Twentielebhen

Twenti-ten has a nicer ring to it, this coming one has two extra syllables added, but we can also just cal it tu-oh-wan-wan to save on one time-consuming syllable. And then wanwan has that funny connotation of a child's name, similar to joey and alma's daughter.

In any case, new year celebs's are always happier than Chrismases'.

Happy new year!

Happy 2011 !!!

Against Singapore

I know that the small-dose vitriol that I have for Singapore is due to the country's hypocrisy. I wrote this in two mini book reviews at Amazon (well i used the book review as an opportunity to hit Singapore hehe):

(Review of Lee Kwan Yew's From Third World to First)

The book is very good in its sincere attempt to deliver the story on how Singapore was built. Perhaps with an intention, on the side, to 1) lay down guidelines that other asian countries could follow, and 2) further promote Singapore to foreign investors. Lee Kwan Yew's emphasis on discipline and strict policies for the general public--that may be deemed oppressive in other countries--to jumpstart progress could be well-intentioned points as well. The reader cannot miss the pride on every passage that highlights the successes of Singapore as a small state-country. 

But not everyone can agree with Lee Kwan Yew's setting-aside, for example, of a free press. Freedom of expression is a right; the fruits of progress is not complete without it. 

An authoritarian government cannot hide, as well, the hypocrisy that is probably vital to compromise certain liberties, in exchange for a 'highway' towards progress. Sometimes one can also see how money is used in Singapore to discipline, and as a only parameter in decision. One case in point: a young professional Singaporean shared a story that Lee Kwan Yew once pompously said that as long as he is alive, there will be no casino in Singapore. Well, yes, he is still right, there are two casinoes now being built simultaneously in the Marina area! And what with the Geylang red-light district that the government has to acknowledge quasi-legally? Is the rationale for both of these is that they are still business ventures that Singapore will still profit from in the end? 

Lee's omission of his own compromises/hypocrisy in fact weakens the book's commentary and criticism of other countries' priorities. (He has tons of advise and lay downs on neigbors in southeast asia--taiwan, philippines, malaysia). Singapore is known as a good place to work at, but not to live in. 

The book is very thick. Ive concentrated most of the history on early Singapore (good read!) and some of his opinions on the state of Asian countries today. There are some repetitions and convolutions on this latter part. I think this book could have used a good editor before publishing. 

Still a good buy, but 3 stars only for not being as in-your face that I would have personally wanted. Hypocrisies that he should still acknowledge (and explain).

(Review of Lonely Planet Singapore)

The city guide is good in laying out bus routes, transportation, shopping sites, and noted restaurants, but I was counting on Lonely Planet to deliver a guide paired with an honest side-commentary, the same way that they did in their guide for Thailand (that one is really useable, highly recommended!). 

Well perhaps it's because Singapore is a not a very good place for tourism, bottom line. (Shopping, probably yes). Sentosa overall is a waste of time; even the dolphins they use in the dolphin show look tired and anemic. The presence of Geylang red-light district that government turns a blind-eye on also lacks the full acknowledgment in this book. Well, it's there in some passing notes, but for there is no comment like: "for a 'disciplined and moral' authoritarian state, Geylang is a famous hangout for the business travellers, and prostitutes are trooping that long street like gold mine." The book should have had a good commentary on the hypocritical presence of this place. 

A young professional Singaporean, a former colleague, shared a story once about how Lee Kwan Yew once pompously said that as long as he is alive, with chest-thumping, there will be no casino in Singapore. Well, yes, he is still right, there are now two casinoes being built simultaneously! I hope the next edition includes these comments. 

In exchange for the discipline that Singapore brags about, you cant deny upon your first landing that the country is an authoritarian state. And hypocrisy is prone in authoritarian states. Also undeniable: the press isnt free. Open the newspaper, and the local op-ed pieces discuss nothing, but taxi routes... Interesting national issues! These honest trivias and insights should be in the LP guide. 

This review might appear as a criticism more of the place than the book. But Im saying that the book should have highlighted these criticisms honestly. For example, in the intro, the overall warning at the start of the book should be that Singapore is for business travellers and shoppers only, not for interesting visits. 

