Irritating Monday Morning

Early morning and my mood is shot.

My office computer is in dire need for an upgrade so my boss gave me permission to ask for a new memory. But last Friday, my computer conked out and it won't start. The computer technician said that my hard disk is having a hard time starting up so aside from the memory I now need a new hard disk. And so I gave our supply officer the specs of the two computer parts last Friday.

Just a few minutes ago, supply officer cam to me to pester me what kind of memory I would be needing. Memory card daw ba. Duh. Memory cards are for cameras not for computers. And since I gave him the specs already, I do not see why he is pestering me for this information. Also, he is insisting that memory and hard drive are just one and the same which is way not! I am having this feeling that he just doesn't want to buy me a these parts! Why I say so? I also have this outstanding request, which already has a purchase order signed by the Regional Director, to buy me a new computer chair since mine is busted. It has been 3 wks already and not chair has been purchased. My back is killing me which is being aggreviated by the fact that I am pregnant. I came to office today to find it totalled so I have no chair to use. Good thing my offiidn't go to the office today so I can use her chair. But what about tomorrow? Hay, pati ba naman sa loob meron paring red tape?!

Bibay the Environmentalist

A lot of projects have been going through my mind eversince Typhoon Ondoy has ravanged the Philippines. Drastic movements shall be made so as to save the planet and thus ourselves. I have always been an environmentalist at heart. Heck, there was even a time I wanted to be one. Unfortunately, we don't have that in the Philippines. So I decided to be something else but I still never abandoned my save the planet ways and now Mother Earth needs me more than ever. If only I am not pregnant I could start right away but since I am. concrete ways have to wait. But planning can start now! I have already came up with a few ideas:

1. Conduct tree planting activities every now and then.

I have a lot of friends who will go along with this one. Seedlings are FREE at DENR, everybody should know this fact to take advantage of it so a tree planting activity is cost free.

2. Create events that will give awareness

My friend Leah gave me a good one that is even related to my current Wedding Blog project. Why not plant a tree for every couple that is getting married! I am sure with the help of other suppliers a lot of couples will go along with this.

3. Lobby for platic-less society

A friend from PAWS suggested this and I think he is correct. Since the event is still fresh and elections are just around the corner, we should push Senate to come up with this law that will order establishments to use paperbags instead of plastic. SM is already doing this every Wednesday. We should compel ALL establishments to do the same.

4. Coordinate with DepED and Sate U's to educate the kids

Instead of spending their free time and NSTP doing "nothing," why not educate them on the global warming and its effects. But educating kids is not enough. They should practice what they learn to really inculcate the message. Practical exams will therefore be tree planting activitoes, clean up activities and other save the Earth activities. While we are at it, why not educate them also on animal rights? Now that's hitting two birds in one stone!

I'm sure I will come up with more just give me time. For the meantime, I will be maintaining a site to help promote the salvation of the environment. That will keep me busy while waiting. I will also continue fund raising WWF and having them talk at the our Colympics. We should all do what we can. This will only get worse people!

Ms. Universe 2009

Venezuela has done it again! Venezuela has bagged the Ms. Universe title for the second consecutive year in the August 24 beauty pageant besting 84 beauties from all over the world. The Philippines has high hopes that Bianca Manalo will win, if not the title, any award but unfortunately the judges don't agree. I personally don't like Ms. Philippines beauty but I still rooted for her of course because of Filipino pride. Oh well, we still have next year. I just hope we will have more beautiful, smart and talented contestants to send on the years to come. I feel that the pageant industry in the Philippines is now also going downhill. Proof? Who can forget Janina San Miguel, the Ms Philippines-International who can't string an english sentence even if her life depended on it? She really is a disgrace and I can't believe she won that title in the Binibining Pilipinas 2008 pageant. Does that mean the other contestants who didn't win are far worse? Que horror!

Going back, congratulations to Stefania Fernandez! I think she deserves the title. Well, except for the small fact that she can't even speak English. =P

The Last Journey of Ninoy

I stayed up late last night to watch "The Last Journey of Ninoy." It was a real eye opener for me. I am one of those who never really quite get the extent of Ninoy's heroism. Yes, I believe he is a good man and he helped liberate the country from Martial Law but I never realized the extent of that help he gave till last night. The man really dedicated his life in serving the country and in the end is really prepared to die just so the Filipino people will act against the dictator. Everything that happened to him in Marcos' regime is planned unlike what I thought before that all happened because of chance. He really deserved to be a hero. To quote him, "They can kill me and that will be the best thing that will happen to me, to die for the Filipino people." How many men do you know will do that again?

Here's the trailer of "The Last Journey of Ninoy."

Thanks for the freedom, Ninoy. I never really cherished it till now. Bilib na bilib ako sa'yo!

