thinking of sitti on a tuesday

pretty pretty face and sweet bossa voice! damn! i just want to watch her perform!

naks!

In her September 02, 06 blog entry, onced again shen aka --isabella gabriel vizon, my dear nocturnal friend, exhibited her prowess on combining words to form flattery!

Commenting on a poem by Maria Jose Ybbieta, she wrote
"...kung ihahalintulad ko ang mga tula mo sa paglubog ng mapulang araw, iisipin kong isa ka ngang imortal..."

Thanx!

IMORTAL

hi. thnx to g-cast and sony digital record machine courtesy of donna i am posting you a song i composed very long time. recorded in the room in my apartment in sta mesa this songmaybe raw but i love the hopeful lyrics on fun melody. this posting deed is my humble attempt to enter the realm of audio sharing in blog. i hope you people would enjoy it... be warned that the guitar strumming and vocal sucks. but i am posting it just for the sake of fun and for the love of music!!!
o download na!

sleepless in makati

lately i am spending most of the time in the office even working before my drafting table as late as 2 am. my recorded overtime for september registered 144 hours. thats a lot of money but health is in peril when you lack sleep.(i sigh here.)

if not for a good pay i will not be happy and i will quit. everyday is a challenge! and i am to surpass it come what may because i need career stability.

and speaking of grievances, i thought of someone that i need to say sorry with. Because lately i am taking her for granted i apologize for the shortcomings. i love you po. at pinagmamalaki ko yun. sorry na rin. love you uli

and to the few good avid fans of my page sorry for the mushyness i put here.

tommorow's another monday. i can only say syet! trabaho na naman.

hunt for red october

i feel i am exploited!!! and i want to explode!

Malling and other musing

My feet took me malling this afternoon and had viands for lunch at 2.30p. I missed eating at Bodhi after a week of dinning at KFC and Mc Donalds in Makati. An hour passed by and I found myself looking for an on sale origami book in National Bookstore. I saw a hardbound years ago not this time. Not being childish here but I want to try Origami for a hobby. I like creating form and I know Origami has a strong connection with architecture. How’s that?

Instead, I bought Lualhati Bautista’s “Bulaklak Sa City Jail”. I read her three novels by the way. But little I know about this book. It’s a classic film and that’s all. I was even surprised that it’s Bautista who inscribed the screenplay of Mario O’Hara’s film masterpiece. Opps! Im so biased. I haven’t seen the film ever.

It’s a pocket size book and written in simple Tagalog (Bautista’s trademark) and I estimated I can finish the reading this week in spite of my upcoming busy schedule. Well, as they say it in Israel, Mazeltov!

I spied that most of NB costumers that day were reading joke and music paperbacks and folios. Was the scene a reflection of Pinoy culture on literature and life. Yes, we are musical and have good sense of humor but I hope we are not "out of tune" jokers.

Sunday Blogging Sunday

Last Sunday I was invited on the Kalipi sponsored seminar coined as KALIPI "AD-JOURN" (Advocacy Journalism):Basic Writing and Blogging Workshop. I was so lazy to sail to Makati to fix some work backlog, so I gave it a shot. After all I missed mingling with my Kalipi comrades and going to the LP headquarters. So I was there all day waiting for my turn to critique the participant works on the contents, the layout, the color and everything you can say about their blog.

It was only early this year when I attended a blogging conference in Makati as participant but last Sunday, ehem, as a critic of the neophytes’ opuses. If I sounded like important and connoisseur to the arena blame Eric for inviting me to do the deed.

More than being cool, I think the seminar is very innovative and revolutionary because it introduced a powerful, an important and free medium to the youth who are nowadays interestingly devote a lot of time using the internet to express their self be it on online games, chat and Friendster. The success of this seminar can be seen on how the participants can be seen on the online pages they created and maintaing it as time passes by.

Interestingly, a participant named Mel featured me on his first blog entry. Naks! Thanks pare!

I hope all the participants will continue maintaining their spots and be a part of the growing numbers of Pinoy who love expressing their self in blogging.

just waiting

I am in a net café somewhere near the side of new FEU building (which by the way I architecturally exteriorly admire) and waiting for the blueprint copies of the building plans I assigned to a friend to work on. It has been more than 4 months since I was commissioned by my former co-employee as his architect for the project. The fee is really cheap and I think I just want to offer a help and shrugs in the future if my Samaritan deed will vaporize me.