These side comments (a la Theroux) add to the spice of any travelguide/travelogues. 

I was thankful for the bus routes and resto though, so 3 stars!

Ive been back to the country recently (after three years), and saw the greatest density of Filipino outside the Philippines today, perhaps even greater than in Hong Kong. Could the Singaporeans have accepted us? Should we be thankful?

Hhhhhmn. We need to ask some friends who've been there for at least two years.

Meri Krismas!

Although, it is late, and we're now broke, 

gardless if it has been said many times, many ways...

merry christmas everyone!

Isang garapong taho

Antagal ko nang nakain nang taho, isa ito sa mga paborito ko. Napanood ko rin ang taho ichi na pinagbibidahan ni Dolphy, pero ngayon ko lang napagtanto na pwede nga namang istrohin ang taho.

Bagamat ang mga nilalakong taho sa ngayon ay di na lasang-lasa ang linamnam nang soya (kumbaga'y matabang na sya), nandyan naman ang soy yummy sa mga mall na mainit init pa ang bawat luto at mukhang puro ang pagkaka-pormula nang taho.

Bagamat hindi ito soy yummy...

mukhang nakatsamba kami nang isang source na malapit ang linamnam sa mas mahal na soy yummy.

Gayunpaman, napakaigi nang isang garapong taho, dahil habang kumakain ka, komportable ang damdamin mo na di ka mabibitin. Lalasapin o lalagukin mo lang ang bawat higop o kutsara nang taho nang buong saya at satisfaction, walang alinlangan na baka maubos na sya mayamaya.

Ang sabi nang aking kapatid ay baka larawan na ito nang kasibaan--sa tingin ko'y di naman. (kuwarenta pesos ang nang-uumapaw na garapong taho na ito).

Nakakapagpasakit daw nang tuhod at kasu-kasuan ang taho dahil sa taas nang uric acid nang pagkaing ito, pero di ko naman naramdaman ang kahit anong kirot sa kahit saang joints.

Aaah, isang garapong taho, bibilhin kitang muli. 

My [poor] attempts at concert photography

Parokya ni Edgar sang at the company's Christmas Party. Chito is constantly asking what song should they play. I was screaming "Cooking ng Ina Mo," completely forgetting that the song's true title is "Lutong Bahay."

Anyway, this is one of the few real chances a hobbyist can get shooting concert photography.

(SIDENOTE: You are not allowed to bring in SLR's in local concerts. Araneta will have you deposit your gear in a small corner booth, guarded by lazy people who can't even lineup umbrellas according to their number tags.

I used a Sigma 50mm 1.4.. Seems really usable in low light, but the needed sharpness is not there yet. .

 
I also learned that a zoom lens is needed during concerts. You cannot make decent composition with a prime.

(another sidenote: Chito's voice was husky. He seems fresh from a long nap).

Anyway, the food was decent (Crowne Plaza, Ortigas).

Usapan sa isang restoran.

Isa na namang "litwit" na paligsahan ang pinangahasan kong salihan. Ang asaynment: sumulat nang nakabibilib na usapan sa isang restoran, na akma para sa litratong ito: 

Sinubukan kong alalahanin ang ilang interesanteng usapan na naranasan ko maski sa isang karinderya, pero wala, walang isang kapsula lang nang usapan na kayang iiksplika sa 1,000 salita lamang. Naroon ang ang mga nagdedeyt sa buon giorno na naulinigan nain na talampunay pero ang kanilang mga papapakyut ay mukhang di mananalo sa kontes. 

hindi ko alam kung bakit sa mga aktibista napunta ang aking interes: 

