Big Falls

4th entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”

I somehow managed to pull my self up on an outcrop of rock and imagined it as a ledge of some sort. I tried to grip the wet and slippery rock as best I could but it wasn’t easy with the steady spray of water coming at me on a vertical angle directly from the waterfalls. I was trying to climb up the rock platform at the base of the waterfalls and the only way to do it was to climb up on this slippery rock and make my way up till I reach the base where I could then stand upright. I had to swim a bit in order to reach the nasty collection of boulders that would surely do a lot of damage to my bones if I somehow fell or slipped down.



I spent the next few agonizing minutes looking for a suitable handhold that I can use to pull my self further up. But every crack and depression barely gave me enough support for me to cling on to the rock much less provide me with a solid handhold for me to pull my self up. With no solid handhold the prospect of aborting this little climb and admitting failure was becoming more real with every second that went past. That would mean sliding down, which by it self wasn’t that easy and a mistake could prove disastrous. It would have also been admitting failure and weakness on my part. As time wore on, the prospect became more ominous.

We started that day ordinarily enough. After breakfast we boarded a rented Tamaraw and proceeded directly to Kiltepan. Kiltepan is nothing more than a good vantage point from which you can take great pictures of the rice terraces below. We spent the whole time there taking pictures. The view was spectacular and we fired away relentlessly with our cameras.



After Kiltepan we then proceed to the Big Falls. It was something like a 45 minute ride followed by a long trek down concrete paved stairs and rice paddies that formed the terraces past a small village then on to a narrow dirt path. It was a long hot walk and I knew it was starting to take its toll. But all of that faded as we saw the waterfalls from a distance.

Since it has been raining the last couple of days, what we saw was truly magnificent. It was enough to make me stand in awe even if I’ve been there before and I’ve already seen that exact same thing. The pool at the bottom of the falls was probably twice as large from what I remembered. It required some careful footwork before we reached the waters edge because of the countless huge boulders that blocked the way.

Click on the picture to see a bigger image.

I decided to climb up to that platform as I did the last time I was there. I’ve done it before and I was confident I could do it again. I actually thought that someone might immitate me and try the same stunt I was trying to pull. Luckily no one was crazy enough to follow me.

I found my self stuck. It was during the summer months when I last tried scaling this wall, there was no spray of water coming from the waterfalls, the rocks were a bit drier, and there was a large crowd of people there. Now It was just our group of eight would be outdoor adventurers. It dawned on me that if something was to happen to me it would have been quite a problem. I wasn’t very confident of the first aid skills of my group. Compared with the last time, when I was there with college friends from UP Red Cross Youth. I was confident that I was with people who were highly trained, very competent, and experienced with administering first aid. This time around I would probably have to tell them what to do.

I was at the brink of giving up. I could not get a decent handhold to pull my self up. But I decided to try a different method and give it another go. I used my right leg for support and shifted all my weight on my left leg. I pushed with all my might using my left leg to push my self up while clinging on the rocks for dear life. I managed to stretch my self high enough until I found a good hand hold. With that, I was eventually able to climb all the way up to my objective.







I was at the base of the waterfalls and the only way to get back down was to jump…

After that stunt we rested, had some snack, and took more pictures then it was time to head back… Just another day in Sagada.

Book Hunting in Cubao

What to do in Cubao?

I was asking my self this question last Saturday afternoon. My class on Job Evaluation was dismissed early so we could all attend this activity called HR Exposed at our auditorium. People from Intel had come to our little school to present their Human Resources best practices. So I sat through as mush of it as I could until I could no longer tolerate the cheesiness and flagrant self- promotion that I just had to slip out quietly and make an escape.

I headed off to the new Gateway mall in Cubao for a pre-climb meeting for the coming climb to Mt. Tarak in Bataan. Not surprisingly, I arrived early. The meeting wasn’t until 7:00 pm and it was only around 5:30 pm at that time so I had a lot of time to burn. I decided to go to National Bookstore because I remembered reading in somebody else’s blog (Meyan’s I think) that they have a section on the fourth floor where they sell previously owned (second hand) books, and that if you look hard enough you might strike gold.

The building was under renovation but the National Bookstore had a huge sign saying “Business As Usual” and they were open for business. I quickly went through the different floors to reconnoiter the whole place. I found the fourth floor, it was an entire floor filled with Previously Owned Books. It was utterly unappealing. The books were very poorly classified and the place seemed more like an old library than a bookstore. It is definitely not like Powerbooks or any of those newer bookshops in Rockwell or Greenbelt. I had never bought a second hand book before and I didn’t really have the inclination to go browsing for what I wanted. I went down stairs to the regular sections.

I went around quickly hunting for some books I wanted to buy. I was looking for the compiled version of the Narnia Chronicles. I had already read six out of the seven books because I was able to borrow them from a friend (still owe you for that Jan) but I now want to have my own copy. I was feeling impatient so I just asked one of the saleslady. It was out of stock… I asked for the Vagina Monologues. I’ve already read it and actually have a copy of it, but somebody’s birthday is coming up and I intend to give it as a gift. The saleslady asked me again for the title. I said it again and she to repeated to me with an unbelieving look. “Vagina?” I answered in the affirmative. She gave me a funny look that seems to say; pervert, but she relented and she typed it in to do the search. I was thinking of telling her to read the book and that she shouldn’t feel uncomfortable saying the word vagina, but alas it was again out of stock.

I found my self with no book and with still a lot of time to kill. After a short deliberation I decided to give the fourth floor another try. I started systematically going through the whole place in order to cover everything. I struck gold! I found a copy of the SAS (Special Air Service) Survival Handbook, 2003 edition. The SAS is Britain’s elite fighting force similar to the US’ Navy SEALs and if anybody would know anything about surviving in different types of situations I think they would have an idea. I first saw a copy of this book way back in 1999, it belonged to a participant in a first aid class I was handling at that time. I browsed through it and I’ve been keeping an eye open for it ever since. The book was in pristine condition, looked new, it had a slide-on plastic cover, and I got it for just P 300. I was feeling lucky so I continued hunting.

I found another one; Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. Yes the one that was made into a Hollywood movie way back in 2001 by Ridley Scott. It wasn’t in as good a condition as the other one but what I liked about this particular book was that it didn’t have a picture of Josh Hartnett on its cover. It wasn’t tainted by Hollywood and I got it for P 200.

I had run out of time it was almost 7:00 pm. I reluctantly headed off to Gateway, but I think I might find my way back there again.

Underworld

3rd entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”

Sagada sits on top of a vast network of interconnected caves that allows those who are brave enough to enter one cave and exit another. The Cave connection starts at the Lumiang Cave. A short trek down a valley leads you to this cave that serves as a burial site of sorts. There you will find hollowed out logs used as coffins stacked one on top of another. It was as if we were to descend into the Underworld of ancient mythology.



We had two guides both of whom carried these powerful gas powered lamps in order to light the way. It was of course pitch black and we descended down through gaps in between a large pile of huge boulders that led down deeper into the cave. We would literally squeeze into these small holes and struggle to find adequate foot-holds lest we slip straight down and end up farther than we intended and risk breaking some bones.

At one point we had to crawl down a hole and then use the rope to get down. It was at this point that Park actually started crying and she later said that it was because she has a fear of heights and enclosed spaces. I started thinking if she would have been better off with the other girls in Sumaging. But she did manage to get down and she did conquer her fears and complete the whole thing without incident.







The place was something straight out of a Hollywood movie and I was constantly reminded of the movie “The Cave” because there were pools and rivers. I saw that movie a few days before I left for Sagada and the thought of Vampires emerging out of nowhere kept creeping up inside my head. We encountered a large tranquil pool whose far edges was beyond sight, it seemed almost like an underground lake and the thought of paddling a boat crossed my mind along with the thought of hundreds of “Inferi” emerging from the water to drag you down.

