Bohol 2011

Been back to Bohol after four years. This time travelled with family...

Alona Beach is not any more that classy beach back when Talampunay and I were here in 2007. Although the sand is still one of the finest grain that you can find anywhere, the beach is now dirty, the sea mossy. This side of Panglao is not any more the Boracay wannabe that it once wanted to be, precisely because there are no more tourists. No crowds. The seaside accommodation which used to sell us even their water has no guests.

When we went there, even the marine sanctuary of Balicasag is not swimmable, so we were brought to the other side where people are selling raw fish at a thousand a kilo. Fuckers on that side of the island thought they were on Greenbelt with their prices.

I checked if manang on the side of the beach's sanctuary who grilled us delicious fish years back is still on the right side of the island. Indeed, she's still there.

Now taking care of a grand daughter. I asked if she had any fish for sale, but no luck. She seems to be contented with simple life, and her apo is very docile, unlike Mariana, who knows how to bully this early  :-)

Fishes on this side are just 10% of what I remember at Balicasag. Were we just truly at the wrong side?

Family did enjoy visit to chocolate hills and the new tarsier sanctuary, as most first timers do. (During my own first time, it brought back memories of drawing chocolate hills on manila paper for a presentation/'recitation' in Grade 1).

Butterfly farm is so-so. The one in Puerto Princesa is roomier for the butterflies and has more variety.

The Bee Farm is an okay visit, but you shouldnt pay the extra 30 pesos for the tour. that's worthless. Better to just enjoy the organic ice cream. Buy the spicy ginger flavor.

The people of Bohol should take care, beautify, and energize Bohol.

He could not have achieved what he achieved if he were nice.

The best short paragraph on Steve Jobs. 


What would it mean for a young person to take Steve Jobs as a role model—for better or for worse?

You know, one of the things that’s interesting about Jobs is that in many ways he was not a nice man. And yet he was a brilliant man. He was not particularly kind to people. Ultimately, we won’t remember the personal cruelty; we’ll remember the great products. Ideally what you want to have is a greater balance between being nice and being effective than he achieved. But one of the questions is whether he could have achieved what he achieved if he were nice.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/10/steve-jobs-ken-auletta.html#ixzz1a49T24n6

Steve Jobs has died. Long live Steve Jobs

1955-2011

Thanks, man.

Gotta have this on its first day of release...

Goddamnit. Should I try to arrange a US trip on November just to have this book. Or find a friend who'll be travelling that month? 

Even the number of pages is now set. Jobs can be a subject a 1000-page book like that Buffett tome and it can never be boring.

Although "I dont believe in an interventionist god," but godspeed mr. jobs. 

Cut Price Book Sale 2011 Book Loot

To serve as reference book

Just to encourage myself to really "try out" for an MBA degree overseas. 

I'm not a big fan of Thomas Pynchon and writers who [inadvertently or intentionally] tire readers. I managed to go through 50 pages of Gravity's Rainbow, and just can proceed any more. That was the very first book that I started, but never finished, a source of un-pride, because even the Clancy novel that I started, I still pushed on to finish. 

I like how Salman Rushdie is playful with his writing, how his prose flows (he’s one of my three top writers),  but Pynchon in particular is on another level of ultra creative arduous poetic read-to-open-with-a-lock-and-key writing. I have since looked at his short stories in one collection, there is some sharp wit in there indeed, but I still have special regard for Pychon as tiring, unexciting. 

So although I saw this book recommended by many blogs, Im a bit apprehensive when I also saw that one review describing it as slow-building and Pychonesque. 

But can't resist this bargain.

Also cant resist the cover. Nice cover.

Judy Blume, iconic, but I havent read any by her, so I had to buy this 4 short books for 400.

Except for one short story at New Yorker, I also havent read anything by Zadie Smith, so my hand was forced to buy this: 

Although Ive been hearing about how good this book is since last year, it is Michael Chabon's blurb at the back that encourged this purchase.

Ah, this might be another one that I wont be able to read. Another compulsive buy. 

Heard a good review from the New York Times Book Podcast, then was surprised to see this freshly published tome here. 

Ive read two articles written by Nicholson Baker regarding video games and the Kindle published in the New Yorker, so I know Im buying an obra of an expert.

I hope to finish at least four :-) 

There have been better book sales done by National, but this set aint bad. 