–Bakit ka ganyan, bok? Di ka naman ganyan dati, ah.
–Bakit, ano ko dati?
–Progresibo ka mag-isip dati. May malasakit sa mga layunin natin.
–Hhmn napagod lang siguro ako mamitik ng librong gusto ko sa national bookstore. Kaya naisipan ko nang kumayod at kumita.
–Oo nga alila ka na talaga nang kapitalista. Pumipilantik na rin sa kaiingles ang dila mo.
–O, di naman kita iniingles ngayon a. Purong pinoy tayo mag-usap.
–Pero dumudulas ang dila mo kanina. Ang bigkas mo sa mamitik… ma-me-tekh. Langya.
–Pasensya na, baka dumulas nga. Pero kaya ko pa rin namang ma-ki-pag-ba-li-tak-ta-kan sayo…
–Oo, pero yang damit mo, yang mukha mo, panay siguro ang facial scrub mo.
–Kailangan lang sa trabaho na maayos tayo at mabango tayo.
–Oo nga, todong sellout ka na.
–Di naman siguro, bok. Aktibista pa rin sa utak. Sumisingit pa rin ng laban, laban sa kabobohan.
–Bakit ka ba nagkaganyan, bok? Napa-maling-timpla ang gising mo isang araw at bigla ka na lang kumalas?
–Nung una, gusto kong matikman ang technology kasi. Unang humila sa akin yung PS2. Gusto kong maglaro noon nang Grand Theft Auto. Ngayon, eto–tignan mo itong cellphone.
–May cellphone din ako, di nga lang ganyan kaganda.
–Subukan mo lang pre, i-try mo lang. Sabihin mo sakin na di mo maappreciate ang technology. Itong isang produkto nang kapitalismo.
–kailangan din namin yan, may selpon din ang kilusan, pero di namin kailangan nang ganyan kagarbo.
–Ayaw mo bang kumakain sa ganitong restoran?
–Kaya kong lutuin ang halos lahat ng putahe dito.
–E pano ang ingredients, pano ka bibili? Subukan mo lang intindihin. Hindi ito simpleng sunod lang sa agos. Nakita mo yung bagong pictures ni Joma na nakadamit nang magagarang sweater. May tsiks pa na nadikit ang boobs sa braso? Suporta pa ba sa layunin natin, yon?
–Nakita ko nga at napagsabihan na sya.
–Napagsabihan nino?
–Basta di ko kailangan nyan.
–Subukan mo lang, pre. try mo lang. Hindi ito oras nang drama, pero palagay ko, pag pinagtabi-tabi tayo, pag hinubad lahat nang pretensyon, unang loyalty dapat ay sa sarili, bok.
–Kailangan pa tayo nang naargabyado, pre.
–Mas masarap mag-aral nang may internet. Mas epektib na gamitin sa akribismo ang internet. Hindi na tayo dapat… ayan na ang inorder, kumain muna tayo.
[kumain, makailang subo...]
–Patingin nga nyang cellphone mo. Ito ba yung may 4G-4G eklat?

Parte pa rin kaya ito sa aking personal na pakiramdam nang pagkalibadbad sa trabahong corporate? O talaga namang inobsolete o pinalabnaw na talaga nang technology pati mga personal na ideyalismo? 

Ah, sya nga pala, ito si Joma ngayon: 

O, diba, sino ang di madidisillusion? 

From a cubicle dweller's journal

In my work we call cheap prices as "competitive." In a meeting earlier this morning, my boss said...
"We cannot afford surprises!" These means that we should un-competitive prices? Why would you have to equate competitiveness with cheapness automatically? Hhhhhmn. Pwede, pwedeng ilusot nang katwiran.

My boss calls her macbookair, "Airmac."  What expensive shoes.

The marketing people can speak straight English all right, but they are blinded by pretensions too much, by too much positivism. Not the logical positivism that the great Woody Allen uses in his jokes, but just plain ra-ra this project will hit us jackpot earth-shaking big-time hit, it-will-be-remembered-throughout-history campaign, super-greeeatt item... after four months, the product is for phase out.

These save my sanity:

All office workers should have toys on their table.

Steve Carrell to sing Of All The Things... in Manila!

Wow!

Mr Carrell should also shoot at Araneta for authenticity.

Judging from 40 Year Old Virgin, he can sing all right.
And if it'll indeed be based on the 2008 documentary, this movie should be directed as an Oscar vehicle from Steven, not an ordinary run-of-the-mill comedy.

The song is sappy, yes. But there's some genuine sincere quality in it.

