besides, the centennial is on september 1!

inis.

ang SONA sa bahay

me: daryl, sino ang presidente ng pilipinas?
daryl: ikaw!
ate mia: teka, di ba sabi mo kahapon ako?
daryl: o sige, ikaw na lang.

mwehehehe. popular vote.

at dahil nanalo ang UP maroons...

oo alam ko isang game lang. pero parang appropriate na i-repost ang entry ko nung june 23, 2008. go Maroons! sensya na, happy lang. :)

~~~~~
sagot kay psyche

centennial ng UP ngayong buwan na ito. nalaman ko lang ang totoong date dahil nagpunta ako sa UP nung wednesday para kumain ng rodic's. hindi makatarungan ang traffic. tapos nakita ko na may mga nakapaskil na poster na centennial nga ng up. ok. fine. u-turn kami.

anyway, nabasa ko ang post ni psyche kanina: bumibigat ang aking kaliwang kamao.

madami sigurong nakaka-relate, at isa na ako dun. actually medyo tinamaan ako eh.

pero napaisip ako. bakit nga ba ako nag-UP? naging anti-establishment ba ako talaga? samantalang ang nagpaaral sa akin ng ilang taon ay subsidy mula sa gobyerno dahil barangay kapitana ang nanay ko? at matapos nun, naging konsehal naman ang tatay ko?

bukod sa subsidy ng gobyerno sa bawat mag-aaral ng UP, sweldo ng mga magulang ko galing gobyerno. may karapatan ba ako noon na maging anti-establishment?

wala siguro. pero yung tanong na bakit ako nag-UP, madaling sagutin. gusto kong matuto.

at marami akong natutunan, kahit iskul bukol ako na nadi-dismiss sa college of engineering every sem, hanggang sa natuluyang nasipa nung end ng third year ko, at matinding himala at dasal ang nagpatapos sa akin sa law school. pero hindi lang academics ang natutunan ko sa UP. mas madami akong natutunan na alang kinalaman sa akademiya.

ang natutunan ko talaga sa UP:

1. ala talagang black and white
2. hindi lahat ng nasa gobyerno, kurakot
3. hindi lahat ng nasa NGO, honest
4. hindi lahat ng makabayan, mapagkakatiwalaan
5. hindi lahat ng relihiyoso, naniniwala sa Diyos
6. hindi lahat ng naniniwala sa Diyos, mabait
7. hindi lahat ng di naniniwala sa Diyos, masama
8. hindi lahat ng magaling magsulat, magaling magsalita
9. hindi lahat ng magaling magsalita, magaling magsulat
10. hindi lahat ng di marunong magbasa, mangmang
11. hindi lahat ng pagkain sa kalye, madumi
12. hindi lahat ng madungis, nakakatakot
13. hindi lahat ng malinis, mabait
14. hindi lahat ng mabango, masarap
15. hindi lahat ng mamahalin mo, mamahalin ka pabalik
16. hindi lahat ng magmamahal sa yo, mamahalin mo
17. hindi lahat ng matalino, marunong
18. iyakin din pala ako pag nakataas ang kaliwang kamay sa UP naming mahal tuwing natatalo ang fighting maroons
19. kahit ilang beses nang natatalo ang fighting maroons, masakit pa rin sa kalooban
20. kahit 0-7 na ang standing, umaasa pa rin ako na mananalo sila at mag-cha-champion
21. ...


mahaba ang listahan, at di lahat naaalala ko. pero yun nga, wala talagang black and white...at malamang matagal bago mag-champion ang fighting maroons.

tanong ni psyche, anong klaseng tao ba ang dapat hinuhulma ng UP?

hindi ko alam. minsan ang sarap sabihin na ako, yung tulad ko. pero namaaaaaaaan, ang yabang ko naman masyado, di ba, samantalang ang nakasisiguro lamang ako ay... maganda ako. :P (blog ko to, alang kokontra)

pero kung ano man ang dapat produkto ng UP, sana, bilang minimum requirement, ay ang sumusunod sa blubuk- HONOR EXCELLENCE.

siguro, sa pagitan niyang dalawang yan, may asenso at pag-asa.

at balang-araw, mananalo rin ang fighting maroons.


hapi centennial, UP. sana maging karapat-dapat akong produkto mo.

-tina b.
**-77947
**-40603

looking for the mp3 of this. anybody?

Side A - Forever Stay.mp3 -

heyng

i find it surreal that i got a notification in my mail that the wife of an ex made a comment on a status update. weirdness.

