TO BE JOLOG

Having been out of the country for quite sometime now, I have yet to learn a tremendous list of terms that are "in" these days....I must admit I am no jolog as far as the trendy words are concerned.

You see, I often send and receive txt messages from my friends in Pinas via that SMS thing....and I am oftentimes in awe at the number of words used that do not register in my memory bank. Let us see....

SWAK- as in the text: "Swak na swak ang dating!"

I texted back: "whats 'swak'?
The reply was instant: 'sakto or exactly/fit!
The term was used to describe the tees I sent them.

Shiver-me-timbers!

So if I have to describe the picture above, I should say:
"Swak-na-swak sa rhythm and galaw nila!"

Then one time, I read some more:
....carmi [for karma; jolina [for tuli na]; tsugi, and more!

Of course, I know what "bagets" mean, having heard those words used over and over again as we try to wiggle out of the long arm of my parents as they try to push us out of those 'dabarkads' who keep on calling.....

But there are more words used primarily by gays.....
these words they call "swardspeak" which I find daunting and not necessarily 'sosi'.

I remember reading some words to describe the extravagance of Imelda Marcos. It was described in some british papers as "imeldific!" The meaning is not lost to us: it means exhorbitantly extravagant, leaning on the superflous use of money for personal use..." or something of that sort.

I remember first hearing 'tsugi' used by that gay manicurist who do my Nanay's nails. I wondered what [s]he meant. I was thinking of that word and wondered who's "next"....because in Nippongo, tsugi means next. Apparently, in Pinas, teh word meant to be dead...or "dedo." I was aghast and confused at what the word meant, locally at least.

Language, being a living one, has the capacity to grow and before we know it, we are faced with a deluge of "new terms" by the end of the day. More people using them means they word is coined. When it remains used, thereby accepted by a majority numebr of speakers, then we add a new term in our vocabulary. This is the reason why all Languages, continue to add more in their long lists. While other terms become "dead" after a long while, their definitions have been entered and logged in a certain nation's history of Languages. This is true with major languages like English ...or even the minor ones like Nippongo which enters hundreds of new words every year.

Locally, the latest ones which caught my attention were these:

[*] na-gloria= meaning...naloko[mang-gloria=manloko!]
[*] ma-jonas= meaning 'mawala' or madukot ng militar.
[*] ma-palparan=meaning, ma-salvage, ma-torture, ma-kidnap, mawala sa listahan....
[*] mang-garci=meaning "mandaya sa anumang eleksyon.
[*] ma-honasan=meaning tumakas...as in takas-ng-takas....

There are more of these words....
I wish I could have them all here. But I only know a little from afar.


But knowing these words,makes life bearable among Pinoys who have to make
just tiis while waiting for justice to grind its wheel. Furthermore, Pinoys just bear it out with jokes to forget, even for a while...the looming distress that these "glorias" bring.

HIROSHIMA REMEMBERED

The time: 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945-under the sweltering heat of summer:

....62 years ago the Americans dropped an untested bomb called "The Little Boy" from the B-29 bomber Enola Gay overhead at the center of Hiroshima. Three days later, another bomb, this time called "The Fat Man" was dropped at Nagasaki- and together instantaneously claimed 210,000 lives! Others died slowly suffering from the effects of radiation and the black rain.The death toll continues even today.....

Most Japanese at both ends of the political spectrum agree that those attacks were inexcusable. The American leaders of those times insist that the attacks were proper.

The scene here was taken four days after the bomb was dropped. Smoke can be seen still. The once-bustling city-port was flattened and reduced instantly to rubbles. The only thing that was left in this picture was a Buddhist Temple Torii (Gate) amidst devastation, ruin and the stench of burning dead bodies. Another monument to this tragedy is the dome that Hiroshima keeps to remind everyone that war and bombs do not care; they eradicate!!

Sixty-two years hence, the world is still the same, or is it worse?! The only thing that has changed is the news that the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Museum has an American at its helm. Yessiree! And that, is the ultimate irony.

The numbers keep growing. The hibakusha (atomic-bomb survivors) have been fading...with a good number of them slowly dying but most have taken the effort to tell their stories, some too horrifying to listen to.

The survivors are saying that they are not interested in revenge or retaliation. What they are doing is sublimating all of the urge for revenge and anger into this pursuit of a world without war and nuclear weapons.They have been pursuing a move to say to the world and I dare say as well:

NO MORE HIROSHIMAS!....

NO MORE NAGASAKIS!


I hope and pray the world listens........

NOTE:One can visit the 2 Museum =virtually= and 'feel' the place where those bombs were dropped. Visit them by finding the link on the sidebar. Thanks.

GOOD NIGHT,.... and GOOD LUCK !

SEVERAL nights ago, I saw one of the bestest movie I've seen in years. Not because it speaks of sci-fi and all that, which I abhor, actually...no, not that. It speaks of basic human drama that has penetrated the lives of men and women of a generation past.


THE setting was the early 50s (1953, to be exact) and what I am talking about is the McCarthy era in the 50s America. The title of the movie is ...you're right! "Good Night, and Good Luck!"

IT deals with how a group of people working for CBS meet before each show and brainstorm on the latest happening. They then pick a certain topic and deal with it.



THE show went on as usual, but the news about then junior Senator MacCarthy was the truning point. The issue was becoming persistent.The time came when the CBS group can no longer tolerate McCarthy's hurling accusations everywhere that they felt they must speak out. Of course, people reacted both positively and those presumed guilty raised a howl. Even McCarthy responded by accusing Ed Murrow connections with the communists!