There were also huge caverns with ceilings as high as that of cathedrals. We rested in one such place called the “Dance Hall” and it was really like being in a huge ballroom except that it was really dark and there were bats flying around. At one point we had to swim a short distance and when we emerged from the water we found ourselves at the edge of a ledge facing a huge cavern whose ceiling and the floor you couldn’t see even with halogen lights. A fall there would mean certain death and we had to climb up from that point without ropes and on a sheer rock, which was always wet because of the flowing water. In those times you just push the thought of falling out of your mind and just focus on the task at hand.









It was a beautiful place but at the same time it was obviously fraught with dangers. Going in without a competent guide would be almost suicidal. You can easily get lost in that vast network of caves that would seem like a maze. At one point our guide told us that turning left would lead you to a path wherein you will emerge somewhere in Echo valley. The only thing was that would take around two weeks. We were all thankful that no one got injured because getting injured in there would have been quite a problem.

We started at around 11:30 am and we emerged from Sumaging cave at around 4:30 pm. It was quite an adventure something you are not likely to forget. We rested for a while then we headed back to our inn. Egbert then told us about another route one that would take you from Sumaging Cave all the way to the Crystal Caves. He said that it would take around 8 hours and we would have to use technical climbing and spelunking gear. Another adventure, another reason to return.

Tale of Two Caves…

2nd entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”

For most of us walking on pavement and seeing concrete buildings is a constant reality. The opportunity for us to walk on dirt trails and be able to see abundant plant life and naturally growing foliage does not come to us easily. We actually have to exert effort and do some planning just to breathe some fresh air. We climb up escalators in the malls and elevators in our offices and we go down basement parking areas. This is why we crave to get away. To climb up trails in order to reach summits that afford us magnificent views unspoiled by smog. Occasionally we also seek out adventures deep within caves, away from the comfort afforded by sunlight and come into contact with our pre-historic origins when man used to call similar caves, home.

A visit to Sagada would not be complete without visiting the “Sumaging” Cave (also known as the Big Cave). But if you want to know stuff about “Sumaging Cave” go use google and type in Sagada and I am certain that you will find references to this cave that will give you an idea what its like in there. Though I would recommend a visit to the Big Cave to anyone who comes to Sagada I had no intention to go that way again. I had a different plan.

After visiting Sumaging the first time I went to Sagada our guide told us about a more challenging alternative wherein we would enter one cave and emerge in another. It would take around three to four times as much time as Sumaging and is definitely more challenging. They called it The Cave Connection. There it was, a challenge, a reason to return, and so I did.

In the tourist office of the municipal hall of Sagada you will find all the information you will need to know about how much it would cost to hire a guide to visit the Big cave. But you wont find anything like that about The Cave Connection. The reason for this is that they don’t really advertise it since it is not meant for first timers and people only learn about it through word of mouth. The guy in the tourist office said that it is three times more difficult than the Big Cave and would take at least four hours.There would also be times when we would have to swim. The bottom line was it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

There were eight of us in our group and I wasn’t confident that we were all ready for the Cave connection. I asked who were interested but in the end I made a unilateral decision and discouraged Mella, Len, Selya, from joining our little expedition. I suggested that they just get another guide and go to the Big Cave instead. None of them knew how to swim nor had any experience in wall climbing, nor spelunking. It would be their first time to enter a cave. Vince, Yano, Ian, Park, and My self would be tackling the Cave Connection. Everyone can swim, had more experience doing this sort of thing, and I’ve been with these guys in a lot of different situations that I was confident that we could all handle the Cave Connection.

Wednesday morning, we had our breakfast and then proceeded to prepare for our coming adventure. I brought along a full sized knapsack something that could actually pass as a daypack. I packed my first aid kits, extra athletic tape, duct tape, head lamp, a mini maglite, and a solitaire flash light, extra batteries, hunting knife, Swiss army knife, weather proof digital camera, a sarong, a bottle of water, some food, binders, and other emergency supplies. I carefully placed everything in zip lock bags to make sure everything is waterproof and remains dry. Obviously, I was planning the activity with the worst-case scenario in mind.

We met up with our guide, Mang Egbert at the Municipal hall and had a quick briefing. We then started our trek towards the caves. We stopped along the way to pick up their equipment. They had kerosene-powered lamps, the kind commonly used in the provinces. They also brought kern-mantle rope, which meant that we would either be climbing or descending using ropes.

We soon reached the point where we had to go our separate ways. One group was headed for Sumaging (Mella, Len, Selya,) while the other headed for Lumiang cave (Yano, Ian, Vince, Park, and Me). We had a group picture of course before going our separate ways, we said our goodbyes and wished each other good luck. So our adventure began.

Click on the picture to see a bigger image.

Breakfast at Masferre

1st entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”

It’s often said that the best place to start is at the beginning. But sometimes starting at the end will do as well. It was our last day in Sagada and I had encouraged (some might say coerced) our little group of adventure seekers to have our Breakfast at Masferre before catching the bus to Baguio. It was my second time in Sagada and we had eaten in that restaurant more than once the first time I had been there. Park wanted to eat breakfast at St. Josephs but I’ve seen what was inside St. Joseph’s and I just thought Masferre would be a more interesting experience for the group.

The food came in large servings, and they offered Filipino and American/European food on their menu to cater to their local and foreign clientele. The restaurant was relatively large with a very rustic theme that was both ethnic and artistic at the same time. One wall was lined with black and white still pictures from Sagada’s and Mt. Province’s past. The food was good but I chose Masferre because I wanted everyone to see the pictures on the wall.

The photos on the wall were all taken by Eduardo Masferre. These photos showed how the people of Sagada and the surrounding areas of Mt. Province had lived. It was a glimpse to the culture and traditions of a people who were not as affected by Spanish colonial influences. The culture was that of Masferre’s ancestor’s and they offered a glimpse into our pre-colonial, ancestral past. He took a lot of portraits of the local people and he also took pictures of everyday scenes that showed the indigenous mountain culture. Those were times when the warriors of the local tribes still engaged in head hunting. These pictures depicted a culture that would seem alien to us today but these are pictures of our forefathers.

Masferre was born in 1909 and his father was a Spanish soldier who had settled in Sagada, and his mother was a member of the Kankanaey tribe. He grew up in Sagada and studied at the local mission schools, he also studied for some time in Spain but he inevitably came back. He was largely self-taught when in comes to photography and he even opened a photo studio in nearby Bontoc, but he had to turn to farming to provide for his family. His works covered several decades and he was able to document the lives and times of his people at a time when rapid changes were taking place and in a sense he was able to preserve these traditions even if only in pictures.

Recognition came very late for Maferre. It was only in the eighties when he had his first exhibition in Manila. But this was quickly followed by other exhibitions and his works has toured the world and is now found in Museums all over the world including the Smithsonian. He died in June 24, 1995 at the age of 86.

I had a good though hurried breakfast and I bought a souvenir shirt and a pack of postcards with some of Masferre’s photographs printed on them. As I had hoped everybody did spend a few minutes looking at the pictures on the wall while we were waiting for breakfast to be served. I think a big breakfast with a glimpse into the past of how our ancestors lived was a good way to end our brief stay in Sagada.

Below are some of Masferre’s photos… I got all of these from the net, the postcards were more interesting but they were copyright protected so I didn’t scan them.

Golden boy

Golden boy
Originally uploaded by ron2lopez.

With the right angle and proper lighting even a drab, gray, and dull colored statue like the Oblation might seem like it’s made of gold. I guess it’s just a matter of perspective.

Hiatus

That’s what I would like to call my absence from blogging.

It’s been more than a month since my last post and I am still struggling to actually write something up and post it. I guess I have been too busy with school and work and I was out of town without internet access for a week. But this feels like I’m making excuses

I’ve started writing a lot of stuff and for some reason I couldn’t get my self to post it. I actually have a lot of drafts stashed away all over and even actually posted one entry and quickly deleted it.