I hope Mr. Carrell is shooting the film already. Para wala nang atrasan.

Martina Hingis

Pag namatay ako isa sa aking maraming depinisyon nang langit ay ang bumalik si Martina Hingis sa aktibong paglalaro. Si Martina na maski mala-airport sa lapad ang noo at pagkalaki nang mga binti, ay tunay namang marikit. May anggulo syang mukhang mabagsik at masungit, pero pag inalagaan naman siguro at pinagluto nang masarap na tinola at iba pang masasarap na pangkaing Filipino at mamahalin nang isang Filipino, ay titino na rin sya, gaganda na muli at magkakaroon nang masinag na mukha. Di na rin sya magcococaine. Chocnut na lang siguro ang babanatan nya.

Pero bakit nga ba sa lahat nang larangan ng sports e sa Tennis dinudumog nang pagkagagandang mga dalaga at dalaginding? (Talagang outlier lang ang magkapatid na mukhang tsonggong Williams). Pano ba nagkaganito? Hindi ka ba papagenrollin sa akademyang pang-tennis pag tagilid ang karakas mo? Naghahanap ako nang artikulo sa internet tungkol dito pero wala pa akong makita.

Ang nakita ko lang ay picture na naglaro pala nang doubles kamakailan si Martina at Anna Kournikova nang doubles. Wow!

Martina, bumalik ka na sa kumpetisyon. Kaya mo yan. Magtino ka lang at manumbalik sa tamang landas, wag magdroga, wag magsasasama sa masamang barkada… maghanap ka na lang nang pinoy na magmamahal sayo. Makikita mo, babalik ang iyong matitinding drop shots, At ang kakaibang kanditirit kapag nakakatama nang winner. Winner! Hindi katulad nila Sharapova na masyadong nakakaeskandalo sa pagbirit, hiyaw, at halinghing sa bawat palo. Di namin kailangan ang mha hhhiiiiiyaaaauungg na yun, Ang kailangan namin ay ang dating mahinahon at masayahin na Martina Hingis.

Bad Sex in Fiction Award

Besides the Top 10 books, movies, that TIME, Amazon, and other magazines chuck out every December, I check out who wins this contest annually.

This was the winner last year:

[Jonathan Littell’s “The Kindly Ones,” which involved a man, a woman, and a guillotine]:

Leaning over the lunette, my own neck beneath the blade, I whispered to her: ‘I’m going to pull the lever, I’m going to let the blade drop.’ She begged me: ‘Please, fuck my pussy.’—‘No.’ I came suddenly, a jolt that emptied my head like a spoon scraping the inside of a soft-boiled egg.

There are the candidates this year:

[Adam Ross, Mr. Peanut] 

“Love me!” she moaned lustily. “Oh, Ward! Love me now!” 

He jumped out from his pajama pants so acrobatically it was like a stunt from Cirque du Soleil. But when he went to remove her slip, she said, “Leave it!” which turned him on even more. He buried his face into Hannah’s cunt like a wanderer who’d found water in the desert. She tasted like a hot biscuit flavored with pee.

[Jonathan Franzen, Freedom] 

their own world. One afternoon, as Connie described it, her excited clitoris grew to be eight inches long, a protruding pencil of tenderness with which she gently parted the lips of his penis and drove herself down to the base of its shaft. Another day, at her urging, Joey described to her the sleek warm neatness of her turds as they slid from her anus and fell into his open mouth, where, since these were only words, they tasted like excellent dark chocolate.

One previous winner:

[Tom Wolfe, I am Charlotte Simmons] 

Hoyt began moving his lips as if he were trying to suck the ice cream off the top of a cone without using his teeth. She tried to make her lips move in sync with his. The next thing she knew, Hoyt had put his hand sort of under her thigh and hoisted her leg up over his thigh. What was she to do? Was this the point she should say, "Stop!"? No, she shouldn't put it that way. It would be much cooler to say, "No, Hoyt," in an even voice, the way you would talk to a dog that insists on begging at the table.

