care about the plight of people at CDO & Iligan. Even a small hello. Nothing)

</3: Diba magtataka ka ilang days na wla man lang pasabe (Have you noticed, how many days there is no communication?)
*PH* : mrmi galit s forums kanina (A lot of people are angry on the forums)

</3: Di marami na pumupuna lalo pinakita pa nagsayaw sya all nyt sa party daming nainis sa knya (A lot of people are criticizing because he danced all night at the party and all)

</3: Sbe ba naman ng kris, "life goes on" (Kris told "life goes on")

</3: She defended pnoy na naka plan na daw yung party matagal na (She defended Pnoy that the party was already planned)

</3: Duhhh

</3: Its not the point
*PH* ): San nya sinabi yun? (Where did she told that?)

</3: People are really pissed at her now

</3: A friend of mine who's volunteering at ABS-CBN right now texted me. She said they were already at Consolacion to distribute the relief goods to the people, the people were already lining up, when suddenly they rerouted and went back to Balulang. The reason? Kris Aquino is there and they have to fetch her and go back to Consolacion so that she can also help.


Imagine the faces of the people already waiting for the relief goods; All hungry and thirsty and still covered in mud and they all needed fresh clothes to change into...They were shocked to see the ABS-CBN trucks leaving. All they can do is watch and wait for them to come back again. That's what my friend witnessed just a while ago.

</3: s0 kelangan mag appear xa dun para lumabas na c pn0y at ang abscbn mging p0pular sa mga nasalanta. C0me on, p0litics nanaman t0 eh. Para lang mganda imahe nla sa mga tao. Trapo!!

(So she needs to appear so that Pnoy can appear and ABS-CBN will become more popular with the victims. Come on, this is poltics again. So that they will get a good image while helping the victims. Rotten Traditional Politicians!) 

</3: :O

</3: Galit tlg kami (We are so angry)

e</3: The difference when a calamity strikes metro manila and other provinces:

Metro Manila - everything stops, everybody helps, The MEDIA is focused on the efforts of different celebrities, groups and politicians on their effort to help.


Other provinces especially in Mindanao - The shows on major networks goes on... if you turn on your tv you see them dancing, singing, smiling... if there are efforts...not visible enough. media will just show the updates on their allotted time slot.

 SO TRUE! good thing BBC WORLD and CNN shows updates on what happened in CDO and Iligan. -

</3: This is precisely the reason why people in mindanao and visayas dislike politicians claiming to be partial to every filipino. For them, filipinos are living in luzon or manila only

</3: Kapal ng mukha nila. Come election time panay kampanya at pangako. (Such hypocrites, come election time they are always campaigning and full of promises) Come to think of it, mindanao is bigger than luzon with more people and more natural resources. Kung wla ang mindanao (If there is no Mindanao) I'm sure luzon won't be so high and mighty. Politicians just keep on exploiting mindanao. Sana pumasa nlng yung appeal dati na ihiwalay ang mindanao at maging separate country nlng kami. Or under the US.

(I hope Mindanao will become a separate country or be under US regime) 

</3: Eh di sa show na. Life goes on daw regardless of the tragedy that happened to us

(She (Kris) told that "life goes on regardless of the tragedy that happened to us)

</3: Sana nde nya maranasan to jump from roof to roof and see that the roof before it disappears 1 by 1 and gets carried away by the current

(I hope she will not experience to jump from roof to roof and see that the roof before it disappear one by one and gets carried away by the current) 

*PH* -I think jumping from one cock to another is what she does best :p
*PH* -: Forget her

</3: >:O

</3: New Philippine Revolution: TO KRIS AQUINO: AN APOLOGY FROM PNOY AND PAGASA WOULD HAVE SUFFICED

/3: >:O kainis sila (I am so pissed)

P-Noy and his Iphone 4s

I saw P-Noy once after a press conference, he came to me and said, "hey i got a new phone" and he showed me the Iphone 4s.

"Alam mo ba gamitin yan?" (Do you know how to use it?)

"Oo, naman, heto.." (Panay ang swipe niya sa mga pages, accessing the wifi, and kung anu-ano pinipindot.)
(Here, let me show you, then he swiped all the pages and accessed all the buttons.)


After almost wasting 15 minutes of my time showing all the features and all to me, he got lost and all, and he seem to be frustrated.

I told him to relax, and I pressed the button that activates 'Siri' and a few secret root passwords:

"Siri, cancel all open applications and open Pnoy's schedule for the whole week."

"Your schedule is open. Anything else?"

"None. thank you Siri."

And he asked me, "how did you do that?"

"You just saw me how I did it right? I spoke to it. That is the main feature of Iphone 4s, voice activation using Siri. You did not know this?"

"No. I thought it is the same as my 3GS."

"You know P-Noy, you are just like any rich Filipino bastard I know. You are just buying something just for display only without utilizing its full potential. How will the people think of you as a mature and smart president if you just bought something new and expensive but do not know how to use it?"

"C'mon man, don't be harsh, teach me."

"I have no time, can't you see that I am very busy soliciting aid for those people affected by Sendong (the typhoon that hit the southern part of the Philippines), you are wasting your time playing that goddamn thing while people are suffering and dying out there!"

I walked away before I get a heart attack.

Man invented technology to be used and abused. That is what it is made for. You have to use tech at its full potential. It is utter nonsense if you just bought it for display only, becoming famous for it because you have it is pathetic.

In my opinion, these material things are just temporary 'bottles of joy.' After it is consumed, they are just thrown away or recycled like everything else.

xoxo

(one guy posted this on INQ comments...and maybe, this is what PNoy does to Siri..hopefully not)

Philippine Judiciary: A whole lot of grease-money (part 2)

(this is continued from the first blog...)

* Court of Appeals - this is another joke of the Philippine Judicial branch. Let us say I killed someone. So If I was pronounced 'GUILTY', I can 'appeal' again to make it 'NOT GUILTY.'  Hey, it works like a charm, and this has been done by lots of people, who has lots of cash to spend and 'grease' out the judges and staff there.

* Court of Tax Appeals - Ever heard of the pawnshop owner who bought a Ferrari and was sent to the Philippines tax free? So you forgot about this story huh? So he was charged, no big deal. he can always go to this another pathetic branch where you can make an appeal and remove your taxes off the slate.