Steve Jobs is dying...

Very sad.

One of the very few business leaders deserving of admiration has to hang his gloves up. 

p.s. we all know that he's staying as Chairman of the Board [or he has written in his resignation letter that he intends to stay as Chairman of the Board] only because he wants to protect Apple's stock up to the very end.  We know how Apple's share prices plummeted just by Jobs's prolonged sick leave announcement, what more of his departure as CEO?

Kalawang

Gusto ko ang kalawang na mapulbos. Ayaw ko nung nagbibitak-bitak na parang makakapal na balakubak. Kapag pinung-pino ang kalawang, parang dahan-dahan nyang kinakain ang bakal. Dahan-dahan syang naninira at nagpaparupok ng istraktura. Parang tahimik na tirador, panalo yun.  

At kumbaga sa chemistry, ang pinong kalawang ay nagsisimbolo nang pinung-pinong purung-purong elemento nang compound. Iron oxide ika nga ang pangalan ng compound, pero sa totoo may contaminant na ibang element yan pag inanalays, baka na haluan nay an nang maduming sulfur, boron, o unnilquadium.  

Preo tyak na ang pinung pino kalawang ay di nahaluan nang mga ligaw na Borium. Walang contam contam.

Bukod dito, ang amoy nang purong kalawang ay kakaiba. Mala-kiamoy, yung mapulang champoy na maasim na nag-eevoke nang urbanidad at orihinal na masang –masang maralitang tagalunsod na amoy. Hindi yung maasim na amoy putok kundi isang matinding honest na pagmemekaniko.

Kumakapit na malagkit din ang klawang na pino sa katawan. Na parang pag sumuot sa pores mo, madadagdagan ka nang kailangang iron. Sa gayon, di na kailangang bumili pa at uminom nang Enervon ferrous sulfate.  

Pano kaya ang lasa nang kalawang na pino kapag tinikman. Hayun, meron sa mga kadena. Kukuha nga ako nang isang pinch lang nang matikman...

[ na-leyt ito na entry sa kontes]. 

Feet

On travels, don't leave your Tribu!

The rugged sandals that will last a lifetime!

(this is a bad slogan though; in terms of repeat purchase, repeat business).

The Joy of Chicken

However unappetizing it looks, you should have a bite of this Filipino icon once a month.

One more shot from inside JB's kitchen:

Everything's a blur in fast food. As a crew, you almost never sit for one 9-hour shift

Makes you stop and appreciate the college degree that your parents pushed you through to finish.

To be on the other side of the counter, buying Chickenjoy,

...rather than thinking of the next minimum wage you will receive.

Kwento

ano nga bang tawag nila ron? naanggihan ako ni ate kahapon nang tama nya sa bingo. binigyan ako nang sinkwenta. may pang-load at pang-unli na naman ako nang di oras. naks. marereplayn ko na rin ang nagteks sa akin kanina nang "me lablayff k n b miz. lyk kz kta eh."baka si berto pa rin ito sa probinsya, pero wala curious pa rin ako.

sa wakas napatulog ko rin ang magandang toyoing alaga kong ito. ay si ate ba asan? magpapaalam ako saglit para makapag-load. Wala, nasa bingohan na rin pala. palibutan ko muna itong si nene nang mga malalaking unan nyang hotdog, para maski magising, o pumihit dahil sa likot matulog, hindi pa rin malalalaglag sa kama si beybi.

palabas na ko ng gate namin. kailangan ko nga rin palang iteks yung recruiter sa japan. di naman daw totoo at malayo yung sumabog na nuclear. aba, di naman masamang mangarap di ba? maasikaso naman ako nang mga bisita at totoo naman daw na mababaw ang kaligayahan nang mga hapon. di na ko tyak yaya ruon. pwede na ring entertainer. taray noh.

oops napatagal itong si ate sa tindahan nang pag-enter yata nang number ko. sandali, intayin ko na ang kompirmesyon bago umalis. ayun. makatakbo na pabalik at baka nanghihingi ng mik nya si beybi. nakup mukhang umiiyak na nga. anlakas yata nang sigaw. binuksan ko. wala sa kama si beybi. nandun sa kabilang gilid, leka at nalaglag nga. nakatahiya. may malaking bukol sa noo. nakatikwas ang kamay, hindi ang braso. bali mula siko, parang pa-L.