McCarthysm, a word coined to mean that anyone who is against the policies of government was deemed a communist. The news rattled several people which sometimes led to their dismissal from office by mere association with known or branded "communists."


BEAUTIFUL lines were delivered: "We cannot defend freedom abroad, if we do not defend it here." ....."I choose my conscience!"....and lots more.


MURROW, the anchorman was even accused by McCarthy himself as having associated with 'communists' in his early days as a reporter. Accusations were hurled, presumably to threaten Ed Murrow and the entire staff. But they didn't give in. He (Murrow) countered that he, indeed had some friends that were supposed-to-be communists, but that doesn't justify that he, too was one.


THE anchorman's persistence and bravery was rewarded when McCarthy was later investigated and the people affected from his barrage and accusations were restored to their former positions in government. He opted to pursue with such diligence the trying order of the day. He persisted and earned the respect and admiration of people not only in the industry where he works, but the entire nation.

IT was a film that could be a reminded to the next generation that the television or media in general, is a powerful medium to delver the Common Tao's cries and woes.

WATCHING the movie made me think and wonder: The very same thing is happening in Pilipinas for the past five-or so-years. People in media were sued with libel...and although the case have been withdrawn, due to 'humanitarian reasons'.....the situation is reminiscent of America in the early 50s.

FREEDOM of speech is a basic human right of each and every citizen in a supposed democratic nation. Basically, no one is supposed to question a person's right to speak for or against the very institution that is mandated to protect its citizen.
Although there are a few journalists who continue to fight the corrupt system we have today, they are dimishing in numbers. Some have been 'bought' or 'swayed' by the powers-that-be.

THIS movie is a must-see, if only to remind people that being wary and losing one's guard makes way for the corrupt and the misfits to survive. Go and see it, if you haven't yet. It's in black-and white that stars, among others George Clooney who plays Fred Friendly,the director of that CBS TV show.

WELL then, GOOD NIGHT,.... and GOOD LUCK !

DREAMS~and~CICADAS

I woke up from my reverie with a chorus I find at times distracting but today, I do not know whether to call it a blessing in disguise..... You see, I had a dream which I have not experienced in a long time and the chorus I was referring to were the cicadas chirping.


It is indeed summer and cicadas are everywhere.
Bugs and beetles, too! But what I do not like with the hot summer days are the pesky mosquitoes which swarm me when I go to the small patch I call garden to weed out those unwanted ones. Rains have been few and far-between recently, which probably shooed the frogs away, hence their absence in our midst. Maybe I just 'miss' the croaking, to say the least.

And, oh! Those dreams....I guess I have to write them as soon as...lest I forget
them again! It happens, y'know. Dreams are easily reverted back into the recesses of a person's mind and thus, forgotten in a jiffy....until we go through a flashback when a 'continuity' of sorts happen. Have experienced that, a couple or so- times! Heh-heh!

OK...now about that dream: I dreamt I went boating with ....whom, or where? I don't remember. What stuck into my mind was that >suddenly, I found I was under water and when I looked up, I saw clearly our small boats up the surface. It was blue all over and my companions were trying to hold hands so we don't get separated.

I was beginning to gasp for air when we found ourselves "landing" on a surface where I was able to breathe. I was glad to "arrive" on that area, because of the air. We were then ushered into a place very similar to our own, yet different.

People there never thought of going back to the surface :that is,
our own world. They were contented to be there. All of a sudden I felt the urge to contact some relatives ( as I am wont to do on impulse) and tried to grope for my celfone inside my bag, which, surprisingly was still with me. (=I always use body bags when not working!=) My phone was out! Can't connect.....

We (I don't even know who it was with me!) walked and tried to look
for a telephone booth, so we walked around. Luckily, we found one. I tried to get some coins and put them inside the telephone machine, but still, the telephone didn't register a dial tone. Looking at the backside, I retrieved the unattached cords.
It was then I realized no one can make contact with the 'outside world'.

So we walked and looked at the place. Later, a middle-aged woman volunteered to go and swim back. With the help of some of the "residents" there, we were shown the best way out.

As the woman swam her way, we went back and a small place which appeared to be something like a common agora. We walked around and was taken by some accessories which I even tried. I thought: 'What nice pasalubongs these would make!'

I was thinking: 'What the hell am I thinking?
Here I am away from family and friends, and I was still thinking of pasalubongs!?'

It was at this moment that I heard the cicadas....

Shall I thank the cicadas who wakened we up from my reveries?

I do not have the knack to interpret dreams, but I sure hope that
it means good and that I need not worry.

Lolo says it's the time when local folks talk of ghosts and souls coming back for the O-BON.....and that, perhaps, triggered my dreams. Or I may have been seeing a lot of those TV dramas about ghosts that I entertain such ideas in my mind. Fact is, I seldom watch those 'horror genres!' Whatever it is, I pray and praise that nothing bad was meant by one's productive extension of this mind.

DEAL~or~NO DEAL?

For the last 21 years, the government, through the PCGG,
has been known to work to recover the fabled "Asian Trasures"
...more specifically, the Philippine Treasures...
looted by the dictator and his lady.

The last days of marcos saw them looking grim and full of grief
as they boarded the helicopter to Hawaii. They had with him
his most loyal crony onboard.


A decade or so- hence, we see imelda and her children
return to the country. The same can be said of the cronies....
who made good their presence and the people 'accepted' them,
no matter what!

WE also saw marcos' frozen body flown and kept in a freezer
in his hometown.Through all these, the country saw the
re-emergence of the marcos children
in politics and the return of the imeldific ways of
imelda, the con artist.

ALL can be said in line with the forgiving hearts
of the Filipino but something is wrong somewhere....
I can smell the stink from where I am.
Some instinct says that something wrong is going on somewhere....