Another Niceprint Gripe

I saw a bride's blog about how she wrote down all the places and shots she wants the pictures taken. She even had her sister print her inspiration shots so she can show her photographers. I wish ever again I have done just that. Maybe then my photographers wouldn't have forgotten to take those precious photos. I wish I have splurged more on photos by hiring a back up photographer maybe then my photos will not be incomplete. I feel sad once again and for the nth time regarding this matter. This is the biggest regret I have on our wedding. Such a beautiful wedding but poorly documented. Imagine the big bucks we have spent just to have it just the way it is and not have enough beautiful photos to show from it. I just wish the video will be better. I dunno if I can ask Niceprint to get pictures from them, heard the quality is not that good thou. If I can just re-enact the entire thing believe me I will but unfortunately I can't. I just feel so cheated. My husband said we can get married again after 25 years so I can get the photos I want but I will be 52 years old by that time and I'm sure won't be so pretty. Oh well. Maybe that's the reason why I haven't finished with the photos for the album yet. Seeing them just pains me so much.

Niceprint...HMP!

We are finally sorting thru the photos from the wedding and I am getting angrier and angrier everytime I see how many photo ops have been missed! I am so dissapointed with our photographer, Rupert and Weng of Niceprint, that I am really regreting getting them for the wedding. Edmund's work, our photographer for our prenup pictorials was great and I wish everytime that it was him that I requested. Now I have to ask a graphic artist to do a photo of us in the famous lagoon area of Fernwood Garden Venue 1. I got Fernwood for that view and I didn't get a photo documentation of it! Imagine paying P115,000 for nothing. Hate it, hate it! Will give them bad ratings really!

Discrimination Incident on Filipinos at Cotton On Singapore

I was surfing some blogs when I came upon the blog of Jiki, an accomplished Filipino TV Producer now based in Hong Kong, as she narrates how she was discriminated in Cotton On Singapore by a Malay and Indian woman. Apparently, they were called "Stupid Filipinos!" before getting thrown out of the store. Here is the whole story as cut and pasted from Jiki's blog narrated in a complaint letter to the store's country manager.

1. I have been based in Hong Kong for a while doing TV production work and am currently in Singapore working on a project. While on a window-shopping date with my friend, Daphne, a banker holding a respectable position at Standard Chartered bank, we entered COTTON ON which was having an underwear sale. I was already queuing to pay when another item caught my eye, so I asked Daphne to hold my place while I checked it out. Behind me, an Indian lady, who seemed to be upper-class (and cranky) let out a sigh of impatience as I left the line to look at the piece.

2. I returned to my place at the line in front of the Indian customer while Daphne stayed on the line with me, which in good faith, I had not considered to be a problem.

3. Things remained normal, though, and when we finally reached the counter after about 5 minutes, the Malay girl behind the cashier nicely reminded me that Sale items could not be refunded. There were actually no reactions until a new counter opened up and Daphne was invited to pay for her purchases there. This must have really upset the Indian customer because this provoked her to prod the Malay girl with a long tirade obviously directed at my friend in strong words saying: "ASK THAT GIRL TO HURRY UP! FIRST SHE DOESN'T LINE UP AND JUST SQUEEZES IN WITH HER FRIEND. NOW SHE'S TAKING FOREVER TO MAKE A SIMPLE PURCHASE! SHE SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE STUFF BEFORE PAYING!"

4. This has me in complete shock. Daphne asked me in Tagalog what the Indian girl said and when I told her, my friend proceeds to defend herself. What really upset and agitated me was when the Indian customer blurted out a painful remark that is derogatory to Filipino maids in particular and to Filipino women in general, to wit: "FILIPINOS! NO WONDER THEY'RE JUST MAIDS!"

5. While my friend is a banker she could not of course let this insult on Filipino maids pass. As a matter of principle -- whatever one's position in life -- this woman had no right to talk down on people. A heated exchange naturally ensued.

6. Things took an ugly turn, however, when the Malay girl at the counter, prompted by the Indian customer, snapped and told my friend to take it outside. My friend, who was by then fully worked up, proceeded to leave but angrily started tossing the underwear on display along the way.

7. Even as I stared dumbfounded, thinking that it could not get any worse, the Malay girl at the counter chased after my friend and screamed at us: "BLOODY STUPID FILIPINOS! GET OUT!

The story made me so angry! Too bad I can't comment on Jiki's blog because I don't have a Livejournal account. Where the hell did these people, who are also from Asia and is living in countries with almost the same financial situation as our country's (even worse! India is a wasteland! The culture there is sooo backward that they believe it is still okay to douse their wives with acid when they displease their husbands!) to call us stupid? They are so ignorant! I justw ant to whack them! They should have sued those b******!

Anyway, what more dissapointing is the way the country manager of the Cotton On Store responded. He failed to see how the gravity of the ssituation thinking that a few gift certificates and retraining the Malay staff will do the trick. What a shame. So I decided to repost this so that many will know what kind of management that store has. II urge the readers to do the same so many will know about this thing. I also urge the Filipino readers of this blog who live in Singapore to boycott the store. Stay away from it if you don't want to be discriminated. As of press gtime, I think Jiki already wrote to Today for media exposure. This kind of thing shouldn't be taken sitting down after all. We Filipinos have a dignity to maintain!

Heal The World

Heal the World by Michael Jackson is my last song lately. The song was very popular way back in the 90's and why not? It has a very nice message that inspire people to do good. I am sharing a video of this song here as tribute to the late King of Pop and as a message to everybody. I think it is high time for the song to be remaked.