I wrote something about Beslan last month, during the first anniversary of the hostage taking incident at a school in Russia where more than 300 people died, half of them children. I wanted to post pictures and have a link to an entry I posted last year about that incident. But seeing the pictures was rather depressing and what I wrote felt so inadequate and lacking in substance that it remains in my hard disk still.

The pattern seemed to repeat it self. I would type something up and not get around to posting it. I wrote something about photography after I got myself a digital camera and quickly felt a desire to start shooting with my old SLR and black and white film after seeing the film “Closer” where Julia Roberts was a professional photographer taking pictures using an old film camera.

Maybe I’m not satisfied with what I have been coming up with…

What ever the reason, I’ve decided to start posting more pictures in lieu of words and I also plan to write a series of entries about our recent trip to Sagada. Oh well, here goes nothing.

Vagina

As I was scrounging through PowerBooks in MegaMall looking for an appropriate gift for a friend’s coming birthday, I decided without giving it much thought to get a book to read for my self. The worst was over in school and I can foresee some excess bandwidth that I can use to read. Then the question made it self plain… What do I get? Feeling a little crazy I decided to tear my self away from my usual haunts and explore areas I normally didn’t dare tread. I considered fiction, or all those new, old, new age books that became in vogue after the ruckus kicked up by The Da Vinci Code, not withstanding the fact that the Gnostic scriptures and all those things had been around for centuries. I moved on and checked out some books in the Filipiniana section and browsed a bit, all those management, leadership, and how to make money books. Then I saw it, having heard all the fanfare and ravings about the play, I considered it for a moment. I had refused to read it before specifically because it was so popular. But now, I asked my self; why not?

Now amidst all my books on computers, history, first aid, and war, will soon sit an odd and seemingly out of place stranger called The Vagina Monologues. I thought about it and realized that I only had two books that were about women, the first was about a young girl called Anne Frank, but that was set against the back drop of war and the holocaust, I did find reading her diary somewhat peculiar, as if I was looking into the private thoughts of girl. It was fascinating. The other was The Joy Luck Club and that was required reading. I guess I chose this book in a desire to understand the fairer sex a bit more. The complexity of a totally different perspective, the absurdity of it all, and the sheer insanity! Now, stay thy wrath…. This is my blog and I will write it as I wish.

Now this isn’t going to be a review nor will I discuss the topics covered or the ideas discussed in the book. If that is what you are looking for then go read the book! I have always considered my self a fairly reasonable and liberal minded person. But here and now I shall confess my guilt. I was once guilty of violence against a woman. I once kicked a classmate in third grade after she poured a bottle full stinking orange juice that smelled more like medicine than juice, over my head. I don’t know if she ever forgave me but she did become my S1, as I ran the CAT Corps during our senior year.

Now I’ve never really viewed women as the weaker sex. By all means I expect that women should be as capable if not more, in any endeavor. I'm not trying to be politically correct nor is this an attempt to win brownie points. In truth and from experience I speak. I had engaged in combat a member of the fairer sex in what is referred to as “Kumite” when I was student of Karate. To make the story short, she beat the crap out of me.

I was by no means a weakling, I had a nasty roundhouse kick that had on several occasion caused the hook and chain that held up my punching bag to break and for it to fall to the ground. I could deliver a side kick higher than my head, and I worked out on my punching bag at times till my bandaged knuckles nearly bled.

I could try to rationalize that she had beaten me because I was being considered for promotion to yellow belt while she was about to don a black belt not to mention that she was the daughter of the head instructor. I could also add that I had an accident three days before and had a lot of cuts and bruises on my legs. But I had taken down a competent brown belter before and I was no stranger to injury. So what happened?

Maybe it was her cute and pretty face that left me seemingly in a swoon laid vulnerable and open to attack. She stalked me as predator would its prey. She watched every movement of my hands and feet anticipating and parrying every half hearted move I made, while I could only look into those beautiful eyes and pretty face. I barely extended my legs to its full length when I threw a kick and I doubt if my punches would even hurt a girl scout. It seemed like all she needed to do was purse her lips and bat her eyes and it would have the same effect as a baseball bat wielded by a 250 lbs hitter for the New York Yankees. I did land a few lucky punches which infuriated her even more. Sufficing to say I was doomed.

It is often said the end is not known at the beginning. That is true here for I don’t really have an idea what I am writing about and why I chose that title. I guess this is an ode to women; strong and powerful yet graceful and sublime.

The Great Raid

There is this small shop in Podium called Ink and Stone. It’s a really small shop that sells books and beads and accessories and stuff. Not a place where you would usually find me but I have been able to find books there that I couldn’t get in Power books, so I always make it a point to drop by and check out what they have. A couple of years back I found this book called The Great Raid. On the front cover it read “Soon to be a major motion picture from Miramax films”. I have read a lot books about WW II but mostly about the war in Europe, and I thought it would be nice to read something that happened here in this country for a change.

Fast-forward to today, The Great Raid has had its run in the local cinemas and it came and went without much fanfare. I had been waiting for the movie since I first read the book and when it finally arrived, I wasn’t surprised… it wasn’t really worth waiting for.

It had the hallmarks of a typical Hollywood film, it chopped up what was in the book and had the mandatory love angle. It also had CGI special effects to recreate the landing beaches of Leyte and the city of Manila during the war. The film also followed the current trend of taking a detached view and not glorifying war.

But in the end it still was a Hollywood film meant for the American market. It seems to me that the truth would have been a better story to tell but it simply doesn’t have what Hollywood is looking for.

The film left out Claire Fuentes who ran the Tsubaki club and a spy ring who worked with Guerillas to get information to Mc Arthur and even get some supplies to the Cabanatuan POW camp. I think she would have been more interesting than Miss “U” or Miss Utinsky who in real life was a middle aged over weight woman. The truth is more fascinating than fiction.

The film did make a lot of modifications for dramatic effect. The murder of POWs by putting them in air raid shelters and dumping gasoline on them to burn them alive wasn’t in the book and I haven’t read anything like that happening. I don’t think it makes sense to be wasting precious fuel when you can just simply shoot or bayonet or even behead the prisoners. There was also no barrio filled with burnt up bodies that day. I’m sure something like that happened during the course of the war but it simply wasn’t in the book.



The Alamo Scouts

The movie did mention in the end that more than 20 Filipino Guerillas died as opposed to 2 American Rangers. The film also didn’t show that there were more Filipino Guerillas who fought that day and considering the death toll and the fact that the almost 1,000 Japanese soldiers across the river didn’t get through, that means that they stood their ground and fought well. It would have probably been a route and a massacre had the Japanese been able to get through since they would have out numbered the Rangers who were spread out and was slowed down by the 511 POWs.

It wasn’t also mentioned that Capt. Pajota and Capt. Joson fought as Lieutenants under US command in Bataan and that they were operating as Guerillas under the command of Major Bob Lapham. Major Lapham was the guy who rode a horse to tell the US forces about the POW camp.

Col. Mucci and Capt. Prince were both awarded with the Distinguished Service Cross, and the other officers were given the Silver Star, while the enlisted men got Bronze Stars. Capt. Pajota and Capt. Joson who both played crucial roles, were both officers, and were actually members of the US Army were only awarded Bronze Stars.

Capt. Pajota was later promoted to Major and fought the Japanese in northern Luzon till the end of the war and Capt. Joson became the Governor of Nueva Ecija after the war and his heirs has followed in his foot steps and still hold political power in the province to this day.


Filipino Guerillas

The film did capture the spirit of the whole affair by admitting that the mission had no strategic military value but was conducted primarily for idealistic reasons. The US Government did write off the American forces along with the Filipino soldiers fighting under the American flag on Bataan, to be chewed up by the Japanese for strategic reasons. In effect rescuing the POWs was the least they could do.


