|my_fortune|
i'm not desperate that i rely on a fortune cookie to tell me what the future holds for me. well at least not yet. this was being sold in a convenience store, bought one and took some shots during lunch.
it didn't say anything about the future but just a proverb that we can probably learn from and live by.
|on_being_filipino|
this is a copy of an email that was forwarded to me at work. though for me all forwardables are destined to immediately go to the trash bin, this would be one of the rare exceptions that i make. it made me ponder on what a filipino individual is and the things that can be done on our own to initiate change. from here others may learn a thing or two and look at things through another perspective.
*****
-----Original Message----- From: xxxxx SOMETHING FOR EVERY FILIPINO... "Twelve (12) Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country," by Alexander Ledesma Lacson, may be a "voice in the wilderness"; but as Fr. Rub en Tanseco, S.J. puts it, what Alex proposes are "very concrete, practical and doable" actions for us ordinary Filipinos. 1. Follow traffic rules. -- Why is that the most important? The answer is simple. Traffic rules are the simplest of our laws. If we learn to follow them, it will be the lowest form of national discipline that we can develop. Since it is totally without monetary cost, it should be easy for us to comply with, and therefore should provide a good start. 2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt. -- If a seller does not issue an official receipt when you buy a product, the seller may or may not remit the tax to the government. Without an O.R., there is no record of the sale transaction, and the tax that you paid may not be remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. 3. Do not buy smuggled goods. Buy local, buy Filipino. -- It may not be good economics to buy 100 percent local products. What I suggest is for us to take a "50-50" buying attitude. This means that we must develop the attitude of using 50 percent of our budget for local products and the other 50 percent for imported choices. 4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively of our race and our country. -- this is best addressed to the rich and the middle class in our country, who have contact with the outside world. It is they who talk to, dine or deal with foreigners either here or abroad. It is what they say and do which creates impressions about us among foreigners. 5. Respect your traffic officer, policeman, soldier and other public servants. -- There is nothing like the power of respect. It makes a person proud. It makes one feel honorable. At the same time, courtesy to others is good manners. It is class and elegance and kindness. It is seeing the value and dignity in the other man. It is, in fact, a mark of a most profound education. 6. Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve. -- As Louis Armstrong says in his song: "I see trees of green, red roses, too, I see them bloom for me and you and I think to myself, what a wonderful world." 7. Support your church or charitable/ civic organizations. 8. During elections, do your solemn duty. -- Honesty, more than a masteral or doctorate degree, is what gives credibility. And credibility is essential because it is a leader's link to the people. It is what makes the people look to one direction,follow a common vision, and perform a uniform act. In short,credibility is what makes people follow the leader. 9. Pay your employees well. -- No exercise is better for the human heart than to reach down and lift someone else up. This truly defines a successful life. For success is the sum, not of our earthly possessions, but of how many times we have shown love and kindness to others. 10. Pay your taxes. -- In 2003, P83 billion was collected from individual income taxes. But 91 percent of this amount came from salaried workers from the government and private sector, people who had no choice since their income taxes were withheld mandatorily. Only P7billion of the P83 billion came from businessmen and professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants and architects, among others. 11. Adopt a scholar or adopt a poor child. -- You can make a difference in the future of our country by making a difference in the world of children. 12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and to love our country. -- Today's children will someday rule and lead this world. But whether they will be bad rulers or good leaders will depend largely on how we raise them today. Our future is in the hearts and minds of our
From: xxxxx
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 10:29 AM
To: xxxxx
Subject: FW: 12 little things a filipino can do
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 8:55 AM
To: xxxxx
Subject: FW: 12 little things a filipino can do
THERE'S a booklet making the rounds in Metro Manila that every Filipino who loves his country should get hold of and read, and hopefully put the points it raises into practice, in order to help our nation...
children.
i do 10 out of 12 on this list, not bad for someone who feels so strongly negative about his country doing an exponential spiral nosedive to oblivion. i may still be hopeful of better things to come for us but i'm not hopeful of that happening in my lifetime.
|southeast_asia_on.a_shoestring_budget|
day 4
along the beaches of bali, one would find countless batik sarongs of all colors and textures-- a lot similar to what we have back home. stores are all lined up selling various handicrafts and wares. what better way to start shopping by going through the streets of kuta by foot or by other possible means. but before anything else, there was the usual quick stroll along kuta beach, relaxed a bit on its sands as we prepared for a busy day ahead. this was the 4th day of my southeast asian misadventure.
getting through the streets of bali requires a lot of talent. the streets are narrow and one can get easily lost with its meandering roadways. with all the walking that we did, not knowing where our feet would take us, we got to the bali bombing memorial. a few meters away, for a few thousand Indonesian rupiahs, someone offered a scooter-for-rent around town. no driver's license or permit required... i think. i then ditched the thought of going around on a scooter unless it was a vespa and rode the taxi instead. i trust transportation with more wheels. it was time for lunch and what a sumptuous meal it was-- shrimps! who cared what it was called or how it was cooked, shrimps tasted the same no matter where in the world you are.