The Real Picture

I am chatting with an officemate as of press time regarding the Sarah Geronimo concert last Saturday wherein our Agency will give all the concert goers scholarships. Sarah Geronimo is our Agency's new ambassadress so the game plan is to attend her concerts (10 all in all in the country) and aside from giving away scholarships to all concert goers we will orient them on all the Agency's programs. This will serve as the pre program of the concert. Anyway, I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore when my officemate told me that almost all concert goers refused to accept the scholarships we were giving away. Let me repeat that: THEY REFUSED THE SCHOLARSHIPS WE WERE GIVING AWAY SAYING THAT THEY DON'T WANT/NEED THE SCHOLARSHIPS. Now this just pisses me off. People are always complaining that the government is not doing enough but they are the one refusing the help. Not to rally behind the government's side but being an insider gave me a lot of new perspective. We can bust our asses here and people will still say that the government is no good. Now here is the real picture (at least the scenario in our Agency):

- We have allocated a lot of budget (as in millions of pesos) to give away scholarships. These scholarships aim to help re-allign the supply and demand of manpower. To put it bluntly, there are a lot of jobs but a few people are only qualified. I can say a lot because of my experience as a manpower supplier for BPOs. Sad fact is we can spend hours interviewing hundreds of people a day and we will be happy if at least 2 make it to the work force. This I can prove by numerous jobfairs I have wasted my energy and saliva on in interviewing people and I tell you, most of the people I have interviewed made me wanna weep!
- Anyway, these scholarships are up for grabs by everybody and anybody who wants them. and is transferable if in case the receipient doesn't want them. The simple requirements are just the taker must be fifteen years old, a Filipino citizen and WILLING to study. We have hundreds of scholarships one can choose from. We even have one in Butchering which by the way is in demand in Australia for five years now.
- Our people, the employees in the Office, are giving their 200% just to implement these programs and still we are having a hard time in having takers. We have advertised thru TV, radio and newspapers and gave away a lot of info materials. We even went to high schools and barangays and gave talks to tell them of these wonderful opportunities. But still, we have a few takers. At least fewer than what we have. And now these events! These events have once again proven what we are lamenting for how many years already: that we can eat fire and die with effort but the Filipino people will still say that we are doing nothing. How sad.

This news quotation from TV Patrol will sum my point. It is about a grandma always off attending rallies against the government:

"Matapos ang rally sa Cha-Cha, tuloy ng umuwi si Lola sa bahay nila sa ilalim ng tulay sa kanyang 19 na anak at mahigit 100 na apo."

Kris Aquino's Big and Tactless Mouth

I hate that ABS CBN put Pinoy Bingo night before SNN for we have to no choice but to watch it due to laziness in changing the channel. You see, my TV is an old one dated circa 1990 when the colored TV was first born so I have no functioning remote. It was a gift from my beloved lolo. That's one of the things I enjoy for being the first grandchild.

Anyhoo, Kris Aquino is starting to get on my nerves. "Bumingo" sya when she commented to Al Tantay and Dick Israel's children that they are nerds on today's show because of where they go to school. Oh-kay...Eric Chua is "wow, matalino!" because he went to Ateneo and Al Tantay and Dick Israel's kids are nerds because they go to UP??! I know that Kris Aquino went to Ateneo so that may be the reason why she said that comment to Eric Chua but she doesn't have to say that insenstitive comment to the kids. I think she is forgetting that in the school rankings in Asia, Ateneo is only a FAR third and UP has always been the premier university in the country. Ateneo used to be second but their standards have fallen so fast that La Salle, who used to be the butt of stupid jokes, has surpassed them starting 1998. She could easily just say matalino if she really means well but she chose the word nerd which we all know has a bad connotation. Be offended when you are called a nerd and that is what I am feeling in this case!

School pride is what is going on here. I hate to be ridiculed by someone not in the position to do it.

Who the Hell Do You Think You are??

Someone commented this on my Hayden Kho post:

you might not like katrina halili that much, but she's also a victim of kho. don't ever forget that. yes, she jumped into bed with a committed man, but it's mean of you to say "it's payback time" for her. what do you know about the whole mess, really? nothing, right, except for what YOU'VE read and what YOU'VE seen in the news. so leave the poor girl alone, she's suffering already. she doesn't need another one like you smirking at the trouble she's gotten herself into. - Anonymous

This is what I have to say:

Dear Anonymous,

It's MY blog and MY opinion. I'm entitled to that, right, since I am a thinking being. Now if you have a problem with that, go and click the X mark and leave MY blog. I stand by my opinion that's why I wrote it here. This blog don't sugar coat anything as I am sure you have noticed. If you really believe on what you have said then don't go hiding behind the anonymous tag and boldy announce who you are. And who are you to shush me anyway? Just because you say so I shall retract what I have said and gag myself? I don't think so. Go get a life and stop dictating people on what to think and say.