Ranger and POW

Dive and Trek

August 21, 2005, I along with Park, JC, Camille, and Gino went on day trip to Dive and Trek to go skin diving or snorkeling. We raced off early morning Sunday in order to get away from the pressures of city life and give our selves a much-needed break by communing with nature and visiting the world beneath the waves. I had planned to go SCUBA diving but unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a dive buddy, so I was resigned to the fact that my time underwater would be limited by the amount of air I could hold in my lungs.

Dive and Trek is a dive resort located in San Pablo, Bauan, Batangas. The unique thing about this resort is that it sits right in front of a marine sanctuary. Since the coral reef right in front of the resort is protected, it is one of the best dive spots in the Balayan bay area when it comes to the amount of marine life you will see. This also makes the place an ideal spot for skin diving since the reef stretches almost right up to the shore. So you wouldn’t have to go deep in order to experience and enjoy the wonders of the sea.

I have been going to that place since college and I haven’t seen a better place to go skin diving. Dive and Trek is where I first learned how to skin dive way back in college when I first took up skin diving as a PE class, It was there where we had our check out dive. It was also there, a few years later where I first learned how to SCUBA dive because it was also the site for our check out dive. Seeing Sarah Meier during our check out dive and the Miss Earth Beauty Pageant contestants during a clam seeding activity there makes the place…. Ahhh well, memorable.

Since pictures speak louder than words, just check out the pics.


Ready to dive…


Fish!


Is that you Nemo?


Feeding Frenzy!

More Pics

I think I will come back….

Bored...

I’m bored…

I think I should maybe take up a new hobby like cross-stitching or quilting. Or maybe I should get into a new sport, climbing mountains and diving is getting old. Maybe I should try something dangerous, fast paced, and exciting like badminton or ballroom dancing. A new pet may also help alleviate my boredom. I’m thinking of getting maybe a turtle and I’ll name him Mortimer.

What would you do if you suddenly inherited a couple of billion dollars?

I think I would like to buy a really big lot in Forbes Park in Makati. In the event that there are already houses in the lot, I’ll have them all demolished. Then I’ll have a small “bahay kubo” built on the lot. With one of those rusty hand powered water pumps behind the house. But I guess I’ll have it tapped into Manila Water’s water line though. The house should be secured so ill have lots of “malunggay” trees planted around the lot and ill connect them with barbed wire to keep the nosy neighbors out.

Then I’ll have a lot of pets. I want a pet rooster, and in the mornings my pet rooster would wake everybody up by crowing like a crazy, ahh well, rooster. Since its Forbes park, my pet rooster should have a really cool name like Randolph.

I also want a pet cow and she should have a one of those bells round her neck. I think I’ll name her Ashley and I’ll take her on walks around the village while tied to a leash, and everyone will know were coming because of that bell. I’ll also get a pet pig and I’ll name her Peaches and she will always have a pretty pink ribbon round her neck. And I want a pet goat I’ll name her Tiffany and I’ll train her to go mehhhh or is it bahhh whenever a pretty girl walks by.

If you’re wondering why all of my pets have classy girls names, well I was thinking, I could always say that I have to run home because the “girls” are waiting for me. Hehehe.

With a house in Forbes you will want a nice set of wheels parked on your driveway. I think I’ll buy my self a BMW or a Jaguar. Then I’ll have the body shredded and have it converted into an owner type jeep, with a stainless steel body and all the lights, and sticker trimmings and a sign on the back that says “I used to be a BMW”. I’ll race this jeep in Greenhills or C5 in Libis and of course the unsuspecting kids driving their mom’s Honda Civic wouldn’t have a clue that they are dealing with a powerful car on steroids disguised as a owner type jeep. I’ll definitely beat the crap out of these kids and take all of their lunch money.

I think I’ll also have a really tall skyscraper built and I’ll name it “Building Ko” so that if anybody asks anybody who is working in that building where they work they can simply say “sa building ko”. I think that would make life a little simpler. Don’t you think?

It might seem like this is all foolishness and pointless. But who cares… I’m bored!

And Puck said unto Oberon… Oh Lord! What fools these mortals be!

Affliction

It’s been a long time since I last felt this affliction. I don’t know what triggered it but I feel it more and more often these days. The reality of this affliction remains with me and I am constantly reminded of it no matter what I am doing. I am reminded of it when I am at work or when I am simply sitting around reading. It comes and it goes and chooses its own time in an arbitrary manner to manifest it self.

Maybe its’ triggered by chocolates then again it might be the coffee. I try to move like it didn’t matter, I try to ignore it, its complicated really. But sooner or later it comes to the surface, creeping like fire until it consumes all that there is. I loose focus as it becomes all that I can think off. It slows me down and I function with a marked decline in effectiveness.

It keeps me awake and pulls me away me from sleep when I do happen to doze off. When the symptoms manifest it self I feel every pulse beating and the blood surging through the arteries in my head. I am constantly reminded that I am susceptible and vulnerable and that no amount of reason nor logic will spare me from its tight grip. Its an affliction with no cure and it seems like I have no choice but to accept that this is something I really have to live with.

I still remember the pain from the last time I had been through this, and how it seems to engulf everything, reducing time to a blur. Pain that I had to endure because of this affliction. I loathe every minute that I had to endure it as it squeezed my mind, every moment I had to live with it was torture. Had I been a masochist this affliction would have been sheer ecstasy and I would have been floating in paradise or so it would seem. I welcome it like a dementor’s kiss but at the same time I am thankful, because I know that I am alive and that I still know how to feel. Despite my sarcasm, angst, skepticism, and paranoia, Human, I am still.

How I wish I was describing something else, that I was being poetic and merely playing with words. How I wish I am writing about literature’s favorite theme, that which drives our passions and makes the world go round, so they say. Oh this affliction of mine! I think I should give it a name. Its’ called… Migraine.

State of the Nation

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday, delivered her State of the Nation Address (SONA) and as usual it was met by massive protest from those who oppose her. But unlike in previous years the groups that marched along Commonwealth avenue is a hodgepodge of different interests, ideology, and motivation. These groups are all united in pushing for GMA to resign but they disagree on what exactly they want afterwards.

JV and Jinggoy obviously want to oust Gloria in the hopes of returning to power or at least get some vindication for their fall from grace. The FPJ camp on the other hand simply want to oust Gloria because they believe that the presidency was stolen from them. It’s interesting however how they see Susan Roces in all these. Do they want her to succeed GMA or worse make Rex Cortez, President. The crowd they muster are the hard core Erap or FPJ supporters along with the paid “hakot” crowds from the different squatter colonies around Metro Manila. These groups power should not be underestimated for they are the same group who stormed the gates of Malacañang and laid siege to it for several hours on that faithful Labor day otherwise known as EDSA Tres.

Then there is the political left. These are the Labor Groups, Leftwing organizations with Socialist, Marxist, Leninnist, or Maoist ideological leanings. This includes the Party list, student groups, urban poor groups, farmers, fisher folk, peasant, and proletarian, groups. This includes both the reaffirmist and rejectionist camps of the left. Though battle hardened street protesters, these groups have seemingly accepted their weakness in numbers by making an alliance with the trapos and pro Erap group to oust GMA, even if they were on the same side as the ones who overthrew Erap. What they want is for everyone to resign and in the chaos and power vacuum that will result, they hope to lead the establishment of a revolutionary transition Government.

The only other blocks or interest groups who could field such a large number of people are the large and well organized religious groups namely the Iglesia ni Cristo and Eddie Villabueva’s Jesus is Lord movement. These are the only groups who could muster one or maybe even two million warm bodies in so called prayer rallies. Though their effectiveness is still unproven when the need for tougher street protest comes to bear.