There are other branches as below, you can read them what they do as you like. They have no purpose in anyway I could think of. Enlighten me if there is something important.

Judicial and Bar Council
Office of the Court Administrator
Philippine Judicial Academy
Philippine Mediation Center

As you can see, I am critical with the Philippine justice system. I myself is a victim too. But past is past, I am just sharing these with you. Life is unfair really, and there maybe other countries out there much worse than the Philippines when it comes to corruption and poor justice. But I am not concerned with them so, let them be.

If you watched 'Back to the Future II', it is a dream for everyone that court decisions come out in just minutes - removing the need for judges and lawyers.

Philippine Judiciary: A whole lot of grease-money

With all the hoopla around Corona's impeachment and the 'stop work' or 'sit-down' strike of its supporters, no wonder the Philippine Judiciary system is in shambles. Corona is known as a 'midnight appointee', quickly put or placed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Chief Justice.

Now, this in itself is questionable. GMA has appointed someone there in a public office -  an office that must be unbiased, impartial, and fair for all citizens. Even though he is a qualified person, with this position as high almost the same as 'God', even more powerful than the President, is being appointed immediately. Without any scrutiny from fellow law bar members, or consensus from any third party organization. Why?

Actually there are lots of answers, I do not want to be involved neither. We all knew the answers in our minds and hearts. What am I after is how can we solve this mess that the Judiciary is facing. Let us study what the Philippine Judiciary is about, IN AN ORDINARY FILIPINO'S PERSPECTIVE :

Supreme Court - if you keep losing on all your cases, your final bet is the supreme court. I am surprised that even small cases right now like compensation for employees against their employer reach to the supreme court! (check out the case of NIÑA JEWELRY MANUFACTURING OF METAL ARTS, INC. (otherwise known as NIÑA MANUFACTURINGAND METAL ARTS, INC.) and ELISEA B. ABELLA, G.R. No. 188169 on SC's website http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2011/november2011/188169.htm)

I am not a lawyer or a judge here, but as a common person. This shows how long the justice system in the Philippines is taking. The case dragged from 2005 with the final decision posted on their website recently (promulgation was on 28 Nov. 2011).

Such a long process, what will the employees do for the rest of those 6 years? How can they eat and pay the bills? if they(employees) are guilty of theft, why they are not charged?

The SC must tackle big court cases only, not a simple employer/employee case which can be handled by the DOLE (another pathetic Phil. government organization).

So if you could just imagine a murder case like Nida Blanca, even the Vizconde Massacre, we don't know yet who is the killer? Where is he/she now? And how could our SC solve these cases? It would take many years for sure.

And if you want to fast track the decision - better have some grease-money to turn the gears of justice. The more the money, the better the chances the results will be in your favor.

(to be continued)

The Professional Heckler

I want to give kudos to this site that has won 2011 Philippine Blog awards:

http://professionalheckler.wordpress.com/

Up to now, I am still working on my Wordpress account, and what I got is one bad comment from someone (I made a squeeze page :p)

Politics in the Philippines is a big joke. And The Professional Heckler does his job well. I want a few tips from his side too, but to tell you the truth, I will get a big headache if the discussion revolves around Philippine politics only.

As for you heckler, kudos to you and congratulations for winning the Philippine Blog Awards of 2011.

Anxiety, Depression, Social Phobia, Panic Attacks

I came across a website that helps me get over with the inconveniences of life.

If you are depressed, does not want to talk to people, suffers from anxiety, and could not decide on various pressures of your lives, check this website http://antianxietys.com

Life is hard in the Philippines because of bad politics, poor security, and rising cost of basic commodities.
try to relax, read, and purchase some of the products there if you like.

Check it out and hope you get better, and don't think too much about the problems of life...we all have problems, if you know mine, i could say, it all started when I was born...

What if the Philippines have snow?

I have been around the world several times, and never seem to notice the world outside as I am focused on my meetings and job assignments.
I was in Russia sometime, -20 C, it is so cold that boiling water froze when tossed in air. I was wondering, what if the Philippines encountered snow in its lands? How can they really handle the real cold weather I am experiencing right now?

The coldest part i have been in the Philippines is in Benguet and Baguio. I became sick because of the long widening zigzag and rough roads I have to endure to come there. To tell you the truth, in my own opinion. It is just ordinary. The weather is cold but not special. Because if it is mid-day, you must remove your jacket as the temperature is just ordinary.

Upon analysis and discussions with some fellow Filipinos and foreigners. I have concluded that Filipinos cannot live through 'snow' on a long term basis. We are just not up to it. I myself go inside my cozy warm office upon the presence of snow. I just can't get used to ice falling down on me - because I was born on a warm part of the planet.

Snow in the Philippines will cause a lot of problems. Drainage systems will be clogged more, no special vehicles or equipment to clean the snow on the roads, and people will not work at all as some of them might get sick (maybe someone stupid enough to gather snow and put it on their food to save refrigeration cost, but didn't know that the snow is contaminated with garbage water).

But the problem these days is that the Philippines is getting hotter and hotter. Something is going whether global warming or we are just getting fatter, I have noticed it myself, and the humidity is so bad, I was sick as well.

Maybe a few drops of snow might work in the Philippines, I hope that happens during the summer season.

Top 5 Philippine TV shows that you must not watch

We all know that our Philippine TV episodes are a lot of junk these days. I got fed up and made this list. All the reasons why we must not watch these are stated here and I will also give alternatives. If you have any comments, suggestions, or violent reactions, let me know:

1). TV Patrol, 24 oras, or any 6:00 news - I know everyone will hate me for this, but please hear me out. All of the news presented there are tabloid style, poor delivery, and redundant. These are just compiled news from the early morning or left overs from yesterday.  Some of which are based on opinions only, and we Filipinos love that. Mike Enriquez is entertaining at first, but somehow other people can't understand him as he is over acting. And we doubt the credibility of Noli De Castro now because he became VP and now back to being broadcaster. Watching these is just sort of a guilty pleasure to some of the viewers. But if you watch with an open mind, it is not worth your time.

Alternative: Watch the evening news or listen to the morning news on the radio. That is much better and the news is more fresh/updated.