Addendum:

I was reading Chuvaness' blog when I came about her post regarding nega people. So apparently that's what they are called and they are prolifirating in numbers! I looove the comment of one blogger. She got my sentiments fully! It goes:

"grabe naman, nakikibasa na nga lang, nakikialam pa. :p

i may not agree with you all the time, ms. c.. pero each time that happens, i just choose to not react out of respect. i mean, this is *your* blog after all, dba?

if people really have to say their opinion, then go write in your own blog. :)"

Very well said.

My Kitties and Hayden Kho

One of the kittens I brought home to be fostered by our cat died yesterday of what I suspect of heat stroke. The foster mom brought them to our bodega. Good thing I managed to save the other one by giving water and massaging her body with a wet towel. Unfortunately, that kitten died today. Again, the foster mom brought them to the bodega.

It's like the novel of Agatha Christie 10 Little Indians. Everyday there's a dead body till everybody is dead in the end. One kitten dies each day. I hope today is the last day I find a kitten dead.

The whole country is ablaze over the Hayden Kho with whoever scandal. First it was Katrina Halili then next Maricar Reyes (the actress who played the first love of Armando at Betty La Fea) then the Samba model. Of all three, Marical Reyes has my sympathy. Why? Well, she was in a realationship with the bastard when that happened! They were doing couple stuff which was savagely violated by the perversity of her boyfriend. He supposedly love her the time that video was filming. I even saw a copy wherein the video seems to zoom. Is there another person in the room then? And even if for instance she knew she was being filmed, posting the video on youtube is a violation of trust and respect. They have a one year history. Hayden the bastard should have respected that.

As for Katrina, that's karma for her. Messing with a commited man; a man who was commit that time with a friend. Her lust got the better of her and now nature says its payback time. Too bad other people got into the mess with her.

I'm still missing Teng Teng so much. :(

Teng Teng, Pacquiao and Judy Ann-Ryan Wedding

An online petition for the explusion of the cat killer has been launched last week to help push the UP Faculty to the right direction. Here is the petiton:

There are over half a million stray animals in the Philippines, and this is the story of just one of them. Tengteng was a month-old stray kitten who lived precariously on the grounds of the University of the Philippines at Diliman. Those who knew her spoke of a kitten who benefited from random acts of kindness including handouts of food, water, even a new collar to make herself look pretty. She enjoyed fleeting but happy moments with students who gave her a scratch or two, a tummy rub, and pats on her head. The only known photographs of Tengten are the ones you see on this site. One can say that Tengteng was not as hard up as other strays in the Philippines, but she was without a regular source of food, a home and a family to protect her.

Tengteng, like all animals, was God's child. But her life came to an abrupt end when on April 13th a second year physics student named Joseph Carlo Candare took her life and bragged about it on the web. On his blog entry for that day, Mr. Candare mockingly called Tengteng's death " an accidental Crime." However, by other accounts, Tengteng's killing was a deliberate and blood-thirsty attack fueled by Mr. Candare's visceral and sadistic hatred of cats.

How much hate, you might ask?

Mr. Candare was described as taking a running start, leaping into the air, and then landing on Tengteng with the full force of his weight and momentum. Tengteng, who could not have weighed more than two pounds, was crushed under the grown man's weight. This was a conscious act, and Mr. Candare had ample opportunities to change his mind. Whatever life was left in Tengteng's body, the last few ounces of strength she had, enabled her to seek shelter in a hovel where she ultimately died moments later, alone. The imagery is horrifying, but we have been spared the deathly sounds that must have been blood-curdling. The agonizing scream of a kitten, the crushing of her bones, the taunting of the victor over the vanquished, it was a triumphant moment for one but unnecessarily tragic for another.

Why should we care?

Some have argued that we care too much about a kitten who did not belong to anyone. Some said tha there are many strays; why care about this one? All animals deserve respect. When we disrespect an animal, that says more about us than the animal. It is not how many animals are abused, but it is the knowledge that a most heinous crime was committed on a defenseless and sentient being that behooves us to act. Such acts, however singular, offends our sense of decency and righteousness. If there is one abused animal, then that is one too many. When we are confronted by cruelty, we must address it. Acts of abject cruelty towards animals, like Tengteng's killing, are simply unacceptable. It is up to the enlightened and the compassionate to stand up and speak in behalf of those on the receiving end of humankind's brute force.

Why take my word for it?

You do not have to. I am reproducing Mr. Candare's blog entry for your perusal. Here, you can read his own words, his self-confession as a serial killer of cats, his disingenuous pang of conscience, and his not-so-veiled threat to kill more in a month ( English translation in brackets) :

