Beer Economic Theory

Actually more a Beer Utility Theory, Beer Global Outsourcing Theory,... but in any case, whatever the alcoholic-drink-fused theory you call it, here it goes:


It was an attempt to answer the questions by the investor: on where (which country) is the best place to invest in? And for the jobhunter: on where is the best country to work in. So the theory goes, a happy person is a productive person, then an "entertained" person is a happy person. Beer is one fuel to make entertainment; or the cost of other entertainment seems to follow the price of beer. The price of beer, check out any country, therefore indicates a utility measure on where is the best place to work in. Beer in the Philippines is cheap, so it follows that the Philippines is one of the best places to work in. The cheapest, happiest, most productive people are here in the country. So, check the price of beer (and also the quality) if you're planning to invest or work in another country. 

May you die...

no. suffer first, and then die.

Russell Westbrook, Kupz!

• Buwaya.
• Madupang sa bola.
• Kapag naisipang magpasa, palpak ang pasa. 
• Kapag narinig na ang pito nang referee, di na gagawa nang paraan para subukang maipasok ang bola kahit nasa ere na sya. Parang sinasabi...oks nako, free throw na lang! 
• Tapos, hindi naman maipapasok ang free throw! Langya. 
• Di natututo. Syut lang nang syut. Sablay lang nang sablay!
• Pa-istar! Parang papogi pa sa TV camera. 
• Sablay, Walang Kwenta, Pang-bench-lang-dapat, Kupz.

Sampol ng isang mabisang liham sa Filipino (Matindi talaga bumanat si Rio Alma)

Ganito ang tamang pagsusulat nang mapanghimok na liham sa Pilipino (maiging pag-aralan)...

27 Abril 2011

Kgg. Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III
Pangulo
Malacañang
Republika ng Filipinas

Mahal na Pangulong Aquino:

Kamakailan lamang ako nakakuha ng kopya ng liham ni G. Jose Laderas Santos sa Punong Mahistrado Kgg. Renato C. Corona, may petsang 27 Enero 2011, at humihiling na ilisin ang TRO na ipinataw ng Korte Suprema laban sa pitong National Artist na nais iproklama ng dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo noong 2009. Malaki ang aking pasasalamat at hindi sinunod ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman ang hiling ni G. Santos.

Gayunman, isang magandang pagkakataon ito upang kondenahin ang patuloy na pamumunò ni G. Santos bilang Punong Komisyoner ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) at bilang Acting Chair ng Board of Commissioners, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), mga titulong ginamit niya sa kaniyang liham upang marahil ay “magulat” ang Punong Mahistrado sa kaniyang kalipikasyon. Kailangan ninyong malaman, Mahal na Pangulo, na ginawa ito ni G. Santos nang hindi sinasangguni ang mga board ng KWF at NCCA at isang malinaw na pagsasamantala at abuso sa kaniyang mga opisyal na tungkulin. Malinaw din sa kaniyang kilos ang pagsunod sa kapritso ng kaniyang mga dating patron na sina Gng. Cecile Guidote Alvarez at G. Carlo Caparas, na pinagkakautangan niya ng kaniyang appointment bilang Punong Komisyoner ng KWF sa isang bandá at makikinabang bilang mga DNA (Dagdag National Artist) kapag inalis ang TRO sa kabilang bandá.

Sa kaniyang liham, tahasang sinasalungat ni G. Santos ang paninindigang moral para sa “daang matuwid” ng mga National Artist at mga manunulat at alagad ng sining sa buong bansa na nagrali at humiling sa Korte Suprema noong 2009 para pigilin ang “nilutong” proklamasyon ni dating pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Sa kaniyang liham din ay nakatanghal ang karumal-dumal na katauhan ni G. Santos at isang katwiran upang patalsikin siya sa NCCA at KWF. Hindi siya karapat-dapat mamunò sa kahit aling ahensiya ng bayan. Hindi siya karapat-dapat pagtiwalaan ng mga alagad ng wika at alagad ng kultura ng Filipinas.