yes, i want wider roads and taller buildings. why not?

the few times i read the newspapers i always find myself putting the darned thing down and shaking my head. yesterday was no exception.

i glanced at a day-old inquirer and was greeted with the sight of the acacia trees lining mcarthur highway along san fernando, pampanga. i actually smiled when i saw that there were paintings on the trunks, recalling how every time we pass through there, we tell the kids how beautiful the canopy of branches is.

naturally i read the article and found myself aghast at what i read. they are going to cut those trees and the paintings were done by artists protesting the road widening.

the DENR (department of environment and natural resources) has given a permit to the DPWH (department of public works and highways) to cut literally thousands of trees for road widening purposes. you can read the article here.

sure, the trees are not in danger of extinction. sure, the DPWH was required to replace each tree with 30 saplings, and oh, they didn't have the budget for it but they scraped enough to comply. wow. aren't they just so wonderful? saplings, in place of trees that are probably older than those idiots in power.

5,442 trees. some to be moved, most to be cut. for what? so we can cut the travel time from north to south? oh come on. in this day and age of conservation, let's make way for more cars, and less trees. bullshit.

oh, and let's not forget the hare-brained joint venture between SM and GSIS. the joint venture will build condotels in the mini forest in between UP baguio and the Supreme Court. oh they'll just cut about 300 trees and transfer about a hundred. no big deal. then they'll build condotels that will guarantee traffic in the area, and oh, dead trees. the city declared the area as a park and garden zone. so GSIS, in the interest of its members, sues the government. read the article here.

yes, we need more buildings and wider roads so we can buy more cars. we need more pollution, too. we don't have enough at the moment, you see. right now we still get a whiff or two of fresh air. let's do away with that, shall we? and we might as well stop calling baguio the city of pines.

and one day, i'm going to tell my grand kids to go to the museum to visit a real live tree. that may be the only place where they'll find one.

ready and a-rarin' to go

my birthday week was a bit hectic, and i don't think i accomplished much, work wise.

so here i am, still reeling from the effects of food and great company, and an impromptu concert from a soprano and two tenors. capped the celebration with ice-cold red horse... ah, the life.

thanks to mom and dad, my sisters, my brothers in law, and the guests who made the birthday celeb perfect.

but for now, back to work.

unblocking

i miss blogging. i miss writing, actually, not just blogging. it's just that i hardly have the time, and when i do, nothing comes to mind.

i think i need to make the effort. natatanga na ako. legal terms invade my every day english. ugh!

so, i resolve to write. a few words at a time, till it gets easier, and till it becomes second nature again.

till then, bear with me.

sigh.

it's almost midnight, the air is cool, the rains have stopped, and my bed awaits. yes it's good to be home.

the devil and the deep blue sea

with the world in an almost panic over swine flu, articles on the disease abound. as i was looking for articles that would explain the symptoms, and the treatment, i came across an article with this headline:

'Meningo' death alarms hospital staff

since i live in a place that was previously ground zero for meningococcemia, i was naturally intrigued.

i read the article and found myself going back to this paragraph:

Peralta stressed that there was no cause for panic as Lopez’s death was believed to be due to meningococcemia and not swine flu.

excuse me?

how could the meningo death not be cause for panic? the weird thing is that the paragraph immediately preceding said this:

The symptoms of meningococcemia are high grade fever, rashes, weakness, seizures and internal bleeding. Death usually occurs within 24 hours after onset.

again, death within 24 hours after onset. it's meningo, not swine flu. don't panic. 'cept it'll kill you within 24 hours.

weird, di ba? la lang.

source: http://inquirer.net

neglect

my blog is a victim of neglect. not that there wasn't anything worthwhile to write about. it's just that the moment passes, and then something else comes along.

it's been crazy at work and at home. there's just too much going on.

on the upside, i'm getting a new phone soon that has handwriting recognition. so maybe i can blog from it. maybe the writing will keep me sane.

wish me luck.

an elephant never forgets!

early this afternoon i received a message from birthday alarm, informing me that my ex, w, will be having his birthday on tuesday. i stared at the message and blinked. several times. in disbelief.

i had completely forgotten.

i never forget birthdays. wait let me rephrase that. i remember birthdays. i remember the birthdays of people- my family, my friends, and yes, the birthdays of my exes.

so when i realized that i had totally forgotten, i just sat and blanked out. it's strange, you know, and a little disturbing.