2). Eat Bulaga, Showtime, Will Time Big Time and other game shows that make you stupid - The game show culture has been a boom in the early days of television up to today, and the Philippines is suffering from it. Its citizens are queuing from these different broadcasting companies hoping to win some money and losing their dignity in the process (remember 'Jan-jan' where he danced like a male stripper? He is just a small boy!).
I remember during those school days that I always watch Eat Bulaga and after that they have this small telenovela called 'Agila' or 'Heredero'. As a child, it is such good entertainment on those early days. But there was no choice. If there were good learning episodes back then, maybe we should have watched that and improved our grades in school. If I remember, there was this 30 minute episode of Channel 4 where they feature Chemistry and Physics. But that is presented by a woman from DOST, which is so boring. Another thing, it was aired on mid afternoon where a lot of children are having their siesta.

Alternative: You can still watch game shows, but go for those that where you can learn new things. Like 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' or 'Jeopardy'. If you have cable, of course watch Natgeo or Discovery.

3). Telenovelas - Now this is what I do not like bar-none. Waste of time and electricity, but Filipinos love it! I don't know why. We are already a country that's so melodramatic. That is why we cannot prosper. All those crying, womanizing, being a traitor, pa-cute 'kilig' scenes will haunt you and drain your sense of logic.

Alternative: There lots of episodes where you will learn something, like travel shows, trivia, even cooking. at least you have learned something rather than thinking 'where is the diary of Mara?'.... maybe it's in her ass.

4). Showbiz talk shows like 'The Buzz', 'Startalk' and other celebrity shows - Don't you get it? These shows are manipulating your thoughts and feelings? Well so what if KC knows that Piolo has someone (if he wants a banana or a flower I don't give a sh*t). Why are we wasting our time with them anyway? If they give some money probably that's okay. Even so, they are just fooling us to make us watch more.

Alternative: None. Let us focus on major stars who have contributed greatly to the film industry. Oscars or Golden Globes is much better. Gawad-Urian awards is nice.

5). PBB, Survivor, and all those reality shows - I watched some of the reality shows of the US and Europe. Some are good, but not always. I used to watch 'The Real World' from MTV, but the episodes became more, i don't know, ugly. And making it into Philippine version is much more uglier. This brings us to the conclusion that watching ourselves, especially our own race makes us look like animals being observed. Gone are the days where some game shows show your team strengths and your wit to battle against the other teams. Here, it's just plain stupid where you compete as a team but a lone winner will win the prize. Why can't someone had an idea of killing all the cast aways and take the money by himself/herself? That's much faster. Hey, its 'survival' anyway.

Alternative: there are game shows that promote team building. By being a good team where everyone support each other to battle against the other team, that is much better, and a valuable lesson is learned that being a good team can overcome any obstacle. If they want to check the individual's survival instincts, Takeshi's Castle is more entertaining than these 'team to traitor' reality shows.

The bottom line here is, let us watch television shows where we can learn something, that contribute to nation building. Let us be thankful that we have cable, satellite tv. Youtube is now there as another option for us. We can now choose what to watch and when.

I think the only show that live up to its name which helped us through the years is "Ating Alamin" on channel 4.
This show has helped our farmers, businessmen, entrepreneurs, and ordinary citizens to learn and make money in the process.

Indian farmers dump bags of snakes in tax office (by Yahoo News/AP)

There was this news about those poor Indian farmers who are not served properly by their tax office branch.
Worse, they are being asked for bribes by these government personnel. No shame indeed.

Frustrated, they let out their bag filled with snakes, 40 of them!

 Too bad we do not have a lot of snakes in the Philippines, we already have 'hungry crocodiles' there.

My comment posts on Inquirer.net

I made a lot of posts on Inquirer.net. And I am proud to say that I have 10:20  'LIKE' ratio (it means out of 10 posts I made, there are 20 'LIKES)! So it means I am giving comments that are 'liked' by my fellow 'suki' on INQ forums. Here it is below:

Tourism chief rallies Filipinos to focus on Philippines’ positive aspects

(My comments below posted Nov. 30, 2011)

Jimenez ako na magsasabi sa iyo na ang bobo mo.

1) una dinadaan mo sa pa FB FB at nag rent ka pa ng tuta to post photos. magkano binayad mo doon? $0.20 per photo post? $0.50 per 150 words? a lot of people do that lalo na sa freelancer dot com. all of us can do that too. but having a cheap idea such as this, it will have temporary results.

2) Dont ever compare us to Thai, you know why tourists come there? its because of prostitution and lewd shows. but hey, it worked. aside from that, they improved their airport and it is shopping heaven. the price of their products are a lot cheaper too with good quality compared sa pinas. nagpapaniwala ka sa sabi sabi ng iba, hindi ka mag focus sa problema dito.

3) it is not cultural, conditioning, or anything! cge may tama ka na 'it takes a nation to sell a nation' how can we sell a product that is 'defective' or it will cause problems in the future? siyempre hindi namin ibebenta. thats why we tell other foreigners that 'do not come to the phils, and if you do come, it will be at your own risk' it pays to be honest.

young Filipinos love their country because they are on the carefree stage and all. once they have work and pay the bills, they will be disgruntled and stressed out at malamang isumpa ang pinas sa taas ng bilihin at bobong politiko na tulad mo na ang alam eh lumamon ng chickenjoy.


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KC Concepcion hurt, angry but careful in ‘tell-all’

(comment posted Nov. 30, 2011)


KC - di na ako papaligoy ligoy pa, bibigay ko sa iyo ang 'basic' na hinahanap ng isang babae. bibigay ko ng buong buo. maraming barako dito sa forum di na ako papahuli pa :p makabagbag damdamin ang interview na ito.

but then again baka palabas lang ito at nadali mo kaming lahat. yes Pinoys like me are suckers for entertainment and melodramas like this. i hate to be blunt but you have succeeded on increasing ABS ratings and your fame as well.

O siya, we have to go back to reality. (work mode)  and next time please, go for ordinary guys na lang. trust me - 'liligaya ka'.