LATELY, we see in print the interview on Jose Almonte
and how the PCGG, under Jovito Salonga...
and how Sedfrey Ordonez was supposed to have left the
Swiss capital before the hand-over of several marcos' loot.
Why he did that is unknown to many, and no explanation
was given, either. Jovito Salonga was said to have
issued the order. Now, Salonga is rewarded as a hero of sorts.

A small portion of marcos' loot was later transferred
and held in escrow at PNB. The rest of the loot remain
unrecovered....or were they? I wonder......


ALSO, news about imelda's first-born, imee claiming a
good percentage of GMA-7's ownership which she claimed
were all held in trust by the dictator to Duavit,
who, GMA executives say is the real owner.

NOT to be outdone, here comes bongbong, marcos' only son
claiming that Lucio Tan's holdings aren't really Tan's
but his father's.

WHAT's intriguing is the news that bongbong and even
imeldific herself, will testify against Lucio Tan
as government witness!

DO they have a deal....or NO deal?

I wonder.....


With the crooks and the hooks, and everything in between,
I am inclined to believe that there is something going on.
Imagine the amount in question
....and having been there "sleeping" with interests,
the money marcos stole may reach into so many zeros,
I wouldn't know how to read them!

MAKING a pact with the devil is the lowliest deal of all!

Why in the world couldn't people in government...
these judges find the looters of this country
guilty and send them to rot in jail?
Just send some and you'll find that a
deterrent for future looters.
By allowing these crooks to reenter society
sends signal to would-be-looters and
now-looting scumbags that they,
too can get away with looting the country's coffers!
Holy Cow!

WHAT can I say? Only this:
Along witht he numerous citizens of this country,
I feel dismayed....NO! disgusted about the whole thing!
I thought government people were supposed to be the protectors
of the People's interests?
Not so with the crap of crocodiles that have sprouted
in our midst! Goodness!
How I wish lightning strike them all many times over!

I say NO DEAL!
But that, my dear is what Malacanang's illegal occupant says!
But knowing how tricky, this little Tricky does...
I am bound to believe that
there is something going on....


and you better believe it!

IMPASIBOL SA PINAS!

Here's one news I find queer at the same time impossible to happen.......

............> that is, in the Inang Bayan!

No one...and I say no one among the Crocodiles and the Snakes ....will ever admit that that they dipped their fingers and palms inside the cookie jar!

Queer, I say...because primarily, those crooks in government do what they can to be elected......with one prime purpose: to leech and seep what they can from the country's coffers.

1,790 of China's communist party officials admit to corruption
China's Communist Party says 1,790 of its senior members have admitted to corruption under a program that gives officials relatively light punishment if they voluntarily report their wrongdoing within 30 days.

A spokesman for the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Gan Yisheng, said on Thursday that the amount of embezzlements and profits illegally made by the officials totaled 78 million yuan, or more than 10 million US dollars.

Mr Gan said the party will take severe measures against corrupt officials who do not voluntarily report their wrongdoing.

He referred to the recent case of former Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu, who was expelled from the party for corruption charges.

Mr Gan said the case has been handed over to prosecutors and that the former secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Commission is not above being sent to prison. Source:NHK World

BLOGGING ~and ~ A CUP OF COFFEE

BLOGGING makes my day. It's like my first cup of coffee in the morning. I need Coffee to perk me up and make me alive. The same can be said of my blogging.


SINCE I got hold of my laptop, I've been bewildered by the iNet. I wander from News to Tools and in-between them. I love to read. Makes me think....but found out later that not all are worth reading, dude!

THERE are sites where news are a-plenty! Lots of know-how are posted and I just couldn't have enough of 'em! I wish I can remember them all, but alas! Anyway, I just
book-marked them all, for future reference.

NOT to be outdone, Blogs have mushroomed, too! Most are free blogs, (of which, mine belongs!) And when I read them, I am welcomed to a variety of genres as many as the stars in heaven. Some blogs are worth mentioning; some are not. Some are political, where others sway to the diary-like entries and then we are allowed a glimpse of the private and the emotions. Some entries are funny and tickle the readers.

READING made me think...and think better, I suppose. Not all we read are true, of course! I adhere to that line of thinking. Some blogs made me laugh and some made me wonder. Others made me stay away, especially those black humors and weird entries.

SINCE blogging has become "normal"....or shall we say, regular, most surfers were allowed to leave comments. Others need to be members and that led me to start my own. I'm glad I did! It made me feel better, since my blog became my punching bag, whenever i find something amiss. This blog became my friend, when I needed someone to talk to....even in the dead of the night. I need not bother to call my relatives or firends. I have someone right here.

I DON'T care if people read my entries. It just makes me feel happy and great to see some "creations" I made. I have had many things in my mind that I want to put in print. I have lots of stories stored in my PC that has not seen print. These stories as told by my Parents on what led them to be together and all those. My feelings and views on how people acted and reacted at one point in my life....

THERE are so many things to say...so many things to write....IF only I can find the patience to sit and write them all! Some may not see print here (privacy issues) but I hope I can leave something for my family to read when the time is ripe.




I'VE been posting comments here and there, that is, when time and opportunity permits. Loaded with work and maintaining a house with a ward to look after, I must say I find wandering in the iNet a wonder and a respite in　my hard day's work.


WHILE surfing the net the other day, I found some posters at MLQ3's blog who were outrageous in their comments.

I read the whole exchanges and found some familiar names. I thought I'd post a reply but the better side of me made me stop and rest a-while.

