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)

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.