But I have been busy when I got a work in my new office in Alabang and even busier when I got employed in a landscape firm in Makati. So I’d ask a friend, Jane to help me out in the project to do the project in Cadd and sacrificing all my previous accomplishment done manually. Now, I wait for the blueprint and at this moment, my nasal system is early to complain the acidic scent it has about to endure in a bit.

I miss writing and blog writing in particular. My present work, though I am loving it, is yes occupying my time to do my weekly if not monthly online literary vice. My head is filled with comments, theses, ideas and blah blah blah to express in this page but to no avail.

In the end, I hope you will excuse me for the meantime because I have an obligation to the corporate world and make the world a better place! And I sounded like a trapo with that cliché.

Amen!

small world

I discovered Google Earth when my earstwhile boss saw me bored one Saturday afternoon in the office. I was so amazed with the software. You can easily download it anyway for free. Just by clicking and rolling your mouse, you can go to places and see them as if you are riding on an airplane. The pictures are taken from a powerful cameras on satellites roaming the earth atmosphere. You can view different cities and see how they were planned. No doubt Goggle Earth is an effective tool on doing research on urban planning and architecture of modern cities of the world.

To my surprise Tabang, my hometown, is very detailed-ly done in Goggle Earth. The rusty corrugated roof of our house in Maligaya Subdivision is very visible and upon seeing this makes me happy and proud that our little abode exists in this vast earth landscape! And like in an airplane indicators, GE can even indicated bearing and can measure distance both lenght and altitude. Saying this, may I say that our our house is precisely located at Latitude 14°50'38.23"N and Longitude 120°51'50.11"E. Scientific huh?!

I am still navigating the world and GE is continually updating. Im traveling the world from the comfort of an internet cafe and with my passport unvisaed!

Kudos to Goggle Earth!!!

sacked!

bosses from the southern peninsula were not satisfied with my performance in the site and so through gm they requested me to vacate my seat and leave the firm.

i endured 3 months with the firm learning a lot from people from the field and office. it was a good experience to survive the pressure and to win difficult tasks though sometime its invitable to falter.

aside from leaving the physical self of the office, the hardest part of moving on is that you also leave behind officemates you became friends. SJ will surely be missed. but sms, friendster and ym will keep you guys connected anyway.

next week i'll be in a new office and starting to win friends again.

cheers to my new corporate life! i am to use my green thumb in designing creatively!

waking up at 440am

i woke up 4.40am this monday. to get to the office and then to the site to assist the engineer's inspection. just waiting for my boss and the engineer to arrive. the dawn today is blinding or it just my eyes adjusting to its early utilization!!!
i'll be out in a bit in this office who look like now a mess. papers and things all over in the working table! i should start updating my cv. the pressure here well... it visit me in my sleep and i am hating that! complains! complains, complains!

site online and loaded!

im in BLUE house project in lot 8 dayap loop tamarind cove ayala alabang village. dsl was intalled yesterday and at last have an access to the rest of the world when i am working.

loaded with my work that i feel everyday i am going to get sick or explode! demanding bosses and so many many works! but the salary is thin! i should start a welga na!

ciao!

my team manila clothing line

I found myself in cubao last night in a looking for PABLO in Marikina Shoe Expo in a hurry actually to grab a teammanila shirt. the 2 level floor was easy to find and the rest of my 30 minutes was well spent in fitting and choosing for the prettiest and hip design print for a shirt. I know now the difficulty of opting the most beautiful from amongst the best!

I went home happy and with 3 shirts inside my bag already scheduled when to wear it.

Today I proudly garments my self the Tapsi Pink!

my blog absence

will i blame my work load that it unfree the time suppose to spend relaxing for my absence in doing this activity? or shall i blame limewire for making me busy online in not writing a pulitzer worth entry? anyway i'll just blame my self for not making an effort to juice out a shitty literature in my mind that is sooo occupied with porns, music and low life thoughts.

there have been too much work load lately and the july typhoons dared not to stop me. my body is complaining a lot, yes i am aware! i should brought my vitamins with me. day by day i feel my beauty apparates into thin air. naks! i am also losing weights.

spending nights in the office is fun only in the beggining. now my back misses my bed and my arms yearn for the comfort of my pillows.

in the meantime, i need to eat! let's find some edible in the firm's ref!

idols birthday

I would like to greet Gat Jose Rizal a happy happy birthday today! here's to you for being critical and brave for fighting what is good for the country and the Filipino people!