On the other hand the Lakas party has resurrected the cha-cha in order to give the people a palatable alternative and give GMA a graceful way out. They propose a shift in to a federal, unicameral, and Parliamentary form of government. I fear this option because I simply do not want the master trapo himself, Jose De Venecia to become Prime Minister.

That faithful Friday when Cory Aquino called for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) to resign and when a significant number of cabinet officials expressed their intention to resign as they claimed that they were merely preempted by the President when she asked them all to resign, was meant to be the turning point. It seemed orchestrated and intended to nudge the GMA to resign or the people to come out in restaging of the EDSA brand of people power. But it was not to be. The critical mass that a lot of people hoped for and that GMA feared did not materialize. This is because the church refused to call the faithful to the streets and the middle class did not want to have anything to do with the crowds that were gathered on Ayala ave. in Makati. Middle class apathy or maybe we’ve had enough of revolution.

It seems we now have a stalemate with all sides unable to muster the support and the numbers that would allow them to grab power. Thus they are left with no other choice but to once again slug it out in the media and try out the different options like the truth commission and impeachment. Gloria got a reprieve of sorts and the different opposition groups find themselves regrouping after the initial clash. Would there be a coup? A compromise? Or more of the same shit as what we have already seen? What will happen next is anyone’s guess. We live in interesting albeit dangerous times.

Mt. Pinatubo

We arrived at the campsite on the crater’s rim at around 8:30 pm, it was pitch black and our objective, our reason for enduring 5 hours of trekking with a heavy pack though tough unforgiving terrain, our prize, cannot be seen. We all knew it was there, and it would have soothe our aching muscles and gave some relief to the utter exhaustion we all felt, if only we could catch a glimpse of the Crater Lake. We have all seen it in pictures and on TV but it seemed like it was not to be and we would have to wait for the dawn’s first light.

There was still a lot to do. Simple things like pitching our tent, unpacking my pack, preparing dinner, and changing clothes. Simple tasks that seem all too easy but if you just endured a long somewhat difficult trek even the simplest tasks become very difficult. You know you need to get off your ass and start going through the motions but the sheer exhaustion weighs heavily and all I want do is just lie down and sleep. But I’ve been here before. I’ve hit the wall and reached my limit and still I was able to go beyond. Ok… I’m gonna do it. Get up and start going through the things I need to do. On my feet again, I threw a glance towards the Crater Lake, and there it was. Maybe I’ve regained some of my night vision, or the clouds have parted and some light from the stars is now being reflected by lake, or maybe the gods or spirits of the place heard my thoughts and decided to grant my wish. There it was seemingly in grayscale, I could see the outlines of the Crater Lake.

Mt. Pinatubo, the Crater Lake it self, and the whole way, starting from riverbed which served as the road and then trail to the mountain’s base was an awesome sight to behold. I am convinced that I would never be able to do justice to what we saw. Mere words are not enough nor will the pictures give a good enough account of what we saw. Riding on top of the jeep that brought us to the trailhead, one can see a majestic view of a land that seemed like a desert as far as the eye can see. I can imagine epic battles fought in the manner of Hollywood taking place in such a vast open space. Then there were the valleys carved out from the vast mountains of pyroclastic material deposited by the eruption of Pinatubo more than a decade ago. I imagined my self an explorer walking on an alien world, half expecting to see weird alien creatures to appear at any time. It was a place that skipped geologic time and was created in an instant in a convulsion of the Earth that was like the hand of God recreating the land.

The Crater Lake was emerald green in color and it was vast and pristine. It was quite a sight especially at dawn and even later on when the day’s first light broke through the gray clouds and touched the lakes surface pushing away the fog that lingered on the lake and all over the crater. It was an enchanted place fit to be the home of some long forgotten Anito or pagan God. We were visitors paying our respects. But we had no offering of food or gold but we paid our respects by taking pictures, and we took a lot, forever preserving the moment (or until the paper fades or the soft copies get corrupted).





There was a price to pay and lessons to be learned in this trip. I sprained my ankle at the start of our descent. I still had to walk back, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I normally would have simply wrapped my ankle with pro wrap and taped it with athletic tape, but since we were trekking half the time on the river it self that would not have worked. Instead I shaved my foot and leg and then taped it instead with Duct tape. This would later prove to be a painful decision because as I removed the tape it also tore a lot of skin off my foot, leaving it one ugly swollen mess. I applied a closed basket weave and double ankle hitch with the help of Jepoy, Norman, and Gino who stayed with me while the rest went on ahead. After my ankle was secured we started our trek back once again.



The trek back was long, hot, difficult, and painful even if they had relieved me of my heavy pack. Pride dictated that we keep a certain pace so that we wouldn’t delay the whole group. I was driven by my will and I drew strength from wherever I could find it. Determination and a dose of painkillers allowed me to keep placing one foot in front of the other till we reached our destination in good time, only to find that we had been left behind. But that is another story…

More lines...

Sometimes fear is kindled by doubt

Purpose is blurred and uncertain

and you just don’t understand why...

Lines from Matrix Reloaded

Morpheus:

Believe me when I say we have a difficult time ahead of us. But if we are to be prepared for it, we must first shed our fear of it! I stand here before you now, truthfully unafraid. Why? Because I believe something you do not? No! I stand here without fear because I remember. I remember that I am here not because of the path that lies before me, but because of the path that lies behind me! I remember that for 100 years we have fought these machines. I remember that for 100 years they have sent their armies to destroy us. And after a century of war, I remember that which matters most. We are still here! Tonight let us send a message to that army. Tonight let us shake this cave! Tonight let us tremble these halls of earth, steel, and stone! Let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember. This is Zion! And we are not afraid!

Agent Smith:

As you well know, appearances can be deceiving, which brings me back to the reason why we're here. We're not here because we're free, we're here because we're not free. There's no escaping reason, no denying purpose - because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist.

It is purpose that created us,

Purpose that connects us,

Purpose that pulls us,

That guides us,

That drives us,

It is purpose that defines,

Purpose that binds us.

Merovingian:

You see, there is only one constant, one universal, it is the only real truth: causality. Action. Reaction. Cause and effect.

Choice is an illusion, created between those with power, and those without. Look there, at that woman.

You can see it, Neo, yes? She does not understand why - is it the wine? No. What is it then, what is the reason? And soon it does not matter, soon the why and the reason are gone, and all that matters is the feeling itself. This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight to deny it, but it is of course pretense, it is a lie. Beneath our poised appearance, the truth is we are completely out of control. Causality. There is no escape from it, we are forever slaves to it. Our only hope, our only peace is to understand it, to understand the "why". "Why" is what separates us from them, you from me. `Why' is the only real social power, without it you are powerless.

Look

If only you would look at me
Even from a distance will do
Feed my delusions
Let me think that you know I exist
That you know my name
Then I may find occasion to smile
Maybe in a fools hope
But hope still

If only you would look at me
Then maybe I could find courage
I thought my self brave
Having faced monsters from the deep
Scaled the highest places
Trekked in the dead of night in unforgiving weather
Traveled through land scarred by war and strife
But before you I falter and fail
Unable to even call your name

If only you would look at me
Maybe I’d think my self worthy
For I have nothing to boast for
Nor can I lay claim to any measure of success
All I can offer are some incoherent lines
Phrases haphazardly gathered
without much thought or care
Pretending to be words with meaning
Detailing nothing worthwhile
Save for how I crave for your affection

If only you would look at me
Then maybe I could play the part
Of the one who would walk with you
Have conversations over cups of café mocha
Be with you when it rains
Hold your hand and look into your eyes
I’d hold your smile of more value than my life
If only you would look at me

I wish you would
Just look
So I may write a happy ending

Waiting for the Bus

I live in a city of billboards
Where the streets are black
The air is gray
People are blue
Graffiti is blood red
And the street signs are pink

I stand on the sidewalk
Waiting for the bus
I used to think I was unique
Then I realized I was
Just like everybody else
Waiting for that bus

Tired of being alone
In a street full or people
I think I’ve had enough
Desperate for change
I vow to seize each day
Tomorrow I’ll try to smile

Waiting for the bus
To take me to the place I love
There I want to stay
Be happy in good company
Till then I just sit and wait
And watch others go by

Time crawls and flies
Maybe it will never come
Then I realized the obvious
A few had already gone by
While I sat and waited
For the bus to finally arrive

The Wedding...