SOME poster/visitor in MLQ3's place were saying some unsavory remarks against another blog. It appears that these posters were banned from Ellen Tordesillas' blog. And they were venting their anger in Manolo's.

IMO, I find Ellen Tordesillas' blog quite different from Manolo's in the sense that Ellen posts her articles in them. Manolo reads different blogs and from there, he blogs. His articles which appears in various papers are just mentioned in passing. He normally mentions blogs worth reading, thus making some sort aof free "ADs" for them.
Mine was mentioned a couple[?] of times before, and I must admit I was tickled pink!

ELLEN's blog is hard-hitting and direct to the point: a style which made me take second a look and post some comments. Lately, it has boomed and readership hits have gone high that I find it difficult to access the blog. Regulars claim that the 'arroyo brigade' have been working to regulate, even bar others from making comments.

MANOLO's blog may sway and play, not that hard-hitting as Conrado de Quiros'....but analyzes and makes his point with all those references and back-up data to boot. Sometimes, he uses words and terms that is totally alien to me (pardon my ignorance, but am still learning the way of the dragon, Man!)...which behooves me to consult Mr. Webster first. Over all, his is the wisdom one aspire for.

IN my mind and in my heart, I like to read both, but lately, accessing Ellen's have been quite difficult for me. I must confess I am an impatient lot, and if I can't access one site in one, two, even three hits, I usually cease and go on the next. MLQ3's blog at times have access problems, but is soon remedied at the second hit.

NO two things are exactly the same. Some qualities are found in one that is sorely lacking in the other. But just the same, I can't let the day pass without even taking a peek in almost all blogs listed in my dreams.

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!

I have been tagged by schumey!

I have known this game (sort of,) since way, way back, even before
I started blogging.

It was THE SEVEN THINGS (August 07,2005*
and I am now thinking if I'd post that and tag some new bloggers whom I did not meet then......just for fun!).

Actually, I posted that in one of the fora where I've visited....
but later thought: why not post it here....And so I did!
I was jubilant becoz one of the best answers here came from....wouldyabelieve?...
Manolo or the famous MLQ3 to avid readers.....
Yes....DA ONE!

WOW!
I never imagined a well-respected Journalist of his stature would answer a fantasy by a simple and humble blogger as that of yours truly. I was surprised and grateful for the time he spent to post such long answers....
and the chance to 'know' a little about MLQ3.

Anyway, so much for that. Let's go to the

RULES:

[*] In the 8 facts about [name], you share 8 things that your readers don’t know about you. At the end, you tag 8 other bloggers to keep the fun going. Each blogger must post these rules first.
[*] Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
{*] At the end of the post, a blogger needs to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
[*] Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.



But just the same here are 8 nonsense facts about yours truly:

1. I love to eat! Maybe you see me post something about food, drinks [non-alcohol for me!] and fruits and all that! Well, I really love 'em guys and I indulge myself sometimes. But mostly, I cook them myself. Nowadays, I prefer my cooking than eating outside ....except of course, if I am dining out to a "real" resto, then anyone can force me to.....Oh-la-lah!

2. I love to travel. I have seen around 80% of this country I live in (except Hokkaido and the islands down south)....and a good 80% of Inang Bayan as well!
Japan is beautiful, no one can deny that! But to say the Philippines isn't is far from right. Inang Bayan is astounding and different! And I'd always choose Inang Bayan to spend my sunset years, no doubt about that!

3. I am a fast reader. I love books and I can finish a book by one sitting! Unfortunately here, I don't have much collections since ordering English bestsellers heretakes enormous time...and hassle! And I don't use my CCs in the iNet!

4. I drink...no...gulp water so many times a day! I can finish more than 2 liters a day....that is, aside from the fruit juices and some couple of cups of coffee I have from time to time!

5. I adore the Japanese Sweet Corn! The very reason I posted an entry about it here some years back....and retained the memory by posting the picture on the side bar.
I can eat as much as five ears a day...while surfing the net, that is! I have to get up early and drive the long roads that lead to that tiny village by the hills. In these parts, that is where you get the best among the best! It is not only juicy, but the sweetest one I have ever gobbled! Nothing beats that!

6. I love to tinker in the garden: be they in MManila or in this place I now call my temporary home! I usually do my thing early morning or late afternoons, when the mighty sun is still far away. The only time I don't do gardening is when I am away from both....I posted some flowers/trees here....

7. I am scared of heights! I don't know...but whenever I go traipsing in the woods in my Father's hometown here, I can't seem to cross over those hanging bridge. I can't even go onboard those ferris wheels in Fiestas in Manila. As long as it is enclosed, like airplanes and helis...I think it's OK, but those rollercoaster rides? No, Thank You!

8. I am a Cry-Baby, dude! I easily cry over simple matters. I cry when someone is hurt, or die, or treated unfairly! I cry when the drama thickens in a TV series, or a tear-jerker of a movie! I cry when a song hits me right through its lyrics and chords.... and I cry everytime I see people's right being trampled upon in a situation where tyrants reign! I also cry....whenever I see Nature at its best: the vibrant colors of Autumn....or the Snow-capped Mountains in our midst....or the Cool Blue Waters of the verdant seas!




AND NOW I tag 8 others....(I wish I can come up with 8 dears....) for this TAG-GAME to prosper.... and I tag the following:

1. Soleil -http://purplesoleil.blogspot.com/
2. Alitaptap -http://wingsofmymind.blogspot.com/
3. Yuko -http://pinay-revolution.blogspot.com/
4. Ellen Tordesillas- Life Worth Living
5. Ely- da Playboy!
6. Edward-
7. Reyssie-
8. Chinita

A COMMUNITY AT WORK

ALL ROADS led to the Temple for the Summer Community Service In Our Area this morning......