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Immigration braces for holiday influx of balikbayans

(comment posted: Dec 1, 2011)

to all the balikbayans, welcome back sa pinas, lalo na sa mga ka brad ko diyan na galing sa middle east. ako 7 years wala akong pasko dyan sa atin. dinadaan na lang sa tawag, txt at emails.

small advice lang, please magtira ng pera pabalik sa abroad.madami ako nakakasalamuha na wala na daw sila pera pagbalik eh. ilagay niyo sa medyas o sa brip. bahala na kayo basta itago niyo :p

happy holidays :)


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agree ako dyan. bad trip ako sa OEC na yan, pwede naman siguro sa airport na lang eh. what i do is panapadeliver ko sa bahay. magastos nga lang. kaysa naman pumila ako sa counter ng matagal, time is essential sa mga bakasyonista

I am worthless human being

There are times that you cannot do anything right. And people see you as their 'pain'.

This goes to show that you are just worthless. In this world were seven billion people live, you are just one small speck of dust in the whole grain of sand.

Some people think that you are different, yes that small speck of dust may hurt the eye of someone.

I am an inconvenience, I wish I was never born. 

I am sorry, so sorry. 

I can't do anything to make it right.

Winter is coming - sleepless nights

I have some friends now preparing for the winter season.
It's getting cold now, better prepare my stuff as well. There could be lots of snow, hail, and more typhoons especially in the Philippines.

It is nice to cuddle with your loved one. Watch the fireplace, drink some sake, brandy, tequila (just one of those okay), turn on the TV with video player, or PC and crank this movie...

Paranormal Activity.

I just read the story in Wikipedia, it scared the shit out of me. What more if I watched it?

Last time I watched 'The Ring' with my girlfriend. And damn, I cannot sleep for 2 weeks.

Enjoy your scary winter guys and gals. That will keep your heart pumping.

Does money really make you happy?

Ask everyone around you when pay day comes. Do you see those smiling faces when they get their salary?
Surprisingly, its NO. Because they will tell that the money that they got is not enough for their expenses.

Wait a minute, how come those people who spend money on bars, sex, drugs and other bad things, are happy? Does that mean that when you spend your money, you will be happy. Why do some people say that 'money cannot buy happiness'?

Majority of us have different perceptions of money. But very few people think that money is just a 'tool.' Same like your screwdriver, or a wrench, or even your tweezers. And if it is a tool, it must be used properly. You can't use your screwdriver to drive the nail onto the wood. Or your tweezers to turn the screws. You might get an accident.

Same thing with money.

So let us use money properly, to get the job done, and be happy in the long run. A very simple but a powerful message. 

Sick today, tomorrow, and forever

Our world is filled with diseases, maybe human beings are made to be hosts of many diseases.

I went to the hospital today, I have this recurring problem on my skin (im sure you know what it is, some disease of so called 'rich' folks).

The dermatologist was somewhat upset, and he even told me that I did not do anything about it. Since its the first time I saw him, yes he didn't know that I was checked by many specialists around the world, and yet I still have this stupid disease.

He gave me medicine, and damn, 6 grams! 2 in the morning, 2 afternoon, and 2 in the evening! I dont know if my liver can withstand these large doses of medicine.

I just have to do it, so that I'll be cured.

Anatomy of an Overseas Filipino Worker (cont. 2)

2). THE SORE LOSER FILIPINO CANNIBAL

Now this one is a little morbid (if you are eating, please do not read this story).

Filipinos are compulsive gamblers. They gamble on everything that gives random results (I remember before that me and my classmates used to gamble using 'Lucky 9' by checking the license plates of oncoming vehicles.)

I will make this story short as I do not know how to write in a shocking or dramatic sort of way. One Filipino made himself a lottery 'banker' (one who buys prizes and gives out the numbers for betting) to earn some extra money. After the results were drawn (results are based on Thailand Lottery), he saw that one Pakistani guy won the prize. For whatever weird or crazy reason, he doesn't like that another nationality will take the prize, he wants only his fellow 'kabayan.' to win the prize. He and his friends beat the Pakistani guy, they chopped his body in small pieces, put it in a freezer, cooked, and ate it.

This cannibalistic fiasco has been the gossip and buzz from every expatriate I have talk to. Even my boss asked me "Do you Filipinos do that? You eat dogs right? How is human flesh?"

There is more, I told this story to a taxi driver, and he was glad to add more to the story as he is a nurse (wtf! times are hard these days). The Filipino cannibals went to the hospital as their stomach are in pain. Upon analysis of the doctors, they found out that they ate human flesh. The hospital staff called the police and caught the cannibals. Their fate is now unknown.

3) THE END OF A HORNY PINOY

Now this story gives a lot of smile instead of pity. There was this Filipino technician who serviced an air conditioning unit in a tall building. When he entered on a bedroom, a beautiful lady tried to seduced the Filipino. He was reluctant at first but the woman, who was so pretty, she tried to make advances like holding his d**k, and a lot of that. The Filipino can't take it anymore so he went for it - he had sex with a foreign woman.

After they finished, the Filipino wanted to leave the premises. The woman told that he cannot leave. Suddenly, the dressers and cabinets opened which was full of women! They also wanted to have sex with the Filipino. Of course he cannot because he was still 'tired' with the first one. The women became upset and they beat him, and thrown him out of the building.

Well. Those are some of my stories. Hope you enjoyed it. I can write more, if I remember some of them. You can share if you like.

Anatomy of an Overseas Filipino Worker

We all know what Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW's) have been through, they are the ones who work outside their home country for their families. It is for their survival, and good for the Philippine economy as well.

You have seen the news recently, that a former seaman killed his own family in Cebu. It is quite a shock indeed.
Upon reading the story, the man has suffered a head injury while at work. Due to this he cannot work again due to his medical condition.

Maybe he became crazy because of that accident. But there are others out there who became crazy because of extreme stress, i.e. isolation, poor/stressful working conditions, conflicts, debt, homesickness, sometimes even extreme weather conditions affect the OFW's personality.