"An Accidental Crime. First day sa supercon. Lunch time came. On our way out of old NIP I saw the cat I almost killed last Tuesday. Now everyone knows I hate cats. It's an unexplainable feeling towards them. Like some internal hatred. Hindi ko talaga alam kung bakit pero anumang pagpipigil sa sarili ay hindi sapat upang mapangibabawan ang panggigil ko sa mga pusa. [ I don't really know why my self-control is not enough to overcome my hatred of cats ] I pulled it on its tail and threw it. Then like some pro wrestler I jumped on it and my feet landed on it's torso. Slam! Felt good! But the cat didn't die, well not yet. It ran for its life and just as I was about to catch up on it somebody yelled: " Pwede bang pabayaan mo yung pusa?!" [ Can you leave the cat alone? ]. It was instant and involuntary. I stopped on my tracks. Nobody ever stopped me when assaulting cats. Well I guess there's always a first time for everything. The cat got away. Or at least that's what i thought. So we went to lunch Mel, Jayson, Tracy and me. After lunch, balik na sa kung anumang naiwang gawain [ we went back to whatever unfinished work we had ]. Then Tracy and Mel told me " Hui Jc napatay mo yung pusa" [ Hey, JC, you killed that cat ]. Hours later, habang abala sa XRD [ while busy at XRD ], a guy came in. Tanong niya: " Sinong pumatay dun sa pusa?" [ He asked, who killed that cat? ] Bang! Dat was me boi. Guilty as charged. I didn't see it die pero sabi ni Myles [ but Myles said ] it coughed up blood or at least something like that daw. Didn't realize I gave it a fatal hit. This isn't the first time I've killed a cat but this time it's different. It didn't occur to me back then that the cat had a leash. So I think somebody owns it. Well it's very well loved in NIP from what I heard and I just ended it's life. So there you go I'm sorry. And I wont be striking another one for maybe about a month. It feels good when your beating it(a cat) up but you suddenly feel something strange when it turns off permanently. That's how I feel right now. And maybe for the next days. Dang, am I a cat serial killer? "

To Whom Should We Appeal?

We are appealing to the high officials of the University of the Philippines at Diliman (U.P.) namely Dr. Sergio Cao, Chancellor of UP, Dr. Arnel Salvador, Director of the National Institute of Physics at UP, Dr. Caesar Saloma, Dean of the College of Science UP, and to Dr. Maricor Soriano, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs, UP.

These gentlemen, in their respective capacities, have the authority to set things right at the university. They can condemn, reject, and punish those who practice animal cruelty within the ranks of the university. They are gatekeepers to the long and illustrious history of the university. The conduct and safety of the student body are under their purview. We, therefore, are calling upon these gentlemen to apply the only just and appropriate punishment for Mr. Candare which is immediate expulsion from the university and to assist in seeking proper medical attention for Mr. Candare.

I am asking for one thousand signatures. If you agree with the spirit of this petition, please sign it and offer your opinion for the benefit of these learned gentlemen. I will post updates when new developments occur. I thank you for helping engender a more compassionate Filipino society.

Addenda: There were questions about criminal charges. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is in the process of gathering affidavits from eye-witnesses. Yes, Mr. Candare violated the provisions of the Philippine Animal Welfare Act, Republic Act 8485. PAWS' volunteer lawyer will be mapping our their legal case against Mr. Candare.

05/02/09 I had Mr. Candare's name as John C. Candare in the initial post because he presented himself as such on another blog, but someone corrected me. His real name is Joseph Carlo Candare.

05/02/09 You may express your outrage but please no personal threats against Mr. Candare. I have to submit this petition to UP officials, and I want it fair and clean. Substantive comments will greatly help the impact of this petition. Thanks.

If you guys believe in what we are fighting for, please sign the petition which is here.

Last Saturday, the issue was also shown on Jessica Soho. If you missed it, you can view it here and here.

On a happier note, PACMAN WON OVER HATTON LAST SUNDAY AFTER JUST TWO ROUNDS! Yey!

We watched the fight last Sunday over the Internet. My brother found a live strieaming site so we got to watch the fight live without having to go pay extra. Was really tired Saturday because we were in Meralco starting 10am because it iwas the Colympics Semis last week end. And so I slept till past 11am. Was dissapointed that Pacquiao's fight is still not on since we have to leave 12 noon to go to Meralco for the games. The fight started at 11:30am or so. I was a little pissed that we will miss the fight! So when it started, I jokingly said, "Manny tapusin mo na ng round 1 or round 2 para mapanood pa namin!" Imagine our disbelief and surprise when the fight indeed ended on the second round! WOW! Manny really is a superb fighter! Hatton is supposedly a very powerful opponent. I have seen his fight with Mayweather and it took him a long time before he finally fell down and now with Pacquiao only two rounds! I was ecstatic but a little bitin. It was an action packed fight from start till the end. I pity Hatton thou. Imagine the humiliation of being put to sleep in just two rounds. Now who's the amateur now eh, Floyd?

On a last note, I've had enough of the Judy Ann and Ryan wedding. I don't think it's a simple wedding at all if you've had two receptions in grand places and a showbiz show reporting about it daily for a week now.

On Morals and Frienships

I was watching Friends yesterday on cable while getting dressed for work. The episode is about Phoebe's very nice new boyfriend Gary wanting to ask her to move in with him. Finally Phoebe agreed but dumped him the next day.

Why?

Apparently, Gary, very nice Gary, shoots at birds when he gets irked at their chirping in the morning. And Phoebe saw this first hand so she dumped him.