Protected by hats, and with scythes and towels in hand, community folks, mostly homeowners [why they never include apartment dwellers is beyond me! Unfair, di ba? ] in the area troop to the place picked by Community Leaders. The sun was hot, but no one seemed to mind.

The day was good and sunny.....with temperatures soaring. The morning call was for 8 a.m. but almost all were there early. Some came in bicycles, but most of heattendees< including this humble member, walked our way to the Temple. I had to walk slowly....to be able to take pictures unnoticed using my celfone. He-heh!


AT THE ONSET, the over-all Chairman gave a small talk... while others listened. Here, assignment areas were announced and sub-leaders were enjoined to keep attendance. Non-attendance would elicit fines of as much as 1,500- 3,000 Yen per household, at most. Not that it hurts, coz it isn't that expensive. The thing is......one can see a community in action here....and enjoy the activity!


Young and old alike, men and women all joined hands for a worthy cause. Soon, we all went where we were assigned. The grass has grown and the place has to be cleared of its weeds. Note the weeds.... and the trees needed sprucing up.


AND the task on hand began.....AT first, it was only a faint of whispers.....then it grew into that buzzing-like talks between acquaintances who haven't seen each other for so long...... Laughter and smiles can be heard all over!


Exchanging news about friends and families. just like the cicadas who make beautiful noise....the laughter and the smiles were all there, and not one minded the heat from the scorching sun.....Hands and lips seem to synchronize.....

SOON the ground was clear.....
and the menfolk helped load the weeds to a truck waiting at bay.....
WHILE some find time to stray.......to smoke, maybe, or just plain talk!




THE TEMPLE's warehouse was also opened for cleaning....and checking.
Gadgets and all other paraphernalia used by the community is stored in these two sheds....and used by all in public functions, like the annual MATSURI [FESTIVAL] or the annual BBQ PARTY inside the TEMPLE AREA.


AND SO .....work is done....
and we all went back home, tired, but happy ...........
in thinking that at least today, we found ourselves useful....

AND THE same thing will be repeated next month....and the month after next!

IN ONE YEAR, HOMEOWNERS ARE REQUIRED TO LEND THEIR
TIME AND HELP AROUND 4 TIMES DURING THE SUMMER SEASON.....
depending on the need of the moment.

ALL activities are geared towards October,
where the Festival To Thank The Gods
For A Bountiful Harvest usually takes place.

Before we left the area, our Group Leader was handed a basketful of drinks, all canned: Tea... Coffee, Colas, all kinds! I picked this up. WHY? I find it funny! Japanized English, that is! Cheers!

*I took pains to take pictures again today.....
to show how a Community can work together for a common cause.
Unlike in our BARANGAY system, na pahirapan pa nag pagtawag sa mga miyembro,
dito, hindi. How I wish may gumaganang komunidad din sa Inang Bayan.
Hindi yung maid ang ipadadala kapag nagpatawag ng meeting ang lokal na asosasyon.*

Four Years After Oakwood

This midget must really be dreaming!
After her SONA which was purely fantasia-land speculations....
(I luv Neal Cruz' column today! =GMAland vs.the real Philippines)
here's the latest news in this part of the World: gloria's Enchanted Kingdom!

RP asks Myanmar to release Suu Kyi by ASEAN anniversary.....

The Philippines appealed Thursday for Myanmar to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi by November, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations marks its founding anniversary.

Yet they haven't cleaned their backyard yet with the killings, the lying
and the cheating including the numerous disapppeared, prominent of which were the two UP students who were taken along with a farmer in Bulacan, and consider Jonas Burgos who was abducted and dragged in April. No news yet, no body found as of this moment.....

Release all political prisoners, then! Those who dare oppose arroyo and her men!
Release Trillanes and let him do his work at the Senate! Release Erap, who is the rightful President of the Republic, having been truly elected by the people until "something happened" in 2001.

Release them ASAP...before ye dare say that and make pleasant copy to international press. Pa-Pogi points? The world already knows!

And, speaking of Jonas Burgos' case....was it coincidence that the CA court Bluiding got burned and those 'important records' burned? Sniff-sniff....something fishy?

I am thinking...there are a lot of things happening in Inang Bayan that can compete with Ripley's Believe -It-Or-Not trivia. Look, Bedol collected the CoCs...then he claimed it got lost! Then there's joc-joc who went a-missing with all the funds used up! Same thing with garci. These people never run out of jokes, man!



And, lest we forget.....

In the predawn hours of July 27, 2003, more than 300 military officers and men seized the Oakwood apartment-hotel in Makati City, protesting corruption in government and demanding the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The mutiny failed and the mutineers landed behind bars. Most of them have pleaded guilty to a lesser offense or entered into a plea bargain. But several dozen have opted to go on trial, believing in the justness of their cause.

Four years hence, the Magdalo spokesman, Antonio Trillanes IV... is now a member of the Senate, having been elected by more than 11 million voters from all over.

Yet the fight is far from over. Most of those detained gave way, simply because that is the game gloria wants to play! She simply wanted to coerce these people to cave in and thus, achieve the last hurrah: 'O! Kita nyo na!? Eh di sumuko rin kayo!'....complete with that sneer that only glue can muster!

People cannot blame these men for doing Oakwood. They believed in something and thus, made some move towards change.....while most of us looked, and did nothing.

Even as we speak, AT4 is still in jail, although his colleagues in the Senate has made appeal for the court to allow him to attend sessions in the Chamber.

Meanwhile, all the 'core officers' as the military people describe them, still awaits the long arm of justice to do its will....and their lives are wasted....with no work, no salary, no nothing.