And to Sir Paul Mc Cartney happy 64th birthday! I wonder if someone still feed you and need you when your reach that age as the song you compose goes! thank you for the music!

Two thoughts on Nepal

There is a little I know about Nepal most of it I acquired when I was in high school and geography seemed to be an interesting subject. I know that its capital is Katmandu and it’s an Asian country located in the Himalayan region plus the Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world, sits on Nepalese backyard.

I’m so late on sharing my thoughts on the conquest but here it goes anyway. Learning the news that 3 Filipinos climbers (Leo Oracion, Erwin Emata, Romeo Garduce) reached the peak of Mt. Everest last May 2006 made me proud as a Filipino! Overwhelmed pare! The same emotion I felt when Manny Paquiao knockouting Morales on a boxing match. The conquest of Mt. Everest of our 3 countrymen is a proof that Filipinos can do the unthinkable.

Zee, a liberal comrade from Pakistan emailed me a BBC link and mouse clicked it. I saw a familiar picture of a young man raising his arm with his people on a very defining moment. Looking closely to the picture and reading the caption, I learned that it’s Gagan Thapa. Like Zee, I met Gagan in a liberal forum in Saarbrücken in 2004 and he’s one of the most outspoken and friendly delegates. The picture and his thoughts is so powerful that it would touch your heart and wish Gagan and his Nepali people would come out triumphant in their struggle to reform the political landscape of Nepal.

After a month

I survived working to my new firm for almost a month now. I knew that time would be different here, too fast. When I talk about survival in the workplace means also surviving in taking long trips to/from Alabang, late sleep and early stretching to wake up and site monitoring and dealing with a lot of people. So after a month what next? I promise to detail on things after a week. Here’s to myself emerging victorious in my new work after a month! Amen!

conspiracy gig sked

I cannot think of anything to write in today's page of my blog except to paste this Conspiracy gig sked I took from Mai. Hmm they had set up its very new website www.conspiracygardencafe.com which has long way to go on offering online amenities. But it's a good start at least the gig sked is present. Hope you'll find time to make tambay in the cozy place to conspire with Filipino high art!

CONSPIRACY GARDEN CAFE
59 Visayas Ave., QC (across Shell Gas Station)
www.conspiracygardencafe.com
tel. no. 453-2170

1 Thurs- "BLOOZE NIGHT" featuring The Bronx St. Blues Band
2 Friday- Joey Ayala
3 Saturday-Cynthia Alexander
5 Monday-Diyosa
6 Tuesday-Writers' Night (Angelo Suarez)/ Makiling Ensemble
7 Wednesday-Noel Cabangon
8 Thursday-"BALLYHOO NIGHT" featuring Sugar Hiccup, Melody Style Apt. & Prank Sinatra
9 Friday-Joey Ayala
10 Saturday- Project Mayhem
12 Monday-"FREEDOM JAM!" an Independence Day Celebration featuring Joey Ayala,
Cynthia Alexander, Noel Cabangon, Bayang Barrios and friends.
13 Tuesday- Writers' Night (Tupada)/ Updharma Down
14 Wednesday- Noel Cabangon
15 Thursday- "PINOY SOUL MOVEMENT" featuring Sino siKat? & Cosmic Love
16 Friday- Joey Ayala
17 Saturday- Cynthia Alexander
19 Monday- Gary Granada
20 Tuesday - Writers' Night (Arrest Gloria)/ "JAMMIN' REGGAE" with Brownman Revival
21 Wednesday-Noel Cabangon
22 Thursday- "BROADWAY NIGHT" featuring Melissa Reyes
23 Friday- Joey Ayala
24 Saturday - Project Mayhem
26 Monday- Paolo Santos
27 Tuesday- Writers' Night (DLSU Literary Circle)/ Cooky Chua & Mike Villegas
28 Wednesday- Noel Cabangon
29 Thursday - "INDIE JAM!" Indie Bands Open Mic Night
30 Friday- Bridge

Kidnapped!