Slither slither slither slither went the tongue, but the hand that was what she tried to concentrate on, the hand, since it has the entire terrain of her torso to explore and not just the otorhinolaryngological caverns - oh God, it was not just at the border where the flesh of the breast joins the pectoral sheath of the chest - no, the hand was cupping her entire right - Now! She must say "No, Hoyt" and talk to him like a dog. . .

. . . the fingers went under the elastic of the panties moan moan moan moan moan went Hoyt as he slithered slithered slithered slithered and caress caress caress caress went the fingers until they must be only eighths of inches from the border of her public hair - what's that! - Her panties were so wet down. . . there - the fingers had definitely reached the outer stand of the field of pubic hair and would soon plunge into the wet mess that was waiting right. . . there-there- 

The winner this year seems to have won not just on the strength of one passage, but the overall book. There is just one citation about comparing one sex scene to “a lepidopterist mounting a tough-skinned insect.”

All offers fantasthilarious reading.

(winner)

For all your religious needs...

I see this building everytime I bring Talampunay to work.

Needs? Is this store pandering or creating necessities similar to how we buy pepper, onions, and other groceries?

Farewell Letters

2 years ago I was in a company where people were leaving left and right. That was the business cycle in semiconductors, and people are 'availing' of parachute money--usually "times 2 + 2" of  monthly salary. If you get 10 years in, and youre not a slacker, this means that you will be a millionaire once in your life.

Anyway, during that time, people were anxious on what to email as their farewell to colleagues and contacts from outside. Most want the right amount of drama mixed with reminiscing and thank yous to the people who they want to say thanks to. Others add some last snide remarks to bosses that they hate (Or an alternative: I know of a number that just plain skipped the name of their boss in the long roster of thank yous).

I came across this brilliant, short, sweet farewell memo:

Dear colleagues, dear friends:

My feelings at this perplexed moment are too strong for farewells. I will miss you terribly, but I can be grateful to have had your companionship for part of my journey through the years. Whatever our individual roles at The New Yorker, whether on the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth floor, we have built something quite wonderful together. Love has been the controlling emotion, and love is the essential word. We have done our work with honesty and love. The New Yorker, as a reader once said, has been the gentlest of magazines. Perhaps it has also been the greatest, but that matters far less. What matters most is that you and I, working together, taking strength from the inspiration of our first editor, Harold Ross, gave us, have tried constantly to find and say what is true. I must speak of love once more. I love all of you, and will love you as long as I live.

William Shawn.

If Ive seen this letter during the time that I myself had to leave, I might have been inspired to send one farewell of my own. Some letter that I should have printed and kept for posterity.
Each letter should be special, since one should try everything not to leave a company in less than 3 years, after all. Writing too many farewell letters in your life surely means something negative (for the person writing).

More Home Studio Shots!

I dont know if I have depreciated fully already my camera equipment, but fluke or not, it's not bad to be able to take pictures like these, from inside our rented apartment, green walls and all. a bit of improvement from previous "home studio" shots.

using canon 70-200 f4 lens

sigma 50 f1.4, with improvised hairlight.

70-200 f4L, bounce flash from ceiling then reflector from chest level

I think the most important thing is to just shoot and shoot and adjust and shoot. Though still, I cant find the time to setup, shoot, and practice enough. Ah, well, I still have to do that studio-renting thing that Ive been planning for some months now. Sana, matuloy na. 

Pilipinaskaygandahin nyo mukha nyo, Department of Tourism

Fucking shit Department of Tourism. Pilipinaskaygandahin nyo mukha nyo, plagiarist fuckers.


For once, I support Miriam, for declaring this: 
"This is a very lightweight cabinet. They're so lightweight they're liable to float off their own delusions of grandeur... Dahil kung mediocre ka, kamukha ka na lang ng lahat ng tao. Magpakita ka naman ng talino mo." 
And this DOT secretary...

...this Alberto Lim is so arrogant to plaster his face as an intro in the DOT and wowphilippines website. 
Mr Secretary, do you think your face will attract tons of tourists? Or will it repel them, bureaucrat as you are? Your message is like one of those office memoes that we hate. Remove that fucking memo, you lightweight. 
Go back to your previous red-tape, worthless, business club work. 