....And as far as AT4 is concerned, he awaits the decision of the court if he be allowed to do his new job as Senator of the Republic.

Let's just hope justice don't fail them as they find their way through gloria's enchanted kingdom.

House of Comedy

The House opened to vote their Speaker early Monday and
most first-termers stared in awe.....
not because the spectacle was something worth emulating....

The first-termers sat uneasily in their seats and stared
as shouts of older lawmakers demanding to be recognized by the
presiding officer, whose legitimacy they were questioning.
This was compounded by cheers and jeers from a partisan gallery.

Some writers say it's democracy at work,
but for most neophyte members of the House,
the shouting and the bickering leans more on the
palengke side of the House of Crocodiles.

Passions were at a high pitch as the debates that started at 10 a.m.
showed no sign of a clear result at past 2 p.m. They rose even higher
because of apprehensions of not having a House leader by the time
gloria arroyo was to deliver her supposed State of the Nation Address at 4 p.m.

As soon as House Secretary General Roberto Nazareno
ascended the rostrum, members of the opposition and
of the Garcia camp rose and filled the plenary with shouts of
"Mr. Presiding Officer! Mr. Presiding Officer!"
----precisely to question his serving as such.

Nazareno, you see, is known to be close to De Venecia
and the opposition and the Garcia camp, had wanted someone else
to preside over the amendment of the House rules to pave the way
for a secret vote for the new Speaker.

But the majority that favored De Venecia voted down the motions of
Garcia's supporters to do away with Nazareno. But of course! These
sanabagans have the numbers!

BTW, why secret balloting in a Chamber voted by the people?
Isn't is secret balloting is only applied to the people's direct choice?
When assembled inside the Chamber, isn't it logical and legal to use
viva-voce instead? What happened? They og top their usual way, don't they?

Parang kanila na ang Bansang ito! Sanabawitz!

Then there is the speech delivered by gloria.
With her shhhhz and schsss...and all those shhhhitsssss!
What happened? Did gloria had one cognac too many?
Or is her lisping a natural phenomena?
I guess those two front teeth protruding doing their work again, ei!?

Now that's supposed to be a joint House Convention of sorts....not a circus, guys! Unfortunately, for this Country,...
................and for so many years now,
the Circus has again began! Whoooooahh!

The House of Crocodiles are fighting each other for the blood of their countrymen!

And at the helm is a swasshhhh---shiiizzzh-mussshhy drunk
who quivers and shouts
as she throws her tantrums before a gallery of her kind!

Sanabagan!

SANA.....hindi SONA!

SANA....hindi SONA!

Yan ang sinasabi ng Kababayang naaapi na' nagugutom pa!
Samantalang si gloria suot ay pula, ang taba'y kitang-kita;
Si Juan-de-la-Cruz nama'y tuyot at tiyan ay kumakalam
Sikmura'y nagtatambling dahil ito'y walang laman!

SANA....hindi SONA!

Dahil pare-pareho naman ang binabandera
ng sinungaling sa may Pasig! Mata'y nanlilisik
Baka maagawan ng puwestong ninakaw...
Kay erap na kinasuhan kahit na ito'y gawa-gawa lamang.

SANA....hindi SONA!

Sangkaterbang pera, ginastos na naman
Sa walang kakuwenta-kuwentang speech na pulos banta lamang;
Sankatutak ang escort, bantay sa kanya lamang...
Kung bakit takot, pakitanong kay Mang Teban.

SANA....hindi SONA!

Puro palpak din naman, trabaho marami raw...
Bakit kung ganun, sa libu-libong nag-aplayan,
Ni isa walang nakuha, wala na ring pamasahe
pagka't ito'y nagtaasan!

SANA...hindi SONA!

Hindi na kailangan sinungaling sa Bayan
Nais nami'y matino't mapagkakatiwalaan;
Hindi sinungaling, salita'y walang katotohanan,
Pagkatao man, tiyak: hindi pagdududahan.

SANA....hindi SONA!

SANA mabuking ka na!
Mahuli at maparusahan...
Malaman ng Bayan ang tunay mong kulay,
Matigil na ang iyong kagagawan!

Sana nga....

Pero sa totoo lang,

gutom pa rin ang karamihan sa mga Pinoy!

Sana nga, puwedeng kainin ang SONA na parang biskwit,

nang maibsan kahit sumandali ang kalam ng sikmura

at uhaw sa katarungan ng Taumbayan.

Sana nga.....