Family gatherings are events I’d rather avoid. Weddings are the worst. There is always the inevitable question of “when are you getting married?” Then there is the silly, not to mention annoying attempts of relatives at matchmaking. Duh! I don’t think I’m that desperate. Right?! I guess my mom has it bad as well since she has three boys, all of us in our late 20s or early 30s, and all of us not married. Every time she is asked when are we getting married, she just shakes her head and says “ewan ko ba sa mga yan”…

But one thing I really hate about attending a wedding is that there are these stupid and medieval traditions that we have to endure. One such tradition is the tossing of the bouquet and the garter. But unlike in the movies nobody seems to want to catch the bouquet nor the garter and wedding organizers are adapting by employing different schemes and games.

I have been lucky so far and have been able to avoid the dreaded garter. That is until my cousin’s recent wedding. The women had it easy, they were handed ribbons and the one who got the ribbon attached to the bouquet got it.

I didn’t even want to participate but my cousin, the groom were calling us by name. For the guys they planned an elaborate challenge worthy of those reality TV shows. They wanted us to do the limbo rock. As if that wasn’t hard enough they made us drink a shot of tequila after every bout with that darn stick.

Now, I’ve always considered my self as flexible but I also had some lower back problems before, add to that the fact that I haven’t had any exercise for the longest time and I had the disadvantage of being the tallest guy in that group. Hard as it was, I wasn’t about to give up with out a fight.

There were two or three girls in the bridal entourage who, had they been the one who had gotten the bouquet, there would have been no need for all these stupid games. A lot of the guys would have probably volunteered. But alas, it was not to be!

It seemed like everybody was determined not to be “it”. We all mustered every ounce of strength and athleticism just to avoid the fate lying in wait for the unfortunate soul who was to loose. It took three tries and three tall shots of tequila before I somehow touched the stick. But luckily 3 other bachelors were just as unfortunate.

There was going to be a run off elimination, finals so to speak. I was starting to feel some pain on my back, but I knew I still had a chance. My cousin and his bride were just up to my shoulder in height, and they were holding the stick below their hips. That meant that the stick was just a few inches above my knees. The odds were indeed against me but I still gave it a try.

I noticed it before but I kinda thought that maybe I was mistaken… But there it was the bride was cheating! It was clear as day, she lowered the stick even more after I started my attempt. I lost my balance and my head and back hit the floor hard, and I could not even get up. In the end… I lost… I had to endure the “garter” and a stupid dance.

I now have another reason aside from the desire to climb Mt. Halcon to get back into shape, this will not happen again.

Three Graduations and a Funeral

I have a confession to make… I have never really graduated. That is I have never attended a tertiary level graduation.

I was supposed to graduate from my undergraduate degree in the summer of 1998. But days from graduation I found out that I still needed 3 units. Like any diligent student I went to the College Secretary’s office at the start of the second sem of my senior year, to check my status and I was assured that I was all set to graduate. But because of some mix up with my records due to the change in curriculum with our department I somehow missed 3 units. It would have been ok if I missed a major subject or something really important, but instead I lacked 3 units of free electives. The worst part was I was only told of this problem about 3 weeks after the summer classes had already started so I had to take that 3 units of free elective on the 1^st sem of the next school year. An uncle of mine had also died, and on the day I was supposed to graduate I instead attended a funeral. Faith it seems has a sick sense of humor. I ended up taking a class on photography from the College of Mass Communication. I spent a sem going around with an old SLR camera taking pictures and generally just bumming around.

In paper I graduated in October of 1998. But in order to please my parents I attended the College recognition rites in the summer of 1999. But as the dean said; only the UP President could actually declare us as graduates, thus the need to attend the University Commencement Exercises. Again I opted not to attend. This time it was because Erap, the then recently elected and now deposed President of the Philippines, was the guest of honor and speaker. I’d much rather spend my time doing something really boring or worthless than listen to that guy.

Fast forward to 2005. I have completed the requirements for graduation and was supposed to graduate along with 4,000 other students of UP Diliman, yesterday. I have already completed the required 21 units and was supposed to graduate with a post-graduate diploma in Industrial Relations. But since I still need 12 more units and to pass a comprehensive exam in order to get a Masters degree, it really doesn’t feel like I am actually graduating. This time I spent my time drinking with officemates, sleeping, and watching a movie on dvd.

Maybe next time…

The 48 Laws of Power

by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers

1. Never Outshine the Master
2. Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
3. Conceal your Intentions
4. Always Say Less than Necessary
5. So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life
6. Court Attention at all Cost
7. Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
8. Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary
9. Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
10. Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
11. Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
12. Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
13. When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
14. Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
15. Crush your Enemy Totally
16. Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
17. Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
18. Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous
19. Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
20. Do Not Commit to Anyone
21. Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark
22. Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
23. Concentrate Your Forces
24. Play the Perfect Courtier
25. Re-Create Yourself
26. Keep Your Hands Clean
27. Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cult like Following
28. Enter Action with Boldness
29. Plan All the Way to the End
30. Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
31. Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
32. Play to People’s Fantasies
33. Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
34. Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
35. Master the Art of Timing
36. Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
37. Create Compelling Spectacles
38. Think as you like but Behave like others
39. Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
40. Despise the Free Lunch
41. Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes
42. Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
43. Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
44. Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
45. Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
46. Never appear too Perfect
47. Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
48. Assume Formlessness

My Professor in IR 226 gave us this list. It is very Machiavellian and embodies the teachings of Sun Tzu. It’s not something that you should share with your friends and colleagues especially if you intend to use it on them. Oh well, there it is…

Rat Race

The last book I bought and read was Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I bought that book because a friend of mine was able to coerce me into paying P 800.00 and go to Makati on my rest day just to play this game called Cash Flow 101. Since I was going to do it anyway, I bought the book the night before we were supposed to play the game. In the back of my head I was kinda hoping that the game would be something like Empire Earth where conquest and genocide was the only way to win, alas, after reading ¾ of the book I knew it wasn’t going to be like that.

The game / seminar was held in a function room in one of Makati’s skyscrapers. The people who were there were mostly yuppies. A lot of the organizers and the people playing were Filipino-Chinese and the one doing most of the talking was from Binondo (he sounded like a game show host). I guess it just goes to show that they make money because they make it a point to learn how to. Anyway, it was a gathering of bankers and businessmen and the organizers were introducing people, by adding their educational background, what jobs they hold, what business their family is in to, and how successful they are. Sufficing to say it wasn’t the kind of crowd I am used to.



The ultimate goal was to get out of the rat race, start investing, accumulating wealth, and increase your passive income. It involved some negotiating, partnerships, and some ruthlessness. Unfortunately we had limited time and I wasn’t even able to get out of the rat race. I’d have to say, however that I did somehow manage to have some fun playing it and at the same time it gave me an insight into how I handled money. I played it like how I play Empire Earth or even War Craft. I usually establish defenses, build up resources, and attack with overwhelming force. But since there was time constraint, being conservative wasn’t the way to go. I ended up struggling to get enough resources before time ran out, but to no avail. On the other hand, a friend of mine who was bolder and who favored a strategy of early attack was able to get out and make a lot of money. I guess I need to change the way I look at things if I want to be rich.