This is very similar to the Candare incident, the student who killed a little kitten in broad daylight. In front of his friends. His friends who are still with him now. I just feel disappointed. Because if it was me, our friendship would have ended right there and then. I refuse to be friends with a monster. And obviously, I haven't known the real him until then. I wanna cheer at Phoebe right there and then because she is strong enough to stand by her beliefs. And she won't be bullied by a man to stand by him even if she already knows what he is doing is wrong. Ending the friendship won't mean you are a bad friend. It will mean that you know the difference between right and wrong.

Updates:

* We named the kitty Teng Teng like my Teng Teng Whitie.
* GMA covered the story last night at 24 Oras and Saksi thou lacking in information.

A Little Kitty Killed by a Stupid Demented JC Candare

I was really enraged when I have read this note on The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) which was posted by another member. It is about their dear little kitty who was brutally murdered by some demented boy. The little kitty was really a stray but it was being cared for by the guard, students and faculty of the National Institute of Physics Building. She was so loved by many that they were aghast to see her little body lifeless. Apparently, somebody threw her out in the air wrestling style then took a running start to finally stomp the kitten in the torso. It was a wonder the kitten was not squished to death right there and then. It was so gruesome, so uncalled for, so demented that everybody was so sadden and mad about this issue. And what's more blood boiling is the fact that this devil was so proud and happy of what he has done! No remorse what so ever! And he even boasted of killing another kitty in the future! Why do we know this? He posted the damn thing in his blog in multiply! Unfortunately, due to the now numerous comments that has been made, the appalling post has been made private but not without me getting some screen shots and getting a copy of his post first!

The entry:

4th Epic Fail: An Accidental Crime. First day sa supercon. Lunch time came. On our way out of old NIP I saw the cat I almost killed last Tuesday. Now everyone knows I hate cats. It's an unexplainable feeling towards them. Like some internal hatred. Hindi ko talaga alam kung bakit pero anumang pagpipigil sa sarili ay hindi sapat upang mapangibabawan ang panggigil ko sa mga pusa. I pulled it on its tail and threw it. Then like some pro wrestler I jumped on it and my feet landed on it's torso. Slam! Felt good! But the cat didn't die, well not yet. It ran for it's life and just as I was about to catch up on it somebody yelled: "Pwede bang pabayaan mo yung pusa?!". It was instant and involuntary. I stopped on my tracks. Nobody ever stopped me when assaulting cats. Well I guess there's always a first time for everything. The cat got away. Or at least that's what i thought. So we went to lunch Mel, Jayson, Tracy and me. After lunch, balik na sa kung anumang naiwang gawain. Then Tracy and Mel told me " Hui Jc napatay mo yung pusa". Hours later, habang abala sa XRD, a guy came in. Tanong niya: "Sinong pumatay dun sa pusa?" Bang! Dat was me boi. Guilty as charged. I didn't see it die pero sabi ni Myles it coughed up blood or at least something like that daw. Didn't realize I gave it a fatal hit. This isn't the first time I've killed a cat but this time it's different. It didn't occur to me back then that the cat had a leash. So I think somebody owns it. Well it's very well loved in NIP from what I heard and I just ended it's life.

So there you go I'm sorry. And I wont be striking another one for maybe about a month. It feels good when your beating it(a cat) up but you suddenly feel something strange when it turns off permanently. That's how I feel right now. And maybe for the next days. Dang, am I a cat serial killer?

I can feel my skin crawl.

How can someone do something like that to a defenseless little being is beyond me. I was so angry that I called him names; even told him to kill himself because the Philippine doesn't need another pabigat. But calling him names won't stop his deeds and me, together with some members of PAWS, are now in a quest to stop this psycho. Yeah, psycho. Hinde matino ang pag-iisip ng mga taong ganito. And it is such a known fact that seriel killers start their career by killing small animals first. Will we wait for me to turn into one?

For now we are pursuing him. We want him jailed. I am so thankful and happy that there is really a law that we can exercise to stop this psycho: The Animal Right Bill 8485. As of press time, a lot of people are already involved. Even people from the US are already getting involved. We have already contacted PAWS, The Animal Welfare Coalition and Care and Responsibility for Animals (CARA). Someone already wrote to the Chancellor of UP (yeah, dungis!) to have him expelled. Angel, the original poster of the note, has already talked with the witnesses and will talk to the faculty who are willing to file a case against this guy. We are also compiling more information about him to make the case stronger. PAWS has told us we can use their lawyers.

Now what we further do? Spread the word! Let it be known to many what kind of person he is so that many will be aware of his demonic acts! Repost his blog post and photos. Spread his friendster profile, which by the way is http://profiles.friendster.com/10632111. Tell him how you feel!


The face of the murderer

Name: Joseph Carlo Candare
Nickname: JC
Age: 18
School: UP Diliman (nop for long!!!)
Course: Applied Physics
Hometown: Butuan City
Multiply: http://myperfectsymmetry.multiply.com/

Guys, he needs to pay and learn his lesson! Let's all be united in this. last night, I could not sleep because I was really disturbed by this incident. I took my kitten Whitie to bed with us. The same Whitie who I looked for day and night - at my neighbor's abandoned house, at our rooftop, and everywhere I can possibly think of - when her mother hid her from us because we are always cuddling her. Anyway, i kept waking up to check if she is alright in my thigh sleeping soundly. I kept imagining the kitten getting sq1uashed to death and sometimes imagining it was Whitie getting the fatal hit. I hate this guy to pieces and I won't rest until he gets what he deserves. I pray to God that he will be the last cat killer I encounter.