SANA!

~~~~****~~~~

*Nakuha ng Karikatura na galing sa
Daily Tribune Editorial Cartoon 07-24-2007
ang tunay na pananaw ng Bayan,
kasama na po ang sa inyong lingkod!

Summer Heat and All Those Sweat!

Officially, it' summer in the Land of the Rising Sun, and,
amidst the rains, and typhoons that come visiting
during these months,the summer heat are known to be unbearable.

Summer months here are notoriously hot and mushy,
which can lead to a range of health problems.
Summer fatigue leaves people feeling tired, lethargic and/or
sleep-deprived. Many people lose their appetite and
become irritated, while others suffer
digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation
and/or giddiness...not to mention the onslaught of
those that attack the feet: those watery-thingy-yucky ones!

Summer fatigue refers to a condition brought on by prolonged
exposure to the sweltering summer heat, but these days summer fatigue
starts early even in late June for some people, because of
sudden changes in the weather and freezer-like air conditioning
in trains, buses and buildings.

A lot of people can tolerate the change of temperature
between 5 degrees C. at a time, but during summer, the difference
could jack up to as high as 12-15 degrees at most!
And these conditions should not be taken lightly,
according to doctors.If left unattended, it can
lead to dehydration, cramps and heat stroke.


And what do we do to avoid such conditions?

*-Wear light Clothes.They have this crepe-shirts that
goes easy on the skin. Light on the washer, too!
*Bring a cardigan, in case you feel
cold inside air-conditioned rooms.
*Turn coolers down. Saves the earth, as well!
Study says that coolers are the culprits, sometimes!
*Get enough sleep. If you can't, then turn on the cooler for a while. Using the cooler throughout is one cause of summer fatigue, too.
*Exercise regularly.People who can sweat effectively are less likely
to suffer from fatigue because their bodies are better conditioned
to accommodate temperature changes. Regular exercise can prepare
people for that. It also helps them build stamina to survive the summer.
*Eat three meals a day. Summer vegetables like eggplants, tomato and cucumbers (God is really great! He timed these veggies & fruits
for summer!)contain antioxidants that help protect against
ultraviolet light. Local summer fruits such as watermelon and pears
are rich in the minerals that are lost due to perspiration.
Summer tangerine rich in potassium and magnesium, is also good
because its citric acid helps people recover from exhaustion.
The key, however, is not to gorge on any particular food item
but to -eat a little bit of all of them-.











COLD SOUP

Better still, try those cold soup...similar to those served in French Dinners
during the summer season. Don't forget to cool them first before serving.

Take Care now......

and don't get yourself under the sweltering sun!

Use a parasol,...or those sombreros.... for your own sake!

Human Goldfish :

Swimmers perform like gold fish in a large fish tank
during a preview of the Muscle Musical at a Tokyo theater.

I like fish tanks, or aquariums.
They give balance to things on this earth.
Be it the home or in the workplace......
I love to look at the fish swim here and there.

The graceful movements of tamed sea creatures and divers of the
human kind always convey that peace and serenity in my book.
Gazing at the aquarium always bring me that calming effect quite
similar to the calm one experiences when snorkelling or scuba diving
under the great blue sea.

TOKYO LAKWATSA MONOGATARI

Amidst the heavy downpour, I had to go to Tokyo last week.



Of course, I can't ignore Tokyo Tower calling from high above.



So I went up there for the nth time and savoured Tokyo from up
333 meters high. Looking down from 150 meters, this was what I saw:




The Tokyo skyline was really hazy,
with Typhoon No.4 looming beyond the horizon.....



From the Yotsuyasanchome Station (where I stayed),
I took the Metro Tokyo Subway System around as much places
as my feet and energy can muster....


Tired and weary, but very happy (with numerous shopping bags in tow), I decided to go back home....and wait for the


Hikari Super Express Shinkansen back to Shizuoka!



<<<<<<-----While Aboard the Shinkansen Super Hikari Express

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where I was met with more rains...and the taxis are nowhere,
perhaps busy transporting passengers here and there.
So I waited for my 'sundo' which came late!

BRACE YOURSELF: the storm is coming!

The dark sky said it all. The rains kept pouring
and Typhoon Number 4 made landfall in the southernmost part
of this country. But back in Inang Bayan, the gloom was
characteristically the same. And the tainted
COMELEC proclaimed another Miguel: Zubiri, that is.

Bittersweet victory? Or is it just bitter?....and never sweet?
Either way, the people knew that the young Pimentel was winning,
until they counted Maguindanao's ballots.

He eventually overtook the number counts and, guess what?
We expected that! What this people would do just to gain power, ei?
Just like the old hag. Like his master before him, they both used
their connections only this time, it's not "Hello garci!"
but "Hello, bedol!"

And today, people who go against the tide and say anything against her majesty from her enchanted kingdom, will be branded a communist! Sounds like the 50s USA,or even Kremlin, and the Gulag!


So much tampering, so many violations, so many killings and the disappeared, so many lies! This is the legacy this fake administration will definitely leave the country plundered doubly, no...many times over since Estrada was booted out from his legitimate seat by the Pasig.

The sky is hazy.

The rainclouds amass overhead.

The future is bleak.

Brace yourselves, guys....for

The storm is coming!

Remember The Wolves!

The GO as a group may retire for a while, but the goals it aimed to accomplish has been made

---says Mr. Tamayo, GO spokesman.

Did it? Look what is happening now!

These sanabagans have not been sworn yet,
but look at them gyrating to the pied piper who dangles her sweets!


I voted for Villar; But look where he is now:
he sings a different tune and dances with the wolves we hoped so well to stop.
I feel I was duped.

I believed in Cayetano, but am now thinking if my votes were really 'sayang'....

Escudero was farthest from my mind, but becoz he was with GO,
I thought, 'Why not?'

All these for naught!

Never again!

I have heard these words said over and over again in the past. But we often do not recognize that the words have become hollowed and that we ourselves allow these people 'to sit at our table' and feed on our blood (taxes)! We must remember!

As the electorate has been awakened, thanks to that stinking mole by the Pasig, I am sure we shall overcome all these hulabaloo soon. The people will remember what they say and do, and the sooner they shed their true colors, the better for us to think. Not all who come in sheep's clothing are gentle lambs; most of the time, they are wolves who long to go to their pack again, and again, and again! That, we must remember!