A long and tiring drive from the south makes me look so tired that even I feel the uncomfortness while I sit and type . My mind seems to have limited powers to process a thought. It’s like an apple now without a juice. Clearly I am not an advocate of Saturday work. Sigh! Anyway, I am here to write on something very important.

Midnight was at its dawn. I was in my deep sleep perhaps dreaming of an extended summer vacation by the beach somewhere Palawan without a care in the world when someone woke me up and blindfolded me! It was Jan doing his evil plots with participation of my condo mates. Barefoot and wearing just a gray shorts, the group forcibly took me outside and rode to a car and drove me around Manila made a 2 stops to perhaps excite me and blah blah blah blah. My kidnappers running out of things to do took me back home and spread Selecta ice cream on my half naked body. To satisfy their sadist exploits and to documents their conquest, someone took pictures of my annual
metamorphosis.

Thanks guys! Wait for my vengeance!

Thanks to those who SMS greet me.

Here is to the next good year and to world peace!

the slave in me and Da Vinci left over

These days I work for more than 8 hours of climbing and going down on stairs, monitoring workers and commenting on their badly crafted opus, thinking of ways to beat the korean pressure and deadlines. My body is still adjusting but its mechanically still fine. Almost got a cold last saturday but water therapy seemed to work on me. Thanks God!

Talking about deity, I watched DA VINCI CODE in Gateway Araneta in Cubao. The road to the ticket counter for a reserve seat was long. It turned out that this Ron Howard film is very loyal to Dan Brown's book. I recommend Henry Sy and Mayor Lito Atienza to watch so their minds would be enlightened and lift the ban on this film.

A week after

I missed online writing. I have been busy busy busy with my new work. You can’t blame me because I just have a little spare time to go online. I usually leave my Sta. Mesa Apartment at 6am and return around 9pm if Edsa would be free from heavy traffic.

The work demands a lot of your time but I am quite enjoying working with the new firm much more if I could eliminate the long distance sojourn of getting there. My new office assigned to monitor works of the more than a million worth two storey residential sits in a sloppy site in Ayala Alabang Village. Its 90% finished yet we need to finish it quick. Soon I will upload details in my architecture blog about this. Let’s all hope.

When you’r busy with work you’d be ignorant with what’s happening with to the Philippines and to the rest of the world. (e.g. it’s only today that I found out that Chris Daughtry is out) My mind is thirty for worthy news that I found myself so surprised with the abrupt change of weather season and lately I found out that Caloy was ready to spoil and give end to our long summer days.

Yes, whilst most of you are still in deep sleep, you’d fine me on a jeep, MRT, and on a bus southbound. So goodbye sloth at least for a meantime and I would be very satisfied if you don’t come back.

That’s it for now I still have more than 30 messages in my Gmail waiting to be declassified. Out!

a note of carrying on

I should be burn at the stake if not writing an entry to your blog would be consider a heretical act. i have been dreamy lately and been thinking a lot of my purpose in life. ( is this mid life crisis? naman!). Anyway, the month of May is too festive to let out my career dissapointment and my melancholic state.

I am to start on Monday in a small firm in Alabang and hope to be in my best working mode so I could also commence to pick up my shattered self that have been torned apart by corporate conflict and unprofessionalism. Amidst all these humiliation I know I would soon find my home and eventually emerge victorious!

BANAUE highlander experience

From a dozen souls who have been called to partake in this year’s Kalipi Summer trip, I surprisingly learned by Holy Tuesday that there were only five of us (Jan, Daye, Gil, Ray and myself) left willing and prepare to immerse on the high and majestic mountains of Cordillera.

In our little apartment in Sta. Mesa we worked on our itinerary and agreed to initially go to Banaue and then Sagada. That time, we learned that the bus seats from Auto Bus Liner that would take you 10 hours from Manila to Banaue were already reserved until Maundy Thursday. So we had no choice but to break our sojourn into three.

Before midnight whilst Jan and Gil went to Cubao to reserve seats in Baliuag Transit, yours truly surfed the net and printed some travel literature about the places we were about to conquest.

April 12
Around 5.30p when we left the Baliuag bus depot and headed northbound. The lazy bus took us 7 long hours to Solano and from there we transferred to a jeep and took an hour ride to the town of Lagawe. From Ifugao’s capital we bravely ride on the top of the PUJ as it slithered on the zigzag, upward road to Banaue.