On Love and Sharing

In a world where almost everybody is jaded and selfish, it is so refreshing to watch a story about a love that is so strong that is has conquered a lot of boundaries.

I was holed up in my mother-in-law's house last Saturday and I have nothing to do but watch TV. Jay is sleeping at the floor in a mat beside the sofa I was reclining in. I just finished watching the TV Marathon of Santino/My Bukas Pa and unlike Jay I am still not sleepy so I decided to watch Maalaala Mo Kaya. I was so touched by the story that I was misty eyed (yah, misty eyed only. I hate crying; I hate drama. Haha!) all through out the show. You see, the girl was sick (played by Jodie Sta. Maria) and has only 6 months to live actually, but that didn't stop the boy (played by Baron Geisler) to love her with all his heart. So powerful is his love that he believed that the girl will surpass her 6 months taning. He prayed to God so hard daily to lengten the life of his beloved and God did! They ended up getting married (He married her on before the 6 month taning is up. Such faith!) and having 2 children. Hubby doesn't want to have children at first since the doctor said she is not totally cured and she can end up dead but the the woman insisted and because it will make her happy, hubby consented. It was so touching and heartwarming to know that such man and such love exist! It trully is a miracle of love, this story, and perfect for the Holy Week. I know I'll be telling this story over and over again especially to singletons out there that are moaning and losing hope that the man for them is still out there. I was trully insipred!

*****

I was writting this piece when an outburst of some sort caught my attention. Some officemate of mine is having a tirade for having received a solicitation letter from UNICEF. In his words (translated to Tagalog since it was said in Kapampangan): "Bakit naman ganun? (referring to the letter he received) Lahat ba tayo me ganito? Yiiii!" Sabay hampas ng letter ng UNICEF sa table nya. Another co-worker seems to be in agreement with him thou not expressing in verbally. I can just see her agreeing eyes.

I was in total disbelief. Are these people for real? I mean, you don't have to give if you don't want to. But to have a tirade over it? Oh, man! ANG DAMOT NYO! I can't help but retort: "UNICEF yan, international org na tumutulong sa mga tao. Buti naman nagbigay sila ng ganyan para makapagbigay tayo. Balak ko talaga magbigay. Nagbibigay talaga ako sa mga ganyan. Wala lang, para makatulong naman diba? Di ka naman magugutom sa magkano na ibibigay mo."

That shut them up. The guy who was so irked by the letter walked out of the office.

What has this world come to? Are we that materialistic and unkind that we are unwilling to help others? That we are even outraged to their reaching out to us? What gets me the most is that these people are such braggarts - always bragging about their new stuff and where they have eaten and gone to. They are showing others that they have money to spend. So howcome they shut up when they have to shell out a measly amount to help someone?!

Two such different posts, eh? The irony of the world.

Financial Crisis Hits the Call Center Industry

It is so scary when a big company, such as Sykes Asia, is hit by the financial crisis. I know that the call centers and the government has given us assurance that the hiring won't stop but it is now very hard to ignore the facts. I have heard before from the grapevine that Accenture has laid off a lot of people with no account to transfer to. Then next is TRG. Some of its former employees even gave me their contacts so they can apply to my clients. And now, the latest is Sykes Asia! It came gradually, actually, the tell tale signs of poverty. First, they won't join the Colympics because, as we deduce, they can't afford it. They are giving us a lot of reasons but we didn't believe them especially when they haggled if they can join only two sports. They don't have 20K?! Oh my. Then came the P100/employee deduction from their employees outing fund. Then there will be no summer picnic anymore and shorter OT hours allowed. And now, the inevitable has happened. A 100+ engineers will either be forced to resign or have to settle for a lesser account because Sykes Asia lost their CISCO account! Apparenty, they also lost 2 or 3 accounts to Teleperformance and I dunno how recent this is but also 21 freaking accounts due to Emerson moving out. Ouch! Sykes Asia is considered to be a giant in the call center industry and it boast of being one of the pioneers here in the Philippines. Seeing this happening to them really scares me. No one is safe anymore!

Boyet Fajardo Follow Up Story

Found this on Chuvaness' blog.

Interesting...

For a person who "designs" such ugly clothes, he sure has an arrogant disposition.

Bah, go to hell.

1st on the Agenda

The weekend has been one hell of a ride. The Colympics has finally began and I can't wait to blog about it but this article has been bugging me since seeing it yesterday so I want to blog about this first. Besides, the photos of the Colympics are not yet complete. So on to the subject of this blog entry.

The Spratlys have been a long standing debate between the Philippines and China. This issue has given birth to the article I've posted below which was written by Tsip Tsao, a stupid Chinese Man who has a memory of a gold fish and has forgotten what kind of morals his people have. Read on:

The War At Home

March 27th, 2009

The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That’s no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.

Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout “China, Madam/Sir” loudly whenever they hear the word “Spratly.” They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, “Long live Chairman Mao!” at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I’m not sure if that’s going a bit too far, at least for the time being.

Chip Tsao is a best-selling author and columnist. A former reporter for the BBC, his columns have also appeared in Apple Daily, Next Magazine and CUP Magazine, among others.

Source: http://hk-magazine.com/feature/war-home

I'm sure your mouth is agape like mine is after reading this trash. Good thing someone retaliated with this award winning write up:

A Chinese writer Chip Tsao published in the Hong Kong Magazine calling us “a nation of servants”. Tsao or Chip fails to see that everything in the world is temporary, as an Asian he fails to see the wheel in our lives that sometimes he who is on top could be at the bottom and those at the bottom could be on top. Perhaps what he did which is to insult us is to please China which has a claim over Spratlys- a lip service or a kiss mark on China’s ass.

The fact that we have domestic helpers in China or in the Middle East or even in the United States or Europe does not make us a nation of servants. And even if we are, what’s wrong with it? It does not make us slaves. It does not make us less human. We like any other people in the world have a right to be given our due. This is a person who thinks he is so high, so mighty, he forgets that he too is human and that makes him a monster.

The Bible tells of humble people who rose up to their station despite being merely slaves in Egypt or servants in Babylon. These are people who were chained, flogged, enslaved and yet they still cling to hope that one day there will come a time that the wheel of fortune will turn for on their side.

Mr. Tsao must have forgotten history, he has forgotten the Chinese peril where Chinese coolies worked to build railroads in the United States, and in fact a judge there pronounced “Here you are, all the laws of Texas, and nothing in them says it’s a crime to kill a Chinaman”. Has he forgotten that his signs in Europe insulted his ancestors with signs prohibiting dogs and Chinamen from entering in restaurants and here he is trying to insult our countrymen, our workers who worked in his country not because they want to serve, but because they view it as a way of bringing the bacon to their family here at home.

One day Mr. Tsao- you will eat your words because what is true now, may not be true in the future and the fact that Hong Kong now may seem to rise, it may be charcoal in the future. You and you descendants will reap what you sow because you fail to understand, the fact that one is toiling or laboring, does not make that person smaller or meeker, that in fact makes him or her bigger and greater, society and capitalism only made that so.

Listen Mr. Tsao and perhaps you will hear---

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Good eh?

As for my opinion, which I have repeatedly expressed in the threads in Multiply:

I have read the article of this Chinese man and he was really out of line. I was surprised his trash got published in a magazine and that he was "supposed" to be a former BBC writer. Chinese media has no morals; like the other acts of the Chinese (melamine scandal, lead infested toys just to name a few) they don't care if they are out of line or will hurt others just as long as they make money out of it. I'd rather be from a land of servants than from a land of money hungry people with no morals.

And now the stupid Chinese man was issuing a public apology? Interesting. Has he finally seen that his people are more disgraced that he has painted us Filipinos? He can shove his apology up his ass. Damage done. Sorry, old man.

A cheerier post tomorrow, I hope.

My New Fave Show: The Bachelor An Officer and A Gentleman

A haven't been a big fan of reality shows. For some reason I hate having a show to follow and the sense of being lost when you miss an episode. For this reason I haven't been a big fan of Survivor, The Amazing Race or even Pinoy Big Brother like most people I know. But for some reason, maybe the chismosa in me, I got hooked in watching The Batchelor: An Officer and a Gentleman in ETC. Like the previous The Bachelor shows, this one is still about a single man looking for the woman of his dreams. The show will culminate with a proposal and hopefully a happy ever after marriage. I enjoy watching Andy, the dashing Navy Leutenant, charm the women and try his best get to know them but all through out the show me and Jay have our eyebrows up in skepticism. For one, we don't believe that you can have that many connection with a number of women at the same time. Maybe that's the monogamous spirit in me talking but I believe that you can only like-like one person at a time and being in like with that many women at the same time is fishy. I don't think he is being genuine. In the morning he is telling this woman he really likes her and he can see a future with her and in the afternoon he is saying almost the same spiel to another one. Huh? Second, I know they are Americans and they have different dating behavious than us Filipinos but is it necessary to kiss, hug and hold hands with all those women? It made us think he is there for the free chansing. And third, can you really look for real love in a TV series wherein you only have a short period of time to get to know one another? I don't think so.

But in the end I still feel excited to watch who may end up with Andy. I'm still rooting for Tessa, the dark haired girl who we suspect to have Filipino blood which got stronger when we saw her mom in yesterday's episode, but she kinda acts weird when she's with Andy. I feel she is not acting her natural self maybe because she is trying to control her feelings. Jay thinks Andy will pick Bevin because they look, well, in love with each other. At least I think Bevin is really in love with Andy. Next week, the show will show Andy with the three remaining women (Amber got booted out last night. See! He is lovey dovey with her, kissing her passionately and embracing her then he booted her out!) in Hawaii and in the end he will choose one to propose to. That's gonna be a real "Ouch!" to the other two women and really "entertaining" to us audience.

Here's the dashing bachelor Andy:

*** photo from www.tvguide.com