but then again, after everything i've been through, i suppose it's comforting to know that yes, i can forget.

but since i got reminded already, happy birthday, i guess. :)

memories of aristocart

i used to live in the dorm, way back in college. i lived on the weekly allowance i was sent, and budgeting the allowance was always an exercise in creativity, particularly when unexpected school expenses came up.

when money was pretty okay we'd find ourselves eating at rodic's (where you eat your best) where back then meals cost something like 65-75 pesos. or casaa, where the cost was somewhat the same.

beach house was also a cheap and yummy option, but only if you made it early enough to skip the lines. if not, you'll be late for class.

as money got tighter, however, meals at rodic's, casaa, and beach house became rare. eating at these places became "things to do" when the next allowance installment arrived.

so this is where the aristocart came in. i have no idea who coined the term aristoCART but it gave these eating places some sort of elegance, even though the food was, as the name states, found in carts.

the aristocarts were found in several places, mostly near the dorms. there was one behind the engineering building, one near narra, one near sampa, i think. meals went anywhere from 15 to 30 pesos. extra rice was at 2 pesos.

if you were near the dorm it was okay because you can just buy the food (packed in plastic bags) and eat in your room. if not, you can buy the styrofoam packaging and plastic spoons and forks for an additional 3? 5? pesos, which was crazy because you're on a budget and you can buy extra rice with that!

so what we did (at least what my then boyfriend w taught me), was we'd take the plastic bags to a table. they had a tambayan near narra with kiosks and tables. we'd go there and eat. it was an amazing process.

first he'd blow into the plastic bag with the rice, shake it up so nothing sticks to the plastic. (at this point i'd blow into mine).

then he'd open the plastic bag along the seam, spread it along the table, and make a square plate. if we had water he'd dampen the corners so the plastic sticks to the table.

depending on the ulam, the other plastic bags would be opened in the same manner or just positioned beside the "plate" half open for easy access.

then we'd eat with our hands. :P if you don't want to get your hands messy, you can ask for an extra plastic bag to eat with. just slip your hand into it, and use your hand as if it weren't covered.

:) i don't know how many people did it this way, but we did. and it was fun, and creative, and i always enjoyed the meals. some of those aristocart people can really really cook. i just wish i had pictures to post here.

it's been years since i've done it, and i miss it. maybe one day, even when money isn't tight, i'll visit an aristocart and eat there. but i think this time, i'll pay for the spoons.

my philippine bucket list

abigail tagged me on FB re: things i've done. this is my local bucket list. i've done most, and i'm sure there are other things that you guys think should be part of it. so, i'm appending my bucket list to the list abigail tagged me to do, and i'm tagging you!

(x) Walked in a flood
(x) Eaten balut (and penoy)
(x) Eaten kambing (goat), ( ) aso (dog) or ( ) bayawak (giant lizard) or (x) wild boar or (x) wild deer or () palaka (frog)
(x) Eaten adidas (chicken feet), ( ) helmet (chicken head) (x) or isaw (chicken intestine)
(x) Rode a Tricycle
(x) Rode a caritela
( ) Rode a trolley by the houses along the riles (railroad)
(x) Been to the Rice Terraces
( ) Been to Star City
(x) Been to Enchanted Kingdom
(x) Been to Shooting the Rapids
(x) Eaten with your fingers from banana leaves
(x) Eaten taho (soft bean curd with caramel sauce peddled in the street by vendors)
(x) Eaten aratiles or macopa - straight from the tree
(x) Attended Simbang Gabi ( Midnight Mass )
(x) Played patintero
(x) Played Tumbang Preso
(x) Played Piko
(x) Played Sungka
(x) Played with Spiders (Gagamba derby)
(x) Played Chinese Garter
(x) Played Chinese Jackstones
( ) Climbed a coconut tree
(x) Danced the Tinikling or any other native dance (itik-itik!)
( ) Got on a Jeepney where you had to stand (sabit)
( ) Rode top load on a jeepney (mayroon niyan sa probinsiya)
(x) Got on a jeepney
(x) Rode in a banca
( ) Caught fish in the canal during a rainy day
( ) Participated in Ati-Atihan
(x) Had a salagubang (beetle) for a pet
(x) Eaten fish head
(x) Got drunk from Lambanog (coconut wine)
(x) Attended/participated in any religious procession (e.g. flores de mayo, block rosary, salubong, etc.)