We reached the mountainous town of Banaue around 4pm and thanks to Congressmen Sol Chungalao we nestled on a modernized version of Ifugao native house for free. After asking the locals on the best tourists spot of the town, the group hired a PUJ for P1700 to take us in Banaue viewpoint and Batad saddle point.

Just before sunset, we find ourselves in awe beholding the world infamous rice terraces. In my mind I let out phrases like “Putang ina ang ganda!” to appreciate the postcard perfect view aesthetics of the Ifugao mountainscape.

With sprouting souvenir shops nearby, Banaue viewpoint reminded me of Baguio’s Mines View minus architectural viewing platform and crowded spaces. The remakable agricultural scenery was immensely a refreshing worth to see.

April 13
The next day we were up for an early start. The group left the town proper and sailed to Batad, one of Banaue's far flang barangays. After a hour long, rough ride on our hired ever reliable jeepney, we safely landed all smiling on Saddle point. Yes, from afar, it looks lie an outline of a horse saddle curved out on the mountain. We met Rolly our mountain guide and advised us that our lady companion Daye to take a walking stick beacause the winding trail in some part are sharp and steep. Indeed it wasThe trek to the interior villages of Batad challenged our physical prowess.

As we hiked down the sides of the mountains, we were greeted by picturesque highland landscape and its village nestle against a verdant backdrop and warm smiles from locals we met along the way. A hundred strides more and there it was---the amphitheater like Batad rice terraces. Seeing this panorama one would think the greatness of the Ifugao people creating such engineering marvels and preserving its cultural antiquity at its best. The village sits at the center of the terraces and everything seemed undoubtedly magical and perfect!
The high noon heat failed to cease anyone of us from walking downhill that eventually led us to the quite village surrounded by rice paddies. Our feet were happy walking on stones steps and the ancient “pilapil” of the rice paddies.

When we reached the village, the time seemed to move back as if were stranded during medieval times. Although some villagers are now using modern construction method, the presence of numerous native houses called the “faye” in the area mirrors the unique craftsmanship of the Ifugao in architecture. Whilst we were resting, one could smell the rural scent of this village sitting on an almost fable landscape.

Our last stop was at a 5 storey high Tappia waterfalls. Hidden on the range of mountains, it’s situated more than hour away from Batad viewpoint. Getting to this towering waterfall demands a lot of effort but the scenery is breathtaking and refreshing. We took a dip in its cool, deep and round pool and our bodies were revive to survive another journey.

We were back in saddle point before dusk. We were tired but very proud on our conquest.

notes on Kalipi Youth Camp 06

Exhausted with the afternoon April heat and bored staring in the four corners of my room, I dragged myself with my cousin son Patrick, to this Kalipi Youth Camp in Villa Virgen Milagrosa Resort. The Youth Camp is an annual activity spearheaded by the Kalipi to welcome new members or just to congratulate the membership for a job well done in a Kalipi sponsored actions. According to Jan, who is going to see Ankor Wat this summer, the youth camp is to give thanks to the PUP students who involved themselves with time and support in PUP student council election held this year.

Through the years, the creative minds of the organizers have perfected tougher and out of this world challenges and activities for the participants to hurdle. Like on this season, I witnessed participants eating cow's eyeball and intestines, siling labuyo salad, farm snails and anything yucky, but edible (still disgusting) dishes.

What I like about the Liberal Youth Camp is that it educate the participants camaraderie, team work, strategies and values not from someone lecturing it but from every activities they underwent. You learn a lot when you are having fun.

Anyway, I had a nice day with them. I had a nice night swimming even I was there as a plain observer and as a liberal comrades.

To Climb Every Mountains: My Holy Week Special

My Holy Week last year was a complete mess and boredom at its best. I spent it in my shared apartment in Sta. Mesa Manila alone for 3 days watching cable programs on tv, daydreaming and regreting a chance of a lifetime to explore with friends the beautiful Coron, Palawan.