There are lots of stories out there regarding OFW's, but I always tell these two stories to those who newly arrived in abroad. This will serve as a warning to them, to keep your sanity in times of crisis:

1). THE QUIET BUT DANGEROUS ENGINEER - There was this engineer in the Middle East who has a fat paycheck. Everytime he send almost all his earnings to his lovely wife in one the provinces in the Philippines. One day while working, he received a call from one of the wife's relative - that his wife has a relationship with another man. The engr. became silent, and still he continued his job. After he finished his contract, he did not tell everyone not even his relatives that he was going back to his home country.
Upon arrival, he went immediately to a machine shop and made a long steel tube with a sharp end.
At night, he has hidden himself in the bushes near his home. He waited for the other man to come to his home. The man came and he waited more until his wife and the man are copulating, he then went inside and stabbed them both with a long steel stake.
He surrendered himself to the authorities and everyone was shocked on what he did and his honest surrender. The mayor of that province saw the man's crime and he told him "just go away from here and never come back."

2) (to be continued...)

Death of a vicious, mean, angry dog - Bubbles

It is hard to discuss death especially to young children. We cannot lie that 'they are sleeping' or 'they went to heaven.'

We have to accept death as a journey, it is what Steve Jobs have said, that it is a destination we share in the end.

Let me tell you the death of one of our family, her name is Bubbles (named after our favorite character from the Powerpuff Girls), our dog. She is vicious, mean, and scares the shit out of everyone who comes near our gate. She is a Rottweiler by the way.

Our family has always been a pet lover, we had dogs, cats, fishes, birds, and rabbits. We were fascinated by them, as they are cute and cuddly. We feed them, clean them, and their cages.

But we take care of our dogs the most. They are the ones who is more vocal, more lively, and importantly, more useful. Thieves has been lurking in our neighborhood in the early days up to now. And the best way to prevent them is to have a dog.

But we bought not just any dog, we bought breeds that are known to protect its masters to the extreme - that is why we chose German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Dobermans, and lastly, Rottweilers.

Bubbles, has shown extreme dedication even she is young. She barked immediately to strangers, she loves to play harshly, and we had our share of bites, cuts and bruises. She loves to exercise, but sometimes, when her leash snaps because of her great strength, she escapes and much to our horror that she may bite someone. But she just wants to explore, and we catch her back by using the 'choke chain' or doing the 'headlock'. We bought a real heavy duty 'chain' used in chain blocks to securely leash her.

She even bit me once, as she did not recognize my 'smell' (I was in abroad for a year), she was silent for a while, but when I reached for her head, she bit me. Luckily I took it away, or else I may not have a job anymore, it was my right hand too.

Her food is quite expensive. Sometimes we buy some left over beef ribs for her at the market, she loves this, together with the adult dog food. She suffered a mild insect infestation before on her skin, but was cured immediately by frequent baths and cleaning of her cage.

One thing we do not forget always is, she is telling us that she is hungry by barking. Her bark is so loud that sometimes the neighbors are angry. It can be heard 5 blocks away. So we keep a stock of her food always.

Everything is fine and all, but she has reached her limit. She is 11 years old. Our vet told that Rottweilers live for about 7-8 years. Our Bubbles did not bear any offspring, as she is always on guard protecting our home.

So Bubbles, wherever you are, now you are free. You can now be vicious and mean, and bite those bad people off, you are now free to do so. We're sorry sometimes we can't feed you on time, or we don't clean your cage immediately. We always remember that you are happy when you see us coming, asking for food, asking us to play, or just a simple pat on the head.

Thank you for guarding our home Bubbles. You can now rest.

The boy who wants to be Santa Claus

Introduction: This is a short heart warming story of a poor boy whose magical adventure touched the hearts of everyone, including his own. Hope you like my story and my art :)


May I be the first one to greet you Happy Holidays. 
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Just pause for a moment, and forget the things you take for granted.

There was this boy, who is so poor he cannot eat a decent meal. His parents are sick, so he has to make money by begging.

The extra coins that falls on his worn out sardine can makes him very happy.   He can buy something with this, either a week old  bread , or some soup stock. He gives some to his parents and they are happy that they can survive the day.

But times have gone hard, no one dropped any coins. He tried to beg, but his hunger is so unbearable he cannot even stand. He rested on a cold sidewalk, very weak and tired.

Suddenly one guy came, he gave instructions to guard his car for a minute while  he buys something at the store. The boy was happy as he may get some good money, so he went to see the car. The car is an old dirty junk. He thought to himself, maybe if he will clean it, he will get a tip, so he cleaned it with his own clothes, even though he has nothing to wear, he used his own clothes to wash the car.

Seeing that the glass inside has some smudges, he decided to clean it by going inside the car.

Suddenly, like magic or special effects, the car changed its appearance and transformed to a beautiful sports car. A computer from the dashboard talked to the boy and told him to choose two things: 1). get all the money, food, and medicine right now from the car and leave 2). The computer will give him a job that is hard and stressful which he may not get anything in return, and wait for the owner to come back for the reward, if he will give any.

A monitor appeared and saw his parents, they are so sick and weak they cannot eat. He thought that, if there is a job in this world, no matter how hard it is, if he may get something from it, either money or skills, he may use it to make more money. So he chose option 2.

The car then flew through the sky in the speed of light. He was now instructed by the computer to give the gifts that will be given to him to different children around the world. The car hovered at the night sky, he was amazed by the flashing neon lights from the metropolis and bright pilot lights from luxury liners traversing the oceans.

He noticed he can go inside the home without being seen. He is now giving gifts to people, especially those who are  in need. Like those children suffering from famine, was lost because of war and distress, those who are exploited, those who are sick,  and those who are also poor - like him.

Before dawn, the car returned to the parking lot where it left before. The owner of the car was waiting, seems to be watching his watch - for sure he is upset. The boy's knees trembled with fear.

The boy quickly apologized, he told that he can be punished for what he did, either in some juvenile center or take a beating, as he left without his permission and the gifts at the back was distributed without his knowledge.

The man was serious, and he spoke in a simple but ominous tone:
"I didn't know that a young boy like you will like this job, other's have left and took away the gifts instantly.
As you can see, lots of people are also suffering like you, but you chose to help others first instead of yourself and your parents. And you even did my job as well."

"Helping someone without taking care of your own self cannot be exchanged for any gift. You are one of those unique people, let alone a child, posses such deep sense of emotional maturity and responsibility."

"For now, this is my gift for you, a toy car. I want you to play with it, when I was a boy I love to play with cars, I am sure you will do the same. Play, play and learn. This is what young boys do, that is what children must do. When you grow up, that is the time for you to decide whether to help yourself and others."