Lest we forget, it is time to remind one and all that there are a lot of lowlifes who would do anyything to gain power. They belong to the same power-grabber who can never satiate their lust to stay in power. And we know the reason why. Most have set their sights on 2010....and that, is exactly WHY we must remember!

Remember the wolves in our midst!

They are bound to eat us with their sweet howls.

GMA to Team: Do or die!

*************
Today's headline says:

"GMA to economic team: Meet targets or lose jobs"

She should have added:
"......while me and my men go out and traipse, gallivant,
and squander the loot!"

The nerve!

Gloria's men includes the greedy crocs who inhabit
the House of Crocodiles
who feed on the blood of their countrymen
and care for nothing at all except themselves.

Same is true with those who work for her so
she can stay in office illegaly, that is.
gloria's men must do it or they die.
When gloria goes, they all go with her
...to hell!

All these they do, despite the desperation in the hearts of the
ordinary Filipino Common Tao who have to survive a day by eating twice
or is it once (?) a day, or if luck strikes, three times.


One question that lingers in the people's mind, though:
Does gloria truly believes she has the right to squander all these?

The country is being run by duplicates of all kinds.
Duplicates who can turn colors as easy as changing one's inner wear!
You sanabawitz! I hope to God your balloons blow up.
Soon!

FAMILY

In almost everything we say and do, there is always looking after. Not checking things out would spell disaster in more ways than one. This is best observed in the smallest unit of society: the Family.

A couple look after each other. Soon, when the stork arrives, the parents look after their children. This goes on until the children themselves grow old and make their own families. It doesn't stop there. It can go on till the children's hair turn grey.

Looking after the eldest was quite a job. Parents must set the rules straight and solid, so the next kid would just follow the `leader.' Then the rest would be smooth-sailing. But of course, parents need to follow up, lest the rules break somewhere along the way.

I remember my Mother used to say:
"My son is my son, until he gets himself a wife. But my daughter's my daughter until the rest of her life."

I used to think: maybe she is just patronising me. You know, those kind of words Mothers say to their daughters so the daughters would likely care for their Moms in their old age. Little did I know that the care and Love a Mother gives to her children, be they sons or daughters goes on until after the parents say goodbye.
On second thought, my Mother must have been a little jealous when my brothers got married and established their own nest. Perhaps she longed for the usual hugs and kisses my brothers used to do. Oh well....

But then I stayed with my parents until the last bachelor eloped. It was then that she said those lines to me. The very same time I decided I wouldn't leave her. It turned out that she did, earlier than expected.

Nothing can compare to what our parents must have done to bring us up in this world.
I can just imagine how parents spend sleepless nights mulling on ways and means to relate, or that IN-word commonly used these days= "bond" with their children.

God must have had His purpose why He took my parents away that early....but this much I know: God in His wisdom gave me my parents and I couldn't ask for more. I learned to know my parents and with that short period, I learned to know and love them. Nothing ever compare with the Love they gave us.

Tinkering on the PC keys, look what came out!

Father And Mother I Love You

FAMILY!

The Three Stooges

The recent scenario is disturbing. And I feel betrayed.

The midterm elections' results proved to be a resounding slap to the face of gloria and her men. The people chose most GO candidates as against the well-oiled machinery of gloria's TUTA. The people have spoken: we are sick and tired of this illegitimate people who run the government! And we tried to find guys who will stand for principle.

Some of the GO winners were men I believed in: Alan Peter and Trillanes IV. Despite all odds, Alan Peter Cayetano was elected Senator. Trillanes also ran, and having been accused by the courts due to his involvement in Oakwood, he was not allowed to campaign himself. Yet, still, these two won the hearts of the people who wanted change. But the difference stops there. Trillanes is proving himself to be a man of conviction: he is living up to his words, unlike Alan Peter. And I thought Alan was really great, hence I pushed for him.

The same can be said of Escudero and a kapitbahay: Manuel Villar. I must admit I was really apprehensive of Escudero. He was the son of a marcos crony and thus, never wanted to include him in our list. However, like most Pinoys who wanted change against gloria's moves, I gave in and voted for him. Manny Villar is different. I believed in him since way, way back. He is unbelievable as business acumen is concerned. He has built an empire in Las Pinas and thereabouts. Being a 'southerner' for quite sometime, I simply chose him. Period.

Today, we hear some unholy alliance being concocted behind dark alleys of political corridors. This speaks of dark intents and dark secrets. And I find myself waiting for clear words from those concerned to deny all these, but alas, there are none.

All these for the position now at stake in the Senate.

Villar is running again for the Senate Presidency. So with the veteran Aquilino 'Nene' Pemintel, Jr. Thus, the problem begins.

It seems that there were Opposition winners who never were hiding behind sheep's clothing. The dark goats were there, all along! This brings to the open the names Cayetano, Escudero and Villar, himself to the fore. These three have formed an agreement to join forces with the administration senators to put Villar as President of the incoming Senate. It appears that Villar promised juicy committees to people who will support him. Of course, we are talking of the committees in the upper chamber and they mean budgets counting in millions: money, moolah, dinero ad infinitum, not to mention the power these positions wield as far as investigation, confirmation and other "assistance" they could muster.

Ambition is good, but when ambition gets tainted with personal interests, then it begins to corrupt everyone. Villar never denied his ambition to run in 2010. The same is true for Escudero, whose name has been whispered as gunning for the VP slate. Of course, all senators are qualified to do so, as well, but most have been discreet. Villar's name have been floated since before he ran in the last elections.

Using the Senate Presidency to gain more mileage is a must, I know....BUT to jump ship and form an alliance with arroyo IS THE wrong move. This news made me realize Villar was a mistake! The same is true with Escudero and my, oh my! >...Cayetano! These three stooges suck!

Sayang kayo! You've just branded yourselves traitors, and sit with the old hags of the Senate: brenda, inkorporeyted.

A great number of us may just be observing, but we shall remember what you do and say. The Filipino electorate may no longer be fooled. No, not this time.


*********************