But this year... grrrr... this year no one will stop me from experiencing having a good summer break. My friends and Kalipi buddies will climb the mountains of Cordillera. come holy Tuesday night we are off to the enchanting northern towns of Banaue (oh! that terraces!!!) and Sagada and spend the rest of 7 days in the in the region thousands feet above sea level, breathing fresh and humid ether, and careless on everything that is work and politics related. There, it would be just my unwinding and lazy self surrounded by fog that cirlcles on verdant and slopy landscape.

As you can see, I am very excited excited to this trip. But to make it more fun I will document the travel (and the stays) to later exclusively publish here so those who seek sheer adventure would have a look of it and use for references. I also hope to learn, even for a short stay, about the Cordillera houses so I could have a literature to contribute in my FREE THE FORM architectural blog.

To romanticize my Holy Week Summer getaway, sweet Nang is coming along with me. 3 ehems for this!!!

nahan si susan fernandez-magno?

The purple record tape came back to me from my brother after years of wondering who last borrowed it from me. I am talking about Ms. Susan Fernandez Magno's album. I got it from a leftist friend way back in college. I fell in love with her music the first time i played it on the delapidated Peys cassete player. My favorite is KUNG IBIG MO AKONG MAKILALA, first heard this from a Barasoain Kalinangan theater play and been looking for it since then. Then, I met and lost this song in college. Now i have the tape and the music and I won't let it go.

I am currently looking for CD audio file of the the music and looking for Miss Susan so I could ask her on matters about her music particularly this one. I am posting the song but i would suggest that you should hear it. It's a surreal poetry with haunting music.

Kung Ibig mo Akong Makilala
Susan Fernandez-Magno

Kung ibig mo akong makilala
Lampasan mo ang guhit ng mahugis na balat
Ang titik ko, ang dagat yapos kang mahigpit
Sabawat bawat saglit.

Kung ibig mo akong makilala
Sunduin mo ako sa himlayang dilim
Sa madlang pagsukol ng inunamng hilahil
Ibangon ako at saka palayain.

Kung ibig mo akong kilalalnin
Sisdirin mo ako hanggang buto
Liparin mo ako hanggang utak
Umilanglang ka hanggang kaluluwa
Hubad ako ruon mula ulo hanggang paa.

Isang pag-ibig na lipos ng lingap
Tahanang malaya sa pangamba at sumbat
May___ at ang tuwa at luwalhati
Iaalay mong lahat ito sa akin…

Kung ibig mo(3x) akong makilala.

Stainless Longganisa

Stainless Longganisa
Bob Ong

Bob Ong's fifth book entitled STAINLESS LONGGANISA is out now. Jo, my brother girlfriend, lent the copy to me last week but my cough and cold forbid me to finish it fast. I just finished the book 2 days ago.

Reading the first chapter, at first I thought, Bob Ong was attempting to write a sequel of Ricky Lee’s “Trip to Quiapo” where the technicalities of writing were shared and discussed. But as you flip the pages of the pocket size book you’d find out that this is very different in many ways and very alternative and freestlyely written. I want to label it “cool” but trust me Bob would just argue.

The book explores the ups and downs and the struggle of being a writer here in the Philippines. In this book, Bob Ong shares his readers his writing career. Expect to read here his exciting and some time frustrating stories on making his 4 books.
Yes, STAINLESS is Bob Ong life as a "serious" writer discussing why he chose to write and why he constantly refuse to compromise on a lot of things. Why he doesn't sign his books you'll find out here.

Like those on his previous works, the funny side of Bob Ong still engrave on the pages of Stainless. If you wish to giggle and laugh aloud, the book would not dissapoint you. At the end of every chapters you will find "Gawaing Pagsasanay" and Bob Ong proposed activities or questions asked to readers will kidnap your melancholy at least for a while!

But there is more to it. It's about a struggling author typecast as funny and comical who humbly shares in this book his serious life as writer.

Would this book be the ending of Bob Ong career as a non-fiction writer? Well, Bob Ong is giving us a clue here. "Stainless" aims perhaps to prepare his audience that on his next book we will see Bob Ong as a novelist or a poet? Let's see. I can't wait to read his fiction.