The boy now asked the man: "Thank you, by the way, are you Santa Claus? Why are you slim and wear black clothes?"

"What an intelligent boy you are, yes I am Santa Claus. As you can see, I lost weight, this is good for the health , and I wear black so that I cannot be seen by people. You know, 'camouflage.' Sorry I have to go as I have to prepare the gifts for tomorrow."

Then he said  goodbye to the boy and flew to the sky.

The boy looked at the toy car, it is the same car as what he has rode earlier. Still thinking of his parents, he decided to check their status and return back on the streets again to beg.

To his surprise his parents are now well, and he saw lots of food, toys, clothes in large amounts that they cannot even walk properly inside. His parents are telling him where they got them and all, but the boy was shocked and cannot speak.

He cried, and cried a lot.

He then played with his toy car, from now on, he can now play and enjoy the simple thing in life that matters most - his innocence.

*** End ***

Philippines: 10, 20, 50 years from now (cont 3...)

There will be a time of civil war. All Filipinos will try to kill each other. All businesses will turn their backs away.
Everything will be in ruins. But some still remained, especially major companies from Japan and USA.

There will be extreme chaos all around. China will step in, as well as Americans. Some Filipinos will try to fight them off, but when offered asylum to their respective countries, they did not fight them anymore. Pathetic indeed.

A major earthquake may come on June, some few hundred people may die.

Increase in water level is also a concern, and fishing will be a great business venture.

Traffic will still be a problem, no one has ever solved it. Pollution will be on an all time high, and gas prices seem to soar in the sky. People will now opt to stay at their workplaces to save on transportation fares and traffic jams that waste time. People will learn to work online.

In the end, the Philippines will not change for many years. It will still be the same third world country that everyone has spitted and enjoyed on. It is open, it is adaptable, lazy, but can be developed.

I do not see any major thing that will happen. If some Filipinos will die, it is replaced immediately by 'baby-makers' who make babies just for fun and continue to increase the population. The government will be lax on this one, and they even encourage to produce more offspring - as this - they told - will be cheap and docile labor to the investors and bring more money to the economy.

As for me, I will die, and give this burden to my son. Hope he may do something about it, it is up to him if he will make the Philippines prosperous, or a failure.

*** END ***

'Think Differently' My letter to Steve Jobs

First of all, when you say 'Apple', the name Steve Jobs comes in second.

I do not know him in any way, but whenever I see Apple products on the store, I really do think Steve Jobs invented and reinvented these wonderful gadgets. 

Frankly speaking I cannot afford one. Seeing my friends and strangers have one, or any Apple related gadget/device seems like I was left behind in this fast paced world. I know there is something special behind it, aside from being regarded as an 'elite', you are also hip, cool, and more importantly, Apple owners know more about computers than anyone else.

The beautiful operating system has enchanted me a lot. Steve has put his heart in his creations. He thought differently, it shows in the products.

To the bereaved family, my deep condolences. I may not be an Apple fan, but somehow, somewhere, Steve's vision and leadership has inspired me, and countless others. 

Thank you for letting us 'think differently.'

Teacher's Day

Since it is teacher day, I will share again my story of one teacher who has 'awakened' my spirit to do better.

Click the link below:

http://themanwhoownedthephils.blogspot.com/2011/04/mahal-kong-guro-my-beloved-teacher.html

(Note, this was published in inspirationalstories.com)

To my teacher, I love you, thank you for bringing me the knowledge and the skills. Although I failed you lots of times, and I did not follow your righteous teachings, in the end, I am truly grateful.

Now that I am also a teacher, I do see your vision, it does not matter if we did not get a good grade, but to be able to survive in the real world, is much more important.

Thank you.

Philippines: 10, 20, 50 years from now (cont 2...)

The rich and affluent will find themselves uncomfortable living in the Philippines as criminals will roam around and rob them in broad daylight. There will be horrible murders too. Some of them will arm themselves, but it will make matters worse. Law and order will be a major issue.

The Philippine government will try to calm down its people by increasing the basic salary of every worker, but this has turned off investors, and they are forced to look for cheap labor in other Asian countries like China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Unemployment will rise.

People will be upset and are forced to move out. Mass exodus of Filipinos are going to Asian countries to work. Many will die as they are crossing other territories as refugees, some will drown, or killed by security.
Filipinos are losing hope and will go back to provinces to plant on the rice fields.

(continued 3..)

In the future these government officials will be erased

See these guys (from the Department of Public Works and Highways, a Government Agency in the Philippines) , just idling around. If you look closer, the officials are pasted on the background using a photo software editor.
Lots of people are dying and they have the nerve to fool people that they are working...
I tell you, do not come to the Philippines as this will continue for a looooooonngggg time.

Philippines: 10, 20, 50 years from now (cont...)

Radical changes are being tried, tested in put in place. People will be worried and nervous. Prices will sky rocket and fighting confusion among fellow Filipinos will start.

Not all will be gloomy, the entertainment industry will gain more accolades internationally. Small business will thrive, no more people will shop at the malls. Actually these will be used by the government as giant evacuation centers. Again, more typhoons will come.

The Catholic church will further gain its presence, as its believers are troubled and continuously seeking for help. One priest will be a senator or part of some government agency.

(continued 2)

Philippines: 10, 20, 50 years from now

Now ladies and gentlemen. I will tell you my plans for the future of your country.

I don't want to scare you or anything like that, its just, I want to warn all of you.

Be brave. I will bare now the future of the Philippines and its citizens.

10 years later...

It will become worse. Poverty and unemployment will rise for about 20-30%. Major investors are pulling out because of the corruption, high prices of basic utilities/goods, and rampant problems in transportation (air, land, water). Filipinos are trying to migrate or work overseas and keep the country stable financially.

Mindanao will have more conflicts than ever. Skirmishes, killings, hostages, and terrorist activities will further increase. This is because the government and foreign investors are interested on doing business but cannot compete with the advanced guerrilla army / rebels / clans that is 'guarding' Mindanao. Both parties will become desperate and there will be lots of deaths.