That was back in February when I was also reading Sophie’s World. On one hand was a book that talks about Philosophy and all the great ideas throughout the ages and on the other hand was a book whose main message was that you should change the way you think and aim to become rich. There was an obvious clash such that I had to pause and reorient my self before I could start reading one book. I could simply not reconcile some of the principles and ideals I hold with the manner in which the author looked at the idea of becoming rich. But at the same time it was clear that money is very important and if you want to change things, having a lot of money would definitely help. There lies the dilemma…

Laborem Exercens (On Human Work)

These last couple of days we have seen the news hogged by two things. The first is the death of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election of Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pope and the second is the incessant increase in the prices of oil products, which in turn has resulted in the clamor for an increase in wages and fares.

A lot of people know and love Pope John Paul II for reasons that these people themselves could not easily put into words. It is more an emotional attachment based primarily on the Pope’s charisma than love based on his deeds and actions. Yes, he did inspire the solidarity movement in Poland and he spoke against the evils of both communism and unrestricted capitalism but people don’t really have an idea what he said. I had no idea as well that the Pope actually had written commentaries on social issues until I was required to read Laborem Excercens (On Human Work) for a graduate school class.

Laborem Excercens was written on the 90th anniversary of the publication of Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor), which was written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. Rerum Novarum expressed the Catholic Church’s stand on the plight of Industrial workers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. On the other hand Laborem Excercens talked about the "social question" and the meaning of work. It stated that the meaning of work can only be properly understood when the dignity of labor is taken as an underlying premise.

Here was a Pope laying down Catholic dogma through an encyclical that states that work exists for man and not the other way around. This was at a time when capitalist generally viewed labor merely as a component of production, whose standing is secondary to that of the interests of the business. He also talked about the need for a "just wage" that would provide for the needs of the worker and his family. This was to be the measure that would indicate whether the whole socioeconomic system was functioning justly.



I was reminded of these things upon seeing the clamor of labor for an increase in the minimum wage. I am sure John Paul II would have sympathized with them especially with those who are earning minimum wage, while working for companies who find every loophole they can find in order to avoid abiding by what is prescribed by the Labor Code.

Pope John Paul II was given credit for his contribution in the fight against Communism especially in his homeland Poland. He however lamented that he did not succeed as much in the struggle to check the injustices caused by Capitalism. I guess Pope Benedict XVI has his work cut out for him.

Spyware...

If you do not know what this spyware is then your PC is most likely already infected.

The Microsoft website describes spyware as:

Spyware is a general term used for software that performs certain behaviors such as advertising, collecting personal information, or changing the configuration of your computer, generally without appropriately obtaining your consent. You might have spyware or other unwanted software on your computer if:

• You see pop-up advertisements even when you're not on the Web.

• The page your Web browser first opens to (your home page) or your browser search settings have changed without your knowledge.

• You notice a new toolbar in your browser that you didn't want, and find it difficult to get rid of.

• Your computer takes longer than usual to complete certain tasks.

• You experience a sudden rise in computer crashes.

I decided to write about Spyware again because I recently had a lot of trouble with it. My brother installed Kazaa, that popular file sharing software that allows you to download MP3s and other stuff through peer to peer connections. The only problem is that aside from the songs you get every imaginable spyware direct into your system. I admit I have been complacent because I always thought that Ad-aware was more than enough to protect my PC from these darn things.

Sufficing to say… I was wrong. Norton was no longer working, the system was really slow, and there was an incredible number of pop up windows. I tried every conceivable troubleshooting step I knew everything short of performing a registry edit. I didn’t have the patience for that one. I ended up reformatting my drive C: reinstalled everything and of course I reinstalled Ad-Aware SE and also Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta).

Now I am not one to praise anything that the evil empire produces but I have to hand it Microsoft, their AntiSpyware software is great. It has active protection that monitors and protects your system real time. I am however keeping Ad-aware simply because its better to have redundancy to protect your system. Oh… and always back up your files. A system crash is as inevitable as death and taxes.

This thing about viruses and spyware is like a war and we have to stay ahead of the game. It would also be nice if Capital punishment would be imposed on all these freaks who makes all these crap. But until that time comes all we can do is be extra careful.

Gimik!

Sabado ng gabi
walang pasok sa trabaho
tapos na ang exams
text sa barkada
gustong gumala at gumimik
naghahanap ng magagawa
gustong maging masaya
nagbabakasakaling me makita o makilala
pero kahit kuwentuhan lang, ok na

sine, inuman, bar hopping
kung ano man ang mapagtripan
ganun na naman...
nakakasawa na, wala bang iba?
yun na lang ba lagi ang kahihinatnan
sa bawat bote sa bawat tagay
pilit na kinukumbinse ang sarili
may kahihinatnan may patutunguhan
ayaw tanggapin na baka ang buhay
walang malalim na kahulugan
natatawa ako...

naakyat na ang mga bundok
pinasok na ang mga gubat
lumipad sa ulap at sumisid sa dagat
may hatid na panandaliang aliw
mapa ngiti man lang kahit minsan
para makalimutan ang pagkabagot
sa buhay na walang katiyakan

siguro may kulang pa
mayron bang hinihintay?
may gusto bang mangyari?
hindi ko alam
sana may mapag tanungan
kung ano ba ang hinahanap
wag na lang isipin
wala rin mangyayari
tumawa na lamang
at baka lumipas din
sabi nga...
tama na yan, inuman na!

Dive Log

Dive and Trek Resort, San Pablo, Bauan, Batangas,

March 6, 2005

We left early for Batangas and I spent the morning introducing Jeff, Gino, and Toni to skin diving. As always the protected reef was a welcome sight, a welcome change of scenery to the dreary life in the city. There was an abundance of fish and other marine life attracted by the very healthy coral reef. It was a visual delight since the reef was a profusion of color and life. I got bitten by a couple of clown fish again when I ran my hands through some soft corals. They are a bit territorial and they don’t want strangers coming near their turf especially when they have a baby clown fish in that soft coral. I hope Jeff, Gino, and Toni had as much fun as I did.

First Dive: Pinacle (Ligpo Island)
Ave depth:51 ft
Max depth: 100 ft
Water temp: 77F
Time
in: 2:22 p.m.
out: 2:57 p.m.
bottom: 35 min
Dive notes: Low visibility, strong current, just drifted with the current to the other side of the island. We just gently glided along what seemed like a sheer wall of corals and marine life. We saw a cuttlefish, but it was kinda shy and quickly swam away.

Second Dive: El Capitan / Ligpo cave
Ave depth: 28 ft
Max depth: 59 ft
Water temp: 78F
Time
in: 4:07p.m
out: 4:50p.m.
bottom: 43 min
Dive notes: Last dive of the day. Entered a small cave and I was amazed that it teeming with marine life. I saw a couple of fish that I had never seen before they had some brightly glowing lines around their eyes. The cave was full of fish and they were literally inches away, seeming oblivious of our presence. We were warned though to be very careful with what we touch, as there might be scorpion fishes inside.

I took my time inside the cave and swam slowly on my way up and out of a small opening on the roof of the cave. The light shining through from a small opening on top was the only light inside that cave and it served as a guide to the where I would have to exit. When I finally emerged out of that small opening, it was as if I stepped out into a psychedelic fairy tale garden on a summer day. I was surrounded by lavender colored soft corals that lay like flowers straight from a painting, it gave me the impression that I was waking up from a dream or maybe I was at that moment still dreaming. I was floating weightless and unencumbered by the worries of reality in a world unlike our own.

Blood and Google

A quick search at Merriam Webster.com of the word Googled yielded no results. I am not sure if there is such a verb but I guess there would soon be.

I saw the movie Hitch featuring Will Smith about a week ago. The movie was ok, funny actually but the reason it came to mind again was the idea that you can search for information about a particular person on the world wide web through google. The expression “did you google him?” was used in the movie, and that got me thinking. Is there any information out there pertaining to me???