Meanwhile, let's keep ourselves busy writing and reading.

quite a view

This spectacular view of a pond sorrounded by a well trimmed golf course grass was taken from the southeastern wall of Intramuros. Beyond the trees is Rizal Park and buildings along the strech of Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

learning Fort Santiago

To travel to a certain place became a habit to me and my girlfriend Nang every time we see on weekend. Perhaps, we got tired of malling Henry Sy’s commercial spaces and our eyes desire for new scenery. Our typical field trip itinerary usually include (1) walking a mile or two in a historical or just a cool place (this is our own version of working out when it's too difficult to wake up on early morning to jog in Baywalk or UP) and (2) looking for a food house that offers exotic, delicious and affordable meals.

Not minding the afternoon heat wave, we sailed to Fort Santiago (Fuerza de Santiago) last Sunday. No we were not went there riding a galleon ship but by PUJ “PIER” jeep we found in Avenida. I think Paolo Bediones show influenced my girlfriend to text me to visit the place and without thinking I said yes to her.

If I not mistaken I last descended on the old fortress located at the tip of the walled city of Intramuros when I was still in high school. Fort Santiago was a must place because its historical, therefore it’s educational.

Upon arrival and after paying P40.00 entrance fee (yes, you get a ticket and a free brochure of the place), I noticed and felt, looking at the Plaza Moriones that FS did not change so much. Same old, same old. Maybe because it's a historical place and it's necessary to preserve things as it is. But I felt something was lacking in the place and as I write this I still couldn’t figure it out. Maybe preservation of FS is not enough.

I did not feel it then but the gate of the citadel was an amazing and a wow site. It bears the wooden curved image of St. James and with a three pinnacle over the gate it made the place more sacred as if you are entering the ruins of a Roman Basilica. I thought then that the body of water before the Fort Santiago gate was a tributary of Pasig River but it’s actually a moat. Providing a moat on the entrance of your lot is an architectural feature alive during medieval period in Europe like in castles. Moat is the first line of defense against outside onslaught. If that body of water is a moat the bridge over it perhaps was a drawbridge? Hmmm.

In my first visit there, I remember going down to dungeon above Casa de Castellano where the residence of the Fort Commander once stand. Now for some reason, the gate to the dungeon has been padlocked.

I found Rizal Shrine an interesting place to visit. It houses the Dr. Jose Rizal century old attire, medical tools and other Rizal memorabilia that you'd find amaze to have a look at. Another appealing in the place was our national hero’s famous quotes translated in many languages known to Rizal engraved on metal sheets erected like columns.

There is this solace chamber in the Shrine also called "pook ng pagninilay" that will give you a peek from afar of a sitting life size statue of Rizal perhaps on a contemplating mood on what’s to write next. From a distant you feel our hero is really alive and I gave me a creepy feeling that he looks at you and trying to convey a message. Boo!!!!

The two story building we called Rizal Shrine “stands on the site of a brick barrack where Rizal was imprisoned” before he was shot in Bagumbayan in 1896.

With the presence of guardia civil bronze sculpted statues scattered in the Falsabraga de Media Naranja made the view of Pasig River meeting Manila Bay a breathtaking site. You can close your eyes and imagine the galleon ships once docked on this fort and the festivity of 16th to 20th international trading.

I learned a lot from this trip. Sometimes learning goes beyond reading book. A walk “through the walls” is an effective tool to gain knowledge of our past.

notes on podcast sample

heres a note to the podcast sample posted last friday.
It is the love child of my group (me, ray, councilor pete, ema, teresa). its a talkshow and yours truly nervously hosting it. during, the FNF EXPRESS URSELF workshop, we asked to produce a podcast tackling how to effectively market liberalism in the Philippines. I commend my groupmates for saying thing extemporaneously and the rest of the group for being brave on hurdling the tediousness and technicalities of voice and sound editing and podcasting in general. The experience is unique and amazing.

We hope you will spare some of your time to listen to it. This podcast may be too amateur to you but this is labored with love.

Amici di Don Bosco

If you and your friends are craving to have a taste of Italian cuisine and this time you want really authentic Italian yet very home made visit Amici di Don Bosco. The restaurant serves best pasta and pizza in town that if you taste their carbonara it would enchant you and somehow feel you’re dining somewhere in Rome or Florence.