The nation will become more polluted because of inadequate garbage disposal and also more deaths are there due to 'trash-slide.' One Filipino will think of a way to solve this and will become rich temporarily. Total garbage will be reduced for about 40%.

P-Noy will continuously struggle up to the end of his term. Promises are not kept and his countrymen will become more upset with him. But he will marry and have a child (a boy) - and was forgiven by the Filipino people. The next president will be a scary one. An ambitious person who will do radical changes to the Philippines.

(to be continued...)

Philippines Airlines: A sign of Filipino management failure

Last Tuesday's wild cat strike by the employees of Philippine Airlines has been depressing and distressful to its passengers, foreigners and locals.

What happened here, what is going on?

Let us study PAL's history for a minute:

Philippine Airlines is one of oldest airlines in Asia, established in 1941. It is quite good in the early days. But due to the Asian Financial crisis in 1997, PAL almost hit rock bottom. Poor management, overspending, and frequent re-shuffling of its employees created huge losses amidst together with the Financial Crisis. One of the biggest well known strike were held in 1998 led PAL to shut down its operations. Foreign businesses, stakeholders, and investors wanted to save the airline but were turned off by this frequent labor disputes.

PAL has been looking for some strategic partners earlier up to now. Before, Cathay Pacific has shown interest, but the airline is still weak from its knees, and its management tried again to manage it itself, and acquired a big loan from SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission)  to continue its operations and hopefully make some profit. But there is a catch, this agreement (they call it 'receivership') will end on 2007. SEC is like the 'umbilical cord' to PAL. PAL rebounded and increased its routes to major airports around the world.

Year 2007 ended and now 'all hell broke loose.' Mismanagement, overspending is there again (PAL is buying a lot of airplanes wherein they are short of pilots, crew, and staff), and frequent disputes from its employees, in which they formed a union called PAL Employees Association (PALEA).

PALEA's demand are simple, better pay, good benefits and job security. But PAL cannot give these as it is trying to recover its losses earlier. It was a 'stale-mate.'

Frequent labor disputes are present from then on, and PAL has decided mass contractualization of its employees. In 2010, some of PAL pilots left their jobs permanently without any information.

Now we all know its story. As an ordinary passenger what we will do then? I think you know that already. By avoiding PAL at all costs to avoid any delays in your schedule. This will be a continuous cycle until a major revamp has been established. The company is in distress and it will take some time and effort to bring back its reputation. Other airlines offer cheaper fares anyway.

This is a sign that a Filipino cannot manage a company in its entirety. That is why other nationalities like Chinese, Europeans, Americans, even Indians are preferred in managing day to day operations of a business.
A major installation like an airport requires utmost care and precision. If someone could not do it - then leave. Better than making matters worse for thousands of passengers.

Confession of a Filipino Meteorologist

I remember the early days, when I was a young kid. Watching nature wreak havoc outside of our mansion. It is awe inspiring that this force, heavy gusts of wind, sharp droplets of rain and small hail, can cause immediate destruction.

The Philippines has experienced it all, and the typhoons will come more and more.

Such fascination led to me to go to trips locally and around the world. I visited the PAGASA office sometime maybe thrice, I observed how they worked, and befriended Dr. Nilo.

You thought he is just an ordinary bloke, but some of his peers call him the 'human barometer.' There was this one time we were drinking, and he told he will leave early. I asked him why, and he told that it will rain hard, I checked outside and the weather seems to be fine. It did rain afterwards, and I called him and asked his secret:

"It is no secret, keen observation and respecting nature and incorporating into our daily habit is what I do. Just stand outside and observe the sky, the wind, the raindrops, all of these are taken into account. You know already we do not have expensive high tech equipment. So me and some of my colleagues use ourselves 'our own bodies' for this."

"We are sacrificing ourselves here, since we have no equipment to gather data, we go outside to gather it ourselves. That is battling intense heat, typhoons, we check also for air quality and even rain quality, etc. etc. We told everyone that machines can do this, we cannot play our lives with nature. I actually asked someone to do it for me with my whole salary as compensation - no one dared to do it. Nobody has the passion to do what I do. And what I asked is to OBSERVE! A basic scientific methodology/process."

"By the way, I have to leave. You know already why, because of the stress at work before, my health deteriorated. I have lots of medicines to buy which is hard to budget. My family is getting worried too and I have 2 kids, I want the best for them. My flight is next week going to Japan. They told me they will set up some tsunami warning beacon there. And they recognize my talents and skills, I won't let this opportunity escape."

"Don't worry. I will still interpret the climate data gathered from the sensors we installed around the country and nearby coastlines. I was ashamed last time that we are using an old hygrometer from the 1960's. That is why the readings are always 'normal.' It is good you funded these new sensors, now we are able to interpret the weather more accurately. I can even check it online."

"Take care always, I'll send you an email when I arrive."

Now, we have to brace ourselves. Even though we have the latest technology, if there are no people who are passionate enough in this profession, there is no way we can predict our own weather.

Avoiding sickness and taking care of your body (continued)

The main problem with the Philippine medical system is the commercialization of the medical profession.

Everything must have a price. Gone are the days that they will give you proper TLC to be healthy. Now, being healthy is equivalent to having money.

Let us be aware that if someone is in the medical profession, he/she must practice it and appropriate support must be given. If I am a nurse, I will practice my profession even outside hospital premises. provided I must be compensated as well.

The knowledge and skills that I earned must be shared to the family and community. Especially in regards to health.

So if I see something that is unhealthy, I will advise others to clean it as per my supervision. Why cannot we do that?

Now I tell you, there are lots of doctors and nurses who do not have jobs here in the Philippines. Some are working with low salary, and some are working for free!

That is complete BS!

I failed on this one folks, I will do my best to give our doctors and nurses a high paying job. Let them have jobs whether in local or abroad. it is their job to take care of someone who sick, so if they are idle, what they have learned will be useless.

Remember, health is WEALTH!

Avoiding sickness and taking care of your body

I am not feeling well.

I went to a hospital and the doctor gave some antibiotics to me and he told me to rest.

That I did and I felt better.

Being sick is the worst thing that can happen to a human being. Imagine other organisms are 'eating away' your immune system, until you cannot function well and die. Medical science has made great strides as well as mistakes - either we are cured or murdered inch by inch.