Ang kaniyang liham, sa kabilâng dako, ay isa ring magandang pakakataon upang ibaling ninyo ang pansin hinggil sa ganitong problema sa sektor ng kultura sa ating bansa. Bukod sa paglilinis sa mga ahensiyang pangkultura na sinaksakan ng mga kampon ni Gng. Arroyo, tulad ni G. Santos, kailangan ang inyong malinaw na patnubay sa dapat maging papel ng mga naturang ahensiya sa inyong programang pambansa. Sa kaso halimbawa ng mga bagong National Artist, marahil, kailangang atasan na ninyo ang bagong pamunuan ng NCCA at CCP upang repasuhin ang mga kandidato noong 2009 at muling irekomenda sa inyo ang tunay na karapat-dapat maging mga bagong National Artist. Napakainam din po kung bibigyan ninyo ng sapat na panahon ang kulturang pambansa, lalo na dahil ang tinutunggali ninyong korupsiyon ay isang pamanang pangkultura ng nakaraang panahon at malaki ang maitutulong sa inyo ng isang mahusay na kampanyang pangkultura sa pagbuo ng “daang matuwid.”

Marami pong salamat sa inyong panahong basahin ito.

Gumagalang at umaasa,

VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan

Ganito ang tamad na pagsusulat sa Filipino: Pakyu, Caparas! 

At watdapak, Ricky Lo! Ano yung sinulat mo na "Why not Carlos Caparas?" Ano yung idiniga mo na "He’s the only artist with a street (in Pasig City where in his early years he worked as a security guard) named after him" kaya dapat Pambansang Alagad Ng Sining na agad si balbas?
Watdapak! Si Jackie Lou Blanco, merong subdivision named after her. Dapat  National Artist na rin ba sya? Mga kups!

What I remember most in the Pacquiao-Mosley fight

Manny Pacquiao staring at boobs of interviewer prior to the fight. Could this have weakened our champion?  

Goodbye, Manong Pepe

The vaunted carinderia of Jollibee is now closed. And abruptly at that: 

What went wrong? Servings are miniscule for the price. There's also needless paper bowls, tarpaulins, sintras, and other expensive packaging and marketing that ups the price, without bringing greater quality to the food. 

Probably wrongly plotted niche to target, or not fully laid-out business model. And Jollibee needs someone who really understand the target class before this chain is reopened. 

May kwentang sale

This was not advertised much, but the big summer books sale of National is practically the mid-annual cut price booksale. There was no need this round to wait for mall sale to get the standard 20% discounts on imported books.

My loot:

1. Games of Thrones. Three things that attracted me:
--the reviews of the HBO miniseries
--the profile of GRRM at the New Yorker
--the cover with Boromir sitting in a throne made of swords

2. 50th anniversary edition of catch-22--i was caught by the offer of various essays about the book, included in the thick volume  ive always wanted to read this since seeing several reviews putting it side by side with slaughterhouse five, which i love. so it goes.

3. brave new world, the cover was great. stiriking simplicity. also have been aiming to read since college.

4. 1984--always compared with brave new world, so i have to read them both, one after the other.

5. room--supposed to be innovative for a novel, and a page turner. decided to try, since seeing it in mass market paperback.currently reading; great opening

6-8. hunger games trilogy paper back. i'd like to read this thing before the movie with jennifer lawrence in it is released

9. immortal life of henrietta lacks--amazon's book of the year. was surprised to see this in mass paperback (usual price of 252 with discount). read it in 2 weeks. easy, informative read. Recommended.


Now, how will i find time to read all these?

Big time cubicle food

Kapag may bonus, inaupgrade nang kaunti ang pagkain sa loob nang cubicle. Nagiging mga 1500 calories and isang lantakan, katulad nang mga ito. Nandito na rin lang, makakomento na rin, ala super-ikling rebyu: 

In phak, siguro di lang 1500 calories ang kombinasyong ito. Di bale na ang kalusugan, basta paminsan-minsan lang. Hwek hwek. 