the flight back to kl was at 830pm hence we had the rest of the afternoon to finish our so-called tour. with us done with shopping, denpasar was the next logical stop since it was nearest to kuta. we took some pictures at the denpasar fountain and headed to the avenue that led to the posh hotels, e.g. the grand hyatt bali. somewhere in between, i got mesmerized by this flower along the roadside and took a close shot of it. it turned out nice!
last stop was the ulu watu temple where the monkeys are revered to be sacred. it was a good half hour drive from denpasar before heading to the airport. the temple is located by the edge of a cliff with a breathtaking view of the ocean. naughty monkeys would get anything that they can hold on to from the tourists, cellphones, eyeglasses, jewelry, etc. what naughty monkeys indeed!
i left bali with a heavy heart but it's normal for me to be like that. i get attached to the places that i go to. maybe because i always find a connection (in any form or entity) no matter what. though may it be, on the plane i had a warm meal consisting of by far the most expensive cup noodles, ribena juice drink and a snickers chocolate bar. it being a light flight with only a few passengers, the cabin crew decided to have games and gave out airline merchandise. this was so cebu pacific but no one did mind. we had a few laughs and went on to a vacant row, lifted the arm rests, lied down and took a power nap. =)
close to 4 hours later, we landed at the klia ahead of schedule. it's a good thing for an airline that's known to be like pal-- plane always late. close to midnight, we took the last trip of the much talked about klia ekspress to kl central. nice, nice smooth ride to the city!
back in malaysia, truly asia and back to the backpacker's inn for the night. it was already past midnight but we still had the craving to have dinner. plane food isn't something to rave about. a few steps after the pudaraya bus station was chinatown as we searched for a chinese eatery to satisfy our hunger for a decent meal. nothing fancy but along the shop houses, we found one that was still open for business. with so much gusto, we ordered the first thing that came into our minds. it was chicken...lemon chicken to be exact!
|tribute_to_a_hero|
august 21, 1983 marked a very important time in our country's history. if benigno "ninoy" aquino, jr. didn't get shot at the tarmac of the manila international airport, how would this hero supposedly have changed the nation?
below is a copy of a poem that ninoy wrote while in exile. this was published on last sunday's paper, the philippine daily inquirer.
Burning the Candle of My Life
By Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.
I am burning the candle of my life
in the dark with no one to benefit
from its light.
The candle slowly melts away
soon its wick will be burned out,
and the light is gone.
If someone will only gather
the melted wax, reshape it,
give it a new wick
for another fleeting moment
my candle can once again
light the dark
be of service
one more time
and then...
Goodbye.
March 12, 1976
3rd anniversary of our exile
to Laur, Nueva Ecija
|i_see|
"i see" is usually the reply of people who do not know what else to say.
*****
|dude,we're_having_a_dell|
this one just got in. it's already official that dell computer corporation will finally setup their own facility here in manila. initially the contact center will have 700 seats for technical support and their temporary office will be at the rcbc plaza in makati city. so that explains the aggressive pulling out of dell accounts from manila-based outsourcers early this year...hmmm.
complete article can be found here.
|rainy_day_gloomy_day|
we've been experiencing rains throughout since last week brought about the monsoon season. words like intertropical convergence zone, tropical depression, tropical storms come to my head. no major storms anytime soon, but there will be lots of rains in the days to come. it's good to have my raingear all set and ready.
i had monggo and hot steamed rice for lunch because of the rains. i can't explain it but during these times, nothing beats monggo over rice. i felt good after lunch.
what do you like to eat during these times?
|southeast_asia_on.a_shoestring_budget|
day 3
to maximize time, barely a few hours of sleep we started early and had a quick breakfast then headed to the streets of bali. first stop was the kuta beach, a long stretch great for surfing but no swimming is allowed. on a side note, i'd say i'd seen better beaches here than in bali. i don't know if i speak for everyone though.
next was a cab ride to the city square to check out the local mall.
one mall near kuta was the discovery mall where we discovered and wandered upon retail stores after retail stores of brands similar of what we have here-- guess, esprit, island souvenirs, etc. funny how we discover ourselves in a shopping mall instead of checking out what bali has to offer to tourists like us. just the same, we had some coffee at starbucks and ventured around until we got to the same beach connected to where we started, the kuta beach.
about an hour drive north took us to ubud where we stopped for lunch then to kinatamani where again went up the mountains to see an active volcano, mount batur and the batur temple.
bali, being predominantly hindu has over 1000 temples! even their homes, no matter how small have to have a temple or shrine for every god and goddess.
later in the afternoon, we passed by and got a special tour around the grounds of the immense begawan giri estate by tita shirley, the only filipina working there. there she showed us around residences, villas, infinity pools, jacuzzis and posh living tucked away from the busy urban life. it's definitely a home away from home.
last itinerary for the day was a dinner treat at the restos along the beach at jimbaran. nice, nice. =)
check out the other pictures here:
kuala lumpur
bali