Dear President Noynoy, find a young brand manager from one of the top Filipino corporations. You cannot match their salary, yes, but there are still those who are willing to take a pay cut to help this country. Attract one (say, as DOT secretary), work with him/her for two years, and then ask for a recommendation, a previous colleague who will serve, who are willing to really serve next.


They will prevent these snafus. You have so many disasters in your first year because, indeed, the people that surround you are lightweights!


UPDATE
This undersecretary who owned this disaster resigned. In doing this, you thought he had the grace and delicadeza that most people in government dont have... but no, he also had the arrogance to type in excuses 

Getting inspiration from existing designs is not an uncommon practice. In fact, in one of the definitions of plagiarism, it is stated that, “While plagiarism is condemned in academia and journalism, in the arts it is often a major part of the creative process.”

I did not consider it plagiarism then. I’m sorry others don’t feel the same way.

So, fuck you too Enteng Romano! You brought zero tourists (probably more potential ones, dismayed). Just leave. That's the point of owning mistakes. 

Dear Solar Sports

Dear Solar Sports,

Wag nyo namang katayin ang postfight interview. Wala na kayong itinitira kundi napakaikling isang tanong na may parang kuwaderno pa na nilagyan nang logo pang-advertisement na naman. Gusto rin namin mapanood at thought process at marinig mag-ingllis si Manny. (Humuhusay na sya di ba?)

Makuntento na kayo, solar sports, sa motolite pangmatagalan round, kitang-kita moment, powerpunch moment, kfc slomo,... wag nyo namang ipagkait sa madla ang maikling interview at kasiyahan.

Pero muli, mabuhay ka Manny!

Mapa-TV o sine, pinapakaba mo kami at pinapasaya.  

There they go...

I have great respect for this Industry. 

I had my daily allowance in college from my father's illegal horseracing bukis station. I remember our TV is tuned all the time to the cable channel, which shows the races every racing day. On weekends, the races start 1PM until 7. Weekdays, the race will start 6 and not be over until after 10PM. Only Mondays doesn't have races, so the sound of the race caller "Raazziing, there they go, and on the outside, and by the rel, and finally" is a constant sound in our small sala. The bettors are see our what's for dinner.

My father was put on blotter and jailed in a local precinct twice (police of course just waiting for their needed payola pang-areglo), our door was destroyed once by a rading police, there are random callers who'll threaten that they'll have our house raided...the tension is always there, some fucker who didnt want to pay his gambling debts could have tipped us off several times, but my father had no choice but to go on. Risk is needed to get us to college.

When I finally went to the new San Lazaro in Carmona, I was impressed by the facility.

The usual manual post is still there...

(I think this is part of heritage and should not be changed)

The seats are better (than the original San Lazaro in Tayuman).

The track is faster (as proof, i was told that the horses clock faster):

People are still employed

There are still fanatics, regulars:

the players 

the excitement of the homestretch

By the way, today, free from the burden of thinking about our daily baon, papa doesnt do illegal horseracing bets any more. He deserves to be free of worries.

Dengue and Martinez Memorial Hospital (Caloocan)

Well, before discussing the horror of the disease itself, let me Segway to horrors in one particular hospital.

What started as a labtest in Martinez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan turned out as a disgust and holdup combined. It is already a bad idea to name your hospital a "MEMORIAL Hospital," (all patients should have memorial plans for good measure?), but then in addition they have this Annex, which is actually a row of decrepit rooms in a decrepit building beside a creek, which emits a foul cadaverous stench.We had no choice but to transfer to the newer building, which is 2 times more expensive (an obvious tactic?). Then we also had to pay for room transfer, although we only stayed for a few hours in the room with peeling paint, fetid restroom, wrecked window screens, and reeking smell from outside. If you dont have bacterial infection at the time you were admitted in this room, you will most probably be oozing puss by the day you are discharged. One private 'annex' room by the way costs around 600 PhP per night, while it's 1200 for the new 'wing.'