Ang Goodles naman sa Robinson's Galleria ay nag-aalok  nang mamamahaling pasta na inilalagay sa sosyaling paper cups. (Malamang limapiso ang packaging pa pa lamang nang pagkaing ito).

Bagamat masarap, hindi tinipid sa sauce, mukhang dekalidad ang mga sangkap, at mukhang di magagawa sa bahay ang ganireng mga luto nang pasta kung di talaga pag-aaralan, sobra lang makapagpresyo ang isang ito. Dawalandaan samantalang wala pang isang tabo ang laman

Balik naman dito sa Baconator, bagamat malaki ang isang ito, parang mas malinamnam pa rin ang mga sa Burger King at McDonald's, lalo na sa Brother's. Maraming extender kaya ang sa Wendy's? 

Gayunpaman, nagdudulot pa rin sila nang kaunting kaligayahan bago mag-ala-una at suungin na naman ang nakakahayblad na trabaho. 

Pinakawalangkwentang sale

What so great about it?  

At hindi pa man din sa krismastaym ginawa ire. 

Yvonne Elliman, Stephen Bishop, Dan Hill at The Araneta 2011

And so we paid a scalper 2x1200 PhP tickers, instead of the original gate price--2x2650. Although we've felt remorse later, after thinking on hindsight that we could have pursued the other scalper (standing nearby) and could have launched a mini-pricewar. We could have paid for 1000 or less instead...

Anyway, Stephen Bishop and Dan Hill made it all worth it. The highlight of the night was in hearing this song:

The lyrics are bordering on sappiness, yes, but think about how the song applies to seeing your first born, especially since most pregnancies are truly unplanned today :-) I remember also the original music video for Something New in My Life (which I cant find today), which show Dudley Moore, as a new father, peeking into nursery of a hospital and seeing his twins. These lyrics accompany that scene:

a new face, a new smile, new song
and now i know i wanted you in my life all along


whatever else that i may do in my life
you'll always be something new in my life
from noww oonnn. 
i know there always will be you in my life
from now on...

Stephen Bishop's voice blend and holds together this short song. (unlike the other song that he sang, "saving on a rainy day," which is lame end-to-end. Even the tempo of that song doesnt suit his vocals).

Other quick comments on the concert for posterity:

• Yvonne Elliman should stop doing concerts. She sounds like my alcoholic grandmother. She can't reach the notes required in I dont know how to love him, and just shames herself. In the middle of the song, she had to stop the band, and ask that they lower the pitch. 

• She shared an interesting story though on how she just needs to substitute in a band one night, and then got cast as Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar the following day. 

• All three singers are lowering the pitch of their songs to be able to reach it.

• Some uncalled for attack on Stephen Bishop's physical appearance: he apparently ballooned to overweight fat over the recent years, but his legs and arms are thin out of proportion. He walks slowly minding the literal huge weight he had to carry. Also, Bishop sounds like Jonah Hill when speaking. And I think the reason he is keeping a full beard is because his upper lip is too thin.

• But Bish's voice is still there! Still can melt hearts. I wonder how he sounds on a smaller venue. They had another show at Casino Filipino the following week, cant find one review at this time. 

• I didnt know Dan Hill was grandfather old, but the voice and distinct style are still there. All of Dan Hills song have fantastic first lines, like horses bursting out of the gates. 
• To begin the night, J Michaels Whatshisname sang two songs. I think he was the lead organizer or something. Anyway, her voice is just normal. Then he asked the backup singers to sing Chain of Fools--total waste of time. Could have gone to Padi's point if we want to hear this quality. 
• WT Greer Samting-Samting then followed with a decent performance. We liked his version of All I Ask of You. 
• The concert is called Love Rocks. And the set has two whiteboards with felt paper cut up to the letter of love rocks, a la one project of a Grade 3 student  in Caloocan Elementary School. I also dont know why the concert is called Love Rocks, when the front-acts are famous for ballads. 
• The last scene that we remember is the back-up singer, who caused loud guffaws, almost a min-commotion from the audience. She had the audacity to turn her back, and show her bare back and misplaced t-back with cellulite and bilbil on the side.