Study your body for a minute, look in front of the mirror. Check any peculiar marks. What I have right now is dandruff, and some small skin lesions. That is normal if you are under stress like me.  I have a small beer belly, that I am trying to remove by diet and exercise.

Some people who have some money go to a hospital or clinic. By all means do it while you still can. Maintaining good health is the hard part. After getting well, surely, you will go back to your habit again. Overwork, stress, smoking, eating too much, booze, or drugs...

Your body is like a punching bag by diseases if you continue this kind of unhealthy lifestyle.

So far I do not care on what you do to your body, but I am worried about the environment you are living on. Simply put, if you are not taking care of your body in a satisfactory way, then you are a 'disease' waiting to burst and explode with all those contaminated spores contaminating the air, and will infect another human being.

In the early days, if you are not taking of yourself well, if you have a certain disease. You are killed, instantly. Sometimes they quarantine you, but some people will think of a fast way to end their misery.

Thank God Filipinos are somewhat clean. Some of my foreign guests are telling me that even homeless or poor people take a bath regularly. But the problem is their homes. Even though you take a bath 5 times a day, your home is filthy and reeking of garbage water. It is useless.

(to be continued...)

What do I have to do to improve my country? (continued 2)

Battling poverty in the Philippines I think will be a 'Pyrrhic Victory.'

Look at other Asian countries like Vietnam, Japan, Korea, they have these great wars, many of their citizens died. This great loss, prompted them to get back on their feet on their own, and became more industrialized and politically stable.

All success comes with a cost.

People Power is nothing short of a Philippine failure, 'too much kindness.' It is about time someone must wake up.   I am fed up with it, seeing that boy earlier that I helped. Hell, there is more, selling sampaguitas, sniffing glue, prostitution, a child who quickly lost its innocence, is totally not acceptable.

The greatest thief, is someone who steals the playtime of a child.

During my work stint abroad, my friend told me that if the Philippines were in a state of civil war, where would I be. I told him that, I will go back to the Philippines, I want to take care of my family.

He told that I am stupid. Why would you go there, they probably died already and looted all your belongings by the military or looters. Transportation will be a mess, everything will be in chaos.

He is correct. Still I tried to reason out, I will still come back, I have to, I really do. But all things will be put to halt there. And military intervention from the US will surely be there to maintain peace and order.

He does not know that I have to come back to know the state of my country. You know, If you had a car accident, you will check your car, what is the damage, etc. Same thing there.

That is the only way for now. Look at what is happening to Mindanao, they still cannot get full control of it. Why? Because it is the food basket of the nation. I always tell the president to avoid any conflicts or skirmishes there. They don't know that the food they eat comes from there.

A man hungry for power does not know what real hunger means.

So again. let me conclude this, we will never beat poverty because we are 'too kind.'

What do I have to do to improve my country? (continued..)

So I healed the boy's parents for P100 and for 5 hours of my time. While you guys wasted a month or a year studying all this crap in front of me wasting paper, electricity, and money without helping a single person yet?

What a complete BS.

This is not a Pay it Forward scheme like in the movie. This is a more realistic scenario, just help someone, by devoting some money and effort, and make that person help another person, replicating or increasing the favor done to him.

The story of a the Good Samaritan in the Bible is nothing short of an incomplete story.

We human beings are forgetting the 'sense of gratitude.' Someone helped us, in our own way we must help someone too. Consider it an obligation, not a sense of kindness.

As part of the society, we must learn to help each other continuously, so that we can prosper.

In the Philippines, it does not work that way. Everyone is selfish. Now that is the challenge I tell you, can you do what I did just now? Devoting my own money and time in an instant. I didn't give money to UNICEF (Although I gave them too in the early days) or some charitable institution, because the help will surely not reach in time.

Too much planning will ruin everything. Time is running, a person is starving right now.

On this age of technology, sending money is also fast. Why human beings are thinking slower, isn't it because when we press the button the computer will think for us? How fast can we press or click that button is still up to us.

(continued 2...)

Simple things performed are inspirational

I would like to thank the staff of   http://www.inspirationalstories.com for publishing my story online. 


You keep me inspired to write more and more.


Link of that story is below:


http://www.inspirationalstories.com/my-beloved-teacher/

What do I have to do to improve my country?

It is a simple question, but a hard one.

We all have problems, big, small, complicated, simple. And we have to solve it, either quickly or in a certain time.

Problems come and go.

I asked professionals, businessmen, scientists, engineers, educators, doctors, those who have spent their lives studying and crunching numbers...

What can I do to improve our country?

They gave me plans, presented it to me, some reports, feasibility studies so thick I am not able to read it.

Why should I believe them where they are not checking outside?

So that is what I did.

I saw a boy, with rugby stuck on his nose, I have my trusty camcorder with me, and recorded it.

Why do you have to do this? I asked the boy.

He just smiled and told me, "My parents are sick, I do this to buy medicine."

Simple, logical, and effective. As Albert Einstein said, "It takes a genius to see the obvious."
If there is no money, try to work for it, either you beg or whatever, just do it.

Then I told those professionals:

Gentlemen, your education is impressive, and you have presented me these reports and all, I will show you what I did...

I saw this boy outside, begging for money, on the streets of Manila where vehicles travel fast. He already inhaled the polluted city smoke for more than a month now. He did not take a bath and he stink a lot.
I asked him why he did it, he told the money will be used to buy medicine for his parents.

You may have thought just give the boy some money right? Just imagine, how can a small boy explain to the pharmacist what kind of medicine I need for my parents? What if he buys a wrong one? The money that I have given is wasted.

To make it short, I told him to take me into their home, so that I can see his parents condition myself. When I saw them both, they are in bed, both are sick with high fever.

Without intervention from my assistants, I bought some fruits, soup and medicines to make their fever drop. And some extra medicines were also given by the pharmacist to counter all possible sickness the couple will have.

All these I have done myself. The cost incurred is P100 + 5 hours of my time.

After they felt a little better, they asked me who I am. I told them this:
"Now your condition has improved, all of this is a test. everything is. Now you can go to work and do the same thing that I did to other people. I spent P100 to you both and gave my time also. Try to duplicate that or beat it.

They were stunned to hear me said that.

(to be continued..)