The admitting ER resident also asked if we know a practicing doctor in the hospital. After we said we dont, she assigned us with a bit of smile to a certain Dr F, who we found out later, was one of the owners of the hospital. Why was the ER doctor had that trace of smirk... I found out later . 

The patient was actually our babysitter. We had to leave her for one night and morning to be the babysitter  ourselves at home. Coming back around noon next day, we asked to talk with the attending Dr Ferdinand Martinez. We were told that he left, but it's ok, the nurses said, he already wrote some of the treatments needed. 

After the result of the most recent blood test came out, we still had no Dr. F to talk with. so we have decided to transfer to a better hospital. We asked for the bill to be readied. Lo and behold, even if the patient's platelet count is still borderline manageable, Dr F, who we cannot reach, apparently prescribed transfusion of 3 bags of white blood cells. Each one costing 2500 plus 3000 more for the screening needed. That's 10 K PhP in one pop!

When we refused the transfusion, a procedure where I have some general reservations myself (i have heard so many horror stories about dirty blood being given to a healthy person), the billing dept (of course) wont let us leave without paying for the bags. One nurse was insisting that we ready our own ice chest, and bring the bag home and do whatever we want to it (what, to drink?).

Nearing midnight, we had to relent to the transfusion just to be over with it. So it's instant 19000 PhP for one night of stay at this fucking hospital: 

And the patient had no improvement after the treatment; we had to go to another hospital. More on Dengue and this next (better) hospital later.

Dont ever go near Martinez Hospital.

iPod and Headlights!

This is our original art, original concept.from an original shoot :-) 

Why suddenly I had an inkling to look for it and post it here? It's because I am suddenly having second thoughts on buying an iPod Touch, which I have budgeted for several months ago. My problem is still storage space. 

It's also saddening that Apple seem to be abandoning this iconic original iPod. In fact the first time they called it 'classic,' it already seemed to connote old and leftover model. Now there's zero refresh to this icon.   

And to add to this sadness the iPod on the left was stolen. We hope the new owner is enjoying its 160 GB, while the thief wakes up one day with malaria and lupus combined.  

The iPod on the right is still alive and delivering great podcasts. Invaluable while driving.

random quotes picked up

Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process.

--EB White

One of the classiest, clearest writer ever.

The one who doesn't fall never stands up. It happened that people made me an idol. But everybody loses. I'm just a human being.

--Fedor Emelianenko

The humble Superman lost. He'll come back. If I can bet at Vegas, I'll be a thousand dollars he'll win on his next fight. 

I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends and to have loneliness, to work much and write good books, to travel and enjoy myself, to be selfish and to be unselfish… You see, it is difficult to get all which I want. And then when I do not succeed I get mad with anger.

— Simone de Beauvoir

Im reading the biography I won from Jessicarulestheuniverse.com

Today is the beginning of a new day! Wait…hang on. Sorry, just checked. It’s the same day as yesterday.

--Stevemartintogo

short-tweet-writing genius. why did he start just now?  

(photo from michaelgrecco)

As she manuevered around me I noticed she has scars down her back from hanging on hooks and six heavy silver rings in her labia.

--Kimberly Nicole Rathkamp

Reading this sentence is like reading the title "Love in the Time of Cholera," as Steve Martin commented in one article. Seems youre happy ambling along "Love... in... the... time... of..." and then blasted shocked by the word Cholera! By puss and boils in the skin!  

Pakula died on November 19, 1998 in a freak car accident on the Long Island Expressway in Melville, New York. He was 70 years old. A driver in front of him struck a metal pipe, which went through Pakula's windshield, striking him in the head and causing him to swerve off the road and into a fence. He was killed instantly.[3]

--Wikipedia entry

I liked Presumed Innocent and Pelican Brief. His last movie with Brad Pitt is a thrash.I wish I die like this. 70 also is a good age to die.

“Since knowledge is never lost, productivity will always rise.”

I am surprised to see Alan Greenspan’s Memoir in hardbound in the bargain bins. Although that book is being attacked for its endorsement of "financial product innovations," I still consider that tome a gem.