So I tried it out. Surprisingly I found an entry, which I think actually pertains to me. I found my name on the website of the Philippine National Red Cross it was a List of Blood Galloners, people who have donated at least a gallon of blood in a voluntary capacity. I have been doing this thing since I was in college and I have exceeded the gallon mark long before the year indicated on the site but because of record keeping problems and my own lack of interest in the whole recognition thing, I was only included on the list in 2003 as a Blood Galloner. Even then I didn’t even show up at the recognition ceremonies.





A lot of people cringe or even faint at the very idea seeing blood and even more at the idea of donating blood. The size of the needle used in the extraction process also scares a lot people. But blood donation is one thing most of us can do and it takes very little of our time and its impact is immediate and certain. It is one act that actually saves lives.

What made me want to donate blood in the first place was a story I saw on TV about a little boy who was taken hostage by a deranged man. A policewoman who posed as a reporter was able to save the boy but she got stabbed numerous times in the process. The story had a tragic ending because the policewoman died in the hospital simply because they didn’t have enough blood on stock to replace what she lost.

To this day a lot of people die because of a perennial shortage in the supply of safe blood. This is a problem that most of us can help address. Blood donation is a simple act of giving that will give another person the gift of life. We may not have super powers but we can still help save a life.

Why not give it a try?

Kyoto Protocol

I never really took much notice of it until now. It was a bookmark given to me by Cherie some time ago. She is working for an environmental NGO based inside Ateneo. The NGO is called Klima and they describe their organization as a climate change center.

The bookmark contained information about climate change. It said that Climate change is a potentially dangerous shift in climate caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels. This phenomenon is characterized by global warming, sea level rise, changes in rainfall, wind, and ocean patterns.

That is all well and good… But something inside me stirred. I asked Cherie who was providing the funding for their work. As expected they were receiving foreign funding, they were being funded by USAID. That instantly got me worked up. I think I said something like “what hypocrisy!” if they (the US) want to do some good towards preventing climate change all they have to do is sign the Kyoto Protocol. She was surprised that I knew what the Kyoto protocol was and she did agree with my out burst that signing the treaty would be the best thing the Americans can do. She however took comfort in the fact that Russia recently signed the agreement.

That was several months ago and this bookmark reminded me of that incident because the Kyoto Protocol recently came into force. But you are probably asking what the hell is the Kyoto protocol???

The Kyoto Protocol is an International agreement requiring cuts in greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide (CO2) that causes climate change. The protocol was adopted in 1997 in the Japanese city of Kyoto, thus the name.

It came into force on February 16, 2005 after Russia signed the agreement in November of 2004, it was the crucial moment making the treaty legally binding. Russia's entry was vital, because the protocol had to be ratified by nations accounting for at least 55% of greenhouse gas emissions to become valid.

So far 141 countries, accounting for 55% of greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified the treaty, which pledges to cut these emissions by 5.2% by 2012.

The problem is that George W Bush abandoned the agreement as one of his first official acts after assuming the presidency. The US says the changes would be too costly to introduce and that the agreement is flawed. They pointed that it placed too much of a burden on developed countries and that large developing countries including India, China and Brazil are not required to meet specific targets.

This was not really surprising because the Bush campaign was bolstered by interest groups from the Power, Automotive, and Oil Industries. The US is the world’s biggest consumer of fossil fuels and also the world’s biggest polluter.

Its ironic that the US would fund NGOs who work towards preventing climate change in the Philippines or stop the destruction of the rain forest in Brazil. They are willing to throw away some cash as along as nobody bothers them and their way of life. They really love those huge gas-guzzling SUVs.

Valentines Day

February 14, 2005

The noise dies down
Politics is slowly erased
Ideology becomes meaningless
Reasons are blurred
The dead rests in silence
While the living is haunted

Monologue

I know I often fall in that trap of writing non sense that I probably at one point think is something of interest or important. I don’t want to appear like I am trying to pass my self off as a deep thinking intellectual. Nor do I want to appear like a passionate poet of some kind because I'm not.

Cliché, we often hear these things but never really get tired of it. We try to look for meaning out of some very innocuous lines. Profound we say, but in reality the exact opposite may be equally true.

Existential angst used to be in fashion but it took too much effort to think about why we exist. It is just easier to be a romantic and just crave or yearn for those things we cannot have. It’s easier to wonder about some silly idea and pass it off as brilliant and profound. Besides, some chicks really dig that. Pretenders that is all we are.

I sometimes think how much of my effort goes into trying to impress other people. Am I doing the things I do to make my self seem a bit more interesting than I really am? Maybe impress some unsuspecting girl and make her believe that you are smart, intelligent, sincere, passionate, and try to get her phone number and eventually get laid.

I want to get laid. No! I want to make love… I don’t want to go through life with a series of meaningless liaisons nor do I want to settle for anything less than true love. Yeah right…

First things first… you have to find a girl… a beautiful girl…

Fall in love… Then what?

Buy her flowers, chocolates… date… ahhh! This takes a lot of effort. Why can’t it be simpler?

You should wait until after Valentines Day so you wouldn’t have to spend too much on a fancy date, flowers, and all that stuff. Damn! I’m cheap.

If you’re a girl you are probably saying “what a cheap stupid Neanderthal!” come on… men bashing is a favorite pass time for a lot of girls. I can’t really blame you, having to live in what feminists would call a patriarchal society that frowns upon women making the first move must be a bitch. Reality bites! Ooopps another cliché…

So what are you afraid off? Do you really care what other people think? You shouldn’t worry about that too much, besides a lot of girls are really good at making their desires known in a very subtle manner and still retain plausible deniability.

Sometimes we say we are in love when in fact all we want is not to feel alone. We want somebody to send us text messages, an occasional phone call (maybe more if you are both using Sun), have a hand to hold when you’re walking at the mall, somebody to watch a movie with, and of course have really good sex. But is that really love. I don’t know. Your answer is as good as mine.

I wonder if I had written a happy ending to that blog entry of mine entitled “just another entry” would anyone have reacted. You’d probably think I was bragging. Tragedies sell better than happy endings. Just look at Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, and Titanic. The search for the ideal love, the one that got away, and all those stupid clichés is inherent in all of us. People are so predictable…

So what is the point to all of this? Nothing! I’m wondering why anyone would even finish this whole thing. Maybe you need to get a life… don’t worry you’re not alone.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

His face is probably very familiar and can be seen on a lot of t-shirts. It has become quite a fashion item despite the fact that the people who wear these shirts are often clueless about who this bearded guy really is. Its funny but hey, its none of my business so I didn’t bother. Until last week that is, we were in Batangas after descending from Gulugod Baboy. Teth, one member of our group, was wearing a Che Guevara shirt. So I asked her if she knew who the guy was. She not surprisingly, didn’t have a clue.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara was born in Argentina in 1928. He studied to become a doctor at the University of Buenos Aires. He participated in leftist movements in Guatemala and Mexico and became acquainted with Cuban expatriates in those countries. He joined Castro's revolutionary Cuban army in 1956 as a top commander and Castro's personal physician. He helped Castro topple the regime in Havana in 1959.

Guevara went to create new revolutionary movements and wage armed struggle in Angola in Africa and all over Latin America. In 1967 the fearless Che Guevarra became an even larger myth after he was captured and killed by Bolivian forces while trying to foster revolution in South America.

This particular shirt along with a Mao cap has become somewhat of a fashion statement for leftist activists and revolutionaries, until the whole thing was taken over by capitalism. Che is probably turning in his grave, since his face has been hijacked by fashion conscious people who have no knowledge of what he fought for.

Going back to the last week’s climb. I don’t really care about Che or his revolution nor do I care what people wear. But in the same way that military gear, uniform, or equipment should not be used or even brought during a climb, I think the same should apply for Che Guevara shirts, Mao caps, or maybe even leftist music. This is in the event that you encounter a Military checkpoint or patrol. I think we should be very careful and not risk being identified as NPA guerrillas. Better to be safe than sorry.