Located along Pasay Road near Don Bosco Technical School in Makati, Amici di Don Bosco, translates as “Friends of Don Bosco”, is open Monday to Saturday 8am to 9pm I think. FYI: The Don Bosco community maintain Amici

The restaurant boasts no elegant and fancy interiors. The walls and ceiling are painted in off white hue which reminds me of my university canteen back in college years. But who cares, when I arrived there to eat lunch last Friday the place was pack with people ordering, eating and talking like in a fiesta athmosphere. A good plate would cost you around P150.00 or less so bring a lot of baon.

To complete your meal I would advice you to kindly have a taste of their pistachio gelato and experience the friendship of good Italian food that Amici has to offer. Ciao!

the podcast workshop

The second day of the EXPRESS YOURSELF WORKSHOP delved on podcasting... the communication tool of the future. Yup, we learned almost everything on podcasting. But the learning went beyond examining the uses of podcasting. With the help of our podcasts speakers, we were able to hurdle the technicalities aspects of the program and produced podcasts.

liberal podcasting samples

below is the love child of my group (me, ray, councilor pete, ema, teresa). its a talkshow and yours truly nervously hosting it. during, the FNF EXPRESS URSELF workshop, we asked to produce a podcast tackling how to effectively market liberalism in the Philippines. I commend my groupmates for saying thing extemporaneously and the rest of the group for being brave on hurdling the tediousness and technicalities of voice and sound editing and podcasting in general. The experience is unique and amazing.

We hope you will spare some of your time to listen to it. This podcast may be too amateur to you but this is labored with love.

Me Undergoes Blog Education

I first heard about EXPRESS YOURSELF seminar when I checked my goggle mail. I receive a lot of junk mails but whenever I got mails that banners the name FNF I saw in my pc screen the Dr. Meinardus instructing me sayin"Arch (as he fondly calls me) you better have to read this. Seriously, as a firm believer of liberalism, my respect to the foundation and to other liberal organizations is very high and so I mouse clicked the FNF inbox and read the details.

Learning that the workshop would be about blogging and podcasting, the blog addict in me felt so excited that on that day I decided that I would definitely attend to the seminar. For me, training people to be good and well equipped in this kind of media was very timely and so innovative. And so I wrote my why-do-you-like-to-join-essay, sent it and received the good news that I was selected to participate in the event. Yahoo!

I grabbed the opportunity simply because I need to be trained on this medium. Blogging is a very powerful medium to communicate to the world and I think the foundation sponsored workshop would help me to clear and define the message in my online literature. To learn something from the connoisseurs of blogging and have talk about it with other participants would really be a memorable and cool experience.

Now, with day zero one of the workshop almost done, my brain is overflowing with knowledge about the power of blogging.

hello again

THE ULTRA STAMPEDE

From various regions of the land, the poor, the needy and the fanatics even as early as Monday armed only with dreams of winning a prize (or seeing their favorite celebrities to flash their shiny white teeth) only to realize that it was nightmare that would welcome them. 74 lives, most of them women and housewives, died from the stampede. There were hundreds were hospitalized and injured and the Philippine Saturday morning was never been the same.

My eyes were lately glued on primetime TV news monitoring updates on the recent tragedy. Indeed, there are lots of things to see and to hear.

I admire ABS CBN news and current affairs for still delivering good and investigative news on the incident to the public. In their reports, they delivered it as if the news room are not connected with their company. That’s good journalism.

The left and the opposition extends the finger pointing to the Arroyo government for taking for granted the poor even invented a catchy cliché---“70 live to a peso”--- a euphemism that a stronger peso against the dollar not exactly means economy is getting good and everyone is happy. Sure, what transpired that dawn mirrors how poverty drives our people crazy to do things to better of their lives. Not that I am apathetic on the subject but let me leave poverty eradications programs to the hands of policy making entities.

What we need now is a promise that this won’t happen again. Ooops! There we go again making a promise. We also need to lessen the pain of the victims. More than TV tributes, medical and funeral assistance, the stampede victims deserve justice. Someone should be sent to jail here because we are talking of 70 lives now gone. The liability of organizers extends beyond the perimeter of the event. When a person buy your invitation and fall in line unruly or tamed that person be, he became the event organizer responsibility.

An opinion of PDI was right in saying that Wowowee deserves another chance of airtime only to honor the tickets from the people last Saturday. Then after that, the show must cease. Please enough of this-is-a-pro-poor-show-with-a-good-vision-so-we-must-continue-it justifications.

This literature is for the victims.