(x) visited an inmate at Bilibid prison
(x) Attended an inuman (drinking session)
(x) Gone to the beach in summer
(x) Gone to Baguio
( ) Gone to Sagada
(x) Gone to Palawan
(x) Gone to the the Visayas
( ) Gone to Mindanao
( ) Gone to Angkor Wat in Cambodia
( ) Gone to see The Grand Canyon in Arizona
(x) Lived in any other part of the Philippines, other than hometown
(x) Cut class (OF COURSE!)
(x) Told manananggal, aswang, capre stories during a brownout or rainy night
(x) Slept under a mosquito net
(x) Slept on a banig (mat)
(x) Polished the floor with coco husk (bunot)
(x) Tasted durian
(x) Eaten pandesal filled with condensed milk
(x) Dunked pandesal into hot coffee
( ) Rode a kalabaw
(x) Took a bath under a "poso" or by the "ilog"
(x) Took a bath in the rain
(x) Used a pumice stone when taking a bath,
(x) used gugo for shampoo
(x) Tumulay sa kawayan (walked on a bamboo pole)
(x) Kept Vigil at the Cemetery for Nov. 1st
( ) Had their first date in Luneta
( ) Gone inside Malacanang Palace
( ) Gone shopping at 168 Divisoria
( ) Was punished by kneeling down on rock salt or monggo beans
(x) Gone shopping in Quiapo
(x) Eaten champorado with tuyo
(x) Eaten Dirty Ice Cream,
(x) fish ball sa kalye
( ) Watched horse races at the karerahan
(x) Rode horses at Wright Park in Baguio
(x) Drank Batangas barako coffee
(x) Cordillera coffee
(x) Eaten pinasugbo, (x) otap, or (x) piaya, (x) buko pie,
(x) Greeted your grandparents or elders by kissing their hand or having them touch your forehead
(x) Seen Taal Volcano
(x) Called anyone "pare/mare", "tol", or "bos/bossing"
(x) Watched the sunset by Manila Bay

my very own places to visit and things to do:
()go to batanes
()spelunking in sagada
(x)go to the underground river in palawan
(x)visit callao caves in tuguegarao
(x)make a pilgrimage to manaoag
()join the sinulog in cebu
()go to pahiyas in quezon
(x)swim in the hot springs in calamba
(x)go rafting in pagsanjan
()go rafting in cagayan de oro
(x)strawberry picking in la trinidad, benguet
(x)have coffee in the cafe by the ruins in baguio
(x)eat pinikpikan (hehehe. apologies to animal lovers)
(x)watch a canao
(x)visit the banawe rice terraces
(x)swim in hundred islands
(x)horse back riding in wright park, baguio
(x)go to the chocolate hills
(x)touch a tarsier
(x)take the loboc river tour
()surf in siargao
()visit the pearl farm in davao
()go house to house and eat with strangers in a fiesta
(x)snorkeling in palawan/boracay/bohol
(x)sleep in a bahay kubo
()tabon caves in palawan
(x)have your picture taken with a crocodile in palawan
(x)watch the sun set in any of the beaches in the philippines
()take the taal lake boat ride
()ride topload on a jeep
()sumabit sa jeep
()ride a skylab
()ride a pugpog/kuliglig
(x)hang a sampaguita on your rear view mirror
(x)ride a boat in burnham
(x)ride a bike in burnham
(x)go to tam-awan village
()swim with dolphins/whales in camarines
()climb mt. pulag
(x)visit banahaw
()wind surfing in boracay
(x)go up taal basilica
(x)go to enchanted kingdom
(x)watch the silent drill in PMA

places and things to eat:
(x)royal bibingka in laoag
(x)vigan longganisa
(x)pastel from camiguin
(x)curacha from zamboanga
(x)sisig in pampanga (along da riles)
(x)puso or rice in banana leaves in leyte
(x)drink barako coffee
(x)have bulalo in tagaytay
(x)butterscotch and pinasugbo in iloilo
(x)batchoy in iloilo
(x)fishball/isaw/kwekkwek sa kalye
(x)balut (pati sisiw ha, pero minsan lang. nahilo ako)
(x)taho
(x)pan de sal and star margarine with sugar
()tuba in the south
(x)lambanog from quezon
(x)basi from ilocos
(x)tapuy from the cordilleras

---i'm sure i missed out on a lot, so please feel free to append. WOW PHILIPPINES, sabi nga. :)

what recession?

amid all the doom and gloom of the "global recession" i would have expected that all newspapers would have headlines related to it. but no. this made me grin so wide i almost split my lip:



again, what recession? :)