`Think about three or four moments that you believe to be the most important during your time frame. Then think about what the leadership did about it. It doesn't have to be complicated. What happened, and what did the leaders do about it? That's your book."

 --David Halberstam tip to would-be writers of nonfiction. But could this apply to fiction as well?

Halberstam died in a car accident as well. While being driven by a student to a speaking engagement. Halbestam died, student lived. If there are more than one in the car, the one driving almost always lives.

You can multitask with a lot of things, but you can’t really multitask reading a book.
--Jonathan Franzen

Thinking of buying Freedom as an audiobook in audible or should I read it in printed form. 

I enjoyed Corrections, which was his last novel, published a decade ago. 

Watching The Social Network

... is like witnessing the new generation of Woody Allen movies to me. This could be strange to some people, but this is the analogy of an all-talk-but-exciting-throughout movie.

And then Aaron Sorkin is becoming to me a writer to watch-out for. Read these dialogues:

and this: 

After watching the movie, best to search, download, and read the leaked screenplay itself.

Then further reading should be the profile of Zuckerberg in the New Yorker, which I think he cooperated with partly due to his anxiety on the movie almost entirely about him. 

I don't "do facebook" primarily because I do not want another time depleter while I have so many backlogs in books,  movies, then there are already blogs and podcasts that are part of my routine, responsibilities at home, demanding work and boss, etc. etc. But the movie makes me want to read about the organization more. In a few years, the company will become a staple of business cases and textbooks. It might be useful to get bombarded on the details this early. 

Going back to the movie: The Social Network did pull it through. Some are saying it is  a testament of the generation. But it just might be a very good exhibition of arrogance of people with high IQ's, which I don't support. You enjoy those scenes, but it's not the most desirable to witness in real life.  

Although I understand that it could be the nerd's way to get even, given that indeed the dont get invited to belong in social clubs and 'great parties' in general. So let them be. Dont strike up a conversation if you cant keep up. It's a form of turf respect. 

Obama pics

If you like taking photos or looking at photos and somehow and still not following the Whitehouse flickr page, do it now. 

The series is one best teacher of events photography. You cannot ask POTUS to pose all the time or angle his face to a softbox or umbrella. Rarely would we have the chance to arrange the best possible light for each picture that we take. But in this case, the photographer is a real expert in mastering available light and getting his camera in to take the shot given the chance. In the process, he shares a glimpse of the daily grind of the president. 

In this picture, see how Obama is a master speechwriter himself. After blowing up the picture, we can see how he understands the cadence and rhythm of the spoken words against the written.  

This photographer, Pete Souza, is fantastic. I wonder how he blends in the room  unobtrusively. And then how he is ushered out in a top secret meeting after taking hi shots.

Now, one funny result from Obama being this open to everyone (to have a flick page at that, which is updated almost daily) is this:

Just to check if this is exaggerated or not, I tried these pictures: 

into...

from... 

into...

Could the most powerful man on Earth have planned this during college? If no, has he discovered this funy complication by now? If I can change my signature, I'll devise something similar.

:-)

Review in bullets: Honda Jazz 2010

First off, a nice commercial:



And then my review in bullets:

• I am disappointed in missing the vaunted fuel efficiency of this car. I dont get the 15- 20 km/L advertised when Jazz was first introduced. 8-10, city 14 at SLEX are the realities.
• I like that it's relatively easier to park..
  

• It is spacious indeed when you need it to be spacious. The foldable rear seats work!
• If you live in Malabon, dont buy this car. Several nights of downpour last week, I had to stop by the sidewalk to let the relatively tamer floods of Monumento subside before proceeding ahead.  
• The usb port is missing while the lowest Honda City has it. Why did Honda Philippines choose to scrimp on this small thing? What savings made them say yes, we should remove this feature?
• Humps! Even the medium sized ones are enemies of this car!
• The pull is ok. you can accelerate and overtake when you want. 
• Driving visibility is very good, unlike other cars which feels like a tank--smallish windows for the useless porma look.
• I regret choosing color white, given the time I have to clean cars or even to bring it to carwash during weekdays.
• I like the dashboard compared to the others that ive seen in its price group